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.