I've been busy with some things that have prevented me from writing for a while. I figured I might as well try something i've only done once before, a video game review. I don't usually write video game reviews, but for this game in particular, I felt compelled to do so. So here it is:
Now, I've always been a fan of the Harry Potter series. I've read all the books, watched all the movies (can't wait for July 15), played some of the games, etc etc. So I was clearly excited when I received (as a gift) a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 for the X-Box 360.
Upon beginning the story mode, I was surprised (and somewhat excited/glad) to see that the gameplay was far more like a dark, shooter rather than the happy, carefree adventure of the previous games. I found this to reflect the darker tone of the final novel quite well. Unfortunately, this was one of the very few pleasing characteristics of the game.
Several different spells become available to you throughout the game (some of which need to be charged by holding the trigger. Switching spells is fairly simple and quick. However, using them is a very different story. Without using the aim feature (holding left trigger), hitting a target is somewhat difficult. In aim mode, the reticule is supposed to lock on to the target (and turn orange) when you keep it on them. However, half of the time you lose this "lock" and your spell goes of course. Defensive spells require you to use specific button combinations. For example, to use "protego" which shields you from attacks, you must hold down the left "bumper" on the controller. This apparently takes a few seconds to charge as it never comes up fast enough to block an incoming spell (like they do in the movies) so you must put it up before the enemies launch their attacks which is annoying because the spell renders you immobile and unable to attack. Some of the other spells are useful but I stuck with the beginning spell, "stupefy", simply because you can use it quickly. There are also potions that are dropped by defeated enemies that you can use to help you throughout the game. There are offensive potions that harm enemies. They are useful but are quite difficult to throw on-target. There are also helpful potions that can be picked up. These potions have variants that restore health, make you stronger, etc. However these potions MUST be consumed as soon as you walk over them. This is especially frustrating with health potions as you quickly wish you could have some with you when you are being hit by numerous enemies and are running out of health.
In this game, Harry has the ability to use cover by pressing x near a wall or rock or any similar feature. The frustrating thing about this is it is difficult to tell what structures/items can be used as cover and if you move too far left or right you leave cover and you become an easy target when you use aim mode to target the enemies (fight back).
This is one of the few games I have played with no display on the screen. There is no health bar or any other similar feature on the screen. It is thus almost like watching a movie. The problem with this is the only way to determine your remaining health is by looking at the colours of your surroundings (they go grey as you lose health). It is EXTREMELY frustrating to not have an accurate picture of how much life you have left in the middle of a firefight.
The story mode can be fairly easily broken down into two types of missions: 1st person stealth missions and 3rd person "shooters".
The 1st person stealth missions can be described in 4 words: NOT FUN AT ALL. Every stealth mission (except the part in the Ministry before the polyjuice potion wears off) involves you sneaking around in an invisibility cloak. These are some of the most frustrating game missions I have ever played here's why:
If you bump into someone, you become visible.
If the triangle (deathly hallows symbol) becomes empty (it decreases as you move), you become visible.
If you press the run button, you become visible.
If you stop moving, you randomly keep moving causing the timer to continue decreasing.
If you accidentally press the right trigger, you become visible.
If you hide out of view after being spotted, then put the cloak back on, the enemies can still see you when you walk back out into the open.
If someone sees you, you are "discovered" and must return to checkpoint.
Also, you are forced to shuffle slowly along while in the cloak so the missions can be quite lengthy and boring.
The third person "shooter" missions are also quite annoying. Firstly, there's the problems I mentioned before about cover. Also, enemies are constantly appearing out of black smoke all around you, becoming quite annoying when you run into a death eater who spawned in two feet in front of you. Then there's the camera... The camera in the third person view "shooter" missions made me feel nauseous. Now,I have never had issues with nausea during games or movies (I had no problem with Avatar in 3D or Cloverfield), but the pitching and constant up and down motion of the camera, especially when in cover, made me feel sick to my stomach. Combat is also very glitchy. For example, on occasion I will hit a death eater 10+ times with even the most high powered spells, yet they will continue attacking. These missions are also EXTREMELY redundant (they change very little throughout the game).
Overall, the graphics are moderately good. The character designs are O.K. and the environment looks good.
In terms of audio, most missions I played consisted almost entirely of:
Harry: Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!
Death Eaters: Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!
Harry: Stupefy! Stupefy!
etc.
Other in game dialogue (i.e. in cutscenes) is well voice acted. However, the conversations are poorly matched the the movements of the mouths of the characters (poorly synchronized).
