[Review] Duke Nukem 4(n)ever

Last month finally saw the release of the long awaited follow-up to the cult classic, Duke Nukem 3D - a first-person-shooter that turned the eyes of the world towards a small game developing company by the name 3D Realms - and possibly the one game I've played the most. Ever.
Another classic hit (released under the company's previous name, Apogee - who also released the older Duke Nukem side scrollers) was Rise of the Triad - another FPS (and one I enjoyed quit a bit - and still do on occasion). Apogee turned 3D Realms for the creation of titles such as Terminal Velocity, Duke Nukem 3D and more. In other words Apogee/3D Realms has a long tradition for good gaming.
So what happened in the 14 (yes fourteen) years it has been in (and out of) development? Was it worth the wait? All in good time - first a bit about the game itself.

Being the big Duke fan I was when the old classic was released (and many years later), I've been awaiting this title with an almost childlike suspense. And it can come as no surprise to you, that I shelled out the bucks for the grand package, containing a card deck, stickers, poster, buste, poker chips, hardcover concept art book, postcards and more... and of course the game itself.



- not a bad package for about 600,- dkkr. But of course the most important part was the game.
Not surprisingly, you have to register the copy with STEAM, which not only allows you to play the game anywhere you can access your steam account, but I also found out, that save games and configuration (key bindings etc.) are somehow stored with your STEAM account, which gives you the option to play from your last save from any computer, as long as you log into STEAM - and no re-binding the keys either. This was a first for me - and it is absolutely great.
- but that's technical babble which does not have anything to do with the actual game...

The graphics in DN4Ever are not overwhelming, but not bad either. Much of the mood reminded me of F.E.A.R. and I think the quality of the graphics are similar - but F.E.A.R. is 6 years old by now. So not exactly up-to-date graphics, compared to other more recent games. I have however never been the one to get hung up on graphical quality - gameplay is much more vital to me (and yes, I still play old DOS-games once in a while)... In any way it's a fine update to the old Duke. And after 4 engine switches, there was hardly time for another, should the game ever be released.



The sound is good - and Duke has the expected, varied arsenal of cool one-liners to go with his macho character. Explosions, ambience and effects are all quite good. But then again - more than a decade since the last release, it had better not have the same thin, noisy sound quality as it's predecessor.

The gameplay however, was a bit of a let down. Too linear, too scripted, too confined - and some really poor design choices, does not make it the game it could've been.
Old duke could carry every single weapon in the game at the same time. New duke can only carry two, and an assortment of explosives (like the pipe bombs) - come on. Where's the fun in that? And if you were aiming for a hint of realism, you should probably not include the option to flip over a monster truck with your bare hands. In addition, it takes too damned long, to swap an empty weapon for a dropped one, in the middle of combat.
You can't save whenever you wan't to, which makes you having to play the same sequences over and over again - that's not exactly good game design, and it has made me walk away from the game in frustration several times.
Much like HalfLife 2, there's a path layed out for you, and you can't really stray. And parts of the levels "close down" behind you, once you enter the next part. Old Duke had much more freedom of movement - and going back to parts previously visited. I would've liked to see a bit more sandbox. Not GTA-like sandbox, but just a little less confined. And where are the damned secret levels? Old Duke had several.
To sum it up, I think they would've been better of with a remake of the old Duke - storyline and levels.
And what happened to the Jetpack? One pathetic ride on the corpse of an alien? You have to play multiplayer to get to try it for real. Bad. It was an important element of old Duke singleplayer (and multiplayer). The "improved" freeze ray? Nah - not really an improvement, but at least you get to switch to old style freeze ray when you unlock som extra features upon completing the game. Unlocks also include game speed, and I found that 125% was much better. Less sluggish movement, and more up-tempo action in general.
Boss fights are good, and I also liked the parts where you have to drive a monster truck between locations. I would've liked to see even more vehicular action, as I found it quite fresh for Duke, added variation to the gameplay and honestly - a hero like Duke, who can't drive a car or operate a plane or helicopter?
Dukes health is no more administered from health packs, but by an "ego-bar", which you can enhance by reading porn, admiring yourself and interacting with level objects in general. Your ego will drop when taking fire, untill a critical point where the next shot will kill you. Duck and cover for a while, and it recharges. I actually thought this worked quite well.
The game had about 12 hours of entertainment for me in the first run through (I did 3 so far) - which is more than Doom 3. It has a lot of the funny features you'd expect from the Duke series, but it fails in level design, gameplay and replay value.



So in conclusion - was it worth the wait? Not really - unless you're really hardcore Duke fan - and then only for visit down memory lane. This can however also be achieved by installing DOS-box, and running the good, old Duke 3D. And I really mean it, when I say they should make a remake of Duke3D with the updated engine, graphics and sound. I can live without the monster truck, but I really can't cope with bad level design and gameplay.

- and for nostalgic reasons:



- for what it's worth, I do appreciate the fact that it even got finished, despite the downfall of 3D Realms. And I can certainly appreciate the effort by those who decided to finish it anyways. But even so, the game does not deserve more than a (generous) 3 out of 6.

[Concert] Volbeat, Entombed & The Kandidate - nov. 2010

On november 17th 2010 me, Sussi and Janus went to see (and hear) Volbeat, Entombed and The Kandidate in NRGi Arena, Aarhus. We we're particularly looking forward to Entombed as they are one of our fave bands, but at the same time excited about Bredahl's most recent project "The Kandidate". It's the second time I've seen Volbeat at NRGi Arena, which holds about 5000 guest I think - last time they were supported by Mustasch, who I am a BIG fan of. In any way, I knew pretty much what to expect from Volbeat live, as I've seen them quite a few times on both smaller and bigger venues.
- I'm gonna break this review down into segments about each band, as I feel they all deserve their own review rather than a combined one. And for a change, I will not rate it with the usual poops, but only in words.

