The Review Thread

IndyDDR's online socialization center: general topics not related to specific coverage areas

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
Riot
Heavy
Heavy
Posts: 5373
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:58 pm

The Review Thread

Post by Riot » Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:37 am

This thread will be used to review stuff (games, movies, music, books, TV, restaurants, etc.) that we have experienced recently. I like to know about what people think about games and movies and stuff so instead of randomly doing it every once in awhile in various parts of the forum, let's just gather them all here so we can all be informed consumers! Review explanation/summary encouraged!

Movie: Hanna - This is a stylish thriller with pretty cool music by the Chemical Brothers. The acting is okay and there are some weird plot holes/inconsistencies, but this one is a movie where style is overshadows the problems. It is beautifully shot and very cool. 7/10

Game: Mass Effect 3 (and the series) - So I really like this series. It's always been really really well-voice acted and intriguing. It gets you involved and caring about your characters/squad and gives you interesting moral choices that carry throughout all 3 games where the decisions cause a ripple effect. The gameplay in my opinion gets better as the series progresses and most of the extra fluff is eventually stripped out (for better or worse in some fans' eyes), like driving around vehicles and doing a lot of side gathering missions. By 3, those pointless little side missions are gone and the combat system is more polished, despite losing a little bit of the RPG elements (though 3 has more than 2 which was more stripped down). As for the ending controversy, I actually really liked the ending, but then again I like bleak metaphorical endings. I don't need a neat tidy happy ending like apparently all the other fans do. I really recommend this series! 9/10

Music: Brendan Kelly and Wandering Birds - "I'd Rather Die Than Live Forever" - http://www.punknews.org/bands/brendanke ... eringbirds You can listen to some of the songs here, though a lot of the ones available for streaming aren't my favorites... I like the first and last ones though. I really like Brendan Kelly, who is/was the lead singer of the Chicago punk band Lawrence Arms. He also writes the hilarious Bad Sandwich Chronicles blog (http://badsandwichchronicles.net/), which is a very astute and funny look at life written in a very witty Merk-like style. For example: http://www.badsandwichchronicles.net/2012/random-cocks/ Anyways, the album is really good and diverse. I DIG IT. 8/10
Image

User avatar
Fluffyumpkins
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6592
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:53 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Fluffyumpkins » Wed Apr 04, 2012 12:35 pm

Thread: This thread - I think this is a darn good thread. We all have similar interests, and I'd like to know what's good/bad before investing my oh so precious time. 9/10

Post: This post - Sort of funny in an abstract sense, but really kind of a waste since it doesn't add value. 5/10

User avatar
Fluffyumpkins
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6592
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:53 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Fluffyumpkins » Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:00 pm

I think this thread needs a defined scale. Is a 10 like best in class? Is it top 10 of all time?

User avatar
Riot
Heavy
Heavy
Posts: 5373
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:58 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Riot » Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:40 pm

I figured everyone could either make their own scale, or one according specifically to whatever the game is, i.e. 5 out of 5 pokeballs. However, a x/10 is probably most convenient, and personally a 10 is nearly perfect (there might be a few flaws but they don't take away at all from the overall experience), a 5 would be completely average or more on the bad side. Most things for me would probably fall in the 7-8 range since I generally go into things already knowing I will PROBABLY like them or its already in my genre. It's only when Chad drags me to somewhere outside of my comfort zone like Cosplay Vegan Emporium or something that I might dip below 5.

Anyways, you can make your reviews however you want. If you want to review a band overall considering all of their discography or just a particular album, or a series of games (like Mass Effect above), be my guest. I'm just trying to get people talking since nobody ever posts and I like to know what's good in da hood.

Here are some more!

Game: Street Fighter x Tekken - Despite people whining about DLC and how evil Capcom is, this game is actually pretty darn fun. The DLC pricing isn't even bad (12 characters for 20 bucks, around $1.60 per character), but the practice of having them all on disc is a bit crappy I guess. But who cares? Let's talk about the game! It's definitely faster-paced than SF4 and way more offensively based. I think this game feels a lot like the Alpha series or 3rd Strike in that footsies matter, but like 4 in the sense that you still have little blockstrings/pressure strings until the opponent cracks. It hits a good balance between chain combos (magic series, L M H launch) and much easier timing for link combos (cr.mp > cr. mp xx SRK for example) to where you don't have to practice a 1 frame link 100 times to actually be effective. The team dynamic is actually really fun and there's a lot of experimentation to find good team synergy and ways to cancel moves into your partner coming in to extend. The damage scaling is pretty insane so it doesn't ever get too broken, but super heavy hitting characters like Hugo can really dish it out from getting tagged in by his teammate. For example, with Ken I can do this punish combo: jumping hard punch > target combo (not links... mp > hp > hard tatsu) > tag in Ryu while the opponent is stuck in Ken's long-lasting tatsu, jumping hard punch > hp xx donkey kick > (if in corner now, which you probably are from Ken's tatsu carry) hp xx hard tatsu.

