I Am Alive: PS3 Game Review

Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: PS3

Let's be honest here - who of us would survive in a post apocalyptic world if we had to?

Surely, many of us would quiver like jellies and crumble to the floor in the foetal position. That's certainly the challenge facing you as the player of new survival game, I Am Alive.

You're a survivor as dust swirls around streets, littered with cars and no easy option of escape. But armed with the overbearing desire to save your family, you're heading out into the wilds, risking what you can and scrounging whatever you can to survive in this grey, grainy world where shocks lurk around every corner.

This is no Resident Evil style carnage - society's broken down and groups of survivors are out to get what they can and fight whenever necessary in this accomplished game from Ubisoft.

But as you head further into the city, first off getting to your old apartment, it soon becomes clear this isn't a game where you hack and shoot your way to survival; this is a game which really taxes the grey matter and compels you to think about your every move and to plan a strategy; it's clever stuff.

Case in point - you have a gun, but initially no bullets - so you're without a weapon per se, but you're not powerless; because pointing that weapon at someone approaching you has the effect of intimidation...However, what happens when they realise you're without bullets?

It's questions like this and having to use your brain that make I Am Alive such a successful and atmospheric experience; while it's not ideal that your stamina metre depletes so quickly (rendering simple tasks like climbing and running away from trouble occasionally difficult to achieve without dying), you begin to learn the quirks of the game's format and adapt your play to them.

Occasionally though, there are frustrations to the play - sometimes you can run to the edge of an area with ease and at other times, the computer stops your character dead in a place you'd thought you'd be able to access as the screen carries on - eg occasionally you can jump gaps and other times, while the gaps are the same, you can't jump over them. It's a minor niggle but one which, from time to time, prevents fluid gameplay.

You'll need patience and determination to get through this and while it can occasionally be frustrating and graphically lacking, I Am Alive is certainly an immersive game which will grip you in its tense paranoia like vice before letting you go.

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Resident Evil - Operation Raccoon City - PS3 Review

Resident Evil - Operation Raccoon City - PS3 Review

Released by Capcom
Platform: PS 3

I've never been much of a player of the Resident Evil franchise of games.

Despite the massive popularity of the games and inexplicably the movie franchise, I've never succumbed to their offerings - so it was a little tentatively that I took on Operation Raccoon City.

Sure, I understand the appeal of holding back the undead hordes and fighting and shooting to save the day, but to be honest, I don't think anything had prepared me for this latest.

In this release, you're part of the Umbrella corporation and given the job of trying to contain a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City. But you're not alone in his as you're part of a squad whose job it is to blast them into pieces and make sure the spread doesn't continue.

First person shooters can at times be difficult to get just right - and while Op Raccoon City isn't a bad entrant into the genre, it can take a little while to make sure you're playing to your character's strengths rather than simply blundering about getting shot.

The pull of this game is really in the co-op nature of it- being part of a squad gives it a nice touch which is welcome from the tedium of simply shooting everything around you and moving on. Working with your teammates helps you achieve at the end of the levels and gives you access to power ups and weapons which help you more than anything else.

It occasionally shoots itself in the foot though as you can blunder into colleagues and find yourself against a wall when you're trying to get to the other side of the room making it difficult to fight off attacks.

All in all, I didn't mind playing Operation Raccoon City - it's just that I didn't thoroughly enjoy the experience of the single player mode as the novelty wears off pretty quickly as you're shooting, moving on, fighting and then moving on. A little more satisfying is the co-operative mode and online version - but even then the gaming flaws  here and there are still present.

If you're a Resident Evil fan, no doubt the name alone will have been enough of a drawcard to hook you in - otherwise though, I'd offer caution of trying before you buy this title.

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Marvel's Avengers smashes NZ box office on opening day

It should be no real surprise that the Marvel's Avengers has opened to rather large box office numbers.

CHECK OUT THE MARVEL'S AVENGERS MOVIE REVIEW HERE

In figures just released, it's been revealed that on its opening day, according to Disney's release -

"Marvel’s The Avengers has smashed the New Zealand box office on its opening day of release with a record breaking NZD$1,019,844.00. The result puts the film at the number one position of all time openings surpassing the current holder Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 (NZD$975,109).

The stunning opening makes Marvel’s The Avengers the biggest opening day in New Zealand history and
represents the number one Disney Studios opening day, ahead of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (NZD$513,290.00).

“The most anticipated blockbuster for the year Marvel’s The Avengers has really lit up the box office with this stunning opening – Disney and Marvel’s biggest yet in New Zealand. The Avengers is testament to fabulous storytelling combined with a blockbuster cast and world-renowned director - this superhero epic is a must-see for all New Zealand fans and film lovers!,” said John Cracknell, senior vice president & managing director The Walt Disney Company, Australia and New Zealand."

And by way of celebrating, here's a couple of Avengers featurettes for you.


One of which is a featurette on Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow...

Meet the Prometheus crew

The Prometheus crew are slowly being unveiled.

In the latest promotional material from Ridley Scott's forthcoming scifi flick, there's some new insights into the characters of the Prometheus crew.

We've already had the Happy Birthday David video and a whole range of images from Prometheus unveiled...

Feast your eyes on the images below...First up an artefact.

Then the crew of the Prometheus themselves...David, Shaw, Janek and Vickers.

Prometheus hits NZ cinemas on June 7th.

