Shank 2 [PS3 REVIEW] [QUICK&SHORT]

Gory-Gorgeous platformer fighter that has an awesome, tight retro control system... if you can stomach the shanking.

This square-jawed brute is our hero - Shank - who just loves to..... er..... chop vegetables?

What's It All About Then?

This is Shank 2, a 2D side-scrolling brawler where you play the part of "Shank" - a guy who loves to use knives (do you see what they did there?). This is the sequel to the extremely popular 2010 original - which impressed players with it's beautiful graphics and brutal combat.

In this outing, Shank is somewhere in South America, and there's this evil dictator who is obviously up to no good. Shank is a tough hitman, out to help nobody, but the violent struggle going on around him draws him back into action.

Grab the brute, break his arm, jump over and slash that guy with the gun....
it's all in a day's work for our boy Shank.

So Is It Any Good?

+++ Retro-Perfect Controls +++
The big draw for me to this game was the controls - they are wonderfully tight and well-designed. You use square for your knives, triangle to use heavy weapons (ranging from chainsaws to sledgehammers) and circle to use ranged weapons (throwing knives and guns). The combat rockets on at an intense pace - with enemies spawning left-right-and-centre to cut up into little pieces. 


There's some extra moves that help to get you out of tight spots (launching jumps and grab/throw moves) and these allow the combat to get very tough without feeling impossible. Add to that the wide range of environmental helpers that you can use - such as explosive canisters around the place and spike pits to smash enemies into.


Basically you're never short of ways to violently kill anyone in your path - and the game keeps things tense by having quite a high difficulty level (especially on the boss fights).


If you found the combat a bit too easy then there's a Hard Mode to try as well, with less health pick-ups and more soft squishy baddies to put your namesake to. Special mention goes to the "Survival mode", which puts Shank into a small combat arena where he must take on wave after wave of increasingly powerful enemies. There's a shop system here too, where you buy bonus items to make the action slightly more bearable - but if you are still in the mood for a challenge after the main story then there's another hour or so of play here.

You can even gross-out a friend in Co-op Survival Mode!

+++ Gorgeous Graphics... ish +++

Each of the nasty ways you can dispatch baddies is animated with bright, bloody, cartoon graphics - looking truly awesome in high-def... if a little stomach-turning. Shoot grunts with a shotgun to see them splat into pieces. Throw them into rotating blades to see them splat into pieces. Run at them with a chainsaw to see them... you get the idea.


The cutscenes are just as comic-book beautiful - but the game seems to feel the need to be brutal and offensive as much as possible - so be prepared for some guts being spilled, heads being lopped off, and limbs flying everywhere.


The story that links these all up is good enough - even though one level you traipse through a swamp filled with cannibals for no good reason other than it allowed the developers to throw in some humans chomping on human bowels. It's not really about the story though, is it? It's about being a tough-as-nails hitman who slashes people to shreds in the same way you might viciously tear up a copy of the Daily Mail.

It's not just DmC's Dante who can juggle baddies with his guns.

--- Short and Brutal ---

The only bad things I can say about Shank 2 are that the game is just a little too short to be a stellar success. The main story - even if some fights take a few tries - will be over in under 3 hours. Hard Mode is there if you want it, but there's little difference in the actual gameplay. The Survival Mode again adds an hour or so, but still isn't quite meaty enough to keep me hooked for very long.

The second negative point is that with so much video violence, it all feels just a little bit cheap. Graphic nasties are thrown in for shock value alone - but when the entire game is about carving people into grillable lumps then it comes across as a little pointless. 

Basically, there's violence because it's necessary (such as taking down an evil dictator) and then there's violence because it'll make people go "Eeeeeewwww!". I found myself feeling slightly queasy at several points in the game, and it didn't really add to the experience for me.

Conclusions

The gameplay and graphics in Shank 2 are spot on - really tight and fun to play.

