MINI-LIST: Best Announcements of E3 2010

I guess we have ourselves a tradition. Here’s – in my opinion – the best announcements of E3 2010… as a MINI-LIST!

As a side note, of my Best Announcements of E3 2009 list, only one of the games will actually see a release in 2010. Square Enix claims Final Fantasy XIV will be out this year, but I’ll believe it when I see it. That gives you an idea of how the video game industry moves. You’ll also notice that there’s only one non-Nintendo title on this list. Well, unless you’re excited by Xbox 360 and PS3 trying to imitate the Wii’s motion controls with Kinect and Playstation Move, then there wasn’t too much else to see. Sorry, Halo and Gears of War fanboys.

But yes, on with the list!

5. Donkey Kong Country Returns

What’s the big deal? It’s a new Donkey Kong Country, for God’s sake. Do we have stupid characters like Baby Kong and Cranky Old Bitty That Cuts You Off on The Highway In Her Huge Chrysler Fifth Avenue Kong? No, and what’s wrong with you, Invisible Question Man? We’re back to the roots with Diddy and Donkey! Is it 2D, sidescrolling? Oh yes, with parallel layers. Donkey and Diddy can make their way to the background or foreground whenever they need to. I guess Rare is back and better than ever? Nope, Rare still sucks. This one is being developed by Retro Studios – the guys that brought us the Metroid Prime Trilogy. Most importantly, will there be Mine Carts? Oh, you’d best believe.

4. The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword

Didn’t you mention this in your list last year? Yes I did. So why bring it up again? This is 2010! Last year all they had to show was a teaser poster and there wasn’t even a title. This year they have gameplay! Albeit early, under-developed gameplay, but heck, Link was swinging his sword in perfect 1:1 connection with the Wii Motion Plus! Oh, man… is it cell-shaded again? Yes, but not like Wind Waker. This is a more colourful style, and besides, Link’s all grown up… and no freakin’ boats! Please, for all that’s holy, Tingle isn’t in it, is he? It’s too early to tell, but you could probably start fashioning a noose now, just in case. Will we still be hearing about this at E3 2011? Probably.

3. Portal 2

How could Valve possibly top Portal!? Well, how about new gameplay elements like physics-changing paint that can give you super speed? Huh, what about that? Is that hilarious, and completely harmless, GLaDOS still up to no good? Oh yes, GLaDOS is back and this time there’s several of her. Those personality cores you met at the end of Portal? Well they’ve all split off and created their own identities this time around. Companion cube, companion cube, companion cube? Honestly, I didn’t see anything about our best friend ever, but they’d have to be completely brainless not to bring the Weighted Companion Cube back in a big way. Did Chell escape in the last game and do we have a new protagonist? Chell did not escape. If you’ve seen any of the updated additions to Portal on Steam then you’d know they altered the ending so that Chell is recaptured. Portal 2 is set 100 years in the future and Chell has been kept on ice. Will there be cake? Oh yes, and science.

2. Goldeneye 007

You idiot, Goldeneye came out in 1997. Are you playing tricks on us? I’m not messing with you. An all new Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo Wii, with updated graphics, gameplay and online multiplayer! O RLY!? OMG, is Brosnan making a return!? Actually, no. This game is being remade in the new style of Bond film and featuring Daniel Craig as 007 to help it mesh with the new films. Well, Rare is at least doing something worth a damn, right? Ha, again, no. This one is being developed by Eurocom and published by Activision. I think Rare made some shitty Facebook game for Xbox 360, though. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. What about Trevelyan and Natalya? Are they making an appearance? Trevelyan has been shown, and no, before you ask, it’s not Sean Bean. As to whether we’ll have to return to Hell and cart Natalya’s ass around the Bunker or the Jungle is yet to be seen. Will we finally get an All Bonds Code? Yes, and Sasquatch will also be a playable character.

1. Nintendo 3DS

3D without glasses? Oh, please. It’s real and apparently, it’s amazing. Imagine Mario jumping off the screen at you? Well, from all accounts that’s just the kind of thing you’ll see. Isn’t this just another stupid version of the DS? No, this is a full-on successor. If you don’t recall, Nintendo used the Gameboy brand name from 1989 right up until 2005 with the release of the Gameboy Micro. This has all new graphical output – comparable to the PS2 and Wii – and will have new titles as well as backwards compatibility with the DS. Oh, and you'll be able to take 3D pictures.  Yeah, that just happened.  Are the games going to be focused on casual players, like usual with the Nintendo? I don’t think you’ve been paying attention. Nintendo is definitely focusing their efforts on the hardcore and regular gamer. Did you see more Cooking Mama this year? No. You saw Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Goldeneye and Kid Icarus, carnsarnit. To top that, some of the games that were announced for 3DS were Resident Evil Revelations, Star Fox 64 3D, Paper Mario 3D and Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater “The Naked Sample” – I know, what a title – for crying out loud. Okay, sure Nintendogs + Cats was there, but you have to give Shiggy Pop something goofy to play with. Lemme guess, I’ll have to buy all the old Nintendo classics again, won’t I? Well, if you want them in 3D, then yes. But why wouldn’t you want them in 3D, fool!? At the show Nintendo had Yoshi’s Story, Mega Man 2 and Legend of Zelda up and running, and rumor has it that they looked awesome in pop-up, 3D graphics. Other games shown in a preview demo included Castlevania, Urban Champion, Kid Icarus, Smash Ping Pong, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Tennis, Metroid and Mystery of Murasame Castle. Okay, I'm sold.  Will we see this in 2010? Sadly, no. The President of Nintendo of America – Reggie Fils-Aime - announced it wouldn’t make its way out until 2011. That being said, just about every other huge announcement the Big N had this year is intended for 2010, including Goldeneye 007, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Metroid: Other M, Kirby: Epic Yarn, etc, etc, etc.

