Max Payne 3 - Review

Due to the success of games such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire, many have come to expect the Rockstar Games label to exclusively deliver free-roaming, immersive world experiences. It was for this reason that I was hesitant to pick up Max Payne 3 - a sequel to the groundbreaking Remedy games series that plainly announced its intentions to deliver nothing more than a linear, cinematic campaign.
In this modern video gaming era, players are given so much freedom of choice. They can roam a vast world hunting dragons and pursuing numerous optional quests in Skyrim. They can choose any item from a vast arsenal to engage their enemy in Battlefield 3 and leave a crumbling, battle scarred terrain in their wake. They can ride around, blasting away fellow players and gangs of NPC bandits in Rockstar's own Red Dead Redemption multiplayer and explore a vast story terrain in the single player. With games like these occupying our attention, is there really still room for the linear storyline?

Prometheus - Review

It's been nearly a week since I saw Ridley Scott's Prometheus at the cinema, and since then the film has occupied that vague part of my mind, somewhere between 'enjoyment' and 'disappointment.' It's taken me a while to find myself in a position to write a fair review, and that's primarily because the film did not meet my expectations, for positive and negative reasons. Infact, I imagine many viewers will find themselves surprised by the product of Scott's much publicised return to science-fiction, and without a doubt, the film will divide audiences quite decisively. It's the type of movie that ignites interesting debates across the board, but sadly for Prometheus, I can't imagine all of those debates will positively reflect the film.