My Top-10 Horror Movies

While I don’t really consider myself a horror buff, I have to admit that in recent years I’ve become fascinated by the horror movie genre. I’ve also seen enough horror films that I feel comfortable about doing a top-10 list of them. Here we go…

10. Friday the 13th Part 1 & 2

Slasher films don’t hold a particular appeal for me, but if one was to pick a must-see example from this genre, I think both of the first two movies in the Friday the 13th series are the ones to go with.

The first movie is really worth seeing just because it’s so different from the sequels, but the second is a disturbing and yet, in a bizarre way, entertaining horror piece with improved acting and a far more hard-hitting approach. Friday Part 1 is a quaint little picture but one that still manages to creep you out sufficiently. Part 2 is the iconic slasher prototype for the rest of the franchise where Jason Voorhees is still incredibly frightening, even without his iconic hockey mask.

I really feel that it was from the third movie onward that the franchise became reduced to utter nonsense so you really don’t need to bother with the rest.

9. Cujo

Now you might be thinking to yourself: How can a movie about a rabid Saint Bernard be scary? But Cujo is indeed a very powerful movie. It doesn’t rely on any supernatural aspects, unlike most works of Stephen King, but instead on a very simple concept to deliver a relatable human story.

Cujo isn’t just a horror movie, it’s a well written drama with the added horror element making it stronger. It still plays well with its subtly creepy and panic-inducing atmosphere, but is not a massive gore-fest by any definition. (Neither are any of the other movies on this list, so you’ll want to look elsewhere for that.)

Those finding themselves paranoid about dogs after watching this film though should turn to Beethoven for its calming effect.

8. The Exorcist

Well of course I had to include the most famous horror movie of all time. I’ve had a bit of an on-off relationship with the Exorcist and for the longest time I actually hated the movie immensely, despite the fact that I did love the main theme, composed by Mike Oldfield.

In the end though, I finally came around when I realised that the movie, despite using some pretty explicit supernatural elements, relies heavily on subtle suggestion to make the atmosphere truly desolate and hopeless. The character performances in particular are excellent and you really feel the terror creeping in the further you watch it.
I’ve not seen either one of the sequels, but I feel I need to comment on the prequel Exorcist: The Beginning by Renny Harlin. I feel it’s a movie that gets a lot more hate than it deserves. Certainly it’s not a masterpiece on the level of the original, but in my view a passable horror flick for the current generation.

7. Hannibal

The Hannibal films have always been very interesting to me and I maybe need to explain a bit why I put this one specifically on here. Now, my favourite Hannibal Lecter film is in fact the 1984 pre-Anthony Hopkins piece Manhunter, based on The Red Dragon. Of the Hopkins canon of films, The Silence of the Lambs is definitely my favourite and in my personal opinion the best written film. However, both Manhunter and Silence feel like thrillers where as Hannibal is straight up horror.

Hannibal is the only movie to tip the gross-out meter on this list, but between a man who looks like a zombie seeking vengeance on Lecter, a French cop getting hanged and gutted and Anthony Hopkins eating the brains of Ray Liotta, the film just leaves powerful images in your head which is why it works so well.

Story-wise, I think most of the other Lecter films are better, but Hannibalis by far the most scary.

6. Silent Hill

Based on the famous horror game series by Konami, this extremely under-rated horror piece is like diving into a bad dream. The film may take more than a few liberties with the plotline and characters from the game series, but it delivers a truly disturbing and creepy story.

The monsters and horrors of the town of Silent
Hill look as effective and creepy here as they did in the video-game. The haunting visuals as well as the music, brought directly from the game, enhance the movie’s atmosphere. The story and powerful actor performances are what keeps the whole thing together till the end.

It pains me not to include the movie in the Top-5, but I decided to keep only one video-game film for each half of the list.

5. The Shining

Another Stephen King film from the legendary director Stanley Kubrick, this one is also widely recognised as a classic. The film isn’t about the supernatural per se, but the insinuations and the delving into the disturbed mind of Jack Nicholson makes this a very effective piece. It builds up the horror in a very quaint and simple way and comes out strong.

Like all of Kubrick’s films, The Shining is strong on the visuals – perhaps more than on the story, but it definitely delivers in the main areas that a horror movie should. At the same time, it avoids the clichés and doesn’t go for overt shock-value which is why I’ve always admired it, even though I’m definitely not Kubrick’s biggest fan.

It is simply put a must-see.

4. Halloween

As I mentioned before, I am not a particular fan of the slasher genre, but John Carpenter’s Halloween stands out in the genre as a grade-A example of a well-made slasher film, which doesn’t reduce itself into a gory mess. Instead it relies on genuine suspense and atmosphere.

Here Michael Meyers is not just a faceless killer and a slapstick movie monster. He’s genuinely frightening and disturbing.

The whole movie can be taken as a fairly realistic look at a serial killer stalking his victims, but it leaves enough vagueness that there is still an element of mystery left in it. I also love the soundtrack and I think the theme melody is one of the greatest pieces of movie music ever composed (by Carpenter himself, no less).

3. Resident Evil

As far as the Zombie genre is concerned, I haven’t unfortunately seen that many films. Out of the few I have, my absolute favourite is probably Shaun of the Dead, but since it’s principally a comedy, I think Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil, loosely based on the game of the same name by Capcom, is the most suitable candidate and certainly a great, serious and suspenseful zombie flick.

The chilling atmosphere is enhanced greatly by Marilyn Manson and Marco Beltrami’s score, and the zombies themselves look gross and scary. To top it off, the film creates a bizarre atmosphere where the characters have no names and everyone is at a loss at what to do about the hordes of undead walking the corridors of the underground research facility.

