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More The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS Videos

So the legendary Ocarina of Time is headed our way via the handheld magic of the Nintendo 3DS. My handheld gaming adventures began with the Gameboy Pocket and ended with the Gameboy Advance. Since then, I have on occasion contemplated a PSP or a DS (in it's various incarnations) but nothing has ever come of it as my console gaming has certainly stepped up since those GBA days.

As far as the 3D market goes I have very little interest in 3D movies, 3D TVs and so on. The 3DS has the potential to send the industry in a direction which will certainly begin to define said industry. 3D without the need for special glasses is something that certainly peaks my interest. As far as game ports goes the Zelda port looks fairly immaculate! The graphics look crisp and faithful to the original. How the 3D plays out is something which is left up to a hands on experience. I must say that I am quite intrigued to rest out this 3DS business. Quite intrigued indeed.

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This is why I love Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They are beyond awesome.

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One Minute Puberty from bitteschön.tv on Vimeo.

A rather well animated and yet odd animation. I can't really say much more than that.

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Outstanding. This is one of the many reasons I love Chuck; the guest stars are amazing.

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The big question at the moment is what is Tron's future? Both in regards to the franchise and the character. There stands the assumption that despite sinking into the depths of the Sea of Simulation that Tron did in fact survive his betrayal, death, rebirth, betrayal and rebirth at the hands of Clu and finally Flynn - if the super saviour could not swim that would surely be a let down to the legend.

The end of Tron Legacy does hint towards a potential future looming with Sam and Quorra at the forefront. This however does not answer the question of how Tron will factor into the equation, surely Alan Bradley would be an integral part of any future endeavors through his role as CEO of Encom but Tron? Who the hell knows. The recent short film reveals that Bradley has been financing the Flynn Lives campaign on the side for years, which has been headed by Ram. I liked this, the potential that a third film is promising - with hints at Dillinger Snr. and Jnr. factoring in all plays together nicely. The only hitches that I see in a potential sequel is that the grid has once again been shut down. This would require the creation of a new system, which is not implausible when it comes to the Dillinger's but for Tron to appear would prove interesting. Flynn ported Tron from the original system, the same system in which Ram existed. Ram could be a new creation, or an updated rehash of the old code. Tron could be pulled from Flynn's system through the backup that Sam now carries with him. But in my mind there is no Tron without Jeff Bridges - it isn't unimaginable that they could pull Flynn from an old backup of the system or something, or he may exist as a ghost within the machine. Some techno-sci-fi-babble. It's been done before.

Regardless, if there is to be a Tron the Third there needs to be some serious focus on Alan/Tron. He was very much the glue to which the wallpaper was stuck on in the last film and I would love to see him take a more aggressive presence in future installments if we are in fact to endure them.

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From the genius of illustrator and animator Scott Benson. His brand new way of sharing his works-in-progress with the world in an quick and easy embeddable loop! So simple, yet so cool!

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A follow up to a previous post. Teaser trailer for Jason Momoa's incarnation of Conan the Barbarian. Supposedly far closer to the source material than Schwarzenegger's. The teaser trailer does nothing but get you curious (and a little pumped) for the new film - it shows flashes of characters, and of course one small shot of Momoa in action accompanying the line "I live. I love. I slay".

Reactions to the teaser are varying, many disapproving of the look of the character but hell, have they read the comics? Others voice discontent over the single line offered to us by Conan himself, but let remember folks - it's a teaser trailer. It teases. Nothing more.

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Hang out for Topher Grace's Marty McFly impersonation around 2:30. It's pretty good! He's no AJ Locascio but he does a decent job.

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Tron:: Uprising is the upcoming animated series set between the two films, expanding on the existing stories provided to us by the two films as well as Tron: Betrayal (graphic novel) and Tron: Evolution (game). There is little to say at this point, the trailer looks pretty swish. Curious to see how the characters are animated, the faces appearing to be 2D within the helmet. Personally I was hoping for something that bit closer to Star Wars Clone Wars animated series. The voice cast is impressive with Elijah Wood and Mandy Moore lending their talents. Most importantly Bruce Boxleitner is back to voice Tron. If only they could get Awesome Snr back on Chuck!

