Valucre Blog

A friend of one of the members of the community is currently doing commissions for character pieces. The link below will take you to Ace's blog where you can read more details about the situation at hand, about the artist, and also see a sample of the artist's skill in what you can expect from the artist in a commission.

Click here to see the blog post for details

Malum, Valucre's resident copywriter, has written a very engaging and very accurate portrayal of Valucre from a very surprising perspective. The follow post is in the style of correspondence, of a letter written from Valucre herself and addressed to all the players.

Welcome to Valucre

Tebo the Tech goes into a bit more detail in regards to what he has planned for the future of Valucre. This project in particular is in regards to a web app, and here you can glimpse some of the code and his comments on the matter.

If you're going to start something...don't

In an effort to get more qualitative information into the hands of the players, some of the board leaders have taken it upon themselves to do quick little write-ups of some of the more commonly and frequently asked questions. This will give players the opportunity to learn more about the nation in specific they might be roleplaying in or thinking about roleplaying in, while at the same time shaving down the amount of time they might have to spend picking through collective lore.

Terrenus FAQ

Genesaris FAQ

Iselyr FAQ

Luca Brazi is a skilled and talented underground rap artist from North Carolina that, in this blogger's humble opinion, epitomizes concepts of conscious rap in a manner and style that very few artists have been able to successfully capture and execute.

More relevant to the reader is that this rapper is a member of the Valucre Community. By the very nature of our community we all like to celebrate one another's creative ability. And when one of our members' creativity ekes into other areas of expression, be it through painting or playing a musical instrument, or as is in this case, living poetry then there is cause for further celebration.

In this blogger's humble opinion what stands out about Luca Brazi as a rap artist are: (1) the content he includes in his songs, stressing the importance of sharpening your mind and reasoning skills over the random chaos of gun play and drug pushing one is likely to hear sounding from the radio. (2) The fact that he has actual rapping ability, able to express and deliver these concepts in a way that is both comprehensive and fluid in style. (3) The style itself. With a lot of lower grade rappers their schemes are often repetitive (AB AB AB AB), predictable, stale or a combination of all three. With Luca Braz his style is innovative, fresh and effective.

Below are links to two of his songs that he's shared on the forum along with highlights picked by yours truly.

