Saturday, December 20, 2008
DARK KNIGHT (BLU RAY)(2008)
Dark Knight is easily the best Blu Ray of 2008. This direct sequel to the previous Christian Bale Batman saga should be purchased immediately as it is great enough to transcend it's genre; this is not just a great superhero movie, it's a great movie.
The story picks up shortly after the previous film. Gotham's crime bosses are "on the ropes" due to Batman. The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger (The Patriot, Ten Things I Hate About You), convinces the bosses to hire him to kill Batman. The film pits Batman and Commissioner Gordon against the Joker in an epic that keeps you thrilled from beginning to end.
Ledger is the star of this thrill ride. His portrayal of the Joker is different from anything Batman fans have seen. This is not the goofy, always attempting to be funny, weakling that has plagued Batman for decades. Ledger successfully transforms the character into a formidable and psychotic terrorist type. Ledger deserves an award for his outstanding portrayal of such a dark character.
This is the time we would normally list the criticisms of a movie. That's easy here because we have none. This title, which looks phenomenal on Blu Ray, should be purchased as soon as possible.
Grade: 10 Click here to buy the Dark Knight on Blu Ray. The Dark Knight (+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
Copyright © Chopping Block Reviews 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
MORTAL KOMBAT VS. DC UNIVERSE (PS3)
You know a game is good when you never feel a desire to stop playing it. This is the case with MK vs. DC Universe. This excellent fighting game provides many different quality modes and is a great bang for your buck. If you enjoy fighting games then you can't go wrong with this title.
This game provides the tight combat action we've come to expect from the MK series. The integration of the DC Universe provides a fresh feel to the series though. The developer has done a great job of making all the characters evenly matched while giving each a feel that you would expect (i.e. Captain Marvel and Joker are equally matched even though Captain Marvel feels like an unstoppable wrecking ball while Joker feels like a weakling). The game's story mode is quite good (although too short and not flushed out enough). Throw in the training and arcade modes (of which the arcade mode provides several unlockables), along with the outstanding online action, and you have a title that will keep you busy for quite a while.
MK looks outstanding and the sound is also great. The controls are tight and provided us with no problems in 20+ hours of game play. There is little to complain about in terms of the title's technical aspects.
A few criticisms can be levied against this title. The game does lack some save features; you can't go back to a particular point of the story mode and can't save progress in the arcade mode. Also, as mentioned previously, the story mode is pretty short and could have been developed more. These issues really seem like they could have been addressed rather easily.
It's hard to go wrong with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, despite it's few flaws. If you are a fan of fighting titles then you should pick this game up.
Grade: 9.0
Copyright © Chopping Block Reviews 2008
This game provides the tight combat action we've come to expect from the MK series. The integration of the DC Universe provides a fresh feel to the series though. The developer has done a great job of making all the characters evenly matched while giving each a feel that you would expect (i.e. Captain Marvel and Joker are equally matched even though Captain Marvel feels like an unstoppable wrecking ball while Joker feels like a weakling). The game's story mode is quite good (although too short and not flushed out enough). Throw in the training and arcade modes (of which the arcade mode provides several unlockables), along with the outstanding online action, and you have a title that will keep you busy for quite a while.
MK looks outstanding and the sound is also great. The controls are tight and provided us with no problems in 20+ hours of game play. There is little to complain about in terms of the title's technical aspects.
A few criticisms can be levied against this title. The game does lack some save features; you can't go back to a particular point of the story mode and can't save progress in the arcade mode. Also, as mentioned previously, the story mode is pretty short and could have been developed more. These issues really seem like they could have been addressed rather easily.
It's hard to go wrong with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, despite it's few flaws. If you are a fan of fighting titles then you should pick this game up.
Grade: 9.0
Copyright © Chopping Block Reviews 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
HAZE (PS3)
Haze is a Play Station 3 shooter which received a fair amount of hype during it's development. The game's attempts to do new things simply fall short. The game undeveloped story, poor AI, mediocre graphics, and lack of follow through will leave you greatly disappointed.
You begin Haze as a soldier for the Mantel Corporation. The soldiers of Mantel, who are fighting against some type of rebellion, are being controlled by a drug called Nectar. Nectar causes your soldier to not see the world as it is. During the game, your character switches sides to the rebels and you see the world as it really is. The plot of a drug controlled army had great potential. Unfortunately, the plot is very undeveloped. This lack of development, along with the cheesey dialogue, leaves this game feel like some type of B level movie.
The game play in Haze is much like the story. There is potential but it is never developed. The enemy AI is poor. There were several times when we got quite close to an enemy, who was hiding behind cover, and he did not activate until we started shooting. The AI, when activated, does little more than pop up from behind cover or rush right at you. Also, the level design is a bit of a mess. These issues are disappointing when you consider how long this game was in development.
Haze does not impress from a technical standpoint. While this game looks like a current-gen title, it simply lacks the textures and polish of many other recent titles. This lack of finish is everywhere from the character and weapon models to the environments.
It's hard to justify purchasing Haze when there are so many other quality shooters out there. If you tend to only play the big title shooters, you don't want Haze. If you also play a lot of the second tier shooters, then a game like Time Shift is a better option.
Grade: 5.5 Click here to buy Haze on Amazon. Haze
Copyright © Chopping Block Reviews 2008
You begin Haze as a soldier for the Mantel Corporation. The soldiers of Mantel, who are fighting against some type of rebellion, are being controlled by a drug called Nectar. Nectar causes your soldier to not see the world as it is. During the game, your character switches sides to the rebels and you see the world as it really is. The plot of a drug controlled army had great potential. Unfortunately, the plot is very undeveloped. This lack of development, along with the cheesey dialogue, leaves this game feel like some type of B level movie.
The game play in Haze is much like the story. There is potential but it is never developed. The enemy AI is poor. There were several times when we got quite close to an enemy, who was hiding behind cover, and he did not activate until we started shooting. The AI, when activated, does little more than pop up from behind cover or rush right at you. Also, the level design is a bit of a mess. These issues are disappointing when you consider how long this game was in development.
Haze does not impress from a technical standpoint. While this game looks like a current-gen title, it simply lacks the textures and polish of many other recent titles. This lack of finish is everywhere from the character and weapon models to the environments.
It's hard to justify purchasing Haze when there are so many other quality shooters out there. If you tend to only play the big title shooters, you don't want Haze. If you also play a lot of the second tier shooters, then a game like Time Shift is a better option.
Grade: 5.5 Click here to buy Haze on Amazon. Haze
Copyright © Chopping Block Reviews 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
