Sorry about not updating Friday, I had planned to do something about the Oscars, but then I realized that any awards show that would completely pass over King of Kong for even a nomination in best documentary doesn't deserve any sort of write-up. I am watching the show as I'm writing this, but it's pretty much because there's really nothing else on (and because John Stewart can make just about anything tolerable).
Before I get onto today's main topic, though I did not get around to seeing Be Kind Rewind, but there are 2 other worthwhile movies I did check out. Charlie Bartlett certainly has some issues, and I'm not just talking about the film's protagonist. It's a mostly clever concept somewhat tainted by almost completely collapsing into ridiculousness in the final third of the film. But it is amusing and charming and star Anton Yelchin puts on a great performance that is very worth paying good money to see.
The other film just came out on DVD and I highly recommend renting it ASAP. Gone Baby Gone certainly sounds like a recipe for disaster. Quickly fading movie star Ben Affleck, who hasn't directed a feature film before, directing a movie with THAT title (certainly doesn't sound like a serious drama), and casting his younger, mostly untested brother, Casey, in the starring role. What we get instead is easily one of the best dramas I've seen in quite awhile. Masterfully crafted with great performances by everybody, Gone Baby Gone is a fantastic mystery thriller about those real grey areas that fall in-between right and wrong, without falling into the preachy, melodramatic & predictable traps that so many films that try for the same ideal fall into. I've always believed Ben Affleck was a talented guy who just made some bad (ok, REALLY BAD) choices in scripts. It turns out his best work may be behind the camera, so hopefully with this great film under his belt, we'll get to see more from him.
In case you haven't heard by now, EA, obviously threatened by the creation of uber-publisher Activision-Blizzard, has tried to acquire GTA publisher Take Two. Now Take Two did reject the offer, but only because they think the offer will be significantly higher after GTA IV comes out, so it only seems like a matter of time; and the 2 billion (that's right, BILLION) initial offering makes the Bioware/Pandemic buyout seem like small time stuff. Now, most will decry this as sure ruination of the GTA franchise, but there is one thing that gives me a little hope. John Riticello, head of EA has apparently noticed the declining scores on sites like metacritic, and isn;t happy about it. He's actually even promised to do something to increase those scores. Granted, that could end up being an empty promise, but given that companies these days do things like get critics fired for giving a bad review, someone at Riticello's level actually even brining up poor scores and making a promise to try and improve those is something noteworthy, and hopefully that is exactly what acquiring talent like Bioware, Pandemic & Take Two is going towards.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Music in Motion
2/24/2008
2/22/2008
POWER TO THE PEOPLE! (is that a good thing?)
So, ever taken a look at an game (especially on Xbox Live Arcade) and said to yourself "I can make something better than this trash!". Well then smart guy, it's time to put your money where your mouth is, because Microsoft is finally making XNA tools not only available to the public, but will post your stuff on Xbox Live if it passes muster. While I'm sure some will liken this to a golden age of indie games, I more feel that it'll mostly be like Newgrounds is now-an occasional gem, but mostly giant piles of steaming crap that you'd have to pay me to play for more than a minute. There are a few demos on Live now that you can check out, but most are evidence that this is really something best left to pros.
Well, it's been awhile, but there's finally some movies worth discussing out this weekend. Sadly, one of them is apparently not Vantage Point, since it has one hell of a cast, but really bad reviews.
But there two very interesting films out this weekend. One is Charlie Bartlett, which is a more modern take on films like Ferris Bueller. Granted, there have been many, many attempts over the years to do a modern take on that film and most have them have turned out pretty terrible, but Bartlett has mostly solid reviews to back it up, so I'll definitely try and check it out.
The other is one I've been excited about for quite awhile-Be Kind Rewind, from Michael Gondry, who brought us the brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This seems like more of a straight-forward goofball comedy, but it also looks like a lot of fun and I really enjoy both Mos Def & Jack Black so I'll be making this one a priority.
That's all for today but I definitely plan on updating tomorrow & Sunday, so see you then.
Well, it's been awhile, but there's finally some movies worth discussing out this weekend. Sadly, one of them is apparently not Vantage Point, since it has one hell of a cast, but really bad reviews.
But there two very interesting films out this weekend. One is Charlie Bartlett, which is a more modern take on films like Ferris Bueller. Granted, there have been many, many attempts over the years to do a modern take on that film and most have them have turned out pretty terrible, but Bartlett has mostly solid reviews to back it up, so I'll definitely try and check it out.
The other is one I've been excited about for quite awhile-Be Kind Rewind, from Michael Gondry, who brought us the brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This seems like more of a straight-forward goofball comedy, but it also looks like a lot of fun and I really enjoy both Mos Def & Jack Black so I'll be making this one a priority.
That's all for today but I definitely plan on updating tomorrow & Sunday, so see you then.
2/17/2008
It's just so obvious....
Some things seem so freaking natural, you can't imagine how they weren't come up with before now, especially given all the more out there ideas that seem to come down the pipeline. Just look at Okami. Given it's premise of painting stuff on screen, the Wii seemed like such a natural fit, and that's happening in about a month. Now, look at Dragonquest Swords, coming out this week. The Wii obviously can't do an epic free-roaming rpg quite like Oblivion, but Dragonquest seems like an ideal way to do something similar. Instead, what is Dragonquest swords? An on-rail light gun game with swords. Whoopdeedo. And hey, maybe it's not eve that bad an idea, but it just seems like such wasted potential. I guess I'll just hope that Square Enix sees the light and makes a worthy Dragonquest epic in the near future, because lord knows the Wii is seriously hurting for rpgs of any kind at this point.
And has Fox news learned to not poke the bear yet? Every time they have attacked video games, they come off looking like complete morons. After the tragedy at NIU earlier this week, who, despite being already massively discredited as an expert on anything except being a fucking moron, took the first opportunity to promote himself with Fox's full backing? Jackass Thompson of course. Now he's a "school shooting expert"? What exactly qualifies him as that? His psych degree? Oh wait, he doesn't have that. Years in the field? Nope. Any experience in anything except being a complete ass? Nope. Take Two completely destroying Thompson in court will hopefully make other companies aware that they really don't have to put up with this crap.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Adventures of Gyro Adams
And has Fox news learned to not poke the bear yet? Every time they have attacked video games, they come off looking like complete morons. After the tragedy at NIU earlier this week, who, despite being already massively discredited as an expert on anything except being a fucking moron, took the first opportunity to promote himself with Fox's full backing? Jackass Thompson of course. Now he's a "school shooting expert"? What exactly qualifies him as that? His psych degree? Oh wait, he doesn't have that. Years in the field? Nope. Any experience in anything except being a complete ass? Nope. Take Two completely destroying Thompson in court will hopefully make other companies aware that they really don't have to put up with this crap.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Adventures of Gyro Adams
2/13/2008
A Blue Odyssey
So, the first (and for quite awhile, only) rpg of '08 hits this week in Lost Odyssey. To be honest, even though it has quite the pedigree, I hadn't had much interest, as it seemed like a very bland, traditional rpg. But oddly enough, it was Blue Dragon, which I have gone through a little odyssey of my own with, that may be having me changed my mind. Blue Dragon is a very, VERY traditional Japanese RPG. It was more a victim of bad timing than anything else. Literally the day I brought it home was the day my 360 decided to crap out on me. So it sat there for 5 weeks with no way for me to play it, and by the time I got my 360 back, you get the insane trifecta of Halo 3, Mass Effect & Orange Box just on 360. Nevermind that there was also a couple of other titles like Mario Galaxy & Uncharted also getting most of my attention. So it basically sat on my gaming shelf. But, about a week ago, convinced I would find it dull like the less kind reviews have been saying. And suddenly nearly 30 hours in, I'm really digging the old school vibe. Yeah, it's turn-based (which RPGs seem to be moving away from these days) and Marumaro is one of the most annoying characters in a long time, but there is plenty of enjoyement to be had for those of us who grew up on these kind of rpgs and still enjoy the occasional one. And while I won't pick up Lost Odyssey right away since I want to actually finish Blue Dragon first, I'll be likely to pick it up as soon as that's done (which should actually be in the next week). And for those wondering, Devil May Cry 4 is still sitting unwrapped in my table...
The long-awaited Will Wright epic Spore finally has a release date of Sept. 7th. That is a ways off, so hopefully it's a date that can be kept, as this was one of those games people were betting would be stuck in development hell for all of eternity.
What's the best post-strike news? That Scrubs, come hell or high water will be given a proper finish. Granted, theoretically I'd want the show to keep going forever, but 7 years is an incredible run for any show, and it's good that they end it while the show is still top notch rather than waiting until it's a shell of it's former self (I'm looking at you, Simpsons).
Finally, I'd like to give a cheap plug out to my buddy Warden, fellow game enthusiast with a pretty solid blog of his own. Also a good source for more in-depth reviews rather than the usual quick snippets you see on here.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: CJ7
The long-awaited Will Wright epic Spore finally has a release date of Sept. 7th. That is a ways off, so hopefully it's a date that can be kept, as this was one of those games people were betting would be stuck in development hell for all of eternity.
What's the best post-strike news? That Scrubs, come hell or high water will be given a proper finish. Granted, theoretically I'd want the show to keep going forever, but 7 years is an incredible run for any show, and it's good that they end it while the show is still top notch rather than waiting until it's a shell of it's former self (I'm looking at you, Simpsons).
Finally, I'd like to give a cheap plug out to my buddy Warden, fellow game enthusiast with a pretty solid blog of his own. Also a good source for more in-depth reviews rather than the usual quick snippets you see on here.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: CJ7
2/08/2008
STRIKE OVER!!!!
I wasn't planning to honestly do an update today, with not a whole lot of major news and really nothing worth mentioning out this weekend, but hey, breaking news: the writer's strike is finally done! So what does this mean for this TV season? Some shows can still be salvaged, such as the Office, but several disappointing points, such as no 24 until fall or possibly January of next year, and Scrubs will get 4 more episodes, but that's a couple short of the 18 planned for the final season and those might be just released on DVD. So, some not so great consequences, but I certainly don't blame the writers, they've been screwed by the studios for years now. Hopefully both sides will have enough foresight in the future that next time big contracts are up for negotiation, they can avoid most of these pitfalls.
I picked up Devil May Cry 4, but I haven't popped it open and am most likely going to return it. The reviews have been pretty solid, but they all mention the very repetitive nature of the game and honestly I couldn't stand the faux crap metal that was in the demo, I really don't relish the idea of listening to more of that in the 20 missions. But I'll think it over for a few days.
That's mostly it for today, but remember awhile ago, it was announced that Steven Spielberg was making a game for the Wii. Now this is hardly the first time a big Hollywood personality has gotten involved in gaming, and usually the results are less than spectacular (and half the time, the person acts like they just forgot to take their ADD medication and move on to something else without finishing the project). But Spielberg seems serious about making a fun and simple title that doesn't seem nearly as ambitious as most of his other projects, but still seems like a fun time (and the physics engine is supposedly insane), check out the trailer for Bloom Blox:
I picked up Devil May Cry 4, but I haven't popped it open and am most likely going to return it. The reviews have been pretty solid, but they all mention the very repetitive nature of the game and honestly I couldn't stand the faux crap metal that was in the demo, I really don't relish the idea of listening to more of that in the 20 missions. But I'll think it over for a few days.
