You asked for it! You got it!

Thanks again to www.kotaku.com for bringing bizarre things like this http://nigoro.jp/game/rosecamellia/rosecamellia.php to my attention. Yes! A slapping game!

Game-stravaganza weekend.

Kind of spent the entire weekend gaming and doing chores. Have some first impressions and semi-reviews and assorted mumbo jumbo. Thanks to Farley for the lending of the games.

1) Gears of War is/was pretty awesome fun. Amanda proved her skill with third person tactical shooters - at least providing very useful assistance in fire fights. She delights in "brokeback squad" humor though - chasing my character around with amourous intent.

2) Crackdown is fun but sort of a one trick pony. Basically a cyberpunk superhero game you control a cybernetic super cop who - after finding numerous hidden power ups - is literally able to leap tall buildings and whomp the living hell out of the gang menace that plagues the city. It looks pretty neat and it's great fun to leap from rooftop to rooftop - think Spiderman without the webslinging - and just wandering and blasting stuff. After awhile I kind of wished that there was something else to do. I'll play a bit more and see if anything worthwhile happens.

3) Just Cause is a sandbox game set in Robert Rodriguez-esque world. Some island run by a junta. El Presidente is not friendly towards Uncle Sam. CIA wants to support local rebels in order to have someone in command who understands our goals in the region. CIA sends you in. It's not all sand and surf. That's the long and short of Just Cause. The player character looks and sounds like a cheap knock-off of Antonio Banderas and moves around kind of weird - like his mariachi pants are riding up. Other than that the game seems like it's going to be right up my alley. I like being thought of as a liberator and freedom fighter.

The island the game takes place on is massive, huge massive. Maybe it's just first impressions but it took me quite some time to get to the capitol city - I eventually borrowed a Cesna and just parachuted into the city. The game looks great but is almost too vibrant - the colors are just super saturated and kind of put the zap on my eyes. I'm used to grey and muted colors of destroyed cities and smooth greens of MLB outfields so when confronted with crazy jungle and beach and sunlight it takes some getting used to.

4) MLB2K6 is my new addiction. I - quite unexpectedly - have started down the path of baseball videogaming. I haven't really ever played any sports games so it's a new experience and am very slowly learning the controls. So far it turns out I can pitch and clobber foul balls deep left. I started a season yesterday playing the Rangers. I like the Rangers - they were the first MLB baseball team I ever saw play. Of course I start the season playing Boston. Bastards. Did okay the first game - won 3-2 in OT. Second game went fine - actually awesome. Young HR w/bases loaded awesomeness in the fifth. It was magic. Led 6-3 and then in the 7th the entire game went to shit. My idiot clod third baseman got an error - the ball bounced off his foot and into the outfield. The Sox demolished my defense. My relief pitcher went noodle armed. The 7th and 8th innings were shameful. The 9th was fine. Pitching was great no problem. Couldn't get on base though and ended the game 11-6. If I had a hat I would have thrown it in the dirt and jumped up and down on it. I'll play game three tonight and see if I can't prevent another wholesale slaughter.


And that's all the news for now.

Rockstar goodness.

http://www.wkttradio.com/

PS3 price drop...only for 60GB?

Interesting...I read this article on GP about the price drop only being on the 60GB PS3. Awesome but they aren't going to manufacture any more? Once they are gone they're gone and there will only be 80GB available - the 20GB are no more. Maybe I'm not sophisticated or savvy enough to understand global business but doesn't it seem like that's a crappy idea? The PS3 isn't selling the way it should because we - gamers - can't afford it. The Wii is turning into a market grabber because it's affordable and familycasual gamer friendly. It doesn't have Blu-Ray or a Flux Capacitor or a lot of the hardware that drives up the cost of the 360 & the PS3. That being said there are no games I want to play on the Wii. If I had munchkins running around I'd own a Wii. No kid of mine won't be a gamer.

The PS3 will hit its stride soon enough if the price can become managable and if their exclusives can convince me to trade in my X360. Maybe.

Friday. Trailers! Updates! Mega post(s)!

I'm not sure how you folks feel about several updates or one massive tsunami of awesome - maybe some feedback would be nice *cough* *hint* *cough*.

First out of the gate:











I'm a little behind on my game trailers but we watched two of the above last night. I've been hearing good things about Army of Two over the last couple of weeks. Apparently if you put your partner in danger and just generally act recklessly the AI will start to refuse to work with you and won't have your back in a firefight. However if you play smart then the AI will like you and go the extra yard. What that extra yard is I'm not sure but it probably doesn't involve candles, a bubblebath, and whale music.

More news after lunch.

Gears of War (2006)

Despite the fact that I'm about to rent my third copy of this from Blockbuster - the first two have been scratched - and have only gotten a few hours of play in I have to say that Gears of War is a pretty cool game.

It's a futuristic third-person shooter that pits massive gravelly-voiced dudes against The Locust - warriors that look like Draks from Enemy Mine and sound like pissed off daemonic Helghast from Killzone. The combat is possibly some of the best and well programmed third person combat I've played. Gone is the ridiculous "jump" button - seriously who jumps? Vaulting, steepling, hauling ass yes but jumping? It's pretty much just an action button that allows you to take cover and do perform various actions. Cover is essential as is not staying in one place too long. The firefights in Gears of War are intense when they really get going - trying to take down heavy gun emplacements are kind of a nightmare. The Locust are real bastards to kill due to heavy armor and pure meanness. I have actually gotten into drawn out gun battles with Locust only to finish the fight in close combat.

The game looks amazing, sounds amazing, plays well, and still can't manage to have competent squad AI. These guys love running into machine gun fire, charging balls out deep into enemy territory. Sure you can revive them but they are often in such an inconvenient spot that it's easier just to take on the Locust hordes on your own and then patch up your buddies later. There is a bare bones amount of squad control and the squad is successful at drawing attention away from you - allowing you to sneak up on emplacements and better firing positions. I just hope that some day squad AI will be better than cannon fodder/buller magnet.

Gears of War is definitely worth playing and is the first game I'm actually considering playing online because it's that fun. Just expect to die. A lot. Fortunately there are many checkpoints to make life easier. Now if only Blockbuster had a copy I could play.

Brains of Darkness.

Haven't posted in a couple of days but then again haven't had much to post about. E3 - the Electronic Entertainment Expo - has started up so prepare yourself for trailers and previews galore. Kicking this off is the bad ass trailer for Resident Evil 5. Dude. Africa. Zombies. Bad juju.

I don't think that enough games are set in Africa. Sure there are some "stop the warlord/dictator/generalissimo" levels here and there but nothing serious. I suppose that it's not terribly PC to have a game showcasing child warriors, blood diamonds, evil oil companies, warlords, ineffectual UN Blue Helms, genocide, corruption, rampant poverty, mercenaries, and bad juju. Personally it sounds like it could be a really good game plus I've always had a soft spot for "adventures in Africa" movies and books. Because of this fact this is the first RE that had peaked my interest.

More game trailers as I find them.

Brian Lara International Cricket 2007

Cricket (1): Rules and crap.
Cricket (2): Some cock-a-mamie Brit game involving throwing a ball and trying to knock down a bunch of sticks defended by a guy with a cricket bat.
Cricket (3): Only awesome because of cricket bats.
Cricket (4): Almost as much fun as rolling a hoop with a stick.
Cricket (5): All that's left to play after banning violent American games.

Do any any of these things sound like they'd make for a kick-ass video game?



Brian Lara is some kind of West Indian ninja warrior of cricket.

I have to admit that I am kind of intrigued but not enough to play it. I can barely stand American sports let alone crazy foreigner games.

Carcassonne - a strategy board game turned into pixellated crack.

