tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26815346932101973362024-02-19T23:50:12.456-08:00Rambelings of a small black and white dogDrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-67175944767938645732011-09-26T13:45:00.000-07:002011-09-26T13:45:20.713-07:00Movie Challenge - the follow onBack on 28 April 2011 I picked my top 10 movies for 2011 and my selection was as follows:<br />
<br />
Dr Dogbert's Top 10 Summer Movie Selection<br />
1.Harry Potter and the Deathly hallows – part 2<br />
2.Transformers Dark of the Moon<br />
3.Kung Fu Panda 2<br />
4.Cars 2<br />
5.Captain America: The First Avenger <br />
6.Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides<br />
7.The hangover 2<br />
8.X Men first Class<br />
9.Thor<br />
10.Green Lantern<br />
<br />
Dark Horse Movies<br />
•Bridesmaids<br />
•Apollo 18<br />
•Cowboys and Aliens<br />
<br />
The Results are in:<br />
<br />
1.Harry Potter and the Deathly hallows – part 2<br />
2.Transformers Dark of the Moon<br />
3.The hangover 2<br />
4.Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides<br />
5.Fast Five<br />
6.Cars 2<br />
7.Thor <br />
8.Captain America: The First Avenger <br />
9.Bridesmaids<br />
10.Kung Fu Panda 2<br />
<br />
So the rules state that you get 13 pts for getting number 1 and number 10 right, 10 if you get a film in the correct spot (in 2-8), 7 pts if you are 1 away, 5 pts if you are 2 away, 3 if you listed it in the top 10, and 1 if you picked it as a Dark Horse.<br />
<br />
The results are in and my score was an impressive 46!<br />
<br />
Thanks for playing and did you beat 46?DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-64554827644588417842011-05-04T13:11:00.000-07:002011-05-04T13:11:36.136-07:00Thor – is it really hammertime?So Marvel finally took the leap into the “unreal” world and launched onto the big screen Thor as a precursor to Captain America and as another puzzle piece to The Avengers which is due next year.<br />
<br />
Now I’ve read around the character so I know about some of the mythology thanks to history lessons, video games, and even some TV series’ an d walking into this movie I decided I wasn’t going to have an opinion. I’ve even read some of the comics for the Marvel series where the character is part human and seen in some books to be a mental patient which is a great idea. So I knew sort of what was going on. Then I came to the trailer....<br />
<br />
Watching this I thought “uh oh, this doesn’t look like it’s going to do well” and “oh please don’t be another Hulk”. I mean the cast (Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins) showed promise with the director (Kenneth Branagh) all mixing together. The action look a bit stiff and it all looked like it wasn’t going to fit very well – like a clown car in real life.<br />
So I walked into the movie theatre with an open mind putting the trailer out of my head. We open with Thor crashing to earth and Natalie Portman doing her best to save this person she’s just met. Queue the flashback to Asgard (home of the Norse gods) and the explanation of how this fits within this real world that Jon Favreau (Iron Man 1 + 2), Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) and the writing team over at Marvel created.<br />
<br />
Asgard is all CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) minus some real world sets for people to walk on and interact with, but carries this majestic feel to it where you feel like you truly are in a city of gods. However the film doesn’t stay here, we see Thor banished for being too hot headed (who would have thought it) to earth where the main story beings and I’m going to stop with the story. <br />
<br />
The sets on Earth work well and we get some nice pieces (including the Marvel god Stan Lee) and fight scenes towards the end of the film. While the acting doesn’t feel rigid from the cast, there are those who just blow you away such as Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki). They make the roles there own and the writers make them fit within this universe very well. However, Tom Hiddleston steals the show for me as you really can’t get a read on him in things such as where this character’s true motives lie.<br />
<br />
Overall this film works really well when it’s not in the other universe and set on earth and interacting with the characters we have seen already (Agent Coulson) and those which we are introduced (Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye). I would love to see these characters now interact with the likes of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff and Maria Hill – of which we will next year in The Avengers.<br />
<br />
Ultimately you’re now asking “Is this film worth a watch?” If you’ve like the other Marvel movies of recent years then yes it is (in IMAX), for those who are new to this or just enjoy a good action movie perhaps give it a rental on DVD / streaming when its available. Other than that to the outside audience it’s a bit dull and some of the reference will fly over your head a little.<br />
<br />
On final thing, if you want to see how The Avengers unfolds? Stay within the credits and see what is to come next year as a teaser to the plot!<br />
<br />
Roll on Captain America and X-Men First Class if they are like this or something much better as I will be there to see themDrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-20241590249452348252011-04-28T15:25:00.000-07:002011-04-28T15:25:13.021-07:00Movie ChallengeOk so here's the thing, I have a go at this each year and thought I'd make it a little competition between me and some of my friends. The idea is that you pick 10 of the top films for the summer and 3 dark horse films for the summer. Note this is based on the US Box Office results<br />
<br />
If you want to enter post in the comments section with your 13 picks in Top 10 order and 3 (in no order) dark horse movies.<br />
<br />
Here is the list and I will post my 13 in the comments. Best of luck and I look forward to the challenge!<br />
<br />
<br />
May 6<br />
- An Invisible Sign (limited)<br />
- The Beaver (limited; expands: May 20)<br />
- Caterpillar <br />
- Daydream Nation (NY, LA)<br />
- Forks Over Knives (limited)<br />
- Harvest (NY)<br />
- Hobo with a Shotgun (limited)<br />
- I'm Not Jesus Mommy (limited)<br />
- Jumping the Broom <br />
- Last Night (limited)<br />
- Make Believe (limited)<br />
- Octubre (October) (limited)<br />
- Passion Play (limited)<br />
- The Silent House - La Casa Muda (limited)<br />
- Something Borrowed <br />
- There Be Dragons (limited)<br />
- Thor (3D/2D and IMAX 3D theaters)<br />
- The Vintner's Luck (limited)<br />
<br />
May 11<br />
- City of Life and Death (NY)<br />
<br />
May 13<br />
- The Big Bang (limited)<br />
- The Bleeding House (limited)<br />
- Bridesmaids <br />
- Brother's Justice (limited)<br />
- Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (NY; LA release: June 3)<br />
- Everything Must Go (limited)<br />
- The First Grader (limited)<br />
- Go For It! (limited)<br />
- Hesher (limited)<br />
- The High Cost of Living (limited)<br />
- How to Live Forever (NY)<br />
- L'Amour Fou (NY)<br />
- Priest (3D/2D theaters)<br />
- Skateland (limited)<br />
- The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (NY)<br />
- True Legend (limited)<br />
<br />
May 18<br />
- Louder Than a Bomb (limited)<br />
<br />
May 20<br />
- 35 and Ticking (limited)<br />
- Bloodworth (limited)<br />
- Cost of a Soul (limited)<br />
- The Lion of Judah (3D/2D theaters)<br />
- Midnight in Paris (limited)<br />
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D/2D theaters and IMAX 3D)<br />
<br />
May 26<br />
- The Hangover Part II <br />
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D/2D theaters and IMAX 3D)<br />
<br />
May 27<br />
- Tied to a Chair (limited)<br />
- The Tree of Life (limited)<br />
- United Red Army (NY)<br />
<br />
June 3<br />
- Beautiful Boy (limited)<br />
- Beginners <br />
- The Last Mountain (limited)<br />
- Love, Wedding, Marriage (limited)<br />
- Rejoice and Shout (NY; June 17, LA)<br />
- Submarine (limited)<br />
- X-Men: First Class <br />
<br />
June 10<br />
- The Chameleon (limited)<br />
- Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer <br />
- Super 8 (conventional and IMAX theaters)<br />
- The Trip (limited)<br />
- Trollhunter (limited)<br />
- VIVA RIVA! (limited)<br />
<br />
June 15<br />
- Kidnapped <br />
<br />
June 17<br />
- The Art of Getting By (limited)<br />
- Buck (limited)<br />
- Green Lantern (3D/2D theaters)<br />
- Mr. Popper's Penguins <br />
- My Afternoons with Margueritte (limited)<br />
<br />
June 22<br />
- If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (limited)<br />
<br />
June 24<br />
- A Better Life <br />
- A Little Help (limited)<br />
- Bad Teacher <br />
- Cars 2 (3D/2D theaters and IMAX 3D)<br />
- Conan O'Brien Can't Stop <br />
- Page One: Inside The New York Times (limited)<br />
<br />
July 1<br />
- Larry Crowne <br />
- Love Etc. (NY, LA)<br />
- Monte Carlo <br />
- The Perfect Host (limited)<br />
- Terri (limited)<br />
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D/2D theaters and IMAX )<br />
<br />
July 8<br />
- Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (limited)<br />
- Horrible Bosses <br />
- Ironclad (limited)<br />
- Project Nim (limited)<br />
- Zookeeper <br />
<br />
July 15<br />
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (3D/2D theaters and IMAX 3D)<br />
- Life, Above All (NY, LA)<br />
- Salvation Boulevard (limited)<br />
