Batman: Arkham City Video Game Review

Let me preface this review by saying that I have not achieved 100% completion on Arkham City, yet I have completed the main storyline and multiple side quests leaving me at 35% completion. This is a testament to the incredible depth and length of Arkham City as I am currently at 15 hours of gameplay with much more to go.

One of my favorite superhero video games, Spiderman 2, was one of the earliest sandbox/free-roam superhero games. Batman: Arkham City is somewhat reminiscent of Spiderman 2 as Batman navigates a vast city by either swinging from the rooftops using his grappling hook, or dive gliding from great heights. In the beginning, the player is put right in the middle of Arkham City with the ultimate freedom of where to go and what to do. There is never a shortage of stuff to do in Arkham City, whether it be solving one of the Riddler's numerous puzzles, searching for the lair of your favorite villain (not all of who you can find immediately), or just pounding on random convicts who happen to cross your path. Like in Spiderman 2, the city often presents a brief challenge or quick obstacle for Batman, such as rescuing a political prisoner from the more violent convicts. These challenges come in infinite supply and are simply an optional change of pace from the regular exploring. The controls of exploration and combat are superb, as there is little to no learning curve for both aspects of the game. While combat can essentially be done with two buttons, one can also employ more elaborate combat moves with other buttons based on the player's current hit combo number, which rewards the player for fluid combat. Batman's arsenal of technology is also extremely elaborate, making combat variety and large combinations easier. Detective mode returns from Arkham Asylum, but the player does not have to rely on it as much, which is definitely an improvement. Detective mode is still awesome as Batman can immediately assess any situation with information ranging from the number of bad guys to the individual heart beats per minute and type of weapons present. Arkham City is also stacked with villains ranging from the obvious Joker to the more obscure villains such as Deadshot. The player can also play a separate campaign as Catwoman, which I will discuss later. The game also has immense replay value with allowing the player to not only play the campaign again with all the earned gadgets and skills after beating it the first time, but also the inclusion of the Riddler challenges. These challenges vary in length, but allow the player to hone their skills as Batman while also taking on fresh new gameplay.

Batman: Arkham City doesn't have many negatives so these complaints are essentially just nitpicking. The Catwoman campaign is available to all who buy the game new. However, many copies of the game do not provide the full code, or provide codes that simply do not work. No official announcement has been made in regards to fixing the issue, but if rocksteady games does not amend the problem in some way it will be very disappointing. In terms of the actual game, Arkham City itself isn't that large and the length of the city can be easily crossed in three to five short minutes. Boss fights in the game are also somewhat easy in terms of the game as a whole which is actually somewhat difficult (even on the Normal setting).

Overall, Batman: Arkham City is probably the best superhero game to date. The game is immersive and elaborate, and will appeal to nearly all audiences. This game is definitely worth the buy, just don't fully expect the Catwoman campaign to work if the code is provided with your new copy.

Rating: 9.2/10

Real Estate: Days

On their sophomore full length release, Real Estate has joined my list of “Favorite New Jersey Bands” (along with Titus Andronicus and River City Extension) with their follow up to the successful self titled debut.

This album, Days, is the epitome of the word “follow-up.” They maintain the same sound on this album as before but improve where needed making the record a cleaner, crisper, more refined released. Their self titled debut was a collection of songs that had been recorded at different times and yet remained surprisingly cohesive in substance which showed much promise for future projects. Now that they recorded an album in a proper session we see that they certainly are able to create a sense of togetherness with the music.

The album itself does not try to do too much. The band clearly understands what they do best and have decided to stick to that formula, which pays off in bounds. The simply titled Days is the perfect name for this album. It reflects the simple nature of the record and, thematically speaking, hits the nail on the head. In the opening track, “Easy,” lead singer Martin Courtney sings of the daily routine being a musician in a small town, writing simple songs in the summer time. The name itself, “Easy” is a great opening track title as it describes the album fittingly, easy, simple, soft, just plain easy. All of their other songs follow much of the same pattern throughout the record. A basic, simple rhythm with simple and relatable lyrics such as in my favorite track “It’s Real” where Courtney says “I don’t know who’s behind the wheel, sometimes I feel like that I don’t know the deal.”

