A Movie Within a Game (The "Metal Gear Solid 2" Retrospective)

     Hideo Kojima is a brave individual for exchanging series star Solid Snake (voiced by David Hayter) for neophyte Raiden. A risk so stunning, that it created a rift among the most devoted MGS fans, as a beloved favorite was placed in, essentially, a co-starring role. While Raiden demonstrates moments of petulance, I really don't have much ill-will towards him, only to say, his backstory is very melodramatic, and, at times, overwrought. I could deal with his VR training and his cursed childhood, but; it's the bouts of dialogue he and Rosemary (Raiden's girlfriend voiced by Lara Cody) exchanged that lack flair. It didn't hurt my overall impression of the already complicated story, but, it was forced in moments. He and Snake are negligible as far as controllability goes, only their animations are different. Snake runs like a football player, while his predecessor looks like a pouty ballet performer who lost a competition.

     The talented cast of voice-overs also helped the narrative, tremendously; because, even if the player had a difficult time understanding the history of the "La-Le-Lu-Le-Lo" or "The Wisemen's Committee" they kept things moving along without overcooked their lines. My favorite moment involves Revolver Ocelot (Patric Zimmerman) confronting Col. Sergei  Gurlukovich (Earl Boen) and Commander Jackson (Kevin M. Richardson) inside the hold of the tanker. It wasn't just the stirring music by Harry Gregson-Williams that moved that particular scene, but the camera work by Kojima to illustrate the parameters of the sequence. The lighting, the textures, the stakes of the entire scene set in that one place, which is punctuated with the destruction of the entire tanker, thanks, in part, to Ocelot successfully stealing (or, in his words, "taking back") Metal Gear Ray.

     There were many other scenes in the game that stood out and were epic in scale, like, the moment when Snake, Fortune, Solidus (MGS2's main antagonist and brother of Solid and Liquid Snake) and Raiden (the son of Solidus) finally learn of the purpose of The Big Shell, as told by Ocelot revealed to be the brains behind this “simulation.” The entire idea was to produce a re-orchestration of the Shadow Moses, that Solid Snake took on four years preventing a nuclear strike & destroying Metal Gear Rex in the process.The same goes for the virus that killed Liquid Snake in MGS1, FOXDIE, a retrovirus programmed to kill specific people via DNA, was used as a computer virus to mimic the program. This was also in turn Raiden's first official mission sanctioned under a fictional group disguised as FOXHOUND; the same group Snake took down in MGS1. Where does Raiden fit into this? The idea was to create a soldier that was the equivalent of Snake or to create the perfect simulation, like Shadow Moses. The exposition that I’m describing here doesn't do the game justice, because, it’s all so vastly complex.

     For its time, the game-play was astonishing. Stealth mechanics were improved and so was the AI in the game, too. For example, if you left a trail of footprints or blood, they would follow it to wherever it leads them; solo or back-up personnel. They're also equipped with walkie-talkies to notify guards if an area is clear or if an intruder has appeared. Finding a hiding place became more crucial than before and if you didn't, the game will be over, if you aren't careful. Aiming became more improved with the incorporation of targeting in first-person and the controls were even better than they were in the first game; sure, you had to use a couple of buttons to do certain things, though, it was nearly flawless, just like everything else with the entire production.

     The gameplay just makes it easy to forget that there was such narrative and composition to follow, because when you actually had the opportunity to play it. While long-time Kojima fans were upset for some differing views of where the franchise was heading back in 2001, they missed out on one of the best gaming experiences during the era of the Playstation 2.  

Let's Rock, Baby! (A "Devil May Cry" Retrospective)

