Disappearing Funds
Here's hoping that you have a shit-ton of money, because there's a lot you should be spending it on.
Sweet tapdancing Christ, this is going to get expensive.
Movies: Saw V
The fifth entry in the horror/gore porn franchise Saw may be the last iteration depending on how you interpret the tag line, “You won’t believe how it ends”. Honestly, I stopped caring about these movies after the second one. However, don’t underestimate the stupidity of high school girls who will go to damn near any horror movie and annoy everyone in the theater with their constant shrieking. Saw V picks up where the last movie apparently left off. Hoffman is seemingly the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy. But when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends. Just like the last two, I think I’ll pass on this one…just like the studio should have.
DVDs: The Incredible Hulk
The only worthwhile offering in DVDs this week is The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton. The plot is pretty simple. Bruce Banner is a scientist who mutates into a ginormous green monster with ridiculous strength when he gets angry. The film is being released in both single-disc and triple-disc editions, with the latter being absolutely chock-full of special features. An alternate opening, digital copy of the movie, deleted scenes, multiple behind-the-scenes features and commentary are just a few of the extras you’ll find if you pick up the three-disc version.
Games: Guitar Hero: World Tour (Multiple) vs. Far Cry 2 (Multiple) vs. Fable 2 (Xbox 360)
Three big game releases this week. The first one will make the most substantial dent in your wallet, but it’s a must if you’re into music and pretending you’re a rock star. Guitar Hero: World Tour could really have been called Guitar Hero 4: We’re Trying to Steal Some of the Rock Band Audience. The game, like Rock Band, gives players the ability to play guitar, drums, bass, or sing vocals. Unlike Rock Band, the drum kit includes three “drums” and two “cymbals” as well as the kick drum. Also, Guitar Hero: World Tour gives players a full suite of editing tools to create their own songs (minus vocals) and even the ability to upload the created tunes so other gamers around the world can rock out to your music.
Have you ever been playing a first-person shooter, Call of Duty for example, and wished that you weren’t stuck to such a rigid path…or that your grenades would spark a fire that could distract your enemy? Well, Far Cry 2 makes those wishes a reality. The game is set in something like 16 square kilometers of a war-torn Africa. The player’s mission is to kill “The Jackal”, a mysterious character who has incited war between two rival factions. In order to succeed, players will have to play the two factions against each other, using cunning, subversion, research, and some brute force.
Fable 2 is set 500 years after the first game, in the fictional land of Albion. Players will create a hero and take him/her through basically an entire lifetime. Get married, have kids, do some questing, become famous, get a job….oh yeah, and save the world. Unlike many other fantasy games, Fable 2 makes questing and wealth completely independent of one another. You could conceivably finish the entire game dirt poor because you were a bum and never got a job. Also, when you’re not playing the game, your in-game shop will make money for you. Pretty sweet, eh? You also get a dog.
The Edge: If you can only buy one, and can’t afford to spend more than $60, go with Fable 2. If you can afford to though, go with all three.
Posted by Cory Roop, Cory Roop on Oct 22, 2008 @ 12:00 am
