For the longest time I'd see Dead Man Down on the DVD rack and think: "jeez, can't these actors get better work?". Of course that's before I took a better look and saw the directing credit of Niels Arden Oplev, who also directed the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films. While I don't think it quite matches that Swedish-language trilogy, Dead Man Down is a surprisingly well-made English-language crime-thriller that considers character-drama just as important as it's action-scenes.

Noomi Rapace (Arden Oplev's leading actress from 'Dragon Tattoo') plays Beatrice, a former sylist who's life and career were damaged after a car collision disfigured her. She blackmails Victor (Colin Farrell), a mafia strong-arm to kill the drunk-driver responsible for her car accident. But what she doesn't realize is that Victor has set in motion his own plans for revenge, the reason and method of which are slowly revealed as the story unfolds.

Okay I admit: the plot of 'Dead Man Down' didn't exactly blow my mind and despite some cleverness in Victor's plans it doesn't take a genius to figure out how the story was going to end. What is impressive is how the plot takes it's time to introduce it's characters and their equally lonely lives: Beatrice is constantly harassed by neighborhood kids and only seems to converse with her mother. Victor lives alone in his apartment with only his thoughts on his past and his plans for vengeance (along with enough firepower to make a certain, Marvel Comics vigilante jealous) to keep him company.

Colin Farrell as The Punisher? I can dig that!

That Beatrice is blackmailing Victor doesn't stop them from forming a connection in 'Dead Man Down' and of course both characters realize their acts of revenge effect more than just themselves. The performances by Noomi Rapace and Colin Farrell really bring these two characters to life but I was equally impressed with supporting cast: Dominic Cooper plays Darcy, a friend of Victor's with a wife and kid and who may be unintentionally in Victor's crosshairs. I don't think I've ever seen Terrence Howard play a character as calculating (and brutal) as Hoyt, Victor's boss: he's an intelligent criminal who favors loyalty and is constantly trying to outthink every threat he's faced with.

The action-sequences in 'Dead Man Down' really get the blood pumping, from the opening shoot-out to it's explosive finale. The violence is of course very gritty (would expect nothing less from 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' director) and people get shot, beat-up and tortured in equal measure. Of course none of that would've mattered if I didn't care about the characters and Dead Man Down always made sure there was an emotional stake in all of these scenes.

As long as you're not expecting too much I think 'Dead Man Down' is worth your time, especially as a rental. It's of course not the kind of film that was remembered during any awards season, but as a gritty action-thriller with a focus on character and emotion I found it to be a cut above the usual fair.

What did you think of Dead Man Down?  Any movies like this you want to share?

Needless to say: SPOILERS!

Much like sexism and racism, once the subject of sexual violence is raised concerning video games my instinct is to quickly run the other way. It's not that I don't have strong feelings on these matters (I don't think anyone can't) but my mere experience as a white-male with few friends doesn't lend my voice much weight when discussing such important issues. Since it's release, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has been getting a lot of attention for it's thematic, sexual-violation of two characters: the (around) 16-20 year old, Paz and the 12-14 year old, Chico.

Earlier, when I declared MGSV: Ground Zeroes my favorite game this year I mentioned I found the story ultimately benign. Overall, there is barely any narrative driving main protagonist Snake in his infiltration of Omega Base to rescue/capture Chico and Paz; there's just a couple cut-scenes bookending the main campaign. It's only when exploring the camp and finding hidden audio tapes do you discover Paz and Chico's treatment while being interrogated. In fact it wasn't until IGN posted it's (excellent) article, explaining the author's problems with Ground Zeroes ending did I realize those tapes even existed.

I thought watching Snake yank that bomb out of Paz's stomach was the exploitive part

So, yeah. My first playthrough of Ground Zeroes I didn't know what happened to Paz and Chico; by the time I did collect the "interrogation" tape I had already read up so many people's reactions to it that any intended "shock value" was gone. Hearing the villainous Skull Face force the underage Chico to have intercourse with Paz and the reveal of the second bomb (probably) hidden in Paz's vagina came off as icky, and maybe a little pervy, but overall didn't trip any "you can't do that in a video game" triggers with me. Maybe I'm just a bad person?

Of course most complaints I read about Ground Zeroes sexual-violence isn't so much condemning the content for being present so much as criticizing creator Hideo Kojima's handling/presentation of it. In South Park: The Stick of Truth (one of my other favorite games this year....maybe I am a bad person) I watched my 9 year-old protagonist being anally violated at least twice and yet I haven't read much criticism of that game. Probably because Stick of Truth writers Matt Stone and Trey Parker have been doing this raunchy content for years and know how to successfully implement serious issues like sexual violation.

At least I hope it didn't get a pass because "its just for laughs"

So if South Park is known for pushing the boundaries of taste, what is Metal Gear known for? Cybernetic Ninjas, cigar-chomping soldiers, B-movie villains, giant walking robots. Metal Gear's also gotten a reputation for it's treatment of women, having Snake look at adult-magazines to regain health, female character's breasts being in full view (and being able to ogle them in 1st person cutscenes), and Snake being able to look underneath a character's clothing X-ray style in MGS: Peace Walker. Hideo Kojima, with his over-the-top characters, mind-f*cked plot-twists and B-movie dialogue is probably not the ideal game-developer to make a serious statement on sexual violence .

So enough of this wishy-washy summarization of other people's criticisms. What's my opinion of Ground Zeroes? What is the point of me, someone with no experience or really any solidified perspective of sexual violence writing all this up in the first place? I'm obviously not the go-to person for information on this subject and neither is Hideo Kojima. But you see, this doesn't stop Kojima from implementing real-life issues in his games: nuclear war, it's potential profitability and the dehumanization of soldiers are all themes of the Metal Gear series. Even Ground Zeroes' Camp Omega is a thinly veiled representation of Guantanamo Bay and is very much a statement on America's use of Blacksites.

MGS2's Raiden was a child soldier long before Blood Diamond became a movie

That Hideo Kojima is hardly an expert on these issues doesn't stop him from throwing them out there, even if his ham-fisted story-telling won't be to everyone's taste. Ground Zeroes has actually gotten people talking about the use of sexual violence in video games (especially towards children) and it's notoriety has the potential to inspire other, more talented developers to comment on this issue. But for no other reason I'm glad people are at least talking about something they may not have known about before.

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So, what do you think? Do you think Ground Zeroes was effective on the issues of sexual violence? What other developers could (and have) handle this content more effectively? Also, PLEASE tell me if I'm way off base or just plain wrong about anything I've said.

Needless to say: SPOILERS!

Hype can only cause so much disappointment. Sure, built-up anticipation can make a bad game that much harder to take. It can even serve as a lubricant, helping make a game's rough areas easier to pass. But when The Last of Us was first announced and every game publication on the planet was singing it's praises, I was keeping my expectations in check. When Naughty Dog claimed they were going to "change the f**cking industry" I shrugged it off with a "we'll see". I love the Uncharted series, but I knew 'The Last of Us' was new territory for this Sony-exclusive company. Other than "hoping it's good" I didn't have a lot of expectations for this game.

So why was I disappointed?

