A Perfect Adaptation. A Wonderful Movie

It is very rare to watch a movie based on a favorite book and not be disappointed. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, however, is a rare exception as it is a perfect adaptation. Both the cast and the scenery was very close to the imagery the late Stieg Larsson created in my mind while I was reading his masterpiece. And the story follows the book plot with faithful reverence.

Having said that, even if one missed on the book this is a powerful and very entertaining movie on its own.

The movie is in Swedish (as it should) and if, like me, not fluent in the language, one has to use subtitles. I prefer this kind of translation to dubbing as I find it more respectful of the artists' original vision and craft. German and French (to to mention American) audiences, to name but a few, have been addicted to hearing their own language. This convenience, although it can work for most blockbusters, it rubs off all the subtle details that give rise to a masterpiece.

Noomi Rapace (of Prometheus fame) simply is Lisbeth Salander. The body-type, the attitude, the self-assured distrust towards the world. From the way she enters a room to the way she hits her computer keys she is possessed by Lisbeth's spirit.

In this first installment of The Millennium Trilogy Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and his investigation form the center of gravity. No matter, the moment Lisbeth enters a scene she steals it away simply because there hasn't been such an original character for a long time. Nobody wants to cross this version of Pipi Longstockings!

The story revolves around a locked-room/island mystery. An industrialist, Henrik Vanger, has life-long obsession with what really happened to his beloved niece, Harriet. Although the Vagner family has no..shortage of bad apples, the mystery resisted to 40 years of thorough investigation by both the police and numerous private investigators. Blomkvist is persuaded to give it one last try not only by the substantial paycheck but also by the promise to be able to clear his name, tricked and convicted into libel as he had been.

The Millennium Trilogy is Larsson's last gift to the world. And it starts with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. If, for some reason, you do not want to savor the books, this movie is strong and potent. It will stay with you for a very long time.

An Atmospheric Game In Need Of Balancing

Eastern European gaming companies have came up with some great ideas in the last 10 years (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and The Witcher pop to mind, to name just a couple). Unfortunately, although it tries hard, You Are Empty, well, is not one of the best examples.

This game's strengths are mainly the story and the settings. Soviet-era mentality had always been obsessed with mind-control sciences, and when something goes terribly wrong the world is turned into a zombie and cyber-entities cesspool.

The graphics are nice (comparable, at least, to those of Half Life 2 - an 8-year old game mind you), the surfaces are not too shabby (notice that they have been done painstakingly in polygons, not bump mapping!) - and the game engine, although previously untested, hardly ever glitches! Now that is solid kung-fu programming!

The scenery, with all the Soviet propaganda posters and the beautifully done cut-scenes, is gorgeous; whereas, the sounds and music have been tastefully chosen, with radio loop-announcements cutting through the cold Russian wind making the power-lines whistle: this is a game that is really easy to get immersed into!

Interestingly, You Are Empty runs for well over 16 hours(!): this is how long FPS games used to last - and not the miserly 3-4 hours the latest over-hyped releases do...

On the down side, the weapons may be realistic yet could not be more generic and unimaginative; movement is slower than flowing syrup, something especially nerve-raking when enemies have the tendency to jump you from all directions; and the damage (both sustained and inflicted) is hardly balanced: it is preferable to get hit by a grenade than to jump a single floor, to absorb several bullets that get bitten by a single rat and to keep using your sidearm than a rifle, since they do about the same damage, appear to have the same range and the sidearm can hold more bullets...!

This is a game that had been available since 2008 in Europe before finding distribution in the US - and, undoubtedly, this is not helping its chances to impress. North Americans should feel lucky though: the European release also featured the infamous...StarForce.

This is a solid first effort by Digital Spray, a newly founded group, that although fails to stand out in this pre-Christmas crowd, lays stable groundwork for its future developments. Let's only hope they do not get outright absorbed into a gaming mega-corporation...

All in all: a creative and atmospheric game that is worth a budget admission price.

A Whole New Galaxy Of Fun!

I have only recently returned to consoles, being a dedicated PC gamer ever since my teens. In the past Nintnendo has made a number of bad decisions yet the company always manages to land on its feet for nothing else but for a single reason: it never forgets that gamers want first to have fun. And Super Mario Galaxy II is an excellent example.

The Wii console may have been made such a huge success story by applications such as Wii-FIT, but it will be remembered for the fun it offers with games such as this one. Super Mario Galaxy II makes the Wii shine at its best.

Princess Peach cannot seem to stay ...un-kidnapped more than a week, so her faithful plumber has to move heaven and earth to save her - yet again...But do we really need an excuse to dive in this galaxy of magic mushrooms, star-bits and coins, secret levels and surprising solutions to, apparently, insurmountable obstacles?

The levels blend beautifully 2D and 3D environments and the controls work superbly. I hadn't touched a console since my University years and had to get used to the controls of Zelda: The Twilight Princess - yet found the controls of Super Mario Galaxy II to fit like a glove from the very first moment.

This installment is not one you can breeze through, there are challenging moments. If you get stuck in a level you can ask for a mini-tutorial - but keep in mind that there is no free lunch in this galaxy: your need for assistance will be marked. Then again, retrying a level was never more fun.

