Reviews

Movie and Game Reviews, and Such

  • May 19, 2007

    Marvel Ultimate Alliance

    Marvel Ultimate Alliance

    It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a video game. Heck, It’s been a while since I’ve played a video game. But as the school year thankfully and sadly (seeing as I’m a senior) came to an end, I found some time (and took some liberties) and decided to get and start a new game. That new game is Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

    Admittedly, I did not think the game would be this fun. I knew my brother had it and enjoyed it, but I had no strong urges to play it. It was picked up kind of on a whim, which is why I have it so late after it came out. However, the game is incredibly fun. You pick and choose your team of four Marvel heroes, switching them out whenever you have the opportunity. You start off with Wolverine, Spiderman, Thor and Captain America. Unless they were incapacitated, I’ve kept Wolverine and Spidey in the whole time. My other two favorites so far are Human Torch and Thing. Deathpool and Storm are also very good choices. The first thing I really like about the game is the team management. If you keep a set of characters together a lot, they learn to work together. It’s also up to you to give them upgrades and spend the money you pick up wisely to get the best team you can. (Also, I was able to unlock the symbiotic suit for Spidey. I cannot wait to upgrade that baby!)

    As far as game play goes, it’s pretty good. The controls are easy to use and intuitive, but not so simple you can’t do really cool stuff. I personally like the combos you can do with other heroes on your team. Movement, jumping, swimming (there is an Atlantis level) and fighting are easy to do. I love flying with Human Torch and swinging with Spidey. The graphics are amazing. The people at Raven/Activision stepped up the graphics for the 360, which is excellent because the game looks great. Multiplayer is awesome. Me and a couple of friends played together yesterday and it’s well done. They just join in and are now part of your team. The only complaint of have about that is you can only advance so far apart from each other. It’s tough sometimes when you are in a big battle and you can’t move in a certain direction due to the fact that Player 2 is in the other corner.

    Finally, there is the camera view. I think the developers made the best choice here with how the camera moves and how you can control it. With a team of four, there isn’t much other choice, and while sometimes the over-top view can get a little annoying at times, it’s the best option and usually works well. All in all, I really love the game and have been playing it pretty obsessively. I haven’t really played this much since around November, when I got Gears of War.

  • May 7, 2007

    Spiderman III

    Spiderman and Venom

    The build up was great. Spiderman III- an older, more mature Peter Parker. Harry following the footsteps of his father. A new villan. The Venom suit. How could this possibly get messed up? Apparently in a lot of ways. While Spiderman III had some good parts (really good parts), the movie over all was an utter disappointment.

    The Spiderman Template: Peter goes through a change. He loses who he ‘really is.’ He fights an epic battle where at least one person finds out his identity. The villan either dies or has a change of heart or both. Peter does change… Let’s see if III fits the mold.

    Change/Loss of Self
    Venom suit takes him over. He loses himself and finds a meaner spirited, more selfish version of himself. He loses MJ because she doesn’t know who he is. Again.

    Click to read Spolier

    Epic Battle
    Peter and Harry vs. Sandman and Venom. Honestly, a pretty bad ass battle. Peter of course loses his mask. Sandman has a change of heart and JUST LEAVES. Venom is destroyed. Peter realizes he needs to be less selfish and MJ and him are back together in the end.

    Now I try to be forgiving with some lame/cliche parts in comic book movies because that is their nature. But this movie was full of them. First off, everyone cries. EVERYONE. That is not necessary in a comic book movie. I know the director, Sam Ramini, wanted to be prolific and deep, but Spiderman doesn’t really serve that purpose. And then there is the “wise” butler. Michael Kane was an awesome Alfred in Batman Begins. That’s because Kane is an awesome actor. But also, we know the relationship between Bruce and Alfred. Who is Harry’s butler? There was no re pore developed in the other movies. There was also a lack of development in this movie, as well as just useless parts.

    Towards the beginning Harry gets a head injury and forgets why he is mad at Peter/Spiderman. I feel like this was just a machine to cause more drama than needed. The worst part of the movie, however, was Peter when the Venom suit took him over. The Venom suit is supposed to be bad ass. Make Peter cool, but evil. However, the suit just made him a emo, almost edgy/cool guy, but still clearly a nerd. And the lameness of this went on for half an hour.

