Welcome Back To Rapture

Yes I'm back! The damp walls. The splicer corpses. The familiar thudding of a big daddy in the distance. Yep, it's Rapture all right. And that means one thing - I'm playing BioShock 2, the sequel to probably my favourite game of all time. I've only just started, but I'm liking what I'm seeing. Strangely enough, it's the multiplayer which has captivated me so far. It kind of plays somewhere between a Modern Warfare 2/Team Fortress 2 game, with fast paced, leveled action meeting funny power-ups, booby trapped vending machines and turrets and awesome levels. Very fun indeed.

So I can't give you my final review tonight, I'll try and get back on later and finish it as soon as I've completed the game. So far, it's weird to say too, but the graphics somehow don't seem as clean as the original. But other than that I can't see many flaws. The new plasmid/weapons duel wield combos are great, along with the new weapons, and I'm liking the new challenges which are appearing in the game (and of course the awesome multiplayer). Watch this space, but I'm just glad to be back in my world under the sea...

The Wolfman

The university I started at was holding a few orientation specials at various bars and places around the city. Not being the bar type, I decided to tag along to a student's screening of The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins amongst others. The original 1941 film is one of my favourite classic horror films, but I was excited about the prospect of a remake since I first about it last year. Mistake? Yes.

The film just didn't work. At all. Del Toro was awkward as the main lead, with Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving just plain bad and corny in their portrayals. I mean every time Weaving walks into a shot there is a dramatic close up, pause and then brooding look before he orders someone around. $150 million for this crap? Puh-lease! Although the werewolves do look marginally scary, the transformation into them is bad and the way the director relies on cheap scares rather than actually putting the time into making a suspenseful chase scene or the like is just woeful. I don't scare easily so the film just looked absolutely pitiful.

The movie barely drags itself along to the final scenes with a showdown between two werewolves - lame - and an anticlimactic ending - rubbish! What a serious waste of some good plot potential. What happened to the days of suspense and whodunits and chase scenes with less gore and more more? Now there's only bad movies with severed clitorises (Seriously, does AntiChrist have that? Man I wanna see that movie!). Avoid the film and tell your friends to as well. At least it only cost $5 to get in.

Better Apocalypse! But A Sour Taste...

So after many months of following Left 4 Dead 2 (and actually a month or two since I finished playing it and have moved onto other games!) here I am finally writing a review about it! Overall I think the sequel to the epitome of zombie games (yes that's right Dead Rising, you suck) does a pretty good job of not only following up the first game's rage success, but also manages to build on it and make for a unique and interesting second installment.

As mused in my previous posts on the game, Left 4 Dead 2 has several new game modes (Scavenge is quite enjoyable), melee weapons, including my favourites the axe and the chainsaw, adrenaline shots and defibrillators, and several new zombies (charger and spitter ftw!) and weapons. I addition, the levels aren't the same muck of "go here, set off alarm, get to safe house, rinse and repeat". Some levels you must get past difficult areas without setting off the alarm, or gather items to fuel cars or the like. Other time you must go back through a level, so reserving your weapons and ammo is key. But like the first game, the achievements are quite fun to get, which is one thing I'm glad was retained (Gnome Chompski is a huge pain in the ass, but seeing his glowing face as you bash a few hundred zombies with him is just heartwarming).

However. And this is a huge however. Like HUGE. I cannot access the multiplayer on the game. I search for matches and all I get back is "No game found, creating lobby". I found one scavenge game which lagged like hell, but I've only been able to join friend's games. At first I thought it was my connection. Hell, my internet sucks despite the fact I'm paying for a good stream. And then someone told me it was because I had the censored version of the game from Australia. However, neither were the case. I'm not the only one having trouble - many many players from around Oceania are having the same problem. For some reason we cannot connect to Valve's servers.

So can I give an unbiased review with a major portion of the game being barred from my view? Probably not - it really does halve the enjoyment of the game. From what I've played the game is solid and well made, but to have so many affected by such a horrible issue is just shameful. Maybe there will be an update, but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm Back! For Tonight Anyway...