There is invincible Rainbow-Mario, Rock-Mario, Spring-Mario and Cloud-Mario. And then there are Lumas and Yoshi. Every world has been imaginatively designed and gorgeously drawn. It is like a supernova of creativity exploding again and again. I believe this to be the best looking game on the Wii.

And it is the best platform game - ever!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Forgive me Source-Code for I have sinned. For years I was a dedicated PC-gamer. I though ill of gaming consoles, considering them consumer-toys rather than entertainment systems. Who needs overpriced and oversized gaming consoles that can play Movie-DVDs and even BluRayDisks when most good games are released for PCs as well and they look and play better on them, right? Well, the Nintendo Wii is a different breed.

Gaming on the Wii is an experience one has to live at least once - but preferably whenever he or she feels blue. Sure, it may not sport the cutting-edge graphical capabilities of a SONY PS3 or the game titles selection of the Xbox. Nevertheless, most Wii games take full advantage of the console's capabilities and the exclusive games selection include the unsurpassable The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the absorbing Metroid Prime Trilogy, the mesmerizing Okami and the soothing Endless Ocean: Blue World.

Not to mention the capabilities of Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort when coupled with a Wii Balance Board!

If you can still find one, I would advise buying the (Limited edition) black one. I keep mine in our TV room and the black blends perfectly with my other home entertainment electronics. In any case, do not miss the revolution.

There is simply no other console that offers so much fun. Both SONY and Microsoft have technologically excellent gaming consoles - but Nintendo is the only one that always keeps in mind that gaming is supposed to be fun.

Street Racing: The ...Jerry Bruckheimer Version

A combination made in heaven. This was like when I watched the movie Snakes on a Plane, my reaction was: of course, why did no one ever think of this before?!

There is a great number of driving and racing games, some better than others. There is even a number of shooting&driving games. However, Split/Second is a breed on its own.

When was the last time you had to race a collapsing overpass, dodge the load of an out-of-control crane or a wrecking ball, drive under a crash-landing cargo plane, survive a missile-firing helicopter attack, drift in an exploding airport hangar, or survive a Terminator-2 canal race?

Drifting (no wall-slamming penalty!), drafting, sling-shooting, close-calling crashes and General-Leeing your car will fill your Power Bar. Once it is full you can unleash PowerPlay attacks onto your AI opponents. And, trust me, you will hate them! From start to finish they will be scrapping your tailpipe - and you only need to slip for a split second to total your car. You can leave paint all over the walls but the moment your grill touches that central pillar or dumpster you are totaled. The good news is that respawning only takes a second - no time for the adrenaline to subside.

Choose the best car for the track and handling it will be no problem. Nevertheless, this is not an easy game - and, frankly, I missed those. Nowadays everything seems designed to be breezed through and quickly move on to the next game. Not this baby. Random events (not to mention unexplored shortcuts) make racing the same track feel like a new experience so memorizing the tracks will not be of much help. You will have to really hone your skills in order to advance. Quick advice: remap the PowerPlay buttons to something convenient as timing your attacks is essential.

Fallen behind and only half a lap to go? Well, drive your A-game - and make sure to... drop a burning bus on the opponents you could not overtake.Careful though: this knife cuts both ways. First, you must learn to avoid the attacks you triggered yourself and then you must be ready to speed around the ones your opponents spring on you. Split-second decisions are required throughout.

You are not a passenger so stop gawking at the scenery. Strap in and drive for your life!

The visuals will keep you at the edge of your seat and the screeching and explosion sounds will make the hairs at the back of your neck stand up every time. This is like actually being in a Hollywood summer action-blockbuster. My only gripe is that there are no licensed cars (what we drive is always sleek and gorgeous but, sorry, no Gallardos, no DB9s, no R8s, no Shelbies...) whereas customizing our rides is kept to a minimum. That would have taken the experience to a whole new level!

Split/Second, obviously, is more of a well-made arcade than a simulation game. And it is great FUN!

I had initially awarded the game 4 stars but any game that brings you home early to experience it again deserves full marks.

A 20/20 Blur

2010 seemed to be a racing season. A great number of new racing games were released, most trying their hand on novel approaches to the genre. But not all GTs are created equal.

Just before Blur I was playing Split/Second so now the comparison is fresh and easy to make. Since both games are more Arcade-racers than Simulators, I decided to do a side-by-side review.

What Blur has over Split/Second:

- Licensed cars. Fantasy cars look great but it is always more satisfying to drive real supercars. Yes, that means you have to start with the obligatory stupid compacts - but good ones get unlocked soon.

- Much better music. Disney simply dropped the ball here, Split/Second is in dire need for some epic music to go with the blockbuster mentality.

- You have a map that shows both your and your opponents' positions, something I would have liked in Split/Second.

- More realistic damage (keyword: "more"). Split/Second crashes are realistically spectacular but you can body-slam anything forever and the only thing that shows are some...scratches. Blur is no simulator but it is more realistic (for a game that offers power-up repairs that is) - unless you dislike driving a car with its rear spoiler hanging out.

- You get a usable rear-view mirror (for as long as you can keep it from cracking). In Split/Second you have to use the NUM-2 to sneak a peak back - and risk crashing since you cannot look both ways.