Two of the greatest things about the X360 are the Live Arcade and Marketplace. The Marketplace allows you to download all kinds of media entertainment crap - i.e. movies, tv shows, trailers, and miscellaneous crap. The Arcade allows you to download free trials and, for a pretty reasonable fee, games. Granted, some of these games are rehashes of classics with a bunch of spit and polish to make them look and play better on a modern console - Contra for example. Some of these games kick ass - Worms, Hexic, and a couple of other puzzle titles. The revamp of Doom looks great but the music is completely asstastic, really terrible metal garbage that replaced a truly creepy score. Lately I've been fiending for puzzle/strategy games and have found a good one - Carcassonne. From what I gather there was a German strategy board game Sierra Games got a hold of and made a nice little game out of. When I say "nice little game" I mean crack. Not just crack, I'm talkin' nuke - the stuff from Robocop 2. It took willpower not to play a few games after getting home from the movie last night. I would have if I didn't have to work today.

Basically it's a tile based game set in the Middle Ages. One player puts down a tile with a castle wall or road or monastery or something along those lines then the other player places a tile. The whole goal is to build castles, connect roads, and build up your areas before your opponent.

It's a lot more fun than I am making it out to be. I'm actually thinking of buying a second controller so Amanda and I can play against one another...though I don't know if we'll kill each other or not.

Dead Rising (2006) - First Impressions

Zombies are constantly on the razor's edge of over saturation but when it comes down to it zombies are fun to kill. Dead Rising has zombies to kill in droves and it looks awesome doing it. I'm at around the halfway mark and am finally progressing nicely.



The Good:



The game is a horror game. Sure, zombies, mall, survivors, mayhem ensues but there are certain points where the game just decides to go sideways. Bring in the psychopaths - assorted "bosses" in the game: a Nam Vet with a machete, the Cult Leader, a bunch of escaped convicts in a Jeep with .50 mounted on the back, and probably some more I haven't seen. So far I have only been able to take down the Cult Leader but it had a very satisying kill cut scene.


I like the fact that the game has a fairly strict time limit on missions and story - it ratchets up the tension and severely cuts back on the aimless wandering factor. While I love the "sandbox"
style of game - exploration is one of my favorite aspects of gaming - there are times when aimless wandering doesn't make sense for the plot. Example: Dead Rising's main character is a journalist dropped into a zombie infested mall with 72 hours to "get the story" and maybe save some people on the side. The clock is ticking. There's not exactly time to find hidden packages or scour every corner of the place for goodies.

Saving people in distress is a profanity inducing nightmare of fun. I like saving people from the ravenous hordes and assorted loonies but when they lag behind or flounder I start cursing them, their lineage, and their pets. I also have become very callous towards people who refuse help or are emotional wrecks. Thus proving in a zombie-pocalypse I would be a complete bastard - i.e. "Leave them! They're goners!" My next step will be shooting the goners...when I have rounds to waste.

The save system has caused a lot of confusion. You only have one save file. If you get stuck or fail to complete the storyline before the 72 hours is up or die or miss your helicpoter you have the option of restarting the game with your stats intact. The restart is actually pretty handy because at the actual beginning of the game you are in no condition to fight zombies. By racking up some levels and abilities it makes the game much more managable. I have to admit that I like this system. It removes the Choose Your Own Adventure style of cheating - marking the page you are on and seeing what are your best choices before carrying on.

The Bad:

Dead Rising was designed to be used with HD. Wheee! While this means the game looks awesome it also means that most of the font can't be read on a standard TV. This means you can't find out important mission information, deadlines, locations, and assorted useful information. This drives Amanda insane. Sure it pisses me off but I can figure out what I'm supposed to do...eventually...after getting pissed off and swearing. It really is an inexcusable screw up on Capcom's part.

The controls are pretty good...for a Capcom game. I wish there was a target lock-on. Not a realistic function I know but there are certain times when I was butchered simply because I couldn't get a bead on the target. Profanity ensues.

All in all it's a good game that I will pick up when it's used and reasonably priced. If you like zombie movies and/or games then definitely rent Dead Rising.

This is the reason to buy a DS Lite.

HYR - #100!

Trailer film hitman
Uploaded by nofrag

For a hundrededeth post I think the Hitman trailer is pretty cool. Sure it's already six hours cold but hey it's new to me.

Happy 100th post readers.

Hitman trailer!

Booyah! Finally a reason to see the new Die Hard. I'm not apologizing for juding the movie before it comes out - it looks disappointing. John McClane fighting hackers while working for Homeland Security? We really do live in different times don't we? I'll still see it but I don't have to like it.

In any case the trailer for Hitman is playing before the new Die Hard.

EDIT:
Die Hard 4.0 is only going to be rated PG-13. I'm mildly confused why they decided to suck even worse but I need a Coke so maybe I'm missing something

"At the sound of the whip, turn the page."

I take my Indiana Jones pretty seriously. I honestly don't know how to feel about a new movie. The cast looks pretty strong though I don't know much about this Shia LaBoeuf kid. However John Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Cate Blanchett are in it and that makes me happy though there's no word on John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliot's passed on. Oh well.

Thanks to Mike for this link: http://www.indianajones.com/community/news/news20070621.html

Possible upcoming reviews and other info.

Season one of Barney Miller is on DVD. This is one of those shows I watched with my Grandpa.

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We're going to see 1408 on Tuesday - not sure where but probably in the 7 o'clock block. If interested please contact me or BC3. Hell. Yeah.

* * *

The Dobie here in Austin is showing the new 35mm rerelease of Labyrinth for the 20th anniversary. Personally I'm with my buddy Frank Whaley on this one:

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If you've never seen Taxi Driver in the theater then you owe it to yourself to see it at the Paramount June 28th & 29th. No you don't have to see it both days. If you've never seen Taxi Driver then well, huh, I guess that's okay. You should see it, then wander the streets drinking peach schnapps and popping speed - make an evening out of it.

* * *

Apparently a 100 foot deep lake in Chile disappeared. No horseshit Jack. The world is coming apart at the seams. We should have listened to Dennis Quaid.

* * *

Upcoming DVD reviews:

War Photographer (2001) dir Christian Frei. A documentary about James Nachtwey - a combat photojournalist. Considering that combat photography is one of my favorite uses of the medium it should be a good depressing watch.

Into the Blue (2005) dir John Stockwell. I don't care, I want to see this movie. I wanted to see it in the theater. Yes, Jessica Alba is in a bikini. And...

Oddly enough I checked Mr. Stockwell's back catalogue. He's directed:

• Crazy/Beautiful (2001) Kirsten Dunst plays a rich bad daddy's girl who falls for a straight shooter Latino from the wrong side of the tracks. Saw it on the WB one Sunday. Kirsten Dunst is pretty hot.
• Undercover (1987) I can't...you gotta check this out for yourselves - Undercover.
• Turistas (2007) Haven't seen it. Not really into torture/horror lately.

* * *

There was another piece of news but I can't remember what it was so...here's a Baroness fan site.

Peter Gabriel 3: Melt (1980)

I've never really been a Peter Gabriel fan. I pretty much know him from his radio/video hits Shock the Monkey, Games Without Frontiers, and Sledgehammer and his score for The Last Temptation of Christ - which is a great score that has a sound that is a few years of its time.

There was a copy of Peter Gabriel 3: Melt in my iTunes and figured I'd give it a shot before I just deleted it out of hand. I have to say that there are some awesome songs on this album - after doing a bit of searching it turns out that Melt is considered to be his best "masterpiece" album.

It kicks of with Intruder - a song that might warrant a few more listens just so I can figure out what he's talking about. At first - several - listen(s) it sounds like another one of the 80s stalker songs - i.e. Every Breath You Take. The rest of album is solid except for track 3 that I deleted as soon as I heard about ten seconds of - it just was awful in a pre-smooth jazz bridge way. Games Without Frontiers is track 7.