The difficulty level is set just right too - so you're constantly having to make the most out of the control system without it ever feeling too hard.

There is still room for improvement though - taking out some of the "filler" violence and just sticking with a longer, more-focused campaign mode and this would be a big hit.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by: http://www.shankgame.com/

DS Downloadable Games vol. 3 [DS REVIEW] [QUICK&SHORT]

GAIA'S MOON

+++ PROS +++

• Simple and effective play mechanic - you press 1 button to fly upwards - press for longer to fly higher.
• Use this to swoop and dive, avoiding a weird and wonderful assortment of "enemies"
• Enemies include jumping sharks, flying dolphins, floating skulls and puffer fish. All in the same level too.
• Nice graphics serve the purpose well - although not amazing
• 2 player mode too - one uses the top screen and the other uses the bottom screen. This can get a little confusing though
• Cheap - only £1.80 on DSi Store
• Infuriatingly catchy soundtrack will stay in your head for weeks.

--- CONS ---

• Your flight path to avoid some of the enemies can be a bit ambiguous - sometimes it seems only flying through the bottom of one enemy will get you through
• Hard to master - takes at least half an hour to get through the first 5 levels safely - and when you lose you have to start right from the beginning
• Infuriatingly catchy soundtrack will stay in your head for weeks.

3 HEROES - CRYSTAL SOUL

+++ PROS +++

• Bright and colourful strategy puzzler game
• On the surface is just a "Match-3" game but actually has some deeper mechanics to work out
• Novel gameplay and design - you must move your character around a grid map by attacking nearby enemies. When you attack, you will also defeat all adjacent enemies of the same colour and earn colour points.
• By defeating the enemies in the right order - and choosing the right colours to go for at the right times - you can earn enough points to pull off special moves and get even bigger bonuses and treasures.
• Enough levels to play through with 3 different (albeit fairly similar) characters - so you can kill a few hours with this. 

--- CONS ---

• Not too cheap for what you get - £4.50 on DSi Store
• Claims to have "RPG elements". In reality it just uses some basic RPG philosophy, fight for as long as you can until your health goes down - then run and heal/save
• Not really any incentive for playing through the levels - there is just the satisfaction of unlocking all the levels but certainly not what you'd expect from an "RPG puzzler"

GO SERIES - UNDEAD STORM

+++ PROS +++

• Basic zombie shooter with plenty of charm and appeal
• Cheap - only £1.80 on DSi Store
• 3 levels and 3 difficulty settings for each - and it is worth giving each of them a go!
• Easy is good for a laugh, just take some rage out on some zombies
• Hard is a challenge - you'll either need to have lightning reflexes or employ clever use of weaponry
• Nice variety of weapons - shotguns, machine guns, grenades, mines, molotovs, melee 
• And a diverse bunch of enemies to use them on!
• 4 characters to choose from - each with their own dialogue
• Plenty of choice for how to approach levels too - do you search for survivors to help you or just go commando?
• LOADS of medals to unlock - sort of like achievements on Xbox or trophies on PS3 - these are awarded for things like level completes or not using special weapons or taking no damage

--- CONS ---

• Simplistic graphics can make it difficult to see what exactly is going on when the screen fills up with baddies and explosions
• Sometimes the end-level bosses can wipe out everyone in your party very quickly - leading to some distressing game overs
• Sometimes the zombies can be a bit....er..... braindead? They just stand there and wait for you to kill them. Not that I'm complaining that much or anything....

If you're in the market for a Nintendo DS - and 45 incredible games to go with it -

then check out my eBay auction.

Ends Sunday 8th April at 8PM BST!

