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The post GTA Online Heists Now Available appeared first on .]]>
Plan, Prepare, Execute – Online Heists span numerous missions featuring new gameplay, vehicles, weapons, and scenarios to test a team's full set of skills: from computer hacking to stealth infiltration, precision driving to aerial dogfighting, sniping, skydiving and much more.
4-Player Teams, 4 Ways to Play – Choose your roles and strategize to complete each stage of a Heist, with tight communication and coordination the key to success. Some missions will require the team to work as a single unit, while others will break the team into separate roles to complete key objectives. Replay each Heist to experience a different perspective on the action, and complete Elite Challenges for extra cash.
Additional New Adversary Modes – Brings new kinds of competition to GTA Online while new Daily Objectives and other Freemode activities bring chaos to the streets of Los Santos and Blaine County.
Assemble Your Team – Create a Crew or join existing Crews at the Rockstar Games Social Club to earn additional RP rewards as you play.
Play Now – Heists are now available for free inside Grand Theft Auto Online for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One (PC players will also get Heists as part of their GTA Online experience when GTAV launches for PC on April 14th). To get it, just start up GTAV from your online-connected console and follow the update prompts on screen. For a complete list of all of today's updates, check out the official notes at the Rockstar Support site.
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The post Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Announced appeared first on .]]>
The year is 1946 and the Nazis are on the brink of winning World War II. In an effort to turn the tide in the Allies' favour, B.J. Blazkowicz must embark on an epic, two-part mission deep within Bavaria. Part one of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood – Rudi Jäger and the Den of Wolves – pits BJ Blazkowicz against a maniacal prison warden as he breaks into Castle Wolfenstein in an attempt to steal the coordinates to General Deathshead's compound. In part two – The Dark Secrets of Helga Von Schabbs – our hero's search for the coordinates leads him to the city of Wulfburg where an obsessed Nazi archaeologist is exhuming mysterious artefacts that threaten to unleash a dark and ancient power.
"Diving back into the world of Wolfenstein has really been fun for us," said Jerk Gustafsson, executive producer at MachineGames. "We've enjoyed exploring the events leading up to The New Order. We think fans will really enjoy the story, all the action and, of course, jumping back into the combat with new weapons."
The post Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Announced appeared first on .]]>
The post The Crew Review appeared first on .]]>
It will not blow you away with incredible weather effects or photorealistic jaw-dropping car models like some of the other contemporary racing games have. Nor will the undercover revenge story it tries to tell or the driving physics or the generic racing system we have all seen before. Neither of these things alone will blow you away, but blend them all together adding the freedom that the massive map provides and you have yourself a special cocktail.
When the game was announced the devs came out saying that The Crew will feature the whole of USA as a playground and many, me included, thought: "Nah, they can't possibly do that". Yet, somehow they managed to deliver on that and in my opinion it is the main reason you have to just play it. Where other racing games shy away from letting us get off the track by using invisible walls, The Crew removes them completely and in some instances promotes going off track, taking that shortcut, offering an unprecedented sense of freedom for a racing game.
Sure, most of the races or missions, still revolve around a "scripted" track and there is nothing wrong with that since this is indeed a racing game while some of the races, the cooler ones like Raid or Escape, let you drive to anywhere, no boundaries whatsoever. But still, the races or missions are not the most interesting thing to do in The Crew, getting to the start of these races is. This is where The Crew shines.
There is something utterly satisfying driving for 2 hours from the East Coast to the West Coast passing the Black Hills in a Dodge Challenger cockpit-view with the sun setting while listening to Willie Nelson or On The Road playlist on Spotify. Or driving at night down Las Vegas famous The Strip with some synthpop songs in the background. Or drifting on the icy roads on the Snowy Mountains and stopping to relish the beautiful vistas. Or competing with other players you find randomly in the map and finding out whose car is fastest in impromptu drag races on the Salt Lakes. As Ernest Hemingway said, "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."
The Crew is all about the journey from one point to the other, exploring and discovering America well, the beautiful rendition the artists at Ivory Tower created. Setting a waypoint on the map and seeing how the kilometers or miles drop on the small counter beside the minimap is extremely satisfying. You can play it as a normal racing game, by "teleport" instantaneously anywhere in the map or quick starting something directly, but you will be missing the heart and soul of the game.
Well, I guess what I just said might not apply to everyone and that's fine cause if you just want to race and complete challenges, The Crew has enough for days to come. The map is literally littered with races, missions and challenges which at first might put some of you off. But the more you play the game, the good things separate themselves from the bad, the padding, the annoying fillers.
The story missions or races side on the good part, not because the undercover revenge story is cool or intriguing or anything like that, but because they do not follow the same generic way other racing games do. Yes, you have your selected car and yes you still use it for some of the races, but in most of them you get to drive a different car with different types of kits installed depending on the type of race. And what is great about this way is that you get to experience driving all of the types of cars or better say, kits, early on in the game. You get to taste what it feels like to drive an extreme car, a raid one, an offroad one and so on, it prepares you for what is ahead of 40+ hours of singleplayer content.
What is the point of teleporting from and to the big cities like Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami and the countless small ones? Where is the fun in that? Ivory Tower has perfectly captured the essence of each of the cities, the uniqueness of each location and famous landmark, and have made each and every road worth exploring. The Crew is a beautiful game. The presentation is slick, clean and sexy. People argue on the interwebs that visually The Crew looks below decent, some say crappy etc. You can't compare this game to Driveclub or Forza, those are just showcases for the graphics chips the consoles have. But if you compare them, you have to take in mind how they are structured, how big the maps are and how quickly it has to load and render everything. Well, if you take all that in consideration, The Crew craps all over them, in terms of graphics, rendering draw distances and the ability to teleport anywhere in an instant. The cars look great as well, fantastic renders, although I am not a big fan of the damage models. But I am a big fan of the cockpit view and my god how I wish I had an Oculus Rift or Morpheus to experience that immersion. I would love to go and watch in first person view the sunlight bouncing back on the Yosemite recreating the Mac background or see the hot air balloons flying over the fields.
To view more screenshots captured directly on a PS4, click here.
Another thing that The Crew does differently which is something that I really liked is how it handles upgrading the cars. Apart from having an in-depth customization options where you can change up parts to make your cars run faster and change the look of them, there is also the more streamlined and easy system of just "install the better part and be done with it". For the most part while playing I didn't go to the garage to modify my cars, to be honest, I didn't even knew you could do that. I just pressed X to install the part I won after finishing a race or completing a challenge and that was it, my car just got better, a clean, simple and fast way.
Much like Destiny in this regard, The Crew is a multiplayer only game meaning that if PSN or Uplay are down, you cannot play the game. Also like Destiny is how the open-world nature works, people just appear in your game by server magic or you can invite them to join your crew. Your crew is the equivalent of the fireteams on Destiny (I know I know, stop with the Destiny comparisons) and if you tackle the races or challenges with your friends, apart from the satisfaction of burning tires with your buddies, you get bonus XP, parts and credit which you can use to buy new cars and customization options for them. I have to say that the multiplayer works well, it worked for me, and maybe that is because the game is 3 months old and Ubisoft has gotten their sh*t together.
Bottom Line: The Crew is a fantastic game and probably one of the coolest racing games ever to be released. The driving mechanics, the collection of cars, the types of racing, the insane amount of content and the multiplayer are well developed and work well, but those are just icing. The freedom, exploration and the satisfaction these two bring is the cherry on top and it's the main reason why you should play this game.
The post The Crew Review appeared first on .]]>
The post Dragon Age: Inquisition Review (PS3) appeared first on .]]>
Around the twenty page mark, I realised that I might have been wrong, and to cut a long story short, Matter was promptly shelved for seven years thereafter.
Knowing what I know now, of course it was a mistake. Iain M. Banks is renowned for forcing an excruciating amount of information down his reader's throats, fleshing out this entire universe that he's created down to the minutest detail. On top of that, Matter was by no means the first novel set in Banks' expansive and outlandish imagination, and so it was so heavily steeped in lore, history and ongoing politics (the final twenty pages of the book are made up purely of appendices) that it's no wonder my tiny teenage brain went into meltdown. Needless to say, I've since learned my lesson, and if I'm buying a new book, I tend to treat unfamiliar titles with a certain degree of caution.
I tell you all this only because it was with the same trepidation that I first approached Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Releasing in November of 2014 and developed by Bioware, Dragon Age Inquisition was the third game in the DA series, not including the numerous DLC and expansion packs. I'll go right ahead and say that I'd experienced none of Inquisition's predecessors, but I was already well aware that Inquisition was likely to come with a fair bit of baggage.
