Another early post, as tomorrow I will be too busy playing the above game to write about it...
I mentioned last week that "Super Mario Galaxy 2" was being released...on May 23rd to be precise. I picked up my pre-order and took it for a spin and was actually pleasantly surprised with it. I was both right and wrong in my assumptions. Though it most definitely is more of the same (for those familiar with the original) in that it utilizes the same game engine, the same gravity effects, etc., I'm only about half-way through the second world (I like to savor the Super Mario experience) and it literally destroys its predecessor in every respect. The best comparison I can come up with is comic book movies. The first one is always heavier-handed, with lengthy character introductions and back-story. It serves to situate us and ease us into the universe so that the second one can then really take off (think "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"). Such is the case with "Super Mario Galaxy 2".
The first one introduced us to the space setting, got us comfortable with the gravity mechanics and being able to run all the way around a spherical level, taught us that black holes indicate areas where we can't run all the way around, lest we want to plunge to our death, and gave us a basic understanding of the game mechanics as a whole which, let's face it, were mainly borrowed from "Super Mario 64". The sequel, however, takes those concepts and runs with them. It makes the game what, in my opinion, the first one should have been. It's more difficult (at least the first worlds are harder than the early sections of the last game) and there's just something more inspired about the level design. It's like that sense of youthful fun that was missing in "Super Mario Sunshine" and to a lesser degree in the original "Super Mario Galaxy" has been restored. Playing through the levels, it's mind-boggling to consider the degree of care and planning that went into it all. I can't imagine there will be another platformer this year on any of the major gaming platforms that will trump this one. It's just that good. Even the sections that seamlessly switch into 2D for some throwback side-scrolling best anything that I encountered in "New Super Mario Bros. Wii", a game that was entirely designed as a 2D side-scroller.
Also, the hub world has been cast aside in favor of a more standardized level-selection screen. Though I thought I would miss the aspect of "finding" the levels, I don't; and a main contributing factor to that is probably that I strongly disliked the hub world in the original Galaxy. Compared to the castle in "Super Mario 64" and even Delfino Island in "Super Mario Sunshine" the spaceship from "Super Mario Galaxy" came off as fairly uninspired. The level selection system they've adopted in this one is therefore more akin to "Super Mario World" for the SNES, though I wish they would infuse it with as many secrets. Can't have it all, I suppose. In either case, it works well and therefore drops the tedium of the last one.
Putting aside gameplay, it's also worth noting that this is a gorgeous Wii game. Nintendo knows how to milk everything they can out of their console's modest processing power. Other developers need to take notice; other than "Metroid Prime: Corruption", no third-party effort seems to come close to this quality of visuals. And the sound work is also commendable. It's always great to hear fully orchestrated themes, and they take greater care this time around to include even more tunes from the Mario games or yore.
I've read some reviews that end with comments in the vein of "this is the reason I still play games" and I would have to agree. This is videogaming for the very reason games were conceived in the first place: fun. Everything about "Super Mario Galaxy 2" is inspired and polished; you can't ask for much more from a game. For Wii owners, this is a must buy!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Dark Night of Waldo
So I'm sitting here and am really not sure what to write about. There's no standout movie or album or videogame this week that comes to mind. Well, there was "The Great Waldo Search", I suppose. What is this surely fantastic product, bearing the never-fail Waldo logo, you ask? It is, in fact, a game from 1992, made for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. I happened to play it on a Genesis emulator.
When it comes to movies, I'm almost as fascinated with the utterly terrible as I am with the genuinely sublime, and it's the same story with videogames. Until emulators came around though, I wouldn't have been able to play most of these awful games since, as a kid, I needed to carefully spend my $3.42 on worthwhile game rentals. But as I grew older and saw videogames for what I truly believe they are, an art form, I couldn't deny my curiosity at the depths of peoples' bad ideas. Now with an emulator on hand and the internet at one's disposal, it is easy to access any game in the entire library of any old game console.