LINK TO THE AUCTION >>>> HERE

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by:
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/dsiware/gaiaacutes_moon_47538.html
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/dsiware/3_heroes_crystal_soul_47787.html
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/dsiware/go_series_undead_storm_47758.html

Chase and Status - No More Idols [CD] [QUICK&SHORT]

So What's The Story Here?
London electronic duo Saul Milton and Will Kennard, better known as Chase and Status released this album back in January 2011. Chase and Status's early work was more classically Drum and Bass, however the new album, No More Idols, is a much more varied, albeit more "commercialised" affair (which I'm not saying is a bad thing). The album had a number of Top 40 hits, including End Credits (feat. Plan B), Blind Faith (feat. Liam Bailey), and Flashing Lights (feat. Takura).

So Is It Any Good?
+++ Floor-Filling Singles +++ 
The album has clearly been built from the ground up with chart releases in mind. The album is split roughly 50/50 - with half the tracks being powerful and more simplistically-arranged (Blind Faith, Flashing Lights, Time, End Credits). 


The singles are all brilliant - catchy melodies, well-chosen samples and bass that vibrates my brain just right.


Have a listen to Blind Faith and Flashing Lights through a good pair of headphones and tell me you aren't almost religiously-inspired to find class A drugs and attend an illegal rave. 

Is that just me? Bugger.

+++ Great British Mash +++
The other half is an eclectic mix with collaborations from artists such as White Lies, Tempa T and Dizzee Rascals, that are clearly less "radio-friendly" (Hypest Hype, Heavy and Hocus Pocus.... all beginning with "H".... hmmm). 

These tracks are great in their own right, being diverse in musical influences and characteristics, such that the album as a whole dips into many electronic genres - and manages to pull each one of them off. Each track has its own personality, well-suited to the guest vocalist who features on the album - and a big bonus point for showcasing so many UK artists as well - this album is a fantastic reference when describing great contemporary UK music.

--- Personal Tastes ---
There is always this risk when you create such a diverse album - some of the tracks won't appeal to everyone. A few of the tracks on the album are certainly impressive - and really show off Chase and Status's musical skills - but sadly I found them a little off-putting.


Strangely, this wasn't the tracks that I initially disliked - the track Time has really grown on me, and is now one of my favourite tracks on the album. Tunes such as Hits and Embrace have never really appealed to me though - so I have to skip them when I put the album on.


It is just the odd track that lets the album down for me though - the rest of the album is still highly playable and thoroughly enjoyable... and has been on my MP3 player for most of the past twelve months.


Conclusions

An eclectic mix of tracks, artists and genres - this defies labels and redefines perceptions. People who have had no interest in electronic music whatsoever have still picked up this album and found a few tracks that they love.

Absolutely love the UK talent involved - and the guest vocalists are both well-chosen and well-utilised. Each track has its own unique flavour, with the genre and the vocals working together to create a series of distinct musical experiences. This is varied, thoughtful, clever stuff.

The only problem is that with such a diverse mix, you are bound to alienate some listeners with one track or two. The testament to the albums quality is that my personal preferences were changed by some of the tunes - and you end up with a more diverse set of songs on your playlists as a result.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any videos in this review are from Youtube and are subject to relevant copyrights. They are kindly provided by: http://www.youtube.com/user/chaseandstatustv
http://www.youtube.com/user/IllusionParkour1

Ben Howard - Every Kingdom [CD] [QUICK&SHORT]

So What's It All About?
Debut album from Devon-based singer-songwriter, Ben Howard, released in the UK last Autumn and due to be released in America in a couple of weeks' time. Released on the Island Records label, which has signed many of the UK's greatest folk musicians, such as Nick Drake and John Martyn. Howard's style is a warm, slightly-simplistic folk that lends itself well to the recent popularity and rise of "new folk" with artists such as Mumford and Sons.

+++ Very pretty +++ The album is full of both warm, heartfelt numbers and several tracks that are clear single material - this is definitely a good album. The songs are well arranged and have a very nice flow to them, seamlessly moving from bright and fresh early tracks to toned-down tunes later on. Ben's voice is nice and works well with the guitar - and the album sounds as though it would work well as a live set too.

