Sean R.'s profileSean's SpacePhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
May 27 X-Men: The Last StandI've got to say that this movie was a lot better than I expected. However, it still could have been a lot better too.
First, a quick run down of the plot. A major pharmaceutical company has created a "cure" for being a mutant. This of course causes quite some conflict among the mutant community. While some have accepted the fact they are mutants, others have not and only wish to be "normal".
Also, there is the story of Jean Grey who returns as the ultra-powerful Phoenix. The only real similarity between the Phoenix storyline in the movie and that of the Phoenix Saga is a quick scene between Phoenix and Cyclops when she first returns. They cut a lot out of her story and she was almost wasted in this movie. I think it was a screen time problem. They were just trying to do too much in one movie.
This also applies to Angel. I was really excited that he was going to be in the movie and they barely used him. However, the scenes of him flying were really cool. His character also had a really powerful scene when he was a young boy and his dad, the creator of the cure, catches him trying to cut his wings off.
I think this movie needed at least another 30 mins to properly cover everything they were trying to do. It did end in a way that means this could be the last of the series. However, they did leave it open to a sequel. To see this however you need to stay until the end of the credits. I won't spoil it for you.
There were a lot of surprises in this movie that I did not expect in terms of some character development. Kelsey Grammar was cool as Beast. Also, the fact that they included the Danger Room was really cool. The special effects were really cool and well done.
Bottom line, I highly recommend this movie even with its flaws. It's great entertainment. May 26 First ReviewMy first review is up over at Gamer Survival. It's my X-Men game review with a bit of redoing. May 25 Exciting NewsAs of yesterday, I am now a writer for Gamer Survival. This is a great site for all your video game news and reviews needs. As some of you may already know, ICandee is a writer for them as well. I've got to say that this is like a dream come true for me. I've always wanted to have the ability to write about video games whether it be news I find or reviews. I realize that I already do that here but now it feels more official. Any time I have a review posted over there, I will post about it here in case you want to check it out. This is so awesome.
In other gaming news, thanks go out to Rabid72 and ICandee, plus the others who joined in, for some awesome Burnout action on Live last night. I love that game it was nice to play with a full room. The evening did not end well for me as I stunk out the last series of races but it was still a load of fun.
The new Hitman demo came out on the Marketplace as well. I will post some thoughts on it tonight but in general I really enjoyed it and will probably play through it again tonight before the International Tehbias Conflict on GRAW hits tonight. Should be interesting. May 24 Ghost Rider Trailer OnlineQuicktime now has the Ghost Rider trailer online. While I am not a big Nicolas Cage fan, this movie does look pretty amazing and now has me officially excited. The Rider himself looks incredible especially considering a picture I saw of him a couple years back that was so horrible I dare not post it here. I just hope this movie doesn't disappoint like Daredevil did. May 22 Game Time: X3: The Official GamePlatform: Xbox360 (Also on PS2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, GBA and PC)
Rated: T
I was in EB the other day and was all set to buy this when the guys behind the counter advised that I should rent it first. I figured if I was being told not to spend my money in a store that I should take the advice, especially when the guys in EB actually looked like they knew something about games for once.
So I decided to pop into the local Blockbuster and rented it. I've had a chance to play threw the first 8 missions or so and have had a chance to play as all three characters - Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Ice Man. Each mission is designed for a specific character so you can't pick and chose as you like. This is fine with me however.
The game picks up where the second movie left off and I believe tries to tie the second and third movies together. Apparently it will explain why Nightcrawler is not in the third movie. I have not gotten to that point yet.
So far I think Nightcrawler is my favourite character to play. He definately has the best controls and his fighting ability is fun as hell. The ability to transport behind your enemy and sneak attack them is awesome to see. Wolverine is fun but is more or less just hack-n-slash with his claws. Both Wolverine and Nightcrawler have healing abilities as anyone who is familiar with the X-Men universe is aware of. Wolverine also has his fury mode which allows you to heal while increasing your aggression and unleashing it on your enemies.
Ice Man on the otherhand is another story. I've only played him for one mission, but I was not impressed with him. Now I should say that I have never been an Ice Man fan in the comics or anything else but I just don't care for the controls. Ice Man "flies" around on ice just as he does in the comics and cartoons. I just don't find the controls for him to be very responsive but perhaps I just need to play some more levels with him.
One thing that I do not care for is the cut scenes. They seem to have decided to go with still images of the characters involved rather than CGI movies or even comic frames, which would have been cool. They are done almost in style that is akin to the Hulk cartoon from the 60s only they look pretty. I wish they had put a little more effort into them.