- No rubber-band AI. You earn a margin, you get to keep it. It may be less thrilling all the time but it saves you the aggravation of driving your heart out only to loose the No.1 position by a cheap pass at the very last second.

On the other hand, this is where I found Split/Second to be better than Blur:

- Much more spectacular driving. Drifting, drafting, jumping and, of course, exploding things is simply so much better than activating a white shield or firing some feeble electric charges.

- Better designed and larger tracks that can even be modified during a race.

- Less complicated. In Split/Second you just drive, drop an exploding truck (or an entire...freeway) onto your opponents and avoid the same happening to you. In Blur you have to choose and pick up power-ups (max of 3), select the next one, aim and fire at your target; you have to pick up and use the repair power-up to maintain the health of your car; you have to drive through a number of yellow gates to win over fans in order to unlock more cars; and then you have to earn lights to advance (I guess it had to be something, but ..."lights"?).

- Customizable controls. Come on Activision, this is not 1995, why do we have to use both ends of the keyboard to drive a car in Blur? Turn left and right with the L/R arrows yet accelerate and brake with the Q- and A-keys? And someone thought this to be such a good idea that there is no customization option? Well, now you know what must be included in the next patch.

Different gamers have, of course, different preferences, so some of the above mentioned aspects may weight differently to everyone. Both games harbor SecuROM disk-checks, so their DRM scheme is comparable.

Nevertheless, in the end, where I think Blur clearly lags behind Split/Second is the pure fun factor. I know this is subjective but I enjoyed Split/Second much more than I did Blur.

I would never though the day would come that I would be recommending a ...Disney game over an Activision one. But life is nothing but full of surprises.

Failure Of The Obsidian Order

Strange things expectations. Receiving the same item may trigger either satisfaction or disappointment depending on what you were expecting. From a game that was developed by members of OBSIDIAN, the people who had released such masterpieces as Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate, one expects lightening to strike yet another time. Unfortunately, they seem to have stroked out.

The first thing that strikes you with Alpha Protocol, however, are how bad the graphics are. Admittedly, great games have worked wonders and have been offering great fun with only limited graphics. There are games that are 10 or even 15 years old, when graphical capabilities were but a fraction of what they are today, and yet they are still more fun to play than most of the vapid eye-candies released these days. Unfortunately Alpha Protocol is not one of them.

The graphics look just bad. From the institutional colors to the awkward movements of the characters and the almost non-existent interactive environment, the game feels like a cookie-cutter Third-Person Shooter game found in a sales-bin.

Of course this is not a simple TPS game, it is rather a Third-Person RolePlaying Shooter (RPS). Your character advances in level and he also has an inventory. There are classes to choose from and skills to add to. There are different weapons and armor to equip with. Stealth is very important yet not the only way to go and there is a spy story unfolding through the dialogue options and cut-scenes. All this looks quite good on paper yet, somehow, it failed to work for me. And I have been an RPG fan for years.

The story is not absorbing and the characters are caricatures rather than the deep, complex characters one enjoys in a good RPG. The RPG elements are all there but they seem to get in the way of one another and work together. Having a time limit on the (Mass Effect 2-short) dialogue options is not a good thing either.

ALPHA PROTOCOL also sports...mini games. With variations of ideas we have seen in Fallout 3 and BioShock, hacking and lock-picking are carried out by completing mini-games that (just like in those previous games) get old and tedious. Fast.

As DRM goes, good ol' SEGA slipped in a Limited Activations scheme - but promised to patch it out in about a year, so the game will stay yours. If promises are kept that is.

An RPG that strives to also be a shooter, a stealth tactical game with the possibility of bullet time, an endlessly bifurcating story that manages to end up predictable. This is a game that takes up a lot of different elements on its brush but the picture it paints in the end is unoriginal if not confusing. Had all the different elements worked together, this would had been a masterpiece. Unfortunately, inspiration alone is not enough.

All in all, Alpha Protocol consists of a lot of good ideas that got thrown together but were then left underdeveloped and unrefined. Maybe they exhausted their A-game on developing Fallout: New Vegas, who knows.

Because of the developing team's history, I will be overlooking this one.

If you are out of ideas guys, I would propose developing a game looking like Diablo III and playing like Baldur's Gate. And if it had a steampunk setting it would be heaven.

Alpha Protocol will be remembered as a bump on the road.

From Prince To Pauper

It was only 2008 when UBISOFT was praised as a gamer's publisher, a company that respected and listened to its customers - while the usual villains (eh,...EA and 2K GAMES) found themselves at the receiving end of their wrath. Well, what a difference two years make!

BEEN THERE. DONE THAT

The gameplay of Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, this new installment of the Prince of Persia Trilogy, is as stale as pita-bread found in Baghdad ruins. Running on walls, twirling around poles and jumping from handhold to handhold has been done again and again. Innovation may be in short supply in the current gaming industry but why was there a need to add yet another game to the series since no new ideas were available? It feels like yet another cookie from the cookie-cutter.

AS NOT SEEN IN THE MOVIES

Seen the blockbuster movie and loved it? Well, do not expect the game to have anything to do with it. Instead of a Jake Gyllenhaal you get a cross between Jack Black on a crash-diet and an aggravated Marky Mark (yeah, no matter how much he tries, he will always be remembered as Marky Mark). And, it may be just me, but I do not remember Princess Razia having such a pronounced...underbite!

