Bazlurgan's Blog: Films, Gaming and Life.

Oscar nominations 2012

2012-01-24T12:45:00.000Z

Well here they are, the oscar nominations for 2012:

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST DIRECTOR
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants - Alexander Payne
Hugo - Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick

BEST ACTOR
Demián Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt -Moneyball

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help

BEST ANIMATED FILM
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants - Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon &
Jim Rash
Hugo - John Logan
The Ides of March - George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball - Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin
Story by Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids - Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Margin Call - J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
A Separation - Asghar Farhadi

ART DIRECTION
The Artist - Production Design: Laurence Bennett, Set Decoration: Robert Gould
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Part 2 – Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
Hugo - Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Midnight in Paris - Production Design: Anne Seibel, Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
War Horse - Production Design: Rick Carter, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist - Guillaume Schiffman
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Jeff Cronenweth
Hugo - Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life - Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse - Janusz Kaminski

COSTUME DESIGN
Anonymous - Lisy Christl
The Artist - Mark Bridges
Hugo - Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre - Michael O’Connor
W.E. - Arianne Phillips

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth
Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

BEST FILM EDITING
The Artist - Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants - Kevin Tent
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo - Thelma Schoonmaker
Moneyball - Christopher Tellefsen

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Bullhead - Belgium
Footnote - Israel
In Darkness - Poland
Monsieur Lazhar - Canada
A Separation - Iran

BEST MAKEUP
Albert Nobbs - Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and
Matthew W. Mungle
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Part 2 - Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
The Iron Lady - Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Adventures of Tintin - John Williams
The Artist - Ludovic Bource
Hugo - Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Alberto Iglesias
War Horse - John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Man or Muppet - The Muppets, Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
Real in Rio – Rio, Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown
Lyric by Siedah Garrett

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Dimanche/Sunday - Patrick Doyon
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
La Luna - Enrico Casarosa
A Morning Stroll - Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
Wild Life - Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

BEST LIVE FILM
Pentecost - Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
Raju - Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
The Shore - Terry George and Oorlagh George
Time Freak - Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
Tuba Atlantic - Hallvar Witzø

BEST SOUND EDITING
Drive - Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Ren Klyce
Hugo - Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
War Horse - Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
Hugo - Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
Moneyball - Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and
Ed Novick
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
War Horse - Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and
Stuart Wilson

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Part 2 - Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and
John Richardson
Hugo - Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and
Alex Henning
Real Steel - Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

2011 Review

2011-12-31T15:19:00.000Z

Another year over and done with and once again, my blog has had even less posts than any previous years. At this rate I seem to just be posting about the Oscars, E3 and doing a yearly review. Oh well, if this is all my blog is used for, then that’ll do.

Anyway, here goes:

Films

I first have to say that in my opinion, this has been truly awful year for films. I’ve really struggled to find 3 films to fill my top 3, and even then, whilst good, none of these has totally blown me away. I’d give each of these films no higher than an 8/10 (with the exception of The Girl Who Leaped Through Time, which is a clear 9/10, but technically that wasn’t released in 2011), which is pretty poor for a best of list.

I have to say, however, that I have been to the cinema less and less over the last few years, and tend to catch up on films later down the line via the likes of Lovefilm, but I still go to the cinema if there is a film that I desperately want to see, and this year there seems to be a definite lack of “”must see” films.

Top 3 films of 2010

The Girl Who Leaped Through Time

Okay, yet again this it a bit of a cheat, as this film was released in 2006 (although I’m not sure when it first came out on DVD/Blu-ray over here), but what the hell. As I seem to be catching up on a great number of films late recently, I’m adding it for the hell of it.

An enchanting, clever and moving Anime film about high school, love and time travel. Also, definitely my film of the year.

Rango

For once (in a long time) a Pixar film has not managed to make it into my top 3, instead that place has gone to Rango. A bizarre and hilarious CGI take on spaghetti westerns of old.

Black Swan

What I loved about this movie is that if you didn’t know any better going into the film, you wouldn’t realise that beyond the exterior of a simple film about ballet, lies a shocking and disturbing horror film underneath.

Notable mentions (for good or bad)

Source Code
Not quite as good as Moon, but a great second film from Duncan Jones. Reminds me a great deal of a sci-fi cross between Quantum Leap and Groundhog Day, but in a good way.

Thor and Captain America
Surprisingly good superhero adaptations, and probably the best Marvel films to date (I was not a fan of the Iron Man movies)

Julia’s Eyes
Not quite as good as I had hoped, but has to be mentioned as my token Spanish horror film of the year.

Sucker Punch
I really, REALLY wanted to like this. I loved Watchmen, Dawn of the Dead and 300, and as such believed that as this was an original script from Zack Snyder, that this would be a more personal, more spectacular and perhaps even a better film for it. Wrong, wrong and wrong again.

A Slew of Anime films:
I seem to have catched up on a great number of anime films this year, most of which have been quite excellent. As such, I thought that I’d list a few of them here:
Summer Wars
Arriety
Whisper of the Heart
The Cat Returns

Games

Top 3 games on 2010

This really was a tough one to call... but I just about whittled it down to the top 3 which are as follows:

Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii

This is, without a doubt, the game that I have spent the most time playing in 2011. It is also unquestionably, the best JRPG of this generation of consoles. In fact, I remember recently reading on a forum thread asking what the best Final Fantasy game was since VII that someone had simply answered “Xenoblade Chronicle”. It made me chuckle, but it is also very true.

It combines the best parts of Final Fantasy XII (battle system), with Final Fantasy VIII (equipment customization with crystals) and adds its own spin on things adding further additional elements. This together with a truly excellent story and memorable and likeable characters, and also some truly stunning environments on the humble Wii, made for an exceptional game.

Uncharted 3 – PS3

First of all, I think I need to get out of the way the fact that I think that Uncharted 2 is the better game, and is the pinnacle of the series so far, but saying that Uncharted 3 comes very close to the lofty highs of Uncharted 2.

As with any game in the Uncharted series, it’s the set-pieces that make the game, for Uncharted 2 the highlights for me were the train chapter and the tank chapter, for Uncharted 3 this is the chapters on a cruise liner and the truck convoy. Whilst obviously inspired by the likes of the Poseidon Adventure and Raiders of the Lost Ark, these were still fantastic gaming moments and the reason why the Uncharted games are so fantastic. In no other game that I can think of, does it really feel like you’re playing in a summer blockbuster movie.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Wii

Well, first I have to say that I haven't had as much time with this game as the others in my top 3 list, but what I have played so far, I have loved. I'm currently on the third dungeon, of I don't know how many, but what I have been able to ascertain so far is that this game still carries the same Zelda DNA, but at the same time is a very different beast than the past few Zelda's. This is largely due to to the motion controls, which whilst getting a little while to get used to, really do add to the experience.

The other elements which I think I should ass is that the puzzles also seem moire varied than previous and also very devious in places. The fights are also a lot more difficult, even lesser enemies need to be carefully approached and dealt with. Lastly, for some reason the story and Link's connection to Zelda, feels that bit more personal in this game than those previous.

Overall, it's Zelda, and I still love it!

I have to add (before I go onto the notable mentions), that I have also not had the chance to play Skyrim and also Batman: Arkham City during 2011 (I had both for Christmas, but Zelda and Mario Kart have taken priority). I hope to play these during early 2012.

Notable mentions (for good or bad)

LA Noire
Started off really promising, but it got boring real quick. It had all the appearances of an open game, but in reality was far from this. What really got on my nerves was that no matter how well, or poorly, you did on a case, the outcome seemed to be pretty much the same.

Infamous 2
Mentioned for the purpose of bringing up the truly fantastic evil (as opposed to the good route) ending. It’s rare that a games plot surprises me, but this came as a shock for 2 separate reasons, which I won’t spoil here. Overall it was a game which was great fun to play, but didn’t vary greatly from the original. All the same, a great PS3 exclusive.

Mario Kart 7
Only just recently got for Christmas and as such, have not put in as much time with it as I would like, but out of this and Mario Land 3D, I've spent much more time with this. I'd even go as far to say that this very nearly sneaked into my top 3 games of the year. What I have played so far, leads me to believe that this is quite possibly the most finely tuned Mario Kart game since Mario Kart DS (minus the annoying snaking which ruined online games).

Super Mario Land 3D
Also just got for Christmas (present to myself). Seems very much like the classic Mario games of old, specifically the likes of Mario 3 and Mario World. Even on a small screen, this still shines.

Pullblox
A small downloadable game for the 3DS, but a fantastic little puzzle game. It is also the best use of 3D in a game to date.

Battlefield 3
The best online multiplayer game of 2011 IMHO.

Life

A few bullet points of memorable things in my life from 2011:

My holiday in Wales with Roz and Elliot. Highlights include standing in a park that I used to visit as a child with a fantastic view of the Severn Bridge and also taking Elliot out on a mountain bike trip, only to get terribly lost in the wilds of Wales.

A trip to Budapest for a work course, this being my first trip to another European country apart from the UK and France.

Having to (recently) explain to Elliot what breast implants were, only for him to reply “why on earth would someone want to do that?”

Okay, I’m officially stumped to think of a number of other points, but what I will say is that although I can’t provide a long list of bullet points for the year, overall it has been a very happy year, made all the more happier because I get to spend a large majority of my time with both Roz and Elliot. After all, it’s not necessarily the big events in a year that make it a good year, it is also the small quite moments that makes life good.

Lastly.... A Happy New Year to everyone!

Okay then… Roll on 2012!

Happy Christmas everyone!

2011-12-25T09:00:00.001Z

Just a quick note to wish everyone a very merry Christmas!

Most anticipated games of 2012

2011-10-17T20:49:00.012+01:00

As there are only a couple of months left of 2011 (hasn’t it gone fast), and most of the games for the last quarter of 2011 are now know, I thought I’d take this opportunity to look towards 2012 and my most anticipated games (that are known at present) for next year.

This is all bearing in mind that the world does not end in 2012 of course!

Anyway, without further ado starting from 10 and going all the way up to 1:

10: Animal Crossing (3DS)

I really got into Animal Crossing when it came out on the Gamecube and also to a lesser extent when it came out on the DS. I never got around to playing the Wii version, but for some reason I’m really looking forward to the 3DS version of this series.

I’m hoping that they make good use of the internet community this time and also that Streetpass and Spotpass are used well with this game (where I can see a great deal of promise).

9: Nu Ni Kuni (PS3)

There is also another DS game in this series due out, but it is the PS3 game which I’m really looking forward to.

I love Studio Ghibli, and the thought of them teaming up with Level 5 (who I really like as developers) is just fantastic. The art style really makes this, in my opinion, quite simply the most gorgeous game on the PS3, and if Dragon Quest IX is anything to go by, I’m hoping that the JPRG gameplay also matches the visuals.

8: Fire Emblem (3DS)

I have never played a Fire Emblem game, and I think that it is about time that I do.

I love the other strategic game by Intelligent Systems, namely the Advance Wars series, but for some reason or another have never got around to picking up one of the Fire Emblem games, possibly because next to the Advance Wars games they have in the past looked a little dated.

7: Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PSV)

There is a strong possibility that I may buy myself a Playstation Vita and the main reason for this is Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Whilst I have my doubts that a handheld version of this game will reach the dizzy heights of the PS3 games, even if this almost as good as the console versions, that will be plenty good enough for me!

It’s just a bit of shame that there doesn’t appear to be an online component to this game, as I’ve come to really like Uncharted online of late.

6: Starhawk (PS3)

I was a big fan of Warhawk when it was released on the PS3, even to this day it is one of my favourite multiplayer experiences on the PS3. As such I’m also excited about the sequel.

Warhawk always played like an arcade version of Battlefield, and Starhawk looks like it will play in a similar style, except that there are now stages set in space, and the fact that you can also add buildings to the landscape in a semi-RTS fashion. There is also a single player game in there (something that Warhawk lacked), although I believe that it is likely that multiplayer will likely be the big draw.

5: Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS)

This was on my list from last year, and obviously did not make it out during the year (even in Japan). Here’s hoping that A: This is localised for Europe and B: This is released during 2012. Hopefully given the popularity of both characters and the fact that it topped the poll on Level 5’s website a few months ago for preferred games to be localised, will ensure that it is released.

I’m still not sure how they will mix the puzzle solving with the investigations and court room proceedings, but I have very high hopes.

4: Journey (PS3)

I was lucky enough to be part of the closed Beta for this (I was selected because I purchased both Flow and Flower on release – and also because of the playtime I put into each). I’ll also go on record stating that in my opinion Flower is the most remarkable indie/download only game that I have ever played. From my short time playing Journey, I believe that this could very well top Flower.

Journey has all of the wonder of Flower and also the sense of scale and isolation of Shadow of the Colossus. I say isolation, except for the fact that you are met on your journey by another online player, someone that you do not know, and never will know. Through the most basic of gestures you communicate with this other player and aid each other through the game.

My experiences with the Beta of Journey (which was for a very brief period), were simply magical. I can’t wait for the full release.

3: Bioshock Infinite (Multi)

I really enjoyed Bioshock when it was originally released on the PS3, and also enjoyed Bioshock 2 (which actually improved on the first game in a few area’s), but I was never a big fan of the System Shock series.

From what I have seen so far of Bioshock Infinite has great impressed me. I don’t think that it’ll deviate that much from the framework put down by the original Bioshock, and will also likely be a very linear game, but to be honest that’s fine by me, as what I have seen so far looks positively stunning!

2: Borderlands 2 (Multi)

I was a big fan of Borderlands when it was released and still believe that it has one of the most excellent co-operative experiences out there. Aside from a few issues that I had with the DLC, I loved pretty much every moment with this game, and played through it more than once. As such, I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel. So long as they can iron out a few of the kinks with the first game, this should be one of my absolute must have games of 2012.

1: The Last Guardian (PS3)

This was number 1 of my most anticipated games of 2010 and number 2 for 2011 (beaten by Uncharted 3). This year I’ve moved it back up to number 1 again in the hope that it eventually comes out at some stage during 2012 (surely it has to!)

I’ve also recently been playing both the HD remastered versions of both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, which makes the yearning for this game all the greater!

Other games that I’m looking forward to, that didn’t quite make the list:

Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Multi)
Tomb Raider (Multi)
Metal Gear Solid: Rising (Multi)
Paper Mario (3DS)
Luigi’s Mansion 2 (3DS)
Dragon Quest X (Wii/WiiU)
Gravity Rush (PSV)
The Last Story (Wii)
Mass Effect 3 (Multi)

There are of course also a number of unknown factors.

- Obviously there could be games coming out in 2012 that have not yet been announced yet, which will surpass those that I already have noted above.

- Next to nothing is known in relation to the WiiU in respect of the games that will come out on this (okay, maybe a few cross platform games are known but not exclusive games and specifically whatever Nintendo will be bringing to the console).

Finally, games that I’m looking forward to, where the release date is a big BIG, unknown:

Final Fantasy XIII Versus
Half Life 2: Episode 3 (although I still believe that they might just skip ahead to Half Life 3)
GTA V (It’s bound to happen)

E3 2011 predictions

2011-05-07T09:03:00.002+01:00

Okay, it’s that time of year where E3 is looming and I start making my predictions... So here goes

(I must state again that I have both a Nintendo and Sony products, not Microsoft, as such, my Microsoft predictions are limited, as I don’t tend to follow X-box news)

Nintendo

For Wii:

Very few game announcements will be made, but those that are made will be the big Japanese releases which have previously not been translated, namely: Pandora Tower & The Last Story (both of which would be good).
Dragon Quest X will be shown (perhaps).
There will be a further price drop for the Wii (hopefully bringing it to the $150 to $99 bracket for the US). As such, the Wii will be positioned as a budget home console system... Which will continue to perform as a little brother to Project Cafe.
A budget range of games will be announced for the Wii (a classics range) including the likes of Mario Kart etc again to compliment the position of the Wii as a budget console.
A full proper trailer will be shown for Zelda: Skyward Sword, hopefully revealing a little more about the game.

(Note: Just as I was posting this, I have read that 2 of my predictions have already passed, namely the price drop and budget range)

For DS/3DS:

A release date will be given for Mario Kart 3DS as winter 2011 and more footage will be shown.
Footage will be shown for Mario 3DS and a title will be given to it, but it will be announced (probably after the conference) that this will not make a 2011 launch.
Further details will be given in respect of 3D movie download and 3D streaming, along with an approximate launch date for these services.
Monster Hunter will be announced for the 3DS (or the NGP – or both).
A Pikmin game will be shown (or Project Cafe).
More footage will be shown of the following games: Starfox 3D, Paper Mario 3D, Animal Crossing 3D and Kid Icarus: Uprising.
A new trailer will be shown for Resident Evil: Revelations.
A trailer will be shown for a Metal Gear Solid game for the 3DS, however it may not be Snake Eater, but may be another game (possibly or an original game)
The virtual console for the 3DS will be expanded to include other platforms.

For Project Cafe:

Will be given an official name (possibly Stream).
The console and the controller will be unveiled and will be playable at E3.
A worldwide release date is given as winter 2012 (or sooner if we are lucky, but no sooner than April 2012).
The controller will be like a cross between an ipad and a gamecube controller and will feature a 6 inch touchscreen.
The console with be backwards compatible with both the Wii and gamecube and (hopefully) convert games to 720p or 1080p.
The console will allow you to transfer all virtual console and Wiiware from the Wii.
There will be a proper online service akin to Xbox Live and PSN and this will also be tied in with the 3DS friend code. Speaking of which, there will be none of the stupid friend code per game nonsense of the Wii.
There will likely be further surprises in relation to the console or the controller.
A Pikmin game will be shown (or 3DS).
Retro Studio’s will announce their next game for Project Cafe, possibly a new Metroid Prime game.
A trailer will be shown for a Project Cafe version of Smash Bros.
Nintendo will get a group of developers to state how fantastic and innovative the machine is.
Not much will be shown in the way of games, but there will be rough demo’s available for people to try out the console, many of which will be aimed at the “hardcore” audience.
The 3DS will be shown to be able to connect to Project Cafe in some form, either acting as an additional controller or similar.

