The cast is strong, the story is well done, and the twists leave you unsure of what is going to happen next. I honestly don’t know what to else to say about this film with out giving any spoilers other than this is a must see, I do not give this a buy recommendation as I do not think it has much re-watch value.

• IMDB
• Amazon

Wolfenstein for Xbox 360 is the latest installment of this long running series and by far the nicest looking one yet.  You play B.J Blazkowicz, a highly skilled Special agent from Castle Wolfenstein, this time around B.J has been order to investigate the Nazis in the fictional town of Isenstadt, Germany who is  once again looking to use a newly rediscovered Occult power of the Black Sun to conquer the world. The OSA and B.J become aware of their actions after the first stage of the game in Wich B.J sabotage a Nazi Kriegsmarine warship planning to fire missiles at London in which B.J discovers a a medallion infused with Black Sun powers.

This game is not all that special as far as game play, Its the special weapons, occult powers, and “free explore” city scape that really make it stand out. The city of Isenstadt has three groups that you work with, they are the Kreisau Circle who will be you main contacts for most the game, the Golden Dawn who help you with the occult happenings in the game, and the Black Market who you buy weapon upgrades and ammo from.

As the weapons go you get six based on real world weapons.  They are the Kar98k, MP40, MP43, the Panzerschreck(rocket launcher), the Flammenwerfer(flame thrower) and the Stielhandgranate (German hand grenade).  The “special” or “supernatural” weapons are Particle Cannon, the Tesla Gun, and the Leichenfaust 44. Each of these “special” use Veil energy to devastate the enemy.  All nine weapons can be upgraded at the blackmarkets you find through out the city.  You also get the Thule Medallion which lets you use supernatural powers like Viel sight which lets you see into the Veil, Shield which is as name implies a shield, Mire which slows time, and Empower which makes all of your weapons and attacks stronger.  These also can be upgraded in the Black Market once you have found the hidden tomes in the game(each upgrade states which area they can be found in).

I enjoyed this game for the most part my only real complaints are the ending was a bit weak, the “boss” battles were either way to easy or way to hard(mainly the last battle which is played out in three parts the last being the easiest) and the way the normal play enemy’s are sent out. This last one is mostly how the bad guys ramp up from normal Nazi Soldiers to the Veil enhanced ones.  Now this isn’t really bad for the player but doesn’t really fit the real world of things.  But this is the way of games in most cases.

My final Conclusion is this is a Strong Rent and a possible buy if your a fan of FPS or Wolfenstein.

Buy it now from Amazon

I just finished watching this movie on DVD and I really enjoyed it.  The plot is about Terra a planet inhabited by a peaceful species that honor and live as one with nature, till the remainder of the Human race comes to make Terra its new home as Earth was destroyed by war.  As usual i will try my best to not let any spoilers drop in my review.

Terra has a very sad but uplifting story and even tho the previews before the film were mostly childrens films I do not think this film is intended for younger views really. Watch it first and you decide if you want your kids to view this film.  That said the animation is amazing and is some of the best CGI iv seen to date. The world of Terra is very beautifully done and rich with life large and small.  The creators really did an amazing job on the “background” details, the many species of animals seen all  fit the set design of the shown ecosystem of Terra very well.  The Terrians them selves have a well thought out history and culture that you can really see had alot of thought and time put in to it.  The story was well done for the most part.  I feel it was a little rushed to keep the film short.  But i think the lessons in this film are what I think truly make it shine, it teaches that no matter what happens every one can live in peace and harmony with each other and the world around them.

This movie is a most definitely rent if not buy.

• IMDB
• Amazon

Note:  Please give this review some extra flexibility as it is very late and I am very tired and mainly writing it while the film is still fresh in my mind

First and for most I am a fan of the Halo world, I’ve played and beat the other games and I have read all but the latest two books, so I will try to not be biased. I will also try not to let slip any story spoilers.

ODST is unlike the other Halo Universe FPS games as for the first time you play an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) known as “The Rookie”, not Master Chief or the Arbiter.  Unlike either of these two characters you are not super strong or nearly indestructible.  You can and will die quickly at the hands of the alien invaders if you try to play this game like the other Halo games thus far.

ODST takes place in New Mombasa, a major port city and industrial center on Mombasa Island in the East African Protectorate on Earth, right before and at the time Master Chief and the Arbiter are battling the Covenant on Earth in Halo 3.  This game is darker than the others as this time around you’re not trying “to win the fight” but to recover, survive, and escape the fight alive.

Chances are if you enjoyed the other Halo games you’re going to enjoy this one as well.  Not much has changed graphic wise from Halo 3, other than models are more detailed and the graphics are more polished.  What has changed are the weapons you have to use, namely the SMG and pistol. Both are now silenced and have had “scope” features added.  Other weapon changes are the energy sword and the Battle Rifle are not seen in this game.  You also now have an enhanced view mode, found via the X button, which improves your view in dark areas as well as adding highlight outlines to objects in the game. These highlights help you determine friend (green) from foes (red) as well as find weapons and usable items (blue). You will also see bright yellow that marks out background story points, which are presented in Audiophiles with still images.  Word to the wise on these make sure you are in a safe place if you wish to watch the image slide show as the bad guys do not stop hunting in the city when in Vizr mode.

The campaign is fun if not a little short, I managed to beat it in five to six hours on normal difficulty with killing every bad guy I was able to find.  It’s played out as “the Rookie” finding items the rest of the team have used via flashbacks in which you play the role of each team member.   This works fairly well if not a little confusing at first.  As “the Rookie” you must be stealthy, carful and mindful of what’s around you in the dark abandoned city as you find your way through it. Whereas each team members story plays out more like the other games with hard fast battles, which basically go in a straight line killing everything to whatever point these items are left in their wake.   In the end it all fits nicely together leaving you with the same feeling you get from the other games.  I will be going back and playing this again on the hardest difficulty to get more of a challenge and game play out of the game.

This game also has a Firefight mode in which you and your team (4 players total) fight off an onslaught of Covenant with a limited number of shared lives.  I have yet to play this with my friends, but I have tried it by myself and find this to be a great addition to the game as it presents unlimited replay value.  This mode is basically survive as long as you can and kill as much as you can.  You start off with limited ammo and weapons to fight off the waves of Covenant that are sent against you.  I managed to hold out for five waves on my own on Normal.  Each wave as some weapons and ammo dropped in before they come which was nice as I quickly ran out of ammo in the first wave.  This is one I think me and my friends will be enjoying over and over again till the next Halo games rolls out.

My final conclusion, if you’re a fan of Halo buy this, if you enjoyed the other Halo games but don’t find yourself playing them then rent first.  My only dislike of this purchase (not game it’s self) was that it comes with all of the paid DLC for Halo 3 on disc 2, which I already paid for on Xbox Live. While I really enjoyed this game this leaves me feeling slightly used and abused in the end.
[Repost from Previous WP blog]