Rango is the latest from animation film studios Nickelodeon, and it hits all the sweet spots that an animation film should, featuring a brilliant voice cast, a delightful story, and a new style of animation never seen before.
Rango follows the story of the at-first nameless lizard, who later becomes Rango. He is living the life in his owner's aquarium with his inanimate friends. But one day when his owner is traveling on the highway with Rango in the back of his truck, Rango gets separated from him and is left alone in the desert of an unnamed location. Lost and lonely, Rango finds the city of Dirt, and gets swept up by its inhabitants and is pulled into a plotline to save the town's water supply. It's cute, it's creative, and the cast of characters really makes the show here. Rango, although a little creepy at first, becomes this lovable hero that kids can relate to. Dirt's residents also have their own unique personalities that make the movie standout in the storytelling department.
The animation in Rango is simply stunning. It almost looks real, and the whole atmosphere of the film really makes you feel like your in a western deserted town. Although the characters can be a little frightening, you warm up to them as the movie progresses. The voice acting in Rango is top-notch, featuring Johnny Depp as the lead role and supporting characters voiced by Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, and Bill Nighy. Johnny Depp is in one of his best roles yet, throwing in his humor and charm into the character of Rango.
Rango is a great achievement in animation, featuring stellar voice acting and animation, and a light-hearted story that will charm kids and adults alike.
Overall: 4.5/5.0
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Nintendo 3DS - My Thoughts
It's here. My 3DS came in the mail today, and I was so excited to get started! But first, I had to read the phone book. Not literally, the phone book, I mean the manual for the 3DS. It's freakin' huge, and I obviously didn't bother with reading the whole thing, because I pretty much knew how it worked.
The giant box came with the 3DS, charger cord, base thing to charge on, AR cards (which I'll get to later), and a ton of manuals/promotional goodies. My garbage can was filled after opening. So I turned on my 3DS, and had to get briefed on basic information and stuff, and then the 3-D was turned on. Holy Crap...my mind was blown. This device is incredible, to be able to display 3-D without glasses! That's amazing. There is a spot where you get the most of the 3-D, and you sometimes have to position your head so you're right in the sweet spot, which couldn't be helped, but other than that, the 3-D was flawless. It added a whole new layer to an already brilliant handheld.
I also picked up Pilotwings: Resort and the review will be up later, but now I'm going to speak about the basic functions included with the 3DS. As most of you know, the 3DS features two 3-D cameras, something I've never seen or used in my entire life, and me, being the photography enthusiast, that was the first thing I went to. The resolution blows, but it's understandable, given that it's a tiny handheld, but the 3-D pictures look awesome, and although they're not 3-D when you place them in a computer, they're still fun to look at and mess around with. Also included is the 3DS sound studio thing, which is basically a repeat of what came with the DSi. Also new is a Mii Maker, which lets you create your adorable little avatars that we all know from the Wii. You can snap a photo of yourself, and your Mii will be made for you, but making it manually is more fun and rewarding.
There are some fun games included with the 3DS, one of these being Face Raiders, where you use the 3DS's gyroscoping capabilities to shoot down little bug monsters that have your or your friends' faces on them. It's fun, but by no means is it the star of the show here. I said that the package came with AR cards, short for augmented reality cards. These are little cards that you place on a flat surface, and then your 3DS can read them magically and you can play awesome little minigames with them. It's a lot of fun, and all your favorite Nintendo characters join in, and it's cool to see the world around you change with these cards.
I have yet to get to StreetPass and SpotPass abilities, because I haven't even taken a look or found someone with a 3DS yet. Once I do, though, be counting on an in-depth discussion about them. I was pleasantly surprised with the Wi-Fi capabilities this time. The old DS's couldn't read my home's wifi, because we're wired with an Apple network, but my 3DS reads it just fine, just like my Wii would, and now I can finally take full advantage of some old DS games. Speaking of which, the 3DS is fully backwards compatible with previous DS titles, but be noted that there is no GBA slot to be seen, which is kind of a disappointment.
The biggest upset, surprisingly, is the battery life. I could only squeeze 4 hours out of my 3DS with 3-D on to the fullest, until it went red and had to be recharged. This is a huge disappointment, especially for long rides or plane flights, when no charge capabilities are in sight. Of course, you could turn the 3-D down and change the brightness level to increase your time.
