Friday, March 30, 2012
Song of the Day 03/30/2012 J.J. Abrams- "Fringe Opening Sequence"
I've fallen a little behind on my reviews, but I'll try to at least get up the most recent Fringe episode (as well as the one from the week before which was one of the best episodes of any season) tomorrow. In the meantime, check out a full piano version of the Fringe theme song written by J.J. Abrams himself.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Song of the Day 03/28/1990 Meshuggah "Do Not Look Down"
I've had the album for a few days now, and "Do Not Look Down" is the song that has been stuck in my head pretty much since I heard it. This intro riff is awesome.
-Chris
-Chris
Monday, March 26, 2012
Song of the Day 03/26/2012 Dillinger Escape Plan- Panasonic Youth
Dillinger Escape Plan- "Panasonic Youth"
This is it folks. This is the song that started it all. I first heard of the Dillinger Escape Plan my freshman year of high school. This was the year where quizzes to determine "what your vampire name is" or "which famous movie character you are" became the most popular thing on the internet. I, being the little rebel, took the quiz to see which metal band most resembled me. I got the Dillinger Escape Plan. However, I did not know who they were. I went to their myspace page, and was greeted by this track
My head exploded. I had never heard anything like it, and let me tell you, as a 14 year old kid, listening to Miss Machine can have a profound impact on the course of your life. Every other song I listened to just sounded a little more bland by comparison. This really was something special, and I still listen to them regularly to this day. If you ever get a chance to see these guys live, do it. You won't regret it.
-Chris
This is it folks. This is the song that started it all. I first heard of the Dillinger Escape Plan my freshman year of high school. This was the year where quizzes to determine "what your vampire name is" or "which famous movie character you are" became the most popular thing on the internet. I, being the little rebel, took the quiz to see which metal band most resembled me. I got the Dillinger Escape Plan. However, I did not know who they were. I went to their myspace page, and was greeted by this track
My head exploded. I had never heard anything like it, and let me tell you, as a 14 year old kid, listening to Miss Machine can have a profound impact on the course of your life. Every other song I listened to just sounded a little more bland by comparison. This really was something special, and I still listen to them regularly to this day. If you ever get a chance to see these guys live, do it. You won't regret it.
-Chris
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Video Game Review- Silent Hill: Downpour
I recently completed the 8th title in the long running survival horror series Silent Hill, and would like to share my (spoiler free) thoughts with you all.
Silent Hill: Downpour is the first game in the series developed by new studio Vatra Games. This immediately raised concern among long time fans who have been disappointed by recent outings, all of which were helmed by studios other than the original Team Silent responsible for the first 3 games. This is also the first game without longtime composer and sound engineer Akira Yamaoka (the topic of another of my posts). On the surface, things appeared pretty grim, but as more and more details emerged, I found myself worrying less, and becoming more and more excited.
First, in regards to the new studio, I was not all that worried. I know that Konami would not allow a subpar game to be released, and Vatra Games is located in Eastern Europe, supposedly one subway exit from a crematorium. The developers seemed deeply interested in the Silent Hill mythos, and in all interviews that came out, they provided me with signs that they were developing this game with great care.
Also exciting was the news that Downpour would not involve the cult focused on by several games in the series, in exchange for a more standalone story in the vein of Silent Hill 2. Learning that the main character was a prisoner also raised my hopes for the story that would be told in the game. The studio was obviously trying new things, as well as combining aspects that worked well in prior entries. Though there were plenty of reasons to be afraid of a new studio handling such a beloved series, I feel that there were more reasons to get excited over all the possibilities of a fresh set of hands working on the game.
Regarding the departure of Akira Yamaoka, this was very troubling to me. I believe wholeheartedly that there is no other series in existence with music on the level of Silent Hill. Yamaoka might not be the most experienced composer, or classically trained, but he put everything he had into every game he worked on. The soundtracks were memorable, sound effects were superb, and his work elevated the games into a whole new tier.
Their replacement, Daniel Licht, was a bit higher profile of a composer, known most for his work on the television series Dexter. I haven't personally gotten around to watching Dexter yet, so I had to do a little research and look up some of his music. I immediately liked what I heard, and could understand why he was selected to succeed Yamaoka. My excitement grew even more when I learned that Licht was using human bones as instruments. Just maybe this guy would be twisted enough to provide a good score, maybe even elevate it to new heights.
So as you can see, despite two huge setbacks, I went into this game very optimistic, wanting another great Silent Hill game to add to my collection. Now here are my thoughts on how it all turned out.
Atmosphere
This is the big one, this is what Silent Hill is all about. These games were the undisputed kings of atmosphere during their peak (Silent Hill 2 & 3), and I feel like this is one of the biggest reason people play these games. Recently, the Dead Space series has finally stepped up and delivered a horror atmosphere that, in my opinion, rivals Silent Hill, but Silent Hill still reigns supreme. Could this game live up to its predecessors?
In short, yes. In fact, I feel that the atmosphere is probably the strongest aspect of this game. Things started of relatively slow however, and I was worried for the first few hours of the game. Many of the early areas Murphy visits in the the forested outskirts of Silent Hill. There were some nice visual effects, with the scenery reminding me of Alan Wake (which is a good thing), but the game stays in this area for too long. Everyone loves the town of Silent Hill, and other than Homecoming, this title took the longest to get you there.
One thing lacking in this game is a strong narrative direction. For the first few hours, I literally felt as though I was moving from place to place for no real reason other than that it was the opposite direction from where I started. The Diner introduced the first otherworld scene, which work very differently in this game than in past installments. The otherworld scenes are more or less set pieces, that Murphy works his way through, trying to escape from a ball of light called "The Void". After completing the game, I'm still not exactly sure what this entity represented, but I felt its inclusion was less than necessary (I could speculate as to the reasons for this beings inclusion, but that would require venturing into spoiler territory).
This first scene was rather short, and left me unsatisfied. Thankfully, it was really more of an introduction than anything. There were some cool aspects though, such as pictures that when rotated rotate your entire surroundings.
The cave section also failed to impress me, with the exception of the ending sequence, which was actually pretty cool, albeit very different from what I am used to as a Silent Hill fan. I feel as though more could have been done with this section, but thankfully it leads Murphy to the infamous town.
This is where things really started to pick up. This is hands down, the best portrayal of Silent Hill ever. There is so much attention to detail here, from the buildings, to the debris littering the streets.
As the name implies, rain and water plays a large role in Downpour. This is why I was incredibly disappointed with the rain effects. The splatter of rain on the wet streets looked decent, but the lightning and thunder effects were unacceptable. For a game where you'll see several hundred lightning flashes, the fact that they are nothing more than purple flashes on the screen is absolutely lazy.
Also disappointing was the use of music while exploring city. The same musical theme plays every time the rain is about to start, signaling the player to either prepare to fight, or seek shelter indoors. Besides this though, there was a surprising amount of silence present. Part of what made encounters in past games so scary was the grinding of industrial sounds in the background, elevating your heartrate. The fact that most enemies are fought in complete silence takes away all of this tension, and leaves the encounters feeling bland.
Murphy visits several locations within the city, and these are for the most part, handled very well. There are several interiors of buildings explored for side quests, or other various reasons, and each one feels unique.
The other disappointing thing for me, was the enemy design. Silent Hill is known for designing enemies that represent a piece of the protaganist's psyche, so I felt like there was so much untapped potential in Downpour. Textures were blurry, enemies didn't seem to have much of a reason for existing, and they were really just obstacles that started to get annoying after a while.
Overall though, due to the extreme creepiness of some of the sidequests, as well as the awesome otherworld sequences later in the game, I have to say that this game had great atmosphere overall.
Atmosphere Score: 8/10
Sound
I went into this game understanding Akira Yamaoka was gone, but I honestly expected Licht to step up more than he did. I understand that not everyone is as crazy and obsessive as Yamaoka was, but I feel like Licht should have played a larger role in the overall sound design of the game. The effects weren't bad, but they just felt less inspired that usual. The music was also very forgettable, and it played a much smaller role than ever before. This is the only Silent Hill game I don't have the soundtrack for yet, but the fact that I can't even remember more than 1 or 2 of the songs after just playing it is a bad sign.
Also, THIS GAME DOESN'T SUPPORT SURROUND SOUND!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
This is on XBOX 360 and PS3, there is absolutely no excuse for why this game did not support surround sound. This game pretty much needs surround sound, it could've helped so much. I know these guys are new developers, but I could have gone in there and implemented a surround sound mix, I know it isn't that hard. These guys are professionals, and there is no excuse for this. I'm somewhat of an audiophile, so this really irritated me. I'm sure many never even noticed, but I just hate thinking about how much better the best scenes in the game could have been with the simple inclusion of surround sound. Totally lazy.
Voice acting was mediocre, but I have nothing to really complain about there.
I was fairly disappointed with the sound component of this game, especially since I feel it is the second most important aspect to get right (seeing as it is a large aspect of the atmosphere I discussed above).
Sound Score: 5/10
Gameplay
Here comes the tough topic. Full disclosure, I played this game on the easiest combat difficulty, and the hardest puzzle difficulty. I've found myself frustrated before in the past with the unresponsive controls, limited resources, and in Homecoming's case, overpowered monsters (finish Dark Souls before you call me an incompetent gamer). I was very surprised to discover that this game has some of the best overall puzzles of the series. My main gripe with the puzzles is that some of the puzzles that involve cryptic riddles (my favorite kinds) are completely solveable if you just try enough combinations.
The combat, while still far from perfect, seemed much more fluid to me than past installments. Having recently booted up Silent Hill 2 as part of the HD Collection, I can tell you that the series has come a long way. You will at no point think you are playing Vanquish or anything, but the third person controls are adequate.
It's hard for me to comment on combat difficulty, because I found easy mode to be incredibly easy. I had 34 health packs saved up at one point, which if you've ever played a Silent Hill game, you know is absurd. The weapon system was essentially an improved version of Origin's where weapons have limited durability, but in Downpour you can only hold one at a time. I assume this was to make you feel more helpless, but at no point did a weapon ever break on me in combat. I just switched out my weapons with new ones as I found them, and never had a single problem. Granted, I never picked up 2 x 4's or other flimsy objects, I instead stuck with the large 2 handed weapons like axes, hammers, or sturdier one handed weapons like hatchets and crowbars. Fleeing is also a legitimate strategy here for those of you who prefer to avoid your combat altogether.
