So I Just Started Playing... - Crysis

I've decided to make a new feature for this blog (since it seemed like a good idea for my other blog). This feature will highlight some game that I've started to play a lot recently, or CD I've started to listen to, or movie I've watched. It won't be isolated to new products, mostly because I generally don't see movies in the theater, don't like new music, and don't buy games new. But that means that you'll mostly see me comment on things that you've heard of or tried out yourself, so hopefully it'll result in a little more discussion.

If you're worried that this will replace the halls of fame, you're right to be worried. This will replace the halls of fame. The reality is that, without a gallery and bronze busts of the inductees (or at least a list somewhere), there's just not much reason to keep it up. I could make the lists or fashion the busts, but we both know I have neither the motivation nor the tendency to succumb to modest peer pressure to do that.

So anyways, let's get to work. Crysis. When the game first came out, it was highly thought of for being an exceptional work of programming, specifically when it comes to graphics. Unfortunately for many PC gamers at the time of Crysis' release, the hardware demands made by this game prevented many from playing it at all, and prevented most from being able to really enjoy the full capacity of graphics that the game offers. But I just got a brand new computer with high-level components, so I've been able to see the game as it was intended, and let me tell you; it's spectacular.

All of the character models are solid, but you find solid character models in a lot of games. The explosions are very good, but again, not unique to Crysis. Yes, you can fell trees and blow up shacks, but the most impressive part visually is actually the terrain. The entire wilderness moves all the time, leaves rustling, seagulls scampering, and water running. This might seem small, but I assure you, it's huge. In most games up until now, you could find your enemies simply by scanning the horizon for movement or waiting to hear anything other than music. But when every bush and blade of grass is moving, and when there are fluctuations in environmental sound based on wind and wild animals, it's a much more difficult (and realistic) task to stay alive.

The gameplay is fun, similar to Halo in a lot of ways, but a little more realistic. Your character is a super soldier from a couple decades into the future, rather than a couple centuries. The actual tasks are relatively similar; you have to travel through the jungle, picking off or eliminating patrols, making your way to some landmark where you get information or take out a target. But it's such a beautiful terrain, and the game is pretty tough, so each leg of your journey is a new challenge.

The most unique part of the gameplay is the ability to gear your nanosuit to allow you to do different things. The default setting is for it to act as armor, giving you an extra health bar. You can also set it to stealth (cloaking you from your enemies), speed (giving you extraordinary running speed, useful for escaping), and strength (increasing the power of your melee attacks and giving you the ability to jump high in the air).

You can also customize your weapons, adding silencers, sights, and scopes, and switching between different kinds of ammunition. You can carry two rifle-class weapons, so you can have one long-range, non-silenced, scoped weapon, and one with normal sights and a silencer for eliminating enemies with a bit of discretion. Coupling a silenced submachine gun with the stealth nanosuit option makes for some enjoyable, movie-style assaults.

I like the game a lot. I'm not going to break it down into different categories, because different games will have different relevant categories. So I'll just give it a base-100 rating (and I'll do this for all of these kinds of posts).

Final Score: 93

Video Game Hall of Fame - Metal Gear Solid

Oh, Scott Riley. My old high school buddy taught me so much about the world, simply by telling me to play Metal Gear Solid back in the late 90s. I didn't think anything of it at the time, just another fun video game. But the more I learned about video games, new and old, the more I came to appreciate the true masterpiece that is the third installment in the Metal Gear series.

And those first two are key reasons why this game was important. Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Snake's Revenge were both interesting games that I found utterly impossible. Joe Perez, another pal from my youth, engaged me in multiple conversations about the original game, usually culminating in something along the lines of "the damn dogs."

The concept was unique. There were dozens of games about using overwhelming firepower and quick dodges to defeat your enemy; there were precious few that relied on stealth as a key factor. And even though I never got the hang of either of the first two games, I saw the merit in the idea.

