Movie of the week: Role Models

It’s been a few weeks since I got out to the movies, but last weekend I got to see Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Expect the review soon.

As for this week, there’s not a whole lot coming out in theaters or on store shelves to get me too excited.
Role Models, however, looks pretty funny. I just checked in on the early ratings and, so far, rottentomatoes.com has it at a rather respectable 70-something score.

Don’t go in expecting Apatow and you should be just fine.

Speaking of Judd Apatow, what’s the deal with this guy and comedies as of late? Sure, I’m guilty of this crime as of one paragraph ago, but why can’t folks go out and see a comedy these days without the obligatory Apatow comparison?

The guy makes great, funny movies, but seriously, his brand of comedy isn’t necessarily what I want to see all the time.

Why am I ranting about this? To draw out the post a little bit, that’s why. I figured I’d give you wonderful readers a little more bang for your buck today. I’m feeling generous, I suppose.

So, yeah, where was I?

Oh yeah! Go see Role Models…Or don’t. Word is, it’s no Apatow.

Games to get in November

Christmas is just around the corner and, well, that means 99.9 percent of the best videogames are coming out here in the last few months leading up to 2009.

November is looking a lot like October in that there is no way humanly possible to take in all this goodness in the next 30 days. Luckily, you’ve got almost another full year before the next unnecessary flood hits, so work at your own pace.

November
4th- Resistance 2 (PS3)
4th- Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
7th- Gears of War 2 (360)
11th- Call of Duty: World at War (Everything)
11th- Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (Wii)
11th- Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
11th- Red Alert 3 (360)
11th- Mirror’s Edge (PS3, 360)
16th- Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)
16th- Shaun White Snowboarding (All systems)
17th- Left 4 Dead (360)
18th- Castlevania: Judgment (Wii)
18th- Tomb Raider: Underworld (Every system, ever)
18th- Luminous Arc 2 (DS)
18th- Metal Slug 7 (DS)
18th- Rune Factory 2 (DS)
20th- Last Remnant (360)

Great googa-mooga, I’m spent. Your tastes may differ from mine, but these were my picks for games likely to be worth your money.

Wii surprises with a few titles that look decently entertaining. Way to go N! You gave gamers something to be excited about after only (counts on fingers) six months since your last good game.

It’s no secret Resistance and Gears are the big titles for most folks out there, but with games like Valkyria Chronicles, Call of Duty, Last Remnant and Left 4 Dead hitting shelves this month, the decision on what to buy could become a pretty difficult one.
If nothing else, you’ve got one heck of a Christmas list already started for you. Enjoy!

Nothing "little" about it: Little Big Planet review

Shameless plug: My PSN is eternalecho and the first level I created is called "The wall." Go play it!

I’ve only had Little Big Planet a week, but I’ve sunk 20 or so hours into it already. Having experienced the full spectrum of the title's Share, Play and Create features, I figure it’s time to give my review.

For me, almost everything about LBP is pure, unadulterated fun. The characters are adorable and extremely customizable, the worlds are charming and often astonishing and the soundtrack is catchy. Controls and navigating the game's three levels of depth takes some getting used to, but a little practice solved that problem for me.

At its core, LBP is a platformer. Aside from a few body movements, Sackboys can run, jump and grab onto stuff. That’s it.

Thanks to this simplicity, LBP works well as a pick-up-and-play title for those who are new to gaming. However, with the inclusion of more than 500 pick-ups and some surprisingly deep play mechanics built into many levels, LBP also offers a nice amount of challenge for the seasoned vets. Online or off, alone or with friends, the act of playing the game is a lot of fun.

When it comes to creating, it’s boggling how much players can do. Everything you see in the game was built with the ginormous number of tools at your disposal and figuring out how to use most of them proved quite easy. Plenty of initial mess-ups and obscenities, but after I got the hang of it, building levels became a joy. I think I may even be more addicted to building than playing at this point.

That’s probably the best thing LBP has going for it: imagination. If you want something, just figure out a way to build it. The sky is very nearly the limit.

Even better, once it’s been built, sharing is a snap. You simply post your level online and let the masses have at it. For those who prefer to stick to the running and jumping, this means the amount of new levels (coming out daily, mind you) are infinite. Sure, some player-created content is pretty bad. But the point is that it’s getting people to think, be creative and take part in a sort of community revolving around the game.

Of course, there are also a few missteps with the title. Online is still getting a few kinks worked out, but I’ve played almost problem-free for the past five days of my first week.
While the level select screen is cute (patches stuck all over the world representing player-built levels), the organization leaves much to be desired. I’d give anything for a simple list with various search criteria.