With a solid and straight-faced cast, the intensity of this claustrophobic zombie thriller works extremely well. Even if it’s not necessarily the most original film of its kind, it’s certainly a well crafted celebration of the genre.

2. Frankenstein

Out of the Universal horror classics, I honestly think that Frankenstein still holds up the best. Though barely resembling the Mary Shelley novel it’s based on, the movie comes out superior due to its well crafted stage-design, memorable and grandiose (though thankfully not over-the-top) performances and the iconic Boris Karloff in the Jack Pierce make-up which became the look of the monster for all eternity.

Excellent build-up and atmosphere, coupled with a well-written story about science gone awry is in my view the finest mad scientist film still to this day. Who can forget the graveyard scene, the monster’s creation, the little girl or the confrontation at the windmill? This movie is the very definition of iconic.

While many consider its sequel The Bride of Frankenstein to be a superior movie, I personally favour the more serious and dark original, whereas Bride has more of a camp and comedic value in my eyes.

1. Event Horizon

Paul W.S. Anderson’s space horror movie is one of the most under-rated films in its genre. By paying homage to several great horror films of the past, it manages to tell its own intricate and disturbing tale of a ship that went to Hell and back.

Event Horizon walks a fine line between subtle and disgusting but never goes too far the deep end. It manages to maintain its suspense and never once starts to feel overdone. It does get a little gruesome, but I feel in acceptable increments.

Over-all the movie manages to create a great atmosphere as well as make you care about the characters, most of whom meet a very unfortunate fate. The film is also audio-visually magnificent and leaves everything vague enough for the audience to imagine what is actually happening.

It’s my personal favourite horror film and one I enjoy watching endlessly.

My Top-10 Mario Games

The Mario games are my personal favourite series of games ever, so today I decided to share with you the Mario games that I love and never get tired of.

10. Donkey Kong

Some of you might be surprised to see this game up here, but there’s a reason why Donkey Kong became a timeless classic in spite of its silly name. It’s just plain old fun.

The game may only have four levels but they are still well designed and offer a great challenge even if you are a veteran. The game has been ported to numerous platforms, including Nintendo’s on NES and was included as a built-in game in Donkey Kong 64. There was also a longer remake for the Game Boy released in 1994, but I still prefer the original.

Donkey Kong is just one of those classics, like Pac-Man, that you just love coming back to and which never lose their appeal. Admittedly, it’s a primitive 2D platformer, but one that still holds up extremely well.

9. Super Mario Bros.

The game which truly made Mario into an immortal icon of video-gaming didn’t come around until five years after his debut in Donkey Kong but it is still one of my favourite platformers ever made. The simplicity and fluidity of the play-control and the memorable and challenging level design is what makes this one so timeless in my eyes.

Plus, for a game with only six pieces of music composed for it, the soundtrack never gets old, tiresome or even repetitive. Also, the challenge rises fairly and in the later levels of the game, there is a real sense of accomplishment just making it to the flagpole at the end.

However, the formula has been improved a lot since this first game which is why I can’t put it any higher on the list.

8. Super Mario Land

On the offset Super Mario Land may seem like more SMB on the Game Boy, but this game actually has its own distinct charm. The level variety is much better than in SMB and the soundtrack is excellent, despite not being composed by the grand-daddy of all great video-game composers, Koji Kondo.

Also, the game has its own unique variety of enemies and such a high fun factor that you’ll never notice that the game is actually shorter than Super Mario Bros. Plus, this game introduced Daisy – the second princess in the Mario universe – to the world as well as the Super Ball, a fun if not all that recurring power-up from the series.

In addition, Mario gets in a space-ship, a submarine and a plane, adding some more gameplay variety to this instalment. If you own a Game Boy, you need to get your hands on this over-looked classic.

7. Super Mario Bros. 2

Another highly under-rated Mario game, this one definitely deserves a major shout-out. In 1988, Nintendo had to make up for the gap in the Mario franchise left by the fact that Super Mario Bros.2, a.k.a. Lost Levels, was never released outside Japan. Nintendo took another one of their games, Doki Doki Panic, and redesigned it somewhat to turn it into a new Mario game.

As a result, Super Mario Bros. 2 plays very differently from the rest of the franchise, but that’s what makes it so great. It’s new and different with a total of four playable characters with their own distinct attributes. It also has a unique cast of enemies and an extremely memorable soundtrack.

This game receives a lot of undeserved hatred for not being a “true” Mario game, but I think it’s infinitely better than Lost Levels.

6. Mario Party (any version)

One thing that Mario games are always… is fun. That is also very true for the Mario Party games. There’s no reason for me to choose a favourite since whichever instalment of the series you pick it’s bound to be enjoyable.

Mario Party is essentially a virtual board game with intensely competitive mini-games to spice it up and make the competition for collecting stars more interesting. Despite its simplistic concept, Mario Party never gets tiresome, and sometimes the competition can get super-brutal with everyone doing their best to either get to the stars first or to steal stars from other players.

Mario Party basically created the concept of party-games, and it’s still the king of its kind.

5. Super Mario World

Mario’s jump to 16-bit was in my view very successful. Super Mario World offered new exciting levels and enemies while still bringing back timeless classics from titles past. Plus, the game introduced Yoshi, one of the most useful and adorable supporting characters in the Mario franchise.

On top of just providing a massive and great game, Nintendo also hid surprises and secrets into the game-world, allowing for far more exploration than the prior Mario games.

