An Acceptable Trek Substitute

Contrary to the name of this blog, I am a die hard Star Trek fan . However that doesn't mean that I haven't recently begun to harbor a love for the fantastic remake of the sci-fi legend Battlestar Galactica. I arrived late to the boat of Battlestar Galactica with its fourth season starting up in december.

I bought the first season for a modest fee and watched it with a fervor. I ate through the season with a tenacity unseen since I finished Star Trek: The Next Generation. I loved every minute of the depressing, space drama that is Battlestar Galactica.

For those who don't know, back in the late 70's there was a hallmark sci-fi series called Battlestar Galactica. It was created, riding on the coattails of the Original Start Trek, and had a cult fan base. Throughout the years after the shows cancellation, prominent fans have worked on a recreation of the beloved series.

In 2003 the dream was made a reality. A miniseries was put into the works by Fox to act as a sort of pilot for a new series. The miniseries was successful and the folks at paramount decided they wanted the show back on the air. The series started back up with some similar aspects to the original series, but with a whole new storyline.

I love the plot and the characters (some great acting), and pretty much everything about the show. It features all of the science and robots and space ships of Star Trek, but with a grittier, more real feel to it. The creators of BSG aren't afraid to kill large numbers of characters, while it seems the people behind Star Trek shied away from the slaying of prized characters.

Instead of single ship on ship battles, the combatants in BSG are chiefly the Viper attack fighters. These are single manned vessels that are outrageously maneuverable, but rather prone to blowing up under fire. These Vipers are piloted by ace pilots aboard the giant, carrier-like ship the Battlestar Galactica.

A favorite bit of mine is the cinematography in the series. When watching the epic space battles of the series, the view focuses in and out rapidly at first as if someone was filming the fight from another place. Some may find this annoying, but I find that it makes the skirmishes more visceral and real (despite the fact that they are fighting robots in space... more real)

Battlestar Galactica is engrossing and entertaining, and a perfect addition to anyone's sci-fi library. If you liked the exploits of Kirk or Picard (or even Sisko and Janeway), give BSG a chance. You can find it on DVD at book and movie stores (for an inflated price) or on iTunes for a pretty respectable amount.... or you may be able to find it somewhere for free..... **subtle wink**. It may not be Star Trek, but it can fill the science fiction void until the new film comes out.

Until Next Time Live Long and Prosper _\\//,
~Mike

The Rebirth of Westerns?

I saw 3:10 to Yuma on Sunday and was very impressed. I expected a half-assed spaghetti western with a re-re-recycled plot, but what I got was a solid (though somewhat floundering) attempt at a serious western film.

The film stars Christian Bale and Russel Crowe as a poor rancher and a murderous outlaw, respectively. Bale swears to take Crowe to meet teh 3:10 train to Yuma prison for the $200 dollar reward. He needs the money so that he can continue to feed his family and pay off a large debt to a ruthless business man.

Throughout the film we see the shifting paradigms of the cliched outlaw and lawman. We see that the holier-than-thou bounty hunter was not as good as he pretended to be and that despite his streak of violent crimes, Crowe has a sense of honor and dignity

The film was a bit slow, but the culmination of the plot, waiting for the train was exciting and made up for the drag towards the middle of the story. Understandably, the plot was predictable. It is hard to make a western that ISN'T cliche, but 3:10 tried its best to break the mold without straying to far from the western roots. It seemed to find a balance between originality and Westernness....

Check it out if you get the chance. It was a solid B+ in my book.

Until next time, Live long and prosper _\\//,
~Mike

Palahniuk and Me

I have recently discovered an author who engrosses me fully in any work I read. His name is Chuck Palanhniuk. He is the author of such books as Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, Rant, Survivor, Choke; and most popularly, Fight Club.

Like most people, when I was told that he wrote Fight Club I immediately responded, "There was a book?!". The next day I visited the book store and picked up fight club (Choke and Survivor too). The next day I had finished Fight Club and had anxiously started on the second book. The books keep me interested totally, for better or for worse.

Having completed 2 Palahniuk books and started another, I think it is safe to say that all of his books feature a disturbing satire on modern life. I have read criticisms of his works that mention that Palahniuk is purely a shock author, but I find that hard to agree with. Despite the gratuitous nature of his writings, Palahniuk always delivers a hard-hitting interpretation of society and its worst aspects.

Fight Club offers a glaring look at the materialism of society. Entrants of Fight Club are described as "a generation raised by women" who need a way to express their manliness. They engage in fights with each other to feel alive and to break the monotony of everyday life. As with the fight clubs in the story, the popularity of this work has become national. Most people are at least somewhat familiar with the story through the hit movie for good reason. It was very good. Like the book, the movie fails to disappoint and is a solid, entertaining, 2 hours with one of the best plot twists ever.

