Michael Crichton RIP. Author dies Nov. 4th 2008
CNN just made a breaking news announcement, Michael Crichton has died suddenly after a private battle with cancer, according to a statement issued by his family. Crichton was the author of many best selling novels such as Jurassic Park, Timeline, The Great Train Robbery, and Sate of Fear. He was the executive producer of ER and was a Emmy and Peabody winner.
Personally he has been my favorite author since I read Jurassic Park for the first time in elementary school. I have read and re-read his works more than anything else that has ever found a place on my book shelf. At the end of every new novel, he left me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next. It seems now a sad reality that whatever was next, will never come. He wrote with an imagination and an intelligence that made everything we penned seem like reality, qualities that are not common among many authors these days. He was, and will continue to be a huge inspiration on me as a writer.
My thoughts go out to his family Friends and fans. He is missed.
Edit: IGN.com reports that his final work will be published December of this year.
Election Day 2008! The Final Stage Says VOTE!
We here at The Final Stage encourage you to go out and vote today. Make sure that you are a part of history. Don’t miss your chance to have your voice be heard.
MetallicA – Death Magnetic
Anyone who has ever doubted Metallica’s legacy in the world of music needs only to listen to their latest album once to understand that Metallica is the biggest hard rock/metal band in history for a reason. Death Magnetic, their 9th full studio album, delivers with a heaviness, a ferocity, and a sincerity that has become a rarity in music today. After 2003’s widely unpopular St. Anger(I loved, just for the record) there has been a lot of speculation about whether or not Metallica would be able to deliver another heavy and real metal album. Trust me when I say, that Death Magnetic delivers on all accounts. Oh, and did I mention that all the songs are long? With the shortest clocking in at 5:01, and the longest rounding out at 9:58. This album hits hard and hits fast and drags you along at a million miles an hour. Death Magnetic is Metallica’s heaviest, and possibly best, album since 1988’s …And Justice For All. Yes, that means that I think this album is better than Justice.
The album opens with That Was Just Your Life, as a heart beat leads us into a slow, melodic, dark and unnerving piece of guitar work, somewhat reminiscent of the first few notes of Battery or Fight Fire With Fire. This gives way to the first of many awesome riffs on this album. The drums speed up and Hetfield’s vocals erupt with an energy I haven’t heard from him in years. By the first ‘chorus’ you know exactly what this song, and the album, is going be about and feel like. Life is heavy, grinding, and sounds like something that might be played while your eternal soul is dragged down to hell. In a good way. (Yes, I realize how cheesy that was). At about 4:27 the song hits you with an incredible hook that leads into an absolutely blistering solo by Kirk. If you missed solos on St. Anger, Death Magnetic will definitely make up for it.
That Was Just Your Life transitions into End Of The Line(one of my personal favorites) which opens with a redone, and faster version of the opening riff from 2006’s New Song. From there it rips into another unrelenting series of guitar based events building the song into a massive sonic force. Trying to translate this song into words is proving difficult. The song builds from one riff to another, working from the foundation of New Song. The solo hits with a force that makes you stand back and give a Keanu Reeves like ‘Woah’. Ok, that was bad. From there the song goes into a melodic interlude, not unlike Master of Puppets, slowing the pulse of the album and allowing the listener to catch their breath. For a minute. The song explodes with a yell of “The Slave Becomes The Master!” and the song is back in full force.
In less than a second the album changes from The End Of The Line to the equally as heavy but slightly, and i stress slight, slower Broken Beat & Scarred. But it doesn’t stay that way for long. This song features what I find to be one of the most interesting and compelling guitar hooks on the album, leading into the song grinding along at a steady pace while James lays down the lyrical component before the whole thing takes off running. With intermittent chants of “Show Your Scars” and “No More Scars” the song carries along like a Greek epic. This song is a battle cry. It conjures images of armies marching into the bowels of hell to wage an endless war. And then the battle starts. The song speeds up. It’s that perfect Metallica blend of a massive riff and solo, tying together in perfect metal harmony. The sound pounds to a close and leaves you still reeling by the tie the next track starts.