The Kandidate

What a great mix of hardcore, thrash and slow groove they delivered. I'm fairly new to The Kandidate, and have only heard their album a few times, so I'm not overly confident with their songs yet, but despite this and the not so great sound they, typically for a suporting act, had - they still managed to reach far out and get a good portion of the concert goers fired up. Much of this is owed to lead singer, Jacob Bredahl, who seems very comfortable on stage (with or without guitar) and has a good grip on the audience, as well as the ability to pull them in.
30 minutes of play time was what they got, but it was enough to get the message through: The Kandidate is off to a great start. And I'm sure they'll be quite successful.

Entombed

What is there really to say? It's entombed, dammit. Big players on the death metal scene back in the 90's, but over the years they've redefined both their music and their sound to a include more groovy and rockish elements - and it just makes the whole package so much better.
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Entombed live at a much smaller venue, which made the experience more intense - not to mention the fact that they played for longer which left room to get more of the best classics into the set. But on the 17th they still managed to deliver a great set, and as long as they play Hollowman - which has one of THE greatest melodic breaks in metal history - I'm fairly happy. And it certainly didn't make matters worse, that they were 2 guitars this time as opposed to only one the last time I saw them. What a treat.
In my oppinion Entombed should be the stars of the night's show, but Volbeat's mass appeal is just much, much stronger - but we'll get to that in a tick.
Entombed also suffered from a not so great sound, but most of their set came across better, because I know their music a lot better than The Kandidate (I'll try to get up to speed on that though). All in all, Entombed delivered a solid performance, and even if it was a bit too noisy for the general audience, we enjoyed it tremendously. Thank you guys.

Volbeat

And now for the main attraction... It's probably no surprise, that Volbeat is one of the best, if not THE best, selling danish bands of today. And with good reason. They have created something which appeals to a broad audience - something very few bands in the metal category can match. But are they in fact still metal? I'm not sure. Yes, they have roots deep in the danish metal scene, with a history that goes back to the 90's where they responded to the name Dominus, and played more traditional death metal, like so many of us at that time. In my former band we even had the pleasure of supporting them once or twice.
Their metal roots also shines through on the new album "Beyond hell/Above heaven", where legendary Napalm Death front man Barney Greenway, old school Mercyful Fate axe slinger Michael Denner and Mille Petrozza himself of ze german band Kreator, has a guest appearance. Yes, Volbeat sure comes from a metal background. But judging from the general audience this night, I'd say they would've been better matched with bands like D.A.D. and Saybia (and I mean no disrespect with this) rather than Entombed and The Kandidate. Why? Well it was quite obvious just by looking at most of the audience during the supporting acts, that this was just a tad too far away from Volbeat, who I assume the majority was there to see. It was clearly just too much metal for them. I even read another review, which labelled Volbeat as "a Shu-bi-dua heavy act" (for the non danish readers, Shu-bi-dua is a very "folkish" danish band with a broad appeal). And although it may not be very flattering, it is not far from the truth. Volbeat has reached a similar mass appeal. I totally respect this, and I'm happy for Volbeat that they've gained the success they have - they've earned it. It takes guts for a band to review many years of musical tradition - discard it and start over again. But it has payed of. They are fine musicians, excellent showmen and very professionel in every way. But I still think they need to look at their target audience, and think about who they pick for supporting acts to better reflect what the audience expects.
About the concert itself... I have to admit that we left 2 thirds into the set. Although the sound was much better (and much louder) and the show was very good, I can't help but feel like I do with Metallica: They're not for me anymore. I love everything up and untill ...and justice for all. And thats it. Same with Volbeat - the first album was awesome and fresh. And it possessed much more of the power and "metal energy" I feel is missing in the later albums. But it works for Volbeat and it works for the majority of the listeners, so who cares what this grumpy, ol' man thinks...
I'm sure Volbeat lived up to everyones expectations - they also lived up to mine, but I didn't expect the same as those who came for the main act. They do what they do, and they do it really well. I can only admire that.

*images courtesy of the respective copyright holders.

[Concert] Metal Royale '09 - Napalm Death

Lets get one thing straight: I love Napalm Death. They are without any doubt my all-time favourite metal band. I have every album, except "Suffer the Children", "Harmony Corruption" and "Utopia Banished" (although I'm pretty sure I used to have it, so if you borrowed it from me, please give it back).
There - now that you know how I feel about ND, we can get on with it.

Last night I wen't to part one of the 2009 Metal Royale (a two day, indoor metal festival) here in Aarhus, Denmark (my hometown). Obviously to see ND. There were other bands playing as well, but I was there for ND - so this review is only about Napalm Death.
Now I haven't seen them since they were here shortly after relasing the ground-breaking album" Fear, emptyness, despair", which I also consider a musical turning point for ND. With Fear... they took in a completely new style and sound which went right in with me, and just seemed to get better and better with "Diatribes" and "Inside the torn apart". And the gig promoting Fear... was fantastic. Great sound and great music. And this was more than ten years ago now. Obviously I had HIGH expectations.

But sadly I was royally disappointed. Not by the band, or the fact that they didn't play any of my favourite tracks from Fear..., Diatribes, or Inside... They've been around for almost 30 years now, and have an impressive catalogue of music. In fact, the set was really well composed - fastpaced and energetic, to support the pace of the upcoming album "Time waits for no slave", which is proably the fastest album from ND in a long time. And front man Barney, did a good job of stirring up things with his manic and almost spastic act and gesturing. No the band did absolutely great.
Why was I disappointed then? Well - the sound was fucking excruciating - and I don't mean that in any positive sense. Now I don't know if it was the venue, but I doubt it, because when I saw Soulfly a few years back, it was great. Was it the sound engineers then? Probably. I suspect them of making sound with their earplugs in. And that really doesn't fly at a live show, when the vast majority of the many hundreds of concert goers don't use plugs. I understand that after a day with 6-7 bands you'll have busted your hearing if you don't take care. But last night was just pure rape. I don't think I've ever walked out on a concert before time - untill last night. I just couldn't stand listening to my heroes like that. So I left with a ringing in my ears, that will probably not go away for the first couple of days. I wouldn't mind that, if I had just had a great experience. Unfortunately I didn't. I should probably mention that the Metale Royale seems pretty well organized and set up, so my criticism is purely directed at the sound. I REALLY hope they do better today. I'd hate to see Destruction suffer the same fate as Napalm Death - and I'd REALLY hate walking out on two shows in a row - but I'm bringing my earplugs just in case. At least I'll avoid the ringing again...

