Final Fantasy XIII

Sure took me a long to complete this game. I've had it seen it was released back in March and was playing it randomly since then. I haven't played too many of the games in the main Final Fantasy series, just III, X, X-2, and the beginning of XII. At the end of the day I liked this one but I have to say that your opinion on Final Fantasy XIII will depend greatly on your ability to like the story, or rather its storytelling method. Like every Final Fantasy game since VII, XIII’s storytelling is derived from anime, and if you don’t like anime for its melodrama, long winded dialogue, and over exaggerated movement, I don’t think you’ll be too happy when the characters start spouting extemporaneous prose posing as conversation at each other like a couple of professional wrestlers cutting a promo in the middle of a ring. This style of storytelling derives from the theatre of ancient Greece, where the primary purpose of their morality plays was further development of their characters, and it is here where XIII’s story truly shines.

As for the gameplay, the first thing that has to be brought up is that the level design is extremely linear. Actually, The first 60% of XIII isn’t just linear, it’s a straight line. There’s very few branching paths to speak of, and the ones that are there aren’t very big. Chapters one through twelve are designed for two things: to tell you a story and to train you how to fight. This sounds like a long tutorial, and it somewhat is, but there’s not a lot of downtime. You’re constantly learning new things, developing the story, changing locales, and you are always moving forward and never backward. It gets kinda boring, but once you hit chapter thirteen, that all changes. Suddenly you’ll be in a big open world with all the optional areas, side quests, and treasure that you were looking for most of the game. This is where Final Fantasy XIII the game really starts to live up to its potential. It's a shame then that you can't fight everything you see, because the difficulty of some of the random enemies suddenly spikes, which brings me to my next point: Final Fantasy XIII's difficulty is a very random. I frequently destroyed my opponents for a bulk of the game's routine encounters and suddenly found myself outclassed by the time I reached the second half of the game.

The combat doesn’t get off to the same blistering speed as the story does, as the game spends the first ten or so hours slowly feeding you the basics of the battle system and this is a good thing, as throwing the unique and complex mechanics at once could’ve been too much to handle for some. In a first for the series, you only have control over the party leader, and instead of micromanaging what each character does, any point during combat, you can initiate a paradigm shift to change the role that each character plays in battle. The combinations of classes your characters can be at any given time are limited to pre determined commands that you can select in the options menu before battle. It's certainly a unique combat setup, but the only downside that the game ends whenever you leader is knocked out, regardless of the status of the other two party members. It's annoying, but it just another of a few small flaws in an otherwise solid game. The JRPG genre has been one that has been starving for innovation and a refreshing change of pace, and Final Fantasy XIII is certainly that. Its originality derives from its streamlined nature and its no-nonsense approach to progression. I've played better RPGs than this and though I can't compare it to other entries in the series, it gets the job done.

Sex and the City

Never thought I'd watch this as I'd never seen the series that inspired but, here I am watching the Sex in the City movie. The movie finds Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda four years after the hit HBO series ended, as they continue to juggle jobs, friendships and relationships and start to navigate motherhood, marriage and Manhattan real estate. Most importantly, the main plot of the film finds Carrie and Mr. Big decide to get married. The film then races through various themes of love, commitment, individuality, forgiveness, friendship, loss, loneliness and just about every other human condition you can think of.

I'm surprised that I really liked this movie. The film was funny. Pure and simple it did the one thing I didn’t really expect it to be able to do: It made me laugh. A lot. The humor was more “male” than I expected it to be, and a little more crude at times. There were several solid laugh out loud moments and the rest was quite entertaining. In most movies, you have characters that make their way through the story. But Sex and the City didn’t really have a story. The characters WERE the story, and in this context it really worked because of the diversity in the 4 main characters and their legitimate charm and likability (aside from the Miranda character)… but most importantly because of the long tested chemistry between them all. The chemistry of that on screen friendship was palpable and carried the movie.

Although sometimes a bit forced, I found the emotional and touching scenes worked. Each of the main characters go through significant challenges in the movie and at times it is communicated quite well. As good as the film's drama is...there was simply too much going on. For some reason the producers felt the need to give each and every one of the 4 main characters a significant story line sub-plot instead of one central story or without tying them together. 4 full stories takes screen time, each one interrupting the other and causing far to many themes to be brought into it. It’s not that any of the stories weren’t good, nor that any of the themes introduced weren’t worthy ones to be explored, it's just that Sex and the City had too many things going at the same time, and as such it hindered my ability to savor or appreciate any single one of them. In spite of that I loved this movie and while I may not check out the series anytime soon, but I'll be watching this movie every now and then.