That's mostly it for today, but remember awhile ago, it was announced that Steven Spielberg was making a game for the Wii. Now this is hardly the first time a big Hollywood personality has gotten involved in gaming, and usually the results are less than spectacular (and half the time, the person acts like they just forgot to take their ADD medication and move on to something else without finishing the project). But Spielberg seems serious about making a fun and simple title that doesn't seem nearly as ambitious as most of his other projects, but still seems like a fun time (and the physics engine is supposedly insane), check out the trailer for Bloom Blox:
2/04/2008
BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Bah, is it Monday already? I had an extremely busy & exhausting last several days (and there honestly wasn't any new movies worth discussing and not a whole lot of breaking news). But I've decided one thing I've definitely been slacking on is talking about upcoming movie news. I'll post trailers and such, but rarely talk about things like casting or even announcements of movies. I'll start trying to do that more, starting today with the awesome announcement that they are making a big screen adaptation of The Greatest American Hero! I really loved the whole concept of this show, basically the idea of a guy who never really quite gets the hang of his powers. The director has a strong background for great comedy already, and since he has said he was holding an open casting call, may I suggest Nicholas Brendon? He's a little towards the older end of what you guys are looking for, but I think he's beyond perfect for this type of role, and it could clearly be a breakout thing for him.
Other big movie news is the Guillermo Del Toro is directing the new Hobbit film. Obviously given that Peter Jackson did such a tremendous job with the LOTR trilogy, he would be the best option, but Del Toro has shown he can do epic fantasy with the best of them, so I'll be very excited to see what he does with this project.
One movie I did finally get to see was Cloverfield, and I really enjoyed it. Not much else to say on that, but the effects were used very well, and I thought the handheld camera gimmick worked well in this movie unlike so many others. I've already heard sequel talk, but I feel that will taint the original.
Finally, I did finish No More Heroes, and it was one hell of an experience. I highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a truly great action experience with a awesome story to go along with it. It does come in a little bit short on play time (just under 14 hours), but oh it is a very, very sweet 14 hours.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Sonny
Other big movie news is the Guillermo Del Toro is directing the new Hobbit film. Obviously given that Peter Jackson did such a tremendous job with the LOTR trilogy, he would be the best option, but Del Toro has shown he can do epic fantasy with the best of them, so I'll be very excited to see what he does with this project.
One movie I did finally get to see was Cloverfield, and I really enjoyed it. Not much else to say on that, but the effects were used very well, and I thought the handheld camera gimmick worked well in this movie unlike so many others. I've already heard sequel talk, but I feel that will taint the original.
Finally, I did finish No More Heroes, and it was one hell of an experience. I highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a truly great action experience with a awesome story to go along with it. It does come in a little bit short on play time (just under 14 hours), but oh it is a very, very sweet 14 hours.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Sonny
1/29/2008
The King of Kings
When people talk about great comedies of the last year, you hear names like Knocked Up, Superbad & Juno. But King of Kong beats them all. It's more touching, more absurd,and features way more characters that can't possibly be real, but they are all too real. It's easily the best documentary in years, and yet was completely ignored by the idiots at the academy, so make sure you pick it up at your local retailer tomorrow and show them just how out of goddamn touch they are.
Just one other thing I really wanna touch on today-What the hell is up with Nintendo and the Virtual Console so far this year? We aren't even getting our regular 3 releases a week (which is something Nintendo swore they would staunchly deliver continuously), and this week, we only had one release (albeit a good one). Granted, unlike 360 & PS3 owners that are basically just biding their time till GTA hits, Wii ownners have actually had a couple worthwhile console titles this month, bit that's no excuse for the ridiculously paltry VC release we've seen over the last few weeks. I mean, c'mon, you're not Microsoft, this isn't the failed experiment that is Xbox Live Arcade, which is a horrible mishmash of bad emulation & casual titles no one gives a shit about. I understand not unleashing all the great games of yore in short order, because then nobody will be buying anything not long after and a lot may get lost in the shuffle, but I think one or two memorable classics a month is far from a hard task with the massive library Nintendo has at their disposal. This was supposed to be one of those things to show that Nintendo wasn't abandoning the hardcore base (because let's face it, mostly hardcore gamers are the ones paying to download these ancient games). If they continue to treat it like this, they'll lose out on a giant opportunity.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Midnight Meat Train
1/28/2008
The Top Ten movies that should be on HD NOW
Well, I almost made it. Was too busy Friday, just didn't feel like doing it yesterday, and then suddenly had an impromptu IHOP run with a bunch of people from work right after I got off today. But anyways, we all know HD is freaking awesome, allowing us to see brilliant picture and hear great sound never thought possible at home. And while there are some great titles available on both HDDVD & Blu-ray, there are plenty that should be available that aren't for some unknown reason. I decided to skip over the painfully obvious stuff like Star Wars (most of the original movies are probably too old and the new ones suck) & Pixar films (because they all should be on Blu-ray in the near future). This is definitely some personal choice mixed in with stuff that would be a technical marvel in HD, but it all deserves to be in the best format possible. So here we go:
#10
A great fantasy movie, with lots of vibrant scenery and special effects would look fantastic in a proper transfer. Hell, it still looks pretty goddamn impressive 20 years later, thanks to use of mostly practical effects and awesome puppetry from the legendary Jim Henson. I'd honestly rather see this on HD before any of the LOTR movies.
#9
It was never Star Wars, but The Last Starfighter is practically a forgotten sci-fi classic at this point, and a high-profile HD release would make people remember this great little film. The effects might look dated no matter how clean the transfer, but it'll be good for some nostalgia, and it's just a very, very fun movie.
#8
Disney is coming to Blu-ray, so there's not much reason to worry about any of those films, but this criminally ignored animation classic deserves a HD upgrade more than 99% of Disney's animated library. It tells a better story, sports fantastic animation that'll only look more awe-inspiring on HD, and is simply one of the great animated films of all time. It's definitely worth picking up on DVD if you haven't seen it yet, but here's hoping someone is smart enough to give it the upgrade it truly deserves.
#7
Possibly more of a personal choice, but I think seeing the most recent movie version of Sherwood in HD would be an absolute delight. Robin Hood is a movie full of color and lush scenery which would only benefit from such an upgrade. Plus it's probably the only movie I can stand with Kevin Costner in it...
#6
Really, this is a complete mystery to me. Easily the greatest space comedy since Spaceballs, the movie still looks great and is prime material for an HD upgrade. I really don;t have much more to say except to wonder what the hell could possibly be holding this up?
#5
The best Star Trek movie certainly deserves the HD treatment. If seeing the Enterprise, the Borg and lots of phaser fire in High Definition doesn't get you all hard, then your internet privileges should probably be revoked.
#4
Ridley Scott's Roman epic seems built for HD. The vibrant stadiums, the huge crowds, and especially the tiger scene all just scream that they should be seen in the highest definition and best sound available. And it's sure as hell better than any of the current historical epics available in either format.
#3
David Fincher's psychotic mind trip of a masterpiece is ranked so highly not just because it's such a brilliant film, but also the excellent visual style, cinematography, and just way out there look & feel of the entire movie. An HD treatment would make this cult classic fully realized.
#2
Sort of a cheat, but the greatest crime saga of all time sure as hell should be one of the top priorities to put on HD in some form. I would certainly prefer to see Part II over the original as I feel it's superior film, but the original is a fantastic movie as well. Both films feature fantastic cinematography that stand the test of time and would only look even better with a nice 1080p transfer applied.
#1
DINOSAURS! IN HD! WHY THE HELL IS THIS NOT ON HD?!?!?!?!? Seriously, Spielberg's classic still looks amazing 15 years later. To my knowledge, Spielburg has personal approval over any of his movies going to either HD or Blu-ray, so maybe he's just waiting for a clear victor, but to be honest this is probably one of they key titles that could turn the format war. I really don;t care. I just fucking want it more than any other title, because a T-Rex on my new Samsung in 1080p would be the coolest thing on Earth ever.
That's all for now. I'll definitely be back tonight or Tuesday for... something.
#10
A great fantasy movie, with lots of vibrant scenery and special effects would look fantastic in a proper transfer. Hell, it still looks pretty goddamn impressive 20 years later, thanks to use of mostly practical effects and awesome puppetry from the legendary Jim Henson. I'd honestly rather see this on HD before any of the LOTR movies.
#9
It was never Star Wars, but The Last Starfighter is practically a forgotten sci-fi classic at this point, and a high-profile HD release would make people remember this great little film. The effects might look dated no matter how clean the transfer, but it'll be good for some nostalgia, and it's just a very, very fun movie.
#8
Disney is coming to Blu-ray, so there's not much reason to worry about any of those films, but this criminally ignored animation classic deserves a HD upgrade more than 99% of Disney's animated library. It tells a better story, sports fantastic animation that'll only look more awe-inspiring on HD, and is simply one of the great animated films of all time. It's definitely worth picking up on DVD if you haven't seen it yet, but here's hoping someone is smart enough to give it the upgrade it truly deserves.
#7
Possibly more of a personal choice, but I think seeing the most recent movie version of Sherwood in HD would be an absolute delight. Robin Hood is a movie full of color and lush scenery which would only benefit from such an upgrade. Plus it's probably the only movie I can stand with Kevin Costner in it...
#6
Really, this is a complete mystery to me. Easily the greatest space comedy since Spaceballs, the movie still looks great and is prime material for an HD upgrade. I really don;t have much more to say except to wonder what the hell could possibly be holding this up?
#5
The best Star Trek movie certainly deserves the HD treatment. If seeing the Enterprise, the Borg and lots of phaser fire in High Definition doesn't get you all hard, then your internet privileges should probably be revoked.
#4
Ridley Scott's Roman epic seems built for HD. The vibrant stadiums, the huge crowds, and especially the tiger scene all just scream that they should be seen in the highest definition and best sound available. And it's sure as hell better than any of the current historical epics available in either format.
#3
David Fincher's psychotic mind trip of a masterpiece is ranked so highly not just because it's such a brilliant film, but also the excellent visual style, cinematography, and just way out there look & feel of the entire movie. An HD treatment would make this cult classic fully realized.
#2
Sort of a cheat, but the greatest crime saga of all time sure as hell should be one of the top priorities to put on HD in some form. I would certainly prefer to see Part II over the original as I feel it's superior film, but the original is a fantastic movie as well. Both films feature fantastic cinematography that stand the test of time and would only look even better with a nice 1080p transfer applied.
#1
DINOSAURS! IN HD! WHY THE HELL IS THIS NOT ON HD?!?!?!?!? Seriously, Spielberg's classic still looks amazing 15 years later. To my knowledge, Spielburg has personal approval over any of his movies going to either HD or Blu-ray, so maybe he's just waiting for a clear victor, but to be honest this is probably one of they key titles that could turn the format war. I really don;t care. I just fucking want it more than any other title, because a T-Rex on my new Samsung in 1080p would be the coolest thing on Earth ever.
That's all for now. I'll definitely be back tonight or Tuesday for... something.
1/25/2008
Devil May Care
If there is one game that really kick-started the whole over the top action genre, it was most definitely the original Devil May Cry. It was the first game with that much intense action and style to match. You felt like you were a genuine badass that could lay waste to a hundred minions and the occasional evil master villain as well. But time hasn't been overly kind to the series. The second installment was a dismal disappointment, nearly dooming the series altogether. The 3rd made a huge leap forward, but it's emphasis on being frustratingly hardcore limited it's audience and was overshadowed by the superior hardcore frustration of Ninja Gaiden. With that in mind, we come to the demo for the newest chapter in the series that was released on both Xbox Live and PSN today. I downloaded it, and it definitely felt like the series was trying to get back to its roots, with the insane difficulty of the last game dialed down to something more manageable. It felt familiar. In fact, a little too familiar. It felt like I was playing the first DMC game all over again, with no discernible difference aside from a graphical facelift. And to a certain extent, that is actually ok, but honestly you'd be getting a better action experience from God of War or No More Heroes if you have the option. But then again, 360 owners who don't have another option or PS3 owners who can't wait for the next GOW installment (which is rumoured for '09 at this point), it's actually probably a worthwhile purchase.