So when I started playing Metal Gear Solid, I quickly embraced it as "my kind of game." Sneaking around, outsmarting guards by knocking on a wall to draw their attention, hiding in a box to get transport between areas, and using a cigarette's smoke to locate security lasers, these are my kinds of things. It's no secret that the more complex a game is, the more pieces of the environment that you can use, the more fun it is.

MGS also had some of the best boss battles of all time. There was always a trick or a strategy that you had to figure out to win the battle, and it helped to integrate a puzzle nature to the game. In fact, one of the strongest reasons I think the game was so successful was that it relied not so much on being fast with the trigger and dodging attacks, but on being intuitive and deductive. It certainly made it more fun for me, being someone who's not altogether that good at being fast with the trigger or dodging attacks.

Metal Gear Solid (along with its sequels) was also known for its cinematic presentation. It offered a complex storyline, along with many cutscenes that moved the story along. Personally, this didn't do much for me, but I acknowledge its value to some gamers, as well as the fact that it was among the first non-RPG game to employ such tactics. These days, most of the best games have some kind of cinematics integrated, and some of the credit for that, and for the in-depth storylines we find these days, has to go to Metal Gear Solid.

Thanks Scott.

Guitar Hero: World Tour

As I'm sure many of you know, Guitar Hero: World Tour comes out October 26, 2008. It will follow the Rock Band precedence by including microphone, drums, and the two guitars. I just got a glimpse of the set list (currently 86 songs) that will be included with it... and it does not disappoint:

30 Seconds To Mars--The Kill
311--Beautiful Disaster
Airbourne--Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
The Allman Brothers Band--Ramblin' Man
Anouk--Good God
The Answer--Never Too Late
At the Drive-In--One Armed Scissor
Beastie Boys--No Sleep Till Brooklyn
Beatsteaks--Hail To The Freaks
Billy Idol--Rebel Yell
Black Label Society--Stillborn
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club--Weapon of Choice
blink-182--Dammit
Blondie--One Way or Another
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band--Hollywood Nights
Bon Jovi--Livin' on a Prayer
Bullet for My Valentine--Scream Aim Fire
Coldplay--Shiver
Creedence Clearwater Revival--Up Around the Bend
The Cult--Love Removal Machine
Dinosaur Jr.--Feel the Pain
The Doors--Love Me Two Times
Dream Theater--Pull Me Under
The Eagles--Hotel California
The Enemy--Aggro
Filter--Hey Man, Nice Shot
Fleetwood Mac--Go Your Own Way
Foo Fighters--Everlong
The Guess Who--American Woman
HushPuppies--You're Gonna Say Yeah!
Interpol--Obstacle 1
Jane's Addiction--Mountain Song
Jimi Hendrix--The Wind Cries Mary
Jimi Hendrix--Purple Haze (Live)
Jimmy Eat World--The Middle
Joe Satriani--Satch Boogie
Kent--Vinternoll2
Korn--Freak on a Leash
Lacuna Coil--Our Truth
Lenny Kravitz--Are You Gonna Go My Way
Linkin Park--What I've Done
The Living End--Prisoner of Society
Los Lobos--La Bamba
Lostprophets--Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)
Lynyrd Skynyrd--Sweet Home Alabama (Live)
The Mars Volta--L'Via L'Viaquez
MC5's Wayne Kramer--Kick Out the Jams
Metallica--Trapped Under Ice
Michael Jackson--Beat It
Modest Mouse--Float On
Motorhead--Overkill
Muse--Assassin
Negramaro--Nuvole e Lenzuola
Nirvana--About A Girl [Unplugged]
No Doubt--Spiderwebs
NOFX--Soul Doubt
Oasis--Some Might Say
Ozzy Osbourne--Crazy Train
Ozzy Osbourne--Mr. Crowley
Paramore--Misery Business
Pat Benatar--Heartbreaker
Radio Futura--Escuela De Calor
R.E.M.--The One I Love
Rise Against--Re-Education Through Labor
Sex Pistols--Pretty Vacant
Silversun Pickups--Lazy Eye
Smashing Pumpkins--Today
Steely Dan--Do It Again
Steve Miller Band--The Joker
Sting--Demolition Man (Live)
The Stone Roses--Love Spreads
Stuck in the Sound--Toy Boy
Sublime--Santeria
Survivor--Eye of the Tiger
System Of A Down--B.Y.O.B.
Ted Nugent--Stranglehold
Ted Nugent--Original Guitar Duel Recording
Tokio Hotel--Monsoon
Tool--Parabola
Tool--Schism
Tool--Vicarious
Trust--Antisocial
Van Halen--Hot For Teacher
Willie Nelson--On The Road Again
Wings--Band on the Run
Zakk Wylde--Original Guitar Duel Recording