The second work I read is definitely rated R for sheer frequency of sex in the book. Choke follows the misadventures of a pitiable sexaholic who works at a Williamsburg-esque colonial theme park. He attends sexaholics anonymous every week, not to attend meetings, but to have some fun with other addicts in the bathroom. With my attempts to spare the reader of some gross images, I can not really explain the graphic and disgusting nature of these 'scenes' in the book.

Apart from the unsettling sex, Choke delivers a deep look into the life of a hopeless man who refuses to accept his lack of control. Despite his base encounters and constant wondering of "What would Jesus NOT do?", the main character comes off as a hopeless protagonist. His skewed childhood and lack of guidance comes off, not as an excuse, but as an ample reason for the ruin of his moral compass.

As I start another Palahniuk book, Survivor, I can see that it is still superfluously nauseating, but satisfying deep. I can only hope that the rest Palahniuk's books are exciting and philosophical.

Until next time, Live long and Prosper _\\//
~Mike

As I Emerge from the Deeps of Rapture

Bioshock is definitely impressive. In fact, it ALMOST lived up to my expectations. The game is stunning from many standpoints. Graphically it is one of the prettiest games released for the Xbox 360. Atmospherically it is unrivaled. When it comes to gameplay, the near unlimited combos utilized in combat is astonishing. And now that I have almost run out of adjectives I will explain Bioshock in more detail, as I am sure 50% of the bloggosphere has already done.

Following up to my demo review, the game immediately throws you into action as you try to help some guy find his family. Due to cave ins and locked doors you must take a super-round about way of getting to the desired location and you get an introduction to the flora and fauna of the underwater hell. It is hard to say much about your objectives under water without giving away some plot points in the very secretive story, suffice it to say that the fantastic story telling keeps the play from getting boring.

I found myself wandering around Rapture for fun while the game's help mechanic tried to get me to move on in the mission. I would be exploring and enjoying myself when a message would come up telling me how to access my map. I am sure there is a way to turn that function off, but it was a little intrusive while I tried to delve deeper into Rapture.

The combat and the intuitive weapon system didn't disappoint at all. In fact I really enjoyed how you had to prepare for a fight a few minutes before hand. It made the combat seem more deliberate and fulfilling when you finished a fight victoriously. The best example I have of this is found when trying to take down a Big Daddy. The behemoth can't be taken down by simply emptying bullets into it. Before initiating combat with a Big Daddy I would set traps and map out an escape route and load up all of my gun's armor-piercing rounds to maximize damage. It made the game seem like a steampunk hunting sim at certain points.

One of my favorite parts of the game is found once you finally DO slay a big daddy. Without the giant guardian, the little girl that he protects is defenseless. The Little Sister carries a substance needed by all denizens of Rapture called ADAM. Once you vanquish a Big Daddy you can choose whether to kill the Little Sister and receive the maximum amount of ADAM or you can use a special device (given to you in a very ambiguous plot point) and let the Little Sister live and only receive a fraction of the ADAM. "What the hell would you take less ADAM for!" say the heartless. "For humanities sake!" I reply. Letting the Little Sister live awards with with half the ADAM, but the "Mother" of the Little Sisters rewards you for every three Little Sisters you save. I prefer being a nice guy, even in video games, so I let the Sisters run free in Rapture.

My few qualms with 2K's nautical odyssey are as follows. The game REALLY isn't that open-ended. Yes you can go wherever you want, but you must follow the one plot line. I was hoping for the option to give my loyalty to whatever side I chose in Rapture's civil war, but I was conscripted to a static side. Another problem of mine is that the game is too easy! There is no consequence of dying at all. If you perish in combat you are automatically reborn a few yards away at a Vita-Chamber. Apart form being a bit of a nuisance, dying is no big deal! Also, you are never lost in Rapture because you have a very nice, complete map and an arrow that leads you to your next objective. I am kind of put off at the ease of the game, but in all Bioshock is such an enjoyable experience that ease is no problem.

I love Bioshock. I really do, and I would recommend it to anyone who has a 360. And if you don't have a 360 I would recommend you go buy one and Bioshock 'cause it is a great experience that everyone should enjoy. Go out and get Bioshock despite the lack of multiplayer and its ease. They are not a detriment to the game at large.

Until next time, Live Long and Prosper _\\//
~Mike

Scratching Rapture's Surface

Sorry for the delay, but I am back!

