The Curious Incident of the Dog at the Night-time Review

This long curiously constructed title adorning a curiously made cover leads one past the smattering of praise and laurels into what is a curious read.

Enter Christopher, a strange fifteen year old with special needs and an aversion to the colours yellow and brown. The murder of his neighbour's dog leads our protagonist on a whodunit that reveals more than is intended for both the protagonist and the reader. The story is narrated by Christopher himself who is convinced and persuades readers of his intelligence despite his lack of social ability,, maturity, and arbitrary attempts to make sense of his world. It is his flawed nature that allows us to relate to him be it our need for solitude, what we aspire to be, or predicting how our day will. I find myself now classifying my days as A Super Good Day, Quite A Good Day, A Good Day, or A Black Day. Though it is not on the basis of the colour combination of cars parked on the street.

The story is really a drama that emotionally challenges the emotionally-challenged Christopher well past his limits and challenges his self-assured knowledge of himself and others around him. I certainly wish the ending was fleshed out - this interesting read ends abruptly. Perhaps, this is a good thing that spares us from what could have been a mundane epilogue.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Review

Everything about this game is an 80's gag, specifically Terminator, and maybe some Escape from New York. The music plays a key part in this feeling. The cutscenes are the antithesis of FMVs - they are 16-bit sprites that are prolonged, cliched antics that can be skipped. This game shows that Ubisoft doesn't take itself too seriously. Blood Dragon feels more like a mod rather than a standalone game and if you're not familiar with 80's pop culture then the game's purpose is lost on you. It is an FPS that claims an unabashed sense of explosed action, but strangely, stealth takedowns, are far easier to perform than aiming a weapon, not to mention it gives you more experience points to gain new abilities.

It would have been nice to have a multiplayer option to round this title off but that would make it more than a gag.