Hal Sparks: Charmageddon

I've only known of Hal Sparks from acting on Queer as Folk and his appearances on VH1's I love the 80s series. I've never knew he was a stand up comedian and a pretty good at that. His takes on the difference between women and men,sexting and anything else of pop culture,his take on comedy is definitely refreshing and straight forward. From beginning to end his set is packed full of intelligent, hilarious, and perfectly executed comedic insight that's so close to my own that I found myself exclaiming "Exactly!" "Yes!" and "That's so true!" in between fits of uncontainable laughter. His fundamental beliefs on "unsweetened" tea and drink sizes are raised to new levels with his passionate delivery and his priceless insight into the history and execution of "sexting" will made me sigh an enthusiastic "Nnnff..."! Sparks has a way about him, a command of himself and his audience that is at once disarming and just plain hot. And in this one hour special, he showcases his many levels of awesomeness perfectly. "Charmageddon" is indeed charming, but not in a wholesome and quaint B&B way; certainly not in a old school Austen hero way. It, and Sparks, are charming in a "woke up in bed with some guy you just met and are not sure how he managed to get you there or where your pants are" kind of way. And by that odd analogy, I trying to say that I really liked Charmageddon.

Glee - Season 1b

The extra nine episodes that were added to Glee's first season really feel that they should have given room to breathe as its own complete season. In fact, I spend a bit of time musing about how different the storyline would have developed if it was the proper 2nd season. These episodes "add on" status forces the various plots to rush themselves and squander their potential. The back nine episodes have certainly given us some great episodes of television - "Dream On" and "Theatricality" are probably the series' strongest hours, with "The Power of Madonna" coming out as the most fun. But overall, the conclusion to the show's first season is a bit uneven. The mid-season premiere Hell-O left a lot to be desired as it quickly undoes all that characters had accomplished in the prior run, while a great arc about Rachael finding her mother is rushed to hell and back. I mean, they have a small build up to it, the reveal tied nicely to the main arc, and then their relationship is quickly explored and wrapped up in one episode...as a B-story (well, as a b story to a really good main plot, but still more time could've been given to the story).

Perhaps, even worse is the revelation that the writers have no clue how to handle relationships. Will and Emma are somewhat tolerable. But the season's main triangle between Rachael, Finn and new boy Jesse St James. For one thing, The thrust of Jesse's relationship with Rachael is that he's exactly like her...without all the quirks that make Rachael enduring to watch. Also their relationship wasn't believable as Jesse's intentions weren't clear. The writers just kept flip-flopping about whether Jesse was actually in love with her or was just using her, so when the big betrayal comes along and Jesse starts going on about how he's the victim in the all of this, it extremely difficult to buy into because their relationship was poorly developed. It really really was the worse relationships I've seen played out on television in some time.

Anyway its not all bad. As I said, The back nine episodes have some of the season's best episodes. Sometimes, the show amazes me by bouncing great humor off of strong dramatic moments. The songs here are even more infectious the the last batch, the dancing is fun and the drama is both what you would expect from a high school show, while also making fun of the genre. The writers can do a great job when they put their minds to it and I guess they'll have had more time to plan the entirety of season two as it's produced. They get some good guests like Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris, and it's mostly enjoyable week in and week out. It definitely walks a fine line every time out, but I don't think they've really stumbled yet. I'm definitely interested in seeing more.

The Killers - Sam's Town

Sam's Town is The Killers second album and it holds a special place in my heart as the album I was listening to in late 2006: when I got my first job and was looking forward to buying the Wii. I'd compare this album to a second date: you realize that your new crush has flaws you hadn't noticed the first time around, but you're just that much more endeared. And flustered. And optimistic for the future. The band goes for a more rock-oriented approach, leaving behind much of the glam/disco undertones of the previous album. It's not as endearing as their debut showing, but its nonetheless, a thrilling ride. It instead showcases the growth of a more mature band moving forward musically. Flowers' voice is much rawer and emotional here, not buried under layers of modulation, and the band's sound is more vibrant and diverse. The band notes that this record was influenced by Springsteen, but this album does not have much of a Springsteen sound, at least, none that I caught.

