Space Battleship Yamato live action movie

Hollywood has turned it's all seeing eye on the world of Anime and it scares me. The Wachowski Bro's site their inspiration for The Matrix was in large part because of Ghost in the Shell,; the first Matrix is a great movie but the same cannot be said for the second and third. More recently I've read that Tobey Macguire is interested in producing a Robotech live action movie, ugh don't even get me started on the fact that Robotech is a reguritated scrambled mess of three completely unrelated anime series and that the first Robotech saga is a poor retelling of Super Dimentional Fortress Macross! Then the Wachowski's did a live action Speed Racer....
Then hollywood gave us Astroboy an animated movie based on the anime series; what was the point in making that movie!!!???? It's like writing a novel based on a short story...they're both from the same genre!
And lately I heard the Akira live action movie has been put on the back burner....I hope it stays there. Hollywood is pathetically trying to turn anything and everything in a movie, things that shouldn't be concidered like video games (look how well they turn out) and now Anime.
I can't say live action versions of anime can't be good because I watched the live action Death Note
films and the first one was actually very good, the second wasn't bad but the first was definately a good film and stayed true to the source material....and it wasn't made in hollywood!
Today I learned of the live action version of Space Battleship Yamato, I was very young but this is one of the early series, like Battle of the Planets and Galaxy Railways that grabbed the attention many kids my age.

Sherlock Holmes Review

Hey kids, did ya know Sherlock Holmes occasionally dabbled with cocaine and heroin?

Back in the early eighties I used to watch the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes presented by Mystery on 13....yes PBS, laugh it up. But they were fun to watch, it wasn't till I was in high school that I began reading Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and discovered the character was even more fascinating...PBS never showed Holmes shooting up! Once I discovered the depth and intricacies of Sherlock Holmes I was hooked, how many detective characters are as unorthodox as Sherlock Holmes? I always enjoyed reading about his oddball methodology to solving crimes.

Guy Ritchie directed this "re-boot" of Arthur Conan Doyles master detective and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Sherlock Holmes, initially I wasn't sold on the casting but Downey's been on a roll since Tropic Thunder in my opinion, and he didn't let me down in this. There were certain scenes where I felt RDJ took liberties with the character (silencer scene) but I went to the interwebs and did a little detective work of my own and I was wrong, Robert Downey Jr nailed the left-of-center, bohemian, hermit characteristics Arthur Conan Doyle built the character with perfectly. The scene where Watson drags Holms to meet Mary was another brilliant display of RDJ's knowledge of the character. It showcased Holmes lack of social skills but also how he narcistically touted his conclusions from the most miniscule hints. Regretibly I think the advertising totally missed the mark as most trailers focused on the action and that's not what a Sherlock Holmes story is about. A good example is the bare knuckle fight in the trailer, the point wasn't to show Holmes was a proficient fighter; which he was, but to give a glimpse into his methodology and how his problem solving skills were similar to how an engineer would solve a problem. Another impressive performance from Robert Downey Jr.!

Jude Law as Dr. Watson complemented Downey Jr's Holmes very well and the two really worked well together on screen. I didn't realize Jude Law had been in an episode of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes so he was already familiar with material and seemed very comfortable in the role of Dr. Watson.

Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler fit in well as "the woman" in Sherlock Holmes life, she was convincing as a woman who could handle herself in the shadowy underworld of turn of the century England.

All in all an enjoyable movie that gives the ol' boy a shot in the arm of 21st century action which was definately not in the old Mystery! series. The sets were fantastic and really drew you into the story and assisted in defining the characters personalities. The mystery in Sherlock Holmes isn't who did it, but how is he (Lord Blackwell) doing it? It reminded me alot of The Prestige but not as good. The final confrontation between Blackwell and Holmes was a little Scooby doo in my opinion, I almost expected Blackwell to say "And I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for for you meddling kids and that dog off yours grumble grumble grumble".

Enjoyable but not memorable...

B

Merry Christmas from Free Swim

Merry Christmas from everyone at Free Swim to you and your's! Ok gotta run back to Modern Warfare 2 ^_^ see ya!

Avatar Review

Apparantly over the last decade James Cameron discovered the Secret of Mana...

Avatar is without a doubt beautiful to behold, Pandora's flora and fauna are spectacular works of CGI, I can understand how the masses are mezmerized by what they're seeing on the silver screen. The hyper realism of the Naavi in the film is impressive, I wouldn't be so bold as to say they were indistinguishable from human actors, but they were impressive none the less.

Visuals aside Avatar is as original as a xerox machine, I know I'll be branded a hater for my opinions, so be it. Folks, there's a really good reason why there's so many comparisons to Pocahontas on youtube, it's true.

