Book Review - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

A Book Review By
Le Chupacabra

For the past few days, millions of people have been shedding tears because of loss. No, this has nothing to do with the London bombings.

The latest Harry Potter is an amazing journey that delves into the minds and hearts of our favourite characters from Rowling's world of magic. The sixth outing is a deep and profound read that left this reader's head reeling. No, it's not that it's complicated or anything. The pacing is superb and that Potter charm is in full effect: you simply cannot put this book down! However, even in the wake of sinister events and a rather macabre setting, The Half-Blood Prince is a startlingly humanistic adventure of self-discovery, acceptance, bravery, revelations, betrayal, friendship, love and yes, death. If you've read my opening sentence, or just browsed the Internet, you'll know that someone's dead. There, I've said it! People have speculated about it for (literally) years, and many were "unsurprised". However, after reading it, nothing prepares you for that shocker. It's incredibly sad and even sudden. True, quite a few people die in HBP but this one death will stand out in your mind. Regardless of your existing stance towards the characters of Harry Potter, the melancholy associated with this death is something all readers will feel.

Despite the events of previous books, they've all managed to end in a rather happy note, if you will. In HBP, the book ends in an extremely sombre tone. But don't let that keep you from reading because this book is simply a masterpiece.

The world of Harry Potter is now presented in a manner unlike any in the series. Lord Voldemort is back (if this comes as a surprise, then shame on you) and, unlike Book 5, is stirring up a whole lot of trouble. The whole Wizarding community is in disarray and instead of the colourful world we normally visit, it's become a sinister place that feels very real and closer to home that ever before. In spite of all this, the characters have never been as beautifully portrayed as they are here. While strife continues everywhere, the characters are still living on. They have matured along with JK Rowling's writing skills and act as a brilliant balance to the evil that threatens to consume all. Yep, love is also in the air, moreso than it was in Goblet or Order. Pacts are made and broken and there's plenty of snogging going on. These kids aren't well, kids, anymore. HBP is a great portrayal of everyone's slow and unsteady steps into the world of adults. Love becomes a strong theme as do the virtues of bravery, innocence, loyalty, friendship and self-sacrifice.

Even in the midst of raging hormones, normal life at Hogwarts continues with the same charm as always. There's a new Defence Against Dark Arts teacher, Quidditch still has everyone hooked, and the place is rife with jokes and puns. If you've been following the rest of series, you will be very much at home when reading HBP.

However, you will notice that things are indeed much more personal this time. We slowly find out more about each character, their resolves, their strengths, their weaknesses and what makes them tick. From Ron to Volde...You-Know-Who, each character seems much more real and human than they've ever been before…though considering Voldemort's state, it's debatable. Jokes aside, JK Rowling shows deep insight into the minds of her characters and their actions leave you pondering more than before. There are lessons worth learning here, some obvious, some more subtle. Also, while HBP answers many questions it raises more interesting and profound ones and given the whole mood and theme of this book, things are not always what they seem.

While this book may alienate smaller children, those that have grown up with Harry Potter will find that HBP resonates in ways you thought were not possible. Harry Potter has grown up indeed.

Taken as a precursor to the grand finale or as part of the Harry Potter mythos or even on its own merits, HBP is a brilliantly engrossing tale that you'll never forget! It manages to be deep, macabre and sad yet enlightening and funny all at once. While it's hard to tell whether this is 'better' or 'worse' than the other Harry Potter books, The Half-Blood Prince is still a journey that will not fail to entertain you.

PS2 Game Review - Transformers

TRANSFORMERS

A PS2 Game Review
By Le Chupacabra

While RoboTech and (to a lesser extent) Thundercats were more of a mainstay for our generation, those pushing twenty (or maybe thirty) will remember the days of Voltron and Transformers. While Voltron was cool and all, the concept behind Transformers was pretty awesome: they were, as the show puts it, robots in disguise. Able to transform into a vehicle, each Autobot (the good guys) and Decepticon (obviously the bad guys) was pretty unique. While our generation caught the re-runs of it, it definitely intrigued many and this became yet another timeless anime to love and respect.