Now that’s how you do an E3, Microsoft and Sony.

RyHo's Favourite Episodes of The X-Files

When I was a kid I was at a friend's house on a Friday evening, 1993. I was 10 years old and we were playing video games in his basement. It was late – remember, I was 10 - and I was on my way home when I came upstairs and found his mother watching a TV show. It was The X-Files. I watched a few minutes of the show and instantly became hooked.

From that day forth I had to catch The X-Files every week. It eventually made its way to Sunday night TV with the likes of The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, and many other great shows. Sunday was a ritual for me. The weekend was winding down. I'd make a snack and sit back and watch two hours of great TV, which included my favourite TV show of all time.

Here are five of my favourite episodes. I'd like to say on this occasion that these are in order, but I think my top ten shifts now and again. I haven't purposely avoided "mytharc" episodes here, which is a whole other can of worms, but none appear in the list. I've just always been more into the "monster-of-the-week" episodes when I look back at the series as a whole.

5. Paper Hearts: Season 4 - Episode 10

This episode is an interesting one because in it we have Mulder and Scully investigating a child- killer, played by Tom Noonan. It’s an odd duck of an episode because we have a seemingly real-world killer, with no real supernatural affiliation.

If you don’t know Tom Noonan, he’s been in some different films that you may have seen, such as The Monster Squad as Frankenstein’s Monster, RoboCop 2 as Cain and Heat as Kelso. I know him mostly from Manhunter, which was another Michael Mann film – like Heat – based on the Thomas Harris novel “Red Dragon”, which was remade in 2002 starring Ed Norton. Noonan played Francis Dollarhyde in the film – the role reprised by Ralph Fiennes in the 2002 version – a creepy, psychopathic serial killer that believes he is evolving into a god-like beast, the Red Dragon. I find him to be a really good character actor, even though his appearance and height, at 6’6, probably keep him out of a lot of roles he would be great in.

Regardless, he once again plays a fantastic “monster” in this episode of the X-Files. His character is a serial killer by the name of John Lee Roche, who killed little girls for many years as he traveled the country as a vacuum salesman, evading the police. He would take little cut-outs of hearts from their clothing as a souvenir.

The supernatural aspect of this episode is that Mulder is having dreams that lead him to Roche and through the investigation for one of Roche’s victims, whom Roche claims is Mulder’s little sister, Samantha. One of the driving forces of the show, in case you don’t know, is that Mulder witnessed his sister’s abduction by aliens when he was a boy, resulting in his fascination with aliens, UFOs, and all things “X-File”.

I think the characters and the acting drive this episode, Noonan playing a great villain. Again, it’s an interesting episode because it isn’t really “mytharc” – an episode that follows the backbone alien invasion arc throughout the series – but involves Samantha, shedding doubt on Mulder’s experiences as a youth. It is also a great episode for Duchovny, who’s pushed off the deepend with Roche and the possibility that this man did abduct his sister – which could completely negate his life’s work, in a way - and voraciously hunts this final victim both in the real world and in his dreams.

4. Jose Chung's From Outer Space: Season 3 - Episode 20

This episode is one of those kismet moments in the series where everything just comes together. It’s an excellent script, perfect acting and timing as well as fantastic characters. The episode is also strewn with inside jokes and homages that make it a must-see for anyone that’s into The X-Files.

Occasionally throughout the series there would be these tongue-in-cheek episodes where the show takes some time to make fun of itself. Whenever these sorts of episodes come along it’s a nice breath of fresh air from the usual conspiracy and straight-forward monster-of-the-week stuff, and are always memorable. For me, none are as memorable as Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.

In this episode we have an author, Jose Chung, played by Charles Nelson Reilly – an American actor known for his comedy roles – who is consulting with Mulder and Scully as he’s trying to write a book about alien abduction. They speak to him about a specific case of theirs involving a young couple who both had conflicting stories about their alleged alien abduction.

The episode goes from crazy to full-on insanity as it advances. In the beginning we have the two teenagers being found, the girl with her clothes on inside out, which leads to Scully thinking she was a victim of rape by her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, however, claims they were abducted by aliens, which the girl corroborates after a hypnosis session. This snowballs into a conspiracy involving the government and an apparent witness that claims a giant, Harryhausen-themed alien, by the name of Lord Kinbote, took the teenagers. At one point Mulder is confronted by Men in Black, played by Jesse Ventura and, wait for it, Alex Trebek...