Did I enjoy Avatar? Of course, it was an enjoyable story with gorgeous visuals, but for me nothing I haven't seen before.
Lets begin with the main story arc, there's a company that is mining unobtainium (ughh) on Pandora. An eden-like planet with fantastical flora and fauna. I can understand how many joe-movie goers were probably floored by Pandora's fantastic visuals...oooh floating islands with waterfalls that somehow don't run out of water. But it's nothing new for those of us who've played role playing games like Final Fantasy XI or World of Warcraft or those of us who watch anime. Again if you've never done either of those I'm sure Pandora was mind blowing, and the concept of a "nueral network" among all the living things on Pandora might've seemed radical but again not a new concept at all! Final Fantasy titles have used the idea of Mana and/ or Gaia, the idea that all living things, including he planet are connected for decades....play FinalFantasy VII or watch Final Fantasy the spirits within.
Giovanni Ribisi plays Parker Selfridge a project manager that only cares about himself and the money. His character might as well have been named Carter Burke. The RDA company contracts a PMC "Sec Ops" not "Spec Ops" to protect their interests on Pandora...cause like a shake and bake colony the equipment is mad expensive...enter macho space marine Colonel Miles Quaritch played by Stephen Lang...he's not on Pandora to rescue some juicy colonists daughters from their virginity, he's all about blowing shit up! With a name like Miles Quaritch I automatically thought "this dude is from the south, he luvs his guns, George Bush is from the South...hmmm" Maybe that's just me. Personally I preferred Lieutenant Gorman, Apone, Hudson, Vasquez, Drake, Frost and the Colonial Marines from Aliens.
Next we meet ex marine Jake Sully, he's just a grunt...no offense. Jake's paralyzed....he needs magic legs. I almost fell out of my seat laughing at this! Ok, it's the year 2154, we can travel to distant worlds and grow beings of another race and magically transfer our conscience to this shell yet poor Jake can't get a new pair of legs WTF!?
Sigourney Weaver plays Grace Augustine head of the Avatar program that I mentioned above, basically they grow biological replica's of the indiginous species on Pandora, the Na'vi and somehow tranfer a humans conscience into this shell. So Grace headed up race relations between the Humans and the Na'vi while the RDA mined all the unobtainium. Problem is the Na'vi live around the world trade center of Pandora which also happens to have the largest supply of unobtainium. So the human's try to relocate the blue Mithra http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/intro/about/class01.html?pageID=about

oops sorry the Na'vi but they ain't havin it, so that's where Jake comes in, Colonel Miles Quaritch makes a deal with Sully; bring him double secret intel on the Na'vi and he'll show Sully the power to keep Padme from dying...no wrong movie sorry. He'll get Jake new legs!
Who knew Jake would fall in love with a scantilly clad Mithra and sympathize with the Native Ameri....Na'vi.
The movie culminates into a rediculous final battle where Quaritch and his PMC plan to drop a motherload of bombs on a Na'vi religous site, the Tree of Souls, but Jake Liono rallies the Mithra tribes and we get 2010's version of the Battle of Endor.

Avater was thrilling to watch but once the movie was over and I was walking out of the theater I didn't have the same energetic feeling I had when seeing T2 or Aliens in the theater. So all the supposed money put into this movie and I still prefered Cameron's older movies.
And to all those that point at the money the movie made, allow me to remind you that IMAX 3-D tickets are $25.00+! And wasn't Cameron saying this movie was made with 3-D in mind...?
B-

S-kill on Xplay talking up SSFIV

Seth Killian on X Play talking up Super Street Fighter IV, Juri Vs DeeJay on the new India stage!

FFXIII release date announcement

And the Street date is..........March 9th, 2010!

Super Street Fighter IV New Modes Trailer

Capcom releases a new trailer that shows off all the new modes!

-Much anticipated Team Battle gets implemented. You can choose the rule (2 on 2 to 4 to 4) yourselves.

-When you select this mode in Request Mode and enter Arcade, you don't have to wait again in the Lobby for your partners to come, as they will already have selected READY, so no waiting. No waiting time.

-You can find a random partner, but also invite a friend for a team.

-Lobbies, you can gather peeps to watch fights together, night after night.

-'When you get tired and want to watch tv, don't touch the remote just yet!', because you can watch replays instead.

-In SFIV you had to click on each and every replay you want to watch, now you can watch a bunch of them with one button based on categories.

-No limit on replay saves (those that you watch on the Channel at least). Prolly. (their words in red) (Whether you can save all fights you want is still unanswered, but god I so hope so)

-Testing Team is busy day and night.

