New Review over at Jaded Eye

Hello again everybody!

For those of you who don't know, we have a new site over at www.jadedeye.com, and that's where all our new reviews get posted! Please go and check it out.

thanks,

Alex

New review over at Jaded Eye!

There's a new review up on our new site over at www.jadedeye.com!

Click the link below to check it out!

http://jupperpeep.com/jadedeye/2010/10/26/red-review/

New review over at Jaded Eye!

There's a new review up, but it's only available over at our new website www.jadedeye.com! Go check it out, and then 'Like' our Facebook page for the new site at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaded-Eye/154689604542409

The Social Network Review

On the face of it, I really had no interest in going to see this film. The story behind the founding of Facebook, and exactly how obnoxious Mark Zuckerberg is/was to his friends and colleagues is already a matter of some public record, and so the idea of a film based on an unauthorised book concerned with highlighting the exact extent of his douchebaggery certainly didn't fill me with anticipation. There were, however, a few things that did pique my interest. For one, The Social Network is helmed by David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac), one of the most respected directors of the past decade, and a consistently safe pair of hands (well, maybe except for Alien 3). In fact, he's usually more than that: capable of turning simple scripts and setups into compelling and believable thrillers (see 2002's Panic Room) without the aid of big budgets, big name stars or elaborate special effects, though equally comfortable working with them all (e.g. Fight Club).

Now that's almost enough to get me to see the film by itself. But when you add to that the fact that the film's screenplay is adapted from the aforementioned book 'The Accidental Billionaires' (by Ben Mezrich) by celebrated The West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin, well, then you've got my attention. It also doesn't hurt that Kevin Spacey is an executive producer, and, on a more personal note, it stars a certain Andrew Garfield, AKA the next Spider-Man, as Zuckerberg's best/only friend. Though they might have diminished by all this, I still had my reservations going in to the film that what I was about to see would be a dirt-dishing, tabloid-level sensationalist morality tale about a dotcom genius and the people he trod on on the way to the top. I needn't have worried. The Social Network delivers a tight, surprisingly entertaining 2 hours, and, even if you're already familiar with the story, it provides enough great performances and witty scripting to make the experience fresh.

So, how much can you reveal about a 'true' story without it being considered a spoiler? Well, the simple summary of the plot is this: Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), a misanthropic, slightly misogynist Harvard undergraduate/computer genius, invents Facebook with the financial backing of his friend Eduardo Savarin (Andrew Garfield) and possible inspiration from a project he's hired to code for some other Harvard undergraduates, the privileged Winklevoss twins. Things get worse as the site becomes more popular, culminating in Zuckerberg being simultaneously sued by both his now ex-best friend and the Winklevoss twins.

On the face of it, it's a pretty straightforward story, but the skill in keeping the audience interested is Fincher's biggest accomplishment here. He intersperses scenes of the legal interviews of the two lawsuits with flashbacks to the founding of the site and its early successes, maintaining tension but at the same time making the most of Sorkin's at times bitingly sarcastic dialogue. He also squeezes great performances out of every single character, from the spoilt, preppy Winklevoss twins (played by Armie Hammer in a role he can do in his sleep, even though he is playing both twins here – a decision I suspect was just Fincher showing off his technical chops) to the main characters of Zuckerberg, Savarin and internet maverick/shallow bastard Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake).

Jesse Eisenberg particularly deserves special mention for his nuanced, understated but generally reprehensible portrayal of the man who by all accounts is all those things and more. He plays Zuckerberg with a vicious contempt, an aloof and intelligent arrogance with just the right hint of vulnerability and unhappiness that keeps the audience just about on his side. Once upon a time (say, after he did Zombieland) I might have called Eisenberg a budget Michael Cera, but as of this film he should definitely be considered the superior actor, and one to watch in future.

