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Fallout: New Vegas Old World Blues DLC Review

July 25, 2011

Old World Blues DLC
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Versions: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PC, PlayStation 3
Release Date: June 19, 2011
Price: 800 MSP or $10 – Buy Now!

Overview:
Fallout: New Vegas is a game that lately has been supported quite well with DLC packs. First we were captured and forced to navigate the Sierra Madre at the risk of our head exploding back in December and most recently we navigated the canyons of Zion National Park. Now Obisidian and Bethesda are back again and this time they have an entirely new experience for players. With rumors circulating about the Big Empty, what does Old World Blues bring to the table by allowing the Courier to travel there?

Story:
Things may have been a bit more serious in the past two ventures into extra territory that the Courier has made recently, but Old World Blues beats to the sound of a different drum. A drum that is not only full of comedy and strange new additions to the Fallout universe, specifically to the character himself.
The Courier will receive a transmission and therefore a mission similar to past adventures in the Mojave Wasteland but as soon as you arrive at your destination things immediately take a different turn. Being summoned to a destroyed drive-in you discover a crashed satellite that requires the player to attend the show at midnight, only to find a giant eyeball staring down from the screen at you.

After activating the satellite, things immediately take a strange twist as players are teleported to the Big Mountain research facility, also known as Big MT, or known to wastelanders as part of the Big Empty. The player initially feels different than usual, heavier. Then as you find out where the hell you are you soon are greeted by the strangest thing most players will have encountered in the entire Mojave wasteland, a group of floating robots with brains in tanks and extendable monitors that make up their eyes and mouth.
These creatures inform you they are actually intelligent scientists who reside in the Think Tank of Big MT and they have some news for you. The courier is feeling a bit heavy for more reasons than having packed on a few pounds. Dr. Klein informs the courier that they have decided to remove your brain… your spine and also your heart. The good thing about this is that they have given you new robotic parts to replace these missing vital organs.

During your exchange with the extremely eccentric and off the wall dialogue where you are first treated like a unintelligent lifeform and then are screamed at because you are waving your multiple “hand penises” all over the place. The chat is very well paced and there is usually comedy behind nearly every bit of dialogue choice the character is provided. Plus, given your skills are high enough you can unlock a plethora of extra information as you speak with the other scientists in jars inside of robots inside of the Think Tank.

These scientists have a job for you, a job full of fetch quests inside the crater housing the facility. Another one of the scientists has gone even further off the deep end than the rest and is now threatening to kill everyone on his former team. His name is Dr. Mobius and not only has he unleashed an army of robotic scorpions after you, but he also possesses your brain. Bad thing is that without your brain, you are unable to leave this strange yet torturous place.

As you are given your missions, this is the first area where, plotwise, Old World Blues is much different than past add on content. In Dead Money the player was more or less forced along a linear path to finish the objectives set for them or they would die, while Honest Hearts possessed annoying followers who would try and nudge you towards the quest missions. Old World Blues does none of that by providing a fully open experience that not only allows players to perform their fetch quests in any order they want to, but also explore the rest of the crater and discover all 35 new locations hidden inside.

Exploration is discouraged by the scientists of the Think Tank but it is certainly encouraged for the player. The non-storyline areas of Old World Blues provide perhaps the best new content to date, as you will find new explanations for various creatures of the Mojave such as the NightStalkers and other surprises that are a must see. Put this together with the fact that the whole loss of your body parts is a reference to The Wizard of Oz and you have one of the most open experiences with the best and funniest story of all the downloadable content packages so far.

Graphics:
As always there are new items included in this downloadable package as well as a few new enemy types. The new enemy types are rather well designed, especially with the multiple sizes of robotic scorpions attacking you all of the time. Another favorite new enemy is a skeleton that is still being piloted by its trauma prevention suit, still moving the body beyond death.

The Big Empty is a nice place to explore as there are many different places to be seen, with a decent amount of variety inside of places. The first thing players will see is a scenic view of the Big Empty at the top of the Think Tank and this provides a nice overlook of the entire area which certainly looks cool, especially with the gigantic glowing forcefield all around you.

Audio:
With the introduction of a number of new characters, and being heavily focused on dialogue near the beginning the audio quality of this piece of DLC is crucial. Thankfully Old World Blues contains some of the best voice acting you will see in the entire game. The various appliances inside of The Sink will constantly chirp in as you walk around the area, and their voices are impressive, especially for optional characters.

