The Gaming TARDIS: The History of Professor Layton

This article will appear on KN tommorow, as I'm writing this in bed on the smart phone I boasted about in my last post as I have no computer accessn at the momment to write it in a Word document and paste it in. But here are some words about Professor Layton anyway.

Every generation, there is one genre of video game that simply dominates all others. In the NES era, simple exploration and platform games were king, with very few 'mature' titles on the market, a theme that remained amongst the MegaDrive/Super Nintendo platform heyday, as the likes of Sonic 2 and Super Mario World simply churned out. Today, however, the video game market is ruled by the first-person shooter: a genre so childishly adult that any scraps of maturity current titles have are blown away by an encore of blood and guts.

So it's refreshing to have a genuinely grown-up series doing well at the moment as well, as the Professor Layton series goes from strength to strength under the watchful eye of the world's greatest publisher, although it's not Nintendo who deserves the endless credit the Layton series rightfully earns. Level-5 have come from nothing to become a world-class developer, on a par with the likes of Valve, Intellegent Systems and the afformentioned first-party Japanese giant. It's an incredible story for a developer with such a short history to suddenly be producing titles of the quality of Layton, Dragon Quest IX and Ni No Kuni.

Formed in 2000, their first release was PS2 RPG Dark Cloud, often referred to as one of the system's best. The sucsess of this and the sequel, Dark Chronicle, resulted in the most coverted RPG prize in Japan: The Dragon Quest license. In 2005 they'd turn out a memorable entry into the franchise before begining work on an original idea of their own, a new take on the Touch! Generations range Nintendo was pushing on the DS. Originally just a collection of puzzles, based on a popular series of books in Japan, Level-5 grew fond of the idea of linking the brainteasers in some way. The suggestion of a coherant story running throughout the game was such a brilliant idea you had to wonder how nobody had thought of it beforehand.

As for the character of Layton, you've got everyone's favourite Scottish philosophist to thank if Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. While he didn't personally devise Layton and Luke, the inspiration for all the reoccuring characters is drawn from the classic detective stories. Sherlock becomes Hershell Layton, Dr Watson is (somewhat unfairly) a small, cockney boy and James Morriarty can now be percieved to be an over-the-top, camp villian of '60s Baman proportions.

The rather lovely European/Japanese hybrid of an art style was actually a happy accident, with the staff just agreeing that Layton looked best with the shading he did, and designing a suitable world. Meanwhile, the grand THAT THING. *INSERT TEXT HERE* score is unrivaled in terms of wonderful, rousing game themes that don't rely on choirs to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing up and goes hand-in-hand with the slightly more conservative approach taken with the in-game themes, as they conjure up music that manages to not be annoying no matter how often you here it as if by magic.

The real secret to the sucess of Professor Layton as a series is the charm that the above combination provides. Likeable characters (And Luke), a fantastically soft art style, witty scripts, clever plot twists and great music slot together like something from one of those 'Get the ball into the whole' puzzles that populate every single game. It'd probably been a hit if released with these elements alone, but what makes Layton appealing over another Call of Duty/'Call of Duty killer' is that there's nothing like it. Chances are, between CODs or Need For Speeds there are eight billion shooters and racers out there saturating the market. But how many other puzzle-solving English gentleman simulators are there? Not that many, we'll tell you that much...

*We wanted to say none, but then we'd have to overlook staff favourite, the excellent Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure on DS. It's nothing like Layton beyond the character and a 'puzzle element', but well worth checking out.

Witchcraft!

I'm back again, and this time, I've got technology on my side, in order to make closer-to-interesting posts. Yes, I've finally embraced a phone that works (My last call-machine didn't even have a calculator) and as such figured out what a life-changer an app store is.

It's amazing, isn't it? Whilst my flash new piece of metal can't play Snake (In my eyes, the primary use of a mobile phone) it can let me watch endless montages of Shane Williams tries, discover who played the man in the shop that got robbed in Batman Begins and write this here blog, on the off chance somebody cares about my opinion. Which they don't.

Anyway, I've got as far as downloading the Blogger app and using it even though theres a readily-avalible computer with an eager keyboard just waiting to be tapped. It's a miracle. The entire SmartPhone experience is an entirely pointless one, but one that I am willing to accept after being so ignorant of it for so long. Wonderfull.

Oh, and I saw Real Steel a few weeks ago because they'd stopped showing Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy. It was quite good fun. I may do a proper review of it later, but right now, I'm going to rest my thumbs. All this QWERTY-ing can't be good for them. Espechially with SKYWARD SWORD only two days away...

Film What I Saw #6: Johnny English Reborn

It's probably best that I'll start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of Rowan Atkinson. In my eyes, he's the funniest physical comedian in the world, and up there with the all-time best comic actors. Mr. Bean is amongst the most hilarious TV series ever made, and even Atkinson poorer efforts, such as the two Bean movies, have still had numerous laugh-out-loud moments. The original Johnny English was one of the daftest films I've ever seen. The whole thing was extremely predictable, extraordinarily stupid and yet somehow very, very funny. Whilst I'm aware that others may not share this opinion, I thought it best to lay down the fact that I went into JER with higher expectations than I really should for what is, essentially, Mr Bean pretending to be James Bond for 90 minutes.

