The Pact (2012)

September 07, 2017 / Roger Edwards

The Pact is an enjoyable, yet simultaneously frustrating small budget independent horror movie. The UK poster is a prime example of this, as it clearly indicates that the film is of the horror genre but contains imagery that is not seen in the movie at all. The very title itself doesn't really have any bearing on the story. However, there are still aspects of the film that are noteworthy and overall The Pact shows more promise than a lot of the competition. The story is a traditional favourite of the horror genre. Annie (Caity Lotz) returns to her mother home to attend her funeral. On arrival, she finds that her sister has gone missing and that all is not as it seems at the family home. Family secrets and supernatural goings on slowly emerge.

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categories / Horror, Movies, The Pact

Mafia 3

September 06, 2017 / Roger Edwards

As I’m between MMOs at present, I decided to purchase a single player game to keep me occupied, until Middle-earth: Shadow of War is released. I settled on Mafia 3 as I had played the previous instalment of the franchise and enjoyed it. As this title came out last October it can now be picked up at a substantial discount if you’re prepared to shop around. There is no game of the year edition at present but I did manage to buy the digital deluxe version for £22, which is a good price. This includes a season pass so I have all the currently released DLC. There is sufficient content available to keep me busy for a month or so. So far, I’ve clocked up 40 hours in-game according to Steam.

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categories / Gaming, RPG, Open World, Mafia 3

Children of Men (2006)

September 05, 2017 / Roger Edwards

I missed Children of Men on its original release in 2006 and only caught up with recently. If memory serves, the reason the film wasn’t on my radar when it came out was due to the misleading advertising campaign which attempted to pigeon hole and market the film as a sort of post-apocalyptic thriller. Although Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men explores a violent and dystopian future, it’s cerebral film, grounded in a tangible depiction of a future England and certainly bears little relation to the Mad Max subgenre that the publicity campaign alluded to. A similar mistake was made with the marketing of The Road in 2009 which was sold by Miramax as a post-apocalyptic action film, when it patently isn’t.

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categories / Movies, Science Fiction, Children of Men, Alfonso Cuarón

Lucy (2014)

September 04, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), a student studying in Taiwan, find herself an unwilling drug mule for crime boss Mr. Jang (Choi Min-sik). When she accidentally ingests the synthetic CPH4 which has been surgically implanted in her abdomen, she rapidly develops advance physical and mental abilities as the drug unlocks the unused parts of her brain. However, this process also puts her life in peril and she soon realises that she requires further doses of the CPH4 to stay alive. Striving to reconcile herself to her situation Lucy reaches out to Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman), a neuroscientist and expert in the hidden capabilities of the mind. Meanwhile, Mr.Jang does not take kindly to interference in his drug trafficking and sets out to hunt down Lucy.

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categories / Science Fiction, Movies, Lucy

Classic Game Themes: EVE Online

September 03, 2017 / Roger Edwards

EVE Online is in many ways the most complex, absorbing and time consuming MMO that I've never played. I didn't survive beyond a twenty-one-day trial and found that the exacting minutiae of the game far too demanding. However, although the mechanics were not to my taste, my limited experience left a strong impression upon me and I still have a healthy respect and a strong sense of fascination for this niche market product. I'm not alone in this. Many gamers do not play EVE Online but are fascinated by both its intricacies and community.

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categories / Classic Themes, Gaming, EVE Online, Jón Hallur Haraldsson

Do We Need a Face of Gaming?

September 02, 2017 / Roger Edwards

In recent years there have been several gaming related stories that have become big enough to gain the attention of the mainstream media. Sadly, when corporate news encounters anything that falls outside of their immediate understanding or frame of reference, they need to package it into terms they and their audience can comprehend. This means simplifying the subject in to binary terms and convenient sound bites. They also like to have a “public face” that can be the go to expert. Someone who can be clearly identified with the issue and then championed or reviled by the public, according to which side they choose to support. That beggars the question do we need a " face for gaming"? If we do then who should it be? It's quite a thought provoking conundrum and raises a lot of issues about the nature of representation. Especially in light of the fact that contemporary media likes to have specific subjects neatly packaged with easy to grasp, core ideas and a photo-friendly public face.

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categories / Editorial, Gaming, Do We Need a, Face of Gaming

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition (2016)

September 01, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition.jpg

I have not seen the theatrical version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, although I’ve been informed that it was a somewhat confused and flawed edit of the film. The Ultimate Edition clocks in at three hours and three minutes; thirty-two minutes longer than the version shown in cinemas. That is over half an hour of more exposition and character development. More than enough to have a significant impact upon the movie, its themes and narrative. Judging purely by the version that I saw, along with the fact that I have no major familiarity or investment with either of these characters, beyond their cinematic depictions, I was entertained by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I thought it maintained the cerebral approach to DC Expanded Universe that we previously saw with Man of Steel. Furthermore, despite its sprawling nature and an overabundance of CGI driven action scenes, the film explores some very contemporary issues about societal paranoia and upsetting the political status quo.