To be fair, The Last of Us started out on the right foot. Taking control of young Sarah and following her father, Joel and uncle, Tommy as a zombie-apocalypse breaks out things go from normal to frantic in a matter of moments. It's thrilling, it's emotional and by (mostly) keeping me in control of Sarah and Joel The Last of Us' prologue achieves a near-perfect blend of gameplay and story-telling as it reaches it's heartbreaking conclusion.

Hell, at this point I was ready to call TLOU my Game of the Year!

While the opening of 'The Last of Us' reached a level of interactive storytelling that would make Quantic Dream and Telltale envious, the game never came close to those heights again. The narrative in TLOU slowed to a slog as Joel met up with young Ellie and they set on a cross-country adventure going up against every post-apocalyptic trope in the book (from cannibals, to bandits, to disposable side-characters, to zombie-ish clickers) with very few surprises. That I could guess where their relationship was headed the second Joel and Ellie meet really didn't help matters.

Gee, ya think she reminds him of someone?

Once The Last of Us' story ran out of steam (around the five-hour mark) it became quite the effort to stay interested. Characters like Bill and Tess were well-realized in the brief time I got to know them (thanks to the terrific performances) and if it wasn't so obvious Henry and Sam were going to die I probably would've let myself be more invested during the Summer/Urban sections of the game. The pace did seem to pick up during the Fall/Winter levels when Joel gets wounded and Ellie meets David and his cannibals, but even these "shocking" moments felt cushioned thanks to the game's by-the-numbers storytelling. Only the ending of TLOU was a welcome change from expectations, bravely leaving the fate of Joel and Ellie's relationship open to interpretation...even if it was mostly delivered via cinematic.

Too often I knew how I SHOULD be feeling, I just wasn't feeling it

With the story (for the most part) being driven by little more than characters yelling at each other, it's a good thing that 'The Last of Us' was a crafty (and mostly fun) game to control. Like the best parts of Uncharted 3, I enjoyed being able to choose my approach when sneaking up on a group of enemies, taking them down one by one or distracting clickers so Joel and Ellie could sneak around them. Controlling both characters, even as they fought off waves of sieging clickers could get pretty intense as my ammo started to drain and I had to get creative with my tools and the environment.

You wanna "protect" Ellie? She's kicking-ass better than Joel!

Obviously there are moments I like in The' Last of Us'; the gameplay can be a lot of fun (when I'm not just wandering around and moving platforms) and the story does eventually pay-off. But far too often I felt like I was in Naughty Dog's writer's room, watching their writers settle for already-proven emotional-beats rather than creating something truly unique. 'The Last of Us' is certainly the most award-winniest game to come out in a while and if that's all it takes to "change the f**king industry" then more power to it and it's fans. I just wish I was one of them.

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So, I know it's been ten months but what did you think of The Last of Us? Did it meet your expectations?  Are you going to be picking up the PS4 release this summer?

Dishonored was one of my favorite games of the last few years, but even I had a hard time staying interested in it's story. Staying in a first-person view during a cutscene can help give a more personalized perspective of what your main character is going through (ala Bioshock and Far Cry 3); badly voiced dialogue from NPC's and empty hand-gestures from a silent protagonist...kinda kills the mood. However, what 'Dishonored' lacked in narrative-drive it made up for in world-building ala notes, diagrams and other collectables I found while exploring it's levels.

Dishonored had a personality. It just wasn't in it's characters

Notes left by survivors added a human element to Dishonored's world as I read about a mother trying to painlessly end their child's suffering from the plague (when they can't afford the antidote). The city of Dunwall was fleshed out as well, and not just because I could find diagrams for every working piece of machinery. I found songs, plays and even poems that gave Dunwall a mythology making it a fully-developed world. Hell, I learned more about The Outsider through Journals and written-rumors than any conversation he had with your main character, Corvo.

It's not that I don't like cut-scenes. I enjoy good acting and production values as much as anyone but lately I seem to get more out of games by way of discovery, not just watching a cinematic play out. As fans of Dark Souls will tell you, there's a story behind every item you pick up in the game, you just have to examine them. The Last of Us didn't just use text but let you examine the handwriting of the author and gave me sense of personalized urgency: I discovered these items while PLAYING the game and therefore they felt real, not just something the developers wanted me to see (or thought I should see).

The note from Ellie's Mom told me so much about her character that just doesn't come through in the rest of the game

Of course many games use hidden collectables to flesh out it's world, not just Dishonored and the like. Bioshock and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes use audio-logs and cassette tapes for exposition, and even better still allow you to keep playing while the dialogue rolls. Gone Home is all about picking notes and stuff to tell it's story while the narration moves the plot along.  With the next-gen's emphasis on open-world/sandbox games (and therefore, hidden collectables) I expect we'll see even more of this brand of exploratory storytelling in the years to come.

Don't get me wrong, I still love Asura's Wrath. I still lov....like Heavy Rain,Telltales' Walking Dead and The World Among Us and other games driven by cutscene/cinematics. I by no means think notes or audio logs should be the primary element in EVERY game's narrative (unless it's like Gone Home, most use collectables to compliment it's other storytelling elements). There's plenty of great story-telling techniques being utilized in video games but none of them quite give me that rich sense of personalized discovery as finding a hidden note or collectable that fleshes out the game world.

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What are you favorite storytelling techniques? Do you prefer cut-scenes, perhaps gameplay cinematics? Do you like letting the level design tell you the story? Let me know in the comments below

I'm not a theater person. I've never seen "Shakespeare in the park" and it's been years since I've seen a play performed on stage. It's strange then that I do very much like Shakespeare adaptations brought to movies and television. Like most plays turned into films, Shakespeare adaptations have a hard time shaking their "stagey" origins and artists like Laurence Olivier turned to a sound stage for a lot of his productions like Hamlet, Richard III and Othello. All great films but to me they felt more like filmed-stage-productions than actual movies. Below are some of my favorite translations of the William Shakespeare's (I refuse to call him "The Bard") plays-to-film that I think stand as terrific cinematic experiences....and wow was this hard to narrow down.

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Othello (1952)

Just as beautiful (and non-PC) as I remember

I could write a whole blog about my favorite Adaptations of Othello. From Franco Zeffirelli's operatic Otello to the modern-translated O, Shakespeare's tale of an Italian General who's manipulated into jealousy and murder by his trusted friend, Iago is one story that seems to work in any format. Part of me wanted to choose 1995's adaptation with brilliant performances by Laurence Fishburne (as Othello) and Kenneth Branagh (as Iago). It's certainly the most accessible (and politically correct) but the one version I can't seem to forget is Orson Welles' 1952 film which used real locations in Rome and Morocco for filming. Ham-fisted (and potentially offensive) but beautiful to watch.

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Macbeth (1971)

Lay on, motherf*cker!

Orson Welles also did an adaptation of Macbeth in 1948, which was nicely produced with the actors speaking in Scottish accents. A few years ago Patrick Stewart starred in a very horror-themed version of the titular warrior's rise and fall when set on a path to become King. Again, both good movies but if I had to pick a favorite it'd be Roman Polanski's exciting and brutally violent adaptation. Packed with more blood and nudity than any other Shakespeare movie I've seen, Polanski's film focuses on the play's more visceral elements as Macbeth murders a king in cold blood, consorts with naked witches, sees visions of a baby being ripped out of a mother's womb and chops down everyone who threatens his throne. This is Shakespeare bold, bloody and badass!

