Suprize!

I have found the coolest website of the week just now, and contributed to it as well. Digital Doodle is a wonderful site with a simple idea. Draw anything on the doodle-board and have it included in the vast collection. There is a "Hot Topic" kind of thing on the side that you can do, but you're not forced to. That's my entry for "Aliens" right there on the side.

And before anyone comments that I misspelled "Surprise" (I know you're out there, Mark), he's an alien, and doesn't speak our language, so it's a poor attempt at illustrating that. Be grateful, I was going to use "Supplies!!"

Contribute a doodle and I'll be happy to vote on it, and please vote on mine too!

As a matter of fact, while we're on this subject, that's the rough style of art I'm going for in my upcoming webcomic. A stick-figure with more detailed head and hands. You like?!?

Something Different

A little change of pace here, but this is impressive and thought-provoking.

Please don't be put off by the first image you see below. Just watch it.

l'image parfaite

Massive Effects

In my last post I stated that when I do get an X-Box 360:

"I'll get Rainbow Six straight away. Nothing else. I don't particularly like Halo. I have no interest in Oblivion. Assassins Creed looks nice, but not something I'd get on release. That's not to say I won't get other games eventually, just nothing grabs me like this one."

Oh how I lied to you, my readers. There is one other game I will be getting. It'll be long out by then, so I can judge how well it holds up to expectations, but I want Mass Effect. I want this pretty, pretty game so very much.

Which is odd. Because it too is strongly centred on FPS style gameplay. But it is so much more.

My Obsession With Rainbows

Admittedly it's an obsession with the violent, terrorist killing kind, and not the colouredy, "light-spectrum-through-liquid-suspended-in-the-air" kind. Yes, I've started playing Rainbow Six: Vegas. And now it's in my every waking thought, and haunts me in my dreams.

I've never been much of a fan of the first-person-shooter, of FPS genre. In fact, the only time I've really enjoyed myself while playing an FPS was GoldenEye on the N64. Perfect Dark was ok, but just hadn't got the same level of sheer fun I felt playing as Bond. Battlefield I guess is another exception. The ability to drive vehicles, fly planes and crush the opposition beneath the threads of your tank kinda clinches it for me as a fun game. 2142 only goes further with hover tanks and mechs, and that had me sold from the first trailers. But for Battlefield it was always just the multiplayer. I tried the single-player stuff a few times, but I just never got into it. I enjoyed the interaction of player-on-player strategy and the thrill of killing, or being killed by an opponent you know is operating on the same level as you, give or take a bit of skill. We all know the computer cheats. No fog of war, it always knows where you are, precision shooting, perfect tactics. Yawn.

A few weeks back I watched Bob complete a Terrorist Hunt mission on R6: Vegas on the X-Box 360 and I loved it. I watched him die time and time again. From waves of terrorists head on, to sneaky bastards from behind. It was all so cool. My heart was racing just watching him, and if that was the case as a passive observer, I wanted to know what it was like to actually be there, within the playground of destruction, knowing two bullets in quick succession were all that stood between you... well, standing and not!

Last weekend I was over at Bob's place again, and we tried out the split screen multiplayer co-op mode on Terrorist Hunt. The map was Calypso Casino to begin with, the one I had seen Bob playing, giving me a chance to get used to the controls in an environment I (kind of) knew.

First off: Controls. Perfect. A great use of the controller, with the buttons just being where they should be. I grasped everything really quickly, and was nailing terrorist scum in no time. Simple, yet never lacking, the control method makes this game almost a "pick-up-and-play" concept, despite the stealth and infiltration style of gameplay.

Graphics are crisp and clean, even when played on a non-HD TV. Despite some minor graphical glitches that don't hinder gameplay at all, the models and environments are beautiful. Just watching this game is a joy, particularly in the Calypso Casino level, because everything is so bright. You rarely if ever see a gun poking through a door, or get shot from a bullet moving through the corner of a wall. Collision detection is spot-on, and bullets leave marks on everything, blood spatters across surfaces and explosions throw people like rag-dolls.

Enemy AI is fantastic. They circle around once they know where you are. They call for back-up. They try to ambush you at every given opportunity. There are a few exploits available based on the AI. You can step near a door to trigger a zone of influence, then back away and hide to shoot the terrorist that reacts. But when it works, it's such a rush! You shoot at a terrorist behind a corner, but fail to land the fatal wound. He rushes back down the corridor away from you and you suddenly realise in horror that he's trying to circle around through some other rooms! What do you do?!? You only have a few seconds to react. Race in after him, leaving yourself open to assault, or turn and face the other entrance, again leaving yourself open to assault? Usually a hail of bullets from one side or the other will help focus your thoughts, but by then it's often too late. There are a few problems, but they might just be a "handicap" based on the difficulty level we're playing it at. An enemy will race through a door littered with five of his mates without caution. Instead of just leaning over the balcony, an enemy will join you on a nearby rappel line to shoot you. Just little things. It is possible that the enemies are far smarter on "Realistic" mode. Right now, normal is fine for me, thanks.

