The Grudge - Movie, Horror
Here is a movie that I didn't even expect.  This is mainly because I had seen the original first 2 Japanese releases and didn't know that The Grudge was an Americal adaptation of the Ju On series!  Much to my suprise, while watching the credits, I saw those beautiful 2 words flash across the screen  in the lower right hand corner.  With that being said, on with the review.

This movie is an excellent adaptation of the original 2*2=4 part series.  (There are 2 OVAs and 2 Theatrical relases in Japan.  They are about the same from version to version staying within the confines of parts.)  The US version is a culmination of both stories melded into an alternate/parallel "universe" that contains the same nuances that the first versions contained.  There are scares around every corner and the story telling is in the same style as the writer intended.  It feels very Tarantino-esque when it comes to trying to piece the storyline together in your head. 

Some of the best things that come from the Asian Horror genre is that it makes you think about what is going to scare the crap out of you for the whole time and they make you take it with liek emotional baggage after the final credits roll.  This is not any different in this example than it's original counterparts.  It was a delight to see Yuya Ozeki and Takako Fuji reprise their roles as Toshio and Kayako.  The Americans that they picked to be in this movie were fine with the exception of Bill Pullman's less than stellar job at being a teacher in Japan.  The fact that he didn't speak very good Japanese was very disturbing.  It was obvious that his tutor was female.  This was evident with his intonation.  (Not a sexist remark.)  Other than that, the ability to take the best parts from this Japanese cult hit(s) and put the power and money of Hollywood behind it, I'd say this was a good attempt. 

With this movie being the exception from the zombie laiden films that have been recent in Hollywood, this is a great refreshing change from the brain eaters.  Keep in mind that this movie was rated as PG-13, but I strongly suggest that if you plan on brining your kids to go see a good horror flick, you might want to pass on this for the content.  Not that it's a bad movie, it's just a fair warning. 

Personally, I'm waiting for the DVD with the deleted scenes that should have been in the movie.  I'm guessing that there are scenes that would have pushed it well into the R rating if they were left in.  I'm not about to give any spoilers, but the scene with the body hanging from the ceiling knocking up against the wall had obvious things missing from it to make it feel a little more cohesive.  Fans that have seen Ju On: The Grudge 2 will know exactly what I'm talking about.  -_^

Official Website - http://www.doyouhaveagrudge.com
(There's a little exploration game on there. It freaked me out so bad, I couldn't finish it.)
Rating - PG-13
Story - 8
Acting - 7
Special Effects - 10
Cinematography - 10
Overall - 8.75
- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 11:04 PM 0 comments

 
Street Racing Syndicate - NGC
This new title from Namco (originally from the now defunct 3DO) seems to fly in some areas and try too hard in many. Unfortunately, this game seems more of a lackluster lovechild between Need for Speed: Underground and Grand Theft Auto.

The game seems far too easy in the beginning. You get started and juice your car up beyond what most beginners would even think about. Your noobie limits are when you want to take the 1-on-1 "Uber-car" races for added street respect. You will get stomped.

The menuing system is hard to work with and the load times are atrocious. There's load time when selecting a car, changing the variables, making a change in parts, etc... It's pretty unbearable after a while.

Most racing titles will try to give you the sense of speed when playing, but this game fails here also. The use of nitrous (NAAAAAWZ!) in your car makes the screen blur and forces you to crash into things since you can't see what's up ahead. The only indication of speed that I had (other than the speedometer) was on the launch off the line. I knew I was going fast, but that was only relative. Smoking the opposition on "Go" only meant that I had a better tuned car than the one's I was racing. It still didn't mean I was fast. It certainly didn't feel like I was going fast by any means.

The biggest letdown is the driving around town. You drive forever just to get to an event. You can get your chicks, go "earn" some respect, check out new unlocked rides, smack down at some crew meets, etc... The only solace is the jump button. You can essentially warp right to the places you want/need to be. Granted, you can learn the layout of town, but why? It's only a mini-game reminiscent of GTA with all the non-linear game play without any real objectives.

Another sore spot is how the game is so incredibly rap laden. This is a totally biased statement from me, but this kept me from giving the game a fair shake right off the bat. There weren't even options to control the soundtrack.

Amazingly enough, there's some good stuff here. Fans of real racing and driving from Japan will be happy to know that Keiichi Tsuchia's Drift Bible was watched over and over again by the development staff. This is evident in the game when all the different aspects of dynamic drifting are properly portrayed during game play. They also added the original Toyota Corolla, the famed Hachi Roku, to the list of cars.