And yes, I have gotten a few quality hours in with NMH, and it is extremely epic. The game has a very Tarantino-style feel to it that is just pure style and fun. I agree with most reviewers that the whole town aspect seems extremely underdeveloped, but it certainly does not get in the way of the fun. Again, I can't stress how much you need to buy this game to prove that soccer moms and senior citizens are not the only audience on the Wii.
Oh Fox news, when will you learn (hopefully never)? Fox news has essentially told EA to go fuck themselves, refusing to retract or correct any of their blatantly false claims about Mass Effect. I really hope EA goes after them full bore, because this is probably one of the few companies powerful enough to make them shut the hell up.
And pretty much the only movie that's even possibly worth discussing this weekend is Sly Stallone's attempt to revive that other franchise that helped make him a star, Rambo. The strategy clearly worked with Rocky, but that was treated with a touch of realism about the fact that Rocky (and Sly) was an old dude trying to regain a little former glory. This seems like Sly is acting like he's 30 years old and an invincible badass. And granted, he's probably the most in shape guy in his 60s I've ever seen, but that doesn't make Rambo any less of a silly premise. That being said, I might go see it just for the 80s nostalgia of ridiculously violent films that you just don't see anymore.
That's it for today, but I'm planning a top ten movies that should be on HD column for this weekend, so look for that (and be sure to pass along any suggestions you might have).
And yes, I have gotten a few quality hours in with NMH, and it is extremely epic. The game has a very Tarantino-style feel to it that is just pure style and fun. I agree with most reviewers that the whole town aspect seems extremely underdeveloped, but it certainly does not get in the way of the fun. Again, I can't stress how much you need to buy this game to prove that soccer moms and senior citizens are not the only audience on the Wii.
Oh Fox news, when will you learn (hopefully never)? Fox news has essentially told EA to go fuck themselves, refusing to retract or correct any of their blatantly false claims about Mass Effect. I really hope EA goes after them full bore, because this is probably one of the few companies powerful enough to make them shut the hell up.
And pretty much the only movie that's even possibly worth discussing this weekend is Sly Stallone's attempt to revive that other franchise that helped make him a star, Rambo. The strategy clearly worked with Rocky, but that was treated with a touch of realism about the fact that Rocky (and Sly) was an old dude trying to regain a little former glory. This seems like Sly is acting like he's 30 years old and an invincible badass. And granted, he's probably the most in shape guy in his 60s I've ever seen, but that doesn't make Rambo any less of a silly premise. That being said, I might go see it just for the 80s nostalgia of ridiculously violent films that you just don't see anymore.
That's it for today, but I'm planning a top ten movies that should be on HD column for this weekend, so look for that (and be sure to pass along any suggestions you might have).
1/24/2008
What defines a "game"?
Geez, so much to go over today. I guess I'll get the depressing stuff out of the way first. Obviously we've all heard by now that Heath Ledger is dead. It's certainly a shame, the guy was on a career high, due to explode in a few months with people already buzzing about his performance in the new Batman film. Beyond sending my condolences to his family and friends I really don't have much else to say on the subject. I just hope we don't see a steady stream of sub par movies Ledger was in that were never meant to see the light of day but would now be released to make a quick buck (see John Candy). Let's hope The Dark Knight leaves a memorable impression that will be talked about for a long time to come.
Also, damn you EA, I actually may have to start liking you again. EA virtually bitch-slapped the morons over at FOX news, who were blatantly lying about the supposed "extreme" sexual content of Mass Effect. Granted, anybody who takes anything FOX news says seriously obviously had a serious lobotomy, but this is the first time someone as big as EA has actually fought back and this quickly. I seriously hope the morons at Fox don't shut up because then a slander suit won't be far off. Bravo EA, and damn you for making me say bravo.
Moving onto the crux of today's post, of course I went ahead and picked up No More Heroes, but I haven't cracked it open just yet (mainly because I had forgotten to charge my Wii Remote). What I did spend my limited amount of charge with was a new & interesting title that also came out this week called Endless Ocean. This title seems to be dividing the gaming community. Either it's yet another example of banal non-gamer nonsense that is slowly dooming the industry; or it's a fresh, relaxing, almost transcendent experience that some people just don't get. It certainly sounds dull as hell on the surface. You dive and check out fish at various underwater locations. That's really it. There is the occasional objective, but you're free to do them at your leisure. No real leveling up, no enemies to kill, no princess/kingdom/world to save. Sure as hell doesn't sound like what we would normally consider a game. It doesn't even sound remotely interesting when described, but I honestly had a genuine fascinating and enjoyable time with what I've played so far. And the gaming community is always talking about how games need to grow and evolve and change if they are really to be considered in equal company with other mediums like cinema & music. That means weird experimental shit that is totally out there with an original premise has to break out and garner attention. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Animal Crossing, in that while there were certainly objectives to complete, you could literally spend hours just exploring, talking to townsfolk and seeing what happened at different times of the day. So, bottom line, don't be afraid to give Endless Ocean a chance, just broaden your definition of what a game can be and you'll probably enjoy it (although I probably am going to take advantage of the custom soundtrack option because the Enya-esque music just makes me sleepy).
That's all for today, but I'll leave you with a pretty awesome 5-minute video of Smash Bros. footage and will most certainly be back tomorrow with hopefully some NMH thoughts as well as expanded thoughts on Endless Ocean and the Devil May Cry 4 demo that is due to pop up.
Also, damn you EA, I actually may have to start liking you again. EA virtually bitch-slapped the morons over at FOX news, who were blatantly lying about the supposed "extreme" sexual content of Mass Effect. Granted, anybody who takes anything FOX news says seriously obviously had a serious lobotomy, but this is the first time someone as big as EA has actually fought back and this quickly. I seriously hope the morons at Fox don't shut up because then a slander suit won't be far off. Bravo EA, and damn you for making me say bravo.
Moving onto the crux of today's post, of course I went ahead and picked up No More Heroes, but I haven't cracked it open just yet (mainly because I had forgotten to charge my Wii Remote). What I did spend my limited amount of charge with was a new & interesting title that also came out this week called Endless Ocean. This title seems to be dividing the gaming community. Either it's yet another example of banal non-gamer nonsense that is slowly dooming the industry; or it's a fresh, relaxing, almost transcendent experience that some people just don't get. It certainly sounds dull as hell on the surface. You dive and check out fish at various underwater locations. That's really it. There is the occasional objective, but you're free to do them at your leisure. No real leveling up, no enemies to kill, no princess/kingdom/world to save. Sure as hell doesn't sound like what we would normally consider a game. It doesn't even sound remotely interesting when described, but I honestly had a genuine fascinating and enjoyable time with what I've played so far. And the gaming community is always talking about how games need to grow and evolve and change if they are really to be considered in equal company with other mediums like cinema & music. That means weird experimental shit that is totally out there with an original premise has to break out and garner attention. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Animal Crossing, in that while there were certainly objectives to complete, you could literally spend hours just exploring, talking to townsfolk and seeing what happened at different times of the day. So, bottom line, don't be afraid to give Endless Ocean a chance, just broaden your definition of what a game can be and you'll probably enjoy it (although I probably am going to take advantage of the custom soundtrack option because the Enya-esque music just makes me sleepy).
That's all for today, but I'll leave you with a pretty awesome 5-minute video of Smash Bros. footage and will most certainly be back tomorrow with hopefully some NMH thoughts as well as expanded thoughts on Endless Ocean and the Devil May Cry 4 demo that is due to pop up.
1/21/2008
Is there a hardcore audience on the Wii?
Well here's your chance to speak up. An original, mature, bloody action game with minimal waggle hits this week. It's called No More Heroes and it's not about saving the princess, or defeating aliens for the 5 billionth time. You just wanna be number one, and there are 10 other guys standing in your way, so kill them. There's obviously more to the game, but this is exactly the kind of title all the hardcore gamers whine about not existing on the Wii. If you want more original, awesome games like this and less titles that carry names like Carnival Games, you need to buy this, and any games like it in the future. I'm not saying buy something just because it's daring and original, games like that can still be all that and horrible, and shouldn't be supported. But it also should not have to have the Nintendo (or some almost equally big name like Resident Evil) name behind it in order for you to buy it. I mean hell, all these established franchises had to start somewhere too, if nobody gave them a chence, all we'd ever be playing is Madden and licensed crap.
I'm going to end this updtae with a couple a vids. The first one is a follow-up to the Mario Meets Halo vid I previously posted. This is an actual fan-made game that is being developed, and it looks pretty sweet so far. So check out this new vid and click it for more info and a link to a fairly cool downloadable demo!
Finally, there aren't a whole lot of upcoming PSP games that I'm too excited for, but Final Fantasy: Crisis Core is one I'm definitely keeping an eye on, and I got what I thought was a pretty good idea for this upcoming prequel, so check out this vid (AND THEN GO BUY NO MORE HEROES THIS WEEK):
I'm going to end this updtae with a couple a vids. The first one is a follow-up to the Mario Meets Halo vid I previously posted. This is an actual fan-made game that is being developed, and it looks pretty sweet so far. So check out this new vid and click it for more info and a link to a fairly cool downloadable demo!
Finally, there aren't a whole lot of upcoming PSP games that I'm too excited for, but Final Fantasy: Crisis Core is one I'm definitely keeping an eye on, and I got what I thought was a pretty good idea for this upcoming prequel, so check out this vid (AND THEN GO BUY NO MORE HEROES THIS WEEK):
1/17/2008
A flaw in your plan...
A new Leisure Suit Larry game is being made! With promises that it'll have little if anything to do with the last horrid game, Magna Cum Laude. I'd be pumped, if not for the producer's idiotic and contradictory statements. He wants it to be a classic sex comedy in the vein of Animal House and American Pie, yet he's toning it down from the last release so much that there won;t even be any nudity. Now, normally, nudity in a game is completely unnecessary and usually to cover up horrible gameplay flaws, but the Leisure Suit Larry series is rife with great comedic use of nudity, as are the classic comedies the producer wants to aspire to. You cut that out, you're essentially neutering Larry. How can we expect to ever have good games that also have some adult content if one of the great adult series of all time has its balls cut off before it's even out of the gate this time?
Pretty much the only movie even worth mentioning that is opening this weekend is Cloverfield. I will say when I first heard about this movie I wasn't the least bit interested. It has many classic warning signs. Firstly, it's opening in January, usually a dead zone for new good films. Second, It's reportedly mostly filmed on shaky cam, which just tends to annoy the hell out of me. Third, it's a giant monster movie. Can you remember a good modern giant monster movie? But a couple of friends of mine did get to see a sneak peek at it, and their response was overall pretty positive, so I am planning on checking it out tomorrow.
That's pretty much it for today, but I'll try and get another post up by Sunday. In the meantime, check out this awesome Mario meets Halo video:
Pretty much the only movie even worth mentioning that is opening this weekend is Cloverfield. I will say when I first heard about this movie I wasn't the least bit interested. It has many classic warning signs. Firstly, it's opening in January, usually a dead zone for new good films. Second, It's reportedly mostly filmed on shaky cam, which just tends to annoy the hell out of me. Third, it's a giant monster movie. Can you remember a good modern giant monster movie? But a couple of friends of mine did get to see a sneak peek at it, and their response was overall pretty positive, so I am planning on checking it out tomorrow.
That's pretty much it for today, but I'll try and get another post up by Sunday. In the meantime, check out this awesome Mario meets Halo video:
1/15/2008
They'd better be adding in Megaman. And Bomberman. And Simon Belmont. And...
