The 72nd Golden Globes

Because I’m actually trying to legitimize myself as a “pop culture” critic, I attempted to multi-task and play Civilization: Beyond Earth while watching this year’s Golden Globes awards. I also felt compelled to watch as this was the last show to be hosted by the near-perfect when it comes to comedy, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Or as they put it, “The 72nd and final Golden Globes.” Obviously there were good jokes, bad jokes, and speeches that went on too long, but who won what awards is ultimately the focus on any award show. And like every year, there are there choices you agree with, disagree with, and ones you are indifferent about.

Couldn’t have picked better myself

To my surprise the HFPA and I were thinking along the same lines this year about which films, shows, actors, and creative professionals deserved to be called the best in their category. Normally I find that for the bulk of the award season, the awards go to films that I don’t think deserve them or deserved them but I didn’t quite like them as much as another film that was nominated. This year, whether it was because of the high quality of films or because I think they almost all deserve to win, the HFPA  and I actually agree on our choices for the most part.

In my end of year blog, I expressed my hopes that Boyhood would win the accolades that it deserved. It certainly did that. Winning Best Picture for Drama, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress, it won all the categories that I thought this masterpiece was worthy of. Sure it didn’t win best supporting actor or best screenplay, but considering the other nominees this year they had really tough (and good) competition.

What I also did in my end of year blog is forget that Grand Budapest Hotel existed, which is (even though I didn’t write it) one of my favourite films from last year. So when it won for Best Picture for Comedy/Musical I was absolutely thrilled. While I may not have 100% agreed with their choices for Best Actor for Drama and Best Animated Film, considering how great all the nominees were this year I can't really disagree with them either. 

Changed the Channel

While I definitely didn't miss the big awards, I got bored during a majority of the television awards. It's not that I didn't watch any of the shows nominated this year, I just didn't watch most of them. Playing Civ: BE probably didn't help, but as I talked to friends about this year's show and read tweets by fellow viewers, the Golden Globes did often lose its steam. Whether due to video games, lack of interest, or lack of laughs, I'll admit that I didn't watch the entirety of show with interest. But for what I was interested in, I definitely stopped playing and started watching.

End of an Era

As I said earlier in the post, one of the reasons to watch this year's event is for the spectacular hosts. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler once again brought the laughs to the Golden Globes. What makes this all the more special is that this will be indeed the last Globes to be hosted by incredible duo.  Funnily enough, during the Golden Globes countdown on NBC prior to the start of the award show, the hosts speculated that the Tina and Amy would hold nothing back. Well, the Bill Cosby jokes were definitely evidence of that. That said though, the jokes were great. Not only from Tina and Amy, but from the presenters as well (Ricky Gervais was surprisingly good). But the creme de la creme were definitely in the monologue. Especially the joke about George Clooney's lifetime award and the game of "Who'd you rather" as well. 

Part of my interest in any award show apart from the nominees is whoever hosts it. With Tina Fey and Amy Poehler moving on to other things, who knows who will take on the daunting task of hosting. Some have suggested Kristen Wiig and Bill Mader, which would hopefully keep the same type of humour in the show. Only time will tell. But with the 2015 Golden Globes now over and Margret Cho no longer costumed as a disgruntled North Korean, we congratulate the winners and thank Tina and Amy for a phenomenal job these past three shows. You will be missed.

CES 2015: New Tech That's Ahead of the Curve

I look forward to the start of a new year for two reasons. One, it's the start of new chapter in everyone's lives regardless if the year prior was great or absolutely terrible. Second, and by far the more exciting of the two, is CES. For those of you don't follow the world of tech and gadgets closely, the Consumer Electronics Show, CES for short, is one of world’s largest technology and electronics trade shows. Basically it’s the time of year when companies big and small unveil their new products to the public. Some are what are going to be out later in the year, while others are far more in the working prototype category. None the less, it’s all very exciting and we get a glimpse into what new tech trends we’ll be seeing in the near future. Here are some highlights of this year’s show.

Samsung's Behemoth

Will it Bend?

Displays have always played a massive part in CES. In fact, there are a ton of attendees who come just to see the latest wares from the electronic giants who produce these screens. As more and more consumers are watching media on other devices, TVs in particular have had to innovate and diversify in order to remain relevant in the home. There were some common trends at this year’s CES: 4K, curved screens, and ridiculous names.

