Need Speed? Come Get Some.

Need for Speed Undercover Xbox 360 Review



Having been a big Need for Speed fan since Road Challenge on the Playstation, i've always been fascinated by games which focussed on the illegal street racing world and in Need for Speed Underground 2 i found a near-perfect blend of excellent soundtrack, decent graphics, a seamless open free-roam world and finely-tuned gameplay. This was arguably the best street racing game on the last-gen.

Most Wanted was a big hit for EA when it launched on various consoles in 2005, including the PS2 which i had at the time (and still do). The game was fantastically put together, merging high speed police chases, refined gameplay, slow-motion features allowing the player to get away from tight situations, and the open world was back for real.

Following two disappointing titles in Carbon and ProStreet, EA returned to its roots with Undercover, focussing yet again on open world underground street racing (ProStreet was not open world, and Carbon attempted to focus on semi-legitimate racing) game, once again, implementing police chases, car customisation and a return to the grimey world of illegal street racing. Only this time, the roles were changed; you were an undercover cop working with the criminals themselves in a bid to hunt down the men at the very top.

Admittedly - in hindsight - the storyline in Undercover is pretty laughable; you're an unknown cop who appears to have several appearances (rear view mirror and cutscenes show two very different characters), who is led into the underground world of illegal street racing, and whose sole aim is to bring down a Chinese street thief who has apparently stolen a very valuable piece of high-end technology (though we never find out what this item is or what it does, we simply see a GPS-like gadget).

Maggie Q (no, i've never heard of her) and Christina Milian both appear, the former plays a detective (who, it turns out, was working with the bad guys all along), the latter helps the character throughout the game and eventually saves his ass in the finale.

Whilst the core gameplay and design of Need for Speed has always been the same and acknowledged as such, the repetitive nature of recent entries in the series has been severely criticised and although the game does very little wrong, it also does nothing new. The new 'Highway Battle' mode is terrible; small accidents can cost a player a race in seconds and traffic will always find a way of messing things up at the last moment ie moving lanes with very little thought or road-awareness.

All other normal race modes are back though some are naturally harder than others. Police are notoriously hard to outfox on some occasions, though at other times they will blatantly drive past you with little care or attention. Most races are fairly standard in that, with the right upgrades you can beat the opponents easily, only mistakes by the player will cost them the pole finish or the odd obstacle in the form of a mis-guided random vehicle will ruin any chances of success.

Gameplay is as excellent as in any other NFS game. The basic controls feel fine and whilst i never used the slow-mo controls, they are always welcome. Whilst NFS has clearly never prided itself on realism, being able to control a Lamborghini Gallardo at 221 mph around a sharp corner still feels very strange, though of course this sort of control wins races so who am i to complain?

The graphics are for the most part very polished. Some details look very last-gen but on the whole, there are no complaints. Frame-rate is solid 95% of the time, though obviously where there are huge pile-ups (later on in the game this is more common), the game does slow down a lot.

Aside from the odd annoying sticking-out ramp, idiotic van driver pulling out at the most inopportune moment, or superman-like opponents managing to catch up to you within seconds of a devastating crash, the game has few truly frustrating moments (one or two races towards the end left me with huge relief upon completion due to ridiculously good AI).

Quite why this game has been slated by so many reviewers both in magazines and on the web i have no idea. I personally found it to be hughly enjoyable and arguably the best Need for Speed game on the current generation of consoles. I just hope the next entry (already confirmed) is as good.

Summary: Despite the odd technical issue and the annoying enemy AI, Need for Speed Undercover offers a fantastic choice of high speed chases, races and spectacular thrills.

Score: 9/10

Grissom and Cox: The Downward Spiral?

CSI and Scrubs are arguably some of the best shows on television, and are among my favourite shows ever, CSI being my favourite.

The two shows have a lot in common; they're on long runs, they're both cult hits and they both feature stalwarts; namely Gil Grissom and Perry Cox.

Gil Grissom is a wise, aged criminologist and crime scene investigator whos main purpose in the show is to offer guidance to his troubled proteges, Perry Cox is a veteran doctor who seemingly knows everything there is to know and whilst he provides the backbone to his medical staff he also has the opportunity to make wisecracks at his attendings because Scrubs is a comedy whereas CSI is a drama.