Please, folks. Even if you don’t watch X-Files, but can appreciate a fun, comedy piece, do yourself a favour and watch Jose Chung’s From Outer Space, from Season 3 of The X-Files.

3. Ice: Season 1 - Episode 8

Ice is an oft-cited episode by horror buffs because the storyline is very reminiscent of a widely popular horror film by John Carpenter. This episode most definitely takes cues from the short story “Who Goes There?”, by John W. Campbell, which was the inspiration for the Howard Hawk’s film The Thing From Another World (1951) and its subsequent remake by Carpenter, The Thing (1982).

In the first season of the show creator Chris Carter and his go-to writers, Glen Morgan and James Wong, wanted to set the tone as a “monster-of-the-week” series. (I’m sorry I keep using that term, but if you were to search anything X-Files, you’d see it’s the most prominent buzzword for the series, next to the term “mytharc”, which I explained above.) As this was the first season, and the backbone of the series would really be developed in the next few seasons, we were treated to lots of these mini-horror films.

In this episode we have Mulder and Scully traveling to a desolate location in the North. Several researchers are working in Alaska drilling for ice cores and when a very distressing transmission is received from their base, the FBI and several other researchers and scientists are sent in to see what’s wrong. Much like in The Thing we have Mulder and Scully trapped in the research bunker with several other individuals, which are one-by-one being taken over by some entity long-forgotten in the ice.

Again, like The Thing, the isolation and confinement of the research bunker play a great role in this episodes success, as does the acting and characters. This episode actually has Xander Berkeley, whom you’d remember from countless TV shows including The A-Team, The Twilight Zone and 24, as well as films like Terminator 2, Candyman, Heat – oddly enough - and most recently Taken and Kick-Ass. He’s just one of those guys that end up in everything.

This episode was actually intended to be a “bottleneck show”, which is a term used for an episode that costs the least amount of money, in this case due to the one, small location. However, it ended up being one of the most costly with the special effects used.

It might be due to the short story it’s based on, but this episode is considered not only one of the best from Season 1, but one of the best the entire show has to offer and I think stands up just as well – although on a much lesser scale – with a film like The Thing. Horror fans should at least check this one out.

2. Detour: Season 5 - Episode 4

With all of the different monsters that have made their way into X-Files episodes, the creature featured in the episode Detour is one the most memorable, in my opinion, and you don’t ever really even see it.

The premise is that Mulder and Scully are on their way to a team-building exercise, much to their chagrin, but fate steps in as they are stopped en route and become involved in the case of a missing hunter in the forests of Florida, which remarkably look like British Columbia.

In the search for the missing hunter, Mulder, as usual, starts to figure out what’s going on, and surmises that they’re dealing with an invisible hunter; a species of creature, divergent from human evolution, that has remained unseen and unnoticed in the forests for thousands of years.

What makes this episode stick clearly in my mind is the visual effects. In showing us the creatures they use what I’d call a poor man’s Predator effect. You know when they show the Predator in cloak? Well, it’s like that, but on a TV show budget. This is blended, very well, with dark scenery and the eerie landscape of the forest and it comes out as a great effect.

The landscape itself is fantastic as well. As is often the case in X-Files episodes, the location is almost a character in and of itself, creating a great atmosphere that helps the show deliver as much scary as it could.

1. The Host: Season 2 - Episode 2

My number one episode, by far, must go to The Host, from Season 2.

I remember the first episode of The X-Files I ever saw very well. It was called Fallen Angel and aired mid-way through Season 1. Although I hold this memory near and dear, in a way – even though it’s odd to say that I remember something like a TV show so fondly – there was never such an episode that scared me like The Host.

This episode is a brainchild of series’ creator Chris Carter. Carter didn’t actually write all that many episodes, mostly being involved as the show’s producer and the major backbone storylines for the series, but when he did do an episode, they were pretty much always great. The Host came about from several topics ranging from his dog having worms to Chernobyl. It’s amazing how this sort of thing can come together.

The plot follows Mulder who is sent by Assistant Director Skinner to look into the case of a Russian sailor found half eaten in the sewers of New Jersey. An interesting aspect of this episode is that in the first few episodes of the show, Scully actually acts as a sort of spy. She’s sent in by the powers-that-be to look into Mulder’s work on the X-Files, which sets up her skepticism in the majority of the series. In this particular episode she’s decided to leave the FBI to go back to being a medical doctor - her former profession - and Mulder feels that this case is a form of punishment against him and his work. After talking Scully into performing an autopsy on the Russian man’s body, the two become intrigued with the case and pursue it.

On the Russian’s body Scully finds a fluke worm, which couldn’t have caused the damage to the man’s body and raises Mulder’s suspicions that something out of the ordinary is afoot. As the episode progresses there are other deaths in the sewers of Jersey, which some people think are a result of the old urban legend of alligators in the sewers. What they find is much more sinister than that... the Flukeman.