Smile by Luca Brazi

Square pegs don't work in my circle
My hood niggas smoke purp with the Urkels
And kick knowledge like gods in the earths do
~~~~
Somebody gotta polish the obsidian
Because the way they display it is hideous
News reports portray us as idiots
In every major city it's the same ol' nigga shit
"Flip a brick. If you five kill a six
And I'm a fly guy with a fine ass - bitch"
So when I switch up the format
The scholars and blue collars adore that
The robbers and two-timers implore
That I give them more scores to explore and absorb

360 by Luca Brazi

My generation is complacent as template creations
We don't investigate invisible principles shaping
Everything we do and who we are as a part of a nation
I mean the human race. Our country is corporations
That for the most part are human racists
They tell us we should never show heart around human faces
That protocol will show us all how to make good decisions
No thought at all just let the law show us what good envisions

Luca Brazi's Youtube
Luca Brazi's Bandcamp
Luca Brazi's Flavors

Well established player, GM, as well as official Valucre Storyteller Acies ab Vesania is running all of the below Terrenus based quests.

Wait, I thought it was trolls: Level 1, Casper

The Summons: Level 3, Dougton

The Doorway to Despair: Level 2, Casper

Raze, who goes by the username Hummingbird on the play-by-post roleplay forum Valucre, as you all very well know!, is back at it. If you don't know some of the history, Raze likes to watch movies. A lot of movies. It all started December of 2008, and so has been going on for just shy of 3 years solid. Impressive! Visit the link below if you want to see what Raze has to say about movies, shows, and the like.

Valucre has spoken!

Click here to go to the thread on the Valucre forum

Nette, who goes by the username Disco Lemonade on the forum, has made a thread recently to remind old members and to inform new members about Valucre's communal chatroom. The chatroom does not as yet have multi-room capabilities, though this is a functionality that administrations hopes to implement sometime soon. There is no established ETA on this, however. That said, the chatroom is still a great place to connect with other members of the forum day and night, and word on the grapevine is that Disco Lemonade will even hand out little prizes to members she spots talking about roleplay in the chatroom.

Since a user does not have to login to the chatroom to see what is going on, please note that she may be watching even if her name is not listed in the attendants' section.

Click here to view the thread

Can be found in this section: Section Six of the Valucre Walkthrough

The Free Will section has been slightly updated to better reflect the abilities and responsibilities of the members as individuals that are a part of a large, interactive writing community. The Open Source section has been moderately updated, now including links to the World Bestiary and the Organization boards so as to lead members to areas that they can submit their ideas to for public use. The Character Death section is a completely new section meant to clarify on how we at Valucre treat character death, and to shed light on a new member and staff driven initiative that labels characters as being "character killable".

Read more at the above link.

Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

The above link will take you directly to Hummingbird's post, an indepth review of the movie, a fair and balanced rating, pros and cons to look out for, and notables by the reviewer such as favorite actor and best scene.

The Valucre Movie Club is one of the few social groups that Valucre has to offer. To clarify Valucre has a number of groups that are IC or OOC, but the ones that are IC are more like clans/guilds/organizations and the ones that are OOC tend to be more specific. The Movie Club is one of a very few that has such a broad range of content that it is sure to appeal to a wide demographic of users.

The link below will take you to the group.

http://www.valucre.com/group.php?groupid=65

Article Author: Katsujirou

X The Murder Mystery
Started by _Fable___ on ___March 21, 2011____.
Ended on ___Ongoing___.
Category: [PM Fable for Invitation]

Known Participants:
1. Fuhrer! as "Arman"
2. Omerta as "Henri"
3. The Hummingbird as "Alexander"
4. Enigmatic Surrender as "Madame Belflor"
5. Supernal as "Miles J. Chatterly"
6. desolate as "Lily"
7. Paradigm as "Dalton Heath"
8. Malum as "Marcus Hildebrandt"
9. Archival as "Tuck C. Dumasque"
10. PrincessDogfish as "Rampion Coronia"
11. Larko Malkog as "Larko Malkog"

Synopsis:
It begins at dinner time at The Hotel Dupont outside Telerian City. Three recent murders inside the hotel have attracted several investigators to visit the scene of the crime: Arman, Henri the Ranger, Rampion Coronia the White Mage (with his Suirralrus familiar 'Persinette' who communicates telepathically with Rampion), and Tuck C. Dumasque the life insurance claim investigator. They join the guests of the hotel, Alexander the homosexual harp-playing Rose Bard, Miles J. Chatterly the political figure, Lily the hotel maid, Dalton Heath the young guest, Marcus Hildebrandt the old "Edgemaster", and Madame Belflor the proprieter of the hotel. After eating a dinner of pancakes and tea, they are all joined by Larko Malkog, a passerby.

A love triangle exists between the guests of the hotel: Dalton Heath is attracted to Lily, who is attracted to Alexander (to Mme. Belflor's dismay), who is attracted to Miles J. Chatterly.