Samsung had a show stopping 105-inch 4K television that could change from curved to flat depending on your preference. Their big push this year is their “SUHD” line of displays. Apparently the “S” doesn’t stand for anything, which is kind of dumb, but I guess it’s in line with all the other devices that they add “S” to. LG had some beautiful curved OLED 4K televisions as well, with their use of “quantum dots” in other displays to show case a superior picture to standard 4K. The “ArtSlim” Series sounds more appealing to me than SUHD, but is still kind of pointless, especially when you consider all these curved displays don’t look slim in comparison to their obviously skinny flat screened siblings.

In fact, while there are still plenty of flat screens on the floor, this year was all about the curved displays. From phones to TVs to monitors, almost every device had a curved variant or prototype. Some of them will probably be more practical than others, but it’s nice to know that going forward we aren’t confined to a flat surface for our devices. Mind you, I personally feel that the curved display, like 3D, is kind of a gimmick. Not to mention that in order to justify a curved TV for example, you need to buy a massive screen for the curve to be viewable for more than one person.

Wearables and Watches 2.0

Alcatel's new smart watch

While we may still be ape-descended life forms that think digital watches are a neat idea, the “digital watches” we are coming up with now are a lot cooler than just “neat”. Alcatel, Garmin, and several other companies are putting their names into the wearable electronic market. This is definitely a trend that I’m interested in, particularly whether or not this takes off. Apple, Samsung, and Motorola will probably have the most impact on the adoption rate of smart watches by the general consumer. As a fitness-tracking device, a message viewer, and as…well a watch, it will definitely do the job well. It’s just a matter of time (pun totally intended) to see if they can do a lot more than just that.

Attack of the Drones

The "Selfie Drone" hovers to take your photo before return to you

Of course it’s no surprise that there are drones everywhere now. But a cool, and yet slightly creepy trend is that many can now follow you at a distance by using your phone or a dedicated wearable to calculate it’s position relative to you. Many of these are used for selfies or to follow you while doing other activities. Cool in practice, but I can’t help but think of all the ways this can be used for not so nice stuff. Also the idea of a drone following me around with a camera isn’t too pleasing either.

Easy Bake Printer

While not quite the replicators of Star Trek that I wish were real, 3D printers are finally being developed with a culinary application in mind. XYZPrinting and ChefJet have shown at this year’s CES that 3D-printers can be sweet in more than one way.  Using food batters and syrups as the filament, their “recipes” are limited to sugar cubes and cookies. At least I can eat 3D-printer cookies while I wait for them to develop something that can 3D-print a turkey club sandwich.

And much, much more

The crazy thing about CES is that it’s so big, I can’t even cover all the cool, new tech here as it would take forever. As CES 2015 comes to a close, I’m already pumped for next year. Maybe then I’ll finally be able to buy a replicator. Or a hover-board, they’re late on that.

Born for Glory: A Review of Child of Light

From the opening lines of Child of Light's narration, the familiarity hits you. A prepubescent hero whose quest to return home shifts to save a kingdom from utter ruin. A little girl suddenly transported to a magical land. No matter how you spin the tale, it's one that we've heard before in one way or another. But it's that very nostalgia that is one of Child of Light's greatest strengths. There's a lot that's familiar, but Child of Light is a game that proves how something is presented is just as important as the core mechanics. The battle system is one that we've been playing for decades, but it's implemented with a modern twist that keeps things engaging. It's these simple changes to the formula that make Child of Light feel new and yet wonderfully nostalgic. What's been described as a love letter to Final Fantasy and Studio Ghibli, Child of Light is great trip down memory lane with a few bumps a long the way.

The power of poetry

The plot centres around Aurora, a daughter of a duke in 1895 Austria. After suffering what seems to be a sudden tragic end, she wakes up in the mystical kingdom of Lemuria. As mentioned in the intro, what starts out as simple quest to return to her home and father becomes a far more epic adventure to save this doomed land from the evil Queen of Night. It's a story that we've heard before. But what makes it so endearing is it's ability to tap into those memories of bedtime stories and classics works of fantasy. Inspired by not only Classic RPGs but classics in literature, the story while to some may seem predictable and generic does more than enough to be new and engaging to the player.