On a sidenote, I really miss Jesse Pintado (R.I.P.) in Napalm Death. And I think they should get a 2. guitar player again - at least for the live shows. It just doesn't sound the same with just one.

Rating (unfortunately) :


*image courtesy of someone else...

[Concert] Singalong for 12.000 people

- Iron Maiden "Somewhere back in time tour" live in Horsens, Denmark, july 27th 2008

I saw Iron Maiden live for the first time in november 2006, but I've been listening to their music for more than 20 years now, I think. In fact, Iron Maiden was one of the first metal bands I was ever introduced to. So obviously the concert in november 2006 was highly anticipated. And I thought it was really good. It wasn't what I had expected, because they chose to play the entire new album, "A matter of life and death", which is brilliant - but not quite what I was expecting for my first Maiden concert. I (and most of the other 7999 people) surely wanted a bit more nostalgia...

- which brings us to yesterday. The scene was a freight yard in Horsens (a neighbouring town to where I live), the sun was shining from a clear blue sky, the beers were cold and numerous, and the place was packed with about 12.000 Iron Maiden fans - young and old. Somewhat ideal settings I'd say. And with the tour title "Somewhere back in time", you just knew you'd get nostalgia for every penny.

But first, like the Maiden concert in nov. 2006, we had to endure a (thankfully) short set from Maiden bass player, Steve Harris' daugher, Lauren Harris. Now I'm sure old man Harris is proud, and he should be - it must be nice when your daughter defies an otherwise male dominated genre and still manage to get somewhere. But for me, the music was a bit too naive... like some of the bands that played in youth clubs when I started playing metal myself. They played well, and it looked as if the crowd in the "pit" enjoyed it. But she just didn't reach the back - or my musical gland.

Far better was the second supporting act, Avenged Sevenfold, who served a mix of thrash, power metal, heavy metal tossed together with a bit of NU-metal vocals. Brilliant musicians too. Especially the power riff in the track "Almost Easy" (I think it was called) caught my ears and attention. They did really good, paid homage to Pantera and Dimebag Darrel, as well as their respect to Iron Maiden and crew, for taking them along on this part of the tour. Bit of humour tossed in there as well, and they did a great job of lifting the atmosphere before the main act.

At about 9.20pm, the last rays of sun graced the top of the stage, and slowly started to loosen it's grip on the freight yard in Horsens, where everyone was psyched as Churchill's Speach kicked of the show, followed by Aces High. From then on, the place was boiling for the almost 2 hours Maiden entertained us. And you really must hand it to them. They're not just musicians. They're not just a band. They're entertainers, showmen - and absolutely brilliant ones at that. Although a "small" stage, they filled it out really well, and the show was packed with Iron Maiden relics, backdrops and props - as well as main man, Bruce Dickinson, changing outfits now and then, to tie everything together in tracks like "The Trooper", "Rime of the ancient mariner" and more. See that's just it with Iron Maiden. They're not just prancing around on stage being rockstars - they're telling stories. Stories of ancient times, mystery, bravery and heroism. Just like true heavy metal should be. And they played fantastic. If I have to put a finger on something (because it all just can't be peaches and gravy), I'd say that Dickinson's voice did cut out now and then - it might have been technical issues, it might be because he was running across the stage like a madman, trying to maintain some degree of microphone control at the same time - I don't know. But he was heard clearly whereever it mattered the most, so I am really nitpicking here. Of course he could also just put it even more in the hands of the audience, who on several occasions proved they were true Maiden fans, by singing backup whenever Dickinson requested it - or when it is customary to do so - like the intro to "Fear of the Dark", which sounded just about when the sun finally dove under the horizon...

16 tracks (which in my book is close to 2 albums) was what we got served in Horsens on that perfect summer evening. And they were each served with an elegance and conviction that Metallica could learn something from. Although I like Metallica's old music more than Iron Maiden, they just don't deliver it live as well as Maiden do. So Lars, Hetfield, Kirk, and Robert - go catch Iron Maiden on tour - pick up a trick or two...


The set was as follows :
Churchill's Speach (intro)
Aces High
Two Minutes To Midnight
Revelations
The Trooper
Wasted Years
(666) Number Of The Beast
Can I Play With Madness
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Heaven Can Wait
Run To The Hills
Fear Of The Dark
Iron Maiden

Ekstras:
Moonchild
The Clarivoyant
Hallowed Be Thy Name

- and what a perfect way to end the show. Hallowed... is an all time favourite. Brilliant!


- The Trooper


- (probably) Wasted Years


- Rime of the ancient Mariner (FAB!)
*apologies for the crappy mobile phone pics...

Rating :

[CD] Meshuggah - ObZen

So I was on my way home from work - on foot for a change - and happened to stop by a music store. I thought I'd just go browse for some good bargain deals and special offers. I didn't get any bargain deals, because the first thing that caught my eye in the metal section, was a new release from swedish "jazz-metal" GODS, Meshuggah. What a nice surprise, but I guess that's what you get for not staying up-to-date with the scene.