The addictive opening track "Sam's Town" has the same punch rhythmically as "Somebody Told Me" from the first album, but is less reliant on synths and more on electric guitar. The piano-based "Interlude" showcases a softer sound with Brandon Flowers' voice fragile and emotional before it amps up and punches into the rocking first single "When You Were Young." Despite its title, the soaring "Bling(Confession of a King) has shades of the late 80's U2 musically but Flowers can't quite match Bono's vocal style. "For Reasons Unknown" and "Read My Mind" delivers a synth-heavy up-tempo sound that is somewhat reminiscent of the early 80's Talking Heads.

Grounded by a solid bass line, "Uncle Jonny" makes for a great track that thankfully is not overly commercial. Flowers' takes his vocals down a notch for the excellent "Bones" decorated with some great trumpet and sax. The sound of Queen returns with the bombastic track "My List" and "This River Is Wild" is hook-filled and rocking enough to make this a solid second single. "Exitlude" is a nice touch that speaks to the fans, "We hope you enjoyed your stay..it's good to have you with us, even if it was only a day." I do have some misgivings about the way the album was recorded. Unlike the band's stunning debut, there are some songs on Sam's Town that I will outright skip as the song tries too hard or they just don't work for me ("Why Do I Keep Counting" is the only song to really cover those two comments). And there are some noticeable pitch problems with the vocals--baffling on a major-label, Flood-produced album. But all in all, Sam's Town is a great album and while it may not be their best work, it will grow on you with every spin.

Milk

Milk is a bit outside the normal range of films that I tend to gravitate towards but its subject matter, strong casting and it's best picture nomination of 2008 was enough to make me give it a shot. Despite being a film from two years ago its still quite relevant, with the Proposition 8 battle that's very reminiscent of Proposition 6 in the film. We still aren't where we should be with gay rights, but thanks to the work of people like Harvey Milk, it's only a matter of time.The movie tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to "major public office". This isn't a biopic about his whole life so much as just the important part, the decade in which he began to make a difference in his community.

The film mixes scenes with the actors and real footage from the time effectively, grounding it in the period. It took me some time to get into it, but I ended up being riveted by the performances and the story. Sean Penn is pretty brilliant as the titular character, Franco and Hirsch were both good, and Josh Brolin seemed perfect in the role. I'm not sure where he came from but he's got a nice career going. The climactic scene is completely brilliant. The film makes no secret of the fact that Harvey and the Mayor are both assassinated, but the way it all comes together is about as well as you can do it in cinema. Every single shot has a purpose, and the sense of dread as you realize what is happening is palpable. The whole movie makes really good use of reflections at times of importance, and you can tell when something's going down just from how it's filmed. As both a film and political message, Gus Van Sant created a real triumph.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

For the first time, Nintendo has released two 3D Mario platformers on the same console and like most people I couldn't be happier. I really could just repost my blog about the first Mario Galaxy, as for all intents and purposes, this is the same game with a few additions. This is largely way I wasn't too thrilled about the prospects of a Galaxy sequel when it was announced at E3 last year. But the fact that my only really complaint is that its more of the same is really a petty gripe when that "more of the same" is some of the best gameplay of this console generation.

Much like the first game, the level design in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is unparalleled and, ultimately, the real heart of the whole experience. From the familiarity of spontaneously shifting gravity and bounding across miniature planets to newer takes on the classic haunted mansion and drills that allows Mario to go through planets, Super Mario Galaxy 2 keeps the most memorable level varieties from the first title and combines them with some fresh ideas. Despite sometimes having to combine patience with split second timing, the level design remains extremely intuitive, rarely leaving you guessing where to go next. One of my only complaints with the first Super Mario Galaxy was the lack of difficulty. The whole experience was rich and rewarding, but it was hardly a challenge. While doing the bare minimum to save Peach and finish the game in Galaxy 2 is only a tad more difficult, going for full 100% completion of 242 stars can actually put you to the test from time to time. The final star in particular may be the hardest thing the franchise has presented in years.

The biggest (and my favorite) addition to the game is that of Yoshi. My favorite game character shows up immediately on the first level is loads of fun as you get to devour enemies and use power-ups such as speed-inducing peppers and blueberries that turn him into a blimp. I have to give the developers credit as they give Yoshi far more to do, and by that logic, far more respect than they did in New Super Mario Bros Wii. While Mario’s bee and spring power-ups return, There's some new tricks in the form of Cloud and Rock Mario and succeed in their role to aid in the solutions to platforming puzzles that are fun, challenging, but never hinder the momentum of the game.

