Here is a book that caught my attention because of its title

The Time Traveller’s Guide To Medieval England Ian Mortimer wrote an history book from a different viewpoint. It is almost a Lonely Planet guide for Medieval England. Well documented and well developped, it gives a good idea of what life was like at the time, for all social ranks. I am not 100% agreeing with some of what he said on authors (“What to read” in the last chapter), but globally, the book is very good.

The different information is always based on an array of sources (Chronicles, Accounting books, recorded testimonies, …), and paints a very different country than the one we always imagine with films and such. The author makes a further distinction between the pre-Black Death and the 1400 environment, showing us how, with very different concerns and solutions than us, life was going on from the indentured servant to the kings and princes.

For those of you who like Time Travelling shows like Doctor Who, I would recommend this book as exactly the kind of manual the Doctor might offer to his companions…

Sites:
Official: http://www.ianmortimer.com/ [EN]

This post will not be available in English since the books were and will not be translated.

Psychanalyse (Psychanalyse des Miquets – Psychanalyse du Héros de Western – Psychanalyse du Héros de l’Antiquité – Psychanalyse du Héros de Manga – Psychanalyse du Super Héros) Imaginez que votre psy ait dû s’occuper de Batman, de Oedipe, du cowboy solitaire ou encore Albatros ? Oui, oui, vous imaginez bien. Comme en plus c’est mis en images, c’est vraiment sympa. Tout ce que vous ne vouliez pas savoir sur les héros… Comme en plus c’est un petit volume (plus petit que A6), broché, et pas très cher, profitez en !

Sites:
Officiel de l’éditeur: http://www.vraoum.eu/ [FR]

Here’s a post for a nice little volume.

Le noeud de l’intrigue (the Plot’s knot) I finally got a bit of time for this collection of short stories, most of them 3 pages, that made me go through many different feelings, from enjoyment to sadness through disgust (not against the text, against the atmosphere conjured by the story) and so on. I have a weakness for Un verre chez Roger, that I recommend incidentally to all my whovian and stargatian friends. And I recommend the volume to all French language, humour and poetry (in the broadest sense of the word) enthusiasts.

Sites:
Daniel Fattore’s Official: http://fattorius.over-blog.com [FR]

Again, somthing non fiction. I am a fan of England, its history, and so on, and since I could not go to the theatre, I bought myself the book.

The King’s Speech It is based on the diaries of Lionel Logue, the man who helped the shy and stuttering Duke of York when he had to become King despite all odds. The book that served as scenario for the film was written by his grandson and a specialised biographer. It is very interesting because it tells the story of Logue and of HM George VI, of what Logue did to “cure” stuttering, and of all the historical events and how it affected one or both of them. Do not expect a “romanced” account, it is really more an history book than a biography, and you may find it cold in its style.

Sites
Official http://www.the-kings-speech.com/ [EN]
The Film http://www.kingsspeech.com/ [EN]

Something different to read. As you may know (or not), I am interested in typography.

Just My Type A very good book on types, typographers, creators, the why this or that type was created, big names and “corporate branding”, and so on. A must read if you are interested in typography, the story of printed / electronic language, or even simply curious.

Sites
Official http://www.simongarfield.com/ [EN]
The test which type are you? http://www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you/ [EN]

A new episode of the Star Ocean saga, with the usual recipes and quests…

Graphics
Waaaaooow Well, more seriously, with a HD tv, the images of Earth and of the planet created for the game, you would think those are photos. Still with a manga/drawing side rather present (and some fanservice, too).

Grade: 9 / 10

Music
Despite using the Star Ocean themes in its own way, the sound track is nothing special. But still nice.
Grade: 7.5 / 10

Gameplay
The manipulation outside combat is really easy, in combat it is a bit more difficult, especially since the AI of some characters is… (casting fire on a fire elemental ? Yeaaaah -_-). The recipes system is still simple as always. Only problem, you cannot pause the videos, only pass them and get a summary.

