Loot Grinder

Title: Loot Grinder

Developers: Pixel Polish

Platforms: Xbox 360, Windows Phone

Rating: Violence=2/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3

Official Page and Xbox Marketplace Page

ELL SAID

Rating:

Review:

An RPG without an actual story; this indie game's sole purpose is to provide gamers with the ability to grind their characters, undisturbed by any kind of distraction.

You get four generic characters (which you name) that appear on a menu. There are six options: Grind, Inn, Shop, Items, Party and Save. All of these are easy to understand, obviously, but the game's importance is on Grind, which leads to another menu (with pictures) that show the different places you can go to. Choosing one will instantly send you into battle. Battle progresses similar to Final Fantasy, but with a drawback: It's annoyingly slow. There are four dungeons to go Grind at, each of which unlocks another, harder dungeon. Thing is, to unlock the harder dungeons you need to win (or fight) on ten battles in the weaker ones. It has a class system, but I was unable to check out because the demo time given to me was too short and the battles were too slow. If the battles were a bit faster, and they gave at least a handful of classes right from the get-go, it'd be better. Of course, it's a really cheap game, so it's worth a shot if you have time to spare and nothing better to play.

Pitch Perfect

Title: Pitch Perfect

Year: 2012

Director: Jason Moore

Rating: PG-13 for sexual material, language and drug references

Synopsis: Arriving at her new college, Beca finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together. When Beca leads this a cappella singing group out of their traditional arrangement and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the college music competitions.

Official Page and IMDb Page

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

First of all, he trailer makes it seem like the movie is about an old fashioned acapella group that is getting a makeover by a new member: Beca. It is not about this. Beca tries to help the group but she is constantly being put down.

The story develops swiftly. Beca, unwillingly enrolls for a college education at Barden University and, after making a deal with her dad, decides to join the all-girl a capella group called The Barden Bellas. Beca is always trying to improve upon the Bellas, but she never succeeds. And Aubrey is to blame; the captain of the Bellas wants her girls to stay old-school, and there is no changing her mind.

The Trebletones, also from Barden University, are the rock stars of the a cappella groups. But, besides them the groups are pretty mediocre. The Bellas are the ones that suck the less; therefore, they keep advancing until they reach the semi-finals.

In between of competitions and musical numbers the personal life of Beca is developed. Her relationship with Jesse is lovely. Well, he makes it lovely. One time she overreacted because of something he did. I couldn’t understand; he was only trying to help. I was ready to take one star off of the movie's rating. But Beca then admitted to her overreacting and asked for forgiveness, and I forgave her.

This movie was music to my ears, literally and figuratively. It has a really good balance between musical numbers and spoken drama. I loved both parts equally. If I were to choose which I liked more, the musical numbers or the spoken development of the story, I wouldn’t be able to decide. In fact, from my two favorite parts of the movie, one is a spoken scene between the somewhat romance triangle: Beca, Jesse and Luke; and the other is a musical number: the riff-off.

In one scene Jesse was goofing around with Beca, trying to charm her with his cheerful personality. Luke noticed and decided to interrupt (maybe because he fancies Beca too or maybe just ‘cause) and sent Jesse to buy lunch. Jesse, trying to put Luke down, tells him to stop eating hamburgers, "you won’t be 22 forever". In reply, Luke lifts up his shirts revealing a six-pack and says he thinks he is ok. Beca agrees; To Jesse’s dismay.  Now, what I loved about the scene was Jesse's comment afterwards: "And the chess match continues..."

The riff-off, my favorite part of the movie, is a musical competition between the a capella groups of the Barden University. You can see  how great it was in the next video.

It was funny and comforting to see people in movies go through the same struggles regular people go through. Like, for example, having to “fight” with someone that is sexier, hotter or prettier than you for the girl, and you can only count in your personality.

  

Another thing I loved about the movie was the casting. Usually, in Hollywood movies created for a young audience, the cast is beautiful and/or hot. In this movie the cast is varied; more realistic. Some actors were pretty, some were hot, some were average looking but some were real dorks. (That kinda rimed-- not on purpose.)

I didn’t give it five stars because the ending felt rushed. Aubrey was always over controlling about the Bellas performances; always using the same old songs and choreography. Then, all of a sudden, she decided to change and let Beca take control of the final performance. Also, after the last performance, the movie cuts to the future, so you don’t get a sense of closure or celebration because you can’t see the announcement of the winners, the awards being presented or the teams celebrating. The viewer only gets a peak at next year’s auditions in which the winning team has the trophy on their table. That’s it. It was disappointing and left me wanting more; it felt like the movie wasn’t long enough, even though it lasts two hours. 

Fringe - Season 3

Title: Fringe

Broadcasting Station: Fox

Status: Ended

Creators: J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci

Official Site

Synopsis: Kidnapped to an alternate universe and replaced in her own world by a woman that isn't her, Olivia Dunham is trapped. She must get home to her real world in order to prevent Walternate from implementing the final stages of his plan- a plan that could result in the destruction of our world. Or theirs.

