Archive for October, 2009
October 28th, 2009 | 
Author: 
I’m cutting Fallen Earth a lot of technical slack as it is an indie game that is working to get it’s act together and offer something new and unique.
Creating the Character
The character creator was similar to that of Guild Wars, but with a bit more refinement to each options. Generally speaking, I was able to make my character distinct and personal… which is all anyone can ask for.
Tutorial
I found it to be very intriguing and entertaining. It threw me into the game world and did so in a very well made environment (the bowels of Hoover Dam).
The combat was similar to that of Hellgate London… a mix of FPS and RPG. Entertaining… but not deep. Again… this is just the tutorial. I expect ore details when other elements, such as crafting, mutations and level abilities are added to the tactical mix.
The “mount” I was able to use was a ATV and it was well done, IMO. Excellent responses, but more of an arcade type of physics than “realism” or simulation.
Starter Zone
After the tutorial, I picked my starter city and got some exploration in. The graphics look a few years old, but the game world design is well done. It’s not the magnificently rendered desolation of Fallout 3…but it is it’s little brother. I kind of reminds me of Star Wars Galaxy, but with vastly superior terrain designs.
I enjoyed the experience enough to want to learn more about what lies ahead so I can give it more than a glancing appraisal. I’ll comb the forums for some directions, because my newb gear is no where near as fun as the tutorial stuff… and I want to approach this wold well-healed.
Note: Technically speaking, the game has some obvious glitches and graphic anomalies. There was occasional rubber-banding of mobs that broke immersion. I’ve also heard reports of patching troubles. I had to download hours of content before getting started, so I can understand the frustration if you did so… and found you had to do it again because of some unreported installation failure after the fact.
This is the $20,000 indie flick that could.
The premise is simple: A young day trader buys a video camera to try and record “paranormal activity” that is graduate student girlfriend has been telling him about. He zealously records conversations about these events, taking the whole thing as a bit of light adventure. His girlfriend is more serious about it as these events scare her and she ultimate just wants them to stop. The main story takes place in these video clips, as well as the very stirring and effective nighttime shots where the camera is left on overnight to monitor them while they sleep… and the activities predominantly occur. As the couple give more attention to the activities, they intensify into oppression.
Comparisons to The Blair Witch Project are apt, in that the film reports to be video evidence that was found by authorities after the fact of the events. The entire film is presented as an archive of real recordings, and for the most part…does a good job in maintaining that level of immersion. While watching the film, I never think of script, direction or acting. It’s very organic and I think most people would view it as if it were made live and with real people who are experiencing he plot, not re-enacting it.
The movie starts out slow, but once we begin with the “Activity”…it becomes engrossing. This is a movie that uses sound… and the absence of sound, most effectively. I found the film to be quite chilling…literally, hair raising. The bedroom scenes are absolutely immersive… you really get into the vulnerability of sleeping people…especially with an unknown menace lurking in the darkness.
Regardless of the chills, Paranormal Activity is not a perfect film. A very regrettable scene with a Ouija board was an odd man out. When you see it, you will know what I mean. The beginning is slower than I think warranted, and the whole feels slightly out of pace. The male lead comes off as kind of a douche-bag… but I think the role called for it. Even so, he was at times unpleasant to watch. The ending was acceptable and even appropriate… but somehow I am not satisfied with it. I do admit it is a better ending than Blair Witch.
I think this is a great flick to see with the significant other… it is scary and leaves you unsettle, much like the end of The Ring. I was most definitely aware of every sound my house made that night… that has to count for something.
On Saturday my wife and I had a night out at the theatre. I knew her choice of movie would be down to two of the new releases this weekend. When she gave me that blood crazed look, I knew which tickets to buy. At the 7:40 showing Saturday night, we sat in the upper right corner of a crowded large viewing room and watched Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Colm Meaney (two to beam up Mr. O’Brien), and others in the action packed Law Abiding Citizen.
The movie was just the right length (108 min) and right from the opening sequence it draws you in and holds your attention. It is hard, fast, edgy, thoughtful, and action packed. It only slows down to set-up the next punch. It is pulse pounding psychological joy ride that has you (and a large mixed crowd) cheering for the film’s title character: Clyde Shelton.
The film has abysmal ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (24% at the time of this writing, 22% when I checked 24hrs prior), but that is understandably so. The film is in many ways “red meat” and “candy” but those things are just so mmm, mmm good. Look, without giving anything of substance away, the film has 1) high tech killing, 2) low tech killing, 3) self centered “justice” officials getting what they deserve, 4) a hot chick in a pantsuit, 5) a naked Gerard Butler, 6)Jamie Foxx, and 7) von Clausewitz quotes. I could go on, but I think you get the point. Did I mention the film has high tech AND low tech killing? Yeah. It’s true.
But to be fair to the reviewers, the abysmal ratings are due in large to the few plot holes (yes there are a few), and the movies ambiguity of message. In fact I will go so far as to say the movies ratings are a commentary on the larger society as a whole. And not for the reasons the statists, government is right types want to imagine. No in my view people agree with the title characters point of view, possibly not with his actions, but certainly with his point of view. Arguably what the writer of this film missed is the simple fact that when a comedian suggests that 50,000 dead lawyers is a good start the audience almost always laughs and agrees.