Something I really adored about this game was all shout outs and references to previous Mario games. Some familiar foes return from the first game, along with some older baddies from the rogue’s gallery and treat to see a lot of them make the transition to 3D for the first time (like the Hammer Bros.). There were plenty of nerd-out moments for me as noticed things like the laser statues from Mario 3, or the fact that first the Yoshi level looks like something straight out of Mario World (the game in which he made his debut). While New Super Mario Bros Wii used nostalgia as a shield and was basically the whole experience, Galaxy 2 uses it to enhance the game and present those old memories in new fashion. The only thing that keeps this game from being better than first for me is simply the fact that as a sequel, it doesn't wow and impress as much the original did. So yeah, I like the first game a little better, but its follow is pretty close. Its still easily one of the best games of the year.

Family Guy - Season 8

With its eighth season, not only has Family Guy aired double the amount of episodes it aired before it was initially canceled, but it also reached it's 150th episode. I noticed that quite a few animated shows that I watch reached some kind of milestone episode this year: South Park reached 200, Simpsons reached 450, Aqua Teen made it to 100, and now this show has 150 under its belt. At this point the show has gone full on insane, trying everything in its power to show that there's still life in this show and that they haven't run out of ideas. This tactic actually works as this may be the strongest season since the 4th, when the show originally returned to television. They finally reduced their reliance on cutaway jokes and started to focus more on telling weird stories.

The season started off really strong with their traditional "Road To" episode that had involved traveling through a bunch of parallel universes. Its may well be the best episode of the show in years. The episodes only get more bizarre from there and I really liked that started to get the other characters more involved in the plotlines as opposed to using them solely for a quick joke. The 150th episode is one of the more notable episodes as its a completely character driven show that has Brian and Stewie trapped in a bank vault, and mostly focused on their unique relationship. It was surprisingly dramatic and while not entirely entertaining, I'd say it was one of the better efforts the show has ever put out. I don't know how much longer the show is gonna gone on, though Seth MacFarlane had stated that he has expressed ending the show after at least 2 more seasons, but we'll see if the promise of more money doesn't change that.

The Cleveland Show - Season 1

This show confuses me. For one thing, does Seth MacFarlane really need an hour and a half of television every Sunday night? I mean, I could see this show appearing if Family Guy or American Dad were finished, but to have three series in production at the same time seems to be overkill. Second, I can understand why Cleveland was chosen to have a spin-off, he's was (depending on who you ask) the most developed of Peter Griffin's entourage and would have the most to gain from having his own show...but why has his personality become so negative? They basically completely changed his personality to make him having his own show work and that may be one of the bigger faults for the show. He was the sanest member of Peter's group and was a likable supporting character, but here they keep trying to play up the idea that he's a horrible person and it just doesn't feel right. This personality swap became more apparent when in an latter Family Guy episode, Peter and the gang pop up at Cleveland's house and Cleveland acts more like his old likable self.

The best thing I can say about The Cleveland Show is that its at least better than what the promos made it out to be. The show is decent but while Family Guy and American Dad specialize in bizarre story lines, Cleveland is just a straight up sitcom with harsh jokes thrown around every couple of seconds. The only real standout moment from the season was a rap battle between Cleveland Jr. and a rapper played by Kanye West. Sure, there were funny jokes here and there, but nothing I can remember off the top of my head. There's room for improvement and I assume that the show did as well as the other Seth MacFarlane-produced shows. I guess I'll see what they can do with their second season.

The Simpsons - Season 21

Yep, The Simpsons are still doing their usual thing every Sunday night. And as usual I'm there to watch it when there isn't anything better on. The 21st season is ,of course, just more of the same. While it's a no brainier that the season is no where near as good as the show's early runs, I'd have to say overall this was one of the shows slightly stronger years. Some of better episodes this year saw Bart getting his teacher fired and getting a younger, more modern teacher as a replacement, Marge entering the Ultimate Punch Kick and Choke Championships in an attempt to get it to end, and Homer wins a million dollars through the lottery but can't tell Marge because he ditched her at a wedding reception to get the ticket. The strongest episodes appeared at the end of the season, among which, was an admittedly touching episode where Lisa tries to save a beached whale and a Sideshow Bob episode that was a huge improvement over the last episode to feature my favorite villain (which was over 2 years ago, I need more Sideshow Bob, please...). Sadly, the season ends on a pretty weak American Idol parody that continues the shows tradition of wasting their celebrity guests. Oh well, the show's neither purely hilarious nor incredibly terrible at this point. It's just middle of the road, but it has just enough going for it that its never too much trouble to check out what the Simpsons are up to.

