Jurassic World Trailer: Quick Thoughts.

Just some quick thoughts on this trailer:

Chris Pratt is the man right now.

I like the blue/blue+white colour scheme. It’s easy on the eyes and makes a refreshing change from the oldchool red logo, and shows that this represents a new era in the franchise. Even though there are too many blue and orange movies out there right now and the trailer is filled with them.

The CGI is not particularly impressive but it’s still in early development so I’ll withhold judgement for now.

The advanced tech being used for tourist transportation is pretty cool. I can’t wait till everything goes to hell and this stuff malfunctions.

Are those trained raptors at the end?

This hybrid dinosaur sounds quite cool. People are speculating that this means the series is going off the rails into new territory but I reckon it’ll still be dinosaury enough for most fans, and I doubt it’ll be a human/dino hybrid that some of the early scripts hinted at.

Finally, more dinosaurs on the big screen again. Why aren’t there more movies like this?

Star Wars Rebels: First Impressions.

Star Wars is back on TV screens again, not in the live action format that some have been hoping for, but another animated kid’s show in the style of the acclaimed The Clone Wars series. Whereas the previous series took place between Star Wars episodes 2 and 3, this one takes place between episodes 3 and 4, covering the rise of the new Empire and the titular rebels who fight against it.

Disney have gone with an ensemble cast format, featuring the crew of a Millennium Falcon-like ship called the Ghost. We get to know this universe largely through the eyes of Ezra: a force sensitive teenager who is clearly a stand-in for the shows young target demographic, who joins the motley crew in the first episode. The show features their continued efforts to spoil the party for the Empire through theft and sabotage whilst making a profit for themselves. Fans of Firefly and Cowboy Bebop will probably enjoy this series. In fact, the show features the voice of Steve Blum who also voiced Spike of Cowboy Bebop fame, so the inspirations are clearly there. He plays a similarly muscular character here known as Zeb, and is the Chewbacca of the crew (if Chewbacca could talk).

Other crew members include a “cowboy Jedi” (voiced by Freddie Prinze, Jr.), who serves as an Obi-Wan like mentor to Ezra but with far more attitude and a lot less experience. There’s also a Twi’lek pilot, a Mandalorian Graffiti artist, and an astromech droid named “Chopper” who serves as the spunky and obnoxious stand in for R2-D2.

This format of rascals in space who aim to misbehave gives the show a far more focused look at the Star Wars universe than the grand sweeping space opera of The Clone Wars, which had a sizeable cast and would often split its characters off into different groups in order to demonstrate the scale of the war. Instead of beleaguered bureaucrats and Jedi generals leading their clone troops, the show concentrates on a ragtag crew on the fringes of the galaxy, trying to survive against the monolithic empire. For fans of the original trilogy who hate the “space politics” of the prequels and the Clone War era, this is a welcome return to an age of outnumbered and outgunned rebels in a rusty used-universe setting that the original trilogy did so well, fighting against an overwhelming force and using their wits and pluck to survive. It features very similar visuals such as oldschool Stormtroopers and Tie Fighters, as well as a return of some of John Williams original themes, so it definitely feels like we’re back in the same era again.

Is it any good? Well it’s definitely made with a younger audience in mind, so quite a bit of the dialogue is totally corny, but it’s a decent enough look into the Star Wars world which should please long term fans, especially with its return to the original trilogy era.

The Clone Wars now has a reputation among fans for beginning as a rather immature, basic show aimed at kids which later reached new heights of sophistication (and improved animation). Time will tell if this series follows the same path, but it would not be a surprise if we eventually saw some darker, more mature plots going on amidst the fun of the series misbehaving-in-space formula. My favourite episodes of Clone Wars series were the episodes that focused exclusively on the clone troopers themselves, and the ways in which they were brutally and inhumanely exploited. This series’ equivalent seems to be episodes that portray the cruelty and fascism of the empire, which we have seen a little of in the episodes so far, and will almost certainly see a lot more of in the future. There is definite room for interesting themes and social commentary, harking back to the best of the Clone Wars and Firefly. So far it’s been reasonably enjoyable and I look forward to seeing more.

Ghost In The Shell MMO Trailer.

A lot of people seem to be saying this looks like a generic shooter, now that even Call of Duty is giving players super strength and jetpacks and that kind of stuff. I think it looks all right, though it’ll have a hard time convincing fans if there’s no plot elements – because if there’s no storyline then it’s just a basic FPS with GITS skins. Either way, I’m a massive fanboy of the franchise so I’ll at least check it out. Here’s hoping there’s some semblance of a storyline. I’d also like to know why the Laughing Man symbol is appearing on people’s heads when they die.

I’m not entirely sure GITS needs an MMO, especially as GITS seemed to be almost over after the Arise series. It feels a lot like when The Matrix Online was released a few years after the main trilogy had already finished. However, if there is a strong enough interest in both Arise and this game, could this mean that there’s more GITS media on the way? I don’t see any real reason why the SAC series couldn’t have continued for many more seasons, so why not?

First “Minions” Movie Trailer released.

So it’s a prequel about the journey the Minions made before the Despicable Me films. Kind of a brave move as they seem to be speaking in their own language for the whole film, despite their popularity. Then again they are arriving in New York, so perhaps this means there’ll be humans in the film and the majority of the trailer is just an opening montage for their adventures in Manhattan. That’s my bet anyway.

Alien: Isolation.

Alien: Isolation was made for me. A huge fan of the original 1979 sci-fi horror classic, I consider it to be one of my favourite films of all time, up there with Ridley Scott’s other masterpiece, Blade Runner. This makes me basically the ideal target demographic for the game, and as a result this review is probably going to be pretty biased, but oh well here goes nothing.