Melt is definitely worth a listen if you're a fan of 70s/80s electronic art rock. Some of the tracks could work very well in a soundtrack - if Lead A Normal Life hasn't been used in an indie dysfuntional family drama then it should. Stat.

This is why I love wikihow.com

We're all familiar with wikipedia but are you familiar with http://www.wikihow.com/?

It's pretty cool and sometimes useful information about how to do stuff.

So far this entry has to be my favorite, especially step one: Survive a Monkey Attack.

My way to survive a monkey attack? Don't go where there are freakin' monkeys! Why are you going where monkeys live anyway? Leave the critters in peace - serves you right if you get your arm ripped off by a monkey dumbass.

Woo! Bond!

Marc Forster will direct the 22nd James Bond film.

Forster directed "Finding Neverland."

Forster will start work shortly with screenwriter Paul Haggis on a draft of the screenplay by Neil Purvis and Robert Wade.

Daniel Craig will reprise the role of James Bond.

Thanks to Variety for the heads-up.

Video game news: Manhunt 2, Warhammer 40K, & more.

1. Yeah, yeah, yeah - the Brits are putting a ban on Manhunt 2. If the first game is any indication then the sequel is gonna be a bloodbath funstravaganza. I'm buying it even if the first game really creeped me out after a couple of marathons. Something about wrapping some goons head in a shopping bag and smashing the hell out of it just gets to you after awhile.

2. This autumn will see the release of a Warhammer 40K for the DS Lite. Oh. Hell. Yeah.

3. Here's a bumper crop of video game blogs of people playing through entire series of games:

• Final Fantasy
• Dragon Quest
• Zelda

They are entertaining and well written and since I played a good number of these entertaining.

Overlord demo=glee.

I downloaded the Overlord demo on Saturday and let me tell ya - the game is gonna be great fun. I am worried that it won't be particularly long or have much replay - a real concern when plonking down $60 for a new release.

Impressions from the demo:

A great looking, fun, and psychotic laughter inducing game. What can I say? Any game that allows me to set halflings (aka hobbits) on fire - by immolating the field they are hiding in - makes me giddy. The screams are just icing. The minions under your control are gremlin/imp critters that mob up and destroy/pillage/bash/smash/loot/pee on/and generally muck up everything. In an assault on a pumpkin patch some of the little monsters ended up with jack o'lanterns on their heads, after battering sheep I saw one minion wielding a mutton leg as a club.

The controls seem very, well, intuitive. It took me almost no time to get the hang of summoning and control the minions. The right analog controls the "sweep" of the minions across the land - they destroy anything the come into contact with so there's no extra fiddling as far as that goes. I don't know where they got the "recall minions" sound effect - a warped foghorn/tugboat from hell - but it sounds awesome.

The game looks great - the farm level I played was pure idyllic and butterflies and sunshine and all that horrible fresh air. Once the minions and fire took their toll the landscape looked ravaged. It made me happy.

Once I get some more news on this one I'll pass it along.

Here's a joke for ya:

"Remember The Matrix MMO?"

Gets me every time.

The Future of Rock'n'Roll.

97X logo circa 1981.

I found this station on iTunes while digging for something to listen to that wasn't Radio Nigel or whatever crap I didn't feel like listening to. It's a solid mix of tunes that actually span several decades. In all honesty though this station plays stuff I listened to growing up & in high school.

The painful part is that it's known as "vintage". The 90s are vintage? Uh. Damn it. I don't even have something apathetic and sarcastic to say about that.

97X really plays a bit of everything from stuff that rocks to stuff that sucks so much I has scrubbed it from my mind, i.e. Spin Doctors, Live, and Silverchair. Fortunately they play more rock than suck. From time to time there will be something heavy and awesome. Sometimes they play awful "I kissed a girl" LUG Lilith Fair music. Just saying.

All in all I pretty much keep it on most of the day at work when I'm not listening to the news or trying to find a new horror music station. There's a link on the right that will be there until they yell at me to take it down.

In Soviet Russia Night Watches you!

Bad Joke I know but I just ate and am in my afternoon naptime slump. Thought I'd toss out my quick review for Night Watch - the book not the movie. Well...

It's not bad. Not terrible at least, maybe poorly translated or just poorly written and poorly translated. This ain't Tolstoy or Chekov or Zematyin. If you're unfamiliar with the story here's the run down:

Modern Russia. Supernatural creatures known as Others - i.e. warlocks, witches, vampires, shape shifters, etc. - have been fighting an eternal battle since forever. The powers of Light have the Night Watch to keep an eye on the bad guys. The bad guys a.k.a. the powers of Darkness have the Day Watch to keep an eye on the good guys. Balance of power, blah, blah, blah. I've seen it before, you've seen it before, we've all seen it before. This time it's Russian.

The book starts off strong: snappy writing, grey this, grey that, stuff happens, hoodoo, amulets, fire, shape shifting and assorted cool supernatural happenings. I like Anton - the protagonist - he's a programmer/tech guy for the Night Watch and this is his first heavy duty street mission.
The first third of the book is great fun.

The rest of the book just chugs along. Anton has philosophical crisis, blah, blah, blah, does he buck the system or does he play his role. Is he a good guy? Is he bad? Y'know what - I could care less. I only have about ten pages left and I can't bother to finish it. I don't even care what happens.

Don't bother with the book, just watch the movie. The movie has all the cool stuff in it and while the plot is barely worth paying attention to it does look awesome.

First third of book: B
Rest of the book: D-

"Welcome to CostCo. I love you."

This is going to be one of those random pop culture/assorted insanity posts so you're just going to have to bear with me:

1. The picture above is of our favorite assassin Agent 47's dome - jacked from Hitman: le blog officiel du film - as portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. I'm not sure how it's going to be but I'm going to see it. I think it's funny that Amanda said, "They put the barcode up too high." She's one of the good ones.

2. Imagine if this DS game got stateside?http://www.senakablog.com/archives/2007/06/post_943.html I don't imagine anyone being allowed to play it in public. If I can find a trailer I'll post it.

3. Apparently the new Tenchu is a trainwreck. Damn it. I love the series but I can understand how it could just fall to pieces. There's $60 I don't have to piss away.

4. Two things about the 360:

• I finally figured out how to play music during gameplay. It kind of rules. A lot. For Elder Scrolls: Oblivion I've found that The Way of the Gun soundtrack works really well...except for the last track. Now I am trying to dig up my soundtrack for Highlander so I play Princes of the Universe when I battle in the arena. I'm joking. Kind of. Shut up.
• The wireless controller sucks the soul out of batteries - worse than an old skool Disc-Man. I'm sorry I didn't listen to those of you who told me to get the recharger.

More "news" to follow. Feeding time.

Yay! New Pixar! New Pixar!

According to the info in Variety today the new Pixar movie is going to be released in 2009. It's titled Up and will directed by the guy who did Monsters Inc and will be about some oldster who teams up with an adventurer and they go out and do cool stuff.

I love Pixar movies - except for Cars because well...I'm not a racing fan unless it's that insane rally race across the Outback type of thing - and this sounds like it could be right up my alley.

Will post updates as I find out about them...a year or two from now.

Here's something for you Transformers dorks:

Yes, that is an Optimus Prime Mr. Potato. Go ahead nerd, you know you want one.

Red Star finally released and a MMORPG set in Rome?

I played a demo for The Red Star - a sci-fi arcade styled shooter with Russians running everything - about a million years ago. It was pretty fun but not really my cup of tea. I've never had the skills needed to succeed at games like Gauntlet, Contra, or Shinobi. Yes I suck at those games. This game looks like it would rip off one of my arms and beat me to death with it. Here's the official site. At the very least the universe looks awesome.

