Review: Uncharted 3
Uncharted 2 is widely regarded as the greatest game to ever grace the Playstation 3, but Naughty Dog is attempting to challenge its own crown with Uncharted 3 Drake’s Deception. Is this third installment another jewel in the collection, or destined to be lost in time.
Review: Doctor Who – The Gunpowder Plot
Doctor Who is big in the UK. The longest running sci-fi show had a break between the years of 1989-1996 and from then to 2005. With it now being 2011 and the eleventh doctor is in power, we are gaining more access to the weird and wonderful universe that the Doctor is exploring. Series 6 is now finished and we are yet to wait for the next Christmas special, which is set to be spectacular. Now as we are waiting for that to appear and what not we are given a game. Free to download and it is based on the Gunpowder plot. However all is not as it seems.
The Doctor, Rory and Amy are on their way around space when they crash into a ship. They do not know what type of ship this is as they have another problem at hand, weird space ripples are everywhere and could take London down with it if they do not sort out what the problem is at hand. Well, what can we say; The Doctor is on the case! Of course we meet an old enemy in this story known as the Sontarans and a new face for the younger generation, The Rutans. What’s going on between them? Well you will have to play the game to find out any more!
Their respective people, Matt Smith and co, voice all characters. The voice acting in this game is surprisingly good, considering that many games do not have great voice acting. The gameplay is also ok. It is not amazing, has problems with it, as it needs a few tweaks and can glitch at times. Aside from that you can learn a few things about the times that this game is set in. This game also feels educational I the sense that when you look at certain objects it will tell you a little bit about it. This is good for the younger generation, as when they want to play the game, they will learn something new along the way.
This is a puzzle game if more than anything. You cannot fight and just the one hit can kill you. However you do not have lives and when you die you just have to redo the section that you are on. Aside from that the puzzles are good for your mind and will keep you going adults and kids alike.
The game overall is fun, not hardcore, something to play if you have nothing to do and if you are a big Doctor Who fan. Even the people who are un familiar with Doctor Who may find this game entertaining in a way. There have been three previous games to this and they have been ok, all posing the same problem with being glitchy, but you should think that this ok considering this is a free game.
Overall, this is a great game to play and it gets thumbs up from me. Hopefully they can create a much bigger doctor who adventures where we can interact online and become the time lords we were all born to be!
Film Review: In Time
Working in Hollywood is hard. Being Andrew Niccol and working in Hollywood: even harder. Harder still without multimillion dollar clout behind you, for a writer-director specialising in ideologically charged fiction (science fiction or otherwise) such as Gattaca, Lord of War and S1m0ne. The only hit with his name being the The Truman Show, written by Niccol but directed solidly by workaday auteur Peter Wier. Niccol has struggled with success, putting aside bad luck if we narrow down a critical reason why his attempts usually tank, it’s the ideas themselves: Briefly intriguing premises derailed by feature length execution, In Time has the same problem. Its alternate world of (deep breath) genetically engineered humans who stop aging past 25, after that age bracket they literally live on shared time. Unfortunately, the previous eighteen words contain all the fascination you’re likely to squeeze out of this film. As a Twilight Zone episode, it would have legs. At an hour and a half, the idea demonstrates a lack of durability.
As entertainment, there isn’t much to be gained. The film’s sluggish pace and hackneyed writing poorly serve the game cast (one look at the poster say’s everything), the production design couldn’t be weaker. Dystopia regular Alex McDowell (the production designer behind Minority Report, Fight Club and Watchmen) is roped in to churn out a future of monochrome muscle cars decked out with pinball machine lights that vroom up and down LA’s all too familiar viaducts. Colleen Atwood’s wardrobe riffs shamelessly on Kym Barrett’s work on the Matrix trilogy and composer Craig Armstrong repeats all the beats from his soundtrack to Plunkett and Macleane (the go-to score for evoking the triumph of the human will over ‘The Man’).
