Monthly Archives: December 2009

Invictus

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When Nelson Mandela is elected president all South Africans know it means change. But what kind of change is in store? For some the presidency means hope, that Mandela will bring about the equality the area is so lacking, but for others the election has escalated racial tensions by equaling the bar. It is this battle between fear and hope; the essence of what Mandela must overcome, which leads him to the unlikely medium of sports.

A film for a wide range of viewers “Invictus” covers the topics of politics, sports, humanity, history, and a country’s struggle to redefine itself both internally and to the world. It is funny, emotional, honest, and dramatic bringing more to the screen than one expects walking into a movie theater.

Furthering the appeal is a cast who genuinely shines. Morgan Freeman melts into the role of Mandela. He is not just convincing but manages to become one of the greatest leaders in history in voice, manner, and attitude. Matt Damon also stars as the fully convincing South African rugby team captain, a character who must battle between the racism he was raised with and the country/sport that he loves. The marvelous role managed for a little less than two hours to make me entirely forgot about Jason Borne and that is really saying something.

The film presents a view of Mandela that is not often seen, entering topics such as his personal struggles, and illness. Set among the varied landscapes of South Africa, “Invictus” displays the dynamics levels that define the country: beauty, devastation, and hope.

A thought provoking, inspiring tale about a part of the world too rarely discussed by American audiences “Invictus” is a film that will have people talking. As one of the best dramas of the year you can also bet that the Academy Awards will welcome the film with open arms.

Left 4 Dead 2 Review

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Considering just how long Valve takes to make any kind of content, Left 4 Dead 2 should’ve taken 2 years to develop – 2.5 years tops.  So it’s a miracle how they’ve managed to shove in five campaigns, more than doubled the amount of weaponry, added in two new gameplay modes, and even rectified just about every single nitpick and outstanding issue its predecessor had.  Valve did it in just under a year.  So, where the hell is Episode Three?


"It’s better than the first in almost every single way."

I digress.  Left 4 Dead 2 is an awesome game.  It’s better than the first in almost every single way.  It makes a few controversial narrative decisions, like taking the setting to the south and recasting all four members.  It was never a decision I dug all the way up to release, but save for the vapid Rochelle, the new members are great.  Coach’s infinite appetite and the nicknames and descriptors he gives to all the special infected are genuinely funny, Nick’s sardonic nature towards everybody and everything gets a few chuckles, and Ellis takes center stage with his endless stories and constant remarks on just about everything.  They’ll never replace my fondness for the original four, but the new cast doesn’t make me pine for the original four to be in Left 4 Dead 2 at all.

The story also expands just a bit; government intervention is more prominent, and the graffiti on the safe-houses and terse blurbs from the survivors shed some more light onto the situation.  It’s just enough, and, once again, it’s great just how well Valve managed to integrate the single-player qualities of their games with their multi-player ones.  It’s the kind of care that adds a whole new layer of atmosphere and believability, and it makes the game more than just a game about blasting the living daylights out of everything.  It makes the panic of fending off a horde that much more chaotic and the base emotional response to simply survive that much more palpable.

 

All five campaigns are a blast.  Dead Center’s dimly lit malls, and Dark Carnival’s carnival and completely rocking finale are such obvious things that should be in a zombie game, that it’s kind of amazing how they weren’t in the original game.  The weakest link is the final campaign, The Parish.  It never truly takes advantage of its setting like the other four do, and while its finale is second only to Dark Carnival’s, much of it feels like it was the first campaign Valve made for Left 4 Dead 2, before taking that experience to the other campaigns.

If you’ve played Left 4 Dead for an inordinate amount of time, some of the changes are immediately obvious.  Level design in general contains much more in the way of open spaces.  Even with Dead Center’s extensive indoor locations, the malls are absolutely massive.  It allows for the new special infected to start up some real hell.  Chargers can tackle survivors from one end of an open area to the next, Jockeys can head-hump lingering survivors to the far corners of the map, and the Spitter can pretty much break apart any cluster of survivors.  Many of the crescendo events have also been altered, forcing you to push from point A to B instead of huddling in a corner until things literally die down.  Essentially, Left 4 Dead 2 demands a greater degree of teamwork than its predecessor.  There’s much more going against you, but at the same time, there’s much more to help you along the way.

Offensively, the biggest inclusions are the melee weapons.  These things carve through hordes and their damage output is incredibly high, making them useful in plenty of situations.  While a bit impractical when the going can be easily solved by guns – running into lines of fire and getting yourself surrounded due to your bloodlust is pretty foolish – when the director decides to send a substantial horde, having an infinite supply of arm strength is better than a gun that can hold only so many bullets.  Outside of the melee weapons, the gun count has been given a boost.  AK-47, grenade launcher, Desert Eagles – there are plenty of new guns to shoot with, and all them are a really joy to use.  Even more, boomer bile can tag the infected and can make tank battles a cinch, adrenaline shots speed up just about anything you do, and explosive and incendiary rounds offer temporary but extremely substantial buffs to your killing capabilities.

There’s just so much in Left 4 Dead 2 and all of it is useful, fun, and make the game better than the original.  With so many new additions to the gameplay, it opens up more options, and more options open up new strategic decisions to make.  While never all that complicated (Do I take this or that? Do I use this now or this later?), it creates a greater degree of variety.  Combining that with the ever-ominous and omnipotent AI Director, every game feels that much more different than the last.

 

And this is just the game’s campaign mode.  Versus, basically an eight-player griefing session, returns with the new infected, which are bound to irritate, annoy, and wreak havoc on the survivor team.  The amount of fun I had with Versus definitely varied; it’s highly dependent on the people you play with.  One game I was with a talkative, generally carefree group, and it was great.  I couldn’t wait to play another game.  The game right after generally turned into a game of bitter accusations, insulting teammates for failing to pull this or that or charge this or that. 

Still, Left 4 Dead 2’s Versus mode is better than Left 4 Dead’s.  Much of this has to do with the new scoring system, which doles out points based solely on the amount of distance a survivor covers in each chapter.  Medkits don’t factor in anymore, making Versus games a lot less lopsided.  It’s possible a team down by a thousand points can catch up; it happened just a few days ago.  Rage-quitting is less of a problem, and this is one thing Left 4 Dead should get through an update.