-Work in development, so everything can still get changed!

James Cameron's Vision Featurette

Macross Frontier Movie Trailer

The first trailer for the Macross Frontier movie! This clip is titled the False Diva
. Decultcha! In theaters 11-21-09

Super Street Fighter IV Super promo trailer #1

Super Street Fighter IV teaser Trailer

So Street Fighter IV Dash is offically titled Super Street Fighter IV, yet we now have ultra's...ok show me more Capcom!

FFXIV TGS 09 Teaser Trailer

Check out the trailer for Square Enix's upcoming MMO FFXIV, Looks like Humes, Taru Taru, Mithra, Elvaan and Galka are the species du jour on Eorza! The trailer is amazing makes me want to return to Vana Diel

Happy Labor Day America

Hey America, unemployment is nearly ten percent, and that's not taking into account all those unemployed Americans not recieving "benefits"!

All those who have lost their jobs, homes, or family members serving our great country while the Bernie Madoff's fleece this country take a break today you earned it!

And for all of us working today, I suppose the silver lining is that...hey ya still have a job, it may suck, but it beats the alternative.

Cheers!

Jennifer's Body S. American one sheet

Aye Aye Aye

Jo meng dis movie eez is gonna be mucho bueno! September 18th you have a choice spend your hard earned money on another mindless Jennifer Anniston romcom OR Megan Fox kicking ass and eating guys! HELL YEAH!

Hottest Demon EVER!

Inception teaser trailer

In my opinion this is a near perfect teaser trailer, it gives you just enough visually to make you hungry for more with deep reverberating BGM that exemplifies the mysterious nature of Nolans new film.
"Your mind is the scene of the crime"
I'm in I love a good mind fuck movie, bring it on Nolan!

Walmart: Always low expectations...always!

Some folks love Walmart for it always low prices and "all-in-one" shopping convienence, some folks don't like Walmart for what it's doing to mom and pop companies around the country. I HATE Walmart, I trully loathe the place, not for what it's doing to small businesses (even though that sucks) but for the absolute dregs of society that not only "shop" there but work there too! The Walmart on Old Country Rd on Long Island is home to the STUPIDEST, RUDEST and MOST UNEDUCATED slobs I've ever come in contact with, so it is with great pleasure I share with you http://peopleofwalmart.com/ . If you find yourself in a Walmart surrounded by these rejects of the special olympics please snap a pic and send it to peopleofwalmart.com!

Adolph Hitler chimes in on Avatar Trailer

Glad to know I wasn't the only one totally underwhelmed by the Avatar trailer! I don't wanna say great minds think alike but I gotta agree with the Fuhrer....Avatar is looking pretty meh right now. Yet another Mega Director ensnared by the powah of digital and blue screen.

Giant Gundam robot presides over Japanese wedding

You can see images of the ceremony below.
http://shibuya246.com/2009/08/26/odaiba-gundam-wedding/


Via Shibuya246

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Boxart

Apparently some fans were none too pleased with the Modern Warfare2 box art that Activision originally unleashed upon the masses. So they threw their artistist into a room with some zombie nazi's and the the results seemed to please the masses...Thank God because this could've escalated into a global crisis!

Original

New and improved

Wolfman Trailer

Let me start by saying I'm more of a Vampire guy, never was into the Lycan's that much, perhaps due to Monster Squad. I mean how could you root for a monster that's got no nuts!? Lately the Vampire mystique has been overexposed and franky portrayed in the most rediculous light (pun intended).
Now my friend Krogenar over at Buried Planet, he's a conessuier of Werewolf films so he'll be at the first show for this flick. Wolfman looks promising and the transformation CGI looks surprisingly good....which is my biggest pet peev with Lycan movies....most of the time the transformation looks terrible or you get the ol cut away/cut back technique....LAME!
The cast is pretty impressive also, Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Hugo Weaving...not bad. If I had to choose between this and that new Twilight movie I'll see you at Wolfman!



'Fourth Kind' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Avatar Teaser Trailer

I'm really impressed with how Cameron has put the kabash on ant leaked footage, images and leaked spoilers for Avatar. In todays day and age that's very difficult, this information blackout has built up a tremendous curiousity amoungst those who even know about Avatar. After watching the teaser trailer I have to admit, I may have been expecting something more in tune with Aliens or Terminator. I didn't get that vibe after watching the teaser. The environments look pretty impressive but I also felt like I was watching extended footage from the Star Wars prequels.For some odd reason when I saw the Navi I instantly thought of the Dark Crystal, I don't know why. I'm sure I'll be there opening night December 18th.
For those not in the know...

“Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than 10 years in the making, “Avatar” marks Cameron’s return to feature directing since helming 1997’s “Titanic,” the highest grossing film of all time and winner of 11 Oscars including best picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “King Kong,” will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3-D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.”

http://www2.avatarmovie.com/

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

District 9 Review

If we learned one thing this summer it's bigger isn't always better. Terminator Salvation had the right mood but lacked any humanity and Transformers: RotF was an epic failure in my opinion that was nice to look at but that's it.
Who really cared about John Connor or Optimus Prime and Sam Witwiki? I certainly didn't, that was one of the major problems with them, Terminator and Transformers had no way for the audience to connect emotionally with the characters...because the characters took second billing to the special effects and explosions.
District 9 is the story of Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), and Christopher Johnson, one of the 1.8 million displaced alien refugees segregated from Humanity in a section of Johannesburg known as District-9.
The movie begins as a documenary style film with Wikus' co-workers discussing the events surrounding D-9 and Wikus. At the same time we learn that MNU is gearing up to undertake a massive mission of relocating all the aliens "prawns" to a new location (District 10). When we first meet Wikus he's an extremeably likeable person who appears to trully enjoy his job in MNU and is very knowledgable of the alien refugees and their plight. When he is choosen as the head liason in MNU's Alien relocation program he is genuinely surprised, much like many of his coworkers. MNU hires a PMC to assist Wikus and his team while they enter D-9 to serve eviction notices. It's during this point in the film that Wikus trully shows how knowledgeable he is as well as how naive he is to the world around him.
As the operation begins we follow Wikus as he goes door to door serving the aliens notice in a "live at the scene" style, the audience is visually bombarded by scenes of extreme poverty and substandard living conditions....even for space lobsters!
Throughout the day Wikus remains cheery like a child in a toy store despite the dangers surrounding him. At this point Wikus crosses paths with two aliens, that will forever change his life forever....or at least 3 years >.-
In the interest of not spoiling the movie that is as far as I'll go with the synopsis.
For me the best Science Fiction always has real people in familiar situations which are surrounded by science and technology that feels believeable and attainable within our lifetime with a dash of the fantastic but not enough where you are forced to blindly accept the rediculous. A perfect example of this is Gore Verbinski's Gatacca, that was and still is one of my favorite Sci Fi movies.
District 9 takes a simple man who doesn't standout and thru a fantastic series of events becomes the most controversial human being on Earth. I cannot praise this Sci-Fi masterpiece enough, with all the overhyped crap that's been forced on us this summer, Neill Blomkamp and Peter Jackson have successfully taken events in human history such as the apartheid (district 6) and infused them with aliens that are not only original and visually impressive but aliens you cared for! Hard to believe...I know! Imagine that, a science fiction movie that puts charcters and story above special effects and s'plosions...I know that's crazy talk!
Now don't get me wrong the CGI space lobsters were total eye candy but besides that you felt for them, you wanted to see Christopher Johnson (welcome to Earth we can't be bothered trying to figure out your name so here's your new Earth name) and his son get to the mothership and escape the hellish situation they were stuck in in D-9. The CGI mecha and space lobster weapons were also nutrasweet! The last 30 minutes has some of the most impressive live action mecha battle scenes I've seen...better than The Matrix in my opinion.
Sharlto Copley did an astounding job, as a relative unknown (for me at least) he totally impressed me with the full spectrum of emotions he conveyed and was able to bring out in the audience. And once again the teams at Weta really brought top quality CGI to the screen, the scene with Christopher and his son aboard the shuttle craft returning to the mothership was full of so much emotion...a perfect example of CGI used properly!
I will definately be getting this movie once it comes out on Blu Ray! District 9 is the Sci Fi movie of 2009 as far as I'm concerned. This movie is worth the price of admission go see it tonight.
A+

PS3 Slim Rumor Control, Here Are the Facts

Guten tag! Greetings from the Vaderlaand Gamescom is in full swing in Cologne and Sony has finally confirmed what we all knew for a couple months, the PS3 was getting the ol' pricen de slashen! And that PS slim has finally been revealed....Mucho Grasias South America! Sony has made the PS3 smaller, better, quieter, and more energy efficient and all this could be your's for the fantastic price of $299.99. The PS2 backwards compatiblitity is gone for good I'm afraid but most people still have one anyway.

Check out this handy dandy chart to compare the SlimStation3 to it's peers...

After 3 years the PS3 may actually become a finacially competative console! Not that it matters to me, I held out one year after initial launch and snaged a 80 gig backwards compatible version (via emulation).