Sonic Unleashed (PS3)

I’ll get this out of the way quickly, Sonic Unleashed is not a return to form for the series. Neither is it an awful game. It’s a decently made game, built on poor ideas, lingering annoyingly between good and bad in the ‘average’ department. Now, when you consider the pile of garbage that the last main Sonic game, 2006's "Sonic the Hedgehog" was, this is nothing but a good thing. It’s clear to see when hearing about the Hedgehog Engine, or how Sonic Team spent months designing Sonic stages that cover hundreds of virtual miles that Sonic Team haven’t lazed about this time. They definitely needed to prove after Sonic 2006 that they can create a well-produced, non-glitchy game and on that note, they succeeded. As well produced as Sonic Unleashed is, however, it can’t escape the fact that it’s concept, ideas and design are flawed. The game begins with an astoundingly beautiful opening cinematic in which Sonic and Dr. Robotnik are busy having their final showdown. As Sonic corners the Eggman and is about to bring him down, it turns out that the whole thing was a scam by the good doctor, who traps Sonic, corrupts the Chaos Emeralds, turns him into a werewolf and wakes up yet another Sonic Team-created Final Fantasy monster, Dark Gaia. It's as absurd as any other recent Sonic plot, but the difference here is that it never takes itself too seriously, using some childish slapstick and a more cartoon-like approach overall. While not exactly engaging, I enjoyed it...kinda. The new sidekick, Chip, is pretty likable even though his singular gimmick of perpetual hunger gets grating after a while.

Gameplay is roughly split in two halves, with Sonic the Hedgehog performing speed runs through daylight stages, and Sonic the Werehog tackling Gaia monsters in a platform brawler style at night. The Sonic levels are similar to most Sonic games. Sonic will smash through enemies, jump from rail to rail, home in on airborne enemies to cross chasms. It's all somewhat enjoyable once you get used to it. Smashing the square button to ram Sonic through a pile of enemies was a real rush, and being able to drift properly (when I was actually able to do it without dying) is a great accomplishment. However, irony rears its head as Sonic actually runs too damn fast sometimes and as a result, you’re not able to see obstacles and bottomless pits in time to react, unless of course, you know it’s there in the first place. It doesn't help that the levels suffer from poor design choices that hold the speed stages back (and get progressively worse as the game goes on).

The controls were not designed for intricate platforming, and the piss-poor design of some of the stages doesn't help matters. In fact, just after checkpoints one of the more broken levels (Spagonia's Rooftop Run Act II), you are given an extra life that appears every time you restart. The very fact that Sonic Team had to put that life in indicates that they knew how broken the stage was. Covering your own ass like that doesn't make up for the fact that the whole level is shattered in terms of design. Yet the game is able to make up for itself with such stages at Rooftop Run Act I, which is, to be honest, beyond breathtaking. There are moments in Sonic Unleashed where I felt absolutely magnificent, and as Sonic hits 300 in-game miles-per-hour, blasting through stages, leaping from spring to spring and running along walls, I found it hard to stay mad at the game. Until, of course, yet another broken section rears its ugly head.

As for the Werehog, he actually isn't too bad. Like Sonic's gameplay, The Werehog's game is also roughly split between enjoyment and hatred. At its core, the nighttime stages make for some simple but pleasant brawling, with Sonic able to pull off some great moves. However, the Prince of Persia like acrobatics simply don't work. The controls aren't responsive enough for these platforming sections, and I often found myself falling to your death thanks to sluggish movement, poor camera angles, or both. More often than not thought, the Werehog stages work pretty well as a brawler. The Werehog has access to some powerful and impressive moves, and also has an "Unleash" meter which, when filled, gives him a little extra edge in battle. It's certainly not as much fun as something like Devil May Cry, but it's fundamentally solid action.

I think I covered everything I wanted to. I had a lot of complaints but I was hoping not to sound like I completely hated the game. Odd mistakes and ignorant design choices have dashed this game's hopes of being anything more than a decent outing at best. By all means, I'd say play this game just to experience the high points, as they are worth experiencing. But this is one of the most Bipolar games I've played in recent memory.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Season 7

Rewatching the Aqua Teen Movie got me interested in regularly watching the series again, something I have haven't done since season 5. I guess I picked a good season to jump back in as it's in this season that the Aqua Teens reach their 100th episode, and it's a pretty good run of episodes for something so late in the series lifespan. The best way to describe this season is really weird. The show has always been pretty damn freaky, but I guess the show's been stepping up the weirdness angle by a ton since I stopped watching. For the most part I have to say that this tactic was a bit hit and miss. The season actually began last year with a somewhat mediocre one-off Christmas episode where a Master Shake decides to cut a rap album and the season resumed in February with a run of decent episodes. The first episode "Rabbot Redux" had a lot of homages to the first episode ever, and at first, I couldn't tell if this was a reboot for the series or just another screwy premise.