Sony

For PS3:

Starhawk (sequel to Warhawk will be announced – if not for the NGP)
Extended service for Playstation Plus customers will be announced.
There will be some form of apology for the PSN leak mess-up, together with assurances that this will not happen again.
A further trailer for Uncharted: Drake’s Deception will be shown.
Sony will make a big deal of the games which support Playstation Move and 3D.
There will be a further price drop announcement.
Agent (Rockstar) will finally be shown.
No mention will be made of a next generation machine (Playstation 4).
More footage will be shown for The Last Guardian.
HD remakes of the Metal Gear Solid games will be announced (MGS, MGS2 & MGS3).
Valve announce that they will be releasing PS3 versions of Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 as a compilation package.

For NGP:

The official name will be announced, which will either be PSP2 or something along the lines of PSP (subtitle).
Further games will be shown including: Uncharted portable, Possibly Final Fantasy VII remake and a new Wipeout game.
Monster Hunter will be announced for the NGP (or the 3DS – or both).
The NGP will be given a launch date and a price which will be very similar to the 3DS.
There will be some sort of connection between certain games on the PS3 and NGP, allowing games to be played on the go between both devices.

Microsoft

A remake of the original Halo will be announced for the 360, with a Holiday 2011 launch.
There will be a further price drop announcement.
A slew of games will be shown for Kinect, many of which will attempt to be aimed at the hardcore audience.
Dance Central 2 will be shown for Kinect.
Further enhancements to Xbox Live will be announced, including access to further services via Live.
Microsoft will likely take to opportunity to take a dig at PSN and go out of their way to state that Xbox live is both a more secure and better service and value for money.
The next Call of Duty game will be shown and will have exclusive content for Xbox.
Other game will also be shown stating that there is exclusive content/DLC for Xbox (Mass Effect 3 possibly).
No mention will be made of a next generation machine (Xbox 720?)

Multi platform

GTA V will be announced (with a launch due for Spring 2012).
A new Soul Calibur game will be announced.
A full trailer for Metal Gear Solid: Risen will be shown.
A new (fantastic) trailer is shown for Bioshock: Infinite
The new multiplatform game from Bungie (a FPS) is announced.
The new multiplatform game from Insomniac (a FPS) is announced.
There is news (and a tentative release date) for the next Half Life game. They also state that they have scrapped episode 3 and instead will be incorporating this into Half Life 3 (fingers crossed).

3DS thoughts/comments

2011-03-27T22:07:00.002+01:00

Okay now, I've had the 3DS now for a long weekend, and have had a chance to put it through it's paces, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to jot down a few thoughts on my blog.

For the record, the games which I got with the 3DS were as follows:

Pilot Wings
Street Fighter IV
Ridge Racer

I'd also like to add that I got the aqua blue model, in light of the fact that my original DS (phat) was silver, my DS lite was white and my Dsi was black. As such, I wanted something with a little more colour :)

Anyway, my thoughts (both good and bad), as bullet points (as I'm lazy).

- When I first saw the 3D effect, it really blew me away, but at the same time I also found it extremely intense (too much so). The fact that I first witnessed this at approximately half past midnight, and felt very tired, probably didn't help... speaking of which:

- My first lesson learned, the 3D effect is not good if you are feeling tired (especially fast moving, quick reflexes type games – Ridge Racer, I'm looking at you).

- Past my first experience, the next day, once I had more type to play (and was less tired), I found that I could get used to it, and found that depending on the type of game played, the 3D slider needs to be adjusted slightly.

- Also, the more you play with the 3DS, the more you tend to get used to the 3D effect and adjust to it quicker and quicker.

- One think that I actively HATE about 3D movies at the cinema, is that the 3D glasses that you have to wear are tinted (and are really like shades – which you wear in the dark). As a consequence, I often find that the colours of the film are muted and dulled (which isn't surprising), and as such pretty much prefer no 3D viewing. As the 3DS doesn't need glasses, this isn't an issue and the colours look as vibrant as you would expect from a Nintendo system.

- You know the type of warning you get in games that advises you to take a break every 30 minutes for 10 minutes. Normally, I pretty much ignore these, but in the 3DS's case, I think that this is quite prudent.

- For games where there are several levels of depth (such as Pilotwings), I tend to find that I need to turn the 3D effect down to half, or slightly lower. The fact remains that it still looks stunning in 3D even on lowers settings.

- I tend to find the higher the 3D slider, the closer you need to hold the 3DS to you.

- For AR games (which are also very cool) you need to have the 3D slider turned down low, as you need to move with the 3DS, which can sometimes loose the 3D effect, which is less jarring at a lower 3D level.

- Speaking of which, the 3D sweet spot is relatively small, and it takes a few plays to get used to this (i.e. to learn to keep your posture steady), but after a while you get used to this, and I haven't found this to be much of an issue.

- I think it is very likely that different people have a different perception of the 3D effect, but then again to some extent, the 3D slider helps to address this.

- The graphics are a definite step up from the DS, and the 3DS feels very much like a portable Wii, as far as power goes, which is great. The resolution, whilst not up to ipod touch retina standards, is still much better than the DS and seems more than adequate.

- I have tended to find that the added depth rally adds something to some games. With the likes of Pilotwings and Ridge Racer, I find that this really helps me to judge distance in the game, which in turn assists how I play the game.

- Going from 3DS to a monitor/ipod touch is a little weird, as I find myself looking at the screen and find that my brain is trying to make a 3D picture out of a 2D plane.

- The battery life really is approximately 3-5 hours, which compared to other DS models, is far from great. The fact that I have been using it a lot each day, and so has Elliot, has meant that I have been charging this pretty much every evening. This is far from perfect, but I'm learning to live with it. There are also 3rd part battery solutions coming, should I need these if I find this to be too much of an issue.

- I think that the analogue nub/joystick, is very good.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the 3DS. There's simply nothing quite like it out there at the moment, and I'm loving my experiences with it. It's a great machine and a definite step up from the normal DS. It's not perfect, and requires some tweaking and getting used to. Additionally, I have no doubt that there will likely be a 3DS lite in maybe a couple of years, which probably address a few of the issues (namely battery life and viewing angles), but at the same time, I would not want to wait until this, and would have no problem recommending the 3DS.

I'm also super hyped up at the prospect of 3D Ocarina of Time in a couple of months :)

There are probably more points, but these are all I can think of at present. I'm looking forward to trying out streetpass when I'm in London next week, as so far I have not had any joy with this, but like the concept of it.

Oscar results

2011-02-28T15:43:00.004Z

BEST PICTURE
My prediction: The Social Network

WRONG - The King's Speech

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
My prediction: Colin Firth for "The King's Speech"

RIGHT

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
My prediction: Natalie Portman for "Black Swan"

RIGHT

DIRECTING
My prediction: David Fincher for "The Social Network"

WRONG - Tom Hooper for The King's Speech

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
My prediction: Christian Bale for "The Fighter"

RIGHT

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
My prediction: Helena Bonham Carter for "The King's Speech"

WRONG - Melissa Leo for The Fighter

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
My prediction: "Toy Story 3"

RIGHT

SCREENPLAY (Adapted)
My prediction: Aaron Sorkin for "The Social Network"

RIGHT

SCREENPLAY (Original)
My prediction: Christopher Nolan for "Inception"

WRONG - The King's Speech - BLAH!

ART DIRECTION
My prediction: "Inception"

WRONG - Alice in Wonderland

CINEMATOGRAPHY
My prediction: "Inception"

RIGHT

COSTUME DESIGN
My prediction: "Alice in Wonderland"

RIGHT

FILM EDITING
My prediction: "The Social Network"

RIGHT

MAKEUP
My prediction: "The Wolfman"

RIGHT

MUSIC (SCORE)
My prediction: "Inception"

WRONG -The Social Network

MUSIC (SONG)
My prediction: 'We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"

RIGHT

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
My prediction: "The Gruffalo"

WRONG - The Lost Things

SOUND EDITING
My prediction: "Inception"

RIGHT

SOUND MIXING
My prediction: "Inception"

RIGHT

VISUAL EFFECTS
My prediction: "Inception"

RIGHT

Totals:

13/20

65%

i.e. - could have done better!

Oscar predictions 2011

2011-02-16T12:10:00.002Z

BEST PICTURE
As much as I’d like to see Inception win this (or alternatively Toy Story 3), I think that it will be between The King’s Speech, Black Swan and The Social Network. I think this really is a tough call this year. Black Swan is likely too dark and grotesque to win (I’d also like to see this win, but think that this is the least likely out of these three), The King’s Speech is VERY Oscar friendly, but a bit lacking in my opinion and The Social Network, whilst good (but far from Fincher’s best) is probably a bit too current for most of the Academy voters.

My prediction: The Social Network

(But it really should be Inception)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
My prediction: Colin Firth for "The King's Speech"

...and I’d be surprised if I was wrong on this one.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
My prediction: Natalie Portman for "Black Swan"

...and I’d also be surprised if I was wrong on this one.

DIRECTING
I think this will be between Aronofsky and Fincher...

My prediction: David Fincher for "The Social Network"

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
I’d say that this is between Bale and Rush. Going against Bale is the fact that he still has a stigma attached to him following his well known rant, and Rush has already won an Oscar for Shine. Taking into account the end credits of the Fighter, where the real character (Dickie) played by Bale was shown, it was clear how close and uncanny he played this. As such...

My prediction: Christian Bale for "The Fighter"

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
I’m finding this hard to choose between Adams, Bonham Carter, Leo and Steinfeld (so in other words most of them). I think the Fighter nominations will likely cancel each other out, so that leaves Bonham Carter and Steinfeld. Steinfeld was the best thing in True Grit, but Bonham Carter has never won before and has been in a lot of great films.

My prediction: Helena Bonham Carter for "The King's Speech"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Do not know enough to predict.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
My prediction: "Toy Story 3"

Anything less would be a crime!

SCREENPLAY (Adapted)
My prediction: Aaron Sorkin for "The Social Network"

SCREENPLAY (Original)
My prediction: Christopher Nolan for "Inception"

After all, Nolan deserves to win something following his Best Director snub!

ART DIRECTION
My prediction: "Inception"

CINEMATOGRAPHY
My prediction: "Inception"

COSTUME DESIGN
My prediction: "Alice in Wonderland"

As much as I didn’t like the film, you can’t fault the costume design!

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Do not know enough to predict.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Do not know enough to predict.

FILM EDITING
My prediction: "The Social Network"

If only for the fact that I have it for Best Picture.

MAKEUP
My prediction: "The Wolfman"

MUSIC (SCORE)
My prediction: "Inception"

I thought Inception had a clever and memorable score and really deserves to win.

MUSIC (SONG)
My prediction: 'We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
My prediction: "The Gruffalo"

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Do not know enough to predict.

SOUND EDITING
My prediction: "Inception"

SOUND MIXING
My prediction: "Inception"

VISUAL EFFECTS
My prediction: "Inception"

So overall, I think that Inception will come out of the Oscars winning a fair few of the technical and lesser awards, but not the big awards (apart from original screenplay – fingers crossed).

The King’s Speech will do well winning 2 of the acting awards.

The Social Network will win the main awards.

Let’s see how I do!

Oscar nominations 2011

2011-01-26T12:10:00.000Z

Okay, here we go...

The Oscar nominations are up and are repeated below. I should be off to London in just over 2 weeks time, so hope to catch up on some of the nominated films which I have not yet seen and as such, will likely post my predictions shortly following this. I already have a few ideas of what the likely winners are, but do not want to jump the gun.

I must admit I’m a little miffed that Christopher Nolan isn’t up for best director, which seems a little insane. As such, the likelihood of Inception taking away best picture is now very slim.

Anyway, here they are:

BEST PICTURE
"127 Hours"
"Black Swan"
"The Fighter"
"Inception"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The King's Speech"
"The Social Network"
"Toy Story 3"
"True Grit"
"Winter's Bone"

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Javier Bardem for "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges for "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg for "The Social Network"
Colin Firth for "The King's Speech"
James Franco for "127 Hours"

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Annette Benning for "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman for "127 Hours"
Jennifer Lawrence for "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman for "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams for "Blue Valentine"

DIRECTING
Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan"
David O. Russell for "The Fighter"
Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech"
David Fincher for "The Social Network"
Joel & Ethan Coen for "True Grit"

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christian Bale for "The Fighter"
Mark Ruffalo for "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush for "The King's Speech"
Jeremy Renner for "The Town"
John Hawkes for "Winter's Bone"

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams for "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter for "The King's Speech"
Melissa Leo for "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld for "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver for "Animal Kingdom"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Biutiful" - Mexico
"Dogtooth" - Greece
"In a Better World" - Denmark
"Incendies" - Canada
"Hors la Loi" ("Outside the Law") – Algeria

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
"How To Train Your Dragon"
"The Illusionist"
"Toy Story 3"

SCREENPLAY (Adapted)
Michael Arndt for "Toy Story 3"
Simon Beaufoy & Danny Boyle for "127 Hours"
Joel & Ethan Coen for "True Grit "
Aaron Sorkin for "The Social Network"
Debra Granki, Anne Rosellini for "Winter's Bone"

SCREENPLAY (Original)
Mike Leigh for "Another Year"
Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg for "The Kids Are All Right"
Christopher Nolan for "Inception"
David Seidler for "The King’s Speech"
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington for "The Fighter"

ART DIRECTION
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One" "Inception"
"The King's Speech"
"True Grit"

CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Black Swan"
"Inception"
"The King's Speech"
"The Social Network"
"True Grit"

COSTUME DESIGN
"Alice in Wonderland"
"I Am Love"
"The King's Speech"
"The Tempest"
"True Grit"

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Exit Through the Gift Shop"
"Gasland"
"Inside Job"
"Restrepo"
"Waste Land"

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Killing in the Name"
"Poster Girl"
"Strangers No More"
"Sun Come Up"
"The Warriors of Qiugang"

FILM EDITING
"127 Hours"
"Black Swan"
"The Fighter"
"The King's Speech"
"The Social Network"

MAKEUP
"Barney's Version"
"The Way Back"
"The Wolfman"

MUSIC (SCORE)
A.R. Rahman for "127 Hours"
John Powell for "How To Train Your Dragon"
Hans Zimmer for "Inception"
Alexandre Desplat for "The King's Speech"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for "The Social Network"

MUSIC (SONG)
'Coming Home' from "Country Strong"
'I See the Light' from "Tangled"
'If I Rise' from "127 Hours"
'We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
"Day & Night"
"The Gruffalo"
"Let’s Pollute"
"The Lost Thing"
"Madagascar, a Journey Diary"

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
"The Confession"
"The Crush"
"God of Love"
"Na Wewe"
"Wish 143"

SOUND EDITING
"Inception"
"Toy Story 3"
"Tron: Legacy"
"True Grit"
"Unstoppable"

SOUND MIXING
"Inception"
"The King's Speech"
"Salt"
"The Social Network"
"True Grit"

VISUAL EFFECTS
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1"
"Hereafter"
"Inception"
"Iron Man 2"

2010 Review

2010-12-31T11:50:00.000Z

Well another year has (almost) passed, and I have barely touched my blog in MONTHS, however, I thought that I’d post my annual yearly review for the hell of it...

Anyway, here goes:

Films

Top 3 films of 2010

Toy Story 3

It’s Pixar (again).

As has been the case for the last few years, a Pixar film is in my top 3 films of the year, and that is simply because Pixar make just damn fine films!

I must admit, however, I was slightly concerned towards the beginning of Toy Story 3. I found that the film was covering similar ground to the last two films a little too much, and I didn’t gel with it immediately, however by the time that the Toy’s were trying to escape from the playschool it all seems to click into place and the remainder of the film was simply brilliant. Amusing, scary, and very very moving.

I just hope that Pixar sees sense and doesn’t try to push things with a Toy Story 4... This simply isn’t needed, the ending was simply perfect and anything more just wouldn’t be needed.

Inception

A clever, dazzling and very moving film.

I popped over to Jersey to catch this at the cinema and I’m certainly glad that I did. I was expecting great things from this, seeing as it is from Christopher Nolan and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I know that some viewers found it to be a confusing film, but so long as you watch closely and pay attention to the rules of the dream, it is relatively easy to follow.

What I love most about the film is that it doesn’t give you simple answers and leaves the viewer to interpret the ending.

Requiem for a Dream

Okay, now I’m cheating a little. This film did not come out in 2010, or anywhere near 2010. It is in fact around ten years only (I think), but I only got around to watching it this year, so I’m adding it for the hell of it! What the hell, this is my Blog, and next to nobody reads it!

Utterly, utterly fantastic – but dreadfully depressing at the same time.

Notable mentions (for good or bad)

[●Rec]2

A very good sequel, that ups the ante a little in a similar fashion to how Aliens built on Alien. Not quite as good as the original, but still very good.

Hierro

A clever Spanish film, that reminded me a bit of The Orphanage, but not quite as good as that.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Almost made it in my top 3, but whilst this was very good, I just don’t think that it deserves to be in the top 3, namely that why I cheated and added Requiem in the top 3.

Time Crimes

Another very clever Spanish film, this time addressing time travel.

Woah – just noticed that I have 3 Spanish language films in my notable mentions (for good reasons).

Games

Top 3 games on 2010

Super Mario Galaxy 2

The first game is without doubt the greatest 3D platforming game of all time (IMHO), and this sequel just builds on that. I felt that a little of the character of the first game was a little lacking, but you can’t fault the additional stages in the least.

Plus Yoshi’s return in 3D (he was rubbish in Super Mario Sunshine) is absolutely fantastic, it’s just a shame that he wasn’t used more.

Dragon Quest IX

I’ve sung a fair few hours into this one, and have also enjoyed co-op play with Elliot.