Having grown up on the Nintendo side of the tracks, I rarely played any of the Sega products, save flagship titles such as "Sonic the Hedgehog". So the other day when I went to a friend's place to play some retro games, I thought it may be a good idea to change it up and explore some 16-bit Sega titles. We hopped in and out of several games, sometimes trying to find greatness, sometimes wanting to laugh at horribly executed messes and in the end, I was left with a couple conclusions:
1) Despite some decent platforming games on Sega's console--the "Sonic" games, "Ristar", and "Rocket Knight Adventures" to name a few--none of them come anywhere close to offering the experience of a "Super Mario Bros." game. It seems almost sad, in that they had several Mario games from which to steal great ideas (on which they could have easily added a creative spin) and yet they seemingly opted not to. And the fact is, all of the games I listed above are good. They have somewhat interesting play mechanics, cool midi music, etc...and yet they feel hollow. Playing these games (which are found on many lists of the best Genesis games ever) helped cement my theory that nobody has ever (and maybe will ever) make platformers that can compete with Nintendo's. I've spoken highly of Shigeru Miyamoto in the past, but it's worth saying that even without his own designing skills on display, Nintendo makes better platformers than any other company on the market today. As an example, "Super Mario Galaxy 2" comes out this weekend. It will very likely simply be an expansion on the original "Super Mario Galaxy" and yet still will end up being the best platformer of the year.
2) "Where's Waldo" should never be ported to a console format. I remember being a kid and looking through the books. At least there was a mild degree of challenge there, like sometimes it took a minute or two to find our little traveler. In the epic "Great Waldo Search" you move left or right, causing the screen to scroll, and try to find Waldo and a scroll in each level. The first time you come across Waldo, it's hilarious. He takes up a fair portion of the screen and sticks out like a sore thumb. On the second level, Waldo started off right in the middle of the starting screen! And I know you're probably thinking "hey, this is a game for kids after all." But the fact is that even for preschoolers, this game has got a touch of the downs. There are so many other decent titles out there made for a younger age group that actually offer some kind of game play. It seems that in the early 90s they hadn't yet figured out how to make them. They did, however, already have a keen sense of exploiting a trend to make a buck. (Did they make a Pogs videogame or am I just having a genius idea 15 years too late?)
Other than that, hmmm let's see. Perhaps I'll simply recommend another good album. There's a collaboration of Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch that hit the internet last year entitled "Dark Night of the Soul". Though I listened to it a bit at the time, I quickly was onto other things and didn't make my way back to it until lately. The fact is, it's probably one of the best albums of 2009 (in my humble opinion of course) that almost nobody has heard. And there's a reason for that, and also a reason that it hit the internet and not store shelves. Apparently there was some kind of copyright issue as far as EMI was concerned, and therefore the album never could receive an official release or the artists involved could be faced with lawsuits. Many suspect this has nothing to do with this album but is rather a simple issue of the large label making things difficult for Danger Mouse after some bad blood following his previous outing, "The Grey Album" which was a mash-up of The Beatles' White album and Jay-Z's Black album. I won't get into all of that...there's plenty written about it already. The fact of the matter is that after completing this album, they were unable to release it, so they did the next best thing. What they actually released into stores was a set containing 50 pages of artwork by David Lynch and a blank CD. The album then mysteriously leaked online. (And wouldn't you know it, it burns quite nicely right onto that there blank CD!) The songs themselves range from dreamy psychedelia, to self-deprecating quasi-punk, to lullaby ballads for the sad and lonely. It's an odd, yet interesting mix that somehow thematically ties its parts together into some kind of coherent whole. And if you want to hear it (and you should), well then the only way to do so is to download it.
When it comes to movies, I'm almost as fascinated with the utterly terrible as I am with the genuinely sublime, and it's the same story with videogames. Until emulators came around though, I wouldn't have been able to play most of these awful games since, as a kid, I needed to carefully spend my $3.42 on worthwhile game rentals. But as I grew older and saw videogames for what I truly believe they are, an art form, I couldn't deny my curiosity at the depths of peoples' bad ideas. Now with an emulator on hand and the internet at one's disposal, it is easy to access any game in the entire library of any old game console.
