Title: Avatar: The Burning Earth
Rating: E 10+
System: Xbox 360 (Also available for other systems)
Trying something new today, a video review of Avatar: The Burning Earth. So check it out, and for people that can't watch videos, just read the just-as-entertaining transcript!
I was at Toys R Us and I saw Avatar for only $5 for the Xbox 360. I know the whole T.V. show to Video Game is usually an awful formula, but a five dollar price tag must be worth something… right?
The story begins with you flying on this white horned devil monster. After that, you get what most gamers are playing for - ya, that's right, achievement points. This game gives you all 1000 achievement points right in the first couple of minutes of playing. Now that that's over with, let's actually start playing the game.
Yes a bunch of button mashing fights. This goes on for a little bit until you get your first boss, which you also just punch-punch away at. Hes very simple to beat like most first bosses.
You end up at some underground lair. Hopping around on platforms, jumping and jumping, untill you find these guys. You tell them you have PentaPox and they run away.
Anyway, you have to work together with your friend on your quests, pulling levers and such. The controls to this game are clunky and sticky. You can’t control the camera at all, so if you want to go back in a level, then good luck with that. I’ve seen much worse, but they could have spent more time with the controls.
Each character has a special move, that will help you reach places in the game, which is pretty cool. There are also Treasure Chests that will give you health upgrades.
Now in the story, you end up in a tornado, and in a swamp. This is where you meet some small creature you play as, to go into logs and chew at branches.
Final Say: I got bored of playing this game after an hour into it. I looked it up and I’m almost to the half way point in the game. So I’m seeing that this game is very short. After that review, the final question is, “Is this game worth $5?” I know a couple of you will run out and buy it, just to collect on the easy 1000 achievement points. Also if you are a fan of the show, you might enjoy the game more than I did. The game had some cool aspects, but bad controls. I would not recommend this game for $5, unless you like the show or if you’re crazy about achievement points.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mario before Celeb Status
We all know that the original Donkey Kong was the first game to have Mario as a character. He then developed into having his own game in the arcades called Mario Bros. Mario wasn't the known celebrity that he is now, because lets face it, there are a lot of games Mario is in the title of. Before the release of Super Mario Bros for the NES, two other games came out. These games featured Mario, but did not feature his name in the title. I decided to take a look at these games and decided if they were wrong not to put Mario's name in it.
The First game is called Pinball. That's it for the name, they could of even fit Mario's name into it. Mario's Pinball would have a nice ring to it. Mario Pinball did in fact turn into a game for the Game Boy Advance, but that's for another day. So what is a Mario Pinball game like for the Nintendo Entertainment System? Well you open up to the menu screen and you see no Mario. Just the word Pinball in big letters. As you start to play you notice no Mario as well. I kept playing and didn't see one glimpse of Mario. So did the title just put a picture of Mario in it for laughs? I kept playing to see if there was a second level of some sort and ended up landing the ball into this hole. I was lead to a Bonus game and here is where we see Mario!
Here we have Mario balancing a metal beam on his head (which I've never seen in any game before), with a ball bouncing from wall to wall off Mario to collect points. When the bonus stage ends, that's it! No more Mario.
Did this deserve Mario in the title?: No I guess not, don't even see the point of him being in there.
The next game we have is called Wrecking Crew. This game you actually play as Mario! You go around with a hammer and just smash things around you. While you're trying to destroy the objects around you, there are aliens or something that are trying to destroy you. Not much to say about this game, but at least it had Mario in it right?
Did this deserve Mario in the title?: Well of course! Mario's Wrecking Crew sounds like an awesome game to play. As for the game itself, it isn't a blast to play like Super Mario Bros (which was released the same year).
I know I just found out that these two games existed. I'm willing to guess they would of become more well known if Mario was in the title, but it's a nice piece of trivia to know - that Mario has more games than you expected.
The First game is called Pinball. That's it for the name, they could of even fit Mario's name into it. Mario's Pinball would have a nice ring to it. Mario Pinball did in fact turn into a game for the Game Boy Advance, but that's for another day. So what is a Mario Pinball game like for the Nintendo Entertainment System? Well you open up to the menu screen and you see no Mario. Just the word Pinball in big letters. As you start to play you notice no Mario as well. I kept playing and didn't see one glimpse of Mario. So did the title just put a picture of Mario in it for laughs? I kept playing to see if there was a second level of some sort and ended up landing the ball into this hole. I was lead to a Bonus game and here is where we see Mario!
Here we have Mario balancing a metal beam on his head (which I've never seen in any game before), with a ball bouncing from wall to wall off Mario to collect points. When the bonus stage ends, that's it! No more Mario.
Did this deserve Mario in the title?: No I guess not, don't even see the point of him being in there.
The next game we have is called Wrecking Crew. This game you actually play as Mario! You go around with a hammer and just smash things around you. While you're trying to destroy the objects around you, there are aliens or something that are trying to destroy you. Not much to say about this game, but at least it had Mario in it right?
Did this deserve Mario in the title?: Well of course! Mario's Wrecking Crew sounds like an awesome game to play. As for the game itself, it isn't a blast to play like Super Mario Bros (which was released the same year).
I know I just found out that these two games existed. I'm willing to guess they would of become more well known if Mario was in the title, but it's a nice piece of trivia to know - that Mario has more games than you expected.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Year One Review
image from Fandango
Premise:
At some point in the ancient, uncivilized, bible-days, a primitive village hosts two caveman-like black sheep: Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera). Zed is a fat, oafish, selfish and clumsy hunter, who screws things up for his other hunters. Oh, is a feminine man-boy who plays the traditional female role of fruit gatherer. Both Zed and Oh have their eyes on particular women in their village, but because of their individual downfalls, neither women are interested in them. After pulling a move out of the bible, Zed eats from the tree of knowledge's forbidden fruit and gets outcast from the village, taking Oh by his side on some wacky, Judeo-Christian inspired adventures.
Standouts:
All of the actors and actresses do a wonderful job. Things really seem serious when they want to be, whereas you know when there's a joke and when you're supposed to laugh. David Cross' portrayal of the religious figure Cain also stands out, as Cain definitely had the most entertaining scenes in the movie.
Something that stood out negatively to me was the breaking of the fourth wall. There were instances that struck me as unbelievable within the realm of the world that was created for this film. For example, a joke would be made and I'd be sitting in my seat yelling in my head "Okay, I know they're speaking perfect, American-accented English, and religious events that in all likelihood probably happened many years apart (assuming they happened/going along with the chronology of the way things were told they happened) happen within days of each other, but there's just no way a cave man would use a modern day expression that we use today like "Screw the Pooch"".
My Highlights:
Cain and Abel for sure. Cain has some great, great scenes. Also, Zed and Oh locked in a dungeon, chained to a wall, with a very full bladder.
Overall Rating:
I'm a fan of Jack Black and Michael Cera movies in all shapes and sizes, so this film follows up with the typical set standard - it was entertaining, it was brainless, and it was fun. I didn't regret spending the money to see it, but at the same time, there were parts that were lacking. I'd rate this film about 3 *'s, which on my scale falls within Nacho Libre and School Of Rock.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Video Game Review: Professor Layton
Title: Professor Layton and the Curious VillageSystem: Nintendo DS
Rating: E
Review: An interactive novel for the DS and I'm sold. That was the thought I had when going into Professor Layton. The story puts you in the role of Professor Layton and Luke. You are sent to this village in search for something that is called "The Golden Apple." While you are here looking, you fall into other mysteries in this village. I can't give much more information without spoiling the game, but I can say that the story is great, the characters are great and the mysteries are great. Really the story is what makes the game. Well and the puzzles in the game.
Everyone here (The Village) thinks of you as "the great Professor Layton." Everyone is trying to test out how smart you really are, so they give you puzzles throughout the game. There are so many different types of puzzles in this game. Puzzles like the classic Wolf, Sheep and Cabbage puzzle, math related puzzles, even to some optical illusions. The puzzles are endless in this game.
The music and the look to the game are just amazing on the DS. With beautiful animated cut scenes during the game, to just the music everywhere. The music never gets annoying to listen to. Which is great because it would be awful to hear awful music while trying to figure out some of these puzzles.
