Review Ico (PS2)
genre:action/adventure,puzzle

Before I ever played Shadow of the Colossus (SOTC) I had rented a copy of Ico just because the cover looked interesting. The problem was however that even renting video games at that time was quite costly. Also you could only rent the games for a few days so you had to finish the games in a very short time which was pretty difficult even if you were on holiday. Most PS2 games had more than 30 or 40 hours of game play. The consequence was that I had to choose certain games to play and ignore games that weren't appealing at first glance. And usually I chose popular games since these were the games that were written about. "Ico" wasn't popular and got rejected by me although I did notice that it was a beautiful game. After having played SOTC I did not immediately felt the need to play Ico,but upon seeing the title in a game shop I was curious if I would love it as much as I did SOTC. Well,without a doubt I can say that I loved the game. Although I found it more annoying at times especially because of the camera that made it hard to see where I was going. This games breathes the same atmosphere as SOTC with one slight difference. The world of Ico was more livelier and colourful than SOTC. Figuring out puzzles in Ico did take more time since absolutely no hint is given what to do next. In SOTC at least hints were given when you were stuck. In Ico you have to figure it for yourself. Also the girl didn't respond as often as I would like (just as in real life Ha Ha!!!) but soon got over this flaw once I saw the little boy holding her hand and guiding her through the Castle,it never got tiresome. There is definitely a cuteness factor that makes this game more appealing. As in SOTC the story is left very abstract and it is not clear what is going on exactly. Still the game managed to suck me in and finish the game just to see if the boy succeeds in protecting the girl. The first ending therefore was very hard to swallow and couldn't believe that they would end the game like that. The second ending (after credits) gives the player the hard earned ending. Ico is a classic that isn't as epic as SOTC but still a beautiful game that manages to engage you deeply.
Review Moneyball (2011)
genre
ports,drama

In a talkshow I saw one day there was a topic where a certain company had developed some smart software that could help them inform professional clubs which football players to buy.In that show they showed a clip of Moneyball since the concept was similar.The idea intrigued me and motivated me to watch the movie.I was very hesitant before that since I am not really a big fan of baseball however I do like the feel good baseball movies like for example Bull Durham,Field of Dreams or Trouble with the Curve.Somehow I expected this movie to convince me of this concept by showing us how it worked.I was prepared to be be blown out of my mind.Because I am a bit sceptic when people try to predict human behaviour based on numbers and statistics.Maybe it was me but there wasn't a single event in the movie that made me take the concept or system serious.A lot of times the viewer gets distracted by the sincerity of Brad Pitt's acting but aside from him trying to do something new and getting opposition there was not much depth to him or the story.Brad Pitt makes it all very tolerable but even he can't make you forget that the pace is too slow and the film quite uneventful.It is clear we have to root for him but why exactly is never made really clear.Only in the ending there is a hint of why that is.But the way that particular scene plays out is extremely underwhelming to say the least.If there ever was a point besides to tell the viewer about this Monyball concept it was lost on me.Therefore I can't recommend this film.Unless all you need is to see Brad Pitt walking around or working out.
Review Bloodstone (XBOX360)
genre:third person shooter,action/adventure

Does Bloodstone give you the Bond experience in gaming fans have been craving for?For me personally there only have been a few video games that managed to do that.I know most consider Goldeneye on the N64 to be the best.But to be honest while being certainly an excellent First Person shooter it doesn't quite give you that true Bond feeling since it is limited to being a FPS.And let's face it,James Bond does more than just shooting people.For me the best bond game is Everything or Nothing.That game nailed it in translating to gameplay what we most enjoyed in the movies.
Bloodstone at first glance is similar to Everything or Nothing.The one thing you immediately will notice it how good Bloodstone looks and sounds.They actually got Daniel Craig and Judi Dench to voice the characters.Even the facial expressions and movements are top notch.Also like in most movies and games you dive right in the story without having a clue what is going on at first.Shooting,speedboat racing and driving in the introduction definitely look promising.Soon however you realize when playing the following missions there is not that much variety from the introductory one.A little stealth is added plus a focus aim mechanic very similar to the mark and execute one in Splinter Cell:Conviction that only at a few occasions is handy.It's relatively easy (and much more satisfying) to do headshots on your own.Personally I think the developers should have made more work of stealth.What use is a stealth attack if only seconds later the body will be discovered and you have to resort to shooting anyway.It looks like they copied the mechanics from Splinter Cell:Conviction without realizing what made them work in that game.More depth could have been achieved and certainly some replayability if they had copied the stealth mechanism from the older Spinter Cell games and thus given incentive to play full stealth in some missions.But that is just my personal preference for stealth speaking.Don't let this little wish of mine get in the way of the game itself..
So the core gameplay consists of lots of shooting and some racing sequences.But what makes Bond really fun?Of course the outrageous stunts and gadgets that are added to those action sequences.Which sadly are hardly present.Apart from some explosions and some racing stunts there aren't any Bond moments.And how I wished they were present because with these visuals it would look amazing. Which brings me to the phone,the one and only gadget you will receive and use (very much like in Casino Royale).It will open doors,disable cameras and functions as a radar showing you where the enemies are located (Why can't my phone do that?).That is very impressive indeed,but would it have hurt to add some more even if it was briefly in an escape mission for nostalgia sake.
Overall the gameplay that is present is solid and decent but might lack the challenge for people that expect it.But this game doesn't come close to Everything or Nothing which is a bloody shame.