The two notable observations i've made having seen every episode of Scrubs and everyone except 3 episodes of CSI Vegas is that both 'gurus' experience moments of significance whereby they question their very existence and whether their heart is in the job. Perry's comes towards the end of Season 5 where his best friend dies and he feels he is partly to blame as he failed to spot a diseased transplant organ. For me, this was the perfect time to end the show (now into its seventh season and frankly, now terrible) because it showed that even the most cold-hearted of characters (Cox showed little remorse for his actions and never showed emotion til this episode) could be undone and unlocked by any tragedy. One of the main storylines in the show floated around the idea that Cox couldn't ever feel a connection to another human being and his relationship with JD in this particular episode was excellently executed, really showing how close they were and how much Cox needed JD despite the latter being the protege. The show needed to end at that point because there was nothing else left to prove.

In CSI, i feel it is more of a bad decision on the writers' part that brought about Grissom's 'moment'. His feelings for Sara were evident throughout the show, and in Season 7 they finally clicked, showing raw emotions towards each other and constant references were made insinuating a physical and emotional relationship and i personally felt this weakened the show for the idea of Grissom's character was for him to be someone who would always offer emotional support and guidance but would never openly admit to needing someone himself. His personal life is rarely delved into and this was the great thing about his character, we knew so little and imagined so much. It should have stayed that way.

When Sara leaves in Season 7, it clearly has an effect on Grissom who kisses her before she walks out of the lab. This, in my mind, showed weakness of Grissoms behalf. His character was damaged by the open awareness of how much he supposedly needed her and couldn't hide his feelings from the rest of his crew of colleagues.

In Season 9 we again see this relationship reignited when Sara returns following Warrick's death. Whilst it was nice to see them together again, the ensuing scenes are unwarranted. We see Grissom yet again questioning his future at the Crime Lab and he is yet again exposed as showing emotions. His speech at Warrick's funeral is one of the best scenes in CSI but only because he has lost his closest member and one who he loved as if he were his own, something which is reciprocated by Warrick himself in the same episode. This relationship is typical of the sort of character Grissom is, holding each member of his staff in the highest regard and looking out for them. But when intimate love is brought into the equation in the form of his relationship with Sara, i feel the show loses credibility and frankly gains cheesiness which is avoided for seven seasons.

CSI is still probably the best drama show on television, i just feel Grissom's character needs closure and to focus on the future ahead.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Review

Going into the game, i had read various reviews of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, having never played a BiA game before. I was aware of the squad-based tactics and the emphasis on the storyline or more specifically the companionship between the squad members.

Indeed, this game appears to be no different, as you are thrown into World War Two - locations ranging from Germany and Eindhoven in Holland - with a group of eight squad mates, four assault soldiers and four of another sort (either MG specialists, Bazooka men or other less important categories).

Whilst the story-telling certainly seemed to play a big part, i felt it was slightly overdone. Indeed, the atmosphere created during each mission is incredible, you feel like you really are in a warzone especially when using headphones (highly recommended). The graphics are also worth mentioning, in particular the water effects, grass textures (yes, i really said that) and the general explosion and fire aspects.

Where the game deserves criticism is in the technical flaws. There were often occasions when i would encounter slowdown - on one occasion i felt the gamemay freeze altogther - and the close combat controls are incredibly fiddly, leading to several deaths which could quite easily have been prevented had there not been glaring problems with the controls/interaction system.

Some levels are quite astonishing - the hospital mission deserves an honorable mention in particular for the incredible tension it evokes and the eeriness of the entire level. I was reminded of the game The Suffering because of the supernatural elements - hospital beds flying around and drips swinging back and forth - though The Suffering was a very average game so to compare the two does a disservice to BiA.

The biggest problem i had with the game was the length. I felt certain mission types had been to death - such as constantly having to destroy huge missile launches stationed within enemy grounds. These missions were enjoyable on the first occasion but having to repeat the same style of mission over and over again became tiresome. If the game had been made a few missions shorter, it would have been up there with Call of Duty 4 in terms of how well the single player was executed. However, the niggly controls, repetition of mission types and occasional technical issue brings the score down somewhat.

Nonetheless, i would still recommend the game.

Rating: 7/10

New house, new semester, new games

Hello there, long time no...see?

