Finally a return to the action
936476
Yeah - this was much better than I had anticipated.  The story was driven by plot and action and for those of us who have read the last few books, this is a welcome departure from those.  While there is still some sex and Anita does take on new partners, it works.  That is a part of the story so we need to deal with it.  The ending seemed rushed as does the Marmee Noir and Vittorio stories, but that is how this author ends her books.  If you have been unhappy in the past with this collection, please try this book - it may renew your faith.  I know it did mine.
341005
After all of these years it has been great to get back to the STNG early shows and see the crew members getting to know each other.  Great action and humor.
1431800
Yes, Jak is back! And he's wonderfully statisfying this time. Instead of the young, mute Jak you remember from the last game, this Jak is two years older, cooler, and can actually talk. You also get guns, good ones. And there aren't only two cutscenes in the game!

Jak is practically a new hero! And a new hero calls for a new story. As well as a new villain. Or many. The plot will really give you something to digest, while laughing at Daxter's hilarious antics. Whether charming babes or running for his life, Daxter's always got something humerous to say.

While Dax is lightening the game, Jak evens him out with sometimes cold, but always cool comments.

But don't think Jak II is all talk. With much more action than Jak and Daxter, the dynamic duo must venture through a new city, new wilderness, even a new time. Meeting a mixed assortment of new characters, like Torn, Ashelin, and the Baron, and also returning characters, like Samos the Sage and Kiera his daughter.

This is truly a wonderful experience for anyone.

Now, the cons of Jak II.

While the missions are awesome and fun, the checkpoints are few and far between. It will get very annoying to make your way nearly to the end of a long mission only to die and have to start all over.

Also, the game is truly difficult, exploiting the previous con. Not for newbs.

But all in all, i must give Jak II, a well deserved four out of five.
4447747
The Ace Attorney series is back, but with a new central character: a rookie defense attorney by the name of Apollo Justice. The fourth Ace Attorney does a good job of revitalizing a franchise that seemed to be fizzling with age. All of the favorite aspects of the Phoenix Wright trilogy return, to including the over-the-top cases and characters. Apollo Justice shows some marked improvements over Trials and Tribulations because of the fact that it is the first game in the series that was specifically designed for the DS. Despite not being a central figure in the game, Phoenix Wright does return to play a major role. He is the defendant in the first case, during which it is revealed that he lost his attorney badge seven years prior, supposedly due to forged evidence. After the first case, Phoenix is continually working on "secret mission" that he refuses to divulge any information about. More on that later. ... Let's see ... what else ... what else ... Oh, yeah ... there's also the mystery of Phoenix's daughter, who also happens to be your assistant. Hmmm? Did I forget to mention that earlier? Yeah, well, ummm ... just run with it for now.

The cases and storyline are, as can be expected, all of a very high quality and the last case deals a couple of revelations that were almost end-of-Trials and Tribulations quality. Unfortunately, the Psyche Locks make not much more than a cameo appearance, but this is completely understandable because Phoenix Wright is not the main playable character in the game. (Again, more on that later.) To compensate for this, Apollo has a bracelet that works very much the same as Phoenix's Magatama, except that it can only be used in court. With the bracelet activated, time slows down and Apollo has the ability to focus on witnesses on the stand to look for little "tells" that they might have, such as their hands tensing up or nervous swallowing, during parts of their testimony. In addition to this is the return of some of the forensic investigation techniques (dusting for fingerprints and spraying for residue) from the bonus case in the first game. I wished that these were more implemented than they actually turned out to be, but at least they did put them back into the series, which is a start.

The game is still of a good technical quality. The sound is still very fitting to the feeling of the situation and mood of the settings and characters. The graphics have all been upgraded and some cutscenes are actually animated, for the first time in the series. This may sound strange, but, even though this game was a pre-order for me, it has renewed my hope for the series. Just as is done in the games themselves, I will now solve the mystery (to some extent ... after all, this is a review, not a FAQ) of Phoenix's secret mission. The secret mission is a playable part of fourth case in which you, once again, assume the role of Phoenix Wright immediately after his last case. During this secret mission, Phoenix will also be making his own inquiries as his story runs parallel to Apollo's present-day cases. All of this is done in preparation for the test, which is the final case of the game, of a new type of judicial system. (I could say "more on that later", but that would only be assuming that you play the game after reading this review.) All in all, I am very pleased to welcome Apollo Justice to my gaming family.
1431517
Picks up right where the last book left off and also finishes the story line that began in The Thousand Orcs. As usual the fight scenes are described in amazing detail, with some humor set in just the right places to balance out the political and drow centered chapters. There were some old faces that were present and given a fair amount of welcomed page time, it was great to see the Bronze Sisters in action finally! One of the newer characters is finally starting to grow on me. I'm trying to guess if she will come to her senses on her own or if the Companions will go after her once they realize that she's carrying Khazid'hea. Based on the title of the next book "Archmage" I'm hoping to see more of Gromph and how his goals come to fruition when they are staked up against the goals of the Companions since in this book he was a bit ambiguous as to whose side he  was on.
2454783
Good to see Lucas back in Action! It's a good transition novel; reinforces to Lucas the need to be a part of some organization that will provide him authority to do his work, as well as back up and resources. I look forward to his new position - hope he manages to bring some of his old cohorts with him. I also hope that the wider scope of his new position does not take him too far away from the midwest locale that has worked so well.
1614486
This book was a great return to writing after a brief break. I have some tools to help me make more of my writing time while actually making progress in terms of word count. I'll update when I try to use Aaron's methods for getting words down. Excellent instructional.
4182486
After having bogged down with Arima-kun's back history concerning his parents and adoptive parents, Tsuda-sensei finally gets back to the good stuff that we love and brings back the main cast and the central supporting characters that we had come to love, but who'd been all but forgotten.