Yes, there is going to be an MMO set in Rome titled Gods & Heroes. No Amanda they don't speak Latin but I'm sure there's some Latin fanboys wishing it was in Latin. It could be cool. Maybe.

Assorted news & Updates:

I have to admit that we haven't been up to much since Elder Scrolls: Oblivion has practically consumed our souls. It's a good thing that I have to go to work and into the sunlight because otherwise I'd be transforming in a Morlock and developing rickets and big transluscent eyes the size of dinner plates with "controller-claw" hands.

So here's a few pieces of news:

1. The guys over at twitchfilm.net got all in a snit because Midway Games was supposed to fund the New York City Asian Film Festival and they bailed. Here's the article. Being bent out of shape that a sponsor bails is one thing but calling for a ban? That's a little absurd. The info I got from Midway was, "Regrettably, Midway is not able to be the title sponsor of the New York Asian Film Festival because Stranglehold's development schedule did not allow time to attend; however, Midway still plans to be an event sponsor."
2. Apparently the Indian cops won't let five year old Budhia Singh take part in a 310 mile walk. The kid broke a record last year for running 40 miles in seven hours and two mintues - uninterrupted. This little dude is the Indian D.A.R.Y.L. .
3. There should/might/probably be a review of Day Watch - if we can actually get into the preview screening tonight. I'm about half way through Night Watch and it's a pretty decent book though the movie only covers the first third of the book. It's not badly written but the translation is a bit...choppy. A review will show up after I finish it off.

There's not much else news right now besides the fact my character in Oblivion somehow got up to 71 alchemy points and I just bought a Dwarven Bow and a horse. The bow is awesome, the horse is okay for roaming around on but not much else. See, just gamer crazy talk. Fortunately Amanda is addicted too so we have something to talk about over dinner.

My new XBOX360 - Day One.

"I remember Revelations 7:12...'And I looked, and he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became as black as sack cloth, and the moon became as blood.' "

and then I bought a 360.

I broke down and bought the unholy contraption because the voices told me to. It's actually pretty darn neat. Granted it took me the better part of two hours to rewire and tinker and curse to get everything up and running and I still have some bugs to work out but all in all everything is tip-top. Once I get everything synched up it should be pretty sweet. Until then I'll just have to keep digging through online manuals.

Straight off though I am pretty impressed. The reviewers who commented negatively about the power pack/cord weren't far off - the thing is confusingly immense - Yog Sothoth immense. The fan is louder than the PS2's. Not too much of a big deal yet. Worse comes to worse I can just continue to use the PS2 as a DVD player. The XBOX360 controller is surprisingly comfortable, easy to use, and enjoyable to use. Getting used to a non-PS2 controller is gonna take a little time - maybe one or two good heavy duty gaming days.

I only purchased one game - Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. I've only barely kinda sorta maybe put my toe in the water but this game seems like it's going to be a truly gargantuan RPG. The impression that I get is that you can play anyway you like, wander where you want, and pretty much just go off the deep end. I'm already having a difficult time sticking with my character's race but I'm gonna stick it out for a while and try to get the mechanics under my belt.

I'm sure I'll have much more to blather on about in the upcoming future. For now I will sit here at work, read manuals, and wait.

The coming end of an era.

It's a strange feeling going through the new releases and marking off the last few games that I will be purchasing for the PS2. I feel like there should be a long montage of me with my PS2 while Memories plays in the background: feeding ducks in the park, flying kites, working at the ASPCA rescue shelter, visiting the elderly, saving the world just so I can destroy it myself.

Unless there are any major changes in release schedules here are the final big three I am picking up for the system:

Tomb Raider Anniversary (06/05/07) Like a good many other gamers Tomb Raider blew me away. This was a truly amazing game that took gaming to the next level. Ten years later they have revamped, polished, and overhauled the game completely and restored a lot of reviewers & fans faith in the entire franchise. Apparently the adventure is back in the game - no silly convoluted "wheels within wheels" plots - it's just exploration and a pistol packin' mama. I'm in for a penny.

Manhunt 2 (07/10/07) As a Rockstar Games whore I can't not buy this game. I played the hell out of Manhunt no matter how much it creeped me out. It's in my top five favorite horror games for any console and I still throw it in every so often for some good twisted enjoyment. Manhunt 2 seems to have a more coherent plot in the asylum school a la The Suffering. I like the look of the protagonist of Manhunt 2 - bespectacled and not some 'roid rage convict. I'm expecting a lot from this game and have no doubt that it will deliver in spades.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (07/24/07). Persona was released for the PS waaay back in ye olde 1996. It was a completely bizarre Japanese high schoolers vs demons kind of game that sucked me in because characters used modern weapons instead of fantasy crap. Plus it was just insane - read the review. The newest installation sounds like it's going to be more of the same only with better graphics, better gameplay, and a darker story. Oh yeah and Atlus is putting it out - a sign of quality if you're unfamiliar with Atlus.

So that's it - two more months of new PS2 gaming unless there are some Japanese back catalog releases brought over. Yep. Guess I should start saying my goodbyes now. Good old PS2. Sniff.

Shadowrun - WTF?

I was checking the reviews for the new Shadowrun game and apparently it has no single player mode. It's purely an online multiplayer gun fest. Y'know what? Fuck all that shit Silent Bob. While there may be hordes of gamers waiting to shoot the hell out of one another I am not one of them. Like I have said many, many times I do not play well with others and game so that I don't have to deal with people. I just cannot understand why developers refuse to make a serious Shadowrun game. What a shame.

Day Watch is coming out in theaters and the books have been translated.

Night Watch was a pretty cool movie despite absurdly long delays in release. Day Watch is coming out in theaters tomorrow - next Friday here in Austin.

The books were translated about a year ago. I miss working in regular trade books sometimes and getting the jump on all kinds of crazy ass books.

I'm gonna pick up a copy of Night Watch (ISBN: 1401359795) this weekend and give it a run through. If it's worth a damn I'll post a review.

Werewolf in a Women's Prison.

Part of the reason I still read twitchfilm.net is to find about such gems as Werewolf in a Women's Prison. Now if you know me then you probably know that I am a fan of women in prison/convict movies ever since I saw Chained Heat with Linda Blair on Channel 62. While I wouldn't say that they are the best movies ever made they do hold a certain appeal to "the creepy, chili stained wife beater wearin', warm Steel Reserve sud suckin', old guy livin' off the interstate providing the local psychos with victims and smoked sausage" in me. Wimmins ins prisons hur hur hur.

Now add in the werewolf factor. Werewolf movies have so much potential but for the most part both suck and blow. I realize that you guys may have many favorites but I only really enjoy Dog Soldiers and Silver Bullet.

I'm not saying that Werewolf in a Women's Prison is going to be high art but it will be a fun watch. Now if only I can find a copy.

It turns out that Victoria De Mare - the star of the movie and one of the newest scream queens - also starred in a movie called Dinocroc. I'm assuming that Dinocroc is about a massive and ancient croc. It can't be as bad as Lake Placid. Maybe...

Friday! W00T! News and notes and stuff.

Here's a rundown of stuff in no particular order.

1. According to Kenneth Turan - movie reviewer for NPR - No Country for Old Men is a great Cohen Brothers movie that is lacking the humor they are known for. That's good news to me.
2. Al Pastor tacos for breakfast make me very happy especially on a slow, rainy day at work.
3. Expect upcoming reviews for: Curse of the Golden Flower - starring Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li's awesome rack and Off Limits (1988) - Willem Defoe and Gregory Hines as cops in Vietnam tracking a killer. An 80s classic. You wouldn't know because you weren't there man.
4. A review of SOCOM: Combined Assault.
5. A trailer for the new game from Eidos - the name of which escapes me at the moment. Kane & Lynch (?)
6. I am going to sell my wedding band for enough to buy a XBOX360. I think that's a fair trade. Hopefully the 360 will last longer than two years.
7. There's also a new Tenchu game coming out exclusive for the 360.