Enjoy!

Music Hall of Fame: Crash (Dave Matthews Band)

Crash was on my short list of albums to draw from for the next hall of fame inductee, but after LeRoi Moore's death earlier this month, there was no question anymore.

Crash was the first Dave Matthews Band album whose release I anticipated. Their three earlier albums came out before I was really into the band, and were released on a smaller scale. Crash was a blockbuster album, the follow-up to the wildly successful Under The Table And Dreaming. It didn't disappoint.

The singles off of this album were Too Much, So Much To Say, Crash Into Me, and Tripping Billies. I wouldn't put any of them in my personal top half on the album, but they're all fine songs; it's just that the other songs are fantastic. You ask Sam Cole what his favorite Dave Matthews Band song is, and he'll probably tell you Two Step. Sammy T. might say #41. At one point or another, Say Goodbye, Lie In Our Graves, and Drive In, Drive Out would each have been my favorite. And the first song I ever solo-ed along with on guitar was Proudest Monkey.

The album embodies most of what people like about the band. It's got the smooth saxophone, searing violin, and transcendent drums that have attracted people of all ages to the band. Matthews' voice isn't as breathy on this album as it sometimes is in their newer songs, and that's to the benefit of the band. Drive In, Drive Out specifically is a showcase of how all of these different sounds and different musicians can weave a tapestry of song that explodes with precision and mayhem.

In thinking about this album, I've realized that it came out almost half of my lifetime ago. But instead of thinking of that and feeling old, it just makes me realize how strong the music is. The fact that I've enjoyed the same music for 11+ years speaks either to its magnificence or my own stubbornness. I like to think it's a little of both.

The funny thing is, Crash is definitely one of my top five favorite albums of all time, but it might not even be my favorite Dave Matthews Band album. Under The Table And Dreaming and Before These Crowded Streets are both elite albums, and all three are constantly jockeying for position on the metaphorical totem pole of my musical taste.

Normally I don't plug products for purchase in the text; I let my opinion make the recommendation, and you can either follow it or ignore it. But this time, I implore you, buy the CD. It's listed at under $10, and it's a steal at twice the price. Get it.

Cover Bands Redux

I spoke with a few friends over the weekend, and realized that I may be using some incorrect terminology. I've been saying "cover band," but the way I understand it, when a band covers only one band's songs, they're more properly classified as a "tribute band." So that's what I'm looking for, a festival-style concert involving tribute bands.

I'm on the case.

Cover Bands

I was thinking the other night about LeRoi Moore, and how the Dave Matthews Band, in its original, most correct state, is done. The same is true for thousands of bands who've lost a member: Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers Band, Metallica, The Doors, Alice In Chains, and many more. Granted, Metallica's most popular days came after the loss of Cliff Burton, and the Allman Brothers Band still tours today, but to people who've followed the band since they became popular (like myself with regards to the Dave Matthews Band), the band is gone, and this is a new band with similar members.