Introduction

When I look back at the first Devil May Cry, I remember its unrelenting action because the game just never let up, with its array of enemy types, bosses, the main character; and, visually was astonishing to look at. Plus, it was an unbelievable game and was one of the premier games in the early stages of the Playstation 2. There really was nothing like it back in 2001; and, having played some of the Resident Evil games before this one in 2003, the controls are somewhat similar, if refined to update toward the playstyle of this game. Devil May Cry beginnings were intended for a brand new Resident Evil game, back in 1998. After production of Resident Evil 2 was finished, preliminary work was being done for a new RE game under the direction of Hideki Kamiya, under the codename "Team Little Devil". Early Research and Development had the team take a trip to go to Spain to examine various castles for the environments in the game. Alas, in its infant stages, it was a vast departure from the series and they changed the concept and later titled it "Devil May Cry". In the game, you're Dante, the son of Sparda, who once turned against The Devil Prince, some 2,000 years ago, and trapped the prince in the demon world and leaving his tumultuous past behind him. What was once sealed eons ago was reopened when the Prince of the outerworld frees himself and his inhabitants, as he commences a takeover the world. A woman from Dante's past appears at his shop (Devil May Cry) to inform him of the event. He then accepts her offer; and, they travel to an island with a castle on top of it and the adventure begins. As plots goes, it's hokey. It tries to be stirring and competent and it's doesn't executes well. The voice actors are solid, for the most part. (save for some cringe-worthy performances) Though, don't expect top thesbian acting as the narrative is an underdeveloped component that sets itself apart from what really matters in a game like this: Gameplay.


Dante's Concept & Family Backstory


The concept behind the titular character comes from creator, Hideki Kamiya. His inspirational was a manga comic series called "Cobra" to supplant that character's persona to that of Dante's. He wanted a character that exudes "Stylish" and, quite frankly, one that was chauvinistic. As for the coat, the color is red, because in Japan, it is a traditional color for their examples of heroes; and, he embodies the perception of individuals you would like to have a beer with or have a discussion about favorite pizzas or babes he would date. Dante was the guy we could all be if we were infused with special abilities and were bestowed with these guns and swords. The arsenals bestowed for him are handguns Ebony and Ivory, swords, Rebellion and Force Edge, weapons his father used before him. He has supernatural powers, from his dad's side of the family and his job is that of a bounty hunter against some of the world's most malevolent demons and dedicates it to his murdered mother and twin brother, Vergil, who was corrupted by his father's rival, who was once done for, only to rise again. When he and his brother were eight years old, they were given an amulet called the Perfect Amulet. After Sparda turned rogue against the demon world, he used his own blood and a human priestess to seal off the two worlds. Centuries later, he gives the amulet to his eventual wife, Eva, who then gives it to the twins after his passing. The purpose of the jewel is for entrance to the demon world and it was a gift from Mundus to corrupted humans who wanted power. The sons of Sparda later received halves of the amulet from their mother when their father passed away. In his adult years, Vergil became an apprentice to Mundus and became the knight "Nelo Angelo", in his failed attempt towards defeating Mundus. He and his twin brother have a long history of fights against one another and are equals of one another. Dante is the more versatile, while Vergil is more strategic. Their various styles helped shaped one another and are even more dangerous when they're a tandem, due the various ways they can deal with their foes.


Gameplay and Enemy Types


Crazy doesn't even begin to describe the mechanics of DMC's gameplay. When in combat, on the right side of the screen is a meter called the "Style meter", which determines how well the player can maintain combos. You start off on "Dull", then, if consistent, can graduate to its highest ranking of Stylish. The combat is frantic and you must maintain that pace for every encounter that isn't just to use to roam around the environment. When you finish the mission of each level, there's a result for how the player did, it's ranks the lowest class of "D" to the highest of "S" for stylish; and, you’re graded on time, combat, item usage, damage and style. The game has some puzzle-solving, though, they're the least of your worries, because the game is so challenging, that really the puzzling part is taking down some of these beings, especially, on the highest difficulty, like "Dante Must Die, where you take enhanced enemies that take longer to kill. Another mechanic in the game is the ability to transform into your "Devil Trigger" form, which replenishes your vitality and gives you enhanced speed and power, for a limited time. Two of the elements used are electricity for the sword, Alastor; and, for hand-to-hand combat is Ifrit; which, uses fire as its element. As for the guns, handguns Ebony and Ivory (they're also the default weapons for Dante), a grenade gun, needle gun (for water use only) and the nightmare-β (a gun that fires lasers that ricochet). When Mundus released himself from the demon world, he unleashed some of the most terrifying monsters to contend against Dante; they range from Marionettes, Sins, Shadow, Beelzebubs, Kyklops, Blade, Sargasso, Nobody, Fetish, Frost, and Plasma. Bosses are the Phantom (A molten arachnid with a scorpion's tail), Griffon (big bird), Nightmare (an inorganic creature) and the last boss himself, Mundus (The Devil Prince).