The movie establishes a future where its inhabitants won’t age beyond 25. The age 25 in the film’s vernacular enabling perfect beauty and health, despite the story’s constant declaration of class disparity. This is a dystopia as imagined by the ‘casting couch’, arguably Niccol had already made this film with Gattaca, at least that film had a reason behind its premise of artificially cultivated beauty. With In Time, there is no reason for any of these characters to be beautiful. Made worse by the fact that a mainstream dystopia cannot survive without an anti-establishment, anarcho-syndicalist rhetoric charging blindly through any possible exploration of societal domination.
Following the now standard post-Matrix model of the dystopian narrative, unlike Orwells’ 1984, there is a happy ending and it’s all due to the power of the human spirit. Speaking of Matrix overtones, it seemed until now that the days of Armani-inspired tech-warriors and cyber-fear mongering – from Dark City to Equilibrium – had served their purpose and were long behind us. In Time sadly digs up the ghost of dystopia gone naïve and serves it up in the wrong decade. Its ham-fisted attempts at gouging at the economic crises will more than likely draw praise from the Occupy [insert establishment] crowd, but are nothing more than flimsy ideas dreamed up by a speculative think tank organised by hipsters.
Review: Batman Arkham City
The elusive Dark Knight is back once again to crack some skulls, solve some clues and of course, save the day as he now must shake off the horrors of Arkham Asylum and face off against a new army of psychotic villains who are all just itching for a taste of the bat.
A large and run down part of Gotham City has been walled off from the rest of society which has become home to a wide array of criminals from the lowliest thief to the deadliest assassin. On top of that, the man running this so called asylum; Dr Hugo Strange, is nothing short of a criminal himself, making suspicious deals the wrong people and throwing all sorts of big names within the walls of Arkham City namely… Bruce Wayne.
Once inside this daunting city, you will soon discover that there is pandemonium on the streets. A number of the biggest and best known convicts have risen up and have built their empire out of the fear and hatred that fills the air, settling on areas of the city and claiming it for themselves while constantly warring with each other to see who will push the hardest. Three of the larger influences within the asylum who you will soon come to recognise are Two-Face, Penguin and of course the Joker, who as of late isn’t doing so well on the mortality side of things. It seems the once invincible clown has fallen to his own creation; the Titan serum which has poisoned his now frail body and has left him on the edge of oblivion, plotting his final trick.
Much like it’s predecessor, Arkham City is packed full of things to do and places to go. While you can always glide straight through the narrative and see where that takes you, RockSteady Studios have really put in some effort to implement a huge percentage of side-quests to keep you busy. The bonus here though is that each side-quest holds it’s own mini narrative that you must follow which in turn introduces you to a huge selection of criminals found throughout the Batman franchise. One of the more noticeable side-quests to immerse yourself in is the masterful work left by the Riddler who has kindly left you over 400 riddles to find and solve which will have you flying about for hours finding Riddler trophy’s, solving deathly puzzles that test your will to live and even solving riddles that involve your image capture device. However the only problem I find when playing both the main story and completing side-quests is that with so many things to do, it can be easy to become a little lost in the game and with such a large selection of criminals such as Poison Ivy and the League of Assassins making their own appearances throughout, it feels as if their brilliant and unique stories are drowned out by the sheer amount of content found within the game.
That said, each scenario you find yourself in always comes with a few surprises that usually prove to be quite rewarding. One of the more interesting scenarios I am talking about is the narrative revolving around Catwoman and how well her story has been intertwined within the game and with Batman. Even before you start playing as the man himself you are greeted with a little taste of the mischief you will be getting into as the master thief later in the game which seems to hint that her side of the story may be just as important as the Dark Knights’.
With a new story comes a new sequence of events and with that comes new equipment of course! the amount of gear RockSteady have given Batman in his latest crusade is nothing short of insane. Not only do you have all of your equipment from your lovely time spent in Arkham Asylum but throughout the game you will be able to pick a bunch of helpful and interesting gadgets such as the electrical charge gun that can open new paths in certain areas or the subzero mines that can freeze multiple enemies in place if your in a tight spot. As you may have guessed, each of these gadgets both old and new also come in handy when battling against the hordes of thugs who are all waiting to take you down… for them its probably personal. Being able to utilize your gadgets in different ways completely opens up the playingfield giving you the freedom to play how you want, tailoring the game to your preferences which does a great job of immersing you further into the game.