I was expecting to be disappointed. The 'Aisle or window seat' gag near the start was a total miss, although there had -admittedly- been a snigger previously as the title character bounced his way through the 'training'. The film continued as Mr. English finds his way back to London to rejoin MI9, with my expectations turning to a perhaps appropriate level, although I need not have been so concerned. It wasn't long before the film had set me off again. Perhaps 'serious critics' may turn their nose up at the film, but I think to deny that Johnny English Reborn is very, very funny is to go against the majority's opinion, and I happen to be one of the majority.

It's hard to write about comedy, especially good comedy. And even more so, slapstick comedy. Atkinson's work relies so heavily on the element of surprise that naturally occurs when we see a helicopter traveling along a road as if it were a car. There's plenty of gags that can tease a snigger out, if anything more than the original, which seemed to almost take its plot seriously. This one's jokes are usually hits, but they tend to be around the outside of the dartboard, with only one or two comic bulls-eyes lingering on the tape. There's nothing quite as funny as the muscle-relaxant drug from the original, but it's still the funniest of three comedies I've seen this year, and, as such, is certainly recommended.

7 voice-changing sweets out of 10

The computer is fixed, all praise the man who doesn't speak fluent English

My computer broke. Everything went funny. It's now fixed, and I'm finally back on here, ready to post some blog-based nonsense. Here are 5 intresting things that have happened since my computer broke, because this post seems too brief otherwise:


-NZ won the World Cup final this morning. That's sort-of interesting.

-I finally got my hands on Rugby Challenge. It's quite good, although hardly a Game Of The Year contender under any circumstances. Passing is broken, there's no team selection for random matches, there's a large number of irritating glitches and many squads are incorrect even for last season. However, as a Rugby fan, I'm enjoying it...

-Zelda: Skyward Sword's got two near-perfect reviews, which is very exciting. I'm really looking forward to it now, it's on a ridiculous level of anticipation, even greater than at the peak of my Rugby Challenge hyping, or Galaxy 2. Not since Brawl have I been this excited about a game. It's gonna be great...

-I saw Johnny English Reborn, but there'll be more on that later in the next Films What I saw. I've also watched most of The Body Farm, which has impressed me.And The Apprentice starts on Monday!!

-Erm, actually, that's all. I only had 4 exciting things happen, really. The rest is fairly mundane. Well, it all has been, but the rest, even more so. I'm normally pretty selective over what I blog about. I haven't been here. Sorry. I'll get back into the swing of things quickly.

Film What I Saw #5: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Firstly, apologies for no blog in a while. I'd been away (physically) then mentally absent, hence this blogs hiatus. However, today I have been to the cinema and seen a film what I has decided that I will review, innit. Because I review all films I see. Anyway, for those of you reading this in the future, you no doubt won't care about my disappearance, and more about what I thought of the film I'm about to talk about. So let's begin.

I'm not going to pretend that The Planet of the Apes series has been a major part of my life. There shall be no tales of how it affected my childhood, because it didn't. My knowledge of the franchise stems from what I've been told by others and seeing a TV re-run of the pretty bad Tim Burton remake. Yet this lack of emotional attachment to the originals has had no impact on my judgement of the latest instalment in the franchise, a long-awaited reboot.

And what a boot the series has been given. Gone are the silly costumes that seem to plague peoples memories, replaced by some of the most impressive CGI I've ever seen. There's a story that moves at just the right pace, giving the audience time to adjust and understand, but never to get bored. And best of all, said plot is a good 'un. It sees a drug that can apparently increase brain development and rebuild deteriorating patches, supposedly the cure for Alzheimer's, tested on chimpanzees, with largely positive effects. I don't want to spoil any more for those who haven't seen it, and if you do want to know more before watching, the trailer does a far better job of summing it up than me. The key point about this most fantastical of sci-fi plots, though, is that it is something that originated from the ever-controversial issue of animal testing- an idea so obviously Planet of the Apes it's genius. The angle the film takes, or -more to the point- the lack of one, on the issue is, however, one of director Rupert Wyatt's greatest ideas. The oft-debated concept the film is centred around is no more than a plot device. The anti-animal testing is extremely subtle, as it's more used as a way of getting us on head ape Ceaser's side, partically thanks to a good performance from Draco Malfoy as The Boy Everyone Loves To Hate, a part he does so well.

My fears of the film losing it's way in the action-centred final third thankfully were proved to be in vain, as the rise of the movement that begins the rise of the planet of the apes is, like the rest of the film, excellently portrayed and doesn't feel like the excuse to make the trailer more exciting, as it easily could have been. It's instead a nice change, as halfway through the film we do have a lot of shots of apes in cages. However, they never get dull, and are broken up nicely by the scenes involving scientist and Ceaser's father-figure Will (James Franco) wandering around in more versatile locations. Franco puts in an excellent performance as a dad that wants desperately his son back, one that more than forgives him for the utter tripe that was Your Highness, the worst film I've seen this year.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, however, is on the other end of that scale. Whilst I'm not going to pretend that I've seen an enormous range of this years' films (Partically thanks to the lack of anything but a multiplex nearby) it's still my favourite, as it's a blockbuster that is also interested in being a 'proper film'. It's about something. There's a genuine plot. It's not The Truman Show, it's not It's a Wonderful Life, but it's still a gem of it's own kind, albiet a rather hairy sort.

8.5 circus orangutans out of 10

These are the 30 players Wales should take to the World Cup.