Regardless, I gave it a shot, and was thrilled to discover that it's actually very accessible for new players. Of course, that's not to suggest that it's not brimming with back stories and history, because it most certainly is. What it doesn't do, however, is base the plot entirely around events that transpired during the previous games. Sure, they're involved, but the references are never so obscure that they could alienate newcomers to the series. Instead, Bioware has scattered pieces of information regarding the universe across the whole game, for the player to discover of their own volition. While these can occasionally be quite heavy handed and excessive in detail, there's absolutely nothing forcing you to sit and read them. Quite honestly, I'm surprised that it's not more in your face, especially given the scale of the world that they've created – hell, if I'd put that much time in, I know I'd want to show off.
And what a world it is; featuring a number of different locations, each is not only unique, but also startlingly large. Bioware have clearly gone to great lengths to make sure each locale is diverse, from the landscape to the fauna and flora, but they have also made sure that there are an abundance of reasons to fully explore each area. With only a few exceptions, there is very little unused space, as the quests will see you venturing to every possible nook and cranny – and trust me; quests are something that Dragon Age is definitely not short off.
The plot sees your hero taking on the mantle of the Inquisitor in order to investigate the appearance of demon-spawning rifts across the land of Thedas. In order to do this, you'll need to grow your Inquisition from a rag tag group of soldiers into a sprawling force with serious political and military clout. While the main quests themselves are great fun, and filled with excellent set pieces, it was the side quests and Inquisition development elements that kept me glued to the game for upwards of one hundred hours. While at your base, you have the option to send the various branches of the Inquisition out into the world, be it for research, political reasons or mining resources. However, some of these operations, such as scouting new areas, require power. How do you acquire power? By good old fashioned questing, of course.
While your team is out in the wilds, it's familiar RPG territory as you batter anything that looks at you the wrong way, and then mercilessly loot everything they drop. Building your party is a fairly standard affair; as you level up, you acquire skill points that can be used to buy new techniques or buffs that shape the way you approach combat. New gear for your team can be looted or purchased, but I found using the crafting system to be more interesting, as it allows you to create weapons and armour based on the resources you've picked up. While it's initially quite a confusing system, once you understand it makes something as mundane as collecting ores quite an exciting prospect. Quests are given upon entering a new area, where you're usually tasked with one or two main jobs to carry out, and thereafter it's up to you to seek out additional activities. Bioware has done a wonderful job of ensuring variety in these missions, but as much as I appreciate the sheer number of tasks available, some of the quests beyond the primary goals do suffer from occasionally being rather tedious to complete. While it's obvious that each mission has been made to seem unique by giving them each an interesting premise, it's hard to escape the fact that many of the jobs boil down to busy work, for instance, fetching X, or going to Y to kill Z.
That said, I still felt compelled to carry them out, and, as far as I can tell, it becomes such an addictive experience because the questing and development of the Inquisition feed directly into one another. As you explore areas, you'll discover abandoned forts that can be transformed into Inquisition bases, while back at your headquarters there are projects that can be undertaken to improve and rebuild sites you've found out in the field. These aren't just aesthetic upgrades either – they will have a lasting effect on the world, for example, by granting access to new areas. Even NPCs that you meet can, if the right dialogue options are chosen, become components of the Inquisition. Early on in the game, I bumped into a farmer who asked for help. Being up to my ears in jobs, I forgot all about him. It was only much later when I finally got round to helping him that I discovered he could be persuaded to tend to the Inquisition's horses. After getting him to agree, he set up shop in the stables, and sold me mounts. Similarly, after talking to a merchant for a while, he agreed to help the Inquisition. Next time I returned to my base, there he was, flogging vastly overpriced bits of cloth.
Individually, the changes are fairly minor, but it really encourages the player to inspect every aspect of the game; what may seem like an insignificant conversation or action early on could later mean much bigger things. The way that you see a gradual shift in the scope of your responsibilities has been implemented means that you see your Inquisition expanding and becoming more powerful, and the result is immensely satisfying; you really feel like you're really impacting the world around you.
Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said for the story missions. While the quests themselves are exciting and well paced, the over-arcing plot held little interest for me, and because of this, I never felt particularly inclined towards moving the story on; rather, they just became something to do once I had exhausted the other options. The trouble is that it's a little too generic to be engaging, and when there's so much else to do besides focusing on the plot, I found it quite hard to remain interested. It's by no means bad, and it does have high points; there are rousing speeches, tense decisions to make, and epic battles to fight, but these were few and far between. In a game that otherwise radiates such marvelous attention to depth, I was surprised that more time hadn't gone into crafting a story that demands attention.
Apart from the extensive questing, however, it's the interactions between the characters that really make the whole experience worthwhile. Initially, I felt that some of the main characters were a bit bland, but it was only once I actively went out of my way to speak to them that I realised how much there was going on for each one. The choice of dialogue, much like the side missions, is huge, and it opens up a wealth of back stories and opinions to explore, as well as giving you information that you might not find anywhere else. This isn't restricted to members of your team either; just about anyone that can be interacted with can also be asked a number of questions, some of which, as I mentioned earlier, may end up benefiting you. This, coupled with the superb quality of the script and the excellent voice acting, ensure that it's not long before you can row quite attached to the characters. Even out in the field, your party members will exchange banter and pose questions for one another, often giving quite revealing insights into how they think.
So, is it worth sinking several days of your life into? Yes. It's not without its problems; playing on the PS3, I was pretty shocked by the standard of the graphics – besides looking a bit shabby (the particle effects especially), they also suffer from a number of bugs, and frequently it takes a while to properly load in textures and pieces of the scenery. The sound and music, which are both normally great, also occasionally drop in quality, sometimes cutting out entirely for a short time. It may be because I'm using a slightly aged PS3, but I also found load times to be absurdly long in places, and sometimes conversations would freeze up, requiring me to hit the 'skip conversation' button to continue.
However, beyond these minor quibbles, there's no reason not to give Dragon Age: Inquisition a go. I can forgive the lacking plot, and I can ignore the bugs, because Inquisition is pure, unadulterated, RPG fun. As a stranger to the series, I felt like I was welcomed with open arms, and as a fan of the genre, it was like reuniting with an old friend. If you ever feel the urge to lose yourself in another world for a spell, go out and buy Inquisition.
Oh, and while you're at it, give Iain M. Banks a go. As it turns out, he's not too bad.
The post Dragon Age: Inquisition Review (PS3) appeared first on .]]>
The post DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round Out Now appeared first on .]]>
KOEI TECMO Europe today announced that DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round, the definitive DEAD OR ALIVE experience, has shipped to stores and is available in retailers across Europe for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The PlayStation®3 version has been delayed one week and will launch digitally on 25 February 2015. DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round represents the zenith of the DEAD OR ALIVE 5 series, taking all the best content from those games and adding all-new content only found in LAST ROUND to create the comprehensive DEAD OR ALIVE 5 game.
DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round delivers the signature DOA fighting style with the most graphically impressive and feature-packed version of a DEAD OR ALIVE game ever seen. Combatants will present an unparalleled level of life-like detail, and smooth striking animations firmly place every fighter in the heat of the moment. The game's dynamic interactive stages once again boast a range of visually striking locations from around the world, while offering even more destruction, deadly new danger zones and a higher level of strategic choices for players to utilize in the quest for victory.
With the largest roster of fighters in any DOA game to date, DEAD OR ALIVE Last Round includes new characters "The Regeneration of Brutality – Raidou", a newly revived cybernetic version of the DEAD OR ALIVE boss character, and "Super Secret Fighter Chick – Honoka" the Japanese schoolgirl. Character customization options get even deeper, as DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round offers over 400 open and unlockable costumes, and the brand new hairstyle and accessory options will give nearly endless possibilities to adorn the fighters for any occasion. Players can bring their run of rosters, costumes and accessories from DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Ultimate, as previously purchased DLC content will be transferable from last gen consoles to the PS4 and Xbox One (PS3 to PS4, Xbox 360 to Xbox One).
The post DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round Out Now appeared first on .]]>
The post STRAFE: Back In My Day appeared first on .]]>
1996 was a good year. I was five (give or take), and my biggest concerns in life were videogames, cartoons, and whether or not there was still a Dunkaroo pack sitting in the cupboard.
Happy times. Simple times.
Things only got more and more complicated going forward; both in life, and in the world of gaming. While I barely now watch TV in general, and I doubt you'd even be able to force-feed me a pack of those generic cookies and icing, I still love videogames.