The series will debut later this year as a "10-part micro-series" continuing with a regular series in 2012. As far as the term 'micro-series' goes I cannot say if this is the latest Disney-coined term, or something that I am simply unaware of. As far as I can tell a 10 episode series could classify as a mini-series or a full season (re: V Season 2).

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With my xbox out for the count (and on his merry way to the repair centre) I busted out my Wii and finally got back into those games that I have been neglecting. First on the list was Goldeneye - which I completed a few short hours ago.

As far as a re-imagining of a generations classic which redefined the first person shooter genre I don't think you could have asked for a better game. Keeping in mind that it in no way attempts to replace Goldeneye 64, rather it provides us with an interesting interpretation of the classic Pierce Brosnan tale as it would be seen by today's audience. Keeping in mind that the original film and game are over ten years old now, it provides an intriguing commentary on the state of the Bond franchise and the developments that Daniel Craig's iteration brings to the fore. While those purists out there are sure to argue against the altering of characters ages and several key story elements, they remain as faithful to the original as Craig's Bond allows. Boris the computer-hacker is gone - an inevitable result of a time where a singular computer genius is just not plausible. MI6 does not wait for the EMP-resistant helicopter to turn up again, and sends Bond to Siberia where he is amongst the initial Goldeneye blast. This speeds up the plot considerably, removing one favourite level from the original game - but we cannot have everything.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed this game. Playing with a GC controller oppposed to the remote/nunchuck option. This is not unique to this game but rather to any fps on the wii, I have difficulty adapting to the motion sensor for such precise movements - it feels awkward. The mutliplayer isn't too bad either, but having on played 1v1 it is impossible to provide any real feedback.

The only addition to the game that I would have suggested is to include a copy of the original, similar to The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker providing a ported version of Ocarina of Time.

The standout factor to all Wii games of late is their capacity to provide a gmae of real depth and playability. Lacking the graphic capabilities of their competitors, developers are certainly outdoing themselves to ensure that those who have chosen Wii as their main source of gaming remain consistently  entertained. I'm hoping that the rumoured Wii-in-developement is simply a hd upgrade for the existing system. That's all it needs, we don't require a new console just yet.

Total Bitchin' Rockstar from Mars

"I closed my eyes and made it so with the power of my mind. I cured it with my brain, with my mind." 

That is but one of many statements that Charlie Sheen has made in the past week regarding his most recent 'rehab' stint, which was spent in the comfort of his own home. I would say that Sheen has successfully cost himself his rather considerable paycheck for Two and a Half Men, not to mention those of the crew and his fellow co-stars. The only issue that CBS should currently be considering is whether or not they attempt to reinvigorate their comedy flagship with a new star, or move on and focus on The Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother (more than deserving successor's). With Sheen's rants screamed in the direction of Chuck Lorre and the CBS head honcho's it is safe to say that there is little that will be no reconciliation between the offending parties. Lorre is not completely blameless in this fiasco, but he has other ventures which he may continue.

Claims of tiger blood aside, Sheen has run his course. His hopes of going back to film and the referenced 'superstars' may be a result of a little too much dreaming and 20 odd years too late. Can Two and a Half Men continue without him? Inevitably. It may even be a success (dependent upon the actor chosen) but it will inevitably fall to the same dilemma as Scrubs without Zach Braff, That 70s Show without Topher Grace and 8 Simple Rules without John Ritter. Unfortunately Charlie Sheen is what breathes life into a show that would otherwise be long dead.

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The image above aptly describes the 83rd Academy Awards. Did Franco and Hathaway really know what they were doing? It didn't appear that way. The pre-recorded intro video was great, but unfortunately for the young hosts it was all downhill from there. They will be blamed for the failure in it's whole but you cannot deny that that there was alot of poor writing in there as well. Their hosting wasn't bad, it just lacked any substance whatsoever. Gone were the performances or any real segment of any length. Hathaway got a chance to belt out a very short song, but where were the other segments that had been revealed online prior to the broadcast? Summary - James Franco looked half asleep and couldn't even look at his co-host. Anne Hathaway was a gushy teen falling at the feet of Hollywood greats when she has had more recognition from the Academy than some of those names that she was screaming.