More importantly though, the graphics are not up to par and they make the game look like a much older title. The cut-scenes look great - but this only emphasizes how much wanting the gameplay is found visually.

CATCH THE SOAPS - PERSIAN STYLE!

Selective amnesia and evil siblings must be the most overused plot trick in soaps. True, most games do not require a great background story to work and be fun. Some rare masterpieces do but it is not an absolute requirement.

Then again, at times, Mario saving Princess Peach over and over seems to have a deeper plot than Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands. I do not want to keep making perfectly timed jumps only for the purpose to...reach the next power up which will allow me to simply...jump higher.

DO YOU HAVE ANY DIABLO IN YOU? NO? WOULD YOU LIKE SOME?

Diablo III was to be coming out the same year this game was released (it did not, it came out two full years later). However, anyone who could capitalize on the hype it was creating, tried to do so. Prince of Persia games always had some hack'n'slash action in them, however this installment feels hack'n'slash -heavy as those sequences are not only longer but they also consist of repetitive battles with identical foes. Even the Bosses are nothing more than ...larger versions of the minions you had been slaughtering by the dozens earlier.

LOOK 'MA! I CAN FREEZE WATER!

Not to mention climb on and jump off it. It is a neat trick but all it adds is a few more moves to a game that, essentially, is tough platformer in 3 dimensions instead of the side-scrolling 2D. Of course being able to move in 3 dimensions means you depend on the camera to see where you are going. And the camera placement, more often than not, will be grating on your nerves. Especially when precision timing makes the difference between moving on and jumping to your death - and you start exhausting the number of attempts allowed.

LOST YOU GENNIE CONNECTION? SORRY, YOU ARE OUT OF WISHES EFFENDI!

That's right, someone at UBISOFT, once more, has been laboring to substantiate the "SOFT" part of the company name - as in "SOFT in the head". How else is one to explain the publisher's recent obsession with the most inconvenient DRM scheme ever imagined? Not only does it never lets go of the game we paid for but it also requires a constant online verification to play even a single-player game - in perpetuity!

And before anyone mentions the word "piracy", please check if the same scheme had any effect in protecting Assassin's Creed II from piracy. All this scheme prevents from is legitimate gamers from buying this DRM-ruined game.

Forgotten in the Sands indeed.

Unconsecrated

The original Sacred was a great game that, although not exactly groundbreaking, it offered many hours of hack'n'slash-action/RPG fun. What is more, its publisher had the good sense to price it reasonably from the start and thus fight piracy in the most effective way possible. Apparently its common sense run out.

SACRED II: Fallen Angel, although enjoys more demanding environmental graphics and spell effects, is just another victim of clueless gaming industry executives. Instead of learning from the history of their own game, they'd rather idiotically jump on the "SecuROM/Limited Activations" bandwagon. After all, if they can hide behind the "everyone is doing it" excuse, who can blame them when the game does poorly? 

They are obviously under the illusion that selling at full price a game that is actually rented will fail to be...noticed! Respect is a two way street - and underestimating gamers' intelligence is not a good start.

There were no reviews for this edition (obviously most gamers have been ignoring this game) yet I was informed by the only discussion thread that it still sported the same DRM scheme. Nevertheless, the price had dropped so much it was irresistible. Unfortunately, it was not even worth the bargain-bin price.

The graphics have improved since the first Sacred of course, but they look dated and limited (especially for a game that takes up...12GB of HDD space!); and yet the animations still seem amateurish and stiff.

There are no new ideas, it is hack'n'slash by numbers. Inventory, LogBook, potions, loot...There are all there and yet there is no flavor. And what is with not being able to change the gender and the race of the classes? Who says that a Seraphim cannot be male, a Shadow Warrior female or an inquisitor African?

Now, the game also comes in a (supposedly) "Gold" edition. And I say supposedly because when a commercially flopped, 2-years old game is released in a "Gold" edition, one would expect to include not only its expansion but also all of its its patches. It does come with an auto-patching utility that informed me I have "the latest version" - which disappointingly did not include the Elite Graphics Pack.

Since it is a (extra!) 9GB archive and most PCs are now more than able to handle them, I see no reason why the improved graphics should only be available with the (obsolete) Collector's edition and not the "Gold" edition released years later!

DEEP SILVER could learn a thing or two on how to support and market one's games by the people who published The Witcher.

It is a shame that SACRED II got shot in the foot by its own publisher. Now, instead of being another success, it will simply be another game sacrificed on the alter of corporate Greed and marketing incompetency.

At Fault For Not Keeping His Coloring Within The Lines

I have to start up by saying that I am a huge fun of Barry Eisler. I have greatly enjoyed all six of his Jack Rain novels (highly recommended to anyone!) so my expectations were high even though I knew this was to be a break from that story arc. Having said that, I have to confess that I found the Fault Line to be a disappointment.

