xoliana
Member Since: July 31, 2016Reviews
Tales of Xillia 2
Tales of Xillia 2 is a Japanese role-playing game (RPG). It was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2014. The story takes placr after the events of the first game and follows Ludger Kresnik, a young man who has the ability to manipulate time and... +
Tales of Xillia 2 is a Japanese role-playing game (RPG). It was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2014.
The story takes placr after the events of the first game and follows Ludger Kresnik, a young man who has the ability to manipulate time and travel to parallel dimensions. After a train hijacking, Ludger comes across a little girl named Elle, who's all alone and searching for her father. Ludger vows to help her, all the while searching for his own brother, who has been accused of hijacking the train.
The gameplay is mostly the same as the previous game, with Ludger fighting alongside all of the same characters from the first Tales of Xillia, as well as a few new ones. The battles take place in real time but can be paused in order to reach the menu screen. Along with the same Link system, Ludger also possesses special powers that transform his body as well as altering the flow of time.
As much as I enjoyed the first game, I actually enjoyed this one even more. I found the story to be gripping right drom the opening chapter, with Ludger altering time to save Elle. I have always been a sucker for any sort of time travel story and I feel that they did this one incredibly well. There's a really strong emotional core to this story. I don't think I've ever experienced as many feelings while playing a Tales game as I did here.
They added a little Friendship system, which I found to be quite charming. During certain scenes when interacting with your allies, you can choose between different dialogue options, which can result in strengthening your relationship with a specific person. This affects how well the two of you will work together on the battlefield.
With improved gameplay that builds upon the success of its predecessor, and a strong story with multiple endings, Tales of Xillia 2 is easily my favourite Tales game to date. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
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Tales of Xillia
Tales of Xillia is a Japanese role-playing game (RPG). It was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2013. The game starts with you choosing one of two characters: Milla, a female who harnesses the power of the four great spirits, and Jude, a male who... +
Tales of Xillia is a Japanese role-playing game (RPG). It was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2013.
The game starts with you choosing one of two characters: Milla, a female who harnesses the power of the four great spirits, and Jude, a male who is prevalent in martial arts. You'll get both characters regardless of your choice, but there are small changes throughout the story depending on your initial choice. The story takes place in the world of Rieze Maxia, where humans and spirits have been living in harmony. When a weapon of mass destruction called the Lance of Kresnik is activated, everyone must work together to restore peace.
The battles take place in real time, with the ability to pause to the menu screen at any time. You can play as any of the protagonists and your allies will either be controlled by computer AI, or your friends can pick up a controller and help you out! Two players have the ability to "link" in battle, which enables certain skills (eg. surrounding an enemy to knock it down). You can also free run on the battlefield, which is a huge plus.
The gameplay is definitely my favourite of all the Tales games I've played so far. The Mystic Artes are fun and easy to execute and each character is very useful. In past Tales games, some of the characters weren't that great in battle, but literally everyone here has their strengths and is worth using. They're also all easy to play as.
The story is quite good, and most of the environments are nice, though I definitely would have preferred more actual dungeons. They're very few and far between, which is a shame. Still, the game itself is so much fun that I don't really mind.
I would absolutely recommend this game -- as well as its sequel -- to RPG fans of all kinds.
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Tales of the Abyss
Tales of the Abyss is a Japanese role-playing game (RPG). It was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006 and later on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. The story follows Luke, a wealthy and arrogant young man who finds out that he's part of an ancient... +
Tales of the Abyss is a Japanese role-playing game (RPG). It was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006 and later on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012.
The story follows Luke, a wealthy and arrogant young man who finds out that he's part of an ancient prophecy. In order to seek out the truth, Luke must travel far with his companions, all while evading a government agency determined to capture Luke -- and they'll destroy everything in their path in order to get him.
The gameplay revolves around a real time battle system. You can play as any of the protagonists, each of whom have their own strengths and weaknesses, and different ways of fighting. You can pause at any time to reach the menu screen, where you can give more detailed instructions to your allies or use various items. When not in battle, you'll be exploring various environments, such as towns and dungeons, each of which are unique and provide different challenges.
