Reborn, Renew, Rebalance - 2014

The clocks were reset. So too shall work. So too shall this blog.

Now I don't wanna become all hammy from the get go, New Years Resolutions and all that... but I don't wanna be cynical about new beginnings too. A lot has happened since I've been on this site and I think its time for this work to find its voice and to become more than mere reflections of the world around me but of also who I am.

I can't help but think of positive thoughts going into this year. I'm very excited for what this year has to offer, especially on the works I cannot wait to get started. But I cannot help but recall a conversation I had with a friend who also has an online presence and how he too says its hard to balance the real world work with the online world. And that's something that I've always wanted to be a mantra for life...balance.

There's a video game called Mafia : City of Lost Heaven released in 2002, an open world gangster drama set in the 1920's. There's a speech in the ending that's always stuck with me...

http://youtu.be/IEKeRRpHZPE?t=6m59s

"You know, the world isn't run by the laws written on paper. It's run by people. Some according to laws, others not. It depends on each individual how his world will be, how he makes it. And you also need a whole lot of luck, so that somebody else doesn't make your life hell. And it ain't as simple as they tell you in grade school. But it is good to have strong values and to maintain them. In marriage, in crime, in war, always and everywhere. I messed up. So did Paulie and Sam. We wanted a better life, but in the end we were a lot worse off than most other people. You know, I think it's important to keep a balance in things. Yeah, balance, that's the right word. Because the guy who wants too much risks losing absolutely everything. Of course, the guy who wants too little from life, might not get anything at all."

So here's looking to 2014 and its gems of wonder that it may bring for I know I am ready to find that balance and to pour out my inspirations into moulds of words and stories of the soul.

The Weekend Rant : Hollywood and those Girls with Dragon Tattoos

So this week I FINALLY got round to watching the amazing Steig Larsson Millenium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked Over the Hornet's Nest), and its just gotten me thinking. For those of you who don't know, coming out later this year (December I believe) there will be an American version of the first of these Swedish films being released. I began to ask myself after finishing the first movie: HOW can Hollywood improve on these already stellar works? Although its not so much the "why", but the "who" does still have me intrigued to still follow it and not just disregard the Hollywood monster that it could well be, as I am a fan of David Fincher's work (the director in charge of the Hollywood remake and was responsible for two of my favourite movies, Fight Club and The Social Network) and it'll be interesting to see what he does with it. I'll try my best to not shoot down the American version(s) (especially since they're not even out yet!) but its really hard considering how Hollywood likes to just copy, remake or just churn out something new that is in fact either really old or already been done.

The posters for the Swedish "Originals".

Yet, it is hard to blatantly label the Hollywood version as a "remake" as most are all labelling it. In many an interview it has been said that its more of a "re-imagining" and an "adaptation" of the book by Fincher himself and the producer Søren Stærmose have stated. Søren Stærmose even produced the Swedish originals, which I'm still wondering how much of a mixed blessing that is in how much will be "re-imagined" and how much of the previous works he'll bring to the table regarding the source material and what makes it to the silver screen. Fincher is no stranger to dealing with dark issues and presenting them in hard hitting ways (all puns intended for Fight Club) and he has really chosen a source material with a lot of depth. Now I cannot vouch for the books themselves (thought I am told they cover an amazing wealth of depth and engrossing story) but the Swedish original does have its own share of deep and dark issues.
[SPOILER] such as the "guardian" that gets assigned to Lisbeth Salander and his degrading treatment of her including that graphic and extremely unnerving rape scene. [SPOILER]

And partly I wonder how Fincher will treat a lot of these dark issues and scenes especially for an American audience. The Swedish Original was done very maturely and shot very effectively, with not having to show everything but allude to things and have trust in the audience to just piece things together, such as Lisbeth Salander's relationship with Miriam Wu and not needing it all explained (yet the trailers for the American ones look as though they might be showing more to it). And while I do trust Fincher, I am just not too sure how far I should trust his entire department ESPECIALLY now after some publicity photos for Lisbeth have been released and its fair to say... they don't do the character justice.

Publicity Photos of Rooney Mara who plays Lisbeth in the upcoming American version.

