Boredom's Advocate

Spotlight - Skyrim Soundtrack (Updated with Gamespot Feature)

2011-11-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

(Update! Looks like Gamespot posted a featurette about the music, sound, and voice acting today too. What are the odds?! Check it out at the bottom!)

One thing I'm not going to fret about related to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is its soundtrack. Jeremy Soule has taken the helm as composer for the Elder Scrolls series once again, and from what limited previews we have seen - or heard, rather - of the music, he's done a stellar job. I adored his work on Morrowind, raved about the soundtrack for Oblivion, and now I'm eagerly anticipating the same for Skyrim.

An official soundtrack for Skyrim has been announced and will be shipped the week after the game is released on 11/11/11.

Unlike his previous soundtrack work for the Elder Scrolls series, Jeremy Soule has scored and compiled a whopping four-disc set for Skyrim! That's a lot of music! One of the criticisms leveled at Morrowind and Oblivion was that their soundtracks - while enchanting - quickly became very repetitive as they tended to loop ad-infinitum during the hundred of hours of questing players could get in the game. A four-cd soundtrack shoud alleviate that problem somewhat (just a tad).

The four-disc set is available at Directsong exclusively for $30.00. Pricey, but it just might be worth it. Check out Gamespot's featurette on Skyrim's soundtrack, sound effects, and voice acting below, and head on over to Directsong to preorder.

Review - Dragon Age: Mark of the Assassin

2011-10-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

Dragon Age 2's second story-based DLC outing is "Mark of the Assassin," an adventure that - apart from sporting around 5-6 hours of additional questing time - also features the remarkable voice talent of Felicia Day as the titular assassin, Tallis. Fans of the actress will find a pleasant treat in this DLC; Day brings Tallis to life in an engrossing way, and while the character herself may not be the most interesting of Bioware's creations, she still houses a personality and backstory that's worth a look.

The same can be said for the DLC itself; the premise, execution, and twists along the tale prove to be an entertaining diversion that will provide a solid chunk of additional gameplay. It's worth the pricetag - more so than Legacy. Everything good about Dragon Age is here: intricate lore woven into an interesting story, new creatures that provide varied and interesting battles, a puzzle or two to wrack your brain, challenging boss fights, and even a few surprising cameos from Dragon Age: Origins.

It's Felicia Day! In Dragon Age! As an elf!

The folks at Bioware have learned their lesson from Dragon Age 2. Mark of the Assassin once again sends you to a completely new location for you to explore. Gone are the recycled maps and endless waves of enemies (at least, for the duration of this DLC). Instead, you're sent on a mission to liberate a treasure from an Orlesian stronghold. Here, you'll take part in a wyvern hunt, chat up a few nobles in a party, and work your way through a fortress - by stealth or by force - to complete your mission. Though there have been complaints that the stealth portion of the game is buggy, I did not experience any of the bugs that have plagued other reviewers.

As to be expected from Bioware, the story twists and turns along the way (though I have to say, releasing the Dragon Age webseries along with the DLC might have given away a lot of one of the "surprise" moments). The highlight of the story and the DLC is definitely Tallis. With her snarky yet bright outlook, she is a welcome addition to your cast of companions. She's played wonderfully by Felicia Day, and it's a shame that the character is limited to the DLC; she will not join you on your main quest (though it seems possible she'll show up in another Dragon Age iteration).

Your choices in the DLC also have consequence; unlike Dragon Age 2's main game, where your choices often have little effect on the narrative, Mark of the Assassin will play out differently based on a few key choices you make. Anything that gives your actions more weight is a plus in my book.

If you're itching for more Dragon Age 2 that's not set in Kirkwall, Mark of the Assassin is worth a look. The DLC is available now on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Recommended For:
+ Dragon Age 2 fans
+ Felicia Day fans - don't worry, she differentiates Tallis from Codex quite well.

Not Recommended For:
- Dragon Age 2 haters
- People expecting Mark of the Assassin to solve all the problems of Dragon Age 2

For those looking for more history on Tallis, check out Dragon Age: Redemption.

Spotlight - Pre Skyrim Jitters

2011-10-30T01:23:00.000-07:00

If you're fans of the Elder Scrolls series, then you indubitably know that Skyrim, the fifth installment of Bethesda's epic open-world RPG, is about to be released on 11/11/11 - less than 15 days away. Now there's been an impressive amount of hype for the game, considering it has been over 5 years since the studio released the previous game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Yes, in addition to taking frivolous legal action against indie developers, Bethesda also still makes games! Imagine that.

Oblivion was hailed as one of the best RPGs of 2006, featuring stunning graphics (for the time), a massive world to explore, almost countless quests to complete, and its signature RPG leveling system; unlike most other models of the roleplaying videogame, the Elderscrolls uses a system where your abilities improve based only on use. That is, swing a sword enough times and you'll become a master swordsman. Blast enough enemies with fiery death, and you'll become a master mage. Spin enough diplomatic circles around your enemies with your silver tongue and you'll become a master ... debater.
Heh. Had to.

Skyrim allows you to kill bears like never before. As long as they aren't pandas, I say.

Still, for all its innovation and technical marvel, there was one area where I felt Oblivion fell short compared to its peers: narrative. Plot. Story. Now, I realize that these factors aren't really selling points of the Elder Scrolls series. Still, in a world where fans often feel justified in demanding improvements to game sequels (often to suit their own esoteric tastes), I feel okay jumping on the bandwagon here. After all, what gamer hasn't dreamed of ways to make the games they play better?

It has been my contention that there are two kinds of successful fantasy stories in RPGs: one based on setting, and one based on characters. Either your setting must be absolutely original and immersive, or your characters have to be compelling. Preferably, you would have both an original and interesting world to explore coupled with characters that you care about. In the absence of both, you must at least have one for a good story to be told.

Pretty? Yes. Interesting? That's debatable.

Case(s) in point. While Dragon Age's setting may not be the most original in all of fiction, the series still told an absolutely captivating narrative through your many party members. One of the best parts of the story in the first Dragon Age was trying to penetrate the witch Morrigan's caustic exterior. Or getting to know the man behind the string of sarcastic jokes that was Alistair. Or trying to decipher exactly what the mysterious shapeshifter Flemeth was planning.

Morrowind, the third installment of the Elder Scrolls series, took the opposite approach. The game managed to make up for its lack of memorable non-player characters using a fascinating and stunningly-well crafted setting based on a truly unique culture and intricate weave of lore. The sheer drama of this politically and religiously charged world more than made up for the lack of NPCs. You didn't just get to know a character in Morrowind. You got to know a whole nation.

Morrowind's capital city of Vivec, a thousand times more interesting than Oblivion's generic fantasy.

Unfortunately, Oblivion's setting seemed in comparison to be utterly generic fantasy with an unremarkable plot and dull, forgettable characters. Oblivion's narrative had neither the expansive and intricate backstory of Morrowind, nor the well-developed and layered characters of Dragon Age. The result was an utterly uninspired story. You got to know a world in Oblivion, yes. But it was like getting to know your husband/wife of forty years. Been there, done that. Seen it all before.

Note, that I don't think Oblivion itself was bad - just this one aspect. In terms of technology, gameplay, and sheer expansiveness of its world, Oblivion should still be considered the top of the top in its sub-genre of RPG.

Standing stones in Skyrim will impart special benefits to various skills.

With that tedious and overlong introduction done, I finally come to the point of this post. What will Skyrim do to address these concerns? Most other gaming sites seem to have conceded that the story aspect of the Elder Scrolls series is unworthy of note; the emphasis in most previews I have read has been decidedly focused on gameplay. That's fine; Elder Scrolls' massive worlds and unique gameplay are after all the major selling points of the series. Still, for a gamer who enjoys games primarily for their story content, what is there to expect?

Well, Skyrim is set in a brand new location, the home of the Nords. In terms of real world correlations, Nords are essentially fantasy Vikings. They make their homes in snow-covered plains that are broken apart by frost-covered crags and frozen tundra. This is a welcome change from the generic forests and medieval cities of Oblivion. As for the actual lore and backstory, we'll have to see when the game releases, but what's been shown so far seems to hit closer to Oblivion than it does Morrowind.

We can visit everything you see here, from Skyrim. Maybe not the clouds I'm guessing. Or can we?

As for plot, very little has been revealed. Apart from the fact that for some reason, dragons are trying to destroy the world, and your character is the fated hero chosen by destiny to defeat them and save the realm. Generic? Yes. Can it be done well? Again, guess we'll have to see.

Finally, Bethesda has not made a big deal out of its NPC characters. This isn't surprising, considering Skyrim's predecessors. There's supposed to be a new NPC AI system which is supposedly pretty revolutionary in terms of giving all the thousands of NPCs their own schedules. Gameplay wise, this sounds great. Story-wise, not so much. Quantity can't make up for lack of quality in terms of developing memorable characters to interact with. If every non-player character in the game has their own schedule, but none of them has any personality, that's big minus points in my book.

Dragons are an integral part of Skyrim's lore. Also, expect to kill a lot of them.

So, in short. Looks like Skyrim's not going to satisfy any narrative cravings. I look forward to being proven wrong, but I won't go so far as to hope for it.

That said, I still plan on fully enjoying this game. Despite Oblivion's lackluster storyline, I still found its massively open world absorbing and engrossing. Fans of the Elder Scrolls series often claim to forgo the main plotline entirely, choosing to carve out their own story and make their own mark in the Elder Scrolls universe. From what we've seen of Bethesda's latest RPG so far, there's no reason to think we can't do the same in Skyrim.

It's not an Elder Scrolls game if there's not a weird zombie skeleton all up in your grill.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim releases on November 11, 2011 on PC (via Steam), Xbox 360 and PS3.

Check out my review of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion here (please note that this was done on my old 5-point review system, which has since been discarded) and then catch some of the latest footage of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, plus the live-action trailer below!

Latest Gameplay Footage, via G4TV

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2012 - The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Live Action Trailer!

Spotlight - Movie Love

2011-10-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Something short and sweet for a monday morning. Maybe not that short. Sometimes not that sweet. Probably not sfw (there is some cussing. Though I suppose it's naive to say that would really bother any of you that much).

Spotlight - Dragon Age: Redemption

2011-10-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Felicia Day's newest web-series set in the Dragon Age universe is out! Check out Redemption, which stars Day as the elven assassin Tallis.

I was a little worried that Day wouldn't be able to break out of her "Codex" role from her other series, The Guild, but she does an admirable job here in the first episode, setting Tallis apart (as a confident and somewhat snarky elf) from her other roles.

The way the Qunari are depicted does bug me a little though. I'm not sure if it's the costume or the acting, but they don't give off the same presence as they have in the game - there's not that sense of intimidation in their first appearance. We'll see if the series can overcome this.

Dragon Age's newest story-based DLC is also out today, which conveniently enough features Tallis as a playable character. Mark of the Assassin can be picked up for $10.00 or its equivalent Bioware/Microsoft Points value on PC, Xbox360, and the PS3.

Are You Kidding Me? - 9/27/2011

2011-09-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

Seriously, you're kidding me. Bethesda, powerhouse developer of "The Elder Scrolls" series, and Mojang AB, developer of the indie mega-hit "Minecraft" have been unable to come to an amiable agreement over Mojang's new game "Scrolls." Bethesda's legal team is apparently insisting that because the developer trademarked "The Elder Scrolls," ... they also have a trademark on the word "Scrolls," and is taking legal action against Mojang.

... seriously?!

The fact that this has not gone away yet is ridiculous on its face. Bethesda is not making a good name for itself with this lawsuit. By their logic, because they have a trademark on "The Elder Scrolls," no other game developer should be able to use "The" in their game titles either.

Seriously.

See Gamespot's news story for more details.

Spotlight - The Benefits of Gaming

2011-09-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Via my friend, Gamers have apparently helped scientists to achieve a significant research breakthrough in the struggle to cure AIDS. Read the full article for all the details, but apparently a group of gamers playing Foldit was able to decrypt the structure of an AIDS-like virus' enzyme in three weeks, something that has held scientists back for nearly a decade.

It's always exciting to hear stuff like this, because it validates one of my favorite hobbies. Kids, next time your mom tells you to put away the video games, just tell her that you're working on a cure for all the world's diseases. ;)

Spotlight - Five Things 'Heroes' Did Wrong

2011-09-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Remember that show called Heroes? It ran from 2006 - 2010 on NBC, and was sort of a X-men for the modern age and on television? It was widely acclaimed during most of its first season, but started to go downhill in quality from the first season finale? Critical ratings - and soon after, viewership - tapered off into a spiraling disaster that resulted in the show's cancellation after four seasons?

It's a little bit late (all right, a lot late), but here's an analysis of what went wrong in the series.

1. Characters meant to last only one season were dragged on for three more.

Did you know that Tim Kring, the creator and executive producer of the show, had originally intended for the bulk of the first season's main cast to be replaced by the end of the first season? His original vision was actually to have the show feature a rotating cast each season. This became painfully obvious as early as the second season. Character development for characters that were only intended for one season's worth of stories either became ground to a halt, or involved 180 degree flips in personality.

Case in point #1: how many times did we as viewers have to see Claire and her dad work out the same tired old issues?

Case in point #2: Could Sylar have gone from bad to good to bad to good any more times?

2. The Powers. Oh Lord, the powers.

From the very beginning I was hesitant about the inconsistent and seemingly random assortment of powers possessed by the protagonists. Fortunately, for one season I was pleasantly surprised at how well the writers were able to weave these over-the-top abilities into compelling storylines. That one season was about as much as we could hope for. From Time Travel to Freezing Time to Power Mimicry to Power Stealing ... the sheer strength of these powers forced the show's writers into tight corners from which they could only struggle to dig themselves out of.

I was especially peeved with time travel/freezing time being one of the most-commonly used powers. Time travel itself is already a difficult subject matter to write convincingly, which is why I'm guessing shows often do it only as standalone "what if?" episodes. The Fact that one of Heroes' main characters had the ability to time travel only ended up forcing the writers to either explain why he couldn't use the ability as a Deux Ex Machina to resolve any and all conflict on the show, OR (and sadly this was the direction they chose) to send him on ridiculously convoluted plots to get him out of the way.

3. Plots were abandoned with ... reckless abandon.

So ... remember in the second season, how Peter hooked up with that Irish chick? Remember how Peter accidentally time-traveled (UGH!) them both to the future. And then remember how he LEFT HER THERE WITH NO WAY OF GETTING BACK?

Yeah, how did that get resolved again? Oh. Right. It didn't. Ever.

And did Peter feel bad about leaving his romance in scary future time? Not according to the following seasons. He seemed to have conveniently forgotten that she even existed.

4. Heroes was a comic-book trying to be a television show. But some things that might fly in comic-book storytelling just don't work on TV.

I'll say this once: when you have to turn to a magical potion and Eclipses to explain how people acquire powers ... something is seriously wrong in your story. Seriously, I wouldn't buy this even in a comic book.

5. Broken Promises

The worst thing about Heroes was that it actually managed to be good for a whole season. Compelling plots, excellent pacing, and strong character development marked the first twenty-two episodes, and convinced me that maybe this show was worth watching. Three seasons later, I feel like I've been misled. Deceived. Like I went to a Chinese supermarket to buy quality Asian ramen, only to find that the inside of the box was filled with Maruchan brand cup noodle.

After the first season, the show became quickly known for its utter lack of focus. Characters were constantly forced into out of character situations. Plots were lackluster, either petering out before any resolution, or just unsatisfying in general. While Heroes was sparkling with promise in its first season, unfortunately, the show just never lived up to that promise.

Here's to hoping Tim Kring's next venture Touch, about a father whose autistic child can predict the future, does better. Even starring Kiefer Sutherland, however, this new show seems to not have much promise at all.

Spotlight - Superbass/Teenage Dream Mashup

2011-08-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

Hi Seeshu!

2011-08-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

One of my closest friends, seeshu, has agreed to contribute to this blog! As a gamer and a girl (yes, they exist), seeshu will occasionally provide her unique and thoughtful perspective on current media. Say hi, everybody!

The Attractiveness of Video Game Geeks

2011-08-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Friends who want to set me up always ask me what I look for in a guy. Usually, my first response is simple: I want to date somebody who plays video games.

In fact, my dating track record is relatively one-note. I tend to gel better with dudes that are both extremely geeky, tech-oriented, and know what "Chrono Trigger" is. To be honest, I'm a little hard pressed to come up with an eloquent explanation of why I love dorky boys. And, especially why I have an affinity for boys that can play games well. There's your average gaming geek, then there's the gaming geek that you are simply in awe of when they fly into action on their Xbox 360 consoles.

I may possess a passion for games, but I am nowhere near even the lowest-level of competency when it comes to shooting games. I attribute my own lack of skills with the reason why I find my boyfriend's "Call of Duty" skills so, well, adorable.

He can do things with a tomahawk that I can only dream of doing. Sometimes when I watch him play I realize I am poised in slack-jawed awe of him back-stabbing his enemies, shooting someone from afar, or using a bow-and-arrow to completely humiliate his opponent.

Some may find this a bit perverse or strange. But, to me, I find it inexplicably attractive. Maybe it's true that women love the macho man, and since I'm into gaming my version of "macho man" has translated itself into "man who plays Call of Duty well."

But, as to why I find gaming attractive in the first place? It probably has to do with my own personal view of the business of video games in the first place. As someone who has been forced to "grow up" relatively early on, holding onto video games reminds me of a lot of things. In particular, it reminds me of nostalgic memories of my childhood. Back then, the perfect afternoon was a lazy lunch of macaroni and cheese, followed by a few hours on the SNES with my older brother.

When I recall my best childhood memories, many of them revolve around games. I nearly cried when playing Final Fantasy 7. I learned how to code in HTML so that I could create my own Final Fantasy III walkthrough. My brother and I played Street Fighter 2 and countless other games together.

To me, someone who plays video games tugs at my heartstrings in the most fundamental way possible. It makes me think that this person is not only someone I can relate to, but is someone that is just like me: they're retaining part of their innocence, and their child-like imagination. After all, that's what video games essentially are. You suspend your belief for a brief few hours so you can be transported to a different world. A world where you're a hero and a world where your actions can impact the world.

What girl doesn't want to be with a hero?

Bastion Official Soundtrack Now Available!

2011-08-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Bastion, which I have lauded multiple times in the past few weeks, has officially been released on the PC. This version features mappable key-bindings, gamepad support, and a higher resolution than its Xbox Live Arcade counterpart. The core game remains the same though, so for those of you who don't have an Xbox360, I highly recommend you download this great game for your computer. Download via Steam (you'll need to sign up for a free account if you haven't done so already).

In addition to the PC release, Supergiant Games has also released the official soundtrack for Bastion (which was definitely part of the reason the game was so great). Composed by Darren Korb, the full soundtrack features 22 songs, 2 of which have not been heard before. Get it here for $10 digital download or $15 for a compact CD.

As an added bonus, for a limited time, Supergiant Games is offering a bundle deal to get both the digital game and the digital soundtrack at a 20% discount.

Check out my full review of the XBLA version here.

Spotlight - The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

2011-08-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

It's a little bit late, but check out the teaser for Chris Nolan's conclusion to his Batman reboot.

And then, for your amusement:

Are You Kidding Me? - 8/5/2011

2011-08-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Bethesda is apparently aiming to be known as the game developer company where you can be involved in lawsuits. Via gamebanshee, Minecraft Creator Mojang AB has received a 15-page letter from the Fallout and Elder Scrolls developer, which alleges that Mojang AB's new game "Scrolls" infringes the copyright of the "Elder Scrolls" property.

Mm. Frivolous much? Somehow I'm getting the impression that the lawyers over at Bethesda are underworked and overpaid.

Bethesda has also been engaged in a legal tug-of-war with Interplay over the development of a potential Fallout MMO.

Preview - Futurama "Mobius Dick" 8/4/2011

2011-08-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

Apologies for last week's preview video of Futurama; I don't think it had anything at all to do with the episode! I'm pretty sure this one is the right one for this week, though: Leela becomes obsessed with tracking down an albino space whale. Check out the teaser below and then tune in tonight!

Futurama

Spotlight - Diablo 3 Beta Footage

2011-08-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

Via gamebanshee, check out the new footage from the Diablo 3 Beta below:

Review - Dragon Age: Legacy

2011-08-02T01:22:00.000-07:00

Let's cut to the chase. If you played Dragon Age 2 then you either hated its guts or liked it - with the exception of a few specific problems. There's no denying that the game had its missteps, the most egregious of them being the atrocious amount of map-recycling and the tedious "wave" combat mechanic that turned every battle into one of attrition rather than tactics. I lay out most of the flaws (while not forgetting that the game had its highlights as well) in my review from a few months back, but this post isn't meant to rehash these old criticisms of Dragon Age 2. This is a review of its first story-based downloadable add-on, entitled Legacy.

