Showing posts with label awful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awful. Show all posts

10,000 B.C. (2008) Review

10,000 B.C. (2008)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
First off, I did enjoy the movie. It wasn't fantastic by any stretch of the imagination, but it kept my attention. The special effects were well done (loved the sabretooth cat) and the costumes and score reflected the tone of the film. However, as many other reviewers have noted, the movie was almost plodding until the last 20 minutes and relied too heavily upon several convenient prophecies to propel the thin plot.
While I was hoping for something along the lines of The Scorpion King (Widescreen Collector's Edition), an action-packed sword and sandal flick, what I got was a movie where Clan of the Cave Bear meets Stargate (Ultimate Edition). We have a young girl with blue eyes taken in by a primitive tribe. They have a prophecy that she and one of their warriors will save their people. And until she is kidnapped by four legged demons (men on horses) all the viewer gets is the narrator talking and the men hunting. That's it. While "Clan" was based on a heavily researched book, with an engaging heroine and interesting historical details, "BC" is a hodgepodge of history and the narrator doesn't have anything vital to reveal. I agree with the reviewer who felt there should be more sex and violence befitting such a savage time. Normally, I don't care for gratuitous sex or violence but in this instance I heartily agree. Something needed to jump start this film. After the kidnapping, things didn't pick up much either. Our hero goes after her and we follow the three men tracking them for far too long. Along the way, our hero runs into a tribe of african people, who happily form an army for him since he fulfills one of their prophecies, and the climax is all set up. Finally, the film starts moving along, only viewers will feel like they are suddenly watching Stargate.
The hero arrives at a huge construction site by the river. Many thousands of slaves are building a pyramid for "The Almighty," a mysterious figure attended by robed men and young boys - just like Ra in Stargate. Even his building and chambers look like Ra's! And he'll face defeat from a primitive people to boot. And guess what? The Almighty has a prophecy that a Hunter with a mark will come to destroy him! Despite the total lack of originality, and yet another prophecy, the very predictable ending still managed to make the movie worth watching. A stampede of Mammoths, thousands of extras, lots of fighting, and a triumph of good over evil are always attention grabbing. And, I just love a happy ending.
Overall, this movie could have been so much better if they had cut out the boring overview of the tribe in the beginning in favor of more information about The Almighty. We never learn where he came from, how he took control, nothing. He was far more interesting a character than the hero, and he didn't get much screen time. Still, if you're looking for a movie to pass the time, this wasn't bad. But, I'd recommend renting it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: 10,000 B.C. (2008)

The filmmaker who launched a UFO invasion in Independence Day and unleashed the forces of global warming in The Day After Tomorrow now unveils a new day of adventure, a time when mammoths shake the earth and mystical spirits shape human fates. Roland Emmerich directs 10,000 BC, the eye-filling tale of the first hero. That hero is young hunter D’Leh (Steven Strait), set out on a bold trek to rescue his kidnapped beloved (Camilla Belle) and fulfill his prophetic destiny. He’ll face an awesome saber-toothed tiger. Cross uncharted realms. Form an army. And uncover an advanced but corrupt Lost Civilization. There, he will lead a fight for liberation – and become the champion of the time when legend began.

Buy NowGet 40% OFF

Click here for more information about 10,000 B.C. (2008)

Read More...

