Game Review - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Game Review - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Released by Sony Entertainment
Platform: PS3
It's been a strong end to the year on the gaming front, with the likes of Batman Arkham City redefining the third person adventure genre.
And now, into the fray comes Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.
The latest from Naughty Dog is simply a cinematic wonder and a game to engross yourself in.
There's plenty of storyline here and to be honest, to reveal too much of it would really take some of the surprises away from you. It begins with Nathan Drake being caught in a bar brawl in England and it doesn't let up from there, taking in planes, deserts, and many more worldwide locations.
Throw in flashbacks and other bits and bobs, and there's plenty to absorb yourself in here.
But the thing is with Uncharted 3 is just how good it looks; every cut scene's been lovingly put together, with plenty of detail and plot worthy of a good cinema script. Add in some amazingly good graphic work and you can begin to see why this is such a visually impressive experience.
Gameplay wise, it's just as good - granted, there are a few frustrations as some missions give way to trying to work out exactly what you're doing, making it just that bit trickier to ascertain what's expected of you. But the challenge is certainly an enduring one and one which raises the bar for the Uncharted franchise. Regardless of whether you play a one person game or take the multiplayer option, there's certainly a lot to keep you entertained and challenged for hours.
I can't wait to see what they do next with this blend of Indiana Jones and console gaming - it's one hell of an experience, one hell of a game and one hell of a contender for game of the year.

Rating: 9/10 

Game Review: Rayman Origins

Game Review: Rayman Origins

Rayman Origins
Released by Ubisoft
Platform: PS3
I've never encountered Rayman before - even though he appeared on the scene back in 1995.
However, if this latest platformer is anything to go by, I'll certainly be seeking out some of his former outings.
The side scrolling game, which can accommodate four players in total, sees Rayman having to fight off enemies in levels, gather up "Electoons" (a kind of emoticon but I'm guessing they couldn't use that exact name), Lums (a kind of firefly creature with a sunshiney glow) and free the Nymphs of the world after an Underworld granny is disturbed and unleashes her minions upon them.
And that description will tell you everything you need to know about Rayman - if you'd not met him before.
The cartoonish graphics are perhaps best described as demented and reminiscent in some ways of Ren and Stimpy; however, Rayman Origins is very, very playable and ever so slightly addictive in its madness. Whether it's bounding around collecting lums, blasting grannies or climbing on mosquitos and shooting through the skies, there's a collective lunacy to this French based game which is highly endearing and utterly addictive.
Each level has several aims within - you have to either collect a certain number of Lums, achieve a time goal or get through unscathed. It means each level rewards multi plays and if you're just short of a target number, you'll bound right back into it straight away.
Rayman Origins is at heart, a really good fun platformer - with the multi player options, different animation and ease of play, it's great fun right from the get go for gamers of any age - and for those who've never been part of the franchise, it's a great leaping in point.

Rating: 8/10 

Cars 2: Blu Ray Review

Cars 2: Blu Ray Review

Cars 2
Rating: PG
Released by Sony Home Ent and Disney
So, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his pal Mater (Larry The Cable Guy) return in this sequel to the 2006 smash about animated cars.

This time round, there's more racing mixed in with a heavy side of industrial espionage.

When McQueen's goaded into taking part in the World Grand Prix by the flashy racing car Francesco (John Turturro), he pulls together a team to help him win the day. On that team is hillbilly tow truck and long term friend Mater. But through a series of mix ups, Mater finds himself involved in Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and his quest to break an industrial spy ring
And that causes rifts between the two friends - can the rocky road to winning bring them back together in this global adventure?

There's nothing wrong with this sequel - it's bright, it's flashy and its animation is once again top notch (particularly the absolutely incredible global backgrounds which are brought to life)- and it's great entertainment for the young (and admittedly the young at heart.)

But I felt a little let down at the end of it - the adventures of Mater take top billing and sideline McQueen to the pitstop and I think in some ways, that's where it lacks a little heart and warmth as you'd come to expect from a Pixar flick. The film's very much a derring do tale of spies and espionage but it suffers a little from a lack of comedy as it treads the usual "embarassed by my buddy abroad" and "Culture clash" ground. There are laughs and some smart visual gags here and there, but I think this one's more aimed at the younger end (and the kids at the screening loved it) than the whole gamut as other Pixar films are wont to do.
Extras: Commentary, brilliant Toy Story short and little else

Rating: 6/10

My Afternoons with Margueritte: DVD Review

My Afternoons with Margueritte: DVD Review

My Afternoons with Margueritte
Released by Warner Home Video

Gerard Depardieu stars in this gently Gallic rustic piece about friendship.

He plays Germain Chazes a man who starts the film kicking down a door after being ripped off for doing a job.
On a walk back home he meets Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus) a kindly old lady and a friendship is slowly born through a shared book and a love of stories, as well as feeding the local pigeons

My Afternoons with Margueritte is a gentle and pleasant piece which is as breezy as a summer cloud.

It's a sweet piece about the regrets of the past - Depardieu, looking incredibly portly and like Obelix from the French comics, is affable and loveable enough as he negotiates a monstrous mother who along with school has held him back for years as various flashbacks explain. Equally his friendship with Casadesus is easy and understandable as they continue to meet - it contrasts nicely with the harsh ribbing he takes from friends at a local cafe.

There's a sweet vibe to this film which wafts you along with it in a very simple way. It may not be the most memorable of pieces but it's certainly uplifting and heart warming as it plays out before you.