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (limited)<br />
- Tabloid (limited)<br />
- Winnie the Pooh <br />
<br />
July 18<br />
- Sinbad The Fifth Voyage (limited)<br />
<br />
July 22<br />
- Another Earth (limited)<br />
- Captain America: The First Avenger (3D/2D theaters)<br />
- Friends With Benefits <br />
- Myth of the American Sleepover (NY; LA release: July 19)<br />
- Point Blank (NY)<br />
- Sarah's Key (limited)<br />
<br />
July 24<br />
- Life in a Day <br />
<br />
July 29<br />
- All In (limited)<br />
- Cowboys & Aliens <br />
- Crazy, Stupid, Love. <br />
- The Devil's Double (limited)<br />
- The Future (limited)<br />
- The Guard (limited)<br />
- The Sleeping Beauty (limited)<br />
- The Smurfs (3D/2D theaters)<br />
August 5<br />
- Bellflower (limited)<br />
- The Change-Up <br />
- Dirty Girl <br />
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes <br />
- The Whistleblower <br />
<br />
August 12<br />
- 30 Minutes or Less <br />
- Final Destination 5 (3D/2D theaters)<br />
- The Help <br />
- Higher Ground (limited)<br />
<br />
August 19<br />
- Circumstance (limited)<br />
- Conan the Barbarian (3D/2D theaters)<br />
- Fright Night (3D/2D theaters)<br />
- The Missing Piece (limited)<br />
- One Day (limited)<br />
- Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (3D/2D theaters)<br />
<br />
August 26<br />
- A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (limited)<br />
- Apollo 18 <br />
- Don't Be Afraid of the Dark <br />
- Our Idiot Brother <br />
<br />
August 31<br />
- The Debt <br />
<br />
August TBA<br />
- Limelight (limited)DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-9902887660295046432011-03-22T15:57:00.000-07:002011-03-22T15:57:10.732-07:00There's an ALIEN in my movie screen!So this one is going to be a bit different, in the fact that I’m going to look at 2 films – both have something in common – Aliens<br />
<br />
Battle Los Angeles<br />
<br />
This is the film that war films really ought to make more often. Why? Well the film has a different take on the whole movie idea. It knows the audience wants to see action, cool sequences which sound great, and they don’t really give a rat’s ass about the story too much. This about sums up the approach Battle LA takes here.<br />
<br />
We open on a beach and see a man running, who is then passed by a bunch of other guys we find out he is in the army, he curses under his breath as the group passes at speed leaving him behind. We then move to the next scene where we find him slumped against his car applying an ice pack to his knee (Danny Glover’s Lethal Weapon line should now be mentioned but is rather more implied). These short burst scenes go on for about 15 minutes of the film as we are introduced to the unit we will spend the next 2 hours with.<br />
<br />
After the rounds are done a story about meteors is mentioned with some mysterious activation of military personnel being placed on active duty and vollá we turns out the meteors are aliens, and they’re not friendly at all as they open fire on a beach in Santa Monica. Now we roll into 1 hour 30 minutes of action and what the audience wants.<br />
<br />
That’s pretty much it for story, it’s no Inception but it’s certainly not a “fire and forget” film. The aliens look really good visually while their ships are very much junker ships and look superb on screen as you can see each section as it is put together. Overall the camera work suits the film with the day shots working well and the night shots with look great and pick up some good details of LA in both the night and day. <br />
<br />
My only faults with the look lies in two areas:<br />
<br />
1) the fog – seriously don’t put too much of this on screen or the audience has no idea what the hell is going on, and when you have a squad of about 15 characters on screen who are new to the audience we have a lot of confusion (unless this was intended to make the audience feel like this? Or I could be seeing things which are not there). <br />
<br />
2) Camera shaking - this feels a little “after effect” and doesn’t quite do it as good as Saving Private Ryan. The audience does not need to feel sea sick when sat in a movie theater no matter how cool it looks in the editing room! <br />
<br />
Acting wise Arron Eckart pulls off the old solider quite well for the most part but it feels phoned in other parts. On the other side of the coin Michelle Rodriguez fits right at home here and for once does not die at the end of the film. Ne-Yo is a surprisingly good performer in this film and he doesn’t get off lightly, he matches it blow for blow with the more experienced actors. The rest of the cast are bit like background noise – they’re there you just don’t notice them that much.<br />
<br />
In a 140 Review (A Tweet Review) of the film I said: Independence Day + Black Hawk Down + District 9 = Battle Los Angeles. This is true but needs a little expansion. Take the action and pacing of Independence day + Black Hawk Down Setting and style + District 9 aliens type = Battle LA. Really this is a good action film and worth a go, however don’t expect a District 9 where you walk out questioning the motives and are really thinking about the films message – here the message is simply “USA kicks ass and finds a way no matter what” – this comes from a Englishman!<br />
<br />
Paul<br />
<br />
So let’s start this off with a point – this is not a follow up to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (the cornetto trilogy) nor does it have anything to do with Edgar Wright (he was busy making the awesome Scott Pilgrim). This film is Simon Pegg and Nick Frost having a go on their own making a movie.<br />
<br />
Paul is sort like a more “South Park” ET – in the way that this alien isn’t nice or charming. He’s rude, smokes, and makes fun of most things as a know it all – but then he has been here for 50 years or so. Paul see’s two English best buddies fly over to San Diego to head to Comic Con and then see some of the big UFO sites along the way – this was until they met Paul.<br />
<br />
Coming into see this movie I had seen mixed reviews about the movie, with most saying it was short to that of what we would expect from Simon and Nick. To be honest I enjoyed the film and found that having a CGI alien who is crude but also has a heart good to see and the characters were typical of the English geek in the USA at one of these big conventions (speaking from personal experience here). The film is littered with references to other movies and even get a cameo from none other than Steven Spielberg (no doubt a favour to the lads as they worked on TinTin), while Sigourney Weaver makes an eventual onscreen appearance as the film’s villain.<br />
<br />
The acting is good, the camera work is fantastic when it comes to the road scenes and we even manage to avoid the Who Framed Roger Rabbit moments when people interact with Paul. The humour fits with the tone and I feel that it more relates to an English sense of humour with some of the jokes. I wouldn't say that it is so funny I split my sides, however I did find that in moments I was laughing out loud at the jokes.<br />
<br />
This is quite a good comedy film to see in a light hearted way. It’s not as crude as say Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s work but it’s at heart a buddy comedy movie. To anyone in two minds about seeing it, it’s worth going just to see Seth Rogan pull off a superb performance without having to appear on camera.<br />
<br />
In the words of Paul - "That's Jenga!"DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-15595256525386149002011-03-08T13:34:00.000-08:002011-03-08T13:34:31.877-08:00The problem with modern gaming - part 2Welcome to the second part in this series, part one can be found here (http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9073622) – go take a quick look and come back, I’ll still be here for when you come back…… All done? Good now we shall continue with:<br />
<br />
Send in the clones<br />
<br />
Hands up, who’s played a sports game – you know the ones I mean Tiger Woods, Madden, NHL, FIFA, NBA … the list goes on! Ok not a sports fan how about a game like Battlefield, Unreal Tournament, Street Fighter, Tony Hawk, Mortal Kombat, Tomb Raider, Soul Caliber, Super Mario Brothers, Sonic Adventures, or Guitar Hero? You must have played at least one of those?<br />
<br />
Each of these games has a sequel to it and in most cases follows the law of diminishing returns (see here for technical definition). Many of these games developers feel it a must that they put out a new version of these games at least once a year with some minor updates. With many games now being connected to the internet via some service or another, games can be very easily patched on a console or even added to with downloadable content.<br />
<br />
Each new version try’s to improve on where the other version failed, and from time to time we see improvements with updated graphics or new control elements, for example when moving to a new console. But with the current console cycle being the longest yet these improvements are becoming fewer and fewer and the publishers are asking consumers to pay £40 / $60 for a few tweaks to a game they already have and could be done just as easy through downloadable content.<br />
<br />
Beyond the non-obvious clones in the form of sequels we also have the real clones or knock-off’s, you know the ones I mean. The review refers to it all the time in ways such as “like God of War but …” or “like GTA but …” or even “this is clearly inspired by Crackdown.” These are the games that the developers were either playing and thought “I could make a tonne of money off this,” or some executive at the developer we “we can make a tonne of money off this idea”. <br />
