This quirky adventure mixes the irony of psychic warfare in the US army, a tale of self discovery, political commentary, a mix of great actors, and a premise that is guaranteed to be off-the-wall. While this may seem like a sure winner, it stumbles rather than taking flight and becoming a true classic.

Interested in what I’ve got to say? View my review posted at MovieSector. It’s got the full text, screen captures, a trailer, and my final score (you can also add your own score).

• KOTOR 2
  I’m super excited to get my hands on this one, because I’ve been wanting to try out the Restoration Mod for ages. Now I get to! I’m installing it right now, actually. Woo!
• Mercenaries 2
  The first Mercenaries was one of my favorite console games of all time. The destructible environments, the ability to hijack anything, the warzone environment, a huge arsenal of airstrikes, artillery, and bombing runs. the ability to drop vehicles anyway. There was simply a massive amount of carnage and a very cool sandbox approach to it that just worked. Sadly, that was the first one. While the second one promised all the same things, and more, it got crummy reviews, so I did not get it. However, on sale I picked it up for really cheap. and it’s turned out to be not so bad! I’ve made it a bit over half way through, and it’s pretty damn intense. However, it’s a bit buggy, the graphics are so/so, and the storyline is horrid. But, coming into this game with very low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised!
  Score: 7/10
  
• Company of Heroes
  I’ve been replaying this classic with a friend. Mainly, we’ve been digging into the LAN skirmishes and battles. Whether it’s a 2v2 versus computers, 1v1 matches, or any other sort of arrangement – we’ve been having a blast. I only had really focused on the single player when I played a couple years ago, and replaying with a focus on the multiplayer aspects has been fun. What a classic RTS! It’s really made me want to pick up World in Conflict, though. The macro-heavy, tactical RTS games have really gotten so much better, thanks to games like CoH and WiC!
  Score: 9/10

View some cool trailers of upcoming games by reading more.

I’ve been really looking forward to Dragon Age, Borderlands, Halo 3 ODST, Bad Company 2, Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Brutal Legend, and more. The thing is, I’ve got to narrow it down to pick only a few. It’s so difficult! Here’s some cool, recent trailers.

Left 4 Dead 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Dragon Age: Origins

It’s a pretty good time to be a gamer. However, It’s not a good time to be a poor college student.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I believe that you, too, should have the experience of watching it.

You read my review posted over at my new website called “Movie Sector.”

So. they have a new album coming up in September.

So. they just released one of their songs from it. It’s called United State of Eurasia. And it is my favorite song (for now).

At first, it was kind of a turn off. It’s a bit quiet (at first), and it just seemed a bit cheesy. It was also a bit too political. But after I realized it wasn’t just silly American bashing and it actually had a legit point, I enjoyed it a bit more. It look a couple listens to truly begin enjoying this song.

I really like it, now. The beginning is a soft mixture of music, not seeming rocking at all. But it’s nice. it sets the tone of the song. It slowly builds up, and then it kind of breaks out of its box and just explodes with music. The piano is dramatic and booming, as always, and mixes in perfectly with this kick-ass rock song.  The lyrics are pretty smart, and they’re delivered with a true sense of passion. I like it. Hell, I love it.

In fact, I think Muse is getting even better. If that’s possible.

Read more for the YouTube link and free mp3 of the song! Hopefully you’ll given it a few listens and get what I’m talking about.

That’s cool, isn’t it? I love listening to that song. I’ve listened to it. a lot. Haha.

Oh, and here’s the mp3 download: http://www.mousehold.com/unitedstates.mp3

The Watchmen is part action, part mystery, part drama, but mainly it’s just damn interesting. The movie itself is a near carbon copy of the graphic novel, and it doesn’t just skim the interesting bits from the top – it delves into a lot of detail.

[singlepic=67,115,100,,left]There’s a lot of adult subjects in here. From nudity to excessive gore to political commentary to deep characterization, The Watchmen doesn’t treat you like you’re stupid. It gives you the respect to watch a deep, adult oriented movie, without having to dumb anything down to appear “main stream.”

The characters are all pretty interesting. But no one hits the spot quiet as well as Rorschach does. The actor that plays this character hits him spot on, and you feel how disturbed and troubled he is. He plays the character so perfectly, it’s spooky.