    Don’t get me wrong with this movie- The visual effects were stunning. The battles were cool. But Ramini should have focused more on the story than making the movie look cool, because ultimately that’s what makes a good movie.

  • April 19, 2007

    Get Calendar Functionality on Thunderbird

    Lightning

    Gmail is my numero-uno choice for email. However, in my constant quest to backup all data I have anywhere, I felt Thunderbird would be a good desktop email client. After using Thunderbird a couple of days, I wanted to make it more “Outlook-esq.” I wanted calendar functionality. Knowing Mozilla made Sunbird, I figured there was something out there to integrate into Thunderbird. That something was Lightning. It’s a nice little plug-in that gives great functionality, supports multiple calendars and even iCal, for those of you who use it. It gives you the basic Day, Week and Month view, and lays it out pretty nicely. If you are a big Thunderbird user, I strongly recommend it.

    In the next couple of days, I will also do a write up on a really easy way to sync Lightning with Google Calendar, making the program even better.

  • March 19, 2007

    300

    300

    Amazing. Epic. Visually Stunning. 300, a movie based on Frank Miller’s comic book (the same guy who did Sin City), is an absolute ace. A movie about the 300 Spartans who stood up against the whole world, this well told story is enthralling from start to finish. The story is great (even if it’s not 100% accurate), the characters are moving and the speeches and events really hit home. To me the movie was not just about the 300 and their struggle to save their country, but it an inner struggle many of the characters faced and came to terms with.

    In the movie (and possibly true to real life), Spartan boys from a young age are taught how to fight and deal with fear. They are taught that to die for your country is the greatest honor. This led to the men of the 300 to fight with their whole hearts and with conviction. You really believe that these men were dedicated 100% to the cause. The men knew what they had to do and did it. I feel that’s what every man aspires to be. The “just do it” attitude and the “man up” persona- this is how the 300 lived. And nothing showed that more than Gerard Butler’s portrayal of Spartan King, Leonidas. He was faced time after time with troubles- whether to go to war or not, leading 300 men into battle against the rest of the world and keeping the moral high, etc. And he was able to do it. He was the epitome of a true leader. But of course, no man is complete without his leading lady.

    Leonidas’s wife Gorgo, played by Lena Headey, was also excellent. Her character was the reason Leonidas acted as he did and you could tell. And after he left for war, she stepped up and did what she could to help save Sparta. Beautiful and ballsy, she also did what she felt she had to do and faced troubles and adversity in order to save her country. While Leonidas was the brawn, she was the brain.

    Finally, moving away from the characters, 300 was visually stunning. I’ve never seen such great cinematography. Each shot was done with such purpose and got the point across perfectly. I especially liked what they did with Xerxes. They made him seem much larger than life for most of the movie- untouchable; almost god-like. Then there was the turning point. He became more human and you could tell. That as well as the reason of the imagery and visuals made this movie.

    300 was excellent and highly recommended. I wouldn’t say it’s flawless, but I found nothing wrong with it.

  • March 12, 2007

    Music Round Up

    Anberlin- Cities

    It’s been a while since I wrote about music last, and since then I have picked up some pretty good stuff. The number one on my list: Anberlin’s new CD, Cities.

    Anberlin- Cities

    Anberlin’s Cities is the perfect mix of rock out songs and relaxing songs no matter what you are doing. I’ve listened to the CD at the gym and while getting some serious work done. It helps me focus. Their music has only matured with this CD- they didn’t change their sound or compromise their music for a better record deal. This is Anberlin through and through. But a better Anberlin. I love their first two CDs- Never Take Friendship Personal was great. But with both of those albums, I started listening to just a few select songs. That is not the case with this album. I’ve had it almost a month now, and listen to the whole thing through once a day at least. Among my favorite tracks are Adelaide, A Clamor and a Whisper, Dismantle.Repair and Fin. The later two are the last two tracks (before the bonus stuff) on the album and they really wrap the cd up well. Dismantle.Repair is the final build up before the great cool down that is Fin. All in all, the band brings a lot of new things to the table here, and if you have heard Anberlin in the past, but weren’t sold, this is the album that will do it.

