Reviews

Movie and Game Reviews, and Such

  • January 7, 2008

    Zune vs. iPod

    Zune vs. iPod

    It’s the match up of the century. Or at least of right now. I write this post not as just a topic, or to announce to the world how big of a MS Fanboy I really am (you should know that already). I write this because I honestly believe the 2nd generation Zune is a better product. It’s not just about interface, size, etc. either. There are three major features the Zune offers that the iPod does not. But that’s all in due time.

    The Basics: This point is kind of moot, because people will strongly disagree with me, fanboys and not-so-fanboys alike. However, I feel the entire GUI of the Zune is better than the iPod’s. I can navigate through my files much faster because of the button and menu layout. The click-wheel of the iPod is nice, but the touch 4-way direction pad is nicer and the GUI is nicely complimented by it. The Zune Player is better than iTunes. First, it’s lighter- less going on, eats up less memory. It’s also very slick. The transitions are nice and the way everything is laid out is simple and intuitive. Truth be told, I still don’t know how to make a playlist in iTunes. Everything just feels cluttered in iTunes. And auto syncing the library the first time a new iPod connects to it is a train wreck. Zune Player prompts you every time a new Zune is connected. But now, onto the real stuff…

    Two-way Syncing: This is something iTunes/iPod desperately need. When I connected a second Zune to my computer, I was able to copy songs from the Zune to my music library no problem. Quick and simple. Why hasn’t Apple done this yet? As of right now, you need a 3rd party program if you want all your music copied correctly.

    Wireless Sync: Have a WiFi network? Set your Zune up to connect to it and add music to it from anywhere within range. Even with the iPod Touch and iPhone, Apple hasn’t made this feature available, and I think it’s very useful. Even if your Zune isn’t directly connected to your computer, it’s still being synced whenever you change a playlist or get a new podcast. Speaking of…

    Podcasts: This is a surprising featuring, in the sense that they offer it and that I use it. The Zune makes it extremely easy to get and sync podcasts with your Zune. Just subscribe to a podcast with Zune player and when a new one is made available it’s automatically downloaded and synced to your Zune. As far as I know, this is not a feature offered by iTunes.

    The Social: I think this is the coolest feature. For Zunes in range, you can see what they are playing and send them songs, pics, vids and podcasts. Sure, there is the three-play rule on songs, but there are also ways around that. The idea of sharing music on the fly like this is pretty awesome. My friend wanted me to hear a song the other day so he just sent it to me and I listened to it right there. If Apple isn’t planning on releasing something like this, they should- especially because the iPod is much more popular than the Zune.

    So there you have it. Five (at least three solid) reasons why the Zune is better. Of course this is based on my limited interaction with the iPod/iTunes, so if I am mistaken on some things, or they have changed, please let me know in the comments!

  • January 4, 2008

    Microsoft Zune (gen II)

    Zune

    This Christmas I got an 8GB Zune, as my 2 Year Swing is rapidly reducing to the 1.5 year swing. After 18 months with the Creative Zen Vision:M I realized I didn’t really need 30GB of space for my music, and wanted a smaller model. I thought the new Zune looked excellent, and I was not wrong.

    I want to break this down into two parts- the Zune and the Zune vs. the iPod. The reason being people, I feel, buy the iPod solely because of name recognition. I honestly feel the Zune is a better product- but I will get to that later on. Right now, the Zune as a device.

    • Interface: Extremely intuitive. 3 buttons, clearly labeled, and the direction pad is touch making navigation very quick and easy. The software interface is excellent. One menu with bigger fonts and then top navigation for the sub-menus. Smart idea by Microsoft. And, it looks great. You really feel at home using the Zune.
    • Zune Player: I think even if I didn’t have a Zune, I’d use the player. It’s light weight, visually stunning and super easy to use. I’d also like to attribute my listening/watching podcasts to Zune player, as it makes podcasting (word?) very easy. Integration with any number of Zunes is a snap. And don’t worry about losing your music to autosync, because the Zune player prompts you for auto or manual sync. Furthermore, it allows two-way sync, which means I can take music from the Zune and put it on my computer.
    • Functionality: I could go on for days about the Zune’s functionality. The features it offer are second to none. First, the social. This function is awesome. You can tell what other Zunes are near, what they are playing and you can send music from your Zune to another Zune. Sure, it only allows for three plays, but you can’t scrutinize Microsoft for not wanting the RIAA on their back. This can really open up a lot of possibilities for the future of mp3 players, even if no one talks about it. The other awesome feature is the built in WiFi. If you have a wireless network in your house, just connect the Zune to that network (using Zune Player) and you can send music, videos and pics to your Zune wirelessly, anywhere the network reaches. Excellent.

