A howl on the wind…

BioShock for PC from Steam.

In a word: Underwhelming.

I expected so much more from this game, and it failed in every way. Weapons are boring, plasmids are bland and don’t feel very powerful, enemies are annoying and get really old really fast, scripted events are predictable, story totally failed to capture me, and the environment is almost exactly opposite of what I want.

I got all that from the 1.5 hours I spent playing it. And then I watched the Spoiler Warning play-through of it which confirmed my assumptions; it is simply not a game I would ever enjoy. Maybe if they juiced up the plasmids a lot and let the “mana” regenerate on its own…

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for PC from Steam, played with keyboard and mouse.

Looks great, but the controls are awful. Hitting your target with a force thrown object is basically random chance. And switching to 2D mode for boss battles makes them stupidly difficult…suddenly, all that you learned playing in the 3D mode is taken away and you’re put in a platformer, only with even more broken controls; you think you’re about to Force Lightning the boss, and it just fizzles right next to them. And to top it all off, there are quick time events…

This could have been an awesome game if they fixed the controls and removed the QTEs, but as it is the controls ruin the experience.

For a longer review, this guy tells it like it is.

Of the movies I have seen, here’s how I rank them from best to next best…

• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), rating 9/10.
• Star Trek Nemesis (2002), rating 8/10.
• Star Trek: First Contact (1996), rating 8/10.
• Star Trek Generations (1994), rating 7/10.
• Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), rating 7/10.
• Star Trek (2009), rating 6/10.

On the whole, Deep Space Nine is not great and most episodes are forgettable. I have no empathy for Kira Nerys or the Bajorans in general. Dukat is a great character, but then it turns to the whole silly Pah-wraith. Kai Winn Adami is just annoying and should have been fed to a wild lion at first sight. The war with the Dominion brought in a lot of good, and an equal amount of crap. Throughout the show, Julian Bashir remains my favorite character.

Best Episodes

In order of best to next best…

• 6×19 In the Pale Moonlight – probably the single best Star Trek episode. Smooth script, smooth acting, smooth direction. It’s all good.
• 7×16 Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
• 6×09 Statistical Probabilities

Other Notable Episodes

In simple sequential order…

• 3×17 Visionary
• 5×02 The Ship
• 6×11 Waltz
• 6×13 Far Beyond the Stars
• 7×05 Chrysalis
• 7×10 It’s Only a Paper Moon
• 7×13 Field of Fire
• 7×23 Extreme Measures

Worst Episodes

In order of worst to next worst…

• 6×14 One Little Ship

Voyager is overall a good show. And that is despite the fact that the only character I really like is that of Captain Kathryn Janeway – her way of doing things sets her very clearly aside and beyond from the rest.

Best Episodes

In order of best to next best…

• 5×10 Counterpoint – another episode that stands above the rest of Star Trek as a whole.
• 5×04 In the Flesh
• 6×12 Blink of an Eye
• 5×24 Relativity
• 3×22 Distant Origin
• 4×23 Living Witness
• 5×09 Thirty Days
• 3×21 Before and After
• 6×23 Fury
• 6×03 Barge of the Dead
• 7×11 Shattered
• 7×25 Endgame

Other Notable Episodes

In simple sequential order…

• 1×07 Eye of the Needle
• 1×16 Learning Curve
• 2×16 Meld
• 2×18 Death Wish
• 2×20 Investigations
• 2×21 Deadlock
• 3×03 The Chute
• 3×16 Blood Fever
• 4×07 Scientific Method
• 4×14 Message in a Bottle
• 4×20 Vis à Vis
• 4×25 One
• 5×01 Night
• 6×04 Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy
• 6×08 One Small Step
• 6×20 Good Shepherd

Worst Episodes

In order of worst to next worst…

• 3×22 Real Life
• 3×12 Macrocosm
• 4×17 Retrospect
• 5×08 Nothing Human
• 5×19 The Fight
• 5×23 11:59
• 6×15 Tsunkatse