We all have that bit of man-child in us in some form, eh?
Today, though the same held true even when I was young, I am a fan of the FPS genre. Titles such as Quake II and Unreal were the ones you'd normally see me blowing my free time away at. Whereas today you're more likely to see me trying my hand at Red Orchestra or Insurgency.
The twitch stylings of the old school shooters of yesteryear were put to the side for leveling systems and a strange affinity for "realism", all the while giving players the ability to Rambo through just about every experience looking to achieve such "realism". It's kind of cute when you think about it.
Those games are fun, but they can never replace the sporadic shooter experiences of years past. Those hundreds of wasted hours of youth ingrained into my mind, probably for good.
What we have now are modern releases that often prove more flash than substance, and even games that sell themselves as a more old-school sort of experience, though tend to still fall into many of the trappings of today's offerings.
There's someone out there thinking about me, however. Seemingly from a time capsule itself, STRAFE, from the developers Pixel Titans, appears on the scene, 90's cheese in tow. Literally selling itself as a blast from the past, the marketing, and even the visuals themselves, all scream mid-90's, 3-D accelerated goodness.
It's an entertaining market strategy, and it worked, apparently, because you have me here covering the rare Kickstarter piece.
This is the second Kickstarter campaign I've chosen to cover so, yeah. This one has me excited. Having had the chance to try out the demo available just a little bit before writing, even more so.
While certainly limited, the demo provides players with three genre staples (assault rifle, rail gun, and the ever-loved shotgun). All the weapons had a nice sense of weight behind them, used to dispatch the numerous enemies the developers so graciously dropped into the arena for the player to enjoy.
The demo has one simple goal, and that is to defeat the one-hundred unique enemies confronted within the level, all serving as a time trial of sort for those interested. It's short, fairly challenging, and thoroughly addicting overall. I played through the demo probably a good ten times before putting it to rest.
Overall I really enjoyed the feel of the game. The shotgun and assault rifle were both a blast to use; even if I didn't quite take to the rail gun itself. And the movement was nice and fluid, allowing for a good sense of player control.
It was great to play, is what I am trying to say.
This article was originally meant as a plead to you dear readers to make this writer's dreams come true and see the Kickstarter Project a successful one. Now that the game is already funded, I really have no need for you and, really, all this can be treated as one well written ad for the game.
I am okay with that because, even in it's current state, the game kicks ass. It's only going to get more kickass from here.
You can check out the demo at their Kickstarter where you will also find any other information you may be looking for on STRAFE. There you can also continue to support the title if you search under the "donate" tab. They are still pushing the tiered structure of their Kickstarter, so no sweat if you missed out on the campaign itself.
The game is slated for an early 2016 release date, so we still have a ways to go for the final product, sadly.
Until that day comes, however, you will find me sitting, waiting . . . bring on 1996!
The post STRAFE: Back In My Day appeared first on .]]>
The post Duck Game Review appeared first on .]]>
Duck Game is a couch competitive battle royale game where you play as well, ducks killing other ducks using all sorts of crazy weapons. It's such a simple premise and still is a ton of fun when you play against your friends. See, it's the perfect party game, if you don't have a Mario Kart or a Smash Bro that is. And that, I believe, is it's biggest problem.
Being a multiplayer game that can only be played locally badly limits its reachability. You absolutely need to have someone to play with cause the game simply doesn't have a one player mode. You cannot do anything in the game if you play it alone and that sucks. Opening with a big problem like this is kind of a bummer and sets the tone for the rest of the review, but just keep reading.
I said it in the opening and here it is again, Duck Game is a lot of fun. The battles are fast and chaotic and the crazy over the top weaponry is just the cherry on top. From simple swords, pistols and shotguns to flamethrowers, rayguns, lasers, miniguns etc. it is all here, such a crazy arsenal that would make even Insomniac Games proud. Then there are the musical themed levels where you along with your friends/enemies other than fighting can jam on by playing drums, saxophones etc.
The controls are pitch perfect as the game is extremely responsive with any controller you might use, the OUYA's, a Dualshock 3 etc. This is a must for these type of games, especially for the ones that are quite as fast and twitch heavy as Duck Game is. It's so simple and so easy to pick up. Move, jump, shoot and throw the weapon you are carrying, that is all you can do in the game and that is more than enough.
Visually Duck Game looks really nice sporting a 16-bit era funky artstyle with a vibrant color palette and some great duck animations. The music and sound design are also great, very reminiscent of 80's and 90's pop culture style.
Bottom Line: Duck Game is a great OUYA game, maybe one of the top ten, if and only if you play it with your buddies. I played a lot of matches 1v1 with my roommate and had a ton of fun well, alcohol also helped but hey Drink and Play Responsively! So should you get this game? Duck Yeah! Thanks for reading.
The post Duck Game Review appeared first on .]]>
The post Raven's Cry Review appeared first on .]]>
I would like to start off this review by saying that I am a big fan of the RPG. I am also a fan of pirates, more so in games; as thinly served a setting as piracy may be in today's market; whatever the reason for that. It's suffice to say that I was eagerly awaiting the release of Raven's Cry.
It's been a long time coming.
The constant delays of the title, the minute release of information regarding it . . . it all served just to push that want of the title to see the light of day. At the same time, those also served as warning signs of a faulty development cycle – and this holds true. While there is a spark of life to be found here, almost everything from the art assets, to performance, to the under developed mechanics, and even the obviously cut content. Everything about this title screams "I'm not a finished product", though we see it for digital download all the same, and at full retail price at that. Long story short, this game is not fit for purchase.
Don't consider this a review . . . this is a PSA.
Don't buy Raven's Cry.
Don't support these sort of decisions.
The game starts off tasking the player with topping off a mighty Galleon ship, helmed by a captain of the Spanish navy. This short encounter serves to teach players the basics of ship to ship combat – an element featured heavily throughout the game. You are given cannonballs to damage the hull, chains to damage the sails, and grapeshot to take out the crew; allowing you to then board and plunder ships. Once you get those basics out of the way, the ship combat proves itself rather simple.
While there is more going on in the background such as buying larger ships, upgrading said ships, bringing on new crew members, and even transporting goods, it's all rendered mostly pointless, being that it doesn't seem the game was really built with the idea of all that being necessary. Most of the money to be made in the game will be through the attacking and looting of ships, as well as the selling of cargo from port to port.
Likewise, the most expensive things for money to be spent on revolve around the upgrades and overall maintaining of whatever ship you may be captaining at the moment. So with the worry of the cost of your piracy out of the way, that leaves only the issue of piracy upon you. The game is a pseudo-open world sort of deal, comprised of multiple islands that can be traveled to at any time (story permitting) through sailing, via the map. First off, yes, it is yet another pirate rpg that opted out of open sea adventuring and plundering, offering instead a simple fast-travel sort of mechanic, where your trip is plotted out on the world map. May we please stand and lower our heads, taking a moment to remember this great loss.
And now back to the review.
During these instances, pseudo-random encounters (I am using "pseudo" a lot. I know), can pop up around your ship. If you run along them, a battle ensues. The system makes sense, but the lack of function doesn't. While the game gives you the chance to see these events coming, and even the ability to pause during the trip, it doesn't allow you to set a new course unless it is one of the dozen or so ports at your disposal. It all just seems a bit finicky. Unneeded. Again . . . underdeveloped.
Back to the story, however. You are thrust into the boots of Captain Christophere Raven; a generally unlikable, gravel voiced (think
a two-bit Clint Eastwood), stereotyped pirate badass . . . Probably just what you were hoping for in your general pirate title. If that's the case, then great.
If not, well, this isn't exactly the game you want to be playing in the first place so, please, feel free to just continue on.
Upon successfully sending off the Spaniard, his crew, and his ship to Davey Jones' Locker, you dock at a nearby port and proceed to the tavern to receive your payment. Upon entering you are greeted by your employer – and the Spaniard's comrade. It turns out that you were tricked into knocking off the officer, and are now set to take the fall.
After a hilarious, and just as awkwardly animated, first taste of the melee combat; playing out like any other basic swing and dodge experience (only with far worse animations and a tendency to not register your moves), you escape the tavern as you make your way to your ship. Problem is, your ship has been set ablaze by the Spanish army. Your new course is now the other side of the docks and to a new boat, preferably with as little attention brought to yourself as possible.
This is where the stealth is first introduced and, well, it fairs no better than the other elements of the game, sadly. A simple click of the stick switches the fair captain into sneak mode, allowing you to get up behind an enemy and dispose of them via your hook for a hand. This was always a little awkward, requiring a full stop before accessing the kill animation. As for the stealth itself, it is rather muddled, and never fully explained – an issue with the game in general; the lack of instruction in just about everything.