    All in all it’s an excellent device. In the next post I will talk (in some detail) about why the Zune is better than the iPod, though you might be able to tell I set myself up pretty well in this post.

  • December 25, 2007

    Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

    Call of Duty 4

    It’s actually pretty surprising I haven’t written about this game sooner considering I got it over Thanksgiving break and have been completely obsessed with it. However, I have been busy with school and the business, and a new project I recently launched. But now that I do have some time (thank God for the holidays), I’d like to take a moment and talk about just how great this game really is.

    It’s no secret that Call of Duty 2 was a work of art that I played every since Xbox 360 came out. Call of Duty 3 was made by a different company and was an utter disappointment. Call of Duty 4 (COD4) however, was made once again by Infinity Ward, making it an excellent game. COD4 takes place in modern day (a few years from now actually), in two countries- Russian and some unnamed Middle Eastern country. You play as the British Special Air Service (SAS) and the US Marine Corp (USMC). Your objective is to stop a Russian militant group working with a terrorist group in the Middle East. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s a very encapsulating story that makes the game seem all the more real. After I beat the game I told people it was the best movie I’ve ever played.

    The game play is what really does it for this game. The controls and physics really make you feel like you are in the battle. During one level ( a flashback to the Chernobyl incident), you are a sniper that has to take out this target from a very far distance. You have to take into account that distance, wind speed and the Coriolis Effect. It’s actually a pretty draining level. As far as other features go, You can shoot through thin materials to kill your target, you can throw grenades back at the enemy, and there is a new feature called last stand, which lets you shoot people with your pistol (the same way enemies did in COD2) until you die. You are not just ground infantry either. You provide air support for a couple of levels, and that is a lot of fun. The fact that the graphics are incredible doesn’t hurt the realism of the game either.

    Multiplayer is a pretty different experience for COD4. There are multiple classes with different attributes, strengths and weaknesses to choose from. You can also create your own classes. The more experience you have the higher your rank and the more classes, guns and extras there are for you. So of course to get the cooler stuff, you need to log a lot of time. I actually think this is a neat feature. Since I beat the game pretty quickly, I didn’t think there was much more for me to do. However, as I do enjoy playing over Xbox Live (note to self- renew that soon), I now have some work to do to experience the game at it’s fullest.

    I know some consider this blasphemy, but I honestly think COD4 is better than Halo 3. The campaign mode, definitely. Better storyline, better game play, more strategic. Multiplayer is arguable, but I like it better for more team oriented stuff or if I don’t feel like getting tea-bagged with I get killed. Looks like I’ll be playing COD4 until the next Xbox 360 installment comes out.

  • October 3, 2007

    Halo 3: First Impressions

    Halo 3

    Halo 3 was the most anticipated game of the year, and quite frankly in a very long time. The Halo franchise has done to the video game industry what only a few have done successfully. It is to video games what Star Wars is to movies. Books were written to talk about things not covered in the game and Peter Jackson is working on a movie that he wants to be better than his Lord of the Rings Trilogy. There are even rumors of a prequel game. But right now, the all important question is: is Halo 3 up to snuff?

    In short: Yes. It arrived at my house at school on Friday. I was home by 2:00pm and my friend and I sat down at 2:30pm to play it. Seven hours later, we beat the game, but on a mere difficulty of Normal. In that time, however, I was able to take in the game for what it was worth- the story line, the new controls, weapons and other equipment, and the graphics. Oh my God the graphics. That seems like a logical starting point.

    Halo 3’s graphics are unlike anything I have ever seen before. Playing it on my HDTV is incredible. I would say even better than Gears of War. The shadows and lighting are so precise and everything has such great detail, you almost forget you are watching a video game. The physics in the game are also very accurate. Halo is known for it’s excellent physics engine, but it seems to have gotten better. Even a couple of my friends who understand the stuff noticed it.

    As far as game play goes, the boys at Bungie managed to change it, but keep it familiar. Some of the controls were changed to take advantage of the Xbox 360 controller, which also made shooting and reloading easier. They brought back the pistol and the assault rifle, which has become one of my favorite weapons. There is an onslaught of new guns, two new types of grenades and some other tools that can help or hurt you depending on how you use them. That adds a nice element of strategy to the game that I think was missing from Halo 2. For example, with the Power Drain, it’s great if you use it correctly, but if you don’t, you will be on the losing end of that battle.