The Flukeman is an awesome use of monster special effects. The idea here is that a fluke worm was radiated, possibly by Chernobyl, and evolved into some kind of new man-like species. This monster, guys, is so creepy and gross. I saw this thing in my nightmares for weeks. There’s just something so placid in its eyes and so jarring in its appearance. If you’re ever looking for a good scare, check out Season 2’s The Host.

MINI-LIST: Coolest Alien Races

It's time for me to give this mini-list thing a whirl. So let's get it on like Red Dawn.

5. Technarchy/Phalanx
What's with the slash? Well, the race is the Technarchy while the Phalanx are a genetic offshoot. You seriously think these guys are cooler than the Transformers? No. I'm just not comfortable calling Transformers an alien race since they're machines. But these guys are techno-organic so...yeah. What alien race from Star Trek are they most comparable to? The Borg. But they're way more hardcore. Have they ever tried to take over the Earth? While it's something they totally would do if they ever had the chance, it was actually the Phalanx that pulled this trick after stupid humans inadvertently created them and tried to use them to eliminate mutants. Didn't work out too well. Would I enjoy visiting their homeworld (Kvch)? Sure. You'll enjoy everything once you are assimilated into the Collective.



4. Xenomorphs
Aren't they more like an alien species rather than alien "race"? Whatever. Are they friendly and cuddly? Look at the freaking picture! OK, so should I shoot them? Not at close range if you can help it. Didn't they kill Bill Paxton? Yup. Is Burke still worse than them? Well, it's not like you see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.












3. Irkens
How's their government work? They are ruled by The Almighty Tallest - the two Irkens who just happen to be...taller than everyone else (pictured).Works for me. What's their favourite thing to do? It's a tie between bulldozing planets to convert them into single-purpose areas (like parking lots or food courts) and eating snacks. Have they ever tried to take over the Earth? Not officially. The Irken Empire doesn't give two shits about the Earth. But Zim doesn't know that and takes his "mission" to wipe out all humans and prepare the planet for conversion very seriously. But, as Gaz observed, "He's so bad at it." Don't they seem a little tame for a Jhonen Vasquez creation? I guess you're right. Except that their MO is exterminating and enslaving other races just so they can turn their planets into one-stop shopping complexes. What does the "g" stand for? I don't know.

2. Predators
Isn't it awesome how they insist on using edge weapons despite their super-advanced technology? It sure is. Have they ever tried to take over the Earth? Nah, they just like to hunt us for sport from time to time. Killed Bill Paxton? Natch. What alien race from Star Trek are they most comparable to? You could say the Klingons but it's quite a stretch. They're a hell of a lot deadlier and cooler. Is the new movie actually going to be any good? God, I hope so.

1. The Shi'ar
What alien race from Star Trek are they most comparable to? The Romulans. They're smart, aggressive and mean. What makes them cooler than the Kree and the Skrulls? For one thing they're a lot smarter. As technologically advanced and powerful as both the Kree and Skrulls are, both races are completely preoccupied with killing each other. This has led their empires into decline while the Shi'ar's just keeps growing. They did actually have a war of their own with the Kree but they won. Have they ever tried to take over the Earth? Pretty sure they haven't. But they have messed with Earth on occasion, including once sending the Brood (a very nasty alien species kind of similar to the Xenomorphs) there but this wasn't an official act of the Empire, it was just Deathbird acting on her own. Since their relations with the X-Men, the Shi'ar have actually for the most part maintained a good relationship with Earth (although they're still really fucking condescending) Are they fun at parties? I'm not sure but they were definitely a hit at the Grey family reunion. Unless you think massacring every single guest but Rachel wouldn't be a good time. Aren't you cheating by including the entire Shi'ar Empire since while the primary race is the Aerie, it actually incorporates many other races as well? Go fuck yourself.

Looking Forward to E3 2010

When I was a kid and started reading gaming magazines there was one event that I always looked forward to: the Electronics Entertainment Expo – E3. All the best announcements from the biggest video game companies came from this event.

The last few years have been very toned down. The video game industry was seeing some odd times, and the reaction was to make E3 a closed event, shrinking its size and grandeur immensely. Still, I (and Cole) have always said one day we’d like to go to an E3.

This year looks to be the return of the massive, media event that I remember from those gaming magazines a decade ago, and I thought it might be interesting to talk about some of the stories and announcements I think we’ll hear about (or at least hope) at this year’s E3.

You might remember that last year I wrote about the Best Announcements from E3 2009 and that’s something I might do again after the event ends. I’m actually going to attempt not mentioning any of the items on last year’s list that have not yet come to pass. This list is more of a prediction, which could contain some outright anticipation, optimism, and just a little bit of intrigue.

I’d also like to add that this list was actually a list of six, but by the rules that govern all things here in Five-O-Rama Land, one had to be culled. An honourable mention goes to The Last Guardian, a spiritual sequel to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus for PS2.

5. Virgin’s Online Gaming Service

Richard Branson, adventurer and multi-millionaire, is not new to the video game world. You might recall in the NES and SNES/Genesis days that Virgin Interactive made all kinds of licensed games – both good and bad – for Disney, 7-Up and even the Dune novels. They also worked on region specific editions of all sort of titles in Europe like Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, Command and Conquer, and even Devil May Cry as late as 2001.

