Whatever Happened to the Cutscene?

I have fond memories of playing games on my dad's computer as a young boy. Sure, compared to today's graphics they did not look that great and cutscenes were pretty much nonexistant but they were still a lot of fun. Fast forward to my sophomore year of college after my girlfriend(now wife)gets me the playstation one for my birthday. To my astonishment and delight many games now had these incredibly cool, high resolution intros and cutscenes.

The great thing was that you never knew when cutscenes were going to take place. Sometimes there was one when you successfully completed a big level or maybe you would be treated to one right before a big boss fight. All I knew is that they were fun to watch and really added to the gaming experience. Some of my favorite cutscenes I remember were from PSone games like ODDWORLD, HEART OF DARKNESS, and MEDIEVAL. When the PS2 came around most games featured, at the very least, a really nice, full-resolution intro cutscene and, if you were lucky, there were more placed throughout the game. GOD OF WAR 1 and 2 both boasted gorgeous cutscenes that could be played again and again after you played the game.

Now fastforward to present day. The full resolution, highly detailed cutscene still exists. However, we seem to find it less and less in today's typical video game. Because of increasing technology games tend to look better and better. This is not a bad thing. But, because of this, many game developers tend to now use in-game graphics for all of their cutscenes instead of the super detailed, high resolution cutscenes I have come to love so much. Even GOD OF WAR 3, which is still one of the most incredible-looking games I have ever played, traded high-resolution cutscenes for in-game graphics cutscenes.

This is not to say that games need higher-resolution cutscenes to be good games. DEADRISING is still my favorite game and all of the cutscenes were in-game graphics. I can understand that it is probably a lot cheaper for developers to use in-game graphics for their cutscenes rather than pay for the higher-resolution models to be created and animated. To me there is just a deeper richness to the game if the nicer-looking cutscenes are there. So thank you to those of you who still throw in the higher resolution intros and cutscenes. This gamer salutes you.

THE CRAZIES Remake Adds Another Great Film To The Zombie Genre

The 2010 remake of George Romero's 1973 film by the same name proves that remakes can be done right and succeed in more ways than the original. THE CRAZIES takes place in a small town somewhere in Iowa and follows a group of survivors as they try to escape the area after it has been overrun by a virus that turns people into....well....crazies intent on hurting those around them. Timothy Olyphant plays the sheriff trying to get his pregnant wife, deputy and other survivors to safety. Things get more and more difficult for the group as the military gets involved and begins wiping out as many people as they can in an attempt to contain the pandemic. Genuinely creepy at times and delivering plenty of action and suspense, this was a film worth seeing for any zombie fan.

Edgar Allan Poe's Only Novel Is Incredible Read

"I feared that the public would regard what I put forth as merely an impudent and ingenius fiction."

Surprisingly, THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM OF NANTUCKET was the only novel Poe ever wrote. Published in 1838 and usually less horrific than most of Poe's writing it follows the extraordinary adventures of a young man who stows away on a whaling ship. The story is told in first person narrative and describes one unbelievable circumstance after the next as Pym is thrown into countless situations of incredible peril on the high seas and unexplored lands beyond. The novel was inspired by a real newspaper article Poe read and reflects narrative exploration history in a true fashion. The story runs about 200 pages and is very difficult to put down once you start. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys reading adventure or suspense stories.

I'm Still Asking Why

If you are anything like me there are just certain things that are very hard to let go of and accept. One of those things I am still struggling with is why DISTRICT 9 did not get the best picture award last year. The film was a spectacular achievement and presented science fiction in its purest form. I would say it easily belongs in the same hall of classics like E.T. and ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. The movie just got everything right and the fact that it didn't have any big name actors makes it all the more amazing. However, as you all know, DISTRICT 9 did not get the best picture award. Honestly, I can't remember the last time the film I thought was the best picture did get the award. I'll just have to accept that those who typically decide what wins and what doesn't may not look at film from the same perspective as I do. So here is to a best picture that I will hopefully agree with for 2010.

Killzone Establishes Itself As A Flagship Series For The PS3

KILLZONE 2 is not only fun to play but it is also one of the most polished looking first-person shooters out there. The futuristic, otherworldly setting is one of the things that sets it apart from other equally gorgeous shooters like FARCRY 2 and MODERN WARFARE 2 and fighting the Helghast on their homeworld does make the game intense and adds that extra sense of desperate struggle and conflict. With KILLZONE 3 on the way the series has established itself as one of the main flagship titles for the PS3 along with the RESISTANCE games. If you own a PS3 and are a shooter fan you have probably already played KILLZONE 2. If you haven't playet it yet I highly recommend giving it a whirl. The Helghast may be disappointed that you did but you will not. Trust me.

Completed Greenmen Sculpts

Here is the second greenman I started as a teacher example for my seventh graders.


The completed first greenman after being bisque-fired and partially painted with glaze. One of my students painted the glaze on this one for me.

The second greenman after being bisque-fired, glazed and then fired a second time. I put this up in my boys' room.

This one went up in my daughter's room.

McCarthy's THE ROAD Presents A Bleak Future With Little Hope

THE ROAD, starring Viggo Mortenson and Robert Duvall, began as a 2006 novel by the author of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Cormac McCarthy. The story follows the journey of a father and son across a post-apocalyptic America after an unexplained event wipes out all of civilization and, seemingly, nearly all life on earth. Mortenson portrays the desperate father trying to get himself and his son to the ocean after his wife, overcome by despair and grief, selfishly abandons them both and commits suicide. The landscape is utterly desolate and void of any form of order or structure as they make their way through destroyed cities and countrysides. To add to their struggles for food and water in a world where all resources and technology have been completely depleted they also have to deal with groups of cannibalistic nomads. This is a tragic tale to say the least and the father/son relationship is truly heart-breaking in its sincerity and love in the midst of such extreme hardships. Nevertheless, the film is an excellent adaptation of the book and a small nugget of hope is tossed into the viewer's lap in the end. I was still frustrated by the fact that there really is no explanation whatsoever in the book or the movie as to how civilization was destroyed so thoroughly.