    Finally (for now), is the story line. What’s in a video game story line? Most people just want to play on, runnin’ and gunnin’ until they can’t look at a screen any longer. But with Halo 3 (just as with Halo 2), you want to watch the movies. You need to know what happens next. Not to mention it gives you the opportunity to admire the graphics without having the fear of being killed. Cliche at times? Sure, but it’s a video game, not some Academy Award winning piece (we’ll wait for the movie for that). Even during the game, it messes with your head, and maybe you’re a little freaked out, but want to play on. It’s encapsulating and you feel like you are a part of the Halo Universe.

    I say this post covers my first impressions because I haven’t even scratched the surface. This weekend when I go home, I will pick up my WiFi adapter so I can partake in massive online play (assuming my Xbox Live membership is renewed), which should be great. Up until now I have played multiplayer with a max of 3 including myself, which can’t compare to online games with 16 or better. I will also be playing the game on Heroic and Legendary, though I am not sure how well I will fair on the later. Those two things should give me enough to do a follow up. But I will say this- Halo 3 and Halo 3 alone is worth having an Xbox 360.

  • September 10, 2007

    Music- Fall ’07

    Paramore

    I didn’t write too much about music over the summer due to the fact that I was not really impressed by any new music out there. I did see some kick ass concerts, starting with Incubus and ending with the incredible Projekt Revolutions Tour (Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, HIM). However, my summer of no new music is made up for in the first two weeks of school.

    Up first is Paramore and their awesome album, Riot!. I am no music reviewer, but they have an awesome sound, and the lead singer, Hayley Williams, has a fantastic and very controlled voice. She is like Avril but with talent. This very young band (the oldest member is 21, Hayley is 18) has some great raw talent and writes some fantastic songs. I listened to their single, Misery Business, and was hooked. You can see just how good they are by checking out their acoustic performances on YouTube.

    Monty Are I

    Up next is Monty Are I and their CD, Wall of People. This band came to my school the first weekend, putting on a really great show, especially considering most of the kids there have never heard of them, myself included. They were energetic and funny; oh, and they rock. They’ve got a great sound of intricate guitar riffs- the classic rock ones, which are highlighted by keyboards and trumpets. Their songs Dublin Waltz and Between the Sheets really showcase this. Another great song is Only the Weak. They introduced it by saying, “This song is about weight lifting and fighting Russians” (a Rocky IV reference) and I think you can really tell they were going for a “Rocky-esq” song. It’s got the build up of songs like Hearts on Fire and Eye of the Tiger, but of course with their spin. Overall, a very enjoyable CD .

    These two bands, along with Rise Against, have really impressed me and I have been listening to them non-stop. They were definitely worth the musically dry summer.

  • July 15, 2007

    The 8830: Multimedia and Tethering

    Media Player on the Blackberry

    Week 2 into being a Blackberry user and I am still very happy with the device. Two major things I have tested since the last post are using the device for multimedia and tethering it to my computer to use it as a modem.

    Multimedia
    One thing to note about the 8830 is you need a microSD card to add music, video, mp3 ring tones and photos to it. This I feel is a pretty good precaution to protect the on board memory, which is 64MB, and should be reserved for applications and the OS. I was able to buy a microSD extremely cheap on Amazon. Once that came, I went right to work. After figuring out the media manager program for the Blackberry, I loaded my old ring tone onto it, an album and a number of 7 megapixel photos (1 or 2 MB each). The music player is a pretty nice program and playing music in the background doesn’t really slow the device down (not to the point where it’s frustrating anyway). The pictures, however, did take a long time to render on the device, though working with smaller images was much faster. If you shrink photos you want on the device down, there is no problem there either. As far as battery life while using the media player, that is something you need to look out for. It does not drain extremely fast, but faster than normal. My philosophy on the matter is while it’s nice to have both combined, I’d still keep phone and mp3 player as separate devices.
    Tethering
    One feature I was really excited about was using my Blackberry as a modem. This is something you do have to pay extra for through Verizon, and I figured at $15/month, I’d give it a shot for one month (we don’t have cable set up in the new house at school yet either, so it’s applicable). After activating it on my account, and installing the VZAccess software, connecting was as easy as connecting the blackberry to the computer. VZAccess automatically connects to the internet.
    Now of course this won’t be as fast as say cable, but it wasn’t as slow as I thought it would be. I was able to visit most websites I normal visit with little lag, and I was able to ftp (though that took longer than I would have liked). I’m not so sure I’d enjoy do work over this connection because of the longer load times and ftp times, but it’s nice to know I’d be able to if I had to.