Also I think some of the actors have leant their voices to the game such as Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman but at times it is hard to tell. However, the voice work is still decent enough and the writing is passable as well.
Now I've read some reviews for this game that have been less than kind but so far I am enjoying the storyline and the gameplay. The graphics may not be "next-gen" but I am willing to look past that as long as the game itself is fun to play. All in all I think it's a fun action game with some flaws but ones I am willing to look past.
Rating: 7.5/10 Review Time: The DaVinci CodeI'm sure you all know the plot of this movie and why it is so controversial. I won't go into that because I don't want to give anything away. While I can appreciate why people are offended by the movie/novel, I think they need to realize that it is just a work of fiction. Although I think if some people didn't have something to complain about, they wouldn't have a reason to go on living. I'll end my tangent now.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was really well acted and everyone was good in their role. Paul Bettany was probably the best actor in it. He was freaky as hell as the murderous monk Silas. I'd never seen Audrey Tautou in a movie before and she's a really good actress as well. She's cute too.
I think I enjoyed the movie more than the book. I'm sure they left stuff out and I know they changed stuff but they left all of the important stuff in and I think it was more streamlined.
I think the critics were unfairly harsh on this movie as I definately think it is a first class thriller. I would definately recommend this to anyone. May 20 Review Time: See No EvilThe basis premise of this movie is that a bunch of juenile delinquents are being sent to clean up a delapidated hotel so that it can be turned into a homeless shelter. There are 4 girls and 4 boys. What they don't realize is that there is monstrous murderer hiding in the building who likes to remove peoples eyes either after or while killing them. This murderer, played by the WWE's Kane (they produced the movie), is named Jacob Goodnight andwas raised by a religious nut for a mother. You know the ones who believe that everyone is a sinner and should be wiped from the world. Of course, the prison guard accompanying the male juvies had a run in with the killer earlier on while he was a cop resulting in him losing his hand. He believed that Goodnight was dead after that encounter. Should have known better.
My first thought after seeing this movie was that I hoped they didn't spend more than $1 Million on it because this was not a well made movie. For example, the boom mic could have been a guest star in the movie it showed up on screen so much. Also for some reason the director picked horrible camera shots. In some shots you only saw half a person's head while they were talking. Considering how some of the director's previous works include The Devil in Ms. Jones 3-5, The Psychosexuals and some music videos, including some for Britney Spears.
However, aside from the poor editing, as a horror movie in general this was a good movie. There was lots of cool deaths that were both inventive and gory. There was a little "A" but no "T". The writing was about what could be expected from a horror movie. So I'd recommend that anyone who is a horro fan see this but just remember to ignore Mr. Microphone. It was definately better than Silent Hill. May 19 Simpsons Quote of the DayI know it's been a while but here we go:
I take a whisky drink, I take a chocolate drink and when I have to pee, I use the kitchen sink. I sing the song that reminds me I’m a urinating guy. Various Gaming TidbitsLooks like we will be getting a demo for Prey this coming June 22 for both the PC and the 360. 1up.com and Gamespot both have stories up about it. This is quite cool that both versions have a simultaneous demo coming out. I cannot wait to try this game.
I alos saw on 1up.com that PC Games will soon be getting a new look. Well the cases anyway. PC games will soon be coming out in cases in the same vein as the other systems so that they are easily identifiable. They will have a certain emblem on them much as the Xbox and PS2 cases do to separate them. It seems that Madden 07 will be the first game to try this out. I like this idea. This cases are easy to store especially since games come out on DVD now instead of CDs with a whole bunch of discs in envelopes.
I also just saw on Gamespot that there are more maps coming out for The Outfit. I for one love this game and I know a few others who do but unfortunately not enough people own this game for some consistent online play which disappoints me a lot. It's a fun game. I know the graphics may not be "next gen" but considering the amount of action in the game, it more than makes up for it.
Well I guess that it's for now. I'll get to more soon. May 18 The Virgin HoaxWell, the whole story about the 25 year old virgin is actually a hoax. The guy is real but he and some friends decided to play a prank which they call a marketing experiment. The girl that was involved knew what was going on but her name was changed. She has a boyfriend of her own. She is today's Sunshine Girl in The Toronto Sun. Apparently they have put a statement up at the website apologizing. These guys had lots of people believing. The sad part is that real people who are virgins at this age or older or have relationship problems in general had written to them asking for help. I guess it's true what they say and that you can't read believe everything you read on the internet. Hockey Conference Finals Predictions and Other StuffNow that we know will be going to the Conference Finals, I will now make my predictions:
Eastern Conference
I predict Carolina over Buffalo in this one. While I guess I should pick Buffalo since they are the closest thing to a hometown team in the playoffs, I'll go with Carolina. I think they have the edge in experience and some of my favourite people live down in that area of the continent.