If you don’t have the time to put in the required hour-plus to finish a Versus game, there’s the new Scavenge mode.  Survivors search for gas cans to fuel a generator, while the infected team takes them out before they have a chance to fill up the generator.  It offers brief, bite-sized games, making this a really great alternative to Versus if you just don’t have the time.  It’s a ton of fun, and with a scoring system that simply factors in the amount of gas cans you’ve filled the generator with, these games can be relatively nail-biting on a rather frequent basis.


"Yep, there’s a lot of game in Left 4 Dead 2."

Wait, there’s just a bit more.  The new Realism mode for the campaign gets rid of the glow that helps you find and identify items, and the infected take a greater amount of punishment before going down, making headshots crucial.  Witches also kill with one hit, making them incredibly dangerous in any difficulty.  It’s not so much of a brand new mode as it a few tweaks to some of the variables, but it makes a real difference, and the mode makes it worth playing through the campaigns again.  Then there’s the Survival mode, which tosses you into a closed area until you die.  Some of the Survival areas have seriously opened in space, giving you greater opportunities to adjust and move from point to point.  Yep, there’s a lot of game in Left 4 Dead 2.

 

It also looks like Valve’s spent just as much updating the Source engine.  Team Fortress 2 still is and probably will remain the best-looking Source engine for a long, long time, but Left 4 Dead 2 stands as second best.  The character models in particular have received a great deal of attention.  There’s a greater amount of nuance and minor details – the wrinkles on Rochelle’s lips, the folds of fat on Coach’s neck, the lipstick on Nick’s collar – they all add up and are easy to appreciate once they’re seen.  It makes one wonder just how much better Episode Three will look with new and improved character models.  The gore model for the infected has also received a huge boost.  They’ll defecate themselves to death if you shoot them in the right place, intestine trails string along as they come after you, and the melee weapons can slice and dice in ways that Left 4 Dead only wished.  There are a few blemishes; some of the environments look drab and blocky, and while the daylight is refreshing, it tends to expose more blemishes than the night-time levels do.  Source still has legs, as after five years in commission, it’s still an engine capable of mighty things.

The audio remains up to par with all of Valve’s previous efforts.  Guns sound rich and powerful, and there’s a greater variety of music.  Dark Carnival gets its own tracks and the southern flavor to a lot of the tracks is welcomed.  Voice acting is up to the usual Valve standards.

Left 4 Dead 2 is better and bigger than Left 4 Dead.  It’s a sequel that builds on its incredibly stern and ludicrously fun foundations, expanding in all the right places and scrubbing out all the little problems that existed in the original.  An expanded weapon load-out, an expanded infected cast designed to tackle all the common turtling strategies, and more expansive level design to accommodate the new infected:  It’s simply a better a game and one of the best this year.

Sherlock Holmes

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The stories of master detective Sherlock Holmes have delighted readers, listeners, and viewers for well over a century. The tales have grown from the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to include radio, television, and film. Director Guy Ritchie casts Robert Downey Jr. as a slightly dysfunctional but brilliant Holmes who, along with his partner Dr. Watson (Jude Law), have just stopped a bizarre ceremony and ended a murder spree in the process.

The people of London are grateful to be free of the terror induced by Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), but solving the mystery leaves Holmes somewhat despondent and uninterested in solving other mysteries. Most likely because Watson is moving out of their home and office to complete his pending marriage plans. The lack of complexity in the cases Holmes is requested to take leaves him abundant time to sulk in his study and scare the housing staff with his bizarre behavior and inventions.

The monotony of Holmes’s life is abruptly ended when Blackwood summons him shortly before his scheduled execution for his crimes. Blackwood indicates that a dark plot is in the works and though his claims are dismissed by the authorities as the desperate ravings of a madman about to be executed, Holmes begins to think there is more to the case than meets the eye. Things take a bizarre turn when Blackwood appears to rise from the dead and starts a new wave of terror over the city. Pressed into action, Holmes and Watson uncover a series of clues that reveal a diabolic plot that will alter the balance of power in England.

In a race against time, Holmes and Watson must also deal with their unresolved issues regarding Watson’s pending marriage as well as a mysterious, seductive woman from Holmes’s past (Rachel Mc Adams). What follows is a winning combination of comedy, action, mystery, and a touch of romance Ritchie knows he has a strong cast and gives Downey, Law, and Mc Adams ample room to explore their characters yet keeps them within the story.

The plot of the film may be the weakest point and at times its uncertain if it is an action buddy film or a caper picture. It attempts to blend the two but often comes up short, lacking enough action for my taste. The plot may also be confusing to some as it lacks a cohesive structure and seems to be a free roaming entity that exists within a general framework.

Downey and Law work well with one another and Downey gives a strong, clever performance in a role that requires both physical and cerebral dexterity. Mc Adams is good as the love interest in the film but would have benefited from more time to better expand her character which I hope will happen in future films.

While the film may not come across as a traditional American studio film, there is a lot to like about this new Holmes and the new franchise it launches for fans old and new.

4/5

Skewed and Reviewed: The Magazine issue # 2 is Coming Feb 2010. Contact me for ad rates, ordering info, and story submissions.
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AVATAR

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With a budget reported to be around $400 million dollars and a four year production cycle, “Avatar” by James Cameron is poised to usher in a new age in digital fx and 3d.

The film is set in 2154 and involves a disabled vet named Jake (Sam Worthington), who is sent to the distant moon of Pandora following the death of his brother.

It is learned that Pandora possesses a highly valuable resource that sells on the resource ravaged earth for $200 million a kilo and, which naturally sets off a frenzy of mining on the moon.

With the cultivation of the resource at a premium a facility has been established to ensure a constant mining operation and protect those on the base from the hostile wildlife that is everywhere.

While the wildlife on Pandora is a big issue, it pales in comparison to the issues poised by the native Na’vi who are a blue-skinned race who live in the forests of the moon and are in harmony with the nature of the planet which have caused them to hamper the mining efforts of the humans.

Anxious to keep the mining operations going, and limit the use of brute force to avoid any p.r. issues, a program known as “Avatar” is put into motion which allows select individuals to pilot a surrogate made from Na’vi and human D.N.A. in an effort to get the Na’vi to move and end their opposition to the mining.