<br />
Examples of this type of game can be seen all the time in clear poor games which enter the bargin bucket quicker than a piece of chicken that ended up on the floor. Occasionally there is a half decent attempt at a knock off and they create their own clones sorry I mean sequels, case in point Saints Row (GTA), Prototype (Crackdown), and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (God of War) (I credit Yahtzee Croshaw with this one). The last one is in fact a sequel, or is it a prequel? (a sequel in disguise).<br />
<br />
Right now the consoles and pc gamers are all going to die a death of boredom if they don’t get some new game ideas flowing soon. We have seen this happen with some nice new shiny games come our way but those damn executives get a dollar sign in their eyes and BANG we have a sequel with Multiplayer on its way! <br />
<br />
Yet fear not, there is a light being seen and you’re not going to like me for saying this – social gaming. Now don’t hit me (yet), hear me out first. Social gaming (in my world) includes all of the iPhone / mobile games that we have seen pop up with the age of the smart phone in the last few years. Take a look at some of the games that we have been given – Game Dev Story, Angry Birds, Broken Sword, and to some extent Farmville (ok you can punch me for that last one).<br />
<br />
Each of these games has taken something simple and made something of it. Game Dev Story is one such example, where they have taken the management sim (a long forgotten genre of game) and added a new touch to the game by making a game where you have to make games to succeed. The game is simple in concept, clearly aimed at a target market and is a solid game.<br />
So why have these games been missed or over looked? Well (I’ve done it again) that brings me to a new point:<br />
<br />
She’s goin’a blow!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-26653297016972622702011-03-02T12:57:00.000-08:002011-03-02T12:57:03.245-08:00BulletstormHands up when you saw the trailer for the next Epic studio game who else thought “What the hell is this?” <br />
<br />
Bulletstorm is from People Can Fly and Epic Games (Published by EA) and see you play as Gray an ex-mercenary now turned drunken pirate who’s hell bent on revenge against the general that double crossed him. The game takes place on a planet where you’ve crashed not only your own ship but the General’s ship. Now that’s it for plot for the game – there’s development and curveballs through the seven chapters but really that’s the bones.<br />
<br />
If you’ve played the demo, the game starts off at a snail’s pace compared to the fast pumping action that you did in the demo. You slowly wind into the mechanics and the story and it’s only in about chapter two when you’re let loose with your leash (that cool whip looking thing) that you really kick up the pace.<br />
<br />
The game rewards you for killing in unique and varied ways. For example the sniper rifle has some of the best kills as you take control of the bullet (eventually times slows down into bullet-time – I couldn’t resist!) and move in for the kill. The thing is the enemy realise this could be his last breath so he dodges, turning his back on me – my thoughts “You cheeky S.O.B I’m going to stick this bullet where the sun doesn’t shine bucko!” So I aim the bullet down and the up into his arse and what do you know I get Hotshot +100, Rear Entry +100 all for doing that.<br />
<br />
While this may feel good after a while you start to look at the guide and almost see how can I kill someone to earn more points? This is where the challenge and uniqueness of the game comes into its own ... for a while. Towards the end of the game you find that the enemies up in difficulty (as they tend to do) and the skills shots just don’t feel as rewarding as they first did – this may have something to do with beginning to think with more strategy on pulling them off as you face a horde of un-knock-down-able enemies who have specific kill spots?<br />
<br />
The single player can be completed in a single day with a good sitting and has enough challenges to keep you there for 8 – 10 hours. However this game tag’s you bag in with Echo mode which is like a time + skill-kill mode which seems you replaying small portions of the game in timed modes for as many points as possible, which creates leader boards and competition amongst your friends list – that is if you have friends on there who are playing this mode<br />
<br />
As for multiplayer Epic games bolted in a sort of horde mode called Anarchy mode with wave, after wave, after wave of ever increasing enemies. Now I’ve not tried this yet but I can imagine its fun with a close group of friends over live as you try to stay alive as a unit of four. When being interviewed about the game’s lack of real multiplayer Cliff Bleszinski told The Telegraph <br />
“It was in there at one point and it actually worked, but we found that the game shifted from being this kind of puzzle-shooter into essentially this downhill skiing simulator, where people were seeing how fast they could get to the bottom of the mountain,”<br />
<br />
Having played the game I can see his point but then again I really wouldn’t mind perhaps a Left for Dead style 4 vs. 4 multiplayer which would make for an interesting game as you could see people trying some real interesting scenarios with some of these enemies.<br />
<br />
All in all this is a good quality game which is truly a child of its predecessors. It takes the intensity and looks of Gears of War and then throws into the mix the speed of Unreal Tournament. My only gripes about the game is that it’s really too short, it’s a bit too over simplified and the ending feels kind of cheap. I mean clearly there is going to be a squeal to this game from the ending, but having the whole final fight devolve into a Quick-Time event? That’s just wrong and belongs in a class of lower game.<br />
<br />
This game is a good solid attempt at something new and fresh in a genera that is running low on ideas. But, and this is a big BUT I think many people will only be buying this game for access to the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta – which if you ask me feels like you’re short changing this game. It has a great sense of humour (even if the language is over the top at times but well suited), it looks good, plays well, and is something that would suit well as maybe a two week loaner and you’re done.<br />
<br />
Give it a whirl and go kill with some skill!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-53086430234924081392011-02-27T15:06:00.000-08:002011-02-27T15:06:17.513-08:002011 Oscar PredicitonsSo tonight is the 2011 Academy Awards, or Oscars to you and me - so what movie commentator is worth his salt by not making a comment on who will win what. Before you go on please note I've not seen many of the nominees this year (I managed to see 8/10 of last years best picture nominees) so some are based on opinions and others guesses from what I hear / see / feel about the film.<br />
<br />
Best Picture – The Kings Speech - This is a close race between The Kings Speech and Social Network. Kings has the momentum but the academy may vote for their countrymen. Don’t count out Black Swan as the underdog here though<br />
<br />
Directing - Darren Aronofsky - I’m going with the left field choice here as I feel many of the judges may just want to balance the books out here<br />
<br />
Actor in a Leading Role - Colin Firth - This man has the shortest odds to win this accodlade and the only close challenger in my opinion is James Franco – acting on your own to camera is hard and this should at least be acknowledged<br />
<br />
Actor in a Supporting Role – Christian Bale - From what I hear Bale goes above and beyond what any normal actor should have to do for a role and completely imitate the guy. Don’t be surprised if the vote swings to Geoffy Rush though<br />
<br />
Actress in a Leading Role – Natalie Portman - This really is looking like a dead cert here – not a strong category for competition <br />
<br />
Actress in a Supporting Role – Helena Bonham Carter - Ah now this is a good mixed back here, while Helen has the talk here I would say keep an eye out for the young gun who could sweep in here in the form of Hailee Steinfeld<br />
<br />
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) – The Social Network - An interesting tale and well told<br />
<br />
Writing (Original Screenplay) – Inception - Of all the nominees I feel this is clearly a winner as its not based on a book or actual event but made up which makes the best film<br />
<br />
Animated Feature Film – Toy Story 3 - I would say a close 2 horse race between How To Train Your Dragon and Toy Story but for me it just has that little extra point to win this one<br />
<br />
Art Direction – Inception - This is a truly stunning piece of art and should be acknowledged as such<br />
<br />
Cinematography - The Social Network - From what I’ve seen this is a well shot and edited piece of work<br />
<br />
Costume Design – True Grit - Again from what I’ve seen the film does have stunningly accurate costumes here<br />
<br />
Music (Original Score) – Hanz Zimmer – Inception - I listened to this outside of the movie and it just gets me. Clearly Zimmer has it here<br />
<br />
Music (Original Song) – “We Belong Together” – Toy Story 3 - Come on, have a heart!<br />
<br />
