Top 5 Underdog Albums of 2009

Having gotten my obvious choices out of the way, it's now time for the albums that didn't quite make it. These 5 albums were all amazing, I just didn't think they were part of my Top 5 for the year. Still, attention they deserve, and attention they will get. So without further ado, I present my Top 5 underdog albums of 2009, in no particular order.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Self-Titled

Another All Songs Considered discovery for me. The album itself disappointed the show's host after he saw them live, but I loved it. They have a sort of band of hippies quality to them, but even though you were likely beaten down and brought to absolutely hate "hippies" with the resurgence of the trend this decade.

A clarification: The kids who wore Pink Floyd shirts and smoked pot in your high school weren't hippies. This band, is much closer to the title -- just a completely harmless, ragtag group of musicians. You can't help but find them adorable. And I'm not sure why I turned this into a whole conversation about hippies simply because the band reminds me of them, but I'm leaving it this way.

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My Top 5 Podcasts of 2009

I've never thought about ranking podcasts. To me, they occupy my time in two ways: either a podcast is interesting and informative, or it provides more non-diegetic sound while I play a video game or read. Either way I love podcasts and will use this opportunity to fill you in on some excellent shows that I've enjoyed this year. (Note: Only numbers 1 and 5 were created in 2009)

5. Active Time Babble

What is it? An offshoot of 1UP's Retronauts podcast, Active Time Babble is Jeremy Parish and Kat Bailey's new addition to the myriad of shows 1UP already has -- only this one is especially awesome. The title's pun should be obvious to RPG players, but if not it comes from the title for a common battle mechanic in JRPGs called "active time battle." The podcast therefore, naturally, concerns itself with all things role-playing, including (so they say) everything from Final Fantasy to western table-top games.

Why I love it: I've always enjoyed Parish and Bailey on their various podcasts and shows, and this one is no different. They are generally eloquent and concise speakers, so the "Babble" part isn't so much "meandering" as it is "dialog for a specific audience." Guests like Thierry Nguyen contribute interesting discussion as well. Simply put, if you like RPGs or video game conversation in general, you're bound to enjoy this one and learn something too!

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The Top 5 "Well, duh!" Albums of 2009

I'm not going to be anything but glaringly obvious in this list of my 5 favorite albums of 2009. If you know me at all, then these picks will be pretty straight-forward. Fortunately for most everyone, you don't know me very well, yet, and my top two choices are much different from those of the more mainstream music blogs.

I have ranked these, but let's be honest, it doesn't really matter. So, let's just jump right into it.

#5 - Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest

When Grizzly Bear buzz was at max for their last release I gave it a listen, I just could not get into it at all. I tossed it aside without even a second chance.

When I heard Two Weeks on All Songs Considered, though, I loved it. So I gave them a second chance with Veckatimest. Even as a someone who normally listens to pretty strange music to most, it took me a little while to permeate this album. Still, I found myself drawn back to it often.

Nowadays, it not only gets regular rotation, but their video for Ready, Able gets played constantly on YouTube when my nearly 2 year old daughter comes up to me while on the computer and wants to watch something. She is entranced by that video, almost as much as Shakira's gyrating hips, something I'd like to ween her off of in the near future.

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Nick Suttner Interview

Usually, when looking for inspiration, we choose idols that we feel are most like us. Sure, I wanted to be a writer since I was a little kid, but I sort of fell off the train in high school. After high school, when thinking about what I would do with my life, video game journalism was always somewhere at the back of my head, but I just never had the drive to start trying to achieve it.

I could easily say that several industry veterans finally inspired me to make a go of it, but that would be a lie. Thinking back, it was Nick Suttner that started it all for me. I quickly learned that his tastes mirrored mine almost exactly, and he was only a few years older then me. So, when he recommended people start a blog and write write write, I did just that.

Nick was kind enough to jump through hoops for me just to answer some questions. He was one of the victims of the 1upocalypse early this year, when Ziff Davis closed down EGM and sold off 1up.com, but he landed on his feet and is now playtesting games over at Sony. This is an interview of the man though, not his job -- so let's get to know Nick Suttner a little bit better, shall we?

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Dear Canabalt, Go to Hell! P.S. I Love You.