Final Thoughts: I love doing these reviews, because of games like this. I might have to play some bad games, but some games that no one has never heard of turn out to be the best of them all. I'm now waiting for the sequel to this game that's coming out in August! Buy or rent, if you're a puzzle or interactive novel maniac like myself. For the people that hate puzzles... then go find a different game.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Ex Machina Vol. 1 Comic Book Review
Ex Machina Volume 1: The First Hundred Days tells the story of Mitchell Hundred, who after a tragic boating accident that gives him the power to speak to machines, becomes the incredible Machine Man! And yet, this isn't really a crime fighting, super heroics kind of story. That's just the back story to Mitchell Hundred's life. When not telling stories of Hundred's life through flashbacks, in the current day, he goes under the guise of Mayor of New York City. Read how Hundred makes this life-altering transition from jet-pack flying to office order dictating! It may not be super powered, diabolical villains threatening the world's existence in every page, but it's very engaging with its story and dialog. In the first hundred days of Hundred's reign as mayor, he is faced with a snow-plower strike, an overly-controversial artist, and a serial killer that he's not allowed to stop by force.
The art and story really are the strong points of this graphic novel. There isn't a lot of KICK-PUNCH-POW! But there's plenty of social issues covered, so you feel smart for reading it. According to various websites, and I report this with a grain of salt, New Line Cinema picked up the rights to make a movie out of Ex Machina, with main writer Brian K. Vaughan writing the screenplay, but this was announced in 2005, so is likely stuck in development hell along with the third installment of Mortal Kombat and millions of other movies.
Overall: Depending on what your criteria in a graphic novel/comic book are to find it enjoyable, it'd hard to say if I'd suggest this for everyone. To anyone looking to feel smart for doing something typically mind-rotting, or someone who's just an overall fan of the art medium itself, I say pick this up. It's very well acclaimed yet you'd still be ahead of the curb for liking something before Hollywood gets its fingers on it and turns it into something gaudy. But if you need constant fight scenes and over dramatasizing, this might not be for you. Because of this, I'd give this graphic novel 4 *'s, but the ending definitely leaves you wanting more, so at some point I'm hoping to pick up Volume 2.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Big Nothing
This film was recommended by a co-worker of mine. For the longest time he was calling the movie Better Off Dead. When I finally saw Better Off Dead he asked me what I thought of it. I told him that I liked it for what a very cheesy 80's movie is worth. He gave me a weird look and said 80's? I thought it just came out like 2 or 3 years ago? He went on to tell me Simon Pegg was in the movie. We finally looked it up and figured out that it was called Big Nothing. So here is what I thought of my co-worker picked movie.
I really enjoyed this thriller movie. Starts off with the story of a man named Charlie (David Schwimmer) that gets a job at tech support for a computer company. This is where he meets his co-worker Guss (Simon Pegg). Guss gets Charlie to help him blackmail this priest into giving them money. The film ends up with a lot of twists and turns you don't expect.
I can tell you that Simon Pegg plays an American citizen in this movie. Has the American accent and all. You expect Simon Pegg and David Schwimmer to be in a movie that has you laughing. This movie has you forget previous movies and shows these people are in, because there characters are completely different. This is not a bad thing though, because they are both good at acting their parts.
This movie is a little shorter than most movies, but in the 86 minutes of the movie, you get tons of plot and action to keep you bolted to your seat. The explanation of what is going on at the beginning of the story lasts about 10 to 20 minutes and then the rest of the movie is a wild roller coaster. Let me point out here that the movie is pretty gory and is not intended for children.
The one thing I have to complain about this movie is the credits. They have funny outtakes in the credits! Why after watching this serious movie, with death, gore, and violence, would they think to put in outtakes? Only Jackie Chan movies with death and violence may have outtakes at the end (Rush hour, Shanghai Noon, ect). I know it's not the biggest problem someone could have, but it really took me out of the movie. I think they should have just left the outtakes in the DVD Menu.
I give this movie 4*'s out of 5*'s for the great twists and turns. So if you're a fan of Thriller movies, David Schwimmer, and/or Simon Pegg. I can recommend this movie for you. If you're not into gore and violence, steer clear.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Knocked Up Review
image from Amazon
Premise:
Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is a flat-out loser, whose job is to construct a porn website with his half-a-dozen roommates, is an illegal alien from Canada, and is a total stoner burn-out, but just so happens to have a one night stand with Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl). As you could guess from the title, this leads to Alison's impregnation, which sucks big time for her because she's actually on the right track with her life, working as an on-screen reporter for E! News. Keeping Alison grounded are her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann of Big Daddy fame) and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd).
Standouts:
The acting in this movie is really top notch. Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill are utterly hilarious, specifically Rudd when he plays off of Rogen. The writing however when broken down really stands out as an anchor, dragging the overall rating down. I get that Rogen is a stoner, but this goes beyond Stoner humor to just plain, you have to be high to laugh. Pineapple Express was a good example of a movie revolving around marijuana without having to use it as a crutch. The plot development was well done, but really, there are just some scenes where the writing kills credibility.
My Highlights:
Paul Rudd tripping on mushrooms in a hotel room with Seth Rogen. Really, I can't think of too many other highlights other than this, as there were only brief jokes sprinkled throughout that made me laugh. Rudd however is a beautiful, beautiful point of humor.
Overall Rating:
I think it was because so many people told me I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO see this movie for the last two years that makes me a bit biased, but I can only give this movie 3 1/2 *'s. It was enjoyable, entertaining, but after two hours and thirteen minutes, I felt like I had to carry a bastard child for the whole nine months myself. I don't mind if comedies occasionally break the traditional hour and a half time frame, but this one just seemed unmemorable for it's length. So my final call is rent it if you're moseying through your Blockbuster, Movie Gallery, Planet Hollywood, or whatever, and pick it out if you want a comedy to watch with your girl, but only if you're utterly uninterested in everything else around you.
Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is a flat-out loser, whose job is to construct a porn website with his half-a-dozen roommates, is an illegal alien from Canada, and is a total stoner burn-out, but just so happens to have a one night stand with Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl). As you could guess from the title, this leads to Alison's impregnation, which sucks big time for her because she's actually on the right track with her life, working as an on-screen reporter for E! News. Keeping Alison grounded are her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann of Big Daddy fame) and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd).
Standouts:
The acting in this movie is really top notch. Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill are utterly hilarious, specifically Rudd when he plays off of Rogen. The writing however when broken down really stands out as an anchor, dragging the overall rating down. I get that Rogen is a stoner, but this goes beyond Stoner humor to just plain, you have to be high to laugh. Pineapple Express was a good example of a movie revolving around marijuana without having to use it as a crutch. The plot development was well done, but really, there are just some scenes where the writing kills credibility.
My Highlights:
Paul Rudd tripping on mushrooms in a hotel room with Seth Rogen. Really, I can't think of too many other highlights other than this, as there were only brief jokes sprinkled throughout that made me laugh. Rudd however is a beautiful, beautiful point of humor.
Overall Rating:
I think it was because so many people told me I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO see this movie for the last two years that makes me a bit biased, but I can only give this movie 3 1/2 *'s. It was enjoyable, entertaining, but after two hours and thirteen minutes, I felt like I had to carry a bastard child for the whole nine months myself. I don't mind if comedies occasionally break the traditional hour and a half time frame, but this one just seemed unmemorable for it's length. So my final call is rent it if you're moseying through your Blockbuster, Movie Gallery, Planet Hollywood, or whatever, and pick it out if you want a comedy to watch with your girl, but only if you're utterly uninterested in everything else around you.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Princess Peach
GameSpy wrote this article called Princess Peach: The Worst Woman in Videogames
As I did agree with some of the points this article wrote. I thought I would stick up for Princess Peach. So here are some reasons why she isn't the worst woman in video games.
1. Would you rather be saving Luigi?
The article pointed out that Princess Peach leads Mario on. I agree with 100%, but would you rather be saving Luigi or a Toad? Princess Peach is the reason we have these adventures. If people didn't like saving Princess Peach, then wouldn't they have stopped playing the Mario series a long time ago?