Very old-school JRPG, but after all the excess of Final Fantasy XIII, this was a welcome change. Quite simply, one of the finest games on the DS,

Red Dead Redemption

At times this has an element of GTA-Western feel to it (especially in the mission structure), but the open plains make this feel like a very different game. Definitely the best PS3 game I’ve played in the year.

I cannot fail to mention the Undead Nightmare DLC which was relatively recently added, which has to be my favourite DLC for any game. The tongue in cheek humour was very much appreciated.

I’ve just notices that my 3 top games of the year span the 3 platforms that I play on, namely Wii, DS and PS3... How about that (it wasn’t intended).

Notable mentions (for good or bad)

Rock Band 3

An excellent recent entry into the series. It’s just a shame that it isn’t selling as well as it should be. I’m still in 2 minds as to whether I’m going to buy myself a pro-guitar (Squire) in due course.

Borderlands

Very almost made it into my top 3 (even though it came out towards the end of 2009). A fantastic game.

Fallout: New Vegas

A fantastic, heavily detailed game that has had me gripped. It’s only failing is how buggy it is, which can be VERY frustrating, otherwise it probably would have been in my top 3!

Metroid: Other M

Dared to take the franchise in a slightly different direction, which while didn’t work all the time, still was a very interesting take. It also had some fantastic boss battles (especially Ridley).

Heavy Rain

A great storty lead adventure.

No More Hero’s 2: Desperate Struggle

I found this to be rather disappointing compared to the first game, lacking the character and likeability that made the first shine.

Final Fantasy XIII

Not the best Final Fantasy out there (but definitely the prettiest – if not the prettiest game on the PS3). I’d probably put this in a similar league to Final Fantasy X (namely likeable, but largely forgettable). Certainly nowhere need as good as it’s immediate predecessor (namely Final Fantasy XII), which was excellent.

Life

Okay, a few notable events in my life during 2010.

- Again I have enjoyed a relatively healthy year, which is always welcome.

- The fact that we have had numerous injuries with our cats springs to mind, and the fact that we have had to cage more than 1 of them for weeks on end (Flower was around 10 weeks if I remember correctly).

- Going to see Paul McCartney live in Cardiff was absolutely fantastic, and stands out as one of my highlights of 2010. The fact that I had Roz with me to enjoy the event made it all the better.

- I enjoyed a fantastic holiday away in Florida with Roz and Elliot. Much fun was had in Disney World and Universal, plus as a bonus I managed to catch Sheryl Crow live on stage at Universal Studios. It was also great to go up in a hot air balloon again, this time with Elliot as well.

Lastly.... A Happy New Year to everyone!

Okay then… Roll on 2011!

Happy Christmas

2010-12-25T00:05:00.000Z

A quick note to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas :)

2011 most anticipated games

2010-12-21T12:30:00.000Z

Only a few more days until Christmas.

As I have a fairly good idea what games I may be due to get this Christmas, and as some of the games I’d hoped to get for aren’t out until next year, I thought that it is about time that I gave some thought to my most anticipated games of 2011.

Following this, I’ll do my 2010 review (if I have time)

Anyway, counting down from 10 to 1:

10. Pilot Wings Resort 3DS (3DS)

I seems like an absolute age since the last Pilot Wings game (N64 days) and I think that the 3DS is an ideal fit for the next game in the series. I’m just hoping that a full game comes from the demo that was shown when the 3DS was first unveiled.

9. Kirby: Epic Yarn (Wii)

Due out year end in both Japan and the US, but annoyingly not due to come out until 2011 in Europe, otherwise this would have been likely at the top of my Christmas list!

How can you argue with something this cute? Well, how can you? My only slight concern is that it may be a little on the easy side, but otherwise this continues the resurgence in 2D platforming which seems to be blossoming at Nintendo of late.

8. Batman: Arkham City (PS3)

The first game was surprisingly great (I did not hold up too much hope for it until I played the demo) mixing both stealth and action superbly.

The next games hopefully builds upon this, plus has Catwoman, in her modern comic outfit in all its sexy glory... How can I possibly argue with this?

7. ICO / Shadow of the Colossus HD collection (PS3)

Yes I know that it is a rerelease, but my goodness what a rerelease! I seriously considered putting this higher in my list (possibly even at the top), but the fact that these are games that I’ve played already made me mark it lower.

Both running at a smooth 30fps (which trust me is good for SotC) and in HD.... sign me up.

6. Professor Layton v Phoenix Wright

Wow... Just wow.

This was totally unexpected and whilst no gameplay has been shown yet, I’m excited at the possabilities.

5. Mario Kart 3DS (3DS)

There’s no doubt that I’m looking forward to the 3DS, but the game I’m looking forward most on this system is Mario Kart.

I’ve been replaying both Mario Kart on the DS and also Wii recently with Elliot and Roz and have reached the opinion that the DS iteration of Mario Kart is probably the finest to date, it was only the snaking in it that spoilt online games a little. If the Mario Kart 3DS is just an enhanced version of this, I’ll be a happy man.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

I must admit that I was a little disappointed by the demonstration of this game at E3 2010, although I suspect that the demos on display were only there to show the control methods for the game and the story/meat of the game is still under wraps.

I just hope that it does the franchise justice!

3. Portal 2 (PS3)

I’ve recently replayed Portal and while it is undoubtedly a very short game, it is still IMHO one of the finest crafted games of all time.

I was overjoyed to hear that Portal 2 would be making its way to the PS3, as otherwise I likely would not have had the opportunity to play it. Whilst I have some concerns that the game may lose some of its magic if it is drawn out too much, I have trust in Valve, who are also of course responsible for the wonderful Half Life 2 (of which I’m still waiting for episode 3 – for the PS3)

2. The Last Guardian (PS3)

Well at the TGS 2010 it has finally been confirmed that this will be launching for Holiday 2011, which will hopefully mean both in Japan and Europe/America.

This game was actually at the very top of my “most anticipated game of 2010 list”, but it’s clear that this never came to fruition.

Both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus stand up as two of the finest games of all time, as well as being rather moving on an emotional level for games as well. As such, to say that I’m looking forward to this would be an understatement.

1. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deceipt (PS3)

Only very recently announced, and boy does it look good already. I cannot express how psyched I am at the thought of playing the further adventures of Nathan Drake. The Uncharted series is without a doubt the most thrilling series of adventure games out there and the third entry is already looing simply breathtaking! Best of all (fingers crossed), it should be out just in time for my birthday :)

Uncharted 2 was without doubt the best game so far for the PS3, so I have every hope that Uncharted 3 will continue at this high level.

Other games of significance (which didn’t quite make the top 10)

Ghost Trick (DS)

Little Big Planet 2 (PS3)

Kid Icarus 3DS (3DS)

Pokemon: Black/White (DS)

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time 3DS (3DS)

Disgaea 4 (PS3)

Ni No Kuni (DS/PS3)

Killzone 3 (with sharpshooter) (PS3)

E3 predictions 2010

2010-05-21T07:09:00.002+01:00

It’s less than 1 month until E3 2010 (which commences June 15) and as such, I thought I’d post my yearly predictions (as I tend to most years).

Anyhow…

Microsoft

I confess that I know very little when it comes to Microsoft, not owning one of their consoles, as such, much of the following is just a wild stab in the dark:

* Footage will be shown of Mass Effect 3, Halo Reach and Fable 3.

* The main push by Microsoft will be Natal, which I predict will likely keep the development name of Natal rather than be renamed.

* No new console will be announced, but some sort operation system revamp will be announced.

* Microsoft will score exclusive DLC for a big new release (something along the lines of the GTA4 DLC).

* FFXIII Versus announcement (namely that it will be ported to the 360 as well as PS3)

Sony

Sony has I believe shown their hand a little too early this year. They have already shown a great deal of the Playstation Move, Little Big Planet 2 has already been announce and many of their big name games have already been announced, however, I predict that the following will also be announced come E3.

* Infamous 2 announcement.

* Grand Turismo 5 release date (and further details relating to this game).

* Playstation Move release date, price and also release games.

* The PSP2 will be announced and will feature a touch screen, camera, and gyros.

* Warhawk 2 (Spacehawk) will be announced.

* Killzone 3 announcement.

* PSN premium services are announced (something akin to gold Xbox membership)

* An update to the Firmware is announced including cross game chat.

* Resistance 3 announcement.

* An Ico collection is announced (similar to the God of War collection), being HD versions of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus for the PS3 (This really, really has to happen).

* The Last Guardian is playable and is utterly fantastic…

Nintendo

Nintendo have had a relatively quiet, or odd past few E3’s. I get the feeling that this year might be when they really have something to show to get the masses exited again.

* The talk of the show will be the 3DS. I personally have some doubts how Nintendo are going to pull this off, but I have a sneaky suspicion that they may have something special in store.

* Talking about the 3DS, it will likely have some other feature, or features which have not been announced yet.

* An update to the Wii firmware is announced, hopefully allowing something along the lines with a PSN username which purchases are tied to rather than the machine. If this could also be done to the DSi, this would be great.

* The new Zelda Wii game will be shown and blow everyone’s socks off. It will also be remarkably different to the more recent Zelda offerings.

* It probably won’t happen, but I feel I must add Wii HD to the mix.

* Pikmin 3 will be shown.

* A new F-zero game, Star Fox or Pilot Wings game is announced – possibly as launch games for the 3DS.

* Nintendo will announce and show a game which 99% of people will think is utterly bonkers (I’m predicting a meditation game using the vitality sensor).

Multi/general

* A new Burnout game is announced. Hopefully more in line with the excellent Burnout 3 than Burnout Paradise, which I never really gelled with.

* Batman 2 will be given a proper title and will likely look fantastic.

* Metal Gear: Rising will be shown.

Oscar results

2010-03-08T11:56:00.002Z

BEST PICTURE
Avatar

WRONG – The Hurt Locker

BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron, Avatar

WRONG – The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

RIGHT

BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

RIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo’nique, Precious

RIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

RIGHT

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air

WRONG - PRECIOUS

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

WRONG – The Hurt Locker

ART DIRECTION
Avatar

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar

RIGHT

COSTUME DESIGN
Coco Before Chanel

WRONG – The Young Victoria

FILM EDITING
The Hurt Locker

RIGHT

MAKE-UP
Star Trek

RIGHT

MUSIC: ORIGINAL SCORE
Up

RIGHT

MUSIC: ORIGINAL SONG
Crazy Heart – The Weary Kind

RIGHT

SOUND EDITING
Avatar

WRONG – The Hurt Locker

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Avatar

WRONG – The Hurt Locker

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar

RIGHT

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
Up

RIGHT

Total 12/19 correctly guessed -(i.e. 63%). Not too bad a result - but could have done better (That damn Hurt Locker)

Oscar predictions 2010

2010-02-25T00:36:00.002Z

Okay, here goes...

BEST PICTURE

Avatar

At this point I'd be really surprised if it wasn't Avatar. If I had my pick, I'd go for the following (in this order): Up, District 9 & Inglorious Basterds, Up in the Air and then Avatar...

Id be happy enough if Avatar wins, it's a good film (just not Cameron's best)

BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron, Avatar

Prior to watching The Hurt Locker I would have said Kathryn Bigelow, but I think this will go to Cameron as well. Would love to see Quentin win!

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

I just think people would like to see her blub when she gets the award!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo’nique, Precious

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

I really hope that this goes to Waltz...

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air

A tough one to predict – but I'm going to go with the above. Never read the original source, but the story was good and certainly well written.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Again, a tough one to predict, I think it is likely between Up and Inglorious Basterds... I think the Basterds may take it by the end of the night.

ART DIRECTION
Avatar

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar

COSTUME DESIGN
Coco Before Chanel

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
No prediction

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
No prediction

FILM EDITING
The Hurt Locker

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
No prediction

MAKE-UP
Star Trek

MUSIC: ORIGINAL SCORE
Up

I'm going to go with Up for this one – which had a fantastic and moving score.

MUSIC: ORIGINAL SONG
Crazy Heart – The Weary Kind

SHORT FILM: ANIMATED
No prediction

SHORT FILM: LIVE ACTION
No prediction

SOUND EDITING
Avatar

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Avatar

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
Up

I will officially cry if Up doesn't at least scoop this!

PSN issue and Borderlands

2010-02-04T12:19:00.004Z

First of all I need to mention an oddity with PSN. For me (and possibly others, I have not checked), I seem to be disconnected from the PSN at 12:00 midnight every night, pretty much on the dot. At first I thought this was problems with my internet connection (which in the past I was having issues with, but this has nothing to do with that. It isn’t normally a problem, as I just need to pop back in the menu and sign in again, which takes a matter of seconds.

Anyway, onto Borderlands.

I haven’t posted on my blog about Borderlands (but then again I’ve barely touched my blog), but it is worth mentioning that it is a fantastic game. It is also a great co-operative game, which I have been playing with random strangers in my second playthrough (I would love to play it with real friends, but my real friends are either 360 owners or if they do have a PS3, hardly use it for gaming and likely have zero interest in Borderlands).

Anyway, in the past I have regretted buying DLC for games, as I find that I barely touch it and end resenting paying the money, but for Borderlands I have loved The Zombie Island of Dr Ned and Mad Moxxi’s Underdome. It has to be said, however, the Mad Moxxi is tough as hell. I have almost obtained all the trophies for the main game and, already have all of them for Dr Ned, for Moxxi, however, I have not even managed to get the first bronze.

Moxxi are tournament levels where you have 3 different arenas and have to fight through 5 rounds, each consisting of 5 waves (in other words 25 waves of baddies of ever increasing difficulty). To get the first bronze you have to beat all three arenas. I have managed one so far, and that was DIFFICULT. It is impossible to do on your own, you really need someone else along to help out for various reasons.

Incidentally, to get the other trophies you have to play all 3 arenas in a harder mode which is 20 rounds, each consisting of 5 waves (in other words 100 waves of baddies). I know that some people have managed this, but I fully believe that I will never manage this

Anyway, onto last night…

Last night I was trying a second arena on Moxxi and after a long, long slog, with many very, VERY closely fought battles, I just managed to get to the end (with higher level co-players). I was logged onto one of their games, so as such, was not hosting the game.

At the end of each round (even the last) there is a countdown from 10 to 1 to signify the end of the round. So as we finally killed the boss wave at the end of round 5 (the final round), I sank back into my sofa in relief, relieved that I’d managed to get through a second arena of Moxxi and also picked up some epic random generated weapons. I watched the timer, waiting for the victory to be registered.

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

DISCONNECT…

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Falls to knees and shakes fists at the heavens)

DAMN YOU PSN!

Oscar nominations 2010

2010-02-02T12:36:00.000Z

Okay, the Oscar nominations have been announced today.

These are as follows:

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up In the Air

BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron, Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up In The Air

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up In The Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up In the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up In the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Mo’nique, Precious

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Matt Damon, Invictus
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones,
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell, District 9
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, In The Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Up

ART DIRECTION
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

COSTUME DESIGN

Bright StarCoco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of A GM Plant
Music By Prudence
Rabbit A La Berlin

FILM EDITING
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Ajami
El Secreto
Desus Ojos
The Milk of Sorrow
A Prophet
The White Ribbon

MAKE-UP
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

MUSIC: ORIGINAL SCORE
Avatar
Fantastic Mr Fox
The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Up

MUSIC: ORIGINAL SONG
The Princess and The Frog – Almost There
The Princess and The Frog – Down In New Orleans
Paris 36 – Loin de Panane
Nine – Take It All
Crazy Heart – The Weary Kind

SHORT FILM: ANIMATED
French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady And The Reaper
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

SHORT FILM: LIVE ACTION
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

SOUND EDITING
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
Coraline
Fantastic Mr Fox
The Princess And The Frog
The Secret Of Kells
Up

A few observations…

This year is slightly different that instead of the normal 5 films being nominated for best picture there are 10. The last time this was done was back in the 1940’s. I think this has been done to broaden the appeal of the Oscars as having 10 films nominated means that it is more likely for mainstream films to be in the batch of nominated films. As a result, both Up and District 9 have been nominated, which is great news (even though it is unlikely either will win). I’m especially please that Up has been nominated (which is also nominated for best animated film, which it should win), as this is just the second animated fim ever to be up for Best Picture, the first being Beauty and the Beast.

As with previous years, I will post my predictions, and reviews / opinions, shortly before the ceremony on this blog.

The Apartment

2010-02-02T12:21:00.002Z

Film watched:
The Apartment

Okay, I’m throwing away my twenty word rule out of the window, instead, what I plan to do is just review films when and if it take my fancy, or if I feel like I have anything to say, as in this instance.

I’ve had The Apartment on my Lovefilm list for a little while now, as it is a classic film that I have wanted to watch for some time, however, as soon as I started watching it I suddenly realised that I didn’t know anything about it! Sure I knew that it was considered a “classic”, it was a Billy Wilder film and starred Jack Lemon (always good) and Shirley McClain. As such, I think I was expecting a whimsical classic comedy in the same vein as Some Like it Hot (best comedy of all time), but boy was I wrong.

Okay, maybe no completely wrong, yes it was whimsical and yes it had comedy elements, but it was a lot darker than I had imagined and also hit upon themes which I imagine were quite daring for early 60’s popular cinema. We’re talking adultery, self depreciation, suicide and above all else, the differences between those who take advantage of others and those that are taken advantage of.

Overall it is a masterfully written film with fantastic performances mainly by Lemon and McClain. A real gem that I’m glad has come to my attention.

8.5/10

Avatar and blog posts

2010-01-15T22:17:00.000Z

First of all, I feel that I have to mention that I haven’t completely abandoned my blog, I’ve just dialled down things a little. Instead of posting reviews for all films that I see / games that I play etc, I will likely only be blogging very occasionally, or when the mood takes me.

Other big posts such as Oscar nominations, yearly reviews and E3 predictions etc will still be put on my blog, for my benefit more than anything.