Firstly, appologises it's been a while since my last post, and it's going to be so again, as I'm going to Italy tommorow, so I'll see you all a week today. Now that's the formalities over, in the past two weeks, I've witnessed Wales attempt to develop some kind of strength in depth over the course of two games, home and away, against England. I was lucky enough to be at the one in Cardiff, which was amazing, but the experience has helped me to narrow down my pick as to which players should be headed to New Zealand in under a months time. It'll be the pinacle of many of these players careers, and I'd say all of the ones I've selected have, on the whole, earnt it, with two exceptions, which I'll mention. Anyway, without further ado, here they are, my 30 for Wales:
FULLBACK

Lee Byrne
With Stoddart out, here's our only option. Having been first choice since 2008, he must be selected, and should probably be starting Vs. South Africa and Samoa (The biggest games) due to being a specalist. If we can find him on a good day, he'll be running good lines and using his rather handy 70-metre boot to good effect.


 WINGS

Shane Williams
He's arguably the best attacking player in the world. He's the top try-scorer of any Welshman (ever) or any current player. He's an utter legend and could by no means be left out.

Leigh Halfpenny
Outrageously quick, a fantastic tackler (Amongst the best cover-tacklers in the world) and he also has that seigegun boot to draw upon. A vital player, and one I'd start over George North just for his greater skill set. He should probably be our back-up Fullback as well.

George North
15 stone, 6 foot, 19 years old. Physically, he's a monster, but he's got the skills of a far smalle,r defter man, proving that big wingers don't have to be brain-dead Matt Banahans. 5 tries in 7 games says it all.



CENTRES

Jamie Roberts
Finally starting to regain form after his Lions exploits in 2009, Roberts has been on great form in the past two games and is looking increasingly like he's going to be a key part of Wales' plans at the World Cup. His defence has improved immesurably and he's starting to run at gaps again.

Jonathan Davies
The form centre in not only Wales but the British Isles in club rugby last season, Davies is finally starting to deliver on his poential thanks to his increased respect for the basic skill of passing. He's looking more and more like a playmaker with each passing game, but still offers Roberts-like physicality in midfield. He's also far too quick for his size.

Gavin Henson
Yes, I'd take him and no, I'm not watching The Bachelor on Friday. It's simple as this: Henson is a distributing 12. Wales need a distributer at 12. Henson use to be world class, before he went off the boil and took 18 months off from rugby. In his 20 mins on Saturday, I think he showed his poetential once more. I'd not only take him, but start him once he's fit again.

Scott Williams
Creeps in thanks to the Stoddart injury, he's virtualy a no-namer, but has really impressed me on all three of his bench appearances for Wales. He seems to have an eye for the gap and quite a bit of pace, as well as physicality. I recall him playing well for the u20s last year, and he's taken a massive step up.





Fly-Halves

James Hook
"James Hook... HOOK IS THROUGH! It's Wales who gets the try!" His try, plus two vital penalties, on Saturday just showed how key he is to Wales. Shane and Adam Jones aside, he's our best player, and he has to play every game (Possibly aside from Namibia) otherwise our creativty shall stiffle majorly. Fly-Half is his best positon, but he may be forced to act as that distributing 12.

Stephen Jones
Good ol' Stephen. Mr. Dependable. Soon to be Wales' most-capped player, Steve may yet be the man we need. A cool, calculating head and a very nice chap indeed, he's less likely to make the mistakes Hook or Priestland'll make, but at the same time, the risks he doesn't take may prevent Wales from scoring. I don't think Steveo stiffles Wales creativity or anything, but he won't start something himself like the other 2 would. However, I think him and Hook together may be what we need in a big game.

Rhys Priestland
If you'd told me a year ago that Rhys Priestland would be playing for Wales, I'd assume Gatland had thrown another wobbler. However, he's really earnt it, and then rewarded the Welsh coaches, and, indeed, public with two excellent displays against the Old Enemy. He's a cert for the plane now.


Scrum-Halves

Tavis Knoyle
At the minute, Tavis Knoyle is our best scrum-half. He suits our style of play, offering both physicality and quick ball and is also a great passer, unlike a certain Mr. Phillips. I can see the arguments that he isn't expeirenced enough to take on the Boks, but we'll see this wekeend when he plays Argentina.

Mike Phillips
Not because he's one of our three best scrum-halves, because he certainly isn't, but because he's the one getting all the gametime. The slowest in international Rugby by a long way, Phillips is pretty much useless in attack, but when it comes to defending he earns his worth, and he finally convinced me of that last week. He may be the man to sit on the bench and come on if we get a narrow lead.

Dwyane Peel
I have no idea what's going on with Dwyane Peel. He should probably be first choice, but he wasn't released until the 4th August, meaning he couldn't play Vs. England, and even then he was injured, according to Rob Howley, but then he says he's not and... AGGHH!! Just pick him. He's a good, all-round 9.


Props

Adam Jones
The best prop in the world. That's all.

Gethin Jenkins
He's going, no matter what state he's in. Probably the world's premier loosehead, he's an excellent scrummager but it's in the loose that his work is really apprechiated. He tackles and chases like a flanker and runs with the ball in hand like a centre. His work rate is phoenimum, and he also holds the world record for most tackles in one match bya prop- 18, a statistic the Richie McCaws and Thierry Dusitoirs of the world would be proud of.

Paul James
He's turned himself into a fine replacement for the currently ultra-injury prone Gethin Jenkins, and as such is likely to play the first game against the defending champions, and shall be on the bench for the big games once Gethin's fit again. A good scrummager and decent enough in the loose to pass at international level.

Craig Mitchell
He's struggled the past two weeks, but held up very, very well in the Six Nations against some world-class front rowers such as Castrogiovanni, Cole and Mas. He booked his flight to New Zealand long ago.