There are a lot of characters, although a few seem to be dominant right now. However, it's mainly because they are easy and a lot of advanced stuff hasn't been figured out quite yet. Most people thought Yoshimitsu was crap tier for instance, but now people are using his pull-in sword spin which keeps the opponent in place, then for instance tag into Hugo to continue with a huge combo or set them up for a mix-up. Renic talks about Ken/Ryu at first in this video, and then shows what I'm talking about with Yoshi/Hugo in the second half (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hCkTyU6 ... ature=plcp)

The music and stages are all pretty good, scramble mode (2 v 2 all on screen at once) is actually really fun for a party mode. Me, Kevin, Brent, and another guy played this at a small tourney last weekend and it was really chaotic and fun. Playing with an actual player as your partner is very fun as well (and the EVO standard this year... 2v2), as it requires a lot of communication and teamwork, and makes you really invested in the fight. The gems are kinda fun and not overpowering, though the game is still in a bit of an identity crisis with tournaments running no gems. However, there is free DLC coming out next week that has tournament mode and some quick-gem select option, so hopefully that helps, especially against the rampant time-out problem. There are currently a lot of timeouts because the clock runs so damn fast, so zoning can be a very viable tactic after a certain point in the match, even with rushdown as powerful as it is.

Overall, this game is really fun despite me not really digging it at first. I had to get used to the timing, the fact that it wasn't going to play like SF4 despite how much I tried playing Akuma like it was, and I just had to get used to the game system. I'm using Ryu and experimenting with point characters to build meter for him still, and haven't quite yet settled on using Ken/Ryu, Akuma/Ryu, Sagat/Ryu, Chun-Li/Ryu, Rolento/Ryu, Rufus/Ryu, or Ryu/Hugo. But the experimentation is part of the fun! I hope more people start playing and get good so I can have partners and play more, because I think there's a lot to appreciate and get into if you like older-school fighting games here. Hopefully people try it out or come to Fort Wayne and let me teach you stuff! I really like to teach people about fighting games like Marvel and this even though APPARENTLY PEOPLE DON'T LIKE HELP AND WANT TO KEEP DOING THE WRONG THINGS.

I give this game an 8/10
Image

User avatar
Fluffyumpkins
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6592
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:53 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Fluffyumpkins » Wed Apr 04, 2012 2:36 pm

Album: High Contrast's the agony and the ecstasy - I've been a fan of liquid DnB since 2002, and one of the most prolific composers has been High Contrast.

Return of Forever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoSscshAG-4
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkENy3t_fgQ
If We Ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz1W1OLkw14

This new album does so many things wrong. It's almost like someone else is producing under the High Contrast name. All the hits lack funky and soul elements. They just sound like pop feel-good Blink 182 tracks.

The First Note Is Silent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWOJyegyRbM

That or quickly forgettable dubstep.

The Only Way There http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOplE6irECE

There are maybe 2 or 3 tracks that pass muster, but even those just feel generic might as well have been produced by someone less talented. This was the music let down of the year for me.

Compared to other liquid funk albums: 4/10.
Compared to earlier High Contrast: 2/10.

User avatar
Amp Divorax
Heavy
Heavy
Posts: 2922
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 3:34 pm
Location: Near some arcade place that has the same initials as Drum and Bass

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Amp Divorax » Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:21 pm

Sine Mora - Grasshopper Manufacture is well known for having its own unique style, but I honestly never expected them to use this in a shmup. The most obvious aspect of this Grasshopper Manfacture/Digital Reality co-production is the amazing art style. However, it also features a very unique storyline, soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka, and the most unique game-play mechanic in the form of time manipulation. The gameplay is not perfect as while they did try to use the elements as a contributing factor in movement for some stages, (which is definitely an idea I like) it has some issues as it tends to result in some cheap hits where recovering power ups are not possible. Aside from this small issue though, this is a very refined game. 9/10.

Bangai-O HD - When I first heard that Treasure was making a new Bangai-O title for 360, I had a sense of immediate dread as I honestly didn't know if it could maintain the unique style that the prior games had. Fortunately, the only major difference between this and past games is that they made this game MUCH harder and feature more powerups to help survive. The only downside are the various slowdowns that happen when there are too many sprites on the screen, which while helpful in some cases, can be a bit on the annoying side in other instances. Despite this, the game is still enjoyable and worth a look. 8/10.
Memorable 2016 quotes:
Ho wrote:You can break arcade games and I will fix YOU!

User avatar
Fluffyumpkins
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6592
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:53 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Fluffyumpkins » Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:44 pm

Podcast: The Besties - 4 best friends each submit a videogame to be considered game of the year. Every week they each pick a game that is the for-sure game of the year and fight about whose should go on. The next week they debate 4 new games and the previous winner's game. If you like 4 pretty funny nerds with great radio personalities talking smack about games, this is the show for you.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheBestiesPodcast

They're also all in their mid-late 20's, so there are a lot of classic references included. If you can imagine Merk, Riot, and ShammerS running their mouth about videogames, and you like what's going on in your head, check this podcast. It's really only one of 3 podcasts I make a point to listen to.7/10

User avatar
Fluffyumpkins
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6592
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:53 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Fluffyumpkins » Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:11 pm

Lunch restaurant: Chipotle - They serve large burritos for about $6. Generally filled with white or brown rice, beans, various salsas, and guacamole, these satisfy even the most empty stomachs.

http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/menu/nutr ... ation.aspx

They're mostly healthy, and you can have a burrito sans flour tortilla if you're watching your calorie intake. Grab a water with lemon to complete the meal. Simple, tasty, and filling, there's no reason not to include it in your lunch rotation. My only oh-so-small gripe is a lack of a rewards program. It'd be nice to get some free chips every now and again. 8/10 for a lunch break on a workday.