Anyway, I managed to go and se Avatar (finally) the other days, so…

Film watched:
Avatar

Undeniably excellent, but not Cameron’s best. Hampered a little by being unbelievably predictable. Pretty much an alien Dance with Wolves!

8/10

2009 Review

2009-12-31T12:00:00.000Z

Films

Top 3 films of 2009

Up

It’s Pixar.

The above two words should be sufficient an explanation of why this film is in my top 3, but if I were to add to that and say that it is likely the best Pixar film to date, then you know where I’m coming from.

This film had me in tears twice within the first 10 minutes, and this is from a children’s CGI film! It was also great being able to take Elliot to watch it in 3D in a very fine cinema in Canada, which also added to the experience.

Truly and without a doubt in my mind, the best film of 2009!

Watchmen

This is not a perfect film, in some ways it’s a little too faithful to the graphic novel and in other ways it’s not faithful enough.

Whilst I do not miss the squid, I do miss the scenes of carnage which follow the reveal of the squid in the graphic novel, especially in light of the fact that the hundreds of dead bodies seen include some minor characters which you have grown to love. It drives home the consequences of the “villain” in the story. This was missing in the film and as such, the ending lacked its punch in my opinion. Apart from that the rest of the film was fantastic, with the best moment being in my opinion the Dr Manhattan segment, which was mesmerising.

It’s a bit of a shame that the film was not more successful, but then again, it is far from your typical super hero movie, so it’s not too surprising that it didn’t have the appeal of Spiderman or The Dark Knight.

[●Rec]

Okay, so technically this film did not come out in 2009 (I believe it was released in the cinema in 2008), but I only got the chance to see it in 2009 – so it’s on the list.

This is my regular foreign top film of the year (in the last 5-6 years at least one of my top films has been foreign, either Korean or Spanish), in this case it is a fantastic Spanish POV camera film in the same ilk as Blair Witch, Cloverfield and Diary of the Dead, only so much better than all of them. At its most basic it’s a zombie move based in an apartment block, but it is made all the more effective by the way in which it is filmed. Also the ending based in the penthouse is especially chilling.

There is a sequel due out shortly to this, which I am looking forward to, which follows on directly from the original film. I just hope that it is in the same league.

Notable mentions (for good or bad)

Antichrist

If only for the last 20 minutes of the film which really were wince inducing and utterly disgusting (and this is coming from me). I dare any man to watch the film and not feel the slightest bit physically sick.

Moon

Very, very nearly made it in my top 3 films of 2009. A film which showed that low budget, intelligent sci-fi could be a million more time effective than big budget sci-fi rubbish (transformers).

A film which is lead by an incredible performance by Sam Rockwell, which, if there is any justice in the world, land him with an Oscar come 2010 (although in all likelihood this will be ignored). A fantastic and moving sci-fi film which has all the qualities of the classic sci-fi films of old.

Slumdog Millionaire

So deserved its Oscar in 2009. A great return to form by Danny Boyle.

District 9

Again a low budget sci-fi film which was so much better than its bigger budget brothers and sisters.

Games

Top 3 games on 2009

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Undoubtedly the best game of 2009.

The first Uncharted was a fantastically fun game, but the sequel just builds upon this so much, fixing all the small issues from the first game and adding so many new fun elements. Never before has a game felt like an exhilarating action summer blockbuster.

I have played through the game three times and have unlocked all the trophies (Ha Ha Crushing level – I spit in your direction) and I never got bored. A combination of witty dialogue, great set pieces, a mixture of adventure, combat and exploration just draws you back into the game again.

Best of 2009, best on PS3. Just fantastic.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

In many respects this has many similar play styles to Uncharted 2, and I also got the game at the same time as Uncharted 2 (i.e. my birthday).

This is, without doubt, the best superhero game released on any system so far. Batman has always been ripe material for games, but for one reason or another, no developer has been able to properly do the character justice until now. Again, like Uncharted 2, it excels in its presentation and particularly the dialogue and graphic departments. I also like the way that combat and stealth elements are used in the game.

Fallout 3

Again technically this came out late 2008 and not 2009, but I didn’t buy it until 2009 – so added to my 2009 list.

I just loved the freedom available in this game and also the fact that it was a game that gave you morale choices which were not entirely black or white (or at least not all the time). You could even at times play both sides against each other, or complete objectives by alternative ways (my favourite has to be talking someone out of an entire quest).

I also enjoyed the post-apocalypse setting with a tinge of 50’s paranoia.

I ended up sinking around 70 hours into this baby, maxed out my level and managed to get my first platinum in any PS3 game.

Notable mentions (for good or bad)

Madworld

It looked gorgeous, but got repetitive – quickly.

The Conduit

I had high hopes for this, but in truth it ended up being nothing more than a sub-standard shooter, with graphics not as good as it believed they were and a control scheme that still wasn’t as good as Metroid Prime.

Pokémon: Platinum

For introducing me into the world of Pokemon – which, to my surprise, I found I rather liked!

The Beatles: Rock Band

I love the Beatles and I also enjoy Guitar Hero / Rock Band type games and as such, this was always going to be a marriage made in heaven.

Life

Okay, a few notable events in my life during 2009.

- I have enjoyed a relatively healthy year, after the last 2 where I seemed to have suffered with various ailments. Luckily, this year, things have gone rather well.

- During this year I have undergone a fair amount of training for work, which has been quite hard going, and has also required a fair amount of studying away from work. All the same, I think that it has been a valuable experience.

- Because of my work training, I have also travelled a lot during 2009 to London, and for quite a while in the summer I was over in London at least once, if not twice a week. As such, I managed to get the opportunity to go to the cinema on a regular basis during my trips which was great, as UK based cinemas are a vast improvement on our local flea pit.

- I enjoyed a fantastic holiday away in Canada (Toronto and Niagara Falls) with my wife and Elliot. It was the second time to Canada with Rox, but the first with Elliot, and also Elliots first big holiday and he thoroughly enjoyed himself (and is still asking if he can go back again).

- I was proud to attend Roz degree ceremony in London earlier in the year.

Okay then… Roll on 2010!

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-25T00:05:00.001Z

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Christmas

I hope that everyone (Santa included) gets a chance to play with all their presents :)

Braid & Rubber Soul

2009-12-17T12:44:00.000Z

So Braid is out on the Euro PSN as of today.

It’s a game that I really want to play (it was one of the few games on Xbox Live that I was envious of – that and Geometry Wars), but unfortunately it is a little badly timed, as I’m still playing Uncharted 2 on Crushing and Pixel Junk Shooter. Add to that the fact that Christmas is just round the corner. As such, Braid will just have to wait a little bit. I’ll likely pick it up early next year.

Also out today on the PSN is the Rubber Soul DLC for The Beates: Rock Band, which I will be downloading ASAP. I’m looking forward to giving it a go tonight, as some of my favourite Beatles tracks are on Rubber Soul.

Most anticipated games of 2010

2009-12-16T12:35:00.013Z

I know I haven’t posted for a long time….. but…..

Here is a list of the games I am looking forward to in the coming year, from 10 to 1 (1 being obviously my most anticipated):

10. Bioshock 2 (PS3/360)

I have some reservations about this game, as I do not believe that a sequel was really needed to Bioshock. Also the multiplayer seems a little unnecessary. Time will tell.

9. Dragon Quest IX

I’m looking forward to getting to grips with this epic DS JRPG when it is eventually released in the west.

8. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)

This looks like it will make good use of the Wii and I also like the way that your game is tailored by your own psyche.

7. Heavy Rain (PS3)

I rather enjoyed Fahrenheit initially, until it started getting a little silly, Heavy Rain, however, looks a lot more grounded, so hopefully shouldn’t have the same issues that Fahrenheit suffered from.

6. Metroid: Other M (Wii)

I have no idea how this game will turn out, but all the same, I’m a fan of the series and this certainly looks like an intriguing change after the Prime series.

5. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii)

No More Heroes was a fantastic (if bonkers) game and a highlight on the Wii. I have no doubts that that is will even more fun.

4. Red Dead Redemption (PS3/360)

The more I see of this, the more I like the look of it. Yes it may turn out to be little more than GTA: The Western, but is that a bad thing? I was one of the few who actually really enjoyed GUN when it was released, so this should be my cup of tea.

3. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3/360)

There are only a few more months to go now until this is released. Part of me is a little disappointed that the same system from XII hasn’t been carried forward into XIII and instead it has opted for a more traditional battle system, but it still looks great.

2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

Without a doubt the original was the best game on the Wii so far and also the best platforming game of all time. I just hope that the sequel does not lose any of the magic.

1. The Last Guardian (PS3)

Go Team ICO!

Abbey Road

2009-10-30T12:16:00.000Z

At last, I have my Abbey Road DLC for The Beatles: Rock Band and all is good with the world. Have not tried the medley yet, but instead played each segment individually. Her Majesty is a damn tough song for just 23 seconds!

Have also just learnt that Up on Blu-ray in the US is region A specific. Damn Disney for starting to play the region coding game with Up!

DSi LL (XL)

2009-10-29T12:28:00.001Z

I know I haven’t posted in a while, but I thought this was worth a mention, mainly because it got my back up so much.

Over the past few days, rumours have been circulating in relation to a new DS that was due to launch with a larger screen. I pretty much took these to be rumours and nothing more (after all – why launch a DS with a bigger screen), anyway, it looks like the rumours were correct. Lets all welcome the DSi XL (or LL in Japan):

Now I’m in 2 minds about this… Is this intended to be:

A: A pointless update to the (not even a year old) DSi in order to drum up more sales?
B: An attempt from Nintendo to broaden their audience even further to capture the elderly market who find the DS to be too small a fiddly, and also easier to read.

I’m really not too sure. I guess time will tell to see if the DSi XL supersedes the normal DSi (in which case I’d be really pissed). I’m hoping that it doesn’t, because it looks rather big for a portable and bring back memories of the Lynx and other early handhelds which failed when competing against the Gameboy.

Destruction has voiced its opinion, and I find it hard to disagree:

“So there you are. Sorry if you already bought a DSi, but Nintendo has a better one now. The best part is, if you bought DSiWare games for your original DSi, you can't upgrade without losing those games. Gotta love Nintendo and its ability to release ten billion versions of one handheld.”

In all fairness, I’m thinking that that DSi XL will likely run alongside the normal DSi, but all the same it’s a odd move all the same, especially in view of the fact that the DSi and the DS Lite are already running alongside each other.

It’s at time like this that I much prefer the Sony model for downloads, namely that they are not tied to a machine, but instead to a user… Why couldn’t Nintendo also follow this model? Oh yes, it would mean that people wouldn’t then have to buy multiple variations of games and machines!

Sorry, have a bitter head on today.

TS3

2009-10-10T22:17:00.002+01:00

Boy does this look good:

I especially like the looks of the "reset" Buzz.

Uncharted's done good

2009-09-30T12:16:00.004+01:00

I know I've been a tad slack of late posting - I'll try to do better!

Anyway, the first reviews have started appearing online for Uncharted 2 and it seems that the game if basically Uncharted with all the (few) niggling little faults fixed... Which is a good thing considering that the original is still one of the best games out there for the PS3.

Uncharted is currently my most anticipated game for the 4th quarter, and I'm looking forward to playing it come my birthday on 7 November.

Joystiq have helpfully posted a collection of reviews here:

Joystiq review scores collection

To tide me over the Uncharted beta has gone live, so shall download this and give it a go tonight.

Other news:
- Have also ordered myself a 64gb itouch
- Cleaned up decapitated mouse (thanks to our cat Saffy) from the hallway this morning
- Seriously not impressed by the MAG beta

Decadance and Beatles: Rock Band

2009-09-17T12:41:00.001+01:00

Film Watched:
Tokyo Decadence

Shock value does not a good film make. Not interesting, not entertaining, not good.

3/10

Okay now, so I’ve had The Beatles: Rock Band for over a week now (and the remastered box set) so I thought I’d take a moment to quickly post my take…

It’s good… It’s very, very good. It’s so good in fact that I have trouble dragging myself away from it.

That is, however, stating the obvious. A Rock Band game featuring the music from The Beatles was always going to be good. As such, I thought I’d jot down a few of my niggles.

1) It is meant to be a homage to the history of The Beatles, and as such, you would imagine that it would try to be accurate. It isn’t however. A few things that I’ve noticed:

- Ringo is playing drums on Dear Prudence and Back in the USSR, when in actual fact it was Macca on drums for those 2 songs (Ringo left the band for a short spell during the White Album).

- As far as I am aware, I Want You (She’s so Heavy) was never played during the Abbey Road rooftop concert (this was from Abbey Road and not Let it Be and as such was written after the concert).

- The audience members in the Budokan Concert should be Japanese (and a lot more restrained). Instead the same audience member from the other concerts are used.

- Quite obviously, any mix track from Love does not accurately represent The Beatles during their recording days (I’m referring to Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows)

- Eric Clapton isn’t present during While my Guitar Gently Weeps

2) I’m sure the note chart isn’t quite right for Back in the USSR – having played at least the start of the song on my own guitar.

3) Because of the nature of their songs, and the timeframe in story mode, the difficulty level is all over the place.

Apart from the above, I have very little to complain about, and look forward to the Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper and (especially) Rubber Soul DLC incoming in the next few months.

Oh also the remastered boxset is uniformly excellent.

Withnail, District and ipod

2009-09-08T12:14:00.004+01:00

Films watched:

Withnail and I

An overrated British drama, with great characters but very little else.

5.5/10

District 9

A fantastic sci-fi film that flicks between mock documentary and action drama.

8/10

I also think that my ipod is aware that the Beatles back catalogue is due to be reissued tomorrow as remasters. The reason you ask? It’s because my ipod has chosen this point in time to start acting up. It now has trouble synching with our home PC and sometime tracks will skip, or freeze, sometime the battery indicator will show low (even when I’ve only recently charged it) and on occasion it just switches itself off. Admittedly it is now a good few years old and has been used on an almost daily basis, but still I don’t fancy the thought of having to buy a new one at the moment…

An ad with style

2009-08-27T16:48:00.001+01:00

While the PS3 TV adverts over here are very so-so, this US one is great:

Any advert that pokes fun at Sony's total inability to keep secrets gets my vote!

Genetic Opera and Splitter

2009-08-27T12:17:00.001+01:00

Film watched

Repo: The Genetic Opera

A modern stab at a Rocky Horror style musical that whilst stylish, lacks any charm and humour.

6/10

Also yesterday I got my hands on a HDMI splitter. I’m a little odd in that I get very excited about quality cables of any description and the back of my LCD is an absolute labyrinth of cables, made yet more complicated by this splitter. First of all, I managed to get for a bargain price from Amazon (£32.95) considering that other splitters I have seen have cost well over £100+, also it works well.

Now this is a splitter and not a HDMI switch, as such, it takes a single HDMI signal and splits this to two sources. This is most commonly used to split a signal so that it can be shown on 2 screens at the same time, I use mine a little differently.

Although I love my Amp, for some reason the HDMI signal from my PS3 sometime has issues, namely occasionally the screen will go blank or flicker. In addition it didn’t carry a full RGB signal and while I could compensate for this by adjusting the LCD to the correct brightness and contrast levels, it was still a little bit of a fiddle. As such, I have wired things up so that I have 1 HDMI cable which bypasses the amp and goes direct to the LCD and one which goes through the amp and then to the TV. As such, I can view both a perfect HD picture and listen to perfect HD audio at the same time now without any compromises.

Watchmen Directors cut and Sky Blue

2009-08-26T12:24:00.004+01:00

Films watched:

Sky Blue

Gorgeous Korean Anime, but unfortunately never drags you into the story sufficiently.

6/10

Watchmen: Directors Cut

Doesn’t fix my 2 issues with the theatrical release, but still allows the movie to breath and is definitely the better cut.

9/10

Avatar

2009-08-23T21:12:00.002+01:00

So here is the Avatar trailer...

I'm not sure about this. I have a huge amount of faith in Cameron, but this isn't at all how I imagined Avatar would look.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this may not be the success that a great many are expecting!

Slim

2009-08-18T20:52:00.002+01:00

Well it's slim... and it's cheaper, by $100 or 100 Euro (so that will likely convert to around a reduction of £10.00 in the good ol' UK.

Anyway, here's a picture...

Lets just hope it can sell a lot more of those buggers for Sony!

Oh and also, LBP is getting a cool update:

The Beatles: Rock Band tracklist

2009-08-14T12:15:00.003+01:00

So thanks to Game informer, we now have a list of all the tracks to be included in The Beatles: Rock Band… All that is save one, which for some reason is being held back as a surprise (although lets be frank, how much of a surprise can it be?)

Anyway, here is the list:

Singles
I Want To Hold Your Hand

I Feel Fine

Day Tripper

Paperback Writer

Revolution

Don't Let Me Down

Please Please Me (1963)
I Saw Her Standing There

Boys

Do You Want To Know A Secret

Twist and Shout

With the Beatles (1963)
I Wanna Be Your Man

A Hard Day's Night (1964)
A Hard Day's Night

Can't Buy Me Love

Beatles For Sale (1964)
Eight Days a Week

Help! (1965)
Ticket To Ride

Rubber Soul (1965)
Drive My Car

I'm Looking Through You

If I Needed Someone

Revolver (1966)
Taxman

Yellow Submarine

And Your Bird Can Sing

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help From My Friends

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Getting Better

Good Morning Good Morning

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
I Am The Walrus

Hello Goodbye

The Beatles (White Album) (1968)

Dear Prudence

Back In the U.S.S.R.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Birthday

Helter Skelter

Yellow Submarine (1969)

Hey Bulldog

Abbey Road (1969)

Come Together

Something

Octopus's Garden

I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Here Comes the Sun

Let It Be (1970)
Dig a Pony

I Me Mine

I Got a Feeling

Get Back

Love (2006)
Within You Without You/ Tomorrow Never Knows

I’m pleased that a track from Love made it into the mix. A good one at that. Also good to see Helter Skelter and I Want you (She's So Heavy). Anyway, noticeable omissions which I feel should have been included are as follows (not including the DLC which will cover Abbey Road, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper):

Hello Goodbye
Rain (come on now!)
Please Please Me (How could they miss this out)
Roll Over Beethoven
Things We Said Today
Help (arrghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Darn them.)
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
I’m only Sleeping
Got to Get You Into My Life
Only a Northern Song
Across the Universe

This is of course just a selection which I think would suit the game, there are tons more which I have not included. Of course it’s very possible that some or all of the above will form of future DLC, we’ll have to see.

