p-simondet

I'm reluctant to admit that I hardly enjoyed, or was entertained by, this grossly overly computerized revisit to Middle Earth. The magic of The LOTR trilogy was almost entirely absent, and while the trilogy was certainly imperfect, each film was outrageously entertaining, captivating, and accessible. The Hobbit as a film, unfortunately, is none of these things, and entirely feels like a rehash of the LOTR, as the majority of its dialogues, blocking, and occurrences are reminiscent (or shameless reproductions) of moments from the LOTR trilogy.

The book (a children's story) is a sweet yet solemn coming-of-maturity tale focused on self improvement, bravery/courage, and wisdom. An Unexpected Journey is focused on hectic warfaring, greed, belittling the small guy, and CGI vistas. The sense of purpose, faith, and fellowship from the LOTR trilogy are missing here, even though Jackson attempts to follow an elusive template set with those three films. I realize it is not an "epic" in the sense that Frodo's quest is, but when the only facet of characterization in the entire film is how deft its unexpected hero can be with a sword, I found little else to be interested or invested in.

Some shots are truly stunning, and a few exchanges of dialog were mildly amusing, but all of the extraneous characters and plot lines, the poorly edited and confusing battle sequences, excessive CGI, and characters designed for children in a film decidedly for adults (with weed and 'shroom jokes interspersed) detract from an otherwise winning story. Here's hoping the next one is a better story with an iota of characterization and competent editing!

5/10

Resistance 3 successfully combines the strengths of the first two installments to gratifying effect in this fresh yet familiar title. The game retains Resistance 2's big boss battles and diverse environments, as well as Fall of Man's lone and silent everyman as its protagonist. As the weapon wheel is also back, you pack a diverse arsenal through the vast majority of the campaign. With some new additions (including a few unexpected toys) at your disposal, every battlefield offers the chance to apply different tactics. Visuals: While the graphics are nothing to write home about, I will say that in terms of detail, the game is done competently. More importantly, however, the atmosphere, weather, and dynamic lighting are all incredible and make for an immersing visual feast. The art direction has grown up from the simple and charming Fall of Man, through Resistance 2's rich palette, to create some stunning locations. The retro vibes are more eminent here than the first two, to boot. Gameplay: The "levels" (it's more of a streamlined journey) are still linear in the traditional sense, but far more expansive and intricate than Fall of Man or Resistance 2. Furthermore, it's an incredibly diverse and well-paced game to play through. There is a lessened variety of enemies than featured in Resistance 2, but there is more gore to compensate for that. Unfortunately a few story and gameplay points will feel very familiar, re-purposed from the last two installments. More than once you'll feel as though you're back in Half-Life 2 though, once or twice a little Uncharted, and even some Killzone 2/3 vibes during other parts. Depending on whether your glass is half full or half empty, you'll enjoy these parts. Beta?: There are a couple of bugs, but nothing that intrudes on your gameplay or stops the game altogether. Being minor, I'm sure it's fixed, but I skipped the updates so I could get into the action. Music: Hardly any recognizable melodies are recycled in the score, but the background music is never melodramatic blockbuster-esque (like Modern Warfare or Halo), and definitely has character. Again, like the environments, the music is subtle and extremely atmospheric. Online: Unfortunately I'm not a multiplayer style of gamer, so I can't help you out there, though reviews generally describe it as being quite different, but fantastically done and maddeningly addictive. Overall, the campaign is certainly worth a couple of playthroughs. This isn't a difficult or ground-breaking game, but the smooth gameplay, diverse locations, ridiculous atmospheres and varied arsenal make it a refreshing and satisfactory game in a market saturated with soul-less, movie-esque FPS titles.

If you've played the first and loved it for its wonderful custom levels, this is certainly a must have. The options for creating your own levels/mini-games/games, and subsequently playing others explorations of the new mechanics, are simply fantastic and lots of fun. In terms of an online experience, LBP 2 is certainly peerless.

However, apart from that, every other facet of the game is grossly underwhelming. Which is odd, because in the first installment Media Molecule did an unprecedented and mind- boggling thing: made an engaging story mode that honestly inspired the gamer to build their own levels. It was a sincere, charming, and fun experience. This time around, the story mode is a far cry from the first game. That's not to say it's not a good experience, it really is, but it pales in comparison to LBP.

The levels have lost their je ne sais quoi; they aren't as fun or as challenging as the first game's story levels. They present nifty new mechanics, but they aren't implemented well enough to inspire you to use them for your own creations (which is the real game here, creating!). The graphics aren't really improved, but in a game like this I could care less. The characters you meet throughout the story are severely faulted people, which is a nice change, but alternatively they are also all stereotypes. No good. The story itself is awful, and unfortunately I think the team either pushed the envelope too much while attempting an epic scope, or was forced to do so. Sure,the story mode is peppered with some great pop culture references, but outside of gameplay it wasn't entertaining, involving, or interesting. Another standout from the first installment, the musical compilation, while retaining diversity, isn't as driving this time.

Sorry to rant, but don't let it discourage you! Far more time was put into the creation "half" of the game, and it is awesome. Pick it up, play through the story, if you lose interest, try to do better yourself! And in the meanwhile, play any of the scores of ingenious player made content, some of which is outstanding.