I've always been a big fan of meshuggah - ever since the demo I once had (yes, I'm that old - I actually owned a Meshuggah demo tape). Meshuggah's music is extremely technical and as such appeals a lot to musicians. Still, they manage to keep it at a level where "regular" listeners can enjoy it too - a very subtle balance that they only overstep once in a while.
They're one of those bands that just seem to get better and better, so naturally the expectations to this album was high. And I must confess, that right from the first track, it seemed like they had found a recipy that really worked. Maybe it's because it's faster and more brutal than the predecessor, "Catch33" which was good, but definetely a bit more on the strange side than usual. It was to me a bit too close to Frederik Thorendahl's Special Defects - which was a nice solo project, but it wasn't Meshuggah.
- but that's all forgiven with ObZen. It's a brilliant and rather up-beat album with a great production and sound. I am so envious of that "hollow" and rich, distorted yet clean crunch, tube-amp, guitar sound (so someone PLEASE cook up a ObZen preset for Guitar Port/POD...).

It's not like they've reinvented themselves on this album but they have made an already great formula just a tad better. Nothing wrong with spicing up yesterdays casserole. Especially if the alternative is... well a little too alternative.
But ObZen is just right. It's filled with the (un)usual off-beat riffs and almost mechanical drums. Whenever the guitars play fairly straight, the drums don't and whenever the drums play fairly straight, the guitars don't - or neither of them play anything straight, but rather some insanely crooked and twisted rythm and riff. It's just brilliant.
- favourite track must be the title track - mainly because of the guitar break about 3.03 minutes into the song. OMG I wan't to hear that part so loud that my ears start bleeding and people in the other end of town call the police...

Go check out the tracks "Bleed" and "ObZen" at Meshuggah's myspace.

Rating:


*Album Cover Image courtesy of Nuclear Blast*

[MOVIE] Sweeney Todd

A different kind of barber shop...
Now I'm not too keen on musical movies. Especially not the happy-go-lucky ones. There's just too much overacting and.... singing. Reminds me about "good" ol' danish movies (which in my oppinion aren't very good). I just can't stand over-articulation of even the most ordinary everyday stuff, nor can I stand the need to express yourself through singing, just because the sun is shining. Granted though, there's a few exceptions where singing in movies is OK. Moulin Rouge and Nightmare before christmas to name a few.

- and then there's "Sweeny Todd". Sceptical at first? Sure I was. But after all it IS a Tim Burton film, and it DOES have Johnny Depp (and the ever-lovely Helena Bonham Carter) in the leads. And they sing. But not just songs of happyness and joy. No. The movie was generally dark and gloomy, and so was a great deal of the music. There was little happiness to be found, little light in the dark, and good fortune is something of another world in Tim Burton's depiction of Fleet Street and surroundings. The acting and even the singing was brilliant. Either the cast had been hand picked for their singing skills as much as their acting skills, or they've had some excellent coaching prior to the movie, because they all came out great - even in their duets (which I imagine is hard - especially when you're not singing the same thing).
The base story is good, although not very original. But the characters are fantastic. There's little innocense anywhere, not even among the children - everyone is a cynic or a practical cynic. But especially in Sweeny Todd's case, it makes the foundation for an excellent vendictive personality.

If there was one thing I missed, it was a more grand finale. I didn't quite feel the emotions "all the way in" as I would have liked. But I DID like how so many things were left to the imagination.

- and is it just me, or is Johnny Depp starting to look more and more like Christopher Walken?

Rating :

[CD] Satyricon - Now, Diabolical

"Rise my friend - march to war

Time is up - Shadows dance

Fight my friend - tyrants pull

Time is up - burn the world"

This is a fantastic album. It's black metal and - it's not. Hard to define, but that's ok because Satyricon is apparently in the midst of redefining the black metal genre. It's rock, it's heavy, it's melodic - but it is still VERY black.

Originally I was not a big fan of black metal (you may wan't to skip this part, if you're not into tiresome anecdotes) it was just a bunch of silly noise wrapped in poor productions in MY ears (and that's saying a lot, coming from someone who likes grindcore). I was introduced to black metal á plenty, but nothing really stuck to me. Untill one night when my old band, Frozen Sun, played a warm-up gig for swedish Dissection in Ålborg. You may say I saw the light (or more appropriate the "blackness"). Having performed a great gig ourselves, it was time to see what the headliners were all about. And everything was dark - no lights on stage, no lights in the audience - the sound engineer at the back was suddenly very present in the glow of the many dials, knobs and meters. And then the band started. Two bright white projectors mounted in front of the drums, pointed up at the bottom side of each of the drummer's crash cymbals. And every time he hit one of those cymbals, a golden beam would pierce the hall and randomly illuminate faces in the crowd. And there was no other light, appart from various candles at tables in the hall. I was in awe. And the band performed with an energy I had not seen in a long time. They meant business.
- from that day on, I LOVED black metal - not all black metal, but a lot of it. And despite all the controversy about murders and radical beliefs among certain members of various black metal bands, there's no denying that the music has a lot of energy.

But enough about Dissection, and my first "real" black metal experience (you may start reading again now, if you decided to skip the anecdote).
As mentioned Satyricon is redefining the genre, and bringing a lot of new influences into their music. Now I don't think I know all Satyricon albums - but I do know the 3 most recent, as well as the classic "Nemesis Divina" - and there's miles apart from the recent three to Nemesis. I started noticing the change on Rebel Extravaganza which was much more experimental than I would expect from a black metal band - nothing like the straight and brutal Nemesis, which is much more typical black metal. And I liked it. And over the next two albums (Volcano and Now, diabolical) I wen't from liking to loving it. The new crossover that has evolved is definetely something else. Far from the melodic and almost over-produced passages you get on more recent Dimmu Borgir or Emperor albums, yet still strangely familiar.

I don't think there's a bad song on the entire album, although my favourite has to be "The pentagram burns". It's just good from start to finish - and the songs have been carefully arranged in the perfect order, finalizing this masterpiece with the extremely dark and aethereal "To the mountains".