Not much else at this current time. Hope you guys have a good weekend. Don't burn down your backyards.

Damn it! Another XBOX360 exclusive!

Curse you XBOX360 game designers! Curse you! Codemasters' Overlord looks like a great summer fun game.

The trailer for Splinter Cell: Conviction

Another tasty piece of PS3 news.

There are a couple of us who kind of sort of like John Woo's Hard Boiled. According to the game news Stranglehold - the PS3 sequel to Hard Boiled - is going to have a special edition release with a Blu-Ray of Hard Boiled. I think I just peed myself a little.

If you haven't checked out the Stranglehold site then shame on you. Shame. Here's the link: http://strangleholdgame.com/us/index.html

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction XBOX360 only?

I was checking the news on www.gamespot.com and noticed that Ubisoft has released word on the newest installment of Splinter Cell. Unfortunately the game is not going to be released on the PS3, "The bad news for PlayStation 3 fans is that it's an Xbox 360 exclusive." . Double Agent was released for the PS2, PS3, and XBOX360 so I don't know why it wouldn't be another cross console release.

The article - here's the link - makes it sound pretty damn cool and makes me want to look into Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. The idea of it set in DC and having to blend in with crowds a la Hitman makes me a little giddy.

It's things like this that almost make me want to buy a XBOX360. Damn it.

More remake news...this time it might not be so bad.

Here's an interesting piece of news:

• PRESS RELEASE BARBARELLA RETURNS - April 11, 2007: Producers Dino and Martha De Laurentiis have acquired all rights to reinvent the Barbarella franchise with a new feature film, to be based on the ground-breaking comic books by Jean-Claude Forest. Dino De Laurentiis produced the classic 1968 Barbarella film, which starred Jane Fonda, was directed by Roger Vadim, and was scripted by Terry Southern. Says Dino De Laurentiis, "Barbarella is the ultimate science fiction adventure heroine: smart, strong, funny, and sexy. THE FUTURE IS FEMALE, and I'm excited to reintroduce Barbarella to a new generation of moviegoers." Writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (Die Another Day, The World Is Not Enough, Johnny English) will reinvent the franchise, creating a completely new and original story for this iconic heroine. Purvis and Wade most recently co-wrote Casino Royale, which grossed over half a billion dollars worldwide, and have just penned the next installment in the James Bond franchise.The new Barbarella will be a free and modern woman who lives in a futuristic sci-fi environment and embarks on adventures using her unique intelligence, fighting skills and sex appeal. The film will combine action, adventure, humor and sensuality.Given the power and recognition of the original character, the search for the new Barbarella has already begun and will involve both established and unknown talent throughout the world.Film rights were acquired from Jean-Claude Forest's only son Julien Forest, represented by Hollywood Comics principal Jean-Marc Lofficier and French agent Laurie Roy, and development of the new movie is accompanying the reissue of the first two Barbarella books and the publishing of material never before translated into English.

While I am not a huge fan of Barbarella the movie I am a fan of bizarre French 70s Sci-Fi comics or at least the ones that I have stumbled across in old issues of Heavy Metal and in graphic novel compilations. The fact that Jean-Claude Forest's graphic novels are being rereleased is good news as well.

Depending on who is cast in the role of Barbarella it could work or well...be terrible. Now if Angela Lindvall - Dragonfly/Valentine from CQ - could be drafted then that wouldn't be so bad. It's already been proven that she looks good in skintight silver outfits. Like the man says, "If the shit fits, wear it."

Assorted movie news, complaining, and whining about remakes.

Apparently Death Proof is a big deal at Cannes. For some reason this annoys me to no end. On one hand it's going to mean that Planet Terror and the trailers are just going to be cast the wayside until Rodriguez says, "Screw it then." and rereleases Planet Terror with Machete - the way it should have been. Here's the BBC article: Cannes cheers Tarantino's return.

Paul W.S. Anderson - director of Soldier, Event Horizon, Resident Evil, and AVP - is remaking Death Race and The Long Good Friday. I'm not too freaked out by the Death Race remake because I'm not a big fan of the movie though I do feel there's no need for a remake. Rollerball wasn't a great movie but that didn't need a remake even if directed by John McTiernan. The Long Good Friday (1980) is one of my favorite Bob Hoskins movies. For a period of time after Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Hoskins was cast as a cuddly, bumbling, and mildly bumbling character i.e. Hook, Super Mario Brothers, and Mermaids. He also was cast in some excellent roles - Felicia's Journey and Mona Lisa in particular. Then of course there's Heart Condition. The Long Good Friday is a classic of British crime cinema on par - in my humble opinion - with Get Carter. A brutal and relentlessly cruel movie with Bob Hoskins demolishing scenery. If you're a fan of the crime genre and haven't seen this movie then make an effort to see the original.

Looks like Luck Liu is going to be in a vampire movie - Rise: Blood Hunter - that is coming out this July. I don't want to want to see this movie but well...track down the pictures of Lucy covered in blood. Plus Carla "yeah that chick from Sin City" Gugino is in it. Plus it's rated R. If you've been a longtime reader then you'll know that I have had gripes about horror & action movies not being rated R. Show me what I am here to see folks - you know what I'm talking about blood and guts and veins in my teeth...plus T&A. Maybe an explosion and dismemberment or three.

Black (2006)

The FPS genre must be a daunting on to jump into but the creators of the Burnout series - Criterion Games did it. It really shows too. What they did for racing games they have begun to do for FPS i.e. things blow up real good...and how. I remember one review I read that likened Black to "gun porn". All the weapons look great and sound amazing. One of the great things about this game is the fact that you don't really have to worry about ammo. Sure, there are one or two points where a bit of restraint is needed but most of the time you can just blast the holy living hell out of everyone and everything. After completing the game the first time through you unlock "silver weapons" basically chromed out weapons with unlimited ammo - great fun when you can get your hands on a grenade launcher or RPG.

The levels are fun and for the most part urban based - one level is a border run in the woods. Personally I have no love for jungle/forest/great outdoors combat levels - give me urban combat anyday. The AI is fair - sometimes the little bastards flank and take cover as appropriate and sometimes they act like standard shooter morons - i.e. when you snipe a guard his buddy won't really be upset or move or notice or look up from his Jell-O cup.

The biggest problem with Black is the fact that it's an eight hour game. Maybe nine if you try to find all the objectives but I don't know if there's any point at all to finding all the secondary objectives - no extra weapons, armor, or health. I realize that for $20 eight hours is a good amount of nonstop entertainment. Hell I spend that much for one night at the movies and that's only two hours. Still I find this trend of short games mildly disheartening. Possibly it's because of playing RPGs and sandbox styled games a la GTA but c'mon eight hours? There's not really much replay value really, granted it will be a fun game to thrown in when people are over - the "hey check this out factor". The fact that the game ends where most games would really kick in is equally annoying. If Criterion had billed Black as part one then it wouldn't have been such an issue but to play the game as a flashback mission and then it just ends, well it's just a let down.

When it comes down to it Black is a lot of fun and worth renting or picking up since it's a greatest hit but it doesn't have legs.

Star Wars Battlefront I & II

I didn't have anything to do last night so I threw in Star War Battlefront II - oddly enough it seems that I was on Pandemic Studio/Lucas Arts kick, I started the evening off with Mercenaries. I'm a big fan of the Battlefront series and though I do have some problems I do have a hell of a good time blasting the living hell out of Rebel scum. I only play Empire unless forced to play something else.



