mwestern Reviews

Alpha Protocol (2010 Video Game)

Great Concept, Weak Execution

[7/10 · 24 September 2012]

The first thing that I would have to say about this game is that I was drawn in by the characters. The story line, voice acting and general feel make it a good story, well told.

The playability and re-playability for the various outcomes is second to none. They have accomplished what so many other sandbox type (not that this is a sandbox game) games have not in that your choices really do have consequences. Even the route that you want your character to develop will make some obstacles very easy. I like the in game challenges and found them genuinely unique and at times challenging.

However, where this game misses is on some of its polish. The graphics seemed old. I grabbed this and played it as a used game and thought that it was one of the first to come out on PS3 and was shocked to find out it was a 2010 release.

The controls are difficult and awkward making game play difficult at times.

As for the various skills available, there is no real need to develop more than a few of them and as the other reviewer pointed out, there is no need to actually operate covertly because the pathetic AI leads to some fairly easy kills. I only had trouble with a couple of the bosses throughout the entire game.

In summary, worth the play because the story will suck you in but the difficult controls leave this not accessible to a novice gamer, which is unfortunate because the story is compelling enough to bring new gamers on board.

Assassin's Creed (2007 Video Game)

Good Introduction to a Great Series

[7/10 · 11 January 2012]

This series has become one of my favourites, and I have played all entries multiple times....except this one. I would recommend this title because it will get the player into a universe that is exciting and dynamic but this one can get a bit repetitive in its game play.

Graphics: I thought that the graphics were very good and captured the setting of 12C Middle East very well. 9/10

Sound: the sound was good and interesting but not spectacular. 7/10

Story: one of the best story lines that I have gotten into. The additional titles in this series only further what has become an extremely passionate following for me. There are some incredible twists and if you have not already heard about anything in the story, I recommend not reading the book or anything about the story line. 10/10

Gameplay: The level of difficulty was not there and once they were learned it became quite easy to defeat almost all enemies. There were some points where getting from A to B was a little tedious and could have been shortened to get the story moving along. The worst thing about this game is the repetitive nature of the missions. It is the same thing from one mission to the next. At points the only thing keeping me going was the story line which was so compelling. 6/10

Controls: where rather difficult at some points and lacked polish. If I died it was not because of the level of difficulty of the opponents but rather the controls.

The story really does save this game and while it is the ugly sister to the other beauties in this franchise, I have to recommend it because for me it launched me into what I believe to be, along with GTA, the best series available.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002 Video Game)

The Benchmark of all Sandbox games

[10/10 · 11 January 2012]

This is by far the best sandbox game ever produced. For its time it was revolutionary in so many ways. Grand Theft Auto/Rockstar has continued to set the high water mark in this type of game and other producers have taken their cue from them.

Graphics: While now these graphics are not as sharp as the current run of sandbox/first person shooters. At the time, it was the top of its class. Even today the experience is fantastic and my first trip to Miami left me saying, "I have been here before." 10/10

Sound: the music and radio programs are absolutely second to none. Ambient sound is fantastic and one of the highlights for me was the sound of shells hitting the ground as I shot of the streets of Vice City. In addition, the voice work was unlike anything before or since with a star packed lineup of actors that truly added to the overall experience. 10/10

Controls: the controls for this game are very good. Improvements in later editions such as GTA:SA addressed the minor limitations for the controls in the game play. 9/10

Story: while a couple of the missions are a little far-fetched, they are entertaining and don't feel repetitive. The overall storyline is engrossing and demands repeat play. As mentioned above, the voice acting truly gets the player into a situation in which they feel like they are a part of the game. I was Tommy Verceti. 10/10

Gameplay: With the minor issues in controls and the inability to enter the water without dying, the game play did need some tweaking which was handled in later versions. This however, did not take away from the overall experience which was excellent and addictive. This was a resounding 10/10.

Mafia II (2010 Video Game)

Not Disappointed/Not Impressed

[7/10 · 11 January 2012]

I have enjoyed this game but perhaps my expectations were a little too high. And while I would recommend this game I was glad that I didn't pay the brand new cost of it. As a sandbox game, it does allow for some exploration. However here is my breakdown.

Story: I felt this was lacking only in the sense that there is a significant amount of drive time spent which really slowed down the pace of the game. Since the storyline is shorter than some other sandbox style games like Fallout 3 it almost struck me as filler. The actual missions though are fun to play out and overcome this. 8/10

Sound: it is outstanding and truly second to none. The music selections are certain points of the game are fantastic and the ambient sounds is excellent. 10/10

Graphics: I found the graphics to be very good. The characters are well designed and while the faces are not of the same quality the rest of the game is very reminiscent of LA Noire. 9/10

Controls: I found the controls to be rather awkward at times and not being able to jump felt limiting. 6/10

Gameplay: one of the most frustrating aspect was the fact being 3/4 of the way through a mission, dying, and having to start at or near the beginning. Fortunately, this didn't occur too often for me but I can see where this would be very frustrating. In addition there could be some side missions to help flush out the game. 7/10

Red Riding Hood (2011)

This was a rough going

[1/10 · 27 August 2011]

Like some of the other reviewers I was attracted to this title because of the presence of Gary Oldman. My expectations for the film as a whole where low and shockingly this film even under delivered on them.

Firstly, the acting was forced with only Julie Christie truly providing and intrigue to her character. The headliners for this movie a delivered their poorly written dialogue in a manner that left me asking myself, "have people ever really spoken this way?" The answer is of course a resounding no. Ultimately this film is supposed to have an element of fear and suspense to it and throughout it I continually thought to myself, I have zero interest whether all of these characters live or die.

Secondly, the writing provided the atrocious dialogue to which I have already spoken, but also created a plot that jump around in thought so much that despite being a "thriller" created no suspense whatsoever.

Lastly, the editing. This film might have been passable had it been about 20 minutes shorter. The celebration scene dragged on for so long that being forced to wait on the tarmac seemed like a suitable alternative. There was no pace to this film at all and if a film is going to have poor acting, poor writing and poor direction, the least it can be is quick.

In my estimation, a great film is a good story, well told. This was neither.