    The Rest

    Thursday

    Looking beyond Anberlin, I have picked up a multitude of CDs from which I can pick and choose my favorite songs and make a pretty good play list. These CDs include (but are not limited to): Dropkick Murphys, Halifax, Matchbook Romance and a bunch of “Punk Goes” CDs. Halifax as a relatively new band is decent. They have some good songs, like Under Fire, but still, a lot of their songs sound the same. The same goes for Dropkick Murphys, who a admittedly picked up after seeing The Departed.

    Finally, I’d like to mention Thursday, whose CD A City by the Light Divided is pictured left. The CD isn’t all that new (summer of 2006), but they are coming to my school so I felt the need to mention them. I’ve seen them twice and they were pretty good both times. It’s a high octane show. Opening for them: The Starting Line and Paulson. It should be a fun time.

  • February 10, 2007

    Prey by Michael Crichton

    PREY

    Prey by Michael Crichton is a SciFi book that focuses on the possibilities of evolutionary programming and nano technology. Problems arise at a nano technology company call Xymos when they lose control of a nano particle swarm. Jack Foreman is called in to help. They used his genetic algorithm, PREDPREY, to program the swarm, and hoped he would be able to get it under control. When Jack arrives, he begins to find out that there is much more to the story than what he has been told. The swarm that has broken free is evolving and fast. They also seem to be reproducing. If they don’t do something fast, they are in a lot of trouble.

    This book was appealing to me for two reasons: It’s a good story, and it goes pretty in depth about genetic algorithms, evolutionary programming, and programming in general. What we see in Prey seems pretty real, possible, and close to being done. Genetic Algorithms are something I have learned about in school and have started to program. Right from the beginning we start hearing about the kind of work that Jack does, and how he views the world, how he thinks, etc. This is a surprisingly accurate representation of the typical programmer. Crichton really did his research. The story also starts to pick up right at the beginning. Jack’s wife is a VP of Xymos, and has been working long hours lately. Her character has changed and he can’t put is finger on why. There is suspicion of cheating. Things start to get weird at home. That’s when Jack is called into Xymos, and goes against his wife’s wishes.

    All in all, it’s a pretty fast read. The continued plot twists, surprises and frightening reality of it all makes it quite the page turner. And the references to programming don’t hurt either.

  • November 23, 2006

    Gears of War (for Xbox 360)

    Gears of War Screen

    Two Tuesdays ago was a pretty big day for games on the 360. Call of Duty III (CoD III), a game I was highly anticipating due to its amazing prequel, and Gears of War (GoW) came out. I happened to pick up both that week and promptly played CoD III until I got to busy to play, and then when the work let up, played Gears of War. Here is how that game stacks up.

    I didn’t really know what to expect from GoW. It looked cool, with a Halo-esq feel to it. However, I grossly underestimated this game. Not only does it look kick ass graphics wise, but the game play is pretty awesome. It takes place in the future, where you are fighting in a post-apocalyptic world against “The Locusts.” It’s a team based game where you have to look after your squad or you won’t win. The controls are pretty sophisticated, and because of that the game has a pretty high learning curve but the basics are intuitive. It’s in third person, which allows you to hide against walls and behind almost anything. From there you can move to another hiding spot or rush out, jump over walls, etc. When behind these formations you can blind shoot, a feature I like a lot. You can shoot enemies while still hiding, which isn’t very accurate, but effective against a lot of locusts.

    The weapon set is also really sweet. The default weapon is an AK/chainsaw, and when you are up close and personal with an enemy, that chainsaw comes in handy. And using it looks awesome. There is also a weapon called “The Hammer of Dawn,” which harnesses the power of the sun to obliterate the target.

    As for multiplayer, you can do co-op, versus and Live. Co-Op is fun- your friend becomes part of your squad, and you guys have to communicate and work together to beat the levels. VS pits you 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 and you guys just find each other and go to town. Once you die, you’re dead until the end of the round. Live is the same way, just with more people. It’s cool with bigger teams, but again, if you guys don’t work together, you will probably lose.

    Over all, the game is amazing. One of the best. The graphics and detail, the game play, the online experience. I was excited about Call of Duty III, but Gears of War is clearly the better game here. Later.