BTW, I’m placing bets that the last 1 song not yet mentioned is Hey Jude, even if it’s probably not the best song for a Rock Band game.

Hansel and Gretel and more Beatles

2009-08-13T12:40:00.002+01:00

Film watched
Hansel and Gretel

A Korean horror / dark fantasy film about child abuse and a child’s imagination. Very Twilight Zone movie, but better.

7.5/10

I was also happy to learn today that in addition to Abbey Road being made available as DLC for The Beatles: Rock Band shortly after its release, both Sgt. Pepper and also Rubber Soul will get the DLC treatment (those songs at least that aren’t included in the main game). This is great news, if I were to pick one album that really should be included in the game it would have to be Rubber Soul.

Both While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Hey Bullfrog have also been announced as being in the main game, two of my favourite tracks…

Less than 1 month to go now!

Waterhouse and weight loss

2009-08-07T12:35:00.004+01:00

On my very last trip to London for my UK courses, I travelled earlier in the day (the course being the following day) and also took Roz with me.

I took the opportunity to visit the Royal Academy of Art purely so that I had the chance to see the J W Waterhouse exhibition which is currently on display. It is the first time in several decades that so many works by Waterhouse have been brought together in the same place and as such, as an admirer of his work, it was a golden opportunity.

The exhibition was very busy, and I was quite lucky to get a ticket, but it was well worth it. It was fantastic seeing so many of his paintings in the flesh. I was especially pleased that amongst them was also my favourite of his, namely “windflowers”.

Anyway, I thought I’d post a few of the Waterhouse paintings that I saw on this site, as follows:

I also weighed myself the other day and was utterly horrified.

My weight has been slowly creeping up for the last few months, initially partly because of the issues I had with my facial nerves (i.e. I was treating myself to distract myself from the pain), then from travelling to Canada and then to London (multiple times) and as such eating out a lot. However, when I weighed myself the other day I found that I had somehow managed to gain 8lbs in 9 days!

I hardly believe that this is possible!

I must stress that I have not been binge eating, but at the same time I have not been taking it as carefully as I normally would.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I’m now back to a very strict diet.

Looking on the internet, I have found out that many people have found that after having their gallbladder removed that it is incredibly easy to put weight on. This actually makes a lot of sense, after all the gallbladder is there after all to break down fatty foods. As such, lacking a gallbladder means that the fatty foods either pass through you quickly, or else the fat is retained in your system.

Awesome Beards

2009-08-06T12:23:00.002+01:00

This is a bit old (but please bear with me - I haven't had time to blog in a while).

One of many examples why Little Big Planet is one of the finest games on the PS3...

I'm back and films

2009-08-05T12:30:00.000+01:00

I’m back.

I’ve finished my study and as such will hopefully have a little more free time, which as a result will mean that I use my blog a bit more.

I plan to (hopefully) blog in some more bite sized portions in order to get something on, but I’ll see how this goes.

Anyway, onto a couple of film mini reviews.

Films watched:
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

One of my favourites in the series has unfortunately been tuned into one of the most humdrum of films.

6/10

Pineapple Express

Starts off not too bad, but quickly drags for a comedy. Also lacks a plot or humour. Fail.

3/10

Antichrist

2009-07-31T20:14:00.002+01:00

Film watched:

Antichrist

Equally beautiful and utterly grotesque. There were 2 scenes that I could barely watch and that's saying a lot from me.

6.5/10

Also I have to add that I have never been to a film and seen so many people walk out part of the way through. Some people left literally during the first few minutes during the first (very revealing) sex scene, almost an entire row of people in front of me and numerous behind me left during the really disgusting scenes near the end of the film.

Mega movie post

2009-07-22T12:27:00.002+01:00

Okay, haven’t blogged for a log time, but I thought I’d take a couple of minutes to quickly joy some micro reviews for the films I have seen since I last blogged proper. This has been many, namely due to holidays and also several trips to London for work. Also, due to time constraints, no photos/posters included with this post.

Anyway, here goes:

Origin: Spirits of the Past
Well animated, but ultimately unremarkable anime.
5/10

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Excellent Russ Meyer 60’s romp.
8/10

Faster Pussycat Kill Kill
Not as good as I’d hoped – certainly no “Dolls”
5/10

Southland Tales
A bit of a mess really
4/10

Drag me to Hell
Excellent return for form by Raimi, only a predictable and slightly disappointing ending spoiling this.
8/10

Star Trek
Best Trek since Khan. Lets just hope that this is reboot continues in the same fashion.
8/10

Twilight
Surprisingly entertaining “girlie” vampire adaptation.
7.5/10

UP
The best film of the year so far, also my favourite Pixar film to date. Made me cry TWICE within the first 15 minutes and this is a damn animated film! Need I say more. Dug, the dog is also excellent. Pixar, I bow before thee.
9.5/10

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Utter drivel. Tries surreal, but really little more then drivel.
2/10

The Hangover
Very entertaining comedy – something I rarely find.
8/10

Blood: The Last Vampire
Should have stuck with the anime. Shows its low budget too much.
3/10

Public Enemies
Digital film does not suit a period film. Flat characters and uninteresting direction also does not help.
4/10

Moon
It's best to see this film blind - without reading anything about it beforehand. It's not the film you'd expect. Excellent cerebral sci-fi. Rockwell should get an Oscar for the performance in this.
8.5/10

Lack of posts

2009-05-26T18:08:00.001+01:00

Hi,

Haven't posted for a while... Been a bit busy and will also (fingers crossed) shortly be on holiday.

Anyway, will get back to my blog idc.

Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus

2009-05-13T12:28:00.002+01:00

Wow... How did they get the money to make this film? It certainly has my vote for one of the coolest titles of all time, beating both Snakes on a Train, Zombie Strippers and Lesbian Vampire Killers!

Anyway here is the trailer below.

Possible contender for a "so bad, it's actually good" film of the year?

London visit and films

2009-05-06T12:45:00.000+01:00

The primary reason for my latest trip to London over this last long weekend was to attend Roz’s OU graduation ceremony. Along with Roz and I were also Roz’s parents and Elliot. It has to be said that Roz looked quite fetching in her robes and I also felt very proud for her when she when she went up on stage. She put an awful lot of time and effort into her degree and deserves all the recognition that she gets. As such, Elliot and I were both happy to stand up and clap and cheer when her name was called out.

Whilst in London I also managed to catch a couple of films, one of which was at the IMAX again, which is fast becoming my cinema of choice whenever possible.

Films watched:
The Day the Earth Stood Still

In interesting reinterpretation of the classic, which sadly, while glitzy, fails on numerous levels.

4/10

The Strangers

Exceptionally well shot and had scares and jumps a plenty, it’s a shame that it was pretty limited in scope.

6.5/10

Wolverine

Starts well, but ends badly. Wolverine is great, but they could have done so much more with the character.

6/10

Monsters vs. Aliens 3D

An undeniably fun family film, with laughs and action a plenty. Just lacking that extra touch to make it great.

7/10

E3 2009 predictions

2009-05-05T21:01:00.000+01:00

Well E3 is coming up (in just under a month) and unlike previous years I will be unable to watch the conferences live as I will be on holiday in Canada. Anyway, here are my predictions:

Microsoft

(Note: I do not tend to keep an ear out on Microsoft news, as I have less active interest in this, as such, my predictions may end up being waaaaaay off base).

* A new controller and sensor bar combination will be announced and will function in a very similar way to the Wiimote

* A slew of family friendly, active games will be detailed in an attempt to gain a hold on the “casual” gamer crowd that the Wii has largely monopolised.

* A new budget bundle will be announced including the above.

* Some exclusive DLC will be announced for a multiplatform release (something like Final Fantasy XIII)

* Metal Gear Solid 4 will be announced for the 360, with exclusive additional content (but will come on multiple disks)

* Gears of War 3 will be announced.

* A price cut is announced for gold Xbox Live membership

* Microsoft will proudly claim that they are winning (or will win) the current console war, provide the figures to prove this and whilst doing so announce their plans for world domination.

Sony

* Actual REAL footage of MAG is shown

* DLC for Killzone 2 is announced include vehicles in multiplayer (tanks and mechs)

* Starhawk is officially announced (space set sequel to PS3 Warhawk)

* A release date is given for God of War 3 (Q4 2009 – as it would be suicide otherwise)

* Much more footage of Heavy Rain is shown

* NO news of the much rumoured PSP2 (I think this will likely be revealed next year)

* A price cut is announced (hopefully by at least $100 and hopefully this will also be applied to Europe at the same time)

* New firmware is announced and launched (hopefully including software based PS2 emulation and MKV support – fingers crossed)

* Downloadable PS2 games are announced for the PSN, as well as a greater collection of PS1 games.

* A Final Fantasy VII remake is announced (highly unlikely I know – but I like to dream)

* Trico is shown by team ICO (and given a proper title), jaws hit floor, people weep, world peace is announced.

* Sony will proudly claim that they are winning (or will win) the current console war, provide the figures to prove this and whilst doing so announce their plans for world domination.

Nintendo

* Wii Fit 2 is announced

* A slew of Dsiware is announced both first party and third party – many of which are applications rather than games

* A new Kid Icarus game is announced

* Pikmin 3 is shown for the first time

* 1080 snowboarding, incorporating the Wii balance board is announced.

* A new online multiplayer FPS Metroid game is announced, similar to Metroid Prime Hunters, but for the Wii, and not from Retro Studios.

* A new FPS IP is announced from Retro Studios.

* No new Wii (main series) Mario and Zelda games are announced

* A new IP from Miyamato is shown, likely incorporating Wii motionplus.

* Nintendogs 2 (or Nintendcats / Nintendpets) for either Wii or DS (or both) is shown

* Pilotwings for the Wii is announced.

* DSi specific (i.e. games solely for the DSi are shown)

* An updated Wii console is announced (i.e. not a new console, but something along the lines of the DS lite / DSi updates). Possibly a Wii HD that will run existing Wii games in HD

* The virtual console shop is announced for the DSi, including predominantly Gameboy and Gameboy Advance games.

* Nintendo will proudly claim that they are winning (or will win) the current console war, provide the figures to prove this and whilst doing so announce their plans for world domination (and also quite likely total and utter domination of the universe).

Taken, Hancock and Amp

2009-04-27T12:45:00.003+01:00

Films watched:
Taken

Don’t mess with the Neeson! Enjoyable enough action flick, even if the protagonist is a single minded, uncaring bastard.

6.5/10

Hancock

Doesn’t live up to initial premise, but all the same a fun throw-away movie with some real good moments.

7/10

A couple of weeks ago now I purchases a Yamaha amplifier and also a Jama 5.1 speaker setup. The reason for this being that since I have been using my PS3 both as my blu-ray player and also my primary DVD player, I have been using my TV solely for the sound. Now granted, a large proportion of the films I watch are late at night, and as such I tend to wear (very good quality) headphones, but still when I do watch films during the day, the lack of decent surround sound has been noticeable.

Previously I had a DVD/amplifier combo, but this was getting very old in the tooth and also it lacked any optical hdmi inputs and as such I could not hook up my PS3. So really this needed replacing. I had toyed with getting an Onkyo unit, but in the end I decided upon the Yamaha DSP-AX763, which I managed to get at a reduced price (as new models are due out soon).

Overall I’m very impressed, it supports hdmi v1.3, Dolby True HD, DTS-HD amongst others. Comparing regular 5.1 to either Dolby True HD or DTS-HD does really reveal a crisper, cleaner sound. I can even go up to 7.1 should I wish in the future. One of the main reasons that I went for the Yamaha over the Onkyo is that the Yamaha also features a Silent Cinema mode, which recreates the 5.1 experience even using headphones.

The only downside is that the amp plays havoc with the brightness and contrast setting and I have had to re-tweak everything. That and the fact that I’ve had numerous sound settings on the amp to tweak and the PS3 to set up all over again. Anyway, I’ve spent the last few weeks tweaking everything until I’m reasonably satisfied.

Anyway, here is a picture of the model:

As can be seen, it has more than enough inputs (although a couple of extra hdmi would have been nice).

Lara, Kong and face

2009-04-23T12:16:00.005+01:00

Films watched:
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

Surprisingly entertaining game adaptation sequel. No Indy, but still fun. Angeliana Jolie in a wet suit helps.

6.5/10

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Probably the most entertaining documentary I have ever seen. Equally hilarious, tense and above all fun.

8/10

I’m also, I have to say, getting pretty fed up with my face. I seem to alternate between earache, throbbing teeth, a stiff jaw, pain in my cheek or a combination of these. It is, however, pretty constant in one form or another and after a while that can get pretty wearing. Most of the time it isn’t too painful (although there have been occasions when it has become very painful), but all the same it’s always in the background and as such nearly always on my mind. The additional medication doesn’t seem to be making much more of a difference yet and I also haven’t received confirmation of my specialist’s appointment.

I shouldn’t grumble, but then again what are blogs for apart from the occasional grumble and to get things off your chest.

Happy pills and boiler

2009-04-20T12:10:00.000+01:00

Well, I went to the doctor again today as my face continues to give me pain and discomfort, also in addition I have been rather depressed of late, as well as grumpy. I have also been trying to mask the facial pain lately with either parecematmol or Southern Comfort – which isn’t an ideal situation.

Anyway, the doctor has upped my current prescription to help with the pain and also prescribed me with happy pills (anti-depressants). Here’s hoping that these help with the pain and my general demeanour.

Also, our boiler broke down yesterday – which is annoying, especially in light of the fact that it was only serviced a few weeks back. Thankfully we can always pop downstairs to my parents flat if needed, but still the lack of hot water is annoying.

I’m hoping that this is the third breakage (as these things happing in threes), after my DS and PS3

BTW – have a new PS3 now…

Tentacle All Stars!

2009-04-16T12:40:00.000+01:00

WOW!

These are by far the most awesome pair of custom All-Star trainers I have ever seen! A one of the kind, which can be found on Ebay starting at 250 Euros... AND THEY ARE MY SIZE!

Darn - If only I had the money. Then again, I doubt I'd ever wear them even if I owned them!

BTW... For the record, The Day of the Tentacle is by far the best Lucasarts adventure game (which were all generally excellent). Ah... For the good old days when Lucasarts made consistantly great games and not utter s**t.

Clone Wars, Instinct 2 & DSi keyboard ?!?

2009-04-12T20:18:00.004+01:00

Films watched:

Star Wars : The Clone Wars

Irritating nick names and zero plot aside, this was really, pretty, meh! Elliot enjoyed it!

5/10

Basic Instinct 2

The first film was really bad. This was really, REALY bad (and not in a funny way - as I'd hoped)

2/10

Okay, top marks must go to Dover, from Monday Night Crew who found and unique way to utilise the DSi photo channel to compose piano tunes! What an absolute find! Also, great choice for test tunes :)

PS3 update

2009-04-11T15:48:00.003+01:00

So, no luck, PS3 still not working, i.e. it does the following:

(Not my PS3 btw - just someone with a similiar issue)

I think that this is also called the yellow light of death in some circles, but there you go.

Anyway, contacted Sony, but all that they could do since the warranty is out of date is replace my PS3 with a refurbished PS3 for £145.00. Since I didn't fancy what would be in effect be a second hand repaired model for this price, I have decided to get a new model.

Unfortunately PS3's are completely sold out in Guernsey at the moment, so I have order from Amazon and will hopefully get next week some time.

It means that I have now lost all my save game data, but thankfully I wasn't really in the middle of anything to drastic (thank goodness I completed Fallout 3 a few weeks ago).

Flashing Red Light of Death (FRLOD)

2009-04-10T20:28:00.002+01:00

So, this afternoon I was happy watching Dark City on Blu-ray whilst Elliot was out to a party when my Ps3 mysteriously turned itself off without any warning.

When I tried to turn it on… I just got a flashing red light.

I phoned up Sony and my worst concerns were realised. My PS3 is buggered. It would seem that this flashing red light is similar to the 360 RROD, but less publicised (i.e. likely less common). Either way, no PS3 for me at the moment :(

Sick me and Red Dwarf

2009-04-09T19:36:00.000+01:00

Not been feeling too good of late.

This is partly down to a cold which has then become a persistent cough and also due to some further attacks from my Trigeminal neuralgia (facial nerve pain) which has been causing me some discomfort. All in all, it’s been a bit of a bummer…

Red Dwarf is back.

Over this Easter weekend Red Dwarf is returning to our screen for 3 episodes starting this Friday. It’s being shown on the TV channel Dave, which I must confess, I have never heard of before, but appears to be some sort of comedy channel (which is probably why I haven’t hear of it as I generally am not a big fan of comedies).

It has been an absolute age since Red Dwarf graced our screen. When I was much younger I really enjoyed the first few seasons, but felt it was somewhat lacking in the later seasons. I will, however, make sure that I watch the new episodes.

Anyway, here is a picture of the crew…

Nintendo points mystery

2009-04-07T12:11:00.000+01:00

What on earth is going on with Nintendo points?

Since the launch of the DSi Wii points have been renamed Nintendo points, as they can be purchased for either the Wii or the DSi. I recently ordered 3000 Wii points cards from Amazon for just £11.20 (which is less VAT), as it would seem that Amazon made a mistake with the pricing, since then, I have noticed a bit of an oddity with the price of Nintendo points both from Nintendo, online stores and also local stores. Incidentally, the Amazon price increased shortly after my order… I wonder if many people took advantage of this particular error.