The other revelation is Timberlake's take on Napster-inventing, controversy baiting 'bad boy of silicon valley' Sean Parker. He oozes confidence and creepy shallowness in equal measure without a hint of irony, and is required to present an even more extreme example of selfish, intelligent, childish arrogance than even Eisenberg, combined with a deadly charm. It's genuinely to his credit that he is not just comfortable in such company, but inhabits every scene with vicious and captivating bastardliness that is great to watch.

Andrew Garfield also impresses as the stalwart best friend and put-upon 'nice guy' who gets screwed over, portraying Savarin with warmth and later bitterness as required. Of the three main protagonists, Savarin is by far the least interesting and very little time is given to his motivations and development throughout the film, except for a few amusing scenes concerning a chicken (you'll have to see it). Though not endorsing the book, Savarin was consulted during its writing, which is surprising as he comes off as at best naïve, and at worst foolish in the face of mounting betrayal by Zuckerberg. Perhaps he was keen to have Zuckerberg painted as unremitting asshole, but in the end there are some good points made that make you feel that, though he did not deserve the treatment he received by Parker and Zuckerberg, he certainly should have seen it coming and better protected himself. You can definitely see from this film why he was chosen to be the next Peter Parker/Spider-man, and this film has also succeeded in making me very interested in seeing how that one turns out too.

In all, The Social Network is an example where everything went right with a film. Right director, right script, right actors. Though it's unfair to say the story is a bit of a sow's ear, it's certainly fairly simple (jerk creates website, website becomes popular, jerk meets bastard, jerk also becomes a bastard, bastard gets sued), and the combination of top class talent involved turns it into a silk purse. It's not the riveting 'must see' some people would have you believe, and certainly won't sate people looking for an all-out scandal thriller, action film or biting satire, but it punches above its weight in terms of both spectacle and entertainment, and well worth watching if you get the chance.

Alex

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero Review

The emergence of the digital download market in the current generation of games consoles has seen a lot of experimentation. We’ve seen the arrival of the multi-player beta as a marketing tool, with publishers incentivising gamers to buy the latest release with the promise of access to an early test of a future game (most famously pioneered with the Halo 3 multiplayer beta included with Crackdown). We’ve also seen Downloadable content (DLC) start to appear in various forms with varying levels of success. When the exclusive “Horse Armour” download appeared for Oblivion (at a price), there was uproar. Indeed people were so disgusted that the term ‘Horse Armour’ is still often used on forums to describe a piece of DLC that people feel should really be either free or part of the game in the first place. The world has come a long way since then, and though there is still some Horse Armour out there, DLC is a huge secondary business for games companies, providing optional extra content at prices most consumers are happy to pay. EA have recently unveiled their latest scheme – Project $10. Buy the game new and you’ll get updates such as weapons, missions or maps (or in the case of EA Sports, online play) included. Buy it second hand, and the extras are a $10 download. It’s a bold strategy to attempt to combat the rise of second hand games sales, and one that is made possible by the on-line functionality provided as standard in Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. An equally bold move was recently made by Capcom, with the release of Case Zero, a prequel to the new full price game Dead Rising 2.

Game demos have existed for decades, pretty much from the point at which media became cheap enough to give away for free on the front of a magazine. They all tended to follow the same structure; a section of the game is offered for free to entice newcomers into trying the full product (a strategy familiar to drug dealers the world over). But here’s the thing: Case Zero isn’t free. And it doesn’t contain any sections from the final game. So it’s not a normal demo. But it’s clearly connected to the full release; it’s not really a stand alone game. What it is then, is an interesting new marketing tool – the mini prequel.  But is Case Zero really anything more than a glorified demo that you’re charged for the privilege of playing?

