tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34218940770889562742024-03-13T21:00:39.196+02:00allround geekpseudo-random mamblings about technology, games, movies and more...mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.comBlogger302125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-643606579683190842012-12-16T22:02:00.000+02:002012-12-16T22:05:29.808+02:00A Short Discussion on The Hobbit Movie's Frame Rates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-let7FSC9JtM/UM4gd4cXdAI/AAAAAAAAAYA/7VyTtkgru5w/s1600/The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Christopher-Lee-as-Saruman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-let7FSC9JtM/UM4gd4cXdAI/AAAAAAAAAYA/7VyTtkgru5w/s400/The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Christopher-Lee-as-Saruman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As the vast majority of world geeks already know, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/">The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey</a> is the first film (is that term really relevant anymore?) to be shot in 48fps, the so-called high-frame rate (HFR), in contrast with the century-old standard of 24fps. Peter Jackson (with some backing from James Cameron) is labeling the new frame rate as a revolution in cinema, stating that the increased rate will offer more clarity in 3D projections and will eliminate the -existing- strobing effect found in 24fps projections, especially when panning shots are used. Initial feedback on short segments of HFR footage was negative, while there were some <a href="http://www.crushable.com/2012/12/05/entertainment/the-hobbit-48-fps-throw-up-hobbitvomit-funny-cgi/">reports</a> on the movie's premiere that it caused nausea to some audience members.<br />
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I was able to watch the movie in arguably the best formats possible: IMAX 3D (24fps) and HFR 3D; and the end result really does make a difference. The IMAX 3D presentation was a standard digital blow-up, with excellent use of 3D, really good colors and brightness levels, with the only nitpicks being a relative lack of detail compared to traditional IMAX cameras due to the use of 4K digital cameras, and a strobing effect in the numerous panning shots that Jackson obviously used in order to demonstrate the superiority of the HFR format.<br />
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The HFR format however was an entirely different business. In the first shot I was really terrified from what I saw, with indoor shots seemingly being projected in super-speed motion, and the movie having a look resembling an awesomely HD version of Fawlty Towers! Thankfully after 5 minutes or so I started getting used to that look, although I was still having motion perception problems due to the fact that I was not used to that much information projected into my eyes. The argument for 48fps is that it looks like 'real life', although I guess in real life one does not cut every 2 seconds and our eyes do not constantly zoom in and out, pan and tilt, and generally do all the crazy things that Peter Jackson's cameras typically do.<br />
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A very good point for 48fps was however the fact that all strobing artifacts were eliminated; no longer did I see split frames when the camera moved all over Bilbo's map or when the bird's eye view panned over the city of Dale in the opening prologue. And yes, the added motion did somewhat improve the 3D experience. A major downside were the washed-out colors and the dim brightness typically offered by standard-grade 3D projectors - I guess sometime in the future IMAX projectors will be able to work in 48fps as well, but from what I understand all so-called 'IMAX 48fps' adverts were in fact pseudo-IMAX in 2K, which should be avoided, unless one wants to count digital artifacts on the screen.<br />
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And finally, after about one hour of viewing, I was able to adapt to the new motion offered by HFR and forgot about these nitpicks. One very <a href="http://badassdigest.com/2012/12/04/does-anybody-like-48fps-in-the-hobbit/">valid question</a> posed by Devin Faraci was that the new format, if adopted, might make 24fps viewing unbearable. I do not necessarily agree with that; as with e.g. black and white film, the human mind is complex enough to be able to train itself and adapt to different conditions. But the fact remains that this format does narrow the barrier between what is real and what is not, which is an aesthetic choice that some filmakers might (and should!) opt out from.<br />
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ebenethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155911552466043943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-50875362376683416412012-08-09T17:02:00.000+03:002012-08-09T17:02:28.853+03:00Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So yesterday we decided to go to the cinema. What better excuse for a movie-going experience than the latest (and final) installment of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. Most of the praise about this movie is well founded and the vast majority of the production decisions hit the spot. It was good, it was big and it was immersive. </div>
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I did not like some of the motivations of the characters. There were moments that I would feel that their actions were forced in order to move the plot forward and I could not take them so seriously. You could feel some cliches being forced in the actor's lips 'just to have that moment'. Do not get me wrong. I do not mean that all was bad, in fact most was well-thought but some crucial plot twists felt unjustified. </div>
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And since now I got the bad parts out of the way, the good parts. The movie felt big in every sense. The scenes were big in scope, the stakes were big, the action was big(even though not a lot). I particularly liked the pace of the film. It was not rushed and all(...well most) scenes had their place. It was not so much about the eccentric millionair turned vigilante but about a whole group of characters good or bad and their interactions with each other. In fact for a Batman film, Batman was not in most scenes. This was good though because when he was it meant something and there was a purpose to it.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5FhDq4L3FKI/UCPA-9m7KUI/AAAAAAAAQwg/2CgUM0cxW2I/s1600/catwoman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5FhDq4L3FKI/UCPA-9m7KUI/AAAAAAAAQwg/2CgUM0cxW2I/s400/catwoman.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> I said Miaou</i></span></div>
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I especially liked the Anne Hathaway Catwoman. Not only because she was hot as catwoman, but because unlike all psychotic, eccentric, plain mentally unstable, with no real motives, catwomen of previous takes on the Batman franchise, she felt believable. She is the girl next door that fell into hardship and her thieving was out of necessity and not fetich.</div>
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This time we get a different main villain. One that has purpose and means and one that can kick the shit out of Bruce Wayne. He is not the mastermind that hides behind mindless drones but he is the warlord leading the bad guys into battle. We are not used to this kind of villains, usually we get the brilliant asylum inmate with lots of inferiority and misanthropic issues that uses cunning and theatrics. This time we do not. We get a guy that we know is physically not going to go down easily.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L5BgaUon32o/UCPBEebjAeI/AAAAAAAAQwo/FdQkR8330ps/s1600/bane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L5BgaUon32o/UCPBEebjAeI/AAAAAAAAQwo/FdQkR8330ps/s400/bane.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lovely chap once you get to know him</span></i></div>
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The acting is good as what is to be expected of this film's cast members but the acting of some of the minor characters might have been a little better. Or maybe it is just me and my issues with their silly motives and unjustifiable actions.</div>
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Overall the final(?) installment in the Dark Knight Trilogy is totally worth the admission ticket. It is a very good cinema experience and a film that you will thoroughly enjoy.</div>
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</div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-74155711244013947022012-07-31T15:54:00.000+03:002012-09-06T18:33:47.049+03:00Game Review: Dead Island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dead Island is fun! It is actually the most fun I had with a game in a long time. As the title suggest this is a game about zombies. The last few years zombie games seem to be the new WW2 games. Everybody wants to release one to catch up with the zombie gold rush. This game though is not some poor excuse to pay the developers in order to slay undead hordes. This is gaming at its best.</div>
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Dead island starts with a crazy party in a luxurious tropic island resort. During the night though all hell breaks loose and the beautiful sunny resort turns into a post apocalyptic zombie infested nightmare. For some reason everyone that has not played Dead Island is under the impression that it is an FPS of the Left4Dead nature. This a wrong impression. Dead Island is an action RPG and has plenty of elements from both genres. You kill zombies and level up in an open sandbox environment. You pick your skills and complete quests from NPCs, while hacking undead with your machete. You craft more powerful items from objects you find in the environment, while you run down zombies with your pickup-truck. You get the picture...there is lots of action in a open world RPG.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EqeZqOIezUg/UBfUdwW0HbI/AAAAAAAAQvQ/8FswTSrv_6I/s1600/deadisland2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EqeZqOIezUg/UBfUdwW0HbI/AAAAAAAAQvQ/8FswTSrv_6I/s400/deadisland2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stop ruining my holidays</span></i></div>