As I said, I'm not a fan of FPS in general. But I think that I'm just not a fan of the Doom/Quake style of FPS. I thrive on the stealth and strategy of Rainbow Six. I enjoy the slow pace the game takes, the emphasis placed on team-work and co-operation. I love covering a teammate, or knowing that as I advance, there is someone covering me. I enjoy closing doors, considering alternative routes to the target, doubling back to green-light an area or drawing enemies out. I thrill at using "Enemy on your six", "Sniper on the roof", "Cover me", "Reloading", "Go, go, go" and "Whoa, whoa, whoa" and having them mean something. I excite at pressing against a wall, counting down from three and then tapping "A" to open a door, never sure if there is an enemy on the other side. I quicken at seeing the enemy counter reach 8, knowing that this is where we died last time. And I delight in victory, punching the air and relishing the euphoria.

And I love doing nothing. I love feeling my heart pound in my chest as I keep my gun trained on a door to a room that may very well be empty, all because my teammate is blasting terrorist scum at the other door, and might have triggered an ambush. I love the feeling of my finger going numb, poised over the "R-Trigger", ready to flex at less than a seconds notice and unleash 50 rounds from the clip of my P90 in three round bursts into the chests of oncoming opponents.

I never really considered getting an X-Box during it's life. I didn't think about the 360 as a console I might like to own either. I have always been a Nintendo fan. Not necessarily a fanatic. I own a PS2 and love it very much. But Nintendo is my console of choice. It still is. The Wii is an incredible machine. But sometimes I want something different to play. Not "more", or "better", just different. There are games that make you sit up and think "Hey, I want this". Rainbow Six: Vegas is one of those times. I won't be getting it any time soon, I admit, but I will get an X-Box 360 some time this summer, once my exams are done and I have a job again. And I'll get Rainbow Six straight away. Nothing else. I don't particularly like Halo. I have no interest in Oblivion. Assassins Creed looks nice, but not something I'd get on release. That's not to say I won't get other games eventually, just nothing grabs me like this one.

Rainbow Six: Vegas has single-handedly sold me an X-Box 360. Only a few brief outings to Bob's place and I've already unlocked the achievement for killing 500 terrorists. Oh yes! I'm addicted!

EDIT: Just after posting this Noel and I were rappelling down the side of Calypso Casino and some guards came at us from above. They leaned over the railing and expertly placed a not insignificant amount of buck-shot from a Spaz-12 into each of our craniums. I love good enemy AI.

Hot Stuff

On Friday I went to the cinema with a bunch of friends. We went to see the new Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright movie, Hot Fuzz. Although it has been in the cinema since Wednesday, that was the proper start, and the cinema was packed!

But a good review should always start at the begining, so:

Trailers!
Spider-Man 3
I'm really looking forward to seeing this. Watching the full trailer again on the big screen was a thrill. I've seen this trailer before online, and it's great. Some more story elements, more shots of the main villians, the black costume, the action. All great. I like the "homemade" look to Harry Osborns costume, with a simple mask and armour. Though the new board he uses screams of "Tony Hawks" street-cred. I'm sure it will be fine. Actually, so long as Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn at some point, either as a flashback or another crazy vision from Harry, the movie can do no wrong. He was incredible in Spider-Man, and the best thing about Spider-Man 2.

Transformers
What's better than watching the Spider-Man trailer at the start of a movie? Having it followed immediately by the Transformers movie trailer. Sweet! This is the new one with lots of shots of the 'Formers in action, so to speak, as well as some close-ups on the human element of the story. Again, it's been online for a while now, so you may have seen it. This too looks impressive. I'm totally in agreement with the updating of the franchise and the 'Bots themselves. I love the new look. I admit that Transformers was never my toy as a kid, so I have no real attachment to the classic style. However, if this happened to GI Joe, I would be equally as happy. In fact, I pray every night for this to happen to GI Joe. The Devils Due comics rock, why can't we get a movie too!! Er... that's a little off topic. Suffice it to say, the Transformer movie trailer gets me all tingly inside.

Now, the main event.

Actually, even if this movie turned out to be rubbish, having seen those two trailers back-to-back, without any other trailers shown to take from their glory, this would have been a good trip to the cinema. However, that wasn't the case. Instead Spider-Man, Transformers, Ghost Rider, Shrek, Fantastic Four and all the rest due this year have a very high bar to reach now. I think this movie may well be the film of the year for me!!