It's been about two months since i last blogged and since then a lot has happened. I've moved house TWICE, started my final year of Uni and bought some awesome things off eBay.

This semester is about 2 and a half weeks old and already i'm being told about the mountains of work i'm due to complete by the end of March. Frankly, it's a little unsettling but this is Uni, you're supposed to be bettering yourself - both socially and academically - so i guess that was to be expected.

I've moved from my rather cramped room in a house of strangers, to a bigger house (bigger room etc) with mates. It's cool, what with Sky + now installed and the games consoles set up, it's very laid back...perhaps a little too laid back to be honest.

Games wise, i'm preparing for FIFA 09 on Friday and in the meantime have purchased two games from the Xbox Live Arcade; Braid (supposedly excellent) and Duke Nukem 3D (how can anyone not know this game?) Have been playing Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway, which whilst incredibly flimsy controls wise, sets a good scene and i feel i will grow to love the story.

I bought some Beavis and Butthead memorabilia on eBay. A cool Cornholio figure and a bobblehead of Cornholio. Both were very hard to get so i'm very pleased with the purchases, which stand proudly atop my display bookcase.

Casino...a classic

Just finished watching the classic that is Casino. I watched some of it as a 9/10 year old and funnily enough i only remember one short scene from the film.

Having invested 3 hours into the film, i felt i should give it a write-up.

The film follows the supposedly true story of a couple of men who get into the Casino business and eventually crack up under the pressure of extortion, corruption and domestic strife.

Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci play the two main characters, whilst Sharon Stone plays the former's wife, a crackhead whose only interest is trying to manipulate those around her. Every attempt at doing so, however, leads her further and further into a pit of dark depression - built on cocaine and alcohol.

The aforementioned actors give fantastic performances, i actually ended up hating the characters played by Pesci and Stone, something i don't normally do whilst watching films.

All in all, i felt that the storyline involving the infidelity and domestic problems was a bit too uninteresting for my liking though it did lead to the finale so i suppose it served its purpose.

Score: 8.5/10

The end of Arrested Development..and Hancock

Hey there.

Literally just finished watching the final episode of Arrested Development, perhaps the best comedy on television.

Personally i felt the last series (the 3rd of 3 series) had an undertone of negativity or self-awareness about it. It was clear in a few episodes that the actors/staff knew the show was coming to an end because of Fox's idiotic decision to cancel the show after 13 episodes. The result was a more sombre show. Sure, some of the latter episodes (particuarly the penultimate one) are great but those containing the 'Mr F' storyline - involving the gorgeous Charlize Theron playing a retarded 30 something year-old - felt very poorly written and somewhat self-depricating in terms of the overall show. It was perhaps because these episodes focussed on Michael and Rita's relationship and impending (ruined) wedding, and not the rest of the family which was where the show's strengths lay.

All in all, it's sad that the show has ended, it was nice to see Onyong (not sure how that's spelt) make a surprise appearance and of course Ron Howard, executive producer make an in-joke aimed at the concept of Arrested Development. Thankfully a movie is rumoured to be in the works so i can only hope that it represents everything that's great about the show. The quick-wit, dry satire and wordplay.

As for Hancock, which i saw last night, i am in two minds about it.

On one hand, Jason Bateman's character (Bateman stars in Arrested Development) is played well. The audience sympathises with him and we see that he is an honest man, trying to do well at his job and provide for his wife and son. Playing his wife was a very hot-looking Charlize Theron who managed to look even hotter in the latter scenes. These were the two plus points about the film, as well as the cleverly implemented in-jokes referring to Arrested Development, which i was happy to acknowledge.

The downside was the plot. Sure, superhero movies aren't supposed to be realistic but i felt Bateman's inclusion in the film handed it an air of realism or currency about it. It felt like the film could have happened in modern times and that the storyline could have been credible. The backstory behind the main twist, however, completely threw me off completey and i was quite letdown. I won't spoil it for anyone but i will say that the backstory involved people living in the year 1000BC and this mention threw any reasonable viability about the fantastical characters out the window. I can appreciate fictional background stories but the way it was presented - semi serious - made me laugh more than it made me feel for the characters.


The ending was okay; Bateman's character saves Hancock, his wife survives a near-fatal attack and Hancock himself fights crime in New York.

