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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Insidious: Movie Review and Possible Reference to SAW VIII


You know a horror movie is good when it makes you afraid to sleep...

I've only been able to say that about one other movie in my entire life: The Grudge. And that was more location based than anything. I love the dark, I love sitting in the dark, I love the night time. But Insidious made me turn on the lights when I went downstairs to pee. This movie is incrediebly creepy. This is the best ghost movie I have seen since Haunting in Connecticut. Certain lines characters said in the movie caused my eyes to widen and a shivver to roll down my spine. It's been so long since a horror movie has genuinely creeped me out like this. I'm happy it did. Most horror movies these days are good for the lulz if nothing else. But something about this one sticks with you...

I have heard from many people how bad this movie sucks, and from others how it was good until the end. Personally I think they are being too cynical. The average imdb.com rating is 6.3/10 which is fair. Most of the reviews range from 5-7 stars. With a few 3's and 10's. So it's obvious this is a movie you either love or hate. And I think it all depends on your personal taste. I loved it, another friend of mine hated it. Each to his own then.

Based off the haterd in some of the reviews I can kind of see where some of the haters are coming from. The movie is not without flaws. The plot moves a bit too fast and you find out what's going on too soon. While the first half of the movie is creepy and make you see things if you stare into a dark corner for too long, the second half of the movie is more of an adrenaline rush and ultimately what seems to be a...

*SPOILER* cat and mouse game with a demon that looks like a cross breed between Dath Maul and a goat *SPOILER ENDS HERE*

I felt like the horror part of the movie was rushed to hurry and get to the more action-y part. It wasn't an altogether bad thing though. There were some parts in the second half of the movie that were even creepier than the first half. It was just the claimax of the movie. It felt more like a race than survival.

The only other complaint I have is that part of the plot seems to be heavily borrowed from Paranormal Activity. But you'd have to see both movies to understand why.

As for the ending, without spoiling anything I will say... if you prefer "happily ever after endings" you probably shouldn't be watching horror movies. I mean, come on people, you've seen enough horror movies by now to expect this kind of thing... lower your standards a bit.

Overall a good creepy movie that takes an unexpected turn into action genre but still manages to keep it's creepy elements. A movie that genuinely tries to scare you and not just gross you out.

My rating: 8/10


Now, on to SAW news...

as you may well know, the new horror movie Insidious was made by the same people in charge of the SAW and Paranormal Activity franchise.

I'm watching it right now and at about 30 minutes and 30 seconds in there's a chalkboard in the background with a Billy Puppet drawn on it and the number 8 underneath him.

here's a screenshot I took with my phone

Possible SAW VIII reference in Insidious.

according to this link: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00034501.html

the creators of the SAW franchise have stated before that they are considering continuing the series due to the vast amount of unanswered questions, online petitions to make an 8th movie, and the huge support from die-hard fans. But if they do, they plan on making the story "better than ever".

other people have claimed they have seen other horror movie references in Insidious, including Mary Shaw from Dead Silence and what looks to be Freddy Kruger's knife fingers.


Friday, December 9, 2011

The World Ends With You


ever since hearing Neku was gonna be in Kingdom Hearts 3D I felt like I had to do some research on him. Found out what game he was from and also found out this game has a huge cult following.

The game is "The World Ends With You" for Nintendo DS. An underrated glorious RPG gem from the Kingdom Hearts team at Square Enix


It's the story of an angst ridden young man who is thrown into an alternate version of his hometown where he is forced to participate in what is known as the "Reaper's Game". A game that presents him with a new challenge each day for 7 days that he and his annoyingly cheery companion must complete in  a set amount of time or face being "erased". These challenges vary from completing fetch quests to taking out the Noise (the Noise is what the enemies are called in this game). Usually resulting in a fight with a big boss Noise.

I picked up this game awhile back and played it obsessively ever since getting it for a few weeks, but had to take a break for awhile due to some major releases :whistle:

but I have once again picked it up and I must say... it's just as awesome as I remember :D

the gameplay relies almost entirely on the touchscreen. While the d-pad can be used to move while navigating, battles are strictly stylus only.

and here's how it works: throughout the game you get these "pins" that you can equip to Neku and the pins offer different battle abilities, once in battle a certain type of stylus movement will be used for certain attacks. for example, if you wish to slash an enemy, just do a quick swipe across them with the stylus. tapping an enemy repeatedly will shoot magic orbs at them. and holding the stylus on an enemy will set them ablaze.

The pins can only be used so many times in one battle before they need to recharge, which is why it's good to have multiple equipped.

At the end of each battle you are graded on how well you did with a letter score, with a Star for perfect. The score is based on many factors (health lost, time took, damage dealt. ect.) and the higher the score, the better the prizes.