[singlepic=69,115,100,,left]As you may have seen from the trailer, this movie is very stylized. It’s a visual delight to watch this movie. It conveys the dark, gritty nature of the graphic novel to near perfection. The action scenes are also very exciting, having a “300″ feel to them. That being said, the action scenes are definitely not the focus of the movie, unlike 300.

As I mentioned earlier, the movie is a nearly identical to the source material. While this is usually considered a good thing, I found it to detract a little. There was no sense of revealing, no sudden twists, nothing unexpected. The only difference, that came near the end, was a thankful change of pace, which I felt worked very well with the movie. But it’s attitude of making an exact replica of the graphic novel turns out to be both a blessing and a curse, from my opinion.

[singlepic=68,115,100,,left]I also did not enjoy some of the music selections. I wish it was more ambient, more dramactic, more somber. a lot of the songs selected I felt did not really fit as they should have. The trailers had excellent music, as did 300, but I felt The Watchmen itself could have done a lot better in this regard.

Overall, it was a highly entertaining film. It was full of complex ideas, interesting characters, and has a very deep, gritty world. The visual effects work wonderfully, accompanying the movie and its world, but not overshadowing them. I enjoyed the film, and hope that movie-goers who were not Watchmen fans also appreciated it.

7/10

Ever since the invention of bots within Counter-Strike, people have been restricting them to use knives only. and putting massive numbers of bots. Nothing is quiet as fun as mowing down dozens of rushing bots. Well, that idea expanded into actual “Zombie” modifications within Counter-Strike, which provided a lot of replay value. The idea of battling zombies within the Source engine can be largely accredited due to these inventive modders.

[singlepic=92,115,100,,left]So then the idea of Left 4 Dead was born: a teamwork focused game where you and three other survivors had to battle zombies throughout infested cities, towns, and countryside. And who doesn’t like destroying massive amounts of brainless zombies? It’s a lot of fun. Toss in “boss” zombies, the ability to revive fallen teammates, limited ammo and items, and a few other key features, it really gives you a fun gameplay experience.

The most inventive feature they touted was the AI that orchestrated the battle – dynamically determining zombie numbers, where items were placed, when bosses would spawn, when the “horde” would rush, and many other elements. This AI makes decisions to keep the battles frantic, then build up suspense, then throw you back into the fray again. It is accompanied with dramatic, moody music that keeps your heart pumping.

[singlepic=93,115,100,,left]The single most impressive aspect of the game is the level design. The game looks and runs beautifully, but the level design is spot on. Not only does it look great, but every area seems realistic, yet you’re always flowing in the right directions. Even though it is pretty linear, the wide open maps and long view distances make it feel rather non-linear. But as you twist and turn through sewers, hospitals, abandoned houses, offices, airports, tunnels, and forests. you’re always experiencing something new and different throughout the levels.

Teamplay is the pure, focused center of Left 4 Dead. If you wander off by yourself, you’ll quickly be surrounded by zombies or grabbed by a boss. But more than that, you’re required to keep track of your friend’s back, give them a health back if needed, share locations of grenades and health pills, and other vital communication. The different types of weapons play a nice role together, offering shotguns, snipers, and rifles to help you plow through the zombie hordes, so everyone needs to balance out.

[singlepic=90,115,100,,left]The best way to describe Left 4 Dead would be “chaotic.” And this is an entirely positive remark. The chaos of the game makes you constantly on the edge of your seat, running away from zombies, killing off as many as you can. This pure, unadulterated madness is entertainment in its purest form. It’s an absolute blast when you’ve got zombies surrounding you everywhere, guns blazing, people going down, and your friends screaming at each other.

My biggest complaint is that the entire game is a bit bland. It lacks character, it lacks charm, and as a whole it can be rather forgettable. The characters lack any sort of depth, so much when someone dies, you don’t feel any remorse or even the slightly tinge of concern. If you’re boiling it down to movie terms: it’s all action, but there’s no drama. Which is a bit unfortunate, because the game could be better if there was a better sense of realism and authentic to it all. it would let you delve deeper into the experience and become absorbed. Sadly, that doesn’t really happen.