Volume 21 begins with one last tale of Asaba-kun and a girl he befriends in his senior year in high school.  Then, the story switches to Arima and Yukino telling their friends and family of her pregnancy, then the gang graduating from high school.  The manga ends with a super-chapter that takes place 16-years in the future and shows what has happened with all the characters in the meantime.

Yeah, Tsuda-sensei ends on a high note for sure.  I loved bringing back the old gang (even if mostly they were just cameos).  Having an aftermath chapter (70+ pages?) taking place 16-years in the future was a nice touch and the perfect way to wrap up the manga. Tsuda-sensei's commentaries and ending omake is a nice touch as well.

Finally, there's TokoyoPop's adaptation of this final volume.  For the majority of the series run, they've opted for a more domestic approach that removed the Japanese honorifics.  However, this final volume has the honorifics included and that is a welcome thing for this reviewer.

Bottom line: A long manga series, one that got bogged down for a while, but Tsuda-sensei breaks free and ends the manga on a high note.
749606
Ty is finally being true to himself and it shows.  He should have done this years ago.  Welcome back, sir.
2503632
Not yet having beat the game, I will skip any and all plot points in this review, and instead focus on the playability material.

The reboot for this series in terms of gameplay is impressive. In addition to all the old favorites of the series coming back, especially with Ezio's new skills from Brotherhood and Revelations, there are some new ones that will change your tactics big-time. The addition of stalking zones (thickets of grass, usually) creates a new dynamic on staying near your foes - and you will need it as early as the second hour of gameplay. The muskets also change how you conduct warfare at range: you are limited in one shot every fifteen to twenty seconds, but in a lot of cases one shot is all you need. (Of course, after you shoot someone, you still have the bayonet on the musket, so...)

Of course, the challenge is upped with new mission requirements and improved enemy AI. Enemies will tend to notice you just walking around plainly; they are not the tyros and morons of prior games. Hanging off the side of the ships is also less than effective nowadays; the first mission that you have to operate on a ship will make that very clear. Another consideration is the return of the eavesdropping requirements, but now with a twist; you have to approach to within a certain area to eavesdrop, and that area is usually within easy detection radius of your target. A new concept will be shrinking target objective areas; as you piece together info about the mission, your effective ops radius will shrink; you can go for it without the optional objectives, but your life will be very difficult if you try right off the bat.

Just a sampling on why I think UbiSoft has gone out of their way to improve this series. At risk of sounding like a commie hack (and I am most certainly not), Viva La UbiSoft!
3442810
Gets back to the originality of the show and characters
928173
It took a while to get its feet off the ground, but this movie finally brings director Guy Ritchie back to what he's good at: contemporary British gangster flicks. I was worried after seeing his stinker "Revolver." And while "Rocknrolla" still carries Ritchie's trademark style, it sees him going down a slightly skewed path which promises to take his fans on an interesting ride. The movie especially pays off about half way through once all characters are well established. From the ending, there's a teaser that the characters will return in a sequel. It'll be interesting to see what Ritchie has planned (possible trilogy?).
3677296
Well done Drew. After the last 2 books I thought you may have lost the plot but with this one you are right back on "The track" again. looking forward to the next offering.
4201200
This is an excellent return to the story of Ishmael Wang.  Having felt like the ending of Owner's Share was a bit abrupt, I'm glad to see Nathan Lowell returned to those characters to flesh out the story.  My only regret is that the next book is not available to read right now.
3632176
Drizzt and crew returns in a well crafted though not superb book.
In many ways, Salvatore hits the right steps with humor, action, and resolution.  Old plot lines are finally wrapped up and the stage set for new adventures.  Fans of the series will feel right at home with the characters and story.
One problem that is partially resolved is that Salvatore manages to infuse some sense of danger to some of the Companions though perhaps they are never as fully challenged as they were in the past.  It's a thorny problem for the writer in how does one challeges such powerful heroes without losing touch of reality and simply create enemies nonsensical in their power. Fortunately, the problem is solved partially by a villain who with the proper planning poses an actual threat to the great Drizzt.
Minor problems are lack of total development of some characters though with the multitude introduced this is no real crime.  Most have nice hooks that makes them memorable.  In the future, more length and depth would be appreciated
2958177
I'm pretty much aligned with most of the other reviewers; it's very nice to see Vlad return to his old haunts.  The plot lacks the grandeur of some of the earlier books in the series, but does provide us with a welcome visit to old friends and places.  The plot device of the Phoenix Stone and the continual overhanging menace of his old "friends" is beginning to become way over-familiar, and I hope that situation is resolved soon, allowing Vlad to skulk less and swash his buckles a bit more.
4022915
Thank God for Aaron Allston.
Finally. True to form, the X-Wing veteran breaths some life into this series. Can't wait for the Rebel Stand (part II).
The fun characters are back, the action scenes are back, without sacrificing the plot or the "bigger issues". This guy is good.
I was thrilled that some of the Wraiths made appearances. Will Lara Notsil show up next? Pleeeaaase mr Allston!
Also Wedge and Tycho and Lando and Horn and.. the Lusankya. Yeah baby! we 're fighting back. The "I suggest you destroy another one" scene, between Lando and the War Droid is hilarious. Vintage Allston.
After the dumb killing of Anakin (what IS the point of building up the coolest character since Coran Horn to kill him off a couple of books later?!) I almost stopped reading this series. Dark Journey was sad - could have summarised the entire book in less than 100 pages...
Read this one people, it's worth it. FINALLY...