Archive for the Reviews Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Mini-Review: Dan Swanö: Moontower

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on September 3, 2012 by slateman

I remember working at the radio station in college and being in love with the Swedish family tree of bands. Åkerfeldt sang for Katatonia on the brilliant and grim Sounds of Decay. Blackheim of Katatonia had his solo project Diabolical Masquerade and Dan Swanö played drums with him. I guess that was enough to purchase Moontower in 1998.

12 years later, however, I still play it regularly, more than any of those Swedish bands, really. (Though, I do write this while wearing my favorite Opeth shirt) This album is the bomb and I have nothing else in my collection that is quite like it.

Speaking of Opeth, their latest album, Heritage, is a nigh-unlistenable ode to 70s prog. It’s strange then, that I love Moontower so much. This is 70s prog done right IMO, with its catchy songwriting, standard death vocals and all that moog! I can’t get enough. There are some moments where I’m lost in the unique tone and mood. And those clean vocals, when they do come about, I’m blown away.

There’s not a whole lot to say about this other than the fact that it rocks. I can listen to this any time, and lately, have been doing so a ton. From the opening notes to that spectacular ending, this is one of my favorite albums of the ’90s.

Leave A Comment »

The Walking Dead: Episode 3…

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Reviews, The Walking Dead on September 3, 2012 by slateman

I simply couldn’t wait, so tonight I finished episode 3. This was the weakest episode in terms of exciting events. On the other hand, it was the single most powerful moment in gaming history.

OK, that may sound a bit dramatic, but (Spoiler-rific), when I heard the gun shot and ran into the woods…OMG. When I did what had to be done. OMFG. I don’t care that I knew it was coming. I FELT IT. That was painful.

I don’t quite know what to expect moving forward. It’s like my humanity is disappearing and if it weren’t for Clem, I’d be done. I think that’s why the TV show (comics?) have Rick’s family there. Without them, it would be so easy to lose what kept you together.

Anyways, the episode was a bit slow once you got to the train, but it was not without action and drama. I still can’t believe what just went down and I maintain its power was unmatched in gaming history. (And yes, I played Final Fantasy VII back in Sept of ’97 – 15 yrs ago this month…urgh!)

Leave A Comment »

The Walking Dead: Episode 2…

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Reviews, The Walking Dead on September 2, 2012 by slateman

I’m having a tough time with this. Man, I love watching zombie movies. Action, suspense, RUN! It’s exciting, enticing and exotic. But rarely do these films truly touch upon the emotional portion of it all. Sure, you’ll lose a loved one. Of course difficult decisions will be made. But in The Walking Dead: The Game I find myself torn.

First off, I’m so glad this isn’t an action game, a FPS or anything of the like. The way this has been crafted is utterly perfect. It contains the exciting, enticing and exotic nature of zombie films and games before it, but only a few times in gaming history have I really cared so much for the protagonist. Few times have I felt so tied to my main character. In Metal Gear Solid 4 I remember tapping the triangle button as if my life depended on it (because for Snake, it did). John Marston’s suffering was my own in Red Dead Redemption.

I find myself having a tough time deciding when to be sympathetic and when to be stern. I want to protect Clementine but I don’t want to tiptoe to do so. I have to be strong to make the tough decisions, but I also want to try to keep peace. Things don’t work this way. The reviews I’ve read say the same…this is hard shit! I want to be loyal to Kenny…we are brothers here! But as each hour passes, these decisions become more and more difficult.

The first two episodes were free for PS+ subscribers and I didn’t even finish episode 2 before plunking down my $5 for episode 3. I must know how this pans out. Lee is the man, confident, yet reasonable. Was he a killer before? It doesn’t matter, he’s my hero now, saving those around him. This is as human a tale as I’ve ever encountered, truly only rivaled by John Marston’s. I simply cannot believe a cel-shaded point-and-click adventure based on zombies could be so deep, rewarding, intense and emotional.