If I have to point my finger at something, it would be that the production could easily have been a little better, without compromising the black.

Rating:

[MOVIE] Ratatouille

When Pixar (and the monkey on their backs, Disney) release a new movie, there's always high expectations. Pixar has in many ways been defining the 3D-animated movie genre, and they usually always push the boundaries with each release a little further, and thus raising the bar for their competitors to scale. And usually you don't get disappointed (depending on what you look for in a movie of course), but even though it was close to technically flawless, it didn't quite have the same WOWSA-feel as was the case with Monsters Inc. and The Incredibles which I think are some of the best works by Pixar.
So why was I... well... disappointed? Because it was banale to the point where not even the incredibly great visuals could make up for it. It did start out great, but the transition from colony-rat to city-rat was weak, to say the least, and I felt cheated out of the grand emotional drama that it could've been. It didn't get dangerous untill Remy (the rat) set paws in the kitchen. But then it did get dangerous allright.
Then there was the romance between the other main character, Linguini, and the female cook, Colette. How awkward was that? And where did it come from? There had hardly been any hint of it, and suddenly they're kissing in the courtyard? Again - what could've had some great emotion, turned flat and weird.
In general I have to say that the story was thin, there was too much "oopsie-daisy" comedy, and the minor characters that seemed interresting, never really got into the story, and they seemed to only serve as visual filler.

On the technical side however it was brilliant. Especially the wet fur on the rats was great. And the general lighting, shaders and compositions were top notch.
I did however not feel much for the character design. And I don't think they got away with mixing realism and cartoonism too well this time. Paris was lovely and had a great mood, but they failed to "cartoonify" the vehicles. They did even bring in the good old classics from Citroen - Dyane, 2CV, DX - but they just ended up looking weird.
Finally the animations of especially people on 2-wheeled vehicles, seemed blocky and yanked.

In conclusion I have to say I was less than impressed. I had hoped for more, and It seems to me like Pixar need to look in other directions. But I guess with Disney pulling your strings, your movement is limited. Pity, because they were going somewhere great with Incredibles. But unfortunately it's been downhill since.
At least it is definetely still worth a look from the technical and visual side of things. Question is - is that enough for you, or are you that much of a 3D-geek?

I have to give two seperate ratings for this one - one for the story and one for the visuals/technicals. Seems only fair to me.

Story/plot:


Visuals:

[DVD] Eragon (of AlaGAYsia)

This is a gay movie. Why? Well...

The "hero" is a 17-year old kid - Gay
- who wrestles his cousin for combat training - Gay
- he get's a little baby dragon - Gay
- who's name is Saphira - Gay
- and is a girl - Gay
- who only communicates by thought - Gay
- obviously to save money on CGI lip syncing - Gay
John Malkowich is only semi-evil - Gay
- his dark sidekick is played by Robert Carlyle - Gay
- who is way more evil in Trainspotting - Gay
- and dies without a proper fight - Gay
- in a grand finale battle, which lasts 5 minutes - Gay
Jeremy Irons' character (Brom) dies - Gay
- after having said so many tacky lines - Gay
- on the back of someone elses dragon - Gay
- just because he didn't look after his own - Gay
- but he has a sword that glows - Gay
- which he stole - Gay
- probably from Frodo - Gay
The dark sidekick's henchmen are a bunch of girls - Gay
- who whine when you poke a sword in their foot - Gay
- and die from a small cut on the upper arm - Gay
- but they DO wear makeup to look intimidating - Gay
- and people are obviously intimidated - Gay
The "hero" (once again) doesn't get laid - Gay
- he does not even get a little kiss from the girl - Gay
- even though he saved her bony ass - Gay
- at the expense of Brom's life - Gay
The movie was worse than Starship Troopers 2 - Gay
- it has combat, but no blood - Gay
- it was rushed - Gay
- and predictable - Gay
- and it had a crappy 5 second CGI ending - Gay
- and it's the first in a trilogy - Gay
- so you know there'll be more of this crap - Gay

Seriously - don't bother. Not even if you're paid to watch it. I just spent 104 minutes, which could've been spent more interrestingly by poking red-hot needles in my eyeballs, watching this movie. They get the following rating for at least being able to hold a camera and a microphone boom.

Rating :


* I mean absolutely no disrespect whatsoever to gay people.
** Image courtesy of the blind and deaf monkeys who released this movie.

[Concert] MetalliGasm

My name is Nick. I am a heavy metal junkie (crowd : "Hello Nick"). I've been clean since Iron Maiden in Aalborg, november 2006. But last night I slipped (crowd mumbles, and a few "oohs" are heard from the back).
I went to see Metallica in Aarhus, along with something like 55.000 other metalheads. And I loved it. And as the sweet audible fix was injected directly into my eardrums, I felt at ease with myself like I haven't felt in a long time. It was like rediscovering who I am - where I'm coming from. Like recharging the essense of ME.
- It might sound a little melodramatic, I know. But that concert made a really big impression on me. It was the second best concert I've ever attended, only topped by Rolling Stones in 2006.

I've had my reservations about Metallica since "The black album". To me the defining albums were always "Kill'em All", "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets" - especially Master of Puppets, which holds some of the, to this day, best metal tracks ever written. It is simply a stroke of musical genius - in my oppinion anyways.
I've also had reservations about Metallica as a live band, because I've seen a lot of recorded shows with bad sound, and bad performance. But all those reservations were put to death after a really convincing performance and a great show yesterday.
The set was dominated by older tracks, which was just what an old-school Metallica fan like myself had hoped for. I'm not much for "Load", "Reload" and "Saint Anger" - and luckily those albums was practically not present, except for "The memory remains" which is pretty good. There's a few good songs on "...and justice for all" and "The black album", and they played the right tracks from those albums.
Contrary to what some of the reviews in today's newspapers say, I think Metallica delivered an amazing performance. The sound was fantastic there was lots of energy, and they played really well. But I was kinda expecting them to play worse, so I was positively surprised.