Tuck C. Dumasque has come to determine whether one of the murder victims, Mr. Beige (NPC), is eligible for his life insurance claim.

Article Author: Tiger Lily

[Dragon Merge] Come To Me Dreamer
http://www.valucre.com/showthread.ph...-To-Me-Dreamer

Started By - Enigmatic Surrender on 2/14/2011
Ended - Ongoing
Category - [See Creator] PM Enigmatic Surrender to Join

Known Participants
Shadow as Sevildina Run [Sev]
Odium as Darius
Roen as Tarquinius [ Quinn]

Synopsis
The story began with Sev, Darius, and Quinn each busy with their own lives until, with a small twist of fate and a couple of half-lings, they all met. Sev saves Darius from the half-lings, Quinn comes along on his steed and then, they all head for a common destination; Stormward City. Having reached this place, the companions enjoy a drink or two and then the opportunity of a job catches their eye; now, they're deciding whether or not to take the job or go their separate ways and it seems as though Quinn has developed a soft spot for Sev. That, or he's just being the noble man and wanting to protect a Lady.

The Deliverance (Open)
Started by: Baleran II on 5-1-2011
Ended on: Ongoing

Known Participants:
1. Baleran II: Character not specified
2. Keira as Taylor

Synopsis:
Baleran's Character has come crashing to earth covered in metal armor and badly injured. Taylor and his woman where camping only to be interrupted by the shaking of the ground thanks to the crater being formed. The man had gone to investigate only to find the armor covered being. He offered his abilities to heal his wounds.

(Will revise once characters are properly introduced)

Article Author: Eternity

Fortune Favors The Dead (Closed)

-(Land of Athirat Desert)

Started by Enigmatic Surrender on May 5th, 2011
Ended on: N/A
Category: Closed

Known Participants:
1. Enigmatic Surrender as Naora Ishiguro
2. Aleksei as Riforte

Naora awaits for her guest to arrive to the amphitheatrum, as slaves prepare to battle one another to relive a great battle known as "Xaroc's Triumphant Return." Riforte a representative of the Dead appears, to be greeted by Naora Entropy's Field General. Taking up the thrones next to each other, Naora speaks about the many reasons for taking up arms. As the show begins Naora asks Riforte "Would you consider yourself the gambling sort?"

Article Author: k1b22

Beldeslauve.
Started by sunbreaker_ On October 4th, 2010
Ended On: N/A
Category:

Known Participants:
Sunbreaker_ as Sieghild and Waltraud
odium. as Arcturus

Synopsis:
A boy, Arcturus Guildenstern, once spared by a knight, Sieghild, is now lead through the castle Avorevon by Diviner and sorcerer Waltraud for an audience with its king. In his presence Arcturus pauses, waiting as he is judged by the prophet-king of Avorevon for a chance to become a member of the castle.

Article Author: Eternity

The Sentient Stone

(Biazo)

Created by Dodgen on March 18, 2011
Ended by: N/A
Category: Open

Known Participants:
1. Dodgen as Driax
2. Ace as Rooster
3. Keira as The bartender

Driax awakens after a what seems to be a long death, returning to the town of Biazo in search of his masters books and scrolls. Using his ability of illusion, he would mask his massive golem form. After rumaging through his masters home finding not much, he disguises himself to go play in the taverns looking for information. After sometime in the tavern, he meets a soldier Rooster, who is doing a wonderful job making him nervous. Rooster see's through Driax's illusion, inviting the bartender for a drink. Giving Driax the chance to ask questions, still stuck in an awkward situation. After an unmoving speech Driax is left with some advice, leaving the tavern he begins his journey out of the town in search of the rogue golems. Finding a camp of humans, he watches them for days. A group of rogue golems surround the camp, and begins their killing. Driax protects those he can, and discovers he can bend the earth to his will. After all is over with the humans thank him, bury their dead and continue on. Driax makes it back to Biazo, and does some reading. Practicing what he finds out to be Earth bending, he then learns his new hand isn't apart of him. Now he is in search of a golemancer to make all that is him right again.

Article Author: Hika.

A Dark Heart, Eternal Hunter: A Dark Heart Eternal Hunter
Started by _Zytherian Phoenix Pain___ on ___09 April 2011____.
Ended on ___Ongoing___.
Category: [See Creator]

Known Participants:
1. Zytherian Phoenix Pain as Traece
2. Raving Frenzy as Cathmor and Grace
3. Stephiee as Sitara

Synopsis:

Unwittingly unleashed, a corruption, a Will of Darkness, spreads through the forest and the surrounding area; rangers and druids try to contain the darkness to the forest, slaying the corrupted beasts that emerge from its shadow. The four; Sitara, Traece, Grace, and Cathmor; meet during one of these cullings, surviving the onslaught of ghoul and beast, and form a camaraderie because of it. After Traece's invitation to the tavern, it is revealed that the seals which contain the worst of the corruption were being broken as well as children being kidnapped in the town, though dealing with those issues would have to wait for the morning. While Grace ran errands and Cathmor partook in drink and talk, Sitara and Traece hit it off, retiring to a room for the night.

X-Men: First Class

Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: It is the beginning of a new age. Genetic experimentation and the following mutation has paid off, giving rise to a new breed of humans with incredible powers. Among the first of these is Erik Lehnsherr with the power to control metal, and Charles Xavier, a telepath of immense power. Scarred by the past, Erik searches for revenge while Charles struggles for unity among "regular" humans and mutants, creating friendships and conflicts as they find themselves fighting against one another in the face of World War III.

Best Part/Best "Phrase": Flight of the Banshee
Favorite Actor: James McAvoy as Charles Xavier.
Music Quality: Good, nothing exceptional, but good nonetheless.
Language: A few, one use of the F-word, some insults mothers may not like.

Pros: This movie works on something not often done or successful in superhero movies: characterization. This movie soars in this respect without for one moment lacking in the action department with bits of humor. The plot is solid, the villains intelligent and frightening as they pretty much overpower Charles and his recruits in every way. The acting is well done, and every mutant you thought had no personality is fully fleshed out.

Cons: The movie is definitely geared toward the Russians being bad guys and the Americans good guys with a few Germans of usual bad guy measure, which has gotten tiresome. But when it comes to actual negative features, the movie has little to desire. The bad guy mutants lack the most when it comes to motive or characterization, and the first appearance of young Erik is a little overdone with a long "NOOOOOOOOOOO".

Rating: 4/5 stars
Rewatch Value: Definitely yes.

Posted on the forum and ready for dispensing: Click for Valucre Newsletter

-OPENING-

Let's face it from day one that Lionhead Studios has been making the Fable franchise it was filled with tons of unfulfilled promises. The first Fable starting it all with the massive promises left unfulfilled and Fable 2 added a decent amount but not enough. Now low and behold Fable 3 arrives and with the bragging that you can do more than the originals it's very hard to believe. Is third time the charm or is this another lie with a retail price tag?

-STORY-

Fable 3 takes place fifty years after the events of Fable 2 making you the descendant to the Hero who killed Lucien and looked into his own future thanks to Theresa. From the beginning you have the choice of playing the role of the Prince or Princess since your father was king and is now dead. You quickly discover that your brother Logan is a tyrant and has been abusing his role as King of Albion. This is where you step in and play the role as The Hero and leader of the revolution your goal is simple, overthrow your brother and return Albion to normal. To my surprise the story was actually interesting since you will be thrown all over Albion to get allies as well as outside of Albion's border. You make promises to different cities and towns that you will bring change for the better and for the people when you become King or Queen. Yes I said when this is no spoiler for Lionhead was bragging about this for quite sometime, so to those who might get angry...don't. In the end you will be forced to choose whether or not you deliver on your promises and be a good ruler or just another tyrant. The story will actually draw you in fully for once and when you complete it will leave most satisfied, it might also call out to you for another go with different choices. My only complaint is that the hardcore gamers like myself will not be satisfied as just like Fable 2 once it moves into full gear it ends. Leaving me with the question why not make one more game or expansion pack simply involving this particular section or area of the game. Assassin's Creed 2 did it with the story and two expansions why can't Lionhead Studios simply do the same, except make a conclusion in the DLC.

-GAMEPLAY-

This is where the game truly shines for it's simple but satisfying. Combat is smoother than all the other games with a much more generous auto aim system that won't conflict with combat whatsoever. All melee, ranged, and magic attacks are hooked to three different button so there is no complications. Traveling the world is much easier since almost everywhere you see you can go with an open map though it is a shame to see the areas in Albion are still broken off into sections. The inventory system is completely scrapped and replaced with The Sanctuary where with just a clock of the start button will immediately transport you there. In the Sanctuary you can select whatever weapons or magic you want and also fast travel though the map. The map makes you wish there was a one hundred percent open world because Albion is extremely massive as is Aurora. The newest feature is called Spellweaving allowing you to mix two spells for a special combination and more devastating affects. For instance weaving Ice Storm and Shock will electrocute your enemies while ice shards impale them. There are a total of fifty weapons both ranged and melee however you cannot find them in a single game, either you will make a new game or join another player in cooperative play to acquire them. A great feature they added into Fable 3 is called Weapon Evolvement meaning certain actions with weapons will make them more useful. Killing so many balverines can make a weapon much more powerful, while killing your spouses can add fire or shock damage to others. It's a good system since your Hero Sword, Hammer, Pistol, and Rifle evolve the most. It's a very interesting touch but at the same time it feels as if it could have been pushed much further. As you upgrade you melee and range the Hero Weapons stand out the most however leave you with four upgraded that cannot be changed. This is disappointing especially since if you'll truly evil you weapon can look as corrupted and demonic as can be, however, if you're good they can look as Divine as God himself. Once you melee or ranged reached it's maximum level the weapons no longer change they remain the same, meaning if you're good then go evil you'll be a demonic deity with a weapon that someone like the Pope would wield.