Case Zero’s story is set directly prior to the main game. Once again, zombies are running amok and society is breaking down. We are introduced to game’s protagonist Chuck Greene and his four year old daughter Katie. Chuck and Katie stop at a deserted gas station in the small town of Still Creek to fill up their truck. While there, Chuck gives Katie “a shot” – an injection of the drug Zombrex (no, really), which will stop the young girl from turning into a zombie (she was bitten before the game started). Unfortunately, while Chuck is distracted, the truck is stolen, along with his reserves of Zombrex. And surprise surprise, the town around them is coming back to unlife. Chuck and Katie barricade themselves in the gas station and so the game begins – as Chuck you need to find a way out of the town but more importantly, you need to find a new source of Zombrex, as a shot is only good for 12 hours, after which time, your infected daughter will start to turn.

The core gameplay from the original Dead Rising returns in this sequel-prequel. The aim is still to find objects and rescue survivors whilst killing as many zombies as possible in as many entertaining and grizzly ways as possible. As before, almost anything Chuck finds can be used as a weapon from the obvious (guns, baseball bats, chainsaws) through the useless (rolled up news papers, handbags, poker chips) to the downright bizarre (taking the prize this time around: A Moose Head!). What’s more, new for the prequel, certain items can be combined to create combo weapons, which add to the points Chuck accumulates - these provide upgrades to Chuck’ health, extra item carrying space or new abilities. Some are obvious, such as nails in a baseball bat, whilst others are down right obscure (the drill-bucket?) but they all add to the wacky atmosphere and crazy antics. And anyone who doesn’t get a kick from the Shotgun/Pitchfork combination (named the BoomStick) doesn’t have a pulse.

Back too is the annoying save system (although now three slots are available instead of one) and the restart option. As many of Chuck’s missions are time critical, it’s easily possible to miss an important event. When this happens, you can chose to restart the story, but keep your upgrades. This makes the earlier sections easier as you’re more powerful than before and other challenges that previously seemed impossible can now be completed. Personally, I’ve always hated games that make me replay large sections and yet both the original and this game never annoyed me. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of being able to rescue that last survivor who didn’t make it last time. Or see that critical event I missed before, because there just wasn’t time.

Dead Rising 2 – Case Zero is a great game. And, having played it, I’ve no doubt that Dead Rising 2 itself will also be excellent. But, should I be paying for the privilege? What Capcom have done is taken the core engine of Dead Rising 2 and provided a new location to play in. A new set of art assets have been presumably produced – none of the buildings look like they would belong in Fortune City – the main game’s version of Las Vegas. Everything else has come across from the full price product. Would the experience have been any different if Capcom had provided an enclosed section of the main game to try out as a free demo?  Case Zero provides about 3 hours of gameplay to finish first time (certainly a lot bigger than the average demo), but like the main game, there will have been survivors you left behind, or items you missed which are worth tracking back for. In addition, the upgrades you earn in this prequel can be carried forward to the main game. I think, at 400 Microsoft points, Case Zero is a worthwhile investment and recommend it as a good introduction or reintroduction to the unique world of Dead Rising. But, having seen the success of this download (500,000+ copies sold) don’t be surprised to see other publishers jump on the paid-demo bandwagon, ones who may not be as generous as Capcom have been.

JIM

Valkyria Chronicles 2 Review

The original Valkyria Chronicles was released for the PS3 in 2008. A unique mix of RTS and 3rd person shooter (at least to console gaming), it proved to be a critical darling, getting excellent reviews and many awards. Sales were apparently respectable enough for a sequel but it was never a massive break out hit. The sequel arrives 2 years later, but on a different platform – PSP. The producer Shuntaro Tanaka was quoted as saying “ to allow a broader spectrum of users to discover and enjoy what makes Valkyria special” or, in other words, “sell more copies”.

Valkyria Chronicles II retains a lot of what made its forbear so unique. The core game play consists of battles against an opposing army in both top down (Command Mode) and 3^rd person modes. An overhead map shows the positions of your team and any enemies in sight. Selecting one of your own units zooms down into 3^rd person, where you can move the unit – but only as long as you have action points. As you run, a progress bar at the bottom of the screen runs down until your character has to stop – whether they are well placed in cover or standing in front of an enemy tank. You can select the unit again, but they won’t be able to move as far a second time and only as long as you still have command points, one of which is used each time you select a unit. It all sounds a bit fiddly, but once you get into the flow its works well. Combat is also controlled from the 3^rd person mode, but is entirely stat-based. You tell the unit to shoot (once per movement) and behind the scenes statistics determine if you’ve hit or missed. Once you’ve run out of command points, the other army get to move and attack.