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Complete Season Two Review

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Complete Season Two
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
-----------------------------------------EPISODES' REVIEW------------------------------------------
When a show says its pushing for 5 seasons, you generally tend to get very nervous, especially since an entire 1st season and a motion picture tanked your expectations, being "mediocre" at best. But now this new DVD release has really swept me off my feet! Star Wars never looked so good on TV! The acting is superb (with a few exceptions I'll roll out later), the story is never bland (although it suffers from unbelievably goofy premises) and each and every episode is able to hold the other up by its caliber in brilliance! It literally shoots the standards of the upcoming seasons by light-years!
The animation has made great strives and Season 2 is not shy when it comes to proving itself. The character models themselves interact with the environment, climate and other characters much more realistically. I can't even think of any particular technical hiccup off the top of my head -- not one -- from this season, which is a huge plus, in my opinion.
One technical issue I know the Clone Wars is suffering from though is that they haven't perfected the art of RAIN! I can't think of a single episode with a grey cloud in the sky, which is pretty unrealistic if you ask me. Its not a huge complaint, just a technical obstacle I'd like to see this show overcome.
The character's models could be as fantastic as they please: the characters 'themselves', however, could definitely use some tweaking. In a time-block of half an hour (22 minutes excluding commercial breaks), if amazing what both Seasons have been able to pull off. Sometimes the acting sounds forced, though, and dialogue is painfully rushed (I'm looking at you, Ahsoka and Anakin!). On the plus side, the voices fit well with the character's and their established personalities (with the exception of Grievous, who is just a miserable mess of inconsistency).
The story is outstanding, even for its constrained time-frame. Every episode acts and feels like it'd be at home playing on any big-screen cinema (which is, ironically, the exact opposite of how I felt about the feature-length film). The episodes' tone has gotten rather darker even, which I think compliments the kid's intelligence and the older viewer for watching a "kid's show" as well.
There's really not much else to say except the lack of legitimate villains. Count Dooku, General Grievous and Asajj Ventress get little to no action whatsoever(with the exception of Grievous getting his own 2 episode story arc... which was VERY disappointing). Some new adversaries are introduced, but they never really go anywhere (Cad Bane and Captain Honoka are the only exceptions) Instead, mercenaries, bounty hunters and even giant Godzilla wanna-bes get jammed into the show and really takes a lot away from the "Clone Wars"!!!
I understand that the Clone Wars can't shove battle droid and clone trooper clash in our face every episode, but it'd be a nice change of pace. Season 2 covered every genre you could think of: monster movie, murder mystery, kidnapping, extortion, revenge (the list goes on!), but the show needs to understand that it can't tread too far from its element.
------------------------------------------DVD'S REVIEW---------------------------------------------
Like the last season's collection, Season 2 offered 4 discs containing the 22 episodes and a very neat book that contains concept art relating to the season. The disc offers different language options and precise subtitles too (you know, the basics). Unfortunately, one REALLY disappointing thing about the package is its presentation and its lack of bonus material.
Last Season's DVD boxset offered interesting featurettes for every episode, explaining production, technical difficulties, etc. Instead, Season 2 has a new tab on its 'bland' menu labeled "Bonus Material" where you're lucky if you at least find ONE episode autopsy (there is also trailers for Star Wars games and other media, but they hardly count as worthy material). Season 1's 'main menu' even looks more impressive than Season 2's: Season 1 has a montage of clips from its episodes on each disc, where as Season 2 only has a still picture of Yoda on each disc ("Very disappointing, this is!")
Could it really have been that hard to stuff everything into those discs? Maybe the episodes' technical superiority made it relevant to take out good portions of bonus material, but that's no excuse: they could have just simply put another disc in the set dedicated to bonus material and be done with it! And its not like they weren't ever produced: even "StarWars.com" still has them in its video library, and its been -- what -- half-a-year, at most? To be honest, I smell a marketing tool to get Average Joes to get Blu-rays (which I assume are PACKED with bonus material) and with my limited budget, I guess I'll just have to stick to my guns and complain some more.
----------------------------------------------OVERALL----------------------------------------------
To write a lengthy review, it definitely required me to do extensive nit-picking. I still think, even with the few complaints I have, its a worthy buy. If you are willing to cough-up the extra bucks for Blu-Ray, you'll find a complete half of this review to be irrelevant. The episodes themselves are worth the buy, regardless of package and presentation.
I see Season 2 as the forerunner... and the seasons that follow it will be as marvelous, if not greater, than the last.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Complete Season Two

The "Clone Wars" goes back to the original Star Wars film when Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker that he was once a Jedi knight the same as your father and that they fought together in the Clone Wars. Since that moment fans have been obsessed with what the clone wars were. This new TV series takes place immediately after the events of Star Wars-Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The series follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker and introduces us to some new characters such as Ahsoka Tano, a girl Jedi knight as well as characters we already know.

Buy NowGet 34% OFF

Click here for more information about Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Complete Season Two

Read More...