Alex is in trouble. He is a lawyer and his client's software under patent seems to have triggered a murderous spree and the list includes his name. Conveniently, his older brother, Ben, is a CIA wet-works operator that has just completed a semi-successful op in Istanbul. Although estranged and barely on speaking terms (not to mention unaware of his brother's true occupation!), Ben is the one Alex calls when it hits the fan. And even if suspension-of-disbelief requirements were not high enough, here come yet another couple of things that gum up this novel from working.

First off, the brothers' back story: it seems to drag on and on forever. We are well past the middle of the book when the narration of events from that fateful night is finally completed. And the switching of perspectives from one brother to the other, not something I would try again. It only manages to add excessive emotional details to an action novel, and without really strengthening anyone's motivation. I suspect that, this being the first book of the new Ben Traven series, it had to suffer a little in the heavy background department; nevertheless, it could had been done more subtly and concisely.

Secondly, there is no such thing as an action novel/political treatise hybrid - and when attempted it simply does not work. Barry's political observations (although accurate and valid) cannot be supported in an action novel. I doubt that any young Iranian lawyer under mortal threat would vent her liberalism on the only man standing between her and her killers because ...she found his employment actions unsanctioned and unconstitutional, even if they clearly are. And any such intelligence professional would had walked away from such a thankless task long before he had to reload his Glock 27.

Whenever there is a tactical situation or an action sequence, that is where Barry Eisler's strengths shine. He is one of the few contemporary writers that can choreograph a close combat scene so beautifully and then describe it in a way that puts you in the thick of it, leaving you looking for bruises on your body and blood spays on your clothes when it is over. Unfortunately, this is not a book that brings out his talents enough.

As someone disillusioned from both the trapping of modern "democracy" and the pseudo-fight between the left and the right, Barry seems to be blossoming into an excellent anarchist. Unfortunately, such insights belong more to a political Blog than an action novel.

I love Barry Eisler's works. I just did not love this one.

Samus Returns To Her Roots - With An Overblast

The METROID franchise was slowly going astray, falling "victim" to innovations that mostly worked yet, at the same time, were turning METROID games into a typical space shooter. Don't get me wrong, I greatly enjoyed the Metroid Trilogy - it just did not give off the sense of a classic METROID game. Well, NINTENDO made sure to take care of that.

Metroid: The Other M is an old-school platform shooter, only equipped with the latest innovations that enhance rather than hinder the true character of the game. Samus Aran can now move in 3D (and not only in a sidescrolling manner), yet this is and feels like a classic platform game. There is some puzzle-solving and expect to spend quite some time in the form of a morphing ball, zipping through pipes, bypassing obstacles, unlocking security doors and finding powerups; and the FirstPerson perspective is still available to deliver devastating missile shots (while keeping Samus stationary and vulnerable to enemy attacks, one cannot play the game as an FPS). Nevertheless, this is an pure action-shooter game that is greatly enjoyable.

Visually this must be the best game I ever played on Wii, with beautiful and distinct environments than never get boring and never interfere with the gameplay. And, following the tradition of the classic Metroid games, the The Other M experience is enhanced by great orchestral music. Nothing epic, but it sure fits the mood of the scene it accompanies.

The Other M is a tad story-heavier than I would have liked and the cinematic sequences are unskipable(?) whereas, annoyingly, the story at times throws Samus in the midst of her enemies with minimal firepower and often without her Varia suit. Other than those minor complains (and the game being a bit short), this is one of the best games I have ever played on a console. I would dare say, this is a title that is comparable to the monumental Super Metroid on the SuperNES.

Only For Its Most Faithful Disciples

It has been eight years since the previous installment of the Disciples franchise. Although this new gospel is, most probably, bound to be branded apocryphal and anticanonical (if not outright heretic), it still offers hours of a good old Turn-Based RolePlaying/Strategy Gaming.

In Disciples III: Renaissance, the graphics have been improved significantly, the gameplay has been streamlined but there are no major deviations from the beaten path. Experience points can now be attributed to either the hero or its units. Buildings and units focus more on quality rather than quantity. The ability tree of the hero can now branch into three specialties (Warlord, Archmage & Guild Master). And, contrary to what we had been used to, only three factions are available (Empire, Legion of the Damned & Elves). In step with the industry's greed, I am guessing the rest of the game will be sold as...DLCs.

Finally, I will refrain from spoiling it for anyone but the story twists do not always leave a pleasant aftertaste. RPG purists prepare to be exposed to some ...ethical variations.

If a TB-RPG gamer, I would suggest Kings Bounty: The Legend instead. However, completionists and hardcore DISCIPLES fans cannot miss on this third installment.

It Wants Its Cut Just For Driving Us Around

Mafia II is is a game with all the trappings of a hit that was to go down smooth - only to turn out the hit was nothing but a setup. And the supposed marks are the ones pulling the strings. Would a made man allow this to happen?

THREADBARE UNDERSHIRTS UNDER FLASHY SILK SUITS

The first thing that grabs you is how dull the graphics look once the (well-done) cinematics end. On top of that, it is not that the environments are badly designed, it is that the same patterns are used over and over resulting in...chain deja-vue episodes. This cookie-cutter approach could had made it easier to get lost - unfortunately, there is not even a chance for that.

FOLLOW THE SCRIPT OR ELSE, CAPICE?