One of the unique touches of the story is in its delivery. Combined with the fantasy-jargon is a simple rhyming scheme that every character uses. In fact, it's such a part of the game's core that there's a recurring joke with a character that doesn't understand how rhymes work. I personally feel that this a nice touch and makes the dialogue more interesting than if they'd gone without. There are several people who will be turned off by this style of story-telling, but it's something we don't see very often and a pleasant change of pace from what could have been something far more blasé.

A work of art

Powered by the UbiArt Framework, Child of Light is simply stunning. Like an interactive painting, its attention to detail and design create a world full of whimsy and wonder. Because Aurora has the ability to fly; which you're grant fairly early on in the game, you're able to explore every nook and cranny of this lost kingdom. The characters too have received the same treatment, allowing them to stand out and yet still feel like they belong amongst the beautifully illustrated scenery.

Not only is the game a feast for the eyes, but it is a pleasure to listen to as well. The game's soundtrack was all composed by one artist, Coeur de Pirate, also known as Béatrice Martin. Outside of battle, the melodies are simple and hauntingly beautiful. Any complex and dramatic themes are reserved for the game's battles, which is fitting as the combat while simple is incredibly satisfying and worthy of an epic score.

Are you afraid of the dark monsters?

Take away an RPGs story and world and what you have left is the combat, the heart of any game in the genre. It's especially important as this is what you'll be spending a majority of your time doing while playing this game. Child of Light thankfully has a great battle system, however it's simplicity and lack of difficulty make the adventure at little less of challenge than it deserves.

The combat is based on systems similar to classic Final Fantasy and Grandia. Every character or monster takes a turn to perform an action, the twist being that if you attack someone while they're 'casting', they're interrupted and essentially have their turn skipped. Don't get too cocky though, the baddies can do that to you too. The battle system is a tried and true, but this is one area of nostalgia that while still a ton of fun feels more "copied" than the rest. In a world as stunning and creative as Lemuria, the variety of enemies seems lacking. Also the skill trees for the playable characters is mostly filled with stats upgrades rather than new abilities, stats which already get several upgrades from simply gaining enough experience. It's still a ton of fun and worth the constant battles, but it feels almost too child friendly.

Drift off to sleep

At around ten to twelve hours, Child of Light is the perfect length. So often I find that games I really enjoy feel far too short and leave me wanting more. With that said though, while Child of Light is one of the more memorable games I've played, it's a game that makes me glad that it doesn't overstay its welcome. Sure there are side quests and "New Game +" modes, but once you've played it to the end you can put it down and still feel you've got your money's worth. Especially now as the game is super cheap to purchase.

Who would have thought that game that you'd think would be from Square Enix or Atlus comes from Ubisoft Montreal. An homage to the classics, Child of Light is a must play for fans of old school RPGs. But I'd also recommend it for those who have shied away from games like Final Fantasy for their complexity and intensity, as they'll have just as much fun.

Hurry now and buy this game,
Lemuria is an amazing sight.
Fun battles, great stories,
Enjoy Child of Light.

Score: 9/10

Lego, Growing Up, and a lot of RPGs: A Review of 2014

If you spent a lot of time watching the news this year, then you might be like me in thinking that 2014 was a pretty awful year. With Ebola rife in western Africa, rebels in eastern Ukraine, the rise of Islamic State, and some incredibly tragic incidents involving planes and ferries, 2014 will probably go down in the history books as quite frankly one of the worst years in the history of everything. Everything, except pop culture. Despite the world being a terribly bleak place to live right now going into 2015, the ways to escape our dreary reality this year were quite spectacular. Some of the most refreshing video games to come out in a long time came out this year. And if you were a film buff, you were treated to some truly awesome movies. To make it more fun, I managed to capture some of it along the way with this blog which is now a year old... for those you who care about that sort of thing. In the same vein as the first post on this blog; which was also a year in review post, I will be highlighting what I believe to be the best of this year in some slightly unconventional categories. If you have no idea what that might entail, you can read the previously mentioned post here.

Best Picture

Winner: Boyhood

Ok, so maybe we're starting with something a little more conventional this year. But as I said in my review of this masterpiece, it's a fantastic film and I cannot sing its praises enough. Watching Boyhood was an amazing experience (getting to participate in a QA with Ellar Coltrane after watching was the cherry on top :) ), and like I alluded to in my review, I imagine that this is what it's like to understand that you're watching history being made. A film that has a perfect score on Metacritic (which is rare), I truly hope that in the upcoming award season it gets the accolades it deserves. I have to also point out that this film has been placed first on several high profile (read: far more legit) film critics lists for top films of the year.