Traveling the world is pretty neat you can take the path of traveling on foot or fast traveling both are useful and both can be entertaining however the world feel rather limited. This is where I was disappointed, since Fable 1 the promise of open world has been thrown around more than a hot potato within a crowd of ten thousand people. This is NOT a FULLY open world game the areas you traverse are decent in size and have barely any limitations of where you can and can't go, however the game falls flat on it's face here. Areas are broken off into sections and simulate game time in hours as you travel between them there are no hidden towns or trade places, there are no wandering merchants, and barely any roaming NPCs. You'll constantly feel restricted when you look at how much detail the world map has in the Fast Travel menu but will almost be brought to tears to see how limited you are in accessing it. Invisible Walls, small ledges a man could climb but you can't, and leaps that are barely anything that you can't make even though early you jumped off a ledge that is almost the size of a three story house. The auto-aim system and interaction system can also be very hard to get over. When you're fighting multiple enemies or in a group of Albion's inhabitants this issue shows. They'll be a downed enemy waiting to be finished off with a stab in the heart and you'll be stuck targeting him at times instead of the six others who are beating you down or shooting you with firearms. My personal favorite is when you try to speak to your Online ally normal towns-person and the interaction icons just switch from one person to another. This happens more often than it should and no update has yet to up rise to fix this issue and it seems like there isn't one in the near future.

-PRESENTATION-

There hasn't been much improvement in this category since Fable 2 the only difference between the two is that there is a little extra detail and barely any improvements on the soundtrack. The AI is about even in this regard except for the Dog. Your canine friend returns in Fable 3 and is flat out stupid. The dog will try to lead you to a dig spot but wind up walking in circles and barking aimlessly at you, this is very annoying especially since chests and dig spots can get you ANY of the weapons you need to collect. To put things simply your Dog is so stupid if it could fall off a cliff and die it would several times over.

-CLOSING-

Let's face it Fable 3 is like the other Fable games they add a little more but hold back so much a little too much to be honest. It's at most a rental something you'll play to pass time waiting for the next game you want to come out. It's not worth the current price tag and will only be worth the purchase when it's in a bargain bin or given to you for free.

-Exile-

-OPENING-

What…the…****!?

-CAST-

· Alan Bagh as Rod

· Whitney Moore as Nathalie

· Adam Sessa as Ramsey

· Catherine Batcha as Becky

· Janae Caster as Susan

· Colton Osborne as Tony

· Rick Camp as Dr. Jones

· Stephen Gustavson as "Tree Hugger"

· Patsy van Ettinger as Nathalie's Mother

· Mona Lisa Moon as Mai

· Danny Webber as Rick

· Laura Cassidy as News Anchor

-STORY-

Where to begin? Where to begin? Oh dear god I truly can’t believe I’m actually reviewing this pile of ****! Birdemic is a horrible movie released in 2008 by James Nguyen this is a well it’s suppose to be a serious romantic/thriller/horror but unfortunately it’s not. This movie is just awful the basic plot of this movie is that Rod played by Alan Bagh who odds are thanks to this film I’ll never see his mug again runs into an old high school friend named Nathalie played by Whitney Moore who’s career is also dead thanks to this film. The two of them accidentally stumble into each other in a simple restaurant and immediately hit it off as a couple. That is as far as the romance plot goes…I am not kidding this movie is so terrible the romance aspect of the plot just makes you want to kill yourself. Now here comes the horror plot and by god it’s ****ing worse than the romance a herd of killer kamikaze exploding eagles have come to kill humanity because of global warming. Ok I’m going to stop here with the plot because I kid you not this is really as far as it goes it has no originality whatsoever. Do you want to know what the worse part of this movie is? IT’S A HUNDRED AND FIVE MINUTES OVER AN HOUR AND A ****ING HALF LONG! The only extra is to survive but even that plot is horribly done so it’s time to move on to the next part of this review.

-PRESENTATION-