Since then they’ve been out of the game – I know, I kill me – but in 2007 Branson announced that he was working on a form of downloadable video game service. The project appeared dead, but that may have been premature. Apprently Branson has been given time at this year’s E3 event. A British electronics magazine, MCV, seems to think that his could be an announcement on a new Online Only video game service from Virgin, and so do I.

Why would I be excited about this? Well, honestly, I don’t know that I am. When I first heard of OnLive, I thought it sounded like a pretty bad idea. My tune has since changed, however. OnLive is a pseudo-platform-based video gaming system. Basically you pay a subscription fee - or possibly pay-per-title? - but you actually have a unit, some sort of small black box, which pulls the games from “the cloud” and streams them to your TV.

I’ve always been a console gamer. I like getting a system, buying titles for it; I actually feel like I have something substantial and operational. With PC games you could get software that might not work for your machine. Then you have to upgrade or buy a whole new unit to play it. With a console, I know the games will work right about of the box. With the idea of OnLive, basically it is a way of streaming PC games to your TV; just something I’m not interested in.

Virgin’s service is reported to be something a little different. We’ll have to wait for Branson’s address at E3, but the rumblings are that this will be an online service that will match, and compete, with the current-gen consoles, with multi-platform games from their libraries and even its own sort of challenge or trophy system. One thing I’m supremely annoyed with myself over lately is that I currently own all of the video game consoles on the market, with the exception of the PSP (which I really want for the remakes!). For some reason I felt like I needed all three (Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360… not to mention the Nintendo DS) so that I could get all of the cool games coming out. It’s too much! Really, it is. When the next console war hits, I’ll be choosing a side and sticking with it. With a service such as Virgin could propose that might not be an issue. I could get all the multiplat games, exclusives, and more, on-demand download. That could be very cool!

I won’t go on about this anymore, suffice it to say, I’m definitely intrigued and looking forward to hearing more about this service at E3 – should this come to pass.

4. Retro Studios Next Game

Who are Retro Studios? They’re an in-house development company for Nintendo, and have only produced three games to date: The Metroid Prime Trilogy. You might remember in my Best Announcements of E3 2009 list that I mentioned a new game in development by Team Ninja, which will be the newest installment to the Metroid series.

When asked why Retro Studios wasn’t developing Metroid: Other M, their answer was that they were working on a different game. So what game could Retro Studios be working on? The hope is that they are taking another classic Nintendo title, something almost long-lost or a stagnant series, and bringing to the current-gen in a big way.

Although I’ve only played the first Metroid Prime title, I loved the new gameplay, style and the departure from the rest of the Metroid series. It was an interesting step in a new direction, and I think they need to be commended on that. I really hope that Retro Studios is trying to do the same thing with another old Nintendo franchise – Donkey Kong, Kirby or perhaps Star Fox – and bringing it to the current market in a fun, innovative way. Here’s hoping there is an announcement at this year’s E3!

3. Nintendo “3DS”

The Nintendo DS has got to be Nintendo’s most successful video game system since the Gameboy was released in ’89. With innovative hardware, tons of fun and interesting titles and some great remakes/re-releases, the DS has easily become my favourite handheld ever.

The DS has seen some upgrades as of late, including the DSi – with upgraded hardware capabilities, including a camera, flash memory and downloadable game service – and the DSi XL – a DSi with much larger screens. Then why would Nintendo release a new handheld system right now?

Well, the word is on the street that information about the system was going to be leaked in Japan, so Nintendo of America had to step up and release information about the system, and what better event than E3?

Currently titled the “3DS”, the system has already been announced. Nintendo has stated that it will be a dual screen handheld system and that the screen (or screens) will be 3D displays without the need of glasses or external hardware.

Now everyone remembers the big N’s last try at 3D “handheld” gaming in Virtual Boy. With changes in technology, however, Nintendo – and I’d dare say the average consumer – are much more confident this time out. Reportedly the 3DS will use autopolyscopy, which is a big “sciency” term for using two screens, working in tandem to display simultaneous images. This creates the 3D effect. In fact, most of the movies you see in 3D today use this trick, but with the use of glasses as well - autostereoscopy, in case you were wondering.

With Nintendo’s track record of consoles, and especially handheld systems - with the minor exception of the Virtual Boy - this could very well be the next big thing in handheld gaming, and a real technological feat. Introducing the dual screens with the DS, Nintendo added a lot of innovation to the style of games that could be produced for the system. The same goes with the Wii and its “waggle” controls. People made fun of it a few years back, but now you see Xbox’s Project Natal and Playstation Move coming in and emulating this modernization.

News on the 3DS – and what it might actually be named – is a lock for the Expo. Nintendo has said openly that not only would there be info about their new handheld, but it would be playable at the show. I for one am definitely looking forward to June 15th!

2. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

This one really falls in the rumour bin, but I just couldn’t help myself. At last year’s E3 a new Castlevania title, Lords of Shadow, was teased. A remake/reboot of the Castlevania series, the game keeps some old, faithful aspects like a Belmont with a whip, but creates a whole new story, that may or may not involve vampires – or Dracula – at all.