Sound Editing - Inception - See below<br />
<br />
Sound Mixing - Inception - The whole sound feel adds to the movie and makes it a whole<br />
<br />
Visual Effects – Iron Man 2 - Come on did you see Whiplash? And the armour effects? But could lose out to Alice in Wonderland <br />
<br />
Documentary (Feature) – Exit through the gift shop - Clearly this one has taken the movie industry by storm and is a good piece<br />
<br />
Film Editing - The Social Network - Again well shot and edited<br />
<br />
Foreign Language Film “Biutiful” - It’s the only one I’ve heard of!<br />
<br />
Makeup – The Wolfman - Clearly this one needs a nod for the hard work put into it – even if the movie did suckDrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-52070359130595330522011-02-15T13:31:00.000-08:002011-02-15T13:31:25.039-08:00The problem with modern gaming - part 1Gaming is going to die soon …<br />
<br />
Yup according to people gaming as we know it will soon be dead. Gone will the days be where you could simply pick up a controller and toil away for hours exploring the galaxy’s furthest reaches, or driving from one point in a city covered in crime as you find yourself taking people out to rise to power. <br />
<br />
But what will you have instead? I mean there cannot be video games, surely? Life would become grey and boring. No they will be replaced by multiplayer games in which you find yourself being blown apart by people who play this game every day, as a 12 year old screams down your ear “suck it noob, you totally suck at this!” Or if you’re not into shooters, well then you can play with real people across the internet while you all try to decide which way to go, like some big road trip to the black gates.<br />
<br />
Yes believe it or not gaming has reached a point now where it is faced with a Darwinian issue (note not the game but the Scientist) – evolve or die. But what’s the big deal surely we are in a golden age of games with many new games being seen in 2010 and making so much money, read on and I shall enlighten you into what I think are the main issues with video games.<br />
The dead art form<br />
<br />
In late 2010 EA Games' label president Frank Gibeau stated that single player only games were dead and that multiplayer is where it was all at in terms of the innovation of games. While this is partial true that innovation is being seen in the USE of online FEATURES and FUNCTIONS within games pure multiplayer games have proven to be a bit of bust.<br />
<br />
Now don’t going and start with your hate mail about MMO’s, I’m getting there. Right now let’s take a look at some multiplayer only games. Shadowrun, Quake III, and who can forget Quake Wars: Enemy Territory – each of these games had a heck of backing be it through its innovation such as Shadowrun by getting PC and 360 games to play together at the same time in the same game, or through boasting about the next big sequel in Quake Wars: Enemy Territory. But they all flopped.<br />
<br />
Now to MMO’s – beyond World of Warcraft which is really taking the world by storm with the latest expansion pack, there really hasn’t been a commercially successful challenger to this title, and we have had some big names throw their hats into the ring – Star Trek, Lord of the Rings (recently went free to play), and Conan the Barbarian all tried to have a go at getting people into the game and taking over some of that title of number 1 MMO. These are all multiplayer only and there failing maybe doesn’t lie with the users breaking Wheaton’s law but more in the fact they have the attention span of goldfish or the game is just bad.<br />
<br />
Single-player only games have shown that they don’t need a multiplayer to be successful with the many games proving that you can make good money and a good game with games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fallout 3, Dead Space, Assassins Creed 2 , Bioshock, Heavy Rain, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and Mass Effect 2 to name but a few. <br />
<br />
These games all don’t have a multiplayer mode in them and are fantastic games, truth be told they all have other great elements which makes them great games such as fantastic writing, atmospheric settings, compelling stories, beautiful soundtracks and fantastic voice acting. So why is it that some people think that in a sequel we need multiplayer adding?<br />
<br />
The case in view here is Bioshock, a sequel in itself to System Shock. To preface this next bit I am going to say that I have not played Bioshock 2 but I have played the original, Bioshock on the 360. Bioshock was one of those rare games that came along and really made a name for its self by being pretty damn good as well as just a bit creepy in points with things such as would you like to kill or save the little girls? Overall the game was well written, created a fantastic atmosphere, and brought a unique twist to another wise bloated market, making it a well worthy game of the year.<br />
<br />
Roll on a few years and we were treated to Bioshock 2 – Now with added multiplayer! Oh how the internet groaned! Like many people I was intrigued by just how this worked since at the end of the first game we got a very definitive ending, either way you played the game. It turned out that the single player element would have you play as a big daddy in the return to rapture while the multiplayer would be set before Bioshock 1 and was all about the splicers knocking the living daylights out of one another for the sheer hell of it.<br />
<br />
Here lies the issue, and one the internet loved to point out – we have given the multiplayer a story – it’s not big and it’s not clever so please why do we do this? Don’t these developers recall what it was like to play a game like Goldeneye on the N64? We didn’t need to know why James Bond was suddenly shooting (a very blocky and manly looking) Natalia we just got on with it.<br />
<br />
ARGH! I hear you cry I can counter you what about the Battlefield series? Or how about your beloved Assassins Creed series in the form of Assassins Creed Brotherhood? Yes they have shown to work in some of their iterations, however this (very nicely – almost planned like) leads me onto my next point.DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-55467273621391069482011-01-10T13:57:00.001-08:002011-01-10T13:57:55.855-08:00TRON: Legacy - all flash but no substance?So if you’ve lived under a rock for the last few years, a sequel to the 1982 (yup it’s that old!) ground-breaking film Tron. This film is now set 25 years after the original film took place and we have Flynn’s son as the main character of the film now while his dad went missing back in 1989. Encom (the company in the film) has fallen under the control of an evil bored which pokes fun at Apple and Microsoft (more the latter) while the son of Flynn is the majority shareholder and more of a wild child rebelling against what this company stands for.<br />
<br />
Now I saw this film in IMAX 3D so I had the giant 3D glasses on which bug me, and I’m not going to get into this because I can and will jump up and down for hours on this! The film looks amazing and with the digital shooting of this film it looks superb and this is in part thanks to the use of the same visual effects studio as Avatar. This takes what Avatar had and moves it forward and creates a stunning look with a heavy black and sharp stand out colour such as Orange, Yellow, or White.<br />
<br />
Beyond the visual look, the film’s story is … erm ….. oh boy …. mediocre at best as explore themes such as creationism, the god complex, perfection, abandonment, and life in general. I can’t really say this is a film that would have me on the edge of my seat and feels at times like it bumbles along for a while we are waiting for the next sequence or an explanation about a plot point that may be of some use to the audience in this (or the next film). There are a few twists to be played in this (and the following films / TV series) which are predictable but will be good in the end.<br />
<br />
There is a small saving point to this film and that lies in its soundtrack, done by the electronic legends Daft Punk. It is fantastic to listen to on its own, but put it with this film it adds another level to the film with an electronic tone being created within the film and should be a must buy for any fan of soundtrack music in general – never mind a fan of Daft Punk<br />
<br />
Really TRON: Legacy in summary is all flash and no substance, as it looks good but just really lacks that killer punch. Personally I would say that this is a film that I will buy on HD as many stores will use this as the HD demo as it really does show what HD can do (you can go and blow the 3D element out you’re blow hole!!)DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-59034197875972658832011-01-10T13:56:00.001-08:002011-01-10T13:56:50.074-08:00Sherlock Homes - A bit late but, better than neverA bit late to the party with this one since it came out back in summer of 2009, but thanks to 2009 being a good year for movies I kind of missed this one. Anyway, this is the Guy Richie take on the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr taking the parts of Dr Watson and Sherlock Homes respectively.<br />
<br />
The film is a good action movie which takes place in the 1800’s and is a good hoot! However within about 30 seconds into the opening scenes I wanted the throw the remote at the TV, why? Well the sets looked terrible (I was watching it in HD), it was an outside scene in London at night – and clearly the buildings looked like painted walls while you could clearly see that the place had a ceiling! So after giving the film a break (and putting down the remote) it flowed very well and did get a lot better with some decent action sequences and a well-acted piece of work.<br />