If you enjoyed the freedom experienced in the GTA series, well, do not expect anything close to that degree of sandbox roaming. This a linear game only set on an open-looking background. Which, once more, shows that looks were considered more important than substance. And if you make a mistake and have to reload, be prepared to replay quite a long sequence because this is yet another game with only an autosaving option - and, once more, 2K behaves as if autosaving points are charged by the unit.

JUST KEEP MAKING THE ROUNDS PAISANO!

The next disappointment is how repetitive the gameplay itself is. "Great fighting mechanics" means all of two options: hitting or backstepping. Whereas, "realistic driving" means that your cars handle like boats - and you will still get killed once those 1940's-Detroit death-traps hit a wall or a tree. Realistic? Sure. But fun? Veramente not! All the mini-games and the money-worries are simply too trivial and half-baked to save the day. Fight-by-numbers made it to the big leagues...

NICE SHADES MAN, BUT CAN YOU SEE THROUGH THEM?

As if all of the above were not enough, the camera placement was so bad it reminded me of the notorious NeverWinter Nights. And sometimes, this turns more into a spectacle than a game.

VITO! CLOSE THOSE SHUTTERS, NOW!

I always had a problem with censorship boards (from totalitarian censorship bureaus to Nielsen ratings) but, at the same time, I do respect the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit. Well, Mafia II will manage to enrage both sides of the generation gap. If the slow-news days keep up, expect some "outraged" news-reports on the content of this game before school begins. True, there are numerous instances in which this game justifies its MATURE (17+) rating - but this hardly makes it an adult game. Like a Dutch school painting of children looking like smaller adults, Mafia II offers the juvenile version of a grownup world. I very much doubt that any teenager (which obviously is the target demographic for this game) will be impressed.

And for all this ...fun, we still have to activate the game and tie to permanently to a STEAM account. This is clearly not one of those game you would want to keep, so shouldn't you be able to resell it? Well, 2K GAMES thinks not. You can now make your decision accordingly.

My advice: pass on this infamnia and, instead, get your Mafia fix from a good old Godfather Trilogy weekend. This game is so bad it almost enters cult territory.

But it is also boring so it fails to even do that.

Around the World - In 14 International Dishes

Imagine, like Phileas Fogg, departing foggy London on a bet to embark on a trip around the world.  From England to Continental Europe, to the Middle East and from there to India, the Far East, up to Russia and through America, back to England. Now imagine what one would be eating during such a journey!  

This is clearly not a rated list but, rather, a geographical progression one. Foods one would eat as he is travelling east. The items selected for this list had to comply with the following criteria: the dishes had to be characteristic of the country (even if not exclusive to it – they hardly ever are); they had to be main dishes, no entrées, no deserts (no promises but I will try to include those into another list); they had to be relatively easy to prepare, both ingredients and equipment-wise (no expensive ingredients or open fire roasts, for example); even if they might require spending some time in the ethnic section of your local supermarket, they had not to be overly exotic or acquired tastes. In any case, I am sure this list will be completed by the comments.

More importantly, though, this is an attempt to help answer the age-old question: “what should I cook (or…order in) today?” I limited the number of dishes (and countries, consequently) to 14 so that, for two weeks, cooking planning problem solved! 

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Day 1 - England: Cottage Pie

English cuisine jokes aside, this is one of the most delicious and most easy to prepare English dishes.  Most major food groups are represented and yet it is a very effective comfort food. Cottage Pie is made with beef. Substitute that with lamp and you have the equally famous Shepherd’s Pie. Just make sure to bring it to the table intact because it is a beautiful dish and you should never forget to feed your eyes first.

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 2 - France: Fricasée de Poulet à Tarragon  

Second day of our trip and I think we should feel a bit adventurous. The traditional French chicken fricassee recipe calls for tarragon. However, if you do not favour this herb (or cannot find it at your local market), not to worry, it can be easily substituted with either thyme or rosemary.  Et voilà!

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 3 - Italy: Spaghetti alla Carbonara

This you can do right or you should give it a pass. My mouth waters just by thinking about a good old fashioned carbonara. So, please, do not try to find a light version of this. Its calorie content is supposed to be hard to contain. But this was supposed to be a vacation, remember? 

And you know the best part about pasta? It is even more delicious the next day. Breakfast of champions, if you catch my drift.

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 4 - Greece: Dolmadakia Avgolemono 

This is the Greek equivalent to sushi. Everybody has heard of musaka but after yesterday’s carbonara I think it is time for something more refined and light. Dolmadakia is a traditional Greek dish with grape leaves wrapped around kernels of rice and ground mutton or beef. Wrapping the grape leaves is the tricky part. However, even if your dolmadakia do not look picture perfect the first couple of tries, this still is a hard to fail recipe.  

