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XENOmorph00010 Blog

I Must Be the Only Person...

...who thinks the supporting cast in Gran Torino aren't horrible, I think they're quite good. Everywhere I look people say how horrible the supporting cast in the film is, yet I fail to see why. They might have no prior experience, but I thought they did solid, honest jobs and fit into their roles very naturally. I saw the film twice in theaters and the only scene that was any bad acting-wise for me was the "WAAAAAAALT!" part, other than that I won't complain.

Does anyone out there even come close to agreeing?

So, This E3 Everyone's Talking About

No, I haven't watched any of the press conferences and I've only looked at a few of the upcoming games revealed/shown at E3, but I guess since this is the first E3 since 2006/2007 to have had multiple games catch my eye (especially since I was thinking this to be a boring year for games) I figured just go ahead and post some of the games that have my interest (and some that don't but are still of hot talk)

I guess I'll just get the big title out of the way for me and say that the game that I've looked at thus far which I'm most excited for is Forza Motorsport 3. Recently I've been playing Forza 2 on and off, greatly enjoying it but have a few issues with the game. Fortunately, from the gameplay trailer it seems that at least some of my issues are being addressed, namely improved visuals, a cockpit view, hopefully better environments to race on and some different modes to break up the monotony. About all I'd want to top things off are some more body part options for some of the cars and I'm hoping that if it's still going to be on two discs that you can take the content from one of them, put it on your hard drive and play it on a single disc a la the Platinum Hits edition with the extra cars and tracks.

One game that was a pleasant surprise reveal (partly since I recently purchased its predecessor) is Crackdown 2, which, admittedly didn't reveal much other than hinting it'll still take place in the same setting but with some sort of monsters to battle. I myself don't care too much for the enemies unless they're somehow incorporated to make the game more hectic and over the top since that was basically the reason Crackdown was so enjoyable for me (and I'm sure for others).

A surprise interest-grabber for me was Halo: Reach, mostly since I'm just not looking forward to Halo: ODST despite beinga fan of all three Halo games (though the first and the third more than the second), despite just being music and talking. I guess what makes me excited is the whole concept, if the game happens to hold the setting of the book Fall of Reach then I'm already sold since there was plenty of potential for a game in that book which could help flesh Master Chief/John out, though I'm willing to be most people will think it's too late for that and while I'd have to agree with them I figure better late than never.

The game I think got everybody's attention was Metal Gear Solid: Rising, which follows Raiden instead of Solid Snake, supposedly down his journey/transition from MGS2 to MGS4. Currently I'm not sure what to expect though when I heard it was about Raiden the first thing I thought was "DMC/Ninja Gaiden meets MGS", I'll have to see how the game plays before I come to a decision of whether to try it out though I think most die-hard Metal Gear fans will get it just for the extra story details.

Another game I'm sure lots of people were overjoyed to see was Modern Warfare 2, which I saw the seven-minute gameplay footage and I mostly liked what I saw. Though mostly what made it was the new machinegun with the enemy (motion?) tracker attached with the snowspeeder section at the end (I'm not sure if it's just me though, but did anyone else say "man, those trees are really redundant?" in that gameplay section?). I'll likely wind up buying the game regardless though despite my huge preference of single player over multiplayer I do honestly feel Call of Duty...eh, Modern Warfare is better off focusing on the multiplayer since that's where the gameplay really comes through for the series.

Not much really grabbed my interest outside of the above which, while not sounding like much, is more than what I expected to be interested in. That said, there are two other things I'd likely to briefly touch upon that seem to also be talked about at E3.

The first of these is the new Playstation Portable called PSP Go which has a sliding control pad feature similar to certain phones and comes with 16 GB of internal flash memory and will apparantely retail for $249. I myself am honestly disappointed by this new PSP since I've actually been wanting to get a PSP-3000 since they've gotten a lot more since back when I got mine when they launched (and traded it in with a lack of content) but decided to hold out and see what the new one would have in store. First off, there's no second analog nub which means the games likely won't play any better (plus it seems the trigger buttons are on the screen half of it, which, if the device is rather tall will be annoying. Second, no UMD support might be a plus for those who will be looking past old PSP content but since I'd have liked to be able to play old content on it I'm even less likely to buy it. And while this might be a minor complain, I'm surprised the screen actually isn't as large, but then again the new Zune HD's screen is just barely smaller than the iPhone's and I'll still likely buy the Zune rather than the iPhone (go ahead, send the "you idiot, you no like Apple products" comments forward).