These are only a taste of the vast array of problems present in the game. Steer well clear of this poor recreation of a great novel, especially if you are a fan of the series who does not want to be extremely disappointed.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 gets an overall rating of:
3 wands out of 10.
Area Specific Rankings:
Gameplay: 1.5/10
Audio: 3.5/10
Visual: 7.5/10
Fun/Enjoyability: 1.5/10
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Election 2011 Results Part 3 - Analysis
In this election,we saw the Orange Crush take hold, the Liberals seeing red, and the Conservatives finally getting their majority. But how did these massive changes happen?
1) Green Party winning a seat
Many were surprised to see Green Party leader Elizabeth May defeat the Conservative incumbent (and cabinet minister)in her riding,securing the first ever seat for the Green Party. Perhaps more people across the country are beginning to seek an alternative to "more of the same" through the Green Party. Or, seeing that the Green Party actually received fewer votes than in the last election, maybe her constituents simply felt she (personally) was the best option on the ballot. Regardless, a fresh voice may be just what the House of Commons needs moving forward.
2) Bloc Minus the Party
The greatest shock of the election came with the loss of all but 4 Bloc seats which resulted in the resignation of (their leader) Gilles Duceppe and the loss of their official party status. The reason for this immense loss is fairly obvious, the "Orange Crush". The NDP's massive gains in support from Quebecers led the party to take over most of the seats in the province, mainly at the cost of the incumbent Bloc (now former) MPs. The implications of this historic loss are numerous as this defeat may be the final nail in the coffin of Quebec Separatism. Yes, after over 20 years of threats, mailbox bombings, protests and a poorly thought-out speech comparing the Canadian Government to nazis while on a visit to Expo 67 in Montreal (see "vive le quebec libre" article on Wikipedia), the concept of a "free Quebec" may be dead. One can only hope...
Aside from the death of separatism in Quebec, the loss of official party status will prevent them from having any significant input in the House as they will have limited opportunities to pose questions in the House and their MP`s are no longer eligible to be selected for committees put together not vote on, debate, and edit bills.
3) Liberals seeing orange
Many people were, you guessed it, shocked by the Liberals' plunge to a historic low of 34 seats in the House. This loss can be traced back to the same factor that crushed the Bloc, the NDP surge which (along with the Conservative efforts)led to the loss of 19 Liberal seats in Ontario. This massive loss has massive implications for politics in Canada. For the first time, the Liberals will be neither the government or the official opposition. 4+ years of a Conservative majority government with the leftist NDP as the opposition could result in some massive changes. Many also wonder whether or not the Liberals will recover in the next election. The future of the Liberal Party will now depend on how fast they can get a new leader, fire back at the Conservatives who will no doubt begin attack ads again as soon as a new leader has been chosen, and work towards regaining the trust and support of the people of Canada. This will be a large task for party members and supporters as the Liberal leadership is in disarray due to the defeat of many high profile members such as Ken Dryden and Gerrard Kennedy.
4) The NDP win big but still lose
Canadians watched as the NDP stormed forward to a party record of 102 seats in the House. This historic surge came mainly due to their massive gains in the province of Quebec, where they ended the decades old reign of the Bloc. Jack Layton's immense efforts in Quebec succeeded in winning over the majority of its citizens of which many were apparently tired of Bloc rule in the province. For the first time in party history, the NDP will form the official opposition in the House of Commons. However, despite the massive historical significance of this, the party will actually have less power than they did before the election was called. The reason? Two words, 1)Conservative 2)Majority. The NDP will do its best to assault government policies and try to prevent the Conservatives from shifting government policies further to the political right. However, in the end, (and as long as all members vote as expected) the Conservatives will have the final say on all bills and issues. Still, their massive gains may permanently change the face of politics in Canada.
5) The Harper (Majority) Government
After 3 elections, Stephen Harper finally got the majority government he has long fantasized about. How did this happen in the face of the NDP`s Massive gains? The answer is simple, the leftist vote split. In multiple formerly Liberal ridings, the NDP candidates had very little chance of winning but received just enough of the leftist vote to allow the rightist vote to win the riding for the Conservatives. This was true in multiple ridings including 8 in the Maritime provinces. Another cause was the negative image cast on Michael Ignatieff by the Conservative attack ads which began months before the election (which Harper supposedly did not want) that went unanswered by the Liberal Party. This victory will have massive effects on Canadians. Harper has promised results and he will most likely delivered now that the opposition parties can not vote down his bills. Although I tend to find minority governments better because the government remains accountable, it should be interesting to see the results Harper can get for Canadians. The only thing that concerns me is the possibility of the power going to his head. Harper was already found in contempt of parliament (first time this has ever happened to a government) twice and accused of scoffing democracy when he had a minority government. Hopefully he will be more cautious with this new Majority government. If he can do this, the majority government MAY bring some positives.