So Is It Any Good Then?
+++ Chart Material +++ Tracks such as The Wolves (above) and Old Pine are certainly worth a place in the charts - with catchy melodies and a simple arrangement to hook people in. They are now gaining a bit more recognition - The Wolves has been used for short films and is surely perfect for adverts of some kind - and the track Promise featured in the most recent episode of U.S. TV drama House.

--- Simplistic --- The lack of any variety in instrumentals and vocals, both style and patterns - while making a very coherent and flowing album, it means that it feels slightly stale towards the end. It is rounded off beautifully though, with the soft harmonious lullaby that is Promise, but although some of the middle tracks are very pleasant to listen to, they do not have that inspired appeal that some of his other songs do. Variety in songs wasn't necessarily needed, but certainly a greater range of vocals and instruments would have helped to hold my attention.

Conclusion

There is certainly enough great tracks on here to deserve a mention - and the singles on the album should gain Ben some well-earned attention.

The album is nicely written and gains merit for being a coherent and structured piece, with common musical beats and scales building to give Ben a nice signature "sound".

With a bit more variety - branching out into other instruments or daring to try some more emotive vocals - then the album could have been a much deeper and striking piece.

Still a great debut, Ben.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any videos in this review are from Youtube and are subject to relevant copyrights. They are kindly provided by: http://www.youtube.com/user/benhowardmusic

Trine 2 [PS3] [QUICK&SHORT]

Absurdly pretty, fantastically colourful game 

that ticks nearly every box.

What's It All About?

The Trine is a magical object which binds three people together and grants them special powers.  These powers will be required in order to get through the puzzles the game world presents - with goblins, trolls, living forests, giant creatures.... and a witch with a dark secret to uncover. The 3 characters brought together in this fantasy tale are:

1. A Wizard - he has the ability to conjure objects and levitate them from afar
2. A Soldier - he has a sword, shield and hammer to fight and throw at destructible objects
3. An Archer - she has a bow and arrow, plus a grappling hook that can be used to swing to higher areas.

The action plays out as a side scrolling 2D-frame but 3D-graphics set-up - with extra powers earned by collecting hard-to-reach gems and beating baddies - and the story unravelled through small, sparse segments of text and a normally a small cutscene at the end of each level.

So Is It Any Good Then?

+++Spectacularly Colourful+++ The visuals are the big winner here - fantastic use of colour all around means that even the backdrops are worth a few minutes to stop and take a look at. Each scenario has its own colour scheme - with lighter and greener levels at the beginning, moving through to purple and blue mystical and aquatic levels through the middle, right through to black and red as we approach the climactic finale. It's great to see a game use such a variety of colours and settings in such a short game - it means that the environments never get boring and hold your attention for the duration of the story. The characters are funny and enjoyable enough to keep you interested as well.

+++ Co-op Physics Puzzler +++ Well I can't get enough of these - the use of clever tricks such as weighted platforms and levers that build in difficulty as the game progresses is great. You can get through the game on your own quite easily, and even using just the one character - but the fun lies in switching things up and getting a friend to join in and play along. There are some issues with the physics - momentum doesn't work properly and there's a glitch with the wizard's conjuring skill that I call the "magic carpet trick" that means you can fly through most of the puzzles in the game - but these flaws don't actually make the game any less playable. It isn't perfect but it works well enough to still be enjoyable.

--- Short and Unambitious --- The big problems with the game - other than it's a physics puzzle platformer with a buggered physics engine - are that the game is over too quickly and doesn't really take off. The story is well paced - revealing itself slowly until all is revealed at the end - but you reach that level so quickly that a lot of the suspense is lost. Added to that the lack of any real improvements over the original Trine and it means that while the game is very good - its graphical shine isn't matched in the rest of the game.

Conclusion

Trine 2 has charm, humour, great puzzles, spectacular visuals and a novel concept that makes for a brilliant all-round experience.

The game is great - and worth a play through for anyone - but the game isn't ground-breaking nor polished enough to grant it too revered a place in the Gaming Halls of Fame.