Ryan Bevington
Wonderfully athletic, he gets in thanks to Gethin's injury. He's a very intellegent footballer for a propa dn is currently learning to handle top-level scrummaging. Could find himself on the Lions tour in 2013 if he continues to develop at this pace.



Hookers

Richard Hibbard
He'll find himself as our first-choice at the World Cup thanks to Matthew Rees' incredibly unfortunate recovery (I wish him a speedy recovery). Thankfully, he's proved his worth as of late, and is, in my opinon, better than Dylan Hartley, Rory Best and Ross Ford, the first-choice hookers for each of the other home nations.

Huw 'Not Straight' Bennett
He's certainly not earnt his right to be playing for Wales. He's awful. He can't throw at all and is constantly mashed in the scrum. He's not even a good carrier, as Burns is. His one good trait is his knack of cleaning up after others when they make mistakes, although nobody can ever manage to clean up after his horrendous wobblers. However, he has to go as Ken Owens hasn't played for Wales yet.

Lloyd Burns
Again, he's not as good as Ken Owens, but he is capped, and has looked quite good in the loose, even if his throwing was rather poor on Saturday. He should be behind Ken, but finds himself infront. Good form for the Dragons is to thank for that. He's a good carrier, as mentioned above, though, so that's something.


Locks

Alun-Wyn Jones
Great tackle count, hard worker, good in the lineout. He's a leader. He must go and must start.

Bradley Davies
A hard-nosed player and a good carrier, Bradley and Alun-Wyn could and probably should be the Welsh boiler room combination for years to come. Both have already etched their way into the First XV, and as such little more has to be said on them.

Luke Charteris
A good performance on Saturday was, in my eyes, all he needed to get on the plane. he delivered, and so they're currently moddifying that particular jet to hold in 7-foot frame. His heigh is useful in the lineout, but he's also got some deft skills in those long arms, although he is somewhat more mistake prone than AWJ and Bradley.


Back Row

Danny Lydiate
Lydiate's game is simple: He hits hard, and he keeps hitting hard. He's a grafter, and he doesn't pretend to be any more or any less. Watch the game against Fiji, where he just smashed and continued to smash a team known for their physicality and the last All Blacks match, as he just took the NZ back-row out of the game, meaning Wales could keep hold of their own ball without a certain Mr. McCaw pinching it. We need him to provide some serious bish bash bosh.

Sam Warburton
The king is dead, long live the king... The only player to ever look like, let alone actually manage to, usurp Martyn 'legend' Williams from the Welsh no. 7 jesrey, Warburton is the modern-day jackle king and over the past few weeks has surpased David Pocock, in my eyes, anyway, as the second-best openside in world rugby. He'll probably be our captain, too.

Ryan Jones
He should be our starting No. 8, in my eyes, a decission that I think has finally been settled.. He's not as dynamic as Toby Faletau, but is a safe pair of hands in what is otherwise a very young and inexperienced back row. He'll also be the cover lock and 6.

Toby Faletau
Toby needs more time to turn himself into a top-level eightman, and in a vital RWC match Vs. the Springboks isn't the time to do it. Bench, maybe, but not starting. He should certainly go to the World Cup, mind. Hence his inclusion on this list.

Josh Turnbull
Turnbull's been in excellent form all season, and that's why he gets in. I would have liked to have seen him play at 6 this weekend, as I feel Lydiate's done enough, but I'd still say he's booked himself a place by not screwing up on any of his international cameos. He won Wales the penalty that clinched the win on Saturday, too, just proving that he can cope at the highest level.

Martyn Williams
Yes, he's 9000 years old, and yes, he's begining to drop off the pace, but I, along with the entire Welsh public, love Martyn and just want him to go to the World Cup. He doesn't have to earn it. All we have to do is get Jiffy to give Martyn a man-of-the-match award for the game against Argentina on Saturday, and we'll be happy. Please let him go, Mr. Gatland. He doesn't have to be first choice (Warburton has earnt that right) but I so want him to get his 100th cap, there is nobody more deserving...



So, that's my 30. I'd like to see Gareth Delve go, too, but he's been dropped from the squad thanks to 'Not being able to keep up in training' or something. I'll examine what Gatland does when I'm back home next week, after he names his actualy 30 on Monday, giving him 2 days to chew over the Argentina game and decide he realy does want to take Martyn Williams. Until next time...

Films What I Saw #4: Captain America: the First Avenger

I saw Captain America a few days ago despite wanting to see Arrietty, but it's quite hard to convince a group of young males to watch a Japanese animation based on the Borrowers when they're hell-bent on watching a genetically modified super-human blow stuff up, for some reason. It's taken me this long to write anything on it because I really have nothing to say on the subject. This film somehow seems to have broken into new levels of averageness. Usually, saying 'Average' means there is nothing in any regard remarkable about a film. Captain America, however, is remarkable for being just as average as it is. It's as average as a Metacritic review score. Which, for this, incdently a very average 56.