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When you start the game you choose your character out of possible 4 very unlikable(they are all pricks if you ask me) protagonists. They are not different classes exactly, but each character offers different strengths and weaknesses. You 've got your tank-ish character and the more agile/ranged one for example. The game starts in the resort where you get your first missions helping out some survivors and learning the ropes of the game. There are story missions and there are the sidequests. I highly recommend doing all of the sideqests. Besides offering many many hours of fun gameplay, each off them offers money, experience points, unique items and much more. Each chapter opens up a new quest hub for story missions and side quests but you can freely travel between them.</div>
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In Dead island I never got bored. The game is pure entertainment from start to finish. The missions vary in nature. You have missions were people want to find relatives, items, you got to save people, investigate situations, kill certain characters, rescue and escort NPCs. There are many missions and while some might look like your standard fed ex quest it is not and the island makes sure about that. While you are trying to get from point A to point B the game will throw everything at you: more small side quests, interesting places to explore, loot to grab and a horde of zombies and human enemies. The real protagonist is the island. It is alive and wandering around pays off in fun, XP and loot.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iobq-O4gLFs/UBfUkZdCpAI/AAAAAAAAQvY/H1tPS5KeNys/s1600/Dead+island_characters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iobq-O4gLFs/UBfUkZdCpAI/AAAAAAAAQvY/H1tPS5KeNys/s400/Dead+island_characters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The four pricks</span></i></div>
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The graphics are very good and each hub has its own distinct look and feel. After the lush bright and sunny beach resort you find yourself in the depressing city slams and after that in the deep jungle. My favourite two areas have to be the resort and the Jungle mainly because I preferred the open beautiful environment to the gloomy and doomy shithole that were the slams. Another reason was probably that some missions in chapter 2(the slams) I had to fight in closed space and the game turned into a corridor 'shooter' which was a bit repetitive, but fortunately it did not last long. </div>
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Speaking of 'shooter' this game offers many many weapons. It took a considerable amount of time though before I got my hands on a gun. There are machetes, axes, knifes, frying pans, shotguns, rifles, pipes and many others. The game offers many different melee and ranged weapons to use in different situations. For zombies (who will be the most enemies) I preferred melee weapons. For human enemies I mostly used ranged since they were shooting at me from a distance but also because in melee combat were harder to hit.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4AVvRIMTTDM/UBfUuIzdzsI/AAAAAAAAQvo/I37mAqRwXEU/s1600/DeadIsland16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4AVvRIMTTDM/UBfUuIzdzsI/AAAAAAAAQvo/I37mAqRwXEU/s400/DeadIsland16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While you kill enemies and complete missions you gain experience points to level up. With each level you earn skill points which you spend to advance your various skill trees. There are various tree builds for your characters depending on your preferred play style. One important game mechanic in Dead Island is crafting. During your adventures you will find and pickup many different items. These items can be used to create mods for your weapons and other various helpful 'tools of the trade' like bombs, molotof cocktails, bullets,etc. Money is also a very important aspect. You use the money you gain from missions, or looting, for various things such as to upgrade or repair your weapons and buy useful items from NPC merchants. </div>
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Dead Island can be played as single player or as multiplayer from the internet or LAN. When you are on a mission the game will try to find players around your game area and range of missions and join the two single player games into a coop. It is a really nice implementation that seamlessly brings players together for a multiplayer experience. </div>
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Overall Dead Island is a very entertaining product that does everything correctly and provides many hours of gameplay. The production values are high, the action is intense and game mechanics are fun. Highly recommended. </div>
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mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-25695173125684406082012-06-04T12:29:00.001+03:002012-06-04T12:31:02.920+03:00Movie Review: Prometheus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MyBPyvnX78/T8vLXGW-Z1I/AAAAAAAAAXU/gsCk_Y3OTFc/s1600/Prometheus+poster+quad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MyBPyvnX78/T8vLXGW-Z1I/AAAAAAAAAXU/gsCk_Y3OTFc/s400/Prometheus+poster+quad.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Note: This review is on the IMAX 3D version of the film. Spoilers contained.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/">Prometheus</a> is a film that generated an insane amount of hype amongst film geeks, especially us Alien fans who have watched again and again all 4 films and have been so disappointing with the AVP monstrosities. When Ridley Scott finally announced that he would be returning to the world he first created so many years ago, expectations ran high, especially as he was given an unprecedented amount of money and resources for essentially a sci-fi thriller. The excellent ad campaign with these great viral videos (see them at <a href="http://www.projectprometheus.com/">http://www.projectprometheus.com/</a><span id="goog_1881448283"></span><span id="goog_1881448284"></span>) generated huge amount of enthusiasm and confidence that Sir Ridley would be creating a masterpiece.<br />
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So, as it perhaps inevitably turned out, the end product is somewhat disappointing. Prometheus is an overambitious film, filled with strong visuals, good performances, which however has a somewhat weak script. It starts out strong, with an excellent prologue depicting the beginning of life on Earth, which might however give out more than it should have. Flash forward some million years, where a scientific expedition on a spaceship called Prometheus aims to meet the creators of life, aka the Engineers. After an amazing sequence showing the life of an android called David (Michael Fassbender - the best performance by far) during the two years of this trip, the crew lands on a planet which might contain the answers they are looking for. Then again, it might not.<br />
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The main problem of the film is perhaps that it was scripted by Damon Lindelof, who in true Lost fashion, for every answer he gives he asks two more questions. Also, the fact that the movie shifts from epic sci-fi to Alien-type thriller in the third act sort of undermines the efforts of the characters in the first two reels, leading to an unsatisfying confrontation between the lead (Noomi Rapace) and a muscular Engineer, which frankly makes little sense. Having said that, perhaps the best scene in the movie is a gore-filled one, containing an automatic caesarian on Noomi's character. The scene is incredibly well-shot and as gory as it needs to be, and is perhaps event better than the famous chest-bursting scene of the original Alien. Finally, some weak characterization does not help things - the second lead (Logan Marshall-Green) is especially weak, and the movie is filled with several non-existent characters waiting to die. Perhaps the only secondary character with an interesting story arc is Charlize Theron's company representative, who might have several agendas, some not as obvious. Finally, the 3D is not used very much, and in a dark film like this it's a bit useless, since it just keeps the viewer from experiencing the sets in full detail.<br />
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So in the end Prometheus is a decent film with extremely strong visuals (the DP needs an Oscar right now and the sets are amazing), which is hampered by an aimless script. It's obviously miles better than the AVP movies (and perhaps Alien3 and Alien: Resurrection) and the fact that the movie does not rely on the Alien franchise but instead tries to create something new is commendable. But it could have been so much more...<br />
<i>7/10</i></div>
</div>ebenethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155911552466043943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-86653359151045710692012-05-15T10:17:00.000+03:002012-05-15T10:19:23.636+03:00Diablo III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Eraserheadxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437933674006121173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-23378288913385050162012-03-25T00:51:00.016+02:002012-03-26T11:14:21.165+03:00Game Review: Gemini Rue<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aB4F6cTKaA8/T25dSAhCF8I/AAAAAAAAM2g/jM9CHUqzZgc/s1600/1780392-gemini_rue_large.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aB4F6cTKaA8/T25dSAhCF8I/AAAAAAAAM2g/jM9CHUqzZgc/s320/1780392-gemini_rue_large.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723614740392056770" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">Launching </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">Gemini Rue </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><span style="font-size: 100%;"> is like opening a door to the past, to the early 90s when point & click adventure games were king. Even though the game was released in 2011 it plays, looks and feels like on the of the old school adventure games and you could even confuse it with a game released from Sierra or Lucas Arts back in their glory days.</span></span></div><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: justify; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Gemini Rue could be a Phillip K. Dick story. It is disturbing, it a</span></span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">sks difficult questions and </span><span style="font-size: 100%; ">portrays a dark future for mankind. You are Azriel Odin, a cop. You were an assasin working for a criminal syndicate but you betrayed them and now you are trying to take them down. Your brother has been kidnapped and is being held in a secret facility were they alter people's personalities. Your goal is to get your brother back.