Not Dead Yet

Well, I am not dead yet, so hopefully I can revive this blog. I have started another blog based on a game I am working on, so my time will be divided between the two. This post is going to be short and sweet, but expect a review of Buckaroo Banzai soon.

I'm Back/Contra 4

Yes, I know. Everyone though I was dead, but I fooled them all. Just don't tell the people that poisoned me, or the ones that planted that car bomb, or that sniper who killed that double... On second though, just assume that I am dead, and spread the word.

So, here I am blogging from the land of the dead, and the reason I have decided to write from the land of the dead is Contra 4. Yes, that is right, Contra 4 has the ability to revive the dead and kick ass.

This game rocks, yes, rocks. It is set up like the original Contra with both side scrolling (2d) and down the hallway (3d). Both of the styles are pulled off perfectly.

The main game can be played on three difficulty settings. On easy the game is just that, as you get a plethora of lives/continues, and all your weapons are instantly upgraded to full power. On top of all that, you don't get to play the last two levels, so the lives don't need to go as far. Easy is not exactly 'easy' as you will still die a lot, but you have plenty of lives to go around. If the difficulty of easy is 'n log n', then normal is 'n^2', death is swift and assured for all but the expert player. Hard I have not even attempted yet, but I have to guess it is like 'n!'.

So far I have only beaten easy, which unlocks bonus content, specifically the challenge mode. Challenge mode is rad. You play levels from the game, but with special conditions and no lives.

Rating: Buy it! Its Contra 4!

DS Homebrew

Today I got DS AIM to work on my homebrew cart and it is made of win. I also got a Google maps program working as well as a Windows Live (MSN messenger) app. It just keeps getting better and better.

I play DSDoom (doom port) and it brings back the old days of classic gaming while scaring the people next to me on the plane. Some other games are a NetHack port and a Drugwars port, though I have not really played much with those. Just not enough gibs.

A true homebrew game is 'A Touch of War', but I have not gotten a new version in a while and the one I have is too buggy to play.

There is also an I-Pod like (imp) media player, but I will need to experiment more with that.

Superbad

Go see it.

How much do I like this movie you ask? I saw it twice in theaters. I never see movies twice in theaters. Never. Ever.

That being said, this movie is not for everyone, and I wouldn't recommend taking your grandparents to see it with you. It is basically a 'Dazed and Confused' or 'American Graffiti' set in the modern day with modern day language. Lots of talk about human anatomy and pr0n0graphic subjects.

The two main characters Seth and Evan are the best, but McLovin and the cops help to keep the film going with all that hilarity that ensues. So one more time, go see it.

Two For the Price of One

The Simpsons

All in all I was very disappointed in this movie. It felt like one 30-minute TV spot stretched out over an hour. Maybe there were some in-jokes that I just did not get as I am not a Simpsons fanboy, but it still seemed too long. There were a couple of side lines, like the romance and Flanders, that took up a lot of time just to make one joke. Those side plots should have been dropped to streamline the story, but then we might have been down to just a 30-minute TV spot. 2.5/5

The Bourne Ultimatum

All out action. Those three words basically sum up the movie. The plot was ok, and the dialog was a little tedious because it looks like the cameraman has had twelve cups of coffee, but the script is alright. But that is not why we are here, we want to see Bourne beat the living daylights out of the bad guys. So, buy your popcorn, and just don't think. That being said, I feel like in the end the director did not have the guts to do what was needed, so it ended up a little cheesy, a sell out if you will. Still it is one of the best sequels so far this summer, and a good conclusion (hopefully) to the series. 3.25/5

I am holding out hope for Superbad later this month.

The Lives of Others

This past weekend I went to see 'The Lives of Others' and it was great. I say it is the best movie this summer, but be warned this is not for everyone. First off , this is a German movie, so that means subtitles! and lots of them, and then it is a drama so action buffs need not apply.

This film takes place in the GDR, communist East Germany, and the main character is in the secret police. He is tasked with spying on a play-write who is thought to be subversive.

The plot was excellent and the acting top notch, but it was a little slow. Still, the best movie of the year, so go see it now before it out of theaters all together and you forget about it before it comes out on video.

Transformers, a Week Later

Thinking back on Transformers a week after seeing it, I realize that something bothered me about it beside Bay. I eventually came to realize that it was the movie can no decide what age it caters to. The Die Hard movie, though it was rated PG-13, was clearly targeted for more mature teenagers as well as adults, but Transformers did not have a clear distinction. It is PG-13, but it seems more targeted for those 80's children who grew up watching that cartoon, so those people are in their 20's to 30's. It has immature toilet humor and an unbelievable government agency with their over the top agents which are clearly targeted for a less mature audience, but it still includes more mature sexual innuendo and references to Iraq that would not be understood by that same audience.

I think I will rent it when it comes out, but I suspect that it is not one that I will purchase for my movie collection. I just don't know where it would fir, and I do not really see me watching more than once more when it comes out on DVD.