However, on the front of new features and power-ups the game didn’t perhaps offer anything revolutionary and there were certain aspects of the game’s predecessors that I would have liked to have seen in this instalment as well. It’s a super solid title and definitely deserves its spot in the Top-5, but slightly lacking in certain areas.

4. Dr. Mario

Mario is even cool in games that don’t involve action but instead thinking. Dr. Mario was Nintendo’s early attempt at cashing in on the emerging puzzle game craze created by Tetris. What sets Dr. Mario apart from the competition is that it was actually a very solid concept.

Dropping three of the same coloured pills on top of viruses is a simple idea but the challenge is not dealing with the viruses but the left off parts of the pills that start to pile up and endanger your chances of success. It’s also a game where you don’t need to start from the easiest level but can jump to anywhere on the challenge scale if you want to be challenged. And to top it off, it’s one of the most fun puzzle games to play in multiplayer.

Dr. Mario has been ported and updated several times but I still think the original with its two alternate tracks of music is still the best version of all though the remake for the SNES is decent and even comes with Tetris as a complementary game.

3. Super Mario Bros. 3

In my view, 2D Marios have never gotten better than this. SMB3 took what made the original Super Mario Bros. great and made everything bigger and better. From the game worlds that now appear as huge maps and with varied themes to the power-ups which are hands down the most memorable from any Mario game, SMB3 just did everything right.

Not only that, the game had a bigger variety of enemies than the original, impressive as SMB1’s enemy cast was very varied and memorable in its own right, but the game had a greater variety of excellent music from Koji Kondo.

The feature which I felt SMB3 had over Super Mario World was that you could carry multiple items with you and therefore had more resources open to you during this epic adventure.

2. Mario Kart 64

Super Mario Kart was a great idea that perhaps didn’t reach its full potential on the SNES, but as soon as the Mario racing title hit the full 3D 64-bit console what was born is hands down one of the best racing games of all time.

With a memorable cast of playable characters, a great set of power-ups and absolutely the best tracks from any Mario Kart game, Mario Kart 64 is one of those games that I love coming back time and again. Who doesn’t love rushing through Donkey Kong’s Jungle stage, the icy level or heading down Toad’s Highway? Despite the characters still being 2D sprites, they made the driving challenging and added much more varied land-scape than the flat-plains of the original Super Mario Kart. Plus, the game also has great multiplayer features.

Each consequent sequel has been flashier and more audio-visually impressive than Mario Kart 64, but to my eyes, it’s still the most fun game from the franchise.

1. Super Mario 64

Mario made one of the most solid jumps from 2D to 3D. It didn’t simply introduce players like myself to a completely new dimension of gaming but also brought all the charm of prior Mario games along with it.

Excellent levels, coupled with almost limitless exploration possibilities and the most responsive play and camera controls of any 3D platformer I’ve ever played. It still puts most other 3D platformers to shame and not even the later 3D Marios have managed to match its awesomeness. Not to mention, it has easily the best soundtrack of any Mario game to top it all off.

Super Mario 64 is simply a game I never get tired of. It’s one of my favourite games of all time and nothing will ever change that.

Castle of Illusion Review

I recently was reintroduced to Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse for the MegaDrive. Castle of Illusion was one of the very first games I played for the MegaDrive and still an endearing and fun game. Here’s my review of it…

Gameplay: 4/5 – The controls are simple and very responsive which is good. Mickey has decent hang-time during jumps and you can even get projectile for taking out enemies you can’t jump on. The platforming is quite challenging at times but never intolerably so. However, I do wish Mickey would walk a bit faster.

Graphics: 5/5 – The graphics are ver lively and colourful, in other words, perfect for a Mickey Mouse game. There’s tons of variety with the level designs, from the standard forest and cave levels to the colourful toy and candy lands. The enemy designs are quite silly, but I feel appropriate for a game like this.

Animation: 5/5 – There’s a lot of high quality work here, especially on Mickey, but the cutscenes and boss animations are also pretty solid. The full-score comes particularly for the care that was taken with the ending animations.

Music: 4/5 – Very cheery as you might imagine but also very appropriate for the game. The tunes put me in a good mood and they’re quite well orchestrated even if they may not be the most memorable pieces around. Very good none the less.

Sound: 3/5 – Really nothing special but appropriate for the game.

Replay value: 3/5 – The game has three difficulty modes which help you build up experience if you find the game too challenging from the start. The game is also well-designed and therefore a lot of fun to play, but also quite short with only some 10+ levels. Still, for a game designed to be finished as a single session, it’s quite challenging.

Score: 80% – Sega crunched out a high quality Mickey title back in the day and it is still my favourite game to feature the iconic Disney mascot. If you want to play a colourful, fun and well-designed platformer on the MegaDrive, I definitely recommend giving this one a go.

My Top-10 Game Series

Today’s list is pretty self-explanatory. These are my favourite game series, the ones I tend to turn to for great gaming enjoyment…

10. Metroid

I didn’t grow up with Metroid and admittedly I never found much appeal in the NES original or even Super Metroid on the SNES. However, the Metroid Prime games did get me interested in Nintendo’s sole serious sci-fi series (sorry StarFox). The fact that Nintendo introduced one of the earliest and most notable female game heroes to the world is notable in itself, but so is the fact that Nintendo has managed to create such as an action-packed and yet at the same time atmospheric series of games and keep it going for so many years is rather notable.

My personal favourite gameplay wise has always been Metroid Prime 3: Corruption but I have to my disappointment say that the first game in the series to actually attempt telling a serious storyline is Metroid: Other M.

Never the less, between these two and the original Metroid Prime, I have definitely become attracted to this series and look forward to a new instalment of it.