So I'm happy to report that Legacy has - thankfully - avoided these two monumental design errors of its parent game. The DLC features a brand new area to explore outside of Kirkwall. Your adventure brings you to a Grey Warden prison in the Vimmark mountains, an area which turns out to be darkspawn-infested fortress. The dungeons - while not mindblowing - are a refreshing change of pace from exploring the carbon copy cutouts that were Dragon Age 2's map designs. The atmosphere is suitably sinister, and the DLC brings a healthy dose of interesting story content to boot. An ancient darkspawn is breaking free of its chains, and as you delve deeper into the depths of the prison, you uncover startling secrets concerning the nature of this threat. The story is engaging, and some endgame revelations are quite satisfying.

While you're spelunking through foreboding caverns and ancient halls, you'll encounter both old and new enemies. As usual, it's up to you and your gang of ragtag misfits to put these beasts down. Enemies no longer assault in monotonous waves, and tactics do play a more crucial role in the game, especially on the harder difficulties. Still, while the "Wave" mechanic is gone, the DLC doesn't quite perfect the combat formula. On normal difficulty, the enemies seem too easy to overcome, while on the hard difficulty, they seem just a bit too hard. It was particularly annoying to find that the game had spawned multiple encounters that featured a dozen archer mobs, all of them shooting painfully accurate arrows into your pincushiony body. The final bossfight - while epic in theme - is at times grating as well, requiring you to perform several monotonous tasks over and over in order to advance the battle.

Thankfully, combat isn't all that there is to do within the add-on. Some puzzle minigames and some new loot round off the DLC and provide a fun diversion from the inconsistent combat. Of particular note is the additional armor set you'll unlock only through Legacy, and the new weapon you obtain through the course of your adventure is upgradable with some new effects that I haven't seen on any other weapon.

All of this amounts to about 3-4 hours of additional playtime. The pricetag for such an adventure seems a bit high at $10.00, but if you have the cash and enjoy the world, I would still recommend checking it out. Bring your in-game sibling along if you can, and while you can technically do the quest at any point in the game, I would recommend waiting until at least Act 3; the epilogue will really jerk at those heartstrings then.

Dragon Age: Legacy is available on Xbox Live Marketplace, PSN, and PC.

Recommended For:
+ Dragon Age 2 Fans
+ Fans of Dragon Age Lore
+ RPG enthusiasts itching for a quick fix

Not Recommended For:
- Dragon Age 2 Haters
- People expecting Legacy to solve all the problems of Dragon Age 2

Last Month's Wallpaper

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Another great work from www.dizorb.com. Check out a HD version below.

Review - Bastion

2011-07-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Overview

I've blogged a bit about Supergiant Games' Bastion previously, and discussed most of its most prominent features; for those who still don't know much about this Xbox Live Arcade downloadable, well, let's just say it's an action RPG infused with style, atmosphere, and just enough poignancy to make the trip feel worth both your time and your hard-earned dollar. If there is only one XBLA downloadable game you get this year, you can bet Bastion should be one of your top choices.

Story

The game is set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, brought to its knees by what's referred to as "the Calamity." Your character, "the Kid" must navigate through a world filled with crumbling infrastructure and hostile humans and monsters alike. Along the way, you pick up remnants of the old world and unlock levels that provide you with a backstory to the Calamity's survivors. Between each level, you return to your home base, called the Bastion, a sanctuary of sorts that houses its own unique mystery.

Hope the kid doesn't roll around while he sleeps...

The story isn't told through cutscenes or cinematic movies; rather, your tale is told through the haunting baritone of a mysterious narrator that you meet within the game. It's a unique concept, and while there was a potential for this gimmick to become annoying rather than enlightening, Supergiant Games has done a truly stellar job in its implementation of the narration. The narrator will comment on almost everything you do, much of it to sarcastic and witty effect. Falling off ledges, slaughtering enemies, just pounding the destructible environment, and main plot events are all told to you with dramatic bravado. Even better, the story is integrated almost seamlessly into the gameplay; you'll never be forced to slog through long-winded paragraphs of tiny text.

Gameplay

Bastion is an action-RPG, a rarity on the XBLA market. You control the "Kid" throughout the entire game, stabbing, shooting, flame-throwering, or blasting the multitude of enemies that appear to impede your path. You're also equipped with a shield that -if timed correctly- allows you to counter attacks. When you're surrounded, the Kid can perform a handy somersault to leap out of harm's way, or use a special skill activated by the right trigger that generally does damage in a wide radius. The controls are smooth for the most part (though some of the ranged attacks are hard to target and the auto-lock on feature leaves a little to be desired). Along the way, you'll gain experience and collect spirits with which you can upgrade your arsenal of weapons. Level ups provide passive bonuses that afford you such improvements as additional potion slots, or increase your critical chance or damage.

Dogs may be man's best friend, but this shield is definitely the Kid's.

Your weapon selection is one of the best parts of Bastion. The game features around a dozen unique weapons - each that plays distinctly from the others. Unfortunately, you can only hold two weapons at a time, and when you discover a new weapon, one of your selections is automatically overridden with the new item. Still, this is a minor annoyance at worst. It's fun to experiment with all the different types of weapons. On top of that, as you progress through the game, unlockable challenges for each weapon also become available, rewarding you with different bonuses depending on your performance with said weapon.

I found the game to host just the right amount of challenge - not so hard that you feel frustrated for dying, but not so easy that your accomplishments don't feel satisfying either. When you successfully clear a mission or attain the high score on one of the weapon challenge levels, you'll know that it was your skill and perseverance that paid off, rather than simple button mashing. If this level of challenge is still too easy for your liking, however, you'll find that the game integrates additional difficulties smoothly into the actual game. During the story mode you'll eventually gain access to a Shrine within the Bastion, and by invoking the collectible totems of different deities, you can ease or ramp up the difficulty to your liking. Different totems have different effects (such as increased health for enemies, enemies that do more damage, or causing enemies to explode upon death). With each invocation, you also increase your XP rewards; just be careful you don't kill yourself. I learned it the hard way not to invoke too many totems at the same time.

Slash people to ribbons with the Kid's machete ...

There's also a treat for players who beat the game; completing the final mission gives you access to the coveted "New Game+" mode, allowing you to carryover experience, weapon upgrades, and unlocked items, easily making the game quite replayable.

Graphics & Sound

Despite its cartoonish theme, Bastion features some of the most gorgeously drawn sprites and backdrops I've seen. Style permeates the entire game, and the environments feel organic thanks to some nice particle effects and just a generally high level of detail and polish. The animations are not always the most sophisticated, but that doesn't prevent the gameplay from being fun, and in no way detracts from the astounding level of atmosphere.

... or blast them to smithereens with his shotgun!

Working in tandem with the art style, the sound quality is undeniably impressive. The narrator was well cast, his voice work some of the best I have heard in any game, let alone on XBLA. Ambient sound and music all serve to further draw you into the game's post-apocalyptic realm, simultaneously bringing you a sense of wonder and danger. The soundtrack is phenomenal. If Supergiant Games releases it, I would not hesitate to pick it up. The three tracks with vocals are particularly poignant.

Final Thoughts

Bastion is Supergiant Games' first release ever, but if its any indication of this fledgling developer's work quality, we can expect some great things in the future. Bastion is an action-RPG that does not disappoint in any sense, and the 10+ hours you can spend on the game is well worth its pricetag of 1200 Microsoft Points. Get it! Play it! Love it!

Recommended For:
+ Action RPG fans
+ Fans of games with style
+ Fans of immersive, story-based games
+ Anybody with an Xbox360

Not Recommended For:
- People with no souls.

Preview - Futurama "All The Presidents' Heads" 7-28-2011

2011-07-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Good news everyone! Futurama has been renewed by Comedy Central for an additional 2 seasons. That means we'll be seeing Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the gang through at least 2013. As the Professor would say, "huzzah!"

Check out what I can only assume is a preview of tonight's episode, which apparently sends our characters back to the American Revolutionary War. Should we expect some ribbing at Sarah Palin's notorious statements concerning Paul Revere? Tune in tonight and find out!

Futurama

Thursdays 10/9c

Sneak Peek - Inside-Out Bender

www.comedycentral.com

Comedy Central

Funny TV Shows

Roast of Charlie Sheen

Spotlight - From Dust

2011-07-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Found this interesting XBLA downloadable game recently, and I think it deserves a look. In the vein of Black & White and Populous, From Dust puts the player in the role of a terraforming deity. The world is still primitive and relatively untouched by civilization. Your worshipers are beset by natural disasters: floods, volcanos and rampant wildfires threaten their very existence. It's up to you - using your ability to mold the world around you - to lead them to safety.

For being a downloadable arcade game, From Dust displays some impressive technical muscles; I've never seen an arcade game with such fluid 3D animations and physics engine. As a deity, your main tasks will be absorbing elements of the earth around you (water, dirt, and lava are among your basic options), and then combine them with the natural world to allow your worshipers safe passage. For example, if your tribal devotees are blocked by a river, you can drop a mass of dirt onto the water, making a natural bridge for your people to cross. Pour lava onto a mountain and you can watch it roll down in terrifying waves, even as it hardens to form solid rock. Creating floods and even parting the seas a la Moses are evidently all possible through the game as well.

From Dust is available today, July 27, 2011 on the Xbox360. A PC version is in the works for later this year. Early reviews have praised the game's graphics and concept, while criticizing somewhat clunky controls and the AI pathfinding. Still, it seems like the game continues a streak of impressive Live Arcade additions to the 360 repertoire.

Check out the trailer, after the jump.

From Dust Launch Trailer - Watch more Game Trailers

Review - Captain America: The First Avenger (Warning: Spoilers)

2011-07-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Beware: the following review contains spoilers.

Captain America: The First Avenger succeeds more as a two-hour prequel for things to come than it does as a standalone film. It features an abundance of over-the-top action sequences, a series of convoluted plans that test the limits of your disbelief suspension, and a tacked-on romance that very much feels like it was added just so the producers of the film could claim to potential female movie-goers "hey, we have smoochies along with the punches!"

The film lacks suspense; as I sat through the two hour experience, there was never any sense that the titular Captain has anything to lose after he becomes a super soldier; no matter how ridiculous his plans are, he always succeeds. There is one scene in the film where our dear Captain has decided to sneak into an enemy base thirty miles within German territory (the film is set during World War 2). He does this wearing a brightly colored red, white and blue uniform, and has strapped to his back a similarly colored shield, emblazoned with what are clearly allied symbols. Somehow, no one notices he's there.


Enemy soldiers: "We have you surrounded." Captain America: "I win." Enemy soldiers: " ... what?" Captain America: "Don't worry about it."

Another scene has enemy combatants literally run at the Captain, waving guns in their hands as they charge head first into what can be described only as most epic of fails. And this is after the Captain has lost his shield. Really. They run at him. And get beat down one by one. Gun in hand.

Worse, the Captain lacks any sort of character development that featured so prominently in the Iron Man and Thor films. In fact, Captain America seems like such a boy scout from the very get go that it's almost boring to watch his exploits. Tony Stark was a prodigal son unaware of the consequences of his actions and Thor was beset by an overwhelming arrogance; these were character traits that ultimately strengthened their respective films because they brought just a touch of humanity - of relatability - to otherwise fictional characters. Iron Man and Thor had to learn, had to grow beyond their flaws in order to succeed. What flaws does Captain America have? He's physically weak and gets beaten up a lot. How does he overcome this? Not through experience or training, or any sort of moral epiphany. He gets injected with a serum that makes him super strong.

I suppose my complaints here might have more to do with the comic book character concept itself, rather than the film's too-faithful adaptation of said character concept. I'll admit, I was never a fan of Captain America to begin with.

Fans will probably still enjoy the movie, if for no other reason than to see their beloved superhero on the silver screen. Action aficionados will enjoy the fight sequences, and the liberal use of humor that infuses the entire film kept even me laughing through most of it. As a prequel to the 2012 Avengers, it showcases the lore and history of Captain America well enough. Anybody who has seen the previous Avenger films will also get a few easter eggs out of the experience.

At the end of the day however, this film probably ranks the lowest out of all the standalone Avenger films that I have seen. Captain America lacks what has made its previous Avenger siblings great successes: heart. <3

Recommended For:
+ Captain America Fans
+ Fans of action films
+ Anybody who plans to see Joss Whedon's 2012 Avengers

Not Recommended For:
- People with low suspensions ... of disbelief.
- People who enjoy characters with depth.
- People with high expectations, especially after the buildup from X-Men and Thor earlier this year.
- People who like their movies with a touch of <3

One more time for good measure. F for fudge.

WTWOF - The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra

2011-07-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

Legend of Korra, the spinoff to the 2005 nickelodeon hit Avatar: the Last Airbender has arrived at Comic-Con with a brand new trailer. So far, this new show seems to capture the essence of its predecessor tv-show, something M. Night Shyamalan's movie adaptation unfortunately failed to do. It looks like we can expect all the fluidly animated combat, flashy elemental "bending" and that special touch of quirky humor fans of the original show have come to expect.

Check out the trailer below! Legend of Korra is due out in 2012, so there's still a ways to go before we can immerse ourselves in this wonderful world.

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Get More: Avatar Episodes,Avatar,Avatar Games

What To Watch Out For - Ringer

2011-07-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

So, remember Sarah Michelle Gellar? She was Buffy the Vampire Slayer until she went on to star in a bunch of generally ill-received horror movies and indie films that no one knew about? Well, she's making a return to TV this fall on the CW's Ringer.

Ringer tells the story of ... well, the tComic-Con trailer can probably summarize the plot better than I can. Check it out below!

Preview - Futurama "Yo Leela Leela" 7/21/2011

2011-07-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight's Futurama: Leela becomes a Hollywood bigshot after creating a successful new TV series. Check out the preview below!

Futurama

First Impressions - Bastion

2011-07-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've played through the first few minutes of Bastion and the game - so far - does not disappoint. This XBLA downloadable plays smoothly, offers a fair amount of customization, and has been decently challenging. Beyond those gameplay elements, the game boasts a mesmerizing atmosphere that is rooted upon a beautiful aesthetic style, and the mysterious narrator who comments on almost everything you do - at least when you do it the first time. The first time I fell over the side, he jibed, "and then, he fell to his death. Just kidding." Thankfully, he doesn't say it every time I fall to a gravity-based death, or I might find his presence grating rather than atmospheric.

I am impressed. Expect a full review once I have completed the game. See the launch trailer released a few days ago, and check out a nice wallpaper provided by Supergiant Games on their website, after the jump.

Click to see the 1920x1080 version.

Review - A Dance with Dragons (No Spoilers)

2011-07-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's been six long years since George R.R. Martin's last entry in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Since that time, he has been the subject of much speculation, both positive and negative. The HBO adaptation of A Game of Thrones certainly helped to thrust the author into the limelight and most certainly helped to broaden his already large readership. It's probably no coincidence that his publisher chose to release the novel soon after the conclusion of the first season of the show. However, through all of this success there have been whispers of uncertainty; people began to suspect that Martin was losing steam, growing tired of writing the series. Doubt was forming - doubt that Martin would be able to wrap up his truly tangled web of intricate storylines.

A Dance with Dragons will not alleviate any of that doubt.

What the fifth novel in the series will do, however, is to continue Martin's tradition of rich prose and stylized writing. Martin weaves a truly breath-taking and vivid world, complete with social, political, economic, and religious undertones that has carried over from his first four books. Westeros and its world are a truly captivating canvas, and Martin paints details to life with the artistry of a master. Fan-favorite characters have returned after an extended wait: we see Tyrion, Danaerys, Jon Snow, and Bran all pick up their stories where we last them, almost 10 years ago. It's good to see these characters back in the novel, especially after A Feast for Crows introduced a slew of new ones that were difficult to relate to.

In terms of pacing, however, A Dance with Dragons seems to fumble in comparison to its predecessors. A lot of time is spent traveling by many different characters, all of them trying to reach places that they inevitably fail to reach. As I read chapter after chapter, I began to wonder - as I did in A Feast for Crows - if perhaps all of these chapters were really necessary. It seemed at times that page after page would pass by without either progression of the plot, or any significant character revelations. Instead, characters would march towards Mereen, or sail towards Mereen. And yet barely anybody actually reaches Mereen. In between all the marching, characters spend a lot of time composing inner monologues commenting on how they're reminded of other places, and new places, or old tales that seem like they ultimately have no bearing on the actual story; while some of these are interesting, they do seem to fluff out a book that seems too long to begin with.

Dance - similar to Feast - is also overly burdened with too many POV characters. For those of you familiar with Martin's series, POV is Point of View. Basically, each chapter is written from one out of as many as 16 perspectives. It's a necessary evil, I suppose, that Martin has been continuously adding perspectives; it's necessary because major POV characters are killed off in almost every novel. However, in A Dance with Dragons, it has become increasingly difficult to care about these new characters' perspectives, and I wonder - again - if they are truly necessary.

Most stories do encounter a lull at some point, where progression and pacing seem to taper off for a bit. Perhaps A Dance with Dragons is just that - a necessary tedium that sets up the final two novels in the series. Ironically, Dance left me both wanting more and wishing Martin's editors had done a more generous job with their edits. The novel is not as strong as the first three novels, but for any fans of Martin's previous works, it is still a must-read.

Recommended For:
- George R.R. Martin Fans
- Readers invested into the Song of Ice and Fire series
- Historical Fantasy Fans
- Fans of San Guo (Romance of the Three Kingdoms - you know who you are)

Not Recommended For:
- Readers who have given up on the series - Dance will not change your mind.
- Impatient readers - you will most likely not be able to speed read through this novel
- People who think George R.R. Martin is going to die before he can finish the series.

Spotlight - The part you all missed after Deathly Hallows, Part 2

2011-07-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what happened in those 19 years between Harry defeating Voldemort and him sending his kids off to Hogwarts?

Take a look. It's disturbingly hilarious.

Atom Spoofs Channel
Tags: Atom.com | Funny Videos | Tournament | Upload

Follow that up with this behind the scenes look at the dangers of casting spells!

Review - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

2011-07-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ostensibly, a movie review is supposed to provide some input to its readers about whether or not to go see a particular movie. Considering Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the finale to a ten-year film franchise, I think I can safely say that most everybody has already decided whether they're going to watch this film or not. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's doubtful that any review would be able to persuade you to or dissuade you from seeing this film at this point.

Harry Potter currently holds a 97% "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Even had it only received half of that percentage, the likelihood would be that everybody who had planned on seeing it would still go. It might be an economic fallacy, but the truth of the matter is we're not going to go to seven films out of an eight-film series and then miss the conclusion. Sunk costs be damned.

You're either a longtime fan of both the novels and films, eagerly awaiting the epic conclusion to this classic hero's journey tale ...

... or you could not care less about Harry Potter, have no idea why so many people have/are going crazy for it, and in any case would not start watching an eight-film series with the very last one.

Then again, you could be forced to go see it by your friend/significant other/spouse/family.

The good news is that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 absolutely deserves that 97% "fresh" rating. Director David Yates (the director of the previous three highly acclaimed films) has succeeded yet again. Harry Potter's adventure reaches its thrilling climax and brings a satisfying end to a story that is beloved worldwide in this film.

How far we've come ...

Deathly Hallows Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off, with Voldemort seizing the infamous Elder Wand from Dumbledore's tomb. Harry, Ron and Hermione are still grieving the loss of Dobby the Elf, who had moments ago saved them from a dreadful fate at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange and the Malfoys. Harry and his friends have destroyed roughly half of the horcruxes - all seven of them must be eradicated in order for them to have any chance of defeating the Dark Lord.

If you have no idea who or what I'm talking about, the likelihood is that the film will not be able to enlighten you any better. Yate's films have historically sacrificed exposition in favor of weaving a compelling tale for fans of the series - who at this point no longer need any introduction to the story's numerous characters, plotlines or goals. Deathly Hallows Part 2 does not waver from this strategy; there is simply too much source material to go through to explain every detail to newcomers.

Snape commands you ... watch the movie!

That's not to say the plot is not there; but if you have not seen any of the previous films or read the books - you will definitely have trouble understanding what's happening. It's especially difficult to follow if you have not seen Deathly Hallows Part 1. Do yourself a favor and rent/borrow/stream/netflix it if you haven't done so yet. And you'll be glad to know that where Part 1 dragged a bit in certain parts, Deathly Hallows Part 2 is filled to the brim with action. The visual effects and the choreography of these combat sequences is as stunning as ever, and fill a large portion of the film's 2 hours. Climactic battles are then interlaced with poignant glimpses of many of the films' characters preparing themselves for the end.

The acting has never been so good as in this last film. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape delivers a particularly moving performance. Many props also go to Helena Bonham Carter (who plays Bellatrix Lestrange) for a well-acted and fun scene near the beginning of the film. The cast's three central characters - Harry, Ron and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson respectively) have really matured as actors. Gone are the awkward speeches and intonations from the earlier films; all three have really emerged as capable thespians, and fully immersive in their iconic roles.

Voldemort: "Say 'ello to my lil' friend."

All in all, this is a film that is easy to enjoy. It'll be confusing if you haven't read the books, for sure - but for fans of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 serves as an epic conclusion to its predecessor films. The only negative thing I can say is that leaving the theater will strike you with a sense of nostalgic melancholy, knowing that this absolutely marvelous story has finally drawn to a close.

Recommended For:
+ Harry Potter Fans
+ Harry Potter (Film) Fans
+ Fans of Fantasy films
+ Action film fans (if you like your action coming in the magical variety).