Megan Fox PSA....the more you know >.<

Gents mark your calanders! Sept. 18th is date night! You, that chick your with, and Megan Fox! Some folks seem to think Megan is becoming over exposed, I say Fuck 'em, go see this movie and know that Megan Fox is a stimulus package in and of herself.
For more Jennifer's Body check out the official site @ http://www.jennifersbody.com/

FFXIV update

According to the article, there are four categories of jobs right now Fighter, Sorcerer, Crafter and Gatherer.

Two jobs have been unveiled for each.

Fighter: Swordsman, Archer

Sorcerer: Enchanter, Warlock

Crafter: Blacksmith, Cook

Gatherer: Gardener, Fisherman

Races:

Hyuran (hume)The Hyuran are said to be the most prolific race of all Eorzea. The article mentions that they migrated to Eorzea in large number from neighboring islands and continents. They brought with them great technology and innovation that raised the civilization of Eorzea to new heights. Having immigrated from a variety of lands there is great diversity to be found amongst the Hyuran in terms of language and culture. The two main classifications of Hyuran are "Midlanders" who migrated to lower areas of Eorzea, and the "Highlanders" who migrated into the hills and mountains.

Elzen (Elvaan) The Elzen are the anscestral race of Eorzea, and have clashed with the Hyuran in the past to defend their homeland.

Lalafell (taru) They are a race of farmers who live mainly near the Southern Sea. They also boast an exceptional degree of intelligence.

Roegadyn (galka) The Roegadyn are a muscular race of fishermen that live near the Northern Sea. It appears that some work as hired mercenaries or bodyguards, but others lead a less noble life as pirates.

Miqo'te (Mithra) Miqo'te are cat-like people who are again known as fierce hunters. They are mainly separated into "Sunseekers" and "Moonkeepers," the latter of which are nocturnal. Together, the Miqo'te are a minority race in the land of Eorzea.

Other Noteworthy info from the article:

* The difference in ability between races is said to be less severe than that of Final Fantasy XI

* Battles progress in real-time, but are not action-oriented, i.e. There is more to consider during battle that simply targeting the enemy and wailing away on it

* The Armory System allows for job changing anywhere, so inventory space is of great importance. Therefore, ways to change armor quickly and easily are being considered

* Currently investigating whether to allow all skills to be mastered, or have a see-saw style system like crafting in Final Fantasy XI

* "Guild Leave" will be a system of quests that include monster hunting, skilling up and a myriad of other activities. Players will obtain items to allow them to travel instantly to their required destination. There seems to be a lot about this system in the article as well, but we'll save that until it's fully visible.

* There will be weather effects and night/day transitions. One game day is one Earth hour.

* Final Fantasy XIV will be casual enough that even playing one hour a day is sufficient to enjoy the game.

* The game currency will be gil

Regions of Eorza

Uldaha: the desert,

Gridania:the forest

Rimsa-Rominsa:the seaside.

FFXIV Game system:

Armory System depending on a character's equipment dictates play style. Changing equipment is executed in real time. For example, if you're invited to join a team of warriors to fight the enemies, you only need to wear the corresponding equipment to be ready. Once the party disbanded, you only need to change equipment to come back as a crafter, fisherman, etc.This freedom will make the solo play easier since a warrior who wants to be cured can change into a healer himself. It's crucial to maintain a good balance of equipment to "level up" easier and be less reliant on other party members.

GUILDS & MISSIONS

Guilds delivers licences/permits to players.

Permits match with the missions the character needs to fulfill.

The players will be able to share these permits and even decide on the number of persons who can participate in the mission.

Missions/ quests will be irrevelant to the level of each players but some permits can't be obtained before a definite level.

Missions/Quests can take up to or more than 30min to be fulfilled.

Players can carry several permits at the same time.

Missions will have different and various goals: monster hunting, enemies' raid, skill ups... These operations are called "etherites" and will allow you to be instantly teleported to the specified area.

Fat Princess Review

Fat Princess is now available on the PSN exclusively, go buy it!

