Futurama is officially back.

It’s been on the schedule for the past seven weeks, but these past two episodes have returned the series to its wonderful roots.

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Yesterday morning when I woke up I noticed an email from gofobo inviting me to an advance screening of the upcoming comedy Dinner for Schmucks. Both Lindsey and I have been looking forward to this movie from the exceptionally funny trailers, so it was a pleasant surprise, especially considering that most of the invitations I receive from gofobo are for movies I have absolutely no interest in.

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Coming out on August 9th, Wii owners can download Enjoy Your Massage! from WiiWare. Developed and published by Microforum Ltd., Enjoy Your Massage! will be a massage simulator puzzle game. Read the full story

It was only a couple of days ago that EA held their Studio Showcase, and it was on that day where DarkSpore was announced to the world.

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Recently, Telltale Games released Puzzle Agent. While the name sounds relatively simple and safe, don’t let it fool you. This game was absolutely insane.

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Following the big The Sims 3 news, was DarkSpore by Maxis. Not to be confused with the previously released Spore, DarkSpore is an action RPG set in a sci-fi world.

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When I first heard the title to the recent DreamWorks movie How to Train Your Dragon, I thought, “Oh, great!  I could always use a little more dexterity and performance out of my ‘dragon’!”  Unfortunately, as trailers started hitting the Internet, I discovered that this was a movie of quite a different sort.  I still wanted to give it a chance, but I didn’t get around to it until this past Saturday.

I had wanted to see the movie in 3D, as word was the effects were phenomenal.  Various circumstances prevented us from being able to see it in its main theatrical run, however.  This brings us to last Saturday.  Saturday rolled around, and we had nothing much to do.  I asked my dear wife if she would like to watch a movie.  She responded inquiring if I would like to see How to Train Your Dragon.  I looked up the showtimes at our local post-run theater ($3.00 for big-screen movies just after they finish their main runs), and saw that one was showing in about 40 minutes.  We jumped up, got ready, and headed across town for the 6:50pm showing.  We got there right on time, walked in, and sat down.  It’s an older theater, so no stadium seating, which was quite a throwback.

The movie started off very well.  The setting, characters, premise, etc. were all introduced cleanly, efficiently, and well.  There wasn’t a point where this movie dragged.  The story flowed from beginning to end in much the same way that chocolate pudding flowed from my ass this morning (I’m home sick, by the way).  The character designs were wonderful.  The voice acting and character interactions were superb.  Everything about this movie, in my opinion, was top-notch.

The real star of the movie was the “Night Fury” dragon, Toothless.  Toothless is not actually toothless.  He does, in fact, have teeth.  They are sharp teeth.  He is named Toothless because his teeth are retractable, and when they are retracted he looks…wait for it…waaaait for iiiiit…Toothless.  When he is introduced, he is an invisible terror to the Viking community.  The young hero (read as: nerdy Viking who doesn’t seem to have a shred of real Viking in him) manages to bring it down, a feat which none of his fellow Vikings believe.  As the story continues, and Toothless and Hiccup, the aforementioned “young hero”,  become friends.  Blah, blah, blah, shit happens, the story progresses, and the movie ends.  I’m not going to summarize the entire movie for you.  The point of this paragraph is that Toothless is awesome.

The animation was excellent for a DreamWorks movie.  I am a bigger fan of Pixar animation, but How to Train Your Dragon is an excellent example of what DreamWorks can do when they really put their minds to it.  How to Train Your Dragon has become the highest-grossing DreamWorks film that isn’t a Shrek film, and it has a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  To put it plainly, I enjoyed this movie a great deal, and suspect that it will be a favorite for many years to come, much like The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, movies which I do not feel uncomfortable mentioning in the same sentence as How to Train Your Dragon.

Go watch this movie.  If you don’t have it available in any theaters in your area anymore, wait for it to come out on DVD or Blu-Ray and buy it.

-[insert CHOCOLATE PUDDING! here]

Last Friday, Chris and I rented the recent title to hit the LEGO video game franchise, LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4. I guess you could say I’m a fan of the LEGO game series. I played through LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy for regular Xbox, and then we got LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga for the 360. Months ago we rented LEGO Batman, but weren’t impressed.

Prior to renting the game, I downloaded the 360 demo and was blown away. Many of the complaints I had about the LEGO series were taken care of, and when we played split-screen, it was perfect. Knowing that, renting the game was a no-brainer. Chris and I played through a bit of the first year together, but the rest of the time I played through by myself, since almost all of the achievements can only be received in single player.