Ok there’s no way to put this gently this is the most horrible ****ing movie I have ever had to watch and mind you I watched The Happening. The acting is so awful the actors constantly look at the camera when they’re not suppose to, they’re delayed when it comes to saying their lines, they break character for the whole ****ing film, and they actually have to think a couple times to remember what their lines are. Unfortunately the problems don’t end there oh no that would be too much of a blessing it simply gets worse! This movie is quite literally a cluster**** the very opening of the film is simply Rod driving in his car for the whole opening credits. It’s literally over five minutes. FIVE ****ING MINUTES OF HIM DRIVING HIS ****ING CAR! Things get worse the sound is horrible sometimes there is no background noise and you can hear the actor’s just fine and sometimes the background noise overwhelms everything else. The sound also tends to cut out in odd places too during beginning of certain scenes and at the end of most of them. When the birds attack it gets even worse because I’ve seen the special effects from movies made during the 70’s look better. The birds don’t really even fly when they attack they simply hover in one spot and they don’t even attack yet the actors act as if they’re being attacked. It gets worse the sound effects are horrible guns sound like toys, the eagles sound more like seagulls, and any other sound effect added sounds like something from an Atari game hell even Atari had better sound effects.

The things the characters do are horrible and the lines are just ****ing stupid. For instance there’s a scene when they escaped the killer kamikaze exploding eagles where literally they see two cars on the side of the road mind you when this is said they couldn’t see ANYTHING! This is actually the ****ing line you can look this up on Youtube or wherever you can find this if you don’t believe me. ‘Hey there are some dead people on the side of the road let’s see if there are survivors.’ How does that make any ****ing sense oh but it gets even better it just keeps getting better after they survived any birds attack and rescue two children one who hid in the trunk of a car and one who hid under it this is what happens. They get hungry and stop at a convenience store to get some food after that instead of eating safely in the car THEY GO OUTSIDE TO EAT AT A PICNIC AREA!

Look I think you all get the point so I’m moving to the best part of this Review the closing section.

-CLOSING-

THIS MOVIE IS ****ING **** I HOPE IT BURNS IN HELL!!! I will admit this movie sucks but when I did see the birds I started laughing hysterically. I dare anyone who has seen this film to not laugh when they see the birds for the first time. Ok now that I got that out of my system I’m going to tell you the best and worst part of the movie.

Best Part: Seeing the credits finally arrive.

Worst part: Everything before the credits.

-Exile-

Title: Limitless

Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Eddie Morra is an inspiring writer and generally a nice guy. He just has no motivation, lacking the ability to bring out whatever mysterious talent he might have, if indeed he has any. It seems he's on a quick downward spiral when suddenly he's given a mysterious pill. Within moments of swallowing it, he finds his brain supercharged. Capable of moving mountains of literature, a mathematical genius, an expert stockbroker, and able to noticing the smallest of details, Eddie has become awesome. Unfortunately, the pill is less of a secret than he thought, and, understandable, bad guys want it now.

Best Part/Best "Phrase": The first time he takes the pill. Fantastic.
Favorite Actor: Andrew Howard, aka Gennady. What a clever guy.
Music Quality: Rather than the music, the sound effects were really cool.
Language: Some but not much.

Pros: The story itself is rather cool (acting good, yadda yadda). It's pretty obvious why we can't access every part of our brain; we'd go crazy, since each part is only supposed to be used for certain things. This movie actually puts some effort into addressing this problem, creating benefits and side effects that feed into the rest of the movie, making it a little bit more realistic. The surreal CGI is awesome, and frankly I wanted more.

Cons: The ending seemed a little abrupt to me, as well as slightly vague. Perhaps it was intentional not giving us the simple answer(s) we wanted, but it would've been nice to know. Plot holes, and curiosities also pop up as the movie makes its merry way.

Rating: 7.5/10
Rewatch Value: Sure.

Title: Battle: Los Angeles (Battle: LA)

Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: A meteor shower rains down on earth. It soon becomes apparent that the meteors are in fact ships, and soon seemingly invincible aliens are rampaging across every major city, harvesting our most important substance: water. Put in charge of a desperate few survivng soldiers, Staff Sergeant Nantz leads the way across the barren landscape that was one Los Angeles.

Best Part/Best "Phrase": Don't pick up foreign objects.
Favorite Actor: They're all good actors, but I don't have a favorite one.
Music Quality: Excellent, fits the mood all the way through.
Language: Not too much here.

Pros: This is a great War of the Worlds/Signs/Independence Day movie. It has the music, it has the gratuitous amount of explosions, it has the weird alien design, it has the mothership(s), and it has the heroic white guy blasting pretty much anything and everything standing in his way. And while the primary excitement comes from all the insane action pumped into nearly every scene, the movie also has moments of truly heartfelt moments as the soldiers risk their lives to protect others.

Cons: Before we get carried away singing praises, the movie is just another hash of the other three movies mentioned above. The movie brings nothing new to the alien franchise. They want our resources. We kill them. Bam, done. Also, the movie goes overboard on making Nantz your everyday tough guy war hero. The fact is so blatant it's almost insulting.