It was always a struggle to gauge the exact cone of sight of enemies. Often times it felt rather random, with similar tactics being rewarded with different results for no apparent reason. Even dispatching a single isolated enemy would, at times, result in the entire area becoming aware of my presence. Stealth, for all intents and purposes, is broken. Luckily the game almost never requires it. I settled for using it to quickly take down an enemy or two before going full force. Worked for me, anyway.
There are certain skills and items to be had later that alleviate some of the issues to be had here, but that isn't enough to push a stealth system broken from the base. If you notice I keep trailing off from the story itself, it's because there's really nothing there to warrant your attention and, much like in the game, it's easier just to throw bits at you throughout instead of focusing on it to any real degree. It is nothing of note, and not something you will remember long after leaving the game behind. Long story short, you commandeer a new, smaller vessel and what initially seems like your typical story of revenge is thrown out for a different story of revenge and just as typical, quickly forgetting your issues with your would-be employer, and even the trouble you found yourself in with the Spanish army itself.
The adventure will take you to many different islands as you search out the killer of your family – believed dead up until then, though is re-introduced early on. It's nothing engrossing, features many an uninteresting or simply forgettable character and, honestly, there were some parts that were so dull I can say here that there are things I already forget as I write this review. Coupled with blatant plot holes – my biggest point on the idea that there's a lot of content that simply didn't make it to the final release – it's easy to say you can give this one a pass for the story as well.
Does anything in this one hold up? Well, not really.
There's a rather diverse skill tree, offering a lot of interesting perks to the player as they level up. At the same time, many of the more interesting ones are to be had in the higher tiers, though that would require much in the way of the player partaking in the bland and drawn-out ship battles in order to make up the experience needed. Not exactly something I recommend. Hell, there's even a skill that makes it easier to spot and avoid enemy ships as you travel – another point that feeds into that game of two halves argument of mine.
Melee combat is dodgy, often times not registering my moves, which rewarded me with an unjust death or two while playing. It's another thing that can be upgraded through the skill tree, but they only serve to make the combat easier, not necessarily better. Though kicking an enemy to the ground and thrusting a sword into their chest never stopped being entertaining, I must say.
There's virtually no real sense of exploration on offer either. Many of the locations, while large, are rather constricting and offer little in the way of interesting secrets to find. While the maps feature long, sprawling land masses seemingly there to be explored, it doesn't take long for a trip outside of the port town to be halted by the dreaded "You can go no further. Please turn around" invisible wall. And that doesn't cover the biggest issue to be found with the title, which would be the performance, bugs and just blatant shoddiness that is the overall quality on display here.
While playing I've encountered everything from broken ai that refuses to fight, to my ship's hull becoming invincible throughout a large portion of the game. From a glitch that did away with all of my equipped items, to quests that simply refuse to trigger. Not to mention the amount of times my character got stuck on the terrain with no fix other than to reload my last save. Hell, even large portions of the voice acting skips out, reverting to simple text on the fly and making for that much more of an awkward conversation. The list goes on.
And in terms of performance, my combo of an i5 3570k, tied with a highly overclocked 680, saw constant fluctuations in FPS, ranging from 20 – 60 on the fly. I opted out of ever trying to hold a solid 60fps, as should anyone with even the most up-to-date of rigs, and just prettied up the game as much as possible while locking it at 30fps for a smooth, if bare minimum gaming experience. Even then, I needed to knock the graphics and details options down to the second of three presets, as I was still often times getting dips below thirty.
While the game is a looker – probably the only positive thing I have to say about the title – it has more to do with the art design and its believable locales than the game being a technical showpiece itself. While it's not poor on visuals, there is nothing here that would warrant such massive performance issues, that seem to be universal. Optimization, suffice to say, was not a priority here. Then again, it doesn't seem like much was.
The game is not finished and, honestly, is really one of the most broken experiences I've had the disservice to play. The fact that this is for purchase, and at a premium price at that, is disgusting and something that should be called out. This game requires a lot more work to be considered fit for purpose. Hell, I had to handle the review having not completed the game due to a combination of the bugs listed above essentially barring me from continuing in any reasonable sense. I don't feel like I missed out on much, though it did make the struggle of almost completing that much more an empty one.
These are the sort of things you could give a game a pass on if it was still in alpha. For all intents and purposes, the game still is in alpha. All of this blatant overlooks are not what anyone should expect out of a "finished" product. Adding a $50 price tag to it all is just a slap in the face to anyone who may have been interested in the title.What's more, despite all of the issues and the obvious lack of time to finish the game proper, consumers should be happy to know that there is cut content on offer for anyone silly enough to pre-order. Just keep piling it on, Topware.
The funny thing is, they could have just as easily placed this into the Early Access program. Chances are they would have received far less negativity from the community, probably sold a fair few more copies and, in the end, consumers may have been rewarded with an actual quality product.
As it stands, we are left with what may just end up being one of the worst releases of the year. And one with so much potential all the same. While I went in hopeful, knowing the troubled development of the title, it turned out worse than I would have though. Topware, the publisher, and Reality Pump, the developer, should take a good hard look at what they put out here. This is the exact opposite of what responsible game makers should be doing.
If you have a craving for a pirate RPG, please look your way to the recent Risen releases. While far from perfect, they have a lot more going on for them, and are of a much higher quality than what is seen here. Hopefully they can serve to scratch that pirate RPG itch that is almost never addressed. Until then, we just sit and wait for someone to handle it in a truly proper fashion.
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The post Astray Review appeared first on .]]>
I find it safe to credit the current revival of the survival horror genre on only a handful of titles from the last few years. Many of which spawned from PC's ever-expanding indie scene. Namely, it was Amnesia that catapulted the otherwise shelved genre back into the minds of gamers at large, re-inventing the genre into the slow-paced, tension building one that many see it as today.
Though with popularity comes imitation and, contrary to how things were just a few years prior, the survival-horror genre is now flooded with its share of releases; good, bad, and everything in between.
Astray, the first major release from Aegon Games – a two man (brothers) development team based out of England – does not shy away from naming Amnesia as a major inspiration for the title. As much as I loved the game, I've been known to throw my fair share of criticism its way in terms of its obtuse take on puzzle solving; something that many titles in the genre suffer for in turn.
While I am happy to say that Astray avoids such trappings, leaning more towards your basic logic puzzles than grinding searches and trial and error guesswork, it, unfortunately, brings with it it's fair share of issues, making it little more than a lackluster, if solidly built, first attempt from the team.
The game rolls out in text, providing the brief backstory for the events going forward. It has been over a week since hearing any word from your museum owning uncle. With the family worried, you've set off for the museum, hoping to find out just what is going on.
The white text on black screen then opens up to a hurried scene of the nameless player character desperately running from . . . something. The creature, and even the chase itself, is never explained or spoken of going forward, so I guess it's up to the players to fill in the blanks there.
The chase quickly ends with a slide down a hill, and an expertly handled roll that leaves the player just a stone's throw from the museum in question, and the beginning of this admittedly short adventure.
The game doesn't take long to throw its first obstacle at you, tasking the player with bypassing the lock sealing the gate to the museum itself. Luckily, the means to opening it is sitting just a few feet away and getting past this obstacle really isn't a problem. Unfortunately, this holds true through almost the entire experience.
As much as I am not a fan of the head-banging, sometimes entirely random logic often administered by similar titles, Astray simplifies it all to such an extent that the puzzles on offer feel almost . . . patronizing. Only once did I ever find myself stuck on a specific puzzle. Even then, with clue in hand and a good idea of where to go, it was a lack of attention that ultimately made me waste the time on the section that I did. Less so the complexity of the puzzle itself.
If the answer to the puzzle wasn't sitting just a hop and a skip away, you can rest assured that it's plainly spelled out for you on one of the random pieces of paper not being used to provide a semblance of context to the otherwise characterless and story-lite experience.
Suffice to say, the puzzles range from either not fun, to simply not engaging. And with such titles come a heavy reliance on puzzles, atmosphere and, most importantly, scares.
Well, the developers don't quite have the science behind worthwhile puzzling down, so it's obvious that the game's strong suit is the world on show, right . . . Right?
Well, not quite. I will give the developers one thing: they delivered a setting that allowed for many different types of locations to fit organically with one another. On the other hand, they did very little with overall aesthetic, meaning players are given a list of varied locations to explore, though none of which will serve to draw the player in to any real degree. They're just plain and uninteresting.
