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Archive for July, 2010

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n00bketeers Episode 30… You Want It

By
Noob
– July 30, 2010Posted in: N00bketeers, Shows

You want it, trust me, you do. You know why? Well, because we have the famous singing_pig Jason Ericson on the show this week. And surprise surprise, as evidenced by the intro this week he does actually sing a bunch, more than any guest we’ve ever had on the show. Other than that, we scrape the bottom of the barrel for news (as we often seem to do), luckily the singing pig is the cavalry this week and rescues us with a true megaton. Please make sure to send us plenty of listener mail for next weeks episode, and of course don’t forget to review us on iTunes.

William Milby and Brittney Brombacher.

You're wrong, you do want.

Song List:

intro: I Don’t Want It by DC Talk
Song 1: The Belmont Chill by Blak Omen (Castlevania, OCRemix.org)
Song 2: Level 1, The Adventures of Dino Riki
Song 3: Level 4, Wings of Death
Outro: Dream Fighter by Scott Peeples (Punchout, OCRemix.org

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Film Review: The Crazies

By
Chris Scott
– July 29, 2010Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews

George Romero. His name is held amongst the masters by nearly every fan of horror and deservedly so because the man is the father of the modern zombie. However despite his contributions to the genre, there is little denying that his film-making skills leave a lot to be desired and thus some of his work is prime remake material.

Depending upon who you are talking to though, the word remake is sometimes treated as borderline foul language. Over the past few years more and more remakes have been coming out of Hollywood and for many, when combined with the constant flow of sequels, it has been confirmation that the industry has lost its creativity. I personally fall into a separate camp that just wants good film, regardless of if it is based on original material or a remake of something already done. This all of course brings us to the remake of George Romero’s 1973 film, The Crazies.

Some have called The Crazies a zombie film and I believe this to be either a misunderstanding of what a zombie is or a purposeful misdirection depending upon who is saying it. Suffice it to say though, The Crazies is not a zombie film. It is however a film about biological disaster, government “clean-up” and the human will to survive.

Timothy Olyphant plays David Dutten, the sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a small farming town in Iowa. David encounters a vexing situation during a high school baseball game when the local drunk walks onto the field carrying a shotgun. Dutten puts him down in an act of self defense and thus the Crazies kicks off.

Unlike the original film, which has the subtlety of a a sledgehammer, this remake carefully and deliberately introduces the viewer to the cause and effects. By keeping the viewer in the dark just as much as the townsfolk are in the story, the film is able to build a good line of tension. Director Breck Eisner puts this tension to good use, delivering a steady stream of legitimately nightmarish situations for the primary protagonists to endure.

The Crazies deals with some heavy material, including the government’s involvement in biological weaponry and how they would deal with cleaning it up. Like a lot of Romero’s work, it is sobering subject matter but unlike Romero’s work, the allegory here is not assaulting the viewer and it never interferes with the films primary goal of taking the viewer on a terrifying ride.

As terrifying as it is though the film is not without its flaws. The ending in particular frosted me a bit on the film. While suspension of belief is always needed for a film of this sort, the ending of The Crazies asks the viewer to suspend it nearly completely and after an entire film that seems somewhat grounded in a nightmarish reality I didn’t buy it.

In the end though The Crazies is a good horror film. It has some very solid performances, a good sense of direction and most importantly it is able to build tension within its audience and use that to scare them. Remake or not, this film is top notch terror.

4 out of 5.

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The Multiverse – Episode #23: “The Little Things are Best in Space”

By
Chris
– July 28, 2010Posted in: Shows, The Multiverse

Hey gang,

Another week, another Multiverse! This week we touch on the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning trailer, FFXIV’s recommended requirements, the cast of DCUO, and more! We have a clarification from last week, too. It seems that the reported 200k new subscribers for LotRO were actually beta applicants. Still impressive, in my opinion! Thanks to Green Armadillo and Doc Holiday for catching that. Green Armadillo also has a post up inspired by our conversation on GW2 from last week. Check it out here.

Our round table this week focused on atmosphere. After playing through a few of Cataclysm’s new starting zones, I started to notice just how immersive they felt – but not because of narrative; rather, atmosphere! We discuss what makes of breaks the illusion and what little noticed pieces we appreciate the most. Ending the segment, we answer an email from Deloryan, who writes:

Hi muliverse crew!! A lot of my friends turn off the music in wow and I don’t get it. I LOVE video game music and think it adds a lot to the experience. Do you guys listen to the music in games and do you have any favorites from the mmorpgs you play?

