Scifi movies don't actually need a whole lot in order to good. In fact, they really only need one thing. It's not exactly a big thing, or urgently important for that matter. Do you know what that one thing is? Would you like to guess? No? Well, I'll tell you then. That one small things is this: It stirs your imagination and leaves you in awe of the universe. That's it. That's all. Sunshine does it. 2001 does it. Planetes does it. Blade Runner does. Solaris does it.
Is to see the alternate ones of other cultures. Now this is an interesting one I hadn't heard of before... It sure puts the "blood type" info I see in game manuals (or the dog tags in Metal Gear games) in a different light... I just thought it was a military gesture, like say in the event of a transfusion...
I'd intentionally mismatch blood types in the same way I would intentionally mismatch astrology signs when making fictional characters.
In conclusion, America created Huckabee, the one that created Huckabee is who he calls his running mate, a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain, which makes his running mate McCain, which means America is McCain. Congratulations everyone! You're ALL the front runners of the Republican party!
I think I speak for all of us when I say I'm willing to put up with totalitarian regimes so long as it occurs exactly like dystopian cyber punk fantasies.
Some of this will just be the shameless quoting of another topic on another messageboard.
Anyway, it ain't no Silent Hill, but it's better than nothing. Actually, I'm not exactly in a place to judge, having never played them myself, but judging from the other topic post:
Quote:The Silent Hill games tend to get more praise because of the more varied and absolutely creepy atmospheres that they create, but the FF series has bigger and more frequent scares.
I prefer subtle, creepy, and unnerving atmospheres/plots, but again, better than nothing. Jump-out scares will frighten you for a minute. Creepy and unsettling scares will keep you tense for days, if captivating enough. I seek dread, damn it!
Quote:Like the previous Fatal Frame games, it's being developed by Tecmo. But this time they're teaming up with Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda 51. Not only that, but they're partnering with Nintendo who will be publishing it. IGN says there's an unconfirmed rumor that Nintendo actually purchased the Fatal Frame name to keep the rest of the series exclusive.
Looks like REmake, with its pre-rendered backgrounds and all (you can have pre-rendered backgrounds with real-time lighting, right?). Anyone play any previous iterations? How was it?
From the IGN preview:
Quote:Shibata Makoto as director, Keisuke Kikuchi (longtime series producer), and even Suda 51 – best known for Killer 7 and No More Heroes – serving as a second director for the game.
The hell? They need 2nd-directors now? Killer7 is indeed good, and I hear No More Heres is good as well, so this is good news.
Quote:Since you're constantly running from ghosts, and since ghosts aren't exactly scared of melee or projectile weapons, Fatal Frame – as the name suggests – equips you with a unique soul-capturing camera. Known as the Camera Obscura, Fatal Frame's only weapon forces you to risk life and limb to get the perfect shot of advancing ghosts. While the main game is done primarily in third person view, you'll need to bring the aging camera up into first-person mode, and then focus in your shots face-to-face with the ghouls themselves. Based on how well the shot is executed (size of ghost, position of ghost in the frame, and action the ghost is doing at the time), a certain amount of damage is done. Put yourself out on the line even further, and capture a "Fatal Frame" shot seconds before the enemy attacks.
When I first read this paragraph, I was turned off. So, it's a combination of Resident Evil and Pokemon Snap? Greeaaaat... Then again, imagine trying to take a snapshot of a ghost just as it's inches away from grabbing you. If pulled off correctly, this has great pants-shitting potential. It does sound a little gimmicky, though. At least it should make some interesting usage of the wiimote. You could hold it sideways and eye-level to take pictures.
Quote:The game is out to scare you, and as such there are tons of horrific images, extremely uncomfortable scenarios, and extremely moody worlds. It'll be a "Mature" rated game without question. Fatal Frame will also bring a level of depth and maturity we don't normally see on Wii, as the stories are usually about double the length of a standard Resident Evil game, and feature tons of upgrade items, side quests, and backstory for those looking for a fully realized world.
Good, good. Hopefully that'll help the fact that it's a game where the focal point (har har) is taking pictures of ghosts.
They have a video (the third iteration of the game for PS2 to give you an idea), but it started out non-work-safe, so I probably shouldn't watch it now.
Synopsis: In the near future, the development of colonies on the moon and other outerspace endeavors has led to a build-up of debris floating around the Earth. To remedy this problem, the Debris Section was formed. Their task being to collect harmful debris and remove it from orbit in order to keep ships and satelites safe. In other words, outerspace garbage collectors.
First Glance: A hard-scifi series that takes a serious and realistic look at space and space travel.
Impressions: Planetes is one of the few anime series...no, scratch that. Planetes is one of the few works of scifi that isn't a book to show a realistic and serious depiction of space and what it's like to actually be there. Newtonian physics are proudly on display and there's no giant robots or impossibly talented heroes to muck things up.
Space is a dangerous place. One mistake and you can die or get others killed. And even avoiding mistakes can cost you your life, such as spending too long out there and getting cancer. We also get to see the effects that being born on the moon can have. The series even depicts what happens to third world countries that are rapidly being left behind. Very few scifi series have ever gone this far in setting up a realistic and believeable world. This is the closest thing that television has come to 2001: A Space Odyssey, though the two aren't exactly similar in other regards.
As far as the characters go, there's quite a few to choose from. Some are merely there for a little comic relief from time to time, while others play key roles in revealing some aspect of life in space. The two main characters, Tanabe and Hachimaki, can be either interesting or annoying, depending on what your tolerances are. Tanabe sees everything in a positive light and always tries to do her best, along with spreading her belief that love solves all problems. Hachimaki tends to see the bad in everything and is often grumpy or disinterested regarding most things. Their best scenes are probably in the last few episodes, but don't let that deter you because their are plenty of other interesting characters that show up along the way.
The animation is really good and, as I said, depicts outerspace very well. As in, things that are put into motion stay that way unless acted on by another force. I wouldn't say that it's the best I've ever seen, but it's among the best I've seen in the past few years certainly. The art style compliments the animation and tone of the series very well, so that's another plus.
Conclusion: There's really not much I bring up about this series that would be a negative. In my book, it's one of the best out there and certainly near the top as far as science fiction goes.
Score 4.5/5
Specs: 26 episodes available as part of perfect collection.
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