What can I say about it that I haven't already said? Chris Evans is alright, although I wasn't fond of the CGI-ing of his head onto a skinier body, the woman is alright, the special effects are slightly above alright, but then that's to be expected considering the above-average budget, meaning that anything less would be poor. This has no doubt been a rubbish 'review', and I must say that in inverted commas, because I don't feel this has been structured enough to be considered a 'review', but it just felt utterly unremarkable and unambitious. The whole 'blockbuster' thing is almost starting to get on my wick now. Whilst I'm not going to start any campaigns against it, nor boycott them because I'm obviously not perswasive enough to convince anybody to see anything that cost under a gazillion dollars, I'm bored of the idea, bored of the ad campaigns and, most importantly, bored of the films. While this wasn't as bad as Pirates of the Carebean 4 when it comes to the most boring 'Blockbuster' I've seen this year, it certainly wasn't anything inspirational and lacked the original, thought-provoking angle on the base material the X-Men films have taken, which I was harsh on by virtue of it being my first film I spoke about on this blog, and therefor meaning it didn't get a 'proper' review. The 'America needs an icon' is a good idea, but the filmmakers did nothing to improve on that, so, as such, it gets a very average score of...

5 Toby Jones doing German accents out of 10

100, thank you!

You know you're blog isn't that popular when after nearly two months of blogging, you create a post to thank everyone for visiting because you've just hit 100 hits. Cheers, guys.

The Rugby Challenge has, indeed, just begun...

At the moment, I'm trying to write indivdual content for, believe it or not, five sites. At once. It's a nightmare. A CV-bolstering nightmare, granted, but a nightmare nonetheless. Ontop of this rather lovely blog, I'm also working on three reviews for KN, (The Batman: Arkham Asylum one should be up soon. It's scored quite well) plus a variety of other assorted features for it that shall be unveiled in their proper time and I'm also involved as a newsy-type on website AV Gamers, writing newsy things about, funnily enough, games. Then there's a secret project which I can't mention to anyone, at all, ever. Really, it's a secret. All in all: I'm quite busy, although it feels like I'm doing nothing because these words are being written about video games, films and TV, which seem like nothing-subjects to me. I'm also on Twitter.

However, I find much of my time (When I'm not plugging my own work) being spent working out what exactly I'm going to do with the game once I finally get my hands on Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge. As a Rugby fan, I've always been likely to be interested in the game, but it's really surpasing my expectations. I haven't played it, but I've watched every single video of it on the internet, plus the one of the pre-release build that got leaked out and quickly pulled down. It looks smooth enough, I guess, but then it's got all the club sides anyone'd ever want to play as. (Although regrettably no Japanese league) And the vast majority of the player likenesses we've seen are spot-on. My only concern is whether or not Kiwi devs Sidhe, who seem to have done a sterrling job, have accurately rated Pat Leach or Morgan Allen, or any of the more obscure Welsh players. I trust they'll get the attributes of Shane Williams and Adam Jones down to a tee, but if they can nail the perfection that is Jason Tovey's tactical kicking, then I'll be impressed.

Look at George North's digital face! it's amazing! ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG! Oh, and there's Shane Horgan too. Hi Shane Horgan.

I'm excited for this game in a riddiculous way. While I don't feel as determinded about its upcoming greatness as I do, say, Zelda: Skyward Sword, I've got this total anxiety to play it, which probably comes across in this blog post, which is probably the worst structured, most rambliest I've done in a while. I've also chosen not to spellcheck or proof read it, in true fanboy blog style. There was no planning for this. My excitement for Rugby Challenge is not because it's going to be a Game of the Year contender, (Although with the pannel including myself and Grancko, it may sneak into the Top 20) but because it's the kind of game I've dreamt of making. Gameplay that actually works and all the licensed teams I'd ever want, and then a player creator for the unlicensed  teams I'd want? Cheers, Sidhe. It's a totally rational game to love as a Rugby fan, but as a person that is on the verge of gaining some respect in the games industry as a review-type, it's irrational. But I don't care, because in late August/early September, I'll be able to control a digital Tavis Knoyle, and nobody can take that away from me.

Film What I Saw #3: Cars 2

Monster Inc is the finest animated film of all time. It expertly crafts and disposes of a world and worlds worth of characters within 100 minutes, using these as a medium to conjure up all imaginable emotions. It's a masterpiece that sits proudly amongst the greatest films ever, rather than just the best animated ones.WALL-E is a perfect example of the CGI 'digimation' finally coming out of its shell- A mature film with serious issues on its mind but even more so in its heart. However, it still embraces how it is presented, offering laughs and far-fetched ideas that would hardly be possible with a camera and some actors. The original Cars, however, was simply a good example of the digital animation genre. A couple of gags, a couple of action bits, but mostly just a romp aimed at the kids. It seemed to have little-to-no aspirations to be any more than the best vehicle on that particular track, never aiming to conquer the world.

The sequel, however, is on a far grander scale, the plot even reflecting the metaphor I used up above. Now a worldwide event, Lightning McQueen (Voiced by a strangely bearable Owen Wilson, an actor for whom my hatred has recently been rekindled, thanks to a spike of Marley & Me reruns.) must take on the best racers from every country in the world, although we hardly see anything of anyone but the Italian entry, a cocky, snide Ferrari called Francesco. While John Turturro does a good job of making his cringe-worthy lines a bit less irritating, he's still slightly grating, and for all the wrong reasons. Not quite the charismatic anti-hero Pixar wanted him to be. Mater the tow-truck , McQueen's best friend, also falls flat on his digitally constructed face as well. The first films' comic relief character, (Though I personally never found him that funny) he's given a far bigger role this time around, essentially replacing Lightning McQueen as the lead character. There's also not enough of Nigel Gearsley, the British car, who I was really wanting to cheer for. He's little more than a plot device, soon blown off the track by part of the second plot running through the movie.