If they could double the size and number of levels, add in a few new gameplay mechanics and really go wild with the story - then the game would do the visuals justice.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by: http://trine2.com/site/index.php?page=media#screenshots

Ed Sheeran - + [CD] [QUICK&SHORT]

What Is It?
The latest album from Ed Sheeran, read simply as "plus", was released in September 2009. The album has so far produced 4 major hit singles: The A Team, You Need Me, Lego House, and Drunk. It was released to great critical and commercial success, coming a few months after the first single from the album, The A Team, debuted at number 3 on the UK charts and has since become the high-selling and the highest charting debut of 2011. Ed has also won big at the Brit awards this year, claiming "Best British Male Solo Act" and "British Breakthrough Act".

So What Do I Think Of It?

Lyrically Lovely - the words sung by Ed are well thought-out, often being both wonderfully witty and craftily contemporary. The whole album has a thoughtful elegance that only comes from spending a long time thinking through each line carefully. To complement the great wordsmithery, there is a brilliant use of pace and tone to give a lot of variety in Ed's voice - swiftly swooping between small segments of rap and slow crooning - and it actually works reasonably well. Even though the latter few tracks do use some of the same words a bit too frequently (love, never, miss you, hold you) they are mixed in well so it doesn't ever stagnate. Tracks like U.N.I. are a good example of how Ed can just be singing about day-to-day things and still make it sound damn good. 

Deep Themes - To top add to that, Ed actually covers some darker topics and still does it eloquently and gracefully. The A Team, Small Bump, and Drunk take a look at the more serious sides of life - but it is done so sensitively and compassionately that it makes me listen to what Ed is saying even more. Just take a listen to these three and I'm sure you'll be bowled over too. Don't be put off by the big videos involving Rupert Grint and a clubbing cat - the songs underneath are still pop gems.

Reliable Source - You know, about the only criticism that I could level at "Plus" is that I was quite inclined to like this album anyway! I really like British acoustic singer-songwriters, with a preference for smart lyrics and varied music. Ed used to be a guitar technician for the band Nizlopi, and listening to some of Ed's songs you really can hear the influence - try You Need Me, I Don't Need You. If you like British acoustic guitar pop, especially if you like a dash of creative musical stylings too - you probably won't go wrong here.

Closing Remarks

It's a great album that deserves the praise it has received. Both well thought-through and well produced - this is a slick modern gem.

The singles stand out on their own but really the album can just be left to play through.

You might get sick of the words "Love You" and "Miss You" by the end, but he's actually offering more than just soppy love songs. 

Then again, I like soppy love songs - so don't take my opinion - have a listen and let me know what you think!

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!


Images in this review are from: http://edsheeran.com/


Any videos in this review are from Youtube and are subject to relevant copyrights.
They are kindly provided by: http://www.youtube.com/user/EdSheeran
and http://www.youtube.com/user/ashleyc5596

Mass Effect 2 [PS3] [QUICK&SHORT]

Overview

As this week sees the release of the latest shiny sci-fi offering from Bioware - Mass Effect 3 - I thought I'd do a quick recap review on it's predecessor Mass Effect 2. Released on PS3 in January 2011 - nearly a whole year after the PC/Xbox 360 release! - Mass Effect 2 is the second part of the Commander Shepard trilogy. This game begins with our hero, Commander Shepard, being killed in a space battle - you watch him or her float off into space without oxygen and die within the first 15 minutes of play. A shadowy organisation, Cerberus, then re-builds you and it is during this rebuilding that you are able to customise Shepard however you want - man, woman, alien-looking or more humanoid, and so on. From then on, your actions and decisions define your experience right through to its spectacular finale.