Dear Canabalt,

I can't do this anymore. I just stopped playing you after two and a half hours straight. When I died, I would just smack the space bar again and start over. All I wanted from you was the Kongregate achievement for getting 5000 meters before dying, and I couldn't even get that.

4946 meters. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to come that close to finally getting something out of our relationship, only to have it ripped away by the sudden placement of a very short rooftop that I could never hope to have landed on at the speeds I had attained? VERY FRUSTRATING!

But it's not you, it's me. You're so simple that it has to be my fault for everything. If I felt like I didn't jump after having hit the button in time, it must be because I didn't actually hit the button in time. If I felt like I had made it within the range of a window, but instead my character smacked against it and fell in the pit below, then I must have misjudged my jump just the slightest bit.

I can't blame you for any of my frustration because you delivered exactly what you claimed you would, one simple button press and I jump. With such little commitment on your part, it's left entirely up to me to get what I can out of our time together.

And that's exactly the problem -- I can't do it. I've come so close to feeling the thrill of success, but have failed each and every time. When I land on a crumbling building and leap off of it just in the knick of time, I feel a rush of adrenaline. Sometimes, when I am running like the wind, and a bomb hits a rooftop I've just landed on, my crappy old computer lags for a second as I'm jumping it. It's like something straight out of the Matrix, and I feel like an incredible badass when it happens.

But ultimately, none of that matters. I always fall short of achieving my goal, and it's tearing me apart. My child has been neglected, and my wife's yelling unheard. When I fail, I immediately hit the button again to restart the game. I can't go on living like this, or I will be a shell of the man I once was. For my own good, I have to leave you, Canabalt. It's the only way.

I hope you understand.

Love,
Alex

If any of you feel sorry for Canabalt and want to take it on a date, just go here.
It's an incredibly cheap date. Free, in fact.

Movie Review: Avatar

Note: This is not a review of the movie as a whole. The story was very familiar but good -- it was engaging, thrilling, and spectacular. Since it will be a familiar story to almost everyone over the age of 10,I feel a review of the story isn't necessary. This is a review of the experience, which most people will be talking about.

I saw Avatar at a wanna-be IMAX theater. It claims to be IMAX, but when I think of IMAX I think of the huge dome enclosures with a screen that takes up half of the dome -- this was not the case here. It was more like an enlarged movie screen. Screens like this have been around for years, but for the sake of space, most movie theaters go for smaller screens so that they can add more, which brings in more money... but I digress. What I'm saying is that this wasn't a real IMAX screen.

This disappointment was not a factor after the movie started though, the sound and picture were great. At first I was skeptical of the new 3D technology that everyone has been hyping. I was still seeing some blurriness that I thought was supposed to be non existent. It didn't seem any different than other newer 3D films such as Up, at first. However, there were some sprinkled-in scenes of beauty at the beginning that made me forget these problems. It took a good 30 minutes for my eyes and mind to get used to having the movie tell them what to focus on. This is how they enhance the depth of field in 3D, they have certain things in focus which is what you should be looking at, if you try to focus on anything else you will most likely get a headache.



All of my worries and skepticism faded away as soon as we were taken into the heart of Pandora. Everything was alive and moving, and felt so real that, at some points, I actually felt that leaves were falling on me and I was getting wet from the dew and the mist in the forests. During mostly all of the more visually brilliant scenes, you will find your mouth agape with the beauty and complexity of the shots. There were dust specks floating around and bugs whizzing by -- it really does make you feel as though you are there. At points I had to remind myself that what I was watching was pretty much all computer generated. Instead of trying to make myself believe it was real, there were instances where I had to step back and remember that what I was seeing was all computer generated.

It is this aspect of the film that really makes it incredible. Sure it's a movie with a pretty good story and great acting (for the most part), but it would not be as amazing were it not for the 3D technology used. I have not seen it in 2D, but after seeing Avatar I don't want to see any other action movie not using this 3D technology.

The action sequences in the movie were unlike anything I have ever seen. The 3D and the shots that Cameron used to portray the action worked in perfect unison. There was so much going on, yet it was so easy to see everything. It is really hard to explain exactly what it looked like other than what I've said earlier, it makes you feel like you are there and it is happening before your eyes. Even the stills from the movie don't fully capture what that scene actually looks and feels like with the 3D technology. There are a few amazing scenes that put you in the middle of the action, like some that put you inside one of the Mech suits or inside one of the helicopters under attack by the Navi. These scenes are simply incredible.