The next bit to talk about is Gran Turismo 5, which was only shown in a single trailer that, as with my thoughts on GT in the past, is that it looks good, but still far from impressive. GT5: Prologue was little more than bigger, pricey demo that simply didn't entice me to convert to the GT crowd. I've played GT3 and GT4 and neither impressed me save for their visuals and content (the racing was just dull and unremarkable to me). But for all I know the game might turn out to convert me or it'll just leave yet another blase impression on me. We'll see.

Some Interesting Stuff To Note

So you know ahead of time, this blog is a "return to form" so to speak with my all too long blog styles, so you have been warned.

As I listen to the title track "Jugulator" by Judas Priest (fairly underrated album in my eyes) I've come across a couple interesting little things over the past couple days, mostly upon return from my day at work. The first of which I guess I'll mention is a new album by a band I've really been getting into that I was very hotly anticipating:

Children of the Dark Waters cover

In case you can't read it, the band is Eternal Tears of Sorrow and they just released their sixth album entitled "Children of the Dark Waters", which I had to download from the Zune Marketplace since the actual CD isn't being released here in the US (we're totally lame and not metal!). I first found out about these guys about a year ago after hearing "Sweet Lilith of My Dreams" and "Red Dawn Rising" on my old Launch radio (why'd they have to butcher the site even more?) and, even after several listens, Before the Bleeding Sun continued to amaze me with each listen. I also got around to getting A Virgin and A Whore and while I didn't like it as much as its successor, I still enjoyed it quite a bit and do (mostly) prefer the melodies on it. I haven't heard any of their other earlier material but I do intend to listen to Chaotic Beauty when I get my new computer.

As for this album, I listened to it upon downloading it on Friday night and absolutely loved it, though I also am planning to give it another couple listens soon since I've been in a bit of a shuffle mood and the songs didn't' quite strike me individually save for the opening track (might be like Nostradamus, best heard from start to finish). It does seem like with this album they were trying to balance out the sounds of their last two albums, which, if is the case, I'll definitely give them credit for trying. For my first impression listen though, I'd put it about on par with Before the Bleeding Sun, if not a little more.

I also decided to pick up Crackdown for $15 at Gamestop since I had been craving it's over-the-top action and I don't remember if this was the case when the game first released, but I found out after beating the game you can resurrect the gangs with your Agent remaining unaffected, which I absolutely love (why can't more games be like this?) I've been having a blast with it, but the game is way too short which, despite the help of the gang resurrection options, does make it wear thing too quickly. It's always the more fun games that are too short.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Up this Friday after seeing the trailer a few times, which makes it look very promising and the early reviews are serving as great reinforcment (there are only a couple Pixar films I didn't like which, for the sake of not getting hate messages I'll refrain from saying but I'll say my two personal favorites are WALL-E and Cars with Ratatouille closely following.

Also, during the middle of my shift at work tonight, I looked at my schedule and was surprised to see that my hours were actually cut, despite being low as it is (since I want to focus on college). Normally I work 4-12 and 2-12 on Sundays and Tuesdays, respectively (yes, that's afternoon to midnight in the stock crew foran abysmal $7.35 an hour for working there nearly two years, but I have to keep telling myself it's an income to pay for my car). But rather than working till midnight on Tuesday I'm working till 10:30, and it turns out everyone else in the store is affected (Tony from deli and meat has 3-4 less hours, others in the stock crew have the same day hour change and Marshal,a bagger up front, got his cut too). Seems my store is even less willing to cough up the dough, guess that shows my chances of getting a raise when I ask for one during my two year anniversary, eh?

