Tron: Evolution review.

I do love my games. If this was not a general blog dedicated (mostly) to media vent, then I would be doing full-time game reviews.

I picked up Tron: Evolution just a few days ago, and I have been playing it non-stop. Despite the fact that I have about gazillion things due in...err...about a day.

Let me just tell you, this game is highly addictive. I am a huge leather and neon fan, and therefore I am a massive Tron fan - I love both the 1982 and 2010 films. Tron: Evolution is based on the latest movie: it features characters modelled after their true actors, voices and all, and an environment that is as digitally immersing as that of the movie. But, most importantly, it features the full Daft Punk official score from the film. Need I say more?

Upon settling into my couch, powering up my Xbox, starting Tron: Evolution and playing for about five minutes - the first thought I had about game was 'parkour'. Space parkour, with disks. My mind was blown!

The game was a little hard to figure out, but after much jumping around and mashing buttons together (and falling into an abyss of nothingness - death), I finally started getting the hang of it. 

You play Anon, a completely mute (his name is not Gordon, nor does he wear a HEV suit) but resilient system monitor designed by Flynn - the creator-God of this computer world. You are smooth, propelling yourself through risky chasms, leaping from wall to wall and running across vertical surfaces. Gravity is your worst enemy, so you defy it.

Basically, your mission as Anon is to run through this collapsing computer world, slicing baddies with your light disk in hopes of destroying the villain Abraxas - who purposefully introduced a virus into the system. What an asshole.

The controls, though a little difficult to understand at first, are pretty compelling once you get the touch. As Anon, you are basically an acrobat - and you control his every move. Everything has to be timed. If you're doing a dangerous wall run above a bottomless chasm, and fall to your true death, you will feel like a fool. Every move is tied in with the controls. When you master this, you will know how to achieve every jump - every roll, backflip and airflip humanly - err, robotically - possible. The fighting possibilities are endless, with dozens of combos dictating how your disk will be thrown and what it will do. When you're slicing people up with your disk, it genuinely feels like you're doing ballet. There are also levels where your race on your light cycle, and blow things to bits with your light tank.

Overall, I rate this game a hefty 8/10. Its somewhat repetitiveness is justified by the general nature of most beat-em-ups. If you like that sort of stuff, set in the visually stunning world of Tron, then you'll probably like this game. And if you've ever played either Spiderman or Prince of Persia games and loved them, then Tron: Evolution might just ring home to you.


-Dahlia

Be a Hero - GoPro HD Hero 2 review.

Last week, I came across something life-changing. Oh yes, and I am referring to my professional career as a film/video maker.

I came across the GoPro Hero. And no, that's not some superhero from a movie. It's actually better.

It's a camera. And the dudes that created this thing refer to it as 'the world's most versatile HD camera.'

It is fully wearable, mountable action camera. Wearable, waterproof, shockproof. It is targeted at adventure. And I'm talking MotoGP and V8 type adventure. If you've ever watched any type of sports championship or race on television, you'll know what I'm talking about. Those sweet, sweet camera angles. Top of the helmet, side of the helmet, from the cockpit, rear facing. And have you ever actually stopped and wondered how they get these angles?

Well, the GoPro Hero (and now in its second edition - the Hero 2) is capable of providing these angles. And more. Really, it is limited by your imagination (and by gravity, of course).

The GoPro Hero works by being mounted on different, well, mounts. There is tripod, helmet, head, handlebar and chest mounts, among others. Perhaps the most interesting of these is the suction cup mount, which features an industrial strength suction cup. I've heard that professionals have done tests with this, attaching it to the wing of a Boeing, and the camera remained firmly attached through the entire flight. In fact, I don't think they managed to pull it off for a while after the plane landed.  

So you can see how the GoPro Hero is intended for outdoorsy shots. It is used by base jumpers, skiers, surfers and many, many action-seekers. The Hero gives outstanding HD shots that would otherwise be impossible to get. It is the daredevil's camera.

Internally and externally, The GoPro Hero looks good. Hero 2 features full 1080p High Definition video on up to 120FPS.The lens is extremely wide-angle, with a full 170 degree field of view. The camera also features time-lapse options, fish-eye lens view and 10-shot-per-second bursts. Users have the option of integrating a full-colour LCD screen when they buy the cam to view their daredevil shots on the go. All of this, and the camera is so tiny that it can fit within your palm.

This camera might be a little pricey - especially if you're a poor student, much like myself. It sells between $300 and $400, and that's without all the mounts and accessories. But let me tell you, it is damn worth it. If you're a budding film-maker, amateur YouTube vlogger, insane daredevil or just like keeping a visual record of your life's adventures, then check out the Go Pro. No matter your religious background, the daredevil is present in everybody. It's just a matter of unleashing him.

-Dahlia

Thou shalt not...not draw.

It seems that there has been an influx of young artistes all over the world in the past month or so.

Yes folks, there has been an art revolution all around the world. It seems that people have started to live in the spirit of Da Vinci and Picasso once again.

And to think that I was predicting the 'death' of art - a result of the disinterest and rejection of art culture by our newer generations.

Strangely enough, it is the new generation which have created the latest fad craze over an app called 'Draw Something' - making it into a social media sensation. 

Draw Something is a social drawing and guessing game and currently holds the places of #1 free app, #1 Paid App and #1 Word Game. It is the fastest growing app of all time. 

Sorry little green piggies of Angry Birds, it seems that your 'true death' has finally arrived. 

Draw Something functions on a player-to-player basis. Basically, anyone can start a game with anyone. Because the game is linked to Facebook, you can specifically play with people you have on your friends list. 

One person will be given three words worth either 1, 2 and 3 coins - 1 being the easiest to draw and 3 being hardest. The person will pick one of these three to draw - and draw they will. When they're done playing Dali, they send the masterpiece off to the other player who will then have to guess what the drawing is. Rinse and repeat. 

In all its simplicity, and perhaps because of its simplicity, the world has taken an absolutely massive interest in the game.

Perhaps it's in the nature of people to draw. After all, our earliest ancestors communicated primarily through drawings and paintings. And can you really blame anyone for wanting to release their inner artist and create absolutely...err...

bautiful things?

-Dahlia