The character of Lisbeth Salander is largely what makes the entire trilogy so amazing. From her outlandish looks to her amazing hacker skills to how she takes justice in her own hands to right the wrongs that the world has set against her. She, as a character, holds a powerful message for woman's rights and I personally think she is a great testament to showing how to portray a strong woman in a man's world without objectifying her. Noomi Rapace played her in the Swedish originals and there is a tender beauty in her acting. Some might've called it dead pan but they don't realize the character is very cerebral as well as showing signs of Asperger's Syndrome and does not place trust in others so easily so she does not open up often and its amazing to see those subtleties that Rapace plays her with. From her beaming eyes that dart about in thought in those more tender moments, to how strong and independent she is when operating in the patriarchy that is the society all around her and how she goes about showing that strength that does lie within her. She is a clever, thoughtful and amazing character that you start rooting for in her vigilantism.
We then cut to see what the photoshoots of Rooney Mara portraying Lisbeth and they're rather racy and while yes they have kept a rather outlandish punk/gothic look but the posing and clear objectifying Lisbeth just feels so... wrong. Some may argue this is Lisbeth being empowered in a patriarchal stance of using her "sexiness" as a tool to draw attention, but the point is she is nothing like that. She hates men, especially the kind that treat women as objects and abuse them, and then Hollywood just treats her with the same objectified nature that she hates. Now of course, one could argue how they are tastefully done in some weird psuedo-new age feminist way but somewhere deep inside I can't help but also think of how different audiences will interpret this, especially stereotyped audiences which one has to deal with when working with the media.

The cover of W magazine where the photos came from.

One can say how she's a very vulnerable character and this is her bearing herself. But Lisbeth isn't like that and its very annoying hearing people hark on in its defense that this is clearly using the traditional American PR quip that "Sex sells". Søren Stærmose, when asked to compare the actresses playing the Lisbeths in both version, said how Rapace was a more "empowered and a strong actress" and Mara encaptures her more "vulnerable side." Granted, looking like a doped up deer in the headlights is very vulnerable, but I can't see how these very "posed" and sexual publicity photos show any of that vulnerability. But maybe I'm just getting caught up in bad PR, since the article with the photos in question are really about Rooney Mara and not Lisbeth Salander and also when I should really focus on the movie an not the PR itself.

Speaking of PR and the movie, of course there's the poster.

Before they released the international (below) version, they just teased with the one above. While I still had some gripes, this one was "okay" at best with the dark lighting gave it that brooding seriousness that the movie does need. We know we're not seeing  a comedy here. There's a sense of mystery to it, we can tell these characters are linked and it had me intrigued.

And then came the international poster...

That pierced nipple... sigh. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against piercings in "exotic" places, and surprisingly I hadn't noticed it in the first poster with it blending rather seamlessly with the date. Its just... a very odd design choice. If you understand the character of Lisbeth you'll know that it just seems very bizarre and out of place. Yes, she is a very sexual being but not one to seem so exhibitionist like.  And yes, I know you can argue that its "artistic" and how there's some metaphor regarding a bared chest can often mean truthfulness or in matters regarding a heart sworn oath, but it still seems a bit jarring how unlike it is of these characters. But again, I am judging it rather harshly and even feel rather prudish in arguing against justifying it. Gods only know if they'll try justify it in an awkward dialogue in the movie, which makes me wonder what was going through Daniel Craig's mind during this shoot or even Rooney Mara when she was asked to get all those piercings (yes, apparently they're all real according to some dodgy third party Showbiz websites). I guess I should be thankful that's all they're showing that's pierced.

But despite these rather (in my opinion) poor design choices for the character of Lisbeth, the trailers do still have me super pumped. Hell, the mere fact that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (the duo behind the Oscar Winning Soundtrack of The Social Network) are teaming up again for some very awesome music. Just listen to the teaser:

And then for a better trailer to see more of how this is shaping up to look like a good movie.

Granted, I do realize I am being very harsh and nitpicky on this movie and it hasn't even come out yet, but that's just how captivated I have been by the Swedish versions and I must remember to remind myself of them being adaptions and not mere re-created Hollywood knock offs. I do have high hopes for this movie, even higher now after watching the Swedish originals and I really do hate that I feel this bias towards disliking it for how much I truly loved Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander, and I guess a human is entitled to some choice. Time will only tell if David Fincher will have another Oscar Nominee on his hands here.

So who do you prefer?

