David M. Brown's Blog, page 117
May 2, 2011
Game Review #27: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
In 2009 I began working with Mrs B on her website www.femalegamers.co.uk reviewing the latest console games. Sadly, our other commitments meant the website couldn't continue and we brought it to an end early in 2010. I'll be using this blog to review all the games, recent and not so recent, that I encounter. With Mrs B's kind permission, I'll also be posting some of the reviews I previously worked on, so don't panic if they refer to previous years and months.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1992) (PC)
After the massive success of The Secret of Monkey Island in 1990, you would have forgiven LucasArts for not pursuing the challenge of creating a follow-up. That they did is a great testament to their bravery and also a huge relief to those of us that were given the ultimate point and click adventure – Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge.
The story begins with Guybrush Threepwood – now a renowned but still unorthodox pirate – hanging precariously from a rope with one hand while the other clutches a treasure chest. Guybrush's love interest from the first game, Elaine Marley, appears and Guybrush tells her the story of how he found himself in such a predicament. Guybrush's adventure opens on Scabb Island where he regales the now familiar story of how he defeated LeChuck. With fellow pirates weary of this ghostly tale, Guybrush is on a new adventure in search of the legendary treasure known as Big Whoop. Pursuing Big Whoop becomes Guybrush's only means of survival when an unfortunate oversight on his part allows LeChuck to be restored to life. Bereft of any mercy, LeChuck is hell-bent on revenge against Guybrush and will stop at nothing to capture his nemesis.
Following on from its predecessor, Monkey Island 2's graphics still look superb for a game that is seventeen years old. There are four islands for Guybrush to explore in the Caribbean making this a much longer adventure than the first game. The humour remains a joy with some slapstick moments and hilarious dialogue, most of which you are able to choose in the list of responses available to Guybrush during his many encounters and conversations. The characters are a varied and delightful bunch with welcome returns for the Men of Low Moral Fibre, the salesman Stan who has now turned from selling ships to coffins, and the Voodoo Lady is back to offer Guybrush some fresh insight on his latest outing. New characters and events are equally memorable with Guybrush taking part in a spitting contest, diving to the bottom of the sea to retrieve an artefact, wearing a pink dress to a party and learning about the messy business of putting together a voodoo doll.
LucasArts offered a welcome option to Monkey Island 2 to make the series more accessible and the puzzles less of a headache. There is a setting for beginners, which limits the amount of puzzles and makes navigating the long story much easier. If you are new to the series this is probably the best option to ease you in, as there are some difficult puzzles to overcome. To assist your head scratching, Guybrush dons a long blue jacket, which must contain a thousand inside pockets based on the amount of items our hero can stash there. Everything from a shovel and mug of grog to a monkey and dog (no questions please!) can be stored in his attire, with some often amusing results.
It's hard to find fault with Monkey Island 2. Compared to games today it is visually inferior but the core of the series has always been in the humour and story lines. It's somewhat fitting that later incarnations in the series, with improved graphics, could not match up to the high standards raised in the first two games. Some of the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 could be difficult for younger gamers to decipher but the option of an easier version eradicates this potential issue. The game may be short by today's standards but in the context of the early nineties this was great value.
Monkey Island 2 deserves to be on a list of the all-time classic games. I personally believe this to be superior to the original and rate it as one of the best games before the emergence of the Playstation, Xbox and Wii. With the foolhardy but loveable Guybrush Threepwood as the hero, some memorable characters to interact with, and a great story with a very surprising ending, Monkey Island 2 comes close to gaming perfection.
Final Score: 96%
* Previously published on www.femalegamers.co.uk
May 1, 2011
All-Time Top Ten Blog Posts (April 2011)
I do enjoy writing my blog posts but it's always interesting to see which ones you are reading. Once a month I'll reveal which of my blogs have proved the most popular. I expect you'll be as stunned as me when you look through the list. Over the year we'll see if the current top ten changes as new posts continue to be added. In case anyone has missed any of the golden ten, links have been attached to direct you to those posts but if you want to read more blogs don't forget to check out the sitemap.
1 (1) Top Ten Novels #1: Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood continued to gather views throughout April and having kept Frozen at bay in March it has continued to increase its already impressive lead. Given the post's unwavering popularity it's looking like Murakami's masterpiece will be holding the top spot for some time yet.