After seeing all of these amazing 3D visuals, and feeling as though I was actually at Pandora, I am concerned about how this movie will translate to DVD/Bluray. I'm confident enough that the story will still be a good one and it will still be an exciting movie, but I feel as though it will be a different movie once that 3D is absent. I'm guessing that when they do release it for home viewing, they will package it with 3D glasses like they've done with Up and Coraline, as well as others. I have not yet watched any of the newer 3D movies on Bluray, but I don't think it will be anything like how it looked in theaters, and I'm not just talking about the size of the screen and the amazing sound system... or maybe I am.

Maybe the experience as a whole can only be enjoyed in a movie theater. Maybe it's possible that Cameron has created a movie strictly meant to be viewed on a big movie screen, with the best sound system available. All I know, is that nothing can compare to what it was like to be sitting in that theater and watching Avatar for the first time. I might be able to compare it to all of the cool rides at Disney World that were so awe-inspiring and magical as a kid, yet when seen through the eyes of adulthood are pretty lame and only cool for the nostalgic effect. I'm hoping that when it comes out on Bluray, which most likely won't be for awhile, the magical effect that the movie first instilled is not lost. I feel that Cameron has enough sense to make a movie that is well translatable for home viewing.

All in all I give the movie and the experience 5/5. It was a great story, though familiar (Dances With Wolves anyone?), presented with a cool sci-fi aspect and some great environments and creatures. And it was an experience that I have never had while sitting in a theater watching a movie. I suggest seeing it on the biggest screen you possibly can. Pay the extra money and see it in fake or real IMAX. You won't regret it.

If you've seen it how do you feel about it? If not, are you skeptical or pumped?

Score: 5 out of 5
Confused about our scoring system? Read this explanation.

Rushed to Market

I feel like I'm a crotchety old man who's about to rant about how things "used to be", but it must be done -- what has become of the durable and dependable consoles we used to buy? My Genesis still works like a dream, as does both mine and my wife's NES -- though I bought that super-pimp Generation NEX so that I wouldn't have to blow in cartridges anymore. Hell, my Atari 2600 still works everytime I dig it out for a little Joust.

What are the chances you will be able to pull out your Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 in twenty years for a little gaming? Slim to none. These systems are dying on people mere years after release -- the 360 quite possibly being the worst piece of junk ever produced in the video game realm. If it weren't for Microsoft's vault of money to appease the masses of red-ringed 360 owners, the system would have failed after the first year.

My launch PSP just crapped out on me. It freezes almost immediately after being turned on, and then restarts itself. I spent a good hour trying to use my precious few seconds before it froze to make a mad dash for the system settings so I could reset them to the default. It didn't help.

I have yet to purchase anything other then a Wii, because of a lack of expendable income. I assumed I would always have my PSP to stay somewhat up to date with current games, and was almost excited within the last few months because of the flood of digital content appearing on PSN. Now I'm glad that I had to return two 16gb memory stick pro duos to Amazon because they were fake (another issue I could rant about, but I digress).

Where will we be left several console generations from now when we want to get some retro-gaming goodness? Will there be any working PS3, 360, or PSP left? Will we have to have them repaired every single time we pull them out of the closet? I doubt that Sony or Microsoft will continue to even repair them, so a whole cottage industry will have to spring up around repairing this generation of shoddy consoles.

As soon as enough time has passed for backwards compatability of these systems to be forgotten, a whole crop of companies will either have fill the void, or we'll be left with giant paper weights. All because, in the increasingly mainstream game industry, a bunch of crap was rushed out to market so that they could beat or keep up with the competition. Way to keep the consumer in mind, guys.

Trailer Park: December 18th

Trailer Park is a weekly post, every thursday, where we feature trailers for the upcoming weekend movie releases.

Well here we are folks. It's time to see whether or not James Cameron's ridiculously huge budget will pay off. If this thing bombs, then it will be the biggest waste of money ever created. I'm sure it'll make back it's almost half a billion, after marketing, budget at some point though -- even if it takes 20 years. But it probably won't bomb. It's just a matter of the mainstream movie-going audience's interest. The nerds can't carry half a billion.