Other episodes had the teens visit an island of creepy looking birds to use their eggs for a pinball machine, Carl finding out what his life would have been like if he had a head full of hair, and the guys trying to keep their hands on a giant hamburger until long after it is no longer edible. The 100th episode finale has the teens realize that due to the show's short running time they're only halfway to the hundred half-hour qualification for syndication and then somehow get lost in a Scooby Doo parody. It wasn't too bad of an episode, but I personally think the aforementioned "Rabbot Redux" would have been a better choice for the 100th show, what with its string of fan references. I don't how much longer the show can last at this point, but there's at least one more movie coming anyway. But I guess for now I'll have to go back and watch the other seasons I missed.

Dexter - Season 2

The second season of Dexter just barely fails to reach the quality of the first, what with all of the revelations and such, but they still manage to weave a web of interesting characters and surprising twists. Sadly, I first started watching this show at the end of this season, so I kinda robbed myself of all the extremely intense moments that pop up over the season. While season one's plot seemed like something that would appear later in a series, season two's story seems like it could work as a final story arc. Season two sees another huge serial killer gaining attention in Miami, but this time it's Dexter himself. His graveyard of victims underwater gets discovered by accident, and he has to do everything he can to keep himself in the clear.

There's plenty of other subplots, like Dexter faking a heroin addiction to cover up his true secret and Deb trying to come out of her shell after what happened last season, and most of the supporting cast's roles are expanded and developed a bit. Whereas I found Angel and La Guerta to be pretty non-essential obstacles the first time, much more is shown about their true character, and they actually become somewhat sympathetic. The sole exception is Doakes. His actions rapidly cross the line into being just ridiculous. We're meant to believe that he has, quite literally, been following Dexter every single night for weeks now. Really? He's been portrayed as a smart cop in the past, but Doakes' "investigation" around Dexter is just silly. And his smug, hardass attitude doesn't make him any more bearable. Doakes being so suspicious of Dexter was a compelling idea and it definitely reaches an exciting climax, but its execution needed a bit more work. Kinda went off on a tangent there.

The show's still really about Dexter, and he's still a really great character, funny and resourceful as he has a major identity crisis and learns more about his past. I thought the background stuff revealed near the end of the first run came a little early in the series, saying too much too soon. But they proved that there's still plenty about the character we don't know. I also like how Dexter has to spend a good bulk the season playing defense and trying to manipulate the current crisis. I didn't care too much for the relationship drama Dexter endures, but Lila was a unique, interesting character that resulted from it. I also didn't care that the resolution to the story arc resulted more from him being lucky than smart, but that's not enough to distract from an otherwise excellent season and the first time I saw this it certainly made me interested to see what happens next.

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island

Scooby-Doo has had an…interesting lifespan. It started out strong in 1969 with Scooby Doo, Where are you? and continued with through the 80s with a string of shows that got progressively worse as it went along. Then, in 1998, Scooby Doo on Zombie Island came along. And thanks to it being absolutely awesome, the Scooby Doo franchise was revived. The movie takes place several years after the Mystery Inc. gang have gone their separate ways. Now a popular TV show host, Daphne, and her cameraman, Fred, are suddenly feeling nostalgic. They gather their scattered pals, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby Doo, and set forth on a roadtrip for a new segment in Daphne’s show. They’re out to find real ghosts. Their journey eventually leads them to New Orleans, where they learn of a mysterious haunted house on secluded Moon Scar Island. The gang investigates the island and discover many strange happenings. Then zombies burst out of the ground...

The movie takes the franchise in a noticeably darker direction than previous Scooby cartoons. Indeed, this movie seems to have aged with the audience, if you can believe that. The zombies are gruesome and, well, actually kind of scary for something supposedly aimed at little kids. The origin behind the zombies is particularly dark and violent, involving lots of brutal deaths (all shown off-screen, of course). Future Scooby Doo animated movies would “lighten up”, and as such, this remains the darkest and most violent story in Scooby Doo history and, in my personal opinion, the greatest thing the series has ever produced. Even if you never liked Scooby Doo, I think you’d be pretty pleased with this movie. It’s very different from most Scooby material before and after it and it's worth a look.