Underneath it's adorable super deformed characters there's a very well designed strategy game! Teamwork is essential to winning, 2 teams of up to 16 players each must make there way across battlefields to the opposing teams castle and rescue their princess while keeping the other teams princess imprisoned (capture the flag). Once one team has both a count down begins and if they can hold on to both for the duration that team will be victorious! Fat Princesses has 5 classes for players to choose from; Warrior, Worker, Mage, Priest, and Ranger. Each class offers unique benefits and each class can be upgraded. Most people will want to grab a Warrior hat and run headfirst into battle to save the princess, but remember that sometimes the best offense is a good defence. Worker may seem like a drag but it may actually be the most critical character early on in the battle. Workers will build the castle doors and harvest the natural resources needed to upgrade the 5 classes as well as build castle upgrades such as catapults. There are outposts spread throughout the land that if occupied can help turn the tide of battle, outposts serve as a base to heal players and workers can deposit resources (wood and ore) to build up your teams stockpile. Each class requires a certain amount of wood and ore before the worker can upgrade the class or castle structure, once the required resources are collected a worker will begin building. Warrior, as is always the case, carries a large sword and hits hard if you can get within striking range, Mage casts fire spells and when upgraded can cast ice spells, Ranger carries a bow and upgrades to a rifle, great at long distance but your toast if a warrior get up close and personal, and lastly is Priest, the healer who can be upgraded to Dark Mage.

The game oozes with charm and pure fun, from the adorable voices of the warriors to the voice actor (sounds like the same person who did Disney's Beauty and the Beast) who does the games monologue as well as the play by plays to the Princesses begging for cake.

Speaking of cake, that must be one delicious cake and the princess has one serious sweet tooth which adds another strategy to the game, feed your prisoner enough cake and she gets fat....really fat. So fat you will need more than teammate to carry her back to the castle, which adds to the team work aspect of the game.

If your looking for some delicious medieval fun with tons of calories and a low price you can't go wrong with this PSN exclusive title. It's only $14.99 on the PlayStation Store go grab it today....you'll have a hard time putting it down! The icing on the cake (get it?) is the song chosen for the end credits! Pure genius!

9/10

Modern Warfare2 Multiplayer footage

Not much needs to be said...
11.10.09 can't come soon enough!

Dead Space review

In space no one can hear scream, but if you're playing Dead Space alone at night in the dark....someone might!

Take the two movies Aliens and Event Horizon and you pretty much have a winning formula for a survival horror game. Dead Space may not be ground breaking in originality but it does such a good job with the surviving and horrifying that it really doesn't matter.

You play Isaac Clarke a member of the USG Kellion sent by the CEC (Concordance Extraction Corporation) to investigate a distress signal broadcast by the USG Ishimura at Aegis VII. Isaac's girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, works aboard the Ishimura as a medical specialist. Isaac has saved a portion of her last transmission which cryptically reveals there is a serious problem aboard the Ishimura.

The simple repair job turns into a living nightmare when a malfunction aboard the Kellion causes them to crash land in the Ishimura's docking bay and stranding them aboard the giant ship.

At first the Ishimura seems abandoned but the repair team quickly discovers they're not alone! Isaac gets separated from Kendra and Zach the teams tech specialist and mission leader respectively when they are attacked my a necromorph.

As you delve deeper into the mysteries and horrors aboard the Ishimura the story unravels and it's actually pretty well developed. You learn about Michael Altman, founder of the Church of Unitology, a cult religion that grew to become extremely influential back on Earth. The Marker discovered on Aegis VII which was believed by many aboard the Ishimura, including Chief Science Officer Dr. Terrance Kyne and Dr. Mercer to be a sign from God that Unitology was the truth.

In my opinion whenever religion is incorporated into a horror movie or game it adds another level of creepiness and Dead Space oozes with creepiness. Every aspect of the game from the ambient sound effects to the level design, the lighting effects, the necromorph design down to the overall story arc truly draws the player in and envelopes the player in the sense that not only could something horrible be waiting around the next corridor but there is something seriously fucked up going on in this ship!

Dead Space has some very unique environments aside from the typical blood and guts covered medical lab levels which have almost become cliched in the survival horror genre. Thankfully the game designers didn't forget that we're playing a game that takes place in outer space, and there is no oxygen or gravity out there! Dead Space does a terrific job of incorporating these facts into the game and reiterating the horror and survival aspects in this environment.

Another aspect of Deep Space that I was very pleased with was the menu system, unlike some games within the genre there is not menu screens that take you out of the experience while you check the map or change weapons all info is displayed via your rig (space suit) by holographic display. The weapons in Dead Space were a nice change from the typical handgun/shot gun. BFG1000 types that so frequently show up in survival horror games, in Dead Space most of the weapons relate to the fact you're on a mining vessel NOT a military vessel.

Dead Space also gives the player two other abilities to help Isaac survive the Necromorphs and the environment; Kinesis and Stasis. Kinesis gives Isaac the ability to move large objects, this is most commonly used to solve the puzzles scattered throughout the game. Stasis gives Isaac the ability slow down rapid moving objects such as damaged doors and the occasional necromorph.

