The Player: FIFA 10 cont.

So, I’ve created several different “tournaments” but, really, they’re just leagues. I’m running through a season of the MLS (as Toronto FC, natch) and a season of the Barclay’s Premiere League (the English league, for you soccer/football uninitiated) and am playing as Liverpool FC. I’m an Arsenal supporter but they’re rated at 4.5 stars and I wanted to play a 5 star club. (On a side note: It sometimes seems arbitrary how they come up with these ratings. Like, no offense to any fans, but I can't really see how Liverpool is a 5 and the Gunners are a 4.5, you know? Or how Roma is a 4.5 and Inter is a 5. I kinda feel that maybe Liverpool has scarier fans than Arsenal and that maybe the designers don't watch Italian clubs, so that's sort of how it's all decided. The MLS is even crazier. Everyone is pretty much a 2 or 2.5, with some 1.5s in there, too. You got to feel pretty lame if you're one of those 1.5s, I would imagine. Still, Toronto is a 2, and they're 3-0-1 or something like that in one of my leagues.)

I also created a Champions League style table that has teams from all over the world – which I’m using Liverpool for as well.

I haven’t even bothered to try the “Be a Pro” stuff yet. You know, where you play as one dude for a whole season? You can even create a player – yourself, if you’d like – and download a pic of your face and import it. It’s tempting, but we’ll see.

So far, things are going well as Liverpool. In my crazy Champions League, I’m 2-0-1, with wins against Ajax Amsterdam (2-0) and Sporting Lisbon (1-0) and a hard-fought scoreless draw with the always formidable Bayern Munich. Got a big game against Celtic of Glasgow coming up and then Real Madrid after that one. Yeesh. I’ll probably start up my run at the Premiership tonight with my first fixture against Aston Villa first, though. Sweet.

With Toronto, as you can imagine, not so much. I think I have a draw and a loss. Or maybe just a loss. Not sure. And, also, Dwayne “Dee Ro” DeRosario got a red card in the last match, so he’s not around for our next game. Bummer.

I have to say, I’m really enjoying 10 versus 09. It’s hard to put my finger on where it’s better just yet but I just feel it. I yell much less at the TV when playing, that’s a good start. With every version of the game, it feels more and more like a sim rather than a game. I love that I can slow the play down and I don’t have guys swarming me because, you know what? That’s not what happens in a real game.

And it’s really, REALLY hard to score. Even with an empty net things go horribly wrong. Crossbars and posts are hit. Tears are shed. If you look at those results, they’re like a real game. The TFC games were the same. I haven’t been involved in a match where anyone has scored more than two goals. It keeps things real feeling and I like that.

This weekend, I figure some more league play and then on to the “Be a Pro” stuff. Sweet.

Happy Halloween

Halloween
Where would we be on Halloween without some hilarious Cracked.com costume mockery?

Scary
Obviously what scares us is about as subjective as things can get. For me, it's suffocation and those flat, saucer-like nipples chicks (usually from the late '70s, early '80s) sometimes get. I suppose if somehow both could be worked into something, I'd be pretty afraid of that as well. (Although, possibly aroused, too.) As far as films go, that's a tough one. I guess I don't really get scared of flicks or games when I'm watching or playing them. It's more that night, after, when I'm in bed and I start thinking about aspects of them that it starts to freak me out a bit. Blair Witch was good for that. Dead Space was, too. Anyway, Den of Geek has a list of movies that scared them. What do y'all think?

Frost vs. Frosting
Nick Frost is a funny dude. Flushing things down the toilet that aren't supposed to be flushed down the toilet is funny, too. Put them together and, well, you've got to feel that that's going to land on the amusing side of things as well.

Thor
This Mighty Thor movie Marvel has been talking about is coming together. In all honesty, I don't care. I understand how Marvel is all excited because someone made some good choices around the Iron Man thing and it turned out awesome for them and the rest of us -- and now they want to parlay that into even more awesomeness. But I don't think that's going to happen. Or at least, I'm skeptical of it. You see, if you learn one thing in this business, it's that awesome doesn't come easy to Hollywood. Still, we've got Kenneth Brannagh directing this thing. And now we've got Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin. So, maybe?

Not scary but scary
Life is weird sometimes. There are horror movies that aren't scary out there and there are non-horror movies that have scary bits in them. Crazy! IFC has made a list of some of those latter ones.

