Cool concept but bad executive
348915
Cool concept but bad executive,  it cut my gum when I was just trying to mould so i returned it.
4418528
With a lot of interesting additions to the game (like another whole floor), some of the haunts show a lack of forethought, particularly one scenario that has all players delivering coffee to employees as interns, all seeking to become the one left standing at the end. Seriously? The haunts are the main drive of the game and flubbing the development of a scenario with something so weak, it boggles the mind.
1052012
The box is neat and fun, the game is not thought out and lacks enjoyment. The basic game revolves around dice, not request like in the tv show. I had to modify the game to make it fun. I created new task cards that players have 30 seconds or less to complete. If you cannot, then you get a Mr Messeeks card to help out, had to create all new ones too. In the original game you have dare cards, some are fun, some are just plan stupid. I created new dare cards that actual merge with the game. My ideas for the game took about 30 minutes to do. The creators of the game lack imagination and really just wanted your money, because they thought no one would buy just the box from the tv show without a game, but then they did not put any effort into the game...
2793217
This is a fun, funky little book. It's chunky, square, and has a great design sensibility. The main drawback is that, in spite of the book's loving and enthusiastic approach, the author has crafted snide, derisive captions for each item like some sort of insecure schoolyard bully. Does this guy really need to prove that he's cooler than the Bee Gees rhythm machine or refer to another item as being "made by retards?"
2564473
Wallet was good, a very neat concept and conversation starter. I loved the outer design and how it is made of baseball material. However, the inside leaves much to be desired. The interior design is kind of all over the place, and has way too much going on.
3480441
Overall, the idea behind the book was good. A Soulmate Imperative that brings people together, an interesting kind of magic, and a underlying plot of intrigue in the corportate world.

The idea is good, but sadly Ms Macela could not follow through.

To be honest, I was only able to get to page 130 after repeated stopping and starting before I had to put the book down for good. I started disliking the characters from the start, and that ruined the story for me, pulling me out of what was happening again and again. One of my biggest problems was with the dialogue. No one says things like "that sounds exceedingly plausible" in normal everyday conversation. I could not find it in myself to believe that this supposedly everyday, average woman with some magical talent had the vocabulary of a university professor. Also, characters would too often launch into a conveniently placed explanation of what was happening that, sometimes by other character's own admission, was not the norm for them. The deviations from personality in an attempt to explain things ruined what little interest I had left in the characters.

Aside from the overly formal, stilted conversation I found it hard to see the chemistry between Bent and Daria. It could easily have been there and my dislike of the story colored by perception of it, but to me all the chemistry I noticed was them both rubbing their chests a lot at the same time, and Daria showing a complete lack of inhibitions and rational thinking when it came to having sex with Bent, when normally she is supposed to be a "logical and rational" woman.

I felt that the plot itself needed work as well. The corporate intrigue would normally have fascinated me, but I felt that it fell flat. The characters weren't responding to the problem in a way to make me think it was serious. I was told by the author it was important and big, but the characters couldn't make me believe it. The set up of the problem failed to engage me, and from there I felt that Ms Macela couldn't recover.

Once the subplot was taken away, the only other issue was the Soulmate Imperative, which meant Daria and Bent climbing into bed together. At the time I threw down the story they had only reached the heavy groping stage, but I found it easy to predict what would happen if I had continued to read. Amazing sex, the issue of Bent not having magical powers, some third party (most likely the corportate intrigue evil person) causing issues, and Daria saving the day through some act of amazing, unexpected power. Or something like that.

All in all, I found it to be a standard romance plot that fell flat. The characters were too one dimensional and I could not believe that they were in any way real people. The dialogue was forced, and sounded like the author had gone through with a thesarus in an attempt to make the characters seem more intelligent. The storyline was predictable, and all in all completely unengaging.