9. Castlevania

Konami’s horror-action series is one of the most notoriously difficult ones and also a series which has seen many phases, from the 2D platformers, to the proverbial MetroidVania style and the later 3D games. My personal favourites however have always been the early 2D instalments.

The first and third games on the NES are what got me started, and especially the first one sticks in my mind as a timeless classic. I even quite enjoy the somewhat notorious Simon’s Quest, due to its music and atmosphere. However, my absolute favourite game from the series is one that unfortunately was never released globally, Akumajou Dracula/Castlevania X: Rondo of Blood. It is by far the most well-crafted and most well designed of all the old school Castlevanias.

I also quite liked Super Castlevania IV on the SNES and I have to admit to liking Castlevania: Bloodlines (a.k.a. The Next Generation) on the MegaDrive.

8. Broken Sword

The British Revolution Software company is one of the last active adventure game studios left in the world of gaming. Since 1996, the company has graced the adventure scene with one of the most memorable, funny, exciting and genuinely enjoyable adventure game series: Broken Sword. From the very first instalment, The Shadow of the Templars (a.k.a. Circle of Blood), players are introduced to the antics of the heroic yet sarcastic attorney George Stobbart as he uncovers great historical mysteries and thwarts the evil schemes of nefarious master-minds with her on-again off-again girlfriend Nico Collard.

The first game is an untoppable master-piece from the series story-wise and its Aztec inspired sequel, Broken Sword II: Smoking Mirror, was at least a very entertaining if not as polished title by comparison. The third game of the series, The Sleeping Dragon, was also a stand-out title with some of the best puzzles and dialogue in the whole franchise, plus some new exciting action-sequences thanks to its new 3D look.

The Angel of Death was a bit of a dip in quality for the franchise despite its returning to the point-and-click roots of the first two games, but it still had its stand-out moments. A fifth game is currently in development and hopefully Charles Cecil will be able to keep the franchise on a high standard from here on out.

7. Donkey Kong

This loveable gorilla of gaming has starred in one of the most endearing series of platformers ever conceived. In the mid-1990s, Rareware and Nintendo teamed up to update the image of the big N’s originally villainous, now heroic monkey. What resulted from that was Donkey Kong Country, a game with the simplicity of Super Mario Bros., the speed and challenge of Sonic the Hedgehog and a memorable soundtrack all its own.

The sequel Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest was a vastly improved title and hands down the second best platformer released for the SNES, after Yoshi’s Island. And despite not being quite as impressive, it’s more beginner-friendly follow-up, Donkey Kong Country 3:Dixie’s Double Trouble, was still a worthwhile title.

While Donkey Kong 64 tends to split opinions, I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I did feel that the game didn’t quite live up to the same standard as the prior DKC games. However, the franchise made a successful comeback with Donkey Kong Country Returns so hopefully we’ll get to see more high-quality titles from the loveable Ape and the rest of the Kong family.

6. Monkey Island

Unfortunately there aren’t that many long-lasting and popular adventure game series left in the business, but one delightful surprise, time and again, are definitely the swashbuckling Monkey Island games. Starting from The Secret of Monkey Island in 1990, what followed is one of the most solid adventure game series ever made. The hilarious comedic writing, clever puzzles and warm Caribbean feeling brought by the artwork and the memorable musical scores of Michael Z. Land are what make this series so timeless and enjoyable.

Of course, my personal favourite from the series has always been The Curse of Monkey Island from 1997, but all the games in this series are definitely worth a try because each of them are so distinct and have their own style and distinct nature. I admittedly have never been the biggest fan of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, but many fans consider it timeless classic.

I also personally enjoyed both Escape from Monkey Island and TellTale Games’ Tales of Monkey Island. Here’s hoping that there will be even more Monkey Island titles in the future.

5. The Legend of Zelda

Similarly to Metroid, I didn’t really grow up with the Zelda games and therefore didn’t have quite a strong connection to the early titles on the NES and SNES. However, after playing Ocarina of Time, I became a massive fan of the series. Ocarina of Time was one of the first games I played fanatically in order to finish and I still have not gotten tired of it after so many years. Every other Zelda game really pales to its main-quest which is in my view the most well crafted and fun.

However, the later Zeldas have all contributed to the franchise as a whole. Majora’s Mask had an intricate game-world and admittedly the best gameplay of any game in the series. Wind Waker was the most cinematically impressive and Twilight Princess also offered an interesting story and one of the most memorable casts of any of the games. While I thought that the franchise’s newest instalment, Skyward Sword, was a tad underwhelming – it was still fun to play and did include at the very least the bare bones of what a good Zelda game ought to be. And in that it still comes out stronger than most other action-games.

Though there may never be another master piece in the franchise on the same level as Ocarina of Time, I am continually drawn to the series and eagerly wait for the next major instalment from the franchise.

4. Mortal Kombat

Nether Realm production’s, formerly Midway, Mortal Kombat series is the most bizarrely addicting fighting game franchise I’ve ever played. Like many others, I was actually drawn to the franchise by the 1995 movie, which is still one of my personal favourite video game films, but the early games in the franchise now admittedly seem very dated to me.

Really, my long-term relationship with MK started with Deadly Alliance which, on top of being just a super-fun game, also offered great extras. Armageddon brought the storyline to the front, which I liked, but was perhaps lacking in its over-all polish. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was a fun cross-over but a quickly expended gaming experience.

