Cryptosporidium-172
Feeble humans run and buy Destroy All Humans from THQ! This game is a must play, whether you rent or buy it. This game is set in the 1950s and designed to be a spoof of all the B-Movies from that era. The twist is that you play the aliens hellbent on taking over the planet. The game should be applauded just for the original concept. But, that's not the only reason. The story is so quirky and funny, you have to play it twice to catch all the jokes. The voiceovers are excellent and fit very well with the setting. The alien gadgets are so much fun to use. Just imagine lifting an army vehicle with your mind and throwing it into a crowd of people. Then, finishing them off with an anal probe. Of course, not all weapons are immediately available and must be unlocked. The game using an open-ended world much like Grand Theft Auto, but this game is hardly as wide-open. You are told which mission to do and in what order. However, there are tons of side missions you can attempt in between story missions. The good thing is that most missions are open-ended so that you can decide how to complete them. Use your disintegrator or ionizer, it's up to you. The problem is that the story itself isn't too long, only about 10 hours or so. But, as I mentioned earlier, there are tons of side missions and above all the story is entertaining enough to play it more than once. The problem I do have with the game is that there is no multiplayer. In an era where multiplayer is vital, those games without cannot reach their full potential. Thus is the fate of Destroy All Humans. An entertaining game that's a bit short, nothing more, nothing less. So go ahead, rip the human race a new one.
Common - Be, the review
Common
Be
Okay Player/Geffen
Kanye West fans will love his latest production, Common’s Be. This album is more about Kanye than it is about Common. That being said this is Common’s best effort to date. The Chicago MC had yet to fully realize his vision on his five previous albums. A big shot producer, the likes of Mr. West is exactly what Common needed to get his message across. This album is proof of that. Memorable hooks and samples from old soul records propel songs such as “Faithful” to the level of instant summer classic. There are also a few memorable guest appearances from the likes of John Mayer on “Go” and John Legend on “They Say.” In a bit of a questionable move the live version of “The Food” is taken directly from Chappelle’s Show, bad sound quality and all. The only real problem with this album, is that Common is an afterthought on his own album. While all the tracks have hit written all over them and Common excels as an MC, all this does is satisfy Kanye fans until his follow-up album comes out later this summer.
Box Office Lacks Passion
In the Dallas Morning News today there is a huge deal being made about the box office slump I talked about earlier this week. In reality, it is a big deal, but to me it really isn't. What it boils down to is last year "The Passion" came out. That movie seemed like it would never leave the theaters. I think it was still in theaters when the dvd came out. Also, the movies this season have been good at best. Maybe if Hollyweird would stop rehashing the same crap, and come up with original ideas people would be willing to pay. Think about it the best movies thus far were Batman Begins and War of the World. Both remakes. Not to say, I didn't like them, because I did. A lot. But c,mon. I know, I know there were sequels and remakes last year. I freaking know that. This is an epidemic that has been sweeping across Hollyweird for years. This year with the rise of dvd sales and ticket prices, people just got sick of wading in crap. That's it, bottom line.
Apple recently announced they are merging the IPod Photo with the regular IPod, so that all IPods will have a color screen and photo capabilities. There will also be a new menu for podcasting allowing for easier access. In light of all this, frankly I'm pissed. Less then 6 months ago, I shelled out $400 on a 40 gb with a black and white screen, and now I'll be behind the times. Balls.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, We have a Wiener
Afterthoughts: War of the World
One word.......
whoa.
Yesterday Google launched their new API Maps to the world. It's 3d, it's informative, what more could you want?
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XXX: State of the One-Liner
Another knot in my recent string of dollar movies continued tonight when I finally saw XXX: State of the Union. I went into it expecting action, explosions-a-plenty, one-liners, lack of story, bad-ass Samuel L, and straight outta compton Ice Cube. And that is exactly what I got. You have to expect corny lines and not the best acting, but you also have to sacrifice something for so much destruction. Here's the deal, this movie was entertaining. I would watch it again. The high-paced chases and fights were enough for me to shell out admission. If you can get past what this movie lacks, you're in for a freaked out hell ride.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox has purchased the rights to the popular videogame franchise Max Payne. Videogames turned into movies have a bad reputation. This has recently turned around with movies such as Resident Evil, but with so many game rights being bought lately one can only hope movie studios don't screw this up. Courtesy of Gamefaqs.com
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Avril off the market
Reportedly, Avril Lavigne is engaged to the lead-singer of Sum 41. The news comes after a report that the two have been living together in L.A. High-school skater boys around the globe are surely reeling from the news. I'm not sure what this says about the groom-to-be. Is he robbing the cradle? Perhaps. Ms. socks-for-sleeves is 5 years younger and only 20. I guess whatever floats your boat eh, Canada?
Even the recent release of "Batman Begins" couldn't bring the U.S. box office out of it's biggest slump since 1985 when revenue declined for 17 weeks. This past weekend marked the 18th straight week there has been a decline. If the slump continues, Hollywood is on course for a third straight year of declining admissions and its lowest ticket sales since the mid-1990s. Who'd a thunk that blockbusters such as "Herbie Fully Loaded" and "Bewitched" wouldn't reach astronomical sales? The only hope is that "War of the World", which opens this week, reaches the $180 million mark that "Spiderman 2" reached in it's first six days this time last year. With Spielberg and Tom Cruise one can only hope for pure gold, but as history tells us, it could be pure crap. Brace yourselves for week 19 America. Courtesy of Yahoo.
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Paul Winchell and John Fiedler, the voices of Tigger and Piglet died this past weekend within 24 hours of each other. Both had a profound impact on the world and will be missed. Courtesy of boingboing.net
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Still waiting for Batman to begin
I recently spent some time with the new "Batman Begins" videogame and let me say I didn't spend much time. From the start I was impressed with the production value of the game, and immediately floored by the voice acting. All of the actors from the movie have returned to the game which adds much needed credibility. This where the game goes wrong. The controls leave much to be desired. The problem is that the game holds your hand all the way through and you're essentially pushing A to do everything. A command pops up everytime you can attack and finish your enemy. A command with crosshairs pops up everytime you enter a new room. There's absolutely no guess work. And about the time you think the game is about to get interesting, it's over. The game literally takes as long as watching the movie. I kept thinking, "Okay when the tutorial ends, this game will kick ass." Not so much. If you're in the mood, for a three hour tutorial with single button combat, this game is for you. As for the rest of us, steer clear and just go watch the movie again.
Logo, the new network for gays and lesbians, debuts Thursday, June 30th. Logo will initially be seen in about 10 million homes. Brian Graden, the genius behind "Jackass" and "Pimp My Ride" will be president of the new network. Of the new network, Graden says "...The standards of Logo will be that of a general entertainment network. The assumption that I would have to push certain standards to tell my story instead of yours I don't get, because they're all human stories. " Visit logoonline.com for more or click the link to read the full story courtesy of Yahoo.
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