Not Recommended For:
- People who haven't read the books or seen the previous films
- People who haven't seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
- People who hate Harry Potter
- People in relationships with other people who hate Harry Potter

Happy Friday Everybody!

2011-07-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Seeing Harry Potter in 2 hours. Expect a review this afternoon. Hope you guys have a fantastic weekend!

Preview: Futurama "Silence of the Clamps" 7/14/2011

2011-07-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Catch a preview of tonight's Futurama when Bender is forced to go into a witness relocation program after testifying against the Robot Mafia.

Also, can I just say last week's episode "Law & Oracle" was definitely the season's best yet? The episode spoofed a whole bunch of movies and shows: Law & Order, Minority Report, Tron. Plus, I'm just a sucker for twist endings.

Futurama

First Impressions - A Dance With Dragons

2011-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

While several sources have already released reviews for the fifth book of A Song of Ice and Fire, I'm still slowly chugging away at the monster. This is a busy week for me, so I probably won't get a chance to even finish the book this week, much less review it, but I am slowly tackling it. I can offer a brief first impression of what I've read so far, however. Beware: there are some very light spoilers in terms of the novel's structure below, but I won't reveal any plot points yet.

As most fans of the series probably know already, A Dance with Dragons is kind of an interesting book. Rather than being a direct sequel to the fourth novel A Feast with Crows, the timeline actually runs concurrent to the events in Feast, at least for a major portion of Dance. The decision to set up these two books this way came about when George R R Martin was working on a Feast with Crows and discovered it was rapidly becoming much too large and unwieldy than he intended. He did not wish to simply cut his product in half, however, feeling that would have been a tacky and pandering resolution to his problem.

Thus, he reached a decision to split the book by location - A Feast with Crows would contain mainly the stories of the characters located in the South. The characters in the North and across the sea would have to wait with A Dance with Dragons.This decision was a controversial one, and has resulted in Feast being the lowest rated of all of the books on amazon.com - undoubtedly due to the fact that Feast with Crows contained mostly the perspectives of new, unfamiliar characters, or characters that simply did not resonate as well as previous ones did.

Well, all the characters that we missed from Feast are back in full force, and they're just where we left them (almost 10 years ago now). Martin's style remains strong; while the novel is not Harry Potter in that you can not read everything at breakneck speed, if you take the time to sit down and absorb the details and appreciate just how much care Martin has put into his words, you'll get that much more out of the experience.

One thing to note: it looks like that the timelines eventually do catch up in the middle of A Dance with Dragons, not at the end. There are certain characters' chapters that appear towards the end of the novel, who also appeared in Feast. I will say that this particular point irks me a little. Why bother separating the books the way he did, if Feast characters are going to appear in Dance? A bit arbitrary, methinks.

I am enjoying the novel so far. Expect a full review towards the end of next week.

What to Watch Out For: Damages, Season 4 Premiere July 13, 2011

2011-07-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Missed this in last friday's spotlight, but after a long hiatus, the critically acclaimed legal thriller "Damages" starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne returns to television this week. The first season of this show was one of the best things to happen to TV, showcasing the darkest depths of the lawyer's profession, and weaving a convincing plot about what one is willing to do to achieve one's goals. The later seasons waned in quality, in part because of an over-reliance on a now-cumbersome "flashback" gimmick, and ratings slipped so much that this original TNT drama was facing cancellation in 2010. DirecTV came in with a last-minute save though.

Damages tells the story of recent law-graduate Ellen Parsons (played by Rose Byrnes - she seems to be in everything nowadays) and her ruthless, cut-throat mentor Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), an attorney infamous for getting her way no matter the cost. The first season succeeded in part because it was a fascinating to watch Ellen follow in Patty's footsteps, transforming from a idealistic law student into a frightening "whatever-it-takes" kind of attorney herself. Seasons 2 and 3 retain the strong character portrayals and development, but unfortunately weren't able to capture the same feel of a tightly-knit plot.

Season Four will feature a reduced episode count (10, compared to the 13 episodes from the first three seasons). Hopefully this will help keep the writers on a tight budget, and reduce the amount of filler scenes. The central plot involves private military contractors in Afghanistan. Check out a trailer below, and tune in to DirecTV on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 for the season premiere.

Spotlight - Family Guy's Best Moment This Season

2011-07-11T00:22:00.000-07:00

I know this is a bit late, but I have to say: Best. Family Guy. Reference. Ever.

Spotlight: Coming Soon to a Media Outlet Near You - July 2011

2011-07-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

We're already halfway through 2011 folks ( can you believe it? ) but there doesn't seem to be any shortage of cool new media to entertain yourselves with - at least not in July. We list a few reasons to be look forward to enjoying life this month, after the jump.

On a side note, did you like the blog's background image for June? If so, I've included a 1920 x 1080 wallpaper below - just click on the image and you should get a full-resolution version. I really liked this background because it suggested a lot of action, but still had enough open space so that it wasn't distracting. Find more wallpapers like this one at www.dizorb.com.

Tuesday, July 12

- A Dance with Dragons is officially released! This long-awaited fifth entry to the "A Song of Ice and Fire Series" - the series that began with A Game of Thrones and spawned the HBO hit of the (almost) same name - can be preordered at amazon.com in both electronic and hardcopy formats. Early reviews have been promising, though expect to see one from me a week or so after next Tuesday. All indications point to this novel being a monster (over 1000 pages).

Friday, July 15

- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 sees official release next Friday. This is the epic conclusion to the Harry Potter movie franchise and from the looks of the trailers, this entry will be more action-packed than any of its predecessors. That's a good thing, for a title that has all the pressure and promise of being the finale to a fantastic film series, and a tribute to the novels.

Wednesday, July 20

- Bastion, the Xbox Live Arcade Action RPG, comes out the following Wednesday. Boasting a charming art style, levels that assembles themselves as you progress, and a quirky tongue-in-cheek narrator that comments on every action you take, this is one game that has piqued the interest of many game review sites (this advocate of boredom included).

Friday, July 22

- The last of the standalone Avenger films, Captain America: the First Avenger sees its debut the following Friday. While I personally am not a big fan of Captain America - and I do not like historical World War 2 movies, even when they're set in a comic book universe - I'll probably still go out to see the movie, just because I am excited for the Avenger's film due out in 2012. And yes, I do understand that Captain America has to be set in such a way if it wants to be faithful to its comic book origins.

Tuesday, July 26

- The first DLC of any substance for Dragon Age 2 finally hits the xbox marketplace, PSN network, and the PC the following Thursday. For $10, Legacy hopes to address some of the criticisms of its mother title; here's to hoping Bioware has been listening. At least the premise sounds interesting. Uncover the hidden legacy of your ancestors, the Hawkes, explore an abandoned Grey Warden prison, and defeat an all new darkspawn horror.

And if all this good stuff isn't enough to keep you occupied, then there's always Futurama on Thursdays and True Blood on Sundays to keep you entertained. Something tells me July's gonna be a good month.

WTWOF: Dragon Age 2 - Legacy DLC (Updated with Trailer)

2011-07-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Bioware has unveiled the first of its story-based DLC, titled "Legacy." The developer has stated that they hope to address at least some of Dragon Age 2's many criticisms with this $10 downloadable content. Given that the engine is probably not going to change for a single DLC, I'm guessing that the camera is not one of the issues that will be addressed. The horribly open-ended way the main game ended will also probably not be resolved, as the DLC can be played through at almost any time during the main storyline.


Possible Characters this could be: - Bregan from Dragon Age: The Calling - Papa Hawke (Grandpapa Hawke?) - A new breed of Darkspawn engineered by the Architect - Random NPC monster for you to kill

What can be fixed, however, is the annoying "wave" system of enemies and the use of recycled maps. These are the two biggest problems that faced Dragon Age 2, and we'll see if Bioware has been listening to the essentially unanimous condemnation of these two points. It is fitting then, that the Legacy DLC will be the test to see if Bioware can salvage the legacy of the Dragon Age franchise.

Hawke fights an armored Rhino-thingie.

Dragon Age 2: Legacy features a whole new plotline involving a Grey Warden prison, and a new darkspawn threat. Uncover the secret behind the Hawke legacy along the way. The DLC is due out July 26, 2011 for $10 (and the equivalent amount of Bioware, Microsoft points) on the PC, XBOX360 and PS3. Expect a review shortly after, and see the reveal trailer below.

WTWOF: Digital Ads being Added to ... Reruns?!

2011-07-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

You've got to see it to believe it, but apparently networks have stooped to inserting ads into reruns of shows. Check out this link to see for yourself - apparently an advertisement for the Zookeeper was stuck into this rerun of the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."

Some of us may know that Ted is a horribly unreliable narrator, but would he really lie about the contents of his friend's bookstand?

Preview: Futurama "Law & Oracle" 7/7/2011

2011-07-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

In tonight's episode, Futurama spoofs TRON.

Last week's "Ghost in the Machines" was definitely a step back towards the Futurama we all know and remember. Let's hope today's episode will continue that!

Futurama

Spotlight - XBOX 360's Best RPGs, Part 2

2011-07-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's interesting how the consoles have treated RPGs. Back in the old days, Playstation and Playstation 2 were definite RPG titans, boasting a seemingly limitless number of titles in the genre. Then, an interesting thing happened around 2007 - 2009. The Xbox 360 - which, if you may remember, the original Xbox was more of an action-oriented console - somehow took over the reigns of the RPG kingdom. With most of the big-name spring and summer RPGs on the Xbox 360 already released, I countdown my top ten favorite role-playing games on the system. See my top five below!

5. Final Fantasy XIII

There's no question FFXIII had many faults: the extreme linearity of both the story and the character progression were in stark contrast to almost all of its recent predecessors. The Crystogen leveling system really gave you no room to differentiate your characters beyond their set path, and it wasn't until near the end of the game where you had any area that you could "explore." Still, despite this, FFXIII still was an enjoyable experience, whose strengths ultimately outweighed its weaknesses. Fluid combat, an innovative battle system, stunning graphics and a great soundtrack kept this RPG from completely abandoning its Finally Fantastic legacy.

4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

It's a testament to the quality of this game that even after five years, the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion still ranks in the top five. Despite a rather unremarkable main plot, stunning graphics, a truly wide open world to explore, endless number of quests to complete, and a multitude of interesting factions to join make this Elder Scrolls one of the best in the series and one of the best RPGs on the Xbox 360.

3. Tales of Vesperia

Some might say the JRPG genre has grown stale and repetitive, and honestly, Tales of Vesperia doesn't really do much to disprove that. The battle system isn't revolutionized from it's predecessor series, and the story is at times just as nonsensical as most JRPG plots tend to become when translated to english. Still, there's a reason i sank 80+ hours into this game in one playthrough - it is fun. The combat is fluid, and there's no denying the gaming high you get when you succesfully pull off that chain of dozens upon dozens of combos. Stylistic visuals and a charming soundtrack top off an otherwise superior game.

2. Mass Effect

The first Mass Effect was truly revolutionary, and thrust Bioware into the forefront of cinematic storytelling. An epic space opera boasting countless worlds to explore, quests where you determine the outcome, and an array of interesting and deep companion characters made this shooter-RPG the most fun I've ever had on the system. Sure, it had its problems too, most notably the horrifying amount of level recycling used in sidequests and the sheer awfulness of its planet-exploring vehicle, but these are nitpicks at worst. This is a game you simply must play if you have not.

1. Mass Effect 2

A lot of people have argued that Mass Effect strayed too far from its RPG roots in its second iteration. Everything from the leveling system to your equipment and even inventory management had been stripped down significantly. Why then, is it at the top of my Best RPGs on the Xbox 360? Simply put, the game sacrifices these elements to make the entire experience that much better. The combat is fluid, visceral, and you still have a wide and varied amount of classes and abilities to choose from. The storytelling is refined, and the effort that went into it is clearly visible, with the ability to import the decisions you made from the first game. The addition of "conversation interrupts" gave you the sense that Shephard is definitely not someone to mess around with. Gone was the horrible planet exploration and recycled areas (though replaced by a similarly annoying planet-scanning minigame). On top of that, Mass Effect 2 came with the bonus of some of the best DLC out there (Lair of the Shadow Broker anyone?). Some truly poignant moments are waiting for you if you haven't yet had a chance to play this game.

What do you think? What are your favorite 360 RPGs?

Spotlight - XBOX 360's Best RPGs, Part 1

2011-07-05T02:40:00.000-07:00

The original Fable was one of my favorite games on the original Xbox, a game that managed to fit smooth action-combat with an interesting story, adaptive character development, and that wonderfully quirky sense of humor the series has boasted since its inception. While the combat seems to have become overly simplified and the stories seem to have weakened progressively in each game, Fable 3 at least fixed the multiplayer issues from its predecessor.

9. The Last Remnant

Featuring a unique take on tactical combat in RPGs, the Last Remnant was not well-received by most professional critics during its original release. A slew of graphical and technical problems marred an otherwise interesting story and innovative fight system. Some of the graphical problems were solved by installing the game to your 360 harddrive, but texture pop-in and framerate slowdowns were still commonplace. Add to this, the fact that the game actually punishes you when you "level up" made this game a difficult one to enjoy. And yet, somehow I'm still playing through it now.

8. Eternal Sonata

A stereotypical action-RPG, except the story incorporated the life and music of Frederic Chopin. Eternal Sonata also boasted some of the best cel-shaded graphics and art design on the system at the time of its release. The game captured a sort of musical charm that fans of classical music no doubt enjoyed; all the characters besides chopin were named after some aspect of music, including such oddities as "Allegretto" and "Polka."

7. Star Ocean: The Last Hope

Another JRPG, The Last Hope featured an intense, action-packed and fun-driven real-time combat system which was both fluid and addicting. The only things that dragged the game down was the obtuse storyline and the painful character designs. Seriously, your characters looked like a moving collection of porcelain dolls, which I'm sorry, but no. Just no. No.

6. Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Marvel Ultimate Alliance was a great culmination of the technology and engine that drove the first two X-Men Legend Action-RPG games. MUA featured a large cast of playable and recognizable characters from the Marvel Universe, all of whom had their classic powers and costumes available for use. The story was competent, and the graphics and sound were just fine. Plus points for being able to telekinetically throw your enemies off ledges. Too bad the sequel to this great game oversimplified the character development options.

Check back tomorrow for my top-five Xbox 360 RPGs!

1000 Hits!

2011-07-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day, and thanks for visiting the site, loyal readers and occasional perusers!

Spotlight - Plot Device: The Movie

2011-07-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

A short film where the plot device ... is an actual plot device. Check it out!

Plot Device from Red Giant on Vimeo.

Preview: Tonight's Futurama

2011-06-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

It looks like tonight's Futurama will feature Bender "dying" ... and no doubt the wacky hijinks that will ensue in order to return him to robot life.

I have to say I wasn't exactly impressed with the first two episodes of the series last week. Hermes and LaBarbara are fine characters, but to have the season premiere focus be on these two (not that there was much focus at all), is still a little questionable.

There is also a decidedly tangible feeling that the show is trying too hard to be Family Guy - plots are not as tightly written as they were in the series' first run, and depend on too much randomness to move along. This was something that the first half of Season 6 suffered from as well though, at least in the first few episode.s Here's to hoping that the season will pick up!

Check out a preview below. I am debating about whether or not to review individual episodes, or to review entire seasons as I did with Game of Thrones. Whatever I decide ... I'm sure you'll figure out when I post the review. Heh.

Futurama

Spotlight - Yun and Yang from Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition

2011-06-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

Via IGN, comes this interesting character overview of two of the new characters from SSF4: Arcade Edition. Personally I've so far been a big fan of Yun, who's attacks mix strength and speed pretty well. Not that I'm any good at the game mind you.

More Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Videos

Flip throw for the win, anybody?

What to Watch Out For: Bastion

2011-06-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Today's WTWOF spotlights Bastion, an upcoming XBLA (Xbox360 Live Arcade) action RPG from Supergiant Games. For those of you who were readers of Gamespot before 2006-2007 or so, you might recognize one of the developers on the project: Greg Kasavin. Before he left for Supergiant Games, Greg Kasavin was Gamespot's resident RPG expert, with most of the big-name RPGs going his way for reviews. For the most part, I tended to agree with most everything he said; that hopefully means Bastion will not disappoint.

It's Hammer Time.

Bastion stars "The Kid," - and that's pretty much all I know about the main character. The game is set in a gorgeously drawn world ... and that's about as much as I know about the world too. As you can see, a lot of the details for this upcoming downloadable arcade game are still vague, but what we do know is quite intriguing. Among the features the game is touting is a level design that sort of coalesces into place as you progress. Further, every action you take as "The Kid" is narrated in real time by a somewhat snarky narrator, giving your adventure a very humorous storybook feel.

The backdrops are really quite gorgeous.

This seems like a very promising gem for fans of quirky, stylish, action RPGs. Bastion is slated for release July 20, 2011 for XBLA (1200 Microsoft Points) and later on the PC. Check out the Reveal Trailer below!

Supreme Court Says No to Fahrenheit 360-PS3-WII

2011-06-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, the Supreme Court struck down a California law passed in 2005 that made selling "violent videogames" to minors under 18 illegal.

Via FindLaw, "The majority opinion focused on the ban's violation of First Amendment rights. Justice Scalia, writing the majority opinion, explained that violent video games are not illegal and protected under the First Amendment, just like other literary and media outlets like books and movies."

The article continues "In fact, Justice Scalia also cited to a variety of children's books that depicted violence, including Grimm's Fairy Tales. He described how the fairy tale of Snow White included descriptions of how the 'wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers 'til she fell dead on the floor.' And, that Hansel and Gretel killed their kidnapper by baking her in an oven. And, that Cinderella's evil stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by doves."

It is true that there are plenty of mediums of entertainment that are saturated with violence: books, television, cinema - nothing is immune.

For those of you who don't get the title, it's a reference to Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451.

No, I don't think it's tacky to compare videogames to the literature that was being suppressed in the text. But yes, if I feel I need to explain the title, then I should probably rework it.

Shrugs.

Spotlight - Rolemaking in RPGs

2011-06-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

Via Rampant Games comes a blog post on creating characters and why - for the author - it's not an essential part of the RPG. He has some good points; after all, character generation is almost exclusively a western RPG feature. JRPGs seem to do just fine without it (Final Fantasy anyone?). It's not essential for someone to enjoy a game; indeed, sometimes it's even a turnoff. When you just want to leap straight into the action, a long-winded series of menus telling you to make a "toon" and assign all your starting statistics may be a daunting and unappealing task.

Remember this, anybody?

Purely from a storytelling perspective, when you define all the characters for the player, it's easier to develop a stronger, tighter narrative. You don't have to consider questions like "oh, but what if the player chose to make his character this." You don't have to worry about whether or not the story is logical with what the player has imagined his character to be. You don't need to concern yourself with consistency between the player and the game. The game has already defined everything, including the player, their character, and their role in the story.

Limiting player choice in creating their characters can thus, arguably, be what strengthens the story of a particular game. Final Fantasy 7, for example, forces you to play Cloud Strife. But is the game any weaker because you're not allowed to create your own character? Not really - in fact, given the story of Final Fantasy 7, using any other character besides the predefined Cloud Strife wouldn't make sense. Using a more recent example, the Mass Effect series - while allowing you to change your class and some superificial characteristics of your character - still forces you to play (a somewhat predefined) Shephard. And the narrative is strengthened, because of this. Can you imagine a Mass Effect game without Commander Shepherd at the helm?

Commander Shephard

So what is the common denominator between the stories in FF7 and Mass Effect? The stories in these games are not about the player; they are about the characters. Final Fantasy 7 is definitively a story about Cloud Strife; Mass Effect is Shephard's story. Make no mistake, these are good stories too.

Why then, when I look back on the last couple of years and almost all of my favorite RPGs have included character generation as one of its features? Dragon Age - Origins, Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic 2, Neverwinter Nights, The Elder Scrolls - Oblivion. The list goes on. And for me, the answer to my own question is that the stories in these games aren't about somebody else. They're about me.


How relatable is he? + Carries a giant sword - Is an Amnesiac - Is broody and emo - Has ridiculous hair - Carries a giant sword

Okay, not me like in real life. But they are about a character that I made, a character who I know everything about. The stories in those games I mentioned above are all personal stories, involving my own role-making if you will. Something about having my character in a story makes me care that much more about what happens. If you hated Cloud or Shephard, it's likely you probably couldn't finish Final Fantasy 7 or Mass Effect; the challenge for these types of stories is trying to make a relatable protagonist. Well, when a player is given the option to make his/her own character, there's almost no chance that he won't relate to his own creation.

Does it take more effort? Yes, certainly. Is it worth the effort? That depends on the story you're trying to tell.

One of the things that was heavily decried on the Dragon Age 2 forums was how much character generation was being stripped down. Dragon Age - Origins had featured such a strong character generation system, allowing you to choose race, gender, class, starting statistics and skills. Apart from that, they also allowed you to choose between six different origin stories. Dragon Age 2, on the other hand, allowed you to choose your gender and your class. That's it. They even forced you to play a character named Hawke, a la Mass Effect.