The one bad thing is that you have to watch both screens, because while Neku is at the bottom, his companion is at the top fighting as well, and if either one loses all their health it's Game Over. You also have to switch often from character to charter. First you do a few quick stylus attacks with Neku, then switch to the girl and used the D-pad to attack by pressing button prompts. who you should be using at the moment is indicated by a green orb that floats from one screen to the next, highlighting whose turn it is.

the girl has 3 different moves and once you complete all 3 of them her and Neku can use a big special move.


This all sounds complicated but is actually much simpler once you play it and get the hang of it.

here is a battle video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TeG8NH25-M

Most of the game focuses on fighting and story development, but there is also the opportunity to go shopping (which, regardless of the circumstances, the female character seems insistent on doing) and you can buy items to equip to your characters so long as they have enough SP.

one of the other things I absolutely love about this game is how almost the entire soundtrack consists of lyrical songs made specifically for this game.

The songs have a bit of a pop-ish, kind of hip-hop-ish feel to them, but it makes sense because the game takes place in an urban setting. Heck, just look at the cover:



my favorite song in the game is actually one that plays when you're simply walking around the city:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=445abkZlWKU

my second favorite is one of the battle themes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnt-SEg9J9Y

and my third favorite is the game's theme song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d58sfK8DgM8


anyways my main point  here is that I wanted to share this amazing game with you guys and see what you think.

and also, to see if anyone else on here has ever played this and loves it as much as I have? :)

and Kingdom Hearts fans, don't forget, Neku will be in the next KH game on 3DS


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Game Informer's List of Games From This Generation That You Shouldn't Miss Out On

in the latest GI magazine they have a list of current gen games they believe are "must plays" and that you should not miss out on.

here they are: 

Open Word/Sandbox:
  • Grand Theft Auto IV
  • The Elder Schools IV: Oblivion
  • Fallout 3
  • Assassin's Creed Series (Honorable Mention: Assassin's Creed II)
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • inFAMOUS Series (Honorable Mention: inFAMOUS 2)
Shooters:
  • Call of Duty Series (Honorable Mention: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)
  • Battlefield Series (Honorable Mention: Battlefield 3)
  • BioShock Series (Honorable Mention: BioShock)
  • The Orange Box (Half Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal)
  • Halo: Reach
Action/Adventure:
  • Uncharted Series (Honorable Mention: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)
  • The Legend of Zelda Series (Honorable Mention: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
  • Batman Arkham Series (Honorable Mention: Batman: Arkham City)
  • Cave Story
  • Shadow Complex
  • Ratchet & Clank Series (Honorable Mention: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time)
  • Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots
  • Heavy Rain
  • Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
  • Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
  • God of War Series (Honorable Mention: God of War III)
  • Pinball FX 2
RPG:
  • Mass Effect Series (Honorable Mention: Mass Effect 2)
  • Dragon Age: Origins
  • Final Fantasy XIII
  • Fable II
  • Lost Odyssey
  • World of Warcraft
Co-Op:
  • Left 4 Dead Series (Honorable Mention: Left 4 Dead 2)
  • Borderlands
  • Dead Island
  • New Super Mario Bros. Wii
  • Gears of War Series (Honorable Mention: Gears of War 3)
  • Castle Crashers
  • Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Racing:
  • Forza Motorsport Series (Honorable Mention: Forza Motorsport 4)
  • Gran Turimo 5
  • Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
  • Burnout Series (Honorable Mention: Burnout Revenge)
  • Mario Kart Series (Honorable Mention: Mario Kart DS)
Sports:
  • NBA 2K12
  • Fight Night Champion
  • NHL 12
  • MLB 11: The Show
  • FIFA 12
  • Punch Out!
Puzzle:
  • Portal Series (Honorable Mention: Portal 2)
  • Braid
  • Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
  • Professor Layton Series (Honorable Mention: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box)
  • Lumines II
  • Ilomilo
  • Limbo
  • Picross 3D
Strategy:
  • Valkyria Chronicles Series (Honorable Mention: Valkyria Chronicles)
  • Civilization V
  • Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
  • Total Warfare: Shogun 2
  • Plants vs. Zombies
  • Starcraft II
Platforming:
  • Super Mario Bros. DS
  • Super Mario Galaxy Series (Honorable Mention: Super Mario Galaxy)
  • LittleBigPlanet Series (Honorable Mention: LittleBigPlanet 2)
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns
  • Super Meat Boy
  • Kirby's Epic Yarn
Fighting:
  • Super Street Fighter IV
  • Super Smash Bros. Brawl
  • Mortal Kombat
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Survival Horror:
  • Dead Space Series (Honorable Mention: Dead Space 2)
  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent
  • Resident Evil 5
Music/Rhythm
  • Guitar Hero Series (Honorable Mention: Legends of Rock)
  • DJ Hero Series (Honorable Mention: DJ Hero)
  • Rock Band Series (Honorable Mention: Rock Band 3)
  • Dance Central

and there you have it

so, what do you guys think of this list? agree? disagree? somewhere in the middle? please share.

as for me, I agree with most of them, some really good games on that list, however they missed a few I think.