    My over all experience with the two functions were good ones, and two more reasons the 8830 is worth the buy, and much better than my Treo. My friend just picked up an 8830 also, so I will probably be doing a write up on Blackberry to Blackberry communication, including using Blackberry Messenger.

  • July 10, 2007

    My Weekend with the 8830

    blackberry 8830

    I’ve been using my Treo now for just about two years. Don’t get me wrong; when I first got it, it was like nothing I’ve ever used. It was new and exciting. The phone before the treo was boring and bland. It didn’t give me what I needed. The Treo changed all that. But now, nearly two years into it, things have gotten boring; stagnant. That’s when I saw the Blackberry 8830. Smaller than the treo and so many more features. After spending the weekend with it, here are some of my thoughts.

    • The usability is great That ball is amazing and makes everything so much easier to navigate.
    • Syncing: I admit it took me a while to start the syncing process with my computer (more specifically, Outlook). But once I got my number sitched over, everything became easier. Syncing with Outlook is a sinch.
    • Application Installation: Really easy. Most of the time I can do it right from the Blackberry.
    • Email: I was set up in litterally 2 minutes flat. Much easier than emailing on the Treo. Plus, email to the blackberry is instant, and even beats it to the inbox sometimes. I also picked up GMail for the Blackberry, which is excellet. If I want to access my physical gmail box, it’s now an application on my phone.
    • Messaging in general: All messages go to one place. I like this. Missed call? Voice Mail? Email? TXT? All under “messages.” I don’t need to be clicking around to view everything. And with the “Today” theme that comes on the phone, all I need to do is press one button.
    • Did I mention how awesome that ball is?
    • Instant Messaging: I have the ability to use Google Talk, and through an app called JiveTalk, AIM, Yahoo! and MSN. These applications are very nice looking and easy to use. Plus they look like the real apps, which makes the experience even better.
    • It comes with a Password Keeper application. How cool is that?
    • Battery Life: I haven’t charged this since 10:00am. Going on 14 hours, and moderatly heavy use (I was testing battery life today), the batter stands at 65% full. The Treo can’t match that in the least.
    • Size: Noticably lighter and thinner than the Treo. While slightly wider, you don’t notice that in your pocket, just when it comes to looking at the screen.

    As you can see, I am quite a fan. It hasn’t frozen on me yet either, which is a big plus considering I was running a lot on it today. In the coming days/weeks, I will be testing out the multimedia side of the 8830- as soon as my microSD card comes in. I also plan on looking into using the tethering feature to see if I can actually use this bad boy as a modem, and the built-in GPS feature that’s advertised.

  • July 8, 2007

    Transformers Movie

    Transformers Movie

    Some would say I’m stubborn. OK- a lot of people would say that. When I have an opinion, I’m pretty dead set in it. But my mind can be changed. Going into Transformers I wasn’t expecting spectacular. I wasn’t expecting crap either. I was expecting mediocrity. Boy was I wrong. The Transformers Movie was awesome in a lot of ways. There are some things you need to ultimately need to get past, because it is a cartoon turned movie, but overall it’s a great movie.

    I think is is mainly due to the fact that the plot is fairly complex and it all comes together in the end. There are 2 major story lines with sub stories in each: The Military encounter with a Decepticon, and our main character, Sam Witwiky’s encounter with the Autobots. The movie doesn’t just focus on the kid’s overcoming whatever he needs to overcome to make things happen. It’s focus is on the greater story of everyone helping the Autobots save the Earth. And the back story of why they came to Earth isn’t half bad either.

    The acting was good. My benchmark for this usually is how emotionally invested I am in the characters. If I don’t really care what happens to them, I’m probably not that into the movie due to bad acting. Not the case here. From the moment the movie starts, we are introduced to Captain Lennox of the US Army, played by Josh Duhamel and I was hooked. This guy was a bad ass. Duhamel did a great job of playing him. Of course, Shia LaBeouf also did a great job as Sam, an awkward high school student who gets thrown into this mess. He was also pretty funny. Megan Fox was also great as the leading lady in the film.