The Day That Never Comes hits at track number four. I’ve heard a lot of feedback from this song. Some people saying that it sucks, is terrible, etc etc. Others say it’s the new One. I disagree with both statements. The song definitely opens with a clean guitar that screams ballad. After the first chorus the guitars and drums build to something you know is coming…something big…and then we’re swept back into the slow calm. What I mean there, is a good thing. It’s song writing like this that has made Metallica the band that they are. Eventually the song does build into that huge raging beast you can feel hiding behind the clean guitars. James’ vocals hit a new level of emotion and with a cry of “This I Swear” the song morphs into duel guitars and a stunning riff, almost seems right out of …And Justice For All. The guitars fade for a second, the double bass hits and ushers us into one of my favorite riffs of the album at about 6:27. Then the Hammet solo kicks in destroying everything in it’s path. I personally, cannot wait to hear this song live.
The bass that opens All Nightmare Long sounds like the score to a horror movie. It’s deep and foreboding and you know that something dangerous is just around the corner. And then the riff hits, faster and more brutal than anything we’ve heard from Metallica in years. The song hits hard as James growls that luck has run out. Indeed it as for anyone who thought Metallica wouldn’t deliver on this album. This song has the ability to physically abuse you. I’m not joking when I talk about how heavy this song is. All Nightmare Long also features a different riff from New Song. It’s heavy, it’s dark, it’s brutal. It’s everything it should be. Hands down a contender for the best song on the album, and I know that it’s one fans will demand to hear over and over. This song is one high speed guitar chase after another, coupled with great vocal work that melds with the guitars perfectly. Lars’ drumming really ties it all together. The solo in this song is one of the best in years. Kirk has such a cool sound here, I really don’t know if I have heard anything like it. The song comes to a false end, and the comes with what I can only describe as a music punch in the face. It’s a shame that Broken Beat & Scarred didn’t come after this track, because that’s how you are left feeling once it ends. Of course, I mean that in a good way.
If you haven’t heard Cyanide yet, you are either living under a rock, or actively trying not to hear the new songs until you have the album. The intro hits hard and fast and gives way to a nice little bass interlude, before launching right into the first verse. Cyanide is structured a little differently than the other songs on the album. The intro is shorter, and in addition to your classic chorus you have a chorus like bridge, or what I would actually consider a second chorus. The song is put together brilliantly. James’ vocals falter a tad on this track from time to time, but the rest of the band is so strong here, that you really don’t notice. Lars has some incredible drum parts on this song. And Rob’s bass really get a chance to shine through. Once the album drops this song will tear up the radio charts, I have a feeling. Kirk’s solo here seems to last forever, and spawns a few different parts of the song, but really stands out near the end. The song kicks in after the solo with more duel guitars, then back to the bass break down. “Suicide, I’ve already died, you’re just the funeral I’ve been waiting for”.
Unforgiven III was the only song I was weary of. Once I heard that Unforgiven was the work in progress title it had been give, and wasn’t actually related to the first two songs, I became a little more open to the idea. This song, while definitely the slow ballad, is heavier and harder than either Unforgiven to come before it. It opens with a piano piece that can’t be described as anything other than eerie and beautiful. James’ vocal work on this track is impressive to say the least. The guitar has a kind of motion to it that reminds me of waves and being swept back and forth. Very cool. The bass really comes through here and almost over powers the guitar. As beautiful as the rest of the album is heavy. It’s not as polished as ballads of the past like Unforgiven or Nothing Else Matters, but it feels like it has more emotion behind it than even Fade To Black. As the song builds and builds Kirk’s guitar screams to life echoing the lyrics desperation and desire for redemption. Unforgiven III might be the solo of the album. The song dose not end when it’s over. It stays with you.