Anyhow, in order to capture the market once again using nostalgia as a weapon, Hasbro decided to make a spin-off from the original. Thus Transformers: Armada was born. Now, why they turned it into Pokemon-with-robots is beyond me, but where the show lacked, the game made up for it in spades.

You play as the three main characters from the (new) show: fan-fave Optimus Prime, typical-hot-headed-troublemaker Hot Shot (aptly named, too) and the level-headed medic, Red Alert. The aims are simple: procure all the Mini-Cons, destroy the Decipticlone army (and the Decepticons)… oh, and make sure your home-planet of Cybertron isn’t blown into smithereens.

Atari has turned a very lame and hackneyed premise into a frantic, all-out shooter with tonnes of blaster action, earth-shattering explosions, challenging boss fight and incredibly lush visuals.

Since it’s a Transformers game, with a tap of the Triangle button, your Autobot of choice instantly turns itself into a giant truck, race car or utility vehicle, respectively. It’s a good thing too! The battles can often get a little too (read: insanely) hectic at times, so it’s best to be able to leg it ASAP. Normally you’ll be running about and strafing around as you unload your blaster’s energy beams into the enemies. However, the addition of the Mini-Cons adds a LOT of strategy and diversity to the combat. Once you find one, it’s sent back to HQ or you can equip it on the spot. They boost your functions with an immensely wide variety of effects. Some grant you temporary invisibility which allows for much ease in the recon missions. Others will increase your fire-power to gigantic proportions by letting you assault the enemy with a barrage of missiles or EMP shockwaves. Some even increase your speed and one even lets you glide across large gaps which would have been otherwise impossible to pass. There are also particular Mini-Con combinations that actually end up giving you more energy and life. There are literally hundreds of combinations that help you tailor your Autobot to your tastes. This helps turn a normal shooter into something a bit more special. The boss fights are pretty exciting as well. You’ll be facing off against enemies like StarScream, Megatron and other Decepticons. The fights are hectically paced and require quicker reflexes than usual. One particular fight stood out though. See, this level requires you to infiltrate a giant aircraft carrier which is attacking an important research facility. Once you’re done sighing with relief after you exit it, your jaw will drop as the WHOLE level you just played turns into a titanic-sized Decepticon: Tidal Wave. Man, the guy is freaking HUGE! It took quite some time to take him down, but it was really fun!

The visuals are masterful and breathtaking in this game. The horizon expands for miles of explorable territory and is evocative of Far Cry. Everything you see is full of detail and it’s with a great sense of scale as well. In the forest levels, each individual tree is lushly rendered with all the leaves and the bark in full glory. This attention to detail is much appreciated, since the developers could have ridden on the wings of the license and made it look like butt. Whether it’s a Decepticlone trooper blowing up in a shower of metal parts or the biting wind obscuring your vision in Antarctica or the sun glaring anime-esque-ly off your ‘Bot, this game is a beauty. The only problem is that they’ve added ragdoll physics (basically to add to realism to any interact-able object, usually characters) to robots. Watching Hot Shot twist turn painfully after taking a missile is good stuff, but aren’t robots supposed to be, you know, stiff and robotic? It’s a little thing that’ll mildly peeve some and greatly frustrate others, especially during some jumps as I can unfortunately recall.

Sound-wise this game follows the book: typical techno-fare during normal battles and maybe something more dramatic and pulse-pounding during boss fights. Voice-overs are done by the cast of the current show, although they’re limited to cutscenes. Boring. However, once thing makes up for it: the ‘transformation sound’. The ‘wer-ker-ker’ sounds that the Autobots make when turning from giant robot to vehicle or vice versa will bring tears of fond remembrance to the eyes of old-school fans.

So, there you have it: an exciting shooter with great graphics which goes the extra mile by taking a slightly molested license and turning it into something worth playing. This one’s for everyone to enjoy!