Western Conference
I predict Edmonton over Anaheim. I pick Edmonton because they knocked off San Jose who I had predicted to go to the Cup final and also because they are the only Canadian team left. Anaheim has been sitting for too long and we all saw what happened to New Jersey in that situation.
They should all be good games.
 Now on to the other stuff.
Looks like this is going to be a good weekend for movies. The Da Vinci Code and See No Evil both come out. While I know a few people who will not be seeing the DVC, I for one am excited to see it. While I did like the book, I didn't think it was the greatest thing ever written. However, it was very interesting to read and very convincing too. I won't give away the point of it for the few who have not read it but the movie should be great with Tom Hanks, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany and Ian McKellen starring in it and Ron Howard directing it.
See No Evil is a horror movie starring the WWE's Kane. Looks like it is going to be a fun movie to watch. I love horror movies and I hear they pull out all the stops in this one. You may have noticed that I have changed my profile pic and the theme of my blog. Well ICandee's changes to hers gave me an idea and some inspiration to do the same. I changed the pic because I saw that on the net and I just had to have it. The colour change is just because I don't really care for the ones that are 360 related even though I like having the 360 graphic up in the corner there. Perhaps I need to make myself a banner. Just need to figure out how to add one first. I'm also trying to use a different font size and colour in an attempt to make this a little easier on everyone's eyes. We're not getting any younger.
Tomorrow night I am off to my first old horror movie screening that is being held by a Canadian horror magazine called Rue Morgue. It's a great magazine that I think is better (and cheaper) than Fangoria. I just found out that they screen horror movies every 3rd Thursday of a month in downtown Toronto. Tomorrow they are showing Monster Squad. This was one of my favourite movies as a kid and is not available on DVD. I realize it's not that old but I love it all the same. It'll be good to get away from gaming for a night. Tried to organize games the last few nights with no success. Oh well, these things happen. Hopefully this weekend will be more fruitful.
Speaking of this weekend, to all my fellow Canadians may I wish you all a happy and safe Victoria Day weekend. Enjoy the time off. I'm sure we all can use it.
May 17 Virgin UpdateAccording to a story in today's paper, the virgin's ex has come and said that he is in fact not a virgin and that they had sex on more than one occasion. This has now turned into a story of he said/she said as he is denying these claims. Many people feel that this doesn't belong in the newspaper. While I agree there are more important things going on in the world right now, sometimes it's nice to have fluff pieces like this to take you away from that. I will keep you all posted as this story develops. I know you are just riveted by it.
In gaming news, I now have only one achievement left in Uno after earning my Uno Shark achievement last night. That's the one where you win ten games online with 4 human players. The only one I have left is the win 40 games online overall. Can't remember the name of it. God I love Uno.  May 16 The 25 Year Old Virgin (this is not about me)I read an interesting story in the paper today. Apparently there is a gentleman from Toronto who has reached the age of 25 and decided it was time to lose his virginity. He was engaged to be married when he was 22 only to find out that his fiance had been cheating on him. Apparently they had made a pact to hold off until marriage. I guess she forgot. So he was put off dating I guess for a while. Understandable.
Now he, like most men, feels the need for sex. In all honesty, we can't help it. So he's made a bet with a friend of his that if he starts a website and gets 5 million hits within 30 days, she will have sex with him. He started the site on May 1 and he is already over 3 million. I will give you the site but remember and visits to it only help his cause so only click it if you agree with it: http://www.avirginsplea.com.
If I were this guy I would be embarassed as hell to have my face in the paper. Not embarassed to be a virgin but just embarassed that everyone knows about it now. His parents, boss and co-workers and some friends. I'm sure most think this is cool. I guess if he succeeds and he's happy in the end more power to him.
This got me thinking that perhaps I should start my own site to find me a girlfriend. I don't think I've quite hit that desperation point but who knows, one day I might. It would seem that even though I like to think I'm a decent guy, I'm not good enough for most girls. I realize I'm no George Clooney and I don't have some fancy B.A. but I still think I have good qualities. I have a full time job, never been in jail, don't cheat or play stupid games like that, and I don't do drugs. Ok so I still live with my parents. There are reasons for that ( stupid spending as a youth among them) and now I am rectifying that situation. Despite people saying geek is in, I don't think that applies unless you are a good looking geek. I've seen this. I visited Lavalife and girls have actually put in their profiles that being a geek or a nerd is ok as long as you are a hot. I mean has society become that shallow. I realize all humans can be shallow to a point but I think everyone out there is just looking for a quick fix or that instant click for a relationship and no one wants to take the time to get to know each other anymore.