It is hoped that the pilots will in time find a way to force the cooperation of the Na’vi after spending time amongst them.
Jake is thrilled with the program as once his remote link is established, he is free to run and jump again and in time finds himself absorbed by the Na’vi who wish to show him their ways as a test of his worthiness after he is separated from his fellow humans.

At this point Jake leads a double life as his surrogate learns what it is to be Na’vi and when the surrogate is asleep, Jake unhooks himself from his control bed, and is back on the base with his fellow humans. Jake is approached by Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who tasks the Marine to obtain tactical data on the Na’vi should his forces be called into action to force their cooperation. Jake is promised a costly procedure in return which would allow him to regain the use of his legs and live a life outside of his wheelchair.

As time passes, Jake grows closer to his Na’vi mentor Neytire (Zoe Saldana), who aside from being the daughter of the chief is a skilled hunter for her people. At this point Jake begins to question the motives and methods of his people and sees the exploitation and possible massacre of the Na’vi as something he can no longer accept. Jake puts a plan in motion to protect his human and Na’vi friends and what follows is an epic confrontation that is awash in visual splendor and action as James Cameron once again pushes the boundaries of technology.

Some may cite the story as resembling “Dances with Wolves’; and other films that deal with the exploitation of the native races, but the true magic of the film is that it is not limited to the lavish visuals but is instead powered by the compelling characters.

The 3d fx shine as Cameron has created another world with a thriving ecosystem that is as much a character in the film as the flesh and blood and digital creations that power the story.

The film has good supporting work from Sigourney Weaver, and Michelle Rodriquez as well as the fine ensemble cast. The amazing blend of story, digital splendor, and characters all combine to make “Avatar” a truly amazing visual film with a strong message of love, hope, and unity. James Cameron has once again proved that he is one of the true masters of cinema and has crafted a magical experience that enchants and informs.
4.5/5

Torchlight Review

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I doubt there is another genre dominated and defined by a single game like hack and slash is by Diablo. One sees the phrase 'Diablo clone' each time games of this type are announced, and they always end up being compared with what Diablo accomplished ten years ago. I believe, however, that the use of the phrase is a little misguided, especially when the majority of releases being labelled clones are simply role-playing games that fall in the sub-genre of hack and slash. Building on, or borrowing successful ideas pioneered by Diablo, doesn't mean that the developers are trying to replicate the game. Runic on the other hand have actually tried to do just that, and I while I don't know what everyone's expectations are concerning twenty dollar digitally distributed games, I certainly did not expect one which actually deserves being called a 'Diablo clone'.


"What's surprising is that it doesn't get old, or even tiresome."

First of all, beware that Torchlight has a very clear purpose and it doesn't pretend to be original or innovative. What you do is hack, and then slash. There is the occasional visit back to town to replenish supplies or enchant a weapon, but then it’s back underground to hack and slash some more… way more. What’s surprising is that it doesn't get old, or even tiresome, and I’m not some Diablo fanatic either. In fact, I prefer RPGs of more tactical nature similar to Baldur’s Gate, but there is something irresistible in the non-stop and never ending massacre that Torchlight offers. When I say never ending I mean it literally, there is actually an 'endless' dungeon, which is unlocked after you finish the game. The word endless should be a clue that the dungeon is randomly generated, i.e. boring as hell to explore. However, this should not come as a surprise since Torchlight is not a game about exploration or discovery, but about mindless fun making your way through mobs of enemies while finding better and stronger equipment, which is really what draws you in and keeps you playing.

 

You can think of the game as a direct opposite to story driven RPGs like BioWare's recently released Dragon Age, or their previous game Mass Effect. There is some sort of narrative of course, but what you basically end up doing is going deeper and deeper below the town of Torchlight looking to kick someone's ass down in the mines. The game is divided in several chapters, each preceded by a brief introduction trying to make your descent seem less trivial, and each chapter offers a unique environment. However, every level (or floor as they are called) in the environments is randomly generated, so there is little excitement or sense of discovery; in fact there is absolutely nothing of interest inside the mine except creatures to kill and loot to gather.

In the end, Torchlight hit the jackpot exactly where it counts the most – the gameplay. If you're familiar with the one-more-turn syndrome of addictive turn-based strategy games you'll understand what I mean, except that here it’s all in real-time, it’s fast paced and you're not given a break; you just know you want to go forward and kill one more goblin, or find one more enchanted battle axe. There is so much loot that at times you'll have no clue what to keep and what to sell, which weapon to enchant and in what manner. What makes the choice even more difficult is your limited inventory, which often fills up after every battle. There are of course a couple of chests back in town at your disposal, plus your pet is able to carry some things, but I personally found myself a little overwhelmed at the amount of loot in the game. At one point I actually decided to try and just ignore everything lying on the ground, but I only say try since the curiosity of finding a more powerful weapon or enchantment is just too hard to resist.

These periods of inventory management are actually the only times when you're not engaged in battle, but because the combat mechanics are so fluid and so well done I personally felt that fiddling with the items was a little disconcerting and even unfitting (yes I know its an RPG). I guess I simply had too much fun clicking on monsters and taking their stuff that the need for inventory management was kind of breaking up the pace of the game for me.

 

The interface is intuitive and streamlined and you're never more than a few clicks away from managing your character. There are three types in all with different sets of abilities — nothing out of the ordinary — but the skills are varied and fun to use. What’s more is that they only come with level requirements and not in a skill tree, which means you can spend points anywhere you wish without first going through skills you might or might not want to use. Another interesting feature is your pet; either a cat or a dog, which besides fighting alongside your character, can also carry his stuff or be sent back to town to sell it. There is even fishing, which is about as exciting as, well, fishing, but can bring you fish which when fed to your pet will transform it into various creatures for a limited amount of time. Towards the latter part of the game, however, I pretty much used my pet only as a mobile storage chest, as it often got critically wounded, in which case it stops fighting and flees.

Yet, no matter how fun and enjoyable Runic have managed to make the game, it is obvious why it came with a twenty dollar price tag. There is just one neutral area, the town of Torchlight, where like Diablo you can store equipment, purchase items, or upgrade weapons. Otherwise the only other place that's accessible to you is the mine and the randomly generated content it offers. This is pretty much the whole game. There are no quests besides a few generic ones you can find up in town, no NPCs to talk to, no interaction with the world, and really nothing to surprise you. Thankfully, the game comes with an editor and can be completely customized and modded, and whenever the original material gets old there's sure to be plenty of user made content out there.