Yes, where as the original was a fairly straight-forward film, they've essentially put their ideas for film two and film three together here, because along with the World Grand Prix, we've also got a spy plot going on. Moeikal Coaine is really quite good as the British intelligence car (There's a great gag on this when he first reveals this to Mater.) on a top-secret global mission, somehow recruiting Mater along the way, believing him to be an incredible American spy who disguises himself as a foolish tow-truck.Oh, and I meant Michael Caine back there, by the way. Sorry. I'll try and steer away from that kind of thing. (Steer? Anyone? No? Never mind.) Bond references litter the film, some recycled from The Incredibles, although they're a little hit-and-miss, while the London-based climax was surprisingly unpatronizing, with extra jokes that only the UK-based viewers (Or at least those familiar with our culture, even Pixar weren't familiar enough to realise that the Union Jack is not the 'England' flag.) would get, including a cameo from Lewis Hamilton, although he's not as entertaining as Jeremy Clarkson was in the previous instalment.

At the end of the day, Cars 2 is a very different beast to the original. Souped up and pimped out to the max, it fits far better with my tastes- While I'd argue it's a huge improvement on the original, I could understand if those who liked the simplicity of the first film don't appreciate the more ambitious sequel. However, I believe it's everything a good follow-up should be: Bigger, bolder and unashamedly more intelligent. Pixar remain the kings of not just animation, but sequels as a whole. Let's hope next years follow up to The Finest Animated Film Of All Time(tm) lives up to my (extremely high) expectations.

7 open wheels out of 10

Films What I Saw #2: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two

Monday was quite a potent day for me. Whilst a jaunty trip to the local multiplex may not seem that big a deal, it was actually more of an act of closure. Whilst there's bound to be plenty of blogs being all misty-eyed and soppy about the film, I'd just like to quickly say that, yes, like everybody else my age, I've grown up with Harry. I've always been a Potter fan, since getting the first book for my birthday, years before The Philosophers Stone was released as a movie. As shaky as that first film was, the series has grown into a genuine piece of cinematic gold, one of few series to hold viewers interest that well over the span of eight films whilst also maintaining a consistent level of quality. Perhaps Daniel Radcliffe isn't the best actor in the world, but he's genuinely believable. You can see him as somebody with power thrust upon him, instead of opting to lead the life he ended up having to. Rupert Grint is the only 'good actor' amongst the regular child cast, but then I'd argue most of them are in the same boat as Harry himself.

Anyway, what of the eighth instalment itself? It's really rather good. It is, indeed, an act of closure on the worldwide global phenonium (A world I nor the spellchecker can spell) that the trailers keep reminding us it is.While I felt the final battle was somewhat understated, it generally worked quite well. David Yates is a fantastic director, and certainly the right man for the job, creating an air of uncertainty amongst even those of us who have read the book multiple times. The constant nods to previous films work very, very well, fully embracing the source material and the folklore JK Rowling has built up, rather than ignoring the world of Harry Potter to focus on the man himself, which may have made for a better stand-alone film, but Yates' decisson makes for a fans' treat instead. A special mention must also go to Helen Bonerman-Carter for her performance as Hermione being Belatrix. Totally convincing and spot-on as somebody 'trying out' someone elses body, and attempting to command the same respect. In fact, the whole Gringots heist scene was excellent, and one of few scenes that made me glad of the extra £4 I spent on 3D glasses. Otherwise, however, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by the extra dimension. I was reluctant to pay the extras, but in the end was forced to sit there with glasses in my lap, making the most of what little light the film had without the shades there to take it away.

There were some definate moments of wobble, though- Nevile beheading the snake, Nagini, was nowhere near as daramtic as I remember it in the book. he randomly pulls out the sword of Godric Griffindor waaaaay too early, and his swipe is fittingly dramatic, but I wasn't too fond of the angle that Yates picked, though it's a minor quibble. Speaking of the Quibbler, a word has to go out to the actress playing the daughter of the author of that fine paper. (Tenious segway, but I made it) When she first appeared in Order of the Phoenix, I wasn't fond of her portrayal of the loopy Luna Lovegood, but she's really grown on me to the point in which I couldn't imagine anybody else in the role.

It's funny how much Potter lore has actually been ignored in the film. While Cho Chang makes a cameo and Seamus Finnigan pops up to give his usual Irish performance, I wanted to see more from the Weasley twins (Aside from Hagrid, they've always been my favourite characters) before a certain unfortunate incident involving one of the two and Molly Weasley not casting the killing curse was disapointing. Yet, despite all this, it's a well-tied up end to a series of which I have been a big fan. You can expect more on the series from me in the future.

8 Kingsly Shacklebolts out of 10

Wales and the No. 8 Crisis

Not that long ago I made a post on this very blog concerning Wales' issues in the No. 9 shirt. While it's an area Wales are typically always well off for, No 8 is a far lesser-competed slot historically. Yes, we've brought the world Mervyn Davies and Scott Quinell, but beyond that? Nadda. Nothing compared to Rob Howley, Robert Jones, Terry Holmes, Dai Bishop and Dwyane Peel in addition to the almighty Gareth Edwards, the man voted The Greatest Rugby Player Ever. So here we are, the second in what may become a series. Maybe. We'll see. Who should Wales be picking at No. 8? I'll investigate...

