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Post by Hurricane on Jan 5, 2011 8:18:23 GMT -5
I plan on reviewing things (series, movies, games, albums) on a regular basis and posting them here.
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Post by Hurricane on Jan 5, 2011 8:19:56 GMT -5
Donkey Kong Country ReturnsHaving grown up with the Donkey Kong Country series, as well as other Donkey Kong games such as Mario Kart and DK64, I was hugely excited upon the announcement of Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Nintendo Wii, and another chance to play as the worlds favourite.... Kong? The game keeps the old style of Donkey Kong Country with huge graphical overhauls and many great new features. The worlds are colourful and interesting enough to draw in casual gamers, while also challenging enough to test the most hardened of platform gamers. This is the part where I planned on reviewing the storyline, but there isn't much of one at all. Donkey and Diddy Kong's banana hoard has gone missing; the fault of several weird little musical mask-like creatures who have stolen them. The Kongs are on a quest to retrieve their bananas (can't they share?), and the mask-like creatures have musically brainwashed the Kong's animal and other-worldly friends into being enemies. While story was never a huge part of the series, I felt they were lazy with it and could have fleshed it out much more. The graphical style works amazingly, much better than New Super Mario Brothers in my opinion. The controls are smooth and responsive which makes the hard levels SLIGHTLY less frustrating. On that note, one flaw of the game was lack of save points. I am all up for a challenge, but far too often was I trying 30 times to complete one area, and each time I died I had to trek through 10 minutes of easy terrain to get there for another shot, which was extremely frustrating, but rewarding upon completion. New features, such as the two-player mode and other in-game features work fantastically. The only features I wished were included were other characters such as Enguarde the Swordfish, Expresso the Ostrich and others. The only one available for play in the game is Rambi the Rhino. Overall, the game is great and a fantastic addition to the series. Additional save points (possibly more on an optional easier mode?) and other playable characters, as well as a heavier story would have boosted the game higher, but as it is, it still looks and plays great. 8.5/10
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Post by Hurricane on Jan 5, 2011 8:27:30 GMT -5
Linkin Park - A Thousand SunsLinkin Park's 2010 studio release, "A Thousand Suns", their fourth to date, was released with heavy skepticism from fans who were disappointed in their last release, "Minutes to Midnight" in 2007, and the bands movement from nu-metal to a more experimental sound. "A Thousand Suns" takes this direction one step further, with an album far more hip-hop and electro oriented than past releases. The album themes around the concept of nuclear war, and generally comments on the government's greed quite well. Opening with "The Requiem", a spacey, distant track that builds up the themes of despair and hopelessness. It heavily features repetitions of the chorus lines of The Catalyst; "God save us everyone, will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns?" leading into "The Radiance", which features quotes of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist" that continue the themes of humanity and helplessness. This leads into "Burning in the Skies", the first song, per say, of the album. It opens with a bright guitar line and marching drums and Mike Shinoda's vocals seem a little too upbeat. It is a good track, but destroys the purpose of building up tension with the opening tracks with its upbeat nature. Something more daunting and negative would have worked better here. The song builds up well towards the end, but seems a little hollow overall, which does work better than usual considering the themes of the album. Crickets can be heard in the opening of "Empty Spaces", a short instrumental that also features gunfire and warfare in the background. This heads into "When They Come For Me", a marching type song that would not seem out of place as a hunting song in Rambo. Mike Shinoda starts vocials, a hip-hop styled verse that continues, though corny lyrics such as "im not a monkey", "I won't dance even if the beat is funky" and "try to catch up, motherfucker!" which wreck the whole vibe the song gave out through its instrumentals. The indian-esque chanting of the chorus does work well, and is a very original idea. When Chester Bennington's vocal parts enter, the vibe returns with his solemn chanting of "when they come for me, I'll be home" before continuing the chorus chanting. Though hindered by some corny lyrics, the song works well to develop mood. "Robot Boy" enters with a more upbeat piano section with synthesized drums in the background. Chester's vocals also seem a bit more upbeat, which confuses me as a listener, as they build the album up as concerning hopelessness and the danger of a nuclear war, yet these more upbeat songs at intervals ruin the whole mood they spent time to create. The song too seems a little empty and uninspired, as if it should be an album closer, fading out. "Jornada Del Muerto" continues this, and while the inclusion of many instrumental-esque bridge pieces help the other tracks, it also makes the album confusing to listen to, as it seems they all blend together. "The Catalyst" picks up the pace, and shines through as one of the best tracks on the album, though a heavier breakdown would have helped its ideas and pace. "Waiting For the End" continues the pace well, but once again, the vocals are far too upbeat, and while the reggae-esque pacings are very catchy and original, it ruins the mood. "Blackout" has a nice build-up, once again utilizing the marching drum beat, with synthesizers playing in the foreground. Chester's vocals show through a hint of insanity, which is an amazing fit with the albums themes, and more of what the album as a whole needed. "Wretches and Kings" features a Mario Savio speech to open up, building into a heavy industrial riff and Mike Shinoda's hip hope verse. The song is