New to this game is the inclusion of sidequests (although yes there was a sidequest technically in the original game, it comes nowhere close to the level of this game). These quests, which are usually very short in length, provide some of the best moments of the game. There were 2 in particular which I found to be some of the coolest parts of any Silent Hill game I've ever played, Cinema Verite and The Gramophone. As badly as I want to discuss these excellent quests, I would rather you play them for yourself. The other sidequests range from very good (like the Stolen Goods and Art Collecter quests) to only okay (like the Bank and Homeless quests). Many of them will have you traversing the town back and forth numerous times, and this adds on to the game's length. While other people have said the game is around 10 hours, my first playthrough ended at right around 16. Granted, there were times where I had no clue where I was going, it still counts in my opinion. I'm sure I could almost halve the time on a second playthrough, but it's the first time through that is always the most special.
I found the gameplay much better in Downpour than in any of the other games in the series. The combat was faster paced, exploration was a lot of fun, side quests were great additions, and the otherworld sequences provided some good thrills.
Gameplay Score: 8.5/10
Story
This part will remain brief as to avoid spoilers, but if you've ever played a Silent Hill game, you know pretty much what to expect here. The game starts off slow and mysterious, divulging very few relevant plot points to the player. Various "mysteries" are added to Murphy's journal as you discover them lying around the town. These include several police reports and other details that gradually fill in the story of why Murphy was in prison, and eventually more details.
Many of the side characters felt very shallow however, such as Howard the Mailman from the E3 trailers. Silent Hill has never really devoted a ton of time to its side characters, but they had no time to become anything more than guides in Downpour.
There were a few similarities to the story of Homecoming here, which I unfortunately kind of saw coming from the beginning, but there is definitely a good story being told here, and it's impossible to fully understand it until the very end. This story doesn't sit up there with Silent Hill 2, but it is a satisfying addition to the series, and thankfully one that strays away from some of the cliches that have existed in prior games (pyramid head in 3 games for example, albeit with different names).
Story Score: 7.5/10
Overall Impressions
I was very pleased overall with Silent Hill Downpour. There were some areas I expected to be a little better than they were, such as the Audio (lack of memorable music, and lack of surround sound), but there were also areas where the game exceeded my expectations (such as the sidequests, combat, and overall atmosphere). I feel like I was more often pleasantly surprised than disappointed, and I feel like the game was more than the sum of its parts. Vatra has proven that the town of Silent Hill still has plenty of stories to tell, and that the series is far from stagnant. The game suffered from some technical problems, likely due to the inexperience of the developers, but they brought a lot of fresh ideas to the table, most of which paid off. All I can do now is hope that the game sold well enough to earn another sequel, because there is nothing more terrifying than the thought of never venturing into the foggy town of Silent Hill again.
Overall Score: 8/10
-Chris (Avid Silent Hill Fan)
Silent Hill: Downpour is the first game in the series developed by new studio Vatra Games. This immediately raised concern among long time fans who have been disappointed by recent outings, all of which were helmed by studios other than the original Team Silent responsible for the first 3 games. This is also the first game without longtime composer and sound engineer Akira Yamaoka (the topic of another of my posts). On the surface, things appeared pretty grim, but as more and more details emerged, I found myself worrying less, and becoming more and more excited.
First, in regards to the new studio, I was not all that worried. I know that Konami would not allow a subpar game to be released, and Vatra Games is located in Eastern Europe, supposedly one subway exit from a crematorium. The developers seemed deeply interested in the Silent Hill mythos, and in all interviews that came out, they provided me with signs that they were developing this game with great care.
Also exciting was the news that Downpour would not involve the cult focused on by several games in the series, in exchange for a more standalone story in the vein of Silent Hill 2. Learning that the main character was a prisoner also raised my hopes for the story that would be told in the game. The studio was obviously trying new things, as well as combining aspects that worked well in prior entries. Though there were plenty of reasons to be afraid of a new studio handling such a beloved series, I feel that there were more reasons to get excited over all the possibilities of a fresh set of hands working on the game.
Regarding the departure of Akira Yamaoka, this was very troubling to me. I believe wholeheartedly that there is no other series in existence with music on the level of Silent Hill. Yamaoka might not be the most experienced composer, or classically trained, but he put everything he had into every game he worked on. The soundtracks were memorable, sound effects were superb, and his work elevated the games into a whole new tier.
Their replacement, Daniel Licht, was a bit higher profile of a composer, known most for his work on the television series Dexter. I haven't personally gotten around to watching Dexter yet, so I had to do a little research and look up some of his music. I immediately liked what I heard, and could understand why he was selected to succeed Yamaoka. My excitement grew even more when I learned that Licht was using human bones as instruments. Just maybe this guy would be twisted enough to provide a good score, maybe even elevate it to new heights.
So as you can see, despite two huge setbacks, I went into this game very optimistic, wanting another great Silent Hill game to add to my collection. Now here are my thoughts on how it all turned out.
Atmosphere
This is the big one, this is what Silent Hill is all about. These games were the undisputed kings of atmosphere during their peak (Silent Hill 2 & 3), and I feel like this is one of the biggest reason people play these games. Recently, the Dead Space series has finally stepped up and delivered a horror atmosphere that, in my opinion, rivals Silent Hill, but Silent Hill still reigns supreme. Could this game live up to its predecessors?
In short, yes. In fact, I feel that the atmosphere is probably the strongest aspect of this game. Things started of relatively slow however, and I was worried for the first few hours of the game. Many of the early areas Murphy visits in the the forested outskirts of Silent Hill. There were some nice visual effects, with the scenery reminding me of Alan Wake (which is a good thing), but the game stays in this area for too long. Everyone loves the town of Silent Hill, and other than Homecoming, this title took the longest to get you there.
One thing lacking in this game is a strong narrative direction. For the first few hours, I literally felt as though I was moving from place to place for no real reason other than that it was the opposite direction from where I started. The Diner introduced the first otherworld scene, which work very differently in this game than in past installments. The otherworld scenes are more or less set pieces, that Murphy works his way through, trying to escape from a ball of light called "The Void". After completing the game, I'm still not exactly sure what this entity represented, but I felt its inclusion was less than necessary (I could speculate as to the reasons for this beings inclusion, but that would require venturing into spoiler territory).
This first scene was rather short, and left me unsatisfied. Thankfully, it was really more of an introduction than anything. There were some cool aspects though, such as pictures that when rotated rotate your entire surroundings.
The cave section also failed to impress me, with the exception of the ending sequence, which was actually pretty cool, albeit very different from what I am used to as a Silent Hill fan. I feel as though more could have been done with this section, but thankfully it leads Murphy to the infamous town.
This is where things really started to pick up. This is hands down, the best portrayal of Silent Hill ever. There is so much attention to detail here, from the buildings, to the debris littering the streets.
As the name implies, rain and water plays a large role in Downpour. This is why I was incredibly disappointed with the rain effects. The splatter of rain on the wet streets looked decent, but the lightning and thunder effects were unacceptable. For a game where you'll see several hundred lightning flashes, the fact that they are nothing more than purple flashes on the screen is absolutely lazy.
Also disappointing was the use of music while exploring city. The same musical theme plays every time the rain is about to start, signaling the player to either prepare to fight, or seek shelter indoors. Besides this though, there was a surprising amount of silence present. Part of what made encounters in past games so scary was the grinding of industrial sounds in the background, elevating your heartrate. The fact that most enemies are fought in complete silence takes away all of this tension, and leaves the encounters feeling bland.
Murphy visits several locations within the city, and these are for the most part, handled very well. There are several interiors of buildings explored for side quests, or other various reasons, and each one feels unique.
The other disappointing thing for me, was the enemy design. Silent Hill is known for designing enemies that represent a piece of the protaganist's psyche, so I felt like there was so much untapped potential in Downpour. Textures were blurry, enemies didn't seem to have much of a reason for existing, and they were really just obstacles that started to get annoying after a while.
 |
| Great Concept. Lazy Execution. |
Overall though, due to the extreme creepiness of some of the sidequests, as well as the awesome otherworld sequences later in the game, I have to say that this game had great atmosphere overall.
Atmosphere Score: 8/10
Sound
I went into this game understanding Akira Yamaoka was gone, but I honestly expected Licht to step up more than he did. I understand that not everyone is as crazy and obsessive as Yamaoka was, but I feel like Licht should have played a larger role in the overall sound design of the game. The effects weren't bad, but they just felt less inspired that usual. The music was also very forgettable, and it played a much smaller role than ever before. This is the only Silent Hill game I don't have the soundtrack for yet, but the fact that I can't even remember more than 1 or 2 of the songs after just playing it is a bad sign.
Also, THIS GAME DOESN'T SUPPORT SURROUND SOUND!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
This is on XBOX 360 and PS3, there is absolutely no excuse for why this game did not support surround sound. This game pretty much needs surround sound, it could've helped so much. I know these guys are new developers, but I could have gone in there and implemented a surround sound mix, I know it isn't that hard. These guys are professionals, and there is no excuse for this. I'm somewhat of an audiophile, so this really irritated me. I'm sure many never even noticed, but I just hate thinking about how much better the best scenes in the game could have been with the simple inclusion of surround sound. Totally lazy.
Voice acting was mediocre, but I have nothing to really complain about there.
I was fairly disappointed with the sound component of this game, especially since I feel it is the second most important aspect to get right (seeing as it is a large aspect of the atmosphere I discussed above).
Sound Score: 5/10
Gameplay
Here comes the tough topic. Full disclosure, I played this game on the easiest combat difficulty, and the hardest puzzle difficulty. I've found myself frustrated before in the past with the unresponsive controls, limited resources, and in Homecoming's case, overpowered monsters (finish Dark Souls before you call me an incompetent gamer). I was very surprised to discover that this game has some of the best overall puzzles of the series. My main gripe with the puzzles is that some of the puzzles that involve cryptic riddles (my favorite kinds) are completely solveable if you just try enough combinations.
The combat, while still far from perfect, seemed much more fluid to me than past installments. Having recently booted up Silent Hill 2 as part of the HD Collection, I can tell you that the series has come a long way. You will at no point think you are playing Vanquish or anything, but the third person controls are adequate.