The egg-lemon sauce (avgolemono) is optional but in case you omit it my advice is to substitute it with some thick Greek yoghurt on the side. (This last combination works miracles if you are nursing a hangover by the way!). (Best recipe can be found here)

Day 5 - Turkey: Lahmacun

I have visited Turkey twice and both times the food was unbelievable! This is the Turkish equivalent to pizza. This carries the fragrances and tastes of the near East, it is very filling yet light and it can be prepared in a very short time (provided you buy pita bread instead of making the flatbread from scratch). (Best recipe can be found here)

Day 6 - Syria: Kofta kebab

Syria is the crossroads of tastes. It is the geographical focal point of European, Middle-Eastern, Christian, and Arabic cuisines.  If you had kofta before (popular anywhere east of Rome and west of Tehran) you know what I am talking about: this is the very best way to savor meat. If you cannot convince your butcher to grind lamp meat for you, beef or pork can also be used. The herbs and spices both compliment and intensify the flavors and the end result is one unforgettable experience.

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 7 - Iraq: Shish taouk

Mesopotamian cuisine may be the most ancient in the world yet they still cannot improve on the shish taouk. For centuries it has been prepared in billions of kitchens, from Lebanon to Bangladesh, and it is very hard to find someone who does not love it. What is not to love? It is chicken kebab, usually on a stick, with garlic, lemon, mustard and mushrooms. If it were a symphony, it would be the Beethoven’s fifth!

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 8 - India: Tandoori Chicken

This is the Indian subcontinent so if you want meat, most probably it will be chicken.  Classic tandoori chicken from India is marinated in yoghurt, lemon juice, and plenty of spices, then grilled or broiled. Plan ahead. This recipe needs to marinate at least 8 hours or overnight. But I promise you, the end result will more than compensate you.

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 9 - Thailand: Gai Med Mamuang 

Whoever thought of combining chicken with cashew nuts deserves a Nobel Prize. Seriously! They gave Henry Kissinger and All Gore one, and they have contributed nothing positive to humanity. This dish though, this will remind you that life is beautiful and full of surprises. An explosion of tastes and fragrances that will take you to beautiful Phuket - even if it is only for the duration of your meal. 

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 10 - China: Sweet and Sour Pork

One of the most popular Sze Chuan dishes. The traditional recipe calls for pineapple, however, keep in mind that most children will just push it aside. So, in case you are cooking for children, I would suggest adding some extra baby corn which they usually like.  

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 11 - Korea: Bul-Dak 

This one will take a bit of bravery. It is spicy stir-fried chicken and (allegedly) it will make a bull out of every man who would try it. Then again, most spicy foods come with such claims. Every time I try it I swear it is my last time. Only to dream about it the very next day. Anyway, it is Thursday night, I say bite the bullet and go for it.

Remember: only milk can make the hotness subside.

(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 12 - Japan: Ramen 

They have made movies based on this traditional Japanese delicacy. It is a soothing soup that also packs not a small portion of protein. Supposedly, no two ramen dishes are identical. Every chef and every cook and every homemaker has his or her secret recipe handed down by a parent or a grandparent who swore them to secrecy. Well, my grandmother used to say that if more than two people know a secret, it is only a matter of time…(Best recipe can be found here)

Day 13 - Russia: Pelmeni

After leaving Japan, we travel up to the frozen port of Arkhangelsk. It is cold and we may be well fed but still tired so it is time for some pelmeni. It is easy to prepare (especially if you visit your frozen good section of your supermarket and buy  the dough to avoid having to make it from scratch). You can play around with the stuffing and they can be served either hot or cold. Leftovers are the ideal late-night snack. (Best recipe can be found here)

Day 14 - USA: Texas-style Fajitas

Out trip around the world is almost complete. Last stop: North America. I remember the very first time I ordered fajitas at a restaurant: I was so embarrassed because they made a big scene bringing in the steaming dish. I also remember the fun I had wrapping up my own fajitas. You can make them with either beef or chicken. Children love them and adults will remember how much fun food can be. 

(Best recipe can be found here)


Now, as to that diet, there is always Monday...

Taking Down An Angel

Only three years in it, and CyberPunk 2077 is the most anticipated release of the decade.

CD PROJECT RED, the gaming Studio behind the legendary Witcher Series is bringing together mature Role-Playing Gaming in a Gibsonian hard-boiled cyberpunk setting.

Based on Mike Podsmith's 1990 Cyberpunk 2020 pen-and-paper RPG, the story has been hinted to borrow and pay homage to numerous pillars of the genre, from Blade Runner to the Sprawl Trilogy.  

Fixers and Nomads, NetRunners and Techies, Razor-Girl Psychos and Max-Tacs - the mix keeps getting ever more explosive by each passing week.

Will it hold until its release in 2015?

Little More Than A Glorified Propaganda B-Movie

Usually success is a combination of talent, hard work and luck. Then again, a movie like this gets the Best Picture Oscar and one can only wonder: did the members of the Academy vote FOR this movie or against James Cameron? Sure, his arrogance did not make things easy; then again, one should not underestimate envy and spite as human motivation.

Inaccuracies and obvious mistakes run rampant; the Saving Private Ryan -wannabe camera shakes you into nausea; the plot line is abandoned in the sand again and again and (what is worse) there is absolutely nothing waiting at the end. No catharsis, no message, no moral, no closure. Nothing.

Platoon defined the Vietnam war not only with its realism and its ability to paint all the shades of moral ambiguity but also because because it had the guts to send a clear political message. In dire contrast, The Hurt Locker offers only a deafening silence on all these aspects.