<br />
Downey Jr plays Sherlock as the drug addled troubled genius while Watson is the man who keeps Sherlock on the rails. I believed Jude Law as Dr Watson, while Downey Jr? Well I see him more as Tony Stark, but I guess that’s a testament to Iron Man as being such a great film. The film’s twists were predictable and able to be explained by logic and some science – but that may just be me with my obsession with the CSI series?<br />
<br />
Overall this film is able to sustain an audience for a few hours and with the original source material being so in depth and these movies being so close (so I’m told) to the books then it’s a decent movie, and something that should be at least watched once by people, as for DVD? Maybe crack it out every once in about 5 years if you’re bored.DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-90717539160911471702011-01-03T02:57:00.000-08:002011-01-03T02:57:45.732-08:00NFL 2011 Play off predictions - round 1Ok so this is a little different to my usual posts, this one is going to be about SPORTS! Yes shock horror this is all about sports, more narrowly the NFL 2011 play off predictions - which I do every year and manage to get wrong oh so many times.<br />
<br />
So here's the simple play, no scores (too difficult to predict) just the game and who will win the game with a brief bit about the game. So here we go:<br />
<br />
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts - Colts to win<br />
<br />
So this is a tough one to call. The Colts are not my favourite team and I can say that the Jets are not too high up in my all time team list either. While the Colts have had some injury issues this season and the Jets took a couple of pounding's towards the end of the season which makes this a tasty game. I'm going to go against my gut and say the Colts to win purely on the basis of they are an experienced team with a QB (P.Manning) who is lethal!<br />
<br />
Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs = Ravens to win<br />
<br />
The Ravens are a team who can bring a surprise to any game and this is the play off's so the Chiefs are in for a torrid time here. I can see this game being good for about 3 or the 4 quarters with one of these quarters to just be a blow out and this is where I think that Ravens will run over the Chiefs with about 2 or 3 touchdowns depending on if they push for the turnovers<br />
<br />
Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles - Eagles to win<br />
<br />
Another interesting game here. In week 17 the Packers beat the Bears and the Eagles lost to the Cowboys, but the things is that the Packers HAD to beat the bears to get a play off place while the Eagles already had the place and so took a chance to rest a few key players ready for this big first round game. I would say that this is going to be a close game and a lower score game but it could be a very interesting game<br />
<br />
Seattle Seahawks @ New Orleans Saints - Saints to win<br />
<br />
So in the big final game of the year the Seahawks (finally) clinched a place in the play off's thanks to a win against the Rams (which I did think would happen in part to the weather). As for their opponents they are the defending champions and they are playing in the first round. Some people would think that they wouldn't be here. So the game - this is either going to go two ways - 1) The Saints steam roller the Seahawks into some form of Seahawk pie (most likely scenario) or 2) The Seahawks pull off a play off magic moment and beat the Saints in a hard fought battle.<br />
<br />
So there it is my predictions for round 1 - Colts, Ravens, Eagles, and Saints all to progress - but don't forget that phrase <i>"anything can happen on any given Sunday"</i>DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-31925094389115040632010-12-02T15:37:00.001-08:002010-12-02T15:37:57.870-08:00The heavy weight 3 for GoTYOk so here it is my final three games from where I think the Game of 2010 will come from:<br />
<br />
Starcraft 2 – you know its been 10 years since we saw the first game and its been a pretty dull wasteland for strategy game fans, I mean we had the Command & Conquer series to keep us happy in the mean time with games like Red Alert 2 & 3, and Dawn of War - but really there was nothing that could hold a candle to this series. I mean I was late to the party with the first game (only just), but this has always held a special place in my heart. Now I bought the collectors edition (you know the £70 version which came with the art book, DVD, USB stick etc) and would do it again for this game. I mean I rebuilt my computer JUST to play this game! The graphics – AMAZING, Cutscenes – JAWDROPPING, Music – ATMPOSHERIC. All in all the game leave you wanting more and has so much to offer and is clearly worth its price, one minor (well major) is that the game has no LAN play supposedly to lower piracy levels which is a bummer when you want to play offline. That aside the game is pretty much the package for what you want in an RTS (yes notice I remembered the acronym now) just don’t expect much till 2012 when we get the 1st add on Heart of the Swarm<br />
<br />
Heavy Rain – Ok so I bought a PS3 this year and watched a review about this game and thought – “you know what? I think that sounds kind of cool, I’ll give it a go”. So I did. The game is a very immersive experience with you having the standard look and move controls but in set moment you need to use the six axis to carry out a move, like shake left to avoid the oncoming car as you drive down the freeway in the rain, THE WRONG WAY to prove that you’re a worthy father to a psycho-kidnapper. This plays like an interactive movie, and has the score to boot, throw in a story that really does belong on the Silver screen and reward the player with a set of multiple endings you’re in for a treat. This game has a couple of minor flaws, mainly around the camera system (a bit clunky) and the controls need precise movements otherwise it throws a hissy fit and spits the dummy, however over looking this minor issue its a great game and worth a good solid 10 hours gameplay at least 2 or 3 times making those really massive moral choices like Save my child or CHOP OF MY OWN FINGER!!!!<br />
<br />
Mass Effect 2 – so this is a sequel to a game that was a good solid first go at a brand new IP from Bioware (legendary RPG makers), it had its faults but it was a good mix of RPG and 3rd person shooter. With the sequel we were teased that the main character, Commander Sheppard (you know the guy / girl from the first one – the very one you made and can import and continue with in this game) is dead, dead as a door nail, bought the farm, currently found orbiting a planet in space after an encounter with an enemy only known as “The Collectors”. Well he / she isn’t dead (not yet) and those bastards that shot at you, well they’re abducting humans for some unknown reason and the only people who are willing to help you are Cerberus (pro-human terrorist group from the 1st game – you know the people who wanted to release the Rachini on the universe again). Anyway off you go to build a crew of suicidal nut-jobs all with specialities (Archangel – the badass merc killer, Jack – biotic psycho, Thane – super cool assassin, Grub – super solider Krogan, Mordin – crazy scientist with a penchants for Gilbert and Sullivan (modified) and Legion – a Geth – go look it up I’m not going there!) to go on this mission to save humanity. The game splits over two disks and transfers well, the music is superb, camera work is good, music is really there, and the voice acting has both humour and seriousness to really drag you in. The more I went into the game the more I wanted Sheppard to live (yes if you don’t do this game the right way Sheppard will die no Lazarus this time!) as well as the rest of rag-tag crew, all of them. I mean I put at least 50 – 60 hours into one save and really enjoyed this. My minor fault, the cover system it just didn’t work right sometimes I’d bump and he’d be like “erm no this isn’t cover I’m not ducking down”. Which became rather annoying in the final rush through the Collectors ship.<br />
<br />
So what’s the answer? On innovation and gameplay it would be Heavy Rain, however in my heart Mass Effect 2 grabbed me by the balls and didn’t want to let go until the end. The game just felt complete and what makes it better is the fact that other parts of the background are reference and written by the writing staff so it make the expanded universe all a part of the game experience, even if you don’t realise itDrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-24144184952854430162010-12-02T15:09:00.000-08:002010-12-02T15:09:26.183-08:00The games of the year - the crowdSo this year has been a pretty epic one for gaming hasn’t it? We’ve seen a sequel to what is the biggest selling non-MMO RPG of all time (finally!!) be released, many, many, MANY more sequels to games be released (Mass Effect 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassins Creed), some reboots (Medal of Honour), and plenty of new innovative Ip’s (Heavy Rain, Dance Central, Naughty Bear). All in all its been a <br />
pretty epic year.<br />
<br />
