Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on March 7th, 2008
Movie games are interesting, let's put it that way. A game usually comes out for a movie if it is adventure oriented and at least some kid will be interested in it. However, it's rarely ground breaking since it is usually left until the last minute and a rush project to meet demand. Once in a while, you get something that is a little different or at least interesting but more often than not it's standard questing fare with dull objectives and a way to rehash most of the movie. Spiderwick Chronicles for the PC is unfortunately just that. There are a few spots where it performs above the norm but mostly it is your standard movie game aimed to draw in the kids. But at least this keeps them occupied for a few days.
Graphics
The game recommends 256 megs of video ram. My card has 512. I should be fine and good to go. My processor speed fits right in the middle between minimum & recommended at a 2G. My main memory also sits in the middle at 768 megs. So perhaps this game won't move at the speed of light but it should get a fairly decent frame rate. Inside scenes are delightful, you can run from room to room with little or no slowdown. Once outside, the frame rate drops rather harshly and suffers from poor lit conditions even when you turn the brightness way up. The colors are good and I liked the character depth, it just plays a little bit slow when you are doing anything out in the fantasy world.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on March 5th, 2008
Jack wants to help takeover Take 2, Blu-Ray just not enough and Team Fortress 2 DLC for free - Welcome to the column that can't be any worse than playing video games with a dvd remote known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. In the land of WoW, I am now a level 28 Troll Rogue who is building the big rep so he can get his horse. The undead one. Up to Honored now and spending sometime in the Tarren Mill getting undercity rep and some decent experience. Got both my lockpicking & cooking to 125 which has helped me considerably. During the weekend, I actually picked a couple of locks for other people in game. The 125 cooking let me finally learn expert cooking which took me on the long journey to Desolace and buy an expert cookbook. Currently, I'm still farming big bear steak in Tarren Mill since it's so easy over there but now I have the option to move up to other recipes when I'm through with that. I've also contemplated creating a Dwarf Priest on my girlfriend's server just so 1)I can see what the alliance side is like and 2)get the benefit of my g/f's two high level characters. I'm not looking to power level because my main will still be my lonely rogue but I just want some variety and make the fact that I play with my g/f (albeit on the same account) more meaningful.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on March 4th, 2008
Harry Potter is awesome. I have thoroughly enjoyed every movie and own all of the 2-disc special editions. I even have taken the time to play a couple of Harry Potter games on the Playstation 2 and found them to be decent offerings despite the usual rushed movie game flaws. So, needless to say I was slightly interested when I received a dvd remote game with Harry Potter on the cover and wondered if a dvd remote game could finally be any good. After spending a few hours with the product, you as the reader have two decisions. 1)You can read this review that will be full of one-liners and reasons why whoever came up with the concept of dvd remote games should be shot or 2)You can trust me when I say this, don't waste your time on this, please.
Graphics
What do you think of first when you think of Harry Potter, lavish and picturesque landscapes or blurry and pixilated messes of space? If you thought the first one boys and girls, then obviously you have not played this game. The game mixes footage from the Potter movies in with other scraps of animation and video offerings. This would be fine except the aspect ratio is all screwed up and it looks incredibly rough. Like someone took several pieces of Potter footage, deposited it into a blender and turned it to fricassee and hoped it would come out alright. The animation that was created to help along your objectives in the game doesn't do any favors either. At times, you can't tell if you are supposed to go up, down, counter clockwise or fall flat on your face. To be honest, if they had gone straight animation and not try to rely on film clips, it might have worked out better.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 29th, 2008
My college life was usually spent doing two things. Okay, actually three things. One, studying (nearly unsuccessful) . Two, trying to get women to sleep with me (mostly unsuccessful). Three, playing Dungeons & Dragons. I owned a good dozen dice from a D3 to many assorted D20's. Want to scare a fellow gamer? As DM, roll for damage and bring out 5 D20's. Anyhow, around this time I also discovered D&D adventure books. I read primarily the works of R.A. Salvatore & Ed Greenwood (Drizzt & Elminster). So needles to say, I was a little intrigued when I saw a Dragonlance movie in my pile. The original book was published in 1984, a few years before I really got into D&D. But with dragons, elves & a mad mage; it was a surefire recipe for something wonderful.
Tanis (voiced by Michael Rosenbaum), a half-elf comes upon his old friend, a dwarf named Flint Fireforge. The two are also joined by a kinder named Tasslehoff Burrfoot. They decide to go to their local hometown tavern where they meet up with their other friends. First there is a knight named Sturm Brightblade. Beside him are two brothers, one a warrior named Caramon Majere. The other, a young mage named Raistlin Majere (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland). Off in the corner, an older mage named Fizban is telling tales of long ago (what he can remember anyways)about the gods of light and their ultra powerful healing magic that has since left this world.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on February 27th, 2008
The Last Nail on the HD-DVD coffin, Bad people in MMO's and Banks that won't pay the WoW cash cow - Welcome to the column that is like an automatic payment for those pills you have to take because of that trip to Haiti known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. As luck would have it, three more levels and I'm up to level 26 with my Rogue in World of Warcraft. I have discovered poisons this past week since I finished the appropriate quest. I had been lazy in finishing this quest since it involves quite a decent arch. First, I had to go to this guy and salute him, then I had to go pick pocket a key from a goblin who was only a few yards away. Then after killing three separate mobs of everything from patrolmen to mutated drones I get to the top of this tower and face off with a 23rd level elite. I kill him fairly easily. However, he gives me a curse, the Touch of Zanzil. The curse lasts seven days, and keeps me from stealthing and reduces my agility. So I have to go clear across the map to get somebody who will get rid of my curse. While I'm over there, I finish the next rogue quest which takes me to Ravenholdt where I have to go through a cave and escape from a level 33 elite by using my vanish skill. Current plan? I'm taking a break from the exciting life of a rogue and working on some Undercity rep so I can get a skeletal horse even though I'm a Troll. I need the break.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 26th, 2008
Dorky romantic comedies have been around forever. Usually there is nothing I can't stand more than some movie telling me how people fall in love when it never happens like that. Like a street walker falling in love with a rich guy or the nerd getting the cheerleader or a dozen people having sex with some girl named Jenna. (well maybe on the last one) Love is mystical and special but it rarely has any set pattern that makes sense. So what would happen when I watched a dorky little New Zealand romantic comedy that featured two people in animal costumes? Hopefully not the norm.