Surprisingly it was Mortal Kombat 9 that proved to be my personal favourite from the franchise, not just due to its solid gameplay but also due to its excellent story-mode. And though I criticise the older games, I still enjoy the very first Mortal Kombat as well as Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog

Despite my history as a Nintendo kid, I will have to admit that I was immediately taken by Sega’s blue hedgehog when I first played Sonic on the MegaDrive in the early 1990s. And my love for the fastest hedgehog alive has never died.

Almost any of the official Sonic-titles from the MegaDrive are worth playing, but my personal favourites have always been the two first titles in the series. Sonic 1 is just so simple and it’s one of those games you can just pick up and play from start to finish. Sonic the Hedgehog 2, however, is an untoppable masterpiece with the most memorable levels and soundtrack as well as the most polished gameplay from entire franchise. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are both fun games but in my view not comparable to these earlier titles. Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 are also extremely solid titles and worth getting for anyone who finally wanted to see Sonic deal with a serious storyline.

People have mixed opinions on the later games in the franchise and unfortunately I haven’t gotten around to playing as many as I would have hoped. Sonic 4 Episode 1 was okay in my view, but I will have to try out some of the newer titles a little later on…

2. Mega Man

Capcom’s blue bomber was one of my first favourite game franchises and still one of my favourites. The 2D action platformers are some of the finest ever made and still hold up after all this time. All six games on the NES are timeless classics and even the later games have their own certain appeal.

Mega Man 2 is the obvious favourite of everyone, but even later titles like Mega Man 5 offer great challenge and excellent levels and just tons of fun. However, these later games can also be frustratingly challenging at times, so it’s highly recommended for beginners to start with an easier title from the franchise such as Mega Man 3.

Not only is Mega Man just one excellent series of games, it’s several. However, of the many spin-offs my personal favourites have been the Mega Man X games, specifically the first three on the SNES. If you’ve played the classic series games to death and wants something new and refreshing, then the X-series is definitely for you.

1. Mario

I guess it’s no surprise. Super Mario Bros. was the first game I ever played. Almost anything that has Mario in it, in my view, is at least worth a try and especially the platformer or main series games from the franchise are an absolute must-play for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted gaming experience.

Whether we’re talking about the classic SMB titles on the SNES, Super Mario Land on the Game Boy or Super Mario World on the SNES, every single Mario game has something distinct and great to offer. And to top it off, Mario went to 3D with style, with Super Mario 64 still being one of the best 3D platformers of all time. The Galaxy titles are of course a must-play and I’d even say the somewhat opinion splitting Sunshine is worth a go.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Mario can also be found in puzzle-games like Dr. Mario, in racing games like Mario Kart 64, in virtual board-games like the Mario Party series and in any number of sport-related titles. If it has Mario, it’s almost always bound to be good and that’s why this cheery Italian adventurer has never lost his appeal with me. Wa-hoo!

Senna joins Williams

Williams has finally announced its second driver for this season. The driver, rather surprisingly I’d say, is Bruno Senna – one of Robert Kubica’s replacement drivers at Renault (now Lotus) team last season. For the past month or so, Williams has been one of only two teams that had not announced both of their drivers for the up-coming season. Though I’m a little sad Valtteri Bottas didn’t grab the second seat and therefore become the third Finn to be driving in F1 this year, I’m at least glad that there’s no further need for speculation.

The Brazilian Senna will be joining the Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, who debuted last year at Williams. Senna will be replacing his own countryman and F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello, who seems to be about ready to retire. Williams admittedly had their worst season ever last year, but hopefully they can shape up for the up-coming season.

In the meanwhile, Hispania Racing Team – in which Senna debuted in 2010 – is now the only team not to have announced both of its drivers. There is a very slight chance that we may see Barrichello jump to the HRT team as they are in the habit of hiring F1 has-beens. However, my advice to Rubinho is “One season out of F1s is better than any season at HRT.”

Mega Man X1-3 Review

Being in Glasgow has given me an opportunity to get reacquainted with some classic games. One being the 1994 classic Mega Man X, which started the second official franchise for Capcom’s Blue Bomber, and its sequels on the SNES. Even though the Mega Man X series has had its ups and downs, the early games at least are classics and still hold up.

Out of the SNES Mega Man X series game, Mega Man X2 has never been my personal favourite for some reason. Mpersonal favourites have always been Mega Man X and X3. The fact that Mega Man X3 was the first X-game I ever played which may explain my nostalgic feelings towards it.

Let’s get on with the reviews…

Mega Man X

Gameplay: 5/5 – This is an area where the X-series excelled at. Essentially Capcom took the gameplay from the classic Mega Man games and upgraded it to the 16-bit generation. Mega Man can fire more rapidly, move more quickly and climb up walls with the wall-kick. Although you have to play Chill Penguin’s stage just to get the dash (the X-series’ version of the slide), the levels are designed in such a way that you are not required to find every single part of X’s armour to pass the game (though they will help and make the rest of the game easier). In essence, the gameplay is just right.

Graphics: 4,5/5 – There’s loads of detail and all the levels look distinct and lively. The enemy designs are also nice and colourful, despite the X-series’ darker and edgier look. Everything about the game’s graphic look is just superb. The only thing I can really complain about is that some of the enemy designs are admittedly a little cheesy and I’ve never particularly cared for Chameleon’s stage for some reason.

Animation: 5/5 – Here I can’t honestly complain. Even the tiniest enemies have their own little detailed animations and, over-all, they made sure everything in the game looks lively and polished.