It might sound like it was all dandy, and for the concert part it was - except for the 20 minute blackout in the middle of the second number (which unfortunately was the classic "For whom the bell tolls"). People got a little restless, and the disappointment was starting to spread. After all Metallica were just getting started - and getting started really well. But they're showmen, and they've tried that stuff before, and shit happens so what do you do? You either let it ruin your day and the experience for 55.000 people, or you shake it off. And they did shake it off - oh yes. After the re-entry with "Whereever I may roam" and and a witty comment from James Hetfield about it being because of Lars' mascara running, the blackout was completely forgotten. At least for my part. And so the hammer came crushing - Metallica style. And it hit me. Hard.

It did not make the experience any worse, that I had my friend and former colleague, Sammy with me, as well as my good old friend Elena and some of her friends too. A small and passionate group that really took the music in with much enthusiasm. Thanks to you guys as well, for making the evening even better.

Supporting Metallica was Volbeat and Mnemic. I was keen to see Mnemic, because Thomas (Obersten) Kofoed - the former Frozen Sun bass player - is now playing for for them. Unfortunately they only got like 30 minutes play time. But they played well, and I'll definetely have to go buy their new album "Passenger" soon.
I've also wanted to see Volbeat the last 3 times they've been in Aarhus, but the gigs have always sold out before I got hold of a ticket. I really like the rock'n'roll style, and Michaels very 60's vocals are excellent. It's far better than when they played death metal in "Dominus".
A good performance, but I'd still like the opportunity to see them in a smaller place. They're not quite the stadium band yet, that Metallica is.

There were a few issues with the logistics, but when 55.000 people needs to get crammed into a confined space, and out again, there's bound to be problems. For some reason the buses that took us back into the city centre, thought the best route was to go through the 55.000 pedestrians. It took us about 30 minutes to cover a distance of only 500 meters.
According to local newspapers, there should've been extra good information, directions and signs. We hardly saw any of this, and it was a bit confusing.
The facilities at the concert area were good though -at least to my experience. At no time did we wait more than a few minutes for food, beverages and toilets. But I have heard about people who were not so lucky.
And then there was this stupid little midget man (and his even smaller midget girlfriend), who insisted that WE got in the way of his girlfriends view, and she was so small so blah blah blah. What the fuck are you gonna do, midget man? Ask the 55.000 people to part down the middle, like you're friggin Moses? Good luck. But he was rather aggressive untill finally his girlfriend got embarresed on his behalf (and she should be) and moved to another location. Funny thing was, that we hardly moved an inch from the spot we had for the entire evening. This incident was not enough to ruin anything - we just laughed at the puny human (he was not a midget or little person or whatever the politically correct term is these days - he was just... vertically challenged).


So thats it. A kickass concert - and if you think so too, use the comment box to write your oppinion - and if you disagree and had a rotten experience, use the comment box and get it out of your system.


Here's a few mobile cam shots from the concert :

- finally a bit of sun. And quite an impressive stage (and crowd)


YEAH!! Metallica getting started...


NOOOO! Metallica vs. blackout = 0-1


Metallica


Moretallica


Getting dark - good for the light show.


Nothing else Matters - and yes, those are lighters.


Looks like the enignes of a Saturn rocket taking off... and it's near the end of the show.

Rating :


*edit*
- here's "Whiplash" live from Aarhus 2007

- I had nothing to do with the recording of this, in case Lars Ulrich throws a hissy fit over it.

[DVD] Flags of Our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima

I've wanted to see both Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima since when I first read that Clint Eastwood was making a war movie. Not because HE was making a war movie, or because it was a WAR movie, but because he was planning to film two sides of the same story - well more or less anyways. A concept that appealed to me a great deal.

Clint Eastwood is a brilliant director, and it made the movies no worse, that he teamed up with Steven Spielberg, who did remarkably well with both Saving Private Ryan, and (producing) Band of Brothers, and it is probably no surprise that both movies carries the authenticity, mood, and sometimes rather graphical violence, that he has served before.
But there's a fine line, and he walks it elegantly. The visuals are stunning, and if I have to get a little nerdy about something, then I'd have to say that I just love the color grading.

I can't remember if they were shown in the danish cinemas together, or if there were the usual 3 months or half year between them, but I had already planned back then, that I would only see them when I could do so both movies back to back. I just wanted to have all the little details fresh in memory. So I picked them up on DVD last weekend, and we (that's Liv and I) watched them both, only seperated by dinner.


Both films are set at the battle of the japanese, volcanic island, Iwo Jima, in 1945, where a lot of soldiers died on both sides.
We started with Flags, which is the "american point of view", and rather surprisingly the main focus of the film was not the battle it self, although it does take up it's fair share. And the combat was indeed good, no argueing there. Good, believable characters too.
But I found it much more to be a movie about the media circus and hypocrisy, that we know so well even in the present.
Based on the iconic photograph depicting 5 marines and a navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi - while their comrades are still dying elsewhere - the 3 surviving soldiers of the flag raising event, are treated as rock stars as they're pushed forth, on a publicity tour set in motion by the government, to raise money for a war that has lost the public's interrest and support. Whoa! I did NOT see that coming, and for that take on the war theme, I take of my hat for Clint Eastwood. He has a thing for provocative and controversial subjects.