The addition of car damage to this licensed car game is quite unique. With the exception of a few rally games, real car damage wasn't cool to have for the manufacturers. what automobile manufacturer wants to see their car smashed even in the virtual world? My guess is that they finally listened to what the fans want... Real damage in realtime.

The game isn't total trash... It's just that there aren't enough pluses to warrant a positive review. More game play will probably help add more spice, but it seems that we've come to the end of the line. The lack of online on the NGC version just adds salt to the wound. Try to stay away from this one and buy a pre-owned copy of Need for Speed: Underground.
- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 9:41 PM 0 comments

 
Shaolin Soccer - DVD
This movie is the epitome of the underdog formula that you find in many many stories ranging all the way back into days of yore...  All that being aside, this move kicks soooo much ass!  The whole story of this movie is about an ex-soccer superstar that's down on his luck after a career ending injury takes on this team of ex-shaolin monks that have bee nreleased into the world after their master passes away.  (whew!)  Shaolin Soccer is very upbeat and the pace of the movie never seems to drag.  The best match is at the very end with "Team Evil" who happens to be the arch-nemesis's team of Golden Leg, the injured ex-superstar.  The story isn't too deep but the special effects, acting and insane kung-fu stylings keep it going.  The US DVD release includes the original Asian release and the semi crappy US version.  Check it out!  It's worth the buy, at least a rent.
Check out the US Trailer here: http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/shaolin_soccer/viewingpage.html
Rating - PG-13

Story - 6
Acting - 8
Special Effects - 10
Cinematography - 9
Overall - 8.25
- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 5:35 PM 0 comments

 
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - NGC
Taking a look back at this aged and amazing title for the Nintendo GameCube we come to a game that didn't get much hype and really should have. The game is very much an action and horror/survival game that will always be forced to follow in the footsteps of it's granddaddy, Biohazard/Resident Evil. In this case, you are a young woman that has just found out that her grandfather just died and essentially she needs to find out what happened to him while trapsing through her bloodline. Moving in and out of different areas of time through the Tome of Darkness sets the pace of the game. Each chapter represents a different section of the bloodline and separates the different levels.

The best thing about this game is the use of classic horror movie techniques. Event based noises and mini-cut scenes that are guaranteed to make drop a load or two when you don't expect it. A non-linear storyline with multiple endings adds up for extra replay value. Another nice thing about this game is the sanity meter. Depending on your mental health, the game will start messing with you. This can also dirctly impact your character's health and behavior when other stats are low. The magic system is quite intuitive and customizable, just not revolutionary.

To be honest, looking at ho-hum screen shots on the box doesn't scream "BUY ME!!!" It's all about the game in motion. Slow starting story line, but it picks up like crazy after entering the 2nd chapter.

Overall, this is a definite buy. you can find it new to used from prices as low as $9.99 to $14.99. Get one of the only Mature rated games for the 'Cube.
- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 12:32 PM 0 comments

 
Gamefly Rental Services
OK... Now that I've been on this service for about 2 months, I've got a good feel about how this service works. To be honest, anyone that can navigate the web can find all the info about this site and services pretty fast. But gauging the level of customer service and dedication, shipping times, quality of selection, processing of orders and ease of use are many of the things that can't be found by reading a FAQ on their site.

Let's start with the basics...
Gamefly is a rental service like a video store. You can rent video games from them for your Nintendo Gamecube, Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft X-Box and Nintendo Gameboy Advance. Sign up is a snap. Just enter your personal information, put in your form of payment and you are ready to rent!

(At the time of sign up to this date, there was a 10 day trial period. Be sure to check with Gamefly for other possible promotions before signing up.)

After signing up all you have to do is gather up your games into a list and wait. Gamefly has taken the traditional web based shopping cart and transformed it into an intuitive way to prioritize the level of importance of each game you have waiting in your list. This is what they call your "Q".

The service has another great feature called "Keep It." It's just as it sounds... If you like any of the games you have on-hand, just go to the site and click on the Keep It button. Just by being a Gamefly subscriber, you get the benefits of discounted prices EVEN IF THE GAME IS BRAND NEW!