Starship Troopers Review

Starship Troopers
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I had a lot of fun playing this game, which has a lot of good things and a fair amount of bad things in it as well. Let's start with the bad. When you get up close to a lot of bugs at once, or there is a lot of dust flying around in the game, it kills the framerate. this happens a couple times in a few different levels. also, trying to get into a multiplayer game is harder than some of the missions in the actual game itself. When you try to get into a game that has 7 out of 8 players, it's generally full, and it tells you this only after you've waited through the long loading time of getting into the game. after that, it sends you back to the main menu, which you have to sit through another little loading screen for. this can just get tedious. but, if you do happen to get into a good multiplayer game (most of which are co-op mode), it can be very fun. the bug swarms in single player are awesome to watch, and i really dont see why most game reviewers dont like this game. i have lots of fun with it, because the frame rate issue rarely happens. i recommend this game to anyone that likes [nearly] meaningless violence and bug guts.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers introduces a world of war with alien "bugs", as you experience the sci-fi military action of the hit book, film and TV series! Become an Elite Marauder as you fight to restore peace, as millions of killer bugs run amuck and threaten life as we know it.Voice-over commentary by Casper van Dien, aka Johnny Rico, now the general who introduces each mission

Buy NowGet 57% OFF

Click here for more information about Starship Troopers

Read More...

Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures Review

Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
*Sigh* Where to begin...
This game could be better named:
"Star Wars Galaxies: A Development Team Vs. A Player base".
Never in all my life, have I seen a company alienate so many people in pursuit of the almighty dollar. It's truly sickening. I WAS a 20-month veteran of the game, I had been playing since week one. PLEASE, READ ON...
In the beginning...
This game was alright; it was fun, it was unique, and it was totally bug-ridden and unbalanced. Over the course of the last 20 months, the SOE Dev team have made us promise after promise to do certain things to fix and enhance this game. They in fact did very little, if anything at all. They milked us. They exploited the "Star Wars" name to make a buck. They made promise after promise after promise... and never delivered squat. Don't believe me? Just ask any "Smuggler" in the game for their opinion.
They strung us along and led us to believe that the "fixes" to the game were right around the corner! Instead, they were hard at work on an "Expansion Pack" to sell us! And then once again "promised us" that the fixes we've all been waiting for were the next big thing waiting for us, "just hang on, this game is going to be great!" They promised us that they were going to do this "Combat Upgrade" and do it right, and it "wouldn't be released until it's ready!"
We all had a lot of hope, we thought that they had finally figure out that they had totally screwed up and were trying to make amends with a player base on the brink of total collapse. God, how wrong we all were...
Well, much to everyone's surprise, they made the announcement that the long awaited "CU" would be coming out along with the "Rage of the Wookiees" expansion pack! Uhhhmmm... did I miss something somewhere? The alpha test for the "CU" was supposed to begin in January, it never happened. Beta testing began in April, 4 whole weeks before it was supposed to go to live! We all rolled up our sleeves and dove in. I think after the first week or so, the sad realization of what was happening to our game begun to sink in...
The CU was supposed to go live on May 5th. SOE decided to push it to live a whole 2 weeks sooner than that. Honestly, with all the bugs that were still in beta, and then in live, beta could have gone on another 4-6 months! I guess they figured they could milk us all a little more and dump this beta on the live servers and let us pay to test it. Why am I not surprised?
The CU itself is unplayable. It has become Everquest in space, or "EverStar Galaxies QuestWars" as we call it. There are just too many things to list. There are a lot of other more technical reviews which go into much more detail over on the page for the stand-alone game.
As you all can imagine, the player community was totally enraged! We went to the SWG Forum boards to voice our concerns. The only response we ever got back from SOE was THOUSANDS of deleted threads and players banned from the forums (I was one of them). Facing futility, a large portion of the player base has left the game, permanently this time.
Then 6 whole months later, after they finally figured out that the CU did indeed suck, they let loose the NGE. They released it just two days after releasing the Obi-Wan expansion which had "special items" for classes that were about to disappear. 32 professions reduced to 9. The NGE is the final nails in the coffin of this game. It totally destroyed it. It became some sort of a twisted MMO/FPS wannabe. Fake and cartoony and dumbed down to where a 5 year old could figure out how to mash the buttons. It is so bad that even Smedly himself said that it wasn't good. And a recent developer conference in Austin the quote was "learn from our mistakes". It's widly rumored that the game will be "sunset" soon (they're gonna pull the plug on it). This "Complete" (I'm feeling sick here) edition is their last ditch effort to milk a little more cash out of it before it's all over.This is just not how you do business. I personally will NEVER deal with Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) EVER again. I DO NOT pay MY HARD EARNED MONEY to be lied to, deceived, ignored, strung along, censored, and banned for voicing my concerns. I do not pay money to folks who treat me, a PAYING CUSTOMER, in this fashion.
Star Wars Galaxies is dead. Servers are empty. People have moved on to other games where folks know how to appreciate their patrons. If you are a fan of Star Wars, and this is the only reason I ever started playing this game to begin with, you will be sadly disappointed!
SWG is nothing more than an exploit of a title, a milk machine. I for one, am tired of being milked.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures

Be the hero of your own Star Wars adventures in a galaxy far, far away.Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures includes Star Wars Galaxies and all of the game’s expansions, including An Empire Divided, Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees, and Trials of Obi-Wan, along with all of the regularly updated "Chapter” adventures that are downloaded regularly to your PC. The Complete Online Adventures is the most inclusive and immersive Star Wars Galaxies experience ever introduced.Includes hundreds of hours of game play.Players of all levels can jump into exciting adventures 24/7 and travel to legendary Star Wars locations with iconic characters.Along the way, players can join with others on missions that take them across the galaxy fighting with the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Faction.Getting started is easy – The Complete Online Adventures is all you need!

Buy Now

Click here for more information about Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures

Read More...

Star Wars Galaxies: Starter Kit Review

Star Wars Galaxies: Starter Kit
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
DONT BUY THIS GAME. You will absolutely regret it after the "honeymoon" phase of the game is over (probbly 1 week).
This game is completely bug-riddled to a point where its hardly playable. The developers have been aware of most of these bugs and only fix them months after they appear, if at all. These are major bugs which could be noticeable with 5 minutes of testing, however SOE and LucasArts dont seem to have ANY QA department.
Every patch introduces new MAJOR, GAMEBREAKING BUGS and impliments changes that are the REVERSE of what SWG players want. Today's patch, for instance, made jedi completely unplayable as it broke all their ranged attacks.
In addition, rather than adding to the game, SOE consistantly takes away from it. And they don't put back in what they take away. For instance, Battlefields, a Force Rank System for jedi, Bounty Hunter Player Missions, Faction Bases, a Force Sensitive Village, and more are all examples of things they have spent months developing and then just decided to remove them. Not a good value at all for the customer, as they are paying $15 a month for that wasted development time.
EVERY PATCH NERFS SOMETHING. Players are quitting left and right because all of their equipment keeps getting destroyed by patches, and SOE doesnt care. For instance, you could spend months and months and millions of credits on Skill Enhancers, Armor, Weapons, and other equipment, and then SOE will introduce new changes that disable you from wearing that equipment or break the effect they have. This has happened OVER AND OVER AGAIN and will continue to happen.
THE XP GRIND IS SLOW AND TEDIOUS AND YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO SELECT ONE PROFESSION FOR YOUR ENTIRE SWG CAREER. The game used to have 32 unique professions and you could pick whatever skills you wanted. Now you can only choose from 1 and if you dont like it, too bad. You're stuck with it. This is especially bad because SOE ROUTINELY UNBALANCES PROFESSIONS and doesnt fix them. Right now Medic can beat any other profession easily, and SOE could care less. They really don't attempt to balance the game at all.
The servers are EXTEMELY LAGGY for MMORPG servers. If you choose to go jedi, you will only be able to hit mobs and opponents who stand still. If they run away from you, then you will actually have to RUN AHEAD OF THEM to compensate for lag and hit them. Try doing that in Player vs Player; thats why jedi can't beat any other profession and is by far the weakest choice. Although 90% of the server are jedi. Real starwarsy, huh?
Finally, and by far the biggest gripe players have, is that the DEV team doesn't listen to players input whatsoever. Reported bugs are not fixed, and suggestions are not acted upon. The developers make the game how they see it and could care less about player feedback. They will introduce new, gamebreaking changes a few days before they go LIVE and not even inform the community in advance. Exploits are not responded to. And rather than add to the game and to the profession, they simply remove things from the game and nerf professions. For instance, originally to get jedi a player had to grind for up to a year, but when she finished, it was worth the effort. Then, the devs nerfed jedi to a point where they were absolutely useless but let everyone be jedi. Real fair to those people who worked hard for a year, right?
To summarize, STAY AWAY. This game is infested with BUGS that dont get fixed, LAGGY servers, incompetant developers, and horrible gameplay. Once the "newness" of the game wears off, you will wonder why you ever wasted your money on this trash.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Star Wars Galaxies: Starter Kit