Rating: 7.2/10
Rewatch Value: Why? District 9 was creative, and new. This one isn't.

Title: Rango

Year: 2011
Rating: PG

Synopsis: A chameleon finds himself stranded in the desert town aptly named Dirt. The citizens are in need of two things; water and a sheriff. More skilled at acting than he is at camouflage, the chameleon dons the badge and gets ready to save the town from dehydration and lawbreakers. His name is Rango, and he is the law.

Best Part/Best "Phrase": I honestly can't say; I would spoil it.
Favorite Actor: Rattlesnake Jake, voiced by Bill Nighy. He is creepy and should have been given more screen time.
Music Quality: I do remember this! Western greatness.
Language: One or two times of the word "damn". One is "Son of a b****"but that last word is bleeped out.

Pros: First off, hats off to the animation group for forgoing the usual cute and cuddly we're used to seeing from Dreamworks and Pixar to awfully creepy and ugly critters, all of whom are very well animated. Good humor is prevalent that older folks will understand, and the entire film itself is enjoyable to adults. The voice acting is superb especially with Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake. Flow and pacing is good, and the overall message of the film is wonderfully executed without it banging you over the head.

Cons: This is a movie for older kids and adults, not young children who may be freaked out by the creepy animals or parents who want to guard virgin ears and the sight of guns. Children may not understand Western references or older humor that adults will catch. The suffering of the town due to lack of water is understated and the ending a little uncertain. Sticklers for reality may be upset, but than they shouldn't be seeing movies like this anyway.

Rating: 8.2/10
Rewatch Value: Yessir, as long as I've got snacks.

Title: The Adjustment Bureau

Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13 (bare skin, punching, language)

Synopsis: Harry is well on his way to winning a seat in the Senate, but a mishap causes him to slip. The only thing that saves him is the inspiration brought to him by a woman, and he realizes that she is the one he never knew he was waiting for. But as he struggles to find her again and again, he encounters a force no one else knows exists. They are the Adjustment Bureau, and they will do what they can to make Harry and Elise stick to "The Plan".

Best Part/Best "Phrase": The Hammer. Dun dun duuuun.
Favorite Actor: Terence Stamp, who plays Thompson (The Hammer)
Music Quality: It definitely fit, but unfortunately the trailer tops it.
Language: There is language, but it's not too bad or overdone.

Pros: The movie is a great conversation piece about chance, free will and fate. The overall plot is very intriguing and the Adjusters themselves keep up an interesting mystery about their roles without actually spilling everything and diving over into Cheese Land. Both sound and acting are good, with great chemistry between Harry and Elise, but the real strong point is the story, not the actors.

Cons: Somehow a bit of the acting seemed amiss. Even with the story to support the character's actions and feelings, it still seems doubtful they would fall for one another so fast. Some explanations are left out, which is necessary, but some of it seems half-assed. There is one point in the movie that screwed up some logic and left a rather gaping plot hole.

Rating: 7.8/10
Rewatch Value: Average. It's definitely worth seeing at least once, but the big screen isn't necessary for casual movie-goers.

-OPENING-

Rockstar Games has always seemed to have their hands full with the Grand Theft Auto series but after their latest installations, as well, as two Downloadable expansions which took the players into whole new stories with characters that were in the original release something came about. They announced the making of Red Dead Redemption which many called Grand Theft Horse for a while thinking that it wasn’t going to do well. After more information and time the game finally hit shelves of stores everywhere. Will this game live up to the expectations previous releases and installments have set for it? Or will it perish like the ways of the Wild West?

-STORY-

The year is 1911 the Wild West has just started to become tame where the Law has stepped up how they enforce the law and when the Government truly started to move in to put an end to the Wild parts of the West. You play as ex-outlaw John Marston a man who is constantly haunted by his past and forced by government officials to do their dirty work. The task he is charged with is bringing the men he used to ride with to Justice whether by delivering them alive or ending their lives. You start off by approaching one of John’s old friends a man by the name of Bill Williamson who decides to shoot you and leave you for dead. Of course being picked up and nursed back to health the journey of John Marston only begins and thus you figure out his true struggle. John is told by the Government that if he does not fulfill the task given to him he will never see his Family ever again. The story takes you far into the land of New Austin and into the treacherous and Revolution turmoil land of Mexico.

