Yes, I really am a green-eyed girl and I love Star Wars, reading, Harry Potter, video games, and Nancy Drew. So I guess that makes me a regular geek. :-) I like writing and will probably someday write and publish a few books, IF I ever overcome my severe writer's block when writing a good story. I also like spelling, and I freak out if something is misspelled. I like reading, and I like to reread books over and over again, which a lot of people find weird.
Earlier this month, I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 with a friend.
I just have to say ... the movie was NOT what I expected! I read about how people pretty much hated it. That got me worried, but in the end, I didn't really have to worry because THE MOVIE WAS AWESOME!!!!
Okay, this would not be much of a review if I didn't talk about it, so ...
Where do I start? Well, the movie pretty much follows the book. There are a few things they left out that could've been great, like Luna's bedroom and the monument in Godric's Hollow of Harry's house and the note from Lily Potter to Sirius ... you know the one I'm talking about?
Anyway, I guess if I'm going to be a critic before I start raving about the movie, I have to say that there were, of course, great parts that were forgotten. Plus, the infamous locket scene? Um, not EXACTLY the description J.K. Rowling gave us in the book. And also, I have to say this: there was this whole small romance in the first half of the movie, sort of between HARRY and HERMIONE. Seriously, after Ron left, Hermione was all sad, playing with the radio, and this song came on, and Harry started dancing with her! Plus, I think they held hands a few times, but maybe more in a "yeah-we're-just-friends" kinda way. And then all this escalated into the locket scene ... but anyway, I'm just saying that this pseudo-romance between Harry and Hermione wasn't apparent in the book.
Besides that, the movie was GREAT! Some parts were epic and dark like they should be, i.e. the murder of random people and Nagini/Bathilda Bagshot. Then there were the tear-jerker moments, like the death of Hedwig and Dobby (although more people in the theater starting sniffling when Dobby died, even though the movie people crafted this story where Hedwig "protected" Harry from the Avada Kedrava curse). I really liked the Tale of the Three Brothers part, I have to say.
Well, what much else is there to say, other than GO SEE THE MOVIE NOW! If you haven't already. And IMAX is truly amazing ... seriously. That's what I saw it in.
OKAY. That may have been sort of spoilerish? But I just had to let it all out.
Any other Potterites out there? Did you love the movie? Hate it? Let me know in the comments, if you want.
Hey Nancy Drew fans! Because it's been over a month since I've played and beat the game Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water's Edge, I decided to write my very first video game review for it! Here we go ...
Trailer:
Release Date: October 2010 Rating: E10+ (Everyone ages 10 and up) Producer: HERinteractive Game Number: #23
Description: Terror Ripples through a Japanese Inn! Traditional Japanese family ryokans (inns) are charming places, but a vengeful ghost is terrifying you and other unsuspecting guests. Is there a shadowy specter haunting this placid inn or is something far more sinister driving away business? Check in as Nancy Drew and see if you can uncover the secrets submerged in the Shadow at the Water's Edge!
Review:
First off, I have to say this game was AWESOME. The plot was well-structured and made sense, the characters were alive with emotion (unlike the characters in Trail of the Twister), and the setting made me feel like I was actually in Japan! Amazing game overall.
Story: The aforementioned plot of SAW is put together pretty well. There may be a few noticeable holes in it (like the whole "Yumi's secret" part), but everything flows together pretty nicely and quite creepily. The game focuses mainly on the hauntings that have occurred at the Ryokan Hiei--this is good material for a Nancy Drew game. There is a bit of darkness to this plot, because someone drowned in the ryokan and the characters pretty much refuse to talk to you about it. But in my opinion, this is just what makes the game more mysterious and intriguing.
Characters: I loved just about every character in this game. A few of them were pretty fun to talk to; others, I enjoyed pushing their buttons a little (once to the point where I got kicked out of the ryokan!). There was nothing too vague about any of the characters, although I would've liked to talk to Savannah Woodham, the ghost hunter, some more. There were backstories behind the characters that you learned about later in the game from the other characters. By the time I got to the end of the game, I was pretty darn upset with who the culprit turned out to be. I felt that the characters in SAW were pretty unique, and I hope maybe HERinteractive will consider recycling a few of them in the next ND games!
Setting: The setting was ... beautiful. The ryokan was gorgeous and cultural, although a little creepy (which was totally intended, I'm sure). I really liked Yumi's apartment, for some reason. And there was so much to explore in the ryokan, plus they captured the "creepy, haunted spot" really well. And yet ... the game left me thirsting for more Japan. I would have liked to see some more of the city, and more Japanese tradition in the city, maybe, and some other modern things in Japanese culture in the city. I don't know, I felt like the guys at HERinteractive could have expanded the setting of the game a whole lot more.
Music: Oh my gosh, the music is FANTASTIC!!!! It's pants-wetting scary when it needs to be, and then serene and beautiful and cultural when it should be. Plus, that upbeat techno pop music in the city? ♥♥♥ The music-making people of this game get an A+++ for their efforts to scare the snot out of us.
Scariness: And I thought the MUSIC was scary! Man, some parts of this game were just chilling. I do have to say, though, that there are only really two times you see the ghost. And if you haven't seen pictures or footage of the ghost before ... you will be scared! I know I was, but after I got over the initial shock, I kept replaying the part when the ghost popped up, again and again. The time when it pops up in the bath house is DEFINITELY the scariest encounter. But not unlike the setting of SAW, I feel that they could have expanded and made the game really scary if they tried. To be frank, I'm not sure this game should have earned the title "the scariest Nancy Drew game yet," unless you are a total scaredy-cat (which I thought I was until I discovered that I could actually get through this game without freaking out). Just my opinion.
Puzzles: Last but not least, puzzles. Most of the puzzles in the game were pretty challenging to the point that they had me looking up the answers for them. A few were simpler, and less complex. For example, I was really stuck on the bento boxes, but once things clicked in my head, I was a bento-box pro! Some puzzles were just plain irritating, like the train one, but once you got through them, it was all right. So in conclusion, SAW had some great puzzles for people who like puzzles (and honestly, I'm not one of those people!).
So all in all, Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water's Edge was an interesting game that was as creepy as its title, but yet totally awesome on so many different levels. If you are over ten years of age and can stand the sight of a ghost, then I recommend this game for you! And if you can't stand the sight of a ghost ... really guys, it's not that bad. Seriously.
And so ...
4.5 out of 5 stars! Great job on this one, HERinteractive!