Even from a technical standpoint, the game is nothing to write home about. While (mostly) well put together, the sparse environments and overly clean look does little to impress.
At the end of the day, this is still a horror title. Seemingly everything so far is redeemable, as long as they handled the scares well. Again though, even the overall scare factor the title provides doesn't well meet "par for the course" even. Throughout the short two hour campaign, there's nothing to be found in the way of a genuine scare. The game, while well paced at first, proves just too short, and the content too limited, to properly build the tension within the player to drive them forward.
Players are met, face to face, early on with the game's one and only enemy. And while you would hope such a case would mean it was at least a properly engaging one, it isn't.
The zombie-like creature is slow, dumb, and really just the furthest thing from intimidating I would ever expect to see in a horror game.
It's not especially dangerous, what with its line of site being incredibly short. As is it's attention span. The only real way to set these things off is to shine your rechargeable flashlight on it. In one of the few instances where I did grab its attention, a quick jog away from the monster would end in it giving up the chase, even with the player character still in view. There's just nothing to be found in these confrontations to ever warrant any real sense of fright in the player. At least in the crowd that would be interested in this title in the first place.
What I can say though is that the game is technically sound. With a i5 3570k, paired with a single GTX680, I was able to run the game at 1440p, everything maxed and with high levels of AA without breaking a sweat in all but just a few choice areas. So anyone with even moderately modern rig shouldn't have a problem running this one fairly well. Again though, that's in regards to a title that is by no means a looker.
It does have to be said that I did run into a number of issues while playing the game, namely in the way of the player character clipping through the environment. The game requires players to duck through things such as air vents and nooks in walls on a fairly regular basis throughout. Often times this results in players being shoved outside of the barriers of the game world, seeing everything the developers created from the outside in. While this was never game breaking, still allowing for me to navigate the passages on the way to my goal, issues like this did a lot to pull me out of an experience that was already fighting just to keep me interested in the first place.
This was addressed by the developer, however, as a random bug not everyone should be experiencing, and that they would be addressing it going forward. Only time will tell. It doesn't matter the size of the team, nor the price of the game. If this is a more widespread issue when it comes to the full release, then that's the mark of an unfinished game. Be sure to check the Steam forums before you purchase.
All the negativity aside, It was a good first try for such a small developer. I have seen bigger teams with obviously larger budgets take on similar projects and not do nearly this well. Still, with a long list of similar, though much more engaging experiences to be had, it's hard to recommend this one simply because it's cheap. It's not a terrible experience . . . just a lackluster one.
Hopefully the developers could use this as the building blocks for something that much better down the road. It's easy to see they have down the basics for creating a solid survival horror experience. But whether it be just lack of experience, or even the manpower needed to realize it, what they have on offer is a rather flat experience that simply doesn't live up to the titles that popularized the genre as of recent. I do hope they give this a second shot though. I certainly see potential here, especially if they manage to add the needed talent to the team.
Until then, however, we have Astray and, eh, it's a game.
The post Astray Review appeared first on .]]>
The post Reagan Gorbachev Review appeared first on .]]>
As soon as you start playing the resemblance with Hotline Miami is striking, but after playing it for a while, you start to see that the two games are very different. Sure the top-down stealth nature is the same, but how Reagan Gorbachev plays is very different. You play as both of them as you are able to switch between them and each one has his unique special ability and weapon. So Gorbachev is a tech whiz who can hack terminals to open doors and use a blowdart to poison enemies from afar, while Reagan is a badass samurai donning a katana slashing down terrorists up close. However this doesn't mean that they are limited to only their special weapons as they can pick up and use pretty much everything they can find in the levels. Assault rifles, shotguns, knives, pistols, bazookas, you name it, there's a pretty good chance it is in the game.
So if the running and gunning part is similar to that of Hotline Miami, why I said Reagan Gorbachev plays differently? Well, you can switch between the two characters meaning that on screen you have two characters, one controlled by you and one by the AI. By pressing buttons on the controller you can toggle simple instructions to the AI like follow or stay and this mechanic helps with the puzzles, like picking up color coded keys to open color coded doors or standing on top of pressure plates are some examples. This system makes Reagan Gorbachev play and feel differently as you need to think twice before entering a room in the levels, cause like in HM, one hit and you are dead.
In terms of presentation, it looks OK, nothing really stands out, most of the stuff looks generic and kinda bland. The same can be said for the animations, just don't expect the gory headsmashing of Hotline Miami. However the "cutscenes" in a retro 90's NES style, the excellent sound design with the interesting soundtrack more than redeem the overall plainness of the visual style.
Bottom line: The puzzles are well thought out, the enemy AI is challenging and yeah, lets say that it controls fine. I mean it doesn't really have the fluidity of Hotline Miami, but it is really close to it. Playing with a Dualshock 4 or a X360 controller is better and I highly advise it, but if you only have the OUYA controller, don't worry as you'll get used to it. Should you pick up this game for the OUYA? Yes and if you have a spare controller so a friend can join you couch co-op, heck yeah! Thanks for reading.
The post Reagan Gorbachev Review appeared first on .]]>


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What's my total square footage?
Hi all,
I purchased a raised ranch and the square footage listed is 1,138. I have a full finished basement that is the entire length of the house. I'm assuming that the basement is not counted. Could someone help me figure out how much TOTAL square footage I have?
Kitchen: 15 x 12
Living Rm: 20 x 12
Master Bd: 13 x 12
Bed 2: 13 x 11
Bed 3: 11 x 10
Utility Rm: 15 x 12 (basement)
Family Rm: 37 x 14 (basement)
I think single family homes are measure from the outside. When we had our home appraised the appraiser went around only the outside measuring. Though it doesn't get valued the same as the upper floor on the appraisal. My basement is the same footprint as the upper floor so I'm 1799 x 2. My basement is included as square footage as long as it's finished.
Multiply each room's dimensions (e.g. 15 x 12) and add the totals together. But keep in mind whatever numbers you were given when looking are likely not to be completely accurate - people round them off, fudge a little, make mistakes when figuring out 'jogs', and are just plain sloppy, plus you are right that certain areas may not be figured into the mix. The outside dimensions are just that, and those ones (on Canadian 'cut' sheets anyway, are usually given as separate measurements along with the inside ones, which are the ones you are interested in, I think.
Ditto what Lucy said. The reported total sq. footage is very often not accurate. My house was advertised as being 874 sq. ft. , but is actually under 850. Also, unfinished basements are generally not counted in my area, but that may be a regional thing. Finished basements usually are described as "including basement" around here.
Depends on if you want realtor square feet or usable square feet. As another poster said, when a house is appraised or listed for sale, the measurements are made outside (optimistic *smile*). So if you're comparing houses for sale, keep in mind for realty listings that although the absolute number is misleading, you should be able to compare them between listings, anyways.
Like we started with a 1650 square foot house, added 300 square feet, and when the resulting house was appraised for a re-fi, it was a 2000 square foot house. Interesting...

subset: commoncrawl


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This Australian documentary, that has won praise from professionals in the field, highlights how real estate distorts the rest of the economy.
Visit the rest of our Video Collection.
How economies work – and don't
the study of the money we spend on the nature we use. When we pay that money to private owners, we reward both speculation and over-extraction. Robert Kiyosaki's bestseller, Rich Dad's Prophecy, says, "One of the reasons McDonald's is such a rich company is not because it sells a lot of burgers but because it owns the land at some of the best intersections in the world. The main reason Kim and I invest in such properties is to own the land at the corner of the intersection. (p 200) My real estate advisor states that the rich either made their money in real estate or hold their money in real estate." (p 141, via Greg Young) When government recovers the rents for natural advantages for everyone, it can save citizens millions. Ben Sevack, Montreal steel manufacturer, tells us (August 12) that Alberta, by leasing oil & gas fields, recovers enough revenue to be the only province in Canada to get by without a sales tax and to levy a flat provincial income tax. While running for re-election, provincial Premier Ralph Klein proposes to abolish their income tax and promises to eliminate medical insurance premiums and use resource revenue to pay for all medical expense for seniors. After all this planned tax-cutting and greater expense, they still expect a large budget surplus. Even places without oil and gas have high site values in their downtowns, and high values in their utility franchises. Recover the values of locations and privileges, displace the harmful taxes on sales, salaries, and structures, then use the revenue to fund basic government and pay residents a dividend, and you have geonomics in action.
suitable for framing by Green Parties. When Greens began in Germany two decades ago, they defined themselves as neither left nor right but in front. Geonomics fits that description. The Green Parties have their Four Pillars; geonomists have four ways to apply them:
- Ecological Wisdom. Want people to use the eco-system wisely? Charge them Rent and, to end corporate license, add surcharges. To minimize these costs, people will use less Earth.
