Random Film of the Week: Dark Passage

Posted on September 9, 2012 by geelw

1947 seems to have been a year for some interesting (albeit not entirely successful) experiments by Hollywood movie makers using a subjective camera (or first-person viewpoint) to tell a story. Movie audiences got a pair of dramas in the form of actor-turned-director Robert Montgomery’s Lady in the Lake, (shot a year earlier, but released in ’47) based on the popular Raymond Chandler novel and Dark Passage, Delmer Daves’ adaptation of a terminally so-so David Goodis novel. I was going to do this column on the former film at first, but a coin toss brings you Bogie and Bacall in the more interesting, but tremendously flawed film. Don’t get me wrong here – both movies have their issues, but both are worth viewing for a few reasons including their unique use of POV storytelling. That and you have to go with a film that doesn’t show the face of its lead for about an hour, but works in some lovely shots of a San Francisco that’s long gone thanks to “progress” in transportation and probably even earthquake proofing…

Continue reading →

Videogame Appreciation 101: The Sega Letters (Found!)

Posted on September 9, 2012 by geelw

Back around 1990 or 1991, I recall my younger brother and I getting hopelessly stuck in Phantasy Star and in dire need of assistance. Nope, we weren’t mapping the dungeons at all, so some areas of the game were total nightmares. Still, we slogged through the game , managing to make it all the way to the infamous Baya Malay dungeons where we finally threw in the towel. Almost. Out of sheer frustration, I said, “Eh, go write Sega!” and a few days later, we’d worked out a letter asking for help and sent it off hoping for a response. About two weeks later, an envelope arrived with that familiar logo and we were both thrilled to open it up and find a photocopied walk-through of the game that helped out quite a lot.

Amusingly enough, in the interim, we’d managed to level everyone up so they were all pretty much invincible. When it came time for Myau to “flap(s) his wings ploudly” (heh) and take off for that Sky Castle, that big ol’ mandatory bird boss battle was over in something like three hits. On the first turn, yet. The final boss was a breeze as well, but were were even more impressed by the end credits of the game, which showed off the pseudo 3D scaling in a really cool way. To date, the game is still a truly great example of a few things including full screen “corridor” style movement that even developers making games for more powerful 16-bit systems from Sega and Nintendo failed to get running as smoothly or as fast (or even full screen, for that matter).

Anyway, during the wait time between when we mailed the letter and when it arrived, a few other games ended up stumping us for a bit. However, once that PS walk-through arrived, another note went out asking about Lord of the Sword, Spellcaster and Golvellius: Valley of Doom. I think we got two of those in one envelope and a third in a separate mailing, but by then, we were on a roll with the letter writing. I even wrote Nintendo about a NES I’d found that needed service and got a really speedy reply with a few local spots that happened to be authorized Nintendo service centers. I ended up not having to spend a dime on repairs, as a friend managed to get that system up and running with about five or so minutes of tinkering. More money for games is always a good thing, I say…
Continue reading →

Random Art: One From the Vaults: Sonic + Mega Man

Posted on September 8, 2012 by geelw

Quick backstory: I did this back in 1993, so perhaps I was a tiny bit psychic. About a year later, gamers were getting all excited reading about Sega making some sort of big publishing deal with Capcom which some thought would also bring Mega Man to the US on a Genesis cart. Of course, that didn’t exactly happen and Rockman Mega World/Mega Man: The Wily Wars is to date, a highly desired collectable. It was released in Japan and PAL territories in English, but Sega decided to ONLY give this game a shot as part of their innovative Sega Channel service. Blast you Sega for being so damned forward thinking!

Continue reading →

New Cloud Atlas Trailer: Still Weird (But Less Strange)…

Posted on September 7, 2012 by geelw

OK, I’m more than ancient enough to grasp the whole timeless lifespan physio-psychobabble thing going on here, so I wasn’t too knocked for a loop by the first trailer like many were in their confusion. I m glad however, that some sort of plot is becoming clearer here and yes, I still predict this will be a film that does even better on home video because it will demand repeated viewings to fully understand.