Grade: 8 / 10

Length / Sidequests
No problem on this side, with all the “quests” and the recipes and the things to do in combat and all. The main plot is not very long, but you have to take in account that this game is (from the start) supposed to be played several times.
Grade: 8 / 10

Story / characters
Nothing terribly original, the earth was tremendously hurt, so you have to go in space. Some ideas taken backwards or differently inside the game, but I will not say what so as not to spoil it. The characters seem to me largely more elaborate than in a majority of rpg in their personal story / background.

Grade: 8 / 10

In the end…
A good rpg in the line of the Star Ocean (yes, the bunny is present). Do not hesitate…
Final grade: 8.1 / 10

Images source:
Official site http://na.square-enix.com/starocean/

Started during my pregnancy, this Final Fantasy spin-off deserves a look.

Graphics
Yes, the graphics are “childish”, yes, it is sweet, yes, it is not highly detailed graphics for hard RPG and such. It is a choice, and I find it cute, and not at odds with the story.

Grade: 8 / 10

Music
It is a Final Fantasy spin off, so the music keeps known themes, or at least a style (is there a Final Fantasy “style” for the music? You could almost say so).
Grade: 8 / 10

Gameplay
Turn based combat with six “movements” available at most and a small reserve of action points coming back sooner or later, and the other interactions are classical. Only the hat system with the crystals is a bit different from other FF (despite a light similarity with FF VII). The quantity of items is limited but you can stock them in towns and cities.

Grade: 8 / 10

Length / Sidequests
I thought I was far along the story when I had my “hospital break”, but thinking about it, I realised I had only seen 5 towns/cities, and that I did not even have one third of the hats, so I think there is still a lot to play. There are side quests (find all hidden items in the cities, …) and I think the game may even have a replay value.
Grade: 8 / 10

Story / characters
The characters are a bit archetypal, and the fact that names can be changed does not help, but the story, rather classical at first sight, is a bit different: when the hero Brandt comes back after having defeated the monster, it is a disaster that he finds home. And it continues so, each time you think you went forward on the plot, a treacherous hit makes you look for a new way.
Grade: 8 / 10

In the end…
A good surprise for FF fans who do not stop at graphics. Funny little thing: I named the fourth character Emilie one week before the birth of our daughter, while I did not know if it would be a boy or a girl.
Final grade: 8 / 10

Images source:
Official site http://www.ff4heroes.com/

[EDIT: Getting this post up because of the death of DW Jones] All right, I am going to write down a few reading ideas, here, grouped by author… Here are the first. The author is Diana Wynne Jones, you know her if you saw the most recent Miyazaki, “The Moving Castle“. And yes, it is based on one of her books, “Howl’s Moving Castle“.

The merlin conspiracy: Two stories, on one side the young Roddy and her friend Grundo, both following the King’s Progress on Blest, and on the other side Nick Mallory’s story, a young man from Earth, and Romanov’s, too, a powerfull magician. The two stories seem unconnected and happen in two different places, but the truth is that in this group of universes, everything is intertwined, and when Roddy and Grundo discover a conspiracy, it is Nick they ask for help, and so as well to Romanov.

The Dalemark Quartet: (Cart and Cwidder – Drowned Ammet – The Spellcoats – The Crown of Dalemark) In the realm of Dalemark, everything is very wrong, since a tyrant has the power. A few resist, other live despite the bad situation. Clennen the singer seems to be of the second category, apparently at least. With his wife and children, he journeys through the realm, presenting his show, and also being a messenger for everyone. Could some messages be dangerous, more dangerous than weapons ?

Chrestomanci: (The Lives of Christopher Chant – Charmed Life – Witch Week – The Magicians of Caprona – Mixed Magic; A few novels more difficult to find) All these books are about the theme of the Enchanter Chrestomanci, a kind of “controler” of magic, who has 9 lives, and both of his past lives and past “missions” he had, as well as about the people who are / were the Chrestomanci.

