Video Game Review: Aliens vs. Predator (Playstation 3)

In space, no-one can hear you swear at the screen when playing Rebellion’s old school-flavoured first person shooter.

Much like in the original PC and Atari Jaguar instalments of Rebellion’s AvP series, when playing as the Colonial Marine this next gen revamp is a genuinely terrifying video game experience. Like all true masters of suspense, Rebellion understand what you don’t see is more terrifying than what you do see. Throughout the game sudden bursts of steam from overhead pipes will bedevil your hapless grunt while loose grating panels will cry wolf and clatter open. This builds up a tension to ensure that when the hoards of unfriendly extraterrestrials do appear, the player’s already ghostly white knuckles will lock their trigger finger down hard until their weapon is empty.


When playing as an Alien or Predator, the most satisfying way to dispatch enemies is to physically grab them and perform a fatal grapple kill, triggering an animation that usually involves a gory decapitation. Unfortunately, the way in which to perform these instant eradications is based purely on luck, as the symbol which signals when you can perform them appears seemingly at random. The elusive icon may or may not appear when you’re stood ten feet away from an oblivious opponent or locked in a flailing, saliva soaked melee battle. If you’re lucky it will flash up for a split second whilst your enemy is running humiliating rings around you...or perhaps it won’t. This is particularly annoying in multiplayer and while it means players do have to vary their tactics and not use the same one hit kill every time, it is very frustrating to know that during a frantic death match your most formidable attack methods are wholly unreliable.


AvP is certainly not the prettiest next-gen FPS on the market, but thankfully Rebellion have certainly not skimped when it comes to gameplay and story - they clearly know the subject matter inside and out. In fact, it has been this games developer, along with Dark Horse Publishing, who strived to maintain the dignity and credibility of the franchise while the films have taken a creative nosedive. A nod must also go to the Alien campaign for sheer originality. There aren’t many games on the market that let you ‘be’ a lethal biological weapon that can scuttle across walls and ceilings at breakneck speed.

Hardened FPS veterans may be somewhat underwhelmed and feel short changed by Rebellion’s gritty, back to basics approach on what is essentially a slight graphical overhaul of a game released in the 1990s. But, if you can get over the bland visuals and ergonomic quirks of AvP, this galaxy spanning match-up will award you with an intense, immersive single player experience and a rip-roaring online romp.

Video Game Review: Batman - Arkham Asylum (Playstation 3)

The lunatics are running the asylum as the world’s greatest detective has to face his worst fears and survive a night trapped in Gotham’s home for the emotionally challenged, all thanks to his old enemy and super criminal, the Joker.

Judging by the games' tenebrific tone, rich, gothic visuals and the detailed character profiles, it is clear Rocksteady Studios have assiduously studied the cream of Batman's extensive comic book catalogue. Voiced by fan-favourite Kevin Conroy and dressed in the classic black and grey suit, the bulked-up Batman character model looks and sounds exactly how he should, heroic and intimidating. But where the London-based game developers have excelled is with their representation of the game’s arch-antagonist. When looking back at the more memorable screen portrayals of the purple-suited one, Jack Nicholson’s corpulent clowning can induce cringing, the hunched and lank haired Ledger looks a little too frumpy and the Joker from the stylish, early 1990s Saturday morning show Batman: The Animated Series was understandably neutered by the networks, unable to actually commit his gaseous mass murders. In Arkham Asylum, however, he definitely follows through on his threats. Lithe and lean with razor sharp cheekbones and a wicked sense of humour coupled with veteran voice actor Mark Hamill’s deliciously evil delivery, Rocksteady have truly captured the essence of the Joker.

What really strikes the player is the amount of extra effort put into the game, especially when tracking down items that unlock bonus content. The developers have gone to the trouble of creating intriguing asylum chronicles and highly entertaining patient interview tapes. Some of the cryptic clues to the Riddler’s hidden secrets genuinely test the grey matter. Rocksteady force the player to use brains as well as brawn to succeed and the results are very rewarding.

But the most fun part is, of course, when the player gets to use brawn. Hand to hand combat is thrilling and the freeflow mechanics are revolutionary. Hapless thugs wail and moan, their bones cracking as they receive effortless strings of punches, flying kicks, head butts, throws, and some very painful looking leg-twistin' takedowns from the caped crusader. Batman’s beautifully animated dance moves are all triggered by the simplest of button combinations and given the sheer amount of foes you’ll often face at one time it is just as well. The wide range of fighting skills, stealth tactics and Wayne-tech gadgets at your disposal gives the player a sense of power and control and for the first time ever in a video game you’ll really get a taste of what it feels like to be the Dark Knight.

Movie Review: Where The Wild Things Are

This film tells the story of Max, a frustrated young boy who is at ‘that difficult age’. He sails away to a fantasy island populated by small group of equally complex monsters who each represent one of his character traits or a fixture in his life. Like Max, this group of beautifully rendered bi-polar bears are looking for someone or something to blame for their feelings and the situation they are in.

This film eschews traditional plot structure in favour of raw emotion. It follows the basic narrative of Maurice Sendak’s 13-page book and fleshes it out with the sub-texts as identified and interpreted by director Spike Jonze and screenwriter David Egger.