If you are looking for “red meat”, “candy”, or just some good ol’ fashioned “a man vs. The Man”, then Law Abiding Citizen is for you.
**Trailer below the fold** Read the rest of this entry »
091014 – Cautious Optimism
So October is halfway gone. Fantastic.
My amigos and I have completed (to varying degrees of success) six episodes of LP120. The show has been a good experience for me so far. I have learned much including how out there some people can be. Honestly, some of the things people have written on the boards during the show are just plain nutty. But that’s ok because nothing says nutty like politics it would seem. I can now officially start looking at everything that is going wrong and like Boxer in Animal Farm dig my feet into the task at hand and say “I must work harder”. I am debating if it is worth it. I don’t really enjoy having to talk over people on a show where I sit in the Host’s chair. And I am not satisfied where it is going. Maybe I can change it in time. If not I will have to revamp the entire enterprise.
When it comes to work-work, that thing that pays the bills, it is continuing to string along. We are losing the battle but winning the war. It is hard to feel like a winner while losing. I can only stay motivated that the ethical activities of my superiors and the quality work of our enterprise will overcome the current economic situation. I am confident that my team is far from the chopping block that is the singing sword of layoffs, but that confidence does little to swage the disheartenment of my fellows who see our recent loses as a harbinger of darker tides to come. To wit, it is a hard pill to swallow, being the beneficiary of policies that you do not agree with because of the nature of your employment. It is a small but aggravating pain to indebted and sustained by the actions of big government so rightly detested. If not for what is owed and must be paid, I would shrug the atlas.
My life has been rather full over the last few weeks, so I figured a recap is in order.
My Grandmother, the Matriarch of the Clan, has seen her health decline over the last few years. Recently, she had a rather dire visit to the hospital where her Doctor basically said they have reached the inevitable… there is no fix for what ails her and it’s time to prepare for the Long Goodnight. She is currently in a nursing facility receiving hospice care.
Our family is taking every opportunity to visit. She is very alert and our goal is to spend time with her and be a comfort. We don’t know how long we have, but the rest of the family are planning November and December visits… so I do not think we are at the edge of the precipice.
In other news… I built an 11 foot swing gate, as well as a fenced enclosure for the side of my house. This isn’t the kind of work I am used to, so I read up and just made it happen. I’ve done a good job if I can be so bold as to pat myself on the back. Whenever I do anything remotely handy, I get the profound urge to hold my hands to the heavens and exclaim “THESE HAND… HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY GAWD!!!!!!”…. which get’s kind of old after I replace the filter in the central air conditioning unit every month.
In gaming news, I’ve been playing Champions Online… but only casually. It’s clear that my tastes in any particular game are mercurial at best. Yes… I love the superhero genre. Yes, I love creating the characters in this game… and the power representations are good to excellent. However, the game world is not immersive and suffers from the DisneyWorld Theme Park effect that quest based games all suffer from to varying degrees. In Champions Online… it is even more prevalent. Perhaps that is best for me… I am a casual gamer, and I have no intention of ever getting so deep into a game as to command my free time in such a manner as other “lifestyle” MMO games do. Bottom line…I am paid up for 6 months… I’ll play for 6 months.
House is back… and after a stunningly good premier, the show has become Meh. Not as much of Meh as last season, but still not the greatness of the first two seasons. All that said, I will still keep it on my Must See list for awhile.
Eastwick is a delightfully engaging show, which has somehow tricked me into watching it despite it clearly being a man-hating Uterus-fest. It’s is a chick show with witchy clothing. My wife and I watch it together, but whenever a female character bitches about a man I see her turning to he with the unspoken “Hah!” in her eyes. It’s nice to see Rebbecca Romain in a serious role, though it is clear her Blue Hotness days are behind her.
Dexter is quite good this season… and I would call it my favorite show on the air. And I don’t care what anybody says… there is nothing kinky about the fact that the actors who play Dexter and his sister are married. Nothing at all.
Heroes is… something. Dunno what. I download it. I watch it a day or two later. I guess I like it. Is that “meh” or “sub-meh”?
Smallville… the show I love to hate, has been okay. There has not been too much sickening drama and the meta story has potential. Well see. One thing that comes to mind though, is the desire to capitalize on the success of The Dark Knight. Clark is standing on ledges and rooftops dressed all in black, with… a blue ‘S’ on his tee-shirt… trench-coat flapping behind him, while a barely disguised variation of the Dark Knight music plays in the background. See… lame ass Clark is as cool as Bale’s Batman, right? Whatever… squeeze every ounce out, cuz this is the last season.
That’s my round up.
P.s.: Almost forgot… I was *this* close to winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
So what do Wolverine and 007 do on their down time? They put on stage plays.
A recent poll conducted by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health shows that people by and large feel that government is not listening to them in the health care debate.
The article generated from this poll asserts that while people wildly disagree about what if anything should be done in terms of reform, one thing that is apparent: the elected representatives are not doing a very good job of representing.
But of course the article, like the rest of the media, misses the real story entirely.