1) Green Party winning a seat
Many were surprised to see Green Party leader Elizabeth May defeat the Conservative incumbent (and cabinet minister)in her riding,securing the first ever seat for the Green Party. Perhaps more people across the country are beginning to seek an alternative to "more of the same" through the Green Party. Or, seeing that the Green Party actually received fewer votes than in the last election, maybe her constituents simply felt she (personally) was the best option on the ballot. Regardless, a fresh voice may be just what the House of Commons needs moving forward.
2) Bloc Minus the Party
The greatest shock of the election came with the loss of all but 4 Bloc seats which resulted in the resignation of (their leader) Gilles Duceppe and the loss of their official party status. The reason for this immense loss is fairly obvious, the "Orange Crush". The NDP's massive gains in support from Quebecers led the party to take over most of the seats in the province, mainly at the cost of the incumbent Bloc (now former) MPs. The implications of this historic loss are numerous as this defeat may be the final nail in the coffin of Quebec Separatism. Yes, after over 20 years of threats, mailbox bombings, protests and a poorly thought-out speech comparing the Canadian Government to nazis while on a visit to Expo 67 in Montreal (see "vive le quebec libre" article on Wikipedia), the concept of a "free Quebec" may be dead. One can only hope...
Aside from the death of separatism in Quebec, the loss of official party status will prevent them from having any significant input in the House as they will have limited opportunities to pose questions in the House and their MP`s are no longer eligible to be selected for committees put together not vote on, debate, and edit bills.
3) Liberals seeing orange
Many people were, you guessed it, shocked by the Liberals' plunge to a historic low of 34 seats in the House. This loss can be traced back to the same factor that crushed the Bloc, the NDP surge which (along with the Conservative efforts)led to the loss of 19 Liberal seats in Ontario. This massive loss has massive implications for politics in Canada. For the first time, the Liberals will be neither the government or the official opposition. 4+ years of a Conservative majority government with the leftist NDP as the opposition could result in some massive changes. Many also wonder whether or not the Liberals will recover in the next election. The future of the Liberal Party will now depend on how fast they can get a new leader, fire back at the Conservatives who will no doubt begin attack ads again as soon as a new leader has been chosen, and work towards regaining the trust and support of the people of Canada. This will be a large task for party members and supporters as the Liberal leadership is in disarray due to the defeat of many high profile members such as Ken Dryden and Gerrard Kennedy.
4) The NDP win big but still lose
Canadians watched as the NDP stormed forward to a party record of 102 seats in the House. This historic surge came mainly due to their massive gains in the province of Quebec, where they ended the decades old reign of the Bloc. Jack Layton's immense efforts in Quebec succeeded in winning over the majority of its citizens of which many were apparently tired of Bloc rule in the province. For the first time in party history, the NDP will form the official opposition in the House of Commons. However, despite the massive historical significance of this, the party will actually have less power than they did before the election was called. The reason? Two words, 1)Conservative 2)Majority. The NDP will do its best to assault government policies and try to prevent the Conservatives from shifting government policies further to the political right. However, in the end, (and as long as all members vote as expected) the Conservatives will have the final say on all bills and issues. Still, their massive gains may permanently change the face of politics in Canada.
5) The Harper (Majority) Government
After 3 elections, Stephen Harper finally got the majority government he has long fantasized about. How did this happen in the face of the NDP`s Massive gains? The answer is simple, the leftist vote split. In multiple formerly Liberal ridings, the NDP candidates had very little chance of winning but received just enough of the leftist vote to allow the rightist vote to win the riding for the Conservatives. This was true in multiple ridings including 8 in the Maritime provinces. Another cause was the negative image cast on Michael Ignatieff by the Conservative attack ads which began months before the election (which Harper supposedly did not want) that went unanswered by the Liberal Party. This victory will have massive effects on Canadians. Harper has promised results and he will most likely delivered now that the opposition parties can not vote down his bills. Although I tend to find minority governments better because the government remains accountable, it should be interesting to see the results Harper can get for Canadians. The only thing that concerns me is the possibility of the power going to his head. Harper was already found in contempt of parliament (first time this has ever happened to a government) twice and accused of scoffing democracy when he had a minority government. Hopefully he will be more cautious with this new Majority government. If he can do this, the majority government MAY bring some positives.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Youtube Friday #2 video
NOTE: PLEASE READ THE POSTING BELOW BEFORE WATCHING THIS VIDEO.