It's hard for me to comment on combat difficulty, because I found easy mode to be incredibly easy. I had 34 health packs saved up at one point, which if you've ever played a Silent Hill game, you know is absurd. The weapon system was essentially an improved version of Origin's where weapons have limited durability, but in Downpour you can only hold one at a time. I assume this was to make you feel more helpless, but at no point did a weapon ever break on me in combat. I just switched out my weapons with new ones as I found them, and never had a single problem. Granted, I never picked up 2 x 4's or other flimsy objects, I instead stuck with the large 2 handed weapons like axes, hammers, or sturdier one handed weapons like hatchets and crowbars. Fleeing is also a legitimate strategy here for those of you who prefer to avoid your combat altogether.
New to this game is the inclusion of sidequests (although yes there was a sidequest technically in the original game, it comes nowhere close to the level of this game). These quests, which are usually very short in length, provide some of the best moments of the game. There were 2 in particular which I found to be some of the coolest parts of any Silent Hill game I've ever played, Cinema Verite and The Gramophone. As badly as I want to discuss these excellent quests, I would rather you play them for yourself. The other sidequests range from very good (like the Stolen Goods and Art Collecter quests) to only okay (like the Bank and Homeless quests). Many of them will have you traversing the town back and forth numerous times, and this adds on to the game's length. While other people have said the game is around 10 hours, my first playthrough ended at right around 16. Granted, there were times where I had no clue where I was going, it still counts in my opinion. I'm sure I could almost halve the time on a second playthrough, but it's the first time through that is always the most special.
 |
| From Cinema Verite |
 |
| From The Gramophone |
I found the gameplay much better in Downpour than in any of the other games in the series. The combat was faster paced, exploration was a lot of fun, side quests were great additions, and the otherworld sequences provided some good thrills.
Gameplay Score: 8.5/10
Story
This part will remain brief as to avoid spoilers, but if you've ever played a Silent Hill game, you know pretty much what to expect here. The game starts off slow and mysterious, divulging very few relevant plot points to the player. Various "mysteries" are added to Murphy's journal as you discover them lying around the town. These include several police reports and other details that gradually fill in the story of why Murphy was in prison, and eventually more details.
Many of the side characters felt very shallow however, such as Howard the Mailman from the E3 trailers. Silent Hill has never really devoted a ton of time to its side characters, but they had no time to become anything more than guides in Downpour.
 |
| One of Downpour's more interesting characters |
There were a few similarities to the story of Homecoming here, which I unfortunately kind of saw coming from the beginning, but there is definitely a good story being told here, and it's impossible to fully understand it until the very end. This story doesn't sit up there with Silent Hill 2, but it is a satisfying addition to the series, and thankfully one that strays away from some of the cliches that have existed in prior games (pyramid head in 3 games for example, albeit with different names).
Story Score: 7.5/10
Overall Impressions
I was very pleased overall with Silent Hill Downpour. There were some areas I expected to be a little better than they were, such as the Audio (lack of memorable music, and lack of surround sound), but there were also areas where the game exceeded my expectations (such as the sidequests, combat, and overall atmosphere). I feel like I was more often pleasantly surprised than disappointed, and I feel like the game was more than the sum of its parts. Vatra has proven that the town of Silent Hill still has plenty of stories to tell, and that the series is far from stagnant. The game suffered from some technical problems, likely due to the inexperience of the developers, but they brought a lot of fresh ideas to the table, most of which paid off. All I can do now is hope that the game sold well enough to earn another sequel, because there is nothing more terrifying than the thought of never venturing into the foggy town of Silent Hill again.
Overall Score: 8/10
-Chris (Avid Silent Hill Fan)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Track By Track Album Review: Meshuggah- "Koloss"
The Swedish legends have finally released a new album, the first since obZen back in 2008. I have been anxiously anticipating this album since I preordered it a few months ago (a.k.a. checking my mailbox every day since they said they shipped it), and now that I have it, I'll go through and post my thoughts on each track, then the album as a whole.
1. I Am Colossus
This song starts off by kickin my ear drums in the ass. I'm listening to this through good headphones plugged into a headphone amplifier, and I have not heard many albums before that sound this good. The production is fantastic. Back to the track though, there is a definite groove here. The transition around 2 minutes in is awesome, and kicks up the pace a little. I can't stress enough how high the production values are here. The guitar work starting at 2:36 is top notch, and each note comes through clearly even in the low registers.
There is a siren like wail at 2:54, and it might just be because I'm staring at the album cover while listening to this, but I feel like it's almost awakening the Colossus on the album art. The brief moment where everything drops out, is very effective, and makes it that much heavier when everything kicks back in. This was a great introduction track, very heavy and groovy as I stated, now to see if they kick up the speed on the following tracks...
2. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance
I wanted speed, and I got it with this track. The drums sound like one of the drum beats I would've written into a drum machine back in high school with complete abuse of the double bass drums, the precision is that intense. The guitar part sounds exhausting as well, with what I'm assuming are crazy pullofs (you'll have to excuse me, I'm not a very good guitarist). This song is almost damaging my psyche right now, and I feel like I might have nightmares if I fell asleep to this. The key change at 2:37 is the highlight of the track, I've never quite heard something like it before. Then the guitar solo starts at 3:05, adding to the chaos that already existed in this track. Cymbals are cracking everywhere, the rythm guitars are playing some insane riff, while the solo wails in the higher octaves, all over brutal double bass madness. This is one of the heaviest songs I've ever heard, hands down.
3. Do Not Look Down
Alright so we start off with some weird subdivision of 4/4 + 4.5/4, which already sounds awesome, but nothing that Meshuggah fans haven't come to expect. Then they take it to the next level at 24 seconds, mixing up the drum pattern. The notes drop a little lower at 36 seconds in. I already feel like this song will be a staple of future live shows. This main riff is so awesome!
At 1:48 the lead guitar comes in over the main theme, to great effect. This is some fantastic guitar work, understated as always due to the tone they use, but the combined effect of everything is spectacular.
The intermission part they have from 3:00, until around 3:47 has a great variety of notes played on guitar, but then the song kicks back in, reminding you what track you're listening to as Kidman growls "Do Not Look Down!"
4. Behind The Sun
This track starts off with some clean guitar, but kicks into a heavy droning rythm pretty quickly. Then the first half of this track goes by without a real standout moment, which is a pretty long time since this track clocks in at over 6 minutes. Right around halfway through, at 3:12, the song becomes much more interesting. The double bass pedals compliment the guitar perectly, and the song gains more melodic variation at this point as well. 3:52 really saves this song though, as the open hi hats sizzle, kicking into a faster section, with awesome guitar parts, full of fast picking, bends, and melody. Throw some vocals over this, and you have yourself a rocking track.
At 4:38 things become epic, wow this song really saved its energy for the second half. 5:28 moves into another new passage, maybe the best one yet on the track.
This track is like a steam powered locomotive, it takes it a while to get going, but once it hits about the halfway mark, you best get out of the way because it does not slow down.
5. The Hurt That Finds You First
This track starts off fast with a typical thrash beat over surprisingly high register guitar shredding. The thrash madness continues, and its actually cool to hear this beat in a Meshuggah song. I don't know how these guitarists memorize their parts, but there is so much variety, it really is impressive.
The guitars just engage in madness at 1:34, all over the extremely loud and powerful thrash beat that has been going for the whole song. The part starting at 2:52 has almost a march feel to it, with the snare alone accompanying the higher notes on the guitar. The end is pretty mellow, but man does it sound good! This is one of the most dynamic songs I've heard from Meshuggah, and it definitely works to great effect.
6. Marrow
The opening riff is sweet, starting with a hard pan to the left, joined later by the right side, and then drums that tie the whole crazy rythm together. 1:42 kicks in with some crazy guitar slide work, all done in the crazy rythms Meshuggah is known for.
2:33 kicks off one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard in a Meshuggah song. Then good luck head banging in time with the part that follows the solo. It amazes me how these guys write their music. The lead guitar kicks back in, just as insane as before. This song is definitely an exercise in maneuvering across the fretboard.
7. Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion
This track has been out for a few weeks, and it is definitely still one of the best tracks on the album. The opening guitar part is perfect in the background of Meshugga's violent fury. This is one of the longest tracks on Koloss, clocking in just shy of 7 minutes.
One of my favorite parts is the almost tribal sounding part from 3:48 to about 4:48. The drumming on this album is top notch, and there is so much variety, much more than just accentuating the odd meters and crazy rythms used throughout the song. This is a great example of a new style being utilized to help this album sound fresh throughout.
Also, I have to commend this track for coming up with one of the most original titles ever. How many of you even knew that sinews and tendons were the same thing? I know I didn't.
8. Swarm
Another fast track! And I mean really fast! The drums start off understated, sticking to the bass drums, and low toms, but more parts are layered on as it progresses. Then at 1:22, one of the coolest guitar parts ever comes in. Combined with the roiling low notes, the higher guitar parts sound really cool. The part at 2:04 rises up into another passage with interesting drum work, and fantastic guitar riffs. I really like all the use of pitch bends on this track.
At 3:22, the guitar part literally sounds like a swarm of locusts moving in. They definitely picked a spot on title for this track. This song is infectious, I dare you not to bang your head along.
9. Demiurge
Listen to 22 seconds in, this mix is so powerful! This song outlines everything Meshuggah does so well, namely midtempo groove metal, heavy as lead. I want to say this is the best mixed track on the album, everything sounds so perfect, especially the way it all fits together. I couldn't really pick individual parts to point out, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good song, in fact it's a great song all the way throughout.
10. The Last Vigil
This clean, melodic song serves as a period for you to reassemble your mind after just having it blown apart over the course of the last 9 songs. If nothing else, it displays how great of musicians these guys really are.
All right, so there it is. I just went through the album for the first time, jotting down my thoughts along the way, so what you see written above are my initial impressions. Meshuggah albums always take some time to grow on you, or maybe to comprehend would be a better term. All in all though, my first listen left a very good taste in my mouth, and I look forward to discovering all the nuances present in each track.
The album is very heavy overall (as expected), with all the things you expect from a Meshuggah release, but it brings top notch production value to the table as well. Listen to this through the best audio equipment you have, and you will not be disappointed.
Overall Score: 9/10
-Chris
1. I Am Colossus
This song starts off by kickin my ear drums in the ass. I'm listening to this through good headphones plugged into a headphone amplifier, and I have not heard many albums before that sound this good. The production is fantastic. Back to the track though, there is a definite groove here. The transition around 2 minutes in is awesome, and kicks up the pace a little. I can't stress enough how high the production values are here. The guitar work starting at 2:36 is top notch, and each note comes through clearly even in the low registers.