The end result was that the Dragon Age series changed from being a personal story for the player ... to Hawke's story. This by itself is not necessarily a bad thing (see my review for the full assortment of things gone awry in DA2). Still, it was a bit disappointing to know that I would not be playing my own character in the second Dragon Age, after the first experience was so captivating.


How relatable is he? + You can get rid of the god-awful beard - You're stuck with his annoying family ... - His actions don't produce results - Love interests include known carriers of STDs ... and terrorists.

I get the sense that there is a trend forming, where character creation in RPGs is being left behind in favor of accessibility and approachability. Dungeon Siege III, Dragon Age 2, The Witcher; the last few big name RPG titles have all featured very limited character creation (if at all). Still, for those of us who enjoy making our own characters, we at least have Kingdoms of Amalur and The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim to look forward to.

I hope.

WTWOF: Captain America - The First Avenger (2011)

2011-06-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Oh Jessica Alba. If only you could have
more than one expression on your face
at a time, maybe Fantastic Four would
have survived.

Followup Edition! To round out this summer's multitude of comic-based superhero movies (including Thor, X-Men, & Green Lantern all in the last two months) comes Captain America: The First Avenger. The film stars Chris Evans as the titular hero, though you might also remember him as the Human Torch, from the widely panned Fantastic Four movies. Considering both Captain America and the Fantastic Four belong to the Marvel universe, I'm guessing this will preclude any Captain America/Fantastic Four crossovers.

In case you were wondering why the movie boasts "the First Avenger" as its subtitle, I might point to the subtle hints that Marvel Studios has been dropping since Iron Man in 2008. You know how each film kinda has subtle hints about what's coming up in the next film? And how there are quite a few characters that crossover between movies? Yes folks, Marvel Studios is planning an Avengers film - directed by Joss Whedon - and to be released in 2012.

Captain America follows Steve Rogers, a man who attempts to join the army during World War II, only to be deemed physically unfit for service. Opting instead to volunteer for an unconventional and secret military operation, he is transformed into super soldier. Together with his sidekick, they combat a Nazi plot to take over the world.

The film is actually the last of the standalone movies to air before the team formally unites on the silver screen next year. Though I'm personally not exactly a big fan of the Captain, I'll probably see the film anyway. Can I just say though, doesn't it seem like Chris Evans goes from being a man with a head that's too big for his body, to a man whose body is too big for his head?

F for fudge.

Catch Captain America: The First Avenger in theaters, July 22, 2011. See the latest trailer below.

WTWOF: True Blood Season 4 Premieres Sunday, June 26

2011-06-24T02:24:00.000-07:00

In today's "What to Watch Out For," the spotlight is on True Blood, which returns this Sunday, June 26 with its fourth season. True Blood is probably one of the goriest, grimiest, disgusting-est, show on HBO. It's also one of the most fun to watch and like HBO's other recent mega-hit 'Game of Thrones,' True Blood is also based on a series of novels: The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris. The difference is that while Game of Thrones follows the plot of the novels with near-complete fidelity, True Blood isn't afraid of straying far, far away from the books.

True Blood follows Sookie Stackhouse and her unusually supernatural life in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Vampires have declared themselves to the world, and a blood substitute named "True Blood" is developed so that Vampires do not need to attack humans in order to stay alive. Most people still view vampires with at best trepidation and at worst open hostility, however.

Sookie is a mind-reader, though - at least initially - she does not know why she seems to be the only person with this power. She meets Bill Compton, a vampire, who is immune to her telepathy and becomes drawn to him. They develop a somewhat unconventional romance from there, and the story follows their attempts at dealing with crazed serial killers; anti-vampire organizations, an unlimited supply of new mythical creatures, and even vampire politics.

So in spite of that horribly brief summary, what exactly does True Blood have going for it? Well let's see: Interesting characters? Check; Intricate story arcs? Check; Fast-paced action? Check; Unabashed nudity and gratuitous sex? Check.

Oh and Vampires. And Werewolves. And Shapeshifters. And who knows what else. Check check check check.

Now, admittedly there has been some controversy over whether or not True Blood has been declining in quality. One common complaint is that the characters on the show (and in the books) are constantly being revealed as some sort of supernatural monster. Some of the story arcs on True Blood have also been criticized. I myself was not a fan of how the third season concluded; the season brought us to new heights of suspense, only to let that feeling disperse in a series of thoroughly anticlimactic episodes leading up to and including the finale.

Still, I'm curious to see what True Blood has in store for the fourth season. From the trailers, it seems a new set of antagonists will be introduced, new romances might be kindled, and just more guilty pleasure fun. Check out the teaser below and see HBO's youtube account for more videos.

Website Spotlight - Timeless Social Events Planning

2011-06-23T01:44:00.000-07:00

One of the advantages of having your own blog is that you can shamelessly promote your own and your friends' new business ventures. Introducing Timeless at www.timelesssocialevents.com.

If you're like me and are absolutely terrible at event-planning, then please give Timeless a look! I've known one of the co-founders for a couple of years now, and I can personally attest to the dedication and skill that she brings to the events she has created over the last two years. Timeless can take care of you for many of your event-planning needs including - but not limited to - birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weddings, quinceañeras and debuts.

If you're in the Los Angeles CA area, have an event coming up and are interested in seeing what Timeless can offer you, send a quick message to them here. Make sure to include the type of event, planned date, planned number of guests, and an estimated budget in your form. They will work with you and your budget to create an unforgettable event experience and ensure your memories are timeless.

What To Watch Out For: Futurama, New Season begins Tomorrow 6/23!

2011-06-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Futurama!

The second half of the sixth production season (or the seventh on-air season, or even possibly the eighth season according to iTunes) will be debuting tomorrow night with back-to-back episodes on Comedy Central. A critical and somewhat cult hit during its initial run, Futurama was eventually cancelled by FOX after five (or four?) seasons had aired. A few successful straight-to-DVD movies later, and Futurama was revived (with an episode appropriately titled "Rebirth") and returned for a sixth (or fifth? or seventh?) season on Comedy Central.

Wondering why the seasons are such a mess? Well, it seems that no one can really agree on where the seasons start and begin, due to Fox Network's decision to air the episodes erratically and out of order. The insertion of the DVD movies in between the original run and the resurrected show also makes things a little confusing. The end result is that I will forever be adding parentheticals to qualify possible other numerical notations whenever I talk about Futurama.

Leela, Bender, and Fry

... yeah, forget that. I'm just going to follow wikipedia and say Season 6B begins airing tomorrow. Watch it! Futurama rocks!

The initial run of Futurama had some of the best animated comedy ever to grace the small screen. The series somehow managed to create characters that you could relate to, and yet be completely over-the-top wacky at the same time. The humor was hip and fresh, easily surpassing the Simpsons and Family Guy in depth and sophistication. Funny plotlines were often sprinkled with just the right amount of sentimentality. Case in point: the episode "Jurassic Bark." Watching Fry try to revive his millenium-dead pet dog Seymour and then change his mind at the last second, saying that he knew Seymour had lived a full life without him - only for the show to reveal that Seymour had spent his last years desperately waiting to be reunited with Fry - was one of the most heartbreaking experiences ever on TV.

While the revived season is still stretching its legs, it still had quite a few gems last year. Here's to hoping Season 6B will continue and expand upon that.

Futurama is set 1000 years in the future, where a pizza delivery boy finds himself after being cryogenically frozen. Along with his distant nephew - a 100+ year old mad scientist and his new crewmates (including his cyclops love interest Leela and robot bff Bender), Fry embarks on weekly escapades that boast adventure, excitement, drama and hilarity. See a recap below of the first five seasons narrated by none other than the Spaceman Extraordinaire, Zapp Brannigan, and then tune in tomorrow night!

Futurama

Thursdays 10/9c

Recap-O-Rama: 5 Seasons in 7 Minutes

www.comedycentral.com

Comedy Central

TV Shows

Comedy Videos

Review - Dungeon Siege III

2011-06-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

After the debacle Bioware experienced with Dragon Age 2, I think Obsidian Entertainment might be bracing themselves for a similar fandom backlash, especially considering how much they changed Dungeon Siege III from its predecessors. While a solid game in its own right, I almost hesitate to call the game Dungeon Siege at all - essentially the only thing that has been retained in this third entry to this popular PC game franchise is the massive amounts of loot you'll find and the story lore. And frankly, the lore was one of the weaker aspects of the first two titles.

Overview

Dungeon Siege III is a third person action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment, a company practically known for taking over other people's game series. With titles such as KOTOR II, and Neverwinter Nights 2 (and corresponding expansions) under its belt, Obsidian has a reputation for making deep, engrossing sequels filled with interesting characters and topped off with intricate plots.

With Dungeon Siege, this fan-favorite developer has stepped outside of familiar territory; most of their games are pseudo turn-based RPGs - Dungeon Siege III is their first fully real-time action RPG. DS3 tries to combine fast-paced action with Obsidian's renowned storytelling and for the most part it succeeds. Operative words being "for the most part."

You glow? I smash.

Story:

Unfortunately, the story of Dungeon Siege III falls a bit short of Obsidian's previous titles. The series was never really known for its storytelling, and Dungeon Siege III boasts equally lackluster lore. Because you are forced to select a character that was created for you, the game loses the sense of being a personal story that the first two DS games held (even if those two games did so with the flimsiest of grasps). What you're left with is four characters who you don't really know that much about, each only tenuously attached to the main plot. There is never a sense of character development; rather it feels distinctly like your selected character is just a medium for you to slaughter as many enemies as you can. And while there are plenty of lore entries scattered throughout the world, I was never motivated to read them as I was when playing Dragon Age. In short, the world of Ehb is definitely not as well-developed as Thedas.

Four awesome character designs ... that I feel absolutely no emotional attachment towards.

The main plot is equally forgettable - and short. While certain plot points were mildly interesting, for the most part the game was very generic. I found myself skipping through a lot of the dialogue, simply because I couldn't bring myself to care about what was happening. The main villain is discussed at length, but never really resonates as an antagonist worth all the ho-hum (in fact, she doesn't even appear until the penultimate chapters of the game). Fortunately, Dungeon Siege games were never really about their stories.

Gameplay:

While Obsidian may have chosen to opt for a completely new style and design for the game, at the end of the day, DS3 still plays fluidly and is - for the most part - pretty fun. You select a pre-designed character out of four available options at the beginning of the game, move through the game world and by the end of the game become an avatar of destruction. The action is fast-paced, the controls (on the gamepad) were sufficient and responsive, and leveling up was always a blast, especially after you've unlocked new tiers of abilities.

Level-ups provide you with talent and proficiency points (and every so often new abilities). There are 9 total abilities you can activate in combat (split among 3 different stances which you swap with the left shoulder button or the block button). The abilities are diverse and feel unique - there is no sense that older abilities are replaced - you will use them all throughout the game. The drawback is that it is the selection of abilities you get is quite limited compared to the previous two games. While you can assign proficiency points to your individual skills to augment them and talent points to your character to strengthen him/her, it doesn't quite make up for the distinct lack of choice you're given.

Lucas engages two ogres in a ... dance-off?

One criticism of the first two games was how they could almost play themselves. DS1 was known to need very little human interaction; while DS2 somewhat mollified that feeling, Dungeon Siege III has fully escaped that ill-repute. There is no question now that DS3 requires human action for you to progress forward. Fights are just the right amount of challenging, requiring you to employ all of your abilities strategically. At some point during the game you'll develop a sweet rhythm for facing enemies, making you a nigh unstoppable powerhouse. Watch out though: every once in a while the game will throw a curveball at you in the form of a new enemy or a particularly tough boss - defeating these challenges is especially satisfying.

Oh, and you can't forget the loot. There's so much loot, it's not difficult to imagine becoming a millionaire within the game. The only downside is I wish there was something for me to spend all my gold on. Most of the shops' inventory is filled with equipment I could easily have found just adventuring. Still, it's good to know Obsidian kept at least this one piece of Dungeon Siege heritage in DS3.

Graphics & Sound:

The game is visually quite attractive; while not as technically impressive as the Witcher 2, Dungeon Siege 3 still looks and sounds quite competent. It manages to maintain a distinct style all its own (and while it doesn't recall the previous two games, it is at least pleasing to the eye). The dungeons and towns are gorgeously designed, if a bit linear, and all the dialogue is voiced. Don't expect Bioware style cinematic conversations, however - most characters seem to be cursed with having only one bland expression, and there were multiple instances where I felt the voice-acting was forced. These are all minor complaints; DS3 still impresses with a level of polish that most players probably wish KOTOR 2 and NWN2 were blessed with.

Other Notes:

With Dungeon Siege III, Obsidian has departed from its typical game development cycle. What is perhaps worse, is that it chose to also depart from certain staples expected of the Dungeon Siege series. Gone is the vast and open world ripe for exploration, stripped down in favor of a decidedly linear string of plot and sidequest objectives. Gone is the ability to create and customize your own character and choose what abilities and talents you pursue. Gone is the PC focus of gameplay - Dungeon Siege III is clearly a game designed for the consoles. The demo Obsidian released two weeks prior to the official release of the game was met with cries of outrage at just how terrible the PC controls were. Similarly gone is the ability to manage multiple characters, though this is replaced with a lackluster multiplayer component. Joining a game does not allow you to earn XP or raise your skill levels on your own campaign, making it somewhat less enticing to play with friends.

Purple Bullet Power, Activate!

Final Thoughts:

Despite this betrayal of the other games in the series, Dungeon Siege III can ultimately still be an enjoyable experience and is still worth at least a quick look for any action RPG enthusiast. What it lacks in story and originality, it makes up for in good old fashioned hack and slash fun. If you're willing to forgive the character selection and development choices, pick up a gamepad (but definitely not a mouse & keyboard) and start sieging those dungeons (for the third time)!

Recommended For:
+ Fans of Real-time Action RPGs
+ Fantasy RPG Fans
+ Dungeon Siege Fans with open and forgiving minds
+ Gamers with Friends - as long as you don't mind not being able to retain the XP and loot you gain while playing in someone else's game.

Not Recommended For:
- Obsidian Fans expecting a deep and engrossing storyline
- PC Gamers without a gamepad
- Dungeon Siege Loyalists

*This review was completed using the PC version of the game. Dungeon Siege III is also available on the XBOX360 and the Playstation3.

TV News: Chris Meloni's Replacement on SVU is In Sight

2011-06-20T23:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, it was announced that Christopher Meloni's contract negotiations with NBC had broken down, and that he would not be rejoining Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in its forthcoming thirteenth season. The show has seen some dramatic casting changes in its now dozen years of history, especially in recent seasons where A.D.As seemed to be dropping like flies, but this is probably the most dramatic. Well, via TVLine comes an interesting article about potential replacements that are going to do a few test reads across lead actress Mariska Hargitay. I can't say I recognize any of them besides Kevin Alejandro from True Blood.

All I know is whoever gets cast as Chris Meloni's replacement has some ginormous shoes to fill. Part of what made SVU the strongest of the Law & Order series was the amazing chemistry and character growth between Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson (played by Meloni and Hargitay respectively). It'll be extraordinarily difficult for the new cast member to come even close to matching the repertoire Stabler and Benson had. All I can say to that person is ... good luck.

Then again, with Mariska Hargitay's new contract only requiring her to be in about the first half of the 13th season's episodes, we might be seeing an entirely new detective team on the show less than a year from now. *SPOILERS FOLOW - Highlight at your own risk* TVLine reports that Olivia will be getting a promotion to a supervising position midway through the season, leaving her spot in SVU open as well. Reportedly, this was worked out between Hargitay and NBC to allow her more time to spend with her kid. Whether or not this means Olivia will be exiting the series as well is yet to be known.

Regardless, of what happens, one thing is for sure - SVU won't be the same without these show forerunners. Best wishes and luck to them both.

What do you think? Do you think Chris Meloni's exit marks beginning of the end for the series? Or are you excited about new, fresh blood coming into the show? Post your opinion in the comments!

Review - Game of Thrones, Season 1

2011-06-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Minor Spoilers to Follow.

Overview:

After two or three episodes of jolting twists and betrayals, the first season of HBO's Game of Thrones came to a (mostly) subdued close last night with dozens of plot threads still left hanging. But you can't really fault the show for that; the season ended almost exactly as the first novel did, covering almost exactly what the novel covered. It is in fact such a faithful adaptation of the books, that long-time fans of George R.R. Martin's series will always know exactly what's going to happen next. For those who haven't read the novels, however, Game of Thrones serves as an excellent introduction to this compelling historical fantasy.

Story:

Game of Thrones, adapted from "A Game of Thrones" by the aforementioned author, is set in the fictional land of Westeros, a world where seasons last for indeterminate periods of time and dragons were once used as war machines to subdue entire nations.. Despite this and several mentions of sorcery and witches, viewers should be aware that this story is in fact very magic-lite. Don't expect Harry Potter or even Lord of the Rings - there are very few flashy effects - magic in Game of Thrones is subtle, more metaphorical than mythical in its application.

Arya wonders what she's doing at a Lord of the Rings convention.

Events prior to the start of the series see the Seven Kingdoms crown King Robert Baratheon, a rebel who successfully defeated the mad-Emperor Aerys Targaryen. The story begins just as political and civil unrest begin to sweep the land once more. The Hand of the King (the King's chief advisor) has just died under uncertain circumstances, and King Robert summons his old friend Eddard "Ned" Stark to replace him. Ned's wife, however, suspects that the Hand may have been murdered by none other than the Robert's wife, Queen Cersei Lannister and her House. Across the sea, Viserys and Danaerys, last surviving heirs of the Targaryen Dynasty, seek to raise a barbarian Dothraki army to reclaim their homeland. In the North, a sinister threat rises to engulf all of the world, with only the dwindling force of the Night's Watch and the Wall to defend against it.

Confused yet? Don't worry - this is only the most simple of background summaries. A whole mess load of other characters and plots are introduced throughout the series. Though the plot of the show follows the novel closely, there are just a few snippets of new scenes embedded into what is overall an unfailingly loyal tribute to "A Game of Thrones." These new scenes provide additional insight into characters and don't distract from the overall plot, but rather add depth and layer to already compelling storytelling. Alliances are forged, honor is tested, and backs are stabbed, all to varying degrees of success but indubitably high levels of entertainment.

One wall to belittle them all?

You would think that the story might become incomprehensible, but it surprisingly does not. Part of the show's (and novel's) success derives from its ability to weave all of these plots together into a fascinating tapestry. While the first episode or two is a little overburdened with exposition (introducing dozens of characters, locations, and cultures in the span of 50 minutes), what follows is a deep, complex tale that is just plain fun to watch.

Writing and Acting:

Despite the seemingly countless faces, the characters are all memorable, with several that are quite easy to root for and a few more that you just love to hate. Some of these characters include Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister. Arya is the youngest daughter of Ned Stark, a tomboy often scolded for her penchant to play swords rather than sew dresses. Tyrion (played by Peter Dinklage) is a dwarf, an embarassment for the other-wise perfect House Lannister, but he makes up for this deficiency in size with a quick wit and sharp intellect. The Crown Prince Joffrey, on the other hand, is a total douchebag to the 50 bajillionth degree. You can't help but want to smack him upside the face every time you see him, and its a testament to his child actor that he is able to pull off such a instantly despised role.

Jon Snow, Sam Tarly, and Guy whose name I don't remember.

The rest of the cast do not disappoint either; Sean Bean (Boromir!) serves as a wonderful Eddard Stark, and Lena Headey (who fans might recognize from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) plays a wonderfully manipulative Cersei. With such a large cast, the show is surprisingly adept at spotlighting each character just enough to both give viewers a good understanding of each one, while also allowing them room to develop and grow.

Bitch, please. Don't make me go get my terminator.

Production:

Game of Thrones does not disappoint technically, either. The production values are simply amazing, with realistic sets, costumes, and weaponry joining together to really immerse viewers in the Seven Kingdoms. The barbarian Dothraki language created for the show is particularly impressive, and the various actors who have to speak it do so with a smooth fluency as if they were indeed foreign savages. The cities of King's Landing and Winterfell also deserve particular praise for their attention to detail and distinct styles.

King's Landing, capital of the Seven Kingdoms

Warnings:

This is not a show for minors (which, being an HBO original program, is probably self-evident). Still, if you have any qualms about brutal and gruesome deaths (I'm talking throats being slit, violent stabbings, and people being burned alive), then this might not be the show for you. There's also quite a bit of squick factor, including but not limited to rape and incest, so please - don't watch this with a minor! Finally, the series tagline is: "You Win or You Die" - don't be surprised when characters - even beloved characters - are suddenly snuffed out.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Please also note that the first season does feel a little bit like a long prologue. The season finale in particular is also a bit anticlimactic after the penultimate episode's events; you're left with more questions than you began, for sure. Still, given the fact that the show is based on a seven-book epic, we can at least be hopeful that seasons 2 - 7 will sate our thirst.

I wonder if actress Emilia Clarke knew how often she would be getting naked on this show. Oh, now you're going to watch it? Pervs.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, Game of Thrones impresses as a compelling political drama splashed with just the right amounts of action, intrigue, and fantasy. Fans of the novel series would do well to give the series a look; you won't be disappointed with how well the novel comes to life. Fans of the genre should definitely take the time to watch this show. Despite some long-winded exposition, and a season finale that resolves very little, the series is an easy recommendation for any adults who enjoy a good epic tale. You win, when you watch Game of Thrones.