Even after you manage to complete the main story, side-quests and beat the Riddler at his own game, you will still have a ways to go before even thinking about bragging to your friends about how you beat the game. Arkham City has a number ways to keep you busy, that is if you haven’t already started a new playthrough. From the menu screen you can choose from over 100 unique challenges hosted by Mr E. Nimga himself that will test your true skill and determination as you fight with both Batman and Catwoman to earn points and make it onto the leader boards. Mr Nigma also has a number of campaign scenarios that demand certain objectives to be carried out in order to achieve those medals.
The beauty that can be found within Arkham City is something of a constant reminder. Every inch of the city simply oozes detail and with such a massive area of Gotham to play around in, sometimes it just takes a while to take everything in, be it from the grimy snow covered streets below to the tallest spire of a church glistening in the moonlight. Not only does Arkham City look stunning but the exact same can be said for each of the many characters found in the game who all seem to have adapted to this unyielding environment and in turn have adorned various features in their appearance that perfectly merge them into the game and the narrative. You will also notice that throughout the story parts of your body armour for both Batman and Catwoman start to degrade over time leaving behind a history of superficial battle scars that keep reminding you of your long journey through the game.
Another significant factor found throughout Arkham City, something I’m sure you will pick up on as soon as the opening sequence rolls in is the brilliant selection of music that plays throughout which silently acts to immerse you and pull you further into the action and mystery found throughout the game. One moment you may find yourself battling against a flurry of the Joker’s thugs when out comes the Joker himself to have a go at you that instantly brings with it an intense battle song that pushes you to keep fighting and persevere to the very end until the madness has subsided and you are once again gliding peacefully through the city, simply look down at the chaos below as the music flows through the air while seamlessly showing you the true essence of the cold and bitter world around you.
The setting of Batman Arkham City is a dark and gritty place, but amongst all the crime and violence is pure brilliance. The ingenious minds at RockSteady have truly struck gold with this one and it definitely shows as everything that made Arkham Asylum what is it has been tweaked and refined and finally merged with a vast array of dynamic ideas to breathe new life into the iconic franchise. That said, Arkham City still has a few small issues that can be overlooked but the only significant problem would be that some of the roles given to certain villains seem a little insignificant which could have been avoided to create more impact within the story. However, theses small issues are completely lost in the sheer magnificence of the game and so are completely forgivable. RockSteady have delivered an astounding incite into the life of Bruce Wayne and have given both fans and new comers alike a true chance to know and feel what it is like to be Batman which I think is safe to say that its all we have ever wanted.
Review: Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 will without a doubt currently be oscar mike to the top of the charts, but is it worthy of the promotion or deserving of a discharge? Read more
Overdue Halloween Special: A Nightmare on Elm Street 1, 3 and 7: The Nancy Trilogy
Freddy Krueger is dead, killed by over-exposure, his memory ground further into the dirt by a Michael Bay produced remake. We know how it began, how it descended into buffoonish self-parody and then revived itself via the power of post-modern, self-reflexivity. That’s a given fact for fans of all things Freddy, but for the initiated we know who was there from the beginning (A Nightmare on Elm Street), the middle (Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) and finally set the whole shebang in stone with the New Nightmare: None other than Nancy Thompson herself, played by Heather Langenkamp. Perhaps Freddy’s true equal (sorry Jason), yes she only really got to flex her dramatic muscle in New Nightmare. But she was crucial in Freddy’s evolution from ghoul to ghoulish goofball, and finally back to ghoul.