- Nonviolence. Want people to settle disputes nonviolently? Set a good example; don't levy taxes, which rely on the threat of incarceration, to take people's money. Try quid pro quo fees and dues.
- Social Responsibility. Want people to be responsible for their actions? Don't make basic choices for them by subsidizing services, addicting them to a caretaker state. Let people spend shares of social surplus.
- Grassroots Democracy. Better have grassroots prosperity. Remember, political power follows economic. Pay people a Citizens Dividend; to keep it, they'll show up at the polls, public hearings, and conventions.
more transformation than reform; it's a step ahead. Harvard economics students this year did petition to change the curriculum, in the wake of the English who caught the dissension from across The Channel. French reformers, who fault conventional economics for conjuring mathematical models of little empirical relevance and being closed to critical and reflective thought, reject this "autism" – or detachment from reality – and dub their offering "post-autistic economics". Not a bad name, but again, academics define themselves by what they're not, not by what they are, unlike geonomists. We track rent – the money we spend on the nature we use – and watch it pull all the other economic indicators in its wake. We see economies as part of the ecosystem, similarly following natural patterns and able to self-regulate more so than allowed, once we quit distorting prices. To align people and planet, we'd replace taxes and subsidies with recovering and sharing rents.
a way to connect the dots. Making the cyber rounds is "The Cavernous Divide" by Scott Klinger, from AlterNet (posted March 21): "As the number of billionaires in the world expands, so does the number of those in poverty." Duh. The yawning income gap is not news. Nearly every issue of our quarterly digest carries a similar quote. Yet the connection was worked out long ago by one of America's greatest thinkers, Henry George, who labeled his masterpiece, Progress and Poverty. Techno- and socio-advances always enrich few and impoverish many. Yet progress also pushes up location values – the geonomic insight (is Silicon Valley cheaper now or more expensive?). Instead of taxing income, sales, or buildings, society could collect those values of sites, resources, EM spectrum, and ecosystem services via fees and dues, which would lower the income ceiling, and instead of lavishing corporate welfare, pay out the recovered revenue via dividends, which would jack up the income floor. Dots connected.
in part the Great Green Tax Shift maxed out. Economically, taxing pollution and depletion does reduce pollutants and extracts – and thus the tax base; plus such taxes are regressive, requiring a safety net. On the other hand, collecting site rent is progressive and generates a revenue surplus payable as a dividend to residents, which can serve as the safety net. Environmentally, taxes on waste and extraction do not drive efficient use of land, as does getting site rent.
a POV that Spain's president might try. A few blocks from my room in Madrid at a book fair to promote literacy, Sr Zapatero, while giving autographs and high fives to kids, said books are very expensive and he'd see about getting the value added tax on them cut down to zero. (El Pais, June 4; see, politicians can grasp geo-logic.) But why do we raise the cost of any useful product? Why not tax useless products? Even more basic: is being better than a costly tax good enough? Our favorite replacement for any tax is no tax: instead, run government like a business and charge full market value for the permits it issues, such as everything from corporate charters to emission allowances to resource leases. These pieces of paper are immensely valuable, yet now our steward, the state, gives them away for nearly free, absolutely free in some cases. Government is sitting on its own assets and needs merely to cash in by doing what any rational entity in the economy does – negotiate the best deal. Then with this profit, rather than fund more waste, pay the stakeholders, we citizenry, a dividend. Thereby geonomics gets rid of two huge problems. It replaces taxes with full-value fees and replaces subsidies for special interests with a Citizens Dividend for people in general. Neither left nor right, this reform is what both nature lovers and liberty lovers need to promote, right now.
the annoying habit of seeing the hand of land in almost all transactions. In geonomics we maintain the distinction between the items bearing exchange value that come into being via human effort — wealth — and those that don't — land. Keeping this distinction in the forefront makes it obvious that speculating in land drives sprawl, that hoarding land retards Third World development, that borrowing to buy land plus buildings engorges banks, that much so-called "interest" is quasi-rent, that the cost of land inflates faster than the price of produced goods and services, that over half of corporate profit is from real estate (Urban Land Institute, 1999). Summing up these analyses, geonomists offer a Grand Unifying Theory, that the flow of rent pulls all other indicators in its wake. Geonomics differs from economics as chemistry from alchemy, as astronomy from astrology.
the policy that the earth's natural patterns suggests. Use the eco-system's self-regulating feedback loops as a model. What then needs changing? Basically, the flow of money spent to own or use Earth (both sites and resources) must visit each of us. Our agent, government, exists to collect this natural rent via fees and to disburse the collected revenue via dividends. Doing this, we could forgo taxes on homes and earnings and subsidies of either the needy or the greedy. For more, see our web site, our pamphlet of the title above, or any of our other lit pieces; ask for our literature list.
a discipline that, compared to economics, is as obscure as Warren Buffett's investment strategy, compared to conventional investment theory, about which Buffett said, "You couldn't advance in a finance department in this country unless you taught that the world was flat." (The New York Times, Oct 29). The writer wondered, "But why? If it works, why don't more investors use it?" Good question. Geonomics works, too. Every place that has used it has prospered while conserving resources. Yet it remains off the radar of many wanna-be reformers. Gradually, tho', that's changing. More are becoming aware of what geonomics studies – all the money we spend on the nature we use. Geonomics (1) as an alternative worldview to the anthropocentric, sees human economies as part of the embracing ecosystem with natural feedback loops seeking balance in both systems. (2) As an alternative to worker vs. investor, it sees our need for sites and resources making those who own land into landlords. (3)As an alternative to economics, it tracks the trillions of "rent" as it drives the "housing" bubble and all other indicators. And (4) as an alternative to left or right, it suggests we not tax ourselves then subsidize our favorites but recover and share society's surplus, paying in land dues and getting back "rent" dividends, a la Alaska's oil dividend. Letting rent go to the wrong pockets wreaks havoc, while redirecting it to everyone would solve our economic ills and the ills downstream from them. People must learn to stop whining so much and feel enough self-esteem to demand a fair share of rent, society's surplus, the commonwealth.
a study of a phenomenon David Ricardo noted going on two centuries ago. When wine grapes rise to $10,000 a ton from the very best land (last year, cabernet sauvignon commanded an average of $4,021 a ton in the Napa Valley), then vineyard prices soar from $18,000 an acre in the 1980′s to $100,000 an acre five years ago and now for a top pedigree up to $300,000 an acre (The New York Times, April 9, via Wyn Achenbaum). Pricey land does not make wine pricey; spendy wine makes land spendy. While vintners make their wine tasty, nature and society in general – not any lone owner – make land desireable. Steve Kerch of CBS's MarketWatch (April 5) notes that much of what a home sells for on the open market is a reflection of intangible factors such as what school district the house sits in. The price the builder has to pay for the land also tends to be driven by the same intangibles. Because the value of land comes from society, and because one's use excludes the rest of society, each user owes all others compensation, and is owed compensation by everyone else. Sharing land's value, instead of taxing one's efforts, is the policy of geonomics.
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Reasoning was not designed to pursue the truth. Reasoning was designed by evolution to help us win arguments.
The future ain't what it used to be.
Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto.
The real test of our values is not when things are going well but when things are not going well.
A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.
Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.
A man must not deny his manifest abilities, for that is to evade his obligations.
There ought to be one day — just one –when there is open season on Congressmen.
Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.


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December 1, 2004
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July 1, 1999
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Book your room at Travelodge Parsippany
Room, 1 King Bed, Non SmokingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child)
Room, 1 King Bed, SmokingMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child)
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Room, 2 Double Beds, SmokingMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children)
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Parsippany hotel with a complimentary breakfast
Situated in Parsippany, this hotel is in the same area as Parsippany Main Library, Pinch Brook Golf Course, and Florham Park Roller Rink. Area attractions also include Frelinghuysen Arboretum and Livingston Mall.
Hotel Features
Travelodge Parsippany offers a complimentary continental breakfast. Other amenities include complimentary wireless Internet access, dry cleaning/laundry services, and laundry facilities.
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Televisions come with cable channels. Guestrooms also feature complimentary wireless Internet access, refrigerators, and microwaves.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. A business center is on site. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. This Parsippany hotel also offers a fitness center, coffee/tea in the lobby, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby.