The Think Tank brains all have their own unique voices and Dr. Mobius’ voice will have players scratching their heads trying to place who he sounds like. The voicework is stellar throughout and adds another level to the tongue in cheek humor that abounds in Old World Blues.

Gameplay:
As you first make your journey into Old World Blues you will notice something different from past DLC. You will be able to take whatever you want to with you. You will still have to leave your companions behind but you will be able to take any and all equipment you deem necessary along for the ride, which is a helpful feature that makes things a bit easier on the player.

Not much has changed in Old World Blues as far as gameplay goes however. Nearly all of the quests you receive are going to a certain place and obtaining an item, or making moral choices that will impact the ending segment of the game. There are a few interesting test areas that the player can choose to run through repeatedly, though the benefits quickly run out of doing this.

There are a handful of new weapons that can be added to the Courier’s growing armory of strange and unique equipment. The most unique of these weapons is a K9000 Cyberdog weapon that literally barks and snarls at your enemies as it “poops” out bullets. There is also a Sonic Emitter that is a vital part of the story as well as a weapon that disintegrates force fields and is powerful against machines. There is also a Protonic Inversal Axe which may be one of the most powerful melee weapons to use against electronic enemies.

As usual the player is also given a level cap raise by five which adds a handful of new perks. The perks this time are quite useful, and one of them will have Hardcore mode players dying to purchase the content just so they can receive easy to obtain powerful healing items. There are three perks added right at the start simply because your body has been augmented with cyborg-like equipment.

Another neat feature to the gameplay is the fact that the player can venture out and obtain personality holodisks from the Big Empty and install it into the various machines in “The Sink” which has been made the players home. These personality disks turn on the various machines and each of them has their own special personality. The Auto-Doc can heal your wounds, a book chute will destroy any communism literature (any book at all), a demonic sounding toaster will rip out the innards of other toasters and much more. These appliances are another highlight in an already shining example of DLC done right.

Overall:
Old World Blues may be the third piece of downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas but it is by far the strongest of the bunch. There isn’t a whole lot changed from your standard gameplay formula but the amount of content added is certainly worth the price of admission. Simply running through the story alone will take the average player around six hours, but with many areas to explore it would be a waste to simply blow through the quirky and enjoyable world that has been hidden away in Big MT.

I give Fallout: New Vegas’ Old World Blues DLC

Anonymous up to their old tricks

Darren Resnekov

July 24, 2011

Hacking group Anonymous are back in business, perhaps messing around with the wrong people as they threaten to release secret NATO documents instead of the promised News of World emails. “We think actually we may not release articles from the Sun”, read a recent Anonymous tweet. Their reasons included compromising a current court case. LulzSec on the other hand are in talks with certain media outlets giving them exclusive access to many News of the World emails they possess.

Earlier this week there were multiple arrests across the US, UK and the Netherlands involving many group members in direct raids led by the FBI. Both groups were adamant that no amount of arrests would see them back down and stop their online criminal activities. LulzSec tweet reads “Arresting people won’t stop us FBI. We will only cease fire when you all wear shoes on your head, that’s the only way this is ending”.

These guys seem pretty full on as we know from their previous exploits on multiple companies both in and out of the gaming sector. Whatever their motives they are clearly incredibly talented with little to no fear of authority. Perhaps it’s because they are where they believe they are out of sight or simply because they firmly believe in what they stand for. While I agree with many of their arguments there are better and more effective ways to deal with the issues. When it’s all said and done and many pawns are sitting in jail cells, none of them will be of any significance.

Anonymous went further to announce hacking into the defence pact NATO from whom they say they have stolen 1GB of data but will not publish it because they are responsible. Surely not stealing it in the first place is the responsible thing to have done. To prove they have got the documents, Anonymous have posted a NATO document related to communications spending. NATO have condemned the attacks warning of the potential danger from misuse of the information.

Is A Majora’s Mask 3DS Remake Possible?