2. Is she really that stereotypical?
Sure she has the whole pink outfit going on, but lets take a look at other video game girls. Hmm... yes... here we are... BOOBS! From Tomb Raider to Street Fighter... BOOBS! Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this. I would say though, that Princess Peach is very far away from being a stereotypical video game girl. Maybe that's a downside though?
Sorry for the awful YouTube Screenshot, but here we have Princess Peach from the Spaceballs: Animated Series. This is the more stereotypical Princess Peach we've been looking for.
3. She can hover!
As shown in Super Mario 2 Princess Peach can hover. Shes doing some Criss Angel... or should I say Criss Angel is doing some Princess Peach moves? Turns out no one played as Toad in that game even though he was fastest (sorry Toad, this is no Sonic game, that will come out in a couple of years). You either played as the Mario Bros or Princess Peach, but that gets me thinking. What was the point of Super Mario 2? If we are not saving Princess Peach from a castle... What the HELL ARE WE DOING? (Some gamer nerd is shaking their head, while he's mumbling the whole story plot of Super Mario 2 to themselves.)
4. She was baking a cake!
Source of Image
It's not like shes a jerk to Mario. In Mario 64 right in the beginning, we have Princess Peach saying that Mario should come over. Why should Mario come over? She baked a cake! That's right, the cake is not a lie! I also bet the cake would of been delicious if Princess Peach didn't get kidnapped.
5. She does have her own game.
This is at the bottom of the list because she basically only has one game to her name, which not many people have probably heard of or have played. At least shes trying right?
Here is a small list for why I think Princess Peach is a descent person, but I can see what the people at GameSpy were talking about. We all know that these articles are written for fun and there is no need for a spam Princess Peach war. So no hard feelings to the people at GameSpy.
As I did agree with some of the points this article wrote. I thought I would stick up for Princess Peach. So here are some reasons why she isn't the worst woman in video games.
1. Would you rather be saving Luigi?
The article pointed out that Princess Peach leads Mario on. I agree with 100%, but would you rather be saving Luigi or a Toad? Princess Peach is the reason we have these adventures. If people didn't like saving Princess Peach, then wouldn't they have stopped playing the Mario series a long time ago?
2. Is she really that stereotypical?
Sure she has the whole pink outfit going on, but lets take a look at other video game girls. Hmm... yes... here we are... BOOBS! From Tomb Raider to Street Fighter... BOOBS! Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this. I would say though, that Princess Peach is very far away from being a stereotypical video game girl. Maybe that's a downside though?
Sorry for the awful YouTube Screenshot, but here we have Princess Peach from the Spaceballs: Animated Series. This is the more stereotypical Princess Peach we've been looking for.
3. She can hover!
As shown in Super Mario 2 Princess Peach can hover. Shes doing some Criss Angel... or should I say Criss Angel is doing some Princess Peach moves? Turns out no one played as Toad in that game even though he was fastest (sorry Toad, this is no Sonic game, that will come out in a couple of years). You either played as the Mario Bros or Princess Peach, but that gets me thinking. What was the point of Super Mario 2? If we are not saving Princess Peach from a castle... What the HELL ARE WE DOING? (Some gamer nerd is shaking their head, while he's mumbling the whole story plot of Super Mario 2 to themselves.)
4. She was baking a cake!
It's not like shes a jerk to Mario. In Mario 64 right in the beginning, we have Princess Peach saying that Mario should come over. Why should Mario come over? She baked a cake! That's right, the cake is not a lie! I also bet the cake would of been delicious if Princess Peach didn't get kidnapped.
5. She does have her own game.
This is at the bottom of the list because she basically only has one game to her name, which not many people have probably heard of or have played. At least shes trying right?
Here is a small list for why I think Princess Peach is a descent person, but I can see what the people at GameSpy were talking about. We all know that these articles are written for fun and there is no need for a spam Princess Peach war. So no hard feelings to the people at GameSpy.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Yay for sales
Hollywood Video/Movie Gallery is having a $5 game sale. I must warn you though that not all of the stores are running this deal. I went to a total of four stores in New Hampshire and only two had this sale going on.
I was reading that a lot of people were getting great games. Sadly I didn't get exactly what I was looking for, but I ended up getting 10 games for $50. Not bad considering what I saved.
What I got for Xbox 360:
-Gun (originally $14.99)
-Perfect Dark Zero collector's edition (originally $9.99)
-Saints Row (originally $14.99)
-The Bigs (originally $14.99)
-Top Spin 2 (originally $9.99)
-Virtua Tennis 3 (originally $17.99)
Original Xbox:
-BloodRayne (Already $5)
PS2:
-Dark Cloud (Already $5)
-Resident Evil Code: Veronica (Already $5)
DS:
-Elite Beat Agents (originally $9.99)
I saved around $57, not a terrible pile of games for the money. I would of liked to see more of what I wanted, but you can't always get your way.
So look forward to some reviews.
I was reading that a lot of people were getting great games. Sadly I didn't get exactly what I was looking for, but I ended up getting 10 games for $50. Not bad considering what I saved.
What I got for Xbox 360:
-Gun (originally $14.99)
-Perfect Dark Zero collector's edition (originally $9.99)
-Saints Row (originally $14.99)
-The Bigs (originally $14.99)
-Top Spin 2 (originally $9.99)
-Virtua Tennis 3 (originally $17.99)
Original Xbox:
-BloodRayne (Already $5)
PS2:
-Dark Cloud (Already $5)
-Resident Evil Code: Veronica (Already $5)
DS:
-Elite Beat Agents (originally $9.99)
I saved around $57, not a terrible pile of games for the money. I would of liked to see more of what I wanted, but you can't always get your way.
So look forward to some reviews.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Absolute Sandman, Volume 1 Review
I just finished the six hundred page, epic collection of Vertigo Comics' The Sandman, collectively titled Absolute Sandman, Volume 1. In order to eradicate the preconceived notion of "comic book" and "hero", let me first state what this comic does not have.
It does not have chiseled physiques packed into tight spandex. It does not have a strong, well-defined moral code to adhere to justice, and good deeds.
This is our "hero" if we were to call him that. He goes by many names - Dream, Morpheus, Oneiros, The Sandman, and many more. He's basically a God. God of Dreams to be exact. He's pale, tall, and G'd up from the feet up, only the G stands for goth instead of gangster. He's pretty much unstoppable and omnipotent, but he's also a mix between vengeful and understanding, depending on the day you catch him on.
Absolute Sandman, Volume 1 consists of twenty issues of the comic book, which contains three different story arcs. So things can kind of jump around a bit in terms of how people act, but it's nothing short of remarkable how disturbing, twisted, and drawing-in the writing is. I'm no art critic, but I know when there's shoddy art work, and you'll find none of it here.
It does not have chiseled physiques packed into tight spandex. It does not have a strong, well-defined moral code to adhere to justice, and good deeds.
This is our "hero" if we were to call him that. He goes by many names - Dream, Morpheus, Oneiros, The Sandman, and many more. He's basically a God. God of Dreams to be exact. He's pale, tall, and G'd up from the feet up, only the G stands for goth instead of gangster. He's pretty much unstoppable and omnipotent, but he's also a mix between vengeful and understanding, depending on the day you catch him on.
Absolute Sandman, Volume 1 consists of twenty issues of the comic book, which contains three different story arcs. So things can kind of jump around a bit in terms of how people act, but it's nothing short of remarkable how disturbing, twisted, and drawing-in the writing is. I'm no art critic, but I know when there's shoddy art work, and you'll find none of it here.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! PREMISE FOR EACH STORY ARC!!
I don't typically give away the "how's" the "why's" or anything like that in my spoilers, just things that you'd likely pick up if you were watching a movie trailer. The first story arc is known as "Preludes and Nocturnes" and starts with Dream being kidnapped by a cult from his dream world, who were actually trying to capture Death. Dream patiently waits years upon years before making his big prison break and exacting his revenge, but things aren't over just from taking his vengeance. He had artifacts that made him more powerful that he was stripped of when dragged to the mortal world. Dream travels from location to location to obtain these artifacts, and I must say, issue #6 is by far the sickest I've ever seen. Everyone should read #6 if nothing else.
