Iron Man Review

A few days ago i went to see this film with some friends, and i must say it was pretty good. Here is my review.

Name: Iron Man

Director: Jon Favreau

Release Date: May 2, 2008 (US)

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Running Time: 126 Minutes

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. It was good to see Robert Downey Jr. make his comeback to such a good picture. The story revolves around Tony Stark, a weapons manufacturer. After being captured and forced to develop weapons for the bad guys, he changes his ways and becomes Iron Man to make up for his negligence in the past. I don’t hold my hopes too high when going to see a superhero movie, as they can be hit or miss. The movie developed a good storyline, though it was a bit lacking in action scenes in my opinion. Certainly a worthwhile movie for teenagers, and adults alike.

My rating 4/5 Stars.

Stubbs the Zombie Review

Just so you don’t think i love every game i play, here is one i could not stand.

Name: Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse

Publisher: Aspyr Media

Release Date: Nov 21, 2005

Platform: PC

Where do i start with this particular title? I began playing on a low difficulty setting, only to be killed every other minute by a cop with a hand gun (thats why most zombie games are from the perspective of the cop (or a person with a gun) zombies die when shot multiple times) You are expected to walk forward at an unbelievably slow pace while being shot at and eat the offending enemy. This was fun for about 1 minute. There were some humorous bits, like farting to stun your enemy. Overall this game just does not deliver. It gets boring, and ridiculous at times. It just wasn’t worth my time.

My Rating: 2/5 Stars. Don’t bother.

Starcraft Review

You cannot talk games without mentioning the fantastic developments blizzard has come out with in recent years. The First of which was Starcraft, one of my all-time favorite games ever.

Name: Starcraft

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Release Date: Mar 31, 1998

Platform: PC

That’s right, this game is almost ten years old, and still going strong. One of the first Real Time Strategy games to be almost perfectly balanced. The player has the option of playing as the brutal Zerg, the industrious Terran, or the proud Protoss. Each with their own set of skills, and advantages, the amount of strategy involved is enormous. Do you try an all out ground assault? Do you try to take them down from the air? Considering this game came out 10 years ago, the graphics are fairly sleek, and easy on the eyes. The best part about this game? Blizzard still releases updated patches every now and then. Also, there is still a thriving community of gamers on Battle.net who still play. This game also comes with a map editor, allowing you to create your own landscapes and adventures. People have used modified versions of this editor to create different “Mini” games that are playable online via Blizzard’s free battle.net. This game has grown so much in popularity, that not too long ago Blizzard announced the creation of Starcraft 2, to be released in late 2008. There is no doubt this game will be around for some time to come. They even still hold official tournaments in Korea. Certainly something to check out, only $10 dollars in most stores.

My Rating: 6/5 Yes… it’s that good. I’m giving it a 6 out of 5 Stars.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

The last game of the “Orange Box” that i will be reviewing. I’m afraid my review will be strikingly similar to that of HL2: Episode 2, as these games were strikingly similar themselves.

Name: Half-Life 2: Episode One

Publisher: Valve Corp.

Release Date: June 1, 2006

Platform: PC

This was a good game in it’s own right, but again, at the expense of sounding like a broken record, it was a bit short, completed in only about 8 hours. The story was the most compelling part of the game, which is the only reason i played it in the first place, though i did have hopes for something new. Same weapons, same monsters (though i believe the Zombine are new to the game, these are combines who have been the sad victims of head crabs. They delight in activating grenades and running at you. Very annoying) More puzzles involving the gravity gun, and more appearances by Alex, and Dog. Great story line, but the game play is getting a bit worn.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars. Good story, same classic game play, more of the same.

Half-Life 2 Review

This comes with the orange box as well, making a fantastic deal in a small package. I bought this game a few years back when it came with Counterstrike, and some other games.

Name: Half-Life 2

Publisher: Valve Corp.