This is probably one of the main reasons divorce is so high these days. No one takes the time to get to know each other, get married too soon and then realize 5 years on that they don't really like each other that much.
I just noticed that I've gone off on a bit of a tangent there. Gotta love them. :) Late to the PartyRecently I just purchased my first ever Ipod. For some reason I was holding out from buying one. Don't ask me why. I think it's because they're trendy and I wanted to go against the grain. Obviously that didn't last too long. Not only did I buy one but I went all out. I bought a 60GB Ipod Video. I figured since I'm not getting a PS3, I may as well use the money towards the Ipod. I saved a ton this way while still spending quite a bit.
So anyways, I got it set up last night and I have go to say I love it. I loaded about 5 gigs worth of music on to it. I spent probably 2 hours or so copying cds to it. I will try and add more as I go. I've got Nine Inch Nails, Ozzy, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, Offspring, Moby, The Bravery, Narnia sountrack and a ton of other stuff that I love onto it. I haven't actually listened to any music on it yet but I'm sure it's fine.
The main reason I bought it anyways was for the video playback not the music. I have a satellite radio in my car (I'm a gadget whore) and I always find something to listen to. I loaded two videos onto it last night and you'll never guess what they are: the teaser for The Simpsons movie and The Simpsons episode from Sunday night since I missed it. I watched the trailer and it plays beautifully. Even though the screen isn't very large, the picture quality is amazing. I haven't watched the episode yet. I haven't taken the thing out of the house yet either as I am waiting for a protective case for it before I do. I hear they scratch rather easily.
I can't wait to try and put some movies on there and other tv shows. I plan on watching them on the way to and from work on the train. I can't wait to play with it some more to figure out all that I can do with it. I figure I'll never fill the 60 gigs though but then again, I might. It's Like There's a Party in my Mouth and Everyone's InvitedLast night I had the opportunity to try out a new beverage. It was something new called Smirnoff Fire. All I can say is that this was one f'n tasty beverage. It was liquid candy. This is the kind of drink that you could get drunk off of very quickly because it is so delicious and you can drink it really quickly. I recommend that everyone find it and try it. However, it will never replace beer in my heart (or my liver for that matter). May 14 I Wanna Go to E3 Too!!I’ve gotta say that I am very impressed with the coverage that Microsoft has put out on Live this week for E3. Allowing us to see all the game trailers and the other new goodies from demos to Uno to new maps for Call of Duty 2 was quite the treat. I know that it’s gotten me more excited about the games that are coming out in the near and not so near future. You all already know my thoughts on some of the trailers that have been put out there and of course the new love of my gaming life - UNO!!
Today I’m going to give my thoughts on the “backstage passes” that were released recaps the Microsoft press conference and also recaps of what happened on Wednesday – Friday hosted by two of the PMS ladies. I think they both did a good job of letting us know what we all missed because we’re not privileged enough to be there.
While I’m sure both of these two ladies are both very good gamers and could probably wipe the floor with me in practically every game there is, I have feeling the fact that they’re both rather attractive, including one of them having a rather ample bosom, had something to do with them being selected to host the recaps. I’m not trying to pass judgment here. Microsoft is smart. They realize that the majority of their audience is guys and they’re just playing the sex appeal card and may I just say it was well played. Again, the girls did a great job and I’m glad they’re actual gamers and not some of those ditzes that get used for “booth babes” that ICandee touched upon in a recent blog of hers. May 13 The Trailer ParkI guess it’s time for me to give my impressions on some of the trailers that have been released on Live over the past week that have me excited. I’ll touch on the demos after I’ve had some more time to play them.
I guess the first one I’ll touch on is the one that has me the most excited and it’s not what you think:
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
This game is like a fan boy’s wet dream. It looks to have practically every character you could want. From Spider-Man to Ghost Rider to Galacticus, it’s got over 50 I’ve been told. From what I understand is that you form a team of super heroes to fight the super villains. I realize that is pretty standard fair but some of the characters in the game are not ones you usually see in a videogame. The graphics look kinda cool too. I’m guessing it’s going to be in the same vain as X-Men Legends, which I’m sad to say I’ve never played. Perhaps I should check it out.
Next is the one everyone else really likes and the rest of the pack:
Halo 3
Halo 2 kind off turned me off the franchise. I always thought Halo was overrated to begin with but the ending of the 2nd game and the shortness of the campaign pissed me off. However, the trailer for Halo 3 has pulled me right back and I am excited to see what they do. I think it’s the music that does it. The environments looked cool but the Master Chief himself looks rather the same graphically from the Halo 2 trailer.