As a random example of Tobuscus`Literal Trailers, I selected the first one i watched.
Enjoy...
As a random example of Tobuscus`Literal Trailers, I selected the first one i watched.
Enjoy...
youtube Friday 2 - May 6
I was unable to get on to post yesterday so i decided to come on today as I have missed too many Fridays already.
The youtube Fridays featured video series of the week is, Drum Roll Please, Tobuscus`literal trailers. In these comedic videos,
The youtube Fridays featured video series of the week is, Drum Roll Please, Tobuscus`literal trailers. In these comedic videos,
Tobuscussings, to the tune of the game or movie`s music, exactly what is going on in the trailer. This may sound awkward but makes for quite laughable entertainment. These trailers are quite difficult to describe so just look at the example posted above.
Election 2011 Results Part 2 - The Winners
You`ve seen the losers (and the Greens), now let`s look at who came out ahead on Monday night.
4) Canadians drink Orange Crush
Many were stunned to see the NDP surge to a record high of 102 seats as they picked up an additional 66 seats making them the biggest winners in terms of seat gains. The massive gains came largely in Quebec where the NDP received over 42% of the vote which translated to 58 seats. Many of their seats came at the expense of the devastated Bloc who lost their iron grip on the province (Quebec). Jack Layton, who handily defeated all other candidates in his riding, should make a decent leader of the official opposition as he does a very good job of pointing out flaws in party policies and of forcing the other parties to take action to correct these flaws.
5) Harper Gets His majority
On account of the NDP surge and the always solid Liberals, the Conservatives again failed to reach their goal of a majority After 5 years and three elections, the Conservatives managed to grab that elusive majority despite the ORANGE CRUSH that swept across Quebec. Their solid gain of 24 seats, of which a fair amount came in Ontario, propelled them to a total of 167 seats, 12 more than they needed for a majority. His position secure, Stephen Harper should be Prime Minister for at least the next four years until the mandatory election (must be an election every 5 years but most governments chose to have 1 after four to prevent any surprises).
In Part 3 I will analyze the results to see how these changes happened and what they mean for Canadians.
4) Canadians drink Orange Crush
Many were stunned to see the NDP surge to a record high of 102 seats as they picked up an additional 66 seats making them the biggest winners in terms of seat gains. The massive gains came largely in Quebec where the NDP received over 42% of the vote which translated to 58 seats. Many of their seats came at the expense of the devastated Bloc who lost their iron grip on the province (Quebec). Jack Layton, who handily defeated all other candidates in his riding, should make a decent leader of the official opposition as he does a very good job of pointing out flaws in party policies and of forcing the other parties to take action to correct these flaws.
5) Harper Gets His majority
In Part 3 I will analyze the results to see how these changes happened and what they mean for Canadians.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Election 2011 Results Part 1 - The Losers and The Greens
The federal election witnessed by Canadians on Monday (May 2) had more surprises and twists than a soap opera.
Let's start from the bottom of the pile.
1) The Green Party wins a seat
Green party leader Elizabeth May defeated the Conservative Minister of State(sport), Gary Lunn (who has held the riding for the last 14 years), securing the first ever Green Party seat in the House of Commons as the representative of Saanich-Gulf Islands, British Columbia. She will not have much of a say (especially with the Conservative Majority) but will provide a refreshing voice in the House of Commons. She is also guaranteed a seat at the Leader's debate in the next election which she had been denied this election.
2) THE DEATH OF THE BLOC
To the shock of many, the Bloc Quebecois came out as the biggest losers in the election. Succumbing to the ``Orange Crush``, the Bloc plummeted 43 seats (ALL to the NDP) all the way down from 47 to just 4 seats in the House, resulting in the loss of their official party status. This leads to the question of whether or not separatism can survive in Quebebc. Highlighting the historic defeat was the crushing defeat of leader Gilles Duceppe in his riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie (which he has represented for over 20 years) where he lost by almost 5400 votes (23% less than NDP winner Helene Laverdiere (or 11% of the overall vote)). Needless to say he resigned his position of party leader shortly after the election.