Lily (played by Loren Horsley) is in love with Jarrod (played by Jemaine Clement). She works at a local burger joint (Meaty Boy) asc a cashier. Jarrod comes in everyday at lunch but Lily rarely gets to wait on him since he has a crush on another employee. Opportunity knocks when Jarrod gives Lily an invitation to go to an animal costume party. She decides to go as a shark. There at the party she participates in the "Fight Man" tournament which is a video that vaguely looks like Way of the Warrior (an old 3do fighting game) and Mortal Kombat. Somehow she makes it to the final where she faces Jarrod (dressed as an eagle) in the final challenge. However, she becomes lost in Jarrod's eyes and loses out to him.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 22nd, 2008
Traditionally, I love spoofs. I spent many of my younger days watching movies like Spaceballs, Robin Hood: Men in Tights or Young Frankenstein. More recently, I have actually (for the most part) enjoyed every Scary Movie. So whenever I see a new spoof, I am at least somewhat interested in the movie and have aspirations to see it on disc. Epic Movie scares me a bit because it comes from the same people who did Date Movie. I found Date Movie to be okay at best, but I had a small hope that this would turn out better. Jello shots & Nyquil could not save me from this disaster.
The movie starts out with Lucy (played by Jayma Mays), Edward (played by Kal Penn), Susan (played by Faune Chambers) and Peter (played by Adam Campbell) who find golden tickets inside Willy chocolate bars. Their scenes emulate DaVinci Code, Nacho Libre, Snakes on a Plane, & X-Men. They get to the chocolate factory where they meet Willy (played by Crispin Glover) who shows them inside. He then explains how the four lucky winners are to become parts of his candy. So they start running.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on February 20th, 2008
Turok is a property that seems to come and go. In the 1950's, it was introduced to lure kids away from the television sets because it had dinosaurs and intriguing stories. It was later updated when it got inserted in the Valiant comic world and rose to sell nearly 2 million copies with its first issue for the universe. In more recent times, Turok has become a series of video games by Acclaim. So it was only natural that an animated dvd would also hit the mix. However, would the character be more representative of its roots or perhaps take on a more futuristic feel akin to the current property portrayed in the video game?
The movie opens up with three native american teenagers are playing in a stream when Catori loses her hair clip. The two male men, Turok and Nashoba decide to go after it and come upon a nasty group of warriors who want to keep the clip and cause harm to the three kids. Turok goes on a berzerker rage, killing all of the warriors and injuring his comrade Nashoba. Afterwards, it is determined that Turok should be exiled from the tribe because he is too dangerous.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on February 20th, 2008
ET: The Urban Myth, Free Quake, and Critics show to be the cheating bastards they are - Welcome to the column that promises not to cheat as long as you don't include the Contra code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right B, A; ha!) known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. In World of Warcraft this week I have moved up to level 23. 3 levels a week seems to be my number. The highlights of my week had to be actual use of my blacksmithing skill. Before I was just leveling it to level and producing items for auction house or vendor trash. Finally I made something I could use, Bronze Darts and a Pearl Handled Dagger (off-hand). I was originally going to make two pearl daggers but I got a sweet dagger from one of the bosses in Wailing Caverns. I have moved into expert mining but I'm still trying to find my first Iron vein. Now if I could just procure the next first aid manual (maxed out at 150) at a fair price (less than 2g), I'd be set for the next few levels.
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on February 13th, 2008
The Force is not strong with this one, The NFL extends its deal with the dark side (EA), and Attack of the Genos? - Welcome to the column that has Han Solo underoos and a warrant out for the arrest of Jar-Jar Binks known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. The magic number is 20th, 20th level in World of Warcraft. As mentioned last week, I had a fascination with lockpicking; well that is up to 92 now (still meager I know). However, my new thing; cooking. Yes cooking in a fantasy MMO. I could kill goblins and raptors but I choose to cook some Strider Stew or Boiled Clams. I also have started to collect rare (translation: ones only sold on the Alliance side or not in my immediate area) recipes. Yes, some Crocolisk Steak or Gumbo coming right up. I still can't bring myself to try Fishing, I figure I might fish out a sea monster or something. That and I still have a bad taste in my mouth of fishing from the Breath of Fire games. Bad times, very bad times.