Kyle Moore

July 24, 2011

Sitting back, day after day, getting through the Master Quest in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I have to face the fact that eventually the game will end. With about half of my gold skulltulas collected, there isn’t that big a desire to find an online walkthrough and collect the other 50 once I have defeated Ganondorf, for possibly the 15th time in my life. As Link might do, I think back to my younger self and ask, what would young Kyle do in this situation? Back in 2000, the answer would have been obvious, you have finished Ocarina of time now it’s time to start playing the next instalment, Majora’s Mask. While it was obviously going to be hard to live up to the legend that was Ocarina of time, Majora’s Mask served its purpose, and I can’t help but experience flash backs of its gameplay, especially the ability to run faster while wearing a bunny-hood, and want to relive these elements.

In a recent interview, Eiji Aonuma states the one of the reason behind the remake of Ocarina of Time was due to the high demand for it. They said they could remake it in 3D, and boy did they, just check out our review of the new 3DS remake for proof that they have done the original title justice. That being said, could a remake of Majora’s Mask see its way on to the 3DS? If the demand for the title was high enough, then potential is high.

As Aonuma says, “Thinking on it now, having a handheld Majora’s Mask where you could kind of just set things down on your own time – close it, set it aside and come back to it later – might be a gameplay element some fans will actually take to and might really appreciate. Especially considering how you really had to rush through the original game, in a sense.”

Personally, I would be completely happy with a remake of Major’s Mask, and agree that the ability to take your time getting through the game would add a pretty interesting element to the game, not to mention the obvious overhaul in gameplay and graphics that we have recently seen in the latest Ocarina of Time. Until it is certain, I guess I will have to relive the events of Majora’s Mask on my old N64 or through a downloaded version of my Wii. Is it just me or would others appreciate a remake of Majora’s Mask?

Honey (Bal) Review

Kelly Teng

July 24, 2011

Genre: Drama
Director: Semih Kaplanoglu
Featuring: Bora Atlas, Erdal Besikcioglu, Tulin Ozen
Running Time: 103 minutes
Available for purchase at: Madman Online Store ($29.95)

Overview

While it can be hard sometimes to remember there is a cinema outside of Hollywood, I do take great pleasure in watching films from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. There’s a certain appeal to examine a film whose narrative, cinematography, and inherent values are so different from the ones we were raised on, and it provides a way of looking at the world that we may have never seen except through the eyes of the camera.

With that all being said, sometimes there is a tendency for us to privilege foreign films as something exotic and to be revered. Maybe it’s that my expectations were too high – the film did win the Golden Bear in 2010 -, but the film Bal (or Honey, as it is translated into English) fell a little short of what I had anticipated.

Plot

The narrative centres on a young boy, Yusuf, and his family. Yusuf is a shy boy with a stutter, and can only speak in whispers to his father, who works as a beekeeper. He attends school during the day, but spends most of his time with his father in the woods, watching him collect honey. However, the honey crop for the season is failing, and Yusuf is having problems learning how to read at school. When Yusuf’s father doesn’t return home from a trip to collect more honey, his world begins to turn upside down.

Pondering the meaning of life, obviously.

The film is actually the last in a trilogy (the other films are Egg and Milk), which examines the life of Yusuf in reverse-chronological order. Essentially, Honey reveals Yusuf at his youngest point, and is a coming-of-age film told in a different way to the ones we are accustomed to. It examines life as an outsider, and suggests that, perhaps, there is never a true end to growing up; instead, each event is a little push in the right direction.
While the plot seems really sweet (I was so excited to watch this film when I first heard about it), the way it is told leaves a lot to be desired. Since cinematography is such a strong element of Honey, much of our time spent as viewers is on looking at what’s on the screen…and then looking some more. The actual story inches along minute by minute in what is undeniably a drawn-out process – so much so that I resorted to checking my emails while watching. It doesn’t help that Yusuf is silent most of the time too, and even when he speaks, it’s barely above a whisper.

Characters

And on the subject of Yusuf, let’s just say he’s cute but eternally frustrating. He’s so shy you pity him, but at the same time the narrative doesn’t go into enough detail for any real empathy to be established between Yusuf and the viewer. Instead, he floats between being adorable, pitied, and irritating – when a child doesn’t even talk to his own mother and there is with no background story, it may arouse curiosity to begin with but eventually it just becomes tiresome. With that all being said, Bora Altas does a wonderful job of portraying this sad and forlorn child in what was undoubtedly a very difficult role to play.

Yusuf bites his lip so much, you have to wonder if his lip constantly bleeds.