The movie presents this war, with some of the sacrifices and atrocities it entails, as inevitable and expected. Keep enlisting, keep fighting and keep dying for the corporations and the banks - but don't you dare speak your opinion on the matter. Its message is a cowardly "don't ask - and we are not going to tell you why either".

Because self-censorship is the worse kind of censorship, this is Hollywood at its worse.

A spineless pseudo-documentary masquerading as an art movie. A cowardly film trying to capitalize on the stories of brave men thrown into unwinnable war.

A film made by errand boys, sent by grocery clerks, to make sure the bill of blood is being paid in full. Again and again.

Pass. With extreme prejudice.

If Batman Had A Camera On His Belt...

...this Lumix DMC-TS2 would be it!

I was looking for a camera I could take with me to the beach or rafting without ever worrying about it. I wanted something I could drop in a backpack, leave it on the sand and take it in the sea without giving it a second thought. By now I am a satisfied PANASONIC/Lumix customer, ever since my favorite FZ28K (the most convenient creativity camera) and my trusted TZ8 (the perfect city-tourist camera).

So, when, after all the research it came between this camera and the Olympus Stylus Tough-8000, I showed some brand-name loyalty and went with the Lumix. And the important thing is that I never regretted it.

This camera comes with a very bright wide-angle 28mm Leica lens which is optically stabilized, capturing on a 14.1MP sensor and an adequate 4.6x zoom (128mm). Typical for a Lumix, it has a working intelligent Auto (iA) setting that gives you a piece of mind: perfect photos every time, without having to fidget with the settings.

Departing from the auto settings, the camera offers almost 20 shooting modes, 5 color modes, 6 focus modes and decent aperture range (f/3.3 to f/10) and shutter speeds (8 to 1/1300).

The camera is Waterproof up to 10m/33ft (which means you can safely take it splashing and snorkeling but not diving without an extra casing). So far, neither condensation nor sand have slipped through the seals.

It is also advertised to be Shockproof to drops up to 2m/6.6ft and Freeze-proof -10C (claims I have yet to test - no, I am not putting it in the freezer, it will have to wait 6 months for the slopes to open!).

For such a small lens (and such a dense sensor - will the MegaPixel-war ever cease?) there is surprisingly little noise. Given enough light the pictures are flawless. When indoors or with limited light the ISO will increase and so will the noise. I can understand such things to be important to photography enthusiasts but for the purposes I bought it, this is an excellent camera.

I don't usually use my photo camera for videos but it is nice to know the option is there. The video (up to 1280x720) can be captured either in AVCHD Lite format or AVI (make sure to have a large enough memory card if saving in AVI). As an added bonus, you can zoom while shooting a video and (almost) no whirring noise registers.

My only gripes are that the position of the lens is something I had to get used to (unless I wanted to both include my left hand in the shot and leave smudges on the lens) and that there is no viewfinder. Understandable for a compact camera but having the sun behind you will test the anti-glare capability of the 2.7' LCD.

The camera comes in 4 colors: inox-gray, royal-blue, metallic-yellow and safety-orange. I opted for the later out of vanity (it... matches the orange details of my summer watch) - but as an added bonus it is really easy to find even if it has slipped to the bottom of your backpack.

An excellent action camera that is actually Made in Japan.

The Suit! My Kingdom For The Suit!

This game took the really scenic route before, finally, finding its way home. Release dates were pushed back, again and again; publishers were changed (from ATARI to SIERRA), like horses while crossing a river: an equally bad idea. What finally reached the shore was nothing to brag about...

TimeShift runs for about 10-15 hours, not short yet not long either by regular standards (I mean "regular", mind you, not HalfLife2 Episodes which run shorter than demos). In all those hours the story never manages to engage you. Time travel has always been a mind bender to grasp - and this is especially true when the story is tissue-paper thin...True, most FPS games do not have thicker stories, yet great FPS games all had a much higher immersion factor.

In the original Unreal you tried to escape an alien planet. In HalfLife2 you either wandered the alien-infested underground Black Mesa or doing Mr Smith's biding in combine-controlled City 17. In Far Cry you investigated the attack on your boat by a group of mutant-creating mercenaries. In Max Payne, oh, don't get me started on Max Payne... In TimeShift you try to, well, get back a time-shifting suit from the evil doctor and then go back in time to amend the bad things he already did. Yeah, really exciting...

TimeShift manages to stay afloat by improving on old idea. Remember Max Payne's bullet-time? Well, in TimeShift you can actually stop or even reverse time. This is not unlimited of course and it has rather slow recharge cycle but it provides with a number of interesting possibilities: dodge bullets, throw back the live grenade, disarm the opponents and then use their own weapons against them...(if you die though, you do stay dead).

AI? What AI? I don't know whether it is due to going back and forth in time, but your enemies never raise above flatlined. Even without slowing time they will just walk in front of your mowing machine gun...

The one thing that did improve by the long wait were the graphics. Compared to early-released demos, there seems that a lot of work has been put into all of textures, surfaces and shadows. Slow time and watch for the explosions: they are really impressive! Combine this with a collection of really imaginative and impressive weapons and you have TimeShift major success. Incendiary projectiles anyone? And I really liked the abundance of ammo! (some FPS are so stingy with their ammo crates, you would think they actually had to pay for them!)