Frozen became somewhat isolated in the no.2 spot throughout April, unable to keep up with Norwegian Wood but continuing to enjoy views here and there that ensured it remained well clear of the rest of the pack. The regularity of its views seems to be on the wane so it will be interesting to see if it hangs onto no.2 at the end of May.
3 (5) Classic Film Scene #14: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
This classic moment from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest watched rival Night Watch oust Christmas favourite Lonely This Christmas from the no.3 slot early in the month before making its own move into the top three. By the end of the month it was well on the way to pursuing Frozen.
4 (6) Classic Film Scene #9: Pan's Labyrinth
This brilliant moment from Pan's Labyrinth rose two places in April thanks to a very late surge in the last few days of the month. Its popularity couldn't match that of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and its lead over those below isn't massive so expect some fierce competition in May.
5 (4) Top Ten Novels #7: Night Watch
Terry Pratchett's best Discworld novel continued the dismantling of the Christmas monopoly by removing Lonely This Christmas from no.3 but that landmark didn't last long as it was soon overtaken by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and at the end of the month Pan's Labyrinth also put paid to Night Watch which still holds a very respectable place in the top five.
6 (13) Top Ten Scrubs Moments #4
This poignant moment from Scrubs was close to the top ten at the end of March and soon rubbed shoulders with the giants in the first week of April. In fact so great was its accumulation of views that I expected it to be sat as high as no.3 by the end of the month but the views started to recede somewhat and it was forced to settled for a still impressive rise of seven places.
7 (8) Top Ten Novels #5: The Thief of Always
Clive Barker's wonderful The Thief of Always had a quiet month compared to most of the top ten but still picked up enough views to retain its place in the elite and climb one place as well. Posts outside the top ten are very close so will we still see The Thief of Always in this list next month?
8 (10) Top Ten Scrubs Moments #1
The best moment from Scrubs was ironically overtaken by the fourth greatest moment early in the month and despite starting April at no.10 it still saw off Wonderful Christmas Time and Merry Xmas Everyone to not only remain one of the golden ten but also climb two places.
9 (3) Top Ten Christmas Songs #9
Mud's gloomy Christmas song is down six places this month having seen Wonderful Christmas Time and Merry Xmas Everybody removed from the top ten. The Christmas monopoly looks to be well and truly over and it's unlikely Mud will still be in this list by the end of May.
The first instalment of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series worked its way into the top ten but it was a close call. Those posts that make up the top twenty are also vying for a place in this list and it will be interesting to see if Wizard's First Rule can retain its place.
April 30, 2011
Film Review #68: The Time Traveller's Wife
With prices for cinema tickets now reaching ridiculous heights it's not often I will treat myself to a new release unless it's something I simply cannot wait for. Instead, I'm happy to content myself with a cheap DVD or a film on TV which may have slipped through my critical net and, believe me, there have been far too many. Whether the films featured here are recent or old I'll still be providing my honest opinion on them and, with the benefit of hindsight in many cases, may offer a slightly different take to contemporary reviewers.
The Time Traveller's Wife (2009)
Last year Mrs B insisted I try Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel The Time Traveller's Wife and it is one of the best books I have read in the last few years. Film adaptations of books I particular enjoy always fill me with dread. If they're done right they are masterpieces but if done wrong they're an insult to the author. In approaching this version of The Time Traveller's Wife I was hopeful it would do the brilliant book justice.
The film follows the love story of Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) and Clare Abshire (Rachel MacAdams) which begins when Clare meets Henry at the library he works at only to inform him she has known him since she was a girl. Henry has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to time travel involuntarily to the past or future where he emerges naked and over time has learned to be resourceful in acquiring clothes, resorting to crime to keep himself warm. The film traces Henry's story beginning with the car crash that killed his mother but he survived and continuing onto his meetings with Clare near her home when she is just a girl and eventually leading to them falling in love and getting married when Clare is an adult. With Henry's time travelling beyond his control the condition gradually puts a strain on his relationship with Clare but can they battle through it and is there a cure for Henry?