I have only played this on the 3DS and therefore can't speak to the quality and experience of the original release, but I found this to be an overall enjoyable game. Luke is perhaps the most unlikeable hero ever presented in a Tales game, so I found it hard to connect with him. Considering he's the main character, that can be a bit of a problem. He does get better over time, so I will commend the game for developing his character.
I enjoyed the environments. As previously mentioned, every dungeon felt uniqur, and there were different puzzles to solve in each one by utilizing different elements. This felt very reminiscent of Tales of Symphonia's dungeons, in a good way. Likewise, the battle system was quite similar, only I found there to be more freedom to move around (for example, once you unlock a certain skill, you can move in all directions on the battleground instead of just side to side).
The game itself is quite long, but with so many battles, it can feel a bit repetitive at times. Still, I think it's worthwhile for fans of this genre. It works well as a handheld game and I would recommend it for the 3DS.
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Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is the fourth title in the action/adventure video game series. It was released in 2016 for the PlayStation 4. The story follows Nathan Drake, who has finally taken a break from his life of adventure to settle down with... +
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is the fourth title in the action/adventure video game series. It was released in 2016 for the PlayStation 4.
The story follows Nathan Drake, who has finally taken a break from his life of adventure to settle down with his wife, Elena. When his long-lost older brother, Sam, comes knocking on his door in need of immediate help, Nathan's idea of a normal life disappears, but at what cost?
The gameplay is essentially the same as the previous titles in the series. You play as Nathan, with a number of weapons at your disposal in order to take down your enemies. Unlike previous entries, you have the option to use stealth when approaching enemies, hiding in grass and silently taking your adversaries out. In some areas, you can even choose not to engage them in battle at all. Additionally, as environments are large, you now have the option of using a climbing rope to get around some areas, and a car in some others. As always, there are some puzzles to solve along the way.
Because this is the first game in the series to be released on the PS4, both the graphics and gameplay have made marked improvements. Everything runs incredibly smoothly, with the cinematics and gameplay sections transitioning seamlessly with no delay or slowdown. The amount of detail in the environments is truly stunning;I often found myself pausing and just rotating the camera around to look at it all!
The story is where this game truly shines. The writers and directors of this game are the same ones behind The Last of Us, and I feel it really shows. While past Uncharted games have been very fun but somewhat unrealistic, I feel like this one has become more mature and grounded. The villain isn't some moustache-twirling bad guy, but rather he's just legitimately a huge a-hole whom you would realistically come across in real life. If anything, he's the most hateable of all the villains in the series because the traits he possesses seem so familiar.
The additional backstory given to Nathan is very strong, and helps you understand more about who he is and why he lives the way that he does. The bond between he and his brother seems incredibly real, which is very effective since Sam Drake is your companion for the majority of the game. You come to care about him as much as Nate does, so if anything happens to him, it would matter.
I have nothing bad to say about this game. It's the best in the entire series and my favourite. I would recommend it to any gamer or to any fan of genuinely good stories.
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Sony Playstation 3 - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is the third title in the action/adventure video game series. It was released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3, and re-released in 2015 for the PlayStation 4. The story follows Nathan Drake, who makes a shady deal to... +
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is the third title in the action/adventure video game series. It was released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3, and re-released in 2015 for the PlayStation 4.
The story follows Nathan Drake, who makes a shady deal to sell Sir Francis Drake's ring to a man named Talbot. The whole thing is a setup for Nate and Sully to track down Talbot's employer, Marlowe. They find old notebooks in her library which tell tale of Francis Drake's secret voyage across the desert, which he had taken under direction of the Queen. Nate and Sully use the notebook to chart the same course and see what Drake may have discovered.
The gameplay is the same as the previous titles in the series. You play as Nate, and you use various guns and other weapons to take down different enemies, some of whom are easier than others. At times you traverse the environment by jumping and climbing, or -- as a new gameplay mechanic -- swimming. There are also some puzzles to solve here and there.
I really liked the new character Charlie Cutter; he's probably one of my favourites in the whole series. I also really liked that the gamer gets to play as a young Nathan, where we see how he met Sully for the first time. All of the desert environments are very beautiful and the cities are incredibly detailed.