Rating: 6/10 

The Inbetweeners Season 3: DVD Review

The Inbetweeners Season 3: DVD Review

The Inbetweeners Season 3
Rating: M
Released by Hopscotch Ent and Roadshow
All good things have to come to an end.
So it is with the series The Inbetweeners. Well, as you'd expect when a show's based on high school kids.
In the final batch of six episodes, Will, Jay, Neil and Simon all return for more humiliation and innuendo as they enter their last year at school. This time, fashion shows, visits to uni and a camping trip form the basis of their outings - and once again, the writing feels fresh, funny and as rude as ever before.
The chemistry between the main quartet is startlingly good and the writing's as sharp as ever in this final run. Thankfully those involved saw the sense in finishing this now while the going's good.
Extras: A good solid bunch and a nice wrap up to these three releases.

Rating: 7/10 

Project Nim: Movie Review

Project Nim: Movie Review

Project Nim
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Nim The Chimp, Bob Angelini, Bern Cohen and Renne Falitz
Director: James Marsh
In 1970s Manhattan, a newborn chimp was taken from its mother and deposited in a family home as part of an experiment to see if said chimp can pick up sign language and construct sentences.
Nim was the chimp - and the effects of what happened forms the basis of this engrossing and horrifying documentary from the team who made Man On Wire.
Don't worry, it's not a precursor to Planet of the Apes, more of a look at how far we can go sometimes as humans and it's terrifying in many ways.The doco uses home movie footage and pictures and modern day interviews to construct a well told tale and a journey which will occasionally leave you agog as to what was achieved,what was abandoned and what the cost was to our humanity and those whose lives Nim was part of.

This doco is utterly mesmerizing, heartbreaking and also wondrous in its narrative style - disappointingly,some questions are left unanswered but what emerges is a tale of betrayal, mistrust, anger and a chimp who changed lives. A remarkably good doco Project Nim is a stylish and engaging piece looking at the human condition.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part One: Movie Review

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part One: Movie Review

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part One
Rating: See below
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner,
Director: Bill Condon
So it's finally here.
The final film of the Twilight Saga franchise - well, the first part of it anyway - heads onto Kiwi cinema screens amid mass expectation from the fans, and to be frank, a little indifference from anyone who's not a Twihard.
This time around after years of anticipation, it's all about the wedding of human Bella (Stewart) and sparkly vamp boy Edward Cullen (RPatz). Well, that and the monstrous after effects...
Despite protestations from occasionally shirtless wolf shapeshifting boy and former partial love, Jacob (sulky Lautner), Bella marries Edward and the pair head away for Rio de Janeiro to celebrate their honeymoon and consummate their long drawn out courtship.
But when Bella becomes pregnant, the ramifications for the fractured relationships between wolves and vamps bubble up to the surface again and with the uncertainty of what the unborn child will do to an already strained truce between the two races, these two have more than post wedding blues to deal with.
It's really quite difficult to review this latest installment of the Twilight Saga as a critic because quite frankly, like the final Harry Potter film earlier this year, it's simply reviewer proof and will do the box office business whatever the naysayers say.
Over nearly two hours, to be honest, very little actually happens; there's a wedding and a lot of skulking/ brooding and worrying/foreshadowing about the future, complete with scenes on their honeymoon which are lashed with copious emo style music and with swirling camera motions and long draping shots of the duo. The dialogue is once again, as you've come to expect in the Twi-saga wooden, stilted and sounds terrible when voiced. Comments like "I won't kill you; that's too easy - you deserve to live with this" and "You only killed monsters - you saved more lives than you took" simply come across as laughable and do nothing to give any real depth to the film itself. Along with the moment when the baby's name is revealed as Renesmee, to hear characters spouting "It's beautiful, it's unique" and trying their best to be earnest is just laughable.
But I'm guessing any Twihard fan will consider these moments romantic and dramatic; and will swoon over Edward telling his new wife "Last night was the best night of my existence", because you're meant to remember what it's like to be romantic and in love. Granted, Kristen Stewart gives a good performance as her awkward doubts and fears over devoting her life to one man for eternity give way to the horrors of the unborn child destroying her from within. And the effects which accompany her descent into ill health are well presented and shocking. As for Taylor Lautner's sulking Jacob and RPatz's brooding Edward, they're both not offering anything at all and are quite stilted in places. The wedding scene at the start is actually well done and beautiful but a swirling soundtrack and Condon's propensity to lash every scene with music makes you feel a little like you're being beaten into submission.
While the scenes of fighting vamps and wolves were quite strong and well done in previous films, this time around, they're gloomy and hard to watch as they all take place in the dark. Plus one scene where a pack of wolves carry out a mental confrontation which is pivotal to Jacob is quite frankly likely to give you the giggles. Equally the love scene which is supposed to be intense and violent as is befitting their nature is now just a series of moments, soft focus cutaways and primarily the punchline to a joke.
I think where some of this film's failing comes from is its accessibility (or lack thereof).
Whereas the final Harry Potter film was entirely watchable if you'd not seen what had gone already, Breaking Dawn - Part One feels in places, quite impenetrable. The whole thing is clearly aimed at those who've been with the franchise all the way; and those who don't know their vamps from their wolves, their Cullens from their Quileute may feel a little lost.
Ultimately, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part One is going to be loved by the fans of the franchise for what it actually delivers; this is, after all, what they've been waiting for as it all finally ends. They'll love what transpires on the screens from their heroes and heroine as they're invested in it; and it's likely the end of the first part will have them frothing in a frenzy about what the second half will bring next year. Anyone else who watches this film may feel that this series has been going on for too long, is running a little short on creative ideas and that it's time it was staked and turned to dust.

Rating: Twihards: 8/10; Non-Twihards 4/10