Sattalk Forums

Grand Slam Tennis

Sattalk — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:08:12 +0100

by: Sattalk

Description: EA's new tennis game makes a number of unforced errors that hamper what could've been a brilliant package. The Good Online play is fun and easy to set up Solid multiplayer offering Features all four grand slams. The Bad Unforgiving controls with little assistance to improve Steep learning curve Career mode is a bit short-lived with no minor tournaments to participate in No Tutorial mode. It's been more than a decade since EA's last tennis outing, so it came as a big surprise when EA announced Grand Slam Tennis would be coming to the Nintendo Wii. The game features an all-star cast of past and present players, and with Wimbledon's inclusion, it's the first time we've seen all four Grand Slam tournaments together. Grand Slam is fun to play at times, but it's ultimately hampered by a frustrating control scheme and steep difficulty curve in the single-player mode.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Sattalk — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:05:45 +0100

by: Sattalk

Description: This egregious, twisted mess of narrative is not an auspicious start to Square Enix's latest foray into the realm of episodic content. The Good Features helpful upgrades to the classic battle system. The Bad Disjointed, poorly constructed narrative Story that shamelessly strip mines fan nostalgia Absurdly high random encounter rate Very, very, short. When it was originally released nearly 18 years ago, Final Fantasy IV set the standard for an entire generation of role-playing games with its fantastic storytelling, technical prowess, and memorable characters. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, an untimely sequel with poorly conceived parallel storylines, among a number of other fatal flaws. This meager beginning to an episodic adventure is an ill-advised purchase for even the most nostalgic of fans.

Doctor Who: Delta and the Bannermen DVD

Sattalk — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:02:48 +0100

by: Sattalk

Description: It can be hard work being a fan of Sylvester McCoy sometimes. Because his Seventh Doctor only appeared in twelve stories (not counting the McGann movie) each one�s importance is magnified, so that while the undoubted highs of his era gain additional prominence, so too do the lows. The problem is compounded by the fact that, unlike the eras of his two predecessors, the quality of his stories varies wildly and unpredictably � one week we get Remembrance of the Daleks, one of the show�s all-time greats, another we get Silver Nemesis, a story whose fan nickname Silly Nemesis tells you just how bad that particular adventure is. Somewhat fittingly, this capriciousness is reflected in the man himself, whose performance can go from being spine-tingling good to toe-curlingly bad, quite often in the same scene. The net result is a three-season rollercoaster ride, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes terrifying (not always for the right reasons), usually utterly exhausting but never, ever dull. Unfortunately as far as the DVD range is concerned, we�ve already covered most of the solid gold McCoy classics, and with the release of Delta and the Bannermen we've now started on the dregs. The range has been going for nine years now, but Delta marks the debut of Season Twenty-Four, McCoy�s first, onto DVD. There�s a reason for this; it�s mostly dreadful. Fan opinion can seldom agree on much, but there is a majority view that McCoy�s first four stories come close to being the nadir of the entire series, and while Delta is not the worst of the quartet (that honour falls to Time and the Rani) it�s problems greatly outweigh its few good points. The one problem with the DVD range, however, is that we are perforce invited to evaluate each story entirely on its own merits, shorn of its historical context. Viewed in the running order of the show, Delta actually marks a turning point; after years of identikit, miserable stories featuring death, destruction and a distinctly nihilistic tone, Delta was a ray of sunshine, a jolly, light-hearted romp that remembered that once upon a time Who was as much about joie de vivre and celebrating life as it was overcoming mercenaries wielding giant guns. It marked a moment of transition; sure, it still featured a group of mercenaries, but it also had a jaunty soundtrack, an innocent romance, and a death count far lower than virtually any story from Colin Baker�s time. In and of itself it wasn�t great, but it was the first story which began to recapture some of Who�s magic, and the first in which McCoy�s Doctor began to take form and assert itself. Full review http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/70880/doctor-who-delta-and-the-bannermen.html

Terminator Salvation

Sattalk — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:16:07 +0100

by: Sattalk

Description: Details: 2009, USA, Cert 12A, 114 mins, Sci-fi, Dir: McG With: Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Christian Bale, Common, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Ironside, Moon Bloodgood, Sam Worthington Summary: The man fated to lead the human resistance against the machines goes into the heart of the robot army's operations