If you really feel the need to read this book, don't waste your money. Borrow from the library, where at least you won't be upset when you realize what a waste of money it was.
3163303
It appears that there was nothing else to add to the original "QBQ!" concept. Since I really liked the idea (that one can easily summarize on half a page or so) I believed the glowing reviews and thought there is a twist for personal (vs. organizational) QBQ. I was disappointed and feel that the five "Advantage Principles" are strained and random; the author could have picked five entirely different principles as well. I found that there is a possible sign up at the end of the book for e-mail notifications for  "QBQ! QuickNotes" that would include stories similar to the ones contained in this book. I think that I would condense this book down to about the third of its size and include it in the appendix of the new edition of the original "QBQ!".
Last thing: "flipping the switch" is a great idea. Dealing with many non-caring customer service "specialists" over the last few years made me quite pessimistic about the suggestion of ease. Does anybody really think that the solution would be this easy? Just find the switch and flip it? If accountability is not enforced vigorously (but how?) , we will much more likely get "Nope" or "Whatever" responses to our inquiries; it is hard to imagine that any manager could make some employees really care about the quality of service they provide. "It is just a job after all..." Without a sense of ownership no one bothers to look for any switch. As Louis Armstrong said "There are some people that if they do not know, you can't tell them..."
2270659
Brother, the Mouse Company must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel of idiotic/moronic (not to mention downright STUPID) substitutes for genuinely new, creative ideas these days, if this is the best they can do!  Really, Mouse Company, is THIS the best you can come up with?  Like the endless sequels and spin-offs aren't tedious and done-to-death enough as it is?  Now you have to do spin-offs based on...the OFFSPRING of the villains of the classic movies??  And some genius (no doubt at the corporate level who never had a single original thought in his life, probably) honestly thought THIS was such a brilliant, inspired idea?!?  Sheesh!  It reminds me of the kind of retarded, cheesy trash that Hanna-Barbera and Filmation used to crank out for Saturday Morning television, back in the cheesy, trashy 70s!!  (Geez, and I thought the endless stream of stupid "Buddies" movies they keep endlessly cranking out were lame!)

Proving once again that, if it weren't for their Pixar subsidiary, the Mouse Company would be dead in the water these days, in terms of creativity and coming up with new ideas!!  And if this is the best they can do, then they've clearly had it!  The best days of the Mouse Company are clearly way, way, WAY behind them!
1481240
The concept of this story is brilliant. The first sentence introduces a mystery that drives you to turn pages all story long. The events and backstory--on a macro level--are awesome. One of the most creative concepts I've read and I read a lot.

But the execution of these concepts was sloppy. Characters suddenly swing into rages, standing and yelling at each other. The health and fitness aspects weren't believable (some people run distances too easily and later in the story are winded by less, healing happens too quickly. The social dynamics aren't nuanced--they're pretty stereotyped. And for a long while I wasn't sure I liked the main character.

So it's worth reading, but you'll have to be patient with immature writing. I'm hoping the author got better in the next books.
3612665
As other reviewers have noted, LXG is based upon a brilliant concept (classic 19th Century fantasy/action characters banded together), but the ultimate execution is somewhat unsatisfactory.  The makers of this movie let us know in one early scene (when Tom Sawyer picks up Jeckyll's hat) that tongue is firmly in cheek.  However, to make entertaining fantasy adventure, there has to be some believability and inner consistency to the alternate world created.  My main problem was the technology.  Rather than taking the "future" technology and making it appear turn-of-the century, we get a fully developed W.W.I style tank, a 1930's style automobile, and a Polaris missle shot from the Nautilus, even.
Setting aside other problems noted by other reviewers, such as the impossibility of the Nautilus navigating the canals of Venice, or the age of Tom Sawyer (he should be at least in his fifties), it's an o.k. superhero action flick.  Sean Connery is the obvious highlight as Allan Quatermain (not "Quartermain"), and there are some good supporting performances.  Some of the special effects are pretty good, and some leave something to be desired.  I didn't agree with the decision to make Mr. Hyde look like a cross between The Hulk and Popeye the Sailor Man, but I guess they felt they needed to embellish some of the characters to try to make them appeal to today's audiences.  If you're a fan of the superhero genre and/or you've read a lot of 19th Century fantasy fiction, this might appeal to you.  Otherwise, you should probably skip this.
599780
I really liked the overall concept, it was very fresh and unique. I especially liked how the Quasings' conflict on our planet were interwoven with different historical events.

I had a problem, though, with the characterization of the protagonist, Roen. I understand that he's supposed to be imperfect so the reader can relate to him better, but his buffoonery is so over-dramatized that it's just a distraction. I'm not expecting a Jack Reacher as a main character, but don't give me a Curly Howard, either. It makes it harder to believe, in such a short time, that he could overcome more skilled and experienced Genjix adversaries such as Marc and Sean in hand-to-hand combat, even with Tao helping him.

Warning: some spoilers below.

There seems to be a conflicting characterization of the Genjix. On one hand, we're supposed to believe that they are very technically advanced, and that they have centuries of experience with warfare. Yet despite a superior numerical advantage, and being on a heightened security alert after the kidnapping, they were caught by surprise and unable to defend the Capulet Ski Lodge?