The other characters in the film are secondary to Yusuf, and when I say secondary, I mean they come second to everything else. There really isn’t much to go on when it comes to Yusuf’s mother, Zehra, and father, Yakup. For a narrative where the central character’s ‘coming-of-age’ involves his father, there are only glimpses and short segments where he appears – and even then, he speaks very little. Yusuf’s mother is definitely the more relatable character of the two, and her (very short) story paints a picture of a mother who cannot emotionally connect with her son.

Audio/Visual

Where plot and character development fall short, though, Semih Kaplanoglu makes up for it in cinematography. The film is an absolute delight to watch: the shots are saturated with bright colour, the contrast between the smallness of Yusuf and the largeness of the world around him is mesmerising, and the beauty of nature really pops out. As I mentioned, the film moves slowly in terms of plot; however, the wonderful cinematography provides some eye candy while the narrative slugs along. It also helps, then, that Yusuf is adorable to look at and his mother’s costumes are so simple yet charming; the film really reminds us of the visual delights in life.

The beautiful visual contrast makes this film a delight to look at.

Soundtrack and sound effects-wise, the film is also very well made. The test of a good soundtrack is whether it takes from the story, or enhances it – if you have to consciously detach the music from the visual, the soundtrack has done its job well. Honey’s soundtrack was one that continually adds to the atmosphere of the film, and often communicates what Yusuf cannot say. The sound of nature that was ever present in the film only adds to the atmosphere of Yusuf’s way of life, and all in all I’d have to say the audio element was wonderfully executed.

DVD Extras

The DVD only comes with the theatrical trailer of the film, as well as the standard Madman trailers. While I always feel like having extra features is a nice addition to a DVD, I’d have to say in Honey’s case I’m glad they didn’t include one. The film was long enough as it is, and the only extra feature that I would have appreciated is the trailers for Egg and Milk, just for a bit of extra background information.

Final Comments

Honey is a film that is visually beautiful, but sometimes having something nice to look at just isn’t enough. While I enjoyed some aspects of the film, overall the story was too slow and the characters too underdeveloped for it to be of any real interest to me. If you are going to pick up Honey, here’s a recommendation: check out Egg and Milk first, and watch the trilogy in the order Kaplanoglu wanted you to.

I give Honey

Shin Chan Season 3 Part One Review

Travis Bruno

July 24, 2011

ShinChan: Season Three Part One
Studio: Shin-Ei Animation
Localization: FUNimation
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Price: $39.98 DVD

Overview:
Crayon Shin Chan is a series that began back in 1990 and was turned into an anime back in 1992. The original material was written by Yoshita Usui and today is still popular in Japan. Now Shin Chan here in America is an entirely different beast. A beast that has been twisted into something hilarious thanks to FUNimation’s reimagining of the series and redubbing the series into an adult comedy heavy with pop culture references and dirty jokes. After two years of stagnation, Shin Chan is back and he is more vulgar than ever. Action Bastard ho!

Story:
For those who don’t know, the series follows the daily life of a young kindergarten boy named Shin Nohara who lives with his mother Mitzi, father Hiro and baby sister Hima. He attends school with a few other kindergarten children named Georgie, Penny, Maso and Boo. While this all sounds pretty basic, that is because so far that is how I’ve described it.

These children attend a school known as the Super Happy Fun Time American School and the teachers there are more than a little strange; first there is Miss Anderson who has a long term relationship with a jailed convict named Doyle who is never shown and Miss Katz who is a man hungry woman desperately wanting to get laid. Newly introduced in this season is a man known as “The Flamer” who is a man that believes all humans are sub-beings and can also light himself on fire. He soon becomes a worker at Shin’s school as recess teacher, though his interactions with Shin (who he believes is his superior) is his true highlight as a character.

None of these hold a candle to Miss Polly who is a kinky woman that is hinted to have not only had sex with but tortured everyone on the staff. Plus whenever her glasses are removed she turns into a dominatrix woman whose words are vicious and her actions all the more cruel. Presiding over them is a Principal known as Ench whose adventures as a certain super hero caused the two year closure of the school. The two year closure is a direct reference to the fact that this part of Shin Chan took two years, and the kids themselves even joke that a two year summer vacation is a bit much.