Smash. Bros. is delayed. Granted, one more month isn't a terribly long wait, but given that this game was originally supposed to hit us early last year to begin with, it better be the finest example of crazy 4-player mayhem to date. I was definitely considering picking up the previous Gamecube edition in order to sharpen up my skills, and this delay may give me just the motivation to do that (or maybe I should actually use the time to try and put a serious dent into my giant backlog of games from the holiday season).
Ah, the stench of total failure. After telling everyone and their mother how horrible it was working for Nintendo and their inferior console, Factor 5, makers of the gigantic pile of crap that is Lair, are suddenly making a Wii game. But they already failed at motion control once, and I'm not really up for yet another trip in an X-Wing, so unless these guys really pull out something worthwhile, I'd be just as happy to never hear from them again.
What's this? A Highlander game? Granted, no Sean Connery or even Christopher Lambert (and really, like Lambert would have anything better to do these days) is a bummer, but the fact that this is an original story based on the property and not tied down to any lame movies or series means it has more promise than most games of its ilk.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Ah, the stench of total failure. After telling everyone and their mother how horrible it was working for Nintendo and their inferior console, Factor 5, makers of the gigantic pile of crap that is Lair, are suddenly making a Wii game. But they already failed at motion control once, and I'm not really up for yet another trip in an X-Wing, so unless these guys really pull out something worthwhile, I'd be just as happy to never hear from them again.
What's this? A Highlander game? Granted, no Sean Connery or even Christopher Lambert (and really, like Lambert would have anything better to do these days) is a bummer, but the fact that this is an original story based on the property and not tied down to any lame movies or series means it has more promise than most games of its ilk.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
1/14/2008
Save our Sonic?
Ah, Sonic, it's been a long and arduous road. You started out as a hip up and comer that was a serious challenger to the platformer throne, with some excellent 16-bit titles. Then you hit the Dreamcast and while there were some blemishes, most had an enjoyable experience. But we should've seen the warning signs then, because it's been almost nothing but a downhill spiral for the blue speedster for the past 17 years. Yikes. Granted, there haven't been many pure Sonic games in that time, but we have plenty of horrid spin-offs like Sonic Rivals, Shadow the Hedgehog and of course the failed abortion that was your next-gen debut, simply titled "Sonic the Hedgehog", apparently trying to make a comeback in the same way Sylvester Stallone did with the simple title of "Rocky Balboa", but with far less successful results.
Yes, Sonic desperately needs a revamp if he's not to completely lose what few fans are left. And we are getting it with a new DS rpg by Bioware that sounds incredible. But is he even worth saving? We come back to him time after time again like the victim in an abusive relationship, expecting that things will be better this time. I've been able to mostly stay away, but as somebody who was a diehard Sega fanboy in it's glory days, I still have been lured back by promises of revamped gameplay on games such as Shadow & more recently Sonic & the Secret Riings, which had so much potential, but fell way short as usual. In most cases, gamers usually give up on a series long before they have been burned this often. But you see the fan reaction when it's announced that he is in Smash Bros or that Bioware is working on a game (when the reaction was more likely to be that they've sold out) and we still love the abusive blue blur. I'm willing to ignore my better judgement and give Sonic one last chance to tempt me, but hopefully if we gamers are spurned again, we'll respond with wrath and vengeance (not literal of course, put the torches & pitchforks down) rather than just waiting to be punished again because Sonic promises it'll get better next time.
No major games are coming out or movies being released this week. Luckily, all that will change when the first truly big game title 0f '08 hits next week. In fact, I'm so pumped about it, I made a cool fanvid! Check it out:
Also, the Dark Knight trailer is pretty wicked, what's more wicked is when somebody makes a killer trailer for the original campy show using the exact same audio:
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Coffee Shop
Yes, Sonic desperately needs a revamp if he's not to completely lose what few fans are left. And we are getting it with a new DS rpg by Bioware that sounds incredible. But is he even worth saving? We come back to him time after time again like the victim in an abusive relationship, expecting that things will be better this time. I've been able to mostly stay away, but as somebody who was a diehard Sega fanboy in it's glory days, I still have been lured back by promises of revamped gameplay on games such as Shadow & more recently Sonic & the Secret Riings, which had so much potential, but fell way short as usual. In most cases, gamers usually give up on a series long before they have been burned this often. But you see the fan reaction when it's announced that he is in Smash Bros or that Bioware is working on a game (when the reaction was more likely to be that they've sold out) and we still love the abusive blue blur. I'm willing to ignore my better judgement and give Sonic one last chance to tempt me, but hopefully if we gamers are spurned again, we'll respond with wrath and vengeance (not literal of course, put the torches & pitchforks down) rather than just waiting to be punished again because Sonic promises it'll get better next time.
No major games are coming out or movies being released this week. Luckily, all that will change when the first truly big game title 0f '08 hits next week. In fact, I'm so pumped about it, I made a cool fanvid! Check it out:
Also, the Dark Knight trailer is pretty wicked, what's more wicked is when somebody makes a killer trailer for the original campy show using the exact same audio:
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Coffee Shop
1/10/2008
Universal FTW
Granted, when the no-so-great high def format war is officially chronicled and talked about in future generations to the few who care, Warner Bros. decision to only support Blu-ray will most likely be considered the key turning point. But the battle could've dragged on for years as long as HDDVD was able to keep noteworthy studios like Universal & Paramount. But that's now changed as well, with Universal saying they'll be dropping HDDVD like a bad habit once their exclusivity deal ends in May. They didn't actually say they were committing to Blu-ray, but it would be odd that they would be the only major movie studio not releasing movies on any high-def format whatsoever. I'm sure if you went with HDDVD, you are pretty upset right now. But hey, you can probably pick up a ton high-def dvds for cheap real soon!
Is Namco trying to one-up Nintendo with bizarre cross-overs? You would think you couldn't get any weirder than Snake being in Smash Bros, but from CES we get the out of nowhere announcement that Darth Vader & Yoda will be in the new Soul Calibur game. And while most moronic geeks are questioning how this fits into canon or how any other fighters could stand up to the force & lightsabers, I choose to revel in this absurdity for all its worth. Strong rumors of more Star Wars characters to come as well. As long as the game is fun & balanced, you can throw Boss Nass & Jar Jar Binks in there as well.
I admit, I'm kinda tempted to see In the Name of the King, just to see what Uwe Boll idea of a LOTR-esque epic would look like (especially when he has less and a third of the budget to work with). But, I'll probably just save the money and be sure that it sucks.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Forbidden Kingdom
Is Namco trying to one-up Nintendo with bizarre cross-overs? You would think you couldn't get any weirder than Snake being in Smash Bros, but from CES we get the out of nowhere announcement that Darth Vader & Yoda will be in the new Soul Calibur game. And while most moronic geeks are questioning how this fits into canon or how any other fighters could stand up to the force & lightsabers, I choose to revel in this absurdity for all its worth. Strong rumors of more Star Wars characters to come as well. As long as the game is fun & balanced, you can throw Boss Nass & Jar Jar Binks in there as well.
I admit, I'm kinda tempted to see In the Name of the King, just to see what Uwe Boll idea of a LOTR-esque epic would look like (especially when he has less and a third of the budget to work with). But, I'll probably just save the money and be sure that it sucks.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Forbidden Kingdom
1/04/2008
Warner Bros. FTW?
Although mostly meaningless blows like an aging mortar & concrete business choosing one side or temporary exclusivity are what have mostly been traded in this dumb format war between HDDVD & Blu-ray, a huge and possibly finishing blow may have come today. Warner Bros., which was supporting both formats, has officially pledged themselves fully to Blu-ray. As the biggest DVD seller in Hollywood, that pulls some major clout and will probably be the eventual nail in the coffin for HDDVD, who now only has Universal, Paramount & The Weinstein company backing it exclusively. Which is great news for me, since I just picked up enough blu-ray dvds over the last two days to start a nice small HD library, and hope to be picking up many more in the future.
So, able to get on Xbox live lately? If the answer is no, you are hardly alone. Apparently MS was nowhere near ready to handle the surge of new gamers on live over the holidays, as it has caused loads of issues. The good news is that MS is going to compensate all of us, the bad news is, it's going to be with some worthless Live Arcade title. Really? I think a free month of live would be appropriate, assuming they even get the issues fixed within a month's time. This is like where Kramer jumped at free coffee after he got burned, even though he could've easily gotten so much more, but we aren't even getting the opportunity for something more. MS may have the games, but they are killing any goodwill that gets them with all their technical issues. If this crap continues, you may see a lot of 360s being returned.traded in for PS3s before long.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: CORE
So, able to get on Xbox live lately? If the answer is no, you are hardly alone. Apparently MS was nowhere near ready to handle the surge of new gamers on live over the holidays, as it has caused loads of issues. The good news is that MS is going to compensate all of us, the bad news is, it's going to be with some worthless Live Arcade title. Really? I think a free month of live would be appropriate, assuming they even get the issues fixed within a month's time. This is like where Kramer jumped at free coffee after he got burned, even though he could've easily gotten so much more, but we aren't even getting the opportunity for something more. MS may have the games, but they are killing any goodwill that gets them with all their technical issues. If this crap continues, you may see a lot of 360s being returned.traded in for PS3s before long.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: CORE
1/03/2008
Performing without a net
Well, tonight, in just a little while, we get to see just how funny Jay Leno & Conan O'Brian can be without a staff of writers, because even without a paid staff, they are coming back on TV (so has Carson Daly, but no one cares). David Letterman & Craig Ferguson are back on the air as well, but they were able to strike a deal with the striking writers guild for their own shows. Jay Leno isn't too damn funny with a full staff, my guess is he'll bomb pretty damn horribly without one. Conan is sort of a wildcard. He is definitely one of the funniest guys in Hollywood, and was responsible for some of the all-time greatest Simpsons episodes. But live, in front of an audience, with absolutely no prepared material is a whole different type of performing. It's anybody's guess if Conan's improv skills are truly up to snuff.
I am finally an HD convert. Even though I work in a place that has a Home Theater department filled with giant 50+ inch-plasmas, I honestly never thought HD looked that much better than standard-def, when I I saw it at work. And at home, all I had was a fairly poor-quality 15-inch LCD by Magnavox (not the greatest of TV brands to begin with). But since I did just recently acquire a PS3, I also picked up my first blu-ray movie a couple of days ago, the brilliant Ratatouille. Granted, last night on my TV, it didn't make much of a case for going HD on anything. But I just picked up a cool new 26-inch Samsung, and I'm watching Ratatouille right now, and it does make one hell of a difference. I'm not saying blu-ray is better than HD-DVD, I'll probably need to break down and get the HD-add on for my 360 to truly judge that; but I'm a much bigger HD than I was just yesterday.
Trailer of the Week: MY NAME IS BRUCE
I am finally an HD convert. Even though I work in a place that has a Home Theater department filled with giant 50+ inch-plasmas, I honestly never thought HD looked that much better than standard-def, when I I saw it at work. And at home, all I had was a fairly poor-quality 15-inch LCD by Magnavox (not the greatest of TV brands to begin with). But since I did just recently acquire a PS3, I also picked up my first blu-ray movie a couple of days ago, the brilliant Ratatouille. Granted, last night on my TV, it didn't make much of a case for going HD on anything. But I just picked up a cool new 26-inch Samsung, and I'm watching Ratatouille right now, and it does make one hell of a difference. I'm not saying blu-ray is better than HD-DVD, I'll probably need to break down and get the HD-add on for my 360 to truly judge that; but I'm a much bigger HD than I was just yesterday.
Trailer of the Week: MY NAME IS BRUCE
12/29/2007
Medium Entertainment's totally pointless year end awards!