Recommended For:
+ Fans of George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones" from the "Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels.
+ Fans of historical-fantasy.
+ Fans of political thrillers.
+ Anybody who enjoys a good story.

Not Recommended For:
- Children/Minors. Don't let them watch this show!
- People who only care about action - there is a fair amount of fighting and combat, but it is definitely secondary to the plot and story.
- If blood, violence, or squicky squick is not your thing (See the Warnings subsection).
- People who think George R.R. Martin should be working on his next novel rather than working on the TV Show. Two more books still left to be completed in the series. At the rate he's going, the tv show will be done before the novels.

Game of Thrones has been renewed for a second season. Watch the title sequence from the first below, which animates a map of the Seven Kingdoms and gives a good impression of all the major locations within the first season.

What to Watch Out For: The Elderscrolls V - Skyrim

2011-06-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Check out this interview, via gamepro.com, for a bit more about the Elderscrolls V - Skyrim. Skyrim is the sequel to the 2006 critically acclaimed open world RPG, the Elderscrolls IV - Oblivion. Both games were developed/are being developed by Bethesda, who is also known for Fallout 3.

Skyrim has so far displayed a plethora of new features, most noticeably the inclusion of dragons and dragon shouts. Your character is dragonborn - whatever that means - and you have the ability to absorb the souls of dragons in order to gain some of their powers. Some of these awe-inspiring abilities have included summoning lightning storms and breathing fire in the E3 demos that were shown a little over a week ago. You're also now able to dual-wield weapons or even spells.

The Elder Scrolls series' success has largely been due to the massively open world and near-endless amount of quests the player can complete, guild ranks the player can ascend, and just plain exploration the player can do. Skyrim seems to be keeping in line with these conventions. However, I personally always felt that the combat in TES games have left something to be desired, and the story in Oblivion was hackneyed and unoriginal. It remains to be seen if Skyrim will be able to improve upon those two important aspects as well.

See my full review of The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion here (Please note this review was done 5 years ago and was using an old reviewing system), and check out the interview below:

What to Watch Out For: HBO's Game of Thrones - Season Finale on 6/19

2011-06-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'll admit I am a relative newcomer to the Song of Ice & Fire, a series of historical fiction novels penned by George R.R. Martin, a man who has been referenced as the American Tolkien. It wasn't until late October 2010 that I picked up "A Game of Thrones" for the first time (via my ipad, no less - A Game of Thrones is the first novel in the series).

I was hooked. Four novels spanning over 4,000 pages in total came and went with remarkable alacrity. And then in mid April of 2011, HBO began airing their television adaptation of the first novel to wide critical acclaim.

I mentioned this in a previous post, but I'll say it again: It's good. Watch it.

Tomorrow marks the season finale of this gut-wrenching, political thriller of a television series. My only wish is that I could somehow erase my knowledge of what happens in the books. Sometimes I feel the show is adapted so faithfully, knowing what happens makes it hard to fully appreciate the multitude of twists, backstabs, and betrayals that makes the plot of this show so intriguing.

Watch a sneak peak of the season finale below, which will be airing in all its unadulterated glory tomorrow, Sunday June 19, 2011. Expect a review of the first season sometime next week. And if you haven't already, pre-order the next novel in the series, "A Dance with Dragons," due out on July 12, 2011.

Trailer Mashup: Star Wars - The Old Republic

2011-06-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Via gamebanshee.com comes this mashup of the three cinematic trailers for the upcoming Bioware MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Bioware is touting its entry into the MMO arena as one that doesn't sacrifice story in favor of grinding, looting, raiding, and levelling up. A good story has historically been very difficult to pull off in an MMO setting precisely because of the nature of MMO's. Persistent worlds require exactly that: persistence. However, persistence also makes telling a good story very, very difficult, as any good story always requires great change either personally for individual characters, or for the world as a whole, and oftentimes requires both.

Whether or not Bioware will be able to pull off a successful story through its next venture is yet to be seen, though the features they've implemented so far to support this claim do sound promising: voiced characters, dialogue choices, and multiple ways to resolve quests (light side or dark side).

Visit The Old Republic's website for more information or to catch the original three cinematic trailers, developed and animated by Blur studios. All three of them beat the prequel movies hands down.

What to Watch Out For: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

2011-06-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Voldemort ponders how best to start eating Harry's face off.

Via traileraddict.com comes the final trailer for the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. An epic journey spanning 7 years of Hogwarts time and almost 10 years of real life time culminates in what appears to be a frenetic and action-packed finale July 15 2011.

Think about this - the first Harry Potter movie came out in late 2001.

Boy, I feel old.

Mass Effect 3 Going Mass-Effectedly Multiplayer? [Update 6-17-2011]

2011-06-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

[UPDATE 6-17-2011]

Eurogamer reports that Bioware co-founder Ray Muzyka has confirmed Mass Effect 3 will not be the end of the franchise. "This is not the end of the Mass Effect franchise by any means," he affirms.

"We have more things planned. We're laser-focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is awesome and epic and intense on a galactic scale, and we want to provide a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy ... But also it's a beginning on a brand new adventure," Muzyka continued. "The galaxy is at war. It's a beginning as well as a conclusion."

Not totally unexpected, given the wild success Mass Effect has showered upon Bioware and EA. I wonder what will come next though, after ME3 has been finished. Mass Effect Wars? Mass Effect Online (shudder)?

See the original story below:

Is ME3 going Mass-Effectedly Multiplayer? Maybe.

Rumors are swirling that the third entry in Bioware's popular Mass Effect franchise will include some multiplayer components. Multiple sources (via gamebanshee) now report that ME3 will include a horde style multiplayer mode where up to four players can team up to play. I assume both cooperative and competitive play styles will be included as so far game types such as "Capture the Flag" and the wave system (used in Halo Firefights) have been mentioned.

I'm a little dubious about whether Mass Effect 3 would work as a multiplayer game. The series has done extraordinarily well using its single player formula, and it's a risky move to add in a completely new feature in the last game of a trilogy. Multiplayer isn't exactly Bioware's strong suit either. What was the last Bioware game that featured more than one person behind the controller? Neverwinter Nights? That was a 2002 pseudo turn-based RPG; Nine years have passed since then!

It would have to be done extremely well in order to be considered an asset to Mass Effect 3; anything short of Halo/Call of Duty level of quality would only undermine the game as a whole, marring what should be the climax of the Mass Effect series.

Just don't make Mass Effect 3 into another Dragon Age 2 please!

Mass Effect 3 is the final game in a Bioware's space opera trilogy. Confirmed news regarding the game is that it will feature the arrival of the Reapers, a race of sentient, highly adaptive artificial intelligences, threatening the existence of all organic life within the universe. As Commander Shepherd, you must unite alien races under a common banner in order to repel this near-invincible threat in this epic climax to a critic and fan-favorite series. Old faces return and join with new characters, new weapons, and what should be the thrilling conclusion to one of the highest-rated shooter-RPG hybrids.

See the suspenseful trailer from E3 below, via gametrailers.com, and play the game when it comes out next year, March 6, 2012. Pre-order from amazon below, or from your local videogame retailer. A special Collector's Edition has been announced, with some pretty cool perks.

Tags: GameTrailers.com, E3 2011: The Fall of Earth Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Review - Child of Eden

2011-06-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

Overview:

Developed by Q Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, Child of Eden is a first person shooter. But it's also a game unlike almost every other first person shooter out there. Dazzling visual and audio effects, brilliant level design, smooth controls, and a catchy technopop soundtrack form a solidarity with which Child of Eden rises to greatness.

Story:

If you haven't heard of Child of Eden, the game is essentially an on-the-rails first person shooter. The story is set in a distant yet near future, where space travel has been accomplished and the internet is referred to as "Eden." The first child to be born in space, Lumi, is saved into Eden's archives. Centuries later, scientists attempt to recreate Lumi from her record in Eden; to their dismay, Eden becomes corrupted (by futuristic spyware ads?). As the player, you are tasked with purifying Eden of this viral intrusion and saving the new Lumi from being destroyed.

Sounds weird? You bet. But the story succeeds not because the subject matter is unconventional, but because its implementation is unconventional as well. There is no epic narrative here, no real dialogue to speak of. The viral intrusion isn't represented by some all-powerful avatar whom you have to defeat. And yet somehow the game manages to capture your attention all the same. Lumi, who is also the face of the mysterious real life band Genki Rockets (whose music is featured prominently in the game), is captivating in her innocence and beauty. As you come upon the penultimate seconds of each mission, flashes of her face and figure as she sways gracefully to the music - freed from the viral infection - just seem to draw you in further.

Gameplay:

Ultimately, the story is only a backdrop for the innovative gameplay. There are two modes of playing Child of Eden, one with the standard controller and one using Kinect. In both versions you are equipped with the same arsenal of weapons: a tracking missle launcher capable of destroy viral incursions with devastating accuracy, a purple shooter used to eliminate enemy projectiles and similarly colored enemies who are especially vulnerable to rapid fire, and a "Euphoria" attack, which is essentially a screen-clearing bomb attack.

Child of Eden is an on-the-rails game, meaning you move along a set and predefined pathway. Along the way, enemies and powerups will spiral around you, and it's your job to eliminate and/or capture as many of these infections as possible. As you destroy them, you rack up points for efficiency and thoroughness. The Tracking missile is the most effective weapon to use against most enemies, and if you time your attacks along with the soundtrack, you'll earn increasingly rewarding bonuses.

Some situations will require you to use your purple repeater gun, keeping the levels from becoming too monotonous. Enemies also come in dozens of different varieties, each with their own behaviors, strengths and weaknesses - some even react differently to your two main weapons in a visual way. Clearing through wave upon wave of these oddly-designed (cybernetic worms, jellyfish, whales, and phoenixes all need to be purged) viruses is fun to do and watch. Finally, your Euphoria attack can save you from being overwhelmed, but be aware that you must collect Euphoria powerups before you can use them in battle.

You can't discuss Child of Eden without its compatability with Kinect. While using the controller is slightly more fluid and precise, there's no denying just how enjoyable it is to blast through the deluge of enemies using Kinect's motion controls. Using Kinect, your right hand becomes your homing missiles, requiring you to flick your hand forward after you've locked onto your targets. Your left hand becomes your purple machine gun. Raising both hands above your head activates Euphoria. Playing Child of Eden with Kinect is an infinitely more rewarding experience; the motion controls are smooth and the movement really brings you into the action. You feel powerful, as if your hands are literally shaping the world around you. The camera can occasionally be a little jittery, but this is a minor annoyance at worst.

Graphics & Sound:

The game succeeds on a technical and artistic level as well. The graphics in the game are vibrant, and the game plays smoothly, despite the smorgasbord of cybernetic invaders that swirl through your entire screen. The backgrounds feel living, the enemies animate fluidly and sometimes shiny lights are really just all a game developer needs to keep your attention. The game also achieves on an artistic level as well, managing to capture a mix of cybernetic, matrix-code feel with an organic twist. It's almost like you're floating in a techno dream that you can't tear yourself away from, even if you wanted to.

I've already mentioned the catchy tunes that play in the background as you blast your way through the game, and how you earn bonuses if you time your attacks to synch with the rhythm of the beat. On screen flashes of "Good!" and "Perfect!" accompany your attacks when you pull them off successfully, and these are further joined by musical chimes, notes, even lyrical melodies that meld seamlessly into the soundtrack. When you get into a good groove, your attacks harmonize with the soundtrack into explosions of music that only further highlight Child of Eden's artistic vision.

Other Notes:

The one complaint I have is that the game can be over too quickly. You unlock new levels by earning stars from each stage, but in total (at the moment) there are only five levels. These could easily and conceivably be completed in an hour, for the particularly rhythmic and shooter-oriented gamers. There is a plethora of unlockables, including concept art, videos, and collectible items for Lumi's Garden (which is essentially the title screen). Still, at the end of the day I wish there were more actual levels of gameplay to be had. Here's hoping that Ubisoft and Q Entertainment might see fit to release some DLC.

Final Thoughts:

Anybody can enjoy Child of Eden, but for those who see videogames as more than just mindless entertainment, I can not recommend it enough. Stunning visual and artistic design unite with musical and auditory splendor to create a game that is worthy of being called art.

Recommended For:
+ Fans of First person shooters
+ Fans of games with extraordinary style and vision
+ Anybody with a Kinect and $50 to spare for the game.

Not recommended For:
- People with Epilepsy. Like, seriously.
- People without a Kinect. The game might be better with a Kinect, but don't buy a kinect just for this game. With only 5 levels to blast your way through, it'll be a short-lived high for spending the $149.99 for.

Child of Eden is currently available on XBOX360. A PS3 version is due out September this year (presumably with Move support). Purchase it through Amazon or find it at your local video game retailer.

Tags: GameTrailers.com, Launch Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Review - Green Lantern (2011)

2011-06-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Minor Spoilers Follow

So ... lucky me, I have a friend who works at WB, and she graciously invited me to attend an early screening of Green Lantern. If you're like me and have been cautiously scanning rottentomatoes.com for early reviews, you'll know it hasn't exactly been impressing people as the best comic book movie adaptation. The general consensus is that it's quote "noisy, overly produced, and thinly written, squandering an impressive budget and decades of comics mythology."

I don't agree.

Yes, the background is laid on a bit thick; the opening narration bombards you with exposition meant to quickly catch non-comic book fans up to the setting. Sure, the story is befuddling at some points. There were 2 or 3 moments in the plot where I thought flat-out "this does not make sense." No, I can't deny that some of the characterization is a little weak and some of the plots are a bit derivative. Hal Jordan (played by Ryan Reynolds), for example, doesn't seem to know if he wants to be a wisecracking jackass or a soldier of honor and duty, fluctuating between the two just a little too quickly to be believable.

But who are we kidding? You're not going to a movie about a man who can create "hardlight" green energy with an alien ring for a thoughtful plot and deep characters. Green Lantern doesn't try to be anything other than what it is: a fun, action-packed and exciting adventure. And for the most part it succeeds.

Green Lantern is the story of Hal Jordan, a jet pilot whose prone to giving up for fear of failing (sorry, had to do it). When an alien spacecraft crashes onto earth and its occupant informs him that he has been chosen to be part of what is essentially an intergalactic police force, Hal rolls with the punches and joins up quickly. What he soon learns is that the personification of Fear, named Parallax, has escaped from its ancient prison and now threatens the universe. What follows is Hal's journey to discover the strength inside himself to overcome Fear, and save the cosmos.

Yes, it's corny. Yes it's sometimes hard to swallow. No, it's not completely faithful to the comic book origins. But is it fun to watch? Fosho.

Ryan Reynolds serves as a capable Hal Jordan. Mark Strong is absolutely what I envisioned Sinestro to look like in real life. I couldn't shake Blake Lively from her role on Gossip Girl though. Isn't she in high school? Why is she romantically involved with a 30+ year old Hal? Squick factor level increased.

I'll admit the plot is essentially a thin narrative device for us to see the action, but I have to say the action was pretty spectacular. As a Green Lantern, Hal Jordan is able to conjure up emerald energy into whatever shape or form he wishes, limited only by his imagination. He does so with spectacular bravado in the film, conjuring swords, machine guns, fighter jets, race cars and energy balls, all to different - but useful - effect. The visual and special effects are breathtaking; Oa, in particular, is a vibrant world rendered beautifully - simultaneous alien and still entrancing. Parallax is similarly animated.

I suspect had the film been released before Thor and X-Men: First Class, it might have garnered more forgiving reviews. I can't deny that Green Lantern doesn't quite capture the human and emotional aspect of cinematography as well as the two Marvel Comics blockbusters did earlier this year. Still, for what it was trying to be - a light-hearted action adventure sprinkled with just the right amount of humor - Green Lantern does a fine job.

Finally, I'll go ahead and admit right now that I may have gone into the screening with very low expectations. Do yourself a favor and do the same. Don't go in expecting the next entry in a deep, emotional film filled with social and political commentary. Go in expecting an easy-to-watch action-flick and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Recommended For:
+ Green Lantern Fans open to a few mythology changes
+ People who don't mind suspending disbelief
+ Like Stunning CG and Visual Effects? Watch it just for that.
+ Scifi/Fantasy Action Adventure Fans
+ Ryan Reynolds. Blake Lively. Need I say more?

Not Recommended For:
- Green Lantern Loyalists
- People expecting X-men: Second Class or for lord knows why, Schindler's List 2
- People who don't like Scifi, fantasy, comic books, or action movies - what are you even doing here?
- People without suspension. Suspension of disbelief, that is.
- Ryan Reynolds. Blake Lively. Need I say more?

Movie-goers be warned. The screening I attended was for 3D, but I hardly noticed any 3D effects at all. Save yourself a few dollars and go to a regular showing.

Green Lantern Feature Trailer From Trailerpulse

Some People Still Read - Dragon Age: Asunder

2011-06-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, some people still read. Me included (though not as much as I probably should). Sometimes sitting back with a good novel can be more thrilling than watching a movie or playing a game; there's the advantage of being able to see into a character's mind instead of merely watching him do things on screen.

Dragon Age: Asunder is the third book in a series of novels set in Thedas (which btw, stands for The Dragon Age Setting). Yes, Bioware's David Gaider has been tapped to write a third entry in a series of Dragon Age novels. The previous two stories centered on the character of Maric, son of a Ferelden Queen who rebelled against an occupying Orlesian force. In the first title, DA: The Stolen Throne, Maric undergoes trials and tribulations to reclaim his home from the invaders. In DA: The Calling, Maric is given a taste of the Darkspawn threat, and is called upon by the famed Grey Wardens to help track down one of their own, a Grey Warden that has seemingly betrayed his duty.

If you didn't play Dragon Age and have no idea what I'm talking about, then these books are probably not for you. If you did play Dragon Age and are itching to find out just a little bit more about the stunning lore that Bioware has put together for their fantasy franchise, I definitely would recommend that you buy or borrow these books from your local library. The first two novels were set before the events of Dragon Age: Origins and provide an interesting perspective and backstory on some of the events that occur in the game. David Gaider (Lead Writer for Bioware on all the Dragon Age games) weaves an interesting and compelling plot in both stories and while they might not be as intricately woven or designed as "A Game of Thrones," they do a great job of quenching any thirst for fantasy literature you might have.

The plot of Dragon Age:Asunder will detail the separation of the Templar Order from the Chantry, and references events that occur in Dragon Age 2. According to Mr. Gaider, it's best if you play the game first, if you plan to play it at all, as there may be spoilers in the novel. According to a press release issued by Bioware, the story will center on an Orlesian Mage named Rhys, who is accused of various murders within the so-called "heart of Templar Power" within Orlais. If you played Dragon Age 2, you know that the mages and templars of the world do not exactly get along. I won't say much more for fear of spoiling anything, but if you want to know more, I've embedded a video interview with David Gaider (courtesy of Bioware Pulse), where he discusses this upcoming novel. He also shares a bit of advice for aspiring writers and game developers - but don't listen to that; I have enough competition as it is.

;)

You can purchase The Stolen Throne and The Calling via Amazon (Kindle editions available).

Watch live streaming video from biowaretv at livestream.com

What to Watch Out For: Kingdoms of Amalur - Reckoning

2011-06-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

E3 has been abuzz with this eye-catching new title from Big Huge Games with storyworld designed by R.A. Salvatore. If you read or watch any of the previews of the game, it seems as if BHG is trying to combine the real time action combat of Fable with the open world and character development system of the Elder Scrolls series. We haven't been treated to much of the story yet, though we do know you'll be able to customize a character from a variety of races. You begin the game having just been resurrected from death with your memory wiped clean; one of the goals you'll pursue besides monster-slaying is finding out who killed you and why.

So far the story doesn't seem to be taking too many risks. The open-ended character development system and the action combat seem very promising though; You're never locked into one "class," but rather choose various talents and specialities as you level up, mixing and matching as you please. Warrior-Mage and Rogue-Mage Hybrids seem to be the popular choice among the video demos seen at E3.

I'm just looking forward to dual-wielding chakrams. Any game that lets you channel your inner Xena gets a plus in my book (See them in action at about 0:34 below, courtesy of gametrailers.com).

Tags: GameTrailers.com, Future Visions Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

See the E3 Debut Trailer below. Kingdoms of Amalur - Reckoning is slated for a Q1 2012 release.

Kingdoms Of Amalur: Debut Trailer - Watch more Game Trailers

First Impressions - Child of Eden (XBOX 360 with Kinect)

2011-06-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

A first person shooter that makes your hands the weapons? Plus, dazzling visuals, a technopop soundtrack that's as addictive as it is catchy, and just a wonderful level of polish and and style.

Let's just say this game shows a lot of promise. Can you really blame me for being attracted to shiny pretty things?

Child of Eden is available today, June 14, 2011, on XBOX360 and supports the Kinect platform addition for motion sensing. PS3 owners can expect their versioN (compatible with Move) sometime in September of this year.