Major Points

Great Story - The plot of Mass Effect 2 is nothing short of EPIC. After the intro featuring your death you awake to find that humankind is under attack once again from the Reapers - an alien race that poses the biggest threat the Galaxy has ever faced - but no-one will listen to the warnings. Shepard is therefore tasked with recruiting a crew and taking a high-tech spaceship around the Galaxy (and beyond) to try their hardest to stop the Reapers from wiping out all life. It's played out over around 30 hours of game time, and as your decisions have a direct impact upon what's going on you really feel engaged and involved. To keep a player going to the end of the story is one thing - to hold them on the edge of their seat desperate to find out what happens to the crew at the end of their near-suicidal adventure is another thing altogether. To top it off, there is the possibility of sleeping with crew members if you are seductive enough - and this can be a great motivator to get through conversations:


Shepard: So... you have lovely.... gills.

Alien Crew Member: Ah yes, and my species loves.... 

er.... human-type things....

Shepard: Good..... wanna shag?

Active Play - So not only is the story driven by your actions, but there is a great deal of flexibility in battle as well. The game allows you to choose from several character classes, weapon types and tactical options in order to vary play - meaning that you can be a firearms specialist and blast baddies to bits from afar or play as a tech specialist and use vaguely Jedi-like powers to defeat foes. Not only that but you have the option of taking complete control over your crew as well - who you take on missions, how you upgrade their skills, when to use certain abilities in battle - and this means you have a wealth of ways to play available to you in every part of the game.


Easy Tactic - There were times when the game felt like it was being a little easy though. Learning how to use your special abilities takes a little time - then if you find which combinations of powers work you are pretty much  unstoppable. There is also a very clear "hidden upgrades" design that the developers went for - basically look in the corner of empty rooms, or walk down the corridor away from your quest marker, and you'll find tons of money and a weapon upgrade (so I guess there must be no poor people in this galaxy). Getting some of your skills and weapons upgraded to the max adds to the difficulty problem - but the game manages never to be boring. It still has a nice variety of enemies and settings so that if you get complacent then they'll swarm you and kick your arse. I can't complain too much as it is the inevitable issue present in most free-choice games - in order to have the game at a playable difficulty for all character classes/story options then some choices may lead to an easier game. It's only if the game is at an unplayable difficulty then it ruins an otherwise great game - which is not the case in Mass Effect 2.

Conclusions

If you've ever fancied yourself at the helm of the Enterprise then this is for you - truly a great game which allows you to engage in sci-fi gun battles, build up a crew of well-characterised aliens and try and sleep with them.

The game has plenty of depth and variety - in spite of having some corny dialogue and odd plotlines it still manages to be gripping right through to the end (and is worth a second play through too).

So Mass Effect 3 is coming out tomorrow - with a review to follow in the next week or two - and looking back on ME2 has only served to exaggerate my excitement.

This is one of my favourite game series at the moment and if I ever need to demonstrate why I only have to point in the direction of ME2 - it pretty much had it all. The only question is - can Mass Effect 3 improve on such a great title?

Trailer below to get everyone in the mood.

All videos in this review are from Youtube and are kindly provided by

http://www.youtube.com/user/gamespot

http://www.youtube.com/user/shnellehope

Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas [CD] [QUICK&SHORT]

Overview

The latest album from musical genius Leonard Cohen was released in late January 2012. This is Cohen's twelfth studio album, and was released more than 44 years after his debut, Songs of Leonard Cohen. It has reached number 3 on the American Billboard 200, number 2 on the UK Album's Chart, and has meant that Leonard Cohen has become Finland's oldest chart-topper!

Major Points

Emotional - This is beautiful, fragile music that seems to echo Cohen's advancing years. His voice now stumbles between a deep rumble and a whisper, falling away into silence at the end of many lyrics. Some of the themes and topics covered here are starkly emotional - songs of love and loss, hatred and greed. Cohen's lyrics have always been deep and poetic, but now the combination of a raspy voice and singing about Going Home conjours rather morbid images, which I cannot prevent from saddening me.