</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> The plot of the game is very well written with great twists. The characters are well thought off and each has his/her own motives and past story that you will discover while playing. As far as sci fi stories go this is a top dog. I find that the better sci fi stories are criticism on the present and this is no exception.</span></div><div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">One of the game's strong cards is its atmosphere. It has this noir detective mystery feeling. It feels a lot like being in Blade Runner.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; "> The graphics are hand drawn and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; ">beautifu</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; ">l. They play their part and get the job done without offering millions of polygons. The sounds and voice acting are nothing special but for an indie game are rather good.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span><div align="center"><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/foZp9ToBewA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span>The game is somewhat short but the gameplay is solid and you will never feel that you are bored or doing something that you shouldn't been doing. The riddles are almost all inventory based with the occasional logic puzzle here and there. The game is a bit easy but that will not bother you as the riddles are very well blended in to the story and what your characters are doing. During the course of the game you will control 2 different characters, most of the time each being in a different environment pursuing his own goals. There were no illogical puzzles but there are a few "action" sequences. Don't get me wrong these are not 'action' exactly but rather some shooting mini games that you will have no trouble tackling. They don't feel like they were put there to extend the gameplay or to market the game as having action, but they enhance the thrill at the right moments. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2rP7AONFBdY/T25cxZGyQCI/AAAAAAAAM2I/5sFKpY3lNfE/s400/labgr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723614180057169954" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: left; font-size: medium; "></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span>Overall Gemini Rue is a highly recommended game for everyone that enjoys a good adventure or a sci fi story. It is very cheap and you can buy it from <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/80310/">steam</a>, or from the <a href="http://wadjeteyegames.com/gemini-rue.html">publisher's website</a> directly. Just launch it and travel back to the glory days of the point & click adventures</span></div></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-35709011544100116562012-01-15T23:14:00.006+02:002012-01-16T00:00:48.835+02:00The Dark Knight Rises Prologue: Incomprhensibility and the Masses<div style="text-align: justify;">Today I managed to see the IMAX prologue for one of the most anticipated films of 2012, aka Christopher Nolan's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/">The Dark Knight Rises</a>. The prologue was announced by a staff member at<a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_imax"> BFI IMAX</a>, something which gathered a fair share of applause. When the 7min prelude ended however, the audience reaction was totally muted. The main complaint over the short is of course well documented, being the fact that the main villain's dialogue (Bane, played by Tom Hardy) is incomprehensible or inaudible. Personally, I managed to get only one sentence out of the 7-8 uttered by Bane, which might say something about my English language level, my hearing problems, or the fact that Bane's dialogue is indeed garbled. Evidence points towards the latter, and Nolan should well be forced to make some compromises in his creative vision of filmic realism and change the sound mix in the final version of the movie.<br /><br />As for the prologue itself, even with the dialogue explained there are several vague points that are apparently answered by the various viral sites found online. However, that is a relative drawback of the presentation - unlike the Dark Knight prologue, it is not completely self-contained and definitely did not have the same emotional impact, although visually it was much more impressive (featuring an airplane vs. airplane highjacking in Scottish locations). So, as an IMAX presentation it gets high grades (the resolution was amazing, and in fact the IMAX cameras used were much better than the ones used in the main feature, MI:4), but as a teaser it could have been better.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PqumOAhfT2U/TxNL_FER5QI/AAAAAAAAAW4/d479HYujWPE/s1600/01.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PqumOAhfT2U/TxNL_FER5QI/AAAAAAAAAW4/d479HYujWPE/s400/01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697981500617778434" border="0" /></a><br /></div>ebenethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155911552466043943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-51855530589178355842011-12-21T10:11:00.000+02:002011-12-21T10:11:17.648+02:00"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" trailer is here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SN8BTkfqY8Y/TvGSMUv43ZI/AAAAAAAAAWY/4vaX_XzwElM/s1600/hobbit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SN8BTkfqY8Y/TvGSMUv43ZI/AAAAAAAAAWY/4vaX_XzwElM/s400/hobbit.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This December marks 10 years after the release of The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">10 years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I feel old. But this trailer for the first of the two Hobbit movies (titled An Unexpected Journey and There And Back Again) is just the thing to make me feel young again. Get a small taste of what our return to Middle Earth will feel like one year from now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="289" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G0k3kHtyoqc?rel=0&hd=1" width="510"></iframe>Eraserheadxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437933674006121173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-32694553997096837542011-11-02T12:06:00.009+02:002011-11-02T12:59:30.995+02:00Movie Review: Drive<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-npfDLs3s2pY/TrEbztZdf8I/AAAAAAAAK_g/Q_H60fVMaBM/s1600/drive-movie-poster-e1316582957441-500x321.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-npfDLs3s2pY/TrEbztZdf8I/AAAAAAAAK_g/Q_H60fVMaBM/s400/drive-movie-poster-e1316582957441-500x321.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670343981009829826" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I first read the synopsis of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/">Drive</a> I did not know what to expect from it. Would it be an action movie? Would it be a film about cars with lots of car chases driving around? Would it be something completely different? I was not very interested to watch it but my girlfriend really insisted, and boy, was I surprised.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Drive</i> is a film about emotions and characters. It sets the tone very quickly with the main character uttering a total of 2 lines in the first ten minutes. A man in control of his life amidst the urban depression. Even the rolling introduction credits were a surprise. I immediately thought of <i>Grand Theft Auto: Vice City</i> and I was not far off. From the credits to the shiny silver jacket the main character is wearing, to the fantastic soundtrack all set an 80s feeling throughout the movie without the story taking place in this flamboyant decade. Just the decadence and the sense of lost, of this era is brought to us from the movie.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The main character is a stunt driver that works in a garage and during the nights he drives for robberies. The character is not the cool, do it for the thrill, type of guy. He is actually the genuine nice, kind-hearted, type. We do not know why he does it, so we assume for the extra money, since there is nothing luxurious about his lifestyle. In the course of the story he meets a girl and with no agenda he decides to help her. It sounds simple and it probably is, but the emotions generated are very powerful. The main character is emotion-driven not interested about petty gains.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The action in the movie is actually very little but when we do see it, it is intense, powerful and very well directed. When we do see it, it needs to be there, we justify it and it actually serves a purpose to move the story forward, or to tell us something about the characters. The over all direction is superb and flawless. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Winding_Refn">Nicolas Winding Refn</a> is playing with what we see, what we do not see and what we think we are about to see. It is a thrilling ride...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The rest of the characters are all very interesting and serve their purpose well. At some points I actually felt like playing a Grand Theft Auto game(a blend between Vice City and GTA4). You 've got the filthy maniacs, you 've got the honest but troubled husband, the genuine friend, the thoughtful but evil guy and all of them have their part to play in the story. All the actors do a very good job with their performance delivering a very special overall cast package.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I want to make a special brief mention about the music in the film. It is an absolutely fantastic soundtrack. It is definitively not something I would listen to on my own, but after listening to it during the course of this movie I loved it because it was so well blended with each scene.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div>I intentionally did not include a trailer in this post. Do not watch the trailer, just watch the movie.</div><div>Over all, this is a must-see. Highly recommended.</div><div><b>8/10</b><br /><div><br /><div> </div></div></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-18352542899680102092011-08-25T17:56:00.004+03:002011-08-25T18:07:50.687+03:00Escape from City 17 part 2: Half-Life fan made short film<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QoACemTjxQc/TlZlK5GbOuI/AAAAAAAAK4Q/BNN09QGQMM4/s1600/halflifelogo0329.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QoACemTjxQc/TlZlK5GbOuI/AAAAAAAAK4Q/BNN09QGQMM4/s200/halflifelogo0329.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644810420756364002" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Allroundgeek.com is a big fan Half-Life inspired fan made films. Over the years we have <a href="http://www.allroundgeek.com/2011/07/half-life-singularity-collapse.html">presented</a><a href="http://www.allroundgeek.com/2011/01/half-life-inspired-fan-made-movies.html"> many</a> of <a href="http://www.allroundgeek.com/2009/03/half-life-2-fan-made-videos.html">those</a>.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of our favorite, so far, was Escape From City 17 part one. Finally, the people responsible for that short film created the <i>part 2</i> which is even better, bigger and more awesome. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Come on Valve, give us Half life 3 already. We have been waiting for years.....how many times more do I have to play all the Half Life games(plus the expansions) to quench my thirst for anything Half Life, before we get to play Half life 3?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Here is part 1 in case you missed it the first time round:</div><div align="center"><div style="text-align: left;">