As exciting as a new, full 3D Castlevania title on the current-gen systems is, I’m a total sucker for the old-school Castlevania titles, most specifically the RPG, Castleroid-style games that branched off from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Very recently a patent went through in the UK for a Castlevania gamed titled Harmony of Despair. As far as unique, music-themed titles for Castlevania games go, “harmony” has already been used with Harmony of Dissonance for the Gameboy Advance. All that aside, the buzz is that Konami has created a new Castlevania title, intended for Xbox Live, PSN and maybe even WiiWare, that will be the penultimate SOTN-styled game.

In this game there will, reportedly, be six classic characters from these series, that may include Richter (Rondo of Blood/Dracula X), Soma Cruz (Aria of Sorrow/Dawn of Sorrow), Jonathon Morris (Portrait of Ruin), Charlotte Aulin (Portrain of Ruin), Shanoa (Order of Ecclesia) and possibly even Alucard Tepes (Symphony of the Night) himself!

From the trademarking information, it’s believed that this will be a single-player title, but also a co-op and versus game. Ideas and screenshots are floating around that there might be a battle between two players – over the net – to take down a boss first, or several friends can co-op Castle Dracula together. Also, the whole presentation will be in HD (Xbox Live, PSN) and will be the first game of this style not on a handheld console since SOTN.

It’s incredibly exciting, and I’m hoping with all the hype and gossip floating around this title that Konami will make some sort of announcement regarding it on the June 15th weekend.

1. Portal 2

In 2007 Valve released a game for the Xbox 360/PC/PS3 called Portal. It was really only an “add-on” title for Half-Life 2, their insanely popular FPS series. The game became insanely popular with many gamers and an instant Internet meme superstar. Originally released in The Orange Box, which contained Half-Life 2 Episodes 1 and 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. It was also subsequently released for Xbox Live with additional challenge maps in 2009 as Portal: Still Alive – a title you’ll understand if you’ve beaten the game.

The game is a triumph – oh, if you play Portal, you’re so chuckling right now – and became a true phenomenon. The basics of Portal’s gameplay are that you have a protagonist named Chell – not that you’d ever get that from the storyline – who is locked in a facility owned by a company called Aperture Science. You are given a “gun” that can shoot portals on certain flat surfaces. Eventually you can fire two different coloured portals and you must use them to traverse different areas and puzzles.

The game is so short and sweet, but with its revolutionary gameplay aside, the story is also amazing. We watch as a seemingly insane robot by the name of GlaDOS attempts to trick you through the game, like a lab rat, all for the hopes of making it to the end and cake. You meet such vibrant characters as the Companion Cube, a completely inanimate object that you will most certainly fall in love with, and the cute, disarming robot gunners that Chell finds strewn throughout the game.

I can’t say enough about Portal. Not only did I get it in The Orange Box on the Xbox 360, I repurchased it on Xbox Live just to get the new challenge maps. When Valve pulled some brilliant viral marketing and added content to the game on their own downloadable game service, Steam, a few months back, I seriously considered buying it again. I think the storyline is hilarious, and inventive, and the gameplay is addictive and insanely fun.

Well, guess what!? After so many years of waiting, we have a sequel! This one was confirmed to be at E3, and in a playable demo, but in pure Valve/Aperture Science fashion was actually removed from the E3 press event with this message:

“Aperture Science is pleased to inform you that we have partnered with Valve to announce the gala CANCELLATION of the June 14 Portal 2 event at the Regal Theater. The event will be replaced by a surprise. And even though the cancellation of the event certainly counts as a surprise, we are pleased to further announce that the cancellation of the event is not THE surprise. However, per International treaties regarding the definition of the word "surprise", of which both Aperture Science and Valve are signatories, the time, date and content of the actual surprise will only become available as you experience the surprise.

If you'd like to ask fruitless questions about the E3 Portal 2 surprise or, more fruitfully, schedule an appointment to attend a Portal 2 screening at the Valve booth during E3, please contact Valve's Special Envoy to Surprises, Doug Lombardi.

Thank you for [RECORD SCRATCH].

PS: The surprising record scratch is also not the surprise.”

If you’ve played Portal, you know just how much this completely suits the game. Whether this is just Valve being funny and viral about the demo of Portal 2 at E3, or a slick way of showing off Half-Life 3 at the event with Portal 2 as an addition, isn’t known at this time. All I know is that I cannot wait to get my hands on another Portal game, and I believe that after this year’s E3 I’m going to be left spent and alone, awaiting Portal 2’s eventual release date.

Cole's Most Intense Live Song Experiences

While the past couple of years have been fairly uneventful for me on this front, I have actually been fortunate enough to be present at some very awesome rock shows. It's something I really miss and hopefully I'll be getting to a new one soon.

But for today I'm going to fondly look back and celebrate moments from some of my concert experiences that stand out for their intensity. I've decided to make the list about individual songs rather than entire performances. Having seen the likes of A Perfect Circle, Finger Eleven, Silverstein, Alexisonfire and others who are known for having a heavy or aggressive edge within nearly all their songs, it seemed best to do it this way.