Monday Night Review: Space Marine

So to kick off the new week, I want to try my hand at a new segment I'd like to call Monday Night Review (hopefully it will be every Monday, but we'll see :P).

So to start this new segment, what better than one of my favourite games as of late: Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine. I'm no stranger to the world of Warhammer and Games Workshop, I even have 2 (plus-minus 3000 point) armies of Chaos Space Marines and Traitor Imperial Guard, but more on them later. So for this review is a bit of a doozy in the way that I wanna try review it as a game on its own and then as a tie-in to the 40k universe, and I'll try not let my geek-boner for Warhammer to try not to get in the way or bog down this review.



The singleplayer campaign start out rather epicly, setting up the story around the Forgeworld Graia - a planet sized factory that has come into dangerous peril from an invading Ork WAAAGGH (a huge invasion force of Orks that are fuelled by carnage and their lust for war and destruction). The intro tells us, all through a rather nice computer scan, that there are no nearby fleets to help stave off the invasion save for a small contingent of Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines. This is where you come in, playing as Captain Titus, leading your company of genetically enhanced super soldiers known as the Space Marines. From the get go, as a gamer and a 40k geek, I was captivated by the cinematic scale of the intro and just how there is quite a barrier of entrance into 40k lore but THQ and Relic really took it head on and I liked that they didn't let the lore bog it down and instead rather just get stuck into the action.

One of my teensy tiny gripes with the singleplayer story is the companions you hold. While they aren't game breaking and do add a lot to the game, but from a 40k stand point there is something a bit... odd. From the get go, as Titus descends from the Thunderhawk in the prologue, we are introduced your two sidekicks Veteran Leandros and Veteran Sergeant Sidonus. Already we see these are grizzled veterans, typical of the Space Marines that are able to live to be 1000 years old and battle for weeks on end. I just find it odd that Leandros, as it was said in some of PR Trailers and Interviews, is meant to be a rookie and yet he is serving in a veteran squad which is quite the paradox. There is also the matter that a few other fans picked up on Captain Titus going into battle without a fully stocked Command Squad, but to this I say: Would it not be a bit off putting having a huge Standard being waved about by one of your squad mates waltzing around the battlefield? It is also here that I feel Titus isn't the best of Captains, I mean sure he goes against the Codex Astartes, a book of rules that the bulk of the Space Marines follow as their guideline to fighting and living war (the Ultramarines were the ones to even pioneer it), but its not really that which I have a problem with. Its more of the fact that there is meant to be a large contingent of Ultramarines fighting on Graia, we even see them when making planetfall in the intro and also hear of them later when Titus tries to contact them. But what ever happens to them? Why doesn't Titus stand and fight alongside his brothers instead of going off on his own agenda? Yes, he is a Captain and it is his right to do as he pleases. It just would've been nice to see some of the greater scope of the whole world being engulfed, even though the theatre of war is grand I just didn't feel as grand as say Killzone's theatre of war. Granted, the game is also about focusing on you and not other soldiers and is about giving you that visceral feel of a walking death machine and it does this VERY well.

Just a taste of some of the Theatre Of War.