Live in the Star Wars universe and be the hero of your own Star Wars adventure in a galaxy far, far away. The Starter Kit has everything you need to jump into Star Wars Galaxies right now. With an all new design of the first 30 levels of the game, players can get into the online of world of Star Wars easily and start having fun immediately.The all new Starter Pack makes Star Wars Galaxies fun for players of all levels from casual to experienced.

Buy NowGet 56% OFF

Click here for more information about Star Wars Galaxies: Starter Kit

Read More...

Official Star Wars Wii Anakin & Yoda Light-Up Replica Lightsabers - Dueling Pack Review

Official Star Wars Wii Anakin and Yoda Light-Up Replica Lightsabers - Dueling Pack
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Lightsaber controllers were one of my prime reasons for buying a Wii!
After reading all the reviews I could find I actually ended up buying two sets: these "Official" ones and the Thrustmaster Glow Sabers. Didn't really intend to.. I bought these first and then Amazon had a Black Friday deal on the Thrustmaster Glow Saber Duo Pack which I couldn't resist. (Hey, I'm a big kid)
Of the two I much prefer these "Official" sabers. They are about an inch shorter at the handle and almost four inches shorter along the blade so while the balance isn't perfect it's better than the Thrustmasters. In fact really can't say that I've noticed it with these Official ones... I do with the Thrustmasters, which being almost five inches longer, are also more likely to accidentally whack some item of furniture. (And they have)
The Thrustmaster sabers do look better - comparable with the regular toy lightsabers you can buy - but I actually like the simpler, stubbier toon-ish look of the Official sabers. Build quality seems fine for both so it's just a matter of aesthetic preference.
The Official sabers' glow looks a lot better than the Thrustmasters: it's brighter and more even. The Thrustmasters look washed out when the lights are on in the room and under all lighting conditions they appear to have bands of light at regular intervals along the blade where the Official ones just glow smoothly.
The quick release feature on the Official sabers is pretty darn nifty: the blade simply clicks into the hilt and when you want to remove it again you pull a ring at the blade end of the hilt and twist it slightly, allowing you to remove the blade. With the Thrustmasters you have to remove either one or two screws to remove the blade. (There are two different styles of hilt)
With both types of sabers you have to remove the Wii-mote to use the Infrared sensor on the end but that applies to every saber / sword I have a read a review of and so long as the games are written sensibly to allow menu navigation by buttons, which they seem to be, it only really matters when you are navigating the main Wii menus.
Both types of saber hold the Wii-mote snugly with no issues.
Knowing what I know now I would buy these Official sabers again in a heartbeat and not bother with the Thrustmasters. Your mileage, as always, may vary. :-)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Official Star Wars Wii Anakin & Yoda Light-Up Replica Lightsabers - Dueling Pack

These Light-Up Lightsabers for Wiigive you the ultimate Lightsaber experience! Authentic replicas of Anakin's blue and Yoda's green Lightsabers come complete with sculpted hilts unique to each character. The Wii Remote fits safely and easily into the Lightsaber\'s handle while the On/Off LED feature produces a realistic light-up experience. Each lightsaber utilizes the exclusive POWER A "Twist and Lock" ring mechanism, allowing you to easily and securely assemble your Lightsaber for safe game play, and then disassemble for storage between games. Available in the Dueling Pack and individually. POWER A Light-Up Lightsabers are Authentic Star Wars items and are Officially Licensed by LucasFilm Ltd. Some assembly required.Wii Remote sold separately.

Buy NowGet 18% OFF

Click here for more information about Official Star Wars Wii Anakin & Yoda Light-Up Replica Lightsabers - Dueling Pack

Read More...