The Hunt for Gollum

For those Lord of the Rings fans out there, a new 40 minute fan film titled [link=http://www.thehuntforgollum.com]The Hunt for Gollum[/link] premiered yesterday. Based on the part of the appendices of LoTR, THfG fills in the gaps of the opening sequence of the Fellowship of the Ring Film - fearful of darkness in the East and the secrets Gollum knows, Gandalf asks Strider to find the former hobbit lest Sauron's Orcs capture him first.

Anyone who knows me knows how critical of a person I am, but I've got to say I was impressed with what a fabulous job these dedicated fans put together on a shoe string budget. In particular, I found their Gandalf excellent and Aragorn pretty well cast - although I have some quibbles with things like the exact pitch/deepness of Gollum's voice, the filmmakers, cast and crew should be incredibly proud. I hope both Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro see it, because these folks all deserve a shot at getting on board [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit_(film)]The Hobbit[/link] films currently in (pre) Production.

Thoughts on HAWX

I'm currently playing through Tom Clancy's HAWX, and had a couple of thoughts:

1.) This game is essentially Macross minus the Macross. Japanese Developers would be well served by watching what did and didn't work in this title for future Macross (or as American's know it - Robotech) titles. I think the OFF system, mixed with the swarms of AA Missiles, screams Macross.

2.) The story has some interesting ideas in the first third or so of the game: I'm fascinated with the PMC concept and the world the game establishes could've scrapped the crazy US Invasion (spoilers!) threads and made an incredibly interesting narrative. Alas, it didn't.

3.) The missions, while similar in some ways, cleverly play with mechanics (ERS system at Norfolk - fly through the gates to avoid AA fire and SAMs) and story trappings (air force one, the space shuttle) to create tension by playing off of subconscious attachment we have to something like, say, the White House or Cape Canaveral.

Beat the game after a few days of not playing it... the end fight(s) remind me that while some gameplay conventions are good - some are not: I'm not a fan of patterns or "gimmick" fights - Do X to reveal Y weakness or "discovering" the encounter's "puzzle" what have you. And as it stands, I'd have to fall in with the majority of critics who sight the first half over the second half as "stronger" in terms of gameplay and entertainment value. The "reveal" was not much of a reveal IMO after about an hour of playtime, and the reliance on the gimmick fights and more militaristic enemies/settings detracted from the game in the long run, IMO. I also noticed the lack of overwhelming loots I would have playing through a second time, unlike RE 4. Still, the gameplay is solid and mostly well balanced, outside of a few frustrating sequences.

I'll definitely want to team back up with my friend and help him clear this thing via LIVE.

RESIDENT EVIL 5

I'm playing through the game (right now Chapter 5-1), and got to say I'm enjoying it pretty well. Granted, it's essentially a face lifted version of 4 and has some controversy around the setting (Africa, etc), but I liked 4 a lot so I'm not complaining about more of the same in that regard. On normal, the difficulty is just enough for me to not be frustrated but not be bored either. The AI for your partner is very well designed and definitely the best I've seen - quite possibly the best AI for a partner in a game so far.

The controls took some getting used to (having not played four in several years), and the story choices in what I'm assuming is the middle of the game made me a little uncomfortable, but it could've been handled far worse too...

Wonder Con 2009 - Movie News

The crew at SCCGTV just got back from Wonder Con 2009 late last night and here's a quick rundown of some highlights:

Star Trek looks to be promising - JJ Abrams acknowledged fan concerns about canon and on set rapping with actor Chris Pine. We got to see a new trailer that hinted to the development of Kirk's character - apparently he's got some daddy issues. The new trailer is to be shown with Watchmen.

Director McG worked the crowd and showed a new trailer also to premiere with Watchmen. According to the response of the crowd during the panel, we should also look forward to seeing actress Moon Bloodgood's -ahem- goods onscreen. By refusing to answer one attendee's question of whether or not it will include the presence of Governor Schwarzeneggar in the picture. McG suggested "maybe I've answered it". On the less positive side, the Terminator actors attending the show did a rather tepid job of answering questions - many (in fact, most) of them posed to them by other cast and crew members instead of attendees. Aside from screening the trailer twice, McG also included two sequences from the film - an action sequence that includes many of the pieces shown previously in the trailer (a desert chase and the "moto-terminators"), and a more personal moment between John Connor and Marcus Wright, a Terminator who thinks he's a real human being still. Overall, many of the special effects looked good (especially a fight with what must be a CG Endoskeleton), but I doubt the wisdom of showing an incomplete sequence that's already had the polished pieces of it shown in trailers and some of CG that's replaced the make up for Marcus' damaged face in the scene between him and Connor.

While SCCGTV didn't get into the Watchmen preview Friday night, a friend of the show confirmed it is "the best movie they could've made" and while "they changed the ending" it "didn't matter". Personally, I'm waiting to read the novel AFTER the movie, seeing as how the friend of the show also added that knowing the plot mostly killed the thrill of seeing it on the screen - so if you haven't read the graphic novel, maybe you should wait until AFTER the sixth.

UGO buys out the 1up network and ceases EGM production.

As a gamer, i understand we are at the mercy of marketing people and 'big business' decisions when it comes to our beloved past time as well as the journalism surrounding it, but I can be nothing but thoroughly pissed to see that the 1up network has been bought out and EGM shut down by new owner UGO. Additional information can be found here, along with UGO's "side of the story" here.

Goodbye, 1UP Network. You'll be missed.

More from former 1up bigwig Jeff Green can be found on his blog.

News on SCCGTV for Early 2009!

Plans are shaping up for Sac Anime and Wondercon early next year in 2009. Producer Searnold wants to host another panel at Sac Anime - despite several snags at Sac Con, that panel went well - once we iron out the details (like exact topic) we'll throw it up here and on our myspace (www.myspace.com/sccgtv). We're also gearing up for Wondercon 2009, and hope to see you all three days to get your geek on with us!