My problem comes from the fact that the mechanics just seem a bit off. As far as the shooting goes, sometimes I would aim at someone's arm and it would do more damage than aiming at their head. Sometimes I knew for a fact that I missed completely, but I appeared to do damage anyway, or sometimes I would literally fore off six rockets at someone before they would die. This is not only bizarre, it's frustrating. Equally frustrating were the times when I would seem to get snagged on invisible walls when walking, or jump onto a ledge only to somehow miss -- these are things that just don't happen in the more polished games in the series.
Overall, I love the story and characters, and I love how the game looks. I just feel that this is the weakest in terms of the actual gameplay. I don't know what went wrong.
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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the second title in the action/adventure video game series. It was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009, and re-released for the PlayStation 4 in 2015. The story follows lead protagonist Nathan Drake, who is... +
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the second title in the action/adventure video game series. It was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009, and re-released for the PlayStation 4 in 2015.
The story follows lead protagonist Nathan Drake, who is approached by two former associates asking for his help. They're looking for an old oil lamp which is said to reveal the location of the Cintamani Stone, an artifact from the ancient civilization of Shangri-la. Nate is double-crossed along the way, but he continues the search for Shangri-la with friends Sully and Elena.
The gameplay is the same as the previous title. You play as Nathan, wielding different weapons to take down enemies, the variety and difficulty of which has increased in this game. You must climb around different areas in order to advance to your destination, and there are several puzzles to solve along the way.
Although the first game introduced a new genre of blockbuster film-like video games, Among Thieves set the bar way higher. The opening scene defies all expectations of what a video game is -- the directing, the graphics, the story. It's groundbreaking in every sense, and even those who don't enjoy video games would probably enjoy watching this game in the same way that they would enjoy watching a film.
The new characters are a great addition, particularly Chloe, who is essentially a female version of Nate. The villain is probably the most evil and vicious out of all the games in the series. The graphics are truly stunning, with the winter environments inspiring absolute awe. There are very few bad things I can say about this game.
I would recommend this to any video game fan, and if you don't play games, I would still recommend sitting down and watching it with someone who does.
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Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the first title in a series of action/adventure video games. It was released in 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and was re-released in 2015 for the PlayStation 4. The story follows Nathan Drake, an explorer in search of... +
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the first title in a series of action/adventure video games. It was released in 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and was re-released in 2015 for the PlayStation 4.
The story follows Nathan Drake, an explorer in search of Sir Francis Drake's treasure. Accompanied by his best friend, Victor "Sully" Sullivan, and a nosy reporter, Elena Fisher, they seek out the land of El Dorado, all the while trying to evade an evil group of rival treasure hunters.
This game has you play as Nathan Drake, with the camera focused just behind him at all times. This is a third-person shooter, so you'll be utilizing several varieties of weapons to take down your enemies at both close- and long-range. Climbing and exploring also play a key part, as you'll be traversing different environments -- some of which are quite dangerous. Some puzzles are strewn throughout as well.
The graphics and gameplay were revolutionary for its time, and with story cinematics that rivalled the type of storytelling found in films, this was the start of the "blockbuster" video game genre. The characters are very three-dimensional, with Nathan Drake in particular being a very likeable action hero with quippy one-liners.
The reason why I didn't rate this higher is because, in comparison to other games in the series, this one hasn't aged as well. The story isn't as interesting as its sequels, and the mechanics now feel a bit sloppy upon replaying it. Every series has a starting point, though, and this is still a very good place to start.
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Zootopia -DVD
Zootopia is a 2016 computer animated Disney film. It features the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, and J.K. Simmons. The story follows a bunny named Judy Hopps, who follows her dreams of becoming Zootopia's very first bunny... +
Zootopia is a 2016 computer animated Disney film. It features the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, and J.K. Simmons.
The story follows a bunny named Judy Hopps, who follows her dreams of becoming Zootopia's very first bunny cop. While on parking metre duty, she meets a fox named Nick, a sneaky con artist who tricks business owners out of their money. After a string of disappearances in the city, the two opposites end up working together to solve the mystery.
I love animated films, and I do feel that this is animated beautifully. The colours are gorgeous and bright, and the characters and backgrounds are rendered very smoothly. There's a pretty clear message here, which is to show kids not to judge a book by its cover, and that you shouldn't discriminate against someone that society tells you is "bad" -- you should come to your own conclusion. That's all fine and dandy, but...