Much like their debut, Real Estate does not shy away from showing off who their influences are. Likenesses can be drawn between a wide range of diverse bands. From The Strokes to Wilco even comparable to the recent indie standout Kurt Vile, their sound is diverse yet incredibly simple and familiar. When listening to the record I found myself struggling to find a band that matches their sound because of its variety. At the same time I was kicking myself because of the simplicity and familiarity of the melodies and overall sound. Days is clearly not a “game-changer” or a “groundbreaker” by any means, but that is perfectly fine. The band knows what they sound like and are willing to stick with that for now. Hopefully they do not make the same mistake as some of those who came before them, i.e. The Strokes, who felt like they needed a drastic change in their sound to maintain relevancy. But for now we can sit and listen to the soothing sounds of Days and bask in its glorious simplicity.

8.8 out of 10

-Michi Oshima

T.V. Review: The Walking Dead: Season 1

There is something enticing about the concept of a survival scenario in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, slaughtering mindless creatures roaming around before they eat you. many video games and past movies have been based off of an outbreak of zombies, but the gore and action overwhelm leaving no room for characterization or plot development. With providing the best of both worlds, AMC's play off the graphic novel The Walking Dead provides in depth characterization and plot development, both covered in blood and guts.

The main character, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), was a deputy sheriff before the outbreak so there is no shortage of ammunition around his belt. After being hospitalized for getting shot in the side on a chase, he wakes up in the same hospital, yet a totally different environment. Disoriented, he runs through the post-apocalyptic world to find that his wife and son are missing and through a lead from another survivor, he heads to Atlanta which is supposed to be a refuge center, but upon arrival, it is quite the opposite. Throughout the season, Rick makes allies, makes enemies, finds safezones, and fights to defend these safe areas. The main characters include Rick, His wife, his friend, his son, and a handful of survivors he stays with. The series dives deep (and will continue to dive) into these individual's lives in order to make a connection with the viewers that is in fact quite personal. This is what separates this series from any other zombie-centered show or movie. You begin to empathize and draw towards one certain character simply because the group of survivors is so eclectic. Try doing that with Dawn of The Dead

But not to worry, the blood and gore is ever present throughout. The undead (walkers) shuffle around with missing jaws, limbs, and sometimes, missing torsos. through biting and clawing (like any zombie movement), they convert the living. To compensate, the survivors use tools such as axes, screwdrivers, machetes, and of course guns to thrive and survive against, which allows gore to be at its maximum. and by using grainy film techniques, the show encompasses the essence of a cheap old horror film, except for the fact that it is anything but.

With combining depth and gore, The Walking Dead succeeds at being a plot and character driven series with just enough brains and blood to make viewers cringe, the perfect recipe. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.

9.5 out of 10

-Richard Voltz

Book Review: G.R.R. Martin - A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones is by no means a new book, first published in 1996 GRR Martin’s award winning fantasy novel has been an essential part of every fantasy buff’s library for well over a decade.  However, because of the book’s new found popularity, which is thanks to both the Emmy nominated mini-series on HBO, and the release of the fifth book in the series A Dance with Dragons, the time to look back at the first installment in the Song of Ice and Fire saga has never been better. 

Though the shortest in the series, A Game of Thrones is a long book.  The paperback edition is well over 800 pages, so the book may not be one that can be read in a single weekend, but that does no mean it is heaving reading.  Martin’s style is very smooth, natural, and somewhat quick paced, though at times he can over do it with descriptions.  

Martin’s books (just like all popular fantasy books) are often compared to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and no one would deny that that the two have much more in common than the eerie similarities of the authors first initials.  Both authors have been able to successfully write fantasy, a genre typically reserved for D&D and WoW player, and make it accessible to a very broad audience.  At this point Tolkien has become such a pervasive force in the world of fantasy writers, that any success is going to be compared to him - he set the standard for which fantasy is judged.  That being said, Martin’s novel does not read like it was written by an English professor in the 1950s, it reads like a Tom Clancy political thriller set in the middle ages.  

What really sets Martin apart from other popular writers is his use of characters.  The cast of this novel is so diverse and so colorful that readers can’t help but to choose characters with whom they relate and root for them throughout the book.  Of course, since Martin is known for causally killing off main characters without warning, this can cause fans to experience small personal tragedies when their character dies unexpectedly or unfairly.  It is certainly the characters of this book that has caused it to become so loved.  Sometimes the characters, and their family allegiances, can be hard to keep track off, so it may be advised to utilize the family trees that can be found in the back of the book or one of the dozens of fan sites online.  