The Judas Kiss was one of the songs I was most looking forward to hearing. And it dose nothing short of exceed expectations. Seems to be a constant theme with this album. Once the chorus kicks in this song is a force to be reckoned with. Superheroes would battle this song and struggle getting away alive. There is a very cool groove here that is unlike most other things on the album. It’s not the heaviest song here, but there is definitely a feeling to it that will pull you in. When James hits ‘Bow down, sell your soul to me” the song reaches this kind of vortex, that just pulls you in and will not let go. This might be the catchiest song Metallica has written. I say that with great hesitation becuase rarely is ‘catchy’ a phrase that is used in a positive light. But it’s meaning here is pure praise. Kirk nails another incredible solo (sometimes it seems like it might be more interesting if he played a bad one) and Lars’ drums actually distract from the rhythm and bass during it. The second solo is very Reload/Fuel like, and fits the song perfectly. By the third solo (yes, 3 solos) it seems that the guitar has taken on a life of it’s own. Lead into a very cool break down, that leads back into the chorus. James’ lyrics here are slightly reminiscent of the subject matter in Devil’s Dance; fall of mankind, betrayal, seduction and temptation. You know how it is. Very old testament. This song rocks. Lets just sum it up like that.
Instrumentals return with track nine, Suicide and Redemption, which clocks in at a mammoth9:58. Rob gets some very nice bass work in early on before the song hits a great groove. Those looking to win the argument that groove metal and thrash metal are cut from the same cloth need to look no further. The song is kind of a jam, and doesn’t seem to do too much at first. But don’t let that fool you into skipping the track. The band transitions from one awesome groovy riff to another before hitting a serene breakdown that gives you the chance to catch your breath you’ve been looking for since track two. Then a bass line hits you that rips you back into the fury of the album. It’s a slow building grind that works it’s way up and up until the solo hits with a dizzying effect. The guitars scream here. The solo ends and the song is off and running. A galloping double bass keeps the pace up as the song again builds and the drops you off back into the groove riff. And just when you’re feeling comfortable the landscape changes again. An almost Led Zeppelin like drum fill centered part hits, and then it’s back off and running.
My Apocalypse was the first Internet single to be released and had fans in an uproar over it. I was actually giddy the first time i heard this song, playing it at least 10 times nonstop before i took a second to step back and think about it. This song closes the album in the way that Damage Inc and Dyer’s Eve clsoed their albums. It’s fast and furious and relentless. For five minutes this song owns you. This is going to be the mosh pit song of 2008. With intense ‘GO!’ the song hits the next level and the solo rips in, melting every face nearby. The next stage of the song brings the ferocity to a new level and the pounds back into a verse/chorus. The song pounds to an end and closes the album.
All expectations were exceeded here. Every single one of them. Every song is an ace, I’d give them all 6 out of 5 stars if I could. This is the album of the year, no doubt about it. It’s right up there with Master of Puppets, and Justice. Anyone who had any doubts about this album, one listen and your fears will be put to rest. Anyone who is bitching and complaining about this album is doing so purely to get attention. What you have here is a flawless collection of 10 hard hitting songs from the band that made heavy music what it is today.
Bioshock moving from the small to the silver
With all the recent sucess and hype over good comic book movies (Batman Begins, Iron Man, The Dark Knight) it was only a matter of time before another video game movie rolled our way. With last years announcement of Gears of War being optioned for a picture, it seemed only natural that similar games would soon follow suit. It has been announced now that Bioshock, 2k Games underwater twist on the first person shooter, has been picked up by Universal pictures. Bioshock will be Universal Picture’s first video game based project since 2005’s Doom and one can only hope that the studio is going to try despratly to make up for that disaster. In was revieled in an interview with Variety that Pirates of the Caribbean‘s Gore Verbinski will direct the film. Verbinski talked about the characters and amazing art deco style of the game is what made him interested in the film. “I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that’s cleverly unveiled to players is just brimming with cinematic potential, of all the games I’ve played, this is one that I felt has a really strong narrative” the director told Variety. He said that the characters were vastly impressive and would make for an incredible translation to cinema. I’d have to agree. There is no set production or release date, however the feeling is that the studio would like to begin production as soon as the scrip is compelete. Reports indicate that John Logan (Sweeney Todd, The Aviator) will be writing the script. This, coupled with the recent announcemtn of a Bioshock sequle, makes a big year for the world of Rapture.