Like almost all of Nintendo's handhelds, the 3DS is phenomenal. What it can do is beyond my thoughts, and I'm really excited to see where it can go in the future. Stay tuned on my blog for more 3DS news and reviews.
The giant box came with the 3DS, charger cord, base thing to charge on, AR cards (which I'll get to later), and a ton of manuals/promotional goodies. My garbage can was filled after opening. So I turned on my 3DS, and had to get briefed on basic information and stuff, and then the 3-D was turned on. Holy Crap...my mind was blown. This device is incredible, to be able to display 3-D without glasses! That's amazing. There is a spot where you get the most of the 3-D, and you sometimes have to position your head so you're right in the sweet spot, which couldn't be helped, but other than that, the 3-D was flawless. It added a whole new layer to an already brilliant handheld.
I also picked up Pilotwings: Resort and the review will be up later, but now I'm going to speak about the basic functions included with the 3DS. As most of you know, the 3DS features two 3-D cameras, something I've never seen or used in my entire life, and me, being the photography enthusiast, that was the first thing I went to. The resolution blows, but it's understandable, given that it's a tiny handheld, but the 3-D pictures look awesome, and although they're not 3-D when you place them in a computer, they're still fun to look at and mess around with. Also included is the 3DS sound studio thing, which is basically a repeat of what came with the DSi. Also new is a Mii Maker, which lets you create your adorable little avatars that we all know from the Wii. You can snap a photo of yourself, and your Mii will be made for you, but making it manually is more fun and rewarding.
There are some fun games included with the 3DS, one of these being Face Raiders, where you use the 3DS's gyroscoping capabilities to shoot down little bug monsters that have your or your friends' faces on them. It's fun, but by no means is it the star of the show here. I said that the package came with AR cards, short for augmented reality cards. These are little cards that you place on a flat surface, and then your 3DS can read them magically and you can play awesome little minigames with them. It's a lot of fun, and all your favorite Nintendo characters join in, and it's cool to see the world around you change with these cards.
I have yet to get to StreetPass and SpotPass abilities, because I haven't even taken a look or found someone with a 3DS yet. Once I do, though, be counting on an in-depth discussion about them. I was pleasantly surprised with the Wi-Fi capabilities this time. The old DS's couldn't read my home's wifi, because we're wired with an Apple network, but my 3DS reads it just fine, just like my Wii would, and now I can finally take full advantage of some old DS games. Speaking of which, the 3DS is fully backwards compatible with previous DS titles, but be noted that there is no GBA slot to be seen, which is kind of a disappointment.
The biggest upset, surprisingly, is the battery life. I could only squeeze 4 hours out of my 3DS with 3-D on to the fullest, until it went red and had to be recharged. This is a huge disappointment, especially for long rides or plane flights, when no charge capabilities are in sight. Of course, you could turn the 3-D down and change the brightness level to increase your time.
Like almost all of Nintendo's handhelds, the 3DS is phenomenal. What it can do is beyond my thoughts, and I'm really excited to see where it can go in the future. Stay tuned on my blog for more 3DS news and reviews.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Pokemon Black/ White Review
Pokemon Black/White (DS)
The DS is dead. Face it. With the 3DS less than three weeks away, Pokemon Black/White seem like the system is saying goodbye with one final great game.
Pokemon Black and White are all-new. You won't see any old Pokemon, and this is good, as it allows for more strategizing than just re-using your old teams from past games. You start back at Route 1, and it's all new from there. Surprisingly, B/W actually have a story, and it involves Team Plasma, and they delve into Pokemon morality and if keeping them trapped in Poke Balls is the right thing. It's a really touchy topic, and as you delve deeper into the game, Team Plasma attacks you at every team and makes you re-think yourself. It's a nice new twist for a Pokemon game.