Having grown up on the Nintendo side of the tracks, I rarely played any of the Sega products, save flagship titles such as "Sonic the Hedgehog". So the other day when I went to a friend's place to play some retro games, I thought it may be a good idea to change it up and explore some 16-bit Sega titles. We hopped in and out of several games, sometimes trying to find greatness, sometimes wanting to laugh at horribly executed messes and in the end, I was left with a couple conclusions:
1) Despite some decent platforming games on Sega's console--the "Sonic" games, "Ristar", and "Rocket Knight Adventures" to name a few--none of them come anywhere close to offering the experience of a "Super Mario Bros." game. It seems almost sad, in that they had several Mario games from which to steal great ideas (on which they could have easily added a creative spin) and yet they seemingly opted not to. And the fact is, all of the games I listed above are good. They have somewhat interesting play mechanics, cool midi music, etc...and yet they feel hollow. Playing these games (which are found on many lists of the best Genesis games ever) helped cement my theory that nobody has ever (and maybe will ever) make platformers that can compete with Nintendo's. I've spoken highly of Shigeru Miyamoto in the past, but it's worth saying that even without his own designing skills on display, Nintendo makes better platformers than any other company on the market today. As an example, "Super Mario Galaxy 2" comes out this weekend. It will very likely simply be an expansion on the original "Super Mario Galaxy" and yet still will end up being the best platformer of the year.
2) "Where's Waldo" should never be ported to a console format. I remember being a kid and looking through the books. At least there was a mild degree of challenge there, like sometimes it took a minute or two to find our little traveler. In the epic "Great Waldo Search" you move left or right, causing the screen to scroll, and try to find Waldo and a scroll in each level. The first time you come across Waldo, it's hilarious. He takes up a fair portion of the screen and sticks out like a sore thumb. On the second level, Waldo started off right in the middle of the starting screen! And I know you're probably thinking "hey, this is a game for kids after all." But the fact is that even for preschoolers, this game has got a touch of the downs. There are so many other decent titles out there made for a younger age group that actually offer some kind of game play. It seems that in the early 90s they hadn't yet figured out how to make them. They did, however, already have a keen sense of exploiting a trend to make a buck. (Did they make a Pogs videogame or am I just having a genius idea 15 years too late?)
Other than that, hmmm let's see. Perhaps I'll simply recommend another good album. There's a collaboration of Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch that hit the internet last year entitled "Dark Night of the Soul". Though I listened to it a bit at the time, I quickly was onto other things and didn't make my way back to it until lately. The fact is, it's probably one of the best albums of 2009 (in my humble opinion of course) that almost nobody has heard. And there's a reason for that, and also a reason that it hit the internet and not store shelves. Apparently there was some kind of copyright issue as far as EMI was concerned, and therefore the album never could receive an official release or the artists involved could be faced with lawsuits. Many suspect this has nothing to do with this album but is rather a simple issue of the large label making things difficult for Danger Mouse after some bad blood following his previous outing, "The Grey Album" which was a mash-up of The Beatles' White album and Jay-Z's Black album. I won't get into all of that...there's plenty written about it already. The fact of the matter is that after completing this album, they were unable to release it, so they did the next best thing. What they actually released into stores was a set containing 50 pages of artwork by David Lynch and a blank CD. The album then mysteriously leaked online. (And wouldn't you know it, it burns quite nicely right onto that there blank CD!) The songs themselves range from dreamy psychedelia, to self-deprecating quasi-punk, to lullaby ballads for the sad and lonely. It's an odd, yet interesting mix that somehow thematically ties its parts together into some kind of coherent whole. And if you want to hear it (and you should), well then the only way to do so is to download it.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Never Trust a Corpse
I was lucky enough to catch up with a friend this week, a fellow horror-fiend, who just happened to suggest we watch an indie flick from 2008 by the name of "I Sell The Dead". The cover art was cool and retro and it starred Ron Perlman (of Hellboy fame) and Dominic Monaghan who I'd only seen as Merry in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Ring" trilogy.
