Game review – Splinter Cell: Conviction

As I have stated in an earlier game review (Operation Flashpoint: Red River Rising), I am a fan of video games that require patience and thought. Hence, I have been a fan since of the Splinter Cell series since it started in 2003 and, with the exception of Pandora Tomorrow, have played (completed) all the titles in the series. I took a while to get started with this title, the latest one in the series, having started to play it over a year after it was released. 

So onto the meat of the review, this title features Sam Fisher, this time acting as a lone wolf against his previous employers, trying to simultaneously solve the mystery of his daughter’s death and save the world. The story is excellent, well presented and gripping, making the gaming experience engrossing. In fact I would say that the story was the best part of the game. 

The game play however, was somewhat disappointing considering previous titles in the series, with many of the stealth elements taken out. The game is still fun to play, but has been dumbed down so that a lot of the tension has been removed. In addition I found that the controls (for PC) were not well thought out and didn’t make use of much of the keyboard, with an overdependence on one “action” key (the space bar). The stealth indicator (the method of indicating when you are “hidden”) was also clumsy, with the screen turning to a greyscale monochrome, which did not allow the player to well survey the environment, a key part of the gaming experience in the Splinter Cell series. These aspects detracted from could have been an excellent game. 

The above said, the game was still fun to play and contained a reasonably stealthy aspect (similar to Assassins Creed II). The mark and execute feature was interesting, as was the layout of the various missions. In particular the ability to interact with the environment, especially in the interrogation sections, was excellent and impressive. However, for those of you looking for the more hardcore experience of the earlier titles, I would recommend Batman: Arkham City.

Positives – Good story, fun to play, good interaction with the environment 

Negatives – Controls poorly thought out, monochrome, dumbed down

7/10

Book review – For God, Country & Coca-Cola, by Mark Pendergrast

Well this book, along with Skyrim, has been the reason that blogging has been slow here recently. This extremely comprehensive book, which is incredibly well researched, has taken me a while to finish, but was well worth it. Given the detail that the book goes into, it could very easily be a dry and boring read; however Mark Pendergrast manages to bring the subject alive with his excellent writing style and the many amusing and/or interesting asides. 

And what a subject to cover, it is fair to say that in many ways, Coca-Cola is the perfect symbol of consumer capitalism (and indeed American capitalism). Unlike many other worldwide brands, such as McDonalds, Starbucks or Nike, Coca-Cola has been around since the emergence of consumer capitalism (and indeed contributed significantly to it) having been first sold in 1886. What this book superbly reveals is that in many ways Coca-Cola was a product of its time, with the contemporary fads and technology of the day greatly affecting the end product. The characters of Coca-Cola’s story throughout its history are all covered, with their biographies, strengths and flaws all exposed. Mark Pendergrast is able to describe a person’s character and appearance in a few vivid sentences. In addition the social and economic affects of Coke are dealt with, from its affect on the perception of Santa Clause, to its pioneering of the franchise system. Mark Pendergrast manages to take a fair stance on The Coca-Cola Company throughout, which leaves the reader with a good understanding of the company. The downside of this book is the size of the text and the line spacing, both of which combined with the length of the book, make it difficult to read.

I would recommend this book for someone who is willing to put a bit of time in to find out about the interesting and important history of this product.

Music Thursday

Saxon - Princess Of The Night

A tune from the stalwarts of British metal, Saxon have been playing pure unadulterated heavy metal for 36 or so years now. I saw them live a couple of years ago and there were phenomenal. This is a classic from 1982's, The Eagle Has Landed. 

Butthole Surfers - Who Was in My Room Last Night

Ah, it has taken a while for me to play a track from this particular band. This is one of their more commercial and straightforward tunes, from 93's Independent Worm Saloon. The video shows Butthole Surfers at their mental best.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cotton Fields

This reworking of a Lead Belly tune, has been on my IPod a lot recently. It has that classic Creedence vibe that manages to be incredibly uplifting, Enjoy!

Music Thursday

First up, Stevie Nicks - Blue Lamp

A song from the soundtrack to the cult film "Heavy Metal", this is a tune by Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac fame). Although it is a Stevie Nicks solo track, there is not much difference from “Rumours” era Fleetwood Mac. It features an excellent catchy lick that forms the basis of the song which forms an excellent accompaniment to Stevie Nicks vocals.

The Cult - Go West (live)

This is my favourite version of my favourite Cult tune, I can still vividly remember the first time I heard this track a couple of years ago. This is a track from the early days of The Cult when they sound was more  gothic rock/post-punk in character (as opposed to their later hard rock sound).
I personally like the sound of the live version better than the studio. This is taken from a Cult show in 1984 that was record for the "Live at the Lyceum"   live album/video. The bass in this version is sublime, matching the "jangly" guitars perfectly.

And to round off, a behemoth of a track from Old Man Gloom.

Old Man Gloom - Jaws of the lion

This track starts in a slow, post-metal (ISIS, Pelican etc) fashion, building suspense until the 2 minutes mark, where a crushing riff comes in. An atmospheric track which is heavy as hell. Enjoy !

The Geox kit for 2012 (if they had continued in cycling)

Would have been very cool. Why did they quit!

I will do a preview of the new kits for the protour teams when they have all been released.