But for some reason, I found Letters just a tad better. Not sure why exactly. Maybe because we rarely get to see this depiction of oriental culture, which is quite far from European or western culture in general. Maybe it's because we're used to seeing the typical gung-ho, american point of view, horribly heroic war movie, where "if it's not american, it's the enemy!" Maybe because it's just a little more tense on the invaded party's side. And if I thought the characters were good in Flags, then they're absolutely brilliant in Letters. Probably because of the whole japanese honour and repressed emotion thing. When an order is issued, it carries so much more weight when given by a japanese officer, than when given by an american. And if you screw up as a japanese private, you're basically fucked. The military code seems so much more strict, yet there's still room for despair, doubt, anger, regret and a whole variety of emotions that just don't fit into the situation the japanse are in, and through a series of flashbacks, we get a real good perspective of some of the key characters. Added to the fact that they're on an island, with partly damaged equipment and hardly any food or water, the suspense is thick enough to block a bayonet.


Both movies really compliment eachother, and both movies can stand alone. But there's just so many little cool details, where you see one scene from the american soldiers view in Flags, and the same scene from the japanese soldiers view in Letters, like for instance the flamethrower vs. bunker scene. Small and somewhat insignificant, but nicely tied together in both movies.
I only wish I could erase the experience of them, and watch them again, in reverse order. Oh well - maybe in a year or so, when I've adequately poisoned my mind with easily absorbed action, sci-fi, and animation flicks, to forget both movies.


- I haven't had a look at the special edition material on either of the DVD's, so I can't really review that... Yet, anyways.

Flags of our Fathers - Rating :

Letters from Iwo Jima - Rating :


- covers courtesy of Warner Bros. & Dreamworks

[GAME] S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

I've been playing STALKER again. Actually - I've gone through the game once more. This is the third time in the 3 months I've owned the game - which says quite a bit about the game itself (and I guess a little bit about me as well).

STALKER has been on the way for what - 8 years? And for half that period, it has had the the label "Vaporware" stuck to it. But in spring 2007, the Ukranian developer GSC Game World, came through. And they came through with what I personally think is the most amazing renewal of the FPS genre since HalfLife (1).

STALKER combines the traditional FPS elements, with a great storyline, non-linear gameplay (although there are major stories that has to be played), and a vast and varied environment to explore. In between the traditional FPS mayhem, it manages to squeeze in some nice RPG elements. You get to talk to all the NPC's, and you soon find out, that not only the major NPC's have quests. You can side with one faction, and battle another. You can earn goodies, money or befriend someone, by taking on side-missions of various magnitude.
This setup reminds me a lot of the GTA series, although still very different. But it DOES work amazingly well. And it adds to the feel of a non-linear game. It was not untill this, my third run, that I felt I had "been down that road before" so to speak.


STALKER takes place in the area around Chernobyl, Russia. Chernobyl where the nuclear power plant had a meltdown in 1986 (and in the game story again in 1989). You're playing the role of the "marked one", struggling to uncover your own identity after a heavy amnesia. From interaction with NPC's, you slowly start to uncover what seems to be a large government plot.


The environment is absolutely stunning, yet incredibly grim and depressing. Ranging from rural to urban, from sewers to industrial complexes - and then the vast open ranges, where you run into the occasional mutant dog/humanoid/something else, or just another group of STALKERS, singing coombaya at the campfire.


It is said, that GSC took several research trips to the the contaminated zone around Chernobyl and Pripyat, during the development. And you certainly get the feeling that those trips were a good idea. Everything feels like it was put there for a reason - if not else then for the reason of creating the right atmosphere. It matches my idea of a post-apocalyptic scenery perfect.


Unfortunately my computer does not quite run STALKER at the best settings, which means I had to cut back a bit on the eye candy. Even so, the mood of the game is just brilliant. And it spooks me a LOT more than DOOM 3 (which turned predictable after level 1) did. I'll be millimeters from a small seizure, when my girlfriend suddenly sneezes in the other room, while I'm crawling around in the sewers, looking for Strelok.


The industrial areas are my absolute favourites. They're not advanced sci-fi, and even if there are some creative liberties, for the sake of the story, it is believeable for it's time - bit low-tech and very human. Just running around the Chernobyl NPP, and inside the sarcophagus is enough to give me goose bumps. And when I think of my friend in Vilnius, Lithuania, who's living about 50 kilometers from a nuclear power plant of the same type as Chernobyl, I'm glad I'm just playing a game.




The AI of STALKER is quite impressive, and among the best I've yet encountered. Enemies will charge, evaluate, regroup (if in greater numbers), hide if outgunned, and wait for you to forget about them or till you get close enough for them to strike. Furthermore, the game world is never "dead" and just awaiting your interaction. NPC's will interact among themselves, battle eachother and the mutated wild-life of the zone, or team up for a song around the campfire.

You seldom get a one-hit-one-kill, and the weapons seem fairly to hard balanced. But you can protect yourself. Various protective suits (armour, radiation, chemical) will ensure safer passage through the Zone. In addition you can mount various "artifacts", created by the Zone's many anomalies, to your belt. These artifacts look like differently shaped (glowing, or bouncing) stones, and all have various protective capabilities. Most of them however also has sideeffects though. For instance the Droplet artifact will take -10 points of the hazardous radiation, but it will also lower your endurance with -18. So you'll be protected from higher radiation levels, but you'll only be able to run for a shorter period.

The weapons are many. Mostly based on various rifles and guns. But grenades, grenade launchers, and RPG's are also available. Some of the weapons have been modified for better effect, and it's just small details like this, that really add to the mood. You get the feeling, that someone with great technical or mechanical knowledge, has tinkered with a weapon, to increase it's firing range. You'll also be able to fit a selection of scopes to selected weapons.

STALKER uses a detailed inventory system, similar to those of traditional RPG's. You'll have to take into consideration what you need for a certain mission, because you can only carry so much. Carry more, and it will affect your ability to run and jump, and ultimately you'll be too exhausted or too heavily loaded to walk at all.
In your (permanent) stash, is also a PDA which functions as a map, diary and "notepad". It stores info from found PDA's, info about missions, the Zone and it's inhabitants (and oddities), etc.