Fire and Hemlock: Polly is a teenager with a problem. She seems to have two “sets” of memories of her past. One implies a strange painting and a man named Tom Lynn, with whom she has / had epistolary exchange about the mysterious story of Mr. Piper. The other is… rather dull, even dreary. But which is the right one ? And where does the second come from ?

Hexwood: Hexwood Farm is a group of strange buildings, with machines that are at least as unusual. And when one of these machines begins to work anormaly, it is logical that the surrounding woods are the first tainted by the anomalies, isn’t it ? In the woods, Mordion, Ann, and a very strange child named Hume will meet really unsympathetic men called Controlers and Reigners.

Derkholm: (Dark lord of Derkholm – Year of the Griffin) I have only read the second one since my orders did not arrive But this volume alone is beautiful, with magician, an university, griffins (no I am not looking at someone), etc etc etc… A must read.

And now a few Websites:
- http://www.dianawynnejones.com/
- http://suberic.net/dwj/
- http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/

Second hand buy, this game is a good investment, except for the ambisenestrous that I am.

Graphics
Graphically beautiful, even perhaps a bit too heavily ornate, Eternal Sonata also uses archival images. But both for animations and places to visit, it is very nice to the eye.


Grade: 8 / 10

Music
A beautiful music, one of those games where you will not turn off sound from the beginning to the end. With Chopin inside, naturally.
Grade: 9 / 10

Gameplay
There is the rub. The principle of a different attack if the character is in the light or not is excellent. The combat system is basically very well. But as soon as you level up, so does the combat system. And with no possibility to go back or to choose “semi-active”. After a very short gaming time, I began getting killed repeatedly by weak monsters simply because I was not precise / coordinated enough.

Grade: 5 / 10

Length / Sidequests
I did not get very far, but the game seems long enough and valid for that matter.
Grade: 7 / 10

Story / characters
It is a game working on the opposition dream/reality and light/dark, while retracing Frederic Chopin’s life (the game begins when he is on his deathbed). The character ideas are good, and well created, and the story seems coherent so far.
Grade: 8 / 10

In the end…
A game for people who like classical music, history, … and have gifted hands.
Final grade: 7.4 / 10

Images source:
Official XBoxLive Site http://marketplace.xbox.com/fr-CH/Product/Eternal-Sonata/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024e4d07e2

As my favourite seller said “we did not expect it, but it is a good surprise”.

Graphics
While in the Golden Sun GBA, the graphism was seriously reworked. The animations are very nice and make use of both screens (but with possibility to skip them or accelerate them). One can see the differences between djinn despite their small size.


Grade: 8.5 / 10

Music
I like the music of this game. It is clean, nice, new (though I think I heard some accents of the first Golden Sun of the GBA). But there is a big problem. Each psynergy has a sound. Each interaction has a sound. And I could not find where to turn that off without removing the music. So I did almost not listen to the music
Grade: 7 / 10

Gameplay
The fact that it is possible to play either with the stylus or with the buttons is very nice. Choices are done with a menu, two psynergies can be attributed to shortcuts (usually the one to move items from the start, and the “divination” one as soon as you get it.). Combat is turn based, very accessible. It really is a game for everyone.

Grade: 9 / 10

Length / Sidequests
It is not necessary to get all djinn, items and summons, only a part is compulsory, but it is amusing to try to dissect all “enigmas”. There is already enough if you follow the main line, but you add many hours if you want everything.

Grade: 8 / 10

Story / characters
Hm, previous stories heroes’ kids is not extremely original, but all right. The story that “repeats” itself, creating the new problems, not a bad find, but nothing innovative. Nor the big baddie who directs the heroes against their will. Nothing surpisingly new for my taste, but it holds water.
Grade: 8 / 10

In the end…
Despite there being no lack in RPGs nowadays, I think Golden Sun still deserves a try.
Final grade: 8.1 / 10

Images source:
Official site http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/nds/golden_sun_dark_dawn_13787.html

Third part of the adventures of the professors with the top hat, still on DS

Graphics
For a DS game, that is a console limited by its portable capacity, it is beautiful. Still that “ligne clair” style for the game, and cartoon for the cinematographic scenes.