The action scenes are fantastic to watch, and the acting in most places is respectable - especially in Bateman's case whereby he pretty much revives his Michael Bluth character from Arrested Development - but the over the top ideas that were tossed about in the imagining of the superheros and their history together spoilt what could have been a 'great' film.

Score: 6.7/10

Post- E3 Analysis, Ricky Gervais and eBay

Hey.

Since the last blog update (i can't for the life of me remember when that was), E3 has come and passed. For those of you who don't know what E3 is, it's basically the biggest event in the gaming calendar, whereby the world's biggest developers amass into various convention centres in Los Angeles and reveal bits of news about upcoming games.

Little to note about the Microsoft event, other than them announcing Final Fantasy XIII is coming to the 360, having been a big Sony title for decades. Alas, i don't care about Final Fantasy so this is a moot point. Sony revealed...well nothing really. A huge 256-man online combat game which interests me about as much as...well...i don't care.

Nintendo showed off a generic update to the Wii Sports/Play package with Wii Sports: Resort and Wii Music, the former being a variety of summer based mini games including jetskiing. Who said the Wii was just for kids! Other than that, a new Guitar Hero and new Animal Crossing, they also confirmed a new GTA game for the DS, though whether or not it'll be fully 3D and fully free-roam i very much doubt. I look forward to seeing more from that title though.

I'll be looking at the FIFA 09 and Smackdown vs Raw 2009 games when i can but other than that, nothing much else to say on that front.

I did some extra shifts this week and had a lot of fun with fellow colleagues there. I've got some more shifts booked for next week as well.

My New Manchester United 2008/09 Away shirt should be arriving tomorrow, and various games/HD DVDs should also be coming (fingers crossed) so i'll comment on those when they come.

Be safe, and check back soon.

The new house

Hello.

Since my last blog entry, i have moved into a new student house, bought an HDTV and things have changed dramatically.

The new house is equidistant in terms of distance to the uni campus, though it will take an extra 10 minutes or so to get to work. I now live closer to Tesco and the gym, though this was not that big a factor when i was deciding on places to live.

The people i'm living with are all foreign; one is Japanese, another is from the Czech Republic and there are two are girls - orientals i believe - so socialising with them seems to be a bit of a big ask and i don't know how well we will communicate with one another.

My new setup - 360, laptop and HDTV - is rather swish. The HDTV looks very nice and games look more 'shiny'?

Leaving the former house, and saying goodbye to the people you've been living with for the last 10 or so months is hard to do. I'm coping at the moment but the change in location, change in facitilies and the lack of familiar people in the vicinity makes things feel very strange right now.

I'm debating whether or not to get a tv license but in the meantime i have work to look forward to, tomorrow and Sunday.

Bye for now.

So....

Almost a week has passed since my most recent blog entry, and my 20th birthday has come and gone in the meantime. I had an enjoyable - albeit fruitless - night out in Guildford, and i got a bit of money from various relatives which is always nice. I can't help, however, to feel that the magic of birthdays is waning and it no longer feels special especially as i'm not longer classified as a teenager.

It's Spain vs Germany in the Euro 2008 Final which i'm happy about cos Spain are my team of the tournament. Let's just hope they can go all the way.

I'm getting a new TV, probably tomorrow, which should make things look much nicer through my Xbox 360.

Other than upgrading my bank card, nothing much else to mention.

I'm once again, in a state of equilibrium. Nothing is bad, nothing is amazing.

Viva Espana

It's 1:11am, i'm about to head to bed because today i've done one of only a few full shifts at work and i'm exhausted as a result.

Spain beat Italy on penalties earlier tonight and seeing as i've supported Spain throughout the tournament i'm delighted at this. They'll play Russia in the Semi Final and hopefully go on to face - most likely - Germany in the Final.

Also watched an episode of Curb on More4.

Good times.

Saturday night.

The Russians have just beaten a very poor Dutch side, i'm tired from a 4 hour train journey - having returned from home a few hours ago - and i have work tomorrow.

I'm considering purchasing Top Spin 3 and the Collectors Edition of Alone in the Dark, both for the Xbox 360.

And if all goes to plan, i'll be 'hitting' the gym on Monday morning.

Late Night Blog

I type this entry, eyelids starting to close, as i anticipate a day of travelling tomorrow. I shall be heading home until the weekend and will be unable to blog in the meantime.