The second story arc is titled The Doll's House, which is basically one big acid trip. A young teenage girl named Rose Walker is the bridge between the fragile dream world and the mortal world of the living, known as a "vortex". Tracking down Rose Walker becomes Dream's primary mission.
The third story arc is a collection of one-off side-stories that have no real continuity to them. This arc is titled "Dream Country" and consist of the kidnapping of a Muse (like mythological nymph), dreaming cats who want to rule the world, William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the final issue of the book not featuring Dream at all, but his sister Death, who's an equally amazing character to read.
Overall: I'm not going to pretend that this book isn't expensive. Even the used copies on Amazon are pretty pricey as far as comic books go, but if you're really looking for your muse, something to inspire you when reading, check this out. Go out and buy a few single issues first if you want to test the waters, but you won't be disappointed. This is nothing short of an epic series.
I don't typically give away the "how's" the "why's" or anything like that in my spoilers, just things that you'd likely pick up if you were watching a movie trailer. The first story arc is known as "Preludes and Nocturnes" and starts with Dream being kidnapped by a cult from his dream world, who were actually trying to capture Death. Dream patiently waits years upon years before making his big prison break and exacting his revenge, but things aren't over just from taking his vengeance. He had artifacts that made him more powerful that he was stripped of when dragged to the mortal world. Dream travels from location to location to obtain these artifacts, and I must say, issue #6 is by far the sickest I've ever seen. Everyone should read #6 if nothing else.
The second story arc is titled The Doll's House, which is basically one big acid trip. A young teenage girl named Rose Walker is the bridge between the fragile dream world and the mortal world of the living, known as a "vortex". Tracking down Rose Walker becomes Dream's primary mission.
The third story arc is a collection of one-off side-stories that have no real continuity to them. This arc is titled "Dream Country" and consist of the kidnapping of a Muse (like mythological nymph), dreaming cats who want to rule the world, William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the final issue of the book not featuring Dream at all, but his sister Death, who's an equally amazing character to read.
Overall: I'm not going to pretend that this book isn't expensive. Even the used copies on Amazon are pretty pricey as far as comic books go, but if you're really looking for your muse, something to inspire you when reading, check this out. Go out and buy a few single issues first if you want to test the waters, but you won't be disappointed. This is nothing short of an epic series.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Rick to the Rolls
Just a quick Rick Roll today, but in a more grunge type of way.
Can we please have more of this?
-Nick
Can we please have more of this?
-Nick
Monday, July 20, 2009
Future Of Futurama = New Voice Actors!
According to Variety and Entertainment Weekly, Futurama is officially back! In a more-or-less, kind of, quasi-almost-but-not-quite manner. 20th Century Fox has stated it will produce twenty-six new episodes of Futurama based on the popularity of the four movies created postmortem of the series. All of the original voice actors expressed interest in the coming back - but nearly half a dozen of them refuse to settle for anything less than an episodely salary of $75,000 (which times twenty six episodes = $1,950,000 per voice actor).
In agreement with producing the new episodes, 20th Century Fox had to make things clear that they were going to have to instate a large budget cut from what the show was used to. Because of this, the requested pay was denied. Now both sides are saying they can't negotiate and 20th Century Fox is publically stating that it will be looking for new voice actors for the majority of the main roles.
Those who may not be returning - Billy West (Philip Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan) Katey Sagal (Leela), John DiMaggio (Bender), Maurice LaMarche (Kif, Calculon, The mafia-bots, Lrr) and Tress MacNeille (Mom). So who does that leave? Frank Welker (Nibler), Phil LaMarr (Hermes) and Lauren Tom (Amy). Yeah. That sound like an all-star cast lineup. Between Futurama featuring the characters nobody cares about and that were hardly ever developed and The Cleveland Show, how about we just beat my loving childhood memories over the head now and get it over with? Any way we can make it a hat trick by forming an abomination out of Rocko's Modern Life?
I remember when The Simpsons had a similar situation going on a few years ago. The main voice actors were ready to strike, wanting higher pay and were told that they were replaceable. There were people who agreed that by now, there was likely impersonators of the voices who could hit their mark to the T, and people who said that with all the money made off of the franchise - movies, advertisement, toys, dvds, etc. that Fox could afford to shell out the extra cash. I'm of this opinion. Why bring it back at all if it stands no chance of being what made it popular? You bring it back in the first place because it's an investment your making. So My guess is that this is just Fox's way of playing hardball but the voice actors will see through the bluff, maybe negotiate for a little bit less than their asking price, and everything will be resolved in time for some good episodes.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Video Game Review: Bone
My pre-order of the new Tales of Monkey Island (Check back later for review) on Tell Tale Games came with a free game. I could choose from any episode for free of Sam and Max, Strong Bad's Games, Wallace and Gromit, or Bone. I went with Bone because it happens to be my favorite comic book series and it's the only series that I can't get off Xbox Live or WiiWare.
Source of Image
My brother sat alongside me while I played because he is a fan of the series as well. We both feared the same thing, which was hearing voices of the characters from Bone. Often you picture someone to have a certain voice and when you hear the voice in the game you just can't agree. Alright I give them credit, because all the human characters in the game had good voice actors. I can't really complain about the way the Bone characters sounded like, because what does a Bone character sound like anyway? The voice acting just took some time to get use to.
The game had puzzles, but they were pretty dull in the fun department. I would say. The funnest puzzle was when we got to control a bug named Ted and helped him cross the river. This puzzle made us thinking for a bit and made us work for it. All the other puzzles in the game didn't require a brain. There is this one part of the game that you have to play hide n' seek. You are the one finding and you count to ten blah blah blah. So when you move, the mice you are looking for will yell "Cold, Warm or Hot." This way you know what hiding spots to click. The trickiest part of this was actually knowing they said these hints. My brother and I just started clicking places of hiding and ended up losing.
There is a hint system in this game, that will help you out from time to time. If you really need it, it's really not that hard to figure out everything. It took my brother and I two hours to beat the first episode of Bone.
I'm saving the best news for last. They stuck to the original storyline from the comic book series! Making this game basically an interactive novel in a sense. Since this game costs $8 for people without a download code and only two episodes exist, you are better off buying the whole comic book series at Amazon for $15 used or $26 new.
Final Thoughts: I can't really find a way to recommend this game. Unless you have a free game code like I did. I can though, recommend the comic book series. So give this game a pass and go straight to the comic.
-Nick
My brother sat alongside me while I played because he is a fan of the series as well. We both feared the same thing, which was hearing voices of the characters from Bone. Often you picture someone to have a certain voice and when you hear the voice in the game you just can't agree. Alright I give them credit, because all the human characters in the game had good voice actors. I can't really complain about the way the Bone characters sounded like, because what does a Bone character sound like anyway? The voice acting just took some time to get use to.
The game had puzzles, but they were pretty dull in the fun department. I would say. The funnest puzzle was when we got to control a bug named Ted and helped him cross the river. This puzzle made us thinking for a bit and made us work for it. All the other puzzles in the game didn't require a brain. There is this one part of the game that you have to play hide n' seek. You are the one finding and you count to ten blah blah blah. So when you move, the mice you are looking for will yell "Cold, Warm or Hot." This way you know what hiding spots to click. The trickiest part of this was actually knowing they said these hints. My brother and I just started clicking places of hiding and ended up losing.
There is a hint system in this game, that will help you out from time to time. If you really need it, it's really not that hard to figure out everything. It took my brother and I two hours to beat the first episode of Bone.
I'm saving the best news for last. They stuck to the original storyline from the comic book series! Making this game basically an interactive novel in a sense. Since this game costs $8 for people without a download code and only two episodes exist, you are better off buying the whole comic book series at Amazon for $15 used or $26 new.
Final Thoughts: I can't really find a way to recommend this game. Unless you have a free game code like I did. I can though, recommend the comic book series. So give this game a pass and go straight to the comic.