Unlike something like Speed Racer, which too one viewing to grasp that it was a pure nuts idea for a live-action film. OK, OK, I saw it three times on cable just to pick out the in-jokes and because some stuff actually made me laugh. Just keep that between you and me and we’re all good, OK? Damn internet is too yakky….

It’s The End of the World As We Know It, C-Virus Edition!

Posted on September 7, 2012 by geelw

Ah, you have to love the well-written yet absolutely fake press release. When done right, it’s a true art form, that’s for sure. Toss in a link to web site that’s intentionally low-tech but packing a lot of realistically scary content and it’s pure genius. OK, guess what game this is for (it’s not hard to tell at all, by the way…)

National Center for Infectious disease Research

Projects the End of the World as October 2, 2012

Dr. Harvey Joseph-Carlson Cites C-Virus as Leading Cause

NEW YORK – Sept. 6, 2012 – The National Center for Infectious Disease Research (NCIDR) has published key findings predicting the end of human life to occur on October 2, 2012. Lead researcher Dr. Harvey Joseph-Carlson cites recent wide-spread C-virus outbreak across North America, Europe and Asia as the cause for the projected end to humanity. The report highlights a rapid increase in the infected population as well as a decline in food rations, medical resources and lack of hope as key factors into his final projected end date.

“The end of humanity is a sad and inevitable reality that’s closing in fast on October 2, 2012,” notes Dr. Joseph-Carlson. “We have witnessed gruesome acts due to the widespread contagion and without a cure to the C-Virus we have run out of time and hope to save mankind.”

Dr. Joseph-Carlson’s research documents how the rise of C-Virus infection spreads rapidly through densely populated cities and filters into rural locations. The infection maps within the report outline how contaminated populations become “uninhabitable zones” for non-infected bystanders.

The origins of the C-Virus are still unclear. The C-Virus is a highly contagious mutagenic, non-carcinogenic virus and has no known cure. The incubation period of the virus is also unknown but victims are prone to see symptoms within 24 hours.

For more information and first-hand accounts please visit http://nohopeleft.com.

About NCIDR

The National Center for Infectious Disease Research (NCIDR) was founded in 1998 to address the challenges to international health posed by infectious diseases. The scope of the center has evolved to include the study of infectious diseases that are emerging from populations around the world and are attributable to today’s internationally mobile society.

F1 2012 Gets Even Better As It Races To Completion

Posted on September 4, 2012 by geelw

Codemasters has been tinkering with its F1 game more and more since they’ve had the license and the latest installment is looking like it could be pretty stellar stuff for fans of the genre. Granted, there are those who will want 100% accuracy and every sort of simulation element possible on whatever platform the game appears on, but I’d bet half of those people couldn’t squeeze into a F1 car (let alone a seat on the subway) and just want one of those games that no one can play but a select few (which means it won’t sell to casual race fans at all, a sort of no-no these days.

Someone will strike some sort of common ground within the next few years, I’d bet. But until then, it’s going to be a game for the masses who watch the sport as well as those who want to play as if they’re IN that sport. Go, Codies!

Iggy Pop Throbblehead Stirs Up Some Old Summer Thoughts…

Posted on September 3, 2012 by geelw

Ages ago (something like 25 years, I think), I actually saw Iggy Pop when I was coming out of the subway at West 4th Street in Greenwich Village. It was kind of funny, as I’d been listening to Raw Power (on cassette, of course) all that week, so it was a bit weird to rise from that smelly, sweltering hole in the ground and have the man himself stroll by. I didn’t blow my cool, bite my lip or anything like that, jaded New Yorker that I was at the time.

Anyway, I thought of that when I saw the email from Aggronautix announcing their limited edition Iggy Pop Throbblehead. Let’s see now: 7 inches tall, only 1000 of these will be produced, they’re a measly $24.95 and you can secure one here if you like, along with some other plastic punk warriors (Except the G.G. Allin ‘heads, which are all sold out. I wonder how G.G. would feel about his likeness? He’d probably stick it somewhere special, if you know what I mean). No, I don’t think there’s any peanut butter and broken glass inside the box, but you can add that when your Throbblehead arrives.

