PS4 VS XBone at E3 (The Abridged Versions)

So by now I'm sure everyone has made their mind up as to which console they'll be getting (cough PS4), but just in case you haven't, here are 2 brilliant videos by VideoGamerTV to help you choose.

LA Noire Game Review

 Team Bondi and Rockstar Games team up to bring gamers an epic experience that truly goes where no game has gone before.

 Set in Los Angeles 1947, the player takes control of war veteran-turned-cop Cole Phelps as he works his way up from on-the-beat street cop to Detective. The game takes an artistic focus on 1940/50s film ‘noire’ styles with characters, plots and environments drawing largely upon themes such as sex, drugs, glamour, fame, crime, gangsters and more.

The ESPV lowdown: with much anticipation we rushed out to play this game and even now, three weeks later we’re playing it as slow as possible so we don’t finish it too soon! Unless you’re strictly a fan of fast paced online multiplayer FPS games, LA Noire will almost certainly intrigue you and keep you wanting more. 

It’s fun to finally play a game as a cop. Not just any cop either, but one living in the 40s in LA with plenty of dark and dirty cases to solve. Whilst this game’s storyline is epically long and there’s plenty to keep you entertained throughout - it’s the style in which you go about solving cases that is truly impressive, definitely nothing I had experienced before. 

 Each crime scene (some of them very bloody) has clues scattered about that you must search for and document. Then when interrogating a suspect you must decide on which question to ask, whether they are telling the truth, and which clue is evidence you can use against them.

 Using Lightsprint’s RT Global Illumination Technology and MotionScan’s Depth Analysis, Bondi used real actors and 32 different cameras to capture real facial expressions of characters. This comes into play mostly when the player interrogates or interviews suspects of crimes… it’s up to you to watch the suspect’s face closely and determine if they are nervous, angry, upset, truthful, lying, or hiding something. This is what makes the game interesting. If you ask them a question and they seem like they are hiding something you can push them further or get shirty with them - but the results you get are not always the same.

 From petty cop to Vice Squad Detective there are a wide range of cases to solve including: fraud, theft, murder, serial killings, rape, drug trafficking, racketeering, arson and more.

 Overall the gameplay style is similar to a mix between GTA free roaming environments and a third person exploration game, like Tomb Raider or Assassin’s Creed.

With only minimal glitches we found little to be disappointed with. Getting around in the open free roam environment with your old school cars was fun at first but got a little boring towards the end as there is not much on street level to keep you amused such as in games like GTA4. Whilst some cases felt repetitive, overall I was always tested on every case and left wanting more.. in a good way.

Gameplay 9/10
Graphics 10/10
Storyline 9/10
Characters 10/10
Game life 8/10
Overall 10/10

Epic Mickey Game Preview

Has anyone played this yet? Looks good! According to HERE:

"The character Yen Sid (originally from the Fantasia movie) created a world where all the original and now forgotten characters of Disney’s incredible animated history can reside.

Mickey Mouse, seeing all this through his mirror, decides one day to visit the model/world that Yen Sid created to see what it is truly like. In the process of Mickey’s exploration and Yen Sid’s sudden awakening out of bed;

Mickey accidentally spills thinner on the model, damaging the world and in effect creating “Wasteland” as well as the ink blot that becomes the game’s antagonist. He spends some time trying to quickly repair the damage he has made and then rushes back through the mirror and forgets all about the model.

That is until one day when the ink blot seemingly pulls him back through the mirror to face what he has done. You spend a lot of the game furtively trying to clean up the mess Mickey has made.

To accomplish this you must of course defeat enemies along the way. But you have two options; take the easy route and use the thinner which will essentially destroy your enemies or you can choose the more difficult path and repaint them."

ESPVisuals With NetNewsWire

From the Creators of the (imo) best RSS Readers to date - FeedDemon and NetNewWire for Mac


Now you can keep up with Espvisuals using this great FREE app.

NetNewsWire is an RSS reader for iPhone — you can read the latest Espvisuals posts using this app.

It works by linking to your google account.

So hit the follow button on the left side of our blog, choose to follow with your google account, then download the app using iTunes(allow the automatic launch of itunes when clicking on download.) or simply search for NetNewsWire in the app store on your phone.

There is also a premium version available which is very good.

Once you load up the app, you sign-in and your "followed" blogs are available instantly with immediate updates of the latest posts.

Total Time - 5 min.

For BlackBerry the best RSS reader is Viigo which is free too , download it here.

Android users newsRob is recommended.

Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society

Ghost in the Shell (GITS) Stand Alone Complex (SAC): Solid State Society was released in 2006 and is the anime film based on the Stand Alone Complex series. It was directed by Kenji Kamiyama and produced by Production I.G.; the film had a huge production budget of 360 million yen or 3.2 million dollars. And for all of you GITS fans it was announced at the 2006 Anime Expo that this film will not be the last in the SAC series.


Solid State Society takes place 2 years after 2nd GIG in the year 2034 in the 2 years prior to 2034. The Major has resigned from Section 9, Togusa has stepped into the Major's role as field leader, and Section 9 has now expanded its team to 20 members. The film starts out with Section 9 investigating the mysterious suicides of 13 operatives of the former Siak Republic. Section 9 manages to get a lead from Ka Gael (one of the operatives) when he says the Puppeteer is coming before he kills himself. When Batou is sent to Ma Shaba’s labs to intercept a suspect he runs into the Major who tells him that she is investigating on her own. Before the Major leaves she warns Batou to stay away from the Solid State Society. When Togusa discovers 16 kidnapped kids at Ma Shaba’s Labs and investigates into these kidnappings further he is also warned to stay away from the Solid State Society. And towards the end we see the Major join forces with Section 9, again to kick some ass.

Ok, as I am a big fan of GITS I was over the moon when I saw this latest instalment and yes I did, and still do like it. But I thought as SAC it such a big thing in itself this movie could have been better and longer. It never really goes into any depth and the story line is a bit jumpy. Yes, this due to the fact that this is a movie and not a series but still I think it could have been better and I was left feeling a bit disappointed. You will probably like this film if you like GITS and I am sorry to say that if you have not seen any of the series then you may not get the movie because it is not a stand alone movie so it would probably be best if you watch the series first. Also it is my duty to inform you that yes, Hollywood is making a live action version of GITS (No I am not lying). I don’t know if I will watch it in the cinema when it comes out but I will be watching it. Fingers crossed it doesn’t totally suck because it could bring in new fans to the anime and fuel lots more investment into making more of the series.

HYS – Remakes and adaptations

It’s been a while since the ESPV team has offered a HaveYourSay post for yall to mill over.. so we thought we’d throw a nice simple one out there to kick off the new year.

For many film lovers and critics the last ten years was known as the decade of remakes, adaptations and attempts to bring old stories to life.. sometimes with dire results.

The Lord of the Rings, Transformers, Sin City, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, 3:10 to Yuma, Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Alice in Wonderland, Dawn of the Dead, The 300, Infernal Affairs, Hell Boy, Superman, Batman, Where the Wild Things Are… all remakes, adaptations or classic stories brought to life for the first time on the big screen.

(Images: Google)

For some, original storylines and characters loose their authenticity when, for example, brought from the comic book page to the silver screen. Some aspects of a story which originally captivated a select audience, when adapted to film, often come across as being watered down to suit Hollywood’s mass-market.. much to the displeasure of true fans and followers.

Others find satisfaction in Hollywood spending big bucks on remaking classic favorites. But, as we all know, the results aren’t always inspiring or satisfying.

What has been your best/worst movie remake, adaptation or old-skool story?

Do you think Hollywood has done a good job over the last decade?

What classic story would you like to see made into a film?

Leave us your comments below!

Wu Tang Return Of the Wu Album

Wu Tang Return Of The Wu mixed by Mathematics
In stores February 2010

I have to admit, I was kind of sceptical when I received the link from AllYoungKings.com for the full Wu Tang album download. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the content of the album. It's a mix of old tracks remixed, new tracks, hardcore/chilled vibes and mixed by Mathematics. (To be honest, he needs to have stopped using the "I know why you're here" sample....he uses it about 600 times throughout the album!
If you are a hardcore Wu fan then go for it, it's good to hear them coming together again and doing what they do best.....
Download: 'Clap 2010'. Wu-Tang Clan feat. Raekwon, Ghostface, Method Man & U-God from Mediafire

http://www.wutang-returnofthewu.com/

Game on! - Far Cry 2

It’s been a while since we reviewed a decent game here at ESPV so we thought we’d kick-off the year by reviewing one of favorite shooters..

Far Cry 2 isn't new but it sure is pretty. Developed and published by gaming legends Ubisoft and released in late 2008, this open-world free-roam style first person shooter turned a lot of heads and ranks highly in our personal top 10 list of favorite shooters.

Set in war torn Africa in present day, you play a mercenary.. (you get to choose from 6 characters) your primary goal is to find and assassinate the infamous arms dealer the Jackal. Along the way you make friends and buddies with other mercs whilst completing campaign and side missions for rebel factions locked in a bloody civil war that’s ripping the country apart.