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Case in point: I had Need For Speed: Underground for the Gamecube in my Q long before it was released. Upon receiving notification that it was shipped, I was able to go to the web site and click on the Keep It button and pay a great price of $34.99 instead of the current price of $49.99. There is an added shipping cost of almost $1.30, but you get everything with your game. The game box, instructions, warranty card, supplimental documentation, other various extras and accessories (if the game comes with any.) Even with the shipping costs added on, the Keep It option is great. Keep in mind that getting a discount isn't always a discount. The discounted prices are good to take advantage on games that aren't very common or new releases. Older games aren't such a good deal.

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Shipping times have been minorly slow but this could be that they are sending to Michigan. 5-8 days between games can be unbearable if you have a 1 game subscription. Having a 2 game subscription allows for staggering incomming and outgoing games.

All in all: Anyone who considers themselves a gamer NEEDS to do something like this. Subscriptions run $21.95 for 2 games and $13.95 for 1. Even with the minor issues with shipping, it's still worth every penny spent.

Gamefly's website
- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 3:17 PM 0 comments

 
Donkey Conga - Nintendo GameCube
Looking through one of my import supliers in Hong Kong I came across this up comming game title. It looks like another crazy beat related game like Bust a Move 1 & 2, All things Bemani (DDR, BeatMania, DrumMania, Guitar Freaks, etc...), Parappa The Rapper series and other now countless versions of "Uber-Simon." This game looks great. Just pure fun for the family ond the solitary alike. I can't wait for this game to be released!

Official Donkey Konga Commercial - .wmv format, approx 8.3 megs.
(Be sure to look at the whole family... Precious.)

Official Donkey Konga Website - Japanese


Donkey Konga Controller
- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 12:06 AM 0 comments

 
Need For Speed: Underground - NGC, XB, PS2
Official EA Games, NFS: Underground Website.

This racing title is amazing to say the least! The copious amounts of botty shaking music is probably the lowest point of this title. Though not as indepth as any part of the Gran Turismo series, it's still quite lush in it's own respects. Many OEM car companies to choose from and many more join the lot in the aftermarket scene. Most racing game buffs usually play their games with an "in cockpit" view, but it almost was impossible to find. In the options it was labeled "close" in the camera section. Once that was adjusted, the immediate removal of the Jean-Claude Van Damme-esque chase cam (for the large jumps and crashes ala Burnout) was the next best thing. Once those total continuity breaking, though fun, effects were removed this game it finally gave off one of the greatest feelings of realistic speed like no other title has given to date. Anyone who loves tuning cars, imports, racing or this "night life" should go out right now and buy this title. If not, at least go rent it and build up your late fees. ^_^

How about some pics?





- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 11:57 AM 0 comments

 
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - NGC
Official Mario Kart: Double Dash Website

The latest in the Mario Kart series boasts some new concepts and ideas it seperates itself from the N64 version as that version did with the SNES version. One of the major additions is the cart and drivers. Yes, drivers. There are 2 characters in your cart now. There are different weight classes in the game. All seperated into light medium and heavy. These basic attriburtes will dictate what type of cart you will drive. Top speeds, acceration and basic cart weight will be determined when both characters are chosen. (This in itself can lead to a review article quite lengthy and beefy. You may want to check out your local game shop for a guide book or go looking on the web at your favorite cheat site.)

Graphically, this game is far superior or it's predecessor, but that's always a given going from one gen console to the next. Another great addition is to the game is ability to play doubles. 2 people, 2 controllers and 1 kart. Yes, one person drives, the other shoots. It's not all Driving Miss Daisy in the back seat either. You have to deal with incomming attacks from front and behind, Physically attacking any drivers riding along side your cart, (and the best part...) controlling the drift after your partner initiates it for that much needed mini-boost. That mode alone is worth it's weight in gold.

What would a new game be on a new sytstem without any type of networking compatibility? Fear not!!! This game can get 8 GCs and 16 people going nuts over one another. The only draw back is that you need 8 copies of the game and 8 TVs. Another, unconfirmed, feature is the usage of "The Warp Pipe" web connectivity feature. Many FAQs on the web refer to this, but nothing has been shown how to use it. If you are stuck with playing it with up to 3 other people,just be sure to play it on the biggest TV you can get. The split screen is pretty brutal on TVsin the 20" range... Even with 2 carts and 2 players. Bad things to find out, but the game is still worth play and even owning. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed at all!




- posted by ChoSanJuan @ 11:57 AM 0 comments