For those of you not in the know Star Wars Battlefront was released Sept. 20th, 2004. It is a third-person battlefield combat game. You have the ability to run around and blast the shit out of the opposition and jump in various vehicles and then blast the shit out of the opposition. There are several troop types you can play but I find that the basic trooper works just fine for me. If you have not played it and are looking for an entertaining shooter that is just fun for pick and play then it's worth picking up used - now it's probably running less than $15.



Star Wars Battlefront II allows you to blast the shit out of your opponent in space as well as planet side. There are also several amusing/fun side games - the hunt mission in Mos Eisley allows players to control either sand people - sorry Tusken Raiders - and Jawas. Ooteenie indeed. The space levels are fun but pretty restricted - in fact I tried installing TIE Fighter on my laptop before I realized that I didn't have a joystick. Galactic conquest is still fun and slightly expanded with fleets and space battles and bonuses and what not.

I do have this to say - why don't Pandemic just make a straight up space combat game? I sometimes miss Wing Commander, TIE Fighter, X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, Star Fox. I wouldn't mind if they made a complete galactic conquest game that involved a bit more strategy and all of the planets.

Despite the fact that Star Wars now sucks - except for Empire Strikes Back - the Battlefront games are fun as hell and remind me of why I loved it all once, before I got jaded and miserable. Plus I like shooting Ewoks.

A new site from Mike.

Mike has the biggest fucking music collection I have ever seen in one non-store place...or more accurately in several places in his home. With the sheer volume of it he could start his own radio station for a banana republic. His new crackpot venture is to review everything he owns. This may seem like trying to count the grains of sand on a beach and may drive him mad but in the meantime I'm going to enjoy his reviews. They are amusing, well written, and - even if I think he's wrong - insightful. Mike still enjoys music ad it shows.

Quit reading this go check out: http://satellite-eclectica.blogspot.com/

P.S. There will also be an RSS on the right over there but bookmark his shit anyway.

Saturday Morning Update - mit panzer!

It's nice to have a day off though I thought it was funny that Saturday Morning cartoons have been replaced by Saturday Morning chores. Wheee!

Updates:

• There's finally a new review up on the movie site.
• There will/should/might be a new post on da blog soon-ish.
• I have a new project in the works.
• If I can go six months without getting wasted I'm buying a PS3.

I am also in the process of getting myself a tripod though if one of you fine folks has one you can lend me please let me know.

The reviews will start picking up again and hopefully I'll be able to put some time into updating and etc., etc., etc.

You may now carry on with your Saturday.

Whew! Out of the woods.

Apologies for the delays & all around no show of reviews or pretty much anything for almost three weeks. Thanks to Marcus for filling the gap with his wondrous tales of the PS3. I am filled with jealousy and tech-envy.

There will be updates and assorted goodness starting tomorrow - hopefully.

Resistance: Fall of Man for PS3 (Fall '06)

Post WWII Europe was still licking it's wounds when the Chimeran attack overwhelmed the Soviets and began swallowing up town after European town. The Chimeran threat all but wiped every human across much of Europe, and Asia and from the looks of things, all hope was lost. Across the pond, the Yanks closed they're borders and kept a tight lid on any media of this near global tragedy while providing aid to our limey counterparts overseas.

A team of U.S. soldiers participating in a supply drop to our British allies fell victim to a Chimeran ambush leaving one survivor. Commander Nathan Hale. Hale had no idea that he could very well be, mankind's only hope.

In Resistance: Fall of Man, you play as hard-boiled U.S. military commander, Nathan Hale. Set in a post WWII alternate reality, the game follows Hale's journey into the heart of Britain to the core of the Chimeran stronghold. The Chimera are an alien race that essentially body-snatches it's victims and then, depending on the subjugated human's genetic strengths, gestates them into various forms of infantry.

To say the game play in R:FoM is engrossing is to make a massive understatement. This title is what "next-gen" gaming is supposed to be. The story...great, the voice-acting...superb, the visuals and ambience...other-worldly. At any given time during play, there are alarming amounts of computer-controlled allies and enemies zipping across the MASSIVE maps. Each with their own stealthy, sneaky, spooky A.I. At some points, it seems there are as many as 30-40 enemies and 15 or so allies. Truly amazing and harrowing.

What's most amazing is this game's solid execution in all aspects. Not once did I notice frame rate slow down, environment generation, or arms an legs floating through walls. I mean NO BUGS! It's truly unbelievable! Even in two player split-screen co-op, everything is rock solid! It's a marvel. Every game should hold itself to these high standards.

As the story-line the frantic feel of the game progresses too due to some great plot twists. As if the story mode wasn't enough to vault this game into the stratosphere (which it was, trust me), the multiplayer and online capabilities are some of the best I've seen, and being an old PC gamer, that's saying something. Granted, it's not a crisp vibrant bunch of levels because post-war alien invaded Europe shouldn't be. The servers are tight as I've ever seen and the competition is fierce.

Overall, R:FoM is one of the best games I have ever played. It's Call of Duty/Beginning of Saving Private Ryan, meets Independence Day/Aliens vs. Predator/Split Second. An easy 9.75 out of 10!

In case you had forgotten.

The Crash Test Dummies totally fucking sucked. Their big hit, Mmm Mmm Mmmm (1994) managed to suck and both blow as an arctic blast of Canadian suck froze the blood of awesome American alternative radio...which was dying anyway. This Canadian crap assault also included the tools known as the Barenaked Ladies. Not since Bryan Adams has music sucked so much. Oh, I forgot about Celine Dion.

While these bands apparently had something that allowed them to tour and make a shitload of money - an apparently mongoloid square-head college following - they are just proof that humanity is not worth saving. Not in the least.

While I like Canada, Canadians, and maple syrup such shitty music is nearly unforgettable, you're lucky you're funny.

A great review of Next.

While the New York Post is not the pinnacle of high art and literature it is a completely awesome paper for the news that matters: sports, murders, fires, celeb filth, and mean spirited movie reviews. Lou Lumenick's review of Next is awesome. Personally I won't see this movie if I have anything to say about it. If forced to endure it by Libyan terrorists or the NVA or family members then I guess I would have to watch it.

My new PlayStation 3 - Week 1

Holy damn sh*t! I have played pretty much every system ever released, last-gen, current-gen, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th-gen. And I can say, without question, that there has never been a piece of home entertainment equipment like the PS3, gaming or not, and it will definitely drastically change the market and your living room forever.

Gaming aside, the PS3 replaces nearly every piece of equipment in your entertainment center and does it with style and power. Your photos, video files, music, and internet all at your finger tips in stunning high definition. Granted some of the PS3's functionality needs some work, such as filing systems, format issues, the inability to create subfolders, etc. but these will all come soon through frimware updates. This PS3 instantly becomes a part of your home entertainment life with ease and pinache.

Now onto the games. Of course the graphics on the PS3 are both breath-taking and beauftiful. No words I can type can truly convey this point. The real treat with the games I've played to this point is not the graphics but the enthralling gameplay. I was afraid that the focus on knock-out graphics would equate to sub-par game experiences. I couldn't have been more wrong. On more than one ocassion in the last five days I've had real human spectators cheering me or other players on enthusiastically from seats in my living room. Grown men with no interest in video games, yelling and getting involved without touching a paddle. Every game I've played has evoked that white-knuckle adrenaline rush feeling that a great game should. Admittedly, there are some bad games available for the PS3 and even some of the good ones have apparent bugs, but for first wave releases, overall these are very acceptable in-game flaws.