And probably the two more eye-catching bits of news are the recent news of Guitar Hero 5and the new Zune model. I'll star with the game of plastic instruments first. While the past few Guitar Hero games have made me roll my eyes at the series save for Guitar Hero: Metallica (since it was challenging but fun and was up my music alley; Guitar Hero was a bittersweet experience for me, Aerosmith was forgettable and World Tour was unremarkable), I actually think they might have something going with this one thanks to the little jump in, jump out design concept (really digging that, would be nice to have if playing a long song, maybe "Fear of the Dark" or "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" for the Iron Maiden track?) The only qualm I currently have of the game so far is the soundtrack, the only bands that I have any interest in are Maiden (depending on the song choice, since I'd LOVE "Fear of the Dark" ora song from Powerslave if not that) and Darkest Hour just because it's more variety (since I'm not too crazy about them). I'd really like to see the return of Shadows Fall to one of these games, "Bible Black" by Heaven and Hell would be a very smart pick and perhaps "Blood Red Skies" by Judas Priest? Would be at least a couple enticements for me to possibly purchase.

As for the new Zune, it's simply being called "Zune HD", and it's essentially a Zune-branded iTouch. There are some details about it here:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/26/zune-hd-is-official-heading-your-way-this-fall/

For my thoughts on it, I've gathered a pretty bittersweet view towards the Zune since I love the device, its designs, concepts and see so much potential in it but the software has always been lousy and I've had my fair share of hardware issues (namely a defective battery icon from my old Zune 80 and now Zune 120). This upcoming Zune has my curiosity, but there are a few things that would determine me purchasing one at all:

-The price. I'm still compensating for the purchase of my Zune 120 and if it's over $400 (which I expect it to be more than) then I'll probably be a late buyer at best.

-The hard drive size. The main reason I bought a Zune 120 instead of a smaller model is because I've been trying to get into more bands and, when I get my new computer, will likely get at least one album almost every day and intend to burn movies aplenty to my computer for any possible portable film watching. I've heard it'll likely be just 16 and 32 GB which is almost guarantees no consideration from me since I need the space (since I have over 30 movies listed to burn and about 40 albums in-mind to get as of now).

-The reception. Generally, the Zunes have gotten good reception (save for the first once mostly since it had little space and wasn't much of a looker, but it was the most reliable), but of course many still demean them (which I guess I technically am part of since I've had a few issues just like the 360, only not nearly as bad).

-The battery icon/life. Seriously, my two most recent Zunes had/have the same main annoying issue for me, the battery (icon?) is defective, even with about 30-60% marked on the bar it'll suddenly die (it does generally last at least a few hours though), and I've tried fixing this but to no avail.

And if you're curious of the albums I currently have marked down to get when I finally get a new computer, I'll list them off in two categories. First, albums by bands I've listened to/have at least one album by:

In Flames-"Lunar Strain" (heard the album before, but lost the files on my old computer)

Eternal Tears of Sorrow-"Chaotic Beauty"

Iron Maiden-"Somewhere In Time"

Iron Maiden-"Seventh Sonof a Seventh Son"

Black Sabbath-"Black Sabbath" (ironically, the only Sabbath albums I have are two of the "Dio-era" albums)

Queensryche-"Empire"

Queensryche-"Operation: Mindcrime Part II"

Dream Theater-"Octavarium"

Lamb of God-"Sacrament" (heard As the Palaces Burn, Ashes of the Wake and Wrath, but not this one, odd, I know)

The Autumn Offering-"Embrace the Gutter" (same situation as "Lunar Strain")

The Autumn Offering-"Fear Will Cast No Shadow" (and I do know this is with the new singer after the above album)

Megadeth-"So Far, So Good...So What!"

Metallica-"Load" (only heard Ride the Lightning through The Black Album and Death Magnetic, but I want to give their other material a shot at least)

As for the bands I have yet to hear an album by:

Raintime-"Flies & Lies"

Dark Tranquility-"The Gallery"

At The Gates-"Slaugher of the Soul"

Cannibal Corpse-"Vile"

Machine Head-"The Blackening"

Twisted Sister-"Stay Hungry" (I know, lol and lame-tastic)

Motorhead-"Overkill"

Motorhead-"Ace of Spades"

Napalm Death-"Time Waits For No Slave" (love the song "On The Brink of Extinction")

Kreator-"Pleasure To Kill"

Death-"The Sound of Perseverance"

Symphony X-"The Divine Wings of Tragedy"