This is a real treat for fans of the original movie. Creative Assembly have lovingly crafted a videogame homage to the cult classic. When first loading up the game, it’s evident that the developers have put a lot of effort into recreating the look and feel of the original film and its late 70’s grit. The game even starts with a grainy looking 20^th Century fox logo. Once the game has started, you’re able to find your bearings and explore this world, discovering a retro universe that matches the style of the original film. Observant fans will delight in seeing little details from the ‘79 classic everywhere in the level design, right down to the sound effects of vents opening and alarm systems blaring. The game is filled with primitive, boxy technology of the late 70’s and early 80’s like tape decks, and ancient looking computers with green command-line style UI. This is a minimalist world in which technology has stagnated and gone backwards: a wonderfully nihilistic, rusty, analogue world far from our modern digital dreamscapes and stuck in the ass-end of space surrounded by pipes, vents, bolts and lockers. The game does a good job of grounding the player in the physical, hard and unforgiving landscape. It looks just like the film.

So it looks and feels right, but what about the experience – the real meat of the gameplay? Well the game has you play as Amanda Ripley – Ellen’s Daughter – looking for her mother some years after her mysterious disappearance. She ends up marooned on a vast space port known as Sevastopol, and it seems the majority of the inhabitants have been killed. It isn’t long before the star of the show: the Xenomorph shows up; and its interaction with the player make up the majority of the game’s character.

Fortunately, the Alien is handled extremely well and Creative Assembly get just about everything right. You can’t kill the Alien, you can’t outrun it. You can however, hide from it and if you’re lucky you can sneak past unnoticed. Later in the game, you can find weapons that ward it off, but only for a while and it will quickly return angrier and more aggressive than before – and it will know where you are. One of the core game mechanics and by far the game’s most intelligent design feature is the Xenomorph’s A.I. Unlike other horror games that have the player encounter enemies in scary locations, the Alien actually hunts you down, with surprising intelligence and tenacity. He can appear at almost any point in the game, with few exceptions and when he does you better run for cover because he will find you and he will kill you. You will probably die a lot, and it’s a good thing. You will spend the majority of the game staying low and quiet, peeking round corners and hiding in lockers. Even for the ultra-careful, there are of course levels which force you to confront the Alien, so there’s no getting away forever.

When I first saw Alien it was the tensest film I had seen, and the game recreates the heart-pounding intensity perfectly. You will need to pay close attention to your surroundings in this game, as not noticing a vent or making too much noise will get you killed time and time again. It’s this dedication to constantly keeping the tension raised that makes the game a great survival horror, as well as the game’s refusal to handhold or coddle the player. Sound is especially important in this game, and fortunately it’s really well done. I was playing on a small TV and I still feel myself jump when I can hear the alien come out of a vent behind me. This is best played in the dark and with the sound turned up. The motion tracker in particular creates a lot of the game’s scares, as you can tell by the little beeps that the Xeno is coming, but you aren’t always sure where he is going to crop up. The game doesn’t pull any punches with the alien, and he will show up if he is nearby and hears you using equipment or opening doors. This leads to some incredibly tense moments as you frantically try to complete objectives like operating a computer or cutting your way through a door with your back turned to the room, hoping that he won’t hear you and attack when your back is turned. You’ll need to collect any supplies you come across in order to craft useful items to use as weapons or distractions, whilst other equipment you find can help you get into previously inaccessible areas. Even the save system, which some people aren’t happy with, helps to add to the relentless tension. Taking the oldschool gaming route, the game doesn’t provide many checkpoints and you can only save the game at designated save points (you can even be attacked whilst doing so if enemies are near!). This is frustrating if you keep dying over and over again but it really helps add to the immersion as it’s such a welcome relief when you find a save point and can take a breather knowing that your progress is safe until the next section. It’s also refreshing to find a game that doesn’t patronise the player or isn’t designed for kids to be able to beat when they get it for Christmas. It is a difficult game that requires patience. Stealth is nearly always the best option.

The game is by far one of the tensest and scariest that I have played and totally nails the dark tone that the Alien franchise needs. There are even levels dedicated entirely to the atmosphere, which shows how far the developers are willing to go and how much the game is about immersion and experience rather than run and gun action. Even when the game does ramp up the gunplay and the killing, you are still often hopelessly outmatched and will have to use your wits to survive. You always feel vulnerable and exposed, helpless.

There isn’t much plot to this nihilistic nightmare in space, nor should there be really. The story has a lot of interesting links to the first film, and adds some unique designs such as the “Working Joe” androids which fit right into to the setting, but it’s mostly just about surviving whilst everything goes to hell and everyone around you is dying. This helps to ground the game firmly in survival horror. Alien isn’t space opera, it doesn’t feature a grand narrative. It’s just about ineffectual, hopeless humans stranded in space at the mercy of an unstoppable predator. Some will argue that the game went on too long, but I feel like I got my money’s worth and it took a long time to complete (hence the late review). Some will also say that the game had too many sections dealing with humans or androids and not the main attraction: the Alien, but I think this just made the sections dealing with the Xeno more scary as you had just about enough time to get comfortable until it showed up again – and remember, he can still show up at any time if something gets his attention.

It’s a completely faithful recreation of Ridley Scott’s Masterpiece in horror game format that won’t be forgotten any time soon. It creates some of the most memorably tense and claustrophobic moments I have ever experienced in a game and is a gift to diehard Alien fans. Even if you’re just a casual fan, I challenge you to play this and not jump out of your skin at least once. After all, in space, no one can hear you scream.