Red Faction: Armageddon

So I pretty much played through this in 2 sessions, and overall found it to be the poorest game in the series. I know it has been a number of years since it was released, but finally got a boxed console version for quite cheap.

First off, I have been an RF fan since the first game, which was an FPS. the fact you could tunnel using GEO mod was really fun. It was a unique experience.

Now, I didn't particularly like RF2 and found RF: Guerilla to be too much of a departure being a TPS. RF:A is similar to RF:G, but is a linear space monster shooter.

Anyway, onto the unique game mechanics. First up is the use of the Nanoforge, which is simply press left trigger to rebuild objects. novel idea, but not well used in my opinion. It does lead to the fact that no platform is safe, as it can be destroyed beneath you, meaning you have to rebuild it, which I did like.

As for the combat. it wasn't anything special. Mostly killing massive amounts of alien creatures, which is the only thing stopping this game from being an hour long. There are no puzzles to solve, not that I can remember, it's just shoot everything in sight.

In honesty it was quite boring.

There was only few saving grace's, one of them being a strong female character called Kara, who SPOILER was killed near the end in a moronic asinine (and open for interpretation) way, making the rest of the game feel even worse. It was kinda expected, but I felt she shouldn't have just been stabbed by a tentacle (or whatever it was) and dragged off the cliff.

In fact it irritated me so much, that I wrote a first chapter for a fan fiction where she survives. Probably won't upload it to FF.net unless I finish it, but as for now it has quelled my disappointment of an already lacklustre game

I absolutely loved the first Red Faction. I hope that now Nordic Games (I think that's who owns the license now) make it an FPS and take it back to its roots, which was far better than what it became.

Starship Exeter: The Tressaurian Intersection

The Tressaurian Intersection has been released. A decade after the wrapped up shooting, and about six years since they released act three, they finally went and finished it. It was shot in standard def, so no HD option is available.

Anyway, my thoughts without spoiling.

The acting is pretty good throughout. There are parts here and there that could have used an extra take or two (Mainly with Jimm Johnson/James Culhane, who played Garrovick). The effects are trying to recreate the 1960's feel. What I get from it though is that this is what TOS trek would have looked like with a bigger budget.
The sets are flawless, and the story is engaging and VERY TOS. That's a plus for me. There is an issue with act one being quieter than the rest.

What is obvious is that a lot of love went into this. Especially if what I read about the temperature in the studio is true. You can tell on a few of the actors as they're really sweating at times.

Anyway, as far as fan films go, this is probably among the best.

Edit: The following was added on May 11th 2013

Just re-watched TTI again. I have to add more to what I wrote above.

This is the only TOS fan film I have seen that feels 'right'. The acting may not be perfect from beginning to end, but it doesn't matter because I am able to lose myself in the story of what's going on.

Productions like Phase II and Continues just feel like facsimiles of TOS, due to them recasting Kirk, Spock and McCoy. No matter how well Vic Mignogna can impersonate Kirk in Continues, or no matter how much a like Doc John in Phase II, they'll never be Kirk and McCoy.

As I dislike reading Elder Scrolls stories that feature the Dragonborn, I'm starting to feel the same way about TOS fan films that use the original characters, or where we meet the ancestor's of future characters in the other shows (Tasha Yar's Grandmother in Phase II B&F). I've seen Kirk and Spock in TOS, give me something else. Also don't use stunt casting to try and draw me in.

This is where Starship Exeter's second episode really did it right. They don't have any familiar actors, or characters (Chang was in their first episode which I thought wasn't particularly well done), and they don't mention the Enterprise or Kirk, even though Garrovick has a tenuous connection with them.
His uncle died while commanding the Farragut when a young ensign/lieutenant? Kirk was unable to fire on a cloud creature. You also have the fact that Exeter's previous crew were all killed, and Kirk was the one that found it in orbit of the planet that promised 'eternal youth' with the demented Captain Ronald Tracey.

I feel other fan films would have shoehorned the mentioning of Kirk and/or the Enterprise in, but it's not needed.

Ten years it took to get this out of the door, and I must say that it isn't disappointing. Not in the slightest.