FUNimation’s dub of Shin Chan never has followed a very close storyline, and this is usually because the dubbed series takes various episodes from different places of the actual series. This means that you won’t often be seeing a lot of build up for a long hilarious joke. Instead we are given mostly situational humor that means nearly all the comedy is played off of the visuals in the area and there is nothing that lasts extremely long.

There are long lasting character personalities that have been used consistently, such as Georgie’s extreme conservative views and Penny’s masochistic personality. Despite these personalities however most jokes are often one trick ponies which, although brief, will usually have the fans laughing.

That being said a lot of the comedy is usually either very dark or potty humor which means if you are looking for highbrow comedy then this isn’t the show for you. If you are looking for a simple laugh however (one that lasts throughout nearly the whole DVD) then Shin Chan is a series for you.

That being said, there is also a very large amount of pop-culture references in Shin Chan. For example, Georgie often makes references to the fact that Obama is now President and the fact that he feels threatened by that. Also nearly a whole episode is twisted to make itself into a True Blood parody which is hilarious in its own right, but also can be applied to nearly any of the popular “Vampire” series in the last few years.

Artwork:
Something that Shin Chan suffers from, is the severely detrimental artwork that the series contains. It can be partially forgiven due to the fact that the source material and the anime episodes that FUNimation are using were from the mid 90’s but this also means that the artwork is dreadful. The color palette is very bland with plain coloration which makes the comedy all the more needed for a series with little visual intrigue.

That being said, FUNimation has also placed new wording in various signs and labels around the world that Shin Chan takes place in. This means that while comedy is also coming from trash talking children the world itself is a place of humor. Viewers should be encouraged to look at any posters, signs or similar advertisements that are near the characters as they usually contain side jokes that either heightens the hilarity of what is happening on screen or make jokes of their own. For example, during a trip to the dentist a poster says “Floss is for more than just your butt.”

Audio:
If there is another thing that Shin Chan does perfectly is the fact that it has perfect voice actors. The same memorable character voices return to reprise their roles despite the two year absence of releases. The jokes play nearly entirely off of the dialogue from the characters and the dub works great in this regard by providing nearly constant laughs which will be enjoyed by nearly everyone.

The same ending song is used as previous seasons and is still sung in English, which means you won’t be hearing any different ending music this time around. The background music during the episodes is nonexistant and what music is heard in the background is usually just generic episode entry music.

Extras:
Unfortunately Shin Chan Season 3 Part 1 doesn’t come with any extras worth mentioning. The DVD comes with trailers for the past seasons of Shin Chan which are worth a few laughs though are probably things that any lover of Shin Chan has seen already if they own these DVDs. Also there are trailers for other FUNimation products which were either recently released or are releasing soon.

Overall:
Shin Chan finally makes his return chock full of ass jokes, perverse humor and hilarious views of current pop culture. Shin Chan Season 3 Part 1 still has the same problems that past Seasons would have had, with very terrible visuals and the fact that the comedy might not be for everyone. Those who are ready to laugh at ass gags, jokes about Shin’s mother and countless other low brow humor will drop their money on this faster than Shin drops his pants for his ass dance. On the other hand if these types of jokes offend you then you may want to stay away from this series still, as the humor is still mostly one note and doesn’t develop beyond the limitations set by the animation itself.

I give Shin Chan Season 3 Part 1

Activision unveil GoldenEye 007: Reloaded for PS3, XBox 360 consoles

Darren Resnekov

July 24, 2011

While I owned pretty much every console there has been and my mum was far from a video game Nazi I never had a N64 and had to watch on in awe as my mates all played Golden Eye 64. Anyway fast forward 15 odd years and they have all given away their gaming habits in exchange for whatever they do leaving me to finally enjoy GoldenEye in HD on my Xbox360 or PS3. How is this so you say, well albeit it a little late news, Activision have announced that Bond will be back, complete with a new games engine to grace our presence for the first time ever on the latest generation of consoles. Named Goldeneye 007: Reloaded, the title will feature “blistering fast gameplay”, combined with the ability to utilise the Playstation Moves sharp shooter peripheral for complete immersion.

“There is plenty of excitement from gamers and publishers alike about this title which was touted as being the best multiplayer game on the market back in the days of the N64 and its competitors. “We are beyond ecstatic to debut Goldeneye 007: Reloaded to the millions of fans who have been clamouring for it to arrive on Sony and Microsoft Home consoles says David Oxford. The executive VP of Activision publishing goes on to add how the moves capabilities greatly enhance the ps3 version.