There is a siren like wail at 2:54, and it might just be because I'm staring at the album cover while listening to this, but I feel like it's almost awakening the Colossus on the album art. The brief moment where everything drops out, is very effective, and makes it that much heavier when everything kicks back in. This was a great introduction track, very heavy and groovy as I stated, now to see if they kick up the speed on the following tracks...
2. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance
I wanted speed, and I got it with this track. The drums sound like one of the drum beats I would've written into a drum machine back in high school with complete abuse of the double bass drums, the precision is that intense. The guitar part sounds exhausting as well, with what I'm assuming are crazy pullofs (you'll have to excuse me, I'm not a very good guitarist). This song is almost damaging my psyche right now, and I feel like I might have nightmares if I fell asleep to this. The key change at 2:37 is the highlight of the track, I've never quite heard something like it before. Then the guitar solo starts at 3:05, adding to the chaos that already existed in this track. Cymbals are cracking everywhere, the rythm guitars are playing some insane riff, while the solo wails in the higher octaves, all over brutal double bass madness. This is one of the heaviest songs I've ever heard, hands down.
3. Do Not Look Down
Alright so we start off with some weird subdivision of 4/4 + 4.5/4, which already sounds awesome, but nothing that Meshuggah fans haven't come to expect. Then they take it to the next level at 24 seconds, mixing up the drum pattern. The notes drop a little lower at 36 seconds in. I already feel like this song will be a staple of future live shows. This main riff is so awesome!
At 1:48 the lead guitar comes in over the main theme, to great effect. This is some fantastic guitar work, understated as always due to the tone they use, but the combined effect of everything is spectacular.
The intermission part they have from 3:00, until around 3:47 has a great variety of notes played on guitar, but then the song kicks back in, reminding you what track you're listening to as Kidman growls "Do Not Look Down!"
4. Behind The Sun
This track starts off with some clean guitar, but kicks into a heavy droning rythm pretty quickly. Then the first half of this track goes by without a real standout moment, which is a pretty long time since this track clocks in at over 6 minutes. Right around halfway through, at 3:12, the song becomes much more interesting. The double bass pedals compliment the guitar perectly, and the song gains more melodic variation at this point as well. 3:52 really saves this song though, as the open hi hats sizzle, kicking into a faster section, with awesome guitar parts, full of fast picking, bends, and melody. Throw some vocals over this, and you have yourself a rocking track.
At 4:38 things become epic, wow this song really saved its energy for the second half. 5:28 moves into another new passage, maybe the best one yet on the track.
This track is like a steam powered locomotive, it takes it a while to get going, but once it hits about the halfway mark, you best get out of the way because it does not slow down.
5. The Hurt That Finds You First
This track starts off fast with a typical thrash beat over surprisingly high register guitar shredding. The thrash madness continues, and its actually cool to hear this beat in a Meshuggah song. I don't know how these guitarists memorize their parts, but there is so much variety, it really is impressive.
The guitars just engage in madness at 1:34, all over the extremely loud and powerful thrash beat that has been going for the whole song. The part starting at 2:52 has almost a march feel to it, with the snare alone accompanying the higher notes on the guitar. The end is pretty mellow, but man does it sound good! This is one of the most dynamic songs I've heard from Meshuggah, and it definitely works to great effect.
6. Marrow
The opening riff is sweet, starting with a hard pan to the left, joined later by the right side, and then drums that tie the whole crazy rythm together. 1:42 kicks in with some crazy guitar slide work, all done in the crazy rythms Meshuggah is known for.
2:33 kicks off one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard in a Meshuggah song. Then good luck head banging in time with the part that follows the solo. It amazes me how these guys write their music. The lead guitar kicks back in, just as insane as before. This song is definitely an exercise in maneuvering across the fretboard.
7. Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion
This track has been out for a few weeks, and it is definitely still one of the best tracks on the album. The opening guitar part is perfect in the background of Meshugga's violent fury. This is one of the longest tracks on Koloss, clocking in just shy of 7 minutes.
One of my favorite parts is the almost tribal sounding part from 3:48 to about 4:48. The drumming on this album is top notch, and there is so much variety, much more than just accentuating the odd meters and crazy rythms used throughout the song. This is a great example of a new style being utilized to help this album sound fresh throughout.
Also, I have to commend this track for coming up with one of the most original titles ever. How many of you even knew that sinews and tendons were the same thing? I know I didn't.
8. Swarm
Another fast track! And I mean really fast! The drums start off understated, sticking to the bass drums, and low toms, but more parts are layered on as it progresses. Then at 1:22, one of the coolest guitar parts ever comes in. Combined with the roiling low notes, the higher guitar parts sound really cool. The part at 2:04 rises up into another passage with interesting drum work, and fantastic guitar riffs. I really like all the use of pitch bends on this track.
At 3:22, the guitar part literally sounds like a swarm of locusts moving in. They definitely picked a spot on title for this track. This song is infectious, I dare you not to bang your head along.
9. Demiurge
Listen to 22 seconds in, this mix is so powerful! This song outlines everything Meshuggah does so well, namely midtempo groove metal, heavy as lead. I want to say this is the best mixed track on the album, everything sounds so perfect, especially the way it all fits together. I couldn't really pick individual parts to point out, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good song, in fact it's a great song all the way throughout.
10. The Last Vigil
This clean, melodic song serves as a period for you to reassemble your mind after just having it blown apart over the course of the last 9 songs. If nothing else, it displays how great of musicians these guys really are.
All right, so there it is. I just went through the album for the first time, jotting down my thoughts along the way, so what you see written above are my initial impressions. Meshuggah albums always take some time to grow on you, or maybe to comprehend would be a better term. All in all though, my first listen left a very good taste in my mouth, and I look forward to discovering all the nuances present in each track.
The album is very heavy overall (as expected), with all the things you expect from a Meshuggah release, but it brings top notch production value to the table as well. Listen to this through the best audio equipment you have, and you will not be disappointed.
Overall Score: 9/10
-Chris
Friday, March 23, 2012
Song of the Day 03/23/2012
Meshuggah- "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion"
I just received my Meshuggah package today, complete with CD, DVD, and TShirt (all for $25 bucks!). I haven't had a chance to listen to it thoroughly yet, but I'll likely post my full review tomorrow. There are a ton of great albums coming out this year, so look for all my thoughts as they are released.
-Chris
I just received my Meshuggah package today, complete with CD, DVD, and TShirt (all for $25 bucks!). I haven't had a chance to listen to it thoroughly yet, but I'll likely post my full review tomorrow. There are a ton of great albums coming out this year, so look for all my thoughts as they are released.
-Chris
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Song of the Day 03/22/2012
Blackfield- "Far Away"
Everything Steven Wilson touches turns to gold, and Blackfield is no exception. I have no real reason for posting this particular song, it just happened to be the first one to come up on shuffle, but it's a great track.
-Chris
Everything Steven Wilson touches turns to gold, and Blackfield is no exception. I have no real reason for posting this particular song, it just happened to be the first one to come up on shuffle, but it's a great track.
-Chris
South Park Review- "Cash for Gold"
Another week, another mediocre episode of South Park. Once again, we are given an episode about something that is hardly relevant (are home shopping shows more important than I realize?) and the results are of course less than spectacular. That being said, I do think this episode was a slight improvement upon last week's mess.
The basic premise of the episode was that home shopping networks were taking advantage of elderly people, coaxing them into buying worthless jewelry by proclaiming an outrageous value and offering huge discounts. Stan's grandfather purchased him one such piece of jewelry, a gold and turquoise bolo necklace. He of course hates it, and Cartman predictably mocks him for it. There is little to laugh at for the beginning of the episode.
The home shopping network is displayed on screen in a similar fashion to the actual shows, full of awkward closeups of the jewelry, lazy effects to outline the crazy deals, and annoying host who acts way too excited for what his job actually entails. Cartman eventually unlocks the alchemical secret to produce gold, a not so clever formula that was far less effective than the penis-length gag from the T.M.I. episode. This leads the boys to visit India, where the jewelry is made, some obscure fart joke references (he who made the rhyme did the crime) are made, and few laughs are had.
There were a few highlights of the episode though, specifically the background song that plays during the montage scene, a hilarious track composed entirely of matt and trey's voices. The other funny moment came from Stan's grandfather, suffering from Alzheimer's, who having forgotten that he actually purchased Stan's necklace told him it was "Fucking Gay". Sadly, these were the two most memorable scenes from the episode, but at least the rest of it was more enjoyable than "Reverse Cowgirl".
Overall Score: 6/10
-Chris
The basic premise of the episode was that home shopping networks were taking advantage of elderly people, coaxing them into buying worthless jewelry by proclaiming an outrageous value and offering huge discounts. Stan's grandfather purchased him one such piece of jewelry, a gold and turquoise bolo necklace. He of course hates it, and Cartman predictably mocks him for it. There is little to laugh at for the beginning of the episode.
The home shopping network is displayed on screen in a similar fashion to the actual shows, full of awkward closeups of the jewelry, lazy effects to outline the crazy deals, and annoying host who acts way too excited for what his job actually entails. Cartman eventually unlocks the alchemical secret to produce gold, a not so clever formula that was far less effective than the penis-length gag from the T.M.I. episode. This leads the boys to visit India, where the jewelry is made, some obscure fart joke references (he who made the rhyme did the crime) are made, and few laughs are had.
There were a few highlights of the episode though, specifically the background song that plays during the montage scene, a hilarious track composed entirely of matt and trey's voices. The other funny moment came from Stan's grandfather, suffering from Alzheimer's, who having forgotten that he actually purchased Stan's necklace told him it was "Fucking Gay". Sadly, these were the two most memorable scenes from the episode, but at least the rest of it was more enjoyable than "Reverse Cowgirl".
Overall Score: 6/10
-Chris
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Song of the Day 03/20/12
Isis- "Ghost Key"
Isis is a hard band to describe to your friends. They have a lot of post-rock elements, but are heavier than most bands that typify that genre. No matter what you decide to call them though, Isis is a unique group that composes songs instead of just writing them. Track lengths are generally quite long (the track I posted clocks in at 8 minutes 30 seconds) and there is far less repetition than in other rock or metal bands. Sadly, the group decided to disband after "Wavering Radiant" for fear of stagnating. With the extensive library attributed to them, I can't imagine that they've actually run out of ideas, but at least they did quit while they were ahead. Every album is fantastic in its own right, and it is easy to tell which album a song comes from since each album has a completely unique tone. It sucks we won't get to hear more from these guys in the future, but they put out five solid full length albums, as well as a slew of other collections of songs for us to check out for a while still. I guarantee you, it would take a long time to take in all the nuances in each of their songs.