While building, several of the icons are too small to tell what they are. Not a problem if your inventory is small, but it can become a hassle once you start collecting several hundred random bits and pieces.

Finally, LBP uses a keyboard like that of the old PS3 firmware. You know; the cell phone style? I HATE this in a videogame. It makes typing a chore and I don’t understand why a proper board was not included.

Well, look at me going off on a rant yet again. Like I said with my Dead Space review, I only do this when I really, really like a game.

LBP is astounding. Period. The replay value is endless and what comes already on the disc is well worth the 60 bucks. I highly recommend you pick it up.

If you’re online, please be sure to give “The wall” a try.

Don't forget to vote!

Consider this your friendly reminder.

I'm not going to go on some tirade about how important it is to vote or anything like that. But here's the way I look at it--If you are old enough to vote and don't, you have no right to complain about anything political you had the opportunity to vote on. Ever...Ever-ever.

So, yeah. Go do it.

Monday mini-movie: Heli-buzz edition

It's amazing what you find on the internet. Take this week's mini-movie, for instance.

I began my search with something like "hilarious accident" and eventually stumbled upon "guy nearly gets decapitated." Neat, right?

I can't imagine how the guy in the video must have felt when all was said and done. I would have probably cried for a solid week afterwards. Unrestrained, heaving sobs. Non-stop. One week.

Movie(s) of the week: Zack and Miri, Changeling, Rock N Rolla

Wowie-wow-wow. There are actually a few movies coming out this week I wouldn’t mind watching. Even better, the biggest draw is each film’s director.

Clint Eastwood offers up Changeling; a film about a woman who, after her kidnapped son gets returned by the police, insists the “rescued” boy is not her own flesh and blood. After Million Dollar Baby, I’m willing to give anything Dirty Harry has to offer a watch…Unless he directs, I don’t know, Monkey Poo Fights. I probably wouldn’t watch that. Then again, I might.

Next up is Guy Ritchie’s Rock N Rolla. I’m a fan of just about anything the guy touches, and Rock N Rolla looks to provide all the fast talking, action-packed, British mob drama I’ve come to expect and love.

Finally, Kevin Smith makes his triumphant return with Zack and Miri Make a Porno. I can only think of one film Smith has done outside the View Askewniverse, so I’m looking forward to something new and, hopefully, hilarious.

I’m not going to narrow it down to one this week. You’ve got three choices there that should prove worth the money. This kind of movie-going bounty doesn’t come around too often, so get out there and enjoy some cinema.

Last-minute Halloween costume ideas

With Halloween only a few days away, I figure there may be some folks out there who still don’t know what costume to wear.

For you procrastinators, I put together a few ideas for last-minute costumes you should be able to pull off on the cheap. Bonus points to anyone who uses one of these ideas and sends in a picture.

P-whipped: This one is for the couples. The girlfriend wears an old T-shirt with a giant “P” written across the chest and back while the boyfriend carries a whip around. Simple, effective, and it speaks volumes about the dynamics of your relationship.

Harry Potter: Step one- Put on old gorilla costume. Step two- grab a couple pots from your local gardening store. Step three- Insist to everyone you meet this costume was a clever idea.

Black-eyed pea: Borrow that “P” shirt from your girlfriend and use some mascara, or a fist to the face, to give yourself a black eye.

A baked potato: Wrap yourself in aluminum foil. This costume also works well if you want to dress up as a tooth filling or a crazy person.

Poop: Brown sweatpants, sweatshirt and beanie. The end. Get it!

Murder victim: Don a white t-shirt and cover yourself in ketchup.

Murderer: Same as above, only you get to carry a knife!

Dinosaur: Dress like normal. When people ask you what your costume is supposed to be, tell them you are a dinosaur. When they say, “You don’t look like a dinosaur,” yell “That’s because we’re extinct, you jerk!”

Bloody good: Dead Space review

Wanting to get in some survival horror gaming during the Halloween season, it came down to a toss-up between Silent Hill: Homecoming and Dead Space. I ultimately ended up going with EA’s new IP, and I’m very, very glad I did. Silent Hill may turn out to be a great game, but boy-howdy did I have a great time with Dead Space. Apologies in advance for the wall of text, but it takes a special game to draw this much out of me. And Dead Space is exactly that.

Opting to rent (a sad sacrifice thanks to too many good games coming out all at once), I spent five days and nights plowing through the USG Ishimura, a doomed deep-space mining ship infested with horribly mutated dead former crew members.

