L.A. Noire tells the story of returning war heroes in the 1940s, one still relevant today. The game combines the strength of Rockstar, delivering a realistic world, with new technology that conveys such realism at the human level. With gameplay hinges upon this technology to transmit the slightest tick and tremor of facial expression, the player must determine truth from lie. What lies beneath is a well written tale of good intentions and tragedy in a rapidly changing American city.
Ninja Theory takes a leap in telling a story first and making a game second. With Alex Garland at the helm they succeed in the former without misstepping the latter. Thanks to its well written script and some excellent voice and motion capture work by its actors, directed by Andy Serkis, the characters and their relationships are placed front-and-center as the game slips away to tell a touching story. This very feature is the game’s greatest strength, but also its weakness.
For Tron: Legacy the bar is largely meeting up to the expectations set by the original. The film excels where it follows, in both art direction and providing an able update to the original’s CGI endeavors. Where it missteps however is in adding muddled thematic elements and as it attempts to pair off Mr. Bridges against himself. It is saved however by the rocking score by Daft Punk and its reverence to the original in providing a genuinely fun film.
With Assassin’s Creed II, Ubisoft Montreal has taken any perceived failings from their original game and significantly improved them. They once again recreate a fully realized historic world and fill it with people about their business. Through all of that the player takes on the role of an assassin, to mingle, conduct espionage, and assassinate. In the process, one gets to play one of the best games of 2009.
In animation is the best place to realize the visions of graphic novel writers and artists. DC and WB have teamed up their veteran producers and brought back their voice actors to create a faithful adaptation of Jeph Loeb’s Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. The movie distills the comic down to its essential, Batman and Superman against a host of villains and heroes. Along the way they also save the world. It creates a fun hour of entertainment with dialogue and visuals to match.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a product of love and a steadfast dedication to the source and its spirit. This translates into a game that combines the best elements from the Batman mythos. Arkham Asylum is a compelling experience, with outstanding gameplay, and the possibility of realization for all Batman fans that they too can be the Batman of their dreams.
There is no doubt that Up is a good film. For that matter all of Pixar’s films are good. They all feature great animation and a stock of interesting characters. The problem is that for all the progression that Pixar demonstrates, in its ability to engage with new themes and characters, it still sticks to its same formula. This makes for an entertaining film, but there is unrealized potential here that one aches to see brought to the fore.
Rajeev Raghavan © 2002 - Today