-Chris
Isis is a hard band to describe to your friends. They have a lot of post-rock elements, but are heavier than most bands that typify that genre. No matter what you decide to call them though, Isis is a unique group that composes songs instead of just writing them. Track lengths are generally quite long (the track I posted clocks in at 8 minutes 30 seconds) and there is far less repetition than in other rock or metal bands. Sadly, the group decided to disband after "Wavering Radiant" for fear of stagnating. With the extensive library attributed to them, I can't imagine that they've actually run out of ideas, but at least they did quit while they were ahead. Every album is fantastic in its own right, and it is easy to tell which album a song comes from since each album has a completely unique tone. It sucks we won't get to hear more from these guys in the future, but they put out five solid full length albums, as well as a slew of other collections of songs for us to check out for a while still. I guarantee you, it would take a long time to take in all the nuances in each of their songs.
-Chris
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Walking Dead Review: "By the Dying Fire"
Ho-Lee-Sheeet
As always,
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Anyone who ever complained about a lack of action in this show is eating their words tonight. That death count was staggering! I'm going to go ahead and say it, this was my favorite episode of Walking Dead ever. The cinematography, the teases, the deaths, the action, the drama, the monologues, it was all there. And who the hell is Michonne? Please don't tell me though, I want to be surprised.
I took a few notes while watching this episode, so I'll just start right from the beginning.
The opening scene takes place in Atlanta, with a group of walkers feeding on an animal, with fantastic makeup on one of them that was missing about one third of her arm. A helicopter then flies over the city, garnering the attention of all the walkers in the area. Later on the Talking Dead they discussed it briefly, with the actress who plays Andrea saying that she felt it represented hope.
Well I'm not so sure I believe that, because this helicopter caused the walkers to amass into a giant "herd" and sent them in the direction of Hershel's farm. I wouldn't exactly call that a sign from God that things are going to be okay. The herd is then shown breaking through a fence, and diverting direction after Carl shoots Shane's shambling corpse.
The group discusses how Randall turned after having no scratches or bites, and they finally begin to piece together what astute fans have known for most of the season. While everyone worries about Shane and Rick, Daryl once again proves how much of a beast he is by volunteering to go out and look for them.
The next scene finds Carl and Shane right where "Better Angels" left off. The two enjoy a tender family moment, while the camera pans out to the horizon where the herd slowly comes into view. And what an intimidating view it is. When they finally realize the threat looming behind them, they take off serpentining through the mass of rotting reanimated corpses.
As Hershel comes to terms with the immediate threat facing his farm and his family, he accepts that he might have to die there that night, to which Daryl replied, "it's as good a night as any."
Rick makes his way to the farm, where he begins to hatch a scheme to buy the group some time, and help increase their chances of survival. He soaks the barn floor with a flamable substance, gives Carl a lighter, draws the walkers in, then climbes up to the loft as Carl ignites the building. It was far from an elegant plan, but who knows if they would have survived without this substantial diversion.
We also found out tonight that T-Dog is an awesome wheelman!
Everyone else was zooming around, taking potshots at the hundreds of walkers that had completely overtaken the farm. Worth noting is the unbelievable accuracy every person had, from Jimmy all the way to Andrea. I'm not sure if anyone missed a shot at any point in this episode.
Then came the first human death of the episode, poor Jimmy. You never had time to develop as a character, which is okay because apparently you were never even in the comics. Perhaps more sad was the loss of the RV that has been with the group from the beginning, so we all weep for you Winnebago.
As Rick and Carl bail from the RV, Rick kills not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, but 6!!! 6 walkers in a row! I'm talking headshots, quick succession. I wish anyone could be as good of a shot in real life as these people are on this show.
Next was the death of Patricia, poor girl. I knew they were going to kill all these minor characters off during this episode, so it was really just a matter of when.
It was a surprisingly heart-warming moment though, as Beth fought to hold on to her hand, but finally realized she had to let go.
Then there is Andrea. How this character has changed from the first season. She has quickly become one of the most badass characters on the show. She is holding her own, but finds herself surrounded, leaving T-Dog with no choice but to take off without her.
Hershel went beast mode, and apparently turned God Mode on, because he was unloading shells by the dozen. Things got a bit hairy for a second though, but Rick was there to save the day as usual. It's awesome to see how their relationship has grown, and how much respect Hershel now has for Rick. It was also pretty sweet to see Hershel club a walker with the stock of his gun.
Did I mention Daryl? I can't believe he wasn't in the comics, because he is a fantastic character, and a key part of this cast of survivors in my opinion. He goes back for Carol, and they ride off the farm together safely. Never one to express his feelings easily, he shouts, "Come on, I ain't got all day," as she hops on with him.
The use of music in this episode was awesome as well, especially the sombre piano track that played as Rick, Carl, and Hershel drove away from the flaming farm, the soft glow in the background. It was a really effective shot, and really helped to put things into perspective, especially for Hershel's character.
Back to the Maggie and Glen soap opera, Maggie was hysterical as would be expected. Glen finally mans up though, and gets them out of there safely. Eventually, he takes the wheel from her, and the scene ends with Glen finally confessing that he loved her, and had for a long time.
Back to the highway where the season started, Rick stops to wait for the others at the same place where they spent so long waiting for Sophia. Things look bleak for a while, Carl freaks out, but eventually everyone shows up. Well, not quite everyone. Andrea was nowhere to be found, and the others had to break the news about the unfortunate minor characters that didn't survive the farm.
Daryl made an Asian driving joke also, which was of course awesome.
After the commercial break, Andrea is revealed to still be alive (who was honestly surprised?), and she is booking it through the woods with the herd close behind her. She is completely desensitized by this point, and slaughters a gaggle of walkers.
Eventually, Rick's gas guzzler runs out of fuel. Thankfully, there was a convenient stone structure to provide them shelter for the night. As the group relaxes roadside, Rick begins to open up to them. It starts with Rick finally telling us what the guy from CDC whispered into his ear at the end of the first season. Everyone's suspicious are finally confirmed, as Rick confesses that he has known the whole time that every one of them was already infected, and it was only a matter of time before they would become a walker. The group is pissed! Wah! You act like the guy hasn't saved all your asses a thousand times.
Rick then explains to Lori how he was forced to kill his best friend, and her reaction was, unexpected? The Talking Dead shed a little light onto this scene, and apaprently it was supposed to represent Lori's conflicted feelings, especially the feeling that she was responsible for the entire situation (shouldn't have cheated, huh?).
Then, the best scene of the whole episode. Andrea is visibly fatigued, about to die (I actually thought she was in danger for a minute), but a mysterious cloaked figure comes and saves her. Now, I haven't read the comics, so this reveal was absolutely shockin to me. This chick was wearing a brown cloak, wielding a katana, and towing along two zombies behind her, missing their arms and jaws. This was the most badass teaser I have ever seen, and holy crap am I excited to see this "Michonne" in action during the third season.
The episode ends with Rick's transformation coming full circle, and what the show runners are apparently calling the beginning of the "Ricktatorship". Now I like Rick, but this transformation will likely serve him well in the future. He is officially fed up, and I'd hate to get in his way now. He challenges anyone who doubts his leadership abilities to walk away, and see how they fare on their own. "Let's see how far you get. Send me a postcard." And then, the best line of the episode, Rick tells everyone that, "If you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."
This show has now reached cruising altitude, and I don't see the pace slowing any time soon. The last shot is a slow pan out which reveals a large prison facility in the background. I can only imagine what sorts of things will happen there next season, how this character people keep mentioning "The Governor" will be introduced, and which characters will be lucky enough to survive another season. This was an awesome episode of one of the best shows ever to grace television, with enough action to satisfy any adrenaline junkie, and enough teases to make me wish summer was already over.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
-Chris
As always,
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Anyone who ever complained about a lack of action in this show is eating their words tonight. That death count was staggering! I'm going to go ahead and say it, this was my favorite episode of Walking Dead ever. The cinematography, the teases, the deaths, the action, the drama, the monologues, it was all there. And who the hell is Michonne? Please don't tell me though, I want to be surprised.
I took a few notes while watching this episode, so I'll just start right from the beginning.
The opening scene takes place in Atlanta, with a group of walkers feeding on an animal, with fantastic makeup on one of them that was missing about one third of her arm. A helicopter then flies over the city, garnering the attention of all the walkers in the area. Later on the Talking Dead they discussed it briefly, with the actress who plays Andrea saying that she felt it represented hope.
Well I'm not so sure I believe that, because this helicopter caused the walkers to amass into a giant "herd" and sent them in the direction of Hershel's farm. I wouldn't exactly call that a sign from God that things are going to be okay. The herd is then shown breaking through a fence, and diverting direction after Carl shoots Shane's shambling corpse.
 | ||
| Ain't no way you gonna make that shot boy. |
The group discusses how Randall turned after having no scratches or bites, and they finally begin to piece together what astute fans have known for most of the season. While everyone worries about Shane and Rick, Daryl once again proves how much of a beast he is by volunteering to go out and look for them.
The next scene finds Carl and Shane right where "Better Angels" left off. The two enjoy a tender family moment, while the camera pans out to the horizon where the herd slowly comes into view. And what an intimidating view it is. When they finally realize the threat looming behind them, they take off serpentining through the mass of rotting reanimated corpses.
As Hershel comes to terms with the immediate threat facing his farm and his family, he accepts that he might have to die there that night, to which Daryl replied, "it's as good a night as any."
Rick makes his way to the farm, where he begins to hatch a scheme to buy the group some time, and help increase their chances of survival. He soaks the barn floor with a flamable substance, gives Carl a lighter, draws the walkers in, then climbes up to the loft as Carl ignites the building. It was far from an elegant plan, but who knows if they would have survived without this substantial diversion.
We also found out tonight that T-Dog is an awesome wheelman!
Everyone else was zooming around, taking potshots at the hundreds of walkers that had completely overtaken the farm. Worth noting is the unbelievable accuracy every person had, from Jimmy all the way to Andrea. I'm not sure if anyone missed a shot at any point in this episode.
 |
| If only you had learned how to hold a gun... |
Then came the first human death of the episode, poor Jimmy. You never had time to develop as a character, which is okay because apparently you were never even in the comics. Perhaps more sad was the loss of the RV that has been with the group from the beginning, so we all weep for you Winnebago.
 |
| We'll miss you RV. At least you'll have Jimmy to keep you company. |
As Rick and Carl bail from the RV, Rick kills not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, but 6!!! 6 walkers in a row! I'm talking headshots, quick succession. I wish anyone could be as good of a shot in real life as these people are on this show.