The last half of this show represents one of the funniest times we’ve had together. Riknas is finally shut out from the furry club. You’re in or you’re out and, unlike some kinds of club, we don’t mind talking openly about it!

Don’t forget to check out my blog of the week, Hunter’s Insight (latest post), for a great look at the upcoming Guild Wars 2. And, if you need a laugh, check out Riknas’s F2P game of the week: Arch Lord.

The ending music of this week’s show is also changed. In honor of my re-downloading the game, we’re featuring one of the most epic scores from Mass Effect 2.

Oh, and before I forget, my new year’s resolution (new year for the blog, anyways), I’m resolving to fit editing time into my Monday to get you these in a more timely manner.

Thanks for listening!

PS: We had some technical issues, so this show is a longer than usual. We’ll be back to our normal one hour format next week.

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Film Review: Salt

By
Chris Scott
– July 26, 2010Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews

Angelina Jolie is generally considered one of, if not the only, female star who can carry an action film in the lead role. She is smart, sexy and almost always bankable, so I was quite surprised to come to the realization that despite her constant presence in the press she has not been in a film since 2008. Her new film, Salt, is a film that was originally intended to be a Tom Cruise vehicle but as much as I like Cruise, after having seen Salt, no one other than Jolie could have pulled this film off.

Salt is an action packed thriller from director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games) and centers around the character of Evelyn Salt, played by Jolie. The film starts with Salt in a North Korean prison, through a political prison transfer she is released and returned home where she settles down with her scientist boyfriend and begins to push paper. It doesn’t take long for things to get interesting though when a Russian agent enters the undercover base of operations and reveals that a deep cover Russian agent named Evelyn Salt is going to kill the Russian president in New York city.

After Salt’s allegiance comes into question the film applies the gas and for the next hour and a half it never lets up. The film is a lesson in pacing, if Noyce were to have let up the gas even just a bit, the film would fall apart under the weight of its own ridiculousness. The plot is mind bogglingly vacuous but because there is hardly time to even breathe before Salt performs her next amazing feat it never interferes with the action. Car chases, elaborate break ins, shoot outs, its all here in Salt and its all deliciously fun.

Once the film begins to wrap up though the wheels begin to come off and the plot lays itself out unexposed and that is its worst fault. There is too much time, too much exposition laid out between the thrilling end and the actual ending. During that time most viewers will begin questioning events and motives that have occurred throughout the film but worst of all they will question the ending because it makes no sense whatsoever except to attempt one last moment of awe.

Salt believes itself to be a smart action thriller. Its not, but if one can get past that, accepting it for the mind numbing brain candy it is, there is a lot to like here. Jolie is brutal and sexy, the action is intense and thrilling, and Salt is a fun summer film that works as the perfect antithesis to the mind bending Inception.

4 out of 5.

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XBOX 360 Review: Limbo

By
Chris Scott
– July 24, 2010Posted in: Reviews, Xbox 360

Limbo, when viewed on the surface, seems like a very simplistic game. After all it is a platformer that is displayed in black and white, contains just three actions the protagonist can perform at the behest of the player and contains virtually no narrative. But if one were to only view Limbo on the surface they would be missing an awful lot.

What they would be missing is a beautiful game that takes players on a journey through a hellish, yet fantastical world that leaves nearly everything open to interpretation. Upon starting the game players are immediately thrust into action forcing the boy to begin his adventure in the unknown and haunting world. The world of Limbo is a dangerous place, filled with enormous spiders, murderous beings and enough demented machinery to make Jigsaw smile in admiration.

The game gives no context for why the boy is in this twisted reality and there is no reason for it as the game does a fantastic job of making you want to see what awaits him next. The goal is not the purpose in Limbo, it is the journey and while that may sound pretentious, its not. Limbo is presented in such a way that it has stripped away the narrative reasoning for the player to be in the world, all that matters is the gameplay.

Of course this artistic approach that Limbo has taken would not succeed if the game did not feature excellent gameplay. Once again by stripping away extraneous details and limiting the player to only movement, jumping and an interaction button, the game is able to refine and focus itself. The platforming is spot on and all the puzzles work and have logical solutions. The game does rely heavily on trial and error but it never stretches into the realm of frustrating because of it. On many levels if plays like a classic. But where it really feels like a gem from a bygone era is in its visual style.

Developer Playdead decided to craft the game in black and white and, much like it is with film, this will be a turn of for some, however the visual style is what carries the emotional weight of the game and Limbo, as simple as it seems on the surface, is a heavy game. The world displayed as it is, is quite ominous. It is a dangerous world portrayed even more so because of the lack of color. Limbo would not be anywhere near as successful at accomplishing what it does if it had been in color.

