May 07, 2010
Stealth gaming has never been my strong suit; I find my longtime strategy to run in guns blazing ineffective in games like these. It’s because of this weakness that I’ve never laid a hand on the Splinter Cell franchise; I like causing chaos and having everybody know that I am the one behind the destruction. This might be why I like sandbox games so much, because I’m free to let loose my inner child for hours on end.
However, that all changed when a game called Assassin’s Creed came along, another of Ubisoft’s titles, mixing the best elements of stealth and sandbox gameplay. I like to consider my adventures with Altair a stepping-stone into the dark and cautious world of stealth gaming. Now, I’m an addict, some might even go so far as to call me a Stealth Connoisseur, but I have yet to hear anyone bestow upon me such a title. I’m happy to say that Conviction was more than willing to go easy on me, holding my hand as it taught me through kind words how to grab and toss people out of windows, disrupt the lighting with EMP grenades, and perform some rather kick-ass execution moves. Maybe this is because I’m not terribly adept at certain shooter games, but I love it when I can execute a few well-timed button presses and have the game I’m playing make me look like a complete badass. Just walk up to someone in Conviction, press B, and you’re rewarded with a quick, silent, and immensely satisfying takedown. You know a game is good when you have people who either aren’t terribly fond of video games or simply ignorant towards their existence walk by and say “Wow”, and you know the game is great when said individual sits down to watch you play.
For the most part, Conviction’s story will be familiar to anyone who has experience with a Tom Clancy game. There’s the customary government conspiracy theory and familiar looming bomb threat almost expected from games of this type, but thrown into the mix is the very effective scenario of a father on a mission to find his daughter, whom he had long thought dead, as well as some very effective plot twists.
A surprising thing about this game, despite the fact that I had never played a Splinter Cell game before so I didn’t really know what to expect, was the amazing music. Now, I don’t know if the previous games had scores as memorable as Conviction’s, but it felt like Akira Yamaoka’s work (on the Silent Hill franchise) but infused with a powerful, action movie makeover. Even those who don’t usually pay attention to the music in the games they play will notice the score in this game.
Fisher’s newest foray into the world of stealth and shadows is great, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. I’ll admit the issues I have with the game are minor, but my problem is they shouldn’t be an issue in the first place. Let’s take the Sticky Camera gadget you get later on in the game. Now, I’m pretty sure I understand what it does and how to use it but for the life of me I could not get the ‘distraction’ feature to get anyone’s attention. I would attach it to the wall of a room crawling with baddies, press the distraction button, and apparently I was the only person that hears the jolly jingles that emitted from the device. It’s such a cool idea, I would love to lure m- unsuspecting foes to my not-so cleverly disguised sticky cam, only to detonate it so I could watch their rag doll corpse flail across the room. Unfortunately, I was never able to execute this correctly.
Another tiny, yet equally frustrating problem I had with the game was the plethora of times I found myself in an impossible to escape Choke Hold. Sometimes, my partner would save me from said predicament only to get grabbed by another guy a few seconds later. I like having to rely on my friend to survive, and I love being able to punch the guy holding me to provide my partner with a better shot, but if my enemies are going to be so proficient in choking me I would’ve liked to have another way to escape from the hold. Either that or they shouldn’t grab you every five seconds. Yeah, that works too.
If you’re like me than you’re pretty cheap. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it just means you like to have a reason to play your games after you’ve beaten the campaign. Luckily, Conviction has plenty of things to keep you busy long after you beat the main story. There’s the campaign, which is about as long as we’ve come to expect from games this generation, meaning you can finish it up in about eight hours. After that you have the online or split-screen multiplayer that includes a separate cooperative campaign where you work through areas with a friend, and the Deniable Ops modes that includes Hunter, Infiltration, Last-Stand, and Face-Off. These modes have you playing with or against your friend trying to kill as many (or all) of the enemies as you can, or defending an object in the map against waves of increasingly stronger foes.
In the end, Conviction has enough to keep longtime fans of the series happy while at the same time being different enough to keep things fresh and bring in new players. If you like stealth games, action shooters, or are simply looking for an incredibly fun (and challenging) multiplayer experience, Splinter Cell: Conviction has it all.
Final Score
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September 27, 2011
Acquired by Lionsgate with hopes of becoming their next big franchise, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett's You're Next cleaned up the horror awards at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The home invasion slasher won "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Wingard), "Best Screenplay" (Barrett) and "Best Actor" (Sharni Vinson). In the film a family comes under a terrifying and sadistic attack during a reunion getaway.
In addition to our first rave review out of TIFF, below you'll find Brad McHargue's thoughts on the film that he calls "one of the best theater-going experiences of the year."