"Backing" Vocals - To counteract his new vocal tones, there is now a much more frequent use of female backing singers. Cohen has often used a female voice to complement his own - my problem here is that it is no longer complementary. He seems to be using backing singers to belt out the tune - going so far as to not sing at all himself for certain choruses (Going Home, Anyhow and Come Healing - all good songs but sadly too much use of backing vocals). This makes most songs with too much female vocal input feel like a cover version. In particular, on Going Home which is still a wonderful song, the fact that the backing vocalist actually takes over and sings the penultimate chorus (without little trace of feeling, I might add) then it really lets the track down. On Show Me The Place this is forgiveable - the backing vocals are sparse and Cohen gruffly sings throughout - so the song still feels like a Cohen number. I have difficulty trying to establish what his motives were for this choice - either he thought that the backing vocalists would fit the songs better (which they do not) or he felt that his vocals are now so deep and gravelly that a backing vocalist was necessary (and if so he overdid it). Sadly, the latter seems more likely and there is evidence for this in the way that Cohen's voice drops to a whisper on some of the deeper notes. This slightly faded feeling when contrasted with earlier works fits the artistic theme of Old Ideas well, but musically I would have preferred more of Cohen singing rather than someone else doing it for him.

Instrumentals - The astounding thing about Cohen's earlier works is that they achieve that mystical quality of sounding truly timeless - without some prior idea of when they were released you would have real difficulty placing the decade they were written and recorded in. The songs in Old Ideas sadly don't match up to that. Tracks like Crazy To Love You are a stark example of this - while the solitary guitar charismatically picking out a melody is not unusual for Cohen, there isn't enough here to get across what he is trying to say. The arrangement is a little too simplistic to work effectively. There are songs where the use of instruments is both clever and satisfying to listen to - in the track Anyhow the way several different instruments seem to coyly sing the title is great. Overall though, I am just finding minor flaws in what is a very good and well thought-out album. Cohen has always been able to write unique and beautiful music and this recent work is a welcome addition to his catalogue of brilliance.

Conclusions

Tracks such as Going Home, Show Me The Place and Lullaby are without a doubt of the same wonderful musical quality that Cohen has been demonstrating ever since his 1967 debut.

The fragile vocals and somewhat empty compositions now only to remind us that Cohen is not timeless himself - he has aged and is reflecting on his many years upon the Earth.


Overall this is a beautiful and haunting experience, 
perhaps serving to offer some insight into Cohen's emotions.
If you like an album to make you pause, listen and think then this one ought to satisfy you. 

Videos in this review are from Youtube and are kindly provided by:
http://www.youtube.com/user/agf1405
http://www.youtube.com/user/LeonardCohenVEVO
http://www.youtube.com/user/manoelcaraballo1

Gotye - Making Mirrors [CD] [QUICK&SHORT]

Overview.

The third album from Belgian-born, Australian-based multi-instrumentalist Wouter De Backer - known better by his stage name "Gotye" - was released in August 2011. Gotye is well-known in Australia, making the headlines for being the first Australian artist since Silverchair to hold the number 1 spot in both the singles and albums charts. Gotye has enjoyed massive success in the UK and America since the release of the single Somebody That I Used To Know, which has received over 80 million views on Youtube. Also, you heard it here first - he sounds a lot like Sting when he sings this song!

Major Points.

Eclectic - It's almost as if the album was made for this reviews site - it is a wonderfully eclectic and diverse set of tracks spanning from pop to indie, from soul to ska, from upbeat anthem to chillout tune. The format and ambition of Gotye could be likened to Peter Gabriel - not afraid to experiment with new or unusual combinations of sounds and appreciating that a diverse set of styles and instruments can combine to create something wonderful. Special mention to the third single from the album, I Feel Better, which is like a Stevie Wonder/Lionel Ritchie hybrid and it's brilliant. Lyrically, it's not deep, complex or subtle - I Feel Better just tells it like it is:

"A friendly face will bring you around and you'll feel better".