Splinter Cell Double Agent
I’m not a huge fan of stealth games but dammit if this isn’t one of the coolest looking games with one of the most interesting storylines. The scene where Fisher comes out of the snow is just too f’ing cool. I cannot wait to play this one. Looks like it may have more action in it too.
Call of Duty 3
This I just want because the second one is amazing and the online is so much fun. Ever since they fixed the online play and allowed private rooms this game has been getting a ton of mileage from our group. I hope they put in the feature where you can steal someone’s weapon and beat them with it. It would be very cool.
Gears of War
I don’t think I need to say much here. This game looks too cool.
Stranglehold
Never saw the movie Hard Boiled but this game which is supposed to be sequel looks like a lot of fun. I think I’ll need to check out the movie first though.
Viva Pinata
This game looks fun. Never thought I’d say that. Oi vey. Looks like it could keep people real busy. Which worries me.
Too Human
This trailer was very cool. I love that type of music that they play at the beginning. Looks like a lot of fun. I believe it’s Canadian too.
Well that’s all for now. Like I said I’ll post something soon about the demos that I tried and what I thought of them. I just hope these games are spread out enough that I don't take a huge hit to my wallet again like I did in March. May 11 Discus Stu Has Uno for 2noI was so happy when I first heard this was going to be making it's way to XBL. I hadn't played this game since I was probably about 12 years old (geez that seems like a long time ago).
I had a chance to play it with a few people last night and I gotta say I think people are more vicious play this than they are playing GRAW or CoD2. If you throw a pick-up 4 card down they curse you and your first born. I even had one person threaten to come up to Canada so they can do me physical harm. I did threaten to pour maple syrup into someone's gas tank myself. All in good fun of course. ;)
At point during the game I felt like I had dropped the soap in the prison shower. Every card that was thrown down by the person before me was either a pick-up card or a skip turn card. I think I had 20 cards in my hand at least that round. It wasn't pretty. I also had a problem with remembering to say Uno when I came down to one card. It wasn't pretty. Probably cost me a few rounds right there.
I did manage to win a game in 2 hands. That was a lot of fun. Of course, I think it was the only game I won all night but hey it's just fun to play. It'll be interesting when the 360 camera comes out and you can see everyone's reactions. I know I got pretty animated at times during the game myself.
All in all though this a lot of fun and I think it's going to provide hours of enjoyment. May 10 I'm So Happy!!! :)Is it wrong that with all the announcements of next-gen games and systems the past few days that will be coming out over the next year that I am most happiest about an old game coming to Xbox Live Arcade? Sure we had the Halo 3 trailer (I still haven't forgiven them for the ending of No. 2), the new Splinter Cell trailer (game looks so sexy), Sony's uber priced system, and other things of that nature but the thing that has me most excited is the release of Contra on XBL.
This was my favourite game when I was a young lad. I can remember rushing home every day after school when I was probably about 8 and playing the crap out of this thing. Plus who can forget that famous secret code? This game will surely bring back great memories for me and I'm sure many others as well. The spray gun was my favourite weopan for most levels but the laser was great too. I can't wait to hopefully play this online in co-op. I'm so excited.  May 09 To PS3 or not to PS3....As I'm sure most, if not all, of you have heard that Sony finally released a price for the PS3. They have decided to go with two price points which I recall them being against. They will have a system with a 20 GB HDD for $499 US ($549.00 CDN) or a system with a 60GB HDD for $599.00 US ($649.00 CDN). The 60 GB version will also come with extra features such as a media card reader (i.e. memory stick), wi-fi and an HDMI output. I don't have an HDTV yet but I will have one eventually and I will need the HDMI when that time comes.
I have also heard a little about their online plans - or lack thereof. I've heard they'll have voice chat and all that good stuff but when it comes time for the games, it'll be the same every publisher for themselves situation that they had on the PS2. Have they learned nothing? Hopefully everyone can have one gamertag for all the games but I don't know if that'll happen.
Basically, I think I'll be passing on this system until it comes down in price. While I was all gung ho for it and the whole getting a Blu Ray DVD player, I've rethought that since I will wait and see who wins the new format war. I don't want to buy a whole bunch of one type and the other one wins and then I have an entertainment unit full of systems just so I can watch everything.
Looks like the Wii is the thing for me. Nintendo and Microsoft must be awfully happy to see the prices Sony threw out there. Then again Sony has said before that we'll pay what they tell us to pay. Such arrogance. If they're not careful, they'll be fiddling while their electronic empire burns. |
|
|