So what takes the crown, and by crown I mean what is truly THE GAME OF THE YEAR. To look at this you need to cast your mind back to January (keep going ....... little further ....... bit more ...... come one tiny bit ..... no too far come back) where we left our Console and PC hero’s battling it out with Modern Warfare 2 in the online world and many people were still thinking – “Will I ever see GT5 in my lifetime?” “I wonder if Duke Nuke’em Forever will ever be ready?” “Is Commander Sheppard really dead?” “Did I leave the oven on?”. Yes it was a simple time when choosing a game would have been easy, now fast forward to December 2010 and its a bit of a traffic jam, here are my highlights:<br />
Now before I run these down I want to make something clear, I’ve not played all of the great games this year (I do have a life you know!) so this is from what I’ve played ok?<br />
<br />
<br />
Alpha Protocol – ok I’ll be honest I’d never heard of this before I bought the game after seeing some of the adverts for it. A spy RPG? Sounds kind of cool. Well it is kind of cool for about 2 or 3 plays but after this it sort looses what flash it has, you that one trick pony? Well this is it I mean the controls are ok, the story is deluded, while the camera can be frustrating leaving the game enjoyable and yet frustrating wanting more. Its a game I want to hate, but just cant – its a .... a ..... a pug – you know it just does look like a dog but it gives you those eyes and you fall for it like a sap.<br />
<br />
Fable 3 – Fable 2 was a fantastic game and was very well polished, the third iteration in this franchise thought it was fun to use copy, paste, and buff – problem is you buff too much the shit comes through. The game has a great sense of humour (very English / Python like) and has a pick up and play mechanic – the shit lies with the story, I mean it just lacks any life what so ever which makes the game slightly dull. To add insult to injury the game is buggy as hell and after a while I’ve sort of given up with finding fault and just got on playing it <br />
<br />
Medal of Honour – you know I was excited to hear a new modern age of Medal of Honour was being released. “Finally” I thought “Something to for real shooting fans to play on and we can leave all the dicks in Modern Warfare.” Oh how wrong was I, while the game has a very realistic look and feel to the game it feels hollow. I mean Call of Duty games drag you in kicking and screaming into the action while Medal of Honour sort of leaves you alone with a sign saying “I’m a good game, give me a go”. Best to leave it in the corner of the dance floor for now.<br />
<br />
Naughty Bear – ok this one is going to be short. The game is like the Teletubbies on acid! Seriously its all cuddly and fluffy with bright colours everywhere ..... then you take an axe to things, or a sword, or golf club – seriously funny and good to distress with.<br />
<br />
<br />
Halo Reach – you know I have to admit something here, I’m not a Halo fan (ducks for cover from flying fanboy shit). Yes you heard me right, the story just felt disconnected – “I’m a space marine, he’s an alien we fight blah blah blah blah”. I mean come on its nothing we’ve not heard before right? Well Reach sort of took all of the good points of this series and made this game. The story actually felt like I should care about it, the characters felt engaging (even if their deaths were poor), and the controls finally fit. Multi-player finally added a “No-Dickheads” option which means I can enjoy an online game without the 12 year old screaming how bad I suck down my left ear. All in all a worthy end to what has been the Xbox work horse for the last few years.<br />
<br />
Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley – ok I’m now a fan of Twisted Pixel I mean come on this game was funny, it had the humour levels of Conkers Bad Fur Day, simple controls, and references left right and centre to films, tv, and games. Minor issue – its on 11 with the weird stuff all the time and the Manga section just made me feel almost ill with its craziness!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-13510433179586492032010-11-10T12:45:00.000-08:002010-11-10T12:45:05.140-08:00The truth to how I broke a bone in my footOk so here it is – how it all happened!<br />
<br />
For the last 6 weeks I’ve had a broken bone in my foot which as I have told everyone came from me “falling over my own feet”. Well that’s kind of true, and kind of not as I’ve left out some of the details of the tale mainly down to me signing an NDA or non-disclosure agreement as a result of product testing.<br />
<br />
So I hear you all cry just what the hell were you testing to break a bone in your foot? Well for the last 2 months I have been taking part in a closed beta session for Kinect – you know the new motion controller for Microsoft? Yeah that!<br />
<br />
So I’ve had a unit since the end of August and I’ve been under an NDA since then about the whole topic. Anyway back to the point here, I broke a bone in my foot playing Kinect Sports – more accurately on the 100m running section of the game in a mulitplayer against my brother.<br />
<br />
I simply was in free space with no objects (just another person by the side of me) and was running on the spot when my foot went under from me and I felt a sudden sickening pain as I went over and had to pull up (most importantly loosing the race). The worst part is the sadistic thing filmed the entire event and played it back to me almost as if it was laughing at what a prat I’ve been.<br />
<br />
The replay showed it clear as day that I simply just had my foot bend underneath me and with all my weight (please no jokes) I went and snapped a bone in my foot. While my younger brother has found this highly hilarious (as well as a few very close friends) it was my own fault and a freak accident of my own making<br />
<br />
Now go ahead and laugh!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-46330381980276570232010-11-09T12:49:00.001-08:002010-11-09T12:49:31.192-08:00A return to actionRight I'm back in the mood as I can begin to write again freely (reasons coming soon) and will start my return to the blog with an answer to a question - just how did I break my foot?<br />
<br />
Easy come back later!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-43951494360147222922010-09-11T05:49:00.000-07:002010-09-11T05:49:02.806-07:00A small requestSo I don't want to seem like an attention whore but could I ask people something who have a look at this page - please leave comments I always welcome feedback and would like to hear what people think of my writings. Cheers!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-62257233934300340692010-09-11T05:46:00.000-07:002010-09-11T05:46:03.467-07:00PAX talk - part 3 - post PAX talkTime for the final part of this epic post, so I’m now back home in the UK and it’s been 2 days since I arrived back in the UK (I’ve used these to have some form of recovery since I had a few hours sleep on the plane home but the previous few days had caught up with me and so I slept for 13.5 hours but was SO refreshed afterwards!). Anyhow to finish of the games commentary:<br />
<br />
F1 2010 – so this is the game that many F1 fans have been waiting for. This game is unlike any driving sim I’ve ever played since there have not been that many F1 games made. So to start I had a go at the game and one of the people from the booth comes over and this is how the conversation went: <br />
“So what do you think?” <br />
“Yeah it looks great and feels really realistic but this whole auto-brake thing is getting to me as I like to race.” <br />
“Ok so let me just tweak this and this and there you go.” <br />
“Holy crap!! This is a whole new game and so much more realistic.” <br />
“So you thinking of buying it now?” <br />
“Erm yeah I’m into the F1 and now I know it’s so much more I no doubt will when we see it in Europe”<br />
<br />
KillZone 3D – so this would be one of the only games to be demoed at the event with both a 2D and 3D version of the game. So people who know me know that I’m not a huge fan of the whole 3D fad (yes I call it a fad as I am sure Hollywood will find a new toy to play with soon) and when it comes to watching movies I tend to prefer to 2D experience. Anyhow back to the game, so it’s on the PS3 and I’m still getting used to the controller but the whole game felt smooth (even though it was an early alpha build) and looked stunning and right away I was into the game (note this is only in the 2D form at the moment while I wait for a 3D station to come free). So the 2D version plays great, now onto the 3D version – while the game loses some of that that HD shine that the 2D version had the added depth to the game was a refreshing change I even found myself beginning to duck (yes physically move into cover) and dive around as I wandered around the level. So basically in 3D is doesn’t have the shine of 2D but it has the imersive experience that what the hardcore gamer craves.<br />
<br />
So one thing about walking around the hall floor is that many of the exhibitors have free stuff to hand out to promote their games, and you need a good bag with you to store this during the day. I’ve come back home with twice as many t-shirts than when I left (and I only bought 3 of them). I didn’t manage to collect all of the pieces that were available (there just wasn’t time) but there are so many other things to pick up such as a free Disney sketch at the Nintendo booth to promote Epic Mickey, Duke Nuke’Em t-shirts and mints (disguised as steroids), Assassins Creed Brotherhood shirts (only when you pre-order so useless for us in Europe), Dragon Age 2 shirts (they’d all gone when I got there), Guild wars 2 stuff (so much stuff!!), Marvel vs. Capcom 3 shirts (you had to win 3 games I didn’t manage 1 as I got triple play combed in the fight), the list goes on as this was just on main hall floor as there was a whole 2 / 3 other floors for board games, card games, and RPG games.<br />