But what of Nancy’s evolution? Technically speaking, ‘Nancy’ only really progressed from teen damsel-cum detective to mentor in the gaps between Nightmare 1 and Nightmare 3, before being prematurely skewed by Your’s Freddily. The cycle was naturally completed in meta-fashion by Heather Langenkamp as, Heather Langenkamp. Yes indeed, Nancy had run her course in the Elm Street saga, or had she? In many respects, it should have damn well been Nancy rather than Alice (Lisa Wilcox) to be threatened with carrying Freddy’s spawn in Nightmare 5: The Dream Child (as opposed to Nightmare 4, in which nothing happened). Although, disposing of Nancy and pursuing Heather bore fruit in the chance to start over. Freddy by that point had been neutered by the 6th entry, simply titled Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. A semi-3D craptacular that all but buried the reputation of the franchise (“kids!”). New Nightmare relocated the premise to Beverly Hills. Freddy Krueger is a horror icon, Heather Langenkamp can’t shake off the shackles of Nancy from a career ago and Robert England sees’ himself an artist, who knew? Seriously though (with this material? fat chance) the essence of the story is the fact that Freddy and Nancy are oil and water, the glue in this equation is that of Heather’s (fictional) son – and Freddy-fodder – Dylan.
Freddy needed to get back to his bogeyman roots, and they needed Nancy to be there (a fact the movie is well aware of). Going so far to cast the filmmakers as themselves, including director Wes Craven and New Line honcho Bob Shaye playing themselves, as they strive to coax the now parentally occupied Langenkamp back into the spotlight. Simply because Nancy was there from the beginning, almost apologising for the gaps in character continuity throughout the series. Crucially though, the film summarised and inadvertently satirised the horror picture business. A self-consuming cycle of retrospective revisionism and self-destructive nostalgia, all whilst ignoring the horrifying fact that the monster they created has become more frightening than any of them could imagine.
It’s a shame then that so little attention is paid to Nancy as a character, or actress Heather Langenkamp. For some of weaknesses in the first and third movie, she is at least as pivotal as Laurie Strode was to the Halloween franchise (Strode similarly appeared sporadically in that franchise, in four of the eight films). She’s no Ripley but like Laurie Strode, Nancy was the embodiment of the slasher movie heroine; a wholesome, middle-American girl standing up against the things that go bump in the night (and like to play, ‘skin the cat’). Langenkamp herself is rarely seen onscreen (some of recent credits include make-up and prosthetics work for Evan Almighty and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead), as chance would have it (in relation to this article) Langenkamp has been busy at work on autobiographical documentary I Am Nancy. A look inside the Nightmare fanbase, notably the disparity in popularity between Freddy and Nancy (a look at the trailer reveals the absence of Nancy memorabilia). In conclusion, Freddy may be on the shelf at your nearest Forbidden Planet (or other geek emporium), but Nancy was always the most credible opponent. That’s unless you’d rather sit through (shudder) Freddy’s Dead again?
Film Review: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
“The good news is that anything is possible. The bad news is that anything is possible,”
Robert Zemeckis.
The above quote has obvious implications on this new adaptation of Hergé’s intrepid reporter, but it should be made very clear that this is NOT Hergé’s Tintin, at times it struggles to define itself as Spielberg’s Tintin. The technology employed to create the characters isn’t an issue, the virtual camera however -in relation to Zemeckis’s statement- is the biggest bugbear here. For all of the attention paid in realising such a vivid animated world. One with glistening wet pavements, greasy and rusty ship hulls and every hair on Snowy’s head registering as real. The only thing without any physicality is the camera, it can pass through bulletproof glass and hairline cracks. In fact, the camera never stops moving, ever. The average action sequence in the film is a whimsical chase in a single, free flowing take. Followed by a variation on the same motif. Culminating as Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy chase a falcon through Bagghar’s narrow streets. A single shot, equal parts Buster Keaton and Tex Avery (but mostly The Polar Express) is symptomatic of the experience of the film: One can’t help but be entertained and fascinated by the imagination onscreen, but for all the excess, something seems off. For all of the work to eliminate the dead-eye effect, the spectre of Polar Express still lingers over the film; it was the camera that was possessed all along.