Previously, Wii points were pretty stable and have been RRP of £15.00 for 2000 points. This means the following:

£1 = 133 points

However, now, the prices for Nintendo points seems to be the following (so far as I’ve noticed)

Buying direct from Nintendo store (Wii or DSi)
£1 = 142 points

In store from HMV or on Amazon (at reduced price).
£1 = 100 points

RRP from Amazon
£1 = 86 points

As such, if Amazon RRP is to believed, the cost of Nintendo points has increased, and yet, based on the Nintendo store cost, it has actually slightly decreased.

This is of course utter madness when you consider that you are just buying money to be spent solely on Nintendo Wiiware/Dsiware!

Chocolate, Quantum and BSG

2009-04-06T13:35:00.003+01:00

Films watched:

Chocolate

An alternative Malaysia martial arts movie with an autistic protagonist. Rather entertaining if ultimately a one trick pony.

7/10

Quantum of Solace

An adrenalin filled and wholly unnecessary final act (strung out to a whole films length) to Casino Royale. Oh dear.

4/10

I managed to catch the final episode of BSG the other day. Overall I thought it was okay, not great, just okay. The whole “higher power” aspect of the storyline, namely the god or gods guiding the characters grated with me somewhat. Another thing that really annoyed was the fact that previously the crew and remaining humans aboard other vessels would revolt at the drop of the hat, but for some reason they all seemed perfectly happy to be separated, stripped of all their possessions and plunked in the middle of nowhere on a new and strange planet to fend for themselves without complaining once.

Anyway, it was okay I guess, just not a classic ending in line with the likes of Star Trek: The next Generation, Babylon 5 and Twin Peaks.

Better than me + i

2009-04-05T15:28:00.001+01:00

It's official.... Roz is now much better than me at drumming on Guitar Hero :(

+ Now have my DSi and it's great :)

Please, PLEASE, be good!

2009-04-01T12:42:00.005+01:00

The first picture /poster for the new adaptation of The Day of the Triffids, which is due to be shown on BBC1 later this year has appeared online. I've also placed it below.

I only pray that:

a) It's a relatively faithful adaptation.

and

b) It's does justice to the source material (which is IMHO one of the best books of all time)

It's certainly got a good cast with maybe a couple of exceptions (*cough* Eddie Izzard and Jason Priestley).

Bruce, SD and noisy consoles.

2009-03-30T12:13:00.002+01:00

Film watched:

My Name is Bruce

I like Bruce Campbell, but boy do I hope that he never tries to direct again. Absolutely appalling.

2/10

Last week Iwata announced the 4.0 update for the Wii. This new update features twenty screens with twelve channels each accessible from SD cards, and also will support SDHC. Wiishop channel can also now download directly onto an HD card if you choose, and you can launch the same content directly off the same card.

I tried this out last week by moving some of my game onto a SD card and running them from there. The load times are not instantaneous, but maybe take around 10-15 seconds and is just as quick as loading the equivalent on the PS3. So overall, this is a fantastic update to the Wii. I’ve resisted buying anymore Wiiware titles or virtual console titles just because of the memory restrictions. What titles I already have already take up too much room and the thought of having to constantly copy and delete titles was just a pain in the neck. As such, I may have to treat myself to Final Fantasy: My Life as a King and maybe a few Art Style games, in addition Bit. Trip Beat also looks pretty fantastic.

One complaint often levelled again the 360 is that it is a very noisy machine, namely that the cooling fan can be quite noisy and distracting whilst playing games etc. I’m going to go on record by saying that this phenomenon is not exclusive to the 360. I recently had a little reorganise at home and as such, I placed my PS3 laying horizontally in a very well ventilated cabinet rather than outside a cabinet standing up as it had been previously. Whilst watching a DVD on the PS3 last night the fans not only kicked in, but went into severe overdrive and quite honestly sounded like a miniature airplane just about to take off and was obviously, a bit of a distraction. As such, I’ll just have to remove my PS3 from the cabinet.

Anyway I just wanted to state that the PS3 is not necessarily the quiet console that some make it out to be (well at least mine isn’t).

Edit: I have just read that for some reason the PS3 is noisiest when upscaling DVD's.

Fahrenheit & [Rec]

2009-03-25T12:28:00.008Z

Films watched:

Fahrenheit 9/11

Interesting and enlightening documentary (if slightly biased) covering the Bush administrations reaction to 9/11.

6.5/10

[Rec]

Absolutely fantastic Spanish low budget Blair Witch a-like Zombie thriller. 10x better than Diary of the Dead. Very highly recommended.

8/10

It occurs to me that Spain is rapidly becoming the new horror king (possibly dethroning both Japan and Korea), with the likes on this, Pan's Labyrinth (not a true horror I know) and The Orphanage (best film of 2008 TM). Either way, once again, foreign cinema kicks dirt on the face of anything that Hollywood can produce!

Incidentally, [Rec] has ALREADY been remade as an English language American film, namely Quarantine, which has not been reviewed as well as [Rec]. Can't Hollywood leave things alone? I'm dreading the Oldboy remake which has been preposed, even if Spielberg is involved.

Anyway, here's hoping that [Rec]2 which is due out later this year is equally as good.

Lust and Lightening

2009-03-20T12:14:00.000Z

Film watched:

Lust Caution

A beautifully delicate Japanese / Chinese WWII espionage thriller from Ang Lee. Similar to Black Book , but even more horribly depressing.

7/10

I’m nearing the end of the single player campaign of Killzone 2 and have just managed to obtain (for a short time) the lightening gun. This is officially the coolest weapon from any FPS game so far, although the bolt gun in Killzone 2 is also great. I love the way you reload by drawing in the lightening from the atmosphere.

Sunset Boulevard

2009-03-18T12:18:00.000Z

Whilst away in London the other week, I also managed to catch Sunset Boulevard, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical on the stage. This is a musical that I have wanted to see for some time, as I missed its original run and as such had also planned my London trip in such a way to catch the limited return of this stage production.

The production was in a relatively small theatre by London standard and was also a very much scaled down production compared to the original. When I sat at my seat, I was initially confused when I noticed that there wasn’t an orchestral pit by the stage and as such, presumed that the backing music would not be performed live (much to my disappointment).

When the show started, it became immediately apparent how this was to be handled. The instruments were played on stage by the actors as part of the performance. As such, the performers had to hold numerous roles, namely that of actors, singers and musicians. They also had to quickly move about the stage whilst carrying and playing the instruments (which included a double bass). It really was some feat and incredibly impressive, perhaps even more so by the smaller scale of the production.

The only slight disappointment was that the theatre itself wasn’t even half full. This could perhaps be because Sunset Boulevard is not as popular as it once was, or it could also be a sign of the times for stage musicals. Either way, it was a little sad in light of the absolutely fantastic performance.

Let the Right One in

2009-03-17T12:35:00.001Z

Film watched:

Let the Right One in

Okay, I’m going to break my 20 word rule for this one as well, but this time for all the wrong reasons.

This is a film that I was really really looking forward to. It has been adored by pretty much all the critics and currently holds at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Many have called this the film of the year, and seeing as this is a foreign horror film, I had expectations that this would be in a similar league to Pan’s Labyrinth or The Orphanage. I was wrong.

That is not to say that it is a bad film, it isn’t, it’s just a long mile away from being the excellent film that other critics have suggested. There is also no doubt that it isn’t a beautiful film, or even a touching film, it just didn’t click with me. I think my problem is that it didn’t really bring anything that new to the table in my opinion, and what developments it did bring lacked any punch. It felt like the first third of a film dragged out a whole films length. I’d like to state for the record that I don’t mind slow films, in fact there are many films which are considered “slow” which I adore, but with this I kept waiting for the film to surprise me, or grab me, and left disappointed.

6/10

DS Lite R.I.P.

2009-03-15T19:26:00.003Z

It is a sad, sad day...

It's not totally unexpected, I'd know for some time that my DS Lite was on it's last legs, thankfully I only have another 2 1/2 weeks to wait until the DSi is released (I have one on pre-order). But for now, I have returned to the faithfull DS phat!

Platinum trophy!

2009-03-14T11:04:00.004Z

I have just managed to complete Fallout 3, and at the same time have also just managed to nab my very first platinum trophy. As such, to mark this occasion, I thought I'd post some pictures:

Also suffering with a cold at the moment, or as Roz puts it "man flu"... Either way... bleurgh!

London films 2009

2009-03-13T12:29:00.005Z

Back from London (after an additional days delay), so here go my movie reviews:

Films watched:
The Unborn

A Jewish Exorcist, pretty derivative, but still has some good scares and was mildly enjoyable.

6/10

Franklyn

Comes across as a student film with a sizeable budget. Thinks it’s cleverer than it actually is. Thumbs down.

4/10

Watchmen

Going to have to break my 20 word rule again for this one.

I fail. I cannot write a cohesive review of the film…I have tried and failed several time. As such, I’ll just post a few of my observations and feelings after watching it.

For a fan of the comics (which I am), seeing certain scenes come to life can seem like an almost religious experience. A particular segment which comes to mind is the Dr Manhattan flashbacks, which are narrated in jumbled timeframe by Dr Manhattan, which was absolutely magical. The same could be said watching the smiley badge fall to the ground during the opening moments of the film.

There is no squid, the ending has been changed slightly to remove the squid and replace it with something else. Overall, this actually works better for the film, as the squid would have come across as too much of a WTF moment to your average Joe and would have require a LOT of explaining, which would have been just too difficult to do. The film instead keeps the same themes of the ending, but deals with them in a quicker fashion. I do have one slight complaint with the alternative non-squid solution, in that the devastation and the consequences of someone’s actions are not felt as much. In the comic, at the “squid” moment, there are 6 full pages of broken, bleeding corpses, mutilation and destruction. Including the bodies of several minor, likeable characters that you have grown to know over the course of the comic. This is not in the film and as such, the heavy consequences and the effect of someone’s actions does not have the level of impact that it should have.

The film is long, running at around 2:40, but at the same time it didn’t stop for a breath and didn’t feel that long to me. I’m well aware that there is an impending directors cut out there with an extra 40 minutes of cuts, plus a further 20 minutes of the Black Freighter, meaning that in total, almost an hour of the film is missing. As such, the film really felt like an abridged version and not the full version, and as such, I have knocked at least half a point, or maybe a full point off my review score to reflect this. I really, REALLY want to give this at least 9 out of 10, but at the same time, I’m so aware that the film would benefit so much more with the missing scenes.

Amongst the missing scenes are lots of scenes featuring minor characters, including the two Bernie’s at the newsstand and also the psychiatrist. Although these are not intrinsic to the plot, they do add a human element to the story and also add additional emotion to some of the final scenes. I think that the inclusion of these scenes will add a great deal more emotional weight to the film. Also, the Black Freighter is an easy cut from the film, but at the same time, it also adds another layer to the film as much of the storyline in this, match and mirror the moral themes of the main storyline.

Overall then, for this fan of the comic it is a fantastic film, but at the same time I came away feeling like I had not seen the full picture. A condensed comic epic.

8.5

Trophy and Bye

2009-03-08T19:22:00.004Z

Elliot won a trophy at football this saturday, as "Mini of the Month", generally for good behavior and sportmanship. As such, we were all very proud. A photo of him holding the trophy is below.

Also, just a quick note to say "bye" as I'll be off to London for a few days tomorrow and will return with a review or two.

Games, Degeneration and Earthsea

2009-03-05T12:11:00.010Z

Okay now, it’s about time that I ran through the games that I have been playing recently, so:

Games played:
Noby Noby Boy
It’s odd… very odd even!
Basically you play Boy, who needs to stretch and report his length to Girl, who seems to feed off this length and grow to other planets. Other than this, it’s a case of just experimenting and trying new and different things. The community aspect of this is very good, in that everyone who plays the game contributes to Girls length, but really it is just a pretty bonkers experimental game at heart and that is by no means bad… just different.

Flower
This is without a doubt the most outstanding game I have played on the PSN.
It is a relaxing, and gloriously beautiful game, which was best described by the developers as a moving poem. It also, rather surprisingly, tells a simple yet topical story, without words characters, plot or dialogue.
This (and to some degree Noby Noby Boy) is the reason why the PSN (and also Wiiware and Xbox Live Arcade) is
A fantastic game that really should not be missed by anyone who has a PS3.

Fallout 3
I’m actually nearing the conclusion of this game, although I’d reached the level cap some time ago.
Another fantastic game. I was a little uncertain at first with the mix if FPS and VATS mode, but I you stick at it, the game really does draw you in. I love the freedom that this game gives you and also the morale choices (which are the best I’ve come across in a game). Overall it has to be the best game I have played for some time and would highly recommend it to anyone (you can after all tailor your character to your tastes). It’s just such a damn shame that the DLC is currently exclusive to the 360….grrrr… spit…

I have also recently purchased Killzone 2, but I will leave my comments until I have had more time with the game. What I have played so far is very good though.

Films watched:
Tales from Earthsea

An odd mix of Western fantasy and Japanese Anime that never quite gels. Certainly no Spirited Away!

5/10

Resident Evil: Degeneration

A welcome return for Claire and Leon. Better adaptation than the conventional films, but not a better film for it.

6/10

Oscar Winners

2009-02-23T05:56:00.002Z

Overall a good night. Hugh Jackman made a good presenter and my predictions were pretty good.

The highlight of the night had to be Danny Boyle picking up the best Director award :)

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire
RIGHT

Best Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
RIGHT

Best Actor
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
WRONG - Sean Penn

Best Actress
Kate Winslet - The Reader
RIGHT

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
RIGHT

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
RIGHT

Best Animated Feature Film
Wall-E
RIGHT

Best Adapted Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire
RIGHT

Best Original Screenplay
Wall-E
WRONG - Milk

Best Original Score
Slumdog Millionaire
RIGHT

Best Original Song
Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire
RIGHT

Art Direction
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
RIGHT

Cinematography
The Dark Knight
RIGHT

Costume Design
The Duchess
RIGHT

Best Documentary Feature
Man on Wire
RIGHT

Film Editing
Slumdog Millionaire
RIGHT

Make-up
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
RIGHT

Best Animated Short Film
Presto
WRONG -La Maison En Petits Cubes

Sound Editing
The Dark Knight
RIGHT

Sound Mixing
The Dark Knight
WRONG - Slumdog Millionaire

Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
RIGHT

71% RIGHT

SF4 :(

2009-02-20T23:13:00.003Z

It has to be said, I'm NOT feeling the love for Street Fighter 4

A) It's way too difficult. I can't get passed that first fight on normal, and can't get past the penultimate fight on VERY EASY!

B) I can't get used to it with the dual shock, neither the D pad or the stick seem to give me the results I want... How I long for the SNES pad!

C) All the Super-duper moves are stupid and unbalanced. I loved SF2 because it was simple and yet at the same time, took long to master. I hate all the ultra moves, EX moves and super duper kill everything moves.

D) Overall, it just feels wrong!

I've tried to like it, I really have... Maybe I'm just not into fighting games any more!

DSi release date...

2009-02-19T12:21:00.003Z

It's out on April the 3rd at £149.99...

2 days ahead of the US! A whole 2 days!!!

Watchmen booked...

2009-02-18T12:41:00.000Z

At last!

I've finally manged to book a ticket to catch Watchmen at the London IMAX only a few days after it's premier (the tickets were selling fast).

I'm all booked up for Tuesday 10th March at 2:30pm.

Not too long at all now :)

Oscar predictions 2009

2009-02-18T12:12:00.000Z

Only 5 more days to go...

Well here are my predictions for this year.

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
I believe that this will be between either Sean Penn or Mickey Rourke (although I believe that Frank Langella is probably most deserving). Sean Penn would be the “safe” choice, but I’m going to say Mickey Rourke

Best Actress
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
I would be very VERY surprised if this award went to anyone other. Really, if there is any dead cert this year, then it is this. It is also, very well deserved.

Best Foreign Language Film
I can’t comment, as the foreign language films I would like to see included, haven’t been nominated this year.

Best Animated Feature Film
Wall-E
There is an outside chance that Kung Fu Panda may stand a chance, but in all honesty this belongs to Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Screenplay
Wall-E
I’m really sticking my neck out on this one, but I’d love to see Wall-E nab this.

Best Original Score
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Song
Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire
I believe that this will go to either Jai Ho or O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire. Jai Ho is the funkier of the two, so I’ll place my bets on this.

Art Direction
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cinematography
The Dark Knight
It’s very possible that Slumdog will also get this, but the memory of the staggering IMAX shot scenes on The Dark Knight are burned into my mind, and for that reason alone, I think that The Dark Knight may steal this.

Costume Design
The Duchess
Period film = almost immediate win.

Best Documentary Feature
Man on Wire

Best Documentary Short Subject
Cannot comment

Film Editing
Slumdog Millionaire

Make-up
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Live Action Short Film
Cannot comment

Best Animated Short Film
Presto

Sound Editing
The Dark Knight

Sound Mixing
The Dark Knight

Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Benjamin, Bolt and A&E

2009-02-17T12:35:00.004Z

Okay, first up an update on the health front.

Lately I’ve been having trouble with my neck and also more recently suffering with sensitive teeth and ear ache on my left hand side. On valentines day, after I’d cooked a meal, the left hand side of my face became increasingly painful and as such, I retired to bed very early to try to sleep it off. Unfortunately the pain grew and grew, until I couldn’t stop shaking.

Anyway, it was off to A&E again for me (something I wanted to avoid this year after a disastrous 2008) and they were of the opinion that the pain may not be from my neck, but from either gland or sinus infection.

I’ve generally been better since then, although the pain still comes and goes and I’ve continued to feel somewhat run down…

Anyway, enough doom and gloom…

Films watched:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Interesting concept which isn’t explored sufficiently. A flat performance from Pitt doesn’t help matters.

6/10

Bolt

Extremely entertaining CGI effort from Disney which entertains adult and children alike. Not Pixar quality, but surprisingly close.