Overall A Game of Thrones is an exciting and character driven fantasy epic that rightfully earned GRR Martin the title “the American Tolkien.”  And after reaching A Game of Throne’s cliffhanging climax ending, the fact that Martin plans to use six more thousand page novels to finish the story no longer seems impressive - it seems necessary.  

Rating: 8.9/10 

-Taylor Lackey 

Album Review: Cole World - The Sideline Story

I've always been a sucker for the story of the underdog making it big. J. Cole's debut album is no exception as, "Cole World - The Sideline Story" follows the story of Jermaine Cole's road to getting signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation record label. In some ways this album is similar to Kanye West's, "The College Dropout" as both have similar subject matter.

The album itself contains 16 songs, including my personal favorites: "Can't Get Enough," "Lights Please," "Lost Ones," "Breakdown," and "Work Out". Most of Cole's songs can be characterized by containing simple, yet catchy beats filled with thoughtful lyrics containing numerous double entendres. "Lights Please" is a well known single that prompted Jay Z to sign Cole as it was released long before the debut album. In both "Lights Please" and "Lost Ones" Cole outlines his views on relationships, being that they should be characterized by honesty, communication, and support. This is certainly a positive, yet uncommon, message for a hip hop track. Cole's, "Work Out" even samples Kanye West's, "The New Workout Plan" from the album "The College Dropout". Finally, my favorite song on the album, "Breakdown" is an excellent track detailing Cole's depression at the absence of his father in his youth. However, songs such as, "Who Dat" "In the Morning" "Mr. Nice Watch" and "Daddy's Little Girl" seem somewhat uncharacteristic of the deep emotional lyrics present in the other songs on the album. These songs seem to be an attempt to garner popularity rather than to tell Cole's story, and they certainly have a negative effect on the album as a whole. From these songs it is apparent that Cole is at his best when rapping about his personal emotions and struggles. While it's no, "The College Dropout", this is still a solid debut album for J. Cole as it tells a compelling story that is well worth a listen.

Rating: 6.5/10

-Austin Ambrose

Youth Lagoon: The Year of Hibernation

On his debut album, this 22 year old former Boise St. student, Trevor Powers takes wonderfully tragic lyrics and wispy low key production and knocks it out of the park.

The album itself is pretty succinct with only 8 tracks maxing out at 5:20 in length. He leads off the album with the wistful “Afternoon” (my personal favorite) which leads into nearly cheery “Cannons.” From there Powers moves to “Daydream” then “The Hunt.” Now he gets into the crux of the album as “July” is one of the more enthralling songs which serves as the opening act to “Montana,” which will be the clear big song off of this strong debut. Letting off of the pedal a bit with “Posters” and then brings it home with the slow ballad “Seventeen.”

Powers, the one man band known as Youth Lagoon, has a standout record on his hands. From the opening track, "Afternoon," his complex yet subtle and simple production does a terrific job of pulling the listener into the album and never letting them go. The fuzz-filled tracks complement his vocal styling perfectly creating a mood that puts you to sleep in the sense that the rhythms are soft and the melodies are comforting. The lullaby-like rhythm and sleepy tempo of “Afternoon” matches fittingly with Powers' lyrics and equally sleepy voice. The low drum machine patterns overlaid with the gauzy keyboard and guitar sounds creates an ambiance within the music throughout the whole album that is on the cusp of being chilling yet remains somewhat upbeat. Usually he accomplishes this by building up the energy to an almost orchestral overture as the song begins on the downside of the halfway point and eventually leads right into the next composition.

Throughout most of the album his lyrics, while generally inaudible even after multiple listens, are tragically true and honest. Deriving the subject matter from his life experiences, Powers' lyrics are only enhanced thematically by the delivery of them. His drowned out, gain laden vocal tracks add to the effect of, and meaning behind, the words that go unheard. He recognizes that he is still a kid and is aware of his limits in knowledge of life. However, what he has experienced, mainly heartbreak and questions, he is more than happy to elaborate upon. In the album's clear stand out track, “Montana,” Powers exclaims “A door is always open if it isn't closed and a plant is said to be dead if it doesn't grow; I'll grow.. I will grow.”

This is an album filled with paradox and contradiction. The juxtaposition of complex and minimal, sleepy and exciting, tragic and hopeful works to create of sense of inclusiveness. While not a perfect album, one thing is very clear Youth Lagoon is a project filled with potential and promise.

8.5 out of 10

-Michi Oshima