Iron Man
To start, I am going to keep this as spoiler free as I possibly can. I will also try to be as unbiased as I can…but that won’t be easy. It’s no secret that I am a huge Iron Man fan, and have been anticipating this movie more than any other in recent history. So on with the review.
With the recent plague of terrible comic book movies (Spider-Man 3, Super Man Returns) the announcement of an Iron Man movie made a lot of fans fearful for what might happen to one of the most powerful and central characters in the Marvel Universe. Personally all of my fears were laid to rest with the casting of Robert Downy Jr. as Tony Stark. Downy Jr aside, Iron Man’s cast was beyond impressive for a comic book movie, with almost every actor in the film being an Oscar Nominee. That, plus the massive media attention and the desperate need for a good Marvel movie (DC hit gold with Batman Begins), rose expectations of Iron Man to a level that was hard to believe. Let me assure you, expectations were met, and exceeded.
Iron Man could esaily be described as another super hero origin story, though that would be selling the film short, it is so much more. In reality Iron Man is almost two films in one. The first part is your origin of Iron Man. Basic plot faithfully lifted from the pages of Iron Man V4, Stark is attaked in the middle east, held prisoner, and forced to create a device (the mark one armor) to escape. As his triumph over his captors comes to a close, it seems that the movie could have ended right there and been perfect. But it didn’t.
With the origin of Iron Man wrapped up, Tony Stark (Robert Downy Jr, Zodiac) returns home and throws himself full on into the development of a newer and better Iron Man armor, and sets out to save the world. In the process Tony finds himself in a battel of ‘wits’ with his robot assistants, whom provide most of the comic releife (well that which isnt provided by Stark himself). One might go so far as to claim these characters to be this generations R2-D2. Aided by world class assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) and best friend James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes (Terrence Howard, Crash) Stark battles the exile from his own company, and friend turned super villian Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges, The Big Lebowski) in an attempt to create a world at peace, rather than war.
The movie is more faithful to the source material than perhaps any comic movie so far. Fans will have an issue with Jarvis’ role (who is fatured as Stark’s super advanced AI rather than his butler), it is understandable to change the character, seeing as having three ‘side kicks’ in the movie would just clutter up the screne. Another small change would be the relationship between Tony Stark and enemy Obadiah Stane. Stane in the comics is a rival buisness man, rather than the friend/mentor that he is in the film. To be honest I rather prefer the film’s take on Stane, as it makes for a more dramaic conflict between the two. Robert Downy Jr is flawless as Tony Stark. Never once did I think I was watching anything but Tony stark as Tony Stark. Downy Jr’s preformance is absolutly flawless, and he suceeds in translating a character from page to film better than anyone else in the history of modern cinema (as far as this critic is concerned anyway). Jeff Bridges worked better as a villian than I thought possible. As long time fan of Bridges, I was very interested to see how he would do has the antagonist, rather than his norm. He did not dissapoint. In fact I’d say that it was one of his bet preformances ever. Paltrow worked very well in her role, and the chemestry between her and Downy Jr was as natural as anything you’d hope to see on screne.
In a movie like this it is easy to see how the characters can take a back seat to the action. Indeed this is a major concern with most comic book adaptations. It would be terribly wrong not to give credit to Stan Winston and ILM for their work in this film. The Iron Man armors were amazing, and all the effects were absolutly beautifly done. The final fight scene was just a wonder to watch. The Live action blended seemlessly with the CG throughout the entire film. But as great as the action was, and the fighting flying mechanical marvels, it all took a back seat to the story of Tony Stark developing from loveable asshole playboy billionaire, to the super hero who genuienly wants nothing but to save the world.
While I love this movie for being arguably the best comic book movie of all time, I am also saddned by the fact that it is a comic book movie, becuase it will never get the reckognition and credit it deserves. Though maybe Iron Man will be the movie that breaks the norm. Perhaps this is the film that gets Super Hero movies put into a positive light and taken seriously. Becuase I can easily think of no fewer than 5 well earned Oscar Nominations for this movie, chief among them best actor and best adapted screne play. Heres to hoping.