3) The Liberals seeing red
The Liberals also lost a stunning 43 seats, falling all the way down to a historic low of 34 seats in the House. For the first time in the history of Canada, the Liberal Party will not be the party in power or the leader of the opposition, having succumbed to both the NDP (who added an astonishing 68 seats to their ranks) and Stephen Harper`s Conservatives who finally got their majority. Among the surprising defeats (19 of which came in Ontario) came popular candidates Gerrard Kennedy and Ken Dryden who had long represented their respective ridings and had been considered for party Leadership. Adding to the defeat was Michael Ignatieff`s loss in the Liberal stronghold of Etobicoke Lakeshore by over 2000 seats.
Let's start from the bottom of the pile.
1) The Green Party wins a seat
Green party leader Elizabeth May defeated the Conservative Minister of State(sport), Gary Lunn (who has held the riding for the last 14 years), securing the first ever Green Party seat in the House of Commons as the representative of Saanich-Gulf Islands, British Columbia. She will not have much of a say (especially with the Conservative Majority) but will provide a refreshing voice in the House of Commons. She is also guaranteed a seat at the Leader's debate in the next election which she had been denied this election.
2) THE DEATH OF THE BLOC
To the shock of many, the Bloc Quebecois came out as the biggest losers in the election. Succumbing to the ``Orange Crush``, the Bloc plummeted 43 seats (ALL to the NDP) all the way down from 47 to just 4 seats in the House, resulting in the loss of their official party status. This leads to the question of whether or not separatism can survive in Quebebc. Highlighting the historic defeat was the crushing defeat of leader Gilles Duceppe in his riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie (which he has represented for over 20 years) where he lost by almost 5400 votes (23% less than NDP winner Helene Laverdiere (or 11% of the overall vote)). Needless to say he resigned his position of party leader shortly after the election.
3) The Liberals seeing red
The Liberals also lost a stunning 43 seats, falling all the way down to a historic low of 34 seats in the House. For the first time in the history of Canada, the Liberal Party will not be the party in power or the leader of the opposition, having succumbed to both the NDP (who added an astonishing 68 seats to their ranks) and Stephen Harper`s Conservatives who finally got their majority. Among the surprising defeats (19 of which came in Ontario) came popular candidates Gerrard Kennedy and Ken Dryden who had long represented their respective ridings and had been considered for party Leadership. Adding to the defeat was Michael Ignatieff`s loss in the Liberal stronghold of Etobicoke Lakeshore by over 2000 seats.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Libya is out of the news
Well it appears that no major news channel cares about the situation in Libya any more. God forbid anything should take away even seconds of the coverage of the Royal Wedding. After all the "Wedding of the Century" is far more important than Canadian, British, and French (and all other countries involved whom I do not have room to add) soldiers who are taking part in military action in a full scale revolution in an oil rich country in/near one of the most unstable areas in the world (Middle East). Now if I want updates on the situation I have to go to the timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War page on Wikipedia. It's not like there's nothing significant going on in Libya at the moment either. Like, I think some people may be interested in the fact that over 1000 European Union ground soldiers are being prepared in case their plans for a ground operation are approved (which very well may be). Maybe people might also want to know that Ghaddafi's snipers are deliberately targeting young children in the streets in the besieged city of Misurata which has been cut off from supplies and has had raw sewage dumped into its drinking water system. The point is that major news outlets should not stop covering a major international event just because it is "old news". People need and want to get accurate information on important events around the world, especially on events that involve their country (ex. me in Canada).
Since the major news outlets are not going to do it, here's a basic update on events in the Libyan Revolution/Civil War:
Rebel forces are currently holding off government troops in their only western city of Misurata (under siege). Everything west of Brega is under firm rebel control including Ajdabiya and the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Everything west of Brega other than Misurata is under government control including the capital, Tripoli. UN and allies continue to strike government forces across the country.
See you next time on Hayden@Earth.
Since the major news outlets are not going to do it, here's a basic update on events in the Libyan Revolution/Civil War:
Rebel forces are currently holding off government troops in their only western city of Misurata (under siege). Everything west of Brega is under firm rebel control including Ajdabiya and the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Everything west of Brega other than Misurata is under government control including the capital, Tripoli. UN and allies continue to strike government forces across the country.
See you next time on Hayden@Earth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)