Dead Space also incorporates a bit of RPG aspects as well, throughout the ship there are workbenches where Isaac can spend credits to upgrade the weapons, stasis and kinesis modules and his rig via nodes which can be bought in the store or found scattered around the ship.

In conclusion, Dead Space is a worthy title in the survival horror genre, it will totally immerse the player with absolutely terrifying environments, sound effects, creatures and a well developed story and dynamic cast.

I'm looking forward to a sequel!

9/10

Trump Tower breaks ground in....the Shire!

I amar prestar aen. The world is changed. Han matho ne nen. I feel it in the water. Han mathon ned cae. I feel it in the earth. A han noston ned gwilith. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.

Since the defeat of Sauron and Saruman and the fall of the Two Towers a new threat has slowly grown in Middle Earth...Trump!

The Sackville Baggineses were unable to out bid the mighty Trump and thus shortly afterwards the fires of Industry sprang to life anew!
The thunder of the legions of Ork & Urukai was replaced by the screeches and dull rumblings of a mechanized monster...the Bull Dozer.

Where was Gandalf the White in the Hobbits darkest hour? Had he abandoned them after one of their own had saved all the citizens of Middle Earth...along with Samwise Gamgee? How about King Aragorn? Master Legolas?, Gimli son of Gloin?

Or it could just be the first images of Bagshot Row being rebuilt for the Hobbit movies!

For more pics and news head on over to the OneRing.net's article @ http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/07/18/32790-exclusive-rebuilding-of-hobbiton-has-begun/

Life Imitating Art: Gran Turismo 5 Citroen GT for realz!

Some folks think nothing positive comes from video games, that any time an unfortunate event occurs it's life imitating art (video games). Well here's the flip side to that arguement...Polyphony Digital's flagship racing game Gran Turismo 5 designed a ficticous car for the European auto maker Citroen...the GT! Below is a video of the Citroen GT driving thru London this past June. The video is spliced with in game footage of the Ctroen GT, can you spot em all? Hard to tell right!

God of War the movie Update....

CinCity2000 has just posted an article claiming David Self's script for the God of War feature film is complete and holds true to the games story...Clash of the Titans on Steroids and Methamphetamines"
As is probably the case in the game, all of this is hyper-realized in Self's
script. Athens is a megalopolis, the New York of Ancient Greece with 300
foot-high walls, towers and aeries that stretch even higher, and at its center
an enormous temple to Athena. Satyrs are not impish goat-men, but
8-foot-tall, hellish brutes. Cyclops are 20-30 foot-tall behemoths.
Medusa's lower, serpentine half of her body stretches 50 feet long. The
Hydra is a leviathan of the deep ocean with necks as thick as redwoods.
The gods are not merely human-sized beings in white robes lounging around
Olympus, but titanic in size and power. Ares, when not taking the form of
a fiery tornado, manifests as a giant 600 feet tall, adorned in jet black armor,
with a blazing mane and beard, and bleeds a combustible, oil-like fluid.
In short, everything about God of War is like Clash of the Titans, only taken to
the extreme and amped up to satisfy the 21st century sensibilities of males aged
15-25. "
To read more head on over to CC@K.com!

http://www.cincity2000.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1869&Itemid=2

Robot Geisha Trailer

http://robogeisha.com


Though he’s been brewing his particular brand of madness for a good long while now it wasn’t until the arrival of Machine Girl that writer-director Noboru Iguchi really made an impression here in North America. But when he did, it was a big one - his fetishized story of a high school girl whose arm is replaced by a giant machine gun becoming a genuine viral phenomenon as it raced through the web. And how has Iguchi followed up the success of Machine Girl? With robotic geishas. Lots of them.

RoboGeisha is the latest collaboration between Iguchi and special effects man Yoshihiro Nishimura - himself the director of Tokyo Gore Police - and it bears all of the now-classic hallmarks of the duo: outrageous special effects, grotesquely hilarious gore and weapons where weapons just should not go. Machine Girl had the mechanized arm. Iguchi’s earlier Sukeban Boy had leg and breast cannons. Nishimura’s Tokyo Gore Police has the infamous penis cannon. RoboGeisha? This one boasts what the trailer graciously describes as hip-katanas, though the swords are actually placed considerably lower and more to the rear. Yes, Iguchi’s latest has ass-swords and women who aren’t afraid to use them. And that’s not even mentioning the giant robot-building, the transforming geisha-tank or the fried shrimp rammed into eye sockets.

The trailer for RoboGeisha is a virtual compendium of the bizarre and hilarious world of Iguchi, all of it narrated in bizarrely dry style. We’re very proud to have been given the world exclusive of the trailer here at Twitch.