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categories / Batman V Superman, Dawn of Justice, Ultimate Edition, Movies, DC Extended Universe

Spec Ops: The Line - Morally Ambiguous and Bleak Gaming

August 31, 2017 / Roger Edwards

I first played through Spec Ops: The Line back in 2014 when I purchased it as part of a discounted 2K bundle. For once the actually selling point of this action game was the single player campaign, which had a reputation for being well conceived and written, with solid voice acting. After playing for a couple of hours it became apparent that there was a lot more to this third person, cover based shooter and that the praise its received from the gaming press was justified. I have seldom played through a title as compelling as this. This week I re-installed the game and completed it for a second time. This time round I was able to concentrate more closely on the subtleties of the story. For a five year old title, this is still a gruelling experience.

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categories / Gaming, Spec Ops: The Line

Game Maps

August 30, 2017 / Roger Edwards

I've been pondering of late the subject of game maps and how they can vary quite radically from title to title. Size, content and instancing can all have an impact on a maps accessibility and the way they are perceived. Then there is the issue of individual player tastes and preferences. Those who like to explore will happily spend time attempting to access remote nooks and crannies. Others will quickly become frustrated if there is no direct route to their goal, as with Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns. A games genre also has a significant impact upon map design. A FPS or MOBA has different requirements from it virtual environment that an MMO. I'm sure there are far more variables involved in a maps creation. However, I think most gamers seem to inherently know when the developers have got it right.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, RPG, FPS, Game Maps

Lockboxes

August 29, 2017 / Roger Edwards

It would appear that lockboxes are being discussed once again. Bhagpuss wrote a post over at Inventory Full yesterday, which subsequently got used as a talking point on Massively Overpowered today. What made the debate a little different this time around, was that Bhagpuss doesn’t object to lockboxses per se, merely that in most games that have them, the content is frequently lacklustre and uninspiring. A point I am compelled to concur with. I too have no major objection to lockboxes in principle and partake of them from time to time in various games. However, they seldom seem to contain anything that I consider to be of tangible benefit to me. I want pets, gear and weapons. But because of vocal complaints from certain quarters, we are more often than not saddled with inconsequential convenience items and minor cosmetics baubles and trinkets.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Guild Wars 2, Star Trek Online, Overwatch

Man of Steel (2013)

August 28, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Although I was one of the few that actually enjoyed Superman Returns back in 2006, I can appreciate why it failed at the box office. It made the mistake of trying to bridge the gap between the iconic Christopher Reeve era and the post 9/11 world and ended up falling between two stools. Zack Snyder's Man of Steel does not make this mistake and reboots the franchise in completely the right manner for a modern audience. The movie takes quite a cerebral approach to its exploration of the character and wrestles with several weighty themes that previous adaptations elected not to tackle. However, as this is a very specific genre movie, the production has to make concession towards its core audience. Therefore, there’s a requirement for mayhem and destruction. As result the film does at times feel like it's pulling in different directions and the third act is more predictable and ponderous than the first two.

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categories / DC Extended Universe, Movies, Man of Steel

Tobe Hooper (1943 - 2017)

August 27, 2017 / Roger Edwards

I was seven years old when The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released in the UK. I used to regularly look at the movie listings in the Evening Standard each Thursday and ruminate upon the lurid posters for the latest releases. My young imagination would frequently run riot at what I saw, fuelled further by the inference of the tag lines. And the UK poster for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre left me utterly terrified. The horrors I conjured up in my mind. It is only in recent years that I learnt that the film was deemed too controversial by the head of the British Board of Film Censorship as it was known back then. Chief film examiner Stephen Murphy felt the films focus on “abnormal psychology” made it unsuitable for even an X certificate. Thus, the movie was denied a rating which amounted to a de facto ban. However, due to a legal loophole, the BBFC decision could be vetoed by local authorities and the Greater London Council granted the movie a rating and so the film was shown in London.

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categories / Editorial, RIP, Tobe Hooper

Gaming and Relationships

August 26, 2017 / Roger Edwards

I stumbled across a lurid tabloid headline recently that read “Fed-up welder divorces his missus because she’s addicted to Candy Crush”. This reminded me about an article I read several years ago regarding gaming and relationships. Divorce Online, a website facilitating non-contested divorce proceedings, claimed that 15% of the cases it has administered in 2011 can be attributed to one party allegedly being addicted to gaming. As per usual, top titles World of Warcraft and the Call of Duty franchise were cited as examples. As I thought that this subject may make for an interesting blog post I decided to do some cursory Google searches on the matter. Within minutes I found numerous links to stories and research on the matter. It would appear that the impact that gaming has upon relationships is a common theme and is widely reported to varying degrees of intellectual and scientific rigour.

