Phisocal

Upon first seeing Halo I thought: "No thanks!". After playing: well, I was left begging for more! The action and adrenaline level of the game is spectacular.

Whether it be blowing up alien aircraft with an anti-vehicle rocket launcher just as it's about to dive bomb you or going man to man with a battle tank Halo delivers hardcore action on every variety of level. The most realistic thing about it though, has got to be the graphics: they are red hot with realism. Every piece of grass sways with the wind, every vehicle is destructable, every man can die: the physics are amazing in detail.

The best part has got to be commandeering an alien aircraft (unfortunately, this cannot b done until the three quarter mark) and wiping all signs of life from the air. The jeep, tank and alien reconnaisance vehicle are also very good. The game also has a vast array of weaponry ranging from assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, plasma rifles, pistols, sniper rifles and even grenades, making for an explosive and spectacular storyline.

All in all Halo is the one reason for getting an X-Box. Well, it was my reason anyway. Also check out my review for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Halo is definetely a ten out of ten.

I first read the Lord of the Rings quite a while ago and thought it was excellent. When I heard the news of the film being made I was quite beside myself. I had always been curious what the film of one of the best literary epics would be like.

When I saw it I thought "You don't see this every day!". I was visually amazed at the scope and overview of the film. It sticks closely faithful with the book and is a valuable asset to the Lord of the Rings merchandise.

Director Peter Jackson has taken the magic from the books and wound the words into pictures. I had always admired Tolkien as a writer and I now admire Peter Jackson as a director. Elijah Wood plays the role of Frodo brilliantly also backed up by Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn and master actors Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen (as the roles of Saruman and Gandalf).

The battle scenes are magnificent and live up to very high standards of Tolkien lore. The best battle scene has to be the forests of Amon Hen where the Fellowship are pursued by the fearsome Uruk-hai. The special effects are absolutely awesome as well as the action. This film is very similar to the One Ring in that it has some of the very best addictive qualities.

Also check out my comments on the next installment The Two Towers.