The level of enjoyment for adults here will depend on how in touch you are with your inner child. If you vividly recall the emotions you endured at seven years old, this film will be a very gratifying experience – even more so if your home life was in some way disrupted.

For parents wondering whether it is appropriate to take young children to see this movie, the short answer is yes. Wild Things is no more disturbing than an episode of The Moomins and while it deals with themes they may not yet fully grasp, the film’s beguiling effects, bewitching score and lush cinematography ensure it will be an adventure they never forget.

Movie Review: The Twilight Saga - New Moon

The second cinematic outing to Forks to drop in on the Emo-vampires - now with Chris Weitz in the director’s chair.

The first Twilight movie was a highly enjoyable chunk of teen fiction. Moving at a jaunty pace, full of wit and likeable young actors it was lapped by those who deep down, sorely miss TV shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dawson’s Creek. This time round the tone is darker. The two lovers, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) become separated. After a bloodlust-fuelled incident, Edward leaves town wrongly believing he is keeping his beau from danger. Cue a lot of pouting, staring blankly out of windows and late-night primal scream therapy from Bella.

Much like the book, there is not a lot of action in this instalment and the overall pace is a little sluggish. The script is at times cringe-inducing and while the clear intention is to convey how deadly seriously we take our romantic crushes and infatuations at eighteen, the impact is lost when delivered over-earnestly by leads who look more like they are in their mid-twenties.
But this film is not without its memorable moments. It is impossible to take your eyes off the fantastic Michael Sheen eating up the scenery as the head of the Volturi and if you don’t feel exhilaration as a pack of werewolves haul ass through a forest to the sound of Thom Yorke’s Hearing Damage, attempting to run down a beautiful, sadistic vampiress then check your pulse,

you might be dead.

EP Review: Sennen – Destroy Us

Sennen’s sophomore album Where The Light Gets In was an absolute gem that while critically acclaimed, was criminally overlooked by the record buying public at large. The album proved the band to be blessed with the same ear for irresistible melody as prime period Teenage Fanclub as well as the ability to embark on breathtaking instrumental excursions worthy of Explosions In The Sky.

This brand new 6-track EP provides us with more of the same. The title track is bursting with the joyous melancholy of early Flaming Lips and, thankfully, their cover of New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle is far from the ill advised stab at a sacred cow that one might fear - stripping the song of its traditional Baggy-fied beat, the band fully expose the melancholy which lies at the core. Bringing things to a close we have Figurine, a billowing, wintry ballad which then leads into the scorching jam that is the final track, Out.

Like many young artists Sennen have to juggle their true calling with their day jobs, taking time off work to tour and record. Hopefully, until rock stardom is secured, their employers will remain understanding as this is another vital slice of sumptuous indie rock that bodes well for the new album.

Book Review: Chris Burton & Gary Thompson - Art & Sound of the Bristol Underground

Bristolian bad bwoy culture recounted.

Looking at the Bristol’s hip hop scene from 1983-1993 and the music’s accompanying disciplines of MCing, graffiti art and breakdancing, this book consists of a series of transcribed monologues from the scene’s key players who include DJ Milo, Krissy Kriss and Smith & Mighty. The naturalistic flow of the text and the inclusion of colloquial language in these insightful passages really add authenticity and they feel spontaneous.

Parallels are drawn with London, where a similar scene was also happening, but the capital’s scene lacked the close-knit community spirit evident here. There is a downside to this intimacy though. The smaller scale meant the interlinked Bristol crews mostly attended the same events and parties, so there is a fair bit of overlap and repetition - nearly every chapter needlessly reminds us this era was before internet and mobile phones.

In terms of illustration, there are a plethora of flyers to view, though sadly, little in the way of the legendary graffiti described. It would also have been nice to have some exclusive images of the big names mentioned here as partaking in battles and jams past – namely Dr.Dre, Roni Size and the Jungle Brothers.

DVD Review: Knight Rider – Season 1

This 4-disc set collects the entire first and only season of NBC's Knight Rider re-ignition which originally aired in 2008.

It is a shame this series was cancelled because it is for the most part good fun, packed full of pretty people and even prettier car chases. The use of Val Kilmer as the voice of the Knight Industries Three Thousand is inspired. The sleek, sentient KITT now speaks with the suppressed monotone of a madman who has recently undergone a frontal lobotomy. You believe KITT could snap anytime, eject Michael Knight and then repeatedly reverse over him before calmly driving off humming Light My Fire. This would not be an entirely unwelcome occurrence, as the new Knight (played by Justin Bruening) is definitely the weakest link here. He is essentially a generic Hollywood heartthrob who lacks the unique visual impact and charisma of the young David Hasselhoff, and the wisecracks and faux edginess soon irritate.

The feature length pilot episode is a solid reintroduction, but the following nine episodes are bogged down by the will-they-won't-they love dance between Knight and Sarah Graiman which is devoid of chemistry and gets old really fast. Mercifully, halfway through the series things shift up a gear, the writing becomes tighter and instead of our heroes simply stalling the bad guys until the law arrives, Knight is blowing away waves of hoods with various weapons while AC/DC’s Rock ‘N Roll Train pounds in the background. It is a jarring, but much needed change in tone. This does lead one to believe that perhaps the poor ratings the show received can be put down to programme makers being unsure of their target audience and maybe more time should be spent on market research if another Knight Rider revamp is to be considered?