Grade: 9 / 10

Music
I am not really fond of it. They wrote music in the right style, but… tiring. And the break for each enigma, and the sounds at each find, it is horrible.
Grade: 6 / 10

Gameplay
Simple and fluid. The manipulation that were one of the strength of the two first Layton were kept, there is still a possilibity to make a “draft” for enigmas. The moves should be done a bit more easily (like done either with the icon or with a button), but for the rest, everything is very well.
Grade: 9 / 10

Length / Sidequests
With 168 enigmas and minigames and coins to discover, no length problem, even if the plot is fluid enough to go forward quickly. Oh, and the mini games are side quests, and 100 solved enigmas (I think) are enough to finish the game.
Grade: 8.5 / 10

Story / characters
I must admit a weakness for Gentlemen, steampunk, time travel and detectives, so this game is right in my style. Add some paradoxes and humour, and it is really perfect.
Grade: 9 / 10

In the end…
Again, a must buy. And if you have to choose one of the three, take this one.
Final grade: 8.3 / 10

Images source:
Official site http://www.professorlaytonds.com/

The famous game by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede was adapted on several media, amongst which the XBox.

Graphics
Nothing transcendent, it is conform to the original boardgame. I would have liked a bit of improvement on the roads (make it more easy to see if they cut or not an area is difficult without HD tv), and the building phase animations are nice. The writing used is not very legible.


Grade: 7 / 10

Music
Big weakness of this game. After 5 minutes, I did deactivate the music and started my playlist… I understand they would not want to invest too much money or time into the music, but there are limits.
Grade: 6 / 10

Gameplay
The use of the gamepad is all right (buttons for setting/cancelling/validating, triggers for turning/zooming), and the game technically playable. The problem is the AI. Already at the easy level, one wonders if its aim is not to gift you points, but whatever the level, the AI makes stupid mistakes, like puting a follower on a road that brings in two points when it just placed an abbay cart in the middle of 8 others, and that putting the follower on the abbay would win 9 points and bring the follower back at once. It is annoying, and often, the AI does not try to win points but to stop others (AI and humans alike) to win points…
Grade: 7 / 10

Length / Add ons
The game is sold with 4 difficulty levels, and the River I extension, like the base box in gaming shops. It already gives a lot of possibilities, but I found the other add ons too “expensive” for what they are. Unless you are the absolute fan or have too much money… I will satisfy myself with the base game. On the other hand, it “limits” the game, because the AIs are a bit repetitive.
Grade: 8 / 10

Story / characters
Evidently, in such a game, no story, no characters. But you can notice three things: the medieval atmosphere (with birds, sound of soldiers, walls, …) well done, despite the annoying music, the successes (how to play to reach them implies to think about the number of AI players and their level), and the opportunities for multiplayer games.
Grade: 7/ 10

In the end…
A good game well rendered in console version, do not hesitate if you have gamer friends around the world
Final grade: 7 / 10

Images source:
Official site

Again, the Xbox Live (and PS3 Network) offer great small games! This one costs 1200 points (around 18 CHF*)
*Use a credit card, you will get more points for the same price.

Graphics
The comic style is rather nice, there are cute achievement in the visual ambiance (the “Egyptian” exposition, for example) and the cinematic cuts in ancient movies style are original.