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<br /></div>Here is part 2:
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<br /></div></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-38179592024696875242011-08-24T10:39:00.014+03:002011-08-25T17:53:02.882+03:00Review: Rise of the Planet of The Apes<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tmqJBUL9jOY/TlUcvTUbeSI/AAAAAAAAK4I/bALBlHzZFpk/s1600/rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 198px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tmqJBUL9jOY/TlUcvTUbeSI/AAAAAAAAK4I/bALBlHzZFpk/s400/rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644449306944174370" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I went to the cinema with mixed feelings. I had low expectations of the movie mainly because I found the scenario that was suggested in the trailer very silly. It seemed like a far fetched explanation of how we go from today, to the Charlot Heston <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_of_the_Apes_(1968_film)">dystopia of the mute primitive humans and the thriving Ape civilization</a>. On the other hand, the movie was rewarded by a<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1318514/"> big round 8 on imdb</a> which had to count for something. I was pretty sure that the movie was not an <i>8</i> but at least it would be enjoyable and interesting and I was right. In this dry period, of ridiculously bad summer movies,<i> Rise of The Planet of the Apes </i>seems like a good movie, or at at least, a respectable one that the people bored of all the crap of the past 3 months will give a high score to.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This movie is more about characters than it is about action and this is a good thing 'cause when the action starts, about 2/3 into the movie, it feels necessary and well integrated. The movie is the story of an Ape, <i>Caesar</i>. <i>Caesar</i> is a special Ape. His mother was part of some lab experiments to cure Altzheimer's disease which resulted in Caesar having abnormally increased intelligence. This causes some rather interesting side effects in the psychology of Caesar who cannot really place himself as a pet but he also acknowledges the fact that he is not part of the human society. To that mix add many more apes, an advanced version a lab created virus and some stunning CGI effects and you got your self a good summer Sci-Fi mix.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The special effects are brilliant. The people at <a href="http://www.wetafx.co.nz/">WETA</a> did some brilliant job bringing Caesar and the other Apes alive. Especially in the scenes where there are not human actors, you really cannot tell the difference. This is not a movie that will astonish you by its obvious use of effects though. It is about not letting the effects get in the way....not let the viewer think that it is CGI. This is really important in this movie since the protagonist is a a computer generated Ape.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6YpUBnMUlc/TlUcl1UfGSI/AAAAAAAAK4A/EuLgA_hHO3E/s400/cesaer.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644449144272525602" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Caesar. Very convincing and brilliantly executed role.</span></i></div><div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Andy Serkis was fantastic as Caesar but I am not really sure how much was acting and how much was 3d modelers working in front of the computer. So, I will just say that Caesar's character was fantastically assumed by whoever that was. I don't have anything important to say about the human actors since you really don't care about them throughout the course of the movie. Ok, James Franco did a good job as the lead human male of the movie but nothing special and you will not really care about him. At least I didn't. The rest of the actors just play their parts to allow the script to move on with nothing particularly bad or good about their performance, except from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0271657/">Tom Felton</a> who played the, badly executed, exact same role of caricature bully he played on Harry Potter for that past 10 years. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over all I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is not the best movie of the year but it is a good Sci-Fi cinema experience. If you are a fan of the franchise you will definitely enjoy it. The movie contains countless references to the original franchise with names and quotes. On the downside there are 2 scenes were Caesar does something which I consider a very bad choice from the filmmakers because it almost ruins the experience, at least to me, since it is scientifically impossible. When you see/hear it, try to go past it to enjoy the rest of the movie. Oh, and at the end, don't leave the cinema immediately because the credits include some further explanation to how we got to the dystopian future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>7/10</b></div><div><div> </div></div></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-40913477213457357982011-08-06T13:11:00.007+03:002011-08-25T17:53:23.614+03:00Back To The Future: The Game Review<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-acslFn1PVhU/Tj0ZPL23LmI/AAAAAAAAKuA/NrGPWeKK58g/s1600/back-to-the-future3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 229px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-acslFn1PVhU/Tj0ZPL23LmI/AAAAAAAAKuA/NrGPWeKK58g/s400/back-to-the-future3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637690057209359970" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you were a kid growing up in the 80's or 90's chances are that one of your favourite movie franchises is <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_trilogy">Back to The Future</a>. </i>It had it all. Excellent plot, wacky Sci Fi, memorable characters, nice action, humor and of course, time travel! Since then I 've seen the movies countless times but they never fail to entertain me. <a href="http://www.telltalegames.com/">Tell Tale games</a> is a company that has given us some very good adventure games in the past few years, but <i>Back to The future: The Game</i> is their best so far! It continues the story of the movies with a brand new plot and contains all the elements that we loved about the 80s movies. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All the cast is back. Marty, Doc, the Mcfly family, the Tannens and of course everything is taking place in the Hill Valley's past, present and future. The game starts with Marty going back to 30s to look for Doc who has been lost and in the process to save him messes with the normal timeline. In the course of 5 episodes we get to fix things up and maybe even improve some aspects. I do not want to ruin it for you but the scenario is excellent and a worthy successor of the movies. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since it is an adventure games we will have to solve puzzles to progress the story but these puzzles are so well done and so well implemented in to the story that do not seem like distractions but part of the game plot. In my opinion this is how adventure game puzzles should be. They should not seem something that the designer put there to make your life difficult but something that your character should do towards his story goals. The game is not very difficult but it is challenging nevertheless. If you ever get stuck there is an in-game hint system with 3 levels so you can get some help without ruining the experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The game looks beautiful. The cartoonish versions of the characters are convincing and the game scenes are rich with details that enhance the atmosphere. For each time period you will get a nice different feeling out of the graphics. The sounds and the voices are very well done as well. We have the actors of the movies' cast coming back to lend their voices once again and they do an admirable job in recreating the old magic. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One thing that I did not like at first was the controls and direction of how the scenes changed while Marty was moving. It seems as though the designers kept in mind that the game would be released for consoles as well and they made up this unified control method that would work well with a console controller, but at the same time keep the old school point and click control method. After a while I got used it and I did not mind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over all if you are a fun of the movies, or adventure games, this is a highly recommended purchase. It will keep you entertained for many hours and at the end you will see the all to familiar 'To be continued' that promises of an next installment to the franchise. I can't wait for it! In the men time Tell Tale is planning to resurrect another beloved franchise and transform it in an adventure game series, that of <a href="http://www.telltalegames.com/jurassicpark">Jurassic Park</a>. So, stay tuned!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-50898849600025653942011-08-01T21:36:00.010+03:002011-08-01T22:26:56.069+03:00Wing Commander: Privateer. Who needs Eve Online?