Ryan Jones

Caps: 52
Points: 5 (1 try) -Although the IRB lists him as having 2, despite one officially being a penalty try.
Age: 29
Club: Ospreys


Pros: Ah, good old Ryan. A truly inspirational leader, with many positive qualities and, as a person, a top bloke. Until last year, he's always been Wales captain under Warren Gatland, so he's obviously got the respect of the squad and the leadership qualities to boot, always leading from the front and putting in countless tackles. Experience is on his side, too, as he's played over 50 test matches and 100+ matches for the Ospreys, more than anybody else on this list. He's also a thinking No. 8, which is a delight compared to the likes of Andy Powell

Cons: Smart man he may be, but he's not the solid man as well, or at least anymore. He use to be a really dynamic ball carrier, but has lost that in recent years. However, it's easy to forget how well he carried in the Six Nations, so he still could be the top man going into the world's No. 1 tournament.


Toby Faletau

Caps: 1
Points: 0
Age: 20
Club: Newport-Gwent Dragons


Pros: He's an enormous Tongan with an afro! Where can you go wrong? Nowhere, it seems with Toby at the minute. He's in such great form, a brilliant ball carrier and with skills to match. He's also deceptively quick, meaning he can keep going once he busts through the defence. He's also a pretty handy kicker, if he needs to be.

Cons: Just look up at those stats. The number 0 pops up twice, while 1 and 2 also make single entries. He's inexperienced. He started quite slowly against the Barbarians on his sole cap, but he did quite well after a quite 20 minutes. He's certainly good enough, but is it simply too big a risk to throw him in the deep end against South Africa for his first 'proper' test match?

Andy Powell

Caps: 17
Points: 0
Age: 29
Club: Sale Sharks



Pros: Just look at that picture up there. Phwoar! Smashing straight through McCaw, having already left Kaino in his wake. He's incredible strong and uses it to good effect, just bouncing people off and dragging them along. He's shown in the past what a well-rounded player he can be, for instance on his first man-of-the-match debut against South Africa a few years ago. But mostly, he's just an utter wrecking ball.


Cons: Unfortunately, that wrecking ball has smashed his brains out. Andy Powell is really, really thick. As in bone dead stupid. As in drink-drive a golf buggy up the M4 at the dead of night without any trousers on stupid. He doesn't know where to run or what to do, which is the second biggest issue with him to the way that he gives away countless silly penalties, which when your opposition has a goal kicker such as Morné Steyn, you can't afford to do.

Gareth Delve

Caps: 12
Points: 5 (1 try)
Age: 28
Club: Melbourne Rebels





Pros: He's really, a complete No. 8. He's not as quick as Toby, but besides that he matches him in almost every department. He's in fantastic form, as any Australian Melbourne Rebels fans shall tell you, he's a great carrier and an equally good tackler. He's also capable in the air and in the lineout. He's an exception player.

Cons: ...But an exceptional player who plays in Australia. He's hardly played with any of the current Welsh squad, and when he has that's been in limited bursts. (One game plus one week training last year, and before that nothing since 2008.) While Toby hasn't been playing for Wales, he's been alongside the likes of Dan Lydiate and Aled Brew and playing against the other Welsh clubs, but Delve has been way out in Australia, waiting to be forgotten, which thankfully, he hasn't, meaning he's now in the Welsh training squad. He could be the man if he can get familiar with the Welsh set-up.

Or Someone Out of Position

Sam Warburton
Plays Number Eight up to Under 20s level, but hasn't started there since. While he's come off the bench once or twice in the position there for the Blues, he's established himself as the world's third-best openside flanker, where I think we all want him to continue. A no-no for me.

Dan Lydiate
I keep talking about how good and how underrated Lydiate is, but nobody ever listens. He's up there with the best Blindsides in the world, but nobody ever notices him because he just gets about his job in private. But look at who he's come up against, and how they've played when opposite him. Rocky Elsom, Sean O'Brien, Richie McCaw and Thierry DusitoirLydiate's been their opposite number. Coincidence? Unlikely. Anyway, he's too useful on the flank to move him to No. 8, means he can't do as much defensive work and ruck-smashing as he's too busy focusing on carrying the ball and his positioning.

Rob McCusker
Of all the 'out of positon' options I've thrown up here, I'd say McCusker is the most realistic. While he's not a No. 8 by trade, he has played there quite a few times for the Scarlets and has done a decent enough job in the positon. He's a good carrier and is looking rather adept at international level, (See him against the All Blacks last year, he played 60 minutes against the top team in the world and didn't look out of place at all, despite having just one cap and being somewhat of a wildcard for squad selection.) while also capable of doing Lydiate-style ruck-smashing, he could be a realistic option as a last-minute filler, although I wouldn't go starting him there above any of the four specialists.

Jonathan Thomas
NO.










Anyway, that's my assessment of the No. 8s in Wales (Or Australia, whichever the case may be.) and while my overall pick would vary, I think I'm leaning towards Ryan Jones for the opener against the Springboks, because we'll need every ounce of leadership and experience we can muster for that game, but Toby will be perfectly suited for the other games, especially since with his Tongan heritage, playing against Fiji and Samoa is basically a local derby! Just so long as we don't pick JT, it'll be fine.

An Inspir3D System Line-Up

Not that anyone noticed, but last Friday was a very important day. Not just because it was the 1st of July and therefor officially the point in which us in Britain can be legitimately disappointed when it rains, rather than just sighing and carrying on but due to a more gaming-related reason. The first day of July marked the release of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries, a landmark in the history of Nintendo handhelds. Firstly, on a lighter note, it was the quickest time in which a Nintendo handheld has gained an 18-rated title, just three months, (It took both the GBA and DS three years to gain a GTA title, which went on to be their only adult-only games.) but secondly, and most significantly, it was the tenth good game on the 3DS. Yes, Nintendo's most recent portable system has gained another digit on the count and with it achieves the feat far quicker than the humble DS, a system that now boasts the best library to grace any console, Ever.