Next was the death of Patricia, poor girl. I knew they were going to kill all these minor characters off during this episode, so it was really just a matter of when.
It was a surprisingly heart-warming moment though, as Beth fought to hold on to her hand, but finally realized she had to let go.
Then there is Andrea. How this character has changed from the first season. She has quickly become one of the most badass characters on the show. She is holding her own, but finds herself surrounded, leaving T-Dog with no choice but to take off without her.
 |
| ~ sv_cheats 1 impulse 101 |
Hershel went beast mode, and apparently turned God Mode on, because he was unloading shells by the dozen. Things got a bit hairy for a second though, but Rick was there to save the day as usual. It's awesome to see how their relationship has grown, and how much respect Hershel now has for Rick. It was also pretty sweet to see Hershel club a walker with the stock of his gun.
Did I mention Daryl? I can't believe he wasn't in the comics, because he is a fantastic character, and a key part of this cast of survivors in my opinion. He goes back for Carol, and they ride off the farm together safely. Never one to express his feelings easily, he shouts, "Come on, I ain't got all day," as she hops on with him.
The use of music in this episode was awesome as well, especially the sombre piano track that played as Rick, Carl, and Hershel drove away from the flaming farm, the soft glow in the background. It was a really effective shot, and really helped to put things into perspective, especially for Hershel's character.
Back to the Maggie and Glen soap opera, Maggie was hysterical as would be expected. Glen finally mans up though, and gets them out of there safely. Eventually, he takes the wheel from her, and the scene ends with Glen finally confessing that he loved her, and had for a long time.
 |
| Cue the "aww" sounds and kitten pictures. |
Back to the highway where the season started, Rick stops to wait for the others at the same place where they spent so long waiting for Sophia. Things look bleak for a while, Carl freaks out, but eventually everyone shows up. Well, not quite everyone. Andrea was nowhere to be found, and the others had to break the news about the unfortunate minor characters that didn't survive the farm.
Daryl made an Asian driving joke also, which was of course awesome.
After the commercial break, Andrea is revealed to still be alive (who was honestly surprised?), and she is booking it through the woods with the herd close behind her. She is completely desensitized by this point, and slaughters a gaggle of walkers.
Eventually, Rick's gas guzzler runs out of fuel. Thankfully, there was a convenient stone structure to provide them shelter for the night. As the group relaxes roadside, Rick begins to open up to them. It starts with Rick finally telling us what the guy from CDC whispered into his ear at the end of the first season. Everyone's suspicious are finally confirmed, as Rick confesses that he has known the whole time that every one of them was already infected, and it was only a matter of time before they would become a walker. The group is pissed! Wah! You act like the guy hasn't saved all your asses a thousand times.
Rick then explains to Lori how he was forced to kill his best friend, and her reaction was, unexpected? The Talking Dead shed a little light onto this scene, and apaprently it was supposed to represent Lori's conflicted feelings, especially the feeling that she was responsible for the entire situation (shouldn't have cheated, huh?).
Then, the best scene of the whole episode. Andrea is visibly fatigued, about to die (I actually thought she was in danger for a minute), but a mysterious cloaked figure comes and saves her. Now, I haven't read the comics, so this reveal was absolutely shockin to me. This chick was wearing a brown cloak, wielding a katana, and towing along two zombies behind her, missing their arms and jaws. This was the most badass teaser I have ever seen, and holy crap am I excited to see this "Michonne" in action during the third season.
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| Screen captures aren't up yet, but you get the idea. |
The episode ends with Rick's transformation coming full circle, and what the show runners are apparently calling the beginning of the "Ricktatorship". Now I like Rick, but this transformation will likely serve him well in the future. He is officially fed up, and I'd hate to get in his way now. He challenges anyone who doubts his leadership abilities to walk away, and see how they fare on their own. "Let's see how far you get. Send me a postcard." And then, the best line of the episode, Rick tells everyone that, "If you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."
This show has now reached cruising altitude, and I don't see the pace slowing any time soon. The last shot is a slow pan out which reveals a large prison facility in the background. I can only imagine what sorts of things will happen there next season, how this character people keep mentioning "The Governor" will be introduced, and which characters will be lucky enough to survive another season. This was an awesome episode of one of the best shows ever to grace television, with enough action to satisfy any adrenaline junkie, and enough teases to make me wish summer was already over.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
-Chris
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Song of the Day 03/14/12
Florence + The Machine- "Seven Devils"
Florence Welch is amazing. The Machine (whatever that entails) is also amazing. This group has single-handedly renewed my faith in pop music. I wrote these guys off for a solid year or two, but when I finally gave them a chance, they really blew me away. Each album contains a great variety of songs, and Florence's vocals are consistently amazing. The song I posted is a little darker example, but they crank out the uplifting songs as well. I'm excited to see where this group goes in the future.
-Chris
Florence Welch is amazing. The Machine (whatever that entails) is also amazing. This group has single-handedly renewed my faith in pop music. I wrote these guys off for a solid year or two, but when I finally gave them a chance, they really blew me away. Each album contains a great variety of songs, and Florence's vocals are consistently amazing. The song I posted is a little darker example, but they crank out the uplifting songs as well. I'm excited to see where this group goes in the future.
-Chris
South Park Review- "Reverse Cowgirl"
South Park is one of the most recognizable shows of our generation. Think of all the classic episodes and jokes it has brought us over the last 15 seasons. Any show that has gone on for over 200 episodes is sure to have its ups and downs, but South Park has always fallen on the "ups" side far more frequently.
In no way am I claiming that the old South Park episodes are the best, and will never be topped. I absolutely despise people who go into new tv seasons, sequels, et cetera with that sort of mind set (such as those who compare every Silent Hill title to Silent Hill 2 as though it will never be surpassed). I keep my expectations in check whenever viewing a new iteration of something I've enjoyed in the past. Try to keep this in mind during my review.
I feel that "Reverse Cowgirl" was one of the worst episodes of South Park I have ever seen. It's not that it was bad necessarily, perhaps mediocre would be a better word to use. Where this show has excelled is in its witty social commentary, usually on issues that are immediately relevant (made possible by the exceptionally short production cycle). Maybe I just missed it, but I found no real relevance to any current events in this episode. Not every South Park episode relies on current events to be funny, so this was not in and of itself and issue. My main problem comes instead from the lack of originality in this particular episode.
Yes, yes, I know, everything has been done before. Still, I never felt like South Park has been a show to steal ideas as blatantly as in "Reverse Cowgirl". The whole premise of sitting backwards on the toilet was discussed fairly recently in a Daniel Tosh standup. Stealing from Tosh, maybe thats not really a big deal. It's not like they're stealing from a famous author or something right?
So wait, you're telling me that the way they killed Clyde's mom was almost identical to a short story written by Chuck Palahniuk? Okay, that is getting pretty close to crossing the line. Still, they did change the details so it might not be similar enough to warrant serious concern. At least it was funny though right? South Park is always funny! Welll.....
Maybe not so much. I can't remember laughing this little to very many episodes of this show. I feel like this is due to the quite honestly dumb and unnecessary side plot involving psychics and lawyers. There was nothing clever about this scenario, and I feel that if their goal was to mock the litigation-happy culture we currently live in, there are plenty of better ways the writers could have handled it.
All in all I'm left sitting here underwhelmed with the premier of the sixteenth season of this exceptional show. However, I know this show well enough to know that they will bounce back, likely next week. I might be slightly overreacting as I've just finished watching the episode, but I was left with very little positive to say. I still can't wait to see what the writers come up with for the rest of the season, and in no way has this one episode soured the series in my mind. I just hope to see a little more effort and creativity injected into the remainder of the episodes.
Overall Score: 5.5 / 10
-Chris
In no way am I claiming that the old South Park episodes are the best, and will never be topped. I absolutely despise people who go into new tv seasons, sequels, et cetera with that sort of mind set (such as those who compare every Silent Hill title to Silent Hill 2 as though it will never be surpassed). I keep my expectations in check whenever viewing a new iteration of something I've enjoyed in the past. Try to keep this in mind during my review.
I feel that "Reverse Cowgirl" was one of the worst episodes of South Park I have ever seen. It's not that it was bad necessarily, perhaps mediocre would be a better word to use. Where this show has excelled is in its witty social commentary, usually on issues that are immediately relevant (made possible by the exceptionally short production cycle). Maybe I just missed it, but I found no real relevance to any current events in this episode. Not every South Park episode relies on current events to be funny, so this was not in and of itself and issue. My main problem comes instead from the lack of originality in this particular episode.
Yes, yes, I know, everything has been done before. Still, I never felt like South Park has been a show to steal ideas as blatantly as in "Reverse Cowgirl". The whole premise of sitting backwards on the toilet was discussed fairly recently in a Daniel Tosh standup. Stealing from Tosh, maybe thats not really a big deal. It's not like they're stealing from a famous author or something right?
So wait, you're telling me that the way they killed Clyde's mom was almost identical to a short story written by Chuck Palahniuk? Okay, that is getting pretty close to crossing the line. Still, they did change the details so it might not be similar enough to warrant serious concern. At least it was funny though right? South Park is always funny! Welll.....
Maybe not so much. I can't remember laughing this little to very many episodes of this show. I feel like this is due to the quite honestly dumb and unnecessary side plot involving psychics and lawyers. There was nothing clever about this scenario, and I feel that if their goal was to mock the litigation-happy culture we currently live in, there are plenty of better ways the writers could have handled it.
All in all I'm left sitting here underwhelmed with the premier of the sixteenth season of this exceptional show. However, I know this show well enough to know that they will bounce back, likely next week. I might be slightly overreacting as I've just finished watching the episode, but I was left with very little positive to say. I still can't wait to see what the writers come up with for the rest of the season, and in no way has this one episode soured the series in my mind. I just hope to see a little more effort and creativity injected into the remainder of the episodes.
Overall Score: 5.5 / 10
-Chris
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Song of the Day 03/13/12
Don Caballero- "Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex"
I really don't know too much about this band, but they were one of many bands my Uncle who is also a drummer introduced me to. I quickly found out why, as the group's drummer Damon Che is an absolute monster. He definitely earned his nickname "The Octopus". This guy is wild, unconventional, and completely fresh. I have a lot more research to do on these guys and a lot more albums to check out personally, but at least you all can check out this song in the meantime.
-Chris
I really don't know too much about this band, but they were one of many bands my Uncle who is also a drummer introduced me to. I quickly found out why, as the group's drummer Damon Che is an absolute monster. He definitely earned his nickname "The Octopus". This guy is wild, unconventional, and completely fresh. I have a lot more research to do on these guys and a lot more albums to check out personally, but at least you all can check out this song in the meantime.
-Chris
Monday, March 12, 2012
Song of the Day 03/12/12
Porcupine Tree- "Trains"
Porcupine Tree is another of my favorite bands. I actually found them through Myspace back when that was still popular, and the first track I heard was "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here". I was blown away, the track was long, textured, emotional, and well written. Trains is probably my favorite track of theirs though, and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way. Check out the live version from their DVD "Arriving Somewhere" to get an idea of how talented these guys are. The band is pretty much the creation of Guitarist/Vocalist Steven Wilson, but the musicians that tour with him are all fantastic as well.
If you've never listened to these guys, please check them out. As usual, you'll be glad you did.
I need to include the live video too. I know most of you wouldn't go check it out, but hopefully you'll watch it since it's here.
-Chris
Porcupine Tree is another of my favorite bands. I actually found them through Myspace back when that was still popular, and the first track I heard was "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here". I was blown away, the track was long, textured, emotional, and well written. Trains is probably my favorite track of theirs though, and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way. Check out the live version from their DVD "Arriving Somewhere" to get an idea of how talented these guys are. The band is pretty much the creation of Guitarist/Vocalist Steven Wilson, but the musicians that tour with him are all fantastic as well.
If you've never listened to these guys, please check them out. As usual, you'll be glad you did.
I need to include the live video too. I know most of you wouldn't go check it out, but hopefully you'll watch it since it's here.
-Chris
Walking Dead Review: "Better Angels"
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Phew. This week was much better than last week. I feel like with Dale out of the way, the remaining characters are far less annoying. Glen is still acting weird around Maggie and I'm really not sure why. I can only hope that the scene where Daryl and Glen were out searching in the dark for Randall and Glen took a machete to a walker's face helped give him a little self-confidence. T-Dog has just been awesome for pretty much this entire season, even though he gets the least camera time out of everyone. I really sympathized with Andrea in this episode more so than I have lately too. I don't mind the characters reflecting on the loss of Dale, because he was an important character in their group (serving as the last voice of either reason or naivety depending on how you look at it). Honestly, I'm just glad I don't have to listen to his annoying self-righteous rants anymore.
This episode was not about any of these characters though, as once again Shane and Rick occupy the limelight. Carl and Lori also play key roles, namely setting into motion the events that occured throughout the intense second half of the episode.
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| "I wish I could say something more profound." "Me too dad, me too." |
Speaking of Carl, what is this kid's deal? Why does no one seem to want to watch this young kid in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? After having a somewhat awkward conversation with Lori, Shane finally snaps and puts into motion his plan to eliminate Rick and apparently win Carl and Lori in the process. He was clearly delusional at this point, and what Lori said to him earlier in the day certainly played a part in that. Shane brought Randall out into the woods, broke his neck, smashed his own face against a tree to give the illusion of a struggle, and then ran back to camp to say that he had been overpowered and that Randall was out there somewhere with his gun. If that sounds crazy, it's because it was.
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| "Sorry that skinny kid kicked my ass Rick. If we keep going far enough into the woods I'm sure we'll find him though." |
Apparently Daryl is the only person with a functioning brain left in his head though, because he was the only one that saw through Shane's plan. Eventually, Shane pulls his gun on Rick and spills his master plan. I was a little confused as to why Rick just circled around, it was pretty clear that Shane intended to kill him. Thankfully, he delayed it long enough for Rick to move in close and kill him with a knife (was that really more humane Rick?). Of course Carl was standing right there when it happened as he has always seemed to be doing during any scene where Rick is stuck with a difficult decision. Who let him out of the boarded up house though, honestly? I'm beginning to think Carl is just a ninja, and that no walls or babysitters can contain him.
Carl's weirdness aside, this was a great episode, and the hoard on the horizon set up the season finale beautifully. Shit is going to go down, there is no question about that. The finale's title "Beside the Dying Fire" leads me to believe that the farm will be lost. I've assumed all along that this was just a temporary situation, but it will be interesting to see what happens with Hershel and his family. More characters will die next week, I'd be willing to bet on that. Things will get worse before they get any better, and I fully expect the finale to shock and delight fans of the series, as well as leave us all salivating for the third season.
-Chris
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Song of the Day 03/11/12
Katatonia- "Passing Bird"
Katatonia is my third most listened to artist on my iTunes, and I couldn't honestly give you a very good reason why. They're not very technical, but their songs just reach me on a level that is hard to describe. Almost any song could have served as a good introduction to them, but I decided to go with Passing Bird from their 2001 album Last Fair Deal Gone Down. This Swedish group has transformed from a heavy metal band (featuring growling vocals from Mikael Åkerfeldt on Brave Murder Day) to an emotional dark rock group. I dig the clean vocals on all of their more recent albums, and the songs are an interesting mix of heavy guitar parts and softer passages that utilize clean guitars as well. I love their older material, but I do think they have grown as a band over time, and one needs look no farther than Night is the New Day (their most recent album) as an example of this. I know I'll most likely never get a chance to see these guys live, but they are right at the top of the list of bands I'd love to see in concert.
-Chris
Katatonia is my third most listened to artist on my iTunes, and I couldn't honestly give you a very good reason why. They're not very technical, but their songs just reach me on a level that is hard to describe. Almost any song could have served as a good introduction to them, but I decided to go with Passing Bird from their 2001 album Last Fair Deal Gone Down. This Swedish group has transformed from a heavy metal band (featuring growling vocals from Mikael Åkerfeldt on Brave Murder Day) to an emotional dark rock group. I dig the clean vocals on all of their more recent albums, and the songs are an interesting mix of heavy guitar parts and softer passages that utilize clean guitars as well. I love their older material, but I do think they have grown as a band over time, and one needs look no farther than Night is the New Day (their most recent album) as an example of this. I know I'll most likely never get a chance to see these guys live, but they are right at the top of the list of bands I'd love to see in concert.
-Chris
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2
I'm no stranger to the Final Fantasy series. I've played almost every single entry in the main numbered series, as well as a few of the spinoffs. I've even played Final Fantasy X-2, the follow up to what might be my favorite game in the series (and perhaps a to DON'T list for sequel making). I love the story in every game, and I love how over the fifty or so hours, you can become totally absorbed in a fantastical world that is completely brought to life by the amazing and diverse characters, and the grand plots that guide you from start to finish.
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| Spira from FFX |
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| Gaia from FFVII |
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| World of Balance from FFVI |
The Worlds of Balance and Ruin in FF6, Midgar and Gaia in FF7, Spira in FFX, are all vast worlds that take many hours to fully explore, but beyond that, for those who are willing to spend a little extra time and dig, there is so much to learn about each of these worlds by just exploring them. The worlds in Final Fantasy XIII are no different. The first game introduced the worlds of Cocoon and Gran Pulse, as well as the conflict between the denizens of each area.
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| A typical map from the first section of FFXIII |
The game was controversial, dividing fans more so than any other entry in the series. People criticized the map design, calling the beginning of the game "the 20 hour hallway", as well as the fact that the game limits your potential battle-wise for the majority of the first 20 or so hours as well. The world of Coccoon was interesting, and the game did a good job introducing the Fal'cie, L'cie, and all the other fantasy terms that would be nearly impossible to explain if it were left in the hands of lesser developers. The story was far more personal than prior installments however, with a greater emphasis on the party itself, and their struggle to battle their own destinies. At least for me, the game lacked some of the grandiose themes that exist in so many of the other installments. There was no villain to content with Kefka, Sephiroth, or Seymour, which led to a sort of ambiguous goal moving forward through much of the game.
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| Who would you put here for XIII? |
The game opened up greatly though when the party reached Gran Pulse, and the more traditional exploration elements of the series returned, though not completely. There weren't really towns to visit, a staple of most RPG's, and there were very few characters to meet once on the firmament.
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| You'll get here eventually, how does Chapter 11 sound? |
The ending of FFXIII was much more focused however, and it brought the game a satisfying conclusion. Now I did say satisfying, not great. I just didn't quite have the same feeling after completing FFXIII that I usually had after investing 50+ hours into a Final Fantasy game.
Enter Final Fantasy XIII-2, the second numbered sequel in the Final Fantasy main numbered series. The developers knew there was more to this world than they took advantage of in the original game, so they set out to create another story so that fans could visit the worlds of Cocoon and Pulse once again. The fans were understandably reluctant however, seeing as the only other direct sequel had been Final Fantasy X-2, which completely threw the original game out the window, replaced it with a weird tweeny-bop soundtrack, and sprinkled some weird hot springs scenes throughout (you'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you've played it). The game was a mess overall, and not at all what fans of FFX were hoping for.
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| We were supposed to take this seriously? |
The game wasn't all bad though. The job system was a ton of fun, the game was non-linear, there was more variety, and eventually (after many grueling hours) the story actually became quite good. Despite the positives, fan didn't want to see another desecration along the lines of FFX-2, and especially worrisome was how quickly the game came out (the other two members of the originally planned Fabula Nova Crystallis series haven't even been released yet!).
I'm pleased to report that FFXIII-2 is a much better game than FFX-2, and probably even FFXIII.
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| So I hear you wanted a few more testicles in this sequel? |
The story of FFXIII-2 is shorter than the original, but it feels more epic. Square-Enix has definitely been listening to much of the criticism leveled at the first game, and they addressed most (but not all) of these concerns.
The two pictures above are more typical map styles in FFXIII-2, an obvious improvement on the hallway like maps in the original.
The cast was the smallest in any FF game to date, as well as the largest at the same time. You control Serah (Lightning's sister from the first game) and Noel for the entire game. You do run into some old faces, but the emphasis has definitely been placed on these two character's quest to find out what happened to Lightning following the events of FFXIII.