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1GTIowHjuNk/Tjb61m5zubI/AAAAAAAAKtc/n5V7bhzWpeY/s1600/privateerlogo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 129px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1GTIowHjuNk/Tjb61m5zubI/AAAAAAAAKtc/n5V7bhzWpeY/s200/privateerlogo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635967782583777714" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">I got out of the jump point into an asteroid field. My radar started blinking with red marks. 3 pirate centurion ships were blocking my way while shooting at me. I quickly lock on the middle target firing two missiles. I hit my afterburner and at the same time and steer to the left to avoid the incoming fire. Soon there were two pirates left and I was dogfighting amidst asteroids. They really wanted my cargo but I wanted to avoid being sucked into the void even more. I hit the afterburner making a run for it. After two nav points I reached an agricultural planet where I sold my cargo for a, well deserved, amount of money which I used to buy some new tachyon cannons for my ship. While in the Merchants Guild office to enlist for a new mission I heard the voice of my girlfriend standing behind me..... "What's this ugly looking crap of a game that you are playing?" Welcome to the world of <i>Wing Commander: Privateer.</i></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It all started with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_(video_game)">Elite</a>, the granddaddy of space simulators. It was an 8-bit heaven of space travel, bounty hunts, piracy and intergalactic commerce. Fast forward to the early 90s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_Systems">Origin Systems</a> took the old recipe, added SVGA graphics and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Commander_(franchise)">Wing Commander</a> universe and gave us an amazing game.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Privateer features a totally open world with dozens of solar systems to visit and countless missions to complete. There is even a campaign scenario that you can totally ignore if you fancy. The player can assume the role of pirate, a bounty hunter, a merchant, a courier, or even a smuggler, trying to make his fortune in the frontier worlds. It is all about the money....</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can use the money to upgrade your ship with stronger weapons, more shields, better armor and much more. You can even buy a newer ship more suited to your carrier. For example, you can get a ship with larger cargo space to move more goods, or a faster fighter for your dogfights.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zblTaLoL3jw/Tjb6rUM_GpI/AAAAAAAAKtU/QrvyjKkNE_U/s320/Privateer_Combat.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635967605765249682" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The game uses the Wing Commander 2 engine to bring us some beautiful graphics that really help to build up the space atmosphere. Most of your time in the game will be spent on the cockpit traveling and fighting but you will visits planets and space stations as well to equip your ship, buy or sell goods and get new missions. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This game was recently re-released from <a href="http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/wing_commander_privateer">GOG</a> tuned to run on modern equipment. It costs just 5.99$ and for the dozens of hours of fun it offers it is a steal. For those of you that agree with my girlfriend about the graphics there is a <a href="http://privateer.sourceforge.net/">free open source remake of the game</a> with a new engine that offers 3d graphics and out-of-the-box support for modern operating systems., now if you 'll excuse me I ve got a shipment to smuggle into a system with really tight security.</div></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-14723198181031264882011-07-16T10:03:00.010+03:002011-08-09T22:14:18.071+03:00Upgrade your HTC Magic to Android 2.3 Gingerbread<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-chnJd5xKkZQ/TiFBwL4kNmI/AAAAAAAAKjA/ds69fzEzmDk/s1600/android.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 192px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-chnJd5xKkZQ/TiFBwL4kNmI/AAAAAAAAKjA/ds69fzEzmDk/s200/android.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629853305269401186" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">I love my HTC Magic (myTouch 3G in the US). Even though it is a model that was released more than 2 years ago and practically today costs nothing (assuming you can find it in order to buy it), I still love it. Ok, it might not have an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegra">Nvidia Tegra</a> in, or 8 megapixel camera plus a front one, or an AMOLED WVGA screen but none the less is a very capable phone that <a href="http://www.allroundgeek.com/2010/10/livin-la-mobile-vida-loca-or-how.html">has proved to be an excellent familiar</a>. And lets face it. Spending 500 euros per year for a new model of your favorite smartphone family is plain stupid. Of course 2 years in the smartphone industry is a really long time. When HTC Magic came out more than two years ago it was running Android 1.5. Today the latest incarnation of our favorite mobile OS is 2.3 which is light years ahead of 1.5. Unfortunately HTC and the operators have stopped supporting the phone for many versions now(I am assuming to force us to buy newer models). Only a handfull remain that still provide updates, but for the vast majority of Magic users there has been no official update since 1.6 which was a long, long time ago. Of course many users rooted their phone and upgraded it with custom firmware provided buy the ever excellent community but for more than a year now we are stuck with 2.1.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div> <div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally a stable 2.3 firmware was released by the guys in <a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=956280">xda-developers forums</a>. I upgraded last night and I can testify that is working great. Everything works and it is significantly faster than my previous ROM <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/smoki/">Smoki X2</a>. Do not get me wrong, I was happy with Smoki but it is stuck in 2.1 and it is a bit slow. Being intentionally slow though meant that Magic needed a charge every 4-5 days which was amazing. In addition smoki version included the HTC Sense. Thus if HTC Sense is very important to you do not upgrade to this version since it is the stock Google interface(which I like by the way).</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Before upgrading you need to have a rooted phone. If you haven't it will not be possible to upgrade. How to root your phone is beyond the scope of this guide. For rooting you phone search specific instructions on the <a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/">xda forums</a>. Also make sure you have the 32a and NOT the 32b version of the phone. If you have the 32b version and you try to upgrade you might brick your device.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Assuming you have backed up your data and you have connected it to your computer with a USB cable:</div><div><ul><li>Shutdown phone</li><li>From you computer: download the <a href="http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&drKey=1359&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.xda-developers.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D956280&v=1&libid=1310799647264&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.multiupload.com%2F0PVJNNANUN&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adslgr.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D503902&title=%5BRom%5D*Diet%20Gingerbread*2.3.4*New%20Radio*%5B6.35%5D*Magic%2FSapp*v06-19-2011*June19*%20-%20xda-developers&txt=Diet-GB-6355-v06-19-2011-signed.zip">new firmware</a> and the <a href="http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&drKey=1359&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.xda-developers.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D956280&v=1&libid=1310799647264&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.multiupload.com%2FK0HNKCLLUN&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adslgr.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D503902&title=%5BRom%5D*Diet%20Gingerbread*2.3.4*New%20Radio*%5B6.35%5D*Magic%2FSapp*v06-19-2011*June19*%20-%20xda-developers&txt=gapps_mdpi_gb_20110307_S.zip">Google apps bundle</a></li><li>From you phone: hold down Home button and press power momentarily.</li><li>Menu:Partition SD card</li><li>go back</li><li>Menu: Select wipe</li><li>Wipe/Factory Setting</li><li>Go back</li><li>Menu:Toggle USB</li><li>Copy the two zip file to your sd card</li><li>Flash the firmware first</li><li>Flash the google apps bundle second</li><li>Reboot your phone(it might take 5 minutes for first boot)</li><li>Enjoy Android 2.3.4</li></ul><div>If you brick/damage your phone following the guide above you are the only one responsible so please do not send me your lawyer/boss/mom/girlfriend/boyfriend to scare me.</div></div><div>
<br /></div><div>Enjoy your 'brand new' HTC Magic!!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>