Accentuating the ominous feel of the game world is the lack of a soundtrack used in the traditional manner. There is no rousing score to accompany the amazing feats performed by the boy instead only the ambient noises of the world, which helps to create a purely creepy atmosphere.

While the look and sound of the game help to immerse the player into the world of Limbo the game presents itself in such a way that it is almost impossible to not be immersed in the gameplay. Limbo presents itself as a continuous experience. The game never takes a break, it is always pushing the player forward by not lending itself to a set stopping point. The approach had me on the edge of my seat.

Everything in Limbo comes together to deliver something special. It is a game that pushes the boundaries of games as art and that is the difference between Limbo and other recent game releases. But much like its art style, Limbo is going to be a polarizing game. On one hand the game is going to criticized by many for its short length (three to five hours) and for its price point of 1200 Microsoft Points. For me personally, after having played it, I would gladly have spent $60 on it. However I can see where people would be apprehensive about it because $15 for an independent release in an old school genre is somewhat daunting. For me I can’t recommend the title enough, its one of the best of the year, not just as a downloadable game but as a game in general.

5 out of 5.

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Wii Review – Super Mario Galaxy 2

By
Chris Scott
– July 24, 2010Posted in: Nintendo Wii, Reviews

Super Mario Galaxy was one of the most critically acclaimed titles to grace the Wii console, it was accepted by the fans having sold over eight million copies worldwide, and has won many awards and accolades since its release, including being called the Nintendo Game of the Decade by Nintendo Power. Following up such a title is an unenviable task but it was the challenge set before Nintendo and they have delivered Super Mario Galaxy 2.

On first glance, Galaxy 2 looks to be a rehash of the original Galaxy. Anyone who has ever played a core Mario title in the past twenty plus years knows the drill. Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser and it is left up to Mario to save the day. In Galaxy 2, Mario is tasked with traversing the heavens chasing after the evil Bowser, collecting stars along the way to help fuel his exploration.

Much like the first game, the premise of traversing the heavens opens up the ability to have a variety of different themed levels. Galaxy 2 takes this premise to the extreme becoming much more than just a simple rehash of the original by offering some of the most diverse and original levels for platforming ever created. In addition to the wondrous levels Galaxy 2 offers up some new features to help the game from feeling too much like its predecessor. Rock Suit Mario and Cloud Suit Mario join the standard suits in helping Mario to traverse the levels and battle his enemies but the biggest addition is the inclusion of Mario’s dinosaur pal, Yoshi.

With Yoshi joining the fray it allows for a whole new approach to the established Galaxy formula. While I never have, and still don’t, enjoy Yoshi all that much his inclusion, while initially jarring, is a welcome pace changer. Yoshi, and any of the abilities actually, is never overused. It is all wonderfully positioned creating a great sense of pace to the game.

The platforming is the best the series has ever seen and while most of this is due to the imaginative level designs some of it can be attributed to the refined control system. The camera, one of the biggest issues with the original game, never feels out of place and as such more precise jumping is capable. But this doesn’t make the game any easier than Galaxy, if anything Galaxy 2 is more challenging. While I only struggled on a handful of levels there is a noticeable sense of difficulty to many of the levels and the final 10 stars needed to challenge Bowser were some of the most frustrating and rewarding moments I have ever had in gaming.

I do take issue with one aspect of the control though and fortunately it is not something that is recurring throughout many of the levels. A couple of the galaxies require the exclusive use of motion controls, be it to fly Mario through a level or drive him on a giant ball, but like many games that utilize motion control on the system, the control ends up being loose and not entirely intuitive. The levels I became frustrated the most with were the ones that required precise motion control and were timed, if it weren’t for these arguable errors in design judgment, Galaxy 2 would be very near a perfect game for me.

One of the biggest complaints leveled at Wii games is that they do not match up graphically to games featured on its high definition competition. Super Mario Galaxy 2 shoves that argument down its detractors throats as it is one of the best looking games of this generation, not just on the Wii but on any system. Galaxy 2 relies heavily on its cartoony art style but it is that art style that enables it to look so good. It truly is like a cartoon come to life. The music is equally phenomenal featuring a stellar mix of new themes and remixed classic ones. The music in Galaxy 2 perfectly compliments the whimsical nature of the title and is some of the best ever produced by Nintendo.