Anyways, it got me to thinking about all of the bands who've broken up or lost members and who I'll likely never see in concert, and how that's a shame. Then I thought about the Michael McDonald concert I went to a few weeks ago (laugh if you like, but it was a good show), and how many of his most exciting songs were actually cover songs: Living For The City (Stevie Wonder), Into The Mystic (Van Morrison), Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen), Walk On By (Dionne Warwick), and several Motown songs. This is along the same lines as many jazz artists, who often play almost exclusively songs written by someone else. Jazz fans appreciate this; they get to hear familiar songs with a personal touch by the artists. But if you were to go to a rock show and the band played mostly cover songs, you'd be dissatisfied.

Or at least you think you would be. But say you went to a concert of a newer band, Wolfmother we'll say. They've got one album with 12 songs. Presumably they'll play more than 12 songs, so you're either going to hear songs you don't know, or covers. While I'm open to some new songs, it's always nice to hear familiarity. So if they played 8 of the songs from the album, plus assorted songs by their stated influences (Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The White Stripes), I don't think anybody would go home unhappy (unless of course they sucked, but we'll assume they play the songs reasonably well).

A couple of particularly interesting bands to cover (and two that support the point I'm about to make) are Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. Those are two bands who've broken up for good and lost former members to death (George Harrison and John Lennon from The Beatles, John Bonham from Led Zeppelin), and even if they hadn't, the living members are getting awfully old, and we can foresee a time when they're all dead and gone, or at least incapable of playing shows.

So should the band's music die with the band? Of course not. We own CDs, we bought songs on iTunes, some of us own records and cassettes, we know how to play the songs on guitar or bass or drums, we sing the songs. We know the songs won't die as long as we like them. But there's something different and special about hearing a song played by professional musicians, people who know the song inside and out. But if Led Zeppelin is gone, how will we ever be able to enjoy their music in a concert again?

Cover bands. Cover bands are the answer. I know what you're saying, "Cover bands are lame, they just play other people's music." Think about that, though. Most music today is derivative of some music played in the past. Some of it is more than derivative; some songs are simply rearrangements, identical songs with changed lyrics, or out and out cover songs. And we're generally okay with that. So why would we not give any credit to a cover band? They've got the chops to play the music, and we like the music (or at least we did when the original band played it). I understand that there's a concern for a quality drop-off with cover bands, but if it's a really good cover band full of folks who can really play the shit out of their instrument, what do I care?

I'm stating for the record, here and now, that I'd love to see a Doors cover band open for a Led Zeppelin cover band in a legitimate concert theater. I'd be willing to pay good money to see a 3-hour show by a Pink Floyd cover band. Hell, I did pay good money to see the Allman Brothers Band, and they've only got half of the original members. And historically, when I go to concerts where I don't know the band's music that well, cover songs are sometimes the highlight of the show. As humans, we appreciate familiarity.

Thus, my new dream is for a festival-style concert featuring only premium cover bands. You can pay them cheaply, and after a few stops, people will start to catch on. I'm gonna do it. I'm sooo gonna do it.

Okay, probably not, but I hope someone else does.

Rock Band Guitar Strap Deals

A couple of really cheap guitar straps on Amazon:

- Tibetan Design
- Gothic Design

Buy them.

LeRoi Moore, 1961-2008

Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore died Tuesday from complications resulting from an ATV accident on June 30th. He was no small part of the reason that the band enjoyed such success. Moore's strong jazz saxophone offered a thick complement to the more mainstream members of the band.

They've been my favorite band since high school, and it speaks to the strength of the band that I haven't wavered on that. I regret not getting out to see the band over the past few years. While I'm sure whoever they get to replace Moore will be an accomplished musician, LeRoi brought a special flavor to the music. There was a sense of maturity about his play as well as that of drummer Carter Beauford, when compared to the playful nature of Dave Matthews (guitar/vocals), Stefan Lessard (bass), and Boyd Tinsley (violin).