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

I have come to realize that Fringe is not like other series that have story arcs that start and finish within every season, independent from any other story arcs that may be developed through many seasons. Story wise, Fringe is more like a soap opera: we are watching one story being developed through the course of, up until now, three seasons; its story is not divided into parts or seasons, it is a continuum.

Therefore, it is not surprise that season started exactly where Season Two ended. Olivia is trapped in the Alternate Universe and Fauxlivia is in Olivia’s place. After watching the first episode I was really mad. I thought the producers where going to milk this situation; leaving Fauxlivia infiltrated “Over Here” for the whole season, while Walter and Peter were in the dark. I mean, any other series would have done it. Thankfully, I stand corrected. By the end of episode seven Peter find out he was sleeping with the wrong Olivia. And by the way, what an ending! Just thinking about it still gives me goose bumps. That episode’s ending was framed perfectly.

Meanwhile, “Over There” Olivia was brainwashed to believe she was Fauxlivia. It was really pleasant to see her being nicer, happier and less stressed. But, it was even better to be able to see Charlie again! Also, I immediately liked the new character: Lincoln Lee. The actor, Seth Gabel, made him seem really natural. Sometimes, I would see him in the background of a scene goofing around or making faces at Charlie and it would make me smile.

After both Olivias swapped places again the story “Over Here” becomes a bit annoying. Olivia started to condemn Peter for not noticing that he was sleeping with Fauxlivia. She kept going on about how the thought of him was what kept her going but he was sleeping with someone else. I kept telling her: “You. Kissed. HIM. That’s it. He never said he wanted to be with you; he never said he loved you back. You can’t reproach him because you don’t know how he felt. Maybe he didn’t love you and you were just hopeful that he did.” But she wouldn’t listen to me. However, that only lasted for a few episodes. They made up afterwards.

After episode fifteen many things start to happen and develop at the same time: William Bell makes another appearance, Fauxlivia gives birth to Bishop the Third and Sam Weiss’ true nature is discovered. All of these happenings framing, and leading up to, yet, another impressive ending. The first 35 minutes of the finale were boring; nevertheless, in its last five minutes you are bombarded with shock after shock: plot twists, cliff hangers and many, many questions.

Voxel Runner

Title: Voxel Runner

Developers: Dizzy Pixels

Platforms: Xbox 360

Official Facebook Page and Xbox Marketplace Page










Official Trailer

ELL SAID

Rating:

Review:

This is an indie game on the Xbox Live marketplace. Voxel Runner has all you could possibly want in a side-scroller/platformer, except a story. All you have is your ninja-looking pixelated character running forever and you press buttons to get him to do such things as jump or slide. The game's objective, from what I gathered, is to see how far the player can get, but it gets progressively harder: the longer the player runs, the faster the screen will scroll and there will be more obstacles in the middle. All in all, it’s a great game at a very cheap price.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Movie

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Year: 2011

Director: David Bowers

Rating by MPAA: PG for some mild rude humor and mischief

Synopsis: Back in middle school after summer vacation, Greg Heffley and his older brother Rodrick must deal with their parents' misguided attempts to have them bond.

Official Page and IMDb Page

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

*This review contains spoilers*

Rating:

Review:

This movie was a huge improvement over the first one. It is funny, relatable, credible and heart-warming. Watching it was a rollercoaster ride: there where highs, lows and moments were I couldn’t differentiate up from down.

It centers on Greg and Rodrick’s relationship. At first they didn’t want anything to do with one another. Rodrick would play practical jokes on Greg and Greg would hate Rodrick for it. But, as time passes, and Greg and Rodrick start to spend time together and cover each other’s backs; they start to form a bond. All of this may sound cheesy, but is Wimpy Kid we’re talking about. Greg and Rodrick start to bond over secret parties and fake vomit. Still, is bonding, which led to the most happy moments in the movie. Not only was I laughing out loud, I was actually feeling happy for Greg and Rodrick. I was engaged.

Of course, then came the lows. I mean, it couldn’t be all happiness, something bad had to happen. However, I loved this part too because it showed yet another side of Rodrick. He was really hurt for not being able to play with his band. Rodrick is actually growing up.

In the end, Greg decided to do the right thing (I’m seeing a pattern here) and the movie ended on a high note and with a hart-warming moment between Greg and Rodrick. But in this movie, unlike in the first one, Greg taking the blame felt realistic and natural. It turned out to be an amazing movie, with a very special message about siblings love.  

Movie vs. Book

Rating:

Review:

The movie’s story is the complete opposite to the book’s story! The screenwriters managed to keep key events of the book and include some parts of the Online Story. But overall, the plot and the message of the book were drastically changed, practically reversed.