-Nick
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Transporter 3 Review
Premise:
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a retired Transporter. His military Special Forces martial arts expertise and customized for battle, speed and maneuvering cars sit idly by as he spends his days fishing, but is forced into one last job by a diabolical environmental terrorist. Frank Martin's car is taken by the terrorists and modified with its own GPS so they can track his progress, and a piece of machinery that will cause the bracelet around Martin's wrist to explode if he should get too far from the car. What Martin has to transport in this mission is two big bags in his back seat which he's not supposed to open, and a mysterious young Ukraine woman (Natalya Rudakova).
Standouts:
As with all films in the Transporter series, the action speaks for itself. Numerous hand-to-hand combat scenes, fast car chases and shoot outs occur which really sucks you in. Not enough can be said about the choreography, and Statham does practically all of his own stunts as well since he's legitimately trained in martial arts. A negative that stands out in the film has to be the actual writing, particularly in the dialog for non-staple characters. The Ukraine woman has some pretty cheesy lines, to the point you even put aside the believable fact she doesn't know much English and say 'no one would ever say that unless they were in a movie'. And the environmental terrorist sometimes leaves your head hanging in disappointment as well.
My Highlights:
The garage fight scene, and the brute sent after Frank Martin in this fight. Martin: "Let me guess, you're the smart one." Nameless Brute: "No. I'm the big one." Statham always brings the goods in cinematic battle. Another highlight would be how Martin improvises when his car goes over a bridge into a lake. How does one not put distance between himself and his car when they're both sinking? Martin's a genius. That's how.
Overall Rating:
The writing really puts a damper on this film, which can't be a full hour and forty minutes of action (by law). The action scenes are still amazing, but I sadly, it's just no Crank 2. Thus, I award this movie 2 1/2 *'s. It's just mediocre. As a wise man once said, not everything that Jason Statham is in is good, but Jason Statham is good in everything that he's in.
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a retired Transporter. His military Special Forces martial arts expertise and customized for battle, speed and maneuvering cars sit idly by as he spends his days fishing, but is forced into one last job by a diabolical environmental terrorist. Frank Martin's car is taken by the terrorists and modified with its own GPS so they can track his progress, and a piece of machinery that will cause the bracelet around Martin's wrist to explode if he should get too far from the car. What Martin has to transport in this mission is two big bags in his back seat which he's not supposed to open, and a mysterious young Ukraine woman (Natalya Rudakova).
Standouts:
As with all films in the Transporter series, the action speaks for itself. Numerous hand-to-hand combat scenes, fast car chases and shoot outs occur which really sucks you in. Not enough can be said about the choreography, and Statham does practically all of his own stunts as well since he's legitimately trained in martial arts. A negative that stands out in the film has to be the actual writing, particularly in the dialog for non-staple characters. The Ukraine woman has some pretty cheesy lines, to the point you even put aside the believable fact she doesn't know much English and say 'no one would ever say that unless they were in a movie'. And the environmental terrorist sometimes leaves your head hanging in disappointment as well.
My Highlights:
The garage fight scene, and the brute sent after Frank Martin in this fight. Martin: "Let me guess, you're the smart one." Nameless Brute: "No. I'm the big one." Statham always brings the goods in cinematic battle. Another highlight would be how Martin improvises when his car goes over a bridge into a lake. How does one not put distance between himself and his car when they're both sinking? Martin's a genius. That's how.
Overall Rating:
The writing really puts a damper on this film, which can't be a full hour and forty minutes of action (by law). The action scenes are still amazing, but I sadly, it's just no Crank 2. Thus, I award this movie 2 1/2 *'s. It's just mediocre. As a wise man once said, not everything that Jason Statham is in is good, but Jason Statham is good in everything that he's in.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Simon Pegg + Nick Frost = Paul
British comedy icons, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (duo of Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz fame) are back together for... get this, an American Road Trip movie!? Oh yes my friends. Written and starred by.
The story follows Pegg and Frost as two Brit sci-fi geeks who travel to Roswell's Area 51, where they find a stranded extra-terrestrial by the name of Paul. Paul will be half-motion capture and half CGI, but both voice and bodily movements will be captured by none other than Seth Rogen. This movie is also going to capture an all-star cast with the likes of Jo Lo Truglio, Bill Hader, Dave Koechner, and John Caroll Lynch among others.
I for one am totally stoked, as the pairing of Pegg and Frost can do no wrong. Even in their own promotional video the two make me squeal with delight. Maybe it's the accents? Either way, check out the video on youtube video, sponsored by the film makers.
The story follows Pegg and Frost as two Brit sci-fi geeks who travel to Roswell's Area 51, where they find a stranded extra-terrestrial by the name of Paul. Paul will be half-motion capture and half CGI, but both voice and bodily movements will be captured by none other than Seth Rogen. This movie is also going to capture an all-star cast with the likes of Jo Lo Truglio, Bill Hader, Dave Koechner, and John Caroll Lynch among others.
I for one am totally stoked, as the pairing of Pegg and Frost can do no wrong. Even in their own promotional video the two make me squeal with delight. Maybe it's the accents? Either way, check out the video on youtube video, sponsored by the film makers.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Upcoming Green Lantern Film
image from forbiddenplanet.co.uk
According to both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety with additional information from /Film, the casting has been made! It was an ear-to-ear, breath taking race that left the decision up in the air until the very last moment! A moment of silence for those who lost the star role to the upcoming 2010 film, The Green Lantern:
Star of The Hangover and Wedding Crashers, Bradley Cooper,
30 Seconds To Mars frontman and vital character in the ultimate man-movie, Fight Club, Jared Leto
And mega pop star, Justin Timberlake.
AND THE WINNER IS...
RYAN REYNOLDS!
image from Ryanreynoldsfan.net
Wait... What the Fozzy Bear? I love Ryan Reynolds in all of his movies. A VERY talented actor in my opinion, but this is pretty crazy. It's no secret Reynolds is a comic book nerd, starring in Blade Trinity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and now the upcoming Deadpool spin-off movie, but to my knowledge, he is only one of two actors to ever play in both a Marvel franchise film and the rivalling comic studio, DC franchise film (the first [to my knowledge] being James Marsden who played Cyclops in the X-Men films and then Lois Lane's fiance in Superman Returns). So Reynolds is looking like he's spreading himself thin already with these roles, but I guess strike while the iron's hot.
My one concern is that he's just not the right actor for the job. The Flash, sure. Green Arrow, sure. But The Green Lantern in every incarnation has been the hard-edged cop, who's all about enforcing the law without exception. I've seen Reynolds put down the comedy act to be serious in Ammityville Horror before, but can he play two dimensional? That's basically the reason Green Lantern took so long to be turned into film, as he was a boring character, and thus was teamed in an "Odd Couple" kind of fashion with another Super Hero, Green Arrow for many years. Now Deadpool, he's right up Reynolds ally. That's a movie we should all look forward to seeing. As for The Green Lantnern, we'll just have to wait and see, but I'm hoping he pulls through with the goods.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Clearance Bin Video Game Review: Line Rider 2
Title: Line Rider 2: UnboundSystem: Nintendo DS
Rating: E
Paid: $10
Review: Ever played Line Rider? Building tracks for your little sled guy to ride on. Ever wanted to see what the movie Better Off Dead would of been like with sleds? Ok for the people that have not seen the movie, you play as a sled guy. There is this hot shot sled guy and he is taking your girl! Now that the story is explained, onward to the review.
Since the original Line Rider was nothing except for what you created. In the DS version you have to collect gold and other assortment of things. After collecting everything you have to make it to the finish line. Watch the video below for a track someone made.
Ok there wasn't any gold in there, but imagine him collecting gold. Now I was not able to create anything that cool with this game. So you have to be an expert to be able to make something like that.
The controls are pretty bad. You have to use the DS stylus to make lines and when you need to connect lines... OMKTF can it be annoying! If you don't connect them perfectly, your sled guy will most likely fall between the two lines. This is the biggest complaint I have about this game. Sometimes it latches onto the other line for you and sometimes it doesn't. Something else that gets very annoying about this game is the music. Repetitive is a good word to describe what the music for this game is.