Leave A Comment »

Mini-Review: Outland – I Love This Game…

Posted in Blog, Borderlands, Castlevania, Games, Resident Evil, Reviews with tags , on August 18, 2012 by slateman

I think it was last year when I picked up Outland on the Xbox360. It was probably when my PS3 was dead and I needed something new to play. Of course, I LOVE Ikaruga, in fact, I have a section of one of my sites devoted to it. This game is an action/adventure homage to the excellent title and I love it.

Now, my Xbox360 doesn’t receive as much love as it used to. I don’t know why we all have our favorites but I much prefer the PS3 and its interface than Microsoft’s offering. Most of my gaming hours are spent on Sony’s platform and now that Outland was free for PS+ subscribers, why not nab this game again?

So, with brilliant Ikaruga-style mechanics, awesome visuals and a cool soundtrack, this game is a lot of fun to play. It’s not overly difficult, but boss battles can be very tough. I would love to find a complete set of artwork for Outland as it’s just marvelous. The color schemes, the details in the background, animations, enemies and most of all, bosses, all look spectacular and are deserving of their own art book or online gallery.

The gameplay is equally fantastic. It brings the aforementioned polarity to match the progress-and-return 2D method of Castlevania/Metroid/Shadow Complex. I love these types of games. I’m always eager to go back and collect what I missed, aiming for 100% whenever I can (or 200% in the case of the brilliant Symphony Of The Night!)

So, I should really just play the 360 game rather than going back to repeat all this. But it’s just so fun, I don’t mind. Will I finish the whole thing? Perhaps…but it’s definitely entertaining while it lasts! (i.e. until Borderlands 2 and Resident Evil 6 come out to consume all my time!)

Leave A Comment »

Mini-Review: The Walking Dead – I Really Liked!

Posted in Blog, Games, Reviews, The Walking Dead on August 15, 2012 by slateman

While away I saw the first two episodes of The Walking Dead were free for ps+ subscribers. Having heard good things, and being a big fan of TWD, I was excited. The first few free nights, I got a few hours with the first game and walked away impressed. Of course this is not standard zombie fare. This is a moving game with its share of intense moments. As some choices were presented to me, I struggled with finding an answer that suited Lee. You have limited time on some of these. Do I speak the truth and trust in human nature? Or, do I tell them what they want to hear? Can I keep up with what lies I told one person? Which character do I save or back up? And getting back to Lee, he isn’t just the main character, he’s Lee…My Lee! I absolutely love the protagonist. His eyes are bright and revealing. His mysterious background is curious and compelling. I look at him as if he truly were a reflection of me. He can’t be a killer…right?

I look forward to playing episode 2. If it continues on this path, I’ll be forced to pick up parts 3-5! This is some cool stuff!

Leave A Comment »

Summer Vacation Updates: Gout! Games! Foliage Ocean!?

Posted in Blog, Cubing, Games, Personal, Reviews, Ys with tags , , , , , on June 23, 2012 by slateman

Update #1: The Gout Sucks! I really needn’t say more.

UG&G

OK, I played Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins several years back when it first appeared on the PSP but this week’s $5 sale well…sold me. I’ll be heading out to camp next month and figured I’d stock up on some portable gaming. Of course, this is a poor decision because UG&G is one of the most brutal gaming experiences ever. I knew this having stopped playing all those years ago due to sheer frustration and outright disgust ad the developers. It’s cheap, difficult and evil. However, it’s also classic. It’s a good mix of old and new, but I think it needed to draw from some other sources as well. Its save system is archaic, and while this may appeal to the hardcore gamer, I am disappointed in the layout. Much like Maximo missed out on opportunities, this game could’ve benefited from some tweaks here and there.

The Glory Of Ys

Now, this is what I’ve been waiting for. Back when the Vita launched, we all sensed the drought of killer games. It happens after each hardware launch. However, as I went through the PSN store to see what they had, Ys Seven and Ys: Oath In Felghana were the only two there. No Chronicles??? Supposedly there was a problem and so this game just snuck in there recently. Oh, I’m psyched. Now, I admit that I liked playing the game on the NDS several years back but something happened to my cart, and I never finished it. I’ve run through Book I on the PSP as well IIRC, but something happened once I got to Book II. (Are you seeing a trend here?) This all means I’m friggin’ thrilled to finally get to this. This too will be summer gaming at camp. Headphones, those classic tunes, oh man, this is going to be sweet!