Ok. Yes. I have been know to exaggerate. Sometimes. Eh. Yea. A lot. So why should you trust me now? Because I wasn't alone.

I've been to movies where, as the closing credits begin to fade in after the final scene, the crowd claps. Everyone acknowledges the work of the people involved and give a rousing clap to show their appreciation. That's nice. I know that in America, this is not uncommon, and in fact, people even clap during the movie to show their approval. Now that was something I had never witnessed here in Ireland.

Until Hot Fuzz.

Not only was the whole cinema rocking with laughter, but there was regular bouts of widespread clapping from the audience throughout the show! It was an incredible feeling. The energy in the room, the joy and laughter, the pure emotion of happiness from everyone. It was clear that this was a special event that we were all a part of. A magical movie experience shared by everyone present. It was, simply, great.

I'm not going to go on much more about the movie. There are hundreds of movie review sites out there if you want to see what people think of it. I just want to point out some of the things that I loved.

Obviously, the acting, writing and directing were all spot on. Everyone was incredible. It was a joy to see Timothy Dalton on the big screen again, and he was superb. But the things that struck me as extraordinary were the editing and the camera-work, both of which I would imagine fall under the directors watchful eye.

Scenes were edited together seamlessly, with some stunning little tricks and florishes thrown in. Watch the scenes around when Nick and Danny walk a local home after a night of drinking to see some great examples, but there are loads more throughout the movie. Without giving any spoilers, I also love the flashback scene where the flashbacks are shown in reverse. A great and unique technique that is handled masterfully.

I also love all the references within the movie. All sorts of things are either mentioned, quoted, refered to, directly shown or simply subtly hinted at. See if you can spot the fantastic RoboCop shot! I know some of the people I saw Hot Fuzz with didn't spot it, but again, it's expertly done. While you're at it, see if you can spot the blatantly clear Spaced reference that I totally missed. It's from one of the best episdoes of that series (weren't they all?!?), and I'm ashamed to admit I didn't spot it.

All in all, Hot Fuzz was far beyond my expectations. It is unfair to compare it with the crews other movie, Shaun of the Dead, as the humour and style are drastically different. Again, I'm being very biased here, but I feel that, having seen Shaun once I have no inclination to watch it again, nor own it on DVD. Hot Fuzz on the other hand, is a far more enjoyable movie for me. I would happily go see it in the cinema again if I got the chance, and have to get it on DVD around it's release, if not on the first day! I admit that I enjoy action movies more than zombie flicks, so that influences those comments on the two.

In conclusion, the trailers rocked, but the movie rocked more. I loved it, but that doesn't mean everyone will. Then again, the rest of the cinema reacted very positively to it, so maybe it has universal appeal! Whatever, I assure you it comes highly recommended from this "critic"!

EDIT: I wrote this originally back on Friday night, as soon as I got home from the cinema. But then I realised that posting it at that point would make it my 100th post, and I didn't want that. Thus, I'm only posting it now. Sorry.

Post Of The Century

Wow! So here it is, my 100th post! That's quiet an achievement for me. I didn't think I'd get this far in less than a year. I started this blog way back in May 2006, explaining the title. Around the same time I got a Flickr account, and already have well over 500 pictures on it! Woo!

In my time here I've blogged about trailers, random stuff and all the things that interest me. I've written reviews on movies, talked about where I stand in Civil War and enlightened you all on the joys of rubbish TV movies. I've complained about WarCraft, and missed it. I could go on, but you get the picture. I've been busy.

It's been fun blogging. 80 posts in 2006, and 20 already in 2007! I would have written this sooner, but college kept getting in the way. Darn college stuff.

So, what do I want for the next 100 posts? More stories, more fiction, more reviews. More writing that challenges me to be better. And at least one post soon where I announce that I actually got a degree. Eventually.

But my 100th post should be special. It should have some announcement to make it memorable. It should be different:

I'm starting a web-comic, provisionally titled "Tomorrow, Maybe You'll Be Gone", the alternative title for my blog way back when. Images and early drafts should be up soon. Now that I've taken the time to announce it, there's no going back.

See you all in the funny pages!

Candlelight & Futurama

Just so I'm not accused of being insensitive or anything, my Valentines Day was pretty awesome in the end. We had a special dinner of warm chicken ceaser salad, picnic style in the living room. Strawberries and choclate for desert were nice, though the strawberries were a bit on the hard side. We watched Futurama in the soft glow of candlelight and chilled out for the evening. It was all very romantic.

Oh, and no Warcraft after 5pm-ish. Which was even awesome-er.

I loves her really. Aww...