"…pretty much anyone with a PC will be able to play it…"

I completed Torchlight on my laptop, and this should tell you several things; pretty much anyone with a PC will be able to play it without worrying about stutter or system requirements (there's even a 'netbook mode' in the graphics settings), and don't expect anything groundbreaking from a visual standpoint. In fact, as is usual with games with very low system requirements, rather than trying to create photo realistic graphics they often go for a more artistic approach, which gives the game a more distinguished style, and at the same time, masks the simpler graphics. Visually, Torchlight reminds me of World of Warcraft, and while overall it looks quite nice, the only thing that actually stood out for me were the particle effects, which add some flair to the battles when you're using your magic skills. Still, being able to play this smoothly on my laptop along with anti-aliasing was enough for me to appreciate the decision to keep things simple and accessible to a lot of people.

 

There isn't that much left to stay except that this is a game that does hack and slash real justice and it’s a the perfect choice for those eagerly waiting the release of Diablo 3. In fact, if Torchlight came with a more involved single-player campaign, had multiplayer and didn't rely on random level generation, it would have been a real threat to Blizzard's long awaited sequel. As it stands now, it’s more of a tease for fans who will have an even harder time waiting after getting such a satisfying taste of what Diablo 3 could (and I’m sure, will) bring.

Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 2

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The highly popular Call of Duty series has returned in grand style with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The game not only continues the epic series in a grand way but, for my money, is the best in the series to date and is one of the most intense and gripping games ever crafted.

The game is set in the near future and follows Marines and British Special Forces on missions on varied fronts around a centralized theme. One minute you are stealthily working your way through Eastern Europe in order to retrieve a vital piece of technology from enemy forces and the next moment you are hurtling through the mountains on a snowmobile.

The plot jumps the globe from Eastern Europe to South America and the Middle East, with a very intense segment in Washington D.C. where players have to defend the capitol against an enemy invasion. This is one of the more controversial moments of the game as players have to fight in suburbs, malls, and the nation’s capitol, and for some seeing the city in flame may be disturbing.

The action of the game is exhaustive, and the check point save system at times makes for some frustrations, but thankfully the designers have placed them at decent intervals that do not require gamers to redo large portions of the mission should they fail.

The plot of the game is amazingly vivid and detailed and the action is as fierce as anything in the series. The range of weapons and the highly detailed strategem and locales really make this the most fluid game in the series to date.

The multiplay of the game is solid, as not only are there numerous classes for players to chose, each with their own unique weapons, there are tons of perks which allow players to have greater speed, stamina, firepower and so on. I love the grenadier class as I love to lob grenades from the launch and take out the other players, though this method does at times draw venom from some of the online community. They prefer the use of rifles, hand grenades, and knives only. The game offers players the ability to customize their weapons and perks and gain new options as they increase in skill points earned in online matches. One nice perk is the ability to now select what your reward is for a kill streak, all the way up to a tactical nuke for a player who kills 20 in a row.

There are also several skill missions that you can play alone or with another player after the completion of the game. This is a good bonus, as the game was so furious, it seemed to end too quickly for me. But when I looked back, I realized I had covered an extensive amount of ground in the game.

In the end, the numerous multiplay modes, great graphics and story, and solid gameplay made the game not only the best game in the series, but in my opinion, the best game I have played this year to date.

Aliens vs. Predator Interview

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Recently I got to speak to Tim Jones, Head of Art and Design at Rebellion, about the new Alien Vs Predator game which is highly anticipated by fans the world over. I want to thank Tim and Denny at Sega for the interview.

Questions from Gareth Von Kallenbach
Skewed and Reviewed

1. What is the background and setting for the game and how close does it follow the events of the last AVP game?

The game takes place on planet BG-386 where a colonist mining group discovers buried ancient ruins containing a dark and horrible secret, a vicious and deadly alien race. The marines are dispatched to the planet when contact is lost with the colonists, whilst across the stars a race of predator warriors is alerted to the discovery of their sacred site, and a hunting party is sent to ensure that the secrets held within remain hidden at all costs. It is a completely new story to the Aliens and Predator franchises and does not follow on from either of the two previous AVP games.


2. What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game and how much will they differ between the campaigns?

Gamers can expect to see lots of environments that are familiar to fans of the movies so from abandoned space colonies to jungles. In each of three campaigns you’ll visit the same locales as the stories of the three campaigns intersect with each other. However, as each of the three species you’ll be able to explore different parts of the locales. For example, as a Marine you’d be walking through a jungle scanning for aliens and predators in the trees. As the predator you could be watching those very same marines from the trees and stalking them.


3. What are some of the weapons that will be available to each race and which are your favorites?

Fans can expect to see all the favourites from the movies, so the marine’s pulse rifle and shotgun, the predator’s wrist blades and shoulder cannon, and the alien's teeth and jaws to name but a few. We’ll also have brand new weaponry in the game that’s never been seen before in anything Aliens or Predator so that’s very exciting.


4. How will the campaigns be connected and in what order will players have to play – i.e. Marine, Alien, Predator?

Each species has its own separate story driven campaign and right from booting up the game for the first time, the player can choose to play any of the three campaigns. Each campaign has its own story that interweaves with the stories of the other two species’ campaigns so there will be crossover in the narrative between the three.

The three campaigns do also intersect with each other so to know the whole story of the game you’ll have to play through all three single player campaigns.


5. What are some of the biggest obstacles and successes you faced in creating the game?

I would say our biggest obstacle was balancing the multiplayer so that the three species can fight on an even footing. We’ve spent a lot of time in the studio working through the multiplayer to do this, and the results have been very positive, so I’d say that’s our biggest success. We’ve recently had lots of journalists playing the multiplayer and the feedback has been very good so that’s very promising. We’ve still got time for a little more work so it should be perfect come release.


6. What are some of the enemies players will face and what characters will players be able to play as?

Gamers can play as each of the three species in the single player and multiplayer campaign as expected. In terms of enemies, we’ll actually have some brand new enemies that haven’t ever been seen before in the Aliens and Predator universes.


7. What forms of multiplayer does the game include?

Yes, we do have multiplayer in the game and players will be able to pitch the three species against each other in a series of modes. We’ve announced three modes to date which are as follows: Deathmatch, Infestation and Predator Hunt.