The machine itself is a marvel and should be budgetted for purchase within the next year by anyone claiming to be a technophile. My favorite part is the online PlaystationStore. Worrying about content? Well don't, right out of the box you have free access to at least 15 free playable demos via PS Store download. And when I say demo I don't mean some bullcrap 4:3 aspect ration low-end rendered graphics version of the real game, I mean balls-to-the-wall 1080p fully rendered and operable playable levels of the release version of the title. Aside from demos, the PS Store gives you access to free HD movie trailers, HD BluRay trailers, HD promos for upcoming games, and best of all fully downloadable original HD games for purchase as well as PS1 and PS2 classics. The variety of available fully functional games on the PS Store range from an HD rendered full version of Tekken: Dark Resurrection to an original game for children called Super Rub-a-Dub where you play a rubber duck in a tub trying to save her kids from a wind up plastic shark. My point is there is alot to choose from. The downloads range in price from $4.99 to $19.99 although some of these games are free.

Overall, I am extremely impressed by the PS3 so far and it seems as though the sky's the limit as far as capabilities go. Oh yeah, and keep in mind, I feel this way and I haven't even put a BluRay movie in it yet.

The Boondocks win a Peabody!

I'm a huge fan of The Boondocks - both the comic and the show. Sure there are people out there who get offended by the show and it's potentially controversial views but those people can shut up.

I read today that The Boondocks won a Peabody Award. They had this to say:

"Return of the King," an especially provocative installment of the prickly animated series "Boondocks," was the first program televised by Cartoon Network to win a Peabody. The episode imagined a reawakened Martin Luther King`s reaction to contemporary phenomena from gangsta rap to the war on terror."

I say congratulations and cheers to you Aaron McGruder.

Dead I Well May Be - Andrew McKinty

I had forgotten about this book and how much I enjoyed it. My boss asked if I had read any of Andrew McKinty's books and after a few moments of idiocy - I've been off all day my yin and yang are heading north and south - I realized that I had read Dead I Well May Be.

How is the book? Let's put it this way - it's what The Departed should have been like but couldn't have been pulled off. This is one of those ass-kicking pot-boilers: an Irish lad comes to the States and gets a job as muscle with the local Mick mob. Things go sideways, all sorts of bad-ass shit happens, and there's a good old gun battle revenge climax. Oh yeah, there's a Mexican prison in there too - trust me it works. On top of everything it's well written. McKinty has that rapid-fire, taut style that I love. Tough Micks doing tough Mick shit. I'm gonna make a run to the bookstore to pick up his other titles this weekend.

Most honorable panty shot super happy sparkle fighting!

I'm not sure what Famitsu is selling with this fighting game but I'm intrigued. I like the maid with the eyepatch.

Then there's the game - Pure Cure - pictured above. I feel vaguely dirty and vaguely intrigued - like trying to track down smutty games for the DS Lite. Not that I even have a DS Lite but I've read about them...yeah...

Once I get home I will download Big Shot - which doesn't look dirty just awesome and fun.

And of course there's the game with the chick with the bunny(?).

Who's comin' with me?

I'm going to see Hot Fuzz tomorrow. BC3 is out of town so I don't have my regular accomplice to see it with. Anyone interested give me a call.

A quick note.

Our friend Mark is driving around the country taking pictures of stuff and watching ducks have sex. I put up an RSS feed over there on the right so we can be kept up to date. He's a good guy and has some pretty pictures of the Southern US of A.

"...everyone knows, when you make an assumption, you make an ass out of "u" and "umption"."

1) Vacancy opens today. While I am normally a fan of hellbilly motel nightmare movies I get the feeling that nothing bad is going to happen to Luke Wilson or what's-her-name with the ass. I am interested in seeing it because I really like Frank Whaley and director Nimrod Antal's Kontroll (2005) was a great movie. If you are in the need for something to watch I suggest picking up Kontroll - it's weird and stylish enough to be cool but not enough to be annoying. It's well shot, has cool Hungarian actors, and a kick ass techno score.

2) Looks like there's an animated version of Beowulf coming out with Ray Winstone voicing Beowulf and Crispin Glover voicing Grendel. Directed by Zemeckis, I think this has potential. Should be coming out this year or next. We shall see.

3) Scalped from Variety: "In something of a surprise, the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez "double bill" Grindhouse, which was expected to compete for the top Palme d'Or prize, will only be represented by the Tarantino half of the feature, Death Proof, which is being expanded to one hour and 50 minutes." While part of me thinks this is absurd and I'm a bit tired of running around the same issues with Grindhouse in a strange way it makes sense.

Death Proof was the weak link Grindhouse but if extended and given some room to work it could be a good movie. Now if Machete can get made then doubled up with Planet Terror then we're gonna have something truly kick ass.

4) No Country for Old Men is also going to play at Cannes. Josh Brolin & Tommy Lee Jones are starring with Javier Bardem playing the bad guy. It has potential especially if the Coens can keep the wacky humour out of it.

5) I had forgotten about Razorback (1984) - an Aussie horror flick about a massive Razorback boar that kills the living shit out of people. I rented it several years ago - thank you Vulcan Video. It really wasn't a bad movie per se, actually it was pretty entertaining. While I was looking at the comments and jive for Razorback I saw information about other Australian horror movies:

Fair Game (1986) Seems like Australian take on the sexploitation revenge movie. Hillbillies terrorize hot chick - apparently she's John Denver's wife before she married John "Fly yes, land no!" Denver. Hot chick flips out and kills the shit out of hillbillies. I've never seen this particular movie but it has a chick where they tie her to the hood and drive around the Outback. Woo!

Dark Age (1987) is about a monstrous croc. The tagline is "Death is only one bite away." I don't know if this one is worth tracking down.

Not much else in the way of news at this current point in time. Hope you kiddos have a good weekend.

Angry Video Game Nerd & Screw Attack

We were sitting around watching www.gametrailers.com - what? - and watched Angry Video Game Nerd's review of Ghostbusters for the NES. It is one of the funniest things that I have seen in quite sometime. I suggest that you watch it. Now would be a good time. It's not like you're really doing anything anyway. What's the matter? Don't you like to laugh?

The Safety Dance (1982)

The song was playing on Radio Nigel and I decided to wikipedia.com Men Without Hats and the Safety Dance. I pretty much didn't learn anything about the song - why it sucks so much or why is it so much fun to make fun of for examples. What I did find was a link to Mike Edmonds' website. He is the dwarf that is in almost everyone of my favorite 80s fantasy movie (http://www.mikeedmonds.com/). He was in the Safety Dance video. He was not in Men Without Hats - which is cool because Men Without Hats sucked.

Cheers to you Mike Edmonds.

"Is that Freedom Rock? Well, turn it up man!"

Just a couple of updates from the weekend:

1) God of War 2 was short, frustrating, and profanity inducing. Not quite as profanity inducing as SSX Tricky races but still fairly maddening. All in all it was a good game, gorgeous to look at, violent as all get out and there was nudity. Say all you want about GTA or any number of hot title games God of War has had boobies in both titles. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing or a good thing but really it's about time. What are slave girls supposed to wear? Potato sacks? Sweat suits? I think not.

Breasts do not a game make but God of War 2 was a solid game but short. It kind of amuses me that I view any game that takes less than twenty hours to complete short. Sure you can replay the game with all your gear and levelled magic but meh, why? There are a couple of bonus time attack levels that are more painful than fun to play.

The actual game itself is pretty damn good, the story really makes it. There aren't many games out there so straight up grim. Slaughtering heroes of Greek mythology? Neat-o! Mangling/dismembering/all out slaughtering critters? Swell! The game does end on a cliff-hanger but damn is it cool. If you played the first game and enjoyed it then I recommend waiting a few months and picking this up used. If you haven't played the first game then go pick up God of War. Seriously, it's an awesome game.