<br />
One thing I have heard (over the twitter wire) is that some people are experiencing the PAX Plague - not me! I took anti-bacterial gel with me and used it all the time, but mainly after I would play a game or shake hands with someone (and they don’t take offense at it (in fact Wil Wheaton wont shake hands with people to avoid the whole plague)). So if you’re thinking about going then I would advise taking some to help defeat the bugs, oh and another thing that may have helped was showering 2 - 3 times a day (how can people not shower when you’re in a hot room like that - mind you they say that the smell of PAX is eau'd sweaty geek - erugh!)<br />
<br />
<br />
To summarise the whole trip, the people are awesome and so chatty (weather its being stuck in a queue for a panel or a game or just going into the event), the food is great with many great places to eat out for breakfast, lunch (oh my word there is a place on 7th and Pike which does epic sandwiches – that is all) and evening meals, the event itself is massive and 3 days is just not enough to do it all (and that leaves you wanting more), and as for the city well its fantastic to wander around. In all I’m going back next year since the whole experience was awesome and I met so many people who I want to see again just to catch up withDrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-71781210276111974532010-09-11T05:34:00.001-07:002010-09-11T05:34:39.597-07:00PAX talk - part 2 - the games and the floorAfternoon from a very muggy / clammy terminal in NYC. So where was I? That’s right the show floor, so I sort of skipped over the table top and card game areas of the convention as it’s not something that I am into (not saying never but just not this time) and hit the main expo floor. Within the hall contained one (of what I can imagine has caused many a games journalists to chew hat) games which was Duke Nuke’Em Forever (DNF as a joke) of which sadly I missed due to the immense line which surrounded the booth. Also on the show floor (which I didn’t also play) was Medal of Honour, Mortal Kombat, Gears of War 3, Halo Reach (funny point here – this had the longest queue of the Microsoft booth and its only 2 weeks away can some people just not wait?), and both Kinnect and the Sony Play. Now to the games that I managed to get my hands on. <br />
<br />
Dragon Age 2 -this was only the first 15 minutes of the game (stuck in a loop and of course I was one of the few to hit the loop) and felt like an early build of the game. So the game now runs a lot smoother and looks better thanks to an improved graphics engine. The story has been tweaked to last longer (in game time only not on play time since the game sits around the 30 hr mark already), and the dialogue seemed to borrow from Mass Effect 2 in the way you selected. Yet by far the biggest improvement was in the combat as you now are able to attack straight away instead of what felt like the roll of a dice – not something you think about till you play 2. All in all a good improvement but I still prefer Mass Effect.<br />
<br />
Six Strings – ok this is another music game for console (but only being made in the US for the moment) but this one has a unique twist. It comes with a full band set but the guitar is an actual electric guitar which can be plugged into any amp and you can strum away on the 6 six strings. The game itself has a massive learning curve if like me you’ve never played a guitar in the real world before. Songs we solid and mechanic was slandered.<br />
<br />
Fable 3 – yeah so this is all on finished and was a practically finished version. Not much needed changing from 2 anyway since it was already a solid game. Unfortunately none of the new features were shown so it looks and feels better but the new features I can’t pass comment on.<br />
<br />
Other games – so while there was also a tonne of games at the show (too many to name) there was some unique MMO takes out there with a 3rd person shooter take, and an RTS take both of which caught my eye.<br />
<br />
So PAX games and talks were awesome, and while your their the people are truly awesome as you can stand in line and chat away with very like minded people (hence the convention) of which many of whom are on Twitter – note that at a show like this where everyone is a tech geek wifi and twitter are a must since no phone signal can be obtained.<br />
<br />
Right so time to pause again as I need to cool off.DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-14007460605206575792010-09-11T05:33:00.000-07:002010-09-11T05:33:39.524-07:00PAX talk - part 1 - the Seattle storySo good morning from Seattle! Well Sea-Tac (Seattle Tacoma airport). So it’s time to fly home now and I have to say that this holiday (I NEARLY put vacation there – need to switch back to English mode) was absolutely epic and I doubt that it could be topped.<br />
<br />
So Seattle is such a fantastic city, it’s quite similar to a medium sized European city such as Manchester, in the sense that it is quite compact with what it has within it while at the same time having quite a number of tall buildings within this compact space. The views from the Space Needle were truly epic as you even see as far as Canada in one direction and to Mount St Helens in the other (yeah I know I’m from a place with a similar name sake there). So people thought I was odd for walking from what was one end of Seattle (where the Space Needle and Sci-Fi/Music museums are located) to the other end (where Qwest field is) but then again walking doesn’t bother me. <br />
<br />
From exploring the city to exploring PAX or Penny Arcade Expo, where geek culture comes to exchange tales, play games (and transfer bugs it seems as some people found out with the PAX-plague – not me I planned ahead with anti-bacterial gel hand wash). While at the convention I attended many talks including the key note given by Warren Spector (the guy who gave us Deus Ex, Thief, and soon to give us Epic Mickey). The key note speech provided the audience with questions about its future position within society as we move forward in the 21st century, this mainly was around how gamers would have to evolve and accept new forms of gaming such as social media gaming into the fold in order to be accepted into the main stream and taken seriously as an art form such as Movies.<br />
<br />
As well as the key note I attended other panels such as the Penny Arcade Q+A (1st session only), Roosterteeth, Major Nelson, Xbox Enforcement, Totally Rad Show Live, and a talk by Wil Wheaton. Many of these are just a panel of people who address the audience around a topic (with some even being recorded) and then having a chance for a Q+A with the panellists. I have to say I never went to a bad panel and I even had the courage to stand up on the microphone and ask a question at the Major Nelson panel (I say courage as the entire show was recorded live, and on listening back to the audio (found at MajorNelson.com) I do sound terribly British and all stiff upper lip – I don’t sound like that do I??). Some of the panellist will hang out after the show for a chance to meet the fans and take photos so I did just that and met all of the presenters from the Revision 3 show The Totally Rad show – all of which are totally rad guys!<br />
<br />
Outside of the panels there is the expo hall, and within this there so many areas which cater for different things from table top gaming, to card games, to RPG’s, to video games. There is also a place where many of the fans (like me) can go to buy merchandise of certain things. In my case this was from the Roosterteeth guys who also work on their booth to sell the stuff, but it is also a chance for them to meet their fans and for them to meet the team – so yeah I met most of the team such as Joel, Gus, Brandon, Geoff, and Jack who were all awesome. <br />
<br />
Beyond the merch booths there was a small area where many of the bands who were playing at the evening concerts (such as Paul and Storm) would be selling stuff as well as signing it, there was a table where signings could take place and on Saturday I got to meet one of the most awesome dudes in Geek history – Wil Wheaton (you know the dude who played Wesley Crusher in Star trek and is the villain in shows such as The Big Bang Theory and The Guild) and I even had a photo taken with him which was epic and I totally went blank and gibbered but I guess that is to be expected when you meet someone as well respected in the geek community as Wil frigging Wheaton!!!<br />
<br />
So going to take a break here as they are calling the flight now – next stop NYC!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-55905691393848453172010-09-11T05:32:00.000-07:002010-09-11T05:32:15.994-07:00The post PAX reviewRight so the next few posts will be my post PAX review and have been written at different times so to show you my thoughts as they were at the time I'm going to split them up into 3 parts so bear with me while I try to think of epic titlesDrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-23528691035798648992010-09-10T15:34:00.001-07:002010-09-10T15:34:25.763-07:00PAX WarningRight so at the moment I am in the middle of writing a post-PAX report and just need to find 5 minutes to complete it - so something is coming so bear with me please!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-61923222790410321022010-09-01T13:31:00.001-07:002010-09-01T13:31:23.204-07:00Hello from JFK over in NYC (beware the ackn are gt'n wrse)!!Right so I’m going to kill some time while here in at JFK airport over in New York (t-minus 1.45hr’s to boarding as I write this). Flight over this morning / afternoon was interesting since this is the first flight I have ever taken on my own. This in turn led to its own fun when I have my own take on the Al Murray sketch (you know the one I mean – I’m the one guy on the plane going “please god let this plane take off”) this also crept back in when we hit some turbulence over Iceland which we had to fly over (well increase our altitude from 34,000 ft to 38,000 ft).<br />