Conclusion



My lasting impressions of the first installment are the same as they were when I bought the game and Capcom really changed the landscape when the game was a hit back in 2001. Now, visually, it's not as gorgeous as it once was a decade ago, though, many other games lacked its aesthetics and to it up against today's heavy hitters (for example Bayonetta, Kamiya's other action game) isn't fair. The series did stumble with its first sequel, because it lacked many of the things that made the first one an excellent game and the prequel (Dante's Awakening) went back to the drawing board with some new key additions (including a harsh difficulty) which gave the player four playstyles (block, evade, swords and guns); yet, Despite their intentions of besting the original, they had their moments, yet, they couldn't match the original's gameplay, environments, controls (even though the next two played extremely well) and well, it couldn't top the character's charm in the inaugural game.

The Boy and His Sacrilege Horns (An ICO retrospective)

As the next generation of consoles eclipsed the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube into obsecurity, in 2006, I wanted to include more titles for the PS2. It wasn't that I wanted to be a collector of gaming titles, I just felt that there were more games that I desperately needed before they were exonerated from the retail market completely. Enter ICO: An action-adventure game that was released in 2001, during the PS2's beginnings. It involves a young boy named Ico, who is considered to be a curse among the villagers, because of the horns attached to his head, (which to his native village is a form of a curse among the people). So they perform a ritual on Ico to lock him inside a castle where to them, won't be any harm toward any of the inhabitants in the village. ICO was created by Fumito Ueda, who was also behind its eventual successor, "Shadow of the Colossus", released in 2005 (which eventually was reissued in 2011, along with ICO as a two game package, re-released for the PlayStation 3 in High-Definition) wanted to create a game that was unconventional compared to other genres; and, create, perhaps an experience that was opposite to other video games, where your reflexes required just about every one of our five senses, but back in 2001, ICO was a rare breed. It perhaps led the way for games to be more innovative and less like its opposites; like, for example, its lack of an interface (or HUD) that gives indicators about a characters health, quantity of equipment, number of life bars, et cetera; to inform the individual playing the game on the well-being of the protagonist that's being controlled by the player. ICO doesn't rely on such functions and really didn't need one, because the enemy types are shadow creatures that are attempting to take your companion, Yorda (more on her in a moment) who is a crucial part of the game because if she's captured by these beings, the game ends. You don't have a lot, in regards, in physical action against them; though, using a 2 x 4 and just hitting your foes with it seem to do the trick. You could also use it as a way of evasion by adding an element of fire because these creatures are vulnerable to it. As for the character Yorda, just like the protagonist Ico, she's also in the castle, forgotten, like him, as well. She speaks a language foreign to the player and he luckily seems to understand. They eventually find a way out of the castle only for these shadow creatures (that appear to be the souls of other horned children) to come for Yorda back and take her back from once she came and without her Ico can't access certain passages, saves, or secrets to traverse through a colossal castle and, most importantly, isn't very agile; so, getting used to her is a process, albeit frustrating, at times. Fumito Ueda gave an interesting viewpoint on how he doesn't define ICO as a video game; and, didn't want to have people perceived it as something that it's not. "I thought that the games industry had a negative image for many people. If I called my work a video game, people would think, "Well, this is just a video game, so I don't want to play it." That was from a Wired article called "Behind the Shadow".  Fumito's goal was to create a game that was your typical "boy meets girl" narrative without many lines of dialogue (called minimalism) and for his many inspirations for his novel concept were "Lemmings" and Flashback for animation specifics; Outer World (called Another World in America) for its cinematic experience, including the emotional connection. The game was originally a PlayStation title, but given the limitations of that console (one of them being that it was a 32-bit console) the production was shifted to its eventual predecessor: The PlayStation 2 (which is a 128-bit console). The PlayStation 2 allowed for more leeway for the developers to work with; and, one of the processes that the development team did was "subtracting design". Basically, they purged elements that interfered with the game's stoic reality. They took out interface elements; so, the gameplay was confined to the castle and reduced all its enemy types to just one. What was improved is that the team used a lighting method called "bloom lighting"; (when an object has light behind it, the light will look more realistic and overlaps the front of an object.) it was the first of it kinds back then, when games didn't have such a technique. The animation was more key frame (hand drawned) than motion capture (recording of natural movement). The goal with the animation was to make the characters flow freely, but, due to time constraints, that was the process that the team was left with. Defining ICO as a renaissance for gaming is an understatement because, back in 2001, there weren't many games of its kind. It was surrounded by heavy hitters like Metal Gear Solid 2, Halo, Grand Theft Auto III, Super Smash Bros. Melee, among others. It was a hard market to promote a game like this, ten years ago; and, having played it in 2006 made me appreciate developers like one, Mr. Ueda for being so bold. ICO was a gorgeous looking game on the console, with its lighting, atmosphere and infrastructure. It controlled very well (despite Yorda not being responsive to some of my commands) and its minimalist story was surprisingly effective. It was a game that knew what it was and wasn't afraid to be different.