The most notable point about this story is that it deals with a very delicate issue in the respect that Clare first meets Henry when she is a little girl and he emerges naked in woodland close to her home. Their developing friendship is dealt with very carefully in the book, with Clare bringing clothes for Henry whenever he appears, and that's all that it is, just a friendship but to some people it may be a bit too uncomfortable. The film doesn't show the same care in this early friendship with Henry professing to Clare that his wife in the future is very beautiful and Clare later revealing she had no choice in falling in love with Henry since their early meeting. It's supposed to be innocent of course but I didn't feel it was handled as well in the film as it could have been. The majority of the film focuses on Henry and Clare as adults and delivers amusing moments such as the wedding day when Henry is dressed for the ceremony and suddenly time travels leaving another Henry from the future to wear the suit and marry Clare instead, his older appearance confusing the wedding guests. You may get a bit confused at times as there are many Henrys wandering the timelines, usually drawn to moments with Clare but sometimes to the bitter memories of Henry's past.
The casting of the two leads in this film was crucial and sadly neither Bana nor MacAdams really do justice to the characters. Clare comes across as utterly selfish and cruel in the film at times whereas in the book she was frustrated by Henry's condition but love for her husband always made her determined to battle through any difficulties they had. Henry's relationship with Clare's friend Gomez (Ron Livingston) doesn't reflect the book at all. In the film there is initial discontent from Gomez before a close relationship forms. In the book Gomez and Henry's friendship takes quite a long time to develop, largely down to Gomez being in love with Clare and not finding anyone but himself appropriate for her. This segment is never explored in the film. The moving and difficult attempts Henry and Clare have at conceiving a child reflect the sadness in the book but because they come across as unappealing characters you'll struggle to be moved.
I had many issues with The Time Traveller's Wife. The devastating ending in the book is shown to you before the film is even reaching its climax, completely ruining it. In the book we have a foreboding about something bad happening to Henry but when it finally arrives it hits you hard. The film had spoiled the surprise so when the tragedy struck I was left with my arms folded and shaking my head. The biggest travesty of the experience comes with the melodramatic ending which really misses a trick in not recreating that of the book. In the novel Clare is reunited with Henry when she is in her eighties and close to the end of her life. She has waited a long time to see her husband again and he appears as a young man to see his now aging wife. The film declined to use this ending which was so moving in the book. The difference between the film and book cannot be better conveyed than with Mrs B who cried when reading the novel but her eyes remained dry throughout this film. That's how far the film is emotionally from Niffenegger's superb novel. If you haven't read the book this film will seem average but those who have visited the novel first will find a pale imitation of a great read.
This was a good opportunity to bring a classic novel to the big screen but it's sadly a failure. The delicacy of the book is not recreated in the relationship between Henry and Clare when she is just a girl, the casting of the two leads is poor and the film's refusal to use the heart-warming ending of the book in favour of an overly sentimental conclusion is a travesty. I wholeheartedly insist you give this a wide berth and lose yourself in the novel instead. You won't regret it.
Verdict: 3/10
Dave's Jukebox #9: Hoppipolla
Many of us at some stage will have had that hypothetical question about if you were stuck on a desert island what would you take with you. In a similar vein I will be sharing all the songs that I would put in my own personal jukebox, not necessarily to take to a desert island, you understand, but just the many songs that would make me sad should I never hear them again. In order to make things a little interesting I'm going to permit myself just one song from each group or singer, which will be something of a test but one I'll embrace. I hope you enjoy some of my choices and would be intrigued to hear selections from your own personal jukebox, these days MP3s or Ipods, but I'm sure you'll forgive me on this occasion.
Sigur Ros – Hoppipolla (2005)
Released in the UK in November 2005 and reissued the following year, Sigur Ros' most popular song Hoppipolla reached #24 in the UK charts largely thanks to its use in the BBC's Planet Earth series. Sigur Ros are one of the most unique groups I have ever had the pleasure of hearing and are notable for their use of Vonlenska (Hopelandic), which blends in with their Icelandic lyrics and is considered a form of gibberish of the band's invention though one that is so carefully constructed it flows seamlessly throughout their music.
Hoppipolla was immediately the stand-out song for me when I listened to the 2005 album Takk. The featured YouTube video contains the lyrics to the song and a translation I hadn't seen until writing this blog but that's a reflection of how wonderful Hoppipolla is, even though I hadn't the faintest idea what the band were singing about, I was still enthralled. The title is said to be Icelandic for "jumping into puddles" and the translated lyrics seem to reflect this as there is mention of getting drenched in puddles, wearing no boots and getting nosebleeds as well. Sigur Ros are never going to be a group that oust Lady Gaga or Katy Perry from the top of the charts but their music shows so much invention and skill, and if you listen to Hoppipolla and don't find yourself lost in that music or in the melodious vocals of singer Jonsi Birgisson I'd be very surprised.
