Doom (2005)

Traditionally, games to movie adaptations are rarely very good. However the ‘Doom’ movie appears to break that mould, staying faithful to the albeit light storyline attached to the game series. I was initially dubious of this film because is starred wrestler-turned-actor; ‘The Rock’, a move that hasn’t been done successfully (debatable) since Roddy Piper shook his mullet in the face of adversity and alien invasion in John Carpenters ‘They Live’ (1988). However I was very impressed with the performances all round, in particular Richard Brake playing ‘Corporal Dean Portman’, who gives his character a wonderful sense of eccentricity. The special effects are excellent and the visuals are slick and fluid. The sets and locations are all spot on and have all been accurately created to maintain that ‘Doom’ feel. There are loads of references to the game to keep the fans happy, like the BFG (Big Fucking Gun), Chainsaw, and a superb First-Person perspective sequence which directly mimics the way you play the computer game. The only thing lacking in the film was Hell, which, according to the game is where the creatures came from. This aside, the storyline is very engaging, with the group of marines lead by ‘Sarge’ (The Rock) sent to the UAC’s Mars facility to investigate strange disturbances in the research labs, only to discover something much more sinister is afoot. Only a few cheesy one-liners slip through the net as this entertaining sci-fi flick does the ‘Doom’ franchise justice.

Wolf Creek (2005)

Loosely based on real life events, ‘Wolf Creek’ follows a group of three backpackers who take a trip into part of the Australian outback and fall prey to brutal killer who initially offers to fix their car, then takes them captive. What ensues is an onslaught of tense torture scenes and ruthless and relentless cat and mouse chases, much in the style of ‘The Hitcher’ (1986). ‘Wolf Creek’ has good initial character development which allows the viewers to sympathise with the victims later on. It breaks some horror clichés, catching you off guard and maintaining tension. John Jarret gives an uncompromising performance as killer ‘Mick Taylor’; the way he holds a stare with one of his potential victims is especially unnerving. In a particularly disturbing scene, one of the characters stumbles upon collections of personal effects from previous victims like passports and currency from different parts of the world, similar to ‘Wrong Turn’ (2003). Seeing familiar items like Five Pound notes pinned to the wall in some psychopath’s hovel in the middle of nowhere, thousands of miles from home is very unsettling. This film has the same relentless qualities as some of its protégés such as ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974) and, playing with the thought that this film is based on true events and that each year thousands of people do go missing in these places, proves this contemporary horror film very effective.

Thinking With Portals™

Valve recently released an astonishing new tech demo for the Portal Gun which will feature in the upcoming Half Life 2: Episode 2 for Xbox 360 and PC. If you imagine the impressive and logic defying portals featured in ‘Prey’, and then imagine being able to place these where ever you wanted with a gun, you are getting close to what the ‘Portal Gun’ is shaping up to be. The tech demo, made in the style of a tongue-in-cheek educational training video, proceeds to demonstrate the endless inventive ways in which this technology can be used. This is shaping up to the most exciting weapon ever conceived in a computer game giving endless non-linear tactical possibilities in both single and multiplayer gameplay, the only limit, it seems, will be your imagination. ‘Now you’re thinking with portals™’

Annually Retentive

In this hilarious new satirical comedy series on BBC Three, we are taken behind the scenes of a new panel show hosted by a reluctant and indignant Rob Brydon. Treading similar paths to ‘The Office’(2001), ‘Annually Retentive’ follows a constantly embittered Brydon, both on screen and behind the scenes, as he struggles to deal with the level of calibre of the D-list celebs chosen to appear on his show. A show that he believes is beneath him. When the cameras aren’t rolling, Rob makes his feelings know to the writers and producers about the derivative content of the show as well as insulting potential celebrity guests. The way he manages to offend so many people in his wake off-screen yet exhibit a brave face on-screen is a brilliantly funny contrast. It is hilarious how he dismisses people that eventually end up appearing on the show. I am really enjoying this witty comedy; currently the funniest thing on TV™

PGR 3 Style Pack

The third downloadable content package for Project Gotham Racing 3 has been released and includes another selection of exciting new cars, new achievements, new multiplayer game modes and the ability to now share your saved game photos on Live. The most exciting addition amongst the new motors in the return of the Mini Cooper S, which, in PGR2, spawned the fan-created online game mode ‘Cat and Mouse’ where one driver from each team has a Mini while the others have Class A cars and must prevent the rival teams’ Mini from progressing, the first team to get their Mini across the finish line wins. This update has made this an official game mode to play over Xbox Live as well as making relevant achievement points available. The added achievements now bring PGR3’s total attainable achievement score to 1000G which, as far as I know, is the maximum allowed by Microsoft per game. This means that not only is this likely to be the final PGR3 content but outlines the possibility that games that do not yet have the full 1000G attainable (like ‘Condemned: Criminal Origins’) may be due some added downloadable content in the future. Fingers crossed!