Jemaine
I always thought that Flight of the Conchords dude Jemaine Clement's first name was actually Jermaine and that Brett's accent made it sound that way when he talked to him. But no, it's JE-maine not JER-maine. Weird. Is Brett's name actually Brit, like how it sounds when JE-maine pronounces it? On top of Jemaine's Conchords chores, he's starring in a new flick from the dudes who brought you Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre called Gentleman Broncos. He's interviewed in AV Club in support of that.

Dead Space 2
Yes. It's confirmed. A sequel. Well, sort of by Reuters. Dead Space was a weird game in that it had a lot of really great things about it but you got to a point where those really great things just stopped mattering and it went from a 9+ out of 10 to an 8+ out of 10. The first chunk is some of the scariest stuff I've experienced in any medium, game or otherwise. Also, the zero-G sequences are mindblowing -- especially some of the horrific shit that happens to you outside the spaceship. Wow. But by the end, you figure out patterns and the game's AI lets it down. You can read my old review, if you'd like, here. I also did an interview with the game's art director, Ian Milham here. I'm interested to see what EA and the team will do with a new game. I think they could hit this one out of the park if they take some of the criticisms out there to heart.

And finally…
Marvel comics is 70 years old. That is insane. I remember when they turned... well, nevermind. The Times Online has a list of facts about them you (probably) didn't know. Also, for any Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 fans out there -- guilty or otherwise -- here's some word on the upcoming DLC, including word that Black Panther is one of the characters. Sweet!

Generic Thursday blog post

Dragon Age: Origins
Man, I have a buttload of games to review. First off and for the record: That's not a complaint. It is the truth, though. I have six games I'm at varying stages of playing that all should get reviewed soon-ish (if not already). Shoot, I still have to get deep enough into NHL 10 to start forming some opinions and when did that come out? Like, months ago, it seems (it wasn't.) It's sad. And the worst of it? After Nov. 3, I'm pretty much just playing Dragon Age: Origins. Bioware continues to tease some amazing details like this social network-style element the game uses. Also, this reviewer has outlined the use of sex (which is pretty frequent) in the game. My favorite tidbit from that is that the sex becomes an element "around the 60 hour mark" of the game. Awesome.

Uncharted
Nolan North, game voice actor extraordinaire has dropped that Hugh Jackman is everyone's fave pick to play Nathan Drake in a big screen adaptation of Uncharted. I guess that works. I like Jackman, a lot actually, but him as Drake isn't a slam dunk for me. Nope, it isn't.  After recently playing all of Uncharted 2 and revisiting a bit of the original for comparitive purposes (yes, I'm just that thorough), I was feeling Bradley Cooper as Nathan for some reason. He sort of has that cocky-wry thing going, he would probably put a lot more into the franchise than someone who already has one going, and, he really sounds like North/Drake. Then again, maybe Drake needs the Indiana Jones style weight that someone like Jackman has. I don't know. It's probably best that I don't cast giant Hollywood adaptations of video games for a living, isn't it?

Alien prequel
Ridley Scott is doing a prequel to Alien. Whether or not you think that's a good idea, it's happening. Hey, it's better than Brett Ratner doing it or who-have-you, but still, yeah, there's going to be some nervousness there for all of us out here. Scott has started to drop some details about his idea -- well, very vague ones, anyway. Mainly about when the film would take place in relation to the original.

Avatar
Here is the first, full Avatar trailer. So, what did you think? It looks rather plush, doesn't it? To me, it also looks like it will be kinda bad and here's why: the dialogue/story we're allowed to see. It just all seems a tad too simple, doesn't it? Shouldn't a futuristic tale of morality have some complex moral choices in it? Then there's the (possibly ridiculous) Braveheart-slash-St. Crispen's Day speech that all epic films seem to have and all I could say was: Wow. As in: Wow, that's bad. My dad and I were talking about the movie at Thanksgiving and he was like, "If they can put people's consciousness into another entity, why don't they have the technology to repair the guy's body?" The trailer sort of hints that maybe there's a reason, but still, I'm really getting the no feeling from this one.