Pokemon: Soul Silver Version

I've had this since it was released back in March and though I haven't played it in while and haven't finished the true final battle as of now (hey, my team has to be at least at level 80 for that), I've done enough to form an opinion of it. Soul Silver is a remake of the Gold and Silver games released on the Game Boy Color about a decade ago. They're exactly the same as any other Pokemon game: catch some pokemon, battle some pokemon, battle an evil organization, defeat the gym leaders, and take on the league champion. The only thing Soul Silver (and it's original versions) did that no other entry in the series has yet to do was allow you to revisit the location from previous game: in this case Kanto from Pokemon Red and Blue. It's a cool feature that I wish the other games would have utilized. Visiting and battling characters from the previous games and seeing how that world has changed since then added a level of nostalgia and continuity that the newer games sorely lack. Other than that, the only other new things added to this game was some poke'walker toy that I never bothered to use. This is pretty much the strongest game in the series. It managed to take what made the series addictive and squeeze it for all it was worth. There's no doubt that the series had run it course as this is still the same damn game we've been playing for roughly 12 years. There's already a new game on the way that promises to reinvent the series, but we'll just have to wait and see if they can deliver on that statement.

Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind is an odd uneven film, but I kinda like it. This movie, despite what one might assume based on the actors, trailer, and plot summary, is not all that funny. There were multiple points (mostly towards the end) at which I thought, “I think this would be more interesting if it was actually funny". Clearly, I’m somewhat conflicted as I said that I kinda liked it. The movie runs through a lot of issues — gangs, poverty, ambition, copyright law vs transformative use, business morals, generational differences, stereotypes… I’m not kidding, it’s all in there, and the movie is billed as a comedy. I’m guessing that’s because to distract from all those issues, Jack Black wanders across the screen from time to time dressed in a tinfoil suit...it actually is pretty distracting. The plot finds a New Jersey man caught in a freak power plant accident and becomes magnetized and unwittingly erasing every tape in his friend's neighborhood video store, then they record over the tapes with condensed, low-tech reenacted versions of the movies and those start to become popular.

The idea of people remaking well known movies and renting them out is a fantastic idea andin this film the movie is at its best when they are doing just that. Jerry and Mike use fast talking, ingenuity and imagination to recreate some well known classics and it is an absolute pleasure watching them do so. They use props and costumes that they assemble made from junk that anyone could gather for themselves. The downside is that the story that held all of this together is quite weak. A lot of time is spent on the myth of a local Jazz Legend that really takes focus away from the story and adds an unnecessary mythos to the plot, mainly towards the latter end of the movie and its also why the movie isn't that funny. Mr. Fletcher , the owner of the store, is absent for much of the film, and to be honest his character adds nothing to the story. Like I said, I enjoyed this film, but it certainly had problems with its story. I would recommend this film because the cool parts are worth checking out and although I wasn’t busting a gut laughing – I did enjoy myself.

Chibi Vampire: The Novel 5

I read this one almost immediately after I read the fourth novel, but for whatever reason I forgot to cover it. It's probably because the fifth novel is somewhat similar to fourth. The only difference being that last one featured a guy falling for Karin and this one has a girl falling for Kenta. Once again, as with all of these novels, drama and comedy ensues and it all culminates in life threatening situation that involves all of the story's major players. It's all incredibly addictive and engrossing and though these novels started blending together towards the end, I really enjoyed them. The sixth novel came out a little over a month ago and my friend bought it, so it shouldn't be long before I get my hands on it.

Metroid Fusion

Released alongside Metroid Prime, it was expected that more people would prefer this game over the 3D FPS style instalment, but for the most part, more people preferred that while the more linear gameplay of this attracted disapproval. While I love Metroid Prime and its my favorite of the series, Fusion just might be my favorite of the 2D Metroid titles. Metroid Fusion was the fourth game released but currently the most recent game in the series timeline. The story goes that Space bounty hunter Samus Aran contracted an infection from a parasite while exploring the home planet of the metroids, SR388. Pushed to the brink of death, the only way scientists could save her was through metroid tissue recovered from her previous adventures. The procedure worked, although she lost most of her abilities and several pieces of her suit had to be removed. Later on, Samus is dispatched to investigate a disturbance at a space station were the parasite, now known as “X”, is being studied. Upon arriving at the outpost, Samus sees that the parasite has infected and taken control of many of the creatures aboard the station. Her previous exposure to ‘X’ not only allows her to take on the creatures, but absorb the remnants of ‘X’ into her own suit and now she must work to contain the threat.