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The Incredible Hulk (Movie Review)

The Incredible Hulk is a very predictable movie that doesn't have a lot going for itself. So what's different in this adaptation? Well, for those of you out there that were unfortunate in seeing the 2003 Hulk movie should expect the same movie with just more action scenes and not much focused on story. Louis Leterrier (Transporter Series) is handling the directing this time around as the backstory is detailed during flashbacks this time rather than explaining Bruce's transformation throughout the movie. It's funny how my opinion keeps changing about the 2003 Hulk movie over and over again and I know the core storyline was about as fun as female cats menstrating on themselves, but at least the movie from Ang Lee's adaptation was mildly interesting, even if the rest of the movie wasn't as enticing. Visually, I'd prefer the version five years ago, but what's here isn't terrible just not a grapical powerhouse by any means compared to the one in 2003. For that movies shortcomings, I admired the visual authenticity of Ang Lee's version. The Incredible Hulk feels like a missed opportunity to retry and resurface the brand as something more than just a mere re-issue of a movie that wasn't even good years ago and to even attempt to try again just shows the longing for something more respectable. The acting is disappointing thanks to an uneven script that doesn't suit the qualities for the actors and actresses in the movie. If your movie has William Hurt, Ed Norton, and a cameo from Robert Downey Jr. you should have a good movie assembled, guess I was wrong to believe that theory. Everything just seems like an excuse here to make-up for the one five years ago and it doesn't work here. If the two could've paralleled each other and be an individual series things might have been a little more smoother, yet this movie is barely passable.

*** out of 5

Pluses: Better Hulk model, looks nice.

Minuses: Lame Story, disappointing script.

Cast:
Edward Norton ... Bruce Banner
Liv Tyler ... Betty Ross
Tim Roth ... Emil Blonsky
William Hurt ... Gen. Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross
Tim Blake Nelson ... Samuel Sterns
Lou Ferrigno ... Voice of The Incredible Hulk / Security Guard
Robert Downey Jr. ... Tony Stark (uncredited)
Ty Burrell ... Leonard
Christina Cabot ... Major Kathleen Sparr
Peter Mensah ... General Joe Greller
Stan Lee ... Milwaukee Man Drinking From Bottle (uncredited)


Produced by
Ari Arad .... executive producer
Avi Arad .... producer
Stephen Broussard .... associate producer
Kevin Feige .... producer
Gale Anne Hurd .... producer
Stan Lee .... executive producer
David Maisel .... executive producer
Michael J. Malone .... associate producer
John G. Scotti .... associate producer
Jim Van Wyck .... executive producer

Original Music by
Craig Armstrong

Cinematography by
Peter Menzies Jr. (director of photography)

Writing credits
(WGA)
Zak Penn (screenplay)


Zak Penn (screen story)


Directed by
Louis Leterrier

Hard Candy (Movie Review)

