Spartacus: Vengeance – Fugitivus Review

February 12, 2012 by Al

‘Spartacus realizes that becoming the leader of a mass of freed slaves can be challenging and he struggles to keep the rebellious group intact when news of Claudius Glaber’s arrival in Capua reaches him.‘

Spartacus: Blood and Sand was one of the big surprises of early 2010. Unlike Starz’s other disappointing series Camelot, Spartacus‘ stylised combination of blood and sex served as the flavour of the show rather than the substance. Andy Whitfield’s titular character had great screen presence and a stellar supporting cast including the likes of John Hannah and Lucy Lawless which made for a riveting series of double and triple crosses that led to a satisfying and brutal finale. Unfortunately, it was announced during the gap between Season 1 and 2 that Andy Whitfield had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The show creators, rather than taking the easy route of recasting decided to shoot a prequel series – Gods of the Arena – that turned out even better than the original. Sadly, Andy lost his battle with the disease last September; he did however give his blessing to the man who is filling Spartacus’ big shoes: Liam McIntyre. Continue reading →

Californication – Boys & Girls Review

January 24, 2012 by Al

‘Hank hands a completed draft of “Santa Monica Cop” over to Samurai Apocalypse, but he still finds himself stuck in L.A. when he’s asked to take Kali, his “acquaintance” from the flight to Los Angles, out for a night on the town.‘

The fifth season of Californication seems to be having a bit of trouble finding its feet. After an interesting premiere, the second episode did nothing to really advance the story in any way. Boys & Girls is certainly better than The Way of the Fist, but like the premiere it fails to really stand out in any way.

What keeps the show from being completely Continue reading →

An Important Message about SOPA/PIPA

January 18, 2012 by Al

If you follow any gaming or web TV news at all you have probably heard the terms SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) bandied about. These terms refer to legislation that is currently making its way through congress in the US. While the idea behind the act is noble (to make sure creators are properly compensated for their work), this is definitely a case of the road to hell being paved with good intentions.

The legislation as it stands at the moment has the potential to change the entire nature of the Internet as we know it. Sites can be pulled down without notice because of comments made by their users, the emerging professional gaming coverage on YouTube and other sites will likely disappear and worst of all, none of this will actually prevent any piracy from happening.

While the blackouts on sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit are a good start and those people in the US can write to their congressman/woman, the millions of Internet users around the world that will be just as affected as anyone else have had little recourse until now. Here is a short video from several notable figures in the gaming media/industry to show how you can make a difference.

So make sure to ask your favorite gaming websites and YouTube channel to join the cause by not attending and covering E3 this year until the ESA changes their stance on SOPA and PIPA. If they truly opposed this legislation the last thing they want to do is support an entity that spent a fortune on PIPA lobbying.

You can sign a petition to have the ESA remove their support from SOPA/PIPA here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-esa-petition-and-boycott-e3

Californication – The Way of the Fist Review

January 18, 2012 by Al

‘Hank turns down the job to write Samurai Apocalypse’s new movie, but Sam refuses to take no for an answer and takes Hank to a meet with director Peter Berg, where they discover that Hank and Peter have shared more than just a love of writing.‘

After a season premiere that left me with an equal mix of hope and concern for the upcoming season, The Way of the Fist plays it safe and tells a fairly low-key (for Californication anyway) story while setting up several plot lines to spice things up over the next few episodes.

There isn’t really all that much to complain about Continue reading →

Sherlock – The Reichenbach Fall Review

January 16, 2012 by Al

‘Moriarty embarks upon what may be the crime of the century, but breaking into H.M.P. Pentonville, the Tower of London, and the Bank of England is only the start. Sherlock must discover what his greatest foe is up to and stop him, but his reputation, and even his life, come under threat.‘

The creators of Sherlock proved themselves to be masters of the art of the cliffhanger with Season 1’s The Great Game and they have reinforced that impression with this week’s The Reichenbach Fall. Based on Doyle’s story The Final Problem; famous for the first appearance of Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty and the apparent death of the great detective – The Reichenbach Fall is a tense battle of wits between two masterminds that felt very satisfying in its conclusion, despite the fact that we all knew where it was headed from the start.

