Capcom's Lost Planet 2 Has Arrived!!!

LOST PLANET 2 has arrived on Xbox 360 and PS3 and, from what I have played of it so far, it is bigger and better in more than a few ways than the original. First off, the original LOST PLANET: Extreme Condition was a lot of fun. Set in the future on a frozen, Hoth-like planet known as E.D.N. III, you find yourself left for dead fighting your way across snow and ice covered landscapes battling gigantic, insect-like aliens(Akrid), and dealing with snow pirates that are trying to snuff you out as well. Just imagine STARSHIP TROOPERS meets the first half hour or so of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. It was a tough and intense third person shooter and offered more action and thrills than you could shake a stick at.

A decade later, the planet has changed significantly due to terraforming efforts and there are lush jungles and deserts scattered about the planet's surface. This is how LOST PLANET 2 starts out. Your character is caught up in a civil war among a number of different factions of colonists. Everyone on E.D.N. III is fighting over the main resource of the planet, thermal energy, and there are a lot of folks that will do whatever it takes to get their hands on it. Think of the thermal energy like the spice in Frank Herbert's DUNE. Whoever controls the stuff controls the planet and T-energy, like the first LOST PLANET, plays a big role in gameplay.

The story behind everything that is taking place as the game progesses is interesting enough but it takes a backseat to the over the top battle sequences and the sheer immensity of some of the monstrous Akrid that are trying to take you out of the picture. Vital suits(mechs) continue to be a key part of the gameplay as well. A new feature actually allows you to hitch a ride on one of your friend's vital suits in the midst of combat.

LOST PLANET 2 is truly gaming in its purest form and has a throwback feel to the arcade games of the eighties. You are constantly bombarded by enemies and will find yourself rarely letting up on the fire button. This is the kind of game that really makes you feel like you are in the midst of a huge war for an entire world and that world happens to look incredibly detailed thanks to a new souped up version of Capcom's proprietary game engine, MT Framework 2.0.

I will definitely be spending some quality game time with LOST PLANET 2. Sadly, there are some aspects that I know will get annoying and frustrating. For some ridiculous reason you cannot pause the game, for starters. Another thing I know will bug me is the scarcity of savepoints. There is one at the end of each chapter but chapters can be huge. Aside from these two gripes and the fact that the main menu is a bit confusing, this is yet another example of why Capcom is still one of the biggest and boldest players in the video game industry.

Check out this trailer at videogamer.com to see just how big some of the monsters are:

http://www.videogamer.com/videos/lost_planet_2_kill_big_trailer_2.html

Crazy Heart Is Crazy Good

Jeff Bridges is a great actor I have always enjoyed but he is REALLY great at doing two things in particular. One is running in slow motion trying to stop a bomb from going off like in the action film, BLOWN AWAY and his drama with Tim Robbins, ARLINGTON ROAD and the other is portraying alcoholic , chain-smoking characters like in THE FISHER KING and THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Jeffs not running after any home-made bombs in CRAZY HEART but he almost always has a cigarette in his mouth and is often tipping back a bottle. However, unlike THE FISHER KING and THE BIG LEBOWSKI, Bridges is never really funny or humorous in CRAZY HEART. Its a serious movie with a serious message: Don't smoke and drink your life away for one and be there for the people that need you in their lives, especially your children.

Dante's Inferno: A Brief Review

DANTE'S INFERNO will be remembered as a classic not only because it is a great game with high production values but also because it is actually based on a classic work of literature. As if that, in and of itself, was not a good enough reason to give it a try, it also boasts incredibly addictive combat that forces you to take advantage of holy and unholy powers, gorgeous 3D and 2D cinematics, hauntingly surreal environments, and a story that draws you in and keeps you engaged until the very end. Overall, the biggest thing DANTE'S INFERNO has going for itself is that it borrows heavily(and I mean heavily) from the GOD OF WAR series(Look for my GOD OF WAR 3 review soon). Surprisingly, some critics saw this as a bad thing and criticized the developers for what they had taken from GOD OF WAR and incorporated into DANTE'S INFERNO. I have always loved the GOD OF WAR series so I felt that using similar combat mechanics was only logical and intelligent to do. We should keep in mind that all new games build on what has come before them. Sadly, as huge and as popular as GOD OF WAR is, DANTE'S INFERNO is still in its shadow. However, DANTE'S INFERNO is, without a doubt, one of the best hack n' slash titles you will play this year and, although GOD OF WAR 3 is a better game overall, you won't find any of the gorgeous prerendered cut scenes that DANTE'S INFERNO has in it. In conclusion, as a born again Christian I do believe that hell is a very real place in which people do suffer for all eternity apart from God so this added significantly to how seriously I took the game as well.




Check out Dante's Inferno homepage here:

http://www.dantesinferno.com/

St. George and the Dragon Children's Book Concept

This maquette was the result of a children's book illustration course I took at the University of Findlay this past fall for my masters degree. The concept was a re-imagining of the legend of St. George with St. George as a frog and the dragon portrayed by a crocodile. A frog naturally could not ride a horse so his horse became a squirrel. The piece stands about 10 inches tall.

Limbo Coming to XBOX Live Arcade This Summer

Indie developer Playdead will be releasing their first game, Limbo, on Xbox live sometime this summer. The game will be a sidescrolling adventure that chronicles the dark journey a young boy makes when he enters limbo. Born out of the sketchbook of creative director, Arnt Jenson, it will be rendered in monochrome with silhouetted environments and characters. I have to say I am very intrigued by the look and story behind this title and hope to see more of it in action soon. You can go here to the official website to see some brief gameplay clips and get on a mailing list if you'd like: www.limbogame.org/

Gilliam Makes Another Masterpiece with Dr. Parnassus

Terry Gilliam is and always has been one of my favorite film directors. Most all of his movies are thoroughly entertaining romps through surreal and imagined worlds that can only exist within our own minds and Gilliam's sense of humor is incredibly unique and often dark as well. His latest film, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS is a crowning example of why I love his work so much and what made it even more enjoyable were the various elements and imagery that reminded me of two of his earlier films: TIME BANDITS and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN. Both these films featured struggling stage performers trying to make a living amidst a host of whimsical stage props and ridiculously ornate costumes. They also presented huge dream-like landscapes and environments. DR. PARNASSUS has all these elements as well and they are all portrayed beautifully. Christopher Plummer delivers an excellent performance as Parnassus and Heath Ledger, as the corrupt Tony, is perfectly played. This is definitely the one Gilliam fans have been waiting for and this time around he practically clobbers the audience over the head with his signature style.

Dead Space 2 to hit shelves this December on PS3 and Xbox 360

Lets get this out of the way right off the bat. DEAD SPACE is the best survival/horror game I have ever played and I was one of the first in line to get it when it came out in the fall of 2008. I even got the cool artbook since I had pre-ordered! This game has more than its share of creepy moments and I was genuinely frightened at times when I played it with all the lights out. DEAD SPACE is a great reason to invest in either the XBOX 360 or the PS3 especially since you can pick it up for less than twenty bucks now. So, needless to say I was more than interested when I heard about a sequel even though the ending in DEAD SPACE makes you wonder how Isaac Clarke could have possibly survived to actually play in a sequel. Sounds like there will definitely be a multiplayer element this time around and Isaac will, once again, have wave after countless wave of Necromorphs to mow down and tear apart with whatever he has at his disposal. I'm hoping he has a bit more to say in this one considering he never spoke a single word in the first game.