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Henry V (1989)

Tell the Dauphin: Game. Set. Match, Bitch!

Back in the 1990's when Kenneth Branagh was synonymous with Shakespeare, he directed many the adaptations  Much Ado About Nothing in 1993 and Hamlet in 1996 (which would've easily been on this list if Mr. Branagh hadn't painfully miscast himself as the lead). Henry V was his first and, IMO best film featuring down and dirty battle scenes as England's king leads his very outnumbered army against the French. Rousing battle speeches (Henry's bluff to the walled city of Harfleur is among my favorite moments!) are mixed in with character to character moments which detail the toll Henry's war is taking on his soldiers..as well as some fun, and by the end flirting scenes with Catherine of Valois. A rousing, and sobering adaptation and one of my favorite films of all-time!

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RAN (1985)

Well sh*t

I'm kinda cheating with this one. Sure, Akira Kurosawa based his movie of an old ruler (a terrific Tatsuya Nakadai) and his weakness for his three (mostly) wicked sons on the rule of Daimyo Mōri Motonari as much as Shakespeare's King Lear, but he's also added a dab of Macbeth in the form of Lady Kaede. Two sons are given power and abuse it, the third loves his father but is too much of a hothead to convey his sincerity. I admit, Ran is not my favorite of Akira Kurosawa's movies and the film does drag on a bit in the middle, but spectacular battle scenes and Kurosawa's beautiful use of color make this movie a feast for the eyes. Also see Throne of Blood, Kurosawa's excellent samurai adaptation of Macbeth.

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Coriolanus (2011)

One momma's boy you don't wanna f*ck with

I have no idea how accurate Ralph Fiennes' adaptation of Coriolanus is. I honestly never knew there was such a play until this exciting, timely and brutal film was released back in 2011. Gerard Butler is wonderfully compelling as the title character's rival (as is the rest of the cast which includes Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain and Brain Cox) but it's Fiennes himself who gives dimensions to this soldier who's effectiveness on the battlefield is countered but his lack of political savvy and disgust for the protesting civilians of Rome.  The film drags a bit during Coriolanus' exile but never stops being fascinating. I can only hope it's not too long before Ralph Fiennes dabbles again in the world of Shakespeare.

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I know, I know: this list is a bit racist, naked-women, bloody, war, bloody . I certainly like other Shakespeare adaptations: 2004's Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons (in terrific performances), the 2009 production of Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, Ian Mckellen's WWII take on Richard III. I even like Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (the 1968 version). But the above are the one's that have stuck in my mind the most and if you haven't yet, I hope you check them out.

That's enough from me. What are your favorite Shakespeare adaptations on TV or film? (and yes, Sons of Anarchy totally counts!)

"Old-fashioned" is a description that can carry warm feelings of nostalgia as well as eye-rolling fits of nausea. This is probably how most people will react to the kickstarter-funded, Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure; It's a game that fully embraces it's late-1990's adventure-gaming roots and yet refuses to add anything new or progressive to it's functionality. As someone who loved these games in their heyday, I quite enjoyed myself....but I don't see 'The Tesla Effect' earning that kind of enthusiasm from a wider audience.

Same ol' Tex?

'The Tesla Effect' puts you in control of the titular Tex Murphy, a Private Detective in 2050 San Francisco who has a fondess for old-school values and pop-culture. After being knocked unconscious by unknown assailants, Tex wakes up to find a mysterious injection mark on his arm and no memories of the last seven years (since the end of the last game, 1998's Overseer). Friends react coldly to him, shady characters seem a bit too familiar and "Tex the boy scout" finds he may have become "Tex the hardened vigilante" in the years that've past.

Obviously there's countless adventure-gaming cliche's (amnesia, dual-personalities etc) in Tex's quest to recover his missing memory and it's all wrapped up in a campy mystery involving the inventions of Nikola Tesla and the people racing to recover his lost artifacts (gee, ya think one of these is a doomsday weapon?).  While the Tesla Effect's overall story makes sense by the end, the game's filled with references and in-jokes that will be lost on those who haven't played the previous Tex Murphy titles (even I had forgotten about Tex's out-of-time dreams, which only appeared in the online radio shows).

That the game uses full-motion video, with live actors against green-screen is just the icing on the nostalgic cake.

As I said, The Telsa Effect can get very campy and the (intentionally) hammy performances by it's cast will have a lot of people cringing during it's cutscenes (Tex offers a hug to a raging Morlock and yells "Jenga!" after accidently knocking over a tray of medical equipment). Most of the returning cast, like Chris Jones as Tex are right at home with the game's silliness and the newer actors do a good job of not looking too embarrassed with the material. Jodi Russel and Dragon Age's Steve Valentine come off the best with welcomely sincere performances as the plucky journalist, Taylor and the antagonistic cult-leader, "Translator".

One aspect of 'Tesla Effect' that I welcomed with open-arms was it's open-ended, investigative gameplay. You see, while modern adventure games like Broken Age and The Wolf Among Us make me feel like I'm being dragged by the nose through a narrative, the Tesla Effect let me (mostly) take things at my own pace and let my exploration of the environment tell the story as much as the cutscenes. Instead of pointing and clicking my way through an area or dialogue tree (though there's plenty of those) Tesla Effect had me walking though environments, snooping around alleys and crime scenes, opening drawers and closets looking for clues...you know, like a real detective.

The only low-point was the Inspector Layton-like "puzzles" in the middle of the game.

Selfishly I'd love to recommend 'Tesla Effect' to everyone: I loved getting reacquainted with Tex Murphy and his world and I still like the feeling of walking through an environment and finding clues. As silly as the story can be I still find myself caring about these characters and the five different endings (I've gotten three so far) are a nice hook to keep replaying the game. That wouldn't be honest though and while I can certainly look past the archaic graphics and campy, FMV cutscenes most gamers will find themselves repulsed by such features and baffled that such a game even exists in this gaming age. Tesla Effect is a sequel specifically designed for franchise devotees; in that it's a complete success.

Comics and I have an off-and-on relationship. I'll go months reading nothing but Saga, Batman and The Unwritten only to completely abandon a series to make room for video games, TV and movies. It's no surprise that the few comics I've been really drawn to in the last several years have been either one-shot graphic novels and limited series. Here's a list of my favorites (and be sure to list yours too!).

RASL

While most will probably recognize Jeff Smith's pseudo-comedy fantasy series, Bone it's his dimension-hopping adventure, RASL that's stuck with me the most. This beautifully full-colored collection of Smith's series, involving am art-thief who travels between worlds and dimensions while dodging government agents is packed full of action and intrigue (involving the experiments of Nikola Tesla) but it's what we learn about the main character and his former associates that forms the heart of the story.

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Infinite Kung-Fu

Kagan Macleod's comic was a long time coming (he began self-publishing this series over ten years ago), but this tale of martial-arts master Lei Kung and his quest to better his art and take down an evil emperor is non-stop fun beginning to end. Sure the story's a bit nuts (Did I mention there were zombies? And that it all takes place in a sorta-kinda future?) but Macleod's art-work is packed full of action and wonderfully zany characters.