Music: 5/5 – This game has absolutely the most solid soundtrack of any Mega Man game I’ve played. It rivals Mega Man 2 in not only how memorable it is but also that there is not a single tune that would sound annoying or out of place. Even better, this game introduces the more decidedly heavier and rock-inspired soundtrack of the X series which I like, but doesn’t abandon the variety of musical styles we’ve come to expect from the Mega Man series. Some of my personal favourite themes from this game, just to name a few: the intro, Spark Mandrill (of course), Chill Penguin, Boomer Kuwanger and the End theme.

Sound: 4/5 – There’s not a lot to complain about with the sound-effects either. Everything sounds suitable for the game and not out of the ordinary for the Mega Man series. A few of the sound-effects do sound oddly bubbly and light at times, but over-all, I have no major complaints.

Replay value: 4/5 – Mega Man X is one of the few games in the X-series that feels like the perfect pick-up and play experience. You don’t need a big crash course into the game’s mechanics and the learning curve isn’t too steep. You can start wherever you like and the gameplay feels natural and well crafted. The final levels may become a little frustrating but the same is admittedly true for a lot of Mega Man games.

Score: 92% – Mega Man X is one of those games that has aged extremely well because it’s so well crafted with practically no faults or major weaknesses that would make it not fun to play. It’s an absolute must-play for all serious Mega Man fans and one of the timeless classics of the Super Nintendo.

Mega Man X2

Gameplay: 4,5/5 – This time you get the slide from the start which is a nice touch and the game generally isn’t any worse in this front than the first one. However, some of the levels have slightly annoying stage designs, which add a bit of unfair challenge to them. However, you don’t need to go looking for X’s spare parts in this instalment which is a relief.

Graphics: 3/5 – Quite honestly I’ve never cared for the look of this game. I think most of the Mavericks look more silly than threatening (Wire Sponge? Please). Even the enemy designs are a tad too colourful and cartoony for an X series game. However, the settings and levels at least are really nice.

Animation: 5/5 – I really have to give the game a full score for presentation. It pulls all the stops from cutscenes in between levels to moving backgrounds and a really kick ass opening.

Music: 3,5/5 – This is another area where I think the game is definitely inferior to both of the other two SNES X-games. The music isn’t bad by any means and in most cases it’s very appropriate, but I don’t find most of the melodies particularly memorable or catchy. A few exceptions include the opening themes, Bubble Crab and Crystal Snail’s stage themes and the first Fortress theme.

Sound: 5/5 – The game doesn’t suffer from the bubbliness that some of the sound-effects in X1 suffered from and to top it off, there’s some really cool sound-designs in several parts of the game.

Replay value: 2,5/5 – Although this is the only X-game on the SNES with two truly different endings, I just find it lacking in the fun factor of X1 and the challenge of X3. It’s not as frustrating as X3 but I also feel not as memorable as X1.

Score: 78% – Mega Man X2 is a decent enough instalment in the X-series and some people may even feel slightly better than X1. However, I feel it’s an underwhelming entry and I personally find myself favouring either X1 or X3. However, if you want a Mega Man X game with a story on the SNES, this is probably the closest you’ll get to one.

Mega Man X3

Gameplay: 4/5 – I have to confess that the game is considerably more difficult than either of the first two games. A lot of this comes down to the level designs being much more merciless, with enemies placed at the edges of platforms and in other awkward places. This time, the fact that you have to find the Air Dash and the fact that you can’t even complete certain levels without it is a bit of a pain. However, other than that, the controls are just as tight as before and you even get to play as Zero which is cool (though only for one-third of any given level).

Graphics: 5/5 – Not only is there variety, but the levels themselves look awesome and utilise the SNES’s properties well. The over-all look is much more consistent than in the first two games and you still get lots of variety, which is nice.

Animation: 5/5 – I can honestly say that the game has not gotten any worse in this regard. Enemies still have loads of animation and look great. Also, little touches like the mist and the snowfall effects really do a lot for the game’s overall appearance.

Music: 4/5 – Personally this is my second favourite score from the X-series. The themes are aggressive and hard rocking which I like and they stick in your head well. Whether you are looking for the furious guitar hammering of Blast Hornet’s level, the epicness of Gravity Beetle’s stage, the undoubtedly Guns N Roses inspired Neon Tiger theme or the more traditionally orchestral Blizzard Buffalo, this game will rock your socks off. However, the incidental themes this time around sound a bit messy and not too clean which hurts the over-all musical score.

Sound: 3/5 – Some of the sound-effects grate my ears a bit, but otherwise the audio department sounds good.

Replay value: 3/5 – I think the thing which hurts Mega Man X3’s playability the most is the high difficulty level. The fact that you can’t even finish some of the levels without the air-dash seems like a major league screw up and the boss-battles are extremely brutal if you haven’t a clue where even to start from. At the same time, I sort of enjoy the challenge, it feels like Mega Man X1 cranked up to Hard-mode and therefore there is a massive feeling of accomplishment when you finally manage to defeat a boss.

Score: 80% – Mega Man X3 is a solid action-platformer but one that is definitely not intended for beginners. The game is brutally difficult and unless you enjoy the challenge, you will not enjoy this game. However, it’s in my view an absolutely worth-while title from the X-series.

Mega Man: The Wily Wars Review

In 1994 Capcom gave the first three Mega Man games the Super Mario All-Stars treatment on the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis). Not many people remember the Wily Wars collection, probably because it was released so late in the Mega Drive’s existence, but after trying it out for myself I’m really impressed with it.

Gameplay: 4/5 – I do commend the makers for sticking to the individual gameplay elements of each individual game. Mega Man doesn’t for instance slide in any other game except form 3. However, there is something a bit off about the gameplay timing which doesn’t make it quite the 1-1 match as say Super Mario All-Stars. As a result some parts of the games feel more difficult and others more easy than in their NES counterparts. This is however a minor gripe.