Last year writer Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard brought us A Horrible Way to Die, a tense, slow burn of a thriller splashed with a dash of the mumblecore aesthetic and containing one of AJ Bowen's best performances since The Signal. Now, one year later, the filmmaking duo have returned with their answer to the home invasion thriller, the incredibly hilarious and insanely violent You're Next.
You're Next tells the unfortunate tale of the Davison family and what happens when a gang of masked intruders armed with crossbows interrupt their peaceful night. Gathering together at their parents' mansion to celebrate their 35th anniversary, siblings Crispian, Felix, Drake, and Aimee, along with their significant others, settle in for an awkward dinner filled with all the sibling rivalry the family can muster. This, unfortunately, is interrupted by a gang of masked marauders brandishing crossbows and a burning desire to kill every single person in the house. Cripsian's girlfriend Erin, a tiny yet ferocious Aussie, takes it upon herself to try and keep everyone safe.
You're Next is a brilliant send-up of the "home invasion" sub-genre. Throughout the film every possible convention you can think of - cell phones not working, heading to the basement for safety, et al - is poked fun at through quick witted dialogue with just the right amount of subtlety to prevent it from straying into outright parody. It's more straight horror than it is a parody a la Scream, but the subtle jabs at the genre are there. In addition, unlike many horror comedies that tend to move away from humor as the tension rises, the comedy in You're Next is paced in a way that is remarkably even-handed, with random quips, humorous banter, and brilliant satire appearing exactly when needed.
Much of this is accomplished through the pitch perfect performances of almost everyone involved, particularly the trio of male siblings and our intrepid hero Erin. The former, played by AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, and Nicholas Tucci, play off each other, hurling insults and engaging in witty banter anyone with a sibling can relate to; the latter, played by Sharni Vinson, kicks so much ass you'll stand up in your seat and cheer. When looked at as a group, each character had a distinct personality that brought something wholly unique and, in most cases, just downright fun to the extended siege on the Davison house.
As their situation worsens, this gives way to pithy one-liners; several moments elicited gut-busting laughter from the audience, though this was quickly tempered by the amazing pacing and undeniably entertaining violence. There isn't a single dull moment in the film, and when you're not laughing, you're cringing.
The direction of the film was spot on, though director Adam Wingard failed to learn from the mistakes he made in A Horrible Way to Die. There is absolutely no reason to shake the camera so much, especially during some of the more tense scenes. Thankfully, much of it tapered off as the film progressed or, in some instances, wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been. Beyond this, the only real complaint comes from a seemingly irrelevant part of the film that is seemingly introduced to inform a later scene, despite it not working within the context of the film. It's a minor quibble, but one that deserves a mention.
You're Next is one of the best horror films of the year, and with its acquisition by Lionsgate, we can only hope that its release is successful. Don't let its run-of-the-mill premise fool you - it has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek while maintaining a necessary sense of respect for the genre, and the end result is one of the best theater-going experiences of the year.
4.5/5 skulls
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July 16, 2007
Forget everything else in this edition of Horror In Your House, the Jim Carrey starrer Once Bitten is coming to DVD tomorrow in a special two-pack along with Vampire's Kiss, thanks to Fox Home Entertainment. Also coming from Fox is the unrated edition of The Hills Have Eyes II (featuring loads more gore) and the long-delayed Perfect Creature. Read on for the full list.
Horror in Your House
July 17, 2007
By: Tex Massacre
Basic Tsukamoto: Pathfinder
Filmmaker and actor Shinya Tsukamoto is one of the most celebrated cult figures in Japanese cinema. Creator of landmark films such as Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Gemini, Tsukamoto is revered not only in his home country, but around the globe as well. Join the renowned director as he recounts the evolution of his impressive career with archival footage of unreleased films, TV commercials and rarely seen recordings of his live shows.
Baxter: Lionsgate
In this chilling French horror film, the inner thoughts of a sociopathic bull terrier lead him to become an eager killer when he meets his ideal guardian - a young boy fascinated with Hitler. Lonely and introverted, this boy's macabre interest helps turn the all-too-willing canine into a thoroughbred killing machine.
Demon Hunting: Laguna Productions
A student at a prestigious private school is having visions about diabolical activities on campus.
Dream Slashers: Westlake
What happens when lusty women invade your dreams and your deepest fantasies start coming true? It may seem like a vision of paradise, but these vixens are out for blood, and knowing what's real and what's not is the difference between life and death.