User avatar
Riot
Heavy
Heavy
Posts: 5373
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:58 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Riot » Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:27 pm

Chipotle is the best. 11/10. Double steak burrito with white rice, black beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and schloads of cheese. Aw yeah.

Videogame: Rayman Origins - I have this on PS Vita (but it's also on pretty much every other console), and it's really really great. It looks super bright and crisp on the amazing little Vita screen, so I'm sure it looks good on console as well. I have not really played platformers in years, probably since the early days of PS1, so this game is like a warm little ball of nostalgia. The controls are super tight and the whole game is brimming with charm, from the graphics to the music to the gameplay. The new moves/powers you get flow naturally and are used in inventive ways (wall-running, swimming, ground pound, air-copter drifting thing, etc.), and each level design is increasingly impressive as you progress. Things get legitimately difficult by the end, but never unfairly so. There are a lot of extra things to shoot for in each level (a medal for speed-running the level in a certain time and one for collecting a certain amount of the little electoons, which are basically this game's coins), and a lot of challenging different styles of levels. Sometimes you're chasing treasure chests to the end of a level in an obstacle course, sometimes it's a side-scrolling schmup atop the back of a mosquito, and each world usually has a different theme (ocean has you swimming in dark depths with electric fish to light the path, the mountain has you wall-jumping up tricky vertical paths, kitchen level has you avoiding lava traps and forks, etc.). There are a lot of worlds and variety, and a really tough bonus world you can unlock if you collect enough treasure (which isn't that hard). 9/10 This game oozes charm and fun.
Image

User avatar
Amp Divorax
Heavy
Heavy
Posts: 2922
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 3:34 pm
Location: Near some arcade place that has the same initials as Drum and Bass

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Amp Divorax » Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:13 pm

Chipotle is pretty awesome, but just make sure you have this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjZZX3PwH5o
Memorable 2016 quotes:
Ho wrote:You can break arcade games and I will fix YOU!

User avatar
DAVE101
ITG4LYFE
ITG4LYFE
Posts: 905
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:25 pm
Location: Bloomington/Westfield
Contact:

Re: The Review Thread

Post by DAVE101 » Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:09 pm

Fluffyumpkins wrote:They're mostly healthy...
Riot wrote:Double steak burrito with white rice, black beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and schloads of cheese.
mostly being the key word

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gbzCQJN8Bo#t=25s
Image

User avatar
SoDeepPolaris
Heavy
Heavy
Posts: 2930
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 5:55 pm
Location: dónde
Contact:

Re: The Review Thread

Post by SoDeepPolaris » Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:40 pm

I really love CS:GO's 64 tick servers.

User avatar
Fluffyumpkins
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6592
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:53 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Fluffyumpkins » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:16 am

Animation: Anime - Not much to say about this one. People seem to love it or hate it. The style can be really sleek and fluid, and it certainly isn't afraid to try weird things. Movies and TV shows aren't good because they're anime, but anime can take a show with good writing to new heights. I'd give it a better score, but there have been lots of anime tropes that, for some reason, still exist. Pedo stuff, chibi-anything, pedo stuff, yelling random things without a pause in sentences, and pedo stuff. 6/10 for being better than average TV.

Swear words: Shit - Shit it pretty solid. There's a lot of variety in how it can be used. Like most curses, shit quickly loses its potency when overused, but played right there is a lot of comedic potential. It also rhymes with a lot of other words. Some of my favorite uses:

"I shitted myself." Tense use.
"That's shitty." A quick way to describe someone's poor behavior.
"He threw a shit-fit." No idea what this literally means, but I like it.
"MEGASHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT." J-core usage.

Feel free to add examples.

It would be a 9 if people would ease up on spamming it, but still earns a respectable 8/10.

User avatar
Fluffyumpkins
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6592
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:53 pm

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Fluffyumpkins » Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:49 am

I'd like it if people posted more reviews.

Food: Mexican - Queso on everything. Lots of chicken and steak. Rice and refried beans. Some combo of these things make up every Mexican dinner. Despite a lack of variety, Mexican earns a solid 8/10. Also free chips.

User avatar
Merk
Lady Banned Son of Switzerland
Lady Banned Son of Switzerland
Posts: 8274
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:33 am
Location: Bloomington / Ft. Wayne
Contact:

Re: The Review Thread

Post by Merk » Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:50 pm

Mexican restaurants are always the most economical choices, the only downside is that virtually all Mexican restaurants are the same. I agree with your review, sir!
Image

Post Reply