October 01, 2006
Global Thermonuclear War, giant ape, and zombies.
Actually, just some media.
Games: Defcon is pretty nice--when it works. It's been having some launch-weekend woes, of the sort that arise from apparently not expecting that people might like to play; the authentication server periodically chokes on itself, and insists that you're playing the demo version, which is irritating. Also, the game browser is just terribly rudimentary--no sorting, no filtering, only catches a subset of games going on at any particular time. The best way to get into specific games is by going directly to IP.
But for all that, it's nifty. It's technically an RTS, but pace is leisurely enough, and it's a great example of complexity arising from simplicity. It very much is a game of losing the least. Factors such as launch silos taking time to switch between ICBM and air-defense mode, and launches identifying the silo on everyone's map, can make for a lot of tension as everyone waits for the first to hit the button. Massive first strikes can net impressive point totals, but so can careful hoarding and timing of your launches in return. Once they get their online functionality ironed out, it's well worth the fifteen bucks Steam charges for it now that's released, or more directly from the website up yonder, if you've got something against Steam itself.
Movies: I got around to watching Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong" the other night. Meh. It was entertaining enough, but...well, okay, look. In many works, be it print or screen, the services of a skilled and aggressive editor would make for a better product. King Kong's one of those cases--there was absolutely no reason for the flick to be over three hours long. Just about every single scene rang as too long, too loud, too busy, too much. I pretty much blame the full-blown versions of the Lord of the Rings films; in many cases, the extra length when they hit the special-edition DVD releases was justified and made for a better film. Unlike King Kong, there was actually enough story going on there to support that (I mean, aside from things like Aragorn pulling a Wile E. Coyote, Supergenius off cliffs whenever the fellowship wasn't keeping a close eye on him, but that goes without saying--although, again, a good forewarning that an aggressive editor is often needed). Something I'm glad I waited to simply rent; the bloatedness would've drove me batty in a theater.
"Undead." Great little zombie flick, that reminded me in several ways of Peter Jackson's pre-fame, tighter work, especially Dead Alive. It's nowhere near as gory as that luminary piece of walking-dead cinema--then again, what is?--but in its sheer goofiness. Unlike Dead Alive, however, Undead plays itself entirely straight, with a kind of intensely expressionless poker-face, even when one of the characters is having a flashback to having a fistfight with hostile zombie fish. And if that last clause doesn't recommend the movie enough, you may be alive but, my friend, you are dead inside.
posted by Gar @ 5:26 PM
Games: Defcon is pretty nice--when it works. It's been having some launch-weekend woes, of the sort that arise from apparently not expecting that people might like to play; the authentication server periodically chokes on itself, and insists that you're playing the demo version, which is irritating. Also, the game browser is just terribly rudimentary--no sorting, no filtering, only catches a subset of games going on at any particular time. The best way to get into specific games is by going directly to IP.
But for all that, it's nifty. It's technically an RTS, but pace is leisurely enough, and it's a great example of complexity arising from simplicity. It very much is a game of losing the least. Factors such as launch silos taking time to switch between ICBM and air-defense mode, and launches identifying the silo on everyone's map, can make for a lot of tension as everyone waits for the first to hit the button. Massive first strikes can net impressive point totals, but so can careful hoarding and timing of your launches in return. Once they get their online functionality ironed out, it's well worth the fifteen bucks Steam charges for it now that's released, or more directly from the website up yonder, if you've got something against Steam itself.
Movies: I got around to watching Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong" the other night. Meh. It was entertaining enough, but...well, okay, look. In many works, be it print or screen, the services of a skilled and aggressive editor would make for a better product. King Kong's one of those cases--there was absolutely no reason for the flick to be over three hours long. Just about every single scene rang as too long, too loud, too busy, too much. I pretty much blame the full-blown versions of the Lord of the Rings films; in many cases, the extra length when they hit the special-edition DVD releases was justified and made for a better film. Unlike King Kong, there was actually enough story going on there to support that (I mean, aside from things like Aragorn pulling a Wile E. Coyote, Supergenius off cliffs whenever the fellowship wasn't keeping a close eye on him, but that goes without saying--although, again, a good forewarning that an aggressive editor is often needed). Something I'm glad I waited to simply rent; the bloatedness would've drove me batty in a theater.
"Undead." Great little zombie flick, that reminded me in several ways of Peter Jackson's pre-fame, tighter work, especially Dead Alive. It's nowhere near as gory as that luminary piece of walking-dead cinema--then again, what is?--but in its sheer goofiness. Unlike Dead Alive, however, Undead plays itself entirely straight, with a kind of intensely expressionless poker-face, even when one of the characters is having a flashback to having a fistfight with hostile zombie fish. And if that last clause doesn't recommend the movie enough, you may be alive but, my friend, you are dead inside.
posted by Gar @ 5:26 PM
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