All of these praises though are hinged on technical aspects though and it is true that the game is a technical marvel but its true magnificence comes from its ability to take a simple game and have it accomplish the complex goal of being amazingly fun and appropriate for all ages. It is something more than what is generally offered up by gaming companies now a days, a sequel that does more than just revisit old ideas. Galaxy 2 refines old ideas, offers up plenty of new ones and delivers a magical ride unlike any other this year, or in recent years. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is something special, quite possibly the most special game delivered this generation, and most certainly one of the best games of this year.

5 out of 5

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n00bketeers Episode 29 (I’m sure of it)

By
Noob
– July 22, 2010Posted in: N00bketeers, Shows

Darn podcast, it’s interrupting my Mass Effect 2 playing, I guess I’ll try to make this short. So in summation, we put together a stellar show, good news, good guest, good music (plus wedding song suggestions) and of course, good random stories that you should enjoy. Please don’t forget to send us some readermail at n00bketeers@gmail.com (we always need it), and remembers us on twitter (@tehn00bs) as well as reviews on iTunes. Thanks guys, and we’ll see you later!

William Milby and Brittney Brombacher.

You'll get it when you listen to the podcast…

Song List:

Wedding Music Suggestion 1 – Big Band Battlefield by The Runaway Five and The University of Toronto 10 O’clock Big Band (Mario 64, OCRemix.org)
Song 1 – Electrion (GuitarMix) by FIDGAF and Orichalcon (Seiken Densetsu 3, OCRemix.org)
Song 2 – Elec Man from Megaman 1
Wedding Music Suggestion 2 – Ganons Temple by Neskvartetten (A Link to the Past, OCRemix.org)
Song 3 – Wiley Stage 1 From Megaman 3
Outro – Shiny New Ferrari by Lulza (Outrun, OCRemix.org

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The Multiverse – Episode #22: “The Greenest Grass is Always Lego”

By
Chris
– July 21, 2010Posted in: Shows, The Multiverse

Happy Hump Day Folks!

We’re back this week with the much delayed Episode 22 of The Multiverse: MMO Radio. We first tried this show back on the ninth – right before real names on the forums got canceled – but, as luck would have it, my hard drive crashed and the show was lost. But, intrepid podcaster and great friend Ferrel stepped up to host our return!

This week, we took a pass on the Real ID topic. Well, mostly. We don’t really talk about it but there’s a little segment at the end Ferrel didn’t want to let fade into the internet obscurity. Instead, we talk about the slew of upcoming MMOs 2010 and ‘11 promise to bring us. Is a play or not play show and I have to say that I the my co-hosts surprised me more than once.

Oh, fair warning, there may be an explitive at the end of the show. I had it noted and was ready to cover it with a great chicken impression from Ferrel but, for the life of me, I couldn’t find it again. It was somewhere around our conversation about Legos. Yeah, we cussed during the most childlike portion of the show. Sometimes, when you’re feeling like a kid, you need to feel like a bad kid. Just saying.

Anyhow, the show will get censored and re-uploaded. But, for now, we give you Episode 22.

Enjoy!

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Game Review: 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa

By
Chris Scott
– July 21, 2010Posted in: Reviews, Xbox 360

The World Cup has finished, Spain has declared supremacy for the next four years and if you are anything like me you are going through some serious international soccer withdrawal. Fortunately there is a cure for the twitches and it is in the form of EA Sports’ 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa.

Offering nearly everything that FIFA 10 did but instead of focusing on club soccer and the world’s best leagues, World Cup: South Africa shifts to the international qualification process and the grand tournament itself. This is the best soccer game available at the moment for those looking to play with their favorite international side.

The last few years have been very successful for EA Sports as they have transformed the FIFA series from a good soccer game into a great one. The primary reason for this is because of the realistic physics of the ball. In past FIFA games the ball always felt a little off but they really nailed the feel of the pitch with FIFA 10 and by relation World Cup: South Africa. Whereas in past titles the ball kind of felt like a fast moving rock, through balls have a zip to them, touch passes have actual touch to them and shots can be fine tuned to either float or drive towards the net.

With the ball being as good as it is the rest of the game flows right in line. Making runs is as easy as finding a lane and putting the ball where you want it. Of course actually doing so against the improved AI is another matter entirely. With nearly 200 international sides to play as or against there is a wealth of strategies that can be employed both by the player or against the player. Depending upon which country is chosen to be played the game can be ultra fast or deliberately paced. It will certainly keep players on their toes.

The primary game mode is the World Cup and players can jump right in guiding their side of choice to international glory or failure either through a rigorous qualifying process or jumping directly into the tournament itself. It is a deep mode that offers plenty of gameplay but for those looking for a more personalized take, the Captain Your Country mode offers up the chance to start as an entry level player on your international squad and guide him through the qualifying process to the World Cup.

