Uncharted 2: Among Theives

Nathan Drake is back in a whole new adventure.   The original Uncharted got rave reviews and it was among the few great PS3 exclusives.  It was for every person who ever dreamed of finding a secret treasure, following clues, having close calls with booby traps, basically being Indiana Jones in his finest.  The power of the PS3 was shown for the first time in the game, with stunning graphics, and physics to make you think that you were watching a movie.  Clothes drying after being out of water for a while, shock waves from explosions, and great dialogue throughout the game.  Most praised the game, however there were a few things that seemed to be missing.  Uncharted 2 fills in all the gaps, and makes a perfect reason for going out and buying a new PS3.

The goal of naughtydog studios is to make Uncharted a stand alone series and they have done it almost perfectly.  You don’t have to play the first Uncharted before this one, which opens up the market a little, and I suggest anyone who hasn’t played either, to pick them both up you won’t be disappointed.  Uncharted 2 starts out in one of the most dramatic fashions possible.  Drake wakes up in a train bleeding badly, as he is trying to figure out why he is bleeding, and where he is, the train suddenly starts to move.  However it isn’t going forward but instead is dangling off a cliff and is starting to slip.  You take control of Drake and move up the train trying to get to the top before the train falls.  He makes a last second jump and scrambles up the cliff only to pass out again.  You get a flashback 4 months before the train accident and get a little background information.  Nate is approached by his old friend Harry Flynn and his old girlfriend Chloe Frazer.  They explain they have been hired by an individual to steal a Mongolian oil lamp from an Istanbol museum.  Why? Because the light of Khan will show the way to the lost 13.  This is according to a piece of parchment written by Marco Polo, who left China with over 600 passengers on 14 ships loaded with gold and treasure.  But Marco Polo arrived home with only 1 ship and 18 passengers, and never talked about what happened to the other 13 ships. 

Jennifer’s Body

Jennifer's Body

Megan Fox broke out of  her role in the Transformers series to star in her own movie titled Jennifer’s Body.  It’s told through the story of Amanda Seyfried who plays Jennifer’s friend Needy.  Seyfried is well known recently as the star of Mamma Mia. The best word I can use to best describe how this movie went is……BAD.  Perhaps the best part of this movie (for guys anyway) was just getting excited so to see the gorgeous Megan Fox on the screen.

This movie is about a girl (Jennifer) who is sacrificed by an indie band.  The band, believes that if they sacrifice her to Satan they will become a better band.  The only issue is they don’t know she’s not a virgin and this sacrifice requires a virgin.  Since Jennifer is not a virgin, the band thinks she is dead when in reality she lives.  However she is now possessed by a demon that requires her to feast on human blood for the rest of her life and the only way she can die is if she is stabbed in the heart.  So Jennifer goes around for most of the movie feeding off of guys that she flirts with.  Of course every guy wants to be as close as they can get to her so it’s no problem for her to get these guys.  Meanwhile her best friend Needy knows about Jennifer and how she has been killing people, but no one believes her.  They all think shes crazy obviously because the thought of a girl eating people is clearly ridiculous.  Unfortunately she doesn’t prove to anyone that Jennifer is a demon and after Jennifer kills Needy’s boyfriend, Needy wants to seek revenge.  So during the night Needy breaks into Jennifer’s room and kills Jennifer.  No one ever knew that Jennifer was evil and because of this Needy is caught by Jennifer’s mom and Needy gets sent to prison.  The movie ends with Needy breaking out of the prison after walking right through the steel fence.  We learn that Needy, after being bit by Jennifer has obtained some of Jennifer’s demon powers.  The movie ends with a scene where Needy kills the band that started it all.

Halo 3: ODST

When the first Halo game came out it was a new twist on the shooter franchise  that took the world by storm.  The original game broke sales records and was given the game of the year award for best shooter.  Halo 2 and Halo 3 didn’t disappoint either.  Halo 2 set the record for sales, and three years later Halo 3 did the same.  So the boys at Bungie seem to be doing something right.  Now comes what was supposed to be just an expansion pack for Halo 3.  But during development of the game it started taking on a whole different feeling than Halo 3.  Originally priced at $29.99 and then bumped up to the regular game price of $59.99, people started to wonder what this game was going to be about.  Halo 3: ODST is the best halo out of the series.

ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, which you first met in Halo 3 when they helped you on a couple missions.  These guys are the baddest of the bad when it comes to Marines.  They are tough, they are crazy, and they are funny as hell.  The storyline is by far the greatest part of the game.  You play the part of the Rookie ODST, you don’t get a name, just simply “The Rookie”.  During your drop the Prophet of Regret’s ship goes into a slipstream which cause a huge shock wave knocking the Rookie out cold, and knocking the pods off course.  You awake as the Rookie 6 hours after your drop, nighttime in New Mombassa.  With the help of the city’s maintenance AI known as the Superintendent, you search the city for clues of what happened to your squad mates during the day.  Once you find a clue the story takes you back to live the day of that ODST. Which consists of Buck, Dutch, Romeo, Mickey, and Dare, a UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) agent in charge of the squad’s operation.  That alone is what set this Halo apart from the others.  The interaction between the squad is great, even in the game.  You really feel apart of this team, and trying to find out what happened to all of them.  This storyline, although only a single game, seems to draw you in more than what the Halos did spanned over 3 games.

Backstreet Boys’ New Album “This is Us”

Backstreet’s back, alright?

Backstreet Boys — This Is Us

At least that’s what they’re telling us with their new studio album, This is Us, released today, October 6th, 2009. Their first album since 2007′s Unbreakable, This is Us is intended to bring listeners back to the Backstreet Boys—a feat that Unbreakable attempted and failed after Kevin Richardson left the band. This is Us uses elements of musical styles previously unexplored by the Backstreet Boys. They utilize elements of techno in the song “(I Want Ur) PDA.” The beginning of the song “Bigger” sounds like the beginning of a emo-love ballad straight off of a Dashboard Confessional album. It’s only when the beat comes in do we hear the harmonies that Backstreet Boys (and, admittedly, every boy band) became so famous for. The track “If I Knew Then” is slightly reminiscent of an early-2000′s Usher song, straight off of 8701.

Klo_Rida on: Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3

Artist: Jay-Z
Album: The Blueprint 3

Jay-Z — The Blueprint 3

Back in 2003 Jay-Z declared his retirement and released The Black Album. However in a world of Brett Favre comebacks, Jay Leno moving to 10pm, and many unnecessary sequels to 80s movies, it only makes sense HOV continues to make albums.

After two post-retirement releases, Kingdom Come and American Gangster, Jay-Z announced the third installment to his Blueprint Saga. The first, The Blueprint, was deemed an instant classic with the hit “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).” The second was deemed a critic and commercial failure. One cannot wonder if Jay went to The Blueprint 3 as redemption to the poor quality of the last installment.

I’m not to going to lie, when Jay-Z drops an album, I always rush out to purchase it, regardless of the press. After obtaining a hard copy of the album I eagerly ripped open the packaging and inserted into my car’s CD player. What I first heard was an abrupt beginning to a rather dull Jay-Z, who sounded like he was on autopilot. The opening track, “What We Talkin’ About featuring Luke Steele”, is very weak and not memorable. Then comes another out of character track simply entitled “Thank You.” Although the beat is bouncy and definitely worth blasting at a party, the idea that Jay-Z repeatedly says, “Thank you, thank you, You are all far too kind,” really is confusing. It makes me almost feel that Jay-Z is just thanking me for the tragedy of an album that I have just purchased.

Klo_Rida on: Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon

Artist: Kid Cudi
Album: The Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Kid Cudi — Man on The Moon

Nas put it best when he claimed Hip Hop was dead. Sure there have been good efforts from quality artists in the genre. It even made Jay-Z come out of retirement to prevent the genre from completely falling apart. The game was in need a new player to shake things up. Enter Kid Cudi (aka Scott Mescudi).

After working on a small mixtape in Brooklyn with Plain Pat and Emile, A Kid Named Cudi, the Cleveland native caught the attention of a producer by the name of Kanye West. Cudi was then recruited to help West with his experimental release 808s and Heartbreak. With Kanye’s support, Cudi finally set to work on creating his debut, The Man on the Moon: The End of Day.

The album opens in a dream-like haze as Cudi welcomes the listener to his deepest thoughts and dreams (“In My Dreams”). This track alone gives a vibe similar to 808s but it abruptly changes and leaves the listener dazed in a world where Cudi is in control. “Soundtrack 2 My Life” and “Simple As…” are easily two of the strongest tracks on the album as Kid Cudi demonstrates his rapping chops and proves his presence in the modern hip-hop genre. One item that always appeals to me is the ability of rappers to allow insight into their lives and how they became the image and face they are today. Cudi definitely gives us a look into his childhood and struggles without a father figure and it plays a part in his story.