Well, no movies opening this weekend and no breaking news, so now's a good a time as any to give my year-end wrap ups. Going for something a little different from the usual "best of" this year, so enjoy:
Best Vaporware:
I don't why anybody is surprised at this. Sure, potentially Sony's metagame/virtual world is a visionary and fantastic idea. If it ever gets done, that is. This could be the Second Life for consoles, but it also could just end up being some ad-filled eyesore to pump merchandise, which seems the more likely of the two. I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't really see the light of day until at least 2009.
The Helping Amateur Stalkers Everywhere Award:
Xbox Live's Friends of Friends. Seriously. who's fucking bright idea was this? So, anybody can potentially track down anybody on live, which probably isn't that big a deal, but I rarely let people I've never even talked to on an internet forum join my friends' list, much less somebody who is a friend of a friend of a friend. Xbox live isn't Myspace. This really just seems like a tool for advertising where you get asked to be on the friend list of The Burger King or something horrid like that.
The resting on their laurels award:
Yes, it was a banner year for Nintendo. Their waggle system continues to sell like it's the last system ever. But really, what did Nintendo do to please it's already big installed base this year? Not a whole lot, and the sad thing is , it wouldn't have taken much to make us pleased. Better virtual console releases, for one. Yeah, what is classic is subjective, but most of what we've seen this year on the virtual console was questionable at best. I probably should be having trouble keeping my Wii from overflowing with VC titles, but it just isn't happening.
Which leads me to my another major complaint-Nintendo still hasn't made it so that you can play anything from an SD card, which massively limits the memory options. I mean hell, I may have to start choosing between channels and game saves soon, especially with Wii Ware on the way next year. And finally, the ever-lasting complaint of simplifying online play. Their is literally no justification for making your customers have to jot down 16-digit codes for every friend for every individual game. You don;t even enable voice chat, so that whole protecting the kids mantra is complete BS. And even if you did, that's what thing like parental settings (and parents themselves oddly enough) are for. I mean honestly, this is the kind of thing that will make people skip otherwise solid titles like Battalion Wars 2, because it just isn't worth the hassle. These are all easily fixed problems, Nintendo, and shame on you for being lazy as hell about it.
The You only get out of it what you put into it award:
3rd Party Wii developers: Seriously, just how many half-assed pieces of complete shovelware have we seen on Nintendo's console this year? And all of them are by third parties just desperately trying to cash in on the Wii's success. Then they have the gall to piss & moan about how they can't make any money on the Wii. Granted, you're not going to hit monster numbers like Bioshock & Mass Effect, but I thought that was one of the points of the Wii in the first place-that you could make more daring titles that don't have to be monster hits because they cost a fraction of what it costs to develop titles for the 360 or the PS3. The Wii has effectively proved people don't care about graphics that much, but they still need something besides 10,000 minigames to bide their free time.
Biggest Jackass:
Granted, several Sony execs were in the running, but the increasingly insane antics of Thompson month after month made him a shoo-in. I mean the guy has targeted everything from Microsoft to the Department of Defense, and even facing disbarment hasn't slowed this maniac down in his crusade to destroy videogames that just ends up destroying any credibility he has left. It's been fun Mr. Thompson, but it's looking like 2008 will find you jobless and possibly in a rubber room where you truly belong.
The biggest disappointment of the year:
Xbox Live Arcade: Seriously, it's been around a year longer than the Virtual Console, yet the amount of quality titles is a hell of a lot less, and it's not because the usually only do one title a week. Sure, there have been a couple of rare gems like Bomberman & Worms, and Streets of Rage 2 was certainly worth the $5 to download; but a look at the rest of the list reads like some hastily slapped together "greatest hits" compilation with only a couple actual hits and most of the running badly on hardware that should have no problem running it. Microsoft can;t even decide what the hell it wants Arcade to be. First it's an outlet for indie developers, then it's a land of mostly badly emulated classics. Now it's trying to reach out to a young and casual crowd that isn't even there with games that feature Spongebob collecting underpants. Arcade is in the middle of a giant identity crisis, and it will be looked upon as one of the great blunders of this generation if Microsoft doesn't get their act together.
All right, that's pretty much it. See you guys next year!
Best Vaporware:
I don't why anybody is surprised at this. Sure, potentially Sony's metagame/virtual world is a visionary and fantastic idea. If it ever gets done, that is. This could be the Second Life for consoles, but it also could just end up being some ad-filled eyesore to pump merchandise, which seems the more likely of the two. I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't really see the light of day until at least 2009.
The Helping Amateur Stalkers Everywhere Award:
Xbox Live's Friends of Friends. Seriously. who's fucking bright idea was this? So, anybody can potentially track down anybody on live, which probably isn't that big a deal, but I rarely let people I've never even talked to on an internet forum join my friends' list, much less somebody who is a friend of a friend of a friend. Xbox live isn't Myspace. This really just seems like a tool for advertising where you get asked to be on the friend list of The Burger King or something horrid like that.
The resting on their laurels award:
Yes, it was a banner year for Nintendo. Their waggle system continues to sell like it's the last system ever. But really, what did Nintendo do to please it's already big installed base this year? Not a whole lot, and the sad thing is , it wouldn't have taken much to make us pleased. Better virtual console releases, for one. Yeah, what is classic is subjective, but most of what we've seen this year on the virtual console was questionable at best. I probably should be having trouble keeping my Wii from overflowing with VC titles, but it just isn't happening.
Which leads me to my another major complaint-Nintendo still hasn't made it so that you can play anything from an SD card, which massively limits the memory options. I mean hell, I may have to start choosing between channels and game saves soon, especially with Wii Ware on the way next year. And finally, the ever-lasting complaint of simplifying online play. Their is literally no justification for making your customers have to jot down 16-digit codes for every friend for every individual game. You don;t even enable voice chat, so that whole protecting the kids mantra is complete BS. And even if you did, that's what thing like parental settings (and parents themselves oddly enough) are for. I mean honestly, this is the kind of thing that will make people skip otherwise solid titles like Battalion Wars 2, because it just isn't worth the hassle. These are all easily fixed problems, Nintendo, and shame on you for being lazy as hell about it.
The You only get out of it what you put into it award:
3rd Party Wii developers: Seriously, just how many half-assed pieces of complete shovelware have we seen on Nintendo's console this year? And all of them are by third parties just desperately trying to cash in on the Wii's success. Then they have the gall to piss & moan about how they can't make any money on the Wii. Granted, you're not going to hit monster numbers like Bioshock & Mass Effect, but I thought that was one of the points of the Wii in the first place-that you could make more daring titles that don't have to be monster hits because they cost a fraction of what it costs to develop titles for the 360 or the PS3. The Wii has effectively proved people don't care about graphics that much, but they still need something besides 10,000 minigames to bide their free time.
Biggest Jackass:
Granted, several Sony execs were in the running, but the increasingly insane antics of Thompson month after month made him a shoo-in. I mean the guy has targeted everything from Microsoft to the Department of Defense, and even facing disbarment hasn't slowed this maniac down in his crusade to destroy videogames that just ends up destroying any credibility he has left. It's been fun Mr. Thompson, but it's looking like 2008 will find you jobless and possibly in a rubber room where you truly belong.
The biggest disappointment of the year:
Xbox Live Arcade: Seriously, it's been around a year longer than the Virtual Console, yet the amount of quality titles is a hell of a lot less, and it's not because the usually only do one title a week. Sure, there have been a couple of rare gems like Bomberman & Worms, and Streets of Rage 2 was certainly worth the $5 to download; but a look at the rest of the list reads like some hastily slapped together "greatest hits" compilation with only a couple actual hits and most of the running badly on hardware that should have no problem running it. Microsoft can;t even decide what the hell it wants Arcade to be. First it's an outlet for indie developers, then it's a land of mostly badly emulated classics. Now it's trying to reach out to a young and casual crowd that isn't even there with games that feature Spongebob collecting underpants. Arcade is in the middle of a giant identity crisis, and it will be looked upon as one of the great blunders of this generation if Microsoft doesn't get their act together.
All right, that's pretty much it. See you guys next year!
12/21/2007
Cinematic Overload
Wow, for once there are just too many goddamn good movies for me to catch-up on. I did manage to see both I am Legend & Juno today, both of which I highly recommend seeing (especially Juno, that's easily my pick for best comedy of 07). But suddenly, there's a huge avalanche of new films that all seem worth seeing. First up, there's what may be the best spoof film in quite a long time in Walk Hard, a star-making role for the brilliant John C. Reilly. Then there's also Tim Burton's most critically acclaimed film in over a decade, the movie version of the macabre musical Sweeney Todd. We also have Tom Hanks latest shot at Oscar Gold in Charlie Wilson's War. All good choices that I really want to check out. Hell, I even want to see National Treasure 2 since I enjoyed the first one, but it's definitely under the category of "if you've seen everything else.
That's pretty much it for me today, but I'll leave you with a Christmas classic: A Charlie Brown Christmas... Performed by the cast of Scrubs!
That's pretty much it for me today, but I'll leave you with a Christmas classic: A Charlie Brown Christmas... Performed by the cast of Scrubs!
12/19/2007
A long NIGHTS journey...
I apologize for not posting for over a week, but I really sick for about a week and am still recovering a little bit. I was in fact very pissed that I was so ill I could not go out to see I am Legend and check out the new Dark Knight trailer (of course by now I've seen the trailer, but I will also check out Legend this weekend).
But it is good that I have mostly recovered just in time for the last big release of '07-Nights: Journey of Dreams for the Wii! Granted, this game may only matter to those few of us who were lucky enough to play the seminal original on the ill-fated Saturn, but since it's been over a decade , I'll take what new content I can get. It's a shame that according to most reviews, that while the game works fine with the classic controller, they apparently could not get the Wii controls to work well, since that seemed such a natural fit for the game.
Duke Nukem lives? Granted, I've never been a big fan of what is basically a composite of Ash from the Evil Dead movies & Roddy Piper from They Live, but ID has finally has posted a trailer for the long rumoured vaporware. Of course, without some kind of release date, this means squat IMHO. And really, what relevance is Duke to modern-day gaming? We have so many more awesome heroes that could kick Duke's ass...
Trailer of the week: HANCOCK
But it is good that I have mostly recovered just in time for the last big release of '07-Nights: Journey of Dreams for the Wii! Granted, this game may only matter to those few of us who were lucky enough to play the seminal original on the ill-fated Saturn, but since it's been over a decade , I'll take what new content I can get. It's a shame that according to most reviews, that while the game works fine with the classic controller, they apparently could not get the Wii controls to work well, since that seemed such a natural fit for the game.
Duke Nukem lives? Granted, I've never been a big fan of what is basically a composite of Ash from the Evil Dead movies & Roddy Piper from They Live, but ID has finally has posted a trailer for the long rumoured vaporware. Of course, without some kind of release date, this means squat IMHO. And really, what relevance is Duke to modern-day gaming? We have so many more awesome heroes that could kick Duke's ass...
Trailer of the week: HANCOCK
12/10/2007
Tom Brokaw is old and confused...
It always amuses me when someone who is the voice of a generation completely out of touch with today's world tries to make a statement on modern day stuff they obviously have no clue about. Take this latest from retired old fart Tom Brokaw:
What I really love is how he claims he's a "free speech absolutist" but condemns two very valid forms of it that sure as hell shouldn't be criticized any more than the media he worked for for so long. I'm all for examining violence and it's effects. Hell, blogs can be a very useful tool for just that and the ongoing dialogue Brokaw mentions. To call them cancerous and then throw in videogames just because it's fashionable to scapegoat them for everything (note that the VT shooter didn't play any violent games) is just absurd and shows how senile he is. Do yourself a favor and stay shuttered away in the old folks shelter, grandpa.