2) Watched the director's re-cut of Payback on Friday. The DVD came out last week. It was really good. I'll rewatch the theatrical release and then rewatch the remake and come up with a review...maybe...

Upcoming updates:

1) Tomorrow's movie is Pathfinder. Anyone interested drop wither me or Bart a line.

2) I still have yet to watch Unknown (2006) dir. Simon Brand w/ Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantaliano, and some second stringers. Supposed to be some kind of thriller. I'll watch it tonight or send it back to netflix so I can see Invincible. Yes, that Invincible.

I will lose the last of my childhood...

on May 22, 2008. That's when the new Indiana Jones movie comes out. Yep, I will then be officially old and shit. Here's the article from Variety. Guess I'll go have some prune juice and wait for death now.

Manhunt 2 Official site opens.

I am getting pretty geared up for Manhunt 2. The official site is up and running with a new trailer and more goodies coming soon. It's sounding like The Suffering what with the Asylum and what not - fewer demons though.

More news as I find it.

Stolen from Kotaku's site stolen from...

I know I'm hijacking this from www.kotaku.com but they are so very big that it won't hurt to remora a little. In any case I know that you fine folks would apprectiate Matthew Kumar's 52 Gaming Similes To Describe Your Relationship. Some of them are really quite funny. I'm putting an RSS for his site because well...he's funny.

Kratos, you so crazy!

After three hours of playing God of War 2 I am actually looking forward to replaying it. As far as a game starting totally awesome I can't think of a game starting this totally wicked hella awesome. Penny Arcade sums it up beautifully as usual. Most games make me wish that I had a massive TV upon which to play but God of War 2 was made to be played on a movie screen. No joke.

If you've played God of War then you pretty much have a handle on the controls but then you start to appreciate the changes - dare I say it improvements in gameplay. Kratos now can use the Blades to grappel into areas which mean you have to keep an extra keen eye open. Part of the reason I want to replay this beast is simply because I know that I have missed areas. The addition of airborne combat levels is a blast. C'mon when isn't ripping the wings off a griffon bitchin'? The story is - at this early stage in the game - is as dark as God of War. The puzzles are a bit more clever and I can see the potential for frustration - we'll see.

This is a game you should take a look at if you want something playable, thrilling, and generally exciting. Hell, it's fun watching other people play just so you can just kick back.

Momma's gonna give you a spankin'.

Happy Birthday Caprica Six!

Today is Tricia Helfer's birthday. Mmmm...Caprica Six, sexy and frightening.

Upcoming reviews:

I picked up God of War 2 today - woo payday! - and it's actually a 2 disc set. Apparently the second disc is special features, soundtrack, and assorted goodies. I'm looking forward to playing this, especially after reliving the first one.

Grindhouse review will be pending either this evening - if I get home early enough or tomorrow.

We watched the first disc of Into the West. It's not bad for a made for TV Western miniseries. It has a bumper crop of second tier actors who are - all in all - a good bunch of actors. It's not completely sappy about the Indians or the settlers which makes me happy. I got sick of the noble savage, oh the poor Indians, Dances with Wolves schtick years ago. Watching Into the West makes me wish that someone would do a series about the French & Indian Wars. The West is all great and everything but it may be time to revisit the Colonies.

I'm sure there are other things in the pipe but I can't think of them right now.

Here's an awesome article on an awesome site.

Over at Movie Criticism for the Retarded there's an awesome article about The Transformers. Personally I don't really give a shit about the Transformers. I thought that some of the toys were awesome and still kick ass but as for the cartoon not so much. When I saw some of the trailers I just feel, "Yeah! Kick ass! Robots blowing shit up! America! Fuck yeah!"

Check out the article and the site. Some of it's really funny.

Waiting for Tuesday & assorted weekend update.

Despite the fact that Grindhouse has been getting mixed reviews I am actually getting excited to see it. A good number of people I know have no interest in seeing it because of cast, crew, or directors, or the fact that exploitation movies suck. I'm just gonna go for it - of all the releases that I could nit-pick and be overly critical of it's Grindhouse. Y'know what though? Fuck it, I wanna see some T&A and some violence and just have a good time. I agree with the people who have been saying that this is a movie that begs to be seen at the Alamo Drafthouse but damn that's too expensive a venture. In any case expect reviews from us in a day or two.

This weekend was pretty fun. With temperatures dropping absurdly Saturday was a good day to hide inside and get some serious gaming done. Summoner 2 was a satisfying RPG that yielded a good 30ish hours of gameplay and would have had more if I had crossed every I and dotted every T. If you're in the market for a budget RPG title that has some pretty interesting gameplay I recommend it.

Looks like it's going to be a fairly entertaining week so hopefully there will be some totally hella wicked awesome updates and some better than average posts. Now get back to work.

Saw Jenna polish off God of War. There are some real bastard platform moments to that game. It's one of those things where the amount of profanity, frustration, and straight up 110 proof rage-ohol almost make you want to stop playing the game. Almost but not quite.

There was a cookout yesterday - many thanks to Bart. Yea verily and it was good. In fact Easter at his house was one of the more fun Easters I've had.

Talk to Me (2007)

Saw the trailer for Talk to Me last night and can't wait to see it - 07/20/07. It's the story of a DJ in DC in the late 60s. Don Cheadle plays the DJ and I''ve been a fan of his since I saw him in Devil in a Blue Dress. Hell, he's the reason I want to see Reign Over Me. I'm also a big fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor - y'know, the bad guy from Serenity and Children of Men - and I think it'll be good to see him in a non-heavy role. Should be pretty entertaining if the preview is any indicator.

In Soviet Russian burger serves you!

Happy Tuesday.

Summoner 2 (2002)

I borrowed this from the fine neighbour folks who said that it was one of their favorites. It's a pretty solid and enjoyable RPG.

As far as I can tell - I'm only about 8 hours into it - the story is good. It's a pretty standard prophecy tale with mumbo-jumbo and the Tree of and the Storm of Evil and the whatever whatever. I find with RPGs I often lose interest in the story even if I love the game. This may be for several reasons:

a) The game has large amounts of "crazy talk/gamer martian". Any readers who are familiar with RPGs are familiar with the, "But we need the Seedling of Light in order to grow the Tree of Remembering in order to gain access to the Temple of Shotput the Mighty and Fearsome in order to restore balance and order to the kingdom of Betamax!" Yeah, write out the plot of a standard RPG on a cardboard sign and stand outside the Greyhound station and you may find people who understand.

b) The main storyline/quest in no way shape or form can compare with the secret missions, hidden monsters, absurd side quests, puzzles, red herrings, and assorted time sinks that RPGs have become. C'mon, what would you rather do - restore order or kick the shit out a gargantuan optional beast with a weapon you master-crafted yourself? That's what I thought.

c) RPG stereotypes. From the scrappy little sister brawler/healer to the sexpot mystic to the gruff yet loveable mechanic/airship captain we've seen it all...mostly. Games like Disgaea, Summoner 2, and Final Fantasy Tactics broke out of those stereotypes and are great games.

Summoner 2 - so far - has a solid range of characters, not particularly ground breaking but a refreshing change of pace. The main character, Maia, is a headstrong queen with a take charge kick ass attitude. What really sets Summoner 2 apart is the voice acting. Most characters have a British or vaguely British accent which really helps. I'm from the school of British accents lending credibility and class to games and movies. Seriously - imagine Theoden, Horse King of Rohan with a stupid American accent. Dr. Who - the Time Lord from Minnesota. Yeah right.

All in all this looks like it's going to be a satisfying long range RPG with loads of secret and side quests - that I love. More to come as I progress.