I stopped watching this trailer about halfway through. It quickly became clear that it was going to explain the plot of the entire movie. That sort of shows the problem that has plagued the entire marketing campaign for Avatar -- they have no clue how to market it. That's a really bad problem to have when your movie's budget will likely hit the half billion mark when all is said and done.

So they went all out. Avatar day was an unprecedented marketing move. The idea was to get people into 3D theaters so they could see for themselves what all the buzz was about. They would get excited once they saw it in full blown 3D. Great, then don't release the trailer the morning before they are supposed to go see it the "real" way. I showed up for Avatar day, which I wrote about here, but more then half of my showing didn't.

Who knows how this whole thing will play out? James Cameron has to be crossing his fingers pretty hard right now though.



Meh. Not a musical guy. Still, Daniel Day Lewis and lots of half naked women might be alright.

Other Releases:
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
The Young Victoria
A Town Called Panic
Crazy Heart
Ricky

What will you be seeing?

Music Review: Jean Baudin's Solace

Solo releases usually run the risk of being great show-pieces for the musicians talent that are ultimately boring to listen to repeatedly. It's often difficult for me to listen to the few solo CDs I have collected over the years, more than just the few times I do when I get them. Usually I'll listen to it only enough to say, "Yep, that's technically great playing, but still kind of bores me."

I suppose this has to do with the fact that, not being a musician myself, I easily lose interest when there is no supporting band or vocals. A great show-piece for someone's ability to play a specific instrument is usually only interesting to people who also play that specific instrument.

Jean Baudin has crafted a release that can keep both parties interested though. In case you are unaware, he has slowly graduated to a 13-string bass guitar, that was custom made for him. This was all in an attempt to push the limits of his instrument of choice.

This means that his range with the bass is far greater than most, and it's precisely that fact that helped him create a release that not only keeps a non-musician's interest, but serves as a show-piece for his talent. Solace runs the gamut from spacey, atmospheric post-rock type music, to trippy, experimental stuff, to amazing bass breakdowns, and back again.

It is expertly crafted to provide a seemless journey from beginning to end, but before I ever listened to it straight-through, I enjoyed the sample cuts on his myspace just as much by themselves. If you're a fan of any of the stuff being labeled "post-rock" -- the kind of thing you put on, turn up, close your eyes and let take you to a new world. Or as I enjoy it, while delivering my papers in the dead of night -- then you should like Solace quite a bit.

It's definitely a divergence from Jean's past projects, but if you aren't very close-minded about your music, then you should find something to like. Personally, I enjoyed it just as much as I do much as I do bands like Godspeed! You Black Emperor -- which is to say, a lot.

Here's a choice-cut to wet your whistle.



The full thing can be purchased here.

Score: 5 out of 5
Confused about our scoring system? Read this explanation.

The Great Debate: Shadow of the Colossus

Alex R. Cronk-Young and Jon Shults have had very different experiences with the Team ICO games. The following is an attempt for them to come to terms with their very opposing views.

The following includes SPOILERS for Ico. Read at your own risk.

Sure, I grew up playing video games, but by the time I got to high school I had grown out of them a bit. Nostalgia for the few NES games that we owned when I was a kid, and the 16-bit RPGs that my friend and I played together was one thing, but I didn't really obsess over what was coming out then. Still, video games interested me, and I would pick up a magazine every once in awhile to read about them.

It was in one of those magazines that I first heard about Ico. It sounded completely different from the games I had been playing, which were mostly holdovers from my past gaming days, like Final Fantasy. But like I said, I didn't really obsess over games then, so I didn't rush out to the store to buy it anytime soon.

Several months later I found myself in a GameStop digging through the bargain bin. There was Ico for ridiculously cheap, like $6 or something. Getting it home and playing it completely changed the way I thought about games. RPGs were always my favorite genre because I cared about the story. Ico told the story in a way I hadn't ever experience with RPGs. I'll get into a specific example of how a little later.

Jon Shults, didn't really fall in love with the Team ICO games like I did. In the interest of a fair debate, I'll let him touch on his first experience with these games. More specifically we'll be talking about Shadow of the Colossus, but I had to start with Ico to relate my first encounter, and why I fell in love with it. Now I'll let Jon talk about his experiences.

Read full article.