5." Stereo" - Watchmen, September 2001, Dalhousie University SUB, Halifax
This was one of the many Frosh Week events going on when I first arrived at Dal, and as I didn't really have any real friends at this point, I went alone. Just a year beforehand, I'd been at the same venue to see Moist - the only time I would ever get to see my favourite band live.

I was no huge fan of Watchmen but it definitely seemed worth fourteen bucks. And it was. I was in the very front (to save time I'll tell you right now that was I was up front for ALL of these shows [note: as it turns out, this saves absolutey no time afterall]) and, as this was actually a wet/dry event, nicely removed from the annoying drunks who only take up valuable space during these shows and yell out stupid things.

The highlight was of course the rocker "Stereo", coming about six songs from the end of the fifteen song set (including one encore). It's by far their most aggressive and catchy song and they're well aware of it. I can't recall which song directly preceded it but its final notes were drawn out into a long rumble of feedback on the guitar that ever-so-gradually morphed into the opening notes of "Stereo". The crowd and I sensed the shift even before it officially switched over and the electricity in the air ramped up.

Daniel has one of the most powerful voices I've ever heard in person and he was flawless all night - he didn't make much of a departure from how he sings the song on the album but certain songs just don't leave a lot of room to mess around with vocally. If you're familiar with Watchmen, then you know that most of their songs feature a much more understated guitar sound and "Stereo" requires a little pedal work to achieve its raw, almost scratchy tones.

I was jumping and so was most of the room. (the wet side was kinda lackluster)

4." Walk With You" - '77 Impala Special, May 1999, Centre 200 lobby, Sydney
No, they never had a record deal and you most likely have never heard of them, but that couldn't keep '77 Impala Special from rocking my socks off for this "reunion" performance anyway. The show was something called "The Long Wall" featuring about a dozen popular local bands and an album with a compilation of songs contributed by said bands was sold there. My sister, who accompanied me, bought one. I would sort of regret not picking one up myself but oh well.

The talk of the show was the final set - '77's first performance together in almost three years. Two thirds of the band, including frontman/guitarist Harry Doyle - Cape Breton's very very very very poor man's Kurt Cobain - were part of another band called Tilted (a different drummer) and their similarly titled song "Burn For You" was on "The Long Wall" cd but I think it was really '77 people were excited about seeing.

While there weren't even a hundred people in the room, everyone that was there knew the song by heart. I recall that just before they got to it, they called some friends onto the stage to perform a cover of Sarah MacLachlan's "Sweet Surrender" (incidentally, my favourite song of hers) that had everyone whipped into a frenzy by the time the first distinctive chords of "Walk With You" came screeching off Doyle's guitar. The bridge is simply an earlier verse repeated louder and with more emphasis (kind of like that part in "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters) and we all screamed ourselves hoarse singing along. Good times

3. "Weapon" - Matthew Good, September 2002, Citadel Hill, Halifax
One of the factors that worked against some of the bands I mentioned in the intro from making this list is that I saw all of them at large venues, usually outdoors with a crowd of upwards of twenty-five thousand people. I've always found that intensity is lessened in these situations while it can be maximized in more confined locations with smaller audiences. But here is this list's one exception.

This was part of Edgefest 2 and I caught a few of the other bands performing the day before. But the big story was Matt Good, who had just gone solo after the breakup of Matthew Good Band. With my girlfriend of the time in Halifax to visit me, I didn't quite get to see as much live music as I would have under normal circumstances. But she was MY (what I mean by this was that she knew me well and was cool with my fervent passion for live music - not that I, um, owned her and she did as she was told. haha) girlfriend after all and knew that I wasn't going to miss Matthew Good. I paid through the nose to get her a ticket and took her along.

To her credit, she was great. I held her hand and dragged her through the massive crowd until we were in the front (even when I arrive late I get where I want) and while we watched lesser bands (I think Big Sugar was there) I agreed to stand behind her with my arms around her. It is a nice thing to do after all.

But when the main event finally began and I heard the drum intro to "Generation X-Wing", I excitedly extricated myself to freak out.

The set was amazing. Since Avalanche was months away from release, all songs performed were MGB songs and I heard pretty much everything I wanted - from" Carmelina" to "Everything is Automatic" to "Symbolistic White Walls" (show closer) - but about three songs from the end, Good told us that the next song would be "something new". I wasn't really expecting much, to be honest.

But then the slow buildup began and after about a minute, I knew I was in for something special. It actually takes the song two full minutes to get past the intro and the main riff to kick in. And kick in it did and we all went nuts. I'm pretty sure at the point of that drum fill just before the beginning of the outro, my head exploded. I really have no idea how I'm alive right now.

2." Numb" - Holly MacNarland, September 2005, Marquee Club, Halifax
Probably the most surprising entry on this list. My lack of enthusiasm for female vocalists has been well--documented over the years. But MacNarland is the best I've ever seen. By far.

