Change Your Image
villebaillie
Reviews
Gran Turismo 4 (2004)
The Best Game on PS2
This game is how you do driving games. So many things about it lead me to give it a ten out of ten rating.
Let's start with the graphics, whilst not nearly the most important thing in a game, the graphics in this are the best graphics on any console this generation (ps2/gc/xbox) and I think will stay that way.
The circuits, wow... the circuits? Just... wow... how do they do it. There are numerous real world circuits like the famous Nurburgring Nordscheiffe and there are city circuits for new york and London. There are rally circuits and even F1 circuits. The best circuits however, are the custom ones. They are so memorable, each circuit is memorable, the most memorable circuit is possibly the mountain one, where there is a long straight with overhanging trees above creating a beautiful shadowy area where the light shines through so slightly, at the end of the straight you emerge into the sunlight for a moment, before turning into a tunnel.
The cars, I could go on all day, you can buy pretty much every car you've ever seen. They pretty much have them all here, right down the Mercedes Benz "horseless carriage" from the late eighteen hundreds. All the classic vintage cars from the DeLorian from back to the future to the latest Audi TT, from touring cars to race cars to F1 cars. You can upgrade the cars too and fully customise the suspension and drive-train and the game is so realistic that it mirrors real life with its precision.
Everything is pretty much spot on right down to the way the cars lose horsepower very very slowly once the mileage gets high. Changing oil and even washing the car can make all the difference to races.
The races, well the races are there, from specialised races to each brand, right down to pickup truck races and endurance races lasting up to 24 hours. Also in this game is the new b-spec mode which lets a computer controlled driver do the driving while you manage it through an interface, adding a sort of strategy to it.
There's everything you could possibly want out of a driving game in this game, everything. There is nothing I would change, I mean that wholeheartedly, I have thought about it, and with the exception of adding in licenses for Ferrari and Lamborguini, this game is missing nothing whatsoever.
Mean Streets (1973)
Great dialogue, great script, great characters, great
My favourite Scorsese flick, favourite deniro flick, favourite mob flick, favourite on pretty much every category it enters.
The opening sequence will forever be ingrained on my mind: "You don't make up for your sins in church, you do it on the streets, you do it at home, the rest is bull**** and you know it." Followed by the home movies of the gang you will come to meet with "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes playing in the background.
You're introduced to the characters and it's pretty difficult not to fall in love from the outset. The film is about 90 percent ingrained in my memory completely. Yes, there are that many memorable scenes.
It's not so fast paced and the plot is a very simple and small one. The important thing in this film is the character. The film is enjoyable as it takes you through the characters' actions. This film is enjoyable from the moment the music starts playing to the final confrontation which, unlike most character based films, is a fantastic ending to the film.
Sure Goodfellas had the great story and the fast paced action and thrills set over a long period of time. Sure the Godfather was a grand epic saga of three films which became a household name. But Mean Streets feels like good old fashioned film making.
As Charlie himself says: "Let's go da movies!" Maybe in this day and age of sequels and remakes and remake sequels, there may be a shining light. Another film with the charm of this one, the film, that I believe, opened up the 70's film-making renaissance, which arguably ended in 1983 with Raging Bull.
Star Wars (1977)
How I love thee Star Wars, let me count thy ways
The reasons I love Star Wars, especially episode IV, are numerous. I love it because it opened space opera to the masses. I love it because of the humanity of the characters. I love it because of the relationships between the characters. I love it because it's fun, it just is, it's a fun movie. I don't see how people can dislike the actors, to me the acting is charming and enjoyable and even a form of escapism.
I think the reason some don't like the film is because they do not appreciate it for what it is. Perhaps they prefer films that just provide entertainment in it's simplest form. In which case I would not say it is for you. The entertainment in this film comes in many layers.
What this film is, is an escape to a galaxy far, far away, yet it feels so close to home. A nobody goes off and becomes somebody. Adventure is the order of the day. Knight rescues damsel from sinister fortress. The film is extremely fast paced and not in key with traditional sci-fi, that is why it is so accessible to so many.
With the prequels I felt I just didn't care about the characters. In the original trilogy the characters are bonded to you by steel. The death of (so and so) is so powerful. When the old man with the white beard dies, you care. Gandalf? Who the hell is Gandalf?
It doesn't have the darkness of the empire strikes back or the digital polish of the prequels, but it does make up for it with sheer good-natured, puppyish enthusiasm. It's my favourite in the series for all these reasons and more.
Thrilling from beginning to end.
Gamezville (2003)
Gamezville
"The show made by gamers for gamers" After so many terrible gaming shows on the telly, I thought Sky One had gotten a great one.
I thought it was great, okay it had its quirks but it was from London!!! Yay I live in London so cool.
The presenters were cool and entertaining. The rest of the crew were cool and entertaining. They had kids and adults of all ages coming on to help review and have multiplayer battles, it was great.
The big problem is... well the only problem is... it's not on anymore. We've seen two series's but where's the third?
Hopefully we will see a return, I'm guessing that if it doesn't return this summer then it never will but... here's hoping