The controls of Dead Space are tight and the presentation is slick and sexy. Menus are displayed on a badass hologram projected from a contraption on your wrist, meaning you never actually leave the environment. Also, with information like life, stasis power (the ability to slow down fast moving enemies) and ammo displayed right on your suit and weapons, there is absolutely no HUD to take away from the scenery.

Speaking of the scenery, this is an absolutely beautiful game. I found myself often rotating the camera and standing still just to admire some of the gorgeous (or grotesque) goings-on.

Load times are surprisingly minimal. There’s a minute pause between each chapter, but otherwise the breaks are miniscule. Opening a door takes a moment (a hologram pops up telling you the door is opening and then it slides up), creatively disguising loads as two-second workings of the ship itself. When you’re in a chapter, you’re never taken out of the action.

Along with looking great, Dead Space also sounds amazing. The developers did an ace job of mixing all the right noises to make the dark, hollow vessel scare the crap out of you without even throwing a monster your way. Coupled with dynamic lighting and plenty of dark corners, the Ishimura becomes as much a character as it is a world to explore.

As for the baddies, Dead Space has a terrific cast. While there aren’t too many types (maybe 10 altogether), what’s there is varied enough to work just fine. All have their own behavior, attack patterns and weak points, so you have to think while you fight. Blasting round after round into the masses wastes ammo, which is a bad idea with so little on hand to begin with. These truly grotesque creations have to be tactically dismembered and certain weapons work best on certain creatures. And yes, the dismemberment is frantic, fun and unsettlingly satisfying.

Speaking of weapons, a few were a real delight to wield. The line shooter and plasma cutter are great; shooting lines of energy perfect for clipping off just the right limb. The flamethrower has the best fire effects I’ve ever seen and the Ripper, which throws a spinning saw blade about four feet in front of you, is absolutely diabolical. You have to get close to use it well, but it’s easily one of my favorite in-game weapons of all time. All weapons have an alt-fire, which makes for a decently varied arsenal.

With a couple mini-games, zero gravity sections and puzzles thrown in to change up the pace, as well as a deep suit/weapon upgrade system to work on, Dead Space offers plenty more than just running around and killing monsters.

The creators clearly know and love their genre and do a marvelous job of keeping the player on the edge of their seat. Audio cues, misdirection, pop-out-and-scream moments and even a few psychological jabs makes Dead Space on of the scariest games to date.

There are a few problems, of course. The story is cliché and the characters are mostly cardboard. Also, there were a couple instances where the balance between survival and “is this even possible” tilts a bit too far in favor of frustration. Then there’s the fact almost every mission is a glorified fetch quest. Thankfully, everything else about Dead space is so good, these flaws are easily overlooked.

The amount of love and polish pumped into Dead Space is refreshing and, quite simply, it’s some of the most fun a third-person shooter fan can have. While the story lasts between 12 and 15 hours, four difficulty settings, trophies/achievements that may require more than one play-through and upgrades that can’t be done in a single go make for plenty of replay value.

I returned Dead Space after my five-day rental and felt like a kid giving away one of his favorite new toys. Once this holiday rush is over and I have the chance (and extra money) to fill a few more hours with time aboard the Ishimura, I totally plan to pay the full price for a second voyage. It’s worth every penny.

Monday mini-movie: Squirrel vs. Deer edition

That. Just. Happened.

Not the best video quality, but MAN is it awesome. I have a new hero, and his name is Simon the Squirrel.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go watch Simon unleash a deer face-wrecking another dozen or so times.

Movie of the week: Monster Squad

Okay, here's the deal. There is nothing new coming out this week I feel like recommending.

In theaters we have Saw V (please, let it stop), High School Musical 3 (is this even legal?) and Pride and Glory. Well, that last one might be worth a watch, but really, who wants to see a cop drama one week before Halloween? Yeah, me either.

So then we go to rental and purchase. While The Incredible Hulk was pretty dang good, I don't feel like recommending it again. If you didn't see it in theaters, you know what to do. Then there's The Strangers, which looks like a pretty good thriller, but there's a certain I-don't-know-what keeping me from giving a crap.

Therefore, it is with great pleasure I give you this week's retro-recommendation: Monster Squad. I was addicted to this film growing up. I loved monster movies back then as much as I do now, and seeing a bunch of kids my own age take on Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the creature from the Black Lagoon (who loves Twinkies, btw), Wolfman, the Mummy and a few vampire vixens was like watching my greatest fantasy come true. To this day I still dream about it...Oh, how I dream.

So if you somehow missed this one in the past, I don't know, 20 years, go rent or buy it immediately and keep that Halloween spirit alive.

P.S. Wolfman's got nards...Just sayin'.