For my money, these ten games are launch titles Super Street Fighter IV, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, Ridge Racer 3D, Pilotwings Resort, Pro Evolution Soccer 3D and Nintendogs plus more recent releases in the collective shapes of Dead or Alive: Dimensions, Steel Diver, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and now Mercenaries. OK, perhaps Steel Diver is pushing it slightly as it'll never become a classic or anything as a number of the mentioned titles may well do, but as an early piece of software, it's quite nice. I currently own five of these games, with intentions to pick up them all when the price dips on those I do not own. (Ridge Racer is already beginning to slip.)

Mario's headed to the 3DS, via the Galaxy team's bus. Can't be bad, can it?

What's all the more remarkable is the coming line-up of games. This autumn/winter period, the 3DS shall be hit by an incredible amount of triple A titles. Never before have Nintendo spoilt us like this, the closest I can think being the grand November of 2007 that saw a brand new Metroid and Zelda launch just either side of Probably The Best Game Ever, Super Mario Galaxy. Within three months (Or even less) Nintendo shall be launching a new Mario platformer, Star Fox in full 3D, a brand new Mario Kart title and the long-awaited return of Kid Icarus on top of a brand new Wii Zelda game that's been in the works of six years.

This is before you look at this Christmas' third-party software for the little miracle-box. There's Metal Gear Solid launching for it, a new Tales game from tri-Ace (Who are also working on the incredible-looking Beyond the Labyrinth, as I reported for AV-Gamers the other day.) and an original BluBlaze title also being given the 3DS treatment. Don't forget Doctor Larautec, either, France's answer to Professor Layton or the surprisingly good looking Pac-Man Dimensions, which includes the whole of both Pac-Man: Championship Editions and Pac-Man Vs, two very fine games indeed, as well as various reworkings on Galaga. Don't forget the online store, either, which shall be letting you download Mario's Picross before long, great news for square-guzzling fans like me.

It's important to remember that by comparison, the DS had a really start. It took it a year and a half to get a 'proper' RPG (And even then, it was the rather underwhelming LostMagic) and by the Christmas point had just five good games, (Mario 64, Meteos, Nintendogs again, Sonic Rush, Mario Kart) as opposed to nearly 20 as the 3DS shall have. (I've also written off the somewhat promising Dream Triger, an ultra-hardcore bullet hell title with rhythm action elements.) For a machine coming under so much criticism, you have say that it's a pretty strong line-up, especially compared to a system that didn't get as much stick yet struggled even more. It's already got a better library than the PSP and it's godawful lack of diversity. The 3DS has a big future ahead of it, you've just got to believe.

The Year So Far in Games

We're now over half way through 2011! (I know, I can't believe it either. I keep thinknig it's still 2010.) As such, I should probably do a 'half way GOTY' thing on KN, but the 5 year Anniversary prompted enough list-related arguing, so I've decided instead, we'll just deal with this very important issue here, on my little blog thing. No fancy introductions, let's just start: My top 5 games of 2011 so far...

5. One of the titles bellow that I haven't actually played, but intend to soon as I've been somewhat too busy to play every single game that's come out, but know I'll love at least one of them. (My guess is currently Ghost Trick.
 

4. Kirby's Epic Yarn
Those of you who read this blog are probably yet to stumble upon this little nugget: I love platformers. Platformers of any kind tend to take my fancy, be they 2D, 3D or the current industry favourite, 2.5D. Epic Yarn, however, is a completely new sort of look and feel for the genre. The fabricy effects are simply excellent- Charming and also help the game feel completely unique, despite being about the eight trillianth 2D platformer released on Wii lately, just proving that 1995's favourite genre still isn't dead.

3. Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
I've just mentioned my love of jumping on things, however, Advance Wars is another title that has a habit of absorbing me in a way I wouldn't expect to be sucked in. Why am I mentioning this now? Because Ghost Recon on the 3DS may not seem like an ideal 3D showcase, but the turn-based strategy title is verging on being as good as it's Intellegent Systems-developer cousin. The best non-AW strategy game I've played in a long, long time. Possibly ever.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
A marketing teams' dream: It's the game commonly described as the best ever, now redone with visuals to do it justice, on a handheld system for the first time. The constant "96% -Gamesmaster, 1998" and "10/10 -Eurogamer, 1998" we're seeing still stand up today, with familiarity being only of the only things forcing it down into second positon. It's a great game, and the 3D genuinly works to make it feel even better.

1. Portal 2
I just made a post a few days ago telling you all how much I loved Portal 1. Well, lately I've managed to get stuck in with the sequel, and I'd like to confirm that it's still utterly brillaint and geniusly designed, even if I'm not enjoying it quite as much as I did the original, though a lot of that may be because the sheer magic of using the portal gun is begining to wear off. However, making comparisons to one of the best games ever is an unfair thing. Rated against the rest of this years' efforts, they hardly stand up. It's magestic. And going to be reviewed in a few days time, so I don't want to use up too many ways to describe it on this silly little blog.


There we have it. Oh, and keep your eyes on KN for lots of reviews over the next few weeks if you like the way I use words. If you don't, it's a lot better on there because I go back and check them, rather than punch them in and leave it as it is. OK, that's all for today. Bye bye everyone.