In closing, this movie is amazing. It is fun, it is funny, it is action packed, it is dramatic. You laugh you cry you cheer. Even times when you know what is going to happen (I mean you knwo that Stark isn’t gong to die) you are still kept on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen, and who willmake it out alive. Even seeing it a second time, I was kept on my toes waiting to see what was going to happen next.
Oh, and make sure that you stay after the credits.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (updated)
Well. Here it is. Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. Some said this day would never come. True it seemed that until you had it in your hand, it was hard to believe that the game was ever going to come out. But it did. And here it is.
So lets dig in. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is like every Christmas morning you’ve had rolled into one, covered in chocolate and sprinkles then served to you but beautiful naked women. I mean, if your into that kind of thing. If not, then it’s a perfect example of what happens when a developer delivers on everything they promised. Or mostly.
Lets start with where the game goes right. Building on the adventure mode from Melee, Brawl features a game mode called The Subspace Emissary, a full blown legit story mode. The ‘game within a game’ averages out a 9 hours, give or take. You play through a story told through beautiful cinematics in between levels, making your way through a variety of levels and Nintendo locations eventually playing as all characters (sans the final 3 unlockables). What makes it even better is that the entire mode can be played with a buddy in full two player co-op. Awesome. It’s a creative and entertaining way to mix things up, and to introduce all the characters, new and old. Did I mention the beautiful cinematics? Brawl finally shows that the Wii is capable of post N64 graphics, as it is by far the best looking game on the system. Also in adventure mode is the new Sticker system. Stickers are power-ups of sort, coming in a variety of A and B list Nintendo characters. They are applied to your character in a strategic fassion to apply resistance and damage bonuses.
In addition to adventure/story mode Classic mode makes it’s return, complete with breaking targets, random giant combatants, and of course Master Hand. Classic mode awards trophy’s in usual fashion for beating the 12 stages with any of the characters. Really nothing has changed here, but there wasn’t really anything that demanded improvement.
Other game modes making an appearance (once unlocked) are the returning All Star Mode (which has you fight through a large number of combatants on a single life), the goal oriented Events (awarding more trophies, songs, levels, etc) and a new one called Boss Battle Mode. Boss Battle Mode is similar to All Star Mode, except that you face all the Bosses from story mode, not the other Nintendo icons. Also of course is practice mode, the stadium (home run derby anyone?) and target break (once unlocked outside of Classic Mode), and create a level. Also are the Masterpieces, 1-3 or so minute trials of the game character’s original Nintendo games. Yes, it seems like a mere plug for the Virtual Console games, but it’s a cool addition nonetheless.
The game boasts an impressive amount of unlock-ables (enough to supply the fix for any recovering 360 achievement whore like myself) including the secret characters, soundtracks, levels, create a level parts, game modes, missing pieces of the catalogue lists, masterpieces, and stickers.
And of course there is normal brawl. With the normal adjustable rules, game types, and the large selection of maps and characters. The biggest new addition are the Final Smashes. Though a cool concept, I have a feeling that many people, like myself, will eventually turn this item off. It may seem like a cool idea to give everyone the chance to have a super nearly one hit kill massive special move. But it tends to change to focus of the game, as soon as the smash ball shows up on screen its a race to get it, rather than just brawling. And of course, if one person continues to be the lucky brawler to get the Final Smash, the game turns very unbalanced very quickly.
Game play translates nicely to the Wii, and players are given a variety of control options, from new wii controls, to the game cube and classic controllers. The classic controller and the game cube controller use the same commands as Smash Melee used on the GCN, making for a smooth transition. All returning characters play extremely close, if not exactly, to how they played in previous games. The new characters are easy to pick up, and it seems that there will be more character switching in Brawl as opposed to previous installments. That is to say, I think you’ll find yourself playing more characters than you did in the past. The levels are more interactive and exciting; from destroyable terrain, to changing locations, and all sorts of level born hazards. Game play flows smoothly and as of now I have found no problems. The music is wonderful, each stage has a reworked theme song pertaining to it’s game of origin, yes including Sonic’s Green Hill Zone. The sound overall is great, and the visuals are the best we’ve seen on the Wii, and probably the best we will see in a long time. Really the one and only complaint with the game is the load times. Well not a much of an issue in normal brawl, in any of the ‘single’ player modes the load times range form moderate to terribly annoying.