It was one of those great moments when you expect very little and are amply rewarded. As it turns out, "I Sell the Dead" is a horror-comedy, which I personally consider the most challenging of all film genres, with the accent placed squarely on the comedy. Playing out much like a horror anthology, with four episodes sandwiched within a fifth of sorts, it tells the story of two grave-robbers just trying to make a buck in the poor ol' 1800s.
Writer/Director Glenn McQuaid really squeezes a lot out of his surely modest budget, making clever use of costumes, sets, green-screening and even some EC comics-inspired animation. As a testament to his creativity, watch this film and try to keep in mind that the entire thing was shot in New York. The script is witty and charming, offering countless winks and nudges to the genre and its conventions. But where as this type of film can often fall into camp territory, seemingly mocking the genre, "I Sell the Dead" is a labor of love.
Though the acting is solid all around--even the bit parts are played with genuine enthusiasm suggesting all involved were truly having a good time--the real showstopper here is Larry Fessenden, as grave-robber Willie Grimes. He perfectly embodies his character and commits to the script, which is something many highly-paid Hollywood actors have forgotten how to do. Monaghan is also quite good, offering the youthful charm that you'd expect from him, and the chemistry between the two is really the meat of this film.
I won't say too much more, as I don't want to ruin anything; the beauty of this type of film is the unknown. In fact, that should be the beauty of most films....shame on you, elaborate movie trailers. But as you can clearly tell, I highly recommend this little gem. If you've got a penchant for dark humor, this is a must. If you also happen to be a long-time horror fan, then why are you still reading this? Get going!
And oh, did I mention there's also a creepy little role played by the Tall Man himself, Angus Scrimm? Yeah.
It was one of those great moments when you expect very little and are amply rewarded. As it turns out, "I Sell the Dead" is a horror-comedy, which I personally consider the most challenging of all film genres, with the accent placed squarely on the comedy. Playing out much like a horror anthology, with four episodes sandwiched within a fifth of sorts, it tells the story of two grave-robbers just trying to make a buck in the poor ol' 1800s.
Writer/Director Glenn McQuaid really squeezes a lot out of his surely modest budget, making clever use of costumes, sets, green-screening and even some EC comics-inspired animation. As a testament to his creativity, watch this film and try to keep in mind that the entire thing was shot in New York. The script is witty and charming, offering countless winks and nudges to the genre and its conventions. But where as this type of film can often fall into camp territory, seemingly mocking the genre, "I Sell the Dead" is a labor of love.
Though the acting is solid all around--even the bit parts are played with genuine enthusiasm suggesting all involved were truly having a good time--the real showstopper here is Larry Fessenden, as grave-robber Willie Grimes. He perfectly embodies his character and commits to the script, which is something many highly-paid Hollywood actors have forgotten how to do. Monaghan is also quite good, offering the youthful charm that you'd expect from him, and the chemistry between the two is really the meat of this film.
I won't say too much more, as I don't want to ruin anything; the beauty of this type of film is the unknown. In fact, that should be the beauty of most films....shame on you, elaborate movie trailers. But as you can clearly tell, I highly recommend this little gem. If you've got a penchant for dark humor, this is a must. If you also happen to be a long-time horror fan, then why are you still reading this? Get going!