The action is very juicy and gory. At first I thought I was going to get bored of the somewhat lacklustre melee combos but surprisingly they hold up. Perhaps this is a testament of the rather short campaign playing to the advantage of not making the combat monotonous, even with the harder enemies that appear later in the story when Chaos Space Marines get thrown into the mix that bring cause for change in tactics. The health system is also a bit of a change to your standard Third Person Shooters. The lack of a cover system is a refreshing change, as is the rather "vampiric" style of regaining health. The game has a rechargable shield (which even sounds like Halo's shield when it recharges) and the health bar that can only be replenished upon commencing execution moves that, in turn, can only be done on stunned enemies. This creates for some interesting play where you are often faced with a large horde of enemies and alone you can weaken the horde from a far with a selection of ranged weaponry and once wittled down, it is best to charge in. But the visceral nature of the combat often just makes you wanna forsake tactics and just enjoy the pure carnage. One cannot help but believe the PR marketing spiel that THQ did with the saying "I AM WAR" and actually feeling that as you reap as a night demi-god of war (all manner of pun intended). I'm fairly sure this is where they got the idea of doing the execution moves to replenish health in a way of explaining that Space Marines literally live off of war (which makes my memory harken back to those Horus Heresy books and how it is so true). Some of the weapons, from a 40k standpoint, do seem a bit out of place in how they are used. For example, the Lascannon on the Table Top game is traditionally a large laser used to destroy vehicles but it takes on a more Sniper Rifle role in Space Marine. Which I understand as the sniper rifles on Table Top are only allowed for Space Marine scouts and the game is not about them. However this got me thinking as they have also left out one of the other staple weapons of the Space Marine heavy weapons and that is the missile launcher. Its even pictured in the art book, which I realize is concept and my thinking (yes, I know I work a lot in assumptions but I do like to think of things from a developers point of view) is that maybe they made it but found it to be not a lot of fun. Perhaps they struggled with the reloading animations or perhaps using a primarily anti-vehicle one shot weapon wasn't fun and was kind of already done in the Lascannon. But there are some interesting takes on the weapons, like the Melta which is like a shotgun in this game and never really thought of it firing like that. There is also an addition to the Space Marine arsenal with the Vengeance Launcher, a kind of sticky grenade launcher with remote detonation, which some people bitched about it not staying with 40k traditions but it has been said it is a canonical addition and I, personally, don't see anything wrong with it as the Space Marines were meant to be good at fighting wars and perfected at doing so, it was strange that they didn't have their own types of certain weapons namely a grenade launcher. It is also interesting to note that in some early trailers for Space Marine, certain Ork walker vehicles known as "Killa Kans" were seen stomping about and surely they would've made nice targets for a missile launcher and other anti-vehicle weaponry. I don't know about you but I smell DLC.

An Execution move in play against an Ork Horde.

The sound design was also very good, but combined with the gorgeous visuals and the beautiful gothic architecture of the battlefields and levels you explore it all really comes together. The score was good but still left me something more to desire, especially considering it was by Cris Velasco (of God of War fame) and Sascha Dikiciyan (famed for his work as Sonic Mayhem). But perhaps it is the visual nature of this game and seeing a world I have loved so much come to life that almost made me get lost into the medium. It also would've been nice to fight alongside the bulk of the rest of the Ultramarines that are only really heard of in 3 scenes in the game. The voice actor was stellar, with Titus himself played by Hollywood actor Mark Strong who was great albeit rather quiet in parts which seemed more of a mic fault than that of Strong's. The Orks I did feel weren't as "Orky" as they were in Relic's previous 40k games, the Dawn of War series which I felt captured them better. But then I also felt that this may have been intentional to grab a non-40k audience and slowly nurture them to the world instead of throwing them into the deep waters and wondering why all the Orks were voiced by London Rioters.

All in all, the singleplayer is a very well spun action flick. With not a huge story but with the ending that leaves it open for a sequel, I just get the feel that this franchise is only beginning to start a saga of sorts, at least that is what I hope. A bunch of friends and I were joking as to what to call the sequel, "Space Marine 2" one joked considering this rather lacklustre title, but if you were to think this game lacking would be sorely mistaken. Another vouched for "Chaos Space Marine" and while its an interesting premise, it seems a rather mouthful to market and plus most games don't exactly like pushing a game where you'd play a traitorous Daemon Worshipper as your protagonist, but I guess it ultimately depends on which way they could take it. My money's on "Deathwatch" and maybe styling it with a bit more role playing elements like the Fantasy Flight Games' role playing game of the same name and following some Inquisitorial storylines.