I've read a bit about bugs and issues with the game, but I've had no issues at all. Not one single crash, freeze, or odd behaviour. Maybe this happens more frequently with higher spec. machines running the "full monty". It seems though, that the recommended RAM specs of 1Gb is a bit too low. Some people report highly improves stability with 2Gb ram.

I think STALKER will definetely appeal to those who liked HalfLife. And it really goes to show, that you can create something worth the money, if your main priority is not technology, but story and gameplay. There's said to be 7 different endings to the game - 3 of these are "right". I've seen 2 wrongs and 1 right. The interresting part is, that depending on who you talk to, and whose lead you choose to follow, you may actually end up making a crucial decission - only halfway through the game. So pay attention, and listen to the word on the street.

With STALKER you don't feel like you've been ripped off, after just 5 hours of playing. It has a high replay value, and is worth every penny.

Additional screenshots at gamershell.

Read the blog of a young man, who was a kid in Pripyat, when the Chernobyl NPP blew up.

- just for reference : A google earth picture of Chernobyl NPP, with reactor number 4 encased in the sarcophagus.

And just to put things in perspective - another google earth image, showing Pripyat and CNPP in relation to eachother.
An area of 20-40 km's surrounding CNPP, will most likely never be inhabitable again, and the after effects of the radiation is still affecting animals, plants and humans.

Indeed a sad and catastrophic event. And although it is 20 years ago, it should never be forgotten. Hopefully the efforts of GSC will help people remember.

- and it is still a great game.

Rating :
(and then some...)

[BEER] Samichlaus is coming to town

Yesterday we were a quick trip across the german border, together with the inlaws, to do a little pillaging. Among the loot was a couple of beers, and more importantly a beer that I first heard of more than 20 years ago, I think.

Believed to be one of the rarest, brewed only one day of the year on Sct. Nicholaus day, and also the world's strongest ale, with it's 14% alcohol, I was quite excited to find this beer, and even more so to taste it.

Now I've tasted some bad, strong beer before, so I was a little sceptic at first. But it turned out to be a really nice beer.
Beautifull red/brown colour, rich flavour of malt and raisins, yet slightly smoked. And the alcohol just gives a little kick at the back of the throat, but nothing that distracts from the taste at all.

It is supposedly good for food, and especially desserts - so I had it with a homemade cup cake (thank you Ida). But you should really drink it alongside some nice chocolate. And don't you think about having seconds. One is enough.


Nationality : Austria
Brew masters : Schloss Eggenberger

Rating :

[CD] - Dimmu Borgir : In Sorte Diaboli

Dimmu Borgir is without doubt one of my favourite black metal bands, and not being very good at keeping up-to-date with when all my favourite bands release something new, I was certainly pleased when I found out that their new album was only 2 weeks away.

On release day, I decided to go for the big package (since it was only a few bucks more than the puny, standard edition). A nice little hardcover book in regular CD format, containing the audio CD, a DVD and a booklet with the lyrics... as well as a mirror, to read the lyrics in, since they are reversed.... and upside-down. Nice thinking, but not very practical.

The DVD contains the video for the opening track "The serpentine offering" - a fairly well-produced, yet pretty ordinary and predictable story about the evil crusaders coming to christen the peasents.
Fair enough - that's part of the entire black metal gimmick. I do however think I prefer something like Satyricon's videos. With snakes, leather and semi-naked women, because that's not predictable at all......
Apart from the video, there's a making of the video, a Dimmu Borgir player, and some various internet stuff I couldn't be bothered with, but I'm sure the really die-hard fans will love it. And it IS commendable when bands and their labels, do something extra with a release.

So we're finally down to the core - the actual album.
First impression was not as positive as I had hoped for. Maybe I was expecting too much? Maybe I had hoped for something else?
- or maybe I should just let nature run it's course, and let the album grow on me. Because it does. Everytime I listen to it. And thats a good thing. Whenever this happens to me, I end up placing it among my absolute top favourites.

It's not "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia", which is still my favourite Dimmu Borgir album, but it certainly has everything I've come to expect from Dimmu Borgir : blasting riffs, melodic arrangements, ripping drums (although it saddens me a bit that they're no longer played by Reno Kiilerich) and an energy that makes it hard to control various bodily extremeties... which can be a bit of a problem when you're sitting in an office with 7 other people, who do NOT share your musical preference.

Tracks like "The chosen legacy" and "The sinister awakening" are my current favourites, but that can easily change. Still - they're probably the most typical Dimmu tracks on this album, in my oppinion, and maybe that's why they're my favourites. I like reckognizable patterns.

In conclusion, this is an excellent Dimmu Borgir album, and they manage to once again show why they're the kings of black metal. There's few, if any surprises. They know what we wan't, and they don't hesitate to deliver, and they certainly don't get creative like Metallica, and start playing ¤/&/#¤¤%%¤!#" country music....

If it aint broken, don't fix it.
- Dimmu Borgir knows this.

Rating :

...a substitute for hatetank.dk?

So Kim told me about her new blog, and how easy it was to set up. And I thought "well, it's a start". I mean I've been on her case for several years now telling her to get a proper website online. So a blog would definetely be a starting point.
And I went to take a look - and behold... it had pictures and structure. I had to admit that free blogging services had come a long way.
And so I started to look into it myself. It took me only a few hours of playing about, and I had something I thought was pretty usefull. Now I'm used to setting up my own stuff, and I've been told that I'm a control freak, so giving up control to a mere "standard blog" was something that made me cringe.
But I gotta say - it is pretty darned spiffy. I DO miss a feature or two, but for the price and effort you have to put in before you're up and running, it is just great.

So I'm gonna try and migrate the vital data from my other sites, and perhaps I'll even get around to updating more frequently. It's gonna take ma a while to get galleries and such up and running, but I'm positive and dedicated... at least as I am writing this.

Rating :