And oh, did I mention there's also a creepy little role played by the Tall Man himself, Angus Scrimm? Yeah.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The National - High Violet
Those who have read my previous posts will notice that The National's "Boxer" was my favorite album of 2007. That is always a difficult feat to follow-up, let alone to repeat. And though I can't say that "High Violet" (out May 10, 2010) will be my favorite album of this year (I think that for the moment Beach House's "Teen Dream" is still slightly ahead) it will definitely be at the top of the list. Contributions from other indie icons, including Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens don't hurt either! This time they've changed up the formula a touch. Now, existing The National fans need not worry, all of those awe-inspiring moments are still here, along with Matt Berninger's beautifully crafted lyricism, Bryan Devendorf's creative drumming and of course, endless melancholy. It's the aesthetic choices, more than anything, that have changed. On "Boxer", every song seemed to crisply revolve around Berninger's unmistakable baritone. This time around, the instrumentation is more lively and is more so made up of dense walls of sound. Where as the hooks were once subtle and needed time to hit home, these hooks bare much more immediacy. It's not to say that, like all other tunes in their songbook, these songs don't grow on you the more you listen. That would be misleading in that there is plenty to discover under the surface. But they definitely grab hold of you faster than the songs from any of their previous albums. Though the aesthetics get changed up, the thematics certainly do not; this is yet another painful evening with our guide, Matt Berninger, as he takes us through failed relationships, uneasiness, and heartbreak, possibly even with a less hopeful spirit than on previous outings. It is ironic to me then, that it may also be the album that finally launches these guys beyond the realm of indie-rock and into the mainstream. Let's hope they don't pull a Modest Mouse if that happens. Here's a quick run-through of the tracks:
1. Terrible Love (if that title doesn't sum up The National, I don't know what does)
They debuted this song on Fallon, if I'm not mistaken, and it immediately shoves the aesthetic difference of this album in your face. It's rough around the edges, not too polished, and the lyrics are slightly muddled within the instrumentation, rather than being front and center. But as soon as the first line is sung ("It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders") you're hooked.
2. Sorrow
"Don't leave my hyper heart alone, on the water / Cover me in rag and bone / Sympathy / Cause I don't want to get over you."
Seriously, need I say more? This is the moment I said to myself "I love this album."
3. Anyone's Ghost
Two on the kick drum and two on the snare...this one comes out with an almost head-bobbable beat. It's a song about distrust, hurt feelings and the damage caused by the combination of the two. ("I had a hole in the middle where the lightning went through").
4. Little Faith
This track jumped out at me right away, mostly due to the 70s prog-style bass line. It creates tension that reminds me of "Start a War" from their previous album, as Berninger admits "I set a fire just to see what it kills".
5. Afraid of Everyone
Many seem to be naming this their favorite song on the album. Though I personally don't agree, and would never choose a favorite song on an album by The National until I've listened to the whole thing 40 or 50 times, I could easily imagine this song on the radio. It's a slow build to an intense climax. Berninger seems to know exactly when to take the melody up a step to match the growing intensity of the song.
6. Bloodbuzz Ohio
Most fans have had this on their iPods for quite a while now, as it was the first single released some time ago. It's a sad story of a man returning home to a relationship he took for granted, and likely lost. ("I never thought about love when I thought about home.")
7. Lemonworld
The centerpiece of the album, I read somewhere that they recorded over 70 takes of the track, changing up the effects, the mixing, etc. and in the end they settled on...the very first take! They wanted to leave this one rough and unpolished.
8. Runaway
This one could have come right off "Boxer". It has that same crisp and quietly potent quality. It's a hushed little break-up anthem in which the speaker declares "We don't bleed when we don't fight / Go ahead, go ahead, throw your arms in the air tonight". The way it lyrically captures (and therefore creates) the visual scene that is taking place is remarkable. You can literally imagine the movement and body language...who needs a video when it can be done with words alone?
9. Conversation 16
Another track that caught my attention when I first listened to this album was this hauntingly sad number about a couple pretending to be happy despite their increasingly fractured relationship, or maybe it's long-dead. The artifice of it all is showcased when Berninger proclaims "It's a Hollywood summer" and "We belong in a movie".
10. England
I knew Sufjan Stevens had contributed to a song on this album and when this one started with it's oddly-familiar piano line, I was sure this was the one. I was wrong. But listen to his song "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL" from his Illinois album and tell me I was crazy to think so. In either case, this is another track that gradually builds to a raucous climax, including horns, even! (Ahem, another Stevens staple.)
11. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
This is the lullaby at the end of the album. And though it was entirely about heartbreak, broken relationships and the pain and depression that potentially come with love or its loss, this final track seemingly absolves hopeless romantics of their sins, offering that "All the very best of us / String ourselves up for love".
I can't wait to keep getting deeper into this one. Being an avid fan of The National, I know that as with all of their albums, it will only get better after dozens and dozens of repeat listens!
Good night, fractured lovers.
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