The story is truly excellent that sticks true to the scene of the West perfectly from beginning to end. The story makes you sympathize for John Marston and more importantly makes you feel as if you’re in the Wild West itself. The Story spans about thirty odd some hours during the first play-through because you’ll try to experience everything, however, on second play-through it might take around twenty-four to twenty-six hours to beat. It’s a long story that’s interesting from begin to end and will keep you captivated despite it being much longer than the average game now.

-GAMEPLAY-

Just like all other games this is a vital part for Red Dead Redemption and fortunately it work out well. From the assortment of weapons to the horses you ride even to the small things like breaking a horse. Anyone who is a veteran of Grand Theft Auto IV will immediately know the control scheme to Red Dead Redemption. Left Trigger is to aim or auto-aim if you have it activated, right trigger to fire, ect. Now the additions that have been added between the two games one of the biggest is horses instead of automobiles. You use your directional pad to call whatever horse it is you own and it’ll find it’s way to you. The number of horses gives you an incentive to want to either purchase or personally break your own horse. Horse breaking is another new game play addition it’s not something you’ll aim to do your whole game but it is nice when it comes to save a few hundred dollars. The Weapon Variation is also very impressive bringing a vast assortment of weaponry. Your arsenal will span with multiple Revolvers, Repeaters, Rifles, Pistols, Shotguns, Throwing weapons, and more. Each weapon looks, fires, and sounds the part of the actual weaponry used back during the Wild West. Each one having their own unique feel, powers, ect to them making it even more convincing than it already is.

There’s a bit to do in the Single Player alone many activities always remain active while some new ones appear as you progress further and further through the story. Bounties, Strangers, Gambling, Jobs, Bank Robberies, and side events that happen from time to time.

Just like Grand Theft Auto IV Red Dead Redemption features its own online play. Some of the game modes remain like Rockstar’s previous release such as Free Roam and Team Deathmatch. Fortunately there is more to than just that there are new game modes like Grab the Bag a Capture the Flag type game modes where two teams or Gangs as they’re called in this game must capture a bag full of money that their enemy possesses. Each team has one bag first to three or five wins another thing that makes the online stick out more is how each Competitive match is started. Both teams start off lined up facing one another and when the match begins they all perform a standoff this is a very enjoyable aspect of the online and a truly unique one. With each victory accomplished in Free Roam and competitive games give out experience with each level you gain you unlock new Titles, Mounts, Characters, and weaponry that help you stick out amongst your fellow Players.

-PRESENTATION-

Red Dead Redemption is truly a sight for sore eyes with a rather expansive map with detail around every corner you’ll ever clear or imagine clearing. The sound of wild-life is as close to the real thing as it can truly be without putting the actual animals inside of your speakers. The sound of the weapons firing as well as their reloading with each and every tiny and almost silent noise they make is true to the very end. The soundtrack sticks true to the whole Wild West feels some songs specially created for the game as well by musical talent. Artist like William Elliot Whitmore, Ashtar Commands, and Jose Gonzalez lend their talents with music that truly suits the mood for certain events that unfold throughout the entire game. The look and feel of the game itself suits the time and era that this game takes place in matching the feeling of a man doing a task he truly wished he never had to perform, or, the feeling of the West beginning to reach it’s crippling end. The cast of characters are as believable as they can possibly be. The voice acting remains top notch throughout the entire story selling the roles, emotions, and events perfectly. In the end this game truly cannot feel more Western than it already does and if somehow it managed to do so than it would be a miracle.

-CLOSING-

Rockstar has truly exceeded my expectations with Red Dead Redemption it’s truly an almost flawless game. The flaws are very minor as well as far and in-between that if I were to mention them it would be mere nit-pickings. In the end Red Dead Redemption tells a campfire story that many wish they could have created before this game’s release. Red Dead Redemption is truly a game worthy of being called a Western I am not a huge fan of Western movies, games, or stories but Red Dead Redemption has captured my eyes and will always be remembered by me. If you ever feel like taking a journey to days of old where lawlessness ran rampant and the only thing keeping you alive was a quick draw and a quick trigger finger than mount up and ride into the sunset.

-Exile-

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Friday, November 18, 2011

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Monday, August 15, 2011

Friday, June 24, 2011

Monday, June 6, 2011

X-Men: First Class

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Friday, March 25, 2011

Friday, March 11, 2011

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Sponsors

Total Pageviews

Labels

Subscribe To / RSS Feeds

Pages

Popular Posts

Followers

Blog Archive

Blogroll