Grade: 8 / 10

Music
Amusing, during the cut scenes it is like silent movie piano accompaniment, but the lounge classical in a loop with the crowd’s noises on it is all right for a while, but tends to get annoying.
Grade: 7 / 10

Gameplay
It is not very difficult to master (I just have a tendency to talk instead of using the ability). One a to talk, one to stack (in any doll one size bigger), one to unstack, and one for the “ability”. You get the smallest one, without special ability, and can stack into any (or almost) doll one size bigger, and then use its ability (or other things, like the fact it is a girl, or an adult, or…). It is more a question of thinking about who to stack and in which order.
Grade: 9 / 10

Length / Sidequests
The game itself is not very long, but it was made so that you can look for all the different solutions to each stage, the unique dolls, and mini side quests (“jokes”), which in the end makes a game of a reasonable length.
Grade: 8 / 10

Story / characters
The story can seem simple (“oh my god, someone kidnapped all my siblings, I need to find them”), but with the style of the game, the context (industrialisation/child labour) and the dolls, it is a perfect fit.
Grade: 9 / 10

In the end…
For that price, it is a gift, do not miss a good game because it hides under a discreet appearance…
Final grade: 8.2 / 10

Images source:
XBox Live
Editor

So, I had the opportunity to buy this game as second hand, thanks to Dril

Graphics
As I did expect, it is very nice graphically (and it must be even better in HD), with light effects, textures effects, movements, and so on. Chocobos are cute, heros dashing, and enemies looking like bad guys. So overall, a success.

Grade: 8 / 10

Music
Music in the Final Fantasy tradition. Nice, a bit more repetitive than I thought or expected (due to the fact it is my… more than tenth FF, or because the music is more repetitive itself? I do not know).
Grade: 7 / 10

Gameplay
There is the rub. The gameplay, if you understand it in its broadest sense implies both that the game has to be “playable” (not to hard) and “interesting to play”. The first point is here, but for the second, it is almost only pushing repeatedly A. Which brings me to give what will probably stay as the lowest grade for gameplay for a game I liked.


Grade: 5 / 10

Length / Sidequests
The length of the “directed” part seems all right to me, but as soon as it is free play, it gets a bit light. And the side quests… err.. I do not even know if one dares to talk about side quests, since it is only on the 3rd disc that you can do something outside the direct storyline.
Grade: 7 / 10

Story / characters
Rather classical… oppressed people against the government who supposedly takes care of the “normal” people… errm. Nothing extraordinary, even if the parallel development of the stories is nice. The characters do not have a transcendent charisma, but it is nice. I like the different “styles”.
Grade: 7 / 10

In the end…
One of the weakest grade for a rpg, you get the feeling that they wanted to put many ideas in it and arrived at the end of the 3rd disc saying “darn, no more space / time”. But if you can fin it in second hand…
Final grade: 6.8 / 10

Images source
Official Site http://www.finalfantasy13game.com/

Médecine et santé à l’époque romaine

Sous le haut patronage d’Hippocrate, le Musée romain part sur les traces des médecins et de leurs patients à l’époque romaine…
Que se passait-il quand on tombait malade chez les Romains ? A qui s’adressait-on pour être soigné ? Quel était le statut du médecin, à une époque où aucun diplôme officiel ne sanctionnait la formation médicale ? Comment comprenait-on le fonctionnement du corps ? De quels moyens thérapeutiques disposait-on ? Une série de recherches et de découvertes archéologiques récentes permettent de porter un regard neuf sur la pratique médicale dans l’Antiquité, sur ses échecs et ses succès.

Cette exposition, dont la conception et la direction scientifique sont assurées par Véronique Dasen, professeure d’archéologie classique à l’Université de Fribourg, fait découvrir de nouveaux aspects de l’histoire de la médecine antique ; elle s’intéresse à l’activité d’hommes et de femmes médecins, à leurs patients, heureux ou malheureux, et au précieux secours des dieux et de la magie. L’exposition réunira pour la première fois l’ensemble des instruments du médecin romain.

Vernissage le vendredi 28 mai dès 18h30

Pour de plus amples informations : Musée romain de Nyon