The Bioshock demo was released a few days ago on the Xbox Marketplace, and I must say I am impressed. I had very high expectations for the game and the demo only affirmed my suspicions of greatness. I would recommend that anyone with an Xbox 360 download the demo and try it out with an open mind.

The demo starts off with a bit of background on the, until now, hazy story. The main character is sitting on a plane, talking about something that I am sure will end up a big part of the plot. The plane crashes into the Atlantic Ocean. The player gains control of the protagonist after the planecrash in the ocean. Being surrounded by flaming wreckage, you are forced to swim to an odd looking edifice, sticking out of the water. Stairs lead up to a door which, in turn, leads into the ominous entrance of Rapture.

After a short walk, the player enters a small submersible that leads into Rapture Major. But before you can get to exploring you are given a short introduction on rapture via a projector and record from the mysterious creator of Rapture, Andrew Ryan, which lays down the objectives and philosophy behind rapture.

I was stunned by the attention to detail graphically and otherwise. The game's atmosphere really makes the player believe that they are in the 1960s with a sort of claustrophobic, panicked feel. I really dug the ambiance and the creator's ability to convey it without taking control from the player. There were no cut-scenes in a traditional sense in the demo (Apart from the opening title-sequence), but I still received all of the story elements that were intended for me to understand.

The gameplay was fun, but I can see a little bit of repetitiveness arising later in game. I hope the game doesn't fall to a
"explore the level and collect a power-up" formula, but I feel the story will carry it above that. The combat delivers a visceral, panicked feel especially when armed only with a wrench. The insane citizens of Rapture (or Splicers are they came to be known) are a perfect enemy as they deliver small bits of dialog as they charge towards you with murderous intent. "I didn't mean to kill her! I Swear!" Shouts one Splicer as he rushes towards the player while wielding a lead pipe.

The real meat and potatos of combat is reached a few minutes after the demo begins. The character finds a syringe with a "Plasmid" in it. After injecting himself with it, he is empowered with the ability to shoot electric shocks from his hand. The game boasts many different kinds of Plasmids that players will be able to discover and implement into combat.

Plasmids require a substance called EVE to work. EVE operates in a similar fashion to mana in any other game. Upon using a Plasmid, your EVE bar lowers. After multiple casts of any Plasmid, the bar becomes totally diminished and requires another syringe injection. EVE hypos are found in a multitude of places from the corpses of Citizens to trash cans. Certain other, single-use, items such as Pep Bars and Cigarettes also increase EVE slightly and can be found strewn across Rapture's barren surfaces.

I read somewhere that players will be able to find different types of ammunition for guns found in Rapture, but there were no instances of the weapon upgrades in the demo. Other, non-upgraded weapons, include a wrench, a revolver pistol, and a Thompson "Tommy Gun" machine gun.

Playing the demo, I can't wait until August 21st when it is released. I will see if I can tear myself away from the game to write a review once I get it. The next update will include some sort of music or movie review. Hopefully I see something standout soon.

Until next time Live Long and Prosper _\\//,
~Mike

Hardboiling Isn't Just for Eggs Anymore! (part 2)

Upon visiting EB Games, I was informed that Stranglehold isn't released until August 28th. Disappointed, I went home and saw that a demo was available starting the next day on Xbox Live! I waited a couple of hours for the demo to download and in the mean time watched the basis for the game, Hardboiled. The film stars Chow Yun Fat as Inspector Yuen "Tequila", a bad-ass cop who fires two guns and never reloads.

Hard Boiled has to be one of the most action-filled, violent movies I have witnessed in a long time. The film opens with an action scene in a tea house filled with innocent people. Tequila and a few other cops crash a shady deal going on and mayhem ensues. The baddies open fire on everyone, hoping to hit the cops, and Tequila and company have to dodge bullets, protect as many innocents as they can, and try to apprehend the main baddies behind the deal. the scene ends with hundreds dead, but I won't spoil the rest.

In my personal opinion the best scene in the movie is towards the end where two characters (no spoilers here!) fight through wave after wave of anonymous bad guys while blasting off shots from their guns with seemingly bottomless magazines. The men discuss the nature of friendly fire and how it effects policemen mentally. The scene is a two minute and forty second continuous shot using one hand held camera. It was truly amazing cinematography.

Hard Boiled featured some of the most exciting action sequences I have ever seen. Not only did the quality of the action scenes awe me, the quantity of the gripping battles kept me reeling as well. I read on Wikipedia that the film's final death count was as high as 307. (it was voted the movie with the 3rd highest on-screen body count ever). I have yet to count the bodies for myself as I watch again, but it is sure I will watch again if only to see the brutal skirmishes again.