NHL 10

The biggest problem with sports games is the fact that every year a new game comes out.   Given that NHL 09 was given a 9 out of 10 across the internet review boards, it is a big question whether or not EA could up the ante and come out with a bigger, better, NHL.  Bottom line is yes, yes they can.

NHL '10

The spirit of hockey is alive and well in NHL 10, and some of the new features that the game are amazing.  Some of the old features coming back this year are the ever-addicting “Be a Pro” mode, and “Be a GM” mode.  The great thing though is the fact that both “Be a Pro”, and “Be a GM” modes have been upgraded.  “Be a Pro” now includes the ability to outfit your pro with different hockey equipment that actually helps boost his stats.  But in order to get some of the better equipment, you have to unlock them by getting different achievements in the game, like 50 career goals, or participating in an online game and getting the 1st star.  Another nice twist is that you can get drafted into a club based on how you play in a draft all star game,  instead of placing yourself into whatever club you choose.  But placing yourself into your favorite club is still an option.  The GM mode now features the new GM tracker, in which you can upgrade different parts of your organization using points from wins, and varies other tasks you can do.

Newer game modes also make for a great experience this year.  “Battle for the Cup” is a quick championship series that you can play against the computer or a friend.  Or if you want to go through the entire playoffs you always have “Playoff mode” to take your team to the championship.  And if you want to expand past that, but don’t want the entire GM responsibility, you now have the option to take your team through a co-op season.

Race to the Best Album of 2009 (Part 4: Daisy)

This is another review that I am posting with multiple songs to listen to, because it simply is impossible to showcase just ONE song on most albums to display the album’s content, let alone trying to choose just one song on this album. That being said, on with the review!

Brand New — Daisy

What can be said about Brand New, the New York foursome that has shocked all of their fans with the breadth and dynamics of their music? What could you expect from them, after they ventured away from the sound they became so well-known for with Your Favorite Weapon and Deja Entendu? We got a glimpse of what they are truly capable of when they pushed the limits of their musical talents through The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. So what else could they do to show us that they are still growing as a band?

Daisy (released 22 September 2009) shows us exactly how well the band can and does grow. It is the perfect continuation from The Devil and God musically, showing that they are able to write music that pushes the envelope not only of their musical ability, but the music scene as a whole.

Zombieland

Zombieland — This Place Is So Dead

The earth has been hit by an infection that has gradually taken over and infected humans, who bite the remaining humans to give them the infection.  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Zombieland.  We join our main character Columbus (played by Jessee Eisenberg), a young geek who is afraid of many things, including clowns and bathrooms.  To survive in Zombieland, Columbus gives us a long list of rules to carry on. Each time Columbus explains a rule, you see that rule being played out in the movie.  Such as the rule “always wear your seatbelt”, and on screen we observe a woman fly out of her windshield after t-boning a truck because she wasn’t wearing her seat belt.  Or the rule “always check the bathrooms” and on sreen you see Columbus cautiously going into a bathroom and checking every corner.  He wants to go home to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio to check and see if his parents are okay, so he sets off on the empty streets filled with abandoned and wrecked cars, and of course zombies.  On his journey towards home, he meets Tallahassee (played by Woody Harrelson), a redneck zombie killer who has a strong love for Twinkies and misses his puppy Buck.  They decide to team up to survive and they head towards Tallahassee.  On their journey there they run into Wichita (played by Emma Stone) and Little Rock (played by Abagail Breslin), two girls who look out for themselves and themselves only.  Even though they have their disagreements throughout the movie, the unlikely group may be the last surviving humans on earth, and they have to rely on each other in order to survive.

Race to the Best Album of 2009 (Part 3: Beggars)

Foreword: I am posting two songs with this review, simply to show the dynamics of the album. This one is also going to be a little different than the last two. That being said, on with the review!

Thrice — Beggars

For those of you who know who Thrice is and have listened to them from Day 1, you might have mixed feelings about Beggars. For a band who used to be a post-hardcore screamo band, to a band who recently put out The Alchemy Indexes, a set of concept EPs based on the 4 elements of Alchemy (Earth, Air, Fire and Water), it seemed impossible for them to release anything different.

I was wrong. Beggars is so dynamic that I was simply blown away. For those who did listen to Thrice from day 1, imagine if The Artist in The Ambulance and Vheissu got together and had a child. Next imagine if Earth and Air from The Alchemy Indexes were one album, and had a child with The Illusion of Safety. Now lets imagine those two children had another child. That child would be Beggars.