Release Date: Nov 16, 2004

Platform: PC

This was a great game considering it came out in 2004. The graphics are pretty amazing, and the havoc physics system adds a fun little quirk to the game (Basically everyone becomes a lifeless rag doll when killed.) The storyline is enthralling, and the characters are memorable. Game play is like a standard FPS, with a few twists thrown in, such as solving puzzles with the unique gravity gun, a weapon that allows you to pick up various items in your surrounding, and fling them at enemies and the like. This game is of course the sequel to Half-Life, which came out in 1998. The retail game also comes with Half-Life 2: Death Match, an online multi player version of the game. This version of course is a death match between individuals, or teams divided into the Rebels, or Combine. Various maps are available directly from steam, along with user made maps that can be pretty far out there (such as a giant scale model of a kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom) The single player campaign offers a fantastic story line, and hours of fun, while the multi player function allows for endless replay value.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars. One hell of a game! Never gets old.

Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Review

Another game found in the orange box is Half-Life 2: Episode 2. The exciting sequel to the hit game Half-Life 2.

Name: Half-Life 2: Episode 2

Publisher: Valve Corp

Release Date: Oct 10, 2007

Platform: PC

This was a good game, continuing on where episode one left off. Of course you play as Gordon Freeman, who is joined by the courageous Alex Vance. The story is the most enthralling part of the game, but unfortunately the game play is more of the same if your a fan of previous titles. You get all the same guns, including the gravity gun (which is still a lot of fun). Popular characters make reprisals such as the lovable Dog. A Fair game, but just like Episode 1, short. Took me about 8 hours to complete in total. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fantastic game, but overall the story is what kept me playing, not the actual game play.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars. Get some new material valve. Blow us away with Episode 3!

Team Fortress 2 Review

I thought i would keep with the theme and review all of the games featured in “The Orange Box”. This is another favorite of mine

Name: Team Fortress 2

Publisher: Valve Corp.

Release Date: Oct 10, 2007

Platform: PC

This is a fantastic game with excellent replay value. Its worth noting that is is an Online only game, there is no single player campaign. It is mostly a “capture the control point” type of game with fantastic strategy, and superb graphics, cartoonish though they may be. You have the option of playing as 9 different character classes, allowing multiple game experiences, and assuring it will never get old. You can choose from Scout, Engineer, Solider, Demoman, Pyro, Heavy, Medic, Spy, and Sniper. Every class has thier own weapons and skills they can employ that gives them both advantages, and disadvantages. For example, the heavy is unbearably slow, but can pump out tons of damage. The scout is fast, and agile, but has poor firepower, and is fairly weak. You will find this game has something new to offer every time you play it.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars. Well done again Valve!

Portal Review

This is the first of many reviews i plan to do, and i hope you find them useful. So! We will start with a game that stuck out in my mind as one of the best games ever.

Name: Portal

Publisher: Valve Corp.

Release Date: Oct 10, 2007

Platform: PC

I bought this game as a part of the “Orange Box” collection, which was a great value at only $49.99 at the time, though now i believe it is available ala carte. This is one of the strangest, funniest, and plain weirdest games you will ever play. The game play starts of simple: Navigate your way around various obstacles using a special portal gun. The game gets more difficult as you progress, and even becomes seemingly impossible at times, the puzzle aspect is incredible. It also has an intriguing story line involving a prisoner, and a homicidal computer named GLaDOS . I never laughed so hard at a game before. The things this computer said were just pure, unbridled hilarity. The controls are simple to get the hang of, and even the portal gun becomes familiar in little time, but some puzzles took quite a bit of time to figure out. A fairly short game, but completely perfected in my opinion. I highly suggest looking into this game if you like puzzlers and you need a good laugh.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars. Good job Valve!

Auslogics Disk Defrag

If there is one thing i hate to do, its defragging my computer on a regular basis.  I’m willing to admit, i am the junk man of the digital world. I keep every file download incase i ever need it again. This has grown into an almost 500GB problem (and growing)

If you hate waiting around for hours give Auslogics a try.

http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download

This program defrags with amazing speed, and accuracy, something the windows defragger just cannot do. Not to mention this program is completely free. I have been using this for a few months, and i cannot tell you how nice it is not to have to use that old windows relic.