As with most free-roam open-world games you have a massive list of weapons (everything from sniper rifles, RPGs, shotguns, assault rifles to flame throwers and silenced weapons) and vehicles (cars, 4x4s, boats) at your disposal and a large amount of side missions and upgrades available. This, together with the main story missions, keeps you busy and you often find yourself simply immersed in just cruising around the amazing landscapes picking off gorilla rebels and faction members whilst collecting diamonds that you find hidden around the map.

In short, this game boasts amazing graphics, fun action-packed missions and endless game play set in a fictional modern-day East Africa.. boasting beautiful jungles, deserts and savannas. If you like shooters that mix epic sized maps, countless side-missions and plenty of shooting then you’d be nicely satisfied.

So far we’ve played FC2 for about 6 days (on Xbox 360) of continuous game playing and we’re only 50% the way through.. and liking it a lot. There is a lot of repetitiveness at this point but as we still have much to do, achievements to unlock and upgrades to get.. we’re still pleasantly entertained.

Eval:

Graphics 8/10
Game play 7/10
Game life 7/10
Replay ability 7/10
Action 7/10
Gore 6/10
Glitches and annoyances 3/10

Over all 85%

(Images – Google Images)

USB Alien With Illuminated Tongue

A perfect Xmas gift for an Aliens geek!

It's cool and creepy at the same time! The inner mouth pops out randomly and lights up in red. It's not cheap at US$67, but hey, Xmas is around the corner. Get it HERE.
Size: 138 x 85 x 240 mm
Cable: 1 metre

[VIA]

FlashHarp USB Harmonica

Just when you thought the USB had every sort of combo thrown at it, along comes the FlashHarp USB Harmonica. At 3.75 inches, it's small but fully functional. At around US$50 it's not cheap, but if you ever wanted to save some stuff and then play the blues, this is for you.

[VIA]

Letter Playground

A website fully of alphabetic artistry. Go spell out your name in very original takes on letters. Check out our name below! Do it HERE.

OCD By Sonia Cheung

The Movie Show : Watch it!

I recently had the pleasure of branding James Mullinger's new monthly film review series The Movie Show, where silver-screen trivia, exclusive interviews and previews are mixed with James' unique take on this years biggest releases! It's a must-see for any film enthusiast, and with each episode no longer than 10 minutes it's the perfect way to catch up on recent releases and is sure to get you chuckling!



Hailing from the Stand-Up Comedy scene in the UK, James is one of Britain's funniest, with awards and accolades a plenty! And as if touring the UK, Sydney and Toronto with his Stand-Up wasn't enough, James also writes for many well-known magazines and newspapers ( GQ, The Guardian, Men's Health, The Erotic Review, Bizarre as well as North American titles such as UMM and Toro), so it's likely that even if you haven't seen him yet, you may well have already read one of his articles.

Check out the first 3 episodes of The Movie Show right HERE

Tekkonkincreet

If you haven't seen the anime adaptation to Taiyo Matsumoto’s graphic novel Tekkonkincreet, I suggest you find it as soon as possible and do just that. Brought to the screen by Studio 4C, this version of the popular graphic novel is on of the most beautiful pieces of animation I have seen since....well just since (I'm not a super anime geek, so I'm no authority on this subject).


There is an interview with the CEO of 4C as well as some of the team that worked on the film on the PingMag site available here. Although there is no mention of another anime called Mind Game by the same team, that is also well worth a watch for it's rather leftfield style and story.


So, if like me, you are struggling to come to terms with the recession and have no money to go out and piss your measly earnings up a wall, go and search these gems out. You'll probably find them free on the web, but I strongly suggest buying them as they may well change your life forever (let's just hope they don't try and make a live action version and kill them like they seem to be doing with so many other classics).

Reviewz: Commando, All Guns Blazing (2007)

As many WWII enthusiasts will know, Commando For Action and Adventure comics books have been around since 1961 and feature a wide range of WWII short stories. The 7x5 inch, 68 page British comic published by D.C. Thomas & Co Ltd, has over 4000 issues (weekly) and include stories from all aspects of the war. In 2007 they were released in 12-in-1 collections and ESPV recently picked-up All Guns Blazing!
This awesome collection of short stories features adventures in black-and-white from land, air and sea with various interesting heroes and characters.

espv Clipped

Clipped celebrates great artists and MVs released over the years and pays tribute to those amazing bands that dared to push the boundaries with music videos that rocked us all. Before YouTube pulls all MVs from their site because of copyright complications, we thought we’d feature some of our all time favorites. This month the ESPV team starts the Clipped ball rolling with none other then the gods of MV darkness – Tool. Featuring two amazing clips per week, this week we kick it off with Prison Sex and Vicarious. Enjoy!