Such a big deal was made throughout the story about Roen's revelation to his roommate, Antonio, about the existence of the Quasing that I felt for sure there would be some negative consequence, but nothing ever came of it.

The prose is a bit flat, too. Throw in some rhetorical devices, like a simile or two. Add more vivid descriptions.

Despite these shortcomings, I will probably get the second book, only because I'm interested in finding out what kind of host Jill will turn out to be. I think the story would actually have turned out better with a character like Jill as main protagonist: a smart, self-assured female whose life gets turned around by becoming a Prophus host.
1405868
The book supposedly spils the beans on horrible Hollywood bosses. I am sorry to say that more than anything the assistants come off as small people and I hope none of them with their lack of judgement ever gets to be bosses.
So the stories are either pretty lame or says more about the assistant than the boss.
2169490
Was totally cool looking but was hard to put together, definately a two person job. When put together the eyes would not work so I contacted the company for help. Needless to say they were extremely rude and I send back the item. Bummer because I would have liked to keep it if it had worked.
868624
It looks like this game was made by some clever programmers with a great concept, but the final product is unpolished. For example, during the installation it asks if you want to install Direct X (which is needed to run the game), but if you answer 'yes', it says the installation is successful, but you still have to go install Direct X manually. I tried installing the game on 3 different computers, but it only worked on one. I could live with the installation hassles if the program was easier to use, but the navigation and usability is terrible. There is no online help (except for one file which describes the installation process), and no printed documentation. Switching between tracks and moving between menus was sooo slow; I spent as much time waiting as racing. I haven't tried the multiplayer feature yet. This game has great potential, but was a huge disappointment for me.
402744
The game combines the best features of memory and war card games and chess.  This version tried to emulate the original by  enlarging the pieces.  Unfortunately they require the user to affix  labels on each piece themselves.  Since they are just under 1/2 by 1 inch, it would take a skilled surgeon with eagle eye vision to attach the labels to the pieces precisely.  Consequently after nearly two hours just completing the construction of the game, it still  did not have the professional appearance of the version of the game I played wiith my first family over 25 years ago.  Yes, I could adapt to the down of the game by making the higher pieces a 10 rather than a one, it is unforgivable to have to work so hard to try and build the the game pieces when modern technology could have easly stamped the piece rankings without significantly increasing the cost of the game.  The manufacturer really needs to rethink their crazy idea of making the the customer do the work idea or sell it in the model airplane toy category.
2123470
This novel starts off being an amusing look at wacky office culture versus a more corporate model. It soon turns into race against the clock when the management of Business Supplies Incorporated makes some poor choices with their business model and the company takes a rapid downturn. Will, the normally mild-mannered narrator, has worked at B.S. Incorporated for years. During that time, hes moved from working at the startups warehouse to a more corporate position as the business grew. He believes in what makes B.S. Inc. so great is the people who work there and the ideals the company once espoused wholeheartedly.

However, these things are falling by the wayside thanks to B.S Inc.s ill-advised business partnership with Synerpoint. Will is eventually tasked with promoting a questionable new program initiative and eventually finds himself placed in the position of having to save the company before it goes completely under. His team includes the disgruntled Anna Reed, the other narrator, who was promised one job then quickly shuttled into another by an unscrupulous manager. Needless to say, her planned career trajectory didn't encompass this turn of events

Some of the plots were a bit predictable but they didn't feel like they came out of nowhere, which is always a plus. The story also managed to make a smooth transition from being light and funny to a more serious tone as the plot progressed. Anna, while mildly annoying at first, even turns into a relatable protagonist. Readers will understand her motives better by the end of the book and will probably have plenty of sympathy for her as a character. However, B.S. Inc. came to an abrupt stop stopped right after an important revelation was made. A sequel is probably in the works. but this issue remains a particular pet-peeve of mine.

That said, this book is definitely worth a read.
3551372
Purchased this game because I liked EA Games Monopoly for the iPhone & Touch and wanted a game for the big screen, but it is very different. Graphics are Ok, but the transitions are a little too long. iPhone version's board pieces fly around the board, dog runs and the car races around the board. In this version they jump on each property making each turn seem longer than needed. In the beginning the Banker's narrating is fun but it quickly gets annoying... he follows you around the board and says the same three phrases as you land on properties ... he tends to run behind. There is no option to remove the banker or narration from the game. He is geared to kids maybe? The background music sounds like bad 80s adult movie soundtracks. Overall the game is playable, but I think most adults will find it annoying.