I got the bad out of the way, now to the good. Which is that it's a good game for picking up on the go and playing. You don't need to tell your friends or family to shut up before a cut scene, because I don't remember anyone talking. It's all just visual, plus you don't even need the sound on to enjoy this game. You would probably enjoy it better with the sound off. The game is enjoyable for when you do connect the lines. Collecting the gold coins is a new and fun twist to the original online Line Rider.
My Final Thought: This game does get repetitive, but it's a pretty cheap game new. I looked on Amazon and saw the DS and Wii versions were only $10. While the PC version was $40... $40!? Do they know about the Line Rider that is free on the computer? Before you run out and buy/rent try the free one and see if you like it.
-Nick
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
100th Post!!
To celebrate our centennial post we decided to do something special. No story, or interesting tid bit. We just thought we'd pay homage to Kermit The Frog.
Thanks for reading!
100 Post Haiku poem:
Organized Remains
Movies, T.V., Music, Games
With Kermit the frog
Thanks for reading!
100 Post Haiku poem:
Organized Remains
Movies, T.V., Music, Games
With Kermit the frog
Monday, July 13, 2009
UUVVWWZ - Self Titled Album Review
album art from lala.com
Artist: UUVVWWZ
Album: UUVVWWZ
Release Date: July 7, 2009
Tracks: 9
Runtime: 42:24
Track Rundown:
1) "Berry Can" - Dark, Moody, Subtle, and hypnotically catchy. With vocals that remind me of Blondie, a groove feeling like "Maps" by The Yeah Yeah Yeah's, and a really rocking band, I'm already tempted to buy this album based off the strength of this one song. 5 *'s.
2) "Shark Suit" - A drum-start to the track that other bands should take notes on. You know when this track starts. I really dig the vocals of this song, and the lyrics, but the during the verses the guitar work comes off kind of grating. Based solely off the vocals and epic drumming in the song, it's strong enough for a 3 1/2 *'s. Just powerful enough to not skip over when the track plays.
3) "Jap Dad" - Parts of it are very head-boppy. It retains the band's hypnotic kind of groove, and frankly, I thought this was kind of a joke-track, as some parts are so ridiculous that it seems to drive laughter out of me. However this album may not have been the proper medium for it, so I can only give it a 2 *'s. Then again, if you purchase Pocky as often as you purchase gasoline, have a library full of Manga, and can name four different animes that have come out post-Dragon Ball Z, you may rate this song higher.
4) "Neolaño" - We break it down with the near-eight minute ballad, and man, does this song belong on a soundtrack. You put some sexy, sultry, internally distressed heroin coming home from a long day, letting her hair down and running a bath scene on, and this song will make whatever actress casted memorable. It's so bluesy, that like the first song, I'm strongly already considering purchasing this album. 5 *'s, for sure, but for the life of me, I couldn't find what this word meant.
5) "Castle" - It's sweet as sugar sounding in the beginning, as though you're sitting in a room with an innocent little girl as she tells you about princesses in far away fairy tale lands. Then, you're at a White Stripes concert. And back and forth, bringing a really interesting and artsy dynamic to the track. I'm conflicted on whether or not I would actually listen to this track over and over if I did indeed purchase this album, but I can definitely give a big ups to the stylistic integrity. 4 *'s.
6) "Green Starred Sleeve" - Speaking of The White Stripes, ta-freaking-dah. Who would have thought a female vocalist could have been groomed in such a way that she could be the world's greatest Jack White coverer. 4 *'s.
7) "Trapezeus" - Oh My Kermit The Frog. Yes. This is Rock. Similar to track 2, "Shark Suit" the drumming is just crazy in this song. The guitarist, breathtaking. He's like a freaking metalhead, but not like today's thrash metal hardcorists, I mean like classic metal. Knowing your riffs, AND knowing when to play them to optimal effect. Even the vocals are hard hitting. It's kind of like Heart, in that you know it's a chick, but it's dark, it's edgy, and it's pretty arousing. 5 *'s.
8) "The Sun" - A half-hearted second ballad, that's kind of Sunday-morning jazzy and a little bit poppy. There's a strong channeling from The Doors in this one, but I'm just not sure the band has its core in the same world as The Doors. Can't really find much I like about the album other than it's big aspirations. 2 *'s.
9) "Hum Jam" - Another Doors kind of track, but at least this one is closer to what the the rest of the album was all about. There's a very unique style and artisticness to this track, even the subject manner. Not an awful close to the album. 3 1/2 *'s.
My Highlights:
"Trapezeus", "Neolaño" and "Berry Can" are all epic tunes. There's a very metal toned White Stripes feel to them. You should at the very least check these songs out on sites like lala.com (link provided below in Overall Rating).
Overall Rating:
3 3/4 *'s. Considering this is a no-name band that it might take time for the mainstream to catch up with, the price might be cheaper than your average, well known band album. That, plus the fact that it downright rocks hard, I say go out and buy this album. You can download the whole digital MP3 album at lala.com where I got a free preview listen for $6.49, or buy the physical disc off the site for just under $10.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Dexter - Season 1 and 2 Comparative Review
image from tvjab.com
watched by myself, and hopefully you,
on Netflix Instant Watch if you don't have Showtime
watched by myself, and hopefully you,
on Netflix Instant Watch if you don't have Showtime
Premise:
Dexter Morgan is a mega-violent vigilante, a sociopathic serial killer who follows "The Code of Harry", a series of rules and moral lessons his adopted father taught him when young, that causes him to target other serial killers as his victims. Every Superman needs a Clark Kent however, and when he's not prowling in the night, he's working with the police to catch criminals as a blood-splatter forensics specialist. He's also fulfilling responsibilities as a brother to his co-worker and sister, Debroah, boyfriend to a psychologically ex-spousal battered girlfriend, Rita, and loving pseudo-father figure to Rita's two kids, Cody and Astor. But Dexter's bloody secrets lie only on his shoulders.
Season 1:
Utterly intoxicating. As soon as I started watching, I couldn't stop. It had all the righteous glory of a Super Hero and all the twisted narrative of a real serial killer. Dexter discovers he's not the only serial killer on the block with a penchant for an artistic sense of pride in his work. Bloodless body parts begin sprouting up week after week, enticing Dexter to find what he calls 'a friend'. This 'friend' even singles out Dexter personally, seemingly aware of Dexter's own similar past time and begins leaving him non-threatening yet curious clues. Meanwhile, Dexter's girlfriend Rita, who loves Dexter dearly, experiences leaps and bounds of character development, slowly going from total shut-out to opening up to him. My one complaint was the backstory given to the hunted serial killer, dubbed "The Ice Truck Killer", but being based off of the novel they did a great job with the source material.
Season 2:
The second season of most shows often see a drastic change from the first season and this show is no exception. Rita has come out into her own by this point, and the character development pendulum seems to swing heavily towards Dexter's sister Deborah, and of course himself as well. I loved this season as well, but I have a handful more complaints about this season than the last. Every episode in Season 2 felt like it needed excessive shock value and bordered on jumping the shark at times. All the over-complication between Dexter stuck in a love-triangle and his police force teaming with The FBI to track him down when his victims are uncovered made me wish for the simplier, happier times from Season 1. Still an excellent season, but it makes me weary to watch Season 3, hoping that they don't try to continue making things over-the-top crazy.
Final Thoughts:
Dexter is in a league all on its own. I wish I had Showtime so I could watch it regularly, but, hey, I'm not gonna shell out the extra cash for a pay-network. Thank God for Netflix and the first two seasons being out on DVD, the third coming out next month. Far and above one of my favorite shows right now and an easy suggestion to anyone who's looking for quality television these days.
Dexter Morgan is a mega-violent vigilante, a sociopathic serial killer who follows "The Code of Harry", a series of rules and moral lessons his adopted father taught him when young, that causes him to target other serial killers as his victims. Every Superman needs a Clark Kent however, and when he's not prowling in the night, he's working with the police to catch criminals as a blood-splatter forensics specialist. He's also fulfilling responsibilities as a brother to his co-worker and sister, Debroah, boyfriend to a psychologically ex-spousal battered girlfriend, Rita, and loving pseudo-father figure to Rita's two kids, Cody and Astor. But Dexter's bloody secrets lie only on his shoulders.