While some might use this tiny cast as a criticism, I don't feel it really affected the game too much overall. The third party member slot is completely customisable, and can be filled with any of of 150+ monsters you can tame in the game (trying to cash in a little on the pokemon hype?). Catching monsters for your party was fun overall, but with a little internet sleuthing, it is really easy to determine the best party members, catch them early on, and ignore many of the other monsters you capture in the second half of the game.
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| All I need is you, Chichu. |
The combat has been touched very little since FFXIII, and the Paradigm System is still just as fun as it was. This might just be the most exciting battle system ever implemented in a Final Fantasy game, so I'm actually glad they brought it back. The game starts off at a much quicker pace battle wise, and I feel like the developers assumed that you played the original game, because there is little to no tutorial this time around (while there was a 20 hour tutorial to familiarize you with the system in FFXIII). I found myself changing paradigms far more frequently in the early chapters than I ever did in the first game. Once you reach chapter 3 and the world opens up though, patient gamers will have an opportunity to begin the levelin up process, and essentially break the game if they choose to do so.
Even though I played the majority of the game with 3 commandos (after maxing out Chichu pictured above), there were certainly still parts where I had to utilize a fair amount of strategy to prevail. For the average gamer, the game will most likely be a perfect challenge throughout.
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| Battles are as flashy as ever. |
The biggest new feature in this sequel though is not the monster taming, but the time-travel elements. Without spoiling too much of the plot, eventually Serah and Noel receive the ability to begin traveling through time in an attempt to piece together what is happening in the story. With the recent success of Chrono Trigger on virtual console, Square-Enix was smart to include a feature like this. It made the game feel a little more like the classic JRPG's that we all loved and grew up on. While the game doesn't make full use of the system's potential, there are some actions you can take in a certain time period that will change others. The system is a blast, and there is no shortage of areas to explore or quests to complete.
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| You can eventually visit all the gray circles above. |
The most important element of any Final Fantasy game, whether a sequel or not, is the story though. How does this installment measure up to the classics? Favorably I would say, though I wouldn't claim that this was the strongest story in the series. I was interested in the story throughout, thanks large in part to the events taking place in the background that remain a mystery to the player for much of the game.
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| Caius (Left) Lightning (Right) |
While Lightning remains in a mysterious place known as Valhalla for much of the game, the party bumps into Caius on multiple occasions, reminding me of the older games where you saw say, Kefka, multiple times throughout the story. Caius was probably the most interesting character in the game, and his motivations make him a sympathetic character.
While many of the sub-plots you will go through are fairly bland (such as time traveling to defeat a giant tomato monster), there are others that are more exciting. All of these sub-plots are less interesting than the main story though, and once you reach a certain point, the last 5 or so areas are visited in quick succession, driving you straight through to the end of the game, reducing the distractions players might otherwise pursue.
I was especially pleased with the last few chapters of the game, and as I learned about Noel's past (future?), the relationship between him and Yeul, and even Caius's relationship with Yeul, I couldn't wait to get to the end. I'm very glad I spent the majority of the middle of the game performing side-quests, and leveling up, because I was able to steamroll through the biggest storyline moments of the game.
The ending cutscene is a bit of a punch to the face, and I was honestly surprised with what happened. Of course, just like in FFX-2, there is a special ending for those who complete the game completely (in this case gathering all 160 fragments). I can't comment yet on this special ending, as I'm in the process of collecting the last 15 or so fragments, but if the additional scene is anything like the scene unlocked for fully completing FFX-2, the ending of XIII-2 has the potential to be something truly special.
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| Truly Epic |
Now the quest for all 160 fragments will add a significant number of hours to your game, but for gamers who keep up with the process throughout the first run through the main story, you'll find it very doable to obtain them all. There are some that are more annoying to obtain than others (such as completing the games various rift puzzles over, and over, and over, and slaying every monster in the game), and a few of the games areas begin to really wear on you after a while, such as a platforming section near the end of the game that involves flipping switches, rotating blocks, and dozens of pitfalls to impede your process.
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| I need to come through here how many times? |
These are but minor annoyances in an overall great game however, and should hold no substantial bearing on any final verdict on the game. Now I'm going to do something new, and attach a score to the end of my review. Some people work better with numbers afterall, so I'll try to give an accurate, fair score.
Whereas I would have likely given FFXIII a score of 7.5/10 upon beating it, I'm going to have to give the sequel the edge here, with a score of 8.5.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Thanks for reading my first video game review, I hope you all found something useful in there. I'll definitely be reviewing more games as I beat them. Look for either Mass Effect 3 or Silent Hill Downpour next, depending on which one I finish first.
-Chris (a.k.a. the Chronosavior)
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Song of the Day 3/07/12
Aesop Rock- Tomorrow Morning
I've been listening to a ton of Katatonia and Aesop Rock lately (maybe a weird combination?) but I had to post this song. This might be the best Hip-Hop song I've ever heard. The beat is fantastic and complex, with seemingly a dozen sounds going on at any given time. The song was made to accompany a slideshow of the art of Jeremy Fish, but the piece is great on its own. Check it out even if you don't normally listen to Hip-Hop. It's definitely not my favorite genre, but this Aesop Rock is something special. Lyrically, he is head and shoulders above anyone else I have ever heard. I can't wait for his first album since 2007, Skelethon, when it releases later this year. Who the fuck is Ace Rock?
-Chris
Monday, March 5, 2012
Song of the Day 3/05/12
Continuing my old school jazz kick, I'll post one of my favorite pieces that came out of the Count Basie's Orchestra recordings.
Lester young is one of the more interesting people I studied in my jazz history class I took a few years back. I especially like the enigmatic relationship he had with Billie Holiday, and their nicknames they had for eachother (Pres for Lester, and Lady Day for Holiday). Though heroin was Holiday's greatest downfall, it is hard not to believe that her separation from young had something to do with it. After Lester drank himself to death, Holiday was quotes as saying on the way to his funeral, "I will be the next one to go." She died four months later.
Lester young is one of the more interesting people I studied in my jazz history class I took a few years back. I especially like the enigmatic relationship he had with Billie Holiday, and their nicknames they had for eachother (Pres for Lester, and Lady Day for Holiday). Though heroin was Holiday's greatest downfall, it is hard not to believe that her separation from young had something to do with it. After Lester drank himself to death, Holiday was quotes as saying on the way to his funeral, "I will be the next one to go." She died four months later.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Song of the Day 3/04/12
Modest Mouse- "Parting of the Sensory"
This is my favorite Modest Mouse song. I love the overall feel of the song, and the lyrics and vocals really tie the whole thing together, especially the strong guitar part over the "and it came down on us like it had been rehearsed" part. The "aw fuck it I guess we lost" really fits with the theme of the album, which was originally intended to be a concept album about a crew of sailors that drowned in each of the songs.
My favorite part thing about Modest Mouse has always been their versatility, and this album continues in that same direction. Every track is unique, and the song I've posted tonight sounds nothing like, say, "Dashboard". Basically, if you don't like this song, you should still check them out because there is still a chance you might like something else on that same album.
-Chris
This is my favorite Modest Mouse song. I love the overall feel of the song, and the lyrics and vocals really tie the whole thing together, especially the strong guitar part over the "and it came down on us like it had been rehearsed" part. The "aw fuck it I guess we lost" really fits with the theme of the album, which was originally intended to be a concept album about a crew of sailors that drowned in each of the songs.
My favorite part thing about Modest Mouse has always been their versatility, and this album continues in that same direction. Every track is unique, and the song I've posted tonight sounds nothing like, say, "Dashboard". Basically, if you don't like this song, you should still check them out because there is still a chance you might like something else on that same album.
-Chris
Walking Dead Review: "Judge, Jury, Executioner"
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Someone is going through their terrible twos.
Tonight's episode started off with Daryl being a complete badass, and poor Randall on the receiving end of his knife. I've liked Daryl for most of the show, and I think that this episode proves that he is especially well suited to life in this new world.
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| You ever peeled a scab off? |
The majority of this episode focused on Dale though, and that was this week's greatest downfall. I feel like the writers have been purposefully making us hate Dale for this entire season, and when
he gets eviscerated, I found myself relieved rather than upset. I feel like in most dramas, they make you sympathize with the main character they're about to kill, at least in their final moments. I've been sick of Dale for a long time. And now that I bring that up, I think it's also a good time to say that I finally agree with everyone else. They have drawn out far too many plot points this season. Between the search for Sophia, and now the whole Randall situation, I'm beginning to feel that the writers want this show to last longer than it probably needs to.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of character development, but the whole situation with Dale has been excacerbated to the point where I honestly sometimes feel like I'm watching a show on ABC Family.
This episode dragged on, and there was very little that actually happened. This is made more disappointing by the fact that the showrunners stated prior to last weeks fantastic episode "18 Miles Out" that the end of the season would be action packed and pure storyline. I honestly felt like they were trying to make us all hate Dale so that they could kill him off. Like I said though, this actually lessened the drama that might have existed had this event occured during the first season when Dale was still a likeable guy.
Carl was the other main plot point, and I understand what they're tryin to do with his character. He is the kid growing up in the post apocalyptic world, so he represents the new world that is emerging from the ashes of the old, and it makes sense that there will be detrimental side effects to all of this. I don't think that should serve as an excuse to radically change Carl's character though over the course of a few short episodes. The way he was acting in this episode seemed completely contradictory to the way he has acted for most of the show. I really like Carl, but felt like he desrved a good pop in the mouth tonight. That scene with Carole? Am I crazy or did that seem really uncharacteristic of him.
Then there was the main drama witih Carl and his interactions with the Swamp Walker. The way Carl threw rocks at him, and gawked at him like some sort of a caged animal shows obvious early signs of Carl becoming a sociopath. I do know that they are trying to show the way Carl is changing as he becomes exposed to more and more crazy situations, but they're trying to do it too fast, and unnaturally. There should be more of a progression here. I feel like Carl was one of the most optimistic characters on the show, but now he is proclaiming his lack of belief in heaven to the woman who recently lost her daughter. I just don't see where this fundamental change would have happened.
I'm pretty disappointed with this episode overall, but maybe my bar was set a little too high by the quotes given by the showrunners that I referred to above. There are only two episodes left though, so they better do a pretty fantastic job with them and make it up to their dedicated fans. With my limited knowledge of where the show is headed into the next season, I have to imagine things are going to get pretty crazy during these last few episodes. I think there is definitely room to improve on the way the end of season one was handled, so I'm definitely looking forward to what I hope will be the two best episodes of the Walking Dead yet.
-Chris
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