Blog de Dyer

YES

I am more excited than I thought I’d be, especially at the prospect of it coming out this year… Bliz has two games that are beyond high profile: one has to come out this year, yeah?

I hope so.
D2 didn’t really do it for me. I loved co-op, but rocking it solo was never fun for me. Four player co-op, new classes and easy-to-run?

Sign me up.

This game is a consequence free get-to-the-red-smoke simulator. I do not like it.

If there were ever a better ploy to get me to pay for a trio of movies, I haven’t seen it. The Bourne Conspiracy is a game that got a lot of mixed reviews, and rightfully so. It’s equally as fun as it is awful… Kind of like the movies. Yeah, I decided that, because I’d liked the idea of a secret-agent-assassin-dude in a game (the execution wasn’t terrible either, for the most part), that I’d like to spend six hours of my life watching the game’s inspiration.

It surprised me how much I hated the entire trilogy. Each one got progressively worse, as it was more of the same, but done more poorly than the last time. Ultimatum, the third and probably worst of the three, is so much like the second film it’s unbelievable. I couldn’t stand being able to call out every moment of the film because I’d seen Supremacy (2/3) the night before. This is the part where they introduce the other assassin. This is the boring chase. He saves the girl. They Escape.

Bourne finds, runs from and kills another assassin by using both his unlimited knowledge of physics and his singular superpower: the ability to only ever leave a massive car wreck with a stream of blood dripping from the corner of his forehead.

Hell, the camera shot when he exits the vehicle and points the gun at the dying hitman is even the same. It sounds like homage, but can you really make that kind of reference in a flick that followed up your last Bourne movie… 3 years later?

Paul Greengrass’ directing skills made me sick. Like, Michael Bay sick, only worse. The joke-o-Internet is Michael Bay’s shaky cam, but it really, truly, honestly is nothing compared to the incomprehensive action sequences in his two Bourne films. I don’t think I’ll be watching any more, especially if he’s directing them.

Still, I spent 12 dollars renting the three films from iTunes, and watched them in three days. I guess that making a game based on them was worth it after all, because I’m typically the guy that thinks movie-games are unplayable in their simplicity. Bourne was only slightly less unplayable, but it was enough.

Hats off, whoever’s-idea-that-was. Just don’t give me reason to ever watch this tripe again.

Appleseed Ex Machina is one of those films that the audience will not soon forget. Memorable characters, high octane action and a worthwhile story help to create a cohesive anime film that is not only leaps and bounds above its predecessor, but most anime films and TV series’ in the last decade.

Director Shinji Aramaki manages to blow the previous film’s combat scenes out of the water with the addition of more robot suits, silky-smooth and improved 3D animation, and an incredible use of slow motion kung-fu kicks that’ll have the audience pumping fists and slapping hands in adrenaline fuelled high-fives. While the action keeps the pace of the flick going at a comfortable rate, it’s nice to take a breather with some dramatic storytelling, which is more fleshed out this time around. Unfortunately, any remnant of narrative is ultimately forgettable in the face of everything else Appleseed Ex Machina has to offer.

“Forgettable” does not mean “worthless”, though. The inclusion of a new character and potential love interest drives a lot of the conflict in series heroine Deunan Knute and her robo-boyfriend, Briareos. On top of being romantically distraught, Deunan (and the rest of her “E S.W.A.T” unit) will deal with a terrorist attack executed through exploitation of mainstream consumerism – an incredibly lame political statement on the writers’ part – and make the odd sacrifice to protect the lives of others.

Imagining clever ways to improve on the martial art/gun play antics of the first Appleseed paid off in spades for Ex Machina. The negative effects of a surgery often send Briareos on violent rampages (complete with pulsing steel veins), an assault on a bad-guy polluted cathedral and a ‘zombie movie’-esque twist – to name a few – make up for some of the most cool and memorable moments in anime history.

The English voice cast does an excellent job of portraying proper emotions and creating convincing dialogue, making this an easy watch for anyone who is too lazy to read subtitles. As excellent as it is, though, hearing Deunan shout Briareos’ name every five minutes is infuriatingly annoying, and a few specific characters are overwrought to the point of boredom.

Appleseed Ex Machina isn’t going to go down in history as a classic, but the overall intensity of the action makes for a fun time, and viewers will begin to care about the characters of the story, something the previous film lacked. It is pure sensory overload, with wiz-bang glitz lathered over its entirety, making it one of the coolest anime flicks since, well, the last Appleseed. The fresh coat of paint and writing are a great addition that wasn’t required, but is greatly appreciated.

The English voice cast does an excellent job of portraying proper emotions and creating convincing dialogue, making this an easy watch for anyone too lazy to read subtitles. As excellent as it is, though, hearing Deunan shout Briareos’ name every five minutes is infuriatingly annoying, and a few specific characters are overwrought to the point of boredom.

Appleseed Ex Machina isn’t going to go down in history as a classic, but the overall intensity of the action makes for a really fun time, and viewers will begin to care about the characters of the story, something the previous film lacked entirely in its 90 minutes of complete nonsense. It is pure sensory overload, with wiz-bang-awesome lathered over its entirety, making it one of the coolest anime flicks since, well, the last Appleseed. The fresh coat of paint and writing are a great addition that wasn’t required, but is greatly appreciated.

The third act of Metal Gear Solid 4 is, without a doubt, the most emotionally moving piece of art in entertainment history.