Starring the likes of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, this is likely to be one of the biggest sci fi hits of the year - and we get it a few hours before America does too.

Rumour has it as well, a new Prometheus trailer is due very soon....stay tuned.

Tintin gets the VIP treatment

Just briefly - for fans of Herge's Tintin, some good news this weekend if you're in Auckland.

The Adventures of Tintin got released on DVD and Blu Ray this week and to celebrate, those behind a very cool book about the film The Art of the Adventures of  Tintin hit the City of Sails to talk about the book and the WETA made film.

Details are below....

The Most Fun You Can Have Dying: Movie Review

The Most Fun You Can Have Dying

Cast: Matt Whelan, Roxanne Mesquida

Director: Kristin Marcon

Fresh from taking the lead as Brad in Go Girls, here's Matt Whelan's latest attempt to conquer the big screen (after the success of My Wedding and Other Secrets).

He is Michael, who has a relatively carefree existence down in Hamilton - he's prone to the excesses of youth - the hedonistic partying, rooting and drinking and not giving a damn about the morning after. He's even happy to cheat on his best mate and steal a quickie with his girlfriend - those kind of naivetes of youth.

But his world is turned upside down when he's diagnosed with end stage liver cancer.

Suddenly, his self absorbed world has an end date on it; his youthful shelf life is brought crashing down around him.

So, when $200,000 is raised for his cancer treatment, in a moment of self calculated selfishness, Michael steals the money and heads to Europe to live life to the full - and with anyone who wants to join him.

Into his life after a beating, stumbles French drifter Sylvie (Mesquida),whom Michael falls for.

But it's not just Michael who has secrets...and the clock is running out.

The Most Fun You Can Have Dying starts off with a punky bang and doesn't really let up from there.

For a debut film (albeit based on a book), it's an exciting proposition and Marcon certainly brings some flourish to the table - using European locations to give a Kiwi film a point of difference is one of the best. It's great to see a New Zealand film start off here and head out globally giving it that scope and worldwide appeal that's sometimes lacking in other flicks. It's stylish and got a great soundtrack too as well.

Matt Whelan is mightily impressive as Michael, who chooses hedonism over hellish wasting away; it's a testament to his acting prowess that he imbues Michael with a real watchability and gives the nastier sides of his personality a rogueish roughness which is relatable given his circumstances. Whelan certainly steps up his acting from his Go Girls Brad character. It's difficult as well because it's not as if Michael's a particularly decent chap given what he's going through - sure, you can understand it to a degree but there's only so much terrible behaviour you can forgive.

The Most Fun You Can Have Dying is an admirable Kiwi film - while it's not quite as engaging as it could be, it's cerainly well put together (Europe gives it a great global feel as I've mentioned) and watchable, if occasionally flawed and distant.

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The Way Movie Review

The Way Movie Review

Cast: Martin Sheen, Deborah Kara Unger, James Nesbitt, Yorick van Wageningen
Director: Emilio Estevez

Martin Sheen stars in this film directed by his son Emilio.

Sheen stars as Thomas Avery, a widowed ophthalmologist, who's also estranged from his son, Daniel. Avery's drive these days is his work but one day, his world is shattered when he gets a call from a French policeman telling him that his son's dead.

Daniel had been killed in the Pyrenees, walking the Camino de Santiago, a Christian pilgrim route made by thousands. This news, coupled with the fact Thomas wasn't sure why Daniel was doing the route, throws his world into turmoil.

So, setting out to retrieve the body in France, Tom decides on the spur of the moment to walk the route himself - to try and reacquaint himself with his son and find out why he was doing what he was doing.

But along the way - and despite his many protestations to the contrary, he falls in with three other walkers. Joost, an overweight man from Amsterdam, Sarah, a bitter Canadian and Jack, an Irish travel writer who's trying to beat writer's block.

The Way is a gentle, unassuming and moving film which has an emotional resonance from beginning to end.

Thanks, in a large part, due to Martin Sheen's subtly layered performance; the guy is a powerhouse of an acting talent who takes you through this road movie despite its occasional faults and flashbacks to Tom and Daniel's relationship. His tetchy and grumpy Tom is very relatable and watchable as the film unfolds and his dynamic with the other travellers is perfectly understandable for anyone who's been backpacking.

Of the rest of the cast, van Wageningen gets the lion's share of funny lines (his pilgrim is there to lose weight but can't help but eat at every stop to ensure he enjoys the journey); Kara Unger bristles with simmering anger and Nesbitt irritates as the writer. Perhaps that's some of Estevez's intention with Nesbitt's character - he doesn't show until later into the film and is the catalyst for some changes but his initial appearance is, unfortunately, nothing short of annoying. Thankfully, this quartet is inextricably linked through their walk together and thier bond is compelling and may leave you close to tears at times.

Estevez does a good job of this writer/ director piece - even if he does occasionally sentimentally over-egg the pudding by inserting shots of Tom seeing Daniel at key moments on the walk. It's unnecessary and heavy handed. But beautiful shots of scenes along the way help to hint at something a little majestic in places.

While The Way is perhaps predictable in plot and denouement, it's simply unmissable as a piece of inspirational cinema- it's the characters' dynamics and relationships which make it so enjoyable and  touching; as a character piece, it's gentle, unassuming, touching, reflective, emotionally satisfying and soulful.

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