Still, I figure it probably does shock you that I've included a song by an artist who I don't even own any albums by. [Does that sentence make sense? I've tried to re-word it several times.] Stranger still, I didn't even have any plans to attend this show, but thanks to my ties to folk superstar, Craig Cardiff, who was also on the bill (as was Emm Gryner, whom if I made a list of sexiest performances, would take up four of the five spots, with the other going to David Usher), I got in for free.

I'd love to talk about the entire show, but since that doesn't fit this list, let's skip to the headliner. When MacNarland took the stage I was amazed at how powerful and commanding a presence she was - have you seen this woman? She is fairly pretty but not exactly a bombshell and she is SMALL (coincidentally, so is Gryner). But there is nothing small about her pipes. The opener was "Water", one of the about four songs of hers that I was actually familiar with and probably the best vehicle she has for her amazing voice. From that point on I realized that I was going to enjoy her performance every bit as much as I had Gryner's (I was a fan of hers and knew lots of her music). But on to "Numb".

I can't say exactly when it was played but it was towards the end as is most fitting, I suppose. I've already used this phrase but again the best way to describe the first few moments of the song was there was an absolute tingling, electric pulse in the air. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who'd been anticipating this number.

The opening acoustic chords elicited a huge cheer. MacNarland had spent most of the night not moving around all that much but here she let it all go, prancing from one end of the stage to the other, leaning forward to touch our hands (yes, I touched her) at the lines "you can't see when i'm not listening". The snare had been loosened to the point that it sounded like a gunshot and I felt every beat reverberate right through me. The slowed-down bridge really accentuated this, with everyone following her lead, jumping as she sang "wake up dead man, can't you see i'm starving?". The rest of the song from that point on came like a well-organized blur - if you don't know what I mean, I don't know if I can really explain. Every instrument stood out and played its part, with MacNarland's voice flowing above it all - "i feel better" - wavering and straining just as it should, but never breaking. I should have been exhausted when it was over but instead found myself charged for the rest of the night. I dearly wish I could see her again.


1. "Levitate" - I Mother Earth, February 2000, Savoy Theatre, Glace Bay
Several months earlier, back in the summer, my friends and I had already seen IME play at UCCB (that's what it was called then and that's what I'll call it now) and it was a truly amazing performance. It was the closest I'd ever been to what I considered to be a "big" band. I'd seen The Tragically Hip two years earlier but that was an arena-style show (even though Centre 200 ain't much of an arena) and besides, I liked IME waaaaay more.

I recall that my friend, Paul, had said something like "Why should we see them again? We just saw these guys." Now I can't even remember if he wound up going. But nothing was going to stop me even though I had reservations about the venue. The Savoy Theatre is, well, a theatre. A stage in front of seats. There's even a balcony. It's a wonderful place for plays and musicals and certain kinds of concerts. But I just didn't know if it was going to work with IME. I didn't want to sit down.

But when Halifax curiousity, Arlibido, who'd I'd always liked, took the stage, sit I did. Most of the crowd did except for a gaggle of teenage girls who rushed the stage, enamored by Arlibido's bassist. I watched curiously. What was security going to do? Turns out, they did nothing. Hell, I can't even remember seeing any security. How cool is that? (Trust me, it's not like that at the Savoy anymore). Unlike a place such as The Marquee, there is no barrier at the Savoy. There's nothing between the front row and the stage but space. I made up my mind quickly that I wouldn't join the teeny-boppers but that as soon as Arlibido finished their set, I would run up front.

I met no resistance and simply pushed past the annoying girls until I was touching the stage, slightly to the right side. My friends were at first reluctant to follow but soon they and lots of others relented and came up. Suddenly there wasn't space between the seats and stage anymore. I comfortably laid my arms on the stage and tried to keep calm while we waited.

I hate to just skip past the whole performance to the end but that's where "Levitate" came - last song of the night on the third encore (the first consisting of two songs with the other two each having one). But I feel that all that explanation about my positioning was necessary - afterall, not everyone who reads this list has been to the Savoy.

The show was probably twice as good as the UCCB performance if not even better than that. The set was much longer, I was even closer to the band and it just seemed that they were even more into it. They wanted Glace Bay to REMEMBER that they'd been there, damnit. And we did.

By the time the final encore began I'd already lost my voice (during the ending of "Shortcut to Moncton" - "this is a song about the east coast", said Bryan Byrne). But when he screamed "Feel heaven!" I somehow found it again. There's not much I can say about the actual song. It's heavy, fast and aggressive. It has breakdowns where everything stops then quickly snaps back to full speed and volume, it has SPITTING. Byrne, who I had a HUGE boy-crush on at the time, exuded boundless energy, as did the rest of the band and the accompanying percussionist. It also didn't hurt that they had one of the best light shows ever. By the end, Byrne had climbed the tower of amps in the stage's left side (my side - I touched his leg!), sung from there, before jumping off for the finish.

I was sixteen. I Mother Earth were probably my second or third-favourite band in the world at the time, I had lots of friends, some of whom were with me at that moment, I had some money to buy a band t-shirt, I had to go to school on Monday but that was ok - I went out into the cold Glace Bay night smiling and practically skipping. All was right with the world.