  • Deathmatch is pretty self-explanatory but in our game we’ll also have team deathmatch modes where teams comprised of all three species will be able to face off against each other.
  • Infestation sees one player starting as an alien and the rest as marines, the alien then attacks the marines, and each marine it kills respawns as an alien, so eventually it’s a battle to be the last marine standing.
  • In Predator Hunt, one player starts as a predator and the rest are marines, if a marine kills the predator he then becomes the predator, and it’s a competition to see who can get as many possibly kills as the predator. Also while you’re the predator you have to kill a marine within a set amount of time – if you do so, your time as the predator is extended. If you don’t, you re-spawn as a marine and somebody else is picked to be the predator.

We have several more modes which we’ll be announcing closer to release.


8. Will boss battles be a part of the game?

I’m afraid you’ll just have to play the game and see for yourself.


9. What are some of the features the game offers that are new to the genre?

I’d say the multiplayer is very much new to the genre. You have lots of humans vs. humans or human vs. aliens multiplayer out there but whether you’re playing as a human or an alien, the controls and environment navigation are basically the same. With our game you’ve got the predator who can leap from tree to tree, and an alien who can stick to any surface, crawling through vents or along the roof above his prey. Throw into that the marine who controls like your typical FPS character, and you’ve got quite a mix of potential play styles, which adds to a really dynamic multiplayer experience.


10. Blending action with a detailed plot can always be tricky. How have you attempted to create this element?

It’s been relatively easy as we worked on the first AVP game back in 1999 so we have a history with the franchise. Plus we’re working from such rich source material with a huge library of films and comic books in the Aliens and Predator franchise. And we’re also massive fans of everything Aliens and Predator in the studio, which definitely helps. Add all this together and you’ve got plenty of research and enthusiasm for a great story. Our biggest problem is that there’s been so much we want to put in there, not a case of having too little.


11. Roughly how long is the game?

The single player should take around 10-15 hours, and then you’ve got the 3-species multiplayer, which adds a whole lot more gameplay!


12. The Alien and Predator films have always had a unique style and look. Have you incorporated that into the game as well as attempted to capture the sense of mystery about the creatures that is central to the game?

Our goal from day one on this project was to create an authentic Aliens and Predator experience in the game that’s true to the source material, be it the movies or the comic books. It’s been very important to us to get this exactly right so we’re hoping that fans of Aliens and Predator will notice the effort that’s been put in to the game to make it as close to the source material as possible.

 

Skewed and Reviewed: The Magazine is here in both print and PDF format, contact us for more information at gareth@nwlink.com. The Magazine has film, game, and travel articles as well as DVD, convention, and more. Funds raised goes to help Child’s Play and costs only $3.00 an issue or $1.00 for a PDF version.

Inglourious Bastards

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Should we be allowed to laugh at brutality? Is there room for comedy in a film about the Second World War? These are just some of the questions Quentin Tarantino’s latest film “Inglorious Bastards” is sure to bring to mind.

“Inglourious Bastards” is composed of two intertwined stories broken into chapters combining fictitious and factual historic events. The two stories, the tragic tale of orphaned Jewish girl Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) and that of an oddly funny group of American soldiers, called “the Bastards”, create introspections into the meaning of glory, destruction, and propaganda.

Familiar faces are scattered throughout the film from creator of “the Office” B.J. Norvak to “Austin Powers“ star Mike Myers. The standout performance of Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by the always-evolving Brad Pitt, is both comical and clever and the role of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa, Christoph Waltz, is so evil that, within the scope of the film, he some how manages to overshadow Hitler.

While the film is visually graphic, it is the ideas of violence rather than explicit visuals that litter the film. These violent scenes, from scalping to strangulation, are more dramatic than visually accurate.

The film did drag in parts such, as the dark Cinderella-like bar scene, and there was definitely room for further character development for “the Bastards”, yet the sly structure of the film shatters these minor faults but keeping viewers completely invested in the plotline.

“Inglorious Bastards” mixes classic film elements with techniques hauntingly David Lynch in style. From elements of television westerns to the hauntingly familiar sound of David Bowie, Tarintino has created a new way of looking at the past, all while using a time generally perceived as too awful to mention as a background for laughter.

Twisted, tortured, glorious and not “Inglorious Bastards” delivers as a film bound to become classic Tarantino. Fans will be elated and those who oppose the film’s adult themes will not walk away without at least thinking about the meaning of this one-of-kind feature.

4.5/5

The amazingly good picture and sound quality really do this release well as does the tons of bonus features such as the alternate and deleted scenes and the behind the scenes footage and features.

Terminator Salvation Blu-ray Directors Cut

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Following up the legendary first two Terminator films was no easy task. Without series creator, James Cameron. many fans found “Terminator: Rise of the Machines” to be lacking the depth, action, and character of the earlier films. When Director McG was announced to continue the war between humanity and the machines in “Terminator Salvation” fans feared that the series might become a campy action film in the vein of the directors “Charlie’s Angels” films. Thankfully for fans, the film more than delivers and continues the dark and intensely human story about the battle for humanities’ survival against the ruthless computer network, Skynet.

The film opens in 2018 where John Connor (Christian Bale), is involved in a raid on a Skynet facility with a group of fellow soldiers. The team is attempting to gain sensitive information from the main servers about Skynet. Along the way, they discover many human prisoners are being kept by the machines and learn what they believe is a weakness in the network that will allow them to defeat Skynet once and for all.

In the aftermath of the mission, John is debriefed by the human leadership and learns that their names are on a Skynet kill list and ironically John is #2 on the list behind someone named Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). While the name does not ring any bells with the command staff, John knows the name all too well and how his future, and all of humanity, hinges on this person staying alive.

At the same time, a man emerges named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who meets up with Reese. Together they flee from a an array of deadly machines intent on capturing Reese. In a spectacular action sequence, Reese and Marcus battle a giant machine as well as Hunter Killers and cycle-like assassins that are as relentless as their terminator counterparts. Separated from Reese by the enemy, Marcus meets a resistance pilot named Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood), who convinces him to return to the resistance camp where John Connor can help him locate Reese.