The Academy is clearly failing in it's attempt to move from comedian hosts. Last year was a failure. This year was better, but not by much. My thoughts? Jeff Bridges. He owned the Best Actress presentation, let him do the entire show.

Quick summary of the awards;

Best Picture - The King's Speech

I felt this was deserved. I am yet to see the film in it's entirety but from what I have seen it is quite masterful.

Directing - Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Once again, very deserved. From what I have seen of the film the direction seems to be fantastic. But so were so many of the others in the category (Black Swan & True Grit in particular).

Best Actor - Colin Firth

Could not be happier with Firth finally winning an Oscar. He is a fantastic actor and someone of his caliber is deserving of such an honour. I was going to be rather rage-filled if Jesse Eisenberg had won.

Best Actress - Natalie Portman

Like Colin Firth, Portman is very deserving of this honour. Black Swan was phenominal - and it could not have been so without her contributions.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Christian Bale

This came as a suprise. I expected that perhaps Geoffrey Rush would land this one but that proved to be false.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Melissa Leo

Did not pick this one. I felt that there were more deserving nominees. Although dropping an f-bomb at the Academy Awards was quite entertaining.

Best Animated Feature - Toy Story 3

 Predictable. The Illusionist held no hope of getting further than a nomination but I held secret hope for How to Train Your Dragon. Unfortunately the sheer mass of Toy Story 3's characters and environments proved too overwhelming. Pixar has had a continuing upwards journey the past few years, I would say that Cars 2 could very well upset this ride.

Best Animated Short - The Lost Thing

An Aussie film!! Winner!! The film is brilliant, absolutely mind-boggling. If you have not seen it, do so very soon. You can pick up a copy on dvd at JBHIFI! Oh, and to beat out Day & Night?? Well done!

Best Live Action Short - God of Love
Haven't seen any in the category.... Can't really pass judgement at all.

Best Documentary Feature - Inside Job

Having not seen the film I cannot pass judgement, but I was very interested to see what would have occurred if Exit Through the Gift Shop had won.

Best Documentary Short - Strangers No More
Unlike last year there was no upset with producers running up on stage or anything along those lines. I have not seen the film so there's not much I can say.

Best Visual Effects - Inception 

The category that I am perhaps most interested in I find the most difficult to pick. It is hard to determine what they are looking for but I am pleased that Inception landed the award this year. Seamless effects. That's what it's all about.

Best Art Direction - Alice in Wonderland

A tough category, the only film I was confident wouldn't get the award was Harry Potter.

Best Cinematography - Inception
Obvious.

Best Film Editing - The Social Network
Another tough category. All films were deserving.

Best Costume Design - Alice in Wonderland
A suprise. I expected that (as usual) as period piece such as The King's Speech would have won.

Best Makeup - The Wolfman
The stand out in the category, but the unexpected winner. I really enjoyed the film - the art direction was amazing, so it is nice that it has been recognised (in part).

Best Sound Editing/Best Sound Mixing - Inception

Again the one film wins both categories. I had hoped that Tron Legacy would land editing but I can think of no other film that was more deserving that Inception. So much of that film was reliant on the sound, evidence in fact if you youtube the soundtrack you will find hundreds of rehashed films to the soundtrack.

Best Original Song - We Belong Together (Toy Story 3)

Awful. Noone can understand Randy Newman and all his songs sound the damn same. I was not happy with this one whatsoever. Personally I was backing 'I See the Light' & 'If I Rise'.

Best Original Score - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (The Social Network)
Another tough category. Mind you, whilst the score was brilliant I don't feel that it was deserving. I felt that several of the others were far more compelling than I found The Social Network's score. Hell, I was displeased that Tron Legacy was not nominated for this category as well.

So that's my Oscar's wrap-up for this year! 

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Slowly getting things to work.