I'm surprised that Ellen Page didn't go to some police academy in Canada for her role as Haley in Hard Candy. A deep, controversial and disturbing movie that is different from movies that deal with child molestation. The movie starts with the two characters (Haley and Jeff) talking from separate chatroom to figure out where should these two anonymous people should meet. Haley (Ellen Page) is a 14 year-old teenager while Jeff (Patrick Wilson) is a 32-year-old fashion photographer. These two meet at a coffee shop for some conversating which leads to Jeff taking Haley to his home. She sees his work of the girls that he took pictures of as she realizes these girls aren't old enough to think for themselves. Yet, Haley is smart enough to know that she's dealing with a child molester and drugs him which leads to events that delve deeper into this guy's psyche. I wish their we're more movies like this. The dialogue exchanges between Wilson and Page are great especially with how Page commands her character with such raw emotion that this movie could be considered Oscar worthy. It is quite riveting stuff considering the limitations of the movie. I feel that the writing (by Brian Nelson) compansates both actors and shows their emotions and in this film you see both Wilson and Page develop two estranged beings; by one avenging abused teens and the other well....you get the idea. For a movie produced under a million dollars ($950,000) the cinematography isn't bad either; It uses modified lighting to represent certain sequences. It's a very smart, intense movie that is different from most suspense flicks.

****1/2 out of 5

Pluses: Excellent Dialogue, Interesting Directing and Cinematography, smart writing

Minuses: Not a lot of variety in terms of setting.

Cast:
Patrick Wilson ... Jeff Kohlver
Ellen Page ... Hayley Stark
Sandra Oh ... Judy Tokuda
Odessa Rae ... Janelle Rogers (as Jennifer Holmes)

Produced by
Paul G. Allen .... executive producer
Michael Caldwell .... producer
Ellora Chowdhury .... post producer
Erica Farjo .... associate producer: US
David Higgins .... producer (as David W. Higgins)
Richard Hutton .... producer
Barney Jeffrey .... associate producer: UK
Rosanne Korenberg .... executive producer
Brian Nelson .... co-producer
Jody Patton .... executive producer
Hans C. Ritter .... co-producer (as Hans Ritter)
Alex Webster .... post producer

Original Music by
Harry Escott
Molly Nyman

Cinematography by
Jo Willems (director of photography)

Writing credits
(WGA)
Brian Nelson (written by)

Directed by
David Slade

The Dark Knight (Movie Review)

It's a relief when somebody can do a sequel right, even if the expectations are daunting. The Dark Knight prevails because it doesn't try so hard into similar territory and it makes for some of the best movie making of this decade. Heath Ledger's Joker is probably one of the most memorable villains that I have seen this side of Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men). He's the most convincing version of the Clown Prince hands down. Assessing Heath Ledger's performance is like assessing all of the other adaptations of the previous Jokers. They were ranged from too clownish (Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson) or over-the-top (Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson). Most of these performances were great (well, except Cesar's laughable performance) ,yet they lack a certain duality that Heath puts into the character. The Joker was always a psychopath, but for some people not taken very seriously. His presence in the movie as a very menacing and emotional figure will not only be remembered for years to come, but will change the way of how to perform as the Joker. Christian Bale isn't as awe-inspiring, but is great once again as Bruce Wayne/Batman; even he hits a certain emotional core not seen since Kevin Conroy in Batman: The Animated Series taking his performance from Batman Begins to new heights. Amazingly, where Bale succeeds is the climax where his final words are bone-chilling and heartwarming which not only affects Gotham City, but the well-being of Batman and how he stands with the citizens of Gotham City. which ends the movie on an optimistic though cliffhanger note. The Supporting cast is also very good as Aaron Eckhardt is very good as Harvey Dent; even if the character seemed slightly underdeveloped. I felt that Nolan didn't give enough room for Harvey/Two Face to expand his role. It was an attractive performance that should've saved for movie No. 3. Maggie Gyllenhaal should've been Rachel Dawes from the start (even though as a whole, the character isn't quite interesting) as she doesn't seem as oblivious like Katie Holmes when she portrayed her the first time this character was exclusive to the films. The same goes for the rest of the performances, even Eric Roberts who is very effective as Sal Maroni and his lines were delivered very precise and exected well and I thought out of He, Oldman, Freeman, and Caine . He was more interesting and left me wanting to see more screen time for his performance. (which is rare; since I expected him to be a total stiff) Visually, what more can you say about the cinematography? The movie wants you to take notice of the sprawling city and the aesthetics. You'll see some amazing set-pieces along with some stylish special effects. The chase scene with The Joker, SWAT and Batman deserves high praise especially when Bats is on the Bat-Pod. The camera shots and some sharp editing make it even a more incredible sequence. The Interrogation scene also deserves credit for the clever touches that are implemented and a stirring, sinister orchestral score will send chills down your spine. The same goes to Christopher Nolan who has some of the most exciting and thought-provoking camera work throughout the movie especially for the three scenes that I mentioned; In terms of his directing. The bar has officially been raised by The Dark Knight and any superhero movie will have a hard time topping this towering achievement. Good luck, Iron Man II.