<br /></div></div></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-22751384230008045122011-07-14T23:28:00.006+03:002011-07-14T23:39:04.681+03:00Half Life- Singularity Collapse<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTNWJ-K5tuQ/Th9TmWsn2AI/AAAAAAAAKiU/dpxGsepGqsc/s1600/logo_half_life2_valve.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 139px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTNWJ-K5tuQ/Th9TmWsn2AI/AAAAAAAAKiU/dpxGsepGqsc/s200/logo_half_life2_valve.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629309977629284354" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Half Life 2 is the single best game ever created in the history of computer games. The story, the setting, the characters, the unbelievable level design and the amazing atmosphere, made it an instant classic that, after so many years, it still inspires people. There have been many fan-made short films and videos. We have <a href="http://www.allroundgeek.com/2011/01/half-life-inspired-fan-made-movies.html">presented some</a> in the past but, even after 7 years from its release, people still create new content for the Half Life universe. A couple of days ago a new fan-made short film surfaced and I have to say it is one of the best so far.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Half Life-Singularity Collapse</i> mixes real life action with computer generated graphics from the game and it even shows the man himself, Gordon Freeman, momentarily.</div><div>Enjoy. </div></div><div><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><br /><iframe width="440" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EVeSA9xkufQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-78556216731387435232011-06-28T22:33:00.005+03:002011-06-29T10:19:25.385+03:00Google+ the new take on social networking<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sIeDd8FR89g/TgovSPBtNqI/AAAAAAAAKao/ylMqKF6J63I/s1600/Google_VS_Facebook.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 119px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sIeDd8FR89g/TgovSPBtNqI/AAAAAAAAKao/ylMqKF6J63I/s200/Google_VS_Facebook.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623359075043325602" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">I do not have a Facebook account. I am being pressured for years by people and circumstances to create an account but I simply say 'No'. It's like the drugs your mother warned about. Don't use them just because your friends say they will make you cool. I do not like being found by anyone in order to connect with them. Even if you have the option to not be searchable someone that you do not want to connect with asks your for you Facebook account in real life. For social reasons you give it to them and you end up seing every kind of crap that he/she uploads. You do not want to share the same information with everyone. Why your boss has to see that recent weird photos from when you were drunk. No sir, this is not something I want to do. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Google just started a closed beta of the company's new spin on social networking. It seems to address most of the issues I have with Facebook. I still do not buy on the social networking through these kind of services but maybe I will give this a try. I prefer to think that I can keep in touch with anyone that matters to me through other means than silly youtube videos. I just hope that it is not mandatory for the use of the rest of the google services 'cause this will make me a really angry user.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Check out the presentation videos below:</div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><iframe width="440" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xwnJ5Bl4kLI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><iframe width="440" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BeMZP-oyOII" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><iframe width="440" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Tku1vJeuzH4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><iframe width="440" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ocPeAdpe_A8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><iframe width="440" height="280" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MRkAdTflltc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><br /></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-87139071439100153352011-06-05T19:41:00.005+03:002011-06-05T20:05:34.205+03:00Review: Melancholia<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWa5lHkAEWs/Teu24SPC5UI/AAAAAAAAATk/6XVd0kPjPuw/s1600/MELANC%257E1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 170px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWa5lHkAEWs/Teu24SPC5UI/AAAAAAAAATk/6XVd0kPjPuw/s400/MELANC%257E1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614782438531327298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I was lucky enough to catch a screening of Lars von Trier's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186">Melancholia</a> months before its release in most of the world - for some reason it opened up quickly in Scandinavia and central Europe, while everybody else has to wait until late summer or fall...</span><br /><br />Although it will inevitably be compared with 2009's Antichrist, Melancholia is a much subtler affair, not offering the scare- or laugh-out-loud (depending on point of view) moments of his former film. The concept is great though: the destruction of Earth by a huge planet told by the point of view of two sisters living in a remote mansion. The place itself is very much a product of the director's imagination, essentially a cross between high-class Americana and Sweden, making for a very distinct and personal choice of setting. The two sisters, Justine and Claire, are the opposite sides of the spectrum, the one being manic depressive and the other extremely practical and controlled offer the two distinct parts of the movie - barring the abstract introduction which summarizes the entire film.<br /><br />As has been done before with other American actresses in Trier's films, Kirsten Dunst (Justine) is easily super in the film, doing by far her most challenging role and her best performance since the great Virgin Suicides. Charlotte Gainsburg (Claire), given a much more subtle role that's like a walk in the park compared to her turn in Antichrist, but she's given the chance to shine in the 2nd part of the film. A surprise bit of casting is the very macho Kiefer Sutherland as Claire's husband, the voice of science, who is obviously proven terribly wrong throughout the film's course. The other important player in the film is Wagner's overly romantic overture from Tristan and Isolde that keeps playing throughout the movie, emphasizing the completely 19th-century romantic approach taken by Trier (taken in that context, the director's recent controversial comments do not feel that much out of place).<br /><br />Trier has finally moved as far as possible from his Dogme95 approach, stylizing his film as much as he can, with the small exception of some handheld shots of intimate conversations. He was obviously aiming for a romantic fairytale aspect in his filming and he quite achieved that. Also welcome is the fact that he seems a bit more restrained compared to his usual provocations, so the end result doesn't suffer from that. The climactic ending with the world's end especially is a superb piece of filmmaking, offering an emotional force that is rarely seen in film. The only serious drawback in the movie is the sketchy plot and characters, which serve more as ideas than actual human beings. Likewise, the film has an excellent idea at its core that is sometimes underdeveloped. Taken that into account, Melancholia is a great film, which doesn't rank as one of Trier's best.<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">7/10</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Qj-AO0_cBk/Teu3AhKRGtI/AAAAAAAAATs/DxIreMxkKek/s1600/01.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 170px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Qj-AO0_cBk/Teu3AhKRGtI/AAAAAAAAATs/DxIreMxkKek/s400/01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614782579976772306" border="0" /></a><br /></div>ebenethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155911552466043943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-84984968931795367422011-05-14T18:38:00.013+03:002012-03-27T09:45:35.351+03:00Saving my Data. Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZOa8T2DOck/Tc6qA4yjbVI/AAAAAAAAKGg/fNAzFBUQ_8c/s1600/wdgreen.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZOa8T2DOck/Tc6qA4yjbVI/AAAAAAAAKGg/fNAzFBUQ_8c/s200/wdgreen.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606605518343990610" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently I moved to Luxembourg. Before that big change took place, though, I had to sort out all my stuff to see what I will bring with me and what not. Of course my data would travel with me but since I had all kinds of things to do to prepare my departure I left the computing stuff for the last minute. I would take my trusty Macbook Pro with me and I would leave my old Windows PC behind. All my data though was in my PC that acted more as a media box. That machine had 3 HDs in it including the one I would take, a WD Green Caviar 1TB. I bought an external Enclosure for the disk but when I put the HD in the enclosure, I found out, to my horror, that neither the PC or the Macbook could read it. What went wrong? I put the HD on the PC again for sanity check and the data was there. I tried another HD with the enclosure to check that it was ok and it worked just fine. What was the problem? Unfortunately I did not have time to find out so I got the enclosure and the HD with me to figure it out when I had time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That time was today. I tried using the HD with an another enclosure just to be sure but it acted the same. Mac OS X was managing to see that it was a drive but one that could not be read. Before you jump in, I have to say that the drive was, as I thought, NTFS and Mac OSX reads NTFS just fine in fact by installing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_3G">NTFS-3G</a> you can read AND write NTFS partitions in *NIX operating systems. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After checking with the Mac's Disk Utility I found out that the partition was not, in fact, NTFS but instead it was 'Windows LDM'. What the hell is Windows LDM? After some googling I found out that this is basically Dynamic NTFS partition. What had happened is that when I installed this HD on my old PC, Windows decided that it was a good idea to make this drive Dynamic since it already had two other HDs in the same machine. The problem is that by making it dynamic it can only be read as an internal HD from a Windows machine. Not even Windows machines could read it if connected externally, but only recognize it as a massive storage device that could no read. The anger!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ewnNxy9oOno/Tc6putzgWzI/AAAAAAAAKGY/izUxB4aqT-o/s400/testdisk.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606605206157548338" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Running TestDisk</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Naturally, I had to find a way to change the structure of the partition back to basic NTFS without jeopardizing the data. Microsoft, on their support page, suggests that you should reinitialize the disk. Of course that means that you will loose all the data something I did not want to do under any circumstances. So, no Microsoft , thank you. After some googling I found some Windows utilities that can convert an HD from Dynamic to Basic on the fly. Since I had only the Macbook and the external enclosure, though , I had to make do somehow. I installed the demo versions of a few windows utilities such as Partition Magic using <a href="http://www.codeweavers.com/">crossover</a> but unfortunately none of them could "see" the external disk.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After more googling I found a fantastic Open source utility called <a href="http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk">TestDisk</a> that could do exactly what I wanted, among many other things. Being Open Source it was native to Windows, Mac and Linux. I downloaded it and run it. It "saw" the external disk immediately and after following some simple steps it restructured the partition back to basic NTFS. Hoorah! You run the utility from the terminal select the drive, check the partition type(in my case it was "Intel PC") and when prompted, select to "write" the structure. That's it! Mystery solved, mission accomplished and I can again enjoy my data. </div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-48702494118938744792011-04-28T10:40:00.000+03:002011-04-28T10:40:50.310+03:00Official "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7BpONo0dWo/TbkXmJhub2I/AAAAAAAAAPY/dmi4b3v7Z7M/s1600/harry+potter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7BpONo0dWo/TbkXmJhub2I/AAAAAAAAAPY/dmi4b3v7Z7M/s400/harry+potter.jpg" width="270" /> </a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