Like the rest of the LEGO games, they throw in the humor, and there were times where I couldn’t help but burst out laughing because some of the stuff was so funny. I will say that there were a rather large amount of semi-naked wizards in this game, so what’s up with that? In the dorm at Hogwarts, you blast the pants off of one, in a shop off of Diagon Alley you open a dressing room to see another pantsless wizard, and I believe I saw a couple more instances. Also, when you get to year 4, and it’s the part where Harry has to swim and save his friends, the way they did the bathing suits was rather odd. Due to the LEGO shape, the bathing suit bottoms look like a cross between a thong and a mawashi, the undergarment sumo wrestlers wear. Awkward nudity, and creepy wizards aside, everything else was great.

In terms of gameplay, LEGO Harry Potter is significantly better than any other game in the series. This time around I was able to aim with my wand, select multiple targets to hit, and there was even an RPG feel with how you obtain new spells. One problem I ran into was this: in LEGO Star Wars, the other characters in your party would still attack. In Harry Potter, you could be in a boss battle, and Hermoine would be just standing there, being completely useless. It was rather frustrating because having some form of assistance would’ve been nice, and could’ve created a much needed diversion.

Content wise, this game is so much longer than any other LEGO game I’ve played. I was surprised with how long each year was, with the exception of year four, and in between the actual ‘levels’ there was a lot to do. Sure sometimes it felt like you were running back and forth a lot, but you have to keep in mind that almost everything occurs in Hogwarts, or around it. There are over 160 unlockable characters, and 250 gold bricks to obtain. By completing each level, and by getting True Wizard in a level, you get a gold brick for each. In addition to the numerous red bricks you have to track down, a new feature is saving students who are in perilous situations, earning gold bricks by doing so, and finding all the pieces to create 24 crests. When I completed the game, I think I had over 80 gold bricks, 5 red bricks in addition to what I started with, a good chunk of the students saved, and over 60 characters unlocked. I was never able to assemble one crest, and that’s because you have to go back once you’ve completed the entire game and replay the levels. Even though I had found all of those items, and performed all of those tasks, I don’t believe I passed 50% completion of the entire game. It’s seriously that long, and contains that much content.

On top of everything you can do at Hogwarts, there are also bonus levels to complete. The few that I played were really fun, and ways to earn a large amount of sprockets (my name for those coins you collect), and gold bricks. You can even go into this game mode known as LEGO Builder and create levels you can later on destroy. It’s seriously a lot of fun, and if you have children, it’s a great way to prolong their interest in the game. Instead of having a ‘Cantina’ or small space to purchase extras, your base is now the Leaky Cauldron. On the main floor you can select which level you want to replay, and upstairs you can watch cinematics again. Out the back you are on Diagon Alley, and have access to the different shops where you purchase your add-ons. By continuing down the road, that’s where you can play the bonus levels and do the LEGO Builder content.

Graphically it’s just about the same as the other LEGO games, but they seemed a little better. I suppose you could say it looked more polished. The controls were simple, although there was a problem I kept having. With your multiple spells, you can either cycle through them using the left/right bumper buttons, or you can use the Y button. Problem with that is that when you press Y, you switch playable characters, so there were times where I meant to switch a spell, but I accidentally tapped the Y button instead of holding it to bring up the radial menu. In terms of audio, the game is practically flawless. The sound effects are great, and the tracks themselves are brilliantly done. It’s the traditional Harry Potter soundtrack, so what more could you ask for?

All in all, LEGO Harry Potter was an incredibly delightful experience. It was a game I didn’t want to put down, a game where I can’t wait for the final years, and a game that I have to own because obtaining that 100% is a must!

It’s easily a 9 out of 10.

- Me

Back in June, during the excitement of E3, BioWare announced new DLC on the way for Dragon Age: Origins titled Leliana’s Song. Of course I was excited, but after the semi-bland Darkspawn Chronicles, Chris was very apprehensive.

On Tuesday morning, the day of launch, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the new DLC, but I also was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed. From watching the official trailer, I could tell that the feel for this DLC would be significantly different, and it was. In Leliana’s Song, we find out  more about her past, especially the events that led Leliana to join the Chantry. We, obviously, knew that Marjolaine betrayed Leliana from what was said in Dragon Age: Origins, but we didn’t know how.

You start off the game, of course as Leliana, and are in the Denerim Market. Marjolaine tells how you and your sidekicks, Tug and Sketch, will be performing some jobs tonight. Tug is a warrior dwarf, and Sketch, from what I could tell, is a human mage, although his hair might have been hiding some elf ears, I don’t know. In the beginning I got a good sense for who the two new characters were, and I genuinely liked them. After doing what Marjolaine asked, she goes on to say how there is one last task for the night, and that it takes place in the Arl’s estate.

Here, you are to plant some papers in the bedroom of the Arl, and from what