    I don’t think I need to mention the visual effects, but let me say that they are stunning. The robots looked awesome, the fight scenes were really cool. These and the aforementioned are the reasons I could overlook the somewhat lame or over dramatic parts of the movie. I’ve also read criticism that all this movie amounts to is a ‘pro-military, pro-car’ film. I see nothing wrong with that. The movie shows how brave our military can be, and even though this is a fictional story I think the underlying message is still there. And what reasonable person is anti-military? Or anti-car for that matter? I like both of those things.

    All in all it was a very entertaining film, full of explosions, hacking, a couple of beautiful girls and giant robots. There is really nothing more you could ask for in a summer movie.

  • June 7, 2007

    Mr. Brooks

    Mr. Brooks

    Admittedly, the summer movies I’ve reviewed, I’ve given bad reviews to. That’s not my fault. I am not a movie hater, as I’ve accused my friends of being. These are the people who hate every movie they see, being over critical of every aspect of every movie. Not me. And Mr. Brooks (as well as my track record) is proof. This is the first great Summer 2007 movie I’ve seen.

    Mr. Brooks is about an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a family man, a good guy. But this good guy is also addicted to murder. And he is so smart that he doesn’t get caught. He isn’t even a suspect until part way through the movie. That’s in part, due to his friend, Marshall, who is imaginary. What is so great about this movie is not only the story line, but how it’s fairly fast paced; it keeps the audience thinking about what will happen next. There are no things that go unexplained and I didn’t think it was predictable. Oh, and the acting. William Hurt, who played Marshall, was excellent.

    Hurt is someone I’ve never seen or don’t remember seeing before, despite that fact that he has been in movies like The Village and Syriana. His performance as Marshall was excellent. The character he played was smooth, laid back and very convincing. He ‘helped’ Mr. Brooks commit these murdered by covering the bases Brooks ‘didn’t.’ He was able to portray this dark character in a great way. Costner and Hurt worked well together. The dynamic duo they created worked out very well. Even though Brooks was crazy, you couldn’t really tell. Then, there was Dane Cook.

    Without giving too much away, you could tell Cook’s character, “Mr. Smith,” was a little crazy. That, I think, was well done by Cook. He was able to bring out the insanity in Mr. Smith that maybe we should have seen in Brooks, but didn’t because of how smart Brooks is.

    Overall, the movie was excellent, and highly recommended. It’s a great thriller that keeps you thinking and doesn’t slow down. Everything that happens is deliberate and moves towards the ending in someway, even if you don’t see it until the end (ahem, or while you’re walking to your car…)

  • June 2, 2007

    Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End

    Pirates III

    Another highly anticipated summer film. And in my humble opinion, another disappointment. Pirates, much like Spiderman, had some great parts. But for the most part, it was a film that was built up really high, and which did not deliver. Some spoilers follow.

    We are left with Jack Sparrow in Davey Jones’ Locker, and Capitan Barbosa is back to get him. Why? Because the pirates of the world are in trouble, “the song” has been sung, and Jack is needed as a holder of one of the ‘nine pieces of eight.’ We are off to an alright start, except we don’t know what the song is about, what the nine piece are about, and we kind of have a new reason Jack needs to be rescued, if memory serves me correctly. I find with this film, not much is explained. There is just action, some comedy, more action. Pirates should not be that kind of film. Especially since this is a three hour continuation of another three hour film. The length of the film is my first problem.

    The movie was too long. There could have been numerous pointless parts thrown out to shorten it, or to extend other parts that needed it. There was a part about the goddess Calypso that was extremely drawn out and amounted to nothing. The entire film we are told about how Calypso will sway the major fight in one way or another. Finally she is freed and she has a moment with Davey Jones, then just kind of goes away. That’s a lot of build up for nothing. And that is my second problem with the film.

    The film hypes up a lot of things that turn out to be nothing. Will and Elizabeth fight. Nothing happens. The Calypso situation. Everything that happens with the Brits. The governor getting killed. That should have been expanded on a little more. And then we see new characters, like Jack’s dad (played by Keith Richards), and we think something great is going to happen. He is in the movie for a total of 5 minutes. We don’t even learn about him. He just kind of pops in to say hi. Lack of character development is my last major complaint.

    It’s not just with Jack’s dad. It’s with Calypso, and even Davey Jones. And Bootstrap Bill. All of the supporting characters really. We get virtually no development in some new major characters. My brother put it best when he said all of the writers went to different rooms, wrote their own movie, and threw them all together. There was a lot going on. But it was almost a lot of nothing.

    I really wanted to like the film. The first one was great. The second one was good too. But this was a pretty weak attempt to live up to the self made hype and inside jokes of the last two films.