Graphics: 5/5 – I have to say that the graphics have been livened up nicely with the new stage designs. Especially certain levels in Mega Man 1 and 2 which looked quite plain in the original versions look much livelier here. Also, the game makes use of the Mega Drive’s graphic abilities really well.

Animation: 4/5 – It seems to me that in this area they didn’t make any big additions or changes which is not bad but it is a little underwhelming. The only negative point is that in the Weapons Menu in Mega Man 3, it seems to take forever to exit the menu when picking any of the Rush items because you have to wait for the animations to finish.

Music: 5/5 – The remixed versions of the classic Mega Man themes sound really nice. The tempo on the music is a little slower than in the original which isn’t a bad thing though. The new transitional music isn’t anything special but then again you’ll only listen to it in the menus, so it doesn’t really matter.

Sound: 3/5 – Nothing really special. The sound-effects do sound more or less the same as the 8-bit counterparts but with the only difference being that they are 16-bit.

Replay value: 5/5 – It’s a new fresh take on the old classics which is always fine in my book. With the added save feature you don’t have to worry about more difficult levels like the ones in Mega Man 1 and, just generally put, the fun factor of the original NES classics has been brought to the Mega Drive in a great way. Plus, playing through all the games opens up new levels to explore which is all just a great plus.

Score: 87% - Mega Man: The Wily Wars is a great way to re-experience the first three classic NES Mega Man titles, if you’ve already played them to death.

Green Hornet – Review

I finally got around to watching the Green Hornet movie adaptation. Based on the cult 60s TV show, which is perhaps better remembered for its early featuring of the legendary Bruce Lee than anything else, the movie stays true to its roots at least in form if not necessarily in style. The original Green Hornet was at its core a serious vigilante action series which was tinted by the slightly cheesy and campy style of its period (but not to the same extent as its far campier contemporary, the Adam West Batman). The movie’s approach is a little different, with a heavier lean on comedy yet still keeping with the action element inherent in the series and still featuring criminals who are very, very bad.

On the cast, I am happy to note that there was not a single actor who was under-utilised, which tends to be a recurring problem with the most star-studded action films of recent years. Although, I am not Seth Rogen’s biggest fan, you instantly sympathise with his character and are still able to laugh at his idiocy and smart-assedness. He is the Jack Black of the Tenacious D formed by Rogen and Jay Chou.

Chou’s role as the ingenious, suave and constantly bitter Kato doesn’t allow him to shine as much. However, he’s clearly intended to be the film’s true action-star, dominating every single action scene in the film. His role is both prominent and a little downplayed as the film-makers obviously wanted to stay respectful of the memory of Bruce Lee, while at the same time they had to sell the idea that far more gifted, intelligent and badass Kato could somehow possibly sympathise and feel comradeship towards the drunken, excitable and somewhat dim-witted Britt Reid.

Christoph Waltz is as charming and captivating as he always is in his villainous roles. His very presence seems to indicate the presence of pure evil, whether he is Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds or Cardinal Richelieu from The Three Musketeers. However, in the role of Chudkofsky he also gets to show his playful and even slightly sympathetic side as the powerful crime lord with a hint of a midlife crisis. His introductory scene with cocky James Franco just perfectly illustrates all sides of his character.

Cameron Diaz also plays her role well and in a considerably different way from the average dime-a-dozen potential love interest characters. Even though she isn’t at the forefront of the film’s events, she still adds to the heart of the film with her sheer presence.

As mentioned before, the film takes a considerably more comedic route with its style than the original TV series. In fact at times the movie will start to feel like a mere shadow of the original, suave and well-dressed show where everyone wore a fedora and the dialogue was hard-hitting and straight-faced. At the same time I can’t really berate the film for turning the whole concept of the show on its ear since I don’t honestly think that a straight adaptation of the TV series would really work for a 21st century audience. A serious Green Hornet movie would have been buried under the mountain of serious superhero-vigilante films, the most notable of all being the Batman films. So the almost parody-like approach to the concept of the original TV show really works in the movie’s advantage. It’s a fun movie where you can leave your brain at the door.

At the same time that is also the movie’s weakness. The comedy is intentionally low-brow and sometimes Seth Rogen’s material is just too painfully corny even for my taste. Also, the action and comedy really dominates over the story, which is basically there just to give context to what’s happening. There are no big “ah-ha” moments and the human storyline is unfortunately lacking even though the film makes daring attempts at shoe-horning it into the action-piece.

At the same time, the movie is very entertaining and definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the TV series or if you just want to have a good time. It’s not a masterpiece, but a well-intentioned and a loving parody of the source material it’s based on.

Score: 3½ out of 5

My first two weeks in Glasgow

Going to live in a new country for five months is a scary thought, especially if you haven’t lived anywhere else except places you know. Glasgow has been an interesting city to get to know and hopefully I’ll still have the time and energy to take in as much as it can offer. But let’s talk about what it’s been like up till now.

The first week was both a little scary but I also have to say, pretty damn awesome. Glasgow was of course hit by one of its worst storms ever during the first night I spent here. When the following day I made my way to the building where I would be living for the next five months, I was informed by the landlord that the storm had smashed part of the glass roof over the stairwell. For the next few days, it was raining indoors, though they made an effort to try and cover the hole up, they still haven’t replaced the glass.

Thankfully my room wasn’t affected and I’ve lived quite comfortably despite the constant rain over the days that followed the storm. The first two days I was a little worried about the state of my clothes as the airline missed my exchange to the Copenhagen to Glasgow plane. Thankfully, I already got my bag back during the evening of my second day in Glasgow.