There's a pretty big elephant in the room here that I feel needs mentioning. This is a drug trafficking film. I'm not trying to be one of those people who makes something out of nothing, but this is so clearly a drug trafficking film. The citizens in Zootopia who suddenly started acting violent and out-of-character were drugged by a substance concocted in a meth lab. Just look at it. You'll see what I mean. It's not like they're trying to hide it.
Considering how silly and child-like the rest of the film is -- another reason why I didn't particularly enjoy it, as I felt its target audience was much younger than I -- this content seems shocking and incredibly out of place. There's absolutely no reason to stick something like that in there because it serves no metaphorical purpose. It's not trying to dissuade anyone from trying drugs because drugs change you -- they literally show an illegal drug trafficking ring, which uses illegal substances to infect harmless, helpless citizens. Like, huh?
I feel unable to recommend this film due to its inappropriate and completely silly plot. I just didn't enjoy it.
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InStyle Magazine
InStyle Magazine offers lots of fashion and beauty advice, as well as articles with popular celebrities. I have been subscribed to the magazine for the past several years. They come out with at least 12 issues per year, with a Canadian... +
InStyle Magazine offers lots of fashion and beauty advice, as well as articles with popular celebrities. I have been subscribed to the magazine for the past several years. They come out with at least 12 issues per year, with a Canadian subscription fee of $20/2 years, which I feel is very reasonable given the size of some of their issues.
InStyle has recently undergone a few small changes. Their layout has changed a bit, they've started to include afew different articles, and they've had a change in their editor-in-chief. I feel that these changes have been for the better. Aesthetically, their magazine has always been very pleasing to the eye, but if possible, their layouts have gotten even cleaner and tidier. I also really appreciate the addition of more articles, especially the ones which have more to do with skincare and health (they had one which had to do with celiac disease and how it affects the skin, which was very interesting).
A lot of their products are more expensive, though they do include some budget options here and there. I don't let the price of things affect me because I tend to look at their pages as inspiration -- if I see something I like, I try to find something in my price range. It's a good way to enjoy the magazine, even if some of the styles are not in your budget.
One thing I really wish they would do is feature more cruelty-free brands. So many of the clothing items they feature contain animal skins, yet they'll do an article preaching about how certain brands are coming up with innovative new ways to get around using real leather and fur (including the use of 3D printing!). Why not featuremore of these brands if you're going to talk about them so frequently? That's one thing that has always bothered me, as someone who doesn't buy leather or fur.
I do really enjoy the magazine overall, and I do think it has great content. I would recommend it to fadhion and beauty lovers. I hope they feature more diverse fabrics in the future.
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Life Brand Pore Minimizing Mask with Blackcurrant & Soybean
The Life Brand Pore Minimizing Mask with Blackcurrant & Soybean is a clay mask. You spread it over your face in a layer, wait for it to dry and harden, and then rinse it off. The package recommended doing a patch test beforehand, and since I have... +
The Life Brand Pore Minimizing Mask with Blackcurrant & Soybean is a clay mask. You spread it over your face in a layer, wait for it to dry and harden, and then rinse it off.
The package recommended doing a patch test beforehand, and since I have very sensitive skin, I followed the directions and put a small amount on my arm. After a few minutes, no reaction took place, so I proceeded to put a layer over my problem areas. I have enlarged pores and sebaceous filaments across my nose and cheeks. After cleansing and toning, I focused the product in those areas.
This has a green colouring to it, and kind of a plant-like smell. As soon as it started hardening, my skin felt incredibly tight and uncomfortable. I removed the product from my face as soon as it was dry (which didn't take long -- probably five minutes, which doesn't feel like a long enough amount of time for ANY mask to be effective). This was a difficult task, as it had already really hardened onto my skin. I had to rub excessively hard to get it off of my face. Even after that, and after slathering on a ton of thick moisturizer, my skin felt really, really tight. It remained tight for at least another hour afterwards.
My pores didn't look any smaller, but even if they had, my poor skin can't tolerate this mask at all. I was only able to use this mask once before tossing the rest of it out because it hurt so much. I wouldn't recommend it if you're as sensitive as I am.
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