I'm converting various OC episodes to my iPod - in preparation for a 4 hour train journey - before i doze off. It's been a fairly average day - Turkey turned around a 2 goal deficit to beat the Czechs 3-2 in the European Championships and Portugal lost 2-0 to a rather normal Switzerland team. And, of course, i watched More4's airing of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Nothing says Sunday night more than a good old episode of CYE.

Adios until Saturday.

Grand Theft Auto 4 Review

So, i finally finished the game. Took me 39 hours so i missed out on the 30 hour achievement but i don't care.

I really enjoyed the game. The visuals (other than the odd case of pop-in) were remarkable. The water effects were brilliant with the sea reflecting the city lights, and the rain during thunderstorms (which were also great due to some great lightning effects) was very well executed.



The gameplay mechanics have been much improved since the last games and other than some terrible up-close combat issues i was very impressed with the cover system. The ability to fire RPGs whilst in cover work well, not so when trying to use a sniper rifle.

The characters are likeable though i felt there were too many at certain times so some were forgotten (Jimmy, Ray and Phil). Packie, Lil' Jacob, Brucie and Roman are all great characters, for you actually feel a connection with them especially Packie and Roman. Lil' Jacob's accent is fantastic, but you need subtitles to understand what he's actually saying. Brucie screams energy in every piece of dialogue, his character is about as 'alpha' as it gets. Packie is a charming gangster, part of the Irish pack, becomes a worthy adversary and his voice seems calm enough in every situation to assert confidence and faith. Roman is the loveable rogue. He lies to Niko, telling him he has a penthouse ready when in reality it's actually a grimey flat. But as the game progresses we see him for the naive, protective man he really is.

The missions structure was a little wayward, some mission types got repetitive and others were either very easy or just frustrating (objects occasionally getting in the way and having to restart the whole mission again). The ending was a tad short i felt, and could have been made a bit more 'epic', though the sentiments echoed at the end of the game and the subsequent events are certainly touching.



Even so, it's a solid 9/10 for me.


I loved it, and although it doesn't beat GTA 3 in terms of atmosphere, initial impact and overall game experience it's certainly a fantastic iteration in the GTA series. Here's to more current-gen GTA offerings of this calibre.

The OC and Late Nights

As i sit here, typing this entry at 1:36am, watching episode 8 of Season Three of The OC, i realise just how annoying Marissa is. Sure she's hot, but so's Ashley Judd and i don't see her moaning about life.

Marissa's character has always annoyed me. She's a stuck-up, naive, incessant hag who always gets herself and those around her, into trouble.

She can never seem to do things right. Thankfully she dies at the end of Season 3.

As for the late night part of this entry, i want to draw attention to my sleep pattern. I was awake til gone 4am on Monday morning, didn't sleep til 8am this morning and right now it's coming up to 2am and i don't feel tired enough to warrant going to sleep. I need to sort this out.

Quick update.


Salmon and cucumber sandwiches are lovely.

Spain can play some very sexy football, let's hope they don't fluff their chances of winning the Euros like they did at the World Cup in 2006, when they beat the Ukraine (scoring 4 goals then as well) but lost out to France in later rounds.

Greece should never be allowed to play football again.

InnerPartySystem - Don't Stop, is a tune. If i can work out how to embed it on here, i shall.



That is all, Curb fans.

5 O'Clock Wake Up

Having woken up at 5pm today, due to an excessive speech i received from the hours of 4am to 6:30am earlier this morning, i feel cranky and quite honestly shattered still.

I realise that people may not trust the government but to receive a two and a half hour lecture on the matter is tad over the top even if i do say so myself.

I'm now watching the Spain/Russia Euro 2008 game so i'm slightly happier but the the drowsiness i'm still experiencing cannot be a good sign.

Fortunately i did purchase a BLT sandwich and some Lucozade at the local shop this morning so i am stocked up in the refreshments department. Thank the Lord for 7am shop opening times.

My inaugural entry

Hello.

I am Joe Staunton, an alias. My blog, from today onwards, will feature the most mundane of details from my inept life. I will cover topics from films, television, music, politics, football and everyday life from a student perspective.

Along the way i will inevitably be mentioning the likes of Larry David, Jeff Gerstmann, Gil Grissom and other prominent figures in my life (as scary as that sounds).

Enjoy!