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categories / Editorial, Gaming, Gaming & Relationships

Game Pricing

August 25, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Okay let’s begin with a poncey quote “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose” which usually translated as “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. So said French critic, journalist, and novelist, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849. This epigram seems especially applicable to the gaming industry because I regularly see the same topics of debate coming up, year after year. It would appear that both developers and gamers seldom learning anything along the way. On this particular occasion, the point in question is that old chestnut about game pricing. This debate was brought to my attention by a post from a fellow blogger Wilhelm Arcturus. Here’s the tweet made recently by Michael Hartman, CEO of Frogdice, a company that makes mobile games that started the debate.

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categories / Gaming, Game Pricing

How Videogames Changed the World (2013)

August 24, 2017 / Roger Edwards

How Videogames Changed The World (1).jpg

Considering the mainstream popularity of gaming, there is a distinct lack of related content on television. Journalist, writer and social commentator Charlie Brooker attempted to address this in 2009 with Gameswipe but the show remained a one-off production. Then again in late 2013, he had another crack at the subject with the documentary How Videogames Changed the World, providing a broad overview on the genre, exploring key events and titles from the past forty years. As ever with Mr. Brooker, the commentary was intelligent and acerbic. There was also an interesting and diverse selection of talking heads who spoke from personal experience, rather than the usual scripted garrulous inanities.

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categories / Documentary, Gaming, How Videogames Changed, the World

The Purge (2013)

August 23, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Despite having a very interesting premise, The Purge squanders its potential early on in the proceedings, leaving viewers with a rather turgid and formulaic home invasion movie. Written and directed by James DeMonaco, the film touches upon many themes and ideas that could have been developed into a more cerebral and thrilling experience. Sadly, The Purge quickly loses the audience as the main characters makes illogical decisions and test viewers “suspension of disbelief”. Rather than exploring the social and moral implications of its core idea, the production opts for clichéd jumps scares and a smattering of violence. The Purge is ultimately more of a frustrating movie than a bad one, which is all the more annoying.

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categories / Horror, Movies, The Purge

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

August 22, 2017 / Roger Edwards

10 Cloverfield Lane blends several cinematic genres producing an interesting premise. Once it has established its narrative arc, it then dives head long into an exciting and tense one hundred and four minutes. The movie is not a direct sequel to Cloverfield (2008) but does touch upon some of the same themes and ideas. Made on a modest budget of $15 million, the claustrophobic setting of a nuclear bunker accommodates strong performances from the lead actors. It is not until the third act when the story movies back to the outside world, do we see any major visual effects. Overall, this is a very compelling film due to the strong screenplay and well defined central characters.

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categories / Movies, Creature Feature, 10 Cloverfield Lane

The Cat Lady's House

August 21, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Earlier in the year I wrote about the Abandoned Graveyard that is located in Bree-land and how LOTRO has several curious locations that appear to be residual abandoned quest lines. Someone today left a comment and mentioned The Cat lady’s House in Bree. For those who are not familiar with landmark, it can be found as you enter Bree via the Eastern gate. As you proceed up the hill, you pass the stable to your left and the forge of Flint Oakhewer to you right. After the forge, there is a flight of stone steps going up through several terraces of houses. This is the Scholar’s Stair. At the top of the stair the passage widens. To the right is a door with a cat outside. It is opposite the recently added Scholars Hall.

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categories / Gaming, LOTRO, MMORPG, The Cat Lady's House

Cloverfield (2008)

August 20, 2017 / Roger Edwards

I did my best to avoid the hype surrounding the initial release of Cloverfield. Such media saturation and public interest can often cloud the issue of whether the actual film is any good. Five years later and having watched the movie twice, once in the theatre and once at home, I am still somewhat conflicted about this movie. The use of hand held video cameras is both a boon and a bane. The constant movement of the image has proven to cause motion sickness for some viewers, although this is not so overwhelming when viewed on a smaller screen at home. Yet the medium of news footage mixed with handheld cameras does create a palpable sense of immediacy. This helps immensely when trying to sell a fantastic concept, such as the one that Cloverfield features.

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categories / Creature Feature, Movies, Cloverfield, Found Footage

MMO Burnout

August 19, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Although I have played numerous other online games, LOTRO has been my main MMO for the last nine years years. I have invested a great deal of time into it, which is hardly surprising as that is the entire raison d'etre of the genre. I recently purchased the Mordor expansion for the game which offers a wealth of new content. Yet despite having all this available I have done precious little in the game of late and have made no significant progress. Currently, I have Guilds Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, Secret World Legends and Star Trek Online installed on my PC. I have dabbled with them all over the last few weeks, trying to rekindle a sense of enjoyment and pursue content that I have not completed. Sadly, none of them seem to hold my interest. I log in to them in the hope that something will grab my attention but I always seem to find myself just kicking my heels and aimlessly wandering through zones with no sense of focus.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, Elder Scrolls Online, Guild Wars 2, LOTRO, Secret World Legends, Star Trek Online, MMO Burnout