Meshuggah-"obZen"

Skid Row-"Slave to the Grind"

Venom-"Black Metal"

Celtic Frost-"Into the Pandemonium"

Morbid Angel-"Covenant"

Fear Factory-"Demanufacture"

Anthrax-"We've Come For You All"

Warbringer-"War Without End"

Mors Principium Est-"The Unborn"

Norther-"N"

Omnium Gatherum-"The Redshift"

Sentenced-"The Cold White Light"

myGRAIN-"Orbit Dance"

Amorphis-"Eclipse"

Amon Amarth-"With Oden On Our Side" (yup, will be my first full taste of these guys, I was inclined to pick "Twilight of the Thunder God" but many fans here seem to not like it so I'll start elsewhere)

So, Terminator Salvation...

...actually turned out to not be too shabby after all, despite how I thought for sure it would ruin the series. Granted, it's equal to T3: Rise of the Machines in my books (since I myself liked it and thought it brought some much needed clarity after what T2 left us with), so it's far inferior to the first two films (though, I think that was expected). If you want to hear my full thoughts on it then check out my review on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488/usercomments-83

Been surprised that I've even liked the films I've seen recently at all; The Departed (hated the first hour, the rest wasn't too bad), X-Men Origins, Star Trek and a couple others, hopefully Transformers and Up don't wind up disappointing me.

I Guess Nintendo/Game Freak Didn't Care About Pissing Fans Off...

Long backstory short, a while ago me and my friend each bought ourselves an old Gameboy Advance SP and two Pokemon games (LeafGreen and Sapphire for me, Ruby and FireRed for him). Say what you willl, but when I get one of those impulses to revisit something from my childhood, I'm going to want to shoot for it (I wanted to get Silver or Crystal and Yellow, but of course no one offers them near us).

So, recently I've been trying to capture as many Pokemon as I can and as of now, I have 129 captured total (still with plenty to evolve and breed), but tonight I was getting myself ready to capture the legendary dog I'm given the option of hunting (since I have Blastoise, my dog was Raikou). Since I had a Wobbuffet, I decided to keep him at the front of my pack to at least try to find/capture Raikou which I did manage to find him relatively easily and, after giving him one Counter and one Mirror Coat, brought his HP down to literally a hair, and I figured that would be good enough and started tossing Ultra Balls at him...he used Roar after the second one. With that, I figured I'd raise my Weepinbell (since he has Sleep Powder) up to at least level 42, evolve him and possibly level him up some more, give him a Quick Claw, put Raikou to sleep and see how often I'd have to encounter him from there. Given I wasted my Master Ball on Mewtwo, not too bad of a plan given the circumstances, right?

Well, it turns out my plan was about to backfire right in my face. Because it turns out that after I leveled up and evolved my Weepinbell, I check my Pokedex and it says for Raikou "Area Unknown". Confused, I decide to look this up and it turns out the developers thought it would be a great idea to make it so that if the legendary dog you encounter uses Roar then you'll never see it again...

I mean, I knew some games had horrible design choices but seriously, I just can't express how low this is.

Movies, Games, Music; You Know the Drill

Oh well, we can't all have original stuff to post now can we? So falling in-line with the usual update blog, here comes the info.

As far as movies go, I watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine on Saturday night with my friend and you could easily call it a weak, mediocre film that's very entertaining. And I must emphasize this, there are A LOT of problems with the film but almost from the get-go I was entertained enough to not really be bothered all that much. I also finally brought myself to watching The Departed all the way through, a film I had long condemned after watching the first hour and while I will say after watching the entire thing it wasn't that bad I still insist it as severely overrated, nowhere near anything I'd come close to considering Oscar material (and was I the only one bothered by the eerily Shakespearean-like ending, even though the film is based off the supposedly superior Internal Affairs?) One other film I saw on DVD recently that I fully liked, however, was The Wrestler. I wanted to see it in theaters, but since the nearest theater it played at was about fifteen miles away, I decided to wait. After seeing it, I have to say it ties with The Dark Knight for my favorite film from last year and ties with Frost/Nixon for the best film of 2008 I've seen. It's a very bittersweet film, it breaks your heart thanks to Rourke's very convincing and heart-felt performance yet also makes you feel good at the same time. The other only films I can recall having this effect on me off-hand are The Shawshank Redemption and Forrest Gump, which is definitely a good thing in my books. And while the ending does literally leave you hanging, I wasn't all that bothered by it, I just felt the rest of the film was so great that I couldn't bring myself to complaining.