One of the most interesting aspects of this episode was Continue reading →

The Adventures of Tintin Review

January 14, 2012 by Al

‘Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock’s ancestor.‘

The story of The Adventures of Tintin‘s development is long and convoluted, but we finally have a big screen adaptation of the comic that has been a favourite around the world for over 80 years (although I was always more of an Asterix and Obelix fan myself). Tintin has always been a fun character, working his way through adventures that Indiana Jones would be proud of with his trusty sidekick Snowy and it is only fitting that Steven Spielberg be the one to adapt it.

Spielberg first found out about Tintin when Continue reading →

Sherlock – The Hounds of Baskerville Review

January 12, 2012 by Al

‘Henry Knight claims that his father was killed by a monstrous creature at large in Dartmoor, and asks Sherlock for help. When he and John Watson arrive on the moors to investigate, they discover a top-secret army base.‘

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss once again show everyone how an adaptation should be done with an update on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous stories – The Hound of the Baskervilles. While the narrative strays from the original very quickly, the spirit of the story is kept intact and there are plenty of references for die-hard Holmes fans.

The Hounds of Baskerville takes on much more Continue reading →

Californication – JFK to LAX Review

January 10, 2012 by Al

‘Californication returns and picks up two and a half years after Hank departed Los Angeles with Karen leaving him for another guy and moving on.‘

People could be forgiven for thinking that the Season 4 finale of Californication – And Justice For All was meant to end the series. The major story arcs had been wrapped up and it looked like Hank Moody might finally be ready to get on with his life, driving into the sunset with his typewriter in the backseat. But no series as popular as Californication is allowed to rest on its laurels, every last penny has to be squeezed out and so we have JFK to LAX, the premiere for a fifth season of a show that seemed to have said all it needed to.

Season 5 picks a few years down the road Continue reading →

Top 10 Movie/TV Tie-in Games

January 6, 2012 by Al

Movie Tie-In games have developed a terrible reputation over the years for a variety of reasons. Firstly, while a movie’s storyline is meant to keep the audience interested for only a couple of hours, an 8 hour game is considered to be very short. This means that a whole slew of unrelated storylines and time-wasting exercises are shoehorned into the final product, leaving it feeling disjointed and unrelated to the source material.

One of the other big reasons behind Tie-In Games’ bad reputation is the time constraints put on developers. The amount of time to make a movie is nowhere near comparable to the time needed to build a game from the ground up, but the developers of these games often have even less time than the filmmakers to develop their product. This is the primary reason for the many buggy unimaginative games that litter store shelves the world over. Thankfully, a number of publishers are slowly waking up to these facts and realising that making a sloppy game and slapping a movie title on it is no longer a surefire recipe for success.

Every rule has its exceptions though, and there have been a number of Tie-In games over the years that have broken the mould to give audiences a fun and engaging experience. Here is a list of my Top 10 favourite Movie Tie-In Games. This list is entirely subjective, so feel free to put forward your own favourites in the comments section. Continue reading →

Sherlock – A Scandal in Belgravia Review

January 4, 2012 by Al

‘The monarchy is threatened by some the emergence of some compromising photographs. Sherlock is soon on the case, and uncovers links with international terrorism and corruption in the British government. But to avert a royal scandal he must best Irene Adler, a woman every bit as brilliant as he is.‘

Fans the world over have been waiting anxiously for Season 2 of Sherlock so they can finally get a conclusion to The Great Game‘s nail-biting cliffhanger. While there is certain to be a lot of disappointment at how things end up playing out, the rest of the episode more than makes up for it.

A Scandal in Belgravia moves away from the standard pattern Continue reading →