Rochard

I purchased this game several months ago and really never got a chance to dive into it. It seemed a cool concept but only recently have I dug it out to try it. It isn’t perfect and the story is entirely skippable. However, the gravity gun and control over gravity itself are both just awesome ideas. Now, the rest of the game is the generic Metroidvania that we all know and love. And even this generation, this game was done, and done better, with Shadow Complex. Now that game friggin’ rocked. However, while this is just a generally-good game, the inclusion of gravity control and the gun make it different enough to be enjoyed in its own right. I recommend this…I Like would be the review caption.

Celceta

Finally…Ys Celceta is now suffixed Foliage Ocean In Celceta. Of course, it’ll be renamed when localized. And it will be localized, likely by XSeed. I’m looking forward to it, the game drops in September, let’s hope for a translation in early/mid ’13? Now, I haven’t bought any of the PSP games retail (got Oath and Chronicles digitally) but I do hope for a nice packaging. I’d love to shell out some cash for something like that. Music CD, map, some nonsense that fools like me pick up. We’ll see. In any event, the screenshots show a nice world map in the upper-right-hand portion of the screen, a sleek HUD and I’m psyched.

OK, this was a long update but had a lot to cover. My cubes finally hit the U.S. so I hope to have them by the middle of next week. That’ll be cool as I gave my student my Windmill Cube. :) I’m curious how similar the Fisher Cube is to that one. Let’s get this gout totally cleared up (OMFG So Bad!) and life will be pretty good!

Leave A Comment »

Mini-Review: Module – Imagineering: I Like…

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews with tags , on June 17, 2012 by slateman

Module: Imagineering

I listened to the new offering from Module and had to have the record. Then I got it and didn’t like it. The next spin started out great, but got real boring for most of the middle tracks. The next session was wonderful and I loved it again.

This strange love/hate relationship with this record doesn’t make much sense to me. I can’t quite figure out what I think about it. The first few tracks are great. The last few as well. The middle is the selling point. As background listening, it’s wonderful. However, since I cannot possibly write this without referencing the Shatter soundtrack, I desired something more than background music. Got plenty of it already, thanks.

So, what’s wrong with this record, you might ask. Well, nothing. That’s why I’m so confused. On the one hand, it’s precisely what I want. Perhaps mood has something to do with it. The songs aren’t too long, usually have some catchy pull to them, and remind me of Module’s other releases. I think the flow of the songs isn’t quite so grand. Several could be skipped. Perhaps several should be skipped to craft a better-flowing LP. With some filler songs removed, the best of the best could shine. Ultimately, I like this album. Not all of it, sadly. Fortunately, the good is rather good and it might be something I go back to, culling my favorite tracks into a longer EP. Or, I’ll just say, “Fuck it,” and turn on Shatter. We’ll see how that battle turns out!

Leave A Comment »

Mini-Review Format

Posted in Blog, Reviews on June 17, 2012 by slateman

I thought I should change the ‘scoring’ rules for mini-reviews. I like doing these, as they’re not too hefty and they convey my thoughts quickly after something (movie, music, game, etc.) Rather than doing numerical rankings, I’ll stick with something more basic. This could change, but this is a generic template for possible rankings.

OMFG: Kill It With Fire
Eh….
I Liked
I Really Liked
I Loved
Epic Effin’ Greatness!

Something like this will suffice. Now to write a review of the new Module album.

Leave A Comment »

Mini-Review: Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light – I LOVE!

Posted in Blog, Games, Reviews with tags , on June 12, 2012 by slateman

Love This Game!

I’ve always wanted to try this game out and due to the free nature of it on PS+ this week, my wishes were answered. I tried the demo a while back with my wife and quite liked it. However, yesterday I got the chance to play with a buddy and go through a few levels. The verdict? It’s exactly what I love about games.