Not much has really grabbed my eye in the gaming world recently save for Red Dead Redemption, though games like Modern Warfare 2 and BioShock 2 have gotten me a bit curious. Though I'm likely to rent Fuel (or buy it if the reception is good and the review descriptions are enticing) and review it for TalkXbox when I get the chance, so keep your eyes out for that. I'm also guiltily becoming interested in Need for Speed Shift. Yes, despite being absolutely disgusted by Undercover I guess the die-hard NFS fan in me just doesn't want to give up on the series, it does at least look somewhat enticing with the nice visuals and any game that allows you to customize cars pretty much catches my eye.

As for music, I've listened to a few albums over the past few weeks, though only a few have stood out. One of them is an album I've listened to several times before and have deemed overrated, yet for my most recent listening I wound up liking it quite a bit. In Flames' album The Jester Race seems to have finally grown on me, which I think might have to partially do with my listening of Shadows Fall's Of One Blood album beforehand and being surprised to liking it as much as I did ("Root Bound Apollo" and "Revel In My Loss" are simply amazing). I also purchased an album by a band I never really could get into a few years back and though I've only listened to the first two tracks, I'm already getting a change of heart towards them as well. The culprit? Chaos A.D. by Sepultura. "Refuse/Resist" is simply an awesome track and I just suddenly realized the main riff to "Territory" is practically the same to "The Serpentine Offering" by Dimmu Borgir. Oh Dimmu, Dimmu, despite this I still can't not like your music, you've released some of my favorite albums and they remain great listens to me regardless (though In Sorte Diaboli was really nothing to write home about). The last standout was my very first listening of Metallica's "...And Justice For All" album from start to finish and while I enjoyed it, I'm going to have to listen to it a couple move times to come to a final verdict on it.

Beyond that I've been dealing with my one summer class, which is Microeconomics (since the only other classes I'd have taken were at my college's main campus, which is quite a drive compared to the one I'm near). Just today we had our first exam, which I likely got only a C on, but if we take the first three exams then he'll drop our lowest one and replace it with our second lowest, so that's a slight relief. However, I also have to write a term paper for the class, which is due June 10 (class started a week and a half ago), and since it's Micro rather than Macro, I'm going to do it on Pontiac and more specifically, why it's being shuttered (tragic thing to face, since I've got a nice '04 Grand Prix GT and Pontiac has been one of my favorite car brands, with the only truly bad car they've made in my eyes being oh so despicable Aztek). Wish me luck in that class.

Star Trek

Well, after hanging with my friends tonight I decided to just go see Star Trek and hope that I'd at least like it half as much as everyone else seems to be. Now, I only feel it's necessary I let you all know that I've never been a Star Trek fan, I've never been interested in it and, until seeing a preview for it before seeing Slumdog Millionaire (yet another film that's drastically overrated), didn't expect to ever become even a light Trekkie. So, after seeing the film and getting out a quarter to 1 AM EST, what are my thoughts on the film as a Star Trek noob?

Pretty damn good.

I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the film as much as I did, and it has so far managed to be the only film released this year in theaters that hasn't disappointed me (unless you count Gran Torino). While I did still feel like I was at a disadvantage of knowledge for the film's backstory and plot, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the film since it didn't try to make the storyline a huge priority. So the plot was mostly easy for me to keep up with. The characters were mostly fleshed out very well, and I was surprised to like the actor playing Kirk as much as I did, let alone liking him at all. Unless I'm misinformed, Spock has become one of the most celebrated characters in Star Trek, and I'm sure no one can fill in the original actor's shoes, but I think the one they got for this film did a very admirable and perfectly adequate job filling in the shoes.

