MediaBlog by www.Dee-London.com

2007, Timothy Olyphant, Olga Kurylenko

Hitman wasn’t too welcomed by critics, but the film is really entertaining. You can expect some pulp political intrigues mixed with impressive action scenes- it’s something in between of Bourne Ultimatum and Shoot’Em Up. It’s worth mentioning that the film is based on a popular video game by the same title- so you can expect some not-so-logic stuff here as well :)

There is quite a strong focus on Nika (Olga Kurylenko). I guess she could be a model in the real life, though her breast is too big for a professional :P Anyway, her acting is pretty good too and her presence adds lots of fun to the movie (especially when she wears Eve’s dress)

The main (anti)hero Agent 47 is a little too cute for a tough assassin, but he makes a perfect match for Nika :) Besides, his acting isn’t annoying at all. And everything aside, he is quite a charming character.

Blu-Ray transfer is top notch and superbly shows off HDTV possibilities. And the movie itself is good enough to inspire playing the original game (it’s a shame it’s available on PS2 only). Have fun!

2007, Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman

After critics bashed this film, I had very low expectations. But, on other hand, I would expect Nicole playing in a slightly “different” movie. And Craig is always awesome and adds intelligence to to any action. So I risked watching it and it was a winner!

I will put it shortly- it’s a Sci-Fi survival horror film. It is a little less spectacular than Silent Hill, but on other hand it has a touch of intelligence & style. Similarity to classical zombie movie is obvious, but it’s more believable- if it’s possible to say so about an alien virus :P And there is a very nice twist- an infected person has a chance as long as he/she doesn’t sleep- it’s when the virus starts transformations. Sweet, huh?

I definitely recommend The Invasion for a Sci-Fi horror fan, just don’t expect blood showers here. Game developers, attention! This plot is perfect for a good game too!

Don’t expect hardcore action & challenge here. Instead you will find an atmospheric and stylish adventure.

I will not write about beautiful graphics, interactivity and animations- these are superb and a-must-to-experience! Instead I will share some thoughts after completing the game:

♣ In the beginning I was annoyed by that infamous “story twist”- it ruined the atmosphere for me (though it made all the presentation more logical). In the end that “twist” was more than justified and I became eager for the sequel.
♣ Well, quests seemed to be a bit repetitive (though I wasn’t playing in one sit), but still very pleasing and enjoyable. It’s a shame that I found some of the features only after completing the game- it would make the whole experience much richer.
♣ The ending wasn’t impressive. So it seemed at the first glance. But you are left with option to explore the laboratory- the emails reveal so much about the story and make a solid foundation for a sequel.

HINTS:
♣ Please take your time and browse all the available emails and all the the acquired items (letters, maps, etc) that you can find as attachments
♣ After completing the game, an additional room is unlocked (the always-locked office room that you can see through the glass). And there is one laptop with just 1 email. Read it!

SUMMARY:
It is an atmospheric and very enjoyable game. I didn’t play it in a stealth way neither I did find any real challenges, but that didn’t make this experience less worth the time. In the end, it felt like a good historical adventure BOOK :)

2007, Walt Disney
Were critics heavily bribed to praise this disaster?

There are always high expectations for Walt Disney movies- they set standards for animation, inspirational music, dynamics and overall quality. But, surprisingly, Enchanted fails almost at every point. And I will not invest my time into a deeper review, but here are some of my thoughts.

- This film blends 2D, 3D and filmed materials- that’s always more than welcome. Though, there were movies where it was done better
- Walt Disney is famous for its superior 2D. That’s not the case with Enchanted- here they even failed to draw Giselle in right proportions (for example, too large head in some scenes). And characters are more of Barbie-Comics level than the original Walt Disney.
- 3D art… Have they seen Ratatouille or Ice Age? They always could ask for some assistance or, at least, some advice from their sister-studio Pixar…
- Acting was dreadful. Yes, I understand the idea of Hallmark-Card-Style behaviour. Well, it seems to be a challenge. And, obviously, it was too challenging for the director as well as for the main heroine. (And I thought no one could act worse than Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four)

Luckily, I only rented this film. But still I wish I avoided this over-sweetened garbage at at all.

Don’t be put off by the graphics, because the game itself is a gem of creativity, atmosphere and brilliant acting!

First of all, that’s a different sort of game- it is not a pure shooter, because of the weapons (Powers of The Darkness plus, well, all the usual stuff like shotguns, pistols and machine guns). It has RPG elements. Voice acting is terrific!- as well as animations.

Let me put it straight- this game is difficult to describe. But one word would round it all- creativeness. Even the side quests are really fun to complete, not talking about the main storyline which kept me glued to the game.

I highly recommend this game for those who like “different shooters”, good story, atmosphere and some unexpected locations (spoiler: like hell or haunted house)

P.S. There’s a comics book “The Darkness Ultimate Collection” that was released after the game. I recommend this one as well :)

[Edited]
There are rumours that The Darkness sequel is in development. Can’t wait for it!

It’s my first DMC, and it’s my love from the first spoon! That’s more than just a game- that’s the experience.
♣  It’s very, very artistic. The environments is masterpiece of texturing. The graphic designs are so inspired that I often stop playing just to watch around
♣  Character animations are amazing!
♣  Doing combos is so satisfying that the fights never get repetitive- you just want more & more of that
♣  The cutscenes are top notch- like proper 3D animated films
♣  The storyline is very good and touching
♣  Lasting appeal? Well, I’m pretty damn sure that I’ll re-play this game once more (at least). Or at least, it’s impossible to forget it :)
♣  Difficulty. I can’t say how difficult game is on a proper difficulty level, but playing on Human is not too difficult (and recommended for novices :P). So don’t be scared by hardcore fans’ talks about how punishing the game could be. Just take it easy and play the recommended difficulty level.

Though, there are 2 minor negative points:
♣  Camera switches between fixed and controlled modes without warning. But I got used to that and it didn’t annoy anymore
♣  The graphics are gorgeous. However, the graphic engine isn’t flawless
♣  Few puzzles are unfair, so feel free to read some walk-throughs :)

The bottom line is that it’s one of the best games on all platforms and it easily stands in one line with the best games like Gears of War (one of my most favourite games ever)- it’s damn artistic and addictive!

“GAME WITH PAIN” Fansite contest Grand Prize winner announced! With some truly stunning entries, the decision for Codemasters was tough. However the deciding votes were cast and they’ve revealed that the winner of the grand prize:

http://Jericho.Dee-London.com

And don’t forget to TURN THE SOUND ON!