[singlepic=91,115,100,,left]Left 4 Dead accomplishes what it was trying to do, but at the same time, I wish it tried to do more. Left 4 Dead is a marvelous, no holds barred action-packed experience. Well it does offer a few scares at first, once you become accustomed to the game, it’s not an entirely scary, deep, or immersive experience. Instead, it’s chaotic, fun, and fast action gameplay. It has superb sound, graphic, and level design, and technically it’s a fantastic game. The focus on teamplay works well, and so it’s enough to set it apart from other shooters. By itself, Left 4 Dead is a great game. But due to its focus on teamplay, if you have a buddy or two to play it with, it’s an even better game.

[rating:8.5/10] 85%

Spore is a game that had a ton of ambition. From The Sims and SimCity creator Will Wright, people were expecting a deep simulation game – from cell stage to controlling an entire galaxy. What they got was a fusion of a casual game and deep, customization toolset. That being said, these leaves people who were expecting a real simulation or strategic game elements sadly disappointed.

[singlepic=94,115,100,,left]Before Spore was even released, the put out the Spore Creature Creator. This was pretty entertaining, it was full of customizations, different ways to make creatures, and limitless possibilities. It was incredibly creative, and it allowed a certain ease of use along with a ton of features. This felt really well done, and it was fun to make about a half dozen creatures in maybe two hours. After I had my fun with the editor, I eagerly awaited the game.

Sadly, the editor is by far the best part of the game. It is relatively easy to use, yet it is incredibly deep, has tons of options, and you feel both creative and accomplished. You get similar editors for building cells, to buildings, to tanks, to spaceships. These editors aren’t exactly a draw for me, though. I wanted to bite down into some deep, interesting gameplay.

[singlepic=97,115,100,,left]Spore lacks any sort of deep, interesting gameplay. The gameplay, put simply, is shallow and boring. You could call it “casual,” sure, but Spore is a prime example of an excellent idea being dumbed down to appeal to a mass audience. Sadly, it loses all respect from any gamer looking for an actual challenge or anything genuinely interesting. It has the most basic ideas when it comes to each of the phases, but lacks any sort of depth or strategy beyond the surface. How could expanding from the cellular level to the galactic level be such a bland, boring experience?

Spore does have good graphics, and runs relatively smoothly. The real gem is all the variety in the creatures, planets, buildings, and other additions. Maxis had a solid base to start on, but the incredibly creativity of the user-built creations makes the game much more fun. This system of downloading user content automatically works well, and you always seem to get cool, unique stuff in your world. This idea works well, and is one the big key points of the game.

[singlepic=96,115,100,,left]My six year old brother probably had more enjoyment out of the game than I did, fooling around in the Creature Editor for hours. I just couldn’t lose myself in all the customizations and creations like he could, and thus I feel I wasn’t really who the game was targeted towards.

I wanted that simulation from the cell stage to the galaxy stage, I wanted to get lost in deep and interesting gameplay, I wanted each stage to be full of strategy and decisions. Sadly, everything was boiled down to a “good” or “evil” decision – basically, do you ally yourself and eat veggies, or do you eat other creatures and conquer other civilizations? Needless to say, I was the “evil” one.

[singlepic=98,115,100,,left]Overall, Spore leaves me torn. All the user-created content, how it’s dynamically added into your world, and the graphic engine make everything look so cool. The editor is fun, for a bit, but editing and creating new “stuff” isn’t really my thing. I’d rather just play the darn game. and that’s where it breaks down. Playing the game isn’t really nearly as fun or deep as it should be. I felt undeniably bored when I finished my first game, and really never felt like digging back into the game again.

[rating:6.5/10] 65%

Post-apocalyptic games are becoming more and more common, but the Fallout series has always been a step above with its combination of retro styling, devastated landscapes, and a complete and realistic post-apocalyptic world. Fallout 3 continues this trend, but moves to a brand new engine, as well as a new perspective. Despite the changes to the series, is it still a groundbreaking phenomenal game? The answer, of course, is yes.