Must Watch: Awesome New Full-Length District 9 Trailer!

Are you ready to see this? Sony has just debuted the latest full-length trailer for District 9, the new movie about aliens in South Africa from director Neill Blomkamp. Everyone saw the teaser trailer for this in front of Wolverine, but this new trailer really ups the ante. We finally get to see more of the story and the real intentions of MNU, the government corporation that's attempting to control the aliens. But what's going on with Wikus? So this may exactly not be the next Cloverfield, but it still looks incredible. It's so refreshing to see an original story with some great effects and a whole heap of unknown actors. I can't wait to see this!

Jennifer's Body: Red Band Trailer! HAWTNESS!!!!

First off I highly doubt this movie is academy award material...second I don't care who wrote this movie. Third, I'll be checking fandango every day till preorder's become avail!
For all men out there, young, old, straight, gay, whatever this is our opportunity for revenge for all the chick flicks we've been dragged to! All HAIL Megan Fox!! Only she could pull off this role and create the newest Hollywood genre....THE DUDE FLICK!
Fellow men, I implore you, go see this movie, Megan Fox will deliver hope and change!

Michael Jackson Haunting Neverland? @ Yahoo! Video

The Proposal review

Yay another chick flick my wife dragged me to see, thank God for Optimum rewards!

Quick and dirty, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reyolds) is Margaret Tate's (Sandra Bullock) office bitch at Colden Books Publishing Company. Margret is a soulless overachieving 21st century corporate bitch that no one likes and everyone avoides like the plague.

Andy is a young aspiring writer looking to get his own work published while being Margaret's gofer. Margaret fails to fill out her INS paperwork in time and is told she's being deported to Canada for a year or two.

When her boss asks her what she proposes to to do to stay, the gears start spinning and to Andy's surprise he discovers he's getting married to his pit viper of a boss.


Andy agree's to do this to help Margaret but adds his own proposal (Oh how witty) that he'll only go through with this if he gets his long overdue promotion and she promises to have his work published. They meet up with INS officer Gilbertson who suspects fraud and warns the two of the consequences if they're caught.

So there's the ingredients....lets make some romantic comedy soup! Lets take a trip to Sitka Alaska to visit the Paxton family and wish Grandma Annie (Betty White) a happy 90th. So we have a quarter cup of "Meet the Parents", a dash of "The Devil Wears Prada", chop up the usual romantic comedy ingredients and BAM absolute hilarity and heart warming romance.
Ryan Reynolds did fine in his role, he does very well in the genre since he's been in two guys a girl and a pizza place.
Sandra Bullock is no stranger to the romantic comedy genre either but for some reason I had a difficult time liking her in this movie, she really is hard to believe as a corporate bitch, but once she sheds that skin and becomes human she instantly becomes more believable and likeable. Regrettibly by the time Sandra's character warms up it's too late in the movie and the romance angle is nigh impossible to believe. There are a handfull of characters that have zero depth and feel like nothing more than plot devices to bring Andy and Margret together, like Gertrude (Malin Akerman), Andy's ex girlfriend or Andy's father Joe (Craig T. Nelson).
The most likeable character for me was Grannie Annie (Betty White), seeing her dancing around a campfire chanting Indian songs was priceless, she came across as the most genuine character in the film wether the character was hitting close to home or she was just the best actor in the film is debatable...
The ending was terrible, straight out of the romantic comedy creator template, one character runs away and the other chases after once they realize they luvz the other....LAME! The cut scenes during the credits were more entertaining!
This movie is not original it's a rental at best, better yet dust off your copy of Meet The Parents....that's funnier, save your money.
C

Moon Review

Basic Plot Summary:
Place: The moon. Time: A future not long from now (2030-ish I think). Sam Bell, astronaut, is working on a lunar base of some sort. He is the only person on the entire base, only assisted by an all-knowing robot called GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). He has been stationed on the base for almost 3 years, his contract nearing an end, and with his flight back to earth scheduled only 14 days away, he can't wait to get back home to see his wife and daughter again. However, suddenly one of the automated moon-vehicles (harvesting rock-samples or whatever) goes awry, and he goes outside of the base to investigate it... but then something unexpected happens, and he has to change his perspective on everything.


There are no aliens, lasers/phasers, wormholes, warp engines or jump drives here, just a lonely space age concierge, an unflappable monotone robot, and a whole lot of fodder for your brain to chow down on.
This is what science fiction was meant to be. In short, this is one of the best sci-fi movies I have seen in a LONG time.

A