Really the only problem I had with the film was the pacing, the first act felt too quick and streamlined (which did affect my first impressions of some of the characters)while some scenes during the second act dragged on a little bit but not nearly as bad as some other films I've seen recently. Fortunately, by the film's final act everything felt pretty sufficient and I was able to enjoy and feel for the characters we're supposed to be rooting for. While the film's attempts at stronger, more emotion scenes did admittedly fall flat, it didn't detract from overall great experience. Also, Simon Pegg was absolutely genius and hysterical as always.

So despite its flaws I thought Star Trek was a great time, and it has gotten me slightly curious of checking Star Trek as a franchise out and it gave me a good hint as to why many hold it in a high regard. For all this and other reasons, I'd probably give the film 4.25 stars out of 5.

Red Dead Redemption: Trailer Impressions, Thoughts and Tidbits

So as some of you may or may not know, the trailer for Rockstar's upcoming game Red Dead Redemption hit their site today (as well as IGN) and while I wasn't one of the first on the spot to see it (had my first cla$s meeting for my only summer cla$s this semester from 1:30-4:30-Microeconomics if you're curious), I did get around to seeing it just recently and gave it a second viewing for the sake of a little impressions blog. Last night I went back to Red Dead Revolver to try and unlock some characters (since my old hard drive had my old save file), so I was definitely excited to see what we'd finally might be getting in this sequel nearly half a decade in the making (Killzone 2 deja vu anyone?).

The very first thing that caught my attention in the trailer was the sound in-general. If this trailer is a real, honest idea/representation of what we can expect, then I'm already giving it the best general sound design for a game this year. Since the game is taking place about a century after the first (so I've heard), there will likely be some expected alternations, which I'll touch upon later. Another immediate attention-getter was the voice for who seems to be the game's protagonist, John Marston (at least, I think it's John); whoever is voicing him has already impressed me. While Red Harlow from the first game was a fairly basic main character, I did still have a bit of soft spot for his silentvengeance-driven personality. So while I'd still like a proper resolution to what happened to him after the first game (if even a reference with a tombstone in a good enough cutscene), John is looking to be a promising main character in my books already. There's a certain aged and fatigued pain in his voice that really helps set the mood in thetrailer very well.

There's also the music playing the trailer, which complimented John's voice and dialogue perfectly thanks to its old, acoustic sound. And I'm not sure if it's just me, but did anyone else hear a bit of similarity between the trailer's music and the opening music to Metal Gear Solid 4? Maybe I'm just hearing things. While we're still on the sound aspect, it seems the sound effects from the guns and other bits have seen some major tweaks and overhauls since the first game (and fittingly so). Other voice work in the trailer outside of John also sounded very fitting. Which reminds me of another suspicion, I could've sworn the lady's voice at the end of the trailer was Annie Stokes from the first game. Maybe we'll see a bit of her to fill us in about the time between the two games?

Also on good display throughout the trailer are the game's visuals, which are a very proper and excellent if I do say so myself. The detail looks great but the trailer also has this slightly rough jagginess that, whether intentional or not, somehow fits the game's setting. In addition, it looks like we'll be seeing plenty of various locales throughout the game. While Revolver did a great job with its multiple settings, the reports that Redemption will be an open-world title similar to Grand Theft Auto only makes the idea of visiting these areas all the more exciting. This also makes me curious as to whether the game will have a single load screen at the beginning of whenever you load up the disc a la GTA. It's worked well enough in the GTA games, should probably work here too.

As I mentioned earlier, the game will be taking place a good bit of time after the first game, which seems to have been reflected in the trailer fittingly. There seems to be some more (growing) technology in some of the hinted areas that may or may not be worked into the core gameplay. Speaking of which, with the several shots of horses in the trailer as well as some parts with trains, horseback riding will likely be the main mode of transportation with trains being offered in bits and pieces as faster transportation (sounds similar to Oblivion if you ask me). I also noticed some shots of people taking cover in the game and while Revolver did have a small cover system, I'm hoping it's been modified a bit to be more fluent. Given that the trailer seems to be focused entirely on single player footage, I'm also wondering how the multiplayer will be handled. Revolver's multiplayer was surprisingly crazy in its frantic, arcadey nature which, with a very impressive roster of characters with various Dead-Eye substitutes, made the only thing missing being larger maps and online funcionality (for more players). Normally I couldn't care too much for multiplayer, but I am curious to see what will be offered in this game.