Well it's been a hectic few weeks now - I've started university with four papers on the trot and fifty hour weeks and I just haven't had time to write, game or even sleep. My hand healed up fine, allowing me to play Left 4 Dead 2 through and Prototype which I also bought - it's a shabby looking game, but with some fun gameplay (although the script, characters and achievements are pretty lame). I also managed to buy BioShock 2! My review so far on that, and Left 4 Dead 2, will be posted after this, but suffice to say that I'm pretty stoked with what I've played so far.

There are a few games which escaped my buying spree; Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect 2 to name a few; so I'll be sure to go through the list and bring you my views on them, although admittedly they'll be a few months old by the time I reach them. With all my workload now I doubt I'll be able to keep as current as I was for a while, but I'll do my best. Bear with me.

Left 4 Dead 2 Musings

My hand healed up slightly and before I could control myself, I was playing Left 4 Dead 2. After following the game for many months before its' release, I was looking forward to finally playing it. I haven't finished it fully since my hand is not what it used to be, but so far I'm very impressed by the campaign. There's a lot more to do and a lot more variety this time around, and the game prospers for it. Unfortunately, I cannot connect to any online games. For some reason, Valve's servers are not allowing me to connect, and I'm not the only one from this part of the world with the problem. In fact, I've read all over the internet that people are having trouble connecting to games. This is most disappointing because Left 4 Dead was so much fun online, and the second installment only promised to be more so. I'll keep you posted, but I think it'll be a cool day in hell before I get any enjoyment out of my internet or the game. *Sigh*

Peter Jackson's Lovely Bones

I haven't read the book, but after seeing The Lovely Bones at the cinema yesterday, I absolutely think everyone should watch the movie! I was told I was coming to the Lovely Bones yesterday at the last minute by a friend - knowing it was by the masterful Peter Jackson, she didn't have to ask me twice. I'd heard a lot of bad things about the film, but it just goes to show that you should never listen to what others say about anything, good or bad. In my eyes, Peter Jackson is renown for his spectacular works, the Lord of the Rings and the King Kongs, but having been an avid Jackson fan from Heavenly Creatures, it didn't matter to me that he'd taken on a more subdued subject - probably why people were disappointed when seeing the movie.

However, the film is not short of special effects - Jackson's take on heaven is astounding. Forget the plain white clouds and looking glass into the world below, and think more an LSD trip of amazing beauty which interacts with the living world without words in a way you can't fully understand. The film centres around a young girl who is raped and murdered by a neighbour, although much of the film is about what follows - her family after the event, the relationships they have - as told by the girl herself from the afterlife, as she struggles to deal with her death.

What Peter Jackson created in the film was nothing short of brilliant. The film has laughs, scares, drama and more than enough of tears. I could not find fault with any of the actors and their performances - from Mark Walhberg as a struggling father, to Rachel Weisz who must leave her husband as he copes with the loss, to Stanley Tucci who delivers a chilling performance as a serial killer. The film draws you into the film's characters and plot so intently that you can't turn away. It makes you understand that when you murder someone, you not only take away their life, but every moment that person has left - seeing these moments pass by as the dead girl (Saoirse Ronan) watches on from heaven is very saddening and profound, leaving the film with you long after it's over.

I honestly don't know why the film has received such bad reviews. Between the solid acting, the emotive storyline and the unique Jackson take on a much loved book, I cannot see that much fault to warrant it. If people wanted to see a vicious rape and murder as described in the book, then maybe they should go read it again, for the story isn't about lingering on the girl's death, it's about her journey forward from it. I'd definitely say that The Lovely Bones is amongst my favourite movies of late and I look forward to seeing Jackson's upcoming films if they're anything like his previous ones.

Happy New Year!

Soz, no video. College Humor was being a lil beotch. But here's one from YouTube instead.