Fates collide and a shocking secret is revealed that causes division in the resistance and places Connor at odds with his chain of command. As a pending strike on Skynet looms, Connor is forced to undertake a desperate mission to save the future, one that challenges much of what he believes and rocks the very foundation of the resistance. What follows is an intense series of events and an explosive series of action scenes that should delight fans of the series and sets the stage well for future films.

Bale brings his signature intensity to Connor, smoothly moving between the action and dramatic scenes well, something he’s had practice with as Batman. Worthington was a very pleasant surprise. His character not only has an interesting back-story but provides a great compass for the storyline. I did have some questions about how, in a post-Apocalypse setting, things like water were free from fallout, as were blasted out cities, and how military planes and ships survived without having their chips scrambled by a nuclear pulse. That being said, the film works very well. A strong cast and good action were well blended with great effects to create a winning formula. I did wonder where the plasma rifles that were shown in the earlier films were, but did remember that those were shown in a time 11 years in the future from this film.

Of great significance in James Cameron’s earlier films was the way he deftly combined action and real characters with a complex storyline. “Terminator Salvation” is not as deep as the first two films but it also does not rely on explosions of CGI effects to carry the story. At the core of the film is a bleak but human drama about love, sacrifice, survival, and determination. While some may have issues with the dark tone of the film, it is important to remember that this is about humanities’ struggle against extinction. McG keeps things moving at a brisk pace and has crafted a slick and enjoyable film that has many clever nods to the source material without ever being disrespectful to the franchise. I am looking forward to see what future films in the story will offer, as truly the battle for humanity has just begun.

4 stars out of 5

The Blu Ray version offers both the theatrical and the Directors cut of the film as well as numerous digital features and is for my taste far and away the better choice than the standard version as the picture and sound quality are simply amazing as are the bonus features.

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Funny People

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By Genevieve Mc Bride

We all have our favorite Adam Sandler movies. There are the fans of The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates and there’s the loyal camp who can quote Happy Gilmore or Big Daddy verbatim. You hear the name Adam Sandler’s and you think goofy, lovable guy. Dependably funny and quotable, from the mid-90′s on, he was the go-to comedian when we looked for an easy laugh. Of late, with the growing list of popular movies under his belt, when you think goofy, lovable funny guy, another name comes up: Seth Rogan. In “Funny People” you get them both.

Sandler plays George Simmons, a popular comedian who’s diagnosed with a fatal disease. Playing a comedian is hardly a stretch for Sandler, but for one whose dramatic turns can be counted on one hand, he plays the stricken man who’s suddenly face to face with his immortality quite convincingly. Rogan is Ira Wright, a desperate young comic who’s still vying for stage time at the local comedy club. George, perhaps recognizing a bit of himself or seeing a glimmer of comedic genius in Ira after catching his act, hires Ira to write for him.

Ira goes from writer and personal assistant/confidante to opening act as he helps George deal with his illness. He encourages the veteran comedian to reconnect with his compatriots in the business, opening the film to a parade of old faces from the stand-up circuit. George’s reflections on his life eventually lead him back to a lost love, Laura, played by Leslie Mann. Amidst the funny, laugh-out-loud scenes, are some believably tender moments, not just between Mann and Sandler but also, oddly enough, Sandler and Rogan.

Directing the comedic duo is writer/director Judd Apatow, who gave Rogan that growing list of successful movies after first casting him in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Sandler could certainly use some of Apatow’s Midas-like touch after his recent string of marginal films. With a strong supporting cast of Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman who play Ira’s roommates Leo and Mark and Eric Bana, Laura’s husband, the movie is in turns hilarious and puzzling. The strong storyline of a veteran comedian taking a novice comic under his wings gets lost when George pursues a second chance with an unhappily married Laura. What could’ve been a touching passing of the torch tale is confused by an annoying love triangle. When the movie returns its focus to George and Ira, it’s saved, just barely, by the fact that we’re still watching two of comedy’s goofy, lovable funny guys.

3 out of 5 stars

The two disc set features both the theatrical and unreated versions of the film as well as deleted scenes and plenty of bonus content. The picture and sound quality is also first rate.

Bruno

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Life is good for Austrian fashonista Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen). As the star of the top Austrian fashion show, he is a fixture at all of the social events and is the flamboyant highpoint of any event he graces.
That is until things go awry and Bruno finds himself on the outside looking in and is blacklisted from the European fashion industry he lives for.

Undaunted, Bruno sets out to become a star and take America by storm in the shockingly outrageous and sure to be controversial “Bruno”. The film is a follow up to “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” which took the box office by storm when it was released three years ago.

Upon arriving in America, Bruno sets out to be a star, but soon runs into trouble when his first day on a television set goes out of control. If this was not bad enough, Bruno’s pitch for a variety shows scores badly with a focus group who are dismayed at the very graphic depiction of the male form and other outrageous humor.

Undaunted even when his attempts at celebrity interviews crash and burn around him, Bruno sets out to get tabloid attention by adopting a baby from Africa. This leads to a daring and outrageous segment on a Texas talk show where Bruno is verbally chastised by the predominately African American audience.

Unable to catch a break, Bruno travels to locales as diverse as Israel, Alabama, and Los Angeles hoping to get a break, but only finds failure. Despite his horrible luck, Bruno has the adoration of his assistant Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten), which sadly for Gustaf is unrequited.

Desperate for acceptance, Bruno decides to become straight and sets off to the South to learn what being a straight man is all about which sets up some outrageous encounters ranging from a swingers party to a hilarious macho man event hosted by Bruno as “Straight Dave”.

While there are those who will see only the nudity and crude humor of the film and dismiss it, those who are more open minded will see the genius of Cohen who is a master of improvisational. It is fascinating to see how much he throws himself into a scene and literally becomes his characters. No matter how outrageous the scenario, Cohen is not afraid to push the boundaries and get people to expose their true selves.

While his scenarios shock, they also educate and enlighten as he gets his unsuspecting co-stars to show sides of themselves and human nature which people try to hide and ignore. Despite thinking we are an enlightened society, there are those that are shocked by a person who is so flamboyant and open, even swingers whose very lifestyle is considered by most to be out of the norm and for others to be unordinary.

Numerous celebrity appearances also grace the film, which I will refrain from spoiling but suffice it to say add to the enjoyment of the film.

The movie does not have much in the way of plot and character development, but that is not the intention of the film, as the plot is a framework to connect the segments which work well in my opinion.