Review - Dragon Age 2 (DA2)

2011-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Overview:

It is perhaps impossible to review Dragon Age 2 without making comparisons to its predecessor. Dragon Age: Origins was a stunning achievement in late 2009, winning multiple game of the year awards and lauded as one of the best RPGs of the generation. Considering the daunting tasks that the game had to achieve and how well it succeeded - creating an immersive setting, establishing a fun and tactical gameplay system, and building a strong fanbase for future games to capitalize on - it's no wonder that the game took 5 years for the RPG veteran Bioware to complete.

Comparatively, Dragon Age 2 was released in March of 2011, less than 1.5 years from the release of the original in November of 2009.

That was probably the first clue that something was wrong.

Admittedly, a large part of the effort that went into making Dragon Age: Origins was completed with the first entry in the series: establishment of lore being the main part. Still, 1.5 years is a short turnaround for an epic RPG series, and I was worried that the brief development time might impact the quality of the sequel.

I was right to be worried.

Story:

Dragon Age 2 throws you back into the immersive and wonderfully-crafted world of Thedas, a world where perhaps only 1.5 years ago you were playing a Grey Warden fighting a seeming hopeless war against the Blight. While your warden's adventures took place mostly in the nation of Ferelden, Dragon Age 2 focuses on your character's life in Kirkwall, a coastal city to the north of the blight-stricken Ferelden. This time around, you're forced to play a human (gender and class selectable) named Hawke, and the story largely follows your escapades in becoming a champion of the city.

The overall plot of the game is told through a framed narrative: An NPC named Varric recounts your tale to an enigmatic Seeker trying to uncover how exactly Hawke rose to power in Kirkwall. The gimmick is an interesting one, though it's employed too sparsely to have any meaningful impact; essentially, the game is divided into three major acts and a brief prelude over a 10-year period, with Varric narrating the intermissions between each act. In a 40-50 hour game, the plot device seems tacked on at best, though it does boast excellent voicework and some good humor.

The individual acts succeed (for the most part) on their own storytelling merits, with some throwbacks to your previous decisions (and if you import a DAO save, your Warden's decisions in the first game). Where the story falls apart is trying to tie those loose threads together: Dragon Age 2 doesn't have the same epic feel that Origins so proudly bore; years pass between each act and it's difficult to see how exactly the pieces of the story fit together, largely because they don't. The end result is like playing through a disjointed sequence of events, rather than a tightly constructed tale. While the tale of Hawke's rise to power is still an interesting one, you realize Hawke rises to Champion not because you saved the city or amassed a fortune: Varric simply tells you it happened during the 3 year time jump.

Gameplay:

When Varric's not telling your story, you take control of Hawke and - depending on your class - maul, backstab, or blast your way through the multiple main and side quests. The core of the gameplay is combat, and here the sequel really shines. While DAO's combat was exciting, it also had a very plodding, almost lazy feel to it. When I watched Alistair slash enemies, he did so with such methodical slowness that it felt almost as if he was trying to move through molasses.

Dragon Age 2 has sped up combat significantly, and it really feels much more fast-paced and alive than its predecessor did. Combat animations are flashy and impressive, and no longer do enemies and allies suffer from "shuffling" syndrome - combat abilities are executed immediately and with ferocious intensity. The introduction of "cross-class combos" also adds a distinctive tactical flare to the game, and a critical element to take advantage of on the harder difficulties. All classes are able to use certain abilities that inflict various status effects on enemies, opening them up to receive further punishment from your allies. Pulling off a cross-class combo is deliciously satisfying, and this feature combined with all the other changes really improve the overall flavor of combat.

Leveling up is a fun experience too. Gone are the single-line of talent points from the first game: instead, players now use a tiered and chained set of talent trees. Various selections unlock new abilities and players can also choose to improve their existing abilities rather than to diversify. The improvements are significant, so no talent point feels like it's been wasted. By the end of the game, Hawke truly is a formidable master of his craft with dozens of spells and fighting talents at his disposal. The one questionable change from the original game is the removal of skills. Previously, skills such as persuasion and pickpocketing could be improved with each levelup: these skills have all vanished, for no apparent reason. Overall though, the game remains a lot of fun to play.

That said, there are a few changes from the original series that are baffling: first, the overuse of exploding enemies. Enemies vaporize into chunks of blood and gore at the mildest of whacks, smacks and tiffs, and it definitely removes the sense of gritty realness from a game that otherwise is deeply immersive (this has been remedied in a recent patch, to my knowledge). Second, and perhaps more glaring is the removal of the tactical camera present in the PC version of Dragon Age Origins. DAO's tactical camera on the PC version of the game was really a godsend, enabling players to get a wide view of the action and plan their battles accordingly. The removal of that camera is an inexplicable loss.

If only those changes were the only ones to mar Dragon Age 2's otherwise polish. Unfortunately, the short turnaround cycle shows very early on exactly the toll it took on DA2's presentation. First, the encounters - while the first Dragon Age was filled with hordes of evil monsters and darkspawn trying to devour your party, each encounter was carefully crafted and allowed room for tactics to make a difference. Dragon Age 2, unfortunately, relies on what has become infamous as the "wave" mechanic. You first encounter one wave of enemies and engage them; just as you defeat the last one, you realize that literally out of nowhere, new enemies have fallen from the sky or popped out from the earth to swarm you once again. Just as you think you're done mopping up the last of these, a third wave hits you. Mind you, these aren't flying birds or burrowing worms that are attacking you - bandits, undead, darkspawn, and even guards appear out of nowhere to ruin your careful positioning and artificially increase the difficulty of the battles. The result is always a battle of attrition, and a test to see which side can keep their health bars going the longest. Dragon Age 2 employs this tactic for almost every fight in the game. No, I'm not exaggerating; it almost ruins the fun from the new combat flow.

I suppose that the wave-system of enemy encounters might be chalked up to a poor design decision, and in no way related to the constrained time frame between game releases, but there can be no question about my next issue with DA2's design. Recycled Areas. Forums are ablaze with people lamenting Bioware's decision to reuse areas for quests that are supposed to represent different locales. The first Mass Effect also suffered from this problem, but it was a minor nuisance in that game at best: it only really impacted the smallest of sidequests in that game. In Dragon Age 2, the recycled areas cover not only sidequests, but main-plots as well. Every single cave, dungeon, sewer, or estate is literally an exact copy of the one before it. The effect is totally immersion-breaking and an unbelievable misstep for a developer that is lauded for its storytelling skill. Setting is an important part of storytelling; if the setting never changes on the screen, your story will suffer.

When you're not tackling the main quests or being assaulted by endless waves of enemies, Hawke can also pursue (in standard Bioware form) romances among the many companions he'll get to know along his journey. Gay and Straight options are both available, and there's even an option that is doomed (*cough* Aveline *cough). For the most part, these romances are deep, engaging, and have that poignant quality that makes you go "Aww" despite the fact that you're staring at fictional characters animated through lines of code.

Side quests litter the games multiple acts with various degrees of quality, though most are forgettable fetch and deliver quests. Interestingly enough, Bioware actually streamlined the fetch and deliver system so that you don't even need to be asked to find something anymore. Side Quest items are automatically marked for you and Hawke is magically able to identify trash without any knowledge of its significance or its owner. It's somewhat amusing to hear Hawke muse "I hear you've been looking for this," and then hand over random junk to an NPC he's never spoken to and has no connection with.

I suppose it does cut down on the backtracking though.

Graphics & Sound:

Dragon Age 2 features revamped art style, in an effort to distinguish the franchise from more generic fantasy tropes. For the most part, these art style changes have been a hit or miss. The race of Qunari, for example, have absolutely been improved from the original game, where they looked essentially human. Now, they have their own, unique look that easily identifies both the race as well as the Dragon Age game. Darkspawn, on the other hand, seem to have been dumbed down from the horrifying terrors they were in Origins to albino zombies.

From a technical standpoint, Dragon Age 2 serves competently (though it can't compete with games like the Witcher 2). On my average rig, I experienced no major bugs or glitches, and animations and models were done superbly. The environs were adequate, though they quickly became stale, especially with the recycling of maps mentioned previously.

DA2's voice work continues Bioware's tradition of excellent acting and cinematic storytelling. Every character and line was delivered with skill, and I really liked the way Hawke's tone would change based on your play style - Diplomatic Hawke was definitely different from Aggressive Hawke. Other characters are competently voiced as well, and the actor who plays Varric - as both the narrator and comic relief - does an excellent job.

Inon Zur returns to score the sequel to DA Origins and his soundtrack features more memorable tunes that are interesting in their composition and just fun to listen to. Several romantic scores wiggle their way into an otherwise combat-heavy musical experience.

Final Thoughts:

I can't help but feel Dragon Age 2 could have been so much more. Some of the design decisions are hard to question. If more time were spent developing new areas instead of redesigning the art style for one. Or if more time was spent implementing unique encounters rather than dumping loads of forgettable side quests onto the player. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.

It's interesting to see Metacritic's score for the game - professional reviewers average out around 80 while user reviews average at 45 (PC version). Is there some sort of professional conspiracy happening? Not really - Dragon Age 2 by itself is really a good game. It's just that in comparison to the glow of its predecessor, good just doesn't cut it.

Recommended For:
+ Fans of Dragon Age willing to be open-minded about some of the more obtuse design choices.
+ Fans of RPGs
+ Gamers who Don't mind Deja Vu (Recycled Maps, Forgetabble Side quests)
+ Fans of Bioware Storytelling
+ Gay Romance Points

Not Recommended For:
- Dragon Age Loyalists
- Baldur's Gate Loyalists
- People who think other people talk too much
- Homophobes

*This game was reviewed on the PC. Dragon Age 2 is also available on Mac, XBOX360 and the PS3.

Review - The Witcher 2 (TW2)

2011-06-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

It's been four years since the first Witcher game opened to warm reception in 2007. The PC exclusive action-RPG featured a new combat style, deeply evolving and open-ended paths, and a powerful protagonist with some brutal decisions to make.

Overview:

The Witcher 2 has proven CDProjekt as a powerhouse developer in the RPG arena. This fledgling developer has improved upon the original Witcher in almost every way possible, bringing us a climactic and thrilling adventure that both action and RPG fans alike will appreciate.

Gameplay:

Geralt returns in the Witcher 2 to a world rife with political intrigue and itching for some tumultous revolutions. As he explores the world around him, Geralt will often be required to employ deadly attacks and flashy manuevers that are nothing short of awesome. Geralt's two swords also make a welcome return: for newcomers, our badass protagonist uses a steel sword against human enemies, and a silver sword against the supernatural critters he inevitably runs across. Both swords as well as Geralt's armor are upgradable by applying runes and armor enhancements. Further, CD Projekt has added the option to craft almost all of Geralt's equipment.

Leveling up is a fun affair, requiring you to be out of combat and enter into a coolly-animated meditation. Upon level up, Geralt can put points into one of three specializations: physical combat, magic, or alchemy. The game encourages you to specialize, as it's impossible to achieve the maximum level of proficiency in all three specializations. Each point is spent on either a new ability, or an upgrade to an existing ability - none of the points ever feel wasted. Each levelup provides a dramatic increase in Geralt's fighting capacity, and it's a satisfying system overall.

One of the first things you'll notice when playing the Witcher 2 is its new combat system. TW2 has forgone the quirky system of timed button presses of the original game in favor of a more standard light & heavy-combo based combat. On a XBOX360/PC Compatible gamepad, the x button produces a light and quick attack, while the Y button causes Geralt to swing wide and heavy. The buttons can be sequenced together to form devastating chains of flourishes and ripostes that are both fun to watch and punishing to Geralt's victim.

Apart from physical sword slashes, Geralt is also armed with a series of awesome spells. None of them are over the top, but all can end up being pretty deadly. I opted to go through the magic route, which included the always-fun ability to blast enemies with telekinetic energy, often resulting in bodies flying off cliffs and walls, all to a very gravitational death. Geralt is also equipped with spells that absorb damage, fireballs that can be upgraded to do more damage and affect more enemies, a spell that ensnares enemies when they cross its boundaries, and a Jedi mind trick that forces the many mobs you encounter to attack each other.

Fans of the first game may also remember that alchemy played an important role: Geralt could craft potions that would augment his strength, grant him a night-vision, or close up his wounds. Alchemy returns in TW2, though this time can only be used out of combat (more on this in a bit). Minigames including dice, boxing, and arm-wrestling also make a return, which make for a fun diversion in the midst of all the hack and slash.

Overall the gameplay is highly improved over the original, lending itself to a far more visceral and action-packed feel than the somewhat awkward design of the original. There are a few minor hiccups in this presentation however. First, while leveling up eventually results in Geralt becoming an unstoppable juggernaut of raw power, the first few levels are punishingly difficult. Multiple standard fights forced me to load a saved game as Geralt was often overwhelmed by sheer numbers. This wasn't helped by the fact that some abilities (such as the ability to block, dodge effectively or attack multiple enemies at once) didn't come until later in the game.

Further, while the original Witcher allowed you to use potions during battle, TW2 does not allow you to do so. Logically speaking, it makes sense that Geralt wouldn't be able to search his pack and quaff a potion on the fly; however, the potion durations are short and when playing through the game for the first time, this gimick almost forces the player to guess when boss battles are going to come. This is especially frustrating in the first half of the game, when boss battles are so difficult, potions literally could be the difference between victory and a painful reload. Some boss battles also rely too much on quicktime gimicks to up the challenge. Limited onscreen instructions also make a certain boss battle more frustrating than fun.

The targetting system is unreliable at best: if you don't manually lock onto an opponent, the game will often send you spiralling into a horde of enemies when you only intended to attack someone on the fringes. Needless to say, getting Geralt surrounded at all sides is not a good idea if you want to survive, at least during Geralt's first few levels.

Surprisingly, this insane challenge level does not translate well throughout the game. You reach a sweet spot just before about halfway through the plot where the challenge level is just right; after that, Geralt becomes so powerful that you wonder why the first half of the game spent so much time training you to play so cautiously. Certain spells when upgraded become overwhelming, to the point where Geralt could literally walk into a dozen enemies barehanded and still survive health fully intact.

Even with these problems, however, the Witcher 2's gameplay is still somehow addictive - the action is intense and satisfying, and there's nothing more fun than slaying a whole horde of enemies with all the tools you have at Geralt's disposal.

Graphics & Sound:

The Witcher 2 is absolutely stunning in its visual design, detail, and effects. Every aspect of the game is animated smoothly and crisply, from light sources and shadows to Geralt's hair and clothing. It's easy to tell there was an amazing effort put into the visual presentation of TW2. Facial expressions and combat animations and flourishes alike are pleasing to the eye. You'll need a top-rate PC to run the Witcher 2 at its highest settings, but even with most options set to medium the Witcher 2 is gorgeous (outstripping Dragon Age 2 easily).

The game also boasts a stirring and epic soundtrack, filled with just the right sweeping melodies and scores. The voice-acting is for the most part competent. Geralt's voice actor does a great job selling the rough and battle-hardened warrior that the character is. Various other characters are also masterfully voiced, including all the beautiful sorceresses of the realm. A few lines do end up sounding a bit forced, but those are few and far between.

Story:

The Witcher 2 continues the tale from the original game, still following Geralt's adventures protecting kings, tracking down assassins, parlaying with an elven rebellion, and dealing with the numerous sorceresses of the land. Geralt's travels takes him across the realm inspired by polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. As he undertakes quests from these kings and witches, Geralt also begins to slowly unravel the mystery of how he lost his memory and the fate of the woman Yennifer, to whom Geralt seems to have some past relationship with.

Along the way, Geralt also has the option to pursue various sidequests and romances. Rather than the lewd playing cards the player earned from the first Witcher, CD Projekt decided to animate several cutscenes for those occasions when Geralt managed to woo a member of the fairer sex (sorry gay friends - there is sadly no gay option available). Some of them are pure fanservice, although a few are quite tastefully done. Then again - it is just polygons moving on a screen.

All in all, the story does not break too much new ground, but its execution is simply superb. The intricacies of a multiple-nation peace treaty are brought to the foreground with multiple sides all pulling at the strings, and Geralt has to decide how best to resolve the situation. Further, the Witcher 2 allows players to greatly impact the narrative of the game, just as the original Witcher did. Certain decisions Geralt makes irrevocably changes the plot, and these decisions are apparent both in the immediate future, as well as the long term. Multiple branching paths lead to several different endings, and offers the opportunity for multiple playthroughs.

Final Thoughts:

The Witcher 2 is an absolute must-have for any RPG fan. A few minor hiccups do not detract from what is otherwise a masterful piece of video entertainment and I can not recommend this game more. It will not disappoint.

Recommended For:
+ Fans of the Witcher
+ Fans of action RPGs with meaningful character development
+ Fans of intricate plots with multiple branching paths based on your decisions
+ PC Gamers who don't mind being a little lonely (PC Single player Only)

Not Recommended For:
- MMO'ers need not apply
- Gamers who get frustrated easily - the first few hours of the game are pretty brutal
- Console Gamers (XBOX360 Players might get a port soon, Nothing mentioned for PS3)

Review System Change

2011-05-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't reviewed anything in a long while, I have decided to change my reviewing system. I previously used a 1-10 scale, where the belltower curved at 7.0 out of 10. I then changed to a 5 point scale, where an average game would get a 3. I have decided - after 3 years of not reviewing anything - that neither of these review systems are any good.

I know it's the practice of most game-reviewing websites to give games a numeric score, ostensibly to provide an easy way for gamers to compare the quality of games. However, after reading countless reviews of this sort, I've come to the conclusion that number and numeric scales are incapable of fully presenting the game in a fair and objective light. Numeric scores are skewed to be similar to educational grades, and the point value difference between different reviews are at best subjective and at worst arbitrary. Reviewers who are not a fan of a particular genre may score a game lower than what it might deserve. Conversely, a fan of RPGs might tend to give higher scores on roleplaying games, simply because he prefers that type of game.

Videogames have, over the last decade or so, proven themselves more and more worthy of being called "art." No more are they simple mediums for mindless entertainment. Videogames now have the capacity to express ideas, to tell new stories, to make the gamer think. Of course, not all games do this, but I believe a significant number of them do. Critics don't go around assigning numeric values to Rembrandt or Picasso, and neither will I assign numbers to games. Instead, I will highlight particularly noteworthy (good and bad) aspects of the game. Instead of a final score, I will be listing groups of people that I believe I can recommend the game to.

Art is in the eye of the beholder. So are videogames. That's also why I will never review a game from a genre that I have no interest in (Madden? NBA2kXX? Barf.) A critic who hates modern art has no business critiquing modern art. I firmly believe that.

And yes, this does mean I will be tryin to review more games soon. Expect Dragon Age 2, The Witcher 2, Outland. I'm still deciding whether to even try to touch the backlog (Dragon Age Origins, Mass Effect 1 & 2, Final Fantasy XIII).

What to Watch Out For: Best and the Brightest

2011-05-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22vWC57k38w

Upcoming movie boasting a promising cast including personal favorites of Neil Patrick Harris, Kate Mulgrew, and Bridget Regan (which only makes me wish Legend of the Seeker was still on).

Reblogging

2011-04-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have more time on my hands now =).

New shows to watch in 2011:

1. Law & Order: Los Angeles

It launched with the rest of the regular tv lineup, but after airing a few episodes, the show went under heavy retooling. Half the cast was cut (one of them in a graphic way on the show), and the setup of the characters was changed. The revamped version is better, I would say on par with the recently ended original Law & Order. It helps that Alana de la Garza has joined the cast, though her character's transfer from New York to LA is not explained.

Alfred Molina makes a great District Attorney-turned-Detective, and Terrence Howard makes for a capable DA (though his recent appearance on SVU did not do his character any favors in terms of getting an audience to like him). The show follows the typical Law & Order format, with a cold open - usually where someone gets killed - followed by the detectives' investigation and eventually the DA's prosecution of the criminal. Not quite as good as SVU, but only because I haven't had the chance to really connect with the main characters, given the shows casting changes and limited episode run.

It remains to be seen whether NBC will pick up this series for a second season. I'm going to throw my hat in with the people who hopes that the network does.

2. Happy Endings

Sadly, everytime I mention this show's title, my roommate snickers with unadulterated glee. Fie upon you roommate!

In the vein of How I Met Your Mother, and a slew of new sitcoms that have made their way into the 2010-2011 broadcast season, Happy Endings brings us into the lives of six late-twenty somethings: a couple, an ex-couple, and two wacky single people , all of whom are friends.

As of today, four episodes have been broadcast, and I have been pleasantly surprised with both the comedy, the character development, and how quickly I have grown attached to the characters in this show. Comparisons will doubtlessly be made to the countless number of sitcoms that have saturated TV these days, and admittedly Happy Endings doesn't breach much new ground in terms of comedy (although it does feature an interracial couple and an openly gay man in the main cast).

Still, I would say this show errs more on the side of "Friends" than it does "Joey." And that's definitely a plus. The series hasn't been confirmed for a second season yet, though I certainly hope it will be.