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The Boxer

Reinhard Kleist follows up his excellent comic-biography, Johnny Cash: I see a Darkness with an equally excellent story about real-life prizefighter (and Holocaust survivor) Hertzko “Harry” Haft. This is a pretty grim read as it traces Haft's life in Nazi-occupied Poland, his time in the concentration camps (where, at 16 years old is forced to fight other prisoners) to his immigration to America all the while trying to reconnect with friends and family who survived the Holocaust. There's no heroes in this story, Haft himself is portrayed as a selfish brute through most of it but it's a very human biography and one of the best reads this year!

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Pluto

It takes a lot for me to get interested in a Manga series but Pluto, Naoki Urasawa's reimagining of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy had me hooked from page one! Taking the format of a science-fiction thriller, Detective Gesicht is on the trail of a murderer targeting the "Seven Great Robots of the World" (Gesicht being one himself!). While a murder-mystery at heart, Pluto explores the complications of Robots and humans living together and the fanatical extremes that may arise ( Robots who enjoy murdering humans, humans who enjoy murdering robots). And yes, Astro Boy (or Atom here) does play a big role eventually. Smart and surprisingly thoughtful: A must read, even if you're not a manga fan!

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Daredevil

It's hard to pick an all-time favorite superhero, especially when considering the entire cannon of a series. But for some reason, throughout the years I keep coming back to lawyer-turned vigilante Matt Murdock and Mark Waid's current, swashbuckling run is easily my favorite! You see, while I've enjoyed Frank Miller and Brian Michael Bendis' take on Daredevil it was the Marvel Masterworks reprinting of Stan Lee and Bill Everett's original stories that got me into the character. Mark Waid (IMO) has managed to bring back the more light-hearted attitudes of Daredevil's original incarnation while still keeping the darker aspects of Bendis and Miller's canon. To me, there is no better superhero comic on the stands.

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Honorable Mentions: Blacksad, American Vampire, Batman (Scott Snyder's New 52 run), Infinite Horizon, Sex Criminals, Underwater Welder, and Wonder Woman (Brian Azzarello's new 52 run).

Whenever I say "I like Batman" I feel like I have to specify which "Batman" I'm talking about. I don't like (most of) the animated series, the movies are either too serious or too silly for my taste and while I really liked the first two Arkham games it wasn't for the character or story. The idea behind Batman is certainly cool; a person training themselves to fight crime after a childhood tragedy using martial arts, gadgets and vehicles is compelling stuff for a superhero. But even in his original comic book incarnation my liking of Batman's story really depends on who's helming it.

Being a fan of Scott Snyder's horror series, American Vampire  I was more than curious on what his take on Batman's world might be. 'The Black Mirror collection (The Black Mirror, Faces in the Glass, My Dark Architect, Hungry City and Skeleton Cases) followed Batman's former ward, Dick Grayson as he takes up the mantel and tries to protect Gotham City against the likes of Tiger Shark, The Dealer and even comes face to face with the Joker. Per 'American Vampire' I liked how every story had a horror-theme to it (from people being disfigured by artifacts from Batman's villains to the dark truth about Jim Gordon's son, James) but even amidst the gore and disturbia, Snyder could still make Dick, Jim and Barbara Gordon come off as heroic.

Though Jock's artwork got a bit confusing at times

Of course as much as I liked watching Dick Grayson struggle to be to Batman it just wasn't the same (as Joker points out to Dick, "My bat had wings of flesh...... you smell like feathers"). So once the series was rebooted for DC's New 52 the original Batman, Bruce Wayne was center stage again...and I've loved every minute of it! The first stories, The Court of Owls/City of Owls were able to introduce new villains that were not only threatening but tied directly into Gotham City's past as well as Bruce's own family history. Death of the Family featured the return of the Joker in a very flamboyant (and violent) fashion and Zero Year puts a new spin on Batman's origins and features elements of the classic stories Batman Year One and No Man's Land.

Much like Black Mirror, Snyder's New 52 run features a lot of  violence: Bruce is stabbed multiple times by Owl agents, Joker sloppily reattaches of his own severed face. But there's a lot of fun too as Greg Capullo's artwork (along with guests Rafael Albuquerque and Jason Fabok) gets creative with the action: Bruce's martial-arts abilities are on full display as he takes down an assassin and Batman even uses his grappling hook knock a bulky Red Hood member down some stairs...then zip him back up to take out the rest of his gang.

Bruce even fights in a mech-like suit at one point

As much as I like the action, darkness, violence and gadgets (and. y'know everything that makes Batman BATMAN) it's in the character of Bruce Wayne that impresses me the most. Snyder writes Bruce, not like a brooding vigilante with no sense of humor but a character who's lived through dark times and honestly feels he's trying to make Gotham City a better place. That he's forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about himself (his family history with the Owls, his twisted relationship with Joker, even questioning his own crusade) makes Batman someone very flawed and very human, especially when he sees how his own behavior alienates those around him. That I still find myself rooting for Bruce is a testament to Scott Snyder's writing skills and he keeps these character moments going at a steady pace along with the action.

If there's one weak point in Scott Snyder's Batman, it's that he doesn't do a whole lot original. I never found myself drawing parallels to real-life; there's nothing that sheds new light on anything except Batman and his world. It's all still good-guys versus bad-guys, but there's enough depth to these characters and stories that I never feel Snyder and his artists are just spinning their wheels. Everyone has their ideal version of their favorite superhero, and while it may not have the timelessness of Dark Knight Returns or The Killing Joke, Snyder's run on Batman is the one I'm going to be comparing everything else to.

What do you think of Scott Snyder's Batman? Who (or what) is your favorite interpretation of the character?

Despite 2014 not even being halfway over I've been fortunate enough to view some pretty amazing movies this year. Here's my favorites and my thoughts on each one.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier

"Political-Thriller" is constantly used when describing this sequel to 'The First Avenger' and indeed, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have probably written the most topical superhero/comic book film I've ever seen. But a good story can only go so far and directors Anthony and Joe Russo make sure that watching 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' feels anything but by-the-numbers.

A hand-to-hand combat scene in an elevator, a car-chase on a freeway (which leads to a full-blown shootout) and Captain America single-handedly taking out a fighter-craft are among this movies awesome action-sequences. That Cap 2 gives Robert Redford the best role he's had in years is an extra special treat, and the scenes between him and Samuel L Jackson (returning as Nick Fury) are pure dynamite.

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The Grand Budapest Hotel

When it comes to Wes Anderson's films I tend to run hot and cold: I liked Rushmore, I didn't like Bottle Rocket. I liked The Royal Tenenbaums, I didn't like Life Aquatic. I liked The Fantastic Mr Fox, I didn't like Moonrise Kingdom etc. So the Grand Budapest Hotel? I loved every minute of it! Taking heavy inspiration from Ernst Lubitsch (and acknowledging writer Stefan Zweig) Wes Anderson has created a hilarious caper film set between World War I and WWII in the fictional "Republic of Zubrowka".

 Anderson's cast of regulars, like Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Bill Murray contribute hilarious cameos and are joined by the likes of  F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, and Mathieu Amalric. But it's Ralph Fiennes' knock-out performance as a refined Concierge who's framed for murder (and has a penchant for randomly breaking into plain-speak vernacular) that deserves the most applause.

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X-Men: Days of Future Past

The X-Men movies have sort of become like the Start Trek films; Some are good, some are bad, there's at least one or two good character moments in each but it REALLY helps if you've kept up with each entry. As it is 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' isn't the best X-Men movie (X2 and First Class still being my favorites), but has a lot of the strengths of it's predecessors. Despite it's time-traveling narrative the plot is surprisingly easy to follow and the characters and their relationships to each other really drive the story home (assuming of course you've seen the last few X-Men films).

Hugh Jackman is reliable as ever playing the iconic Wolverine, who's been given the task from the future to change the past and it's great watching him try and be restrained for once (a caveat of him going back in time). Jennifer Lawerance is given a lot more to do this time as Raven, who's role provides the catalyst for future events. Nicholas Hoult is giving great support as Beast and Evan Peters' Quicksilver steals the show in a terrific prison-break sequence; easily the highlight of the movie. It's sad that James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's roles as young Prof. X and Magneto aren't as engaging this time around (probably inevitable since we've already seen them as friends, then rivals, then enemies in the previous films), but their three-way showdown with Raven carries some heavy emotions behind it.

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Special Mention:

The Wind Rises

I'm cheating a bit with this one as Hayao Miyazaki's film about WWII aircraft designer, Jiro Horikoshi technically released in 2013. However it didn't release in any theater near me until this year and I'm happy to say it was more than worth the wait!

The cast for the english dub, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski and Martin Short couldn't be better but it's Studio Ghibli's animations and Miyazaki's direction that transports you into Jiro's mind and how he perceives the world. With this, The Wind Rises sustains a tone of melancholy without ever resorting to weepiness or melodrama.

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What are your favorite films this year? Any you're looking forward to?

While I wait for the new titles to finally hit in 2013 I've been going back and playing some of my favorite games and discovering moments that just seem to define them and truly make them memorable. Here's a few of my favorite moments in the last couple games I've played SPOILERS

Uncharted 3: Knife-Fight with Talbot

It'd be hard to pick ONE great moment in Uncharted 3 but the bit that sticks out most in my memory is Nate's final face-off with the villainous Talbot. After all the manipulation, all the double-crossings (all the "Deception") these two are finally able to duke it out mano-a-mano amist the crumbling Iram of the Pillars. Despite being great games Uncharted 1 & 2 had pathetic boss fights and this duel at the end of the third game, having full control of Nate with few QTE's was a wonderful (and satisfying) surprise.

Alan Wake: Defending the Stage

Alan Wake, despite being a somewhat serious story has great moments of fun and humor. All these moments come together perfectly when Alan and his friend Barry, being completely outnumbered are chased by light-sensitive demons through a farm. When Barry finds himself atop an old music stage, light reigns out and "Children of the Elder God" by Gods of Asgard (Poets of the Fall) cranks out through the speakers as a previously vulnerable Alan finds himself able to fight back the horde.

Bastion: Saving Zulf

Despite having only a single narrator Bastion has a nifty cast of characters, one's you've come to know throughout it's 6-9 hours of gameplay. My favorite moment comes when, after the Kid follows the traitorous Zulf to his hideout and you find his beat-up, unconcious body. You can leave him or, despite being outnumbered drop your weapon and carry Zulf through to the end. What follows is a powerful sequence as the defenseless Kid slowly makes his way towards the exit and the enemies lay into him...then slowly start backing off. I actually had tears in my eyes.

What are your favorite gaming moments that, to you just define the experience?

When I was in middle-school, History was a class I used to snore through. I'd open a text book, hide whatever comic I was reading inside and lose myself to Swordsmen and Catgirls as my teacher droned on about people I've never met and events that happened long before I was born (sadly this was a tactic I used in most of my classes). This aversion to history changed when I saved enough money to buy a new video game and Broderbund, the creators of the (at the time) successful MYST had just released their new title The Last Express. From the moment I started the game from my desktop I was completely immersed and my historically-ignorant self (who thought the Holocaust was some kind of typhoon) was on the Orient Express in 1914 rubbing shoulders with Freedom Fighters, Gun Dealers and Anarchists; all of whom's actions would tie into the beginnings of World War I.

The Last Express casts you as Robert Cath, an American doctor who's wanted by the French authorities. After reluctantly agreeing to meet his old friend Tyler on the Orient Express (on it's journey from Paris to Constantinople) Cath annonymously boards the train by motorcycle and finds Tyler's sliced-up body laying in his cabin. With his friend dead and no where to go Cath is mistaken for Tyler by most of the Express' crew as he investigates Tyler's death and the mysterious people (and objects) he was involved with.

The Last Express could just as easily have been a straight-up who-done-it, point-n-click adventure game but Broderbund's went several steps farther. For one thing, the story moments play out naturally between characters without any spoon-feeding narration or exposition. Who Cath is and his relationship to Tyler? I found that out by reading letters and articles in Cath's inventory and Tyler's Cabin. Which passengers were involved with Tyler? You find that out by overhearing conversations and talking to characters when prompted. Everything plays in constant real-time ( within three days) with characters following their A.I. schedules and your actions determine how the game ends and what you get out of the narrative. With this kind of dedication to story-telling Immersion isn't just a highlight: it's a requirement!

The Last Express sounds like it requires a lot of effort from the player but not once did I feel burdened. For one thing the game gives you a lot of choices along with the freedom to improvise. The Orient Express' crew eventually have to clean your sleeping-cabin so disposing of Tyler's body in the beginning is a necessity...but how you do it is up to you. Do you hide it under the bed and keep your door locked when the cleaners come knocking? Do you toss it out the window risking discovery by the police? Exploration can also be fun as you find out different ways to break into passenger cabins (do you distract the conductors? Steel the master-key? Climb along the train and sneak in through a window?) as well as watch different characters and overhear their conversations in different languages; other passenger's aren't aware that Cath can understand French and Russian which leads to some amusing revelations as well as sinister motivations. I find these voyeur-like touches missing from a lot of adventure games (especially stealth games) and The Last Express' strong-writing and stellar voice-acting the make experience that much richer.

Like Books and Movies I could never pick an all-time favorite Video game, but The Last Express completely changed my perspective on history. It not only tells you about it, it allows you to LIVE in it. Don't get me wrong: much like Assassin's Creed, The Last Express is not even a remotely accurate portrayal of history (just about every character and event in the game is fictional) but this game is what got me interested in that time period: I wanted to know about Russia and Serbia, about the real Anarchists and Irish Nationaists of that time. I wanted to know how WWI really started. The game's a bit dated now (especially it's rock-paper-scissors combat and still-frame cutscenes) but I think anyone interested in how immersive an interactive experience can be, with a story worthy of Hitchcock and period detail around every cornor The Last Express is worth picking up from gog.com.

http://www.gog.com/gamecard/last_express_the

You'd think with as many books I read in a year (some at the same time) that I'd be a much better writer. With gaming 2012 having closed and 2013 just gearing up for some releases I'm trying to catch up on all the movies and books I missed out on in the last few years. Here's a few novels I'm reading and looking forward to reading in these next few days:

Angelmaker

You'd think being the son of famous spy-novelist John le Carre would make it hard for Nick Harkaway to write his own espionage story. Thankfully Angelmaker takes a que from Harkaway's last book, the post-apocalyptic Gone-Away World and turned out a gonzo, pulp-adventure about a clockmaker who accidently triggers a 1950's doomsday machine! So far Harkaway's writing is full of whimsy, switching around tone and characters with each paragraph but his ideas are a lot of fun (Joe, the main character is the son of a famous gangster who's left with a collection of his father's socks;he meets, then teams up with an elderly woman who used to be an honest-to-god spy herself!) and he knows how to write likeable characters even in a world as nutty as this one.

Best Served Cold

After being taken with Joe Abercrombie's latest release 2012's Red Country, I immediately ordered the rest of his catalog from Amazon.com and so far Best Served Cold is dark-fantasy-noir at it's very best! Monza Murcatto is a famous mercenary out for revenge after her brother was murdered by their employer and she left for dead. Rather than a simple revenge tale, Best Served Cold plays out like a heist thriller with Monza and her allies planning specific acts for their intended targets. Despite being a very grim story (involving torture and viciously written action-scenes), Abercrombie sprinkles everything with dashes of (dark) humor and isn't afraid to show the toll these plans take on Monza'a humanity (I especially like her back and forth with the Northman, Shivers). Colorful characters and accessible writing make this a darkly satisfying read!

Shards

Despite being a piece of fiction, Ismet Prcic casts a main character of the same name (and apparently same background), a Bosnian who comes over to America in 1995. Shards is easy enough to jump into, chronicling Ismet's flight and how he's doing at University in a kind of sad but likeable tone. The chapters thenshift around in time and we see how he grew up in Bosnia with his mother, having to deal with artillery fire on a day-to-day basis (his letters to his mother from American are especially sad as Ismet's Ameican life isn't going too well). Things have gotten more interesting, though as instead of writing pure memoirs Ismet invents a character called Mustafa who seems to be leading a parrallel life.....except Mustafa, a soldier stayed behind in Bosnia. The story's structure takes some getting used to, and like I said Shards is not a "happy" read but it's surprisingly engaging and I don't think anyone would have too much trouble getting into this book. 

On the back-burner

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Shadow series: It's been a while since I've read Ender's Game, but I hear this parallel series featuring the side-characters is even more complex and exciting (can't wait to see what they do with Bean!)

Infinite Jest: I really should give up after all this time, but after renewed interest in the much admired (and deceased) David Foster Wallace thanks to his biography "Every Love Story is a Ghost Story" by D T Max I thought I'd give this one another go.

1Q84:I love Japanese writing but Haruki Murakami is one author I've had trouble embracing. I've heard 1Q84 is a great book, though (even by non-fans) so I promised myself I'd try it.

What books are you reading this year?

I complain a lot that last year, 2013 was lacking in movies. Not that there weren't some great ones; Fruitvale Station, Mud, Gravity and Ten Years A Slave were all terrific films but they're not the kind of movies I get excited about. Perhaps it's my own shallow taste in movies but it's usually the extravagant, action-packed Summer Blockbusters that get me out of the house and into the movie theater. Here's a few of my recent favorites (per Lost_in_Translation's blog)

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

2014 is off to a great start with films and this sequel to The First Avenger is among the best blockbusters I've seen! The story of Captain America and his questioning of Shield's ever-growing power and control is among the most topical I've seen in a comic book film, but it's the clever direction by Anthony and Joe Russo that keeps things fresh and exciting. Also: Robert Redford's best performance in years!

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Skyfall (2012)

Another typical choice but there's a reason Skyfall is considered one of the best Bond films ever made: Danial Craig is a 007 that's both familiar and vulnerable in his old age as he chases down a rogue hacker threatening the British secret service. That Skyfall manages to work in a story involving Bond's boss, M having to confront her own failures just makes this film even more dynamic (along with some terrific action-scenes and opening theme song!). Easily Sam Mendes' best film.

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Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

I won't pretend to be a fan of the Mission Impossible series of films but Ghost Protocol (the 4th entry in the series) starts with a bang and never lets up. The story's kinda nonsense but it's simply there to link one exciting action sequence after another as Tom Cruise and his team (including a mysterious Jeremy Renner) race to....um..stop the bad guy.....I guess? Some tense moments and spectacular chases (one during a sandstorm in Dubai) make this one of the best Blockbusters I've seen.

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District 9 (2009)

A harsh social commentary? A head-exploding action film? Why not both? Before District 9 came out I was convinced movie-makers had run out of ideas for big-budget science fiction films. Thankfully I was proved wrong as Neill Blomkamp created a movie that's as thought-provoking as it is exciting (\so what went wrong with Elysium?).

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Some other Favorites: Star Trek (2009), The Avengers (2012) , Spider-man 2 (2003), Batman Begins (2005), Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Well, my FAVORITE moments anyways.

2014 started out strong with some great games this year and since we've hit a sort of dry-spell these next couple months (at least for me, gonna be a long wait until October) I thought I'd dish on some of my favorite moments.

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Murdered: Soul Suspect -An out-of-body experience

Murdered: Soul Suspect is hardly the best game you could play this year, from a pointless scoring system for puzzles to some horrid stealth/combat sections but I really did enjoy some of the story moments. This game starts with a knock-out sequence with lead detective Ronan realizing he's dying (not a spoiler, that's the actual premise of the game) and in a panic tries reposes his body by having you line up his arms and legs before the main killer delivers the coup de grace.

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Transistor- What's up the sword?

Transistor probably is the best game I've played this year, from it's customizable combat abilities to it's somewhat surreal story-telling. The Transistor itself is not only your main weapon but main character Red's only form of companionship as she's lost her voice in a very empty world. When the Transistor starts going a little batty, spouting out cynical nonsense as you fight through groups of enemies things get......unsettling indeed (almost as unsettling as what's causing his outbursts).

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Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes- the OTHER interrogation tape

While Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes has gotten a bit of notoriety for it's treatment of a couple young/underage characters as heard during an interrogation tape, there's another cassette you can find as Snake sneaks around Omega Base that I thought was just as compelling. The skull-faced villain (kinda sorta) explains to prisoner he's about to interrogate/torture that he understands what the man's going through and proceeds to tell him his life story (from being burned alive to the many torturous experiences he's had). That all you can do his passively listen to this story as you accomplish your mission sheds a haunting light on Omega base that's hard to forget.

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South Park: The Stick of Truth- That's "Madam Douchebag" to you!

There are so many wonderful (and wonderfully terrible) moments in South Park The Stick of Truth, from being haunted by the spirits of dead animals stuck up someone's rectum to fighting Nazi-Zombie-cows that it'd be hard to narrow down just one favorite. The level that sticks with me most though is when your male character has to infiltrate an abortion clinic by posing as a girl who's recently been impregnated. Performing a fake abortion on a grown man and dodging government agents is just the start of this horrifically entertaining mission.

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Wolfenstein: The New Order- now THAT'S how you give a swirly!

I never would've thought the next Wolfenstein would be among my favorite games, but I loved every minute of The New Order and not just because it tells a pretty entertaining (and somewhat nutty) story. This game has a lot of fun giving you ways to kill Nazi's in an alternate 1960's but my favorite is sneaking up behind an enemy who's using the toilet, then smashing his face into the wall before drowning him in his own urine....ah, memories.

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What are some of your favorite moments in gaming this year? What games are you looking forward to this Fall/Winter?

What I like most about Bong Joon-ho as writer/director is how he plays with genres of his films. The Host  was equal parts family-drama and monster-thriller while Mother put a creative spin on the detective story by focusing on a mother trying to exonerate her disabled son from a murder conviction. Snowpiercer is his first (mostly) English language film and it has a lot of the same strengths as his Korean originals.

To no surprise, my favorite thing about 'Snowpiercer' is it's premise and setting: based off the comics by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette Snowpiercer takes place on a massive train that holds the last of earth's survivors after the planet's atmosphere turns too cold to survive (thanks to a failed attempt to counteract global warming). The inhabitants of the train are divided into classes with the poorer living in bleak conditions at the tail with the more fortunate living more luxuriously towards the front. The tail survivors are of course planning a rebellion to retake the train (the latest in a series of failed attempts) and are led my the reluctant everyman, Curtis (a well-cast Chris Evans).

So yes, it's another story of haves and have nots and at first it's pretty interesting thanks to 'Snowpiercer' keeping all the action inside the train: I liked seeing how Curtis was always planning the tail-survivor's next move towards the engine and figuring out the security's weaknesses (his deduction about the guard's "useless weapons" was a great scene as was a fight taking place almost entirely in the dark). The acting is really good too as Chris Evans is given great support by sidekick Jamie Bell and single-mother Octavia Spencer; it was a special treat seeing 'The Host's Song Kang-ho and Ho Ah-sung as a father and daughter who help the main characters.....in exchange for narcotics.

Unfortunately, after the initial setup I had a hard time connecting to this film and I started to slowly lose interest in 'Snowpiercer' as it went on, especially once the "haves" or the "elite" were introduced. Like a lot of modern dystopian stories, the privileged are portrayed like cartoonish villains who wear tacky clothing and delight in watching the less-fortunate suffer (and have no problem monologuing when they're outnumbered...not very bright, eh?). I mean, one of elite becomes a nigh un-killable terminator by the end! Despite some heavy revelations in the final act I had a hard time staying grounded in this movie that switched from bleak, survival story to Terry Gilliam-like oddity.

Maybe it's because The Host and Mother dealt with normal people being thrust into extraordinary situations I was able to connect with their stories more. Snowpiercer is certainly a creative film and I liked some of it's elements, but good ideas only go so far with me when a film  can't quite make them gel together.

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What'd you think of Snowpiercer? Also, if you were half-starved to the point of cannibalism, would bugs be that disgusting a food source?

With there being kind of a dry spell this time of the year, at least as far as movies and video games are concerned I thought I'd do some catching up with some stuff I missed out on last year:

Lately I've been running cold when it comes to movies starring Ryan Gosling. I know he's a good actor because I've seen The Believer and Half Nelson, but lately his roles tend to demand little more than him striking a pose and staring off into space (in other words: Gangster Squad, Drive and Only God Forgives just weren't my thing). I'm happy to say The Place Beyond the Pines has made me a fan again and is easily one of my favorite movies to come out of 2013.

In 'Place Beyond the Pines' Gosling stars as a Luke Glanton, a stunt motorcyclist for a traveling carnival. One night he runs into a former lover (Eva Mendes) whom he had a fling with a year ago and discovers she gave birth to his infant son. Luke quits the carnival in order to try and provide for his son but with little skills other than cycling he turns to some easy money with a local mechanic and sometimes criminal played by Ben Mendelsohn (of 2012's too little seen Killing Them Softly). This leads him through some brushes with the law and a confrontation with police officer Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), who has an infant son of his own as serves as the film's other main character.

On the surface 'The Place Beyond the Pines' is a crime thriller featuring bank robberies, motorcycle chases and corrupt police officers (it's even filmed like one thanks to the mix of stationary and handheld POV camerawork). The movie spreads a much broader canvas than that though as both protagonists make decisions that seem, at least at first somewhat selfless (and maybe even righteous) at the time. This not only changes the men but dramatically effects their sons as teenagers down the road. It's here where the meat of the story lies as there's not easy answers for any of the film's characters and I was completely hooked, even through 'The Place Beyond the Pines' two and a half hour running time.

Director Derek Cianfrance makes great use of locations in upstate New York and, unlike his film Blue Valentine (which also had a top performance by Ryan Gosling) 'The Place Beyond the Pines plays out in a very linear fashion. It's a long film, but not a boring one and seeing Ryan Gosling in top form again (though Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and the rest of the cast are equally good) makes the lengthy running time worth it. Highly recommended!

I know I talk about this film a lot so here's the reason:

I'm one of the few people in the known universe who didn't like The Dark Knight when I saw it in the theaters in 2008. This bummed me out, not because so many people liked something I didn't (which is pretty par-for-the-course when it comes to my taste in movies/games/books etc.) but because I wanted so badly to like The Dark Knight that I became jealous. You see, I love movies and I envy people who have a film they are so in awe of, that speaks to them on a personal level that it becomes a standard by which everything else has to live up to. After seeing Captain America: The Winter Soldier I finally know how 'Dark Knight' fans feel.

Captain America isn't exactly a complicated hero: young Steve Rogers is too frail to enlist in the army during WWII, but his patriotic attitude gets him volunteered in an experiment that makes him strong enough to outswim submarines and fight armies of Nazi's (and aliens) with nothing more than an indestructible shield.  While The First Avenger got the character of Cap right (again, not complicated) its story eventually caved under the pressure of trying to tie itself into The Avengers by rushing through character deaths and getting Steve blown up so he could be resurrected (or de-thawed or whatever) in the present-day.

Is an honest to god ENDING too much to ask for?!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier doesn't right The First Avenger's wrongs so much as sheds new light on it's core ideas in a modern setting: Cap no longer fights a war on the battlefield but against enemies with seemingly never-ending reach and influence. Steve's disillusionment as a soldier for S.H.I.E.L.D. is well realized and I especially liked how we see the government agency, not as the idealized organization for superheroes but the makings of a Big Brother-like police state. Before the credits roll people have died and Steve's world has been shattered, twisted and manipulated. It's less fist-pumping cheers and more uncertainty for the future and when Captian America says "The price of freedom is high...."  you know exactly what he means.

The nightmarish scenario presented in The Winter Soldier (influenced by the comics story by Ed Brubaker) allows Captain America few people to trust and I loved seeing his uncertain team-up and butting-ideals with Black Widow and Nick Fury play out as both characters are given so much more screen time than in The Avengers or it's prequels. Even better, Steve's friendship with fellow soldier Sam Wilson makes the man-who-will-be-Falcon a crucial part of the narrative rather than a character who simply cheers from the sidelines. In fact everyone, from Batroc the Leaper to Alexander Pierce feels deliberate and important thanks to Christopher Markus and Stephen Mcfeely's well-structured screenplay.

The sparing use of Winter Soldier himself only increases the character's impact

While a smart story is always a plus The Winter Soldier be nothing without good direction and one only needs to check out the "On the front lines" extra on the Blu-ray to see the creativity by directors Anthony and James Russo. With an economical use of CGI (mostly towards the end) the action scenes, whether a hand-to-hand brawl in an elevator or a car chase on the highway are all given a gritty, down to earth feel that compliments the movie's topical story. With every sequence carefully thought-out and planned the action in Winter Soldier never loses sight of what 's at stake.

Obviously no movie is completely flawless but I'd have to dig pretty deep to find something wrong with The Winter Soldier. It's not that it's perfect (feel free to list anything you didn't like about it in the comments) but I'd get defensive because so much of the movie rings true for me: A story that mirrors potential real-world scenarios, the characters that all add to the ever-thickening plot and even the sense of humor that springs up once in a while despite the grimness of each situation (from Black Widow constantly trying to find Steve a date to the little jabs at his age). Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superhero film with real weight and one, at least in my mind that every other will have to live up to.

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What did you think of Captain America: The Winter Soldier?

...and mostly in November. WIth Far Cry 4 , Assassin's Creed Unity and Dragon Age Inquisition November this year is going to be like March it seems (the month of South Park, Dark Souls 2, MGS: Ground Zeroes, and infamous: Second Son). There are a couple games I'll be picking up this month though (at the same time no less! Man, my wallet's gonna hate me) so I thought I'd talk about each one.

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Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments- A little 'Sherlock' with my Holmes

I'm a sucker for Sherlock Holmes and have been a dedicated customer of Frogwares series since their H.P. Lovecraft-inspired Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. Not every title has been top quality but they manage to put an inspiring spin on the character from Sherlock going up against Jack the Ripper (Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper) to the darker side of Holmes' personality (The Testament of Sherlock Holmes).

Inspired by the famous book by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crimes and Punishments has the consulting detective solving seven different cases, each with multiple endings and resolutions. Along with wardrobe customization (disguises are an important part of Holmes' craft after all) and crime-scene exploration, Crimes and Punishments takes a cue from the TV series 'Sherlock' by allowing you to examine each character you interact with and choose from a list of different deductions during conversation. The advanced graphics and console-friendly controls seem promising indeed.

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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor-Red Dead Redemption in a fantasy setting? Yes please!

I know very little about the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth other than A.) I like The Lord of the Rings films and B). I don't like The Hobbit films.....so far.....at all. Needless to say Shadow of Mordor wasn't even on my radar when it was announced and the few early gameplay videos didn't do much to peak my interest thanks to not knowing much about the fiction and gameplay elements that seemed ripped right off from Assassin's Creed and Batman: Arkham Asylum. After seeing a demonstration of it's open-world and nemesis system I became a convert.

Recruiting enemies to work against each other, upgrading weapons and abilities and taking down orcs using stealth and/or brawling all look exciting indeed. While the combat still looks a bit familiar at least it's pulling inspiration from GOOD games and the story (what little has been revealed) seems steeped in Tolkien's mythology and written by Red Dead Redemption co-author Christian Cantamessa. That Shadow of Mordor is starring both Troy Baker and Nolan North (who's characters will actually MEET in the game!) is just icing on the cake.

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What games are you looking forward to in the coming months?

I was one of the few people who enjoyed Anton Corbijn's debut film: The American and I was very much looking forward to his follow-up. A Most Wanted Man has an even more impressive cast (being one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final roles) and very solid foundation being based on a novel by John le Carre. Unfortunately the story plays out in a very uneven fashion and makes for a somewhat underwhelming movie experience.

Definitely a sharp-looking film at least, with a talented cast

'A Most Wanted Man' takes place in Germany where post-9/11 tensions run high in the intelligence community. A young Chechen man named Issa arrives in the country illegally with a claim to a major inheritence. Issa's shady family history (along with his Muslim beliefs) puts him in the spotlight of German intelligence, mainly agent Gunther Bachmann (Seymour Hoffman) who wants to use Issa to rope in a philanthropist with suspected terrorist connections.

'A Most Wanted Man' certainly has a timely story to tell and director Corbijn keeps things going at a lively pace; unfortunately the movie felt strangely uninvolving at times.  This being one of his last roles I understand wanting Philip Seymour Hoffman on screen as much as possible (he certainly gives a great performance) but I don't think Gunther is as important to the story as the filmmakers seem to believe: the movie focuses so much on him and his team (and their personal dynamics) that the other characters have so little time to grow. Grigoriy Eduardovich Dobrygin definitely leaves an impression as Issa; I just never felt I knew enough about his character to be invested (it doesn't help that he only shows one or two emotions in the whole movie).

Rachel McAdams and Willem Dafoe play a lawyer and a banker sympathetic to Issa...too bad we don't get to know them much either

Despite an appropriately cynical ending 'A Most Wanted Man' left me...well, wanting. On one hand I liked how the story shed an interesting light on the war on terror, especially of people caught between the conflicting interests of American and German intelligence. On the other hand I didn't think Gunther was an interesting enough focal point for the story and I couldn't stay interested in his life and need to redeem his reputation when much more compelling things are happening to the other characters. Not a bad film really, just not a satisfying one.

If you want to see Philip Seymour Hoffman play a spy in a better film, check out Charlie Wilson's War

Despite an almost full-month dry spell, my excitment for new games is gradually starting to rise. While I don't exactly have the following titles pre-ordered I'm very much looking forward to seeing what they have to offer.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist

I admit it. I'm not a huge fan of Splinter Cell: Conviction. I liked the more responsive controls and a (at-first)  less tech reliant Sam Fisher, but the overly shouty bad-guys, bland level-design and none-too interesting story (felt like the other HALF of Double Agent) were disappointing. In Blacklist, Fisher now has a team and the options for carrying out missions (PLEASE let me choose my own load-out!) seem to be much more diverse. Sure, the plot looks like just an excuse for Sam to go hunting down some wascawy terrorists but I'm hoping Blacklist is a return to form for the series (and check out those graphics!).

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Each game in the Metal Gear series from Hideo Kojima has delivered a powerful anti-war message wrapped up in awesome gameplay and bat-shit insane story-telling (and those're only a few reasons I love them)! Revengeance seems to have a more action-focus than it's (somewhat) stealth-driven predecessors but it looks fun and the "Kojima" treatment to the story seems intact. I can't wait to play the demo later this month!

Killer is Dead

As much as I love No More Heroes, in my mind Suda 51 has yet to top his gamecube/PS2 masterpiece Killer 7. This new game, a (so-far) supposed rif on James Bond-like spy-stories sounds intruiging to say the least. Killer is Dead looks like a much more promising game than his later releases, I just hope the gameplay can compliment Suda 51's signature pop-art-style zanyness instead of working against it.

Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut

How to explain Deadly Premonition? Imagine if  Seijun Suzuki were to write an episode of Twin Peaks...then the above mentioned Suda 51 did a video game adaption! This refreshingly bizarre adventure game casts you as a tweaked FBI agent who's hunting a killer in a small town while being attacked by monsters...(or is he?). The Directors's Cut is supposedly coming to PS3 and will have even MORE story content and DLC along with updated controls (god, I hope that means it'll be easier to drive around!). I loved this game on it's initial release and, depending how the PS3 version stacks up I have no problem purchasing it again.

Any games you're looking at but still need convincing?