***** out of *****

Pluses: Compelling Story and writing, Visually breathtaking, Awesome Direction

Minuses: Two-Face story goes by too fast

Cast
Christian Bale ... Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger ... The Joker
Aaron Eckhart ... Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Michael Caine ... Alfred Pennyworth
Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman ... James Gordon
Morgan Freeman ... Lucius Fox
Cillian Murphy ... Scarecrow (cameo)
Eric Roberts ... Salvatore Maroni
Ritchie Coster ... The Chechen
Anthony Michael Hall ... Mike Engel
Nestor Carbonell ... Mayor Anthony Garcia
William Fichtner ... Bank Manager
Michael Jai White ... Gambol

Original Music by
James Newton Howard
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by
Wally Pfister (director of photography)

Film Editing by
Lee Smith

Casting by
John Papsidera

Production Design by
Nathan Crowley

Produced by
Kevin De La Noy .... executive producer
Jordan Goldberg .... associate producer
Philip Lee .... line producer: Hong Kong
Karl McMillan .... production associate producer
Benjamin Melniker .... executive producer
Christopher Nolan .... producer
Charles Roven .... producer
Emma Thomas .... producer
Thomas Tull .... executive producer
Michael E. Uslan .... executive

Directed by
Christopher Nolan

Juno (Movie Review)

Juno (Ellen Page) is a movie about a 16 year old teen who discovers that she's pregnant by her best friend Paulie Bleaker (Michael Cera). At first she wants to have an abortion, but with the help of her other best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) she finds an ad for pennysaver for parents who want to adopt a child. With help from her Dad (J.K Simmons) they meet the couple Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) expressing the joy of adoption. I never though I find Juno to be so interesting, Ellen Page brings life to the character with creative dialogue and quick lines to make this character feel different and enjoyable. Ellen Page reminds me of Molly Ringwald; an actress that didn't seem like a cliche' (concerned about her personality, character or arrogance), she seems to be very comfortable with herself never worried about what people think about her which makes the Juno character interesting and accessible to the audience. She's not an elegant dresser or prom queen for a year she is just an ordinary girl trying to live her life. The supporting cast is just as good as Ellen Page's role, Jennifer Garner is convincing as the mother that wants to be the mother of her adopted child and so is J.K Simmons, Allison Janney, and Jason Bateman playing their respective roles. Director Jason Riteman does a good job of pacing with the movie. It's never too serious or too hokey; it very consistent with all the characters. The soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired, it felt like a band just murmuring the lines in the chorus and it just doesn't sound like music and some dialogue is a little questionable, but this indie sensation is a pleasure indeed.

**** out of *****

Pluses: Solid Dialogue, great cast, nice cinematography.

Minuses: Underwhelming soundtrack, lovable (if complex) main character.

Cast:
Ellen Page ... Juno MacGuff
Michael Cera ... Paulie Bleeker
Jennifer Garner ... Vanessa Loring
Jason Bateman ... Mark Loring
Allison Janney ... Brenda 'Bren' MacGuff
J.K. Simmons ... Mac MacGuff
Olivia Thirlby ... Leah
Rainn Wilson ... Rollo

Produced by
Joseph Drake .... executive producer (as Joe Drake)
Daniel Dubiecki .... executive producer
Lianne Halfon .... producer
Nathan Kahane .... executive producer
Kelli Konop .... co-producer
John Malkovich .... producer
Jim Miller .... co-producer
Mason Novick .... producer
Russell Smith .... producer
Brad Van Arragon .... co-producer

Original Music by
Matt Messina (as Mateo Messina)

Cinematography by
Eric Steelberg (director of photography)

Writing credits
(WGA)
Diablo Cody (written by)

Directed by
Jason Reitman