To his credit, Spielberg hasn’t been this breakneck in many an ‘Amblin’ moon; the problem is that there is no nuance to his Tintin. Everything feels hurried, too fast to appreciate, as if the film itself won’t stop for fear of malfunction. Even the introduction of the iconic character, in conjunction with a posthumous CG cameo by Hergé himself is over too quickly to register alongside the great entrances of Henry Jones Jr, or even Wild Bill Kelso for that matter. Obviously it would be naïve to assume that just because Spielberg’s pedigree lies in the tales of recovered Arks, tinged with curiosity and discovery that we were in for a Jones-style adventure. We already realised Spielberg wasn’t going to make that kind of film anymore when he released Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, worse than atomic homeware and interdimentional beings was the breezy tone. It all seemed so soft, there’s no danger and you can bet your ass there’s no Mola Ram. Tintin however would benefit from this more than Indy, but with each subsequent set piece staking out to outdo the previous one, atmosphere goes out the window.
With the notion of a Spielberg helmed Tintin knocking about since the early 80’s, the promise of a John Williams collaboration was one that would have had even Spielberg-cynic Terry Gilliam salivating. The disappointing fact here is that Williams’ score lacks a single hummable theme, unlike his last iconic score for Harry Potter. Williams’, like Spielberg it seems, has succumbed to whimsical excess. Tintin opens to a noodley-jazz riff playing against a CG/silhouette animation (one that falls short of similar opening titles for Catch Me if you Can), the rest of the music in the film mistakes bombast for melody. The problem here, as with the rest of the film stems from a lack of patience. Not even Spielberg has the power or the stamina to conjure the suspense that he wielded even in 93’ with Jurassic Park, in fact neither do we. We want a rollercoaster, not a ghost train.
In fairness though, the film at least feels affectionate towards its titular hero’s legacy, even if it is hewn closer to Wile E Coyote than Inspector Clouseau (Seller’s shtick arguably closer in tone to Hergé farce-based strips). Eagled eyed viewers will spot crates marked with The Crab with the Golden Claws, Tintin swings across a balcony clutching a Blue Lotus lantern, as well as nods to the filmmakers involved. Spielberg often riffing on his own Indy romps, whilst Peter Jackson crowbars in a line in which Captain Haddock mistakes Snowy for a Sumatran Rat-Monkey (from Jackson’s Braindead). The pace may be premature, the first act is a drag but there is some fun to be had by the time reel three kicks in. A flashback to a naval battle is worth the price of admission, and there is something to be admired in the imagination on display. Just don’t expect it to last in your memory by the time the iris closes on Snowy.
Review: Deus Ex Human Revolution – The Missing Link
Deus Ex Human Revolution has recently recieved its first piece of downable content with “The Missing Link”, but is this augmentation worth it?
Film Review: Paranormal Activity 3
Flick your fingers in your friend’s face, he’ll blink. Shout ‘boo!’ in silent room, you’ll surprise someone. The first ‘Activity’ was a homemade jump-scare shocker, made by a guy who just happened to be a talented coaxer of a filmmaker. That oddity eventually shook the registers to the tune of $107 million domestically (USA). Extraordinary popularity as an audience terroriser and a miniscule budget set what has now become the series standard: Tiny expenditure, instant shocks = maximum profit. What was once an accidental success has become a cynical monetary procedure, made worse by the repetitive gimmicks squeezed dry over its 84 minute running time.
A tip whilst watching any of these films: If a character is looking toward the left of the frame, you look to the right. One of the biggest problems with the shock gimmicks of ajar doors, swinging lamps and bass rumbles is that we’ve become used to them, and we know how to predict and therefore outwit them. The filmmakers try to outfox us by mounting the camera to a dismantled electric fan head, surveying the room in 180 degree sweeps. Trying to shake our gaze, in the process reducing the proceedings to nothing more than a filmic version of Where’s Waldo/Wally (depending on your region). We have become used to the fact that we aren’t going to see a ghost (beyond the now standard fleeting glimpse), the economical trope that subsequently became postmodern has now devolved into a cliché. That cliché giving way to a series of poltergeist antics that often border on slapstick, including mass kitchen levitation, invisible walls and a possessed Teddy Ruxpin (88’ is the new 77’!). The (now) period setting is the 80’s of Cyndi Lauper, Miami Vice pastels and bad hair. The supposedly analogue home video of yesteryear looks closer to a DSLR of today, sure some TV lines and VHS timecode have been applied but the smeared distortion (typical of that camera) is non-existent. Nitpicking to be sure, but details like this do taint the illusion.