Tool, Prison Sex (Aenima, 1996)


Tool, Vicarious (10,000 Days, 2006)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Hi everyone sorry it has been so long since the last review but I got hooked on Bleach and have spent the last 2 weeks watching all 207 episodes so you can’t really blame an anime-a-holic like me for flaking out I just can’t help it. This review is going to be on the long side as there is a lot to cover the next 2 GITS reviews will not be so long: . Hope you enjoy-Peebody
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex (or Mobile Armoured Riot Police: Stand Alone Complex as it’s known in Japan) is the TV series based on the manga Ghost in the shell. Kenji Kamiyama wrote and directed this series, 2nd Gig and the movie Solid state society. Production I.G. is the company that produces GITS, when Production I.G. was creation SAC they had 7 studios. Because everyone was so into/committed to GITS they renamed the studio that GITS was being made in to studio 9 aka section 9. Production I.G. now has 10 studios and studio 9 is still dictated for the making of GITS. SAC runs for 26 episodes it consists of episodes that are stand alone which means they are episodes that have nothing to do with the main plot and complex episodes which means they have to do with the Laughing man plot. SAC aired on Japanese TV on the 1st Oct 2002. The music for all the GITS TV series was composed by the musical goddess Yoko Kano and I love the sound tracks for the entire series and the movie.
Please note that the TV series and the original movie and the 2nd movie are not on the same time line/reality. What this means is that in one reality the two movies happened and are on their own time line and in another reality we start with SAC and work our way through to 2nd Gig and onto Solid State Society. We do see tones in the TV series that touch on what the original movie touched on but that is where similarity in the two realities ends.

SAC takes place in the year 2030 in the fictional town of New Port Japan, 6 years after the Laughing man incident: This is where the CEO of Serano Genomics was kidnapped by the laughing man and held hostage for a few days on February 3 2024 the laughing man tries to make the CEO confess something at gun point on TV in public where the TV is shooting live. He manages to hack into the TV station and replace his face with the laughing man logo and he also hacks into everyone’s eyes and replaces his face with this logo. This stunt earned the laughing man the title of master class hacker.

The series starts off with Section 9 being called into resolve a hostage situation. In the 1st and 2nd episodes we are introduced to the members of Section 9, a lot of them were not in the original movies we also get introduced to the Tachicomas, Section 9’s armored robot help. We get tones of the many conspires that are going on throughout the series, and this sets the mood for the rest of the series. It is not until episode 4 that the Laughing man storyline gets introduced/going.

Now there is a lot of symbolism and ideology going on through out the GITS series like the Laughing man was taken from a short story by J.D. Salinger also the words on the Laughing man logo "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes.", is a quote from Catcher in the Rye. Most of this is explained through out the series very well which is a good thing. The series also touches on the Stand Alone Complex and the fact that everything and almost everyone is becoming more cyberized. (I could go on but I won’t if you would like me to just ask in the comments section and I will be happy to go into more detail on the philosophy). Now I have always been a big fan of GITS, and the TV series had a lot to stand up to. I felt that SAC was a really good series I loved the storylines in this series and all the conspiracies going.

I would recommend SAC to anyone that wanted to sit down and enjoy good anime; I would say that you do have to wait till episode 4 for the main plot to kick in and then SAC does not hit you all in one go either so be prepared to watch the series to get everything. Also please note that now days there are 2 types of GITS DVD packs you can buy. There is the entire series 26 episode box set and then there is the Laughing man box set which cuts out all the Stand Alone episodes and you just get the Laughing man storyline they also do this with 2nd Gig as well. If you want only the action I would go for the Laughing man box set but you will miss a lot of good storylines. Over all I would give SAC 4 out of 5.

Blade Of The Immortal Anime Series

"To end his eternal suffering, he must slay one thousand enemies!” Manji, a ronin warrior of feudal Japan, has been cursed with immortality. To rid himself of this curse and end his life of misery, he must slay one thousand evil men. His quest begins when a young girl seeks his help in taking revenge on her parents’ killers … and his quest won’t end until the blood of a thousand has spilled!


PH and I are huge fans of the original manga and were pretty stoked to see it converted into an anime series. So far, it has been pretty faithful to the original story and the animation does look beautiful during the fight scenes. What you see below is every episode to have been released yet, (8 episodes so far) with English subtitles! Don't say we don't make an effort to keep you lot entertained! If you are into your wandering ronin/samurai slasher stories, then sit back and enjoy!



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 1 subbed



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 2 subbed



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 3 subbed



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 4 subbed



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 5 subbed



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 6 subbed



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 7 subbed



Blade Of The Immortal Episode 8 subbed