  • November 1, 2006

    Creative Zen Vision:M

    Zen

    I recently got the Creative Zen Vision:M for my birthday and I’ve got to say I am very happy with it. It has been about 2 years since I got an mp3 player, and following trends, it was about time for a new one. I needed something first of all, that held more than 5GB. With a music library of over 15GB I’d like to have most/all of my music with me, I needed something that only held 1/3 of what I’ve got. The Zen Vision:M has 30GB. That was my only real requirement, though FM Radio was a nice feature I had tucked away in the back of my mind.

    The Zen Vision:M offers those 2 purposes and so much more. I can store not only music, but video and photos. The video quality is great- the videos appear really clear on the screen. Along with an FM radio it has an FM recorder, something that won’t be around much longer. I can also store files on it if I so desired. The surprising but awesome features include the ability to make play lists right on the device, and synchronization with Outlook (calendar, contacts, tasks). I find it particularly cool because it something I find pretty useful and didn’t think of.

    As for interface design, it is pretty intuitive and their alternative to the beloved iPod click-wheel is a pretty good one. It allows me to quickly cycle through my music collection and easily switch screens. It also comes with a search by letter feature or you can search by keyword with an on screen QWERTY keyboard. The software it comes with is also easy to use, and has a number of great features like Rip CD, Convert Video, and Sync music collection. The battery life is about 8 hours, which is fine for me and I think pretty good in general. The only problem I have found with it is the screen gets pretty scratched up if you don’t protect it. However, it does come with a nice little pouch. All-in-all, a nice device to check out, and a great alternative to the Video iPod. Later!

  • October 8, 2006

    Canon S3 IS

    Canon S3 IS

    A couple of weeks ago I wrote about “the 2 year swing” and my intentions to buy a new digital camera. Since then I purchased the Canon Powershot S3 IS and could not be happier. I liked my Nikon Coolpix 4100 for what it was worth, but the Canon is just so much more powerful, with a multitude of shooting modes and options.

    At about 3x3x4.5 and .91 pounds, it is significantly bigger (albeit slightly lighter) that my 1.5×3.5×2.6 and 1 pound Nikon, but as I mentioned in the previous post, size was not a major factor in the decision. Zoom was the prominent factor, and with 12x Optical Zoom, I went with the right choice. There is also the option of getting newer, more powerful lenses for it, which is absolutely great. Plus, with 6 mega pixel photos, they come out not only close, but clear and crisp. Another great feature about the camera is the amount of shooting modes it has- 12 to switch from, with an number of options to play with on each one. For sports composite, which I used a lot on my Nikon, all I have to do is hold down the button to take as many shots as I want. My favorite shooting mode, however, is the Manual mode.

    Last semester I took a photo class where we learn about how to control the shutter speed, the amount of light that entered the camera, how to utilize the focus and a few other factors essential for good photos. With the Nikon I was not able to put this knowledge into practice. With the Canon not only can I do all of the above, switch between manual presets and control the flash, a simple option that was left out in the making of the Nikon.

    While there is so much more to talk about with my new camera (like the movable, “tumble” screen), I just wanted to touch on my favorite features. If you want to take great, professional looking pictures- this camera might be the best in its price range (~ $400). If you would like to see some pictures I have taken, you can go to my Flickr site and take a look at my Washington DC and [most recent] Yankee Game pictures. Later!

  • September 4, 2006

    Choke

    CHOKE

    I am searching for things to say about Choke that I have not already said about Palahnuik. I seem to use ‘roller coaster ride’ a lot, as well as some swear words. Let’s see how I do here.

    Choke is about a man named Victor Mancini who has a dying mother, a bad job, and a sex addiction. To make money to keep his mother in an upscale nursing facility, he goes to restaurants and chokes on food so someone will save him, feel bad for him, and send him money. We explore his past, but live his life as it’s happening. This is different from Invisible Monsters and Fight Club, where we start from a point, and go back to see how we got there. I also feel like Victor is more relatable that other Palahnuik characters. Note the qualifier.

    The book, of course, is dark twisted and “informative” as to taking a look into the minds of Victor and others. St. Anthony’s, where Victor’s mother is staying, is less a “nursing” facility as much a psych ward. It is hard to say that it is like the other novels by him that I have read, but it is. BUT it is also very different. More philisophical, I feel, that the other two. There is a lot of religious over tone in the book for a while, and you get sucked into the idea that none of the characters really know where they are going in life. It is well worth the read. Later.