Specifically on the PS3 version, “Promising to be one of the most immersive and interactive Bond games to date, this is an outstanding opportunity for Playstation fans to experience once of the most iconic and action packed shooters in an all new way with PSMove and sharp shooter attachment. It seems to be a big selling point for the PS3 title so let’s hope the Move performs as well within this game as it’s purported to.

Within the launch statement Activision revealed a few facts and specs of the game to whet our appetites and keep us interested

GoldenEye 007 Reloaded will feature realistic environments and whiz along at 60fps, pretty much in the same vein as most other elite FPS and action titles. As well as the Story campaign the game features the Mi6 Ops missions which are brand new levels never seen before. Set in the same environments players have to finish varied defense, assault, elimination and stealth missions.

Responsible for redefining multi player games on the N64, GoldenEye 007 Reloaded continues the trend, keeping the famous 4 player split screen and adding up to 16 player online matches with more maps, weapons characters and game modes than seen in any previous titles within the franchise. GoldenEye arrives in stores this Spring and is being developed by Eurocom under license from EON and MGM. Keep a look out for more information.

Saints Row 3rd New Trailer shows Syndicate boss

Darren Resnekov

July 24, 2011

Welcome back to the weird and wonderful world of Saints Row the Third where anything goes from taking your jet plane for a spin through to bashing the local wildlife with a purple dildo. We join the heroes in this trailer as they are taking hostage by Syndicate leader Philippe Lauren. They are made an offer they can only refuse sparking the war in steelport. Saints Row Third is looking better with every new bit of information that is revealed in way over the top open world shooter. Lets hope all those signature moves where pavement meets face are executed with such fluid movement within gameplay as they are in the video footage shown as if so I’d say we are all going to be for a real treat with Saints Row Third from THQ and Volition Studios.

Rage Preorder Comic offer at JB Hifi stores

Darren Resnekov

July 24, 2011

For any of you who for some reason have been living under a rock for the last 2 years, Rage is an upcoming title from Bethesda studios that the gaming world is awaiting with bated breath. And just to keep your palate wet and ready, if you pre-order the Rage Anarchy edition from JB Hifi you will get the super duper rare 3 comic book set not available anywhere else in AU or NZ. With issue 1 and 2 already out and issue 3 about to hit the shelves in August this is a rare treat for those lucky enough to be able to get into their local JB Hifi and preorder.

Written by Arvid Nelson the acclaimed creator of Rex Mundi, the comic book will be pencilled by Andrea Mutti (DMZ). With direct input from Rage’s creative designer Tim Willits, the comic series is be a fantastic insight into one womans discovery that humans can be no different to other animals. Set prior to the games events the comics provide a unique and rare insight into the world of Rage and provide many insights into the games intricate storyline.

Playstation Move Ape Escape Review

J. Bradshaw

July 24, 2011

Game: Playstation Move Ape Escape
Console: PS3
Genre:Family/ Action
Price: $19.99
Publisher/Developer: Sony

Story

The premise of the game is that UFOs containing monkeys are attacking Earth for some unknown reason. You are beseeched by some girls to take down these monkeys because the girls are, quote: “Not athletic, at all.” Apparently, though, you (sitting in your lazy chair and just pretending to stand for the benefit of the Playstation Move) are skilled and athletic enough to catch the monkeys.

The girls also had a very strange grandma who had a very close relationship with a monkey named Specter. She tried to find this monkey after he had been lost by building a time machine that could locate alien monkeys. Now it is up to the girls to continue the mission. Therefore, you are transported to various locations throughout time to capture monkeys, fight metal machines and collect bananas.

Admittedly, this could be really fun. Consider this: “Alien monkeys are attacking earth and you must fight them off to save some hot chicks and find the ultimate monkey.” That actually sounds pretty cool, but in this case, it can make one literally feel brain dead. Although the story content of the cutscenes is awful, the graphics in the scenes are the best part of the game. These anime like movies are really well done, and they look like a high quality anime. The dialogue could use a lot of work, but the visuals and details are top notch.