The first film successfully operated under the premise of the Alien principle e.g. No monster/carnage for at least 40 minutes. By now however there is no longer any atmosphere or even suspense, just long stretches of silence punctuated by loud noises. Made worse by the prospect of this being a prequel, we know these kids will live through these supposedly traumatic events. Thus the film overrides its own logic with a plot revelation that teeters on absurd, but really comes across as feeble. Outside of a theatre and a hyped audience this film is a hopeless case, it lives and breathes amongst a fretting crowd of date night adolescents and low expectations. One of which announced her intentions to illegally download the film once she got home. The problem is though that the film will not live at home. Oddly though it is a cinematic experience that needs the theatre audience as a crutch. At least they’ll scream, they have no pause button. If such a lousy film deserves any credit it’s in the fact that it knows the captive audience has no control. That fact is their worst nightmare, it may well be yours. Just keep looking to the left.
Overdue #12 The Prestige (2006)
Christopher Nolan, currently directing the leaky ship that is The Dark Knight Rises, has gone through something of a reputation change over the past few years. Formerly recognised as the dark visionary responsible for the uncompromising Memento and the Ridley Scott-inflected Batman Begins. However ever since The Dark Knight sidelined Gotham’s gothic trappings for a sterile metropolitan ‘crime saga’. However, the film that cemented Nolan’s shift toward so called ‘intellectual’ fare butted its head violently against the glass ceiling was none other, than Inception. Elevated by sheer hyperbole (the film rocketed to imdb’s top 5 within a day of its release) which then foisted upon critical opinion the notion that Nolan was the natural successor to Stanley Kubrick. To a great degree, critical acclaim is one of the best and worst things to happen to an ‘auteur’, as the previous work’s that identified him or her in the past are sidelined in favour of their new ilk.
In this respect, Nolan’s last film before this shift was 06’s The Prestige. Arguably one of his best films alongside Memento, and better indeed than Inception. But it’s crucial to understand why.
Nolan may have always been a literary filmmaker, but he’s only been a humanistic one on rare occasion. Prestige is of course one of his more human tales, a story of betrayal, vanity and revenge: all the things Inception lacks and desperately needs. Furthermore, it’s movie that proves that Nolan is more than a thematic pragmatist, in other words, he understands character dilemmas. More importantly, the choices characters make have consequences that affect other characters. Mistakes are made that spoil friendships, leading to a tit-for-tat cycle that is as volatile as it is unpredictable. Inception shot itself in the foot with its linearity, for an inverted heist movie it is remarkable that at no point do we have a single double-crosser in the extraction gang. Worse still, Nolan’s realisation of this is demonstrated in his ham-fisted attempt at character depth in the relationship between Cobb and Mal. An out of place sub-plot betraying Nolan’s paternal paranoia (himself a father of two), made worse by the total lack of compelling character conflict elsewhere. Imprinting itself in our sub consciousness as a diagram of human flaw, as opposed to a beating heart.
Guillermo del Toro recited an anecdote about screenwriting during his audio commentary for The Devil’s Backbone, the conclusion of his point was ‘don’t tell me, show me’. He was referring to the power of visuals verses the written word, in many respects this leads us to The Prestige’s most compelling elements. For once, Nolan managed to tell a story with images, the exposition is informative, compelling but never excessive. Inception however is a screenplay that is so dense in its explanations, that characters are not only under-developed but the images end up being faint visual shadows of the written word. The film cannot speak for itself. The Prestige however, while reliant on exposition via voiceover or otherwise, feels much more in tune with its visual cues. There is a symbiosis between Wally Pfister’s cinematography, editing, sound and screenplay not evident in Inception. All of this once again is in service to the fact that, The Prestige is a film that delivers emotional and moral impact. This is a Nolan who understood the power to scare and disturb, whether it be in the images of wordless suicide or the eerie truth behind The Transported Man. Nolan now seems too concerned with what his film means, as a result his previous two pictures are overlong (running an average of two and half hours), ideologically dense and sporadically human. Its humanity that counts, and what The Prestige delivers in spades, warts and all.