- 24-hour front desk
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Elevator/lift
- Free WiFi
- Laundry facilities
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Business center
- Fitness facilities
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Room Amenities
- Free weekday newspaper
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- Microwave
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- In-room safe
- Desk
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Where to Eat
Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.
Nearby Things to Do
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible path of travel
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Minimum check-in age is 21
Check-in time starts at 3:30 PM
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Respond to Review of Organic - Boqueria
by Munchi-chi
Review: We didn't eat at this location, but since the food in the display at the Boqueria location looks just like the food at the Hospital street location I figured I'd write my review here. Almost all of the food has cheese on it which didn't seem very necessary. We asked which was vegan and was only given 3 choices. I got the spicy burrito and my husband got the non-spicy. It was OK, really nothing to write home about, but they not only give you the burrito, they load it up w/ a weird onion goop, possibly hummus, & something else I don't recall. I really just wanted the burrito but it was a huge plate of food. When we were at the Boqueria location there was an English couple buying something and was quite shocked when they were handed this plate full stuff! I guess it's really a good value for the price 6-7 euros, but I could have done without.
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From the counter at the back of Al-Mahjar Middle Eastern Market, NW corner of 108th and Cicero Ave. The small store looks well-stocked, e.g., homemade yogurt.
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Cyclone edges towards Ryanair
Trainer Shark Hanlon is leaning towards the Ryanair Chase with Hidden Cyclone following Cue Card's defection.
Trainer Shark Hanlon is leaning towards the Ryanair Chase with Hidden Cyclone following Cue Card's defection.
Henry de Bromhead is no nearer to deciding whether to let Sizing Europe return to Cheltenham for another tilt at the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Gordon Lord Byron is unlikely to take up his engagement at Dundalk on Friday, with a flight to Hong Kong booked for midweek.
Trainer Eoin Griffin is keeping his fingers crossed Azorian has turned a corner after the highly tried gelding gained an overdue success at Navan.
Noel Meade has kept the winners ticking along recently and the County Meath handler put another on the scoreboard when Wildebeest won as he liked in the Nobber Maiden Hurdle at Navan.
Gitane Du Berlais ran her rivals ragged as she made all the running to win unchallenged in the Prix Juigne at Auteuil.
Gordon Elliott was thrilled with his army of Cheltenham Festival aspirants after a good chunk of his yard worked after racing at Leopardstown on Saturday.
Owner Graham Wylie has described Black Hercules as "a monster" ahead of his run in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Willie Mullins singled out JLT Novices' Chase hopeful Vautour for special praise after a post-racing workout at Leopardstown.
Tony McCoy, who had a double at Newbury yesterday, has tipped Down Royal hero Jezki as his best hope for glory at what will be the...
Saint John Henry brought up a century for the campaign for trainer David Pipe with an impressive display in the Weatherbys Bank...
Ante-post favourite Bordini is one of eight possible runners for Willie Mullins after 46 horses were entered for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival on March 11.
Fine Theatre will try to add another Grade Two success to the family laurels as he goes for glory in the Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle at Thurles.
Dual winner Salsify heads a formidable Irish contingent among 45 entries for the St James's Place Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Trainer Tim Doyle has no regrets over electing not to enter Mallowney for the Cheltenham Festival despite another runaway success at Naas on Sunday.
Ruby Walsh is dreading being on the wrong one in the StanJames Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in a fortnight.
Ruby Walsh believes Champagne Fever's course form will be an asset when he lines-up at the Cheltenham Festival.
Former Crumlin trainer Ian Duncan produced the winner of the feature Eider Chase at Newcastle at the weekend with Milborough romping to victory in the four miles plus marathon steeplechase.
Empire Of Dirt got off the mark over fences with a determined effort in the feature Woodlands Park 100 Club Nas Na Riogh Novice Handicap Chase at Naas.
Lean Araig benefited from a power-packed drive from Robbie Colgan to claim top honours in the Paddy Power Shops Better Value Novice Hurdle at Naas.
Martin O'Neill is targeting victory over Scotland in...
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill expects...
Shane Long came off the bench to keep the...
Aidan O'Brien has nominated Gleneagles and Highland...


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Weird Garbage Disposal Wiring and Breaker
The garbage disposal is supposed to be on a dedicated circuit. It was installed at the end of November. It stopped working. We checked the breaker. The breaker wasn't tripped. We turned the breaker off and on. The circuit worked again. Again, the dispoal stopped working. Again, we reset the UNTRIPPED breaker.
What is wrong with the wiring?
What type breakers do you have? They don't all show an obvious indication of being tripped.
As for why it's tripping, try using the maintenance wrench that came with the GD to see if it turns without undue resistance when turned off and no debris is in the drain.
GDs have built in overload protection.
The red button on the red button on the bottom of the unit should require resetting if the GD is locked up.
If the breaker is tripping there very well could be a problem with the feed to the GD, or even the connection in the base of the GD or the switch wiring.


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Education & Labor Committee Republicans
Promoting Limited Government and Personal Freedom
Committee Leaders Applaud House Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Increase Efficiency Under Davis-Bacon Act
Sep 10, 2013 -
The House of Representatives today approved the Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act (H.R. 2747). Introduced by Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Ranking Member Joe Courtney (D-CT), the bill moves responsibility for wage claims adjus...
Foxx Statement: Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute for H.R. 2637
Jul 24, 2013 -
Today's debate affords us a valuable opportunity to discuss challenges facing our higher education system. There's no denying that the cost of college is skyrocketing. Combined in-state tuition and fees at public four-year universities have increased 81 percent over the last decade and similar trend...
Kline Statement: Markup of H.R. 2637, the Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act
Jul 24, 2013 -
Our nation is still struggling with a slow economic recovery. Job openings are scarce, and as a result, competition for available positions is extremely tough. Many Americans are eager for opportunities to gain new skills that will help their resume stand out among hundreds of job applications. High...
What They're Saying: School Leaders Voice Strong Support for Student Success Act
Jul 18, 2013 -
Support continues to grow for the Student Success Act (H.R. 5), legislation the House is currently considering to rewrite the nation's K-12 education law. As detailed in letters sent to the committee, the Student Success Act will help raise student achievement by restoring local control, supporting ...
Trusting State and Local Education Leaders
Jul 10, 2013 -
No one understands the needs of students better than the parents, teachers, and school administrators who spend time with them every day. Yet current law assumes Washington knows best, mandating one-size-fits-all accountability requirements that restrict states' ability to effectively evaluate and i...
Heck: Time to Give Control Back to State and Local Leaders Who Know Our Kids Best
Jul 8, 2013 -
House Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans today released the third in a series of videos highlighting the four key principles of the Student Success Act (H.R. 5), legislation to reform federal K-12 education law. Watch Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) explain how the bill will restore local contro...
Shrinking Washington's Role in Our Schools
Jun 26, 2013 -
America's education system faces serious challenges, and the federal law governing K-12 classrooms is overdue for reform. But instead of working with Congress to rewrite the law, the Obama administration is using conditional waivers and pet grant programs to compel states to adopt the president's pr...
The Student Success Act: Reducing the Federal Footprint
Jun 24, 2013 -
THE PROBLEM: Over the last four decades, the federal government's role in K-12 education has increased dramatically. Despite tripling federal funding since 1965, student achievement has remained flat. Meanwhile, the Department of Education currently operates more than 80 programs tied to K-12 class...
Republicans Introduce NLRA Reforms to Protect Secret Ballot and Roll Back Micro-Union Scheme
Jun 13, 2013 -
Republicans today introduced two legislative proposals that would protect workers' right to secret ballot union elections and roll back the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) micro-union Specialty Healthcare decision. The Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions will discuss both...
H.R. 2347: Representation Fairness Restoration Act
Jun 13, 2013 -
THE PROBLEM: Unions have long tried to organize small groups or "units" of employees as an incremental step toward organizing an entire workplace. A standard used for decades by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) required a different approach, one that promoted unity in workplaces by includi...
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Jauja (2015)
Review: 'Jauja,' a Desperate Odyssey in the Argentine Desert
Friday, March 27, 2015
Each week, the movie critics of The Times recommend a selection of films for the Movies section of NYTimes.com. The recommendations are based solely on that critic's personal opinion of the film. Below are films recommended by the three main critics of The Times: Manohla Dargis, A. O. Scott and Stephen Holden, along with other critics who review films for the Arts section of the newspaper.
(Original release dates listed after movie titles.)
Review: 'Jauja,' a Desperate Odyssey in the Argentine Desert
Review: 'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,' Inspired by an Urban Legend
Review: In 'Eva,' Robot Designer Loves Cute Kid
Review: 'Like Sunday, Like Rain,' a Sentimental Intersection of Two Lives
Review: In 'It Follows,' a Shape-Shifting Horror Stalks a Teenager
(Original release dates listed after movie titles.)