8/10

Omega Man and stiff neck

2009-02-12T12:12:00.000Z

Film watched:

The Omega Man

Definitely not I am Legend, but still vaguely entertaining. Actually includes some relevant themes that the latest adaption skips.

6/10

I’ve been feeling a tad run down over the last few days. It probably started a little on Monday, when I started to suffer with a stiff and painful neck, but it then got really bad on Tuesday when it was accompanied by a really bad headache, earache and also really sensitive teeth. Since then I have continued to feel run down and, to use a technical term, very “bleurgh”.

I’m thinking that this is all connected to my neck, as the pain seems most associated to the left hand side of my neck/head, namely my earache and sensitive teeth are also on the left hand side. Also, the pain seems to come and go, but my neck always feels as stiff as a board.

I’ve tried shifting my desk around at work to help with my posture, to see if this helps and have also been wary of how I sit, walk etc., but generally have not been feeling the happiest. If it continues I’ll likely go to the doctor again, but when I have suffered with neck problems in the past, I have not been convinced that anything the doctor or physiotherapist has done have contributed greatly to its improvement, previously it just seems to have gotten better over time.
Anyhow… Just thought I’d include an artist rendition of how my neck currently feels (courtesy of Fallout 3):

Guitar scale and Stay

2009-02-10T12:18:00.002Z

Film watched:

Stay

5% genius and 95% drivel does not a good film make. Poor rubber reality film.

3/10

Guitar scale

This is something that I have been working on for a little while…

I wanted something which showed the musical scale of a guitar on a single sheet of paper. Something which linked the fret board notes (but not sharps and flats) and musical notation for easy reference. In addition, I also wanted something which also indicated the octave of the notes, again on the same single sheet of paper.

I’d had a look in the guitar books that I have and also online, but could not find anything to my liking and as such, decided to create something myself.

I created this in excel, and whilst pretty basic, it does its job well. Just for the sake of it, I took a screen grab (is there a better way to convert excel to a picture format?) and have placed it here… (not the best quality image, I know, but I wanted to blog about it anyway)

(Click for a slightly closer look)

Killzone 2 demo impressions.

2009-02-06T12:35:00.001Z

I seem to be posting a whole heap of demo impressions of late… oh well, onto Killzone 2.

Well it certainly looks impressive that’s for sure and the cover mechanic makes it feel more like a FPS GOW than your standard shooter. As a FPS it seems pretty generic from what I’ve seen, with only the cover system distancing it from other FPS’s. The demo itself was pretty short, so it is hard to give a definitive impression of the game, but from what I have seen I would say that it looks like a very competent game, maybe not revolutionary, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

I’ll likely be buying it mainly for the multiplayer and the demo did not include a version of this which was a shame, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’d imagine that it’ll play more similar to COD than Resistance, which is a good thing in my book.

My only is with the controls (why does this sound familiar). Overall movement feel very weighty and I had to adjust the sensitivity slightly, but this wasn’t the issue. Using cover is very, very important (you get slaughtered quickly if you stand out in the open), but to take cover you need to press and hold the L2 button. Now to pop up out of cover you just need to press either up or left/right, which ever is appropriate. However, to look down the sights of your gun and zoom you need to press either L1 or R3 before shooting with R1. Neither of these feel very natural (namely pressing 3 buttons to shoot from behind cover) and I spent a fair amount of time fumbling with these controls. In my opinion this could be fixed easily by just requiring the press of L2 to duck behind cover, but not holding L2, then another press of L2 to leave the cover, but this option is not available.

The above is by no means a deal breaker for me, it just adds another layer of complexity where it isn’t needed. I’ve had a look on a couple of forums and seen that a few other people also share my opinion. Hopefully this may be addressed, otherwise it’ll just require a bit of adapting on my part. I may have to give the demo another swirl to see if I can get to grips with it a bit more.

It has, however, made me realise just how natural the COD button layout is and how anything else just seems alien in comparison.

Fear 2 demo impressions and Slumdog

2009-02-05T00:54:00.000Z

I’ve had it on my PS3 for around a week, but have only just got around to playing the demo for Fear 2… and I was pretty impressed.

This game is really best played at night, with the lights low, on a big TV and with the sound up high. I can honestly say that it utterly freaked me out. I don’t think I’ve jumped so much and so many times in a games in a long, long time.

Overall then, very impressed, it’s just a shame that I currently have so many other games on my agenda. I may have to earmark this as a possible future purchase during a quieter period.

Film watched:
Slumdog Millionaire

Touching and surprisingly clever feel good film from Danny Boyle. Had a massive grin on my face by the end.

8.5/10

I’d also like to add, that unless Benjamin Button excels, I’d be surprised if Slumdog Millionaire doesn’t walk away with the best picture Oscar.

RE5 Impressions, Indy & Free Radical

2009-02-04T12:24:00.000Z

So following a 1 week exclusivity period on the 360 (grr stupid grr) the demo for Resident Evil 5 (RE5) was released on the PS3, the following is my impression:

Now before I begin, I have to say that from both a friend and also reading online, there has been a degree of negativity about the game, mostly focused on the controls. However, I was not going to let this effect my judgement as I simply loved RE4 and also the prior games.

Anyway, after playing the demo for some time last night, it has to be said that while it looked fantastic, it has some issues, and I will address these below:

1) The controls
There’s no avoiding it, they just feel sluggish and when you consider that based on the demo that RE5 is more action packed than the previous games, they just don’t cut the mustard. I tried different configurations and also different speeds, but still I could not bring them up to speed. The thing is I loved RE4 and things are largely unchanged from that, so it’s a bit strange really. I think that given time I would be able to get used to them again, but it certainly does take getting used to.

2) Co-op
I’m not a big fan of co-op games, and I had some concerns about RE5 in the regard prior to the demo, and it looks like my concerns were on the ball.

Although RE4 was great, the worst thing about it were the sections where you had to worry about Ashley in addition to yourself, it looks like RE5 is going to be like this, multiplied by 10. I know that this is a little unfair, as Sheva can look after herself a lot better than Ashley in RE4, but you still have to keep an eye on her health, help her out when she needs it, save her from enemies and share your ammo and weapons with her. Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn, I just want to play the game myself and worry about myself. Resident Evil has always been a game of careful ammo preservation and this is spoilt when you either have another player, or a CPU wasting your carefully preserved ammo with wild abandon.

It also feels like you’re missing out on part of the game, as you are forced to split up and cover each other.

I’ve tried playing it with a CPU controlled character and also online with real players, but neither felt particularly satisfactory. I guess it just boils down to the fact that Resident Evil has always previously been a survival horror game where you just need to primarily look after yourself, and being forced to worry about someone else just irritates. Maybe I’m just a selfish gamer!

3) The inventory
Previously when you enter the inventory screen the game pauses allowing you to swap weapons, heal etc. Now, there is no pause in the action and you are forced to do this while you play. While this may be realistic, it certainly isn’t a quick process. For example, to simply change from a pistol to a shotgun I need to press the menu button, select the shotgun, press a button to select the shotgun, then select to equip this and press a button to equip this. All this while being attacked by 10 zombies. Switching equipment between you and Sheva makes matters even worse!

If they insisted upon realtime equipment changes, why couldn’t they include hotkeys using the D-pad, similar to something like Fallout? That would makes things much more workable.

It’s also a shame that they have taken away the way in which you were forced to fit your equipment in a case in RE4, which meant that you had to carefully decide which items to take and which weapons to purchase.

Overall
Following the demo, this has changed from a day one purchase, to a game that I will likely pick up when I have some more free time. I’m not doubting that there is a good game there, it just isn’t a priority for me any longer.

Here’s hoping that I enjoy the Killzone 2 demo which is hitting tomorrow!

I’ve been meaning to blog a bit more about Fallout 3 and will likely do so in the future. What I will say, however, is had I played the game when it was released last year, it would undoubtedly been in my top 3 games of 2008. To put it simply, it is awesome!

Read a good bit of news just yesterday, the Wii version of the new Indy game, namely Indiana Jones and the Staff of the Kings will include as an added bonus a copy of the old PC classic SCUMM adventure Indiana Jones and the Fat of Atlantis. One hell of a bonus if you ask me, which almost warrants a purchase of the new game, no matter what quality it is!

Also, on the good news department, I’ve read that Free Radical have been purchased by Crytek. This is obviously good news, while Haze certainly wasn’t as good as it should have been, I still had hope that they would sprinkle that old magic on a HD Timesplitters in the future…

The Reader and Knocked Up

2009-02-01T10:07:00.005Z

Films watched:

The Reader

A little long, but still a touching film. Winslet will likely get the oscar for this.

7.5/10

Knocked Up

As a film it succeeds in being charming and likeable. As a comedy it fails to be that funny.

5.5/10

“ILY”

2009-01-30T12:25:00.000Z

Okay the most bizarre thing happened to me just before… I was speaking to an accountancy firm, and left my details with a receptionist in order for an accountant to get back to me on a certain point.

The receptionist replied with “Thank you. I love you. Goodbye” and promptly put the phone down.

“I love you”?!?

Seriously - WTF

“Jet”

2009-01-27T20:17:00.000Z

YES :)

Instant download for me…

"Following their debut appearance on disc in Guitar Hero World Tour with “Band on the Run,” Paul McCartney’s Wings return to the Guitar Hero stage with the Wings Track Pack. “Junior’s Farm,” “Hi Hi Hi” and “Jet,” three top-ten hits from the band’s diverse catalog of music, will be available for download on February 19th."

I’m still gunning for Rockshow/Venus&Mars, but all the same the above is a good selection of Wings tracks…

Altogether now… “Jet!”

Hell yes :)

Down is up, BSG & Dexter series 2

2009-01-27T12:26:00.000Z

So I went down a friends house on Friday evening and had a go of co-operative Gears of War 2 on his Xbox 360, which I actually rather enjoyed. Not being a 360 owner, the gameplay reminded me a bit of a cross between Uncharted and Metal Gear Online (and yes I know that Gears of War predated both of these).

Anyway, there were 3 of us playing, and swapping to take turns playing hoard mode. One of my friends had to play using default controls (where up is up and down is down), where as myself and another used inverted controls (where down is up and up is down). This resulted in a friendly argument into which controller type was right and which was frankly bonkers (default – naturally), but anyway, this got me thinking and I did a little browsing on the internet on the subject.

It was surprising how many sites had tackled the subject and it seems that the split between “inverters” and “defaulters” as I shall refer to them seems to be pretty much 50/50. It could be argued that “defaulters” is not strictly correct, as I’m sure that some games do default as inverted, but it will do for the course of this discussion.

I found one dated blog which I found very interesting, here:

Down is up

Previously I have seen it argued that inverted controls are a by-product of old flight sim games, where the inverted controls match that of an airplane, however this theory does not hold weight with me, as I was never into flight sims in my youth.

This article however, suggests that it is all to do with where the “player put their consciousness in relation to the controller”, and on reading this, I’m probably inclined to agree with this.

It is true that inverted controls only apply to games in which you are looking either from a first person perspective or alternatively from directly behind a character. Either way, it is a matter of you looking directly into a 3D game world, and as such, is relevant to your own perspective of the real world. After all, inverted controls don’t apply to a 2D platform game (Mario etc).

The additional comments relating to extroverted and introverted players hold little weight for me (although I’m naturally introverted so would fall within the category of an “invereter”), but it was an interesting read and also, the comments are also almost endless!

I have also recently finished watching series 2 of Dexter. While excellent, it wasn’t quite as good as the first series (which was exceptional). By far the best episode had to be the penultimate episode, which had some great moments between Dexter and Doakes. Also the scene where Dexter imagines telling his sister his secret had me in stitches. I’m looking forward to catching up on the third series in due course, but at the moment I also have Lost, 24 and BSG on the go, so it’ll have to wait a bit.

Talking of Battlestar Galactic… wasn’t the first episode of the second half of series 4 the most depressing episode ever (although this isn’t too surprising)!

Frost / Nixon & Last House

2009-01-22T22:05:00.000Z

Film watched:

Frost / Nixon

An interesting portrayal of the famous interview, with great performaces. Probably has greater impact for American's, but still good.

7.5/10

The Last House on the Left

“Classic” early exploitism horror from Wes Craven. Very 70’s, very dated. Could have been good, had it been executed better.

4/10

Oscar nominations and drum

2009-01-22T12:45:00.000Z

Well the Oscar nominations have been announced and are detailed below (main categories only – I will address them all when I post my predictions). I shall try to catch up on some of the films of note that I have missed in order to formulate my own predictions, which I will likely post a week or two before the ceremony.

Most surprising of all is the omission of Revolutionary Road, which I had expect to be included in Best film, and also best actress (although Kate Winslet is included for The Reader instead). I’m also a little disappointed that The Dark Knight didn’t get into more of the main categories, as I had hoped that it may have managed to sneak in a best picture and best director nomination. Oh well!

On an unrelated note, the red drum pad on my Guitar Hero drum kit stopped working a couple of days ago, just to prove that Red Octane’s equipment is also prone to occasional failures. It was, however, not just lacking sensitivity, but completely dead. Thankfully, HMV were extremely good and replaced this for me without any fuss or bother. As such HMV (which is already great in my book for customer service, has gone up even more). Oh, and I now have a working drum kit again… so Roz is happy :)

Oscars (main categories)

Best Film
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director
Gus Van Sant – Milk
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey Jr – Tropic Thunder
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath ledger – The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway – Rachel
Angelina – Changeling
Melissa leo – Frozen River
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Best Original Screenplay
Frozen River
Happy Go Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Wall-e

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Veronica Mars “The Movie”

2009-01-19T12:15:00.000Z

It’s now looking more and more likely that Veronica Mars may be following the Firefly route, namely taking a cancelled TV series and resurrecting it into a full blown movie following fan demand. Thankfully Veronica Mars managed to get 2 full seasons and one incomplete season out before cancellation, rather than the pitiful number of episodes that Firefly managed, but still there are far too many loose ends towards the end that need to be wrapped up.

Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars has spoken to iFMagazine and said the following:

"My writing the movie is half the battle. Someone else has to pay for it," he said. "Joel Silver does have a certain pile of money. He called on me saying 'Can we do this now?' Kristen wants to do it. Joel wants to do it and I want to do it. For me, that’s the next project."

“I think it would open just days before the Hearst College Graduation. So Veronica would be sort of at the end of her college career."

This is just what we need… Not the FBI offshoot which was proposed, just one last glorious murder mystery to bring everything to a close.

Both this and Dexter are by far the best recent TV series that I have watched of late…

Watchmen, Sunset and FFXIII when!

2009-01-16T12:33:00.000Z

At long last, the news that I have been waiting for has been announced. For some time now Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox have been in dispute about the legal ownership of the Watchmen film. This has been going on for some time now and it look like a distinct possibility that the films release date may have been changed and pushed back several months, or in a worst case scenario, shelved indefinitely. Thankfully both Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox have reached an out of court settlement and as such, the original release date is still set to go, much to the relief to a multitude of film fanatic (myself included) An official statement covering this was given as follows:

"Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox have resolved their dispute regarding the rights to the upcoming motion picture Watchmen in a confidential settlement. Warner Bros acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography. Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith in defending against those claims. Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's March 6 release in theatres."

Without a shadow of a doubt this is my most anticipated film of 2009 (even above Avatar) and I plan to go and watch it at the IMAX in London, manly because a trailer for it was shown prior to The Dark Knight when I saw that at the IMAX last year. I’m now a 100% fan of the IMAX and have to see Watchmen on the big BIG screen. In addition, I had hoped to see Sunset Boulevard (the musical) which is currently having a rerun at the West End for a limited time. Had Watchmen been delayed, I would have probably missed out on this opportunity. I’ve always wanted to see this on stage, so I’m dead pleased.

As an added bonus, I found this on the internet… How the Watchmen look in Lego form :)

I’ve also read that the release date for Final Fantasy XIII has been given as the end of 2009 in Japan, but not until AFTER April 2010 elsewhere… Bummer.

Resistance 2, Mirrors Edge and Fallout 3

2009-01-12T12:31:00.004Z

Okay I thought it was about time that I posted my initial thoughts on the recent games I’ve been playing

Resistance 2

For the first Resistance, I really, really enjoyed the online multiplayer, but found the single player to be a bit lacking (especially towards the end). Surprisingly, for Resistance 2, the exact opposite applies.

I have been really enjoying the single player campaign and have found it to be aimed at just the right difficulty level. It is also a thrilling ride, although it does take itself a little too seriously at times and the big boss fights are a tad easy compared to other stages in the game. Unfortunately I just don’t seem to be able to get into the multiplayer. It could be that I never got in the beta and therefore I am so much worse than most other players, but to be honest I think that it’s more likely that it just doesn’t play as well as COD4, which is the last great online FPS which I’d played lots of.

I still haven’t tried the co-operative campaign which is wholly different to the single player and I have heard that this is great.

Mirrors Edge

I remember watching the initial trailer for this game and being shocked and impressed. Also, I loved the demo.

There is no denying that this is a game with brave concepts and overall it works very well, however, in my opinion there are a few slight flaws, but not enough to ruin an otherwise great game.

Mirrors Edge is at its best when you are running, be it running to evade the police, running across rooftops, or trying to reach far off areas. It is true that you will spend a fair amount of time falling to your death and retrying again and again, but when you nail a section it’s great.

Where it has issues is the combat, although this could probably be partly my fault. I wanted to complete the game without firing a gun (as is encouraged in the game), but the first person combat is pretty rubbish, and often you cannot avoid a fight, as such, this makes it incredibly hard. I would have preferred it if you could avoid all fights by running away (which is fun), forcing combat onto you is a tad annoying.

Overall though, I’ve really enjoyed.

Fallout 3

I am a Fallout virgin. I have never played any of the previous games in the series. In addition, I am also an Oblivion virgin, so really I was coming to this game pretty cold.