[singlepic=86,115,100,,left]The single greatest quality that Fallout 3 achieves so perfectly is the atmosphere. The eerily futuristic world in which civilization has been destroyed is remarkably spot on. The land is devoid of life, the urban landscape are abandoned and dark, and the countryside is desolate and war-torn. The entire world is so realistic, and looks so amazing graphically, that it’s hard not to get lost in it.

The gameplay is strong, drawing certain elements from Fallout, but also adding and improving on those ideas. The change of perspective in this next generation Fallout proves to be successful, and draws you even further into the world. Exploration, leveling up, character interaction, questing, and other discoveries are all compelling and fun, making the game one entertaining piece after the next.

[singlepic=88,115,100,,left]Combat, the cornerstone of this game, is fast, violent, and fun. It’s definitely a huge step over Oblivion, which combat felt a bit drab and dull in. Instead, you’re greeted with over-the-top visuals, guns that pack a serious punch, and just crazy mayhem all around. Whether you’re blasting a Super Mutant’s head off with a sniper rifle, planting a series of mines that’ll explode the legs off your pursuers, or pulling out a flamethrower to clear an entire room of enemies in a painful, flame-filled death. it’s all so much fun. Especially in VATs, where your gruesome kills are glorified via slow motion camera, radial blurs, and the perfect angles of the camera.

The problem with Fallout 3 is eventually the newness of the game wares off. While the atmosphere, the landscape, the gameplay, and the combat all keep you entertained at first, it loses steam after about 20 hours into it. The game’s pace isn’t as fast, and in fact is can become drearily slow sometimes as you wander around the environment. You begin to feel repetition and dullness wear in. and suddenly this new, great game isn’t getting played anymore. Who wants to invest an hour or two just to wander around a devastated landscape, when you feel you’ve already “been there, done that.”

[singlepic=87,115,100,,left]It may seem like a minor complaint, after all, the first 20 hours were really great. Hell, those 20 hours were groundbreaking and memorable. But after you’ve used the weapons, killed 100s of enemies, and seen dozens of fragmented structures, you stop experiencing anything new or fresh. And while those 20 hours may seem like a long time, a good bargain for the $50 PC game, I really wish I could have enjoyed it longer. I feel like I should be enjoying it more. but I find myself not looking forward to delve back into the world as much as I used to, and this disappoints me.

This game is top tier in every regard, though. From graphics to sound to gameplay to controls to combat to atmosphere. it is all excellent. Fallout 3 deserves many of the Game of the Year awards it has received. Sadly, for me, it lacked replay value. but it also lacked a little heart. Sometimes the entire world seemed too lifeless, too dull, too drab.

Even with a few complaints, is it still a good game? Hell yes. It’s a great game. It’s an amazing game. It’s a truly revolutionary game.

[rating:8.7/10] 87%

Most people aren’t likely to be newcomers to the Call of Duty series – they know what to expect. But for those who are new, here’s a brief recap: It’s highly fast, cinematic and polished gameplay with dazzling visuals, intelligent enemies, realistic settings, arcade gameplay, and excellent map design. The Call of Duty series has long been the on the cutting edge of FPS games, only getting better and better with time. However, World At War is not a breath of fresh air. It’s more of the same – albeit, it’s a very good “same.” But it’s still the same.

[singlepic=82,115,100,,left]Taking off where Call of Duty 4 left, World At War traverses back to World War 2. It is a much better game than Call of Duty 3 (the last WWII game in the Call of Duty series) in every regard, and it really captures the atmosphere and intensity of the war. The voice acting helps set this tone, with the help of Jack Bauer actor Kiefer Sutherland himself leading the US forces to victory. In the Russian campaign, Gary Oldman lends his voice to mentor and officer.

The campaign, as any Call of Duty game, is fun and fast paced. It’s also incredibly on rails – there’s only one exact way to complete every mission. That doesn’t detract from it’s level design or fun factor. It’s a blast to play through – finding flamethrowers, rushing positions to bayonet them, riding on tanks, Molotov cocktails, sniping. it’s all there. The real fruit is at the end though, as you unlock the Zombie survival mode, which is a huge blast.