Onto happier news, one thing that has sort of annoyed me about the Wii controllers is that they aren't truly wireless. The nunchuck is still attached to the Wii remote and so is the classic controller. But help is on the way. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but Nyko is coming out with a wireless nunchuck and Thrustmaster (really, Thrustmaster?) has their own wireless version of the classic controller that is on its way as well. We all know the less wires we have to deal with, the better, so hopefully these will be on shelves soon as it doesn't seem like Nintendo is too concerned about developing their own wireless versions of these any time in the near future.
In addition to the free game of the week, a have a little treat for you guys, my newest fanvid, featuring Smash Bros. Brawl! Til next time...
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Top Chef
HH: NBC ran the Virginia Tech killer tape on the day they obtained it. Steve Capus, Brian Williams made that decision. Did they make the right decision?
TB: Yeah, they did.
HH: Do you not think it's going to incite other people to try to do the same thing?
TB: No, I don't. I think...to get back to something we were talking about earlier in general thematic terms, I don't think we're doing a very good job about talking about violence in this country, either. You know, Virginia Tech went away. We didn't have any ongoing dialogue in our communities or on the air about the corrosive effect of violence. It was not what he, what people saw of him on the air that will drive them, it's what they read in blog sites, and what they see in video games. It's that kind of stuff that I think is cancerous. And I'm a free speech absolutist, but I think that at the same time, we have to have free speech in some kind of a context. And part of that context is a discussion of the possible effects of it.
What I really love is how he claims he's a "free speech absolutist" but condemns two very valid forms of it that sure as hell shouldn't be criticized any more than the media he worked for for so long. I'm all for examining violence and it's effects. Hell, blogs can be a very useful tool for just that and the ongoing dialogue Brokaw mentions. To call them cancerous and then throw in videogames just because it's fashionable to scapegoat them for everything (note that the VT shooter didn't play any violent games) is just absurd and shows how senile he is. Do yourself a favor and stay shuttered away in the old folks shelter, grandpa.
Onto happier news, one thing that has sort of annoyed me about the Wii controllers is that they aren't truly wireless. The nunchuck is still attached to the Wii remote and so is the classic controller. But help is on the way. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but Nyko is coming out with a wireless nunchuck and Thrustmaster (really, Thrustmaster?) has their own wireless version of the classic controller that is on its way as well. We all know the less wires we have to deal with, the better, so hopefully these will be on shelves soon as it doesn't seem like Nintendo is too concerned about developing their own wireless versions of these any time in the near future.
In addition to the free game of the week, a have a little treat for you guys, my newest fanvid, featuring Smash Bros. Brawl! Til next time...
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Top Chef
12/07/2007
All that glitters...
Is most certainly not gold. I already pretty much posted my opinion on this weekend's only big opening film, The Golden Compass. You'd be much better off trying to find some indie fare like say Juno(which unfortunately isn't playing anywhere near me).
New trailer for GTA IV hit today. Though I wasn't a huge fan of San Andreas, this is starting to look pretty damn promising.
I am also making some progress in my massive gaming pile, finishing off both Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect. I kind of wish A lot of these big games turned out to be disappointments because honestly I would love to play Mario some more or go through Mass Effect again but I just have too many other games that are pretty damn good to do that now or in the near future. It's a silly complaint, I know, but for all the complaints of lack of quality games by the gaming community, now we are dealing with more quality content than we know what to do with (well, if you own at least 2 systems anyways).
That's pretty much it for today. I do want to give a cheap plug for one of my Gorillamask buddies, Evan Smith, who does some pretty damn cool artwork on his blog, Broken Sanity, which is also in my link list so you can check it out at your leisure even after this post disappears into the archives.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: SPEED RACER
New trailer for GTA IV hit today. Though I wasn't a huge fan of San Andreas, this is starting to look pretty damn promising.
I am also making some progress in my massive gaming pile, finishing off both Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect. I kind of wish A lot of these big games turned out to be disappointments because honestly I would love to play Mario some more or go through Mass Effect again but I just have too many other games that are pretty damn good to do that now or in the near future. It's a silly complaint, I know, but for all the complaints of lack of quality games by the gaming community, now we are dealing with more quality content than we know what to do with (well, if you own at least 2 systems anyways).
That's pretty much it for today. I do want to give a cheap plug for one of my Gorillamask buddies, Evan Smith, who does some pretty damn cool artwork on his blog, Broken Sanity, which is also in my link list so you can check it out at your leisure even after this post disappears into the archives.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: SPEED RACER
12/03/2007
EA is dethroned? Yay?
Potentially huge news: Activision & Vivendi have officially merged, making them officially larger than EA, which has been the world's largest publisher for years now. Granted, given that EA is filled to the brim with giant jackasses with inflated egos who put out the same licensed crap year after year, most would see a serious competitor arising like this as a good thing. But really, what has Vivendi done besides World of Warcraft in the last 6 years? And Activision isn't exactly none for original quality releases either, with an umpteen number of Tony Hawk & Spider-Man titles that vary little under their belts. Will this lead to both striving for good, innovative original content or will we just see even more crappy cross-overs and tie-ins like Tony Hawk's World of Warcraft or Spider-Man's Adventures in Azeroth? I'll choose to remain cautiously optimistic.
I managed to catch a sneak preview of The Golden Compass. I read the book earlier this year and thought it was ok. The movie was a huge disservice to the source material, however. They changed much, and the writing, editing and acting were all pretty horrible. It amazes me that you can go so wrong when you have such a clear blueprint to base your work off of.
Trailer of the Week: The Spiderwick Chronicles
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Candy Mountain Massacre
I managed to catch a sneak preview of The Golden Compass. I read the book earlier this year and thought it was ok. The movie was a huge disservice to the source material, however. They changed much, and the writing, editing and acting were all pretty horrible. It amazes me that you can go so wrong when you have such a clear blueprint to base your work off of.
Trailer of the Week: The Spiderwick Chronicles
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Candy Mountain Massacre
11/30/2007
Integrity will get you nowhere...
(No posts about movies seeing as the only major release this weekend wasn't even screened for critics)
Ah integrity. Supposedly the rarest form of currency in just about all facets of life. While we all strive to have it, we generally have to give up some in order to get by in life, and it's always under attack by those against us. I've kept the integrity on this blog pretty high to date. Ads are minimal, and I don't get paid for anything I plug, and I have gotten offers to plug things for at least some compensation that I've turned down. But god forbid this blog ever takes off, I may be forced to make a choice between those sweet, sweet advertising dollars and whether or not to rip on somebody. And it's a lose/lose situation for anybody, amateur or pro in the industry. I have been accused of blatant bias in previous writing positions as well as this blog even with any compensation being minimal at best and none garnered from some big game/movie company paying me to support their product.
So I can only start to imagine the pressure big sites that have a full-time staff to pay face when they get a shitty game from a company that is footing the bill and have to review it. Do they tell the truth and risk losing not only their current advertisers, but potential future ones as well? That helps nobody, The irate idiotic fanboys will still bitch and moan no matter what and all the site gets is the fun decision of possibly having to cut some staff or in serious cases shut down entirely. The guys at Penny Arcade are in a very unique position where they are a small company supported by a huge army of loyal followers that support them pretty much no matter what and they don't really need advertising dollars to survive. But when the story of a Gamespot editor's firing over a bad review of Kane & Lynch broke late yesterday, the internet community was understandably up in arms because apparently he either didn't notice or didn't care that the site was plastered with ads for the game. I personally think the oddest part about this is Kane & Lynch has gotten mediocre scores across the board, but because a site they chose to advertise on also blasted the game, they chose to punish that one site over it. Seems kinda silly.
It's again very easy to call for Gamespot's head in this case, but if it is true, I'm not sure any real blame should fall with Gamespot itself. I will say if it was me and such an action would only affect myself, I probably would tell Eidos to go fuck themselves. But if I've got an entire staff to consider, higher ups to answer to, and a major advertising possibly threatening my bottom line in not only the present, but the near future, I'd honestly most likely throw the reviewer to the wolves because again it's a damned if you do/damned if you don't situation no matter what.
Eidos on the other hand, should be held fully accountable and possibly legally liable if this is indeed the case. They have every right to choose who they advertise with, but for somebody to actually get fired over a bad review they must've have made some major threats such as badmouthing to other companies or not letting Gamespot in for any more interviews or previews, which is far from acceptable in any instance. Whatever the conditions, PA is claiming that the reason for the editor's firing was the poor review and I tend to believe PA, which means I'll definitely be exercising my right as a consumer to not buy anything from Eidos and while not condemning Gamespot because they were probably in a tough position, not giving any future reviews of theirs as much credence as I once did.
Ah integrity. Supposedly the rarest form of currency in just about all facets of life. While we all strive to have it, we generally have to give up some in order to get by in life, and it's always under attack by those against us. I've kept the integrity on this blog pretty high to date. Ads are minimal, and I don't get paid for anything I plug, and I have gotten offers to plug things for at least some compensation that I've turned down. But god forbid this blog ever takes off, I may be forced to make a choice between those sweet, sweet advertising dollars and whether or not to rip on somebody. And it's a lose/lose situation for anybody, amateur or pro in the industry. I have been accused of blatant bias in previous writing positions as well as this blog even with any compensation being minimal at best and none garnered from some big game/movie company paying me to support their product.
So I can only start to imagine the pressure big sites that have a full-time staff to pay face when they get a shitty game from a company that is footing the bill and have to review it. Do they tell the truth and risk losing not only their current advertisers, but potential future ones as well? That helps nobody, The irate idiotic fanboys will still bitch and moan no matter what and all the site gets is the fun decision of possibly having to cut some staff or in serious cases shut down entirely. The guys at Penny Arcade are in a very unique position where they are a small company supported by a huge army of loyal followers that support them pretty much no matter what and they don't really need advertising dollars to survive. But when the story of a Gamespot editor's firing over a bad review of Kane & Lynch broke late yesterday, the internet community was understandably up in arms because apparently he either didn't notice or didn't care that the site was plastered with ads for the game. I personally think the oddest part about this is Kane & Lynch has gotten mediocre scores across the board, but because a site they chose to advertise on also blasted the game, they chose to punish that one site over it. Seems kinda silly.
It's again very easy to call for Gamespot's head in this case, but if it is true, I'm not sure any real blame should fall with Gamespot itself. I will say if it was me and such an action would only affect myself, I probably would tell Eidos to go fuck themselves. But if I've got an entire staff to consider, higher ups to answer to, and a major advertising possibly threatening my bottom line in not only the present, but the near future, I'd honestly most likely throw the reviewer to the wolves because again it's a damned if you do/damned if you don't situation no matter what.
Eidos on the other hand, should be held fully accountable and possibly legally liable if this is indeed the case. They have every right to choose who they advertise with, but for somebody to actually get fired over a bad review they must've have made some major threats such as badmouthing to other companies or not letting Gamespot in for any more interviews or previews, which is far from acceptable in any instance. Whatever the conditions, PA is claiming that the reason for the editor's firing was the poor review and I tend to believe PA, which means I'll definitely be exercising my right as a consumer to not buy anything from Eidos and while not condemning Gamespot because they were probably in a tough position, not giving any future reviews of theirs as much credence as I once did.
11/27/2007
Video Day: Bite My Shiny Metal Ass Edition
That's right, pathetic Earthlings! Futurama has finally returned! One of four, count 'em FOUR DVD movies comes out today. They will also be shown as a fully blown "new" season on Comedy Central, and I hope that much like Family Guy, this leads to many more years (only without the massive drop in consistent quality that Family Guy has suffered). So My post today is some of Futurama's best stuff. Enjoy and BUY BENDER'S BIG SCORE ON DVD TODAY!!
