Silent Hill: DownpourKonami Digital Entertainment
Rated M (Mature)
Released March 13, 2012 in North America
Overall Rating: 7.7 out of 10
Xbox 360/PS3 (I'm reviewing the former version)
(CAUTION: there may be some spoilers, intentional or not)
Silent Hill was doomed, on the fast track to Washed Out City, joining Resident Evil and Fatal Frame (still pissed that future titles will never be released in North America) along the shores, fishing away the twilight years. Homecoming, which was released in 2008, overwhelmingly disappointed most of its buyers, especially the hardcore fans. I know I all but declared the series gone by Shattered Memories (released in 2009), while others waited until longtime Team Silent veteran Akira Yamaoka (who wrote the music for all the games up to Downpour) to start planning the series's memorial service. Some turned to the graphic novels (which were seeing an upswing in quality) while others waited for the next title and the new film (due sometime this year).
After retreading a ton of history, here is the punchline: just like the Spanish Inquisition, Downpour was not expected. To be good, that is.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Best of 2011: Album Edition
That's right, longtime readers and new ones... we're almost done! We just got the music to cover and then we can brush our hands clean of the year. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the apocal- I mean, 2012.
Best of 2011: Book Edition
I may actually finish reading some 2011 releases during January 2012 and may redo this list to reflect the newer choices. Otherwise, here it is as of this time...
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Best of 2011: Movie Edition
Yes, it is that time of year again! We'll kick things off with the moving pictures!
This is a short list, half mostly concert films. Sometime during the year, I said that if this list was small, I would end doing a best-of for movies each year. Since I watch films at a pace that would agitate a movie aficionado, this is my last list. If I watch enough in 2012, I will do a list but otherwise, do not expect it from here anymore. I love movies, but I'm a snail.
So without further ado, my final list:
This is a short list, half mostly concert films. Sometime during the year, I said that if this list was small, I would end doing a best-of for movies each year. Since I watch films at a pace that would agitate a movie aficionado, this is my last list. If I watch enough in 2012, I will do a list but otherwise, do not expect it from here anymore. I love movies, but I'm a snail.
So without further ado, my final list:
Monday, November 14, 2011
Book Review 18 of 24 (Scrapbooks Are Paper Blogs)
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt
By Caroline Preston
Barnes & Noble link
(Fun fact: I just found out about this book earlier yesterday at my job. Read it in two sittings and decided that it was an appropriate last review.)
When given the tools, anyone can become the person they were meant to become. The influences could come from anywhere, but usually you can discern the usual suspects. For the narrator of The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, this was an easy one: her own parents. But it takes more than that to get this girl going. Adventures await her as she leaves the farming countryside of New Hampshire for the wide-eyed wonder of New York State in this uniquely-presented tale.
By Caroline Preston
Barnes & Noble link
(Fun fact: I just found out about this book earlier yesterday at my job. Read it in two sittings and decided that it was an appropriate last review.)
When given the tools, anyone can become the person they were meant to become. The influences could come from anywhere, but usually you can discern the usual suspects. For the narrator of The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, this was an easy one: her own parents. But it takes more than that to get this girl going. Adventures await her as she leaves the farming countryside of New Hampshire for the wide-eyed wonder of New York State in this uniquely-presented tale.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Book Review 17 of 24 (Atwood Schools Everyone About Sci-Fi)
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination
By Margaret Atwood
Barnes & Noble link
(Fun fact: the main reason I joined Twitter was because Margaret Atwood had one and enjoyed using it.)
When you want to learn about a genre, you normally go towards the genre's representative books. In this case, we are talking about science fiction. Go for the popular, we have Robert A. Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick. Wanna get esoteric? Walter M. Miller, C.S. Lewis, and J.G. Ballard. How about the ladies? Margaret Atwood, Octavia E. Butler, and Ursula K. Le Guin. You have a lot to choose from.
In this case, let's go with Margaret Atwood. She has written the chilling The Handmaid's Tale, the apocalyptic tale of Oryx and Crake and its sequel The Year of the Flood. But she ain't through. She has more to say about science fiction than her novels could contain. With In Other Worlds, Atwood puts together all she learned about sci-fi and schools you good.
By Margaret Atwood
Barnes & Noble link
(Fun fact: the main reason I joined Twitter was because Margaret Atwood had one and enjoyed using it.)
When you want to learn about a genre, you normally go towards the genre's representative books. In this case, we are talking about science fiction. Go for the popular, we have Robert A. Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick. Wanna get esoteric? Walter M. Miller, C.S. Lewis, and J.G. Ballard. How about the ladies? Margaret Atwood, Octavia E. Butler, and Ursula K. Le Guin. You have a lot to choose from.
In this case, let's go with Margaret Atwood. She has written the chilling The Handmaid's Tale, the apocalyptic tale of Oryx and Crake and its sequel The Year of the Flood. But she ain't through. She has more to say about science fiction than her novels could contain. With In Other Worlds, Atwood puts together all she learned about sci-fi and schools you good.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Book Review 16 of 24 (Surrealistic Lady Writers Unite!)
Fantastic Women: 18 Tales of the Surreal and the Sublime from Tin House
Edited by Rob Spillman
Barnes & Noble link
(I'm breaking with tradition: I normally don't review things after reading another review, in fear of plagiarizing... but it's time to subvert!)
If it weren't for the wonderful magazine Bitch, this book's existence would've never been made unto me. Already hurting to read more works by female writers, this collection not only appealed to that but also for the draw of big names. I've read Rikki Ducornet's The Fountains of Neptune (a recommendation from a creative writing professor) and am currently reading Karen Russell's excellent Swamplandia! and the collected stories of Lydia Davis. Thanks to this book, I now have a list of fantastic writers to check out.
Edited by Rob Spillman
Barnes & Noble link
(I'm breaking with tradition: I normally don't review things after reading another review, in fear of plagiarizing... but it's time to subvert!)
If it weren't for the wonderful magazine Bitch, this book's existence would've never been made unto me. Already hurting to read more works by female writers, this collection not only appealed to that but also for the draw of big names. I've read Rikki Ducornet's The Fountains of Neptune (a recommendation from a creative writing professor) and am currently reading Karen Russell's excellent Swamplandia! and the collected stories of Lydia Davis. Thanks to this book, I now have a list of fantastic writers to check out.
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