Character selection is strong, and varried. It seems that there is a greater range of character types in Brawl than the previous Smash titles. A good thing becuase there are less of them this time around. And well it is great to see some of the new characters (Pit, Meta Knight, R.O.B.) there are many characters that fans demanded and Nintendo failed to deliver on. It brings up two big questions; are Nintendo just ignorign fan demands, or do they have some sort of surprise lined up for us? It is entirely possible that in a couple of years the Wii becomes the first multi Smash Bros. titled system. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Dissapointments aside, there is no shortage of characters to play, most of whom are strong and very few of whom are down right bad.
After no luck with the online play the first day, I just assumed that there weren’t enough people online as the game hadn’t yet been out 24 hours. I did finally get a chance to play some online Brawl, and although it’s no xboxlive, the experience was not terrible. When playing online you can chose to either play with people on your friends list, or you can play with random nameless people. Finding your initial math ups can take a bit of time. The process starts by picking your character, then a level (I still don’t know how it decides what level is played, it never was any that I picked). You then find your self in the ‘lobby’ on a practice stage beating up sandbag, waiting for other players to join up. Once the game is full, it launches. The first complaint is that it seems that you can only play 2 minute KO fest. An annoyance if, like me, you prefer the ‘stock’ game type. The game ran smoothly, though play did slow a little through out each game I played. Overall though nothing unbearable. The best feature is the continue option. After a round ends, you can choose to continue play. Assuming that other in the game do so, the four players (or however many stayed) pick new characters, and levels, and a new round begins. This is nice because it eliminates the potentially long wait for players. Overall the online experience was not disappointing, but nothing I would consider to be a selling point of the game. it is however a big step in the right direction for Nintendo’s online gaming, something I hope the consider putting a lot more development into.
In the end, I really can’t say much bad about the game. On the first day I had it I played it for 12 hours straight, moving between the various modes, and was up until 6am. Not too many games have been able to motivate that kind of play, at least not since Viva Pinata. Nintendo did deliver on what they promised, which at this point in time, with the rapidly growing amount of dissapointment in the Wii, was crucial for them. Hopefully we will see mroe games of this calibur for the Wii, although with only one first party game lined up for the rest of the year, and games like ‘Project HAMMER; being cancled, the future looks bleak. But for now we have Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and hopefully this will keep the Wii alive and well for the time being.
Logan #1
Take an all star writter who has his name spread across the world of entertainment (Brian K. Vaughan LOST, Y: The Last Man) and an artist rapidly establishing his name and style (Eduardo Risso 100 Bullets) and give them a mini series about one of the most beloved and well known comic book characters ever and what do you get? A bad ass 3 issue mini series that takes us into Wolverine’s past and present.
Logan is a 3 issue mini series that gives us even more insight into the memories that have come back to haunt Wolverine/Logan. It opens with a trek into a temple in Japan to confront an old enemy. The story then jumps back to World War Two. It seems that the women of Wolverine’s past will be a central theme in this series. Or at least one woman.
As a long time and huge fan of the character (well who isn’t) personally I think that 3 issues is a bit short for this series. But I guess before I can really make that judgement, I’d have to see where it’s going, and how its going to end. And I guess Wolverine really doesnt need another book dedicated just to him. I suppose the good of this only being a 3 issues series is that we as the readers, get the guarentee that the writers know exactly where they are going and what they want to have happen. But then again, I can never get enough.
All my rambling aside, Logan 01 is a solid book from start to finish. It’s not going to drastically change the way you look at comics, though if you went into every book looking for a life chaning event you’d never be satisfied. By the end of the last page you want to knwo where the story is going. Over all, a strong
Lost: Via Domus
Losties rejoice, there is a Lost video game. And No, it does not suck.