Breakdown of new Content:

New Cars
BMW M6, BMW Z8, BMW M3 CSL, BMW Mini Cooper S, Gumpert Apollo Coupe 4.2 V8, 2005 Chrysler Firepower Concept, Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona, Ferrari F430 Challenge, Mercedes CLK DTM AMG, Pagani Zonda F, RUF RK Spyder 3.8, Vanwall GPR V12

New Game Modes
Free Roam Points, Team Free Roam Points, Cat and Mouse

New Achievements
Cat Champion (10G), Mouse Master (15G), Cone Capture Champion (15G), Team Cone Capture Champion (10G)

Go East

I am always impressed when products are able to re-invent themselves through some fresh advertising. The latest ‘Sharwoods’ Eastern cuisine advert has done just that. Using wonderfully elegant, fast paced animation mixed with live action it captures the distinctive flair of the orient. The soundtrack further enhances the creative, colourful character of the advert, singing ‘Go East’ to the theme of ‘Go West’ by the Pet Shop Boys.

Flamboyant

‘Flamboyant’ was a recent successful pop song from The Pet Shop Boys. It was accompanied by a mesmerising music video set in the neon metropolis that is Tokyo. The bands music frequently contains veiled political or social undertones and ‘Flamboyant’ is no exception, posing as a clever satire to advertising culture. The video is visually eye catching with a perfect blend of graphics and live action. There are some great tongue in cheek fake adverts for perfumes etc, featuring the Pet Shop Boys themselves, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. The music videos story centres around a new Japanese craze spawned from the ‘Matrix Table Tennis’ video in which special effects are glibly mocked using people. This is undoubtedly, one of the most impressive music videos of recent times.

Headvoid

In a recent search for high resolution 1920x1200 wallpapers, I stumbled across some astonishing digital artwork on ‘deviantART’. A vector graphics artist by the name of ‘Headvoid’ has created some stunning abstract Illustrator work to fit most screen resolutions. His style is highly effective, and always bright and colourful, and on closer inspection you can observe the impressive detail he has attained. His work has really illuminated my desktop and I look forward to seeing more from this talented graphic artist.

Illusions

Inspired by the works of artist M.C. Escher, the latest Audi A6 advert plays with the concept optical illusions. In various locations, using wonderful special effects, the car appears to defy logic as the illusions play tricks on your mind. This mood is accompanies by an eerie sound track and excellent low saturation, high contrast urban imagery. The concluding tagline, ‘whatever the road holds’ completes this brilliantly surreal advert.

OXM 360 Issue 10

Issue 10's disc is the best yet, packed with 5 playable demos and a host of HD Trailers and videos. The demos included are; Lost Planet, Table Tennis, Top Spin 2, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and a new demo of Kameo. 'Lost Planet' as I mentioned in a previous post is simply stunning. Breathtaking graphics and environments and superb animation. 'Table Tennis' is exactly what it says, a highly addictive table tennis sim, which manages to replicate the sport in uncanny detail, and also contains the most realistic facial animations I have ever seen. I could play this demo all day, although you wonder what more the full game could actually offer. 'Top Spin 2' is a tennis sim and is also extremely addictive. The visuals are crisp and colourful and there is enough skill required to make winning each point very satisfying. I was ever so slightly disappointed with 'Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter' considering the hype surrounding it. Being a fan of 'Ghost Recon 2' on Xbox, the controls in GRAW don't feel as tight, making killing the enemies almost frustrating. Bear in mind though this is only a demo. 'Kameo' is a completely new demo compared to the one on Issue 04's disc. This version contains 4 separate levels, most notable one where, atop your horse, you must try to knock down as many trolls as you can. The amount of trolls on screen at once is quite incredible, there are literally hundreds, showing the raw rendering power the 360 is capable of. Amongst the videos on the disc is a great exclusive E3 interview with the Xbox 360 head of marketing, Peter Moore. The magazine is brilliant as ever; keep up the good work OXM.

Next months demos are; Saint's Row, Chromehounds, Amped 3, Hitman: Blood Money and a new one for Ghost Recon AW.