24
Do you still watch this? I don't.

And finally...
Networks keep giving science fiction shows the green light. There are a bunch out there in TV land. Some are great. Some are just good. Some are Stargate. Regardless, networks have a tendency to kick science fiction shows in their special parts any chance they can get. Moving them around. Putting them on hiatus. Reducing their budgets. Etc. Well, it's about time they stopped. And figures that as soon as I get into Fringe, it's now considered a bubble show. Face palm.

The Player: FIFA 10

I haven’t played a ton of EA’s monster FIFA 10 yet – just a few friendly games using Toronto FC – but I can already tell how true to life the game is. In each closely contested game, I had TFC tied nil-nil going into the dying seconds of the match and then (you see where this is going, right?) – just like the real team – I choked in a cheap goal right at the end to lose. Of course, I haven’t totally melted down when a playoff spot was on the line but, like I said, I haven’t played much yet.

Lingering fan anger aside, I’m really looking forward to diving into the game and seeing how much EA has improved the game since last year.

Same meh, different pile

Conan
Did you know they're making a new Conan movie? Yep. They are. Want some details? You're welcome.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is a dumb game. But Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is also a dumb game that is awesome. Sort of. Read my review.

True Grit
The Coen brothers are re-doing True Grit -- you know, the western that John Wayne won an Oscar for? In the role of Rooster Cogburn, they're thinking Jeff Bridges, Nice, right? Now word is they're adding Matt Damon and Josh Brolin to the mix, too.

Avatar… stolen?
There are murmurings going around that the idea/story for James Cameron's upcoming 3D orgy Avatar may have been "borrowed" from a late 1950s science fiction short story by Poul Anderson. Based on that painting for the story, I'm thinking it's no coincidence -- but that's just me.

BioShock 2
In many ways 2007's BioShock changed the face of gaming. Ideas about the way games are played, designed, conceived and written -- on top of art directed -- were pushed to the limits. So it's kinda strange to look at this trailer for the sequel. Sure, it's amazing looking and awesome but it looks sort of like gaming has changed the face of BioShock, doesn't it? Instead of atmosphere and fear, you're getting a high octane first-person shooter feel. Is that BioShock? When you factor in that the game is going to push a multiplayer component and that original writer Susan O'Connor isn't onboard, I have some reservations.

Action figures
I've never been huge into the action figure thing, Star Wars or otherwise. Although, I have an original C3P0 hanging out on my bookcase right at this very moment. Still, I enjoy a good list and if it happens to be about Star Wars action figures and some of the most embarassingly collectible examples, then so be it!

Evil
Another good list. This one documents some truly evil entities in science fiction. Although, Galactus? Isn't that like calling a shark or lion evil? Doesn't he serve some kind of culling purpose or is he just into destroying things? I thought he needs to eat planets to survive? If that's wrong then I don't want to be right.

The Who: Rock Band
On top of all the other Beatles-related awesomeness Beatles: Rock Band has unleashed on the world, it's success is just going to open the floodgates on other, similar projects for bands that approach the Fab Four's stature. There have been murmurs from Pink Floyd and U2 on the subject but it looks like the first follow-up may be from The Who. And to this I say: FUCK YA!

Assassin’s Creed
Ubisoft is pretty damned serious about Assassin's Creed 2. How serious? So serious, they bought Hybride Technologies, the digital post-production studio behind 300 and Sin City and got them to make a bunch of background shizz for the game. Shizz like this short film called Lineage. On top of that, Ubi is dropping more hints of what they're thinking for Assassin's Creed 3. If you remember, a couple of weeks ago they mentioned a World War II-plagued Europe as a possible setting, with a female assassin as the protagonist. This week, it's either Medieval Europe or feudal Japan. No word on if they're still considering the lady assassin. I like the feudal Japan idea. That means ninjas and, knowing Ubi, it'll mean meticulously researched and realistic ninjas -- which could be really, really cool. I guess all the brainstorming is sort of showing how limitless the franchise could be.

And finally…
I linked to this before on the old blog, but it popped up again today and I just had to go there again. Cracks my shit up every time.

The Player: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Again.

Okay, so I finished the game. Now I have to write the review. Let’s just say: it’s not going well.