The official trailer for the final Harry Potter film has hit the web and what a trailer it is! The scope of the last entry in the series looks epic with massive battles that place the characters in mortal danger. It gave me goosebumps!<br />
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Enjoy it in handy embed below:<br />
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<iframe width="510" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mObK5XD8udk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Eraserheadxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437933674006121173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-48817509877337511762011-04-27T15:49:00.007+03:002011-04-27T20:47:12.539+03:00Review: ThorGiven the strange mixture of fantasy with s-f that exists in the popular Thor comics series, the large-scale film adaptation by Kenneth Branagh could easily be a future cult reference, in par with Flash Gordon. Perhaps surprisingly, the film manages to escape the pitfalls of an uber-kitsch adaptation, and settles as a fun hybrid of post-modern superhero movie (a-la Iron Man) with some splashes of intentional camp. (Warning: slight <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">spoilers</span> ahead)<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZWYCf0KEeM/TbhWVVmtV4I/AAAAAAAAATQ/CHcuTlbDN6A/s1600/02.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZWYCf0KEeM/TbhWVVmtV4I/AAAAAAAAATQ/CHcuTlbDN6A/s400/02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600321061211953026" border="0" /></a></div><br />In an unconventional movie structure, the film opens with a short intro into Earth, and then veers for a 40' flashback into the complete fantasy territories of Asgard and Jotunheim. This extended introduction of the main characters in a complete alien setting might prove hard for a large portion of the audience, but its sheer audacity helps distinguish Thor from other superhero movies of the past years. In essence: the film does not fear to provide some cheese when necessary, and in some ways it aspires to become the doppelgänger of reality-grounded movies such as Nolan's Batman franchise.<br /><br />Kenneth Branagh, yet another unconventional choice for a director, fortunately leaves his mannerisms behind him (mostly his tendency towards melodrama and overacting) and obeys the normal directorial rules of a modern action movie. Thankfully, his classical training allows him to use proper scene setups, so action scenes are always easy to follow. Compared to other Marvel movies of the period (e.g. Iron Man 2), the film fortunately stands on its own, although there are some references to the upcoming Avengers film. Chris Hemsworth is solid the titular role, although he is constantly overshadowed by the other actors around him (especially Anthony Hopkins, who knows how to cheese things up). Natalie Portman does little more than look worried, while the best impression is made by Idris Elba in a supporting but very memorable part. Overall, it's not the disaster that everyone was secretly hoping it to be, although it will leave no deep marks in the overcrowded market of superhero movies.<br />6/10<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ry3AyvI_6kM/TbhWf2Sv4BI/AAAAAAAAATY/NUX5bLgxt44/s1600/thor-banner.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 167px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ry3AyvI_6kM/TbhWf2Sv4BI/AAAAAAAAATY/NUX5bLgxt44/s400/thor-banner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600321241785294866" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div>ebenethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155911552466043943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-44840791412829197992011-04-19T00:50:00.001+03:002011-04-20T01:06:15.346+03:00[Fanmade] Teaser trailer for the final Harry Potter film<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_RjMGwBFIjE/TO-JedJ18oI/AAAAAAAAAN8/jOM6zwUkmLo/s1600/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-one-sheet-poster+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_RjMGwBFIjE/TO-JedJ18oI/AAAAAAAAAN8/jOM6zwUkmLo/s320/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-one-sheet-poster+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
EDIT: So apparently this isn't an official trailer. It is a fanmade trailer, made with footage from the extras of the dvd release of Deathly Hallows: Part I. Well it fooled me. Good job, guy who edited this. I am sure an official trailer can't be far along. July is getting close.<br />
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A teaser trailer for the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201607/">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2</a> has been released. You can watch it below in a shitty embed while we wait for a glorious quicktime HD version to be uploaded.<br />
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Some people are very cynical towards the Harry Potter series. To those people I have only this to say: You are dead inside!<br />
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I for one am really excited to watch the final chapter of this tale. What started out as a kid's film has evolved into a cinematic phenomenon. I can't wait for July to come, so I can do another <a href="http://www.allroundgeek.com/2010/11/harry-potter-and-deathly-hallows-part-1.html">Harry Potter marathon week</a> and then go to the local cinema and watch the end of this story.<br />
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<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="275" id="gorillaPlayer_blam005" width="445"><param name="swliveconnect" value="true"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf"><param name="flashvars" value="e=4bffc0037b3a3a49328d685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f0947d4e15d253124c7d296b9a2a5d695fdd446d15f64f11765e48f3b75ea9b28f0c7d10f068c62a02723d09accafe3f4ff222bb8b0&width=445&height=275&pid=blam005&autostart=false&allowscriptaccess=always&usefullscreen=true"><embed src="http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="gorillaPlayer_blam005" width="445" height="275" allowscriptaccess="always" swliveconnect="true" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="e=4bffc0037b3a3a49328d685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f0947d4e15d253124c7d296b9a2a5d695fdd446d15f64f11765e48f3b75ea9b28f0c7d10f068c62a02723d09accafe3f4ff222bb8b0&width=445&height=275&pid=blam005&autostart=false&allowscriptaccess=always&usefullscreen=true&esnapshot=4bffc0037b3a3a493b90685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f094ccde2702233248cc5a8b1aaaad597ffdc0c9d5967ba0173aac97b2eaadc74edc2df02068d78be626398&trueurl=http://www.slashfilm.com/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-part-2-teaser-trailer/"></embed></object>Eraserheadxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437933674006121173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-28977567730102531602011-04-14T12:26:00.001+03:002011-04-14T12:27:18.034+03:00The rise of the teaser trailer for THE RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rmtibFvq-j4/Taa6IfWHzJI/AAAAAAAAAPI/sGxqy7hM1JQ/s1600/riseplanetapes-568x361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rmtibFvq-j4/Taa6IfWHzJI/AAAAAAAAAPI/sGxqy7hM1JQ/s400/riseplanetapes-568x361.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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What a stupid title! Rise of the Apes was fine (and even Caesar before that) but I guess the marketing department decided that not having "planet" in the title would make it impossible for people to associate this film with the "Planet of the Apes" franchise (as Bill Hicks would say, if you work in advertising go home and kill yourself).<br />
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Anyway, enough about the stupid title. The teaser trailer was released today after a live event WETA DIGITAL did last night to talk about how they plan to create the apes in the film (you can watch part of it <a href="http://youtu.be/016yhAXlsRU">here</a>).<br />
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Here is the trailer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/e0myLsdAWyk" title="YouTube video player" width="510"></iframe><br />