Unlike a Saturday Night Live sketch turned into a movie, “Bruno” works well within the films run time without overstaying its welcome and losing momentum.

In the end, you will either love or hate the film, and much of this will depend on your tolerance for very mature, bawdy, and controversial humor. For my taste, this was one of the funniest films I have ever seen and I could not stop laughing.

4.5 stars out of 5.
The DVD is amazingly loaded with tons of features including an hour of deleted scenes. The sharp picture and sound quality makes this a must own.

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Angels and Demons

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By Jenna Pitman

In Angels and Demons, the much anticipated sequel to the Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) has been called to Vatican City after the death of the Pope and subsequent kidnapping of the four Cardinals nominated to take his place. This was the work of the evil and mysterious “Illuminati,” who have returned after hundreds of years and wish nothing more than the destruction of the Catholic Church from the inside out. Their plan is to symbolically kill each of the Cardinals, one an hour, in four churches around the city apparently created as a giant maze leading to the fabled Church of Illumination where Illuminati once gathered in centuries past to discuss science. At midnight, a bomb of antimatter, stolen from the Large Hardon Collider, will be set off destroying much of the Eternal City. The only way to stop it is to find the Cardinals and the Illuminati’s chapel.

This is not exactly the thrill ride it claims to be. In fact, about sixty percent of the film was spent with the characters telling me useless and often silly facts in such a way that made me feel as though I was sitting in on a particularly bad history or theology lesson and another thirty was wasted as those same characters restated some point or another that they already told me twenty minutes before. True, there were a couple of action-packed scenes but these were so far between that I felt I could have been watching a special on the History Channel or the Discovery Channel rather than a big budget summer hit. Of course, both the channels in question tend to offer programs far more lively than Angels and Demons.

Despite the urgency of his task Langdon would rather lecture the audience and his fellow characters in long-winded speeches than actually get to work on the rescue. In fact, it seemed as though every character in this script felt the need to stop and explain what they’re about to do with a lengthy diatribe before actually doing anything. This gets old in about 15 minutes and never lets up. Unlike the sporadic scenes of action which last for less than ten minutes, using tired, predictable tropes most of us have seen before, only to fade away and be replaced once more with long strings of exposition.

Of course I had gone in without all that much hope for the story (though not expecting a dull course on fictional history) but what truly disappointed me were the shoddy performances of actors, the bad directing, the cheap-looking sets, and the sub-par special effects. At no point, unless they were obviously shooting in Rome, did I feel as though the figures on screen were actually standing in a place as spectacular as Vatican City or numerous famous churches. In fact, with the exception of the assassin (Nikolaj Lei Kaas) and Inspector Olivetti (Pierfrancesco Favino) I didn’t believe anything the actors on screen were pretending to portray. Given the names involved I feel cheated. I know that any one of them could have done a better job with the right encouragement. You would think that with Ron Howard as the director, encouragement would not be too terribly difficult to find.

The sets and CGI seemed like something out of a high-budget television show; it felt more like I was watching a TNT original series than something from Hollywood with a group of A-list actors. It’s not that I don’t appreciate a good original series it’s just that I expect more from my movies than I do from my TV. When you’re watching two people in a chapel and suddenly realize that the background is all computer animation you feel ripped off. If the movie is going to stand in my top 5 Most Boring Movies of All Time category I would at least like something pretty to look at.

I sincerely wish I could tell you that this was at least a fun movie but I can’t. It’s not pretty, it’s not engaging and it’s not interesting. Unless you were a huge fan of the original and of the book (and by this I mean that it is the best book you’ve ever read and nothing will ever compare) I simply wouldn’t bother with it until some one starts playing it on TV. It’s probably where this movie should have premièred in the first place.

The DVD offers great picture and sound quality and a slew of bonus features.

Alien VS Predator

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Recently I got to speak to Tim Jones, Head of Art and Design at Rebellion about the new Alien Vs Predator game which is highly anticipated by fans the world over. I want to thank Tim and Denny at Sega for the interview.

GVK: What is the background and setting for the game and how close does it follow the events of the last AVP game?

TJ: The game takes place on planet BG-386 where a colonist mining group discovers buried ancient ruins containing a dark and horrible secret, a vicious and deadly alien race. The Marines are dispatched to the planet when contact is lost with the colonists, whilst across the stars a race of Predator warriors is alerted to the discovery of their sacred site, and a hunting party is sent to ensure that the secrets held within remain hidden at all costs. It is a completely new story to the Aliens and Predator franchises and does not follow on from either of the two previous AVP games.

GVK: What are some of the locales gamers will see in the game and how much will they differ between the campaigns?

TJ: Gamers can expect to see lots of environments that are familiar to fans of the movies so from abandoned space colonies to jungles. In each of three campaigns you’ll visit the same locales as the stories of the three campaigns intersect with each other. However as each of the three species you’ll be able to explore different parts of the locales, so for example, as a Marine you’d be walking through a jungle scanning for Aliens and Predators in the trees, whereas as the Predator you could be watching those very same Marines from the trees and stalking them.

GVK: What are some of the weapons that will be available to each race and which are your favorites?

TJ: Fans can expect to see all the favourites from the movies, so the Marine’s pulse rifle and shotgun, the Predator’s wrist blades and shoulder cannon, the Aliens teeth and jaws, to name but a few. We’ll also have brand new weaponry in the game that’s never been seen before in anything Aliens or Predator so that’s very exciting.

GVK: How will the campaigns be connected and in what order will players have to play, I.e. Marine, Alien, Predator?

TJ: Each species has its own separate story driven campaign and right from booting up the game for the first time, the player can choose to play any of the three campaigns. Each campaign has its own story that interweaves with the stories of the other two species’ campaigns so there will be crossover in the narrative between the three.

The three campaigns do also intersect with each other so to know the whole story of the game you’ll have to play through all three single player campaigns.

GVK: What are some of the biggest obstacles you faced in creating the game and the biggest successes?

TJ: I would say our biggest obstacle was balancing the multiplayer so that the three species can fight on an even footing. We’ve spent a lot of time in the studio working through the multiplayer to do this, and the results have been very positive so I’d say that’s our biggest success. We’ve recently had lots of journalists playing the multiplayer and the feedback has been very good so that’s very promising. We’ve still got time for a little more work so it should be perfect come release.