I can't really explain why Moore was different from other saxophonists, or why I think he was better. It's a subjective argument, and one that you couldn't in good conscience agree with without hearing the music. Luckily, the Internet offers about fifty billion ways to listen to music. I was able to quickly find what is, for me, the most memorable LeRoi Moore tune. It's a cover of All Along the Watchtower, off of the band's Recently CD. Moore's best segment starts at about the 4 minute mark, and culminates at about 5:30.

Enjoy it.

R.I.P. LeRoi.

iCraveit Coupon

iCraveit.com has a $5 off coupon. Enter code MIDNIGHTBOX when you're placing your order and you'll get $5 off your purchase. Expires August 30, 2008.

Video Game Hall of Fame: Grand Theft Auto 3

Listen, you guys might have thought you liked the first two GTA games, and they were alright, but the jump from GTA 2 to GTA 3 was like the jump from 10 Yard Fight to Madden 2001. On top of that, GTA 3 wasn't just an extremely fun game (which is definitely was), but it was also an important game.

First off, it gave the adventure genre something outside of the standard medieval style, a la Zelda or Diablo. By doing this, it set the stage for similar games like Mafia, Scarface, and Saints Row (which by the way is a phenomenal game, and a likely future HOF inductee), not to mention the 3 sequels, all of which have been highly-rated and well-received games (and again, candidates for future induction).

But while the style of game was creative, the content of the game was revolutionary. Never in such a mainstream game had mature themes been so front-and-center. From robbery to murder to prostitution, the game had plenty for the censorship boards to scream about. The game was widely condemned by supposed "moral leaders," including several religious groups, school administrators, and politicians.

For all the hullabaloo, though, the first amendment prevailed. The game received an "M" rating, restricting its sale to people 17 years or older, or children with their parents' presence and permission. It went on to become one of the highest-selling games of all time, selling over 15 million copies. More importantly, it paved the way for explicitly criminal activity to be featured in video games, which is really what we all wanted anyways, right?

The game itself is huge, with good enough variety in the missions, and a lot of freedom to explore, as well as rewards for doing so. It's got limitations, such as an inability to actually use taxi services or swim, but they really just gave the game designers something to fix in future versions. All in all, the game was more than most of us could have asked for, and it put Rock Star Games on the map for good. Hell, they can just keep making GTAs and never run out of business...not unlike the Madden franchise.

Xbox 360 + Madden '09 = $50 Amazon Gift Card

While I'm sure the title of the post gives you enough information to figure things out, let me spell it out for you. Amazon will give you a free $50 gift card if you purchase an Xbox 360 system and a copy of either Madden '09 or Madden '09 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition. It's not a bad deal if you're thinking about getting into the 360 game and are a Madden fan. Or hell, you can get the deal, sell Madden on eBay or Amazon, and use the money plus the gift card to buy some other games.

"Yeah and that's what happens when you talk about a disciplined defense. They stay at home and wait for the runner to come to them."

Music Hall of Fame: Keys To The Heart (Brian Auger's Oblivion Express)

"What the hell album is that?" That's probably your initial reaction, as well as your second, third, and fourth reactions to this induction. That's okay, most people haven't heard of the musicians or the album. The best description I can give for it is smooth jazz; it's generally light-hearted and agreeable, but still creative enough to be a worthwhile listen for the discerning ear.

I could go into a whole spiel about this album, but it's all already out there on the Internet, in the review I wrote for epinions a while back. So read that, and you'll understand all you need to know about this album.

One note: In my review, I declared the album to be a four star album. I stand by that rating, but I should point out that my opinion on ratings is less of a straight percent-based rating, and more of a bell curve. That is, 80-90% of albums will be 2, 3, or 4 stars. Only the sensationally good albums are 5 stars, and only the sensationally bad albums are 1 star. So, many albums that I might cite as being 4 star albums are still, in my opinion, hall of fame worthy. Just wanted to clarify that before opening things up to comments.