The two-player system is perfect and strikes a great balance between action and puzzles. Neither is too tough and both were surprisingly fun. The rewards system allows for great replay value (for those interested, my friend is not) and I even tested out a level in single player which was just as fun. The coop gameplay is solid and rewarding. Upgrading weapons, artifacts and relics give a boost which makes me want to go back and play more. It’s a perfect system, one which I wish other developers would employ more. Sure, it’s classic…it’s really nothing new. However, with so many games being so brainless, this is a nice change. Granted, a high IQ isn’t necessary, but I love thinking games.

As I won’t be canceling my PS+ account any time soon, I’ll have plenty of time to play this coop, and then to go back and collect all the hidden things. The only downside is that I have too much to play lately. This PS+ thing is almost a curse! So many excellent titles and so little time. I look forward to playing this to completion online, then to hopping into single player for speed runs & collecting. Fantastic stuff!

Leave A Comment »

Mini-Review: Prometheus – I Definitely Liked!

Posted in Aliens, Best / Worst, Movies, Reviews with tags on June 10, 2012 by slateman

There WILL Be Spoilers

I have not been this excited for a movie since Return Of The King. That was 9 years ago. In all honesty, I have been waiting for this movie to be made for 20 years. We survived Alien: Resurrection and a pair of Alien vs. Predator films. While this may not be an official prequel, anyone who gives a damn about this series knows it is the only film to matter in almost quarter a century. As the days progressed, I kept my expectations low but the fact remained; I was excited beyond belief. Therefore, as the 1pm showing crept closer, I could hardly contain myself. Prometheus is here.

It is an interesting tale. We all yearned to know the origins of the aliens, the mythical Space Jockey’s details, the reason the space craft crashed. Ultimately however, we don’t get all the answers we desired. In fact, there is much left unclear and many new questions are raised.

  • This wasn’t LV426, so this setting isn’t the same as Alien.
  • Assuming this is an actual prequel, a different ship crash landed. Was that Dr. Shaw’s?
  • Therefore, could the space jockey w/ the chest burster be Dr. Shaw?
  • Guy Pearce played Weyland. Why not just get an older actor?
  • Vickers (Charlize Theron – rowr) – Was she an android? Why should I care that David calls her mother and she calls Weyland father?
  • The xenomorph at the end is different from what we know. Since it was all CG, recreating the classic alien should have been easy. Why opt for a different style?
  • The tattooed guy returned with super-human strength. What exactly was he?
  • Similarly, Dr. Holloway was infected with the black liquid. What was he becoming?

What I Liked..

Ridley Scott separated himself from the Alien mythos and for good reason. He would have been inundated with xenomorph questions for the entire 2-year publicity run. Once again though, we knew it was a prequel and I just kept trying to prepare myself for a different type of movie. This was not meant to be Alien and Aliens. That’s OK with me. Some of the best parts were ones removed from that style. On the other hand…

Fifield and Milburn – the scenes with them after they were trapped overnight. There was an intensity to the waiting and barring the stupidity of wanting to play with alien snakes, that whole attack scene was awesome.

The self-abortion scene was insane.

David was an excellent part of the movie. Unlike the anti-android sentiment you got in the first two movies, this was different. I never quite knew what to think of him and what his agenda was. Couple this with Vickers hatred for Weyland and their relationship, there was always a level of underlying strife.

The sandstorm was pretty cool. As were the scanning orbs (pups).

The entire look of the ship was just like the Nostromo and the outfits were classic looking. The look was familiar and awesome.

Final Thoughts

There were a few iffy moments but it avoided being cheesy and that was worth it alone. (remember Alien: Resurrection?) While it created more questions than it answered, I actually quite liked the final product. It was not what we had been expecting and that almost made it more interesting. The intense moments were intense. The thought-provoking concept was deep (and I’m still thinking about it) and barring a few small qualms, I think I liked the movie quite a lot. Now to wait for the blu-ray release, see if there are any cool extras (answers?!?!) and then rethink the whole thing all over again. Definitely thumbs up!

Leave A Comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »