Media Mayhem: 2010

Gran Turismo 5

The most successful racing game of all time is back. Gran Turismo 5 (also known as Gran Turismo HD) will release exclusively for PlayStation 3 in November 2010. Developed by Polyphony Digital, GT5 brings the world's most realistic and comprehensive driving experience to fans in one of the most highly anticipated games of all time. GT5 features more than 1,000 licensed cars from the world’s top manufacturers and more than 20 tracks with more than 70 variations. The game includes all major forms of racing: normal stock cars, super cars, NASCAR, WRC (World Rally Circuit), and even Pro Kart racing.

Gran Turismo 5 features exciting game play to suit newcomers, automotive enthusiasts, and seasoned gaming fans. GT5 raises the bar for the franchise with its depth of content and unparalleled visuals that are difficult to distinguish from a real live race. Players can progress and acquire credits through a variety of activities in GT Career Mode or they can explore different tracks and race with friends in Arcade Mode. Additionally for the first time, GT5 will feature an extremely deep online and community feature through the PlayStation Network.

Where Gran Turismo 5 boasts its strengths is in the graphics. All the cars in the game are modeled after their real life counterparts. Selecting the interior view on a Ferrari Italia will warrant a different dashboard and interior design than that of a Ferrari 599. Adding this feature rather than using a generic interior for all vehicles adds to the realism and joy of experiencing what driving the real car would be like. Unfortunately, not all the cars in GT5 allow you to use the interior view. The game separates cars into two categories. Premium cars and standard cars. The majority of the cars in the game are standard cars, which do not have a designed interior. The biggest disappointment was that the Bugatti Veyron was considered a standard car. Were the doors locked and no one had a set of keys when Polyphony Digital was researching it? The Veyron should have been a Premium car.

*Update: Polyphony Digital has released an update that now adds interior views for standard cars. However, it is just a generalized interior for all cars.

The environments you race in are breathtaking. From the remote wilderness to historical landmarks such as the Coliseum in Rome, the scenery adds another element of enjoyment to the races. Don't be gawking at the scenery during a race though or you may find your Lamborghini crashing into a wall. Take a couple practice laps if you want to admire the scenery more closely.

Rome, Italy

Within GT Mode (career mode), gamers can partake in a variety of activities. The layout is set up into an organized area known as GT Life. Here future race car drivers can enter a variety of races or improve their driving skills by completing a number of challenges in the License Tests. In order to progress through the career mode, gamers purchase used and new cars from a variety of car manufacturers. Cars are also acquired by winning races.

There are two modes of racing: A-Spec, where you the gamer do the racing, and B-Spec, where you create a driver and coach him through races on his way to becoming an elite driver. B-Spec can be challenging at times since you have to find the balance between a car that your driver is experienced enough to handle and one that will win you the race. Oddly enough, there were times when even though my driver's experience was high he still decided it necessary to take a sharp turn at 100mph and crash into the wall.

There is also a Special Events section that contains a variety of unique events that will give you a break from the sometimes tedious races. As your racing experience increases, various events will be unlocked. The first two sections are unlocked fairly quickly. Once you get to a Level 2 you will have access to Pro Kart racing and a NASCAR drafting tutorial taught by Jeff Gordon. Future unlocks include the Top Gear test track and the AMG High Performance Driving Academy.

Pro Kart racing

Within Arcade Mode, gamers can enter Single Player races, Time Trail, Drift Mode, or a Two-Player race. Time Trial is a great way to practice on a track that may be giving you a hard time. You can drive as many laps as you want and the game will keep track of all your lap times. The best part about Time Trial mode is that every time you do a lap you'll see a "ghost car" following or driving in front of you. The purpose of this is to show you the path your vehicle took as it went around the track while on your fastest lap. This feature gives you real time information on what areas of the track you need to push it to shave time off your lap.

Drift Mode is a blast but more of an after thought as there are no Drift events in career mode. In Drift mode, you drive a section of the track and drift through various sectors. As you enter a corner, a bunch of flags will appear at the top of the screen. As you drift, these flags will fill up and you get points. The faster and more flashy your drift, the more points you will net. Once you reach the end of the sector, your points will be saved and you will continue drifting in the other sectors until you reach the finish line for a total score.

Realistic mountains that almost seem ski-able

Besides GT Mode, Arcade Mode, and Drift mode, there is a Course Maker that allows you to edit current tracks. This is most useful in creating more Pro Kart tracks for your friends to use in Arcade Mode, since there aren't many of them to start with. The last feature accessed from the main menu is Gran Turismo TV. Here gamers can watch automotive reviews and episodes of car programs from all over the world.

When purchasing Gran Tursimo 5 there are two options. You can either purchase the game for $60 or for $100 you can buy the Gran Turismo Collector's Edition which comes with the game, GT5 gold key chain, model car of a Gran Turismo themed Nissan GTR, and an Apex technical information guide. I highly recommend buying the Collector's Edition solely on the fact of the inclusion of the Apex book. The book contains tips and strategies for driving on the tracks, buyers guide to the automobiles in the game, and tuning information. The information in the Apex book is so detailed that you can actually use it to work on real cars. Now that's cool. There are outside companies that make great accessories to enhance the GT5 experience, such as Logitech's G27 racing wheel and Playseats' Evolution racing chair.

Final conclusion, this is a must play for any serious PS3 gamer. The game offers many exciting elements that will keep you coming back. However, with GT5 being delayed over and over, the game should have been better than it turned out. There are many glitches where cars will get stuck on walls and you just have to restart the race, load times are horrendous, and so is the soundtrack. The music makes you feel you are stuck in an elevator rather than the interior of an expensive race car. However, Polyphony Digital has a feature where you can substitute your own tunes while playing the game. The graphics are incredible and all the cars handle like their real life counterparts, but I just expected a bit more. Especially with the exclusion of Porsche automobiles in the game, part of my soul was left missing as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)

Alter Bridge III

Alter Bridge has released their third album entitled AB III,One Day Remains and Blackbird. Also check out their live concert DVD, Alter Bridge: Live from Amsterdam. courtesy of Roadrunner Records. Their previous two albums include:

Michael (Elvis) Baskette, who produced Blackbird, the album to which AB III is a follow-up, also produced this album. It is a much more dynamic and progressive album musically and is very dark lyrically; a departure from the optimistic themes on past Alter Bridge records. It is a loose concept album, a first for Alter Bridge, with themes of struggles with faith and believing. It follows an unnamed character who falls away from faith, then struggles through life, and ends with finding a sense of meaning.

Myles Kennedy, lead singer for Alter Bridge, stated that the album "deals with a lot of doubts," and that musically, there are "moments that have that intensity and have that darkness to it." Mark Tremonti said in a later interview, "I think that the album is a reflection of what was going on in our lives and heads at that moment. It's a moody record. Lyrically, our singer Myles Kennedy took it in the direction of his struggles with faith and believing. Not to put words in his mouth, but Myles' father died at a young age and Myles has difficulty believing in anything. There are positive songs on the record as well, but overall the third album has a darker, lyrical tone."

According to a press release posted on Alter Bridge's MySpace page and website, the lyrics on AB III shift away from the themes of "hope and perseverance in the face of adversity" on the first two albums. Kennedy said, "This record is definitely a departure from the last two albums in terms of its subject matter. It touches on the thoughts and emotions of someone who has come to question everything that was once regarded as an absolute truth. It's the realization that everything you once believed in might not exist." The article also states that the album is a concept album about a character "desperately struggling to find their place in a world steeped in doubt and emptiness," but that there are songs that touch on other emotions, such as "Wonderful Life". Kennedy has said that he will be playing more lead guitar on this album. "I'm definitely doing things I haven't done in a long time as a guitar player."

Regarding the recording and mixing of the album, Kennedy stated, “It was done different from Blackbird in the sense that we didn't have as much time to arrange as a band. You know, the parts had been evolving over quite some time. Mark and I are always writing and stockpiling ideas, but as far as sitting with the band and really fleshing those ideas out, we literally had, I think, about six weeks total to get that going before we started working with our producer. And I think it actually worked out well, because it's a very a spontaneous record, and I think with music – with art in general, sometimes if you over-think something it can have a negative effect. ”

In a recent article, Rolling Stone magazine exclaimed, "AB III will be one of 2010's best rock albums with fourteen Billboard top 10 worthy tracks." Alter Bridge's third album will surely not disappoint fans. Although all the tracks on the new album are amazing, some of my personal favorites are "Isolation", "Ghost of Days Gone By", "Wonderful Life" and "Words Darker Then Their Wings". Help support a band who is about what matters: their music and their fans. Give AB III a listen and go purchase the album.

Members of Alter Bridge:
Myles Kennedy: Lead vocals, Guitar
Mark Tremonti: Lead Guitar, Backing vocals
Brian Marshall: Bass Guitar
Scott Phillips: Drums

Track List:
1. Slip to the Void
2. Isolation
3. Ghost of Days Gone By
4. All Hope is Gone
5. Still Remains
6. Make It Right
7. Wonderful Life
8. I Know It Hurts
9. Show Me A Sign
10. Fallout
11. Breathe Again
12. Coeur d'Alene
13. Life Must Go On
14. Words Darker Then Their Wings

Bonus Tracks:
15. Hope
16. Zero
17. Never Born To Follow

PlayStation Move

Gaming consoles have long been seen as something only males from the ages of 13 to 30 use to waste away hours of their lives. With the introduction of games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, the common age and gender for people who play video games has changed. People of all ages, both male and female are now enjoying video games.

Sony Computer Entertainment has released the PlayStation Move, designed exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It uses technology similar to the Nintendo Wii to give players a motion gaming experience. The critical device is what Sony calls the PlayStation Eye. Although the eye camera looks like a tradition web cam, it is far more advanced. The camera can take high res photos, video, and can be used for motion capture. The motion gaming technology is housed in the pairing of the motion controller and eye camera. The sphere ball at the end of the controller allows the eye camera to pinpoint the exact motions you are making. Allowing for better accuracy then previously seen on the Nintendo Wii.

When Sony announced they were creating a motion gaming device similar to the Nintendo Wii controllers, many people knocked the PlayStation Move for being a complete copy. Who cares? Sony has taken Nintendo's technology with the Wii and made it better. Nintendo knew they couldn't compete with Sony and Microsoft's gaming machines graphic wise so they decided to develop a completely different gaming experience. Sony has realized that the Nintendo Wii appeals to a demographic of people that the PS3 does not. Once you experience the PlayStation Move, you'll never look at video games the same again. The Move is in a league of its own.

Now that the PlayStation 3 has the capability of the Nintendo Wii coupled with all the other features that were already available, there is no reason for anyone to ever buy or play a Nintendo Wii again. The Wii is an infantile state of motion gaming technology while the PlayStation Move is the grown, mature adult. The PlayStation 3 boasts HD gaming and the capability for 3D gaming as well. Other features include a BluRay player and an the ability to use it as a fully functioning computer for Internet browsing or watching streaming Netflix movies. The Wii has none of these features.

PlayStationMove redefines motion gaming with the most immersive and realistic gaming experience only possible on the PlayStation 3 system. The simple, easy-to-use controller captures a full range of motion giving you ultimate control over how you play the game. With a diverse selection of games and new ones launching all the time, you can enjoy hours of fun with friends and family.

Salt

Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a CIA agent and highly respected by all, including her boss, Ted Winter. Out of the blue, a Russian spy walks into their offices and offers a vital piece of information: the President of Russia will be assassinated during his forthcoming visit to New York City to attend the funeral of the recently deceased U.S. Vice President. The name of the assassin: Evelyn Salt. Concerned about the safety of her husband, who she cannot contact, she goes on the run. Winter refuses to accept that she is a mole or a double agent but her actions begin to raise doubts. Just who is Evelyn Salt and what is she planning?

As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who is Salt?"

I didn't expect much from this film considering the poor quality of Angelina Jolie's latest movies, but I was pleasantly surprised. The story had me guessing the entire time as to the true identity of Evelyn Salt. As soon as I thought I'd figured out who she was working for, her actions would prove other wise. Is she working for the CIA, the KGB, or herself? The plot is solid and takes you on a thrilling roller coaster ride of suspense. The ending left me thinking two things: "Who is Salt?" and "I hope there's a sequel."

Grade: B

Slash

One of the great rock legends, Slash, former guitarist of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, released a new solo album simply titled "Slash". What's unique about this solo album is that it is a compilation album of songs featuring the music industries most popular and best vocalists. Songs included on this album feature vocalists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Myles Kennedy, Chris Cornell, Kid Rock, and Fergie. Slash will be touring with vocalist Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge during the summer of 2010 to promote his new album.

This is one album of 2010 you won't want to miss having in your music collection.

Toy Story 3

In the third and final installment of the Toy Story trilogy, Andy is preparing to leave home and move to college. This leaves his old toys wondering what their future holds. Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) knew that this day would come eventually, but now that the moment has arrived they must prepare the other toys for their journey to a new place.

Once again a mix up occurs at the beginning of the movie and Andy's toys find themselves on their way to a daycare named Sunnyside. When they arrive at their new home, the gang meets a line up of new toys including: Ken (Michael Keaton) and a lovable, pink bear named Lotso. The daycare seems like paradise to Andy's toys. The kids here never grow up, they just keep getting replaced by new little kids. However, once the kids arrive for play time all their ideas of paradise go right out the window sparking Woody to devise a plan to escape and return to Andy one final time. It's a prison break from Sunnyside Toy Story style.

Toy Story 3 keeps the same look and style as the first two; however, the graphics and animation have improved a lot. The first Toy Story film was Pixar's first major motion picture. Since then the technology for animated films has increased exponentially and you'll definitely notice it when watching this movie.

Even with the new toys added to the story, the witty banter between characters remains and the voices for all previous characters remains unchanged as well. Having Woody or Buzz voiced by someone other then Tom Hanks and Tim Allen would have ruined the movie. My new favorite character is Ken, not just because he looks a lot like me minus the hair color, but because he has this unspoken coolness and arrogance about him that often leads him to make funny statements or make a fool of himself. Although Ken appears to have everything under control, his world is turned upside down when he meets his first ever Barbie doll. It's love at first sight. And for the rest of film, the other toys can't keep Ken and Barbie off each other, which makes for some great comedic moments.

This is a must see for Summer 2010. A film all ages can enjoy that will leave you laughing, crying, and on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

Grade: A+

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the sequel to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, is a game title you must experience. The story picks up a couple years after the end of the first game where we find Drake on a new adventure. Without giving to much of the story away, the game begins as Drake is summoned by an old friend to help him steal a valued artifact from a museum. Through a series of events, Drake finds himself on a quest to stop a madman from acquiring the Chintamani Stone before its too late.

Many improvements have been made since the first game. This time around real actors performed all the actions in this game while delivering the lines, so when playing the game the actions of the virtual characters seem real and believable. Once you begin the game, you never have to load giving you seamless transitions between chapters in the story. Short cut scenes engage during game play and then after a few seconds let you regain control. This may sound annoying but the cut scenes make the game feel more like a movie then a video game.

In most games, the camera is always behind your character giving you a bird's eye view of the area. While playing Uncharted 2, Drake may jump up to grab a ledge and as he goes to pull himself up the camera angle will change. This is constantly happening as you proceed through the game so you never have to worry about failing a stage because the camera angle got messed up and you couldn't see what was going on. The game developers really took the time to make sure the vantage point was always correct so you could focus on enjoying the game experience.

Even more improvements from the first game have been made besides the improved cinematic camera angles. Rather then hiding behind an object and attempting to take out bad guys, there are now a variety of new ways to take out enemies. The hand-to-hand combat sequences end in a cinematic slow-mo shot as Drake punches or kicks the enemy combatant for the last time knocking him out or killing him. Hand-to-hand combat is also an effective way of sneaking up on targets. It is more difficult than shooting enemies with a variety of weapons available, but it's more rewarding. If you perform the maneuver correctly you can take out many of the enemies without alerting the others patrolling the area.

Gun battles are common occurrences

The dialogue in Uncharted 2 is spectacular. Drake's sarcastic humor and banter with various characters throughout the story, including an ex girlfriend who plays the role of his side kick for part of the story, makes the game more enjoyable. The dialogue is real rather then feeling scripted. Each character has a distinct way of talking and interacting with other characters which makes their interactions seem more natural and not some pre-programmed conversation.

The dramatic camera angles add to the intensity of certain situations

This game isn't all about shooting enemies and blowing up stuff. Many parts of the story require you to figure out clues or puzzles in order to advance the story. Climbing objects and scaling walls are common practices in Uncharted 2. Sometimes the game can become frustrating because it's difficult to spot a tiny rock ledge that will allow you to proceed to the next area. Many places only allow you to proceed by one means necessary so it can make things difficult. This challenging aspect does make the game more difficult in some parts but ultimately more enjoyable in the end.

One aspect that remains the same from the first game is the outstanding music score. Greg Edmonson returns to deliver the music score for Uncharted 2 and it does not disappoint. I enjoyed listening to the epic music as I played the game so much I actually decided to buy the soundtrack on iTunes. Uncharted 2 has better music then many movies.

Breathtaking environments add to the realism

It's impossible to talk about Uncharted 2 without mentioning its visuals. You can tell the game developers really went out of their way to design the characters and environments. The game is packed with graphic detail that has nothing to do with whats going on in the story but draws you into the world making you feel like its a real place. This is easily one of the best games I've ever played and that's saying something with the company it shares (Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, COD: Modern Warfare 2). It's no wonder Uncharted 2: Among Thieves won game of the year in 2010.

Rating: 10 out of 10 (Perfect)

Iron Man 2

Six months after the end of the first movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has used his Iron Man armor to bring about a negotiated peace treaty between the major super powers of the world, and his immense popularity with the general public is only furthered when he fulfills his father's dream by opening the "Stark Expo", to showcase all the latest inventions that will benefit the world. All is not well in Stark's life, however: he has discovered that the palladium in the arc reactor keeping his heart beating has begun to poison his body, slowly killing him, and all attempts to find a substitute element have failed. Slowly going off the rails as a consequence of what he believes to be his impending death, he appoints his former personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) CEO of Stark Industries.

While racing in Monaco, Stark is attacked by Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who has constructed a miniaturized arc reactor of his own, including whip-like attachments harnessing the electrical energy. Defeating Vanko with the aid of his Mark V armor (a transforming briefcase), Stark discovers that Vanko is the son of disgraced Russian physicist Anton Vanko, who collaborated on the first arc reactor with Stark's father Howard (John Slattery). Vanko is promptly broken out of jail by a revenge-seeking Justin Hammer, who puts him to work fashioning a line of "Iron Drones" that he will use to upstage Stark at his own Expo.

The action sequences are pretty similar to the first movie with lots of explosions and righteous butt-kicking. My favorite part of the sequel was the witty banter constantly occurring between characters. Tony Stark's sarcastic and cocky attitude keeps the film entertaining even when he isn't flying around and saving the world. One of the best movies to hit theaters in the month of May.

Grade: A-

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans stars Nicholas Cage and Eva Mendes. The story takes place in the ravaged city of New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe. As you can probably tell from the title of the movie, Terence McDonagh (Nicholas Cage) is a crooked cop who does everything and anything in his power for personal gain. A drug user, gambler, and womanizer are just a few adjectives that describe Detective McDonagh.

Married to a prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes), McDonagh even uses her to shake down customers for drugs after they have completed their transaction. As the movie progresses, McDonagh gets more into gambling debt and more in trouble with the New Orleans police department for various incidents with civilians. There's nothing that surprises you about this character by the time this movie is over. Even things like cutting off a old woman's air supply to get some information are common occurrences.

The majority of this movie was slow and dull with a few scattered moments of action and excitement. Since McDonagh is high on drugs, random vodooish incidents will occur that make you feel like you're on crack (not that I know). If I wanted to watch a Cage stumble around on the verge of a drug induced coma mumbling random things, I would have just rented his biography from the video store.

Grade: C-

Samsung LED televisions

If you've watched television lately, you may have seen a commercial for Samsung's new LED 3-dimensional televisions. Just to clear up rumors, even though it is a television that can display 3-dimensional images, that doesn't mean everything is always in 3D. You can't watch sports in 3D for example. The only way you can utilize the 3D feature is if you own a movie that is in 3D, which at this point in time is very few.

This is brand new technology so it can be quite confusing. Here's how it works. Most consumers confuse LCD (liquid crystal display) and LED (light emitting display) technology. LED is the newest technology to be used in televisions, which was originally developed by Samsung. Picture quality is often determined by the combination of two factors: Contrast ratio and hertz rate (how often the TV refreshes the image).

In a top of the line LCD HD television, your contrast ratio is roughly 120,000:1 pixels. The bottom of the line LED televisions produce a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. If you want to spend significantly more money on a LED TV, then you can purchase Samsung's Series 8 LED televisions which carry a 10,000,000:1 ratio. Now this information may make you even more confused about LED technology but in laymens terms, the more pixels you have the better your picture quality.

Also due to the high contrast ratio, you get more accurate colors. The colors are deep and rich rather then faded and washed out as on normal HD televisions. The picture quality is absolutely breathtaking. My job in the media means that I've seen hundreds of hours of HD footage, but the first time I watched Planet Earth on Bluray on my new LED TV, I was literally at a loss for words.

The second component to having great picture quality is your televisions hertz rate. My LED TV (Samsung Series 6) has a refresh rate of up to 210hz. The Series 8 televisions have up to a 240hz rate. The higher the hertz rate the more often the TV refreshes the picture. The easiest way to notice the difference between an LED TV and a normal HD television is by watching something with fast moving action, such as sports. When viewing fast action sequences, you may notice the picture tends to streak or blur horizontally. The reason for this being is that the TV is not refreshing fast enough to keep up with the action. When blurring occurs on a television, you are losing video frames. The content you're viewing may be broadcasting in up to 60 frames per second, but your television's low hertz rate is only allowing it to display around 30 frames a second. Hence the blur or jitter effect with your picture.

The key features besides the picture quality with the LED televisions is its sleek design. Whether you purchase the 40" or the 52" TV, both are only 1.2 inches thick and weigh exactly the same as the box it comes in. Another remarkable feature is that it is the first energy efficient television. When operating at full capacity it is only using 120 watts of power. About the same power as a lamp.

LED technology is well worth the money when buying a new television; however, there are some issues that Samsung hasn't fixed yet. One of the main problems with the LED televisions is that you often get a buzzing noise coming from the right speaker. Many owners of Samsung LED TVs have reported this issue. In my case, the buzzing is sporadic and faint when it does occur. Nothing extremely distracting but still pretty annoying.

Since the TV is ultra thin, there isn't a lot of room to install all the electronic components. The problem is caused due to the power supply board and speaker being mounted to close to each other. When playing something on your TV at high volumes, the sound will rattle the power supply giving off a buzz or faint humming noise. There is no way to fix this so if you're planning on buying a LED TV wait for Samsung to fix the problem or buy a different brand.

Here are some buying tips you should know about when purchasing a new television. Samsung does make a 32" LED TV but you should NOT purchase this size unless you have a size restriction in the area your new TV will be sitting. The Samsung 40" LED TV is the same price as the 32" so go with the bigger size. Personally I wouldn't recommend getting bigger then the 46". The best plan is to scout electronics stores before you buy. Go to Best Buy and see the TV in action next to all the other styles of televisions. Then head over to Ultimate Electronics and purchase your new LED TV. They are cheaper then Best Buy and you may even be able to talk them down more on the price. No one ever goes there so they'll sell you stuff dirt cheap. The 40" Samsung LED televisions are currently selling around $1500.

Heavy Rain

How far will you go to save someone you love? This question will be etched in your mind as you experience Heavy Rain, a crime mystery/thriller game developed by Quantic Dream exclusively for PlayStation 3.

The story begins with Ethan Mars, one of the characters you will control, at home on one of his son's birthdays. Right away tragedy strikes as the son is hit and killed by a car while crossing the road. This leaves Ethan with only one remaining son, Shaun Mars. The story now fast forwards 2 years and we meet up with Ethan spending time with his son Shaun. Tragedy strikes once again for Ethan as his remaining son is kidnapped by the Origami killer.

Ethan Mars with his son Shaun shortly before being kidnapped by the Origami killer

The Origami killer is responsible for a string of child kidnappings and murders that have taken place recently. The killer locks the kidnapped child in a drain exposed to the elements. The more it rains (hence the title) the less time the child has to live. The killer uses origami figurines as clues to the where a bouts of the kidnapped child. Ethan Mars is forced to carry out a series of physical and mentally demanding challenges in order to receive the next clue from the Origami killer and save his son in time. As the story progresses you will play as many more characters who have a role in the story. Nothing is what it seems so attention to detail is a must.

What clues does the origami figure give about Shaun's location?

The story plays out like a movie and along the way you are given button prompts. The easiest way to describe this element is that it is very similar to those mystery novels you read as a kid where you could choose the path of the story (i.e. turn to page # for action 'A' or page # for action 'B'). In some scenes the button prompts you choose have your character say different things where in other cases the prompts cause your character to perform certain actions. It's like watching a Martin Scorsese movie but being in control of the plot rather then just observing.

In a particular scene while playing as the FBI agent investigating the murders, I arrived at an apartment to question a suspect only to find he wasn't home. I was presented with the option to leave the location or kick the door down. I think you can guess what option I chose. After entering the apartment and searching for clues for a couple minutes the suspect returned. He noticed I was in his apartment, became angry that I broke in and pulled a gun on me. Now the button prompts were asking me to perform a conversation rather than physical actions. I chose the "Accuse" button prompt and my character began his statement accusing the suspect of being the origami killer. This only made the suspect more angry and through a string of picking the wrong things to say the suspect ended up shooting me and escaped. I replayed the same scene again choosing different things to say and taking a more calm approach to the situation. In the end, the suspect surrendered his weapon and let me arrest him to take to the station for further questioning.

Conflicts are common occurrences in Heavy Rain. Make a bad decision or say the wrong things and the story can quickly take a turn for the worst. Seemingly meaningless decisions end up costing you big time later on in the story, making you wonder what if I had chose that other option. Depending on your choices, Ethan Mars may die during one of the challenges leaving Shaun hopeless and condemning him to die as well or your decisions could lead to one of the other characters finding Shaun. That's the beauty of this game. It encourages exploration and leaves you wanting to experience the story over and over. There are numerous outcomes and possibilities to the ending of this story.

Playing this game is unlike anything I've ever experienced. It doesn't have the typical video game feel where you play it for a couple hours for some relaxation time. Unless you experience this phenomenal game you can't understand how revolutionary it is. Intense emotional situations create a gray area between virtual reality and actuality. The combination of button prompts and an intense story line make you feel as if you are a character in the story experiencing the same pain, terror, and stress as the other characters. The fate of their story is in literally in your hands.

The breathtaking graphics only add to the realism. Making the experience more believable.

Should I play it safe and escape the burning apartment of the origami killer or risk everything by staying a few minutes to acquire the evidence left behind? Hundreds of question like this will race through your mind leaving you only seconds to make a serious decision that could help or hinder you later. Playing this game is not entertainment but rather an experience that you will not soon forget.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10 (Excellent)

Madina Lake: "Attics to Eden" album

A band I've recently discovered that I absolutely can't get enough of is a band from Chicago named Madina Lake. Their newest album entitled "Attics to Eden" is a combination of Alternative and Hard Rock songs. By far the best song on the album is "Never Take Us Alive". I recommend downloading this song at the very least if you decide not to buy the album.

Green Zone

Matt Damon (Bourne Trilogy) and director Paul Greengrass return to the screen for another exciting action/thriller. The pair starts right where they left off in their new film entitled "Green Zone". Although parts of the movie may remind you of the Bourne trilogy, don't let that keep you from seeing this movie. Greengrass intricately weaves fact and fiction together to tell a story that quite possibly could have happened overseas.

Following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) and his men are charged with finding the so-called weapons of mass destruction, whose existence justified American involvement. Each mission becomes more and more dangerous. And continuous raids of believed weapon store houses turn up nothing. According to the Pentagon and their man in Baghdad, veteran CIA operative Marty tells Miller that there are no weapons and that it is deceiving to allow the Americans to take over the country and install a puppet leader. Miller takes matters into his own hands and attempts to find out the real reason for America's presence in the region.

At times the plot becomes quite predictable and feels to much like a repackaged Bourne film, but the inclusion of factual events and information keeps its head above water. It's hard to find a character you can empathize with in this film as Damon's character is far too arrogant and all the other characters talk the big talk but never really amount to much. Bottom line, if you enjoyed the Bourne films, "Green Zone" is worth a watch or two. Lets just hope Greengrass doesn't make a trilogy out of this film.

Grade: B-

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