I read somewhere that Hardboiled is a "cult film" and if that is so, I am glad to be part of the cult. I loved the movie the whole way through, from the sarcastic jokes (upon saying he will live in a Jazz Club, Tequila is told he will get lots of Sax), to the glamorized police life, to the over-the-top violence. Hard Boiled has been added to my list of favorite films and is a definite must-see for anyone who enjoys Tarentino and doesn't mind some subtitles.

After watching the masterpiece of cinema, I played the Stranglehold demo. It was a very entertaining couple of minutes that displayed some of the movie's strongest points in an interactive media.

Playing as Tequila, you dive through the air, perform impossible feats of agility, and take down hundreds of un-named bad guys with relative ease. The Hero wields his trademarked a kimbo Beretta 92 pistols and performs familiar, ballet-like dives and rolls all while dodging bullets.

One of my favorite aspects of play that I saw in the demo was the unique cover and mobility system implemented. Upon running into a table or counter Tequila slides across it or along it's surface instead of taking cover behind it. You can still dive behind cover in a intuitive system, but the game makes it easier to keep moving in the true Tequila fashion. Add to this system, bullets whizzing around and a liberal splash of slow motion and you get some interesting Gun-fu.

The game boasts the "most destructible environments in any video game" After playing the demo and watching a few videos, I don't doubt that claim at all. Upon entering a crowded market, Tequila is barraged with bullets. Running through he environment, the boxes and tables of the crumble under the bullets. Whenever a bullet collided with any solid object, be it anything from a neon sign to a stone pillar, the object in question was demolished by the gun fire.

Destructible environments with slow motion diving, coupled with context-sensitive actions make this a game definitely worth buying. The demo showcased these very exciting elements of play that guarantee my purchase of the game. More reviews of the game will follow once I actually purchase it, on August 28th.

Enjoy some Stranglehold game play footage with creator commentary :)

Live long and prosper _\\//
~Mike

Stranglehold gameplay

Hardboiling Isn't Just for Eggs Any More (part 1)

This is just a small update before a bigger one later:

I am currently watching Hot Fuzz again. It has to be one of my favorite films of all time. The film has some great SimonPegg whom I do love. In it is not only Simon Pegg, but also some fun British humor with a couple great action sequences. The film itself is a bit long, so if you plan on watching it make some time or watch it in a couple parts. It isa definite 'spiritual successor' to Shaun of the Dead, despite the genre change. Give it a watch!

Stranglehold comes out tomorrow and I must say I am excited. for those unfamiliar, it is a game based on the character Inspector Tequila (Played by Chow Yun Fat in the movie Hard Boiled). I really hope it lives up to all the hype. I will be HOPEFULLY getting it tomorrow after work and I will write a big review of my thoughts once I play it for a bit. Look forward to That!

Until tomorrow! Live long and prosper _\\//
~Mike

The Lonesome, Crowded, Blogosphere

REPOST FROM VOX

I began watching Simon Pegg's sitcom entitled Spaced the other day. The first episode was mildly entertaining and 100% British. The show features Simon Pegg as a youngis h man who was recently kicked out of his girlfriend's apartment. Tim (Simon Pegg's character) works at a comic book shop and does some work as a struggling artist on the side. Through a strange twist of circumstances he meets a dysfunctional woman who also is out of an apartment and they decide to room together, despite having no previous relation.

The majority of the first episode consists of the homeless team trying to get to know each other enough to pretend that they are a couple. They need to pretend, of course, because the landlord of their would-be apartment would frown upon two strangers living with one and other.

So far, it is a mildly funny, refreshingly British, and wholly entertaining sitcom. Additional reports will follow as I watch more episodes.

In other news, I recently acquired a new punk album entitled Keep Your

Heart by The Loved Ones. Despite their seemingly unintimidating name, The Loved Ones deliver an album of solid, aggressive punk rock. The singer's scratchy voice fits the sound of the speedy and energetic guitar to produce a sound that is similar (to my ears) to Rancid (sans the British accent).

On top of decent sound, The Loved Ones deliver some surprisingly deep lyrics. Call me cynical but I tend to expect simple angst and rebellion in punk lyrics. Keep Your Heart breaks the mold with some meaningful and *gasp* tender lyrics while still keeping the quick pace and raw sound. My only complaint is that as that the album ends faster than the music plays as the record clocks in at 31 minutes.

In conclusion, The local band proves solid with their pumped up, albeit short, debut album Keep Your Heart. I await The Loved One's next foray into the music scene impatiently.

Until next time Live long and prosper,

~Mike