And that is in fact the truth of it. Lost: Via Domus has been under scrutiny simply because it is a game based on a TV show. Given the history of TV and movie based games, skepticism is understandable. ABC took care in investing a solid amount of money into this game, and the writers knew that they had to be involved enough to deliver a product that would not disgust long time devoted Lost fans. And they managed to do just that.
Lost: Via Domus is a straight forward action/adventure game. Game play is straight forward and simple. There really isn’t too much to say on the subject. In game text is a little small, and on occasion the game gives you a lack of direction, but all in all user interaction is solid and flawless. The graphics are not the best we’ve ever seen, but they are nothing to scoff at. The environments and lighting in particular are impressive.
The concept of the game has you playing as a previously unseen survivor of flight 815 named Elliott, a photo journalist who, post crash, can’t remember anything about himself or his life, even his name. Your story takes place through out the first two seasons of the show. This leads the survivors to grow suspicious of you, and eventually lead them to believe you are an Other. As Elliott you search the island for answers to your past, taking pictures and experience all the mysteries of Lost along the way. Elliott seems a little more motivated to find things on the island and sees things long before the main cast does. This includes other Darmah stations, The Smoke monster, and even a run in with Ben and Juliet. Elliott, like any other Character of Lost, experiences flashbacks. Making these flashback playable had to be a challenge, and I was impressed with how they came out. By finding certain items in each flashback you uncover more of Elliott’s past, leaving the depth of the story up to you.
Via Domus is as loyal to it’s source material as possible. The locations are very accurately recreated, and character’s look like their real life counterparts. I was disappointed by the amount of actors who did not supply their voice for the game, but you can’t have everything.
The game is structured into 7 episodes, each complete with its on ‘previously on lost’ segment and flashbacks. The game is not overly difficult, in fact it’s pretty flat out simple. Not that this makes for a bad game experience. The game is, however, disappointingly short. Each episode takes around an hour or so to complete. Average time to beat the game start to finish is between 7 and 10 hours. This includes all 1000 gamer points for the Xbox 360 version.
To sum it all up. Lost: Via Domus is a good game. it is simple, and very short, but if those are your only complaints, that’s not too bad. This is a game made for the fans, I must stress, if you don’t give a damn about Lost, you won’t give a damn about the game. Unless you are looking for a fast 100 gamer points that is. Should you buy this game? No probably not, at least not until the price goes down. This is a solid game to rent though, as you can without a doubt beat it in one rental, and the replay value is pretty much not there. All in all, i give it a 4 out of 5. If you like Lost, that is.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chonicles
As a die hard Resident Evil fan, the prospect of an arcade style on rails Resident Evil shooter made me a little weary. My feelings were that the Wii was capable of so much more, and that they could really have used the Resident Evil name to really do something innovative. But I bought the game anyway.
The over all Plot is that of Resident Evil 0, 1, and 3 in a diet Pepsi kind of way. You play through a few levels for each of the three games, touching on all of the key points and boss battles. But the really meaty juicy part of the game are the ‘bonus’ levels you unlock while playing through the game, and the bonus levels themselves. These new levels take place outside of the main story of the Resident Evil games, and fill in the blanks. How did Rebbecca Chambers get to the mansion? what happened after Wesker died? Why did Wesker turn on Umbrella? Between the story content in these side missions, and the numerous (I mean a lot) items and files you find while playing the game, all of (ok, most of) the missing pieces of the fall of Umbrella, and the story of the first 3 Resident Evil games is explained. This was the real attraction to the game. While Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles is not a new Resident Evil game in terms of advancing the story, it does provide a lot of new information. In essence, it had the potential to be a fan boy’s wet dream.
Sadly the prospect of Umbrella was a lot stronger than the game it’s self. While the game is far from great, in all fairness it is also not terrible. Game play is smooth and I found no real problems. Though the amount of control and options you can offer players in a rail shooter is limited, Umbrella does do a good job of pushing it to the limits. The game is not overly difficult, and with a second player you can beat the main game’s levels in an hour or so, though the difficulty is noticeably higher on single player, it is still far from challenging. Players have the option of upgrading weapons and new weapons are awarded based on discovery and level progression, adding a little more flexibility to the game. The game’s visuals leave something to be desired, especially given that it carries the name of a game series known for pushing systems to their limits. We’ve seen games on the Wii that look amazing. It’d be nice if more developers took the time to take full advantage of what the Wii is capable of.