Anyone who played a table top war game should be right at home with the basic concepts. Borrowing many ideas from games like Warhammer 40k, Valkyria Chronicles II is initially a lot of fun. Once you’ve got the hang of the basic mechanics the game opens up nicely, introducing new units for your side and the enemy, as well as new environmental effects, such as snow or night. Unfortunately, the shine starts to fade as soon as you realise how poor the enemy A.I. is. Many of the missions look to be very difficult on paper, but once on the battle field the stupidity of the opposition ensures a smooth ride. The CPU always seems happy to either leave its mission objective base open and inefficiently defended or, like a World War 1 general, throw waves of soldiers into the grinding mill that is a machine gunner in cover. The only real difficulty spikes are when an unknown enemy unit appears, but they all have weak spots, that once identified can always be exploited in order to assure victory. It’s a shame because the core gameplay has a lot potential in it, but there’s never really any drive to explore it when the basic units can overpower every foe you face.

When a game has a poor difficultly level, a good story can often provide enough of an incentive to push forward and keep playing. Unfortunately, Valkyria Chronicles II fails on this level too. The background is actually quite interesting; a disparate nation, made up of many separate races, under attack from within by an insurgent rebel army that wants to ethnically cleanse the country. Against this backdrop, we’re introduced to lead character Avan Hardins, younger brother of the first game’s protagonist Leon. Avan is told of his brother’s death on a top secret mission but no further details can be provided. Keen to learn more, Avan enrols in Lanseal Academy, the most prestigious army training school in the country.  Again, an interesting set-up. But it appears that Lanseal recruits very young as Avan is thrown into a series of “encounters” (played out in cartoon style cut scene fashion between combat missions) with fellow school mates of the type of being late for class, arguing over what’s for lunch and helping friends work through adolescent crushes. No one is portrayed as more than 16 or 17, with many characters skewed younger. As benefits the setup, many of the Avan’s friends are of different races, with “Spock Alike” Zeri to “Kirk Alike” Avan one of the key figures . Zeri is a Darcsen, an ancient race who were responsible for invading the lands many years ago. There are some interesting dynamics between the Darcsen characters and some of the other races that make up the academy due to the hostilities of the past, and it makes a rare but pleasant change when these are explored, even though it’s usually brief. 

So what you basically have is a group of school children going off to fight in a civil war. There’s obviously the gem of an interesting story idea bubbling here under the surface which could have raised some interesting questions. But when characters are more concerned with whether a girl likes them than the massacre they are about to walk into, something is very wrong. Sequences of villages being levelled under heavy bombardment and civilian slaughters are inter-cut with games of football and friends falling out over cheating in an exam. Ultimately, Valkyria Chronicles II a game defined by its limitations. The limited A.I. fails to provide any challenge. The PSP’s technical specifications limit the size of battles to small skirmishes. And the bizarre story setup of using school children to engage in war limits interesting plot elements in deference to petty squabbles. It’s a real shame as there’s the spark of an interesting plot in here and a very solid game mechanic to work with. But these elements are trampled under a bad story and simplistic A.I. Perhaps the approach to appeal to the broader spectrum of users has in fact fatally broken what could have made Valkyria special.

JIM

New Podcast Now Available!

Finally, there's a new Jaded Media Podcast available at

http://jupperpeep.com/Jaded/podcasts/Episode_004_resievil.m4a

You can also find it on iTunes, now under our new name of Jaded Eye. We'll be moving across to jadedeye.com in the next couple of weeks, so take the opportunity to bookmark that site and follow us on facebook under the new name- there's a page ready and waiting for you!