11/26/2007
The Lean Times are Upon Us...
Sorry for no updates for basically a week, but the week of Thanksgiving is retail hell and I was way too tired from my actual job to write anything.
But yes, after weeks filled to the brim with AAA & AA releases making our banks accounts cry, we are in a much needed dead zone, with no major releases this week and few on the horizon. The problem is that that horizon will most likely stay that way until at least next August like it does every year. Sure, we'll have a few select heavy hitters such as Smash Bros, Mario Kart & GTA IV. But overall, be thankful that you have so many titles out right now you don't know what to do with them because that's what will hopefully get you through the lean months to come.
I did manage to get in about 20 hours with Mass Effect so far, and I'm loving it. The action, storyline, character building, are all pure genius. But, if I had to nitpick, there are some glaring flaws that seem like they were things that were simply left without much effort in order to get the game out before fans starting burning down Bioware's offices. Firstly, the sorry excuse that is your land vehicle. The thing is not only lacking in decent firepower, but it can't take much of a beating and handles like a broken down jalopy. Gimme a goddamn Warthog! But the real sticking point is the vastly confusing menus. I'm never completely sure what armor or gun I have equipped on my characters not to mention any add ons they may have attached to those items. But the rest of the game is so utterly fantastic that much like KOTOR I can already see going through it multiple times and it's quickly become one of my favorite 360 titles.
That's pretty much it for today, but now that the insanity of Thanksgiving week is over, I should be back to updating on a regular basis.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Anika's Odysssey
But yes, after weeks filled to the brim with AAA & AA releases making our banks accounts cry, we are in a much needed dead zone, with no major releases this week and few on the horizon. The problem is that that horizon will most likely stay that way until at least next August like it does every year. Sure, we'll have a few select heavy hitters such as Smash Bros, Mario Kart & GTA IV. But overall, be thankful that you have so many titles out right now you don't know what to do with them because that's what will hopefully get you through the lean months to come.
I did manage to get in about 20 hours with Mass Effect so far, and I'm loving it. The action, storyline, character building, are all pure genius. But, if I had to nitpick, there are some glaring flaws that seem like they were things that were simply left without much effort in order to get the game out before fans starting burning down Bioware's offices. Firstly, the sorry excuse that is your land vehicle. The thing is not only lacking in decent firepower, but it can't take much of a beating and handles like a broken down jalopy. Gimme a goddamn Warthog! But the real sticking point is the vastly confusing menus. I'm never completely sure what armor or gun I have equipped on my characters not to mention any add ons they may have attached to those items. But the rest of the game is so utterly fantastic that much like KOTOR I can already see going through it multiple times and it's quickly become one of my favorite 360 titles.
That's pretty much it for today, but now that the insanity of Thanksgiving week is over, I should be back to updating on a regular basis.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Anika's Odysssey
11/19/2007
Microsoft is missing the point...
It seems like it would be a fantastic announcement, original Xbox games for download on Xbox live, and for the fairly reasonable price of only $15!. Surely, these will be enhanced with cleaned up graphics, leaderboards and achievements, RIGHT?!? Not so fast. MS claims it isn't possible, but then what the hell is the point? Many original Xbox games I can already find used pretty easily for $15 or less and what possible incentive would I have to get them online without any enhancements whatsoever, hell some already have reported issues. This is beyond ridiculous that MS would do this of all things in such a completely half-assed way. It speaks to the fact that aside from online multi-player, they don't really give a shit about how the rest of Xbox live works and just see it as additional revenue for the smallest amount of effort rather than using it to really expand the online experience. The sad thing is that if they took their heads out of their fucking asses for two whole seconds they'd probably realize there actually is more money to be made in fixing up the damn things and making them better than they were. But when a company can't even get games over a decade old to run smoothly on their system, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Luckily, Microsoft is doing things right on the actual console side, as we have yet another AAA console release with what may be my most anticipated game this year, Mass Effect. I can't even begin to accurately describe how excited I am for this, and anybody who has played any of Bioware's previous works will understand why. Their ability to make you really feel like you are the one actually driving the story rather than just being along for the ride like so many other titles in unparalleled and always makes for an extremely satisfying experience that you love going through time & time again. To get you even more excited, check out this new fanvid I made:
Of course. Mass Effect is far from the only huge title hitting this week. 360 & PS3 wannabe rock stars also get to try and strut their stuff in the newest music title from Harmonix (the guys who made the first two Guitar Hero titles) in Rock Band. It certainly seems to be poised to be a smash and much like the Guitar Hero games. I can see the appeal, but also like the Guitar Hero games, the high price tag and gameplay style just don't really hold much appeal for me personally. But I admittedly say this without ever having played any of these games, so maybe if I actually get around to trying one of the bazillions of demo units in stores I may change my tune.
Even though Wii owners like myself are probably still collecting stars in Mario Galaxy, we may want to take a brief second to check out Nintendo's new Wii Zapper, which hits stores this week. Not so much for the zapper, which most reports have said is a giant waste of plastic, but for the reportedly awesome game that is Link's Crossbow Training/ For $20, it's probably the best of an already very healthy light gun-esque shooter selection on the Wii along with last week's release of Umbrella Chronicles and the additional releases this week of Ghost Squad & Geometry Wars: Galaxies.
GAMERS THE TV SHOWS LIVES! Well, sort of. While there actually is a development deal on the table for this promising comedy, the Writers strike has put a halt to any further progress on the show becoming a reality for the time being. But I hope everybody continues their support and hopefully this show won't be forgotten when writers start making scripts again. In the meantime though, you can check out the pretty awesome spec pilot that's already been made:
Luckily, Microsoft is doing things right on the actual console side, as we have yet another AAA console release with what may be my most anticipated game this year, Mass Effect. I can't even begin to accurately describe how excited I am for this, and anybody who has played any of Bioware's previous works will understand why. Their ability to make you really feel like you are the one actually driving the story rather than just being along for the ride like so many other titles in unparalleled and always makes for an extremely satisfying experience that you love going through time & time again. To get you even more excited, check out this new fanvid I made:
Of course. Mass Effect is far from the only huge title hitting this week. 360 & PS3 wannabe rock stars also get to try and strut their stuff in the newest music title from Harmonix (the guys who made the first two Guitar Hero titles) in Rock Band. It certainly seems to be poised to be a smash and much like the Guitar Hero games. I can see the appeal, but also like the Guitar Hero games, the high price tag and gameplay style just don't really hold much appeal for me personally. But I admittedly say this without ever having played any of these games, so maybe if I actually get around to trying one of the bazillions of demo units in stores I may change my tune.
Even though Wii owners like myself are probably still collecting stars in Mario Galaxy, we may want to take a brief second to check out Nintendo's new Wii Zapper, which hits stores this week. Not so much for the zapper, which most reports have said is a giant waste of plastic, but for the reportedly awesome game that is Link's Crossbow Training/ For $20, it's probably the best of an already very healthy light gun-esque shooter selection on the Wii along with last week's release of Umbrella Chronicles and the additional releases this week of Ghost Squad & Geometry Wars: Galaxies.
GAMERS THE TV SHOWS LIVES! Well, sort of. While there actually is a development deal on the table for this promising comedy, the Writers strike has put a halt to any further progress on the show becoming a reality for the time being. But I hope everybody continues their support and hopefully this show won't be forgotten when writers start making scripts again. In the meantime though, you can check out the pretty awesome spec pilot that's already been made:
11/15/2007
Manliest Poem Ever
Granted, the words "manly" & "poem" don't usually go together, but this weekend's CGI action epic Beowulf is based on an ancient poem all about the title characters epic exploits. I'm really hoping it succeeds, as it may make a case for more mature animated fare showing up on the big screen. Animation is a genre like any other, and as long as Hollywood treats it like nothing more than children's fare, it won't have much of a chance to really grow & evolve.
That's pretty much the only movie worth discussing this weekend, but I have great news on a long-awaited movie sequel. Ghostbusters 3 is in the works! The catch is that much like Stranglehold, it's a video game sequel. The fact that the developer's list of games is none too impressive worries me a bit, but all the gang is back, so it should be a great experience if not too hastily rushed out.
I know you PS3 owners expected to have a little breathing room between Assassins' Creed and Uncharted, but we're getting this awesome modern Indiana Jones-inspired adventure tomorrow. Seems like an odd move, but maybe it's too avoid the hype machine that is Mass Effect. Regardless, this is arguably the last quality title for the PS3 until at least sometime next year, so PS3 owners would be to wise to grab it. Thank god pretty much all of this insanity will be over soon and I'll actually have time to beat a few games...
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: BURGER RESTAURANT.
That's pretty much the only movie worth discussing this weekend, but I have great news on a long-awaited movie sequel. Ghostbusters 3 is in the works! The catch is that much like Stranglehold, it's a video game sequel. The fact that the developer's list of games is none too impressive worries me a bit, but all the gang is back, so it should be a great experience if not too hastily rushed out.
I know you PS3 owners expected to have a little breathing room between Assassins' Creed and Uncharted, but we're getting this awesome modern Indiana Jones-inspired adventure tomorrow. Seems like an odd move, but maybe it's too avoid the hype machine that is Mass Effect. Regardless, this is arguably the last quality title for the PS3 until at least sometime next year, so PS3 owners would be to wise to grab it. Thank god pretty much all of this insanity will be over soon and I'll actually have time to beat a few games...
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: BURGER RESTAURANT.
11/13/2007
Facing a Crysis Head On
I worked a very long and tiring shift, so I've really only played about an hour of Mario Galaxy so far, but it was an extremely awesome hour. I plan to play it a ton this week, and I can't imagine anything interrupting me until Mass Effect hits in about 7 days.
PC gamers (at least those with monster gaming rigs) should be very excited as the highly anticipated Crysis finally hits this week. I know the game is about some alien menace, and looks insanely gorgeous, but games that basically require me to have around $1000 worth of equipment just to have them play smoothly tend to not get anywhere in my radar.
The legendary Contra series returns to it's 2D roots on the DS with the simplified title of Contra 4. Impressions and vids show the Contra of old, which is good in most ways, but the old 2D Contra games could be hard to the point of giving you a stroke, so I may see about giving it a rent before a full purchase.
Any other week, Kane & Lynch, the new ultraviolent co-op title from Eidos, would be a virtual guaranteed smash. But with what's been out in the last week or two and what's coming out next week in addition to the flood already hitting this week, it seems the most likely to slip through the cracks. Is it even good? I don't really have any clue, but it probably won't even get a fair shake anyways.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: VALKYRIE
PC gamers (at least those with monster gaming rigs) should be very excited as the highly anticipated Crysis finally hits this week. I know the game is about some alien menace, and looks insanely gorgeous, but games that basically require me to have around $1000 worth of equipment just to have them play smoothly tend to not get anywhere in my radar.
The legendary Contra series returns to it's 2D roots on the DS with the simplified title of Contra 4. Impressions and vids show the Contra of old, which is good in most ways, but the old 2D Contra games could be hard to the point of giving you a stroke, so I may see about giving it a rent before a full purchase.
Any other week, Kane & Lynch, the new ultraviolent co-op title from Eidos, would be a virtual guaranteed smash. But with what's been out in the last week or two and what's coming out next week in addition to the flood already hitting this week, it seems the most likely to slip through the cracks. Is it even good? I don't really have any clue, but it probably won't even get a fair shake anyways.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: VALKYRIE
11/12/2007
Plumbers, Assassins & Rabbits, oh my!