Flowing Tempo - The album also works very well as a whole - the quieter early tracks build up to the singles in the middle which move seamlessly between pop, indie and ska-influenced sounds. These tracks tread a fine line between being unusually inventive and off-puttingly unsettling - tracks such as Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You and Bronte stand apart as distinctly downbeat for a pop release but still work well on this album. They are counter-balanced by tracks like In Your Light and Save Me, which bring the upbeat feel back with glorious cheers and thumping drum beats.

The future - Although the album works very well, and several tracks stand out as modern pop gems, the lack of a coherence or "sound" does make me wonder where Gotye will go from here. How does he emulate the successful sound for future album? Having another eclectic mix is risky, as he is likely to alienate more of the mainstream audience the more he dips into other genres. Trying to create a full album of singles such as Somebody That I Used To Know and Eyes Wide Open, which are certainly the most commercially-viable, may sound slightly stale in comparison. For my part though, I'll be happy so long as Gotye keeps trying to make diverse, interesting albums that push the boundaries of pop music.

Conclusions.

Making Mirrors really came out of the blue for me (thanks to a recommendation from my mum and brother actually). 

Having the singles stuck in my head led me to try out the 

rest of the album, and boy am I glad I did! 

This is as eclectic and diverse a pop album as you could ever want. Still manages to have continuity between tracks even when spanning many decades and genres - this is the mark of a very talented musician.

Where Gotye can go from here though is a worry - if he deviates from diversity it may sound stale, if he mixes it up more then he might lose the majority of his audience. Only time will tell...

Videos in this review are from Youtube and are courtesy of:

http://www.youtube.com/user/gotyemusic

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD [PSN] [QUICK&SHORT]

Overview
A remake of the 2005 Xbox title that forms part of the marvellous Oddworld series - now updated with HD graphics, better character models and improved sound. The game is a first/third person adventure that puts you in the shoes of Stranger, a bounty hunter who is trying to make enough money for the surgery that will sort him out for life. On your journey, you will meet all kinds of crazy characters and villains who will either lead you to riches or to your doom.

Major Points
Kooky Colourful - The Oddworld has always been a weird and wonderful place and this 3D high-definition update only serves to remind you of just how bizarre and beautiful this world really is. Environments, enemies and weaponry are all visually superb, and the best example of this is the ammunition you use in game. Rather than standard bullets, you pick up creatures from the game world and load them up into your crossbow - as you can see in the video, the critters you fire at enemies are equal parts cute and freaky. It is unique and quirky features like this that make the Oddworld games stand out above other titles.
Cartfuls of Comedy - Everything in the game has a unique humour to it - often lost in modern games. The bounties you go after have names like "Jo'Mamma" and "Fatty McBoomBoom". All the dialogue is filled with tongue-in-cheek humour, and makes the cutscenes enjoyable to watch. Having the comedy at the core of the game, diffusing through everything from place names to dialogue, enhances the fun that can be had playing this game tenfold.
Updated or Outdated - As previously mentioned, this is a HD update of a game from 2005 -  so how does it hold up with today's standards? Well, remarkably well. The game mechanics and theme needed no adjustment and so are thankfully left untouched. The updated graphics and audio only improve upon this - now the game looks, sounds and plays fantastic. Add to this new features such as trophy support - offering some extra challenges should you find you need them - and this is a top-quality package.

Conclusion

One of those rare titles that succeeds in being both creative and playable - Stranger's Wrath works as both a reminder of a brilliant older title and as a shining example of how a HD update should work. 

The unusual humour, characters and environments that are the trademarks of the Oddworld series are all here. Better than that - they're all in HD with  remastered sound!

When this kind of gameplay is combined with a low price tag on the PS Store, this becomes an unmissable experience. Seriously. Go buy it. Now.

Videos in this review are from Youtube and are kindly provided by:
http://www.youtube.com/user/sonyplaystation and 
http://www.youtube.com/user/FMVGuy