Gameplay

To accomplish your mission, you are given a Playstation Move controller that can transform into a hand fan, a net or a slingshot. Collectible batteries can, when acitvated, transform the net into a vacuum or the slingshot into a morphing machine that turns a UFO into a banana. Mastery of these weapons comes after you go through about 10 mindless tutorials.

Now that you know how each weapon’s control system functions, it is time to engage the enemy. You get to decide whether to explore the rock canyons of yore or the rock canyons of before yore. You are also transported to the surprisingly tepid future and other time travel locales. However, you can’t explore these dull rocks, buildings and places. The entire game is on the rails. You can look around, but for the most part, your just gonna stand there while swinging the the Move controller back and forth to catch the stupid apes. Occasionally, a more voracious metal walker or UFO will jump into the fray, but these are so easily dispatched with the slingshot, it is not even challenging.

If the monkeys happen to get close enough to your person, they will steal one of your bananas (which your collecting for some god forsaken reason). If they steal enough of your bananas, its game over. It is pretty tough to fail though, especially because you can use your slingshot, fan or net to collect a myriad of bananas scattered throughout each environment. If you happen to grab a battery while your stealing the yellow fruits, then you can use the vacuum to suck up the monkeys.

For gameplay variety, you can play a variety of unlocked mini games. One is coop, where you can drive around while your partner operates the turret. Unfortuantely, that is the only multiplayer part of the game. There is no option for online play or split screen.

There are also options to record your voice and view the biographies of each character and monkey present in the game. This is also super boring and has literally no point, especially considering how you can record your voice on just about anything nowadays. Perhaps when the first iteration of Ape Escape appeared, this would have been a novelty, but now, it just seems incredibly simplistic.

Graphics/Audio/Controls

The graphics in the game also fall well short of any present day standards. The environments made me want to go to sleep so that I could dream of being somewhere else with better visuals. The textures are awful and there are no details, not that you could see them anyway if there were any, considering the whole “Hey, your on a rail and can only go where we say so” mechanic.

The audio in the game verges on annoying. The sudden sound effects are mostly high pitched and they occasionally made me jump out of fear. If they were not making me jump, they were making me search for the remote so I couldl mute the stupid monkeys, voice overs and sound effects.

At least there are some good controls present though. The Playstation Move controller responded well, although there was some slight accuracy problems. For the most part though, it was easy to manipulate and it showed off the newish tech well enough.

Overview

In conclusion, this game may hit the spot for very casual gamers or for 3 year-olds (although I have seen much better games designed for 2 year-olds, and that I had fun with too). Even the difficulty “spikes” (if you can call them that) are easy to overcome.

Ultimately, this game was rushed and has hardly any redeeming features other than the anime movies and short length. They are some easy trophies too, if your into that type of thing. Mostly though, this game is just a brief on-rails shooter that has been out done by countless other games. If there was some better game play and less mind numbing in general, this game would have had a shot. After all, that story, although insane, might be fun. And the controls are great. Everything else is awful though. I wish I did not have to be so harsh, as every game always has something going for it and these games have a lot of work go into them. In the final analysis though, go to the zoo to see monkeys. You will have more fun.

Amy Winehouse found dead at her home

Travis Bruno

July 24, 2011

Troubling news this morning as British singer Amy Winehouse has reportedly been found dead in her home today. BBC News and Sky News are reporting that at 1500 GMT two ambulance crews were sent to her home where they found the body of a 27 year old woman at the home in Camden Square, North London where they then notified the Police. The police have since cordoned off the area around Winehouse’s home in Camden.

A police spokesman spoke with reporters saying “Inquiries continue into the circumstances of the death at this early stage. It is being treated as unexplained.” The current cause of death was not immediately announced and an autopsy will likely have to be performed to determine it.

Amy Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 and began her life as a singer at the age of 16 with her debut album “Frank.” Her second album “Back to Black” reached the Number 1 spot on music charts. “Back to Black” won Winehouse five Grabby awards including both song and record of the year awards for her song “Rehab.” The hit single had the following line in it: “They tried to make me go to rehab. I said ‘no, no, no.”

Things were growing increasingly worse over the years for Winehouse as she struggled with many addictions over the years landed her stays in rehab, fights and hospital visits. It was never proven, though it was thought that Amy Winehouse had many drug addictions and often would appear on stage stumbling or mumbling through her lyrics. An investigation is still under way and this is a developing story.

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