The Quest for Storybook Endings in a Scary but Magical World
Siblings in Survival Mode on Land and in Water
One Man's Crisis of the Soul (It's a Comedy)
He Suffers for Art, and Forces Everyone Around Him to Do So
All Picks From Manohla Dargis »
All Picks From Stephen Holden »


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|1 reviews in total
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Cedric the Entertainer starred in this episode as the pastor who is
going to marry Elka and Fred. Of course, we have the inane jokes about
two old people tying the knot. Rather benign when you come to think of
Remember the scene in Woman's World with June Allyson and Lauren Bacalle at Klein's basement. We have the same type of lunacy with the girls at a bridal place. This could have been hysterical but became only a passing phase.
Elka seems to be getting scared as the wedding day approaches. Never knew that she and Joy can't really stand each other.
|Plot keywords
|Main details
|Your user reviews
|Your vote history


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Match Reviews
Daily Cannon Daily Cannon - Arsenal. Daily. How did our pre-match reactions stack up against the actual game? We take a look here. The post Time to plug in the charger – post-Newcastle reactions... [Read More]
It is now mid-March and we are really getting into the business end of the season. This is a crucial time for us and a time we have notoriously been known for falling away. A clinical performance agai... [Read More]
How did Daily Cannon's pre-match predictions turn out after game? [Read More]
How did our pre-match predictions stack up after the game? [Read More]
Another midweek match, another chance for hilarity avoided. In addition to our extensive pre-match coverage of the game, we've got our writers together [Read More]
Another weekend, another Sunday game, another three points. In addition to our extensive pre-match coverage of the game, we got our writers [Read More]
How Mesut Ozil shone once again and a look at the tactics behind Arsenal's win over Everton [Read More]
The Daily Cannon writers react to the total shambles from Arsenal in the Champions League against Monaco. [Read More]
Arsenal welcomed Monaco to the Emirates and then promptly bent over. Read more here. [Read More]
A rare 3pm Saturday game for Arsenal this week saw the Gunners reclaim a top four spot. In addition to our extensive [Read More]


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As others see it: Bad timing for MnSCU pay bonus
Top administrators of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system will receive $416,000 in bonuses this year in a time of deep recession and students paying through the nose in rising tuition costs.
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Empty Lighthouse Magazine
An Interview With Torche's Jon Nunez
Empty Lighthouse Magazine
Torche, a sludge-slinging quartet from Southern Florida, played the venue for two nights in promotion of their new album, Restarter. If you haven't listened Restarter yet, you should. When I first discovered it, I was embarrassed for having no previous ...
Noisey (blog)
Everybody Pukes: Torche's Final Tour Diary
Noisey (blog)
With Restarter still ringing in the public's ears, Torche is knee-deep in their US tour with NOTHING and WRONG, and things are getting weird. Guitarist Andrew Elstner can take it from here.... Dear diary, I've been slacking so here's a quick rundown from ...
TORCHE Premiere "Annihilation Affair" Video
TORCHE is in the final week of a North American tour and will head overseas on May 2 for a month of European dates before returning to the U.S. for a co-headline run with MELT-BANANA. See the tour dates below for a complete listing of performances.
and more »
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What a great place!!
Hiking/ Lunch
Old Town Bistro
135 E. Main St., Ste 101, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Located in the historic McCrory Building - site of the 'Friendship Nine' sit-in in 1960, Come dine with us to find out why we are one of the most popular restaurants in Rock Hill!, Our service is second to none.
This is a special restaurant....food is very good and plentiful. Desserts to die for!!
Traditional "diner" choices; but here and there... some yummy Greek traditionals ... gyros and lots of feta cheese MMmmm!
About the Trails
Hike level: easy to moderate (because of length)
Located in a 778-acre natural area, this 8.5 mile network of backcountry paths crosses land steeped in local history and tradition. Native Americans and Americans of European and African descent share the same rich cultural heritage of the Carolina Piedmont. Travel through fields and woodlands that have provided resources for food and shelter for thousands of years. Along with history, you'll discover the geographical diversity of the Carolina Piedmont as you walk or ride through forests, wetland and prairie, each with its own distinctive plants and wildlife, as well as historic landmarks dating back to the 1770s.
An excerpt from A Brief History of Historic Brattonsville by Michael Scoggins, CHM Historian
After 1915 Brattonsville continued in operation for several decades under the stewardship of a series of tenant farmers who worked for the Bratton family. In 1958, a retired IBM manager named R. Fisher Draper purchased 630 acres, which included Hightower Hall, from the heirs of John Simpson Bratton Jr. In 1962 he obtained the property that included the Col. William Bratton House.
About the same time, a York County judge and former state legislator, Samuel Mendenhall, purchased Napoleon Bratton's old estate, including the Brick House and the Bratton Store. Senator Mendenhall spearheaded an effort to have Brattonsville designated as a historic district and helped establish the York County Historical Commission to manage the property.
In 1963 the Col. Bratton House was placed in the care of the Historical Commission, and in 1971 the Brattonsville Historic District was officially created with Joe Rainey as its first director. This Historic District included the Col. Bratton House, the Homestead, the Brick House and Forest Hall (now called Hightower Hall), and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places that same year.
In 1994 the York County government purchased 435 acres of the R. F. Draper estate which included Hightower Hall, and in 2001 the 55-acre Mendenhall tract was purchased by the county as well. The Homestead House remains in the possession of the descendants of Dr. Rufus Bratton and is operated by the York County Culture and Heritage Commission under a perpetual lease.
Historic Brattonsville® exists today as a 775-acre, internationally known historical site, and is one of the most important and heavily visited cultural attractions in South Carolina. It stands as a testament to the pioneering spirit and industry of the Bratton family, and to the hard work and sacrifice of their descendants and slaves.
General Admission:
Adults (18-59) $6
Seniors (60+) $5
Youth (4-17) $3
Members & Children 3 and younger
Good, great weather
0 · March 10, 2013
Great time and great people! We had beautiful weather!
0 · March 10, 2013
the outing was great. good people to hang with. great weather!
0 · March 9, 2013
I'm driving from the Fort Mill/Tega Cay area if someone is interested in carpooling from here. Leaving here at 9 am. approx.
0 · March 8, 2013
Sorry I cannot make it...I have class Saturday
0 · March 7, 2013
If anyone needs a ride, I can meet you at StoneCrest or Fort Mill, whichever is easier, for you, Fort Mill is on my way.
give me a call or text me if you want me to meet you. [masked]-2563. :)
0 · March 7, 2013
The trails are not on the sites but near the sites. The trail natural area, this 1- 8.5 mile network of backcountry paths crosses land steeped in local history and tradition. You can do a shorter hike or do the 8.5. I have ask for a tour for the group and then we can hike or if folks want go on their own they are welcome too and meet for lunch. We will meet as a group for the tour .
0 · March 6, 2013
Hi - I have a couple questions - are the historical sites/buildings along the trail as we hike or in other areas? How long is the trail and are there shorter routes to take and maybe meet up later before lunch?
0 · March 6, 2013
I would meet at 8:30 for car pool. Make sure you are going to lunch if you are carpooling and don't have a set time to be home if you are car pooling.
I will not be car pooling for this one. I will have Casey and Casey has a ball game later that day.It's an hour drive drive. We should be there at 9:45 A.M.
0 · March 3, 2013
Hi everyone you need to post time you will meet @ Stonecrest shopping center, where you will park, have a sign, color of you car
all info so people can find you. You will need to make arrangementstime, phone #'s.
Someone needs to be the driver and each person needs to help with gas.
We have 3 people wanting to car pool. Annie, Nancy and Jody.
0 · March 3, 2013
I want to carpool. Ballantyne area.
0 · March 3, 2013
Please car pool. Places you can carpool from.
South Charlotte/Ballantyne – Target at Stonecrest, Rea Rd exit off I-485 South Charlotte/Ballantyne
REI Store @11067 Carolina Place Parkway
Pineville, NC28134
University Area – IKEA off I-85 & N. Tryon St. Some of the places I use. You can post where you would like to carpool from. Phone #'s help.
0 · March 3, 2013
I decided to start Reno Motorcycle Riders Group because I wanted to be part of a group of people who enjoyed my passion... I was excited and nervous. Our group has grown by leaps and bounds. I never thought it would be this big.
— Henry, started Reno Motorcycle Riders
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