As for the in flight entertainment well I can only say this – Please can American Airlines get with the 21st sodding century and install custom screens in the back of the seats on international flights? I mean come on – it’s not fair to subject an entire flight to The Bounty Hunter (I’m not going to justify a commentary on it!!!) – I mean come on please let me have some choice to what movies I watch? If this is the case on all of the American Airlines fleet then next time I’m flying on a British carrier!<br />
So JFK is well dull I mean it’s an airport – you’re not meant to hang around here your meant to pass through, so right now I’m sat with American’s all around me wittering on (its funny that word it is rather English, isn’t it?) while I sit here all modern drinking my Mango smoothie (yes I’m drinking a smoothie its a sugar boost) which packs a hell of a kick I have to say and puts the one I have in the cinema to shame. I’ve eaten (not trusting Airline food after earlier on where it was Hawaiian chicken (not bad but I’ve had better) followed by a cheese and ham sandwich (stone cold and what’s the deal with this sandwich can i just get some normal ham sandwiches that I’m unable to bludgeon someone to death with please? I mean is it too much to ask???).<br />
Well that’s killed about 10 minutes, guess I’ll go read Twitter, or Facebook, or even the news (don’t get me started about the US so called news) to pass some more of the time. Oh well there is only this flight between me and Seattle now then 24 hours later its PAX time!DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-42675257973698161892010-08-31T09:43:00.000-07:002010-08-31T09:43:26.935-07:00Scott PilgrimI saw the trailer for this film back when I saw Kick Ass in the early part in the year (no doubt targeted marketing?), and thought that the film look kinda fun and would be worth a watch. So fast forward about 4/5 months and I've now watched it.<br />
<br />
The whole idea of this film is guy meets girl, guy asks girl out, they date, has to defeat evil ex's, battle ensues and boy and girl learn lesson (ok so that takes it to a sort of caveman level). Right from the first noise / image of the film title sequence people who are over 23 think back to the EARLY days of gaming on Master System, SNES, NES, Game Boy Attari, Commadore ... etc (don't need to go on do I?). From here on in the video game refference so of come at you thick and face from the classics such as Zelda (in my own words the whole film plays like an ode to Ocerina of time) and Mario righ up to modern games such as Rock Band.<br />
<br />
While were on the subject of music, the film has both a score and soundtrack which suits it to the ground. On the OST they pick the perfect writing artist in the form of Beck who covers the main band songs from the film (with the oh so blatent game refference band name Sex Ba-Bomb) which works really well. <br />
<br />
Overall this film feels like a game being played out and has an out there sense of humor which relates to its target audience. Acting wise the film holds well with Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead both pulling off their roles rather well and the film also has great comic moments with guest slots in the form of (the one time Superman - studio words not mine!) Brandon Rooth and Chris Evans (the former Human Torch of FF fame and now Captain America).<br />
<br />
So is it worth watching? YES! But I would say that people who don't really get the comic book / gaming / geek culture no doubt will poo poo the film (á la Vanity fair) while those who are too into the culuture (yeah I think I belong in the shallow end of that pool) will drool over it, and rest will give it a go.DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-37165644699165789552010-08-16T14:39:00.003-07:002010-08-16T14:39:18.851-07:00Inception - HAROOMPH!!! The Audience is listening Mr Zimmer<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Generator"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Originator"></meta><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBenjamin%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBenjamin%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBenjamin%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:1;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0cm;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;
mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Right so I will honestly say that from watching the trailers for this film I had no frigging clue what the hell was going on here in regards a story<i> </i>I had to read / watch some review just to get an understanding of what I thought looked cool (after all trailers have deceived me before – I’m looking at you Clash of the Titans and Dorian Grey). So Inception comes from Director Chris Nolan (who as the media keeps saying is British by birth and raised in the USA so he’s a Brit doing well in the states who sounds nothing like us but he’s ours so hands off!) the man behind things like The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, and The Illusionist. The easiest way to describe this movie is a reverse heist i.e. it is not the stealing but the planting of an item, in this case an idea. The film progresses in a logical manor and follows the very simple rules of movies such as set the rules, show what can and cannot be broken and what happens when you try to break them. The film does this very well and has some superb action in it (this mainly takes place in a hotel and in Zero-G (sort of)) and while good old Hans Zimmer has an excellent score (even though he throws musical grenades every now and again to make sure the audience hasn’t zone out completely to the plot (that just be my experience on the IMAX screen with 12,000W speakers)) there is something which lacks in this film and it comes from the actors – we call it emotion! Yes I didn’t buy it from Leo he just did nothing for me while Ellen Page ....... sorry I zone out there, Ellen Page ........ Oh damn it!!! Her (got it!) really shows what a good actress she is and can play serious well (unlike Juno where I wanted to kill her for almost the entire movie!). This is a movie that is nothing like the Matrix in the sense of the story / plot but is entirely like the Matrix in the fact that it leaves its interpretation entirely open to the viewer making it a pleasure to watch over and over again (unlike some films – ergh Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions)<o:p></o:p></span></div>DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681534693210197336.post-21317321904783282122010-08-16T14:38:00.001-07:002010-08-16T14:38:10.517-07:00Toy Story 3 - Time to retire yet?<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Generator"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Originator"></meta><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBenjamin%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBenjamin%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBenjamin%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:1;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0cm;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;
mso-header-margin:36.0pt;
mso-footer-margin:36.0pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">You know it’s been 15 years since we first saw Woody and Buzz on the screen and to be honest not much has changed since then. Disney right on trend releases this film in Disney Digital 3D (DD3D?) so it look beautiful again (but as always the glasses (that’s the 3D ones not my own) add a barrier to the whole film). So this time around we see Andy is off to College (that’s University for us real people) and like most people who go off to this place they have to have a sort out of all of their stuff which include many childhood items. Chaos ensues when Andy’s mum mistakes a bag of toys for donation (on a side note you think she would check this time as previously she has had a habit of throwing things out by accident – see Toy Story 2), so Woody to the rescue or so we think as they toys end up at a sort of retirement home for toys (also known as Day-care or Nursery), which is run by an evil teddy bear – they stay Woody goes, Woody returns, they break out ... blah blah blah – yeah it’s a Pixar movie so you know it’s going to be good. What I thought was spectacular was a scene where all of the toys realise that this is the end and that there is now no way out (at this point ¾ of the audience are in tears while the other ¼ (which includes me) are sitting there going “This is a Disney film isn’t it? So I expect the heroes to live!). Again what could be a fitting end to the series but if Disney wants to spin even more money out of this poor cow then it is possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>DrDogberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761774515001258415noreply@blogger.com0