GVK: What are some of the enemies players will face, and what characters will players be able to play?

TJ: Gamers can play as each of the three species in the single player and multiplayer campaign as expected. In terms of enemies we’ll actually have some brand new enemies that haven’t ever been seen before in the Aliens and Predator universes.

GVK: What forms of multiplayer does the game include?

TJ: Yes, we do have multiplayer in the game and players will be able to pitch the three species against each other in a series of modes. We’ve announced three modes to date which are as follows: Deathmatch, Infestation and Predator Hunt.

Deathmatch is pretty self-explanatory but in our game we’ll also have team deathmatch modes where teams comprised of all three species will be able to face off against each other. Infestation sees one player starting as an Alien and the rest as Marines, the Alien then attacks the Marines, and each Marine it kills respawns as an Alien so eventually it’s a battle to be the last Marine standing. In Predator Hunt, one player starts as a Predator and the rest are Marines, if a Marine kills the Predator he then becomes the Predator, and it’s a competition to see who can get as many possibly kills as the Predator. Also while you’re the Predator you have to kill a Marine within a set amount of time – if you do so, your time as the Predator is extended, if you don’t, you respawn as a Marine and somebody else is picked to be the Predator.

We have several more modes which we’ll be announcing closer to release.

GVK: Will boss battles be a part of the game?

TJ: I’m afraid you’ll just have to play the game and see for yourself.

GVK: What are some of the features the game offers that are new to the genre?

TJ: I’d say the multiplayer is very much new to the genre. You have lots of humans vs. humans or human vs. aliens multiplayer out there but whether you’re playing as a human or an alien, the controls and environment navigation are basically the same. With our game you’ve got the Predator who can leap from tree to tree, and an Alien who can stick to any surface, crawling through vents or along the roof above his prey. Throw into that the Marine who controls like your typical FPS character, and you’ve got quite a mix of potential play styles which adds to a really dynamic multiplayer experience.

GVK: Blending action with a detailed plot can always be tricky. How have you attempted to create this element?

TJ: It’s been relatively easy as we worked on the first AVP game back in 1999 so we have a history with the franchise. Plus we’re working from such rich source material with a huge library of films and comic books in the Aliens and Predator franchise. And we’re also massive fans of everything Aliens and Predator in the studio which definitely helps. Add all this together and you’ve got plenty of research and enthusiasm for a great story. Our biggest problem is that there’s been so much we want to put in there, not a case of having too little.

GVK: Roughly how long is the game?

TJ: The single player should take around 10-15 hours, and then you’ve got the 3-species multiplayer which adds a whole lot more gameplay!

GVK: The Alien and Predator films have always had a unique style and look, have you have incorporated that into the game as well as attempted to capture the sense of mystery about the creatures that is central to the game?

TJ: Our goal from day one on this project was to create an authentic Aliens and Predator experience in the game that’s true to the source material, be it the movies or the comic books. It’s been very important to us to get this exactly right so we’re hoping that fans of Aliens and Predator will notice the effort that’s been put in to the game to make it as close to the source material as possible.
Skewed and Reviewed: The Magazine is here in both print and PDF format, contact us for more information at gareth@nwlink.com Magazine has film, game, and travel articles as well as DVD, convention, and more. Funds raised goes to help Child’s Play and costs only $3.00 and issue or $1.00 for a PDF version.
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Planet 51

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By Amara

On a planet far from our own, green creatures are experiencing their own version of the 1950’s. Among them is Lem (Justin Long) who has just gotten his first job as an assistant at the local planetarium. When a space ship appears harboring an alien, human astronaut Captain Charles T. Baker (Dwayne Johnson), the fearful locals are not so friendly. It is up to Lem to save the astronaut and help his people learn not to fear the world beyond what they know.

The film is written for both children and adults, like a toned down version of “Shrek” with a more relevant moral feel. Putting the characters in the 1950s adds to the film’s charm, allowing kids access to the blatant characterizations of the time period, such as the bumbling science professor and the hippy protestor who maintains from the start that the alien is friendly.

Other characters of note are Lem’s comic book and movie fanatic best friend, Skiff (Seann William Scott) and the military commander General Grawl (Gary Oldman) who is hell-bent on capturing the alien. Children will also enjoy the two pet creatures from a local alien dog that excretes acid to a rock-obsessed robot sent to pick up local specimens for Baker.

“Planet 51” is wholly entertaining. It provides some mature insight by displaying how we would appear to another culture if we ever did encounter aliens. This switch of perspective is sure to make children think and laugh over the simple cross-cultural mishaps that occur while Lem and Baker are attempting to find common ground.

A delightful, animated romp, “Planet 51” will make you hope for a groovy 1960’s sequel.

4/5

Ninja Assassin

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By Amara

The Ozunu Clan has long been secretly kidnapping and training children to become ninjas. But when a set of Europol agents get a little too close to discovering the secret, it is up to a former student of the Clan, Raizo (Rain), to defend the agents against the brutal ninjas’ attacks.

The film is loosely plotted at best, but it does manage to keep the viewer interested. Maybe it is the consistent comedy mixed with undeniable bloodshed. And there is bloodshed. “Ninja Assassin” is absolutely splattered with gore, weapons, and the unexpected attack that only ninjas can bring.

Joel Silver, of “Lethal Weapon”, “Die Hard”, and “Predator” fame, and the renowned Wachowski brothers, creators of “the Matrix”, are the producers behind “Ninja Assassin”. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the fight scenes are also engrossing in this ninja-tacular flick.

The international cast includes Korean superstar Rain as Raizo and martial arts regular Sho Kosugi, as the ninja master. The appearance of Ben Miles (from the hit British TV show “Coupling”) as Ryan Maslow, superior to the Europol officer and lead Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris), also enhances the casting of this one of kind film.

And it is one of a kind. What is most appealing about “Ninja Assassin” is that it truly displays ninjas in the way every child thinks about them; cunning, violent, and awesome. Somehow in a world full of films that feel like a new version of the same old thing, “Ninja Assassin” has… dare I write… a freshness.

Keeping you on the edge of your seat, focused on the nonstop 360 degree fight sequences and funny one-liners, “Ninja Assassin” brings more than expected to the big screen.

4/5