3. Game of Thrones

The television adaptation of the thrilling book series "A Song of Ice & Fire" by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones airs on HBO and attempts to bring to life the first book (of the same name). As of 4/25/2011, two episodes have aired. The series boasts stunning production values and a wonderful cast (of which there are literally dozens of actors), each of whom has stepped into their roles admirably. Particular props go to the young actress who plays Arya, with just the right amount of spunk and daring that made her chapters so fond to read.

The story is set in the fictional setting of Westeros, a land whose seasons last for indefinite periods of time, and war is a common thing. Events prior to the series have seen the continent of Westeros united under the rule of Robert Baratheon, but that is about to change. As the motto of the series goes: When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.

After the airing of the first episode, HBO has already picked Game of Thrones up for a second season. I'll see if I can manage a full review once the first season's 10-episode run is complete.

Review - Neverwinter Nights 2

2007-02-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Neverwinter Nights 2 is the second game to be developed by Obsidian Entertainment, a group with a highly reputable flair for roleplaying games. Much like Knights of the Old Republic 2 (Obsidian's first game), Neverwinter Nights 2 is a sequel to a highly successful Bioware game of the same name (you know, without the 2 after it). For the most part, Obsidian does a good job of making a game that lives up to its predecessor's caliber, but technical issues and a confusing story blemish what could have been a spectacular roleplaying experience.

If you've played the original Neverwinter Nights, everything should be pretty familiar here. The game is based on Dungeons and Dragons' 3.5 edition, which incorporates some new rules or whatnot. What matters is the game makes the pen and paper dynamic transition smoothly into a semi-realtime computer game. Neverwinter Nights 2 features updated graphics, updated party and influence system, and an all new epic tale with which you use as an excuse to get super powerful and beat everybody else up. Oh, and don't forget the roleplaying. Every choice you make has consequences.

Gameplay - 4/5

For the most part, Neverwinter Nights 2 was great fun to play. If you're at all familiar with the Dungeons and Dragons system, it's pretty much fully implemented in all its glory here. Choose a gender, race, and class to start off with from over a dozen possibilities for each option (except gender, that would just be weird). Gain levels by completing quests and defeating monsters, and once you're powerful enough, new prestige classes open up to you. Find and purchase powerful equipment, blast down your foes with powerful spells, learn specialized feats that give you new fighting tricks...just about everything a good RPG needs is here.

NWN2 seamlessly transitions the pen and paper rules to the computer screen, much as the original did. Combat is in semi-realtime as the computer rolls hidden dice behind the screen to determine your success and failure in everything from basic attacks to the success of your spells. While this might sound dull, it ends up being a pretty exciting experience, especially once you hit the later levels when you get 3+ attacks every six seconds or five enemies are swarming on your position just as you get off that defensive spell.

Graphics & Sound - 3.5/5

Here's where things start to disappoint a little. Neverwinter Nights wasn't known for its revolutionary graphics, and neither will Neverwinter Nights 2 be. While the environments are nice enough to look at, they're certainly nothing special - not even close to Oblivion's quality. Further, all of the character models are pretty much just downright UGLY. Maybe it's my shallowness, but playing an ugly character just makes me sad. I'm ugly enough in real life, I'd like to think the people I play in games could be a tad nicer-looking. The in-game cinematics (of which there are maybe one or two) are also rather sloppy-looking. While the introduction movie was impressive to watch, the actual in-game movies are basically powerpoint presentations with narration. Spell effects were probably the only thing that was satisfying visually in the game.

The sound in NWN2 was disappointing. I was expecting an all-new epic score for the game, but instead I found that the developers had decided to just reuse the old soundtrack. Frankly, I'm pretty sick of hearing that music (which, in my opinion, is some of Jeremy Soule's less inspiring work). There are a few new tracks here and there which overall are pretty good, but the fact that most of the music was recycled...

Perhaps the only thing redeeming about the sound would be the great voice-actors for the game. Every line spoken by major characters is fully-voiced over and most characters have an effective and competent voice actor to bring new life to their personalities.

Story - 3.5/5

...and then there's the story. You can tell that the developers tried real hard to make a good story...it just doesn't flow as well as it should have. Obsidian really seems to have trouble making a coherent and complete story in its games (KotOR 2 was similarly plagued by a confusing and rushed storyline). Basically, an ancient evil is awakening (guh, not again), and you are destined to stop it (guh!). The storyline sounds generic enough, but one of Obsidian's few successes is to manage to make this foundation expand into something much, much more interesting. Along the way of saving the world, you'll tango with dangerous assassins, stand trial, discover ancient secrets, and so much more. Where these things all connect is where the game kind of falls apart, but that doesn't mean the individual parts weren't good.

The character interaction in the game is truly the shining point here. Your party will eventually consist of around ten companions, each with a distinct personality, and each unafraid to speak their mind - and they may even betray or abandon you if they don't like the way you're treating them. Your interaction with your companions is really one of the best parts of the game, as you get closer to them, they'll spill their life secrets, and new side-quests will open up for you. Not only that, but your companions will interact amongst themselves. One of the most memorable scenes is a tavern scene where your companions start trading insults at one another. It's a hilarious and well-scripted event, and it's things like this that give Neverwinter Nights 2 its own unique touch.

Unfortunately, the story as a whole is weak in comparison, especially towards the end. Going through main quest felt very...deja-vu. Often times you will be forced to ask the same questions to different plot-important characters, even if you don't care or already know what they're going to say. Further, the entire treatment of the story is confusing and hard to follow at times. While the main story arcs are satisfying in themselves, it's hard to see how it all comes together - rather, it feels more like you're using the same character to play through random events strung together with yarn.

The ending was abysmal. I don't want to ruin anything, but it was a complete cop-out. Not only that, but the ending narration sounded like they had a random executive producer come out of his hole in the dirt and start reading. Hugely disappointing, especially considering the high quality of the voice-acting in the rest of the game.

Still, overall Neverwinter Nights 2 was a great gaming experience. I know I had a lot of criticism for the game, but it's only because I had such high hopes for it. After all, it is the sequel to a fantastic game, and was developed by a reputable game developer. But don't get me wrong - NWN2 has its shortcomings, but I can not deny that I didn't enjoy it while it lasted.

Overall Score: 4/5

Beep...Boop...Beep...Boop

2007-01-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Oh my god.

That is about all that I can say about 24's latest season. The first four episodes...oh my god. Oh my god.

Oh my god.

Suffice it to say that 24 has not lost its touch. Its predisposition for almost unbelievable plot twists and tense, pounding dramatic action is still there. And so is Jack, in all his holy glory.

But oh my god.

I knew I should have started to suspect something when things were going a little too swimmingly. And then the last 5 minutes of the 4th episode happened. My mind was completely blown. I could not believe that what happened had just happened.

That is the best part of 24, of course. The show isn't afraid to set off bombs, depict gruesome torture, or kill off main characters. It's not afraid to make huge world-changing gestures for story. And that's what makes it so compelling, and riveting, and sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-pee-all-over-yourself good.

Not that I did that of course.

...heh.

Review - Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI

2007-01-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

First, a shout out to Concord who has started his very own movie/tv/games review blog. Visit his blog at: http://armodons.blogspot.com/

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI (San Guo Zhi 11) is Koei's latest installment of its long-running and highly successful historical simulation turn-based strategy games. Combining a revamped graphics engine and all-new tactical gameplay, San Guo 11 is by far the best in the series (that I have played - I didn't actually manage to find copies of 9 or 10). Set in historical China, the game follows the epic story of the Three Kingdoms era. Players can choose to conquer China from the perspectives of various warlords, play specific scenarios and famous historical battles, or even create their own generals and officers to introduce into the dramatic saga.

If you've played any of these games before, however, you'll know that those features I just listed are pretty much staples of the San Guo series. What sets San Guo 11 apart from its predecessors is its stylized graphics engine, and the introduction of new units, tactics, and general strategy. Add that to streamlined gameplay and engaging tactical battles, and Koei has really created the best San Guo game in a decade.

Gameplay - 4.5/5

Like its predecessors, San Guo 11 has gameplay that is basically separated into two parts: managing one's cities and managing battlefields. City Management this time around is now much more similar to Age of Empires, where specific buildings need to be constructed in order to provide cities with various resources. For example, markets are needed to provide cities with income, while farms are needed to supply food and rations. Build a barracks to recruit troops, build a blacksmith to forge various weapons, and build a shipyard to allow for sea travel. This new take on city management is much more appealing than in the previous versions of the game, where you basically assigned officers to improve "invisible" aspects of each city. Amidst all the construction, you also have to take into consideration the level of unrest in your city, train your troops, and manage your officers' loyalty. All these factors really force you to plan out your strategy for defeating enemies - Are you going to spend that last reserve of gold for more troops? Or will you spend it on building more markets to increase income in the future?

San Guo's turn-based battles have been hit and miss in the past. 11 is definitely a hit. There are three main types of troops you can deploy, who share a rock-paper-scissors relationship. Spearmen defeat Cavalry, while Cavalry defeat Axemen, and Axemen defeat Spearmen. Further, there are various other units including archers, battering rams, trebuchets, all of which have their own set of unique tactics that can be used on the battlefield. Not only that, but each unit type can eventually be upgraded to have even more abilities. For example, Cavalry can be upgraded to be able to equip bows, making for a deadly combination of speed and range. Spearmen can learn to steal enemy rations when attacking, decreasing morale. Add to that the option of using subterfuge and the ability to have your generals duke it out in one-on-one duels, this game is littered with strategic options and depth. Well planned out strikes are extremely satisfying, as you watch your forces push back significantly larger armies with special tactics and carefully positioned strikes.

Graphics & Sound - 4/5

The series' greatest weakness has always been its graphics, but San Guo 11 has broken through the stereotype by having a very appealing and stylized presentation. The interface is easily accessible and bordered by chinese-style clouds and architecture. Further, the game uses a cel-shaded graphics engine that manages to suit the atmosphere very well. There really is a sense of ancient China as you watch hundreds of little cavalry and spearman units charging at each other. Duels and Debates in the game are similarly impressive-looking. Rather than the static sprites or bland art from the previous series, San Guo 11 opted to flesh out its cel-designs to have very detailed armor and animations for these specific battles. The end result is impressive and almost cinematic.

Sound is standard. The music is fitting, with sweeping orchestral melodies during times of peace that switch to pounding and tense drums during war. As the player conquers more and more of China, the overland tune becomes more and more dramatic and invigorating.

Story - 4/5

Of course, the main core of the story is taken from the actual San Guo novels, but the execution here is very well done. Each scenario is preceded by a nice cinematic, and players have the option of watching actual events in the novels unfold during gameplay. Stand back and watch as the tyrannical Dong Zhuo is betrayed by his most powerful general, the insidious Lu Bu. Watch as the blood-brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei court the most revered of tacticians, Zhuge Liang. Regardless of which warlord you play as, events unfold as you begin to establish a major foothold in China. Choose to either support the last of the Han Dynasty, or to crush it and establish a new empire of your own. Form alliances with like-minded warlords, or break them to seize new territory. However you choose to conquer China - As the people's liberator or the merciless dictator - your name will be forever etched in the minds of all its citizens.

Overall Score: 4.5/5

San Guo 11 has exceeded my expectations for the series by a huge leap. Its one weakness is inherent to all San Guo games - the length. It takes a long time to conquer China, and if you don't have the patience to sit down and spend a good chunk of your life to do it, you probably shouldn't waste your time trying. This is not for the casual player. But for those of you who enjoy deep and engrossing tactical gameplay, I can not recommend this enough to you. English players, expect a port to the PS2 in early February 2007!

...Oh, and did I mention if you beat the game you can unlock special abilities for your generals? There's nothing quite like raining down lightning from the sky to smite your enemies. :)

Oblivion: Knights of the Nine Review

2006-12-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

Knights of the Nine is the first "expansion-like" material for Bethesda's critically acclaimed Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Featuring an all new quest-line and armor-set, Knights of the Nine promises additional hours of immersion in a game that is already loaded with content. Unfortunately, while KoN does possess more of the great gameplay and some nifty new content, it is brought down by a decidedly weak storyline - even more so than the first. And the $10 pricetag doesn't help matters much either.

The basic plot of Knights of the Nine revolves around the return of an ancient Ayleid tyrant named Umaril. You are charged with the task of recovering seven ancient relics and defeating Umaril once and for all. *YAWN* Um...excuse me, Bethesda, but hasn't this happened before already?! I mean, how many ancient evils can awake and return to threaten Tamriel in the course of one game? The very concept is generic enough already, but to use it twice as the "main quest" is really pushing it.

"What's this? ANOTHER bad guy has woken up and wants to wreak havoc?! *Sigh* Better get out the fly swatter."

The storyline further suffers from a blatant lack of any sort of interesting characters. At least in the original Oblivion, Martin and Jauffre had some personality. Knights of the Nine has some interesting characters; but none of them are ever developed to any notable degree, and the big bad boss (excuse the alliteration) is very poorly described. The threat that he poses never seemed like such a big deal. Besides launching a few poorly planned attacks on a few temples, Umaril doesn't play much of a part until the very end of the quest - and that's only so the player can kill him. Which, by the way, wasn't as hard as you might think. I've fought tougher bears.

"I don't know what everyone's all worried about. I mean, you're not even HALF the size of that last guy I beat."

Does Knights of the Nine have anything going for it? Well, if you've done absolutely everything possible in Oblivion and you're still looking for a fix, then it provides a few hours of generic storyline. But hey, that's a chance for you to show off the battle prowess you've gained since the end of the original. And the new set of armor isn't half bad - new design and some nice enchantments that bestow powers on the wearer. As usual, the people of Oblivion will chat you up on all your recent exploits in KoN, so the immersion is definitely there.

Still, ultimately Knights of the Nine is a disappointing experience. In terms of additional content, it only offers a substandard quest coupled with some new armor and weaponry - definitely not worth the 10 dollars I paid for the download. PC players can probably just as easily fine a similar quality mod online, and 360 players needn't bother at all.

"Ten bucks for this set of armor?! I wouldn't pay more than...six."

Final Score: 6/10 - Mildy entertaining, but definitely not worth the pricetag.

Now is the Winter of Our Discontent

2006-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

Random ramblings.

I haven't updated in a while. Guess why I'm doing it now?

...give up?

It's because I don't want to study! Whee!

Facebook is taking over everything. I almost wanted to abandon this blog to facebook (which, by the way blogspot, lets me put captions underneath my pictures instead of forcing me to do weird formatting that doesn't carry over when facebook uploads these posts - that was a really long thought). But then, I've already been posting for over a year...it'd be a shame to let it die now.

Mmm...I have a job! I will be working in PricewaterhouseCoopers' Tax department. I relish the opportunity to go to their socials and start talking down to all those juniors looking for internships. Now, I get to be the one answering awkward questions and making forced conversation with people who don't really care about me and only want job opportunities. Here's some advice - either be really smart, or kiss ass like your life depends on it...because it just might.

Finals are depressing. As are my plans for winter break (anyone want to help me work on funding proposals or take tax tests with me? ...didn't think so). But I can really use a good break from school. I just know VITA and BAY are going to kill me next quarter.

Some of my funky floormates have declared poke wars on me, and I have retaliated by changing my facebook picture to that of a chimp/human woman on steroids/abomination so that everytime they poke me, their eyes will suffer the wrath of a thousand suns! And just for your viewing pleasure, here it is again:

See, this is actually supposed to be the caption, but when facebook imports this post it'll just show up as normal text, totally RUINING the flow of my essay-style writing. BLEARGH. Haha, wow I have anger issues.

What did I tell you? :)

Whee!

2006-11-07T13:43:00.000-08:00

im happy. surprised, and happy.

We interrupt your life to bring you this special news update on Roy's boring life.

2006-11-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Wow...it's been a month since I've updated this thing. I wasn't this bad about it last year was I?

It's been an extremely hectic month though. Well, relatively hectic - I've still been able to get decent sleeping hours and still have some time to do things I enjoy - but compared to last year, I am definitely a lot more busy. What with recruiting (which I am going to spend today crying about), midterms (which i am going to spend tomorrow and the day after crying about), and BAY and VITA (which I am just going to cry a lot about whenever else I have time)...I'm going to be crying a lot this week apparently.

I just want to get this week over. I'll be relatively free after this week - either I'll have a job or I won't, and I should be done with my harder midterms. I'll finally be able to enjoy school again. Maybe.

I've met some awesome people this year...mostly freshman. For some reason I find it easier talking to people younger than me, than people older or the same age. I always feel very intimidated talking to those people, like I'm constantly being judged.

The downside to meeting only freshman is that the age gap continues to widen between me and any potential significant others. Which makes me feel like a pedophile...and no, I don't want to be a pedophile.

...I'm going to miss school so much!

I don't knoooowwww

2006-10-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

What I really want to do is not accounting. I don't detest accounting, which I often say, but I definitely do not enjoy it. To be honest, I really don't think I have that cutting edge to be in business. I don't have the competitive spirit or the self-confidence. What I do have is self-awareness and the ability to daydream.

I think my dream job would be to work on games. The storytelling part. I really enjoy good stories, and I like telling good ones too. Of course, I don't actually know how to do this.

The biggest roadblock I think would be my mom. I am mortally afraid of my mom, and her approval is such a big deal to me. I don't even know why. To be honest, I feel like I'm constantly under pressure when I'm around her and it's just so stressful sometimes. It's like I'm being judged, every minute of everyday, every action I take, every opportunity I miss.

I am a child at heart. I just want to enjoy life...I don't want to worry about making lots of money because it really doesn't matter to me so much. I guess it's different for her because she's still struggling with her job - she wants to be able to provide a good home for us. And I know everything she does is well-intentioned...sigh

...on a completely different note, i hate my life. I really do.

2006-10-06T00:55:00.000-07:00

I can't stand it...

Back to School

2006-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

So I'm back at UCLA. This will be my fourth and most likely final year here in the sweet bliss that is college. In one year's time, I will be crying all day long because I'll have to leave. Damn you super seniors!

*yawn* I'm really sleepy.

Wookiees are people too.

2006-09-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

You know that new Star Wars commercial? The one with all the testimonials about how people love Star Wars, and how the parents are so happy to see their kids enjoying something they grew up with and blah blah blah... I forget what they're advertising - I'm not sure it's actually Star Wars movies or whatnot - but anyway, that commercial got me so mad because at the end of it, this little girl said she would "love to have a wookiee for a pet."

Now, that is just outrageous. The wookiees are a sentient, intelligent race with a deep sense of honor. That this little girl would want to own a wookiee as if she was going to a pet store to get a dog is an insult to the wookiee people. Of course, the wookiees don't actually exist. But the fact that the people who made this advertisement would actually put this on the air...that is an insult to Star Wars fans everywhere! That little girl has shamed her entire Star Wars-loving family, and that commercial is an embarassment to the great Star Wars name. I reject you, new-Star-Wars-commercial, for you are UNWORTHY.

And with that, I take my leave. Good day.

BRING IT ON, BIATCHES!

Happy Birthday, Mister Blog

2006-09-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

So it's been one year since the inception of Boredom's Advocate. And for one year, it has bored the heck out of anyone foolish enough to read it.

...

yea that's it! ok byeeee

Sadness

2006-09-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sadness

Utter Contentment

2006-09-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time...I feel content. Not that I no longer have aspirations - I just no longer feel that the ones I have are unattainable. I don't know why...I'm worried it's because of the euphoric high I'm on thanks to jogging.

I never thought that would be possible.

I'm sure this feeling will be over tomorrow. Whatever, live in the moment! And for the moment I am completely content.

On another more jealous note, my friend said he SAW the Veronica Mars Season 3 Taping AT UCSD. DAM YOU ERIC I AM SO JEALOUS. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE GONE TO UCSD!

Review: Veronica Mars Season 2

2006-09-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Oh Veronica...if you don't want to do things with the pole, you don't have to!

Veronica Mars is a show dear to my heart. Season one was a remarkable union of brilliant dialogue, masterful storytelling, and just plain-good acting. Season Two maintains the dialogue and acting, but attempts to expand on the storyline. A daunting task, to be sure, especially since last season's mystery was simply stellar. Season two provides a good sequel, but overall is not as well-presented and at times can be just be darn confusing.

Surprisingly, I have fallen deeper in love with the show. This is mostly because I adore Kristen Bell. She has one of those smiles that just makes you want to smile too. Her portrayal of a smart, sassy, just-a-tad angry and all-around human teenage detective is flawless. It's rare to find a character that you can relate to throughout the emotional spectrum. And then there's the overly protective yet playful Keith Mars. Wallace Fennel is Veronica Mars' best friend, but manages to stand out on his own; his world doesn't always revolve around Veronica. Logan is the one you love to hate...and yet can't help rooting for sometimes.

Where Season Two pales in comparison to its predecessor starts with the additions to the cast, however. Jackie was little more than a doomed romantic prospect for Wallace. And Cassidy Casablancas' significance to the storyline wasn't clear until the end of the season. For the life of me, I can't figure out why Dick Casablancas was even in the cast, much less in the opening credits! All he did was act the jackass for an entire season. For some reason I think he's going to end up gay. Maybe because the only scene where he wasn't being an asshole to his fellow classmates was the one where he found out the hot chick he was hitting on was actually a man.

So uh...what exactly was the point of your character again?