The last bit I'll be touching on for now is how the game seems to be shifting its mood and theme a lot from its predecessor. When Revolver was originally under development by Capcom it was a more regular Western game but then Rockstar picked it up and made it more of a spaghetti Western. This trailer, on the other hand, gave me the impression it'll be going back to a more serious-natured game what with Marston's dialogue of living in the same area for 30 years, having fought Native Americans and all the hardships faced (weather, droughts, small pox, etc.). Not sure if/how this might play into the gameplay, theme and emphasis on the narrative and storyline, but it looks be quite a few steps away from Revolver's design. Only time will tell how this all plays out and whether it's as it seems.

So as it stands I'm very curious to see how this game will unfold and am even more excited than ever. I might miss playing as good ol' Red but Marston looks to be a pretty good "replacement." Hopefully this game will turn out to be as interesting as it seems and tap into the potential I'm seeing in it. I'll be keeping my eyes out for this little title.

The Devil You Know (Album) Review

*TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM ORIGINAL POST AT MRBLACKS SITE*

Since I've had a pretty damn busy schedule recently with the last week of my spring semester of classes, I suddenly yesterday remembered this album came out, so I went to the nearest mall to my house, bought it (for a reasonable $13) and listened to the first couple tracks on the way to my Astronomy exam. I then listened to the rest of the album on and off today/tonight and am listening to it as I write this blog. Since I feel I've made my reasons for anticipating this album clear more than enough times previously, I'll spare that little history lesson for you all.

I'll say that after hearing the album once it doesn't manage to top or even match the Heaven and Hell album from 1980 though it's not a large step below it, just a regular step. Stylistically, this album isn't much different than Heaven and Hell and Dehumanizer, if at all. That said, if you liked those albums there isn't any reason why you shouldn't enjoy this latest effort. Obviously, however, time allows more possibilities with the sound, so on this album we're given better, more balanced production for each of the parts of the songs with the occasional sound effects flowing in to help give the album a bit more atmosphere (though you won't think you're listening to a concept album). The song structure is fairly basic, most of the songs are fairly lengthy coming in at around four to six minutes each with a typical approach with the verses and chorus sections (you'll never be confused as to what song is playing when those kick in). While this might make the songs drag out for some it does allow some of the stronger tracks to get a great elaboration ("Bible Black" being the track this applies the most to).

As far as the craftsmanship goes, there's some very solid work here, with no real weak points to any of the instruments, even bassist Geezer Butler (who names their son that anyways?) gets a few shining moments here and there (check the odd opening to "Doube The Pain"). Vinny Appice as always provides solid drum work though never steps it up to what, say, Scott Travis would. Even as one of the most well-respected and talented guitarists, Tony Iommi still puts on a good show and manages to come off particularly impressive in "Eating The Cannibals", one of the album's heavier tracks. As for Mr. Ronnie James Dio, he's actually the one who comes off a little, well, off in places. His eerie sustained notes are aplenty here though it's only on the tracks that he gives a more...passionate care to his voice that he shines out. Otherwise his vocals sound rather unremarkable and not all that impressive if at all.

The Devil You Know shows that even with only a few strong, remarkable qualities a good, solid album can still come out. This won't be cracking into anybody's top albums list anytime soon, but it will make for a good, fairly casual listen compared to some of the other, heavier albums you'll find (or that you'll find on my Zune). This is still essentially by the fans for the fans, so with that you should know whether you'll be getting the album or not.

Top Tracks: "Bible Black", "Rock and Roll Angel", "Eating the Cannibals", "Follow the Tears"

Score: 3.75/5

And no, listening to the first two tracks didn't help me on my Astonomy final.:cry:

I also went to a local show for my friend's band Reclaim the Throne on Saturday night for the final round of the BOTB competition they were in and am currently uploading the first nine minutes of their performance to YouTube (which my ear is STILL ringing from!). And I finally got around to watching all of The Departed the other night (I started watching it a while ago but stopped an hour in) and while I will say I don't hate the entire film as I do the first hour, it's still a severely overrated film and I'll still strongly say/insist that Letters From Iwo Jima should've won the Best Picture Oscar.