Season 1:
Utterly intoxicating. As soon as I started watching, I couldn't stop. It had all the righteous glory of a Super Hero and all the twisted narrative of a real serial killer. Dexter discovers he's not the only serial killer on the block with a penchant for an artistic sense of pride in his work. Bloodless body parts begin sprouting up week after week, enticing Dexter to find what he calls 'a friend'. This 'friend' even singles out Dexter personally, seemingly aware of Dexter's own similar past time and begins leaving him non-threatening yet curious clues. Meanwhile, Dexter's girlfriend Rita, who loves Dexter dearly, experiences leaps and bounds of character development, slowly going from total shut-out to opening up to him. My one complaint was the backstory given to the hunted serial killer, dubbed "The Ice Truck Killer", but being based off of the novel they did a great job with the source material.
Season 2:
The second season of most shows often see a drastic change from the first season and this show is no exception. Rita has come out into her own by this point, and the character development pendulum seems to swing heavily towards Dexter's sister Deborah, and of course himself as well. I loved this season as well, but I have a handful more complaints about this season than the last. Every episode in Season 2 felt like it needed excessive shock value and bordered on jumping the shark at times. All the over-complication between Dexter stuck in a love-triangle and his police force teaming with The FBI to track him down when his victims are uncovered made me wish for the simplier, happier times from Season 1. Still an excellent season, but it makes me weary to watch Season 3, hoping that they don't try to continue making things over-the-top crazy.
Final Thoughts:
Dexter is in a league all on its own. I wish I had Showtime so I could watch it regularly, but, hey, I'm not gonna shell out the extra cash for a pay-network. Thank God for Netflix and the first two seasons being out on DVD, the third coming out next month. Far and above one of my favorite shows right now and an easy suggestion to anyone who's looking for quality television these days.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Mario Marathon
It's been a year since the first Mario Marathon and the guys are back to do it again. If you don't know what the Mario Marathon is, let me explain. A couple of guys gather up for the weekend and play through all the Super Mario games. They take turns sleeping and eating, but there is always someone playing. They do it for the Childs Play charity (and make quite a good amount of money for them). This time around they are going to beat some games 100%. They are doing it for a good cause so check it out. It's actually more addicting to watch than it should be.
http://www.mariomarathon.com/
-Nick
http://www.mariomarathon.com/
-Nick
Friday, July 10, 2009
Xbox Live Arcade Review: N+
This week the Xbox360's deal of the week is 50% off the game N+. I went ahead and picked the game up for its 50% price of 400 points.
I remember getting the demo to this a long time ago, for some reason I didn't think the game was that great. That's until I was bored one night and I noticed that it was on the deal of the week. I went ahead and bought it. I was quite wrong from my original opinion.
This game requires the skills of a ninja. You hop around finding the key to open a door. The faster you move the more smooth things will go. For a better understanding check the video below.
This game is jammed packed with levels. They're infinite amount of levels in the end run. That's because you are aloud to create your own level (as you saw in the picture at top) and download other people's levels. This leaves you with a infinite amount of play. It comes with 50 single player levels, Co-op levels, online play, and the level creator.
I got my brother to play the Co-op levels with me to see if they were any good. We almost beat the Co-op section to the game, but it got too tough for us to finish. We were entertained for 2 hours from just playing one little part of the game. You have to work together to get to the door, making it very difficult at times, but making it very fun to play Co-op.
I went online to check it out and you can choose from two games: Race and Survivor. Race is basically self-explained, you race to the end. If you die you have to start from the beginning. The Survivor game you must collect time coins while everything is trying to kill you. With everyone trying to get the same time coins, it becomes a brutal battle. Between the two online modes they were a blast to play. Really fun to play against other people across the internet.
I'm having a blast playing this and I recommend you go buy it while it's 400 points! There are many hours of gameplay to have from this game. At least go try out the demo on Xbox Live.
Plus you can download the original game for free at http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/
-Nick
I remember getting the demo to this a long time ago, for some reason I didn't think the game was that great. That's until I was bored one night and I noticed that it was on the deal of the week. I went ahead and bought it. I was quite wrong from my original opinion.
This game requires the skills of a ninja. You hop around finding the key to open a door. The faster you move the more smooth things will go. For a better understanding check the video below.
This game is jammed packed with levels. They're infinite amount of levels in the end run. That's because you are aloud to create your own level (as you saw in the picture at top) and download other people's levels. This leaves you with a infinite amount of play. It comes with 50 single player levels, Co-op levels, online play, and the level creator.
I got my brother to play the Co-op levels with me to see if they were any good. We almost beat the Co-op section to the game, but it got too tough for us to finish. We were entertained for 2 hours from just playing one little part of the game. You have to work together to get to the door, making it very difficult at times, but making it very fun to play Co-op.
I went online to check it out and you can choose from two games: Race and Survivor. Race is basically self-explained, you race to the end. If you die you have to start from the beginning. The Survivor game you must collect time coins while everything is trying to kill you. With everyone trying to get the same time coins, it becomes a brutal battle. Between the two online modes they were a blast to play. Really fun to play against other people across the internet.
I'm having a blast playing this and I recommend you go buy it while it's 400 points! There are many hours of gameplay to have from this game. At least go try out the demo on Xbox Live.
Plus you can download the original game for free at http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/
-Nick
Thursday, July 9, 2009
CDs and the Dollar Tree (Part 2)
Yesterday introduced my two part article about the Dollar Tree selling CDs. Today I'm going to take a look at both of the Phish CDs I bought for a dollar each, to see if they were really worth a dollar.
Source of Image
First thoughts: Here we have a giant bouncy ball with a window. With the shadow of the little man that lives in this room... or house? If it's just one room, would it be a house? Ah it doesn't matter.
Thoughts while listening: This album is very long for having a dollar price tag. After looking it up on Wiki it runs up to 77 mins. Most albums don't make it to 60 mins! The tracks all sound pretty decent, but you definitely get a sense while listening that it's running too long.
After Thoughts: Pretty good CD, I can't complain. Half the songs on this CD were close to or over 10 mins. This was just the band jamming basically on each song. So maybe cut the songs down a little. Can't complain though like I said because of the price.
Worth $1: If you are a fan or interested in trying out the band Phish.
Source of Image
First Thoughts: Here we have a picture of the band Phish... not much to say about it.
Thoughts while listening: The songs on this album are shorter than the last album, which is a good thing. Meaning they learned from their mistakes.
After Thoughts: Some of the songs just sounded like a jam session. There wasn't anything to impact my memory from this album. If you played this album and the Round Room album, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Worth $1: Only if you're a Phish fan. Not only does it come with a CD, but a DVD too.
-Nick
First thoughts: Here we have a giant bouncy ball with a window. With the shadow of the little man that lives in this room... or house? If it's just one room, would it be a house? Ah it doesn't matter.
Thoughts while listening: This album is very long for having a dollar price tag. After looking it up on Wiki it runs up to 77 mins. Most albums don't make it to 60 mins! The tracks all sound pretty decent, but you definitely get a sense while listening that it's running too long.
After Thoughts: Pretty good CD, I can't complain. Half the songs on this CD were close to or over 10 mins. This was just the band jamming basically on each song. So maybe cut the songs down a little. Can't complain though like I said because of the price.
Worth $1: If you are a fan or interested in trying out the band Phish.
First Thoughts: Here we have a picture of the band Phish... not much to say about it.
Thoughts while listening: The songs on this album are shorter than the last album, which is a good thing. Meaning they learned from their mistakes.
After Thoughts: Some of the songs just sounded like a jam session. There wasn't anything to impact my memory from this album. If you played this album and the Round Room album, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Worth $1: Only if you're a Phish fan. Not only does it come with a CD, but a DVD too.