[singlepic=83,115,100,,left]In terms of replay you can play the game on your own, cooperatively (by yourself or online), play the zombie mode by yourself or with up to 3 other friends, or the multiplayer. The multiplayer setup is exactly like Call of Duty 4, with the addition of more perks, ranks, unlocks, weapons, and such. It’s definitely got a more polished feel to it, and that urgent need to level up to get that “next cool thing” is still there.

My complaint is that it’s just too similar, to formulaic, too much of the same exact thing over and over again. As much fun as busting out the flamethrower in the campaign was, I really felt like I’d done this all before in previous Call of Duty games. Don’t get me wrong, I love the formula, but it definitely lacks the freshness found in Call of Duty 4. Repetition can really kill a game for me.

[singlepic=84,115,100,,left]That being said, it’s Call of Duty, and I love Call of Duty. And the Call of Duty sets a high bar – it has excellent level design, fun weapons that handle legitimately, great sound effects and music, and truly next generation graphics. It lives up to that level of polish you expect to see in a top tier shooter, and the game keeps you constantly entertained and wanting more.

It’s still got all the magic found from the earlier games, the developers have carried the formula well. But it’s nothing you haven’t seen already, and it doesn’t break any boundaries. The good news is it’s not trying to break boundaries, it’s trying to give you some more of that good ole Call of Duty action that so many people have come to love. And it achieves that perfectly.

[rating:8.5/10] 85%

Wow. what a fantastic surprise this movie was! I was accompanied by a group of friends when we went to see this flick. Even though the new Underworld was released this weekend, our group of young and action-seeking college students ultimately decided on Taken. I mean, the trailer really did look pretty cool, and that played a big role in picking the movie. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

There is something special about this movie. Sure, it has it’s faults. And it probably isn’t going to win any awards. But if you like action movies, you’re going to love this film. And I’m not talking about because it’s got big budget, fancy, and elegant action scenes. No, it’s none of that. But the action is very, very special, and it gets your blood pumping. It’s gritty, it’s real, but most of all. it’s smart.

The action in this movies always seems very fresh. The action is quick and precise, it moves so quickly, you’re never ceased to be entertained. It’s got a bit of the Bourne Identity, some Transporter, but mainly it stands out for keeping every part of the movie grounded in reality. Our hero disarms, incapacitate, and kills his adversaries with remarkable expertise. He uses his hands most of the time, but he’s quick to pick a gun and make quick work of his enemies.

Liam Neeson (known as Qui-Gon Jinn or as your father in Fallout 3) does an excellent job as Bryan Mills, the father who would do anything to save his kidnapped daughter. He does a very convincing role and his acting is entirely spot on. You feel his anger, his determination, and his willingness to cross any line to save his daughter. You see his cool exterior, you feel his experience and professionalism just ooze out of him, and despite the circumstances you see him acting as if he’s always in charge.

The rest of the cast is a bit hit and miss, but the film really revolves around him the entire time. Which is a blessing, because Neeson does such an excellent job.

The real heart of this movie is it keeps throwing unexpected little bits at you. You expect one thing, and it does something else completely. These little twists really make the movie much more interesting and full of flavor, because they all keep in line with Neeson’s cool composure, yet you see his absurd dedication to do anything to get his daughter as quickly as possible. There is some moments that make you think. “did he really just do that? wow.”

The key word here is that the movie is really smart, he doesn’t win because he’s stronger or a better shot – he is able to track his daughters and kill people who get in his way because he is smart, fast, and unrelenting.

I’ve got my complaints. The beginning started off a bit too slow and was drawn on. Most of the characters were really shallow, in fact the only character with any depth what-so-ever is the main character. It makes all the scenes involving other characters a bit dull. Also, the chase scenes involving cars are definitely a bit over-the-top on the “shaky cam”, and it is very distracting and not nearly as entertaining as many of the other scenes.

The action is smart and quick. The main character is a complete bad ass, and yet it’s nothing over the top. His skills come from his ability to out-think his adversaries and this makes the action really fun to watch. While the action is some of the best I’ve seen, and this is one of my new favorite movies, the other non-action bits aren’t the greatest, and I’ve listed a few of my complaints above.

Do yourself a favor and watch this movie. It’s not perfect, but I was expecting a bland action movie and found an unexpected gem instead.

8/10