In the end the game is not terrible. It is easy, and it is short, and the game play is nothing to write home about, but it plays smoothly and is fun to play with a friend. This game wasn’t really made for the casual gamer, but seems really to be Capcom’s attempt at filling in the missing story pieces before Resident Evil 5 comes out. It’s a good pick up for long time dedicated fans of the series. And I guess if you really can’t wait for the remakes of House Of The Dead then this is the game for you.
Super Mario Galaxy
Within the first few minutes of playing this game one thing becomes very clear, Nintendo is not fucking around. Oh, and neither is Bowser. The formula for this game is more or less the same as any other Mario adventure. Mario is going to the castle, Bowser shows up, kidnaps princess (or entire castle), Mario must peruse and defeat Bowser. Only this time Bowser show up with a fleet of Mario Bros. 3 airships, and flying saucers. He kidnaps the entire castle, and flys off to the galaxy that he created. Yes, Bowser has created his own Galaxy. Bad-ass. Throughout the game you’ll also discover he is creating dark matter and black holes. The dude has seriously up’d the ante.
The game is built upon the seemingly invincible foundation of Super Mario 64, and the improvements made by the follow up Super Mario Sunshine. You start off in a central hub (formerly Peach’s Castle, and Del Fino Plaza) and proceed to go into various worlds and find all the stars. This time, the hub is a huge Space Station/observatory, property of one Princess Rosalina. If you ask me, Mario is rescuing the wrong Princess. I mean sure Peach has a castle and those farm girl next door good looks, but Rosalina is a hot blond with the looks of a super model, and she owns her own space ship. Better than a castle if you ask me.
Mario uses the Observatory as a base and hub to travel between the 42 galaxies. Each galaxy is a world, like in the previous games, with multiple stars. Most galaxy’s average 5 stars, some special galaxies only have 1 star. I’ll save you the trouble of math. The game has a total of 120 stars, wit the talks of a secret 121st star. Once all 120 stars are collected, you unlock the ability to play through the game as Luigi, to collect the 120 stars again, and unlock two special stars. This brings the star total to 242/243 depending on the actual number of secret stars. Fortunately you can beat the game with a minimum of 60 stars.
The game plays as near to flawless as any Wii game to date, and is possibly the best game to integrate with the Wii’s unique control options. Like it’s predecessors, Mario Galaxy does suffer from the occasional horrid camera angles, and sometimes getting that fine touch to a jump is difficult, but over all the game play is smooth and there really is nothing you could seriously complain about. The game is not terribly difficult, but it is not annoyingly simple either. It’s easier than Sunshine, and probably on par with 64. The graphics are without a doubt the best the system has seen thus far. Super Mario Galaxy really shows us what this system can do. The sound and music is as good as any Mario game, and there are even many times when you’ll find yourself hearing newly recorded versions of music from Super Mario Bros. 3.
The new additions to the Mario universe are awesome. Nothing new in the way on enemies really. Most of your boss battles are against Bowser Jr, rather than Bowser. Although the final Bowser battle is possibly the most difficult one to date. Mario finds a few new power ups in Galaxy, all of which are awesome to use. Fire Mario makes a return, along with a re-imaged invincible star Mario. Bee Mario is as shown in the trailers, giving the player the ability to hover for a period of time and walk through honey. Boo Mario is amusing and allows you to travel through walls. Flying Mario is probably the coolest looking, giving Mario some new Black and Red overalls. The ability is pretty much exactly the same as the winged cap from Mario 64. My personal favorite is Ice Mario which gives you the ability to walk across water, as it freezes below your feet.
Over all, the game is hands down amazing, and if there was only one reason to own a Wii, this would be it. I beat the game by borrowing it from a friend, and I plan on buying it. It’s that good. If i had a 5 star rating system Mario Galaxy would have earned at least a 6. Yes, out of 5.
The Final Stage 