At first, I must admit that I was a little uncertain. It feels like it is trying to do two different things, be a first person shooter (or 3rd person if it takes your fancy) and also a role playing game, and at first these don’t seem to gel. After a little while, I managed to get into the swing of things.

I really like the freedom in the game you can go pretty much anywhere from the start and can help people, steal from them, or murder them, whatever takes your fancy. You can also tailor make your character however you want. Overall then I’m quite intrigued, although I’m only just beginning.

Third Man and cold feet

2009-01-09T12:34:00.000Z

Film watched:
The Third Man

For an undisputed classic I found it rather disappointing and relatively uninteresting. Certainly no Citizen Kane!

6.5/10

I’ve also been noticing of late, what with the cold weather and all, that I’ve been finding it a lot colder than I normally would. My extremities, namely hands and feet, seem to get cold (and numb) very quickly even when wearing gloves or ultra-thick thermal socks, when in prior years I’ve been relatively impervious to the cold. I’m not sure if it is due to weight loss or something following my operation… I may have to mention it next time I go to the doctor.

3D gaming

2009-01-08T01:05:00.000Z

Is 3D the next step for gaming?

It would seem that Sony seem to be toying with the idea. Apparently they have had a booth at CES giving varies demos of this, running, amongst other things, Grand Turismo and Wipout HD using this technology.

I've had some experience wih modern 3D vision (as oppose to the old black and white red/green effect) when I watched Beowulf in 3D in London. The effect I have to say, was bloody impressive. It took a few minutes to adjust to, but after a while it really did add to the experience (so much so that I was much less impressed with the film watching it later without 3D). In cinema, however, it has been little more than a gimmick, so it's quite likely that it will probably be little more for games. Still, it's interesting to see that this is being looked into.

Wipeout HD at speed in 3D on a large screen, may, however, be far to much for mortals to handle :)

Wiiware revival

2009-01-06T20:55:00.002Z

I note that Eurogamer have a review of World of Goo, and rather a good review at that. I was pleased to note that they also highlighted the obvious bonus of co-op play in the Wii version of the game, which obviously is not present in the PC version, as I also found this to be a pleasant little bonus in an already more the pleasant game.

In addition that also have a run down of the Art Style games recently added to Wiiware, which I must admit have also peaked my interest and have also given these high praise.

It would seem that Wiiware is at last starting to get a reasonable selection of original and interesting games and about time too. Previously it has been lagging behind both Xbox live and the PSN. Hopefully this is just a sign of more things to come...

Just need that update now so that the games can run off a SD card!

Film adaptations

2009-01-06T12:34:00.012Z

Okay here is a list of film adaptations (from numerous other sources) which I would simply love to be made (or at least made properly).

Are you listening Hollywood? Thought not.

In no particular order:

“Just make the damn film already”:

Rendezvous with Rama

Morgan Freeman actually owns the rights to this and has been trying to get the funding to get this made for countless years. David Fincher has also been attached to it, but has recently indicated that at present there isn’t enough studio interest to get this made.

Stupid damn studio’s I say.

Les Miserables (The Musical)

The recent film musical adaptation of recent years have been rather hit or miss, but this more than any other musical deserves a movie adaptation (maybe Miss Saigon a close second).

I’ve seen it numerous times on stage and would always jump at the chance to see it again, having it for all time as a film would be a definite bonus.

The Dark Knight Returns

It is extremely unlikely that this will get made while the Batman franchise is as successful as it currently is, but all the same I don’t see why The Dark Knight Returns couldn’t be made as a separate entity to the current Batman films, after all it is set in a elseworlds type future where Batman is in his sixties. I’d personally cast Clint Eastwood as an older Batman.

The Dark Tower (series of films)

The Mist hinted at this, plus, anyone who is familiar with the Dark Tower books must have though “thinny” when the mist rolled onto the scene. Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof from Lost have optioned the Dark Tower from Stephen King for the grand sum of $19 (which fans of the series will recognise) and have said that they will be working on this together with J J Abrams after lost has finished it’s TV run. So here’s hoping that this actually goes forward either as a series of films or a TV series.

Midnight Nation

A little known 12 part comic series by J Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5).

A fantastic religious themed story which builds gradually until a fantastic conclusion. Easily as good as the best of his writing in Babylon 5, and perhaps even a little bit better. I remember hearing rumours about this and also his other series Rising Stars being turned into films, but have heard nothing since then. Maybe his renewed popularity following the release of Changeling will push this forward again (if not I’d happily accept a Babylon 5 feature film as an altenrative).

The Chrysalids

I make no excuses for being a big fan of John Wyndham and as such, I find it startling that The Chrysalids has never been adapted. His lessor works such as the Midwich Cuckoos (as Village of the Dammed) and Chocky have been adapted, but somehow not this. Next to The Day of the Triffids this is likely his best work, although it does differ a little from the themes of his other books.

I think some people consider this to be a bit of a childrens novel, but all the same it contains a great premise and a fantastic story.

Elektra Assassin

In my opinion the finest comic series from Frank Miller, even beating The Dark Knight Returns and Sin City series.

It’s frankly stunning, bonkers, confusing and erratic, so would probably make an odd adaptation, but all the same, some of the set pieces are fantastic. Also, I love the presentation of the American president and think that if they used a similar approach on film, it would be both bizarre and highly different than anything before it.

“A proper adaptation now please”:

The Day of the Triffids

This was made very poorly as a film in the 60’s and also as a slightly more successful TV series by the BBC in the 80’s, but neither have really captured the essence of the book. If I were a multimillionaire and had the opportunity to produce my own film of my choosing, it would be this.

I’m aware that the BBC is presently filming a new TV series based on the novel and I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that this is a superior adaptation.

Frankenstein

I had high hopes that when Kenneth Branagh took the reins to adapt this that it would result in a close, word to word adaption akin to his Shakespeare adaptation… not so. His version, whilst the closest to the novel so far, still differs greatly and loses much of the fantastic dialogue.
Is it too much to ask for a decent adaption of one of the greatest novels of all time? I think not.

I am Legend

Adapted 3 times, and in each case they all completely and utterly cock it up.

Surprisingly it is the latest adaption which is the closest, but even that differs greatly from the novel.

I can see this being made on a small budget, with unknown actors , but sticking to the source material closer and making a fantastic film. I know it could be argued that the lack of dialogue would be a problem for the beginning of the film, but I think that other films out there have proven that this is not a problem, and you always have the flashback to break the solitude.

… but for god sake, KEEP THE DAMN ENDING IN PLACE! It’s called “I am Legend” for a bloody good reason.

11th Doctor

2009-01-04T10:29:00.002Z

Well it was announced last night that the 11th Doctor will be played by a relatively unknown actor called Matt Smith.

My first impressions from is interview is that he is remarkably young for the role at 26, and boy does he have big shoes to fill... Oh well, we'll find out how he does come 2010!

Psycho, strippers and change

2009-01-03T16:23:00.005Z

New year, new design, new rules…

I’ve decided to skip my 10 word rule on my film reviews and instead limit them to no more than 20 words and see how I get on… Speaking of which:

Films watched:
American Psycho

Not at all what I was expecting. A Phenomenal performance by Christian Bale in a 80’s yuppie serial killer drama.

7.5/10

Zombie Strippers

Exactly as it says on the tin, packed with both Zombie’s and strippers. Still fun. Social commentary a tad misplaced.

6/10

2008 review

2008-12-31T00:01:00.001Z

As with previous years, I have reviewed the past year and decided upon my 3 favourite films and 3 favourite games from the past year.

Obviously (especially for the games), I have not had the chance to play/watch everything that 2008 has to offer, so this is based solely on my experiences so far.

So here goes:

Films

Top Three

The Orphanage

It really is a very simple tale which starts out seemingly as a classic ghost story, but then around 1/3rds of the way through it changes and blossoms into something much greater, a film with a very human heart. As a parent, I believe that this film probably has a greater impact, but all the same there is no denying that it is both a moving tale and beautifully told.

I’m not to proud to admit that it was the ending of the film which really got to me, making me shed a tear or two. The ending is just so well constructed and such a brilliant payoff to a great, great film.

Once again a foreign language film has taken the top place as film of the year for me (that’s 4 years on the trot now that this has been the case).

The Dark Knight

Much more than just a steady progression from Batman Begins.
The best description I have come across from reading various reviews is by comparing this to Heat. It really is much more than just another superhero film, it’s an epic crime drama with a message or two about society.

Just like Batman Begins all the principal cast give great performances, but I would be amiss if I didn’t mention Heath Ledger in particular. I had my dounts about his casting, mainly because I love the character of the Joker and had never felt that it had been given proper justice in a live action move (the joker in the animated series, however, was spectacular). Ledger nailed it however. The Joker is an agent of chaos, unpredictable, uncaring yet calculating and devious. A perfect villain. It’s just a great shame that we will never get to see him reprise the role.

I’ve also got to add that I had the blessing of being able to watch this at the IMAX in London, which was simply phenomenal. There was such an atmosphere at the cinema, with so many Joker t-shirts being worn (including my own – I’m equally sad) that lost count. Also watching it on such a massive screen in full IMAX format was something else, and has convinced me that I MUST go and see Watchmen at the IMAX when it is release in 2009 it was trailered before (The Dark Knight).

A memory that has also stuck with me is that so many people (including me) stayed in the cinema to watch the whole of the credits. I don’t know why, but for some reason this is a strange little memory which just won’t budge.

Wall-e

Once again Pixar comes up with the goods.

Although this film has a very strong environmental message (which at times can be a little overbearing), the real story here is a simple love story between a clumsy and awkward robot (Wall-e) and a sleek chic robot (Eve). The fact that Pixal can construct such a touching tale between these two robots is a credit to them, when you consider that they have practically zero dialogue. When it comes to animation, Pixar have never, ever put a foot wrong (yes I like Cars), and I have no reason to doubt that Up will likely be in my top 3 for next year.

If I had any complaint, it would be that the first third of the story is so much stronger than the remaining two-thirds, but then again, almost 2 hours of no more than three words of dialogue would probably be a little too much to ask of modern audiences.

Notable mentions:

Teeth

A coming of age horror / drama about a girl with a vagina dentata (razor sharp teeth in her vagina). For this reason alone, it is worth mentioning again. But all the same, it is a very well acted and thoughtful film. It must also have the quota on lopped of penises of any film.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Worth mentioning purely because it didn’t live up to my (and most other peoples) expectations. That’s not to say that it isn’t a good film, it is, just a wide mile away from being great. I really did expect much more from Steven Spielberg.

The X-Files: I want to believe

Again, mentioned because it fell short of expectations. Really, what were they thinking? I can understand that the budget for this needed to be less than the original movie, but still, you don’t need a budget to make the plot even the slightest bit interesting. Even the worst later episodes were better than this film.

Planet Terror

I know that this was actually release last year, but I just had the chance to watch it this year, so I’m including it okay! Anyway, an immensely fun and slick B-movie pretender will plenty of blood and guts (and cheesy acting) for 10 movies.

Gaming

Top Three (not in order)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Every bit as good as I had hoped, with the only sour moment being the overly long and overdramatized epilogue. The change in perspective from (relatively) top down to third person is handled very well, with shooting done in an over shoulder perspective, or first person depending on preference. The earlier stages are probably the strongest, but returning to Shadow Moses was also a great addition. This also have some of my favourite boss fights from the entire series in the shape of the Beauty and the Best unit.

Also MGO was great to boot and I also ended up spending quite some time online playing this.

Overall the best game on the PS3 (IMHO) during 2008, which is pretty impressive considering the numer of good titles during 2008.

Final Fantasy Tactics 2

Takes everything that was great about the first game and expands upon it, whilst at the same time correcting some of the minor flaws, just about everything you need from an effective sequel.

About the only complaint that can be levelled against it is that it doesn’t have the strong storyline of the normal final fantasy games, or the Disgaea games (which it more closely resembles), however, this is more than made up by extremely tight strategic gameplay with many aspects which I actually prefer over Disgaea (as a rule Disgagea doesn’t just let you bend the rules, but actually break them in places, FFTA2 is much more structured).

Overall this is my most played game on my DS this year and as such, more than deserving to be in the top 3.

Mario Kart Wii

I simply love pretty much all Mario Kart games and have played all of them (now including the arcade version which I had the chance to play during my last visit to London), so I was obviously looking forward to the Wii version. The addition of the Wii Wheel is an interesting add-on to the game and for those players just joining the series from the “casual” Wii crowd as it allows them to jump into the game probably a little more swiftly. The Wii Wheel also doesn’t work too badly (especially in manual mode), at first I tried playing the game solely with this, but ultimately found that my preference remains with the gamecube pad.

The online racing is also a great addition to the game and the application of this is simple and user friendly, as I should be. Unfortunately battle mode is a big disappointment, as the levels are too big and also the fact that you have to be in a team and also just lose points, not lives is a shame. Then again, battle mode hasn’t been god in the series since the N64 game and I’ve always played for racing, so not loss there.

I’ve also got happy memories of waiting outside HMV on launch day with Elliot and us both rushing home as quickly as possible to play it.

I’ve just notice that my top 3 are shared equally between my 3 systems, namely PS3, DS and Wii. This wasn’t intentional, but there you go!

Notable mentions

Bioshock

At long last I finally got the chance to play this… A great and atmospheric first person shooter, even if the ending is a little weak.

Little Big Planet

Your first experience of this is utter joy – unfortunately, occasionally, as you progress through the story levels, this joy changes to frustration. This is my only complaint with the game, as for a game which appears at first glance to be very casual, it is in fact extremely difficuly. Thankfully the nearly endless user generated content more than make up for this.

Also, very recently, I have started to create my own levels and it's here where the game really starts to shine. It's really quite pleasing when you have seen that your level has been played and ranked (and even hearted). The create aspect of the game really brings it to life, so much so that this very nearly made it into my top 3 this year.

The MGS4 DLC is also great with a fantastic addition of the "paintinator".

Wii Fit

Help to motivate me to get in better shape and lose over 2 stone… not many games can make claim to that!

Disgaea 3

I haven’t completed this yet, but have enjoyed it immensely. It has, in my opinion, probably overcomplicated itself a little too much when compared to the prior two games, but it is still a blast.

Super Smash Brothers: Brawl

I have been playing this a lot more recently with Elliot than when I first purchased this. It is in fact, great fun played co-op in the Adventure mode.

Life

The highlight of this year for me has just been watching Elliot grow up another year. It’s amazing how much he changes and how quickly. This year he has really grown into such a sweet, caring, clever, funny and wonderful little boy that both Roz and I are proud to call our son.

This year I have also faced several health issues, be they blood pressure related, gallbladder and also other issues, which at times has had me a little depressed. Hopefully (fingers crossed) most of that is behind me now. My gallbladder operation seems to have gone okay, and I’m probably fitter now than in have been in the last 18 years!

Following on from this, I have also lost a fair amount of weight. I cannot be certain how much, as I didn’t dare weigh myself at the start, but I’d guess that I was probably over 13 ½ stone. I’m not around 11 stone, which means I’ve lost approximately 2 ½ stone during the course of the year, which is a good feat in my book.

During 2008 we also had a short trip to London with Elliot, which was fun. He really enjoyed the likes of London Zoo, the London Eye and also Tower Bridge and as such we are going again next year (as well as hopefully a trip to Canada).

Anyway… onto 2009!

Happy New Year!

Fantastic Wind Waker cover

2008-12-29T19:33:00.002Z

I stumbled across this follwoing video today.

It is a stylish cover of the main theme from Zelda: The Wind Waker performed by just one person, namely Fredrik Larsson, and what a fantastic job he's done of it:

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:01:00.003Z

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very merry Christmas...

Here's hoping that Santa brings you all something good :)

Greatest DLC EVER?!?

2008-12-23T12:24:00.000Z

Quite possibly the greatest idea for DLC ever is inbound for Little Big Planet... Simply explained by the following formula:

LBP + MGS4 = GREATEST DLC EVER!

The Mist

2008-12-21T21:49:00.006Z

Film watched:
The Mist

Excellent old school Stephen King, with a brutal, BRUTAL ending!

7.5/10 (previously 8.5/10)

Edit: Score change…

Okay, I’ve been thinking a little bit more about the ending of The Mist, which as I understand it was rather controversial. My mindset has changed a little, and I’m now of the opinion that it is a little TOO brutal (yes this is me speaking). I think if it was me writing it, I’d probably left the ending a little ambiguous and maybe cut out the last minute. This would result in a horribly depressing ending (which would be good), but not an “oh my freaking God how could they” ending.

Also, Roz came and sat next to me for just the last 5 minutes of the film and watched the conclusion with no sound (I had headphones on) and STILL it reduced her to tears, without even watching the rest of the movie to build up any type of relationship with the characters. That's just an indication of how brutal, crushing, (possibly) unnecessarily shocking and plain mean the ending is.

As such, I’ve knocked a point off my original score.

Goo rules!

2008-12-20T00:23:00.004Z

Okay - purchased World of Goo today and I have to say...

World of Goo rules!

This has to be by far the best downloadable game I have purchased this year... I'd also like to add that it is also one of the best puzzle games that I have played in a long, long time. It deserves all the praise that has been layed upon it.

It is just the type of game that suits the Wii perfectly, with simple (but very attractive) graphics, a control scheme which suits the system perfectly and gameplay which is accessable, yet incredibly deep. It also has to be said that the physics based gameplay is great. Why on earth can't anyone else get so much out of the Wii!

Anyway, won't rabbit on much more. But all I will say that this game is well worth the price. Anyone who has a Wii derserves to treat themselves to this game...

Well done 2D Boy, well done...

Go Goo!

2008-12-18T12:12:00.000Z

Well, I do not have any Wii games in my Xmas list this year, but come this Friday I will be immediately spending my last 1500 available Wii points without any hesitation on my most wanted downloadable game this year.

That’s right 2Dboy has confirmed that the game World of Goo will be making its EU debut this coming Friday.

Let us all rejoice in the gooeyness!