Fantasma--Volume 2: Bandai
Volume 2 of this series brings another trilogy of short films. In ONE SUMMER'S IMPRISONMENT, a fashion student's creation takes on a life of its own, leaving a trail of death that she may not be able to escape--also features IN THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS and ENVY.
Forest of the Dead: Elite (TEX'S PICK OF THE WEEK)
Heading off on a sunny afternoon, two groups of friends prepare for a weekend of fun at an isolated summer camp. But, when the first group disappears overnight, their perfect vacation becomes a perfect nightmare! As darkness falls, the campers are hunted and slaughtered, each transformed into murderous, cannibalistic creatures thirsty for human blood!
Ghost Gate: Laguna Productions
A group of students spend a weekend in an old castle where strange things start happening involving an evil presence.
Ghost Train: ADV Films
All aboard! - The train to hell is now departing. Nana thought her life was scary enough, but the train ride between all her responsibilities will prove to be the most horrifying part of her day. Somewhere, deep underground in the tunnel near Mizunashi Station, a dark spirit yearns for revenge. One by one, people begin to mysteriously disappear
Haunted Boat: Lionsgate
Six teenagers board a small boat and head out for a weekend of fun and partying, oblivious to the vast sea and building swells. Suddenly, tragedy strikes, hurling the teens into blind panic. They try to head home but the engine won't start. Strange and inexplicable events follow, each increasingly more terrifying. Lost at sea with no way to communicate their plight, the teens struggle to survive an unseen enemy, only to be overcome by a pernicious evil at every turn.
The Hills Have Eyes II: Fox
A group of National Guard trainees find themselves battling against a vicious group of mutants on their last day of training in the desert.
Masters of Horror: The Black Cat: Anchor Bay
In this stylish thriller, famous American author and master of the macabre Edgar Allan Poe is suffering from a severe case of writer's block. To make matters worse, he's tormented by an evil black cat that's slowly driving him insane.
Mr. Halloween: York
In a small upstate New York town where children mysteriously go missing at an alarming rate, a strange man runs a haunted house each year at Halloween where it is rumored that the body parts of the missing are used as props. A bumbling local sheriff and an overly inquisitive teenage girl try to find the truth, but sometimes the truth hurts.
Once Bitten/Vampire's Kiss: MGM/Fox
In ONCE BITTEN Comedy superstar Jim Carrey plays a hot-blooded teen who becomes the reluctant donor to a sultry and extremely thirsty nocturnal nymph in this funny, sexy, send-up of the horror genre! In VAMPIRE'S KISS, Nic Cage is a publishing executive is visited and bitten by a vampire and starts exhibiting erratic behavior. He pushes his secretary to extremes as he tries to come to terms with his affliction.
Perfect Creature: Fox
An action-packed battle against man and beast! Half-man, Half-vampire, Pure Evil! Perfect Creature is set in a world where humans genetically engineer vampires to be the next step in their evolution. Chaos breaks loose when the delicate balance is destroyed by a virus that turns one species against the other. The only way to restore peace is for the two opposing races to work together to end the chaos.
The Promise Keeper: York
After an unusual African nail fetish statue arrives in a Chicago law firm, three overly ambitious attorneys fall under the influence of it s evil supernatural powers. When one of the lawyers is killed, the burden falls on the founding partner to unravel the mystery and stop the statues murderous reign. When he discovers that his 14-year-old daughter has driven a nail and sworn a sacred oath, he ll do anything to save her. But can a lawyer find the truth and honesty within himself necessary to defeat this ancient evil?
Sci-Fi Sinema (PROJECT: VALKYRIE, SPACEMEN & GO-GO GIRLS Double Feature, POLYMORPH, BAD MOVIE POLICE: HUMANOIDS FROM ATLANTIS): Tempe
Fat Cat DVD sets "phasers on stun" for the value-packed SCI-FI SINEMA 5-Pack! This low-priced set includes 5 science-fiction cult classics on 4 discs, complete with enough bonus features to fill several starships!
Skeeter/Xtro/Xtro II: Image
Three riveting sci-fi thrillers! A horrifying new breed of mosquito emerges from toxic waste contamination and imperils the Earth in the chilling SKEETER. Family man Sam Phillips mysteriously disappears in XTRO and then re-emerges three years later as a monstrous alien. The terror returns in XTRO II as two scientists who discover a gateway to another world unleash an unspeakable alien intruder on the Earth.
The 287th Hour: Victory Multimedia
How much lack of sleep can the human body endure? Studies have shown that the longest someone has gone without sleep was 288 hours or twelve days before dying. A cold blooded killer takes a group of people hostage and forces them to stay awake for twelve days. Now anyone who falls asleep dies. Will anyone live to see the 288th hour?
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