Breaking Bad 508 (“Gliding Over All”): White Lies Add Up To No Good In Many Ways…

Posted on September 3, 2012 by geelw

Well, well well. I lost that bet with myself after all about one big thing that occurred last week, so chalk up another one for Vince Gilligan pulling the rug out from under me. That said, given this season opened with Walter White in the near future having his yearly birthday breakfast (in a roadside diner this time) with no one we know around, the last few episodes are going to be quite interesting indeed. Still, I did predict that Walt and Skyler would be even more on the rocks this season, so that sort of evens things out. On the other hand (spoiler, unless you’ve been watching the show), I thought Mike would be around until the very end just to put an interesting cap to things (pun absolutely intended, more on that next year when the show is finally over).

As for this episode and in fact, this first arc that’s going to lead into the final eight shows? Well, as a drug kingpin… Walt is either really smart or really stupid… and I’m going for more of the latter based on some of his decisions this half-season…

Continue reading →

Plants vs. Zombies Pinball (Yes!) On The Way for Zen Pinball 2

Posted on September 1, 2012 by geelw

While I truly miss the days of beating feet to the arcades every weekend with a roll of quarters to check out the latest pinball (and arcade) games, a few very dedicated developers who were also fans of the old school such as the mighty Zen Studios have been keeping the flame alive digitally. Thanks to some incredible simulations that take up a hell of a lot less space than an actual Pinball machine, yet manage to pack in all the thrills, you whippersnappers can play to your hearts content in the comfort of your living room and get the same thrills. Well, save for the flat out cool factor an actual hefty hunk of American made metal, glass and well-wired circuit boards brings to your living room. Hell, I bet that damn 60″ HD setup you have is where that pinball table WOULD be. Wait, what? You have a 90″ TV? Eeek. Well, good for you.

Anyway, Zen Pinball 2 (or Pinball FX2 for you Xbox 360 owners) has been getting some AMAZING updates. Here’s the latest one coming your way next week: Plants vs. Zombies Pinball, based on the popular and hilarious PopCap games. Three bucks for your PS3 or Vita (yes!), 240 MS Points for your 360. That’s a recommendation right there if I’ve ever written one. Poke around PSN or mosey around Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade in a few days, whip out that wallet and add PvZP to your collection.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes: Just When I Think I’m Out, They Drag Me Back In…

Posted on September 1, 2012 by geelw

OK, I’ll bite (and hard, at that) – a new Metal Gear Solid game coming from Kojima Productions? With that proprietary Fox Engine making sure the game looks even more amazing as an anniversary present for fans of the long-running series, this one’s a no-brainer even if it was a Metal Gear tsuguroku. Fortunately, it’s not, as you’ll see in this almost 11 minute jaw-dropper. I’m in all the way on this one, feet first. Hell, I’ll even post the trailer twice here (one is English subtitled) just to show my love for the series. Hey, I’m still buying Revengeance, Konami – I’m not some fair weather fan who only wants the same thing over and over. Thankfully, Hideo Kojima seems to be the same in that each Metal Gear experience has some truly excellent reasons to play through multiple times…

As for the proposed Metal Gear Solid movie everyone seems to be raving about (n one way or another)? I’m really, really on the fence here. Why? Well, young’uns… the joke goes something like this: in every Metal Gear Solid game, there’s that loooooooooooooong cut scene where unless you’re prepared for it, will go on and on (and on), forcing you to commit to playing around with camera angles with your controller just to kill time as an important plot point is explained. At some point (if you haven’t fallen asleep), you can et up and go make dinner, go to the bathroom or even go outside to check the mailbox (sometimes all of the above) before things get back to being playable.

You can’t expect a modern movie audience to be in on this at all (maybe the art house crowd will go for it, though), so hopefully, the folks writing it will go light on the exposition. On the other hand, I don’t want a stupid action flick with explosions and Meryl boobing out all over and a story that’s thinner than the edge of a katana. If this isn’t in The Dark Knight territory in terms of tone and execution, I’ll be a sad clown indeed. But let’s see what happens with this project. With a Solid Script (ha ha), perhaps Solid Snake can rake in the green with a big surprising smash of a summer flick.