The Multiplayer Customizer

Now onto the multiplayer, which I'm still rather addicted to despite its huge glaring flaws. The multiplayer is split into two different modes, Seize Ground and Annihilation with 8 players per side. Each side gets 3 classes, the Tactical Marine who is the all rounder foot soldier, the Assault/Raptor who is your jump pack fast attack choice and then the Devastator/Havocs who is the heavy weapons role. The balance in teams is rather fair, with it being Space Marines vs Chaos Space Marines and they're just a carbon copy of each other with a different paint coat on them. Which is part of the fun of Space Marine's multiplayer, is unlocking the different parts you can use in the customizer. Its rather fun creating your own Warband or Chapter or even trying to recreate one of the many Games Workshop titles. Hell, even last night I saw a bunch of the meme-inspired Angry Marines chapter running about and its all fun and great chaos even if there are insane lag issues thanks to the rather retarded idea to use Peer-to-Peer services instead of Dedicated Servers for their multiplayer. Anyone who has played Modern Warfare 2 knows very well the pain I talk about when you are forced into a very "console"-esque matchmaking system that can create great deals of lag, especially when it links you up with players in Northern Europe all the time. To combat this, a handful of South African Space Marine players have banded together to try organize private matches in attempts to streamline the play*, but there are still little bugs here and there in finding a good host and getting the game to stick with that host. It annoys me greatly that Relic went this route, thinking that it did well in Dawn of War 2 but not realizing that a great deal of lag can mean all the difference in a crazy, fast paced action shooter. Its ultimately the reason why everyone spams the Assault/Raptor choice with the Thunder Hammer/Daemon Maul option as it offers the best area effect and turning it effectively into this game's "noobtube"*. There is some patches that are coming out that hope to streamline the Peer-to-Peer-ness, but it still is a bad idea, but it isn't the worst multiplayer I've experienced on PC (I'm looking at you Front Mission Evolved) and with a free co-op mode on its way, its safe to say Space Marine is still fighting strong and here to stay despite that it may well be overshadowed with the more premier releases slated for later this year.

The Space Marine's Equivalent of "Noobtube" Tactics

*1 - If you are also a Space Marine player from SA join us at http://steamcommunity.com/groups/SpaceMarineSA
*2 - For those unfamilar to the term, the "noobtube" was a grenade launcher attachment introduced in Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare and all subsequent sequels and it was severely overpowered and used commonly by newbies or "noobs" as it was unlocked fairly early on in the game and required little to no skill to farm for kills with it. While I do play a bit of CoD and do get pissed off at it, I do however have to stand by the philosophy that if its in the game it was clearly put there for a purpose. So quite bitchin' and get killin'.

My First Post.

 First off, allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Wesleigh Thomas Hall, but most of my friends call me Wes. I'm a 22 year old male, first generation South African living in Pietermaritzburg. My parents are both from Swansea, Wales and have caused my brother and I to have rather strange accents that people often think we're Canadian or American (however they tell the difference is beyond me). I'm a recent graduate of the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal where I got my Bachelor of Arts in English and Drama... which was more fun getting than it is now in how it is not of much use, but I do not regret getting it. I'm a huge video games geek, with a preference for playing on PC but I do my best to no show bias or superiority in the "Console Wars" (more on this on a future blog post). I love acting, writing, drawing and creating things. I love role playing and table top games especially Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer 40,000 (and its respective role playing games THAT I REALLY WANT TO PLAY!), World of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade and also the Star Wars Saga Edition Role Playing Game. I also have LOTS of other systems that I would love to play (like Mutants and Masterminds) but I lack a group as most of my friends are either too busy, too far away or I just lack a venue at times... plus Pietermaritzburg (PMB) blows for finding people in my area that do play.

So I've finally decided to start a blog. Not sure exactly why still, and I guess that's what this post aims to find out.

My view on blogs are very hazy and two-faced at best. On one hand, they can be excellent ways of keeping track of thought and having friends, followers and like-minded individuals give input and valued criticism to help said thoughts grow. But on the other hand, these thoughts can often be child-like complaints made in a "Dear Diary; please care about me" kind of "emo" way. Now I'm not saying that venting one's thoughts and issues are a bad thing, its just I don't want for this blog to turn to a selfish light in the way of some high school girl whining about first world issues in thinking I have some kind of mental disease just cos of family. I want for this blog to be a platform for discussion on some of my hobbies, writings and just general ideas. If ever I do seem to become like some kind of whiney teenager moaning about first world problems and its not done in a joking or tasteful manner, I would like for you, The Reader, as it is your civil duty to smack me in the face... or at least tell me to grow up in the comments. Now of course I will rant every now and then but I may try and keep these rants to a single day or so to sum up the week's complaints, even though I hate being pessimistic or cynical but sadly some days I cannot resist complaining or making dry and sarcastic jokes to try keep myself going. Why are you still reading this? Why am I still typing even?



So on a lighter note, I'll try be posting 2 - 3 days a week depending on what I have to say and what's busy eating me or just what's going on in my world. Maybe even post my own reviews of games, movies and music etc.

*Insert Obligatory Quote of Wisdom*