Although the story is new, the gameplay isn't. It's tried and true Pokemon formula. You're still a young Pokemon trainer, hoping to rise the ranks, beat the gym leaders, and eventually become the Pokemon master. It's formulaic, but that's because it works. There are significantly new changes to the gameplay, as well. You actually have friends now, and they show up a lot, and you can challenge them and chat whenever you'd like. The battles are basically the same, except your Pokemon move now! New gameplay features include triple battles and rotation battles, and these all offer new strategies than just the old 1 v 1 battles. The Unova Region is one of the coolest regions in Pokemon yet. The cities feel fresh, and all the locations and things to do are really unique. There are also subtle new changes such as the merging of Pokemon Centers and PokeMarts, making for one easy stop for all your needs.
This brings us to the graphics. The game looks great, and there are some phenomenal sequences aboard bridges that really take full use of the DS's hardware capabilities. That being said, the battles look bad, and the Pokemon are downright ugly. They're so uncreative, and have ridiculous names. I know there's only a certain amount of Pokemon that can be made before you have to resort to this, but, come on, these Pokemon are hideous. The same can't be said about the soundtrack, and it offers catchy Route tunes and new city music reminiscent of Diamond and Pearl's tunes.
The multiplayer this time around has been completely revamped, and instead of having a huge building to do all your global trading/battling needs, you have the C-Gear. The C-Gear goes on the bottom screen and you can do almost every Wi-Fi function with it: trade, battle, look at records, you name it. This makes it much easier than having to go to a Pokemon Center, and you can also now trade Pokemon in your PC, instead of having to leave the room and restock Pokemon to trade.
Pokemon Black/White are a refreshing new take on the same old Pokemon formula. They're great for beginners starting on square one, and they're great for seasoned players looking for a new spin.
Pros:
New Gameplay Elements
A story!!
Fantastic Soundtrack
Cons:
Ugly Pokemon
Passable Graphics
Overall: 9.0/10.0
The DS is dead. Face it. With the 3DS less than three weeks away, Pokemon Black/White seem like the system is saying goodbye with one final great game.
Pokemon Black and White are all-new. You won't see any old Pokemon, and this is good, as it allows for more strategizing than just re-using your old teams from past games. You start back at Route 1, and it's all new from there. Surprisingly, B/W actually have a story, and it involves Team Plasma, and they delve into Pokemon morality and if keeping them trapped in Poke Balls is the right thing. It's a really touchy topic, and as you delve deeper into the game, Team Plasma attacks you at every team and makes you re-think yourself. It's a nice new twist for a Pokemon game.
Although the story is new, the gameplay isn't. It's tried and true Pokemon formula. You're still a young Pokemon trainer, hoping to rise the ranks, beat the gym leaders, and eventually become the Pokemon master. It's formulaic, but that's because it works. There are significantly new changes to the gameplay, as well. You actually have friends now, and they show up a lot, and you can challenge them and chat whenever you'd like. The battles are basically the same, except your Pokemon move now! New gameplay features include triple battles and rotation battles, and these all offer new strategies than just the old 1 v 1 battles. The Unova Region is one of the coolest regions in Pokemon yet. The cities feel fresh, and all the locations and things to do are really unique. There are also subtle new changes such as the merging of Pokemon Centers and PokeMarts, making for one easy stop for all your needs.
This brings us to the graphics. The game looks great, and there are some phenomenal sequences aboard bridges that really take full use of the DS's hardware capabilities. That being said, the battles look bad, and the Pokemon are downright ugly. They're so uncreative, and have ridiculous names. I know there's only a certain amount of Pokemon that can be made before you have to resort to this, but, come on, these Pokemon are hideous. The same can't be said about the soundtrack, and it offers catchy Route tunes and new city music reminiscent of Diamond and Pearl's tunes.
The multiplayer this time around has been completely revamped, and instead of having a huge building to do all your global trading/battling needs, you have the C-Gear. The C-Gear goes on the bottom screen and you can do almost every Wi-Fi function with it: trade, battle, look at records, you name it. This makes it much easier than having to go to a Pokemon Center, and you can also now trade Pokemon in your PC, instead of having to leave the room and restock Pokemon to trade.
Pokemon Black/White are a refreshing new take on the same old Pokemon formula. They're great for beginners starting on square one, and they're great for seasoned players looking for a new spin.
Pros:
New Gameplay Elements
A story!!
Fantastic Soundtrack
Cons:
Ugly Pokemon
Passable Graphics
Overall: 9.0/10.0
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