That’s not the game’s fault. I enjoyed Uncharted 2 a lot and will be giving it a pretty solid review – like a 9 or 9.5 out of 10. I loved going on adventures with Nate Drake and meeting the colourful cast of loveable rogues and scoundrels. Also, my crush on Elena continues. So, me not writing a review isn’t because I hated the game or whatever. Let’s get that out there. I’m just having trouble putting things down in a nicely set out, review form.

I’m going to use this entry as a way to organize my thoughts and maybe come up with some bon mots etc.

Here’s what’s good about the game:

- The controls are a lot tighter this time around. The amount of times where you die a frustrating death chalked up to a camera or controller glitch is almost nil. Well done, Naughty Dog. Also, I loved that grenades have their own button now, instead of having to switch between your guns to get to them as in the original. It keeps things simple and that’s what you want in combat.

- Everything is BIGGER! The story. The action. The fun. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune had a ton of thrills and spills, don’t get me wrong, but Among Thieves tops them all by taking a gaming experience and turning it into something beyond by fusing pulse-pounding action movie cinematic techniques. There are a bunch of set pieces that I just sat there and shook my head about how awesome they were – and there was at least one that made me exclaim (yes, out loud) “I always wanted to do this in a game…”

- The voice acting and use of it is exceptional. Some of the best out there.

- Great characterization. One of the things I loved about Drake’s Fortune was that it created this believable and interesting character, Nathan Drake. You want to learn more about him and his adventures and, thanks to the franchise, you’re probably going to now.

One bad thing about the game:

- Well, it’s not bad, so much as a complaint. The difference in difficulty at “Normal” between Drake’s Fortune and Among Thieves is very noticeable. What I really liked about the first game was that firefights were excruciating and you never really had that much ammo, so you always felt like your back was against the wall and often, you’d be forced to do crazy things to stay alive. It gave Nate and the game this ragged feel, sort of like Indiana Jones in Raiders. In Among Thieves, I don’t remember once getting close to running out of ammo. Also, most gunfights were short by standards of the original game. The pulled punches sort of continue in other aspects of the game, with a lot of hand holding and the like. Things are so lightweight sometimes that when you do face a heftier challenge, you’re pretty surprised by it.

Quibbles aside, I highly recommend the game. It delivers a high flying, enjoyable kick to the face – and you’ll be smiling through the whole thing.

"Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you."

More Elder Scrolls question mark?
Editors hate when you use a question mark at the end of a headline. They just do. Sure, they'll let you get away with it if it's a question that can't be answered with a simple yes or no -- like: "How did Hungarian nymphos become the best nymphos?" -- but they'd really prefer if you skipped it altogether. Got it? Since I don't have an editor, I'm going with the question mark headline. Suck it. Anyway, do you remember Fallout 3 studio Bethesda Softworks' seminal (heehee) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion? Sure you do. That was the 2005 fantasy RPG that swallowed about 70-100 hours of your life at some point in the last few years whether you loved playing it or thought it laughable. That one. With its ridiculous combat mechanics, estimated three voice actors (one of which was Linda "Wonder Woman" Carter -- true!) yet incredibly engrossing and obsession-inducing quests and adventures. It was a lot like Fallout 3 in that any given session of play included some of the greatest and most terrible moments of gaming you had ever experienced -- sometimes simultaneously. It's a game you have to play if you consider yourself a gamer -- whether you like it or not is irrelevant. Okay, so, why am I going on about it? Well, there's a new Elder Scrolls novel coming out and this has once more fanned the Elder Scrolls V/Oblivion sequel flames. Not surprisingly, I'm both excited and dreading the prospect.

Brick
If you haven't seen Rian Johnson's Brick, please do. It's an incredible film. Even four years after its release, it's still fresh and unique. Unless you know of other convincing, 21st century high school-based Chandler-esque noir films out there. Here, Johnson discusses the production of the film.

Avatar
Want some new Avatar pics? Enjoy!

And finally…
I wanted to play Borderlands. It sounded like a long game I probably/ultimately wouldn't like but, shoot, I wanted to give it a go. It's a Mad Max-y romp set on a desolate and lawless planet and features, literally, billions millions of weapons. So, yeah, I didn't get a copy of the game. Well, I could always go out and buy me one, but, pft! A free one didn't come in the mail so I'm not playing it. Simple. Done. And it looks like a good thing, too. Well, if you compare this one dude's first opinion and then his next one 16 hours later. Guess I dodged a bullet there, huh?