In the book, “Rodrick Rules” could be interpreted as a sarcastic expression from Greg. Rodrick is constantly mocking him and picking on him. Greg sees Rodrick as responsible of all his misfortunes. In the movie, the same expression could be a cheerful statement; Rodrick and Greg start to get along, they spend time together, they help each other and Rodrick teaches Greg a thing or two.

This change was for the better. The movie has substance, depth and character development that the book doesn’t have. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Book 2)

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Author: Jeff Kinney

Year of Publication: 2008

Synopsis: Secrets have a way of getting out, especially when a diary is involved.

Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer vacation, because he definitely doesn’t want to talk about it. As Greg enters the new school year, he’s eager to put the past three months behind him . . . and one event in particular. Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out . . . especially when a diary is involved.

Official Page

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

This book didn’t live up to my expectations. Jeff Kinney tried to make his second book bigger and funnier by exaggerating it, instead of just following his original style. The first pointer that made me think Kenney was trying to exaggerate his story was the CAPITALIZATION of words.

“But don’t even get me started on THAT story.”

“But what he DIDN’T tell me was that the starter gun only fired BLANKS.”

“…and over the summer I COMPLETELY forgot about it.” 

Sometimes there where three capitalized words per page, and that is saying something, since this book has from five to ten sentences per page. I guess Kinney was trying to stress specific words so the story could feel like it was being told instead of written. Other books would use italics, but this is supposed to be the journal of a young teenager.  Anyway, this made me feel like Greg was complaining all the time and was trying to convince me to take his side, instead of just presenting his side of the story like he did in his first journal.

Story wise, the book wasn’t great. The synopsis of the book (see above) is not exactly the story of this book. There are a couple of mentions to “the secret” at the beginning and at the end of the book, but, overall, the book had to do with other things. It was, and felt, more like a collection of small independent anecdotes: Greg’s French class and pen pal, Greg’s dad miniature Civil War battlefield, Rodrick’s band, the talent show, homework, a practical joke on Chirag and some more.

If you read it with the right mind-set, not expecting a dramatic story involving a life-changing secret, then this book is quite enjoyable and funny. Even though, at the end, it left me wanting more: more substance, more details and more character development.

A Kingdom of Keflings (Xbox Arcade)

Title: A Kingdom of Keflings

Developers: NinjaBee

Patforms: Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows

Rating: E mild cartoon violence

Official Page and IGN Page






ELL SAID

Rating:


Review:

Many games on the X-Box Live Marketplace have the ability to take your avatar and make it a part of the game, but none make it so smoothly as this. Now, this game is about a giant in a world of small people. You're the giant, and you need to help the Keflings create their kingdom. It's adorable to see all the little people running around doing the things you command them to do. It's beautiful, adorable and downright cute, but grants a level of gameplay. See, you have a limited supply of Keflings at your command, and you need to pick them up and drop them on their respective jobs to get them started. But, not only that, the supplies to build things are limited, so you need to balance creating houses to have new Keflings with building things to evolve your kingdom. This game is brilliant for children and older gamers alike, and is perfect to play together with your child or little brother or sister.

Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. (iPhone App)

Title: Tamagotchi L.i.f.e.

Developers: NamcoBandai Games Inc.

Category: Games

Rating: 4+

To download this app you can visit its Official Page or its iTunes Preview Page.

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

The Tamagotchis are back! I was just thinking about them a few days ago; about how, when I was a kid, everybody used to have at least one (they were all the rage in the 90’s) and was also wondering if they were still on sale somewhere. I got my answer yesterday when I was looking through the top free apps in iTunes.

The Tamagotchis are the original virtual pets: little animals that you have to raise, feed, heal, play with, clean after and discipline. Overall, there is not much you can do each time use the app. Once the Tamagotchi’s needs are satisfied you don’t need to do anything else. So, it just requires a few minutes of your time, each day.

This app is everything the original Tamagotchis were, and more. You can play the classic or the modern version. The Classic gameplay is exactly like the original Tamagotchi: you use buttons to move through the menu and choose the option you want.

The modern version is more touch-screen oriented: you just have to touch the icon of the option you want. Also, it features Tamagotchis in color and a new mini-game to increase the Tamagotchi’s happiness.

I am really happy to have fond this app. It brings back so many memories and feelings. 

Rock Band Blitz

Title: Rock Band Blitz

Developer: Harmonix

Platforms: PS3 and Xbox 360

Rating: T for Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes

Official Page and IGN Page





ELL SAID

Rating:

Review:

Rock Band's original gameplay was tossed out the window for this game. There's no need for instrument-like controls or playing all the notes. There's five lanes of notes, and you can't play all the notes, ever. Instead, you need to play enough notes on each lane to higher the multiplier, then swap to another and so on, until you reach a checkpoint, where the multiplier 'levels up,' allowing you to reach even higher scores. The purpose of the game is to score higher. The controls are kinda lame, as you don't even use the X-Box's buttons outside the triggers to swap lanes and the A button to play only the left notes on the lane you're currently on. Its a brand-new game with an old title, making me feel like they didn't even try to make it good.