Runner Up: Imitation Game

A well done and witty film about a personal hero of mine, this was another great film. Not to mention that the cast is perfect. It's in theatres now if you haven't seen it.

Most Awesome Movie

Winner: Lego Movie

Pardon the pun, but everything (about this film) is awesome. Also apologies for using the word awesome too much in this blurb. This category was tough, what with Guardians of The Galaxy being so great, How Train Your Dragon 2 being as good as the original, and even the ending of the flawed Hobbit Trilogy being a film that I could watch again and again. But the attention to detail is awesome, the dialogue is awesome, and the plot is (wait for it) awesome. With all the throw away lines and another perfect cast of both good guys and villains, the Lego Movie is movie that was both hilarious and inspiring. A rare film that feels actually original, something that seems harder and harder to come by these days. Truly awesome.

Awesome count: 6

Runner Up: Guardians of The Galaxy

(sorry The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)

Showing that Marvel doesn't need the Avengers to be successful, this great summer blockbuster shares a lot in common with the Lego Movie in it's combination of humour and heart. Also as I said in my review, it's great soundtrack was one that I played for weeks after.

Best RPG

Winner: Transistor

Picking a winner for category is practically impossible, simply due to the fact that the number of great "RPGs" this year is crazy. If you're wondering why I put RPG in quotes, it's because you can throw Pokemon and Borderlands into this category, despite not following normal genre conventions. Also there are a number of RPGs that aren't being considered because I haven't played them yet, such as Child of Light and Dragon Age: Inquistion. But as I explained in my review of Transistor, its world, atmosphere, characters, story, and of course soundtrack are all so fresh and fun that I wish it wasn't over all too soon. Another great game by Supergiant Games, they really out did themselves.

Runner Up: South Park: The Stick of Truth

I was tempted to give the runner up spot to Bravely Default despite the mediocre second half, but no other game had me laughing more and wanting more. It's a shame that we probably won't see another game like this one, but it's ok. Because South Park: The Stick of Truth combines some simple and fun gameplay mechanics with an amazingly fun world.

Best Non-RPG

Winner: Super Smash Bros for 3DS/Wii U

I don't think I need to explain myself here... it's Super Smash Bros.

Runner up: None

Biggest Disappointment

Winner: Sherlock series 3, episode 3

Compared to how much I loved the first two episodes in the third series, the third episode while not terrible was fairly disappointing. Sherlock's equivalent of flipping the table didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion. And while I'm excited for the mystery of Moriarty's "return", the fact that they have to use him again makes it feel like they can't enter new territory. Of course we're being told that future Sherlock will be "heart-breaking", so like the masochist that I am I more than ready (and super excited) for what is coming.

Runner Up: Newsroom season 3

The entire thing is a disappointment, except any part with Sloan or Don because they are the best characters on the whole bloody show.

Best Indie Album

Winner: The Bleachers- Strange Desires

The debut album of The Bleachers, Strange Desires was a wonderful album. At first I worried that the only song that would be worth listening to would be I Wanna Get Better. But Rollercoaster and Wake Me are equally great tracks, if not better than the first single of the album. The entire album is a treat and yet another great start for a relatively new indie band.

Runner Up: Arcade Fire- Reflektor

I'm aware that the album came out last year, but I saw them on tour in Toronto this year... one of the best shows I've ever been to. Joan of Arc is my personal favourite of this album.

Best Video Game Soundtrack

Winner: Bravely Default 

While I sing and hum the fantastic soundtrack of Transistor, Bravely Default's beautiful ballads and scores are exquisite. That and I'm a sucker for symphonic rock/metal. Seriously the battle theme and character themes are a pure pleasure to listen to

Runner Up: Transistor

Came in at very close second, it's the only game where there's a button so you can hum the soundtrack in-game. That's just how good it is.

Worst Blogger Ever

Winner: Yours Truly

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try and update this blog more regularly. It's hard to do when you have several other things going on in your life. But this project is one that; despite it's lack of regular updates, I've enjoyed doing over the last year. I hope that 2015 will be an even better year in more ways than one, and I plan on being the best blogger... I can be. After all let's not get too ahead of ourselves here.

Happy New Year Everyone! Let's make 2015 a great one.


Bonus: Best TV Show that I still need to finish

Winner: Fargo

I know how it ends, I just need to watch it. But I keep getting distracted.