On Thursday, the orientation started and things were looking up. I got acquainted with fellow students from my own country and also met some very nice exchange students from other countries. With the activities organised by the more local students, it’s really been a lot of fun. On Friday, we took a bus tour of Glasgow which was less spectacular than I would have hoped. Although we got to see “most” of Glasgow, the weather was quite bad and we only stopped once during the whole tour. In all, it was only fun in that they pointed out where most of the free museums and such were located.

However, on Friday evening, I got to taste Haggis for the first time. It was a delightful surprise since it’s something I had always wanted to do and already got to do it during my first week here. It was also a tad anticlimactic I have to say. It didn’t come served in the traditional sheep stomach as I would have expected but instead on a paper plate in a nice brown pile next to some carrots and mashed potatoes. As for the flavour, it was good and even reminded me of a food we have back home, but it wasn’t anything special. I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to experience “genuine” haggis while I’m here, but at least this was one experience I found interesting in a culinary sense.

Saturday was by far the most fun I had. We took a bus tour of Edinburgh. Not only was the tour much better thanks to the improved weather, but we also got to stretch our legs and take in the city more fully. And by take in, I of course mean we took pictures of practically everything. We saw Edinburgh castle though only from the outside as admission was £14. We stopped to take pictures with the mighty William Wallace of BraveHeart fame, we stopped at the house where Harry Potter was born and took a brief look at the National Museum. Edinburgh, however, is a more touristy town than Glasgow, which is nice in that it’s very clean and friendly – but those looking for authentic Scottish life might want to look elsewhere.

On Saturday evening the Glasgow International Banter organised a showing of Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. Though I’d seen the movie before, it was nice watching it again. I can’t wait to see the sequel.

Our badass Finnish cakes.

The second week in Glasgow was mostly very quiet with courses starting and nothing horribly exciting happening. I’ve hung out a lot with my fellow Finnish exchange students which has staved off feelings of homesickness. One of the highlights of the week for me was when we attempted to make traditional Finnish party cakes for an event held by the Banter group. Unfortunately we burned the cakes, not to mention they were a bit off-shape anyway, but the end result was still delicious.

I also bought a DVD of the Green Hornet and will be posting a review of it soon.

Lastly here are some general topics about Scotland and the UK, I want to get off my chest:

• The Food – Contrary to the popular stereotype, UK food is actually very tasty, but it’s the little differences in food culture that keep on shocking me. Prepared food is a little bit more expensive here than it is where I come from, which is not a big problem. However, what I can’t understand is the idea that I would have to pay extra to eat out of a salad bar. In my country, in any restaurant that has a salad bar, the salad is included in the price of the meal – here you have to pay extra for it. I am also not a fan of the habit of serving chips (or fries if you will) with practically every meal. The only time I haven’t been offered chips with my meal is when I’ve had a soup, a Subway or when I ordered Pasta Bolognese at an Italian restaurant.
• The Weather – The weather is also much nicer than one would expect. Sure, there was a lot of rain in the aftermath of the storm, but beyond that the weather has been very tolerable. However, it can get very cold - which always makes me wonder why the UKers have still not discovered central heating.
• The Plumbing – I am not gonna lie, UK plumbing is outrageously bad. It’s the 21st century and buildings still have separate faucets for cold and hot water. In many cases, the hot water option is a blatant lie. There are bizarre boxes on walls and strings on ceilings you have to pull the get the water hot and only in a few restrooms have I even seen a single faucet for cold and hot water. How can the country which admittedly started the industrial revolution not understand that the only thing you need for mixing cold and hot water is a pipe shaped like a Y?

Formula One in 2012 and more…

As I will be staying in Glasgow, Scotland until late May, I will not have the privilidge of seeing the first five, possibly six of the Grand Prixs of this year’s Formula One season. This is a crying shame because with a bunch of new drivers, comebacks from several fronts, F1s returning to the US and many new surprises along the way, it looks to be one of the most interesting seasons of the past few years. Thankfully, I’ll only miss the start but because of that I’ve decided that 2012 will be the first time ever that I will not be bringing Race to race Reports on the progress of the season nor will be there a ranking on the excitement level of the races unlike last year and the year before.

However, I will be making comments and possibly posting race reports on the later races of the season, but they will be much more free-form and not as strict as the ones from this year and the year before.

In addition some things are still left hanging in the air about next season. For instance, we still don’t know what will become of Robert Kubica but I certainly hope he will return to the sport in the near future. Rubens Barrichello seems like he’s been pushed into retirement and rumours are all wild about Adrian Sutil’s fate in the sport as well.

Some clarity has thankfully been brought to the firing of both Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi from Scuderia Toro Rosso. It appears Alguersuari and the Red Bull company are currently not talking to each other due to differences in opinion and this is why the young Spaniard was let go from Red Bull’s number-2 team. Right now, I wish all the best to Jaime and hope he’ll land a test-driver’s spot at some team to keep himself relevant and ready. Buemi’s firing has still not been explained but he’s been able to keep himself in Red Bull’s good graces and has been confirmed to be working as a test and replacement driver for next season (in the event anyone from either Red Bull Racing or Toro Rosso is injured during the season). So at least Buemi is doing okay.

At this time HRT and Marussia (former Virgin) have not yet revealed their number-2 drivers but I’m still holding out hope for Valtteri Bottas to claim the second spot at Williams because I think it would be cool if there were three Finnish drivers in F1 next year.

At any rate, it looks to be an excellent season and I can’t wait for it.