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And here is some concept art:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4L9_j_u2yY/Taa9NLZBlII/AAAAAAAAAPM/ddaqBf85Asw/s1600/risepota8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4L9_j_u2yY/Taa9NLZBlII/AAAAAAAAAPM/ddaqBf85Asw/s320/risepota8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfOTbUyUwnY/Taa9TUDZ-ZI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/0gxtjhhZr2k/s1600/risepota7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfOTbUyUwnY/Taa9TUDZ-ZI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/0gxtjhhZr2k/s320/risepota7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvNlSh-KjoA/Taa9Wp2b63I/AAAAAAAAAPU/J6CczFRXUkc/s1600/risepota3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvNlSh-KjoA/Taa9Wp2b63I/AAAAAAAAAPU/J6CczFRXUkc/s320/risepota3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Eraserheadxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437933674006121173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-45620227268671393482011-04-14T11:50:00.000+03:002011-04-14T11:50:43.217+03:00First production video for THE HOBBIT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yCKdS-hNu4M/TYcRQEVwjyI/AAAAAAAAAPA/EbChjmLxNHY/s1600/HOBBIT+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yCKdS-hNu4M/TYcRQEVwjyI/AAAAAAAAAPA/EbChjmLxNHY/s400/HOBBIT+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The first production video for The Hobbit has been released on Peter Jackson's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150223186041807&oid=141884481557&comments">facebook page</a>.<br />
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It is over ten minutes long and features Peter Jackson doing a small tour of some of the sets and facilities of the production. Those who have watched the making of for the Lord Of The Rings films will recognize some familiar faces from the cast and crew in the background.<br />
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I gotta say that watching this got me back to my earliest geek years and gave me goosebumps. I am really excited that this is finally happening!Eraserheadxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437933674006121173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-60590427168295707572011-04-08T23:47:00.000+03:002011-04-08T23:47:16.529+03:00Trailer for Lars von Trier's Melancholia<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v7jFO_0aimY/TZ9w1GhUjQI/AAAAAAAAAPE/ejopGilE2Wo/s1600/melancholia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v7jFO_0aimY/TZ9w1GhUjQI/AAAAAAAAAPE/ejopGilE2Wo/s400/melancholia.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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The new film from the crazy Danish auter which he described as a psychological drama/sci-fi disaster film. The film deals with the relationship between two sisters and how it changes when a newly discovered planet is on a collision course with Earth.<br />
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The cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgard, Stellan Skarsgard and Charlotte Rampling.<br />
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Say what you will about Trier, but he is a very good director and his films might be hard to watch, but they are nothing if not interesting and unique.<br />
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Melancholia, just like Antichrist, looks absolutely beautiful. Trier has broken free from his own Dogma and is now working with his DPs to create breathtaking visuals.<br />
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<div align="center"><iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/22072654?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" width="400"></iframe><a href="http://vimeo.com/22072654"></a></div>Eraserheadxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14437933674006121173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3421894077088956274.post-63137913647060437452011-04-03T19:57:00.007+03:002011-04-04T01:03:46.702+03:00Rift account gets hacked. Slow response from Trion Worlds<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkhcDNAh37o/TZiq9fQCQpI/AAAAAAAAJ_4/2QWsJHU6loA/s1600/rift-logo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkhcDNAh37o/TZiq9fQCQpI/AAAAAAAAJ_4/2QWsJHU6loA/s200/rift-logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591406910717969042" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">A friend of allroundgeek informed us that his Rift account got hacked. One day he logged in to find his characters stripped from all his items and gold. This is not a situation a player that put hours into advancing his character wants to find himself in. Our friend contacted Trion Worlds immediately explaining to them the situation. It took a full week before he got his stuff back. In addition the customer support gave him some special in-game items and a month's subscription to compensate him for the trouble. Despite that, the fact is that his account got hacked in the first place, which is Trion Worlds fault. In addition, it took them a whole week to reinstate the characters. For a new MMORPG trying to break it into the market this is not good at all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the end of the day MMO accounts are not simply game accounts that you 've put hours into. Any MMO account is not less important than any other e-shop account were you put payment and personal information in. You do not want to be in a situation where it is compromised. </div><br />Our friend was kind enough to provide us with the email conversation he had with Trion Worlds customer support.<br /><br /><div><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Customer (xxxxxxx)</b></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">03/15/2011 11:35 AM</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Hello i logged in to the game just now and i noticed most of my chars are naked and and dont have any money one them...<br />Could you please check out what has happened..<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; "><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Customer (xxxxxxx)</b></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">03/15/2011 12:15 PM</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">i just found out that some of my chars on another server are as well naked... do i need to contact a gm there or this ticket is enough?</td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#c6d3ba" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Response Via Email (GM XXXXXXXX)</b></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#c6d3ba" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">03/16/2011 07:45 PM</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Hello XXXXXXX!<br /><br />Thank you for contacting us regarding Rift!<br /><br />We do apologize for the delay in responding to your hacked account inquiry. Hacked account appeals are our #1 priority and we are attending to each ticket as quickly as possible.<br /><br />While waiting for us to respond to your petition, we recommend NOT playing on the affected characters until your account has been secured.<br /><br />Once we have investigated your account, we may offer you one of two options. Based on how severly your character was altered, we could restore your character to the most recent back-up we have prior to the account becoming compromised. The second option would be restoring any coin which may have been lost.<br /><br />Again, we do apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you, as well as for the delay in responding to your inquiry. I want to assure you that your inquiry has not been lost and we have not forgotten about you. We are taking steps to both increase our account security as well as increase our customer support staff in order to reduce these wait times. Thank you for your patience while we continue to strive to provide the level of customer service that you should come to expect from Trion.<br /><br />If you have any additional questions or concerns then please don't hesitate to let us know. Thank you for your continued support of Trion Worlds and for playing Rift. Your reference number for this question is 110312-xxxxxxx<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />GM XXXXXXXXX<br />Trion Worlds Inc.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; "><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Customer (xxxxxxx)</b></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">03/17/2011 01:18 AM</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">i would prefer for my characters to be restored from a backuped state before i got hacked... last time i logged out before i got hacked was 4.30AM (GMT +2) on 15/3/2011 around that time at least:) i hope those information help<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; "><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Customer (xxxxxxx)</b></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">03/22/2011 12:23 AM</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">five days and no reply......<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; "><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Customer (xxxxxx)</b></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#a0c4de" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">03/22/2011 03:36 PM</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">And you expect people to renew their subscription with this kind of support?<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; "><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#c6d3ba" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; "><b>Response Via Email (xxxxxxx)</b></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#c6d3ba" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">03/23/2011 01:20 PM</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Hello XXXXXX!<br /><br />Thank you for contacting us regarding Rift.<br /><br />We are very sorry to hear that your account's integrity has been compromised. We advise that you immediately run a virus/malware scan on your computer, as well as changing your account password in an effort to safeguard your account.<br /><br />After reviewing your issue, I have gone ahead and rolled your characters back to a point in which they seem to look in good shape. This means that all data would be lost between from when your character was compromised to now if you played your character during that timeframe.<br /><br />Please be sure to never visit any questionable websites or open mail that looks questionable, as they could be phishing attempts by seedy websites attempting to siphon off your account information. Remember, never share your account information with anyone to help prevent issues such as this from arising.<br /><br />If you have any additional questions or concerns then please don't hesitate to let us know. Thank you for your continued support of Trion Worlds and for playing Rift. Your reference number for this question is 110315-xxxxxxx<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Game Master<br />Trion Worlds Inc.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div>mastorakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12169125895923677390noreply@blogger.com2