Captain Your Country is a fantastically realized mode that offers a lengthy “career” for the created player. As great as it is though the seemingly arbitrary grading process seems mildly broken and in my experience rewarded AI players more generously for their efforts and graded my player far more harshly despite my player doing more both offensively and defensively. It also over-accentuates offensive contributions and playing as a midfielder or defender is somewhat less rewarding despite those positions being very vital to the framework of a match.

The game also has the requisite online modes and while it offers a quick play option for matches there is a fully realized online World Cup mode where opponents are determined by the online matchmaking system but standings are held locally on the users machine. This system eliminates the need to organize elaborate setups to hold a tournament and there is never a fear of having to make a match at a certain time because there is no schedule to uphold. The game also has the requisite penalty shot mode, which takes a little getting used to control wise but can offer some great fun once players get the hang of it.

Graphically World Cup: South Africa looks excellent and while a lot assets from the game are re-purposed from FIFA 10, there are just enough fresh touches, including all 10 South African soccer stadiums, that make this the best looking FIFA title to date. If there were to be a complaint about the presentation of the title though it would have to fall on the announcers and overall sound design. The team of Clive Tilsley and Andy Townsend are serviceable but like many sports games suffer from the same issues that every television style commentary system in a sports game runs into, that being they eventually get tiresome with their canned responses and horrid attempts at humor. The match itself sounds fine, with crowd noise appropriately filling the background but being as it was such a stalwart of the tournament, the angry swarm of bees sounding vuvuzela is noticeably absent or at least underused in the game. But as a criticism, that is truly picking at nits.

Yes, World Cup: South Africa came out before the tournament began but for those looking to stay in the World Cup mood a little longer and to impatient to wait until FIFA 11, now is the perfect time to jump in and play. On release the game retailed for the standard $60 but now that the tournament is over many retail outlets are discounting the game and it can be easily had for $40 or less at this point. Its a great sports title that will keep fans of the sport entertained for quite some time.

4 out of 5.

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Film Review: Inception

By
Chris Scott
– July 19, 2010Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews

Inception presented a daunting task for director Christopher Nolan. After all how does one follow up the most financially successful, critically lauded and fanatically loved film of their career? The Dark Knight didn’t just put Nolan in an unforgiving corner, it thrust him there and a director of less fortitude would have taken the easy way out. However Nolan set about fighting his way out of that corner by crafting an entirely original world full of intrigue and mystery.

On the surface, Inception is a heist film but the film is so layered, both figuratively and practically, that labeling the film a sci-fi heist would be a disservice to it. The heist revolves around dreams and the various layers of the subconscious but all of that is just one layer of an intricately woven plot that will leave viewers questioning their viewing experience for quite some time. The film starts and closes on a mind bender but explaining Inception any further than that is something that can not and should not be done in a short review such as this. It is a film that begs to be discussed but not in this way, it needs to be experienced first.

But while the plot of Inception shouldn’t be discussed in this forum the artistry of the film should be. Inception is a film that stands above others in its artistic delivery. There is a clean yet worn look to the film that puts it on par with some of the best films ever created.. It has a soundtrack, composed by Hans Zimmer, that is both thundering in its accentuation of tension but subdued in its delivery throughout. However it is the acting that shines head and shoulders above everything else released this year.

Led by the indomitable Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception’s ensemble cast is filled with a mix of some of the best veteran and young acting talent ever assembled onto film. Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ellen Page, Dileep Rao, Tom Hardy and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard join Nolan veteran’s Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy and Academy Award winner Michael Caine and that is just the top billed of the cast. Just reading those names out loud makes my mind swim and then to see everyone of those actors and actresses come in at the top of their game and deliver is a sight to behold.

Inception is without a doubt the best film I’ve seen this year. It is a film that has action set pieces that rival those of the best summer blockbusters but it also has a brain and requires its viewers to use their own. It is smart, artistic and entertaining, something that can not be said about most Hollywood films in this day and age. But what it does best of all is get people who have seen it to talk, to theorize and to extrapolate meanings from what has been seen. Not everyone is going to love it and some won’t even like it but everyone who sees it will want to talk about it. I balk at calling it a masterpiece because that comes with time but it is a masterful film.

The definition of inception is an origin, an event that is a beginning, a first part or stage of subsequent events. Inception marks such an event in Christopher Nolan’s career. Inception is Nolan’s first truly masterful film. When I say his, I mean that exactly. Inception is Nolan’s, they are his characters, it is his world and it is the work of a master craftsman, who can and should now be held in the same regard as the other greats.

5 out of 5

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