Talleballe

Taking the good parts from various different movies and games this survival horror/action game really managed to surprise me. I expected a game with gore and some cheap scares. I got that. But I also got a game so filled with atmosphere, I don't think there were many of last years games that can compare. The derelict ship, automated voices, flickering lights, the audio logs, the necromorphs and the few, crazed survivors really draws you in. And there is also the sense of despair, the sense that you are fighting with less and less chance of survival. All in all, the game doesn't do anything new, but it does it really well making it a pleasurable experience.

Having seen the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven and how much better that extended cut were (I give it 9/10) I was happy to see an extended cut of Troy. I thought the theatrical cut of Troy were OK, no more and no less. But the director's cut made it so much better. Adding a little nudity, quite a bit of blood and gore and a bit more character depth made this film one of the best and most intense I've watched this year. The battle scenes are better, the characters more likable and more fleshed out and overall the movie feels more epic. It is clear that directors really have a vision in what they do and, lucky for us, the DVD gives them the opportunity to show us this vision.

It feels almost weird to review a game that was made almost 10 years ago, but the fact that it still holds a place as one of the best games I've ever played speaks volumes of it's qualities. The story, the game-play, the very world you play in are all parts that make up this masterpiece. In this game, and it's even better sequel, BG 2 - Shadows of Amn, I AM Talle, an orphan from Candlekeep, whom is forced to leave his home and try to survive in a beautiful and at times dangerous Faurun. Few games has made me feel so involved. In fact the only games that compares are the above-mentioned Shadows of Amn, Planescape Torment and Fallout 1 & 2, all products of Interplays daring and artistic vision. With risk of sounding like an old man I have to say it's a shame they don't do games like these anymore.