Despite being eight years since a Metroid game was made and using the aforementioned linear gameplay, I feel that this captures the essence of the older games pretty well. Besides the linearity, obviously. The fact you're told where to go bonds better with me, as although being stuck for days and then finding the solution without anyone's help feels like a great triumph, having no idea what to do or where to even go for weeks or months is just a little too much, so having a computer tell you your objective at least gives you a hint as to what you should do, even if it doesn't tell you that you can roll through some walls that look solid. Everything that makes the other games a joy to work through are on display here: endless power-ups, great boss fights, and great controls. Sure, the linearity doesn't make the game quite as satisfying as completing Super Metroid as it didn't quite bring as much joy as having that "Oh so that's where I was meant to go" feeling. Still an awesome game, though!

Dexter - Season 1

Every year, I watch all the previous seasons of Dexter on dvd to refresh myself for the new one. Dexter is a unique series, though it isn't as clever or edgy as it thinks it's being, but it still stands out as a truly original take on the well-established and well-populated crime television genre. Dexter is a blood spatter expert who works with the police, and at night ritualistically murders criminals who have thus far escaped justice within the system. So, he's kinda like Batman, if Batman went around killing people. Dexter's moral code makes him more likable than if he was just a generic serial killer who killed innocents, but the show doesn't make him out to be a good guy either. The show does a good job of making him sympathetic while making sure we know he's still a disturbed individual who should not be emulated.

The show's not really about serial killing anyway, it's just an aspect of a really good character who helps solve crimes. Michael C. Hall does a great job depicting Dexter, both when Dexter goes through everyday life pretending to be normal and when he's letting his dark side loose. Hall plays the role with the perfect balance of cheerful insincerity and slight disdain for human interaction—believable, but he's never alienating or too creepy. The enthusiasm for the role is evident in every action of Hall's and it makes his character one of the mesmerizing in recent years. He's very funny, as his narration reveals character without being too obvious and adding some sly humor. The supporting cast is varying in quality, but his girlfriend Rita and coworker Angel are both very likable, while the his hard-edged rival Sergeant Doakes is very easy to despise.

The first season's story arc is something I might expect later in a show's lifespan. The plot reveals a lot about Dexter's character and how he became the person he is now. He and the police are working to find the Ice Truck Killer, a serial killer who cuts prostitutes into intricate pieces and leaves them at a scene with no blood. While the cops try to figure it out, they're missing pieces to the puzzle, as the killer leaves clues for Dexter himself. The story arc moves along at a comfortable pace always introducing something else when you're ready for the next twist. There's also some typical relationship problems to work through and the sub-plots for the side characters are entertaining in their right. The season finale does justice to everything they built and ends the season with a very interesting twist that provides some entertainment for the next season. The show really offers up some of the most satisfying crime drama currently on television today.

16 & Pregnant - Season 2

The stories that made up the second season of 16 and Pregnant didn't capture me in the same way the select few season one episode I saw did. Nor did they engage me in the manner that the excellent Teen Mom spin-off did. I'm not completely sure on this, but the concept of this series seemed designed to only run for one or two seasons. The stories told this go round are just too similar to one another and to the stories from last year. Every girl here is either a stupid spoiled brat who thinks that having a baby will not change their lives in the slightest (which makes their struggling with their babies all the more satisfying) or the girls have extremely douchebaggy boyfriends/baby fathers. In most cases the girls seem to be a combination of the two types.

One of the few interesting twists on the formula, was with a girl who was impregnated by her rebound boyfriend and really wanted to get back together with her first boyfriend. But it turns out that her old boyfriend is the douchebag type that most of these girls end up with and the boyfriend she's trying to ditch is the perfect idealistic one that most teenage boys should aspire to be. Its a shame that the rest of the stories couldn't live up to that one. I also can't help but shake this disturbing feeling that some of these girls got pregnant for the sole purpose of being on this show. It's a creepy thought, but some teens now-a-days are dumb enough to do something like that. Anyway, there's been rumors that a second season of Teen Mom is one the way, but it hasn't been noted if its going to follow the same girls from the first season or follow the girls introduced in this show. I hope its the former, cause most of these girls, as was the season as a whole, are just not that interesting to follow up on.