There may be weeks with bigger single titles, but this upcoming week is arguably the biggest in gaming history in terms of sheer volume of high profile stuff. So much so that some not quite AAA titles may get left in the dust. The Wii arguably has the biggest lineup which may hugely bolster it supposedly thin library. You've got two huge shooters in Medal of Honor Heroes 2, which proves that the Wii can be a serious online contender with a whopping 32-player online capability. If I wasn't so massively sick of WWII titles, I'd pick this one up immediately. The other big shooter is the first of what may be a wave of light gun-esque Wii titles in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. This emerging trend excites me in some ways, as I had lots of fun with Saturn Light Gun titles such as Virtua Cop (and of course the legendary NES classic Duck Hunt). But there's a reason why not too many of these games have been released in the past decade, and I think it's because nowadays FPS games provide a much more immersive experience, and this resurrection of the practically dead genre may be short lived with lots of terrible quickly developed clones like all the minigame collections we are swamped with now.
Speaking of minigame collections, our crazy rabbit friends are back in Raving Rabbids 2. But honestly, this genre has pretty much quickly worn out its welcome, so I have little to no interest in yet another waggle-fest of which the point seems to make me look like a jackass (not that I mind looking like a jackass, but there are already a plethora of games we can do that with). Rabbids will have the edge on humor, but really nothing else new to see here.
Saving the best for last, easily the Wii's most important game to date will be in stores Monday morning in Super Mario Galaxy. Adding to the importance was the not so hot reception given to Mario's last platforming effort, Sunshine. But the reviews are already in, and they thankfully say that this is arguably his best adventure yet, thus proving that Nintendo knows what they are doing. I plan to be spending all my free time this week traveling the galaxy with everyone's favorite plumber, and so should everyone who has a Wii.
But 360 & PS3 owners have a hugely anticipated title to check out this week as well in the mysterious Assassins' Creed. Not only mysterious in what it's really about, as futuristic elements have been hinted at even though it seems to take place during the Crusades; but also if it will turn out to be the year's biggest flop, as hands-on previews haven't been all that reassuring. But I saw this live at PAX awhile back, and it looked fairly impressive, and when it comes to huge titles like this, Ubisoft knows how to deliver, so I'm willing to bet we'll all be enjoying learning to live by the Assassins' Creed.
There are a few more titles coming out this week worth discussing, but I'll hold off on those for tomorrow. In the meantime, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: The Mind Bender
Speaking of minigame collections, our crazy rabbit friends are back in Raving Rabbids 2. But honestly, this genre has pretty much quickly worn out its welcome, so I have little to no interest in yet another waggle-fest of which the point seems to make me look like a jackass (not that I mind looking like a jackass, but there are already a plethora of games we can do that with). Rabbids will have the edge on humor, but really nothing else new to see here.
Saving the best for last, easily the Wii's most important game to date will be in stores Monday morning in Super Mario Galaxy. Adding to the importance was the not so hot reception given to Mario's last platforming effort, Sunshine. But the reviews are already in, and they thankfully say that this is arguably his best adventure yet, thus proving that Nintendo knows what they are doing. I plan to be spending all my free time this week traveling the galaxy with everyone's favorite plumber, and so should everyone who has a Wii.
But 360 & PS3 owners have a hugely anticipated title to check out this week as well in the mysterious Assassins' Creed. Not only mysterious in what it's really about, as futuristic elements have been hinted at even though it seems to take place during the Crusades; but also if it will turn out to be the year's biggest flop, as hands-on previews haven't been all that reassuring. But I saw this live at PAX awhile back, and it looked fairly impressive, and when it comes to huge titles like this, Ubisoft knows how to deliver, so I'm willing to bet we'll all be enjoying learning to live by the Assassins' Creed.
There are a few more titles coming out this week worth discussing, but I'll hold off on those for tomorrow. In the meantime, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: The Mind Bender
11/09/2007
Vince Vaughn & Paul Giammatti are going on the naughty list...
I'm sure the script sounded like a great idea-dealing with living in the shadow of a famous sibling, arguably the most famous sibling one could possibly have in the form of St. Nick. But it's fairly apparent from not only the previews, but the critical response, that Fred Claus just doesn't do much with this idea. Admittedly though, I'm a bit of a sucker for Christmas films, and there may not be much other option for moviegoers this weekend. It certainly seems a better option than Lions for Lambs, which has already earned the dubious honor of the worst film ever directed by Robert Redford.
The closest thing to a sure bet this weekend is the latest from the Cohen Brothers, No Country for Old Men, but it's limited release may make it hard to find.
Two things of note for PS3 owners-The 2.00 firmware update is here, now you can do revolutionary things like use wallpapers for your background! All kidding aside, possibly my biggest complaint about themes and gamer pics for Xbox live is that you can't really see what you are buying, so hopefully the PS3 at least will address that issue if they are going to start charging for the things. The other is that a demo for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is finally available for download. Aside from Ratchet & Clank, this is the only real worthwhile PS3 exclusive this year, so do yourself a favor and check it out.
The crazy dudes over at sarcasticgamer.com are back with one of their best parody songs yet, Hey there Mr. Thompson, a great little diddy about everybody's favorite batshit insane lawyer (seriously the guy is just completely fucking mental). Wanna bet sarcasticgamer gets hit by a totally baseless cease & desist order?
That's pretty much it for today, but I'll definitely be back Sunaday at the latest to talk about the impending release for the biggest Wii game yet, Mario Galaxy, which is already getting ridiculously stellar reviews. In the meantime, in addition to the Trailer of the Week, check out my newest music vid, another for Nights Into Dreams for the Wii:
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Great Debaters
The closest thing to a sure bet this weekend is the latest from the Cohen Brothers, No Country for Old Men, but it's limited release may make it hard to find.
Two things of note for PS3 owners-The 2.00 firmware update is here, now you can do revolutionary things like use wallpapers for your background! All kidding aside, possibly my biggest complaint about themes and gamer pics for Xbox live is that you can't really see what you are buying, so hopefully the PS3 at least will address that issue if they are going to start charging for the things. The other is that a demo for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is finally available for download. Aside from Ratchet & Clank, this is the only real worthwhile PS3 exclusive this year, so do yourself a favor and check it out.
The crazy dudes over at sarcasticgamer.com are back with one of their best parody songs yet, Hey there Mr. Thompson, a great little diddy about everybody's favorite batshit insane lawyer (seriously the guy is just completely fucking mental). Wanna bet sarcasticgamer gets hit by a totally baseless cease & desist order?
That's pretty much it for today, but I'll definitely be back Sunaday at the latest to talk about the impending release for the biggest Wii game yet, Mario Galaxy, which is already getting ridiculously stellar reviews. In the meantime, in addition to the Trailer of the Week, check out my newest music vid, another for Nights Into Dreams for the Wii:
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Great Debaters
11/05/2007
BACK TO THE...Present
I an certainly understand why World War II is such a popular setting for video games. Most who play the games weren't alive during that time, and the Nazis were a clearly definable evil that needed to be stopped rather than the much more murky morals that have plagued most wars since then. But the glut of games (mostly FPS) that we've had based around that area has milked the cow until it's bone dry and then milked it even more. Thank god, the series the has set the benchmark for excellent WWII titles, Call of Duty, has finally stepped up to the modern era with it's latest entry, Modern Warfare. Sadly, my 360 was in the process of dying right when the beta started, so all I have are secondhand opinions, but luckily those opinions seem to be that this game will give even the mighty Halo 3 a run for its money.
I did actually go and see American Gangster today. I thought it was very well done and a definite recommend, but I think there's way too much material here for even the two & a half hours it runs. It probably should've been a miniseries, but then it might not have had so much good talent involved either.
And one last thing I want to comment on is the WGA strike. Mainly because two comments I seem to see way to often are some variant on-"TV/movies suck anyways" & "They are a bunch of rich crybabies". Yes, a lot of TV & movies suck, but there's also a lot of brilliance out there, and this strike won't affect just brainless big budget films that barely seem to have a script. It'll affect every single scripted TV show, indie movie, giant Oscar contender, etc. Also, with a few notable exceptions, writers make a ridiculously small amount of money. Many of them are lucky if they sell more than a couple of scripts a year, which they don't get paid all that much for. It's ironic & ridiculous that they are basically the lowest on the Hollywood totem pole hierarchy, but are essentially responsible for all the good creativity in Hollywood. These are the little guys we should be rooting for, unlike when ridiculously overpaid athletes strike. So I hope they get everything they ask for & then some, but I also hope it ends quickly cause I don't want to see extremely shortened or rushed seasons of my favorite shows.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: MONKEY KART
I did actually go and see American Gangster today. I thought it was very well done and a definite recommend, but I think there's way too much material here for even the two & a half hours it runs. It probably should've been a miniseries, but then it might not have had so much good talent involved either.
And one last thing I want to comment on is the WGA strike. Mainly because two comments I seem to see way to often are some variant on-"TV/movies suck anyways" & "They are a bunch of rich crybabies". Yes, a lot of TV & movies suck, but there's also a lot of brilliance out there, and this strike won't affect just brainless big budget films that barely seem to have a script. It'll affect every single scripted TV show, indie movie, giant Oscar contender, etc. Also, with a few notable exceptions, writers make a ridiculously small amount of money. Many of them are lucky if they sell more than a couple of scripts a year, which they don't get paid all that much for. It's ironic & ridiculous that they are basically the lowest on the Hollywood totem pole hierarchy, but are essentially responsible for all the good creativity in Hollywood. These are the little guys we should be rooting for, unlike when ridiculously overpaid athletes strike. So I hope they get everything they ask for & then some, but I also hope it ends quickly cause I don't want to see extremely shortened or rushed seasons of my favorite shows.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: MONKEY KART
11/01/2007
The King Returns
YES. Joss Whedon is coming back to TV! With Buffy Alumni Eliza Dushku! Unfortunately, it is on FOX, which has badly burned Whedon in the past, but given that Whedon swore up & down he was done with network TV after Firefly and doesn't need to go back, I believe they will hopefully give this guaranteed awesomeness a real chance.
Moving onto this weekend's movies-I want to believe that a guy like Jerry Seinfeld would only do quality projects. After all, it's not like he's made a habit of whoring himself out after his show was canceled. But I'm not seeing this with his new animated film, Bee Movie. It just feels like most non-Pixar efforts, bland and uninteresting, but I'm sure the kids will love it.
Speaking of kids, have we had enough of peculiar ones with special needs that suddenly become parented by an adult that isn't well adjusted themselves, cause we got another one with Martian Child. Granted, this one has the great John Cusack and seems to take a more serious tone than the mostly comedic films of this nature, but it doesn't make it any less cliched.
But there is some hope in Denzel Washington's latest turn as a bad guy in American Gangster. It's been too long since we had some good mobster drama up on the big screen, and the last time Denzel played bad, he got an Oscar out of the deal, so I expect similar quality here. I will check it out if I'm not too tired from working all weekend, otherwise, I'll probably check it out sometime next week.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: WANTED
Moving onto this weekend's movies-I want to believe that a guy like Jerry Seinfeld would only do quality projects. After all, it's not like he's made a habit of whoring himself out after his show was canceled. But I'm not seeing this with his new animated film, Bee Movie. It just feels like most non-Pixar efforts, bland and uninteresting, but I'm sure the kids will love it.
Speaking of kids, have we had enough of peculiar ones with special needs that suddenly become parented by an adult that isn't well adjusted themselves, cause we got another one with Martian Child. Granted, this one has the great John Cusack and seems to take a more serious tone than the mostly comedic films of this nature, but it doesn't make it any less cliched.
But there is some hope in Denzel Washington's latest turn as a bad guy in American Gangster. It's been too long since we had some good mobster drama up on the big screen, and the last time Denzel played bad, he got an Oscar out of the deal, so I expect similar quality here. I will check it out if I'm not too tired from working all weekend, otherwise, I'll probably check it out sometime next week.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: WANTED
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