And that's just the main characters. There's a whole slew of recurring guest-stars, each of whom play varying degrees of importance into the season's storyline(s), Naming them here would probably only confuse anybody reading this...not to mention me. Suffice it to say, all the characters were a little over the top. Even people you thought you would never see again - Leo, the cop from season 1, for example - make cameo appearances.

Season Two's storyline was also somewhat disappointing...but only because it was at times so complex and so full of red-herrings that it was difficult to follow what exactly was going on. This wasn't helped by the fact there were TWO major storylines this time around. Trying to keep up with both the murder of yet another of Veronica's classmates, plus the mysterious bus crash...let's just say the it would take all of Veronica Mars' detective skills. And unfortunately, I'm not her.

So why am I still in love with Veronica? Maybe because despite its shortcomings, at its core it's still a very character-based drama. The storylines only serve to allow the characters shine. And as long as the characters continue to grow, I'll keep watching. Hopefully Season Three will further develop some of the less significant players. And feature more guest stars that I like (Trina Echolls aka Alyson Hannigan. I heart her as much if not more than Kristen! There's so much choice, it's hard to pick just one sometimes...)

Final Score: 4.5/5

You gotta love Willow! Lesbian witches unite!

'Justice' is Blind

2006-08-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'm watching the premiere of new series "Justice," and so far I am very unimpressed. But what do you expect from a show who's head lawyer was also the head in Legally Blonde?

I mean, come on...the district attorney was practically putting on a SKIT during one of the courtroom scenes? He wasn't asking the witness a single question - he was practically testifying himself! And what does the defense do? They just sit there and watch...and this is supposedly one of the top law firms? That is just RIDICULOUS.

Alan Shore would have shut that down in a heartbeat. Hey, even Law and Order attorneys would have OBJECTED. WHAT THE HECK WERE THEY THINKING?! And if the show's creators and writers thought people wouldn't notice, Justice really is blind. And deaf. And dumb. And also, you know...the actual dumb.

...

Too Tired to Think of a Title

2006-08-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

I was just reading Aisa Koh's blog and it hit me suddenly that I won't be seeing either her OR cynthia hsu for a long time. A painfully long time. And it makes me really sad. These two people have been really...really good friends to me. It's hard to imagine not seeing them on campus. Aisa with her craziness and Cynthia with her glaring. Sigh...

I wonder what my life is going to be like after graduation.

Review: The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion

2006-08-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

You know how this started off as a TV/Video Game/Movie review blog? Let's take a nostalgic turn and delve deep into the artificial realism of all that is Oblivion.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

So i've (...omg I can't remember whether it should be "i've" or "I've." That's not good, is it?)...

Ok anywayyy. I've posted on Oblivion before, and always with enthusiasm. As you may already know, Oblivion is Bethesda Softwork's fourth installment in their long-running Elder Scrolls series. Morrowind (Oblivion's predecessor), was a graphically impressive, extremely open-ended game filled with thousands of npcs and a deeply political/religious storyline. Oblivion continues along the same lines, except the graphics are about 1000 times better, the quests are even more interesting, and the combat has been improved significantly.

Strangely, however, the experience on a whole has not been as great as I would have liked. Sure, in the beginning all the little perks were very enjoyable, but the whole game on a whole started to feel very repetitive.

Gameplay - 4.5/5

Oblivion's gameplay is excellent to say the least. The Elder Scrolls series has always been about exploration, and Oblivion accomplishes this goal without flaw. The world is truly beautiful, and there are little points of interest, dungeons, quests, and just about anything that would pique your imagination just scattered all over the place. Not only that, but Oblivion allows the player to get horses, to speed up exploration, or to quickly get the player past the more dull parts.

Just look at that landscape. It's even more beautiful than the real world! Cuz you know, the people of Oblivion haven't polluted the heck out of it yet.

Combat has also been significantly improved over Morrowind's generic hack and hack system. Yes, not hack and slash. Hack and hack. Morrowind's combat system was inherently dull, and this can be evidenced by one of the game's settings: "Always Use Best Attack." Uh...who would want to use a weaker attack? Note that there were only 3 types of attacks, and the only difference was the damage they dealt based on the strengths of the weapon. For example, spears could do some nice piercing damage, but using it to slash or crush probably wasn't a good idea. But because of the design, if you moved in the wrong direction, these weak and essentially useless attacks would execute anyway. Thus the "Always Use Best Attack." A cheap solution to a bigger problem, but I digress...

Combat now no longer divides attacks into damage type. Now, players will damage enemies based on multiple factors, as well as being able to execute a series of power attacks and flourishes, each with unique abilities. Admittedly, the number of these special attacks was very limited and on a whole they didn't look all that impressive...but still, combat could get very intense, especially with opponents hacking away at you while you try to stagger them with your shield and counter attack.

Eep. This isn't going to be a good day for me, is it?

The roguish arts have also been enhanced. Archery now allows the player to zoom in on enemies for instant kill head-shots. And persuasion and lockpicking now require playing fun little minigames, rather than just simply pressing a button.

Muahaha! Suffer my wrath, wooden board!

Uh...did you not see what I did to that wooden board?

The one thing that I was disappointed with is the magic system. The Elder Scrolls has never been a very good game for mages. While Oblivion has improved the system somewhat - auto regenerating magicka, for instance, the whole design feels somewhat lacking. All the effects look the same, regardless of the strength of the spell...and to be honest, the damage effect spells (frost, fire, and shock) don't really look all that impressive to begin with. Further, while the game allows the player a variety of spells to cast, some of the spells are pretty much useless.

Yea, if only this was a spell you could actually CAST. GAH!

Still, overall the gameplay is decent, if not excellent, and certainly a large step up from Morrowind. And that is saying something, considering Morrowind was one of the top games of 2002.

Graphics & Sound - 5/5

I think most professional game-review sites seperate these two categories, but in my opinion, there's really not much to be said about them. Or actually, I've already said it. Oblivion's graphics are AMAZING. And EVERYTHING looks good this time around, not just the environments (which are dazzling - snowscapes, grassy plains, cities, rivers...all of them are breathtaking). Sound is...well, I've never really cared about sound effects, as long as they sound close. Which they do. And did I mention the game was fully voiced? Too bad they only had a few voice-actors...some of the people started to look & sound very familiar.

I will mention the music in this game. Bethesda hired their long-time friend Jeremy Soule to compose all new music for Oblivion. Mr. Soule also did the Morrowind soundtrack, but while Morrowind's music was definitely very epic, eventually I got to the point where it all pretty much sounded the same. It was almost like the game only had one 30 minute long song and it was left on loop for the entire duration. While on a whole the composition was excellent, the individual songs didn't really have anything that made them stand out.

Oblivion's soundtrack solves that problem. Each piece is very thematic and unique. Did I mention I bought the soundtrack to the game...before the game even came out? It's just that good.

Story - 3/5

And here is where Oblivion left me feeling a bit disappointed. Morrowind's main story was filled with political intrigue, religious fanaticism, ancient prophecies and generally a very engrossing taste. Oblivion's on the other hand, is a rather generic adventure where you stop a great evil from devouring the world. And that evil really has no reason to do so, other than he's evil. The main characters along the story have no real personality (even with the excellent voice-acting). There were some twists and turns here that were somewhat interesting, but truth be told - the whole thing was generic at best.

That's a bad idea, my bony friends. A very bad idea indeed.

And that's not the worst of it. While Oblivion's quests are more interesting, the subplots that drive them are not necessarily. One of Oblivion's features is to allow the player to join multiple guilds (which they could in Morrowind as well). But the guild quests just didn't do it for me either. Really, Oblivion's story aspect is rather unordinary.

What did I tell you? You living dead are all the same...all bones and no brain. Wait, I guess that's kinda the point.

Story is very important to me, I guess. Without a good story, there's no sense of urgency, accomplishment, or anything.

Overall Score: 4.25/5

Despite its few weaknesses, I can not say that I did not enjoy this game. The storylines were just barely strong enough to keep me going, and I guess in the long run that's all that matters. I would definitely recommend this game to anybody aching for a good rpg-fest.

Anxiety

2006-08-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

I really don't feel like updating...but I said I would. So now I feel obligated. Blah.

The truth is, I thought I would have more to say than I actually do. That happens to me a lot actually. Maybe I'm just tired and can't remember what I wanted to say.

I'm growing more and more anxious as the new school year approaches. I feel like I have so many more responsibilities this year, all of which I volunteered for. What madness is this?! My inherent laziness is waging a desperate war against my fear of not being able to find a job after graduation. I really just want to take time off and enjoy my senior year...really enjoy it. Even if it's just lounging around. Once work starts, there will be precious little time to actually do that.

I'd also like to have a school year where I'm not caught up trying to find that special someone. It's just too frustrating for me to deal with 3 years in a row.

...but then I think that it will never be as easy as it is now. Having to work really limits one's dating opportunities, simply because you don't have as much time. God, I'm such a wishy washy ambivalent arse. Make up my mind, slitch!

Making new friends/meeting new people is also kind of daunting. I seriously feel drained. I think my summer hermitty phase is in preparation for meeting people during the school year, but this summer has been so hectic that I haven't really had the chance to sink into seclusion. Sigh...I hope I'll be able to get along with my floor...

Sometimes I feel distant from everybody - like no one really sees me for who I really am. I think that might be because I don't really like who I really am. I'm a whiny, emotional, lazy, unambitious, depressed-when-he-doesn't-have-the-right-to-be son of a biatch. At least, I think if I didn't keep myself in check, that would be me. I always feel like sinking into that pit of self-pity, when honestly I don't deserve to. And there's no real point to it.

Woo...my mom is coming downstairs to tell me to go to bed. So byeee!

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Update...later.

2006-08-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

I was going to update...but now I have to shower. Okay, bye bye.

Eataholism

2006-08-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

After 21 years of miserable existence, I have finally admitted to myself. I have a problem. A terrifyingly addicting problem: I am an eataholic.

They say the first step to a cure is admitting you have a disease.

Unfortunately, my disease is necessary to my continued existence. You see, eating, unlike drugs, sex, alcohol, or gaming, is a necessary part of life. And since I have no intention of dying (of starvation no less), I am in quite a pickle. Mmm...pickles...

The problem isn't so much eating...as it is over-eating. On an average daily basis I would approximate that I eat maybe 3 meals worth of food in one sitting. And I can't help myself. Once I put something into my mouth, my brain no longer controls my body. My stomach does. No, not even my stomach. My stomach often cries out in pain as I continue to gorge on delicious treats. It's my mouth. Damn my mouth to the nine circles of hell!

But in all seriousness, my desire to eat truly dictates my life. Even when I tell myself that I'm going to control the size of my meals for the day, I end up failing miserably. The first servings only whet my appetite - appetizers for a grand feast that my brain doesn't want to consume. My god even right now I'm very tempted to stop typing this post to find a tasty snack to munch on. The SHAME.

...I need help.

...help me. Please?

Atrothesis, Dark Angel

2006-08-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

2006-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

So I totally got chewed out on sunday for being a big flake. Although this time it really wasn't me being a flake! Just a very bad planner.

Anyway me and the usual high school group I still keep in touch with made plans to get dinner sunday night. Then on saturday my brother told me he needed to be picked up on sunday around 7:30.

Yay for brothers. Especially kid ones.

Basically there was no way I was going to make dinner if I had to pick up my bro. By the time I got to the restaurant it'd be time to leave. Much to my surprise though, one of my friends got upset. Really upset. I couldn't understand it at first...it was just dinner right? And it wasn't like I couldn't hang out after.

When I asked him why he was so angry, he said to me:

"Because our group is falling apart."

For which I have newfound respect for him. This summer has been pretty craptacular for hanging out, what with some friends out of the country, others in socal, and what with work and internships and summer school, it's been pretty hard to coordinate events.

What struck me most though, is that this guy had the guts to call it out. And to challenge me to make the effort to keep it going. My feelings toward group-disbanding has always been that it's inevitable. People move away, don't see each other for awhile...it's only natural that things won't be able to stay the same. Even me just moving up the hill to Hedrick practically cut me off from my second-year friends.

...to be honest though, the biggest reason why I never keep in touch is because I'm insecure. I absolutely hate feeling like I'm unwanted, which is why I very rarely visit people in their rooms. I remember Peter and Michelle accusing me of no longer being their friend the next year, because I never visit them, and that I never make an effort to be a friend. The truth is I'm scared to have to make an effort, and end up being unwanted, annoyed at, mocked.

Which is why when this guy was fighting to keep our high school group alive, I couldn't help but admire his bravery. Maybe he didn't think it was anything of the sort, but to me his words are what I've always wanted to say, but what I've always been too scared to say. Too embarassed. Too weak.

I ended up apologizing to him about missing dinner. There wasn't much I could do about it though...my brother needed to be picked up after all. Still, we hung out afterwards and everything was good. I think. I hope.

I'm glad he chewed me out. Not that I enjoyed it...but I got to see a side of him that I don't usually. And I found out that as long as there are people like him around, even if groups do end, they don't have to right away. Not for a long time.

Pointlessness

2006-08-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a post about my crazy wacky driving adventures and how I stare at people who are behind me when I drive (through the rear view mirror yes)...

...and then I realized how utterly dull and pointless that post would've been.

WHEE!

In other news,

...

I guess I have no other news. Bye!

Judge a man not by his words...but by what he puts on his Gym Reimbursement Form

2006-07-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Handling Boston Scientific's wonderful Gym Reimbursement Calculation is one of many exciting (you can see the sarcasm there right?) and amusing (sadly, there is no sarcasm there) duties at work. Boston Scientific reimburses its employees up to 150 dollars every 6 months for any gym memberships and such.

It's interesting to see to just what lengths some people will do to collect as much of that $150 as possible.

Among the more...unique reimbursement requests included someone who had prepaid 100 dollars for an entire year, and then said his monthly rate was $10. Now, I don't know how division has changed in these last few years, but the last time I checked, 100 / 12 months is not $10/month. Which makes me sad, because either this person can't divide, or he really wanted that twenty bucks, so much that he would lie on a Gym Reimbursement form to get it.

And then there was one person who was part of a badminton group. Everything on the form looked fine...until I flipped the page. The receipts he had submitted were for expenses that he had incurred paying for food.

...

Yea, that was entirely the point of reimbursing gym expenses. Not promoting health...promoting eating.

And here's my random nasty story of the day. On the way back from work, I ran into some traffic. I happened to glance at my rear view mirror, and from that wonderful reflection I saw a half-naked guy driving, smiling, and looking down at...you know what...every few seconds.

...maybe my mind is just in the gutter, but what the hey was he doing?!

Nothing to do, Nothing to say...

2006-07-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

This summer sure feels like it's going by fast. It's already the middle of july!

I guess having something to do really does speed time along. All I can remember is last year I was desperately waiting for summer to end, because I had nothing to do and was bored out of my mind.

I finally feel like a part of Boston Scientific. I was worried that I wouldn't for awhile...I was sort of antisocial the first few days (yea, that's always the best time to be antisocial), and that lead to me generally spending all day at my cubicle. Which I have to say, gets kind of dull at times.

But now things are going pretty good. There are a few people at work I'm pretty close with. Maybe not close close, but we can joke around and enjoy ourselves. And everybody else is still pretty friendly. Apparently I missed most of the drama, cuz from what my coworkers have told me, things were pretty bad before...

I guess I can still get bored, as evidenced by this conversation I'm having with David right now:

[17:37] wangxiuming: rawr
[17:37] durek08: meow?
[17:37] wangxiuming: cluck
[17:38] durek08: woof
[17:38] wangxiuming: quack
[17:40] durek08: chirp
[17:41] wangxiuming: snort
[17:41] durek08: squeek
[17:44] wangxiuming: mooo
[17:48] durek08: naaayyyyy
[17:49] wangxiuming: squawk

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

...what am I doing?

The Silent Excrement Wars

2006-07-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

So I was at work today.

And suddenly I felt my stomach rumble and my intestines twist. (Yea, you know this is going to be a good post when I start off like that).

I rushed off to the bathroom...which I must say, is probably one of the most ingenious creations of mankind, along with the air conditioner and computer (games). Without bathrooms and their assorted utilities, we'd all be excreting into pots. Can you imagine?

Unfortunately, since I was at the office, the bathroom was public. And public bathrooms tend to be...you know, public. Which is why I don't usually like going numero dos in public bathrooms. For some reason, I am mortally afraid that people will hear me and know what I'm doing. All the *plop plops* and the even more humiliating gaseous sound effects that come with the whole dirty business.

Yea, are you disgusted yet?

So anyway, I rush into the bathroom and to my dismay, someone comes in after me. Dam you public restroom! I head over to the farthest stall from the door, and begin my daunting task: pooping with another person in the room.

So now began the difficult and somewhat counter-productive attempt to not only poop but to poop quietly. As I settled in (haha...), I realize that the person who had followed me into the bathroom was also...going numero dos. Not only that, but he was succeeding in my task...relatively well (relatively being the operative word). No way was I going to be shown up by some random stranger who works at the same place I do!

Thus commenced the Silent Excrement Wars. For 5 minutes, we sat there in total silence, each desperately trying to mask the terrible sounds of our unpleasant actions.

Who won? I have no idea. I waited until the guy left before coming out of my own stall. Thankfully no one else had come in, so I could wash my hands in peace.

And there you have it! I <3 my stories.

...maybe this is why I don't have any ... friends.

Disclaimer: This picture has nothing to do with my political opinions about our current President. Please do not sue me, arrest me, accuse me of terrorism, or in any other way violate my civil liberties. Thank you.

ADM: AOL Delayed Messaging

2006-07-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

I've come to the realization, after having experienced 21 summers in this existence of mine, that summer is not a good time to Instant Message other people. I know this from both having sent messages that are never returned...and from not responding to messages other people have sent me.

So yea...I already have horrible AIM etiquette to begin with, but for some reason summer just sucks up my will to look at my messages. I think it's partly because when I live at home I naturally revert to hermit form. It's so easy to just stay home and not do anything, especially now that I'm working and I don't get much relax time during the week anyway ("that much" is relative...but compared to last summer where my work week consisted of 3 hours of tutoring English...).

So I just want to apologize in advance if you IM me and I don't respond. I try to respond eventually...but more likely than not I forget. Because I'm a horrible person. I'm sorry. There is no excuse.

And yes, you can ignore me all you want if I IM you. I guess I deserve it.

Resolutions...again.

2006-07-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

It dawned on my today that senior year is coming up...and that it would be my last chance to do a lot of things. Seriously, I am going to miss college to death. Everything is so easily accessible here, but out in the workforce...

I can see myself being a hermit. I'm just a naturally hermity person.

But even if that is the case, I want senior year to be great. So at least when I'm a hermit I'll have some memories to look back on and say "hey, i wasn't always a hermit! biattchhh!!!"

Goals:

Goal #1 - Find that special someone.

This is probably my most pressing issue. That I have lived for 21 years and still have yet to engage in even the slightest bit of romance is probably the most depressing part of my life. haha. It's my own fault, I know...but I had issues.

To be honest, the opportunity has presented itself during these last 3 years...just not the right kind of opportunity. For which I feel horrible for the people involved... Heartache sucks. I probably should have told them...I'm a coward. All I can do now is apologize. :(

Still, back to my original point, college is probably going to be the easiest time to meet people. Because they're right there. When I actually have to work...who am I going to meet? My co-workers? (ew accountants! *barf* haha jk) I don't go clubbing, I'll probably be a hermit...yea, things don't look too good.

Even if it's only for a year...or less...(probably less...wait no, probably not at all. sigh) I really want to - feel.

...I never knew I was so emo. Damn. I hate being emo.

Goal #2 - Stop liking people who can't like me.

I guess this sort of ties in with Goal #1...but whatever.

Seriously, this has been the most frustrating thing ever. And I always come out of it feeling like an idiot. BLEARGH.

Ok I have to go work...more on this later. Maybe.

Return of the Super

2006-06-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

So...yeah. As you can see, I am bored, otherwise I wouldn't be blogging.

I started watching Full Metal Alchemist again...it's been exactly a year since I started watching that fantastic series, and it's still quite good. Depressingly, it's also been a year since there's been any semblance of quality in Naruto. The fillers keep on coming, and there seems to be no forseeable end. BOO!

In other news, Superman Returns made its super debut today, generally to critical acclaim. Better than X-3 anyway. Personally I'm not sure how well Brandon Routh is going to fill Christopher Reeves' shoes (he seems kind of...vapid. And a little like a mannequin :X), but the reviews are heartening. I also hear Kevin Spacey's performance as Lex has been good...and that's with two excellent competitors (Michael Rosenbaum on Smallville, and Cartoon Lex from Justice League).

I just realized I praised Smallville. How odd.

That is...the only expression this guy has. Poor Lois.

The internship is going well...although I do wish they would give me something to do besides stare at invoices all day. I swear, if I see another invoice I'm going to explode.

Still, my boss and coworkers are really nice, and I even have my own cubicle and everything. That was really exciting for some reason. My first day I kinda just sat in my cubicle, grinning.

...yea, that passed fast :P Still, it was fun while it lasted.

Calm Before the Storm

2006-06-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

Last few minutes before I head off to my internship!

...i hope i don't get fired.