-Nick
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
CDs and the Dollar Tree (Part 1)
The Dollar Tree is like a yard sale, but with no good treasure. Oddly enough maybe I was wrong because I saw a CD rack with some CDs of bands I had heard of. Two Phish albums and Sammy Hagar & Wabos were the albums I decided to buy. Phish I've never listened to, but I knew of Sammy Hagar's solo career with Heavy Metal and I can't Drive 55. Today's blog is going to talk about the Sammy Hagar & Wabos album and if it was worth one American dollar.
Source of Image
Album: Sammy and the Wabos - Livin' It Up!
First Thought: Here we have musician Sammy Hagar sitting at the beach with a guitar. He seems to be happy with this outcome. Even seems he has written or received a message in a bottle, but seems to dang happy to either read it or send it out just yet. Seeing him this happy about this album, I went ahead and bought it. Sammy Hagar did produce some hits, but if they had a David Lee Roth I would had to of chosen David over Sammy. That's right! I said it, you can debate me over this.
Thoughts while listening: This album is very much like the cover (except the message in a bottle... of course). By this I mean it's an album dedicated to the beach and just livin' it up. This album is the type of album they would play at a tiki bar. It's more of a country album than a rock n' roll album.
After thoughts: The album wasn't that bad and I can't complain due to the price. It wasn't awesome either. For Sammy Hagar fans I wouldn't recommend buying this for the full price of $15 at Amazon. Instead try going for Sammy's new supergroup Chickfoot. I probably will never listen to this album again, but if it was playing in the waiting room at a hospital and my small intestine was leaking through my belly button I wouldn't have a problem with it. I would just remember Sammy sitting on that beach chair livin' it up.
Worth one dollar of American currency? Yeah sure.
-Nick
Album: Sammy and the Wabos - Livin' It Up!
First Thought: Here we have musician Sammy Hagar sitting at the beach with a guitar. He seems to be happy with this outcome. Even seems he has written or received a message in a bottle, but seems to dang happy to either read it or send it out just yet. Seeing him this happy about this album, I went ahead and bought it. Sammy Hagar did produce some hits, but if they had a David Lee Roth I would had to of chosen David over Sammy. That's right! I said it, you can debate me over this.
Thoughts while listening: This album is very much like the cover (except the message in a bottle... of course). By this I mean it's an album dedicated to the beach and just livin' it up. This album is the type of album they would play at a tiki bar. It's more of a country album than a rock n' roll album.
After thoughts: The album wasn't that bad and I can't complain due to the price. It wasn't awesome either. For Sammy Hagar fans I wouldn't recommend buying this for the full price of $15 at Amazon. Instead try going for Sammy's new supergroup Chickfoot. I probably will never listen to this album again, but if it was playing in the waiting room at a hospital and my small intestine was leaking through my belly button I wouldn't have a problem with it. I would just remember Sammy sitting on that beach chair livin' it up.
Worth one dollar of American currency? Yeah sure.
-Nick
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Wanted - Film Review
poster from fandango
Premise:
Wesley Gibbon (James McAvoy) is a depressed, anxiety suffering nobody working a cubicle job that he hates along with the rest of his life. He remains part of a relationship with a girlfriend who he knows is cheating on him with his best friend, and he doesn't blame his father for walking out on him and his mother at a very young age. Little does he know his father has super-human abilities that make him top of the class in an organization of assassins, and he shares the same abilities. That same organization is making strides to recruit Wesley as a replacement.
Standouts:
Not enough can be said about the special effects. There are some top of the line special effects and some decent enough dark humor to give you a few laughs in the mix of the seriousness of things. James McAvoy's acting however does stand out, as sometimes he's excellent in his role, but sometimes he clearly wants desperately to be the unnamed narrator from Fight Club played by Edward Norton. But of course Morgan Freeman is Godly and balances the acting scale back out.
My Highlights:
The too-truthful ATM machine, the ridiculous car stunts that make The Fast And The Furious weep in shame. Also any time Wesley flips out and starts rampaging, be it in the office or in the final fight scene.
Overall Rating:
What's working for this movie will make it stand out in your mind, but things do drag it down and will become an instinctive afterthought when brought up, like run-time, over-usage of twists, and inexplicable imbalance of probability (the kind of feeling where you ask the screen, wait, why didn't you just do what you did thirty minutes ago? That'd solve all your problems!) So while not an awful movie, it's a fun popcorn flick, and deserving a 3 1/2 *'s.
When You Should See It:
There's really not a huge rush. Feel free to rent it if your Blockbuster/Netflix queue isn't that long, or if you're in a movie rental store and on the spur of the moment you want something actiony. However I wouldn't say this is a must-buy movie, unless you've given it a test-drive and you find it on sale for half the usual price.
Wesley Gibbon (James McAvoy) is a depressed, anxiety suffering nobody working a cubicle job that he hates along with the rest of his life. He remains part of a relationship with a girlfriend who he knows is cheating on him with his best friend, and he doesn't blame his father for walking out on him and his mother at a very young age. Little does he know his father has super-human abilities that make him top of the class in an organization of assassins, and he shares the same abilities. That same organization is making strides to recruit Wesley as a replacement.
Standouts:
Not enough can be said about the special effects. There are some top of the line special effects and some decent enough dark humor to give you a few laughs in the mix of the seriousness of things. James McAvoy's acting however does stand out, as sometimes he's excellent in his role, but sometimes he clearly wants desperately to be the unnamed narrator from Fight Club played by Edward Norton. But of course Morgan Freeman is Godly and balances the acting scale back out.
My Highlights:
The too-truthful ATM machine, the ridiculous car stunts that make The Fast And The Furious weep in shame. Also any time Wesley flips out and starts rampaging, be it in the office or in the final fight scene.
Overall Rating:
What's working for this movie will make it stand out in your mind, but things do drag it down and will become an instinctive afterthought when brought up, like run-time, over-usage of twists, and inexplicable imbalance of probability (the kind of feeling where you ask the screen, wait, why didn't you just do what you did thirty minutes ago? That'd solve all your problems!) So while not an awful movie, it's a fun popcorn flick, and deserving a 3 1/2 *'s.
When You Should See It:
There's really not a huge rush. Feel free to rent it if your Blockbuster/Netflix queue isn't that long, or if you're in a movie rental store and on the spur of the moment you want something actiony. However I wouldn't say this is a must-buy movie, unless you've given it a test-drive and you find it on sale for half the usual price.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Clearance Bin Video Game Review: Fuzion Frenzy 2
Title: Fuzion Frenzy 2System: Xbox 360
Rating: E
Paid: $10
Review: Starting off picking a character from a group of people that are no different from each other. You are put into space for this tournament against three other people. This tournament is a list of mini games for you to play. The point is obviously to come in first place and to score the most points. When you complete a round of mini games the person with the most points scores a 1 tournament point. You then move on to the next round and do it all over again.
Sounds like a decent game right? Well I wouldn't say that just yet. The mini games are just not that fun to play. I know a couple of games that go under this same set up and they all are pretty bad. Except Warrio Ware, which got it down right, is the only exception. I'm not going to sit here and talk about each mini game, because this game doesn't deserve that. I'm just going to say the controls are choppy and slow. There are a couple of fun mini games and a lot of mini games to choose from. Even though a couple of the mini games are basically the same thing except in a different setting.
The most annoying thing about this game isn't the mini games at all. It's the stupid host of this tournament. Every time you do something or someone else does something, he makes a stupid comment. He will even interrupt himself to say another comment sometimes and that comment is the same comment he was saying! I've heard annoying hosts and narrators in video games, but this one is in the top pick of the most annoying.
Want to hear something positive about the game? It's one of the first Xbox 360 games to go online. Too bad there is no one online to play with, everyone must be playing better games for their Xbox 360.
Ok think positive... the only good news is for the people that love achievement points. You can get around 675 achievement points without the help of someone online easily. Probably one of the easiest achievement type games out there. The rest of the points require online, too bad no one is online.
My Final Thought: I know some places gave this game a good score, but I can't recommend this game. I can only recommend it if you are trying to boost your gamerscore. If you see this game at a yard sale for $2, try to haggle it down to a dollar.
-Nick
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