extremely raw and in-your-face, which works well with the theme. "Wisdom, Justice and Love" too opens with a famous speaker in Martin Luther King jr., which helps set the scene well when paired with distant piano chords. This builds to "Iridescent" which is a much slower-paced song than the previous few, and more upbeat and positive. The song works extremely well as a contrast, not breaking the mood as much as previous upbeat songs. This is a song that is reminiscent of their last release, "Minutes to Midnight" and is more mainstream than other tracks on "A Thousand Suns". The crowd singalong towards the second half of the track is also a good touch, as it hints on the greater picture and affect of warfare. "Fallout" goes back to the darker side of the album seen in earlier songs, working as a slow-paced, electronic build up to "The Messenger" which comes in with an acoustic guitar playing the four chords you'll all know from "Knocking on Heaven's Door", which is extremely original and unexpected from a Linkin Park track. The song is very good, and Chester's emotional vocals help create an atmosphere suiting of the album. As a whole, the album was a huge letdown for me as a Linkin Park fan. One could argue there is not one single rock song on the album, which is odd for a rock back. The experimental factor shows the band's versatility and how much they have grown and developed together. It is undoubtedly the most intelligent album the band has produced, but it's so right-wing that they have totally abandoned their fanbase for a new one. The mood and tone of the album works well for the most part, but some songs are hit-and-miss in that aspect. There are standout tracks (The Catalyst, The Messenger), but as a whole there was too many instrumentals and speeches throughout the album that it seemed more like a jam session or a live interval to be played live while the band takes a break before an encore. Musically, I rate the album a 7/10, but it does not fit the Linkin Park we know and love at all, and in my opinion, basing it purely on my expectations from a Linkin Park album, I'd give it a 4/10, as its a rock album that does not rock.
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Post by Diablo. on Jan 5, 2011 9:30:35 GMT -5
You should review an episode of Chuck.
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Post by AC on Jan 5, 2011 10:06:11 GMT -5
Yeah that Linkin Park album was the biggest let down ever, I remember hearing they were doing a new album and was actually excited....then I heard a few songs off it and was like......wtf is this shit
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Post by Hurricane on Jan 5, 2011 18:12:48 GMT -5
Yeah. I loved New Divide, and the people who were complaining seemed to be the same who complained about Minutes to Midnight (which I loved apart from 1-2 songs)... but alas, the album is shyte.
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Post by Hurricane on Feb 5, 2011 23:56:36 GMT -5
Frozen "Frozen" is a 2010 thriller movie directed by Adam Green (Hatchet II) and starring Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore and Kevin Zegars as three college students who go on a skiing trip and bribe the operator into letting them have one last ski down the mountain, despite extreme weather warnings. When the ski operator miscommunicates with another staff member, the ski lodge is shut down while the three are still on the ski-lift. With nearly a week until the resort re-opens, and a 50 foot drop below then, they are forced to weigh up all options with life-or-death consequences before freezing to death in the blizzard. The movie is quite good, with lots of action. At first, the characters are quite average and two-dimensional, but as the movie progresses they become their own and the connections are quite good. Acting is overall pretty good, except for Emma Bell who is absolutely amazing in her role. The horrors in the movie are all very well done and realistic, and quite freaky. It has been said that this movie done to skiing what Jaws did to swimming. I disagree with this, because Frozen is not an absolute masterpiece like Jaws by any means, but it is however a thrilling ride and quite a good film. 7.5/10
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Post by TC on Feb 6, 2011 3:07:46 GMT -5
I watched Frozen on Netflix and I enjoyed it, it's starting to become pretty popular in my area. A lot of people around here have seen it.
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Post by Next Generation on Feb 7, 2011 7:48:32 GMT -5
That Donky Kong game is amazing, i remember having the old versions on the Super Nintendo and N64 as an 8 year old and they were brillaint back then.
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Post by Hurricane on Feb 7, 2011 7:56:49 GMT -5
Me too, I had the originals when I was a little kid and then had the Game Boy versions a little later.
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Post by AC on Feb 7, 2011 14:35:02 GMT -5
I watched Frozen because of your review. I liked it for the most part. The only thing I didn't like was when the guy jumped off the chair and broke his legs. Anyone with any kind of common sense knows you don't jump 50 foot down, and if you do...YOU DON'T GO FEET FIRST! I was like....he gets what he deserves lmao.
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Post by Hurricane on Feb 7, 2011 23:29:03 GMT -5
Yes, same, but he wasnt thinking straight due to the being frozen alive, and the bones breaking looked awesome!
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Post by AC on Feb 7, 2011 23:32:02 GMT -5
Yeah and then the wolves showing up. I was like....fuuuuuuuck
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Post by Hurricane on Feb 7, 2011 23:33:02 GMT -5
When the girl got down and escaped, was the body she saw her boyfriend that the wolves dragged away, or the other friend?
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Post by AC on Feb 7, 2011 23:35:12 GMT -5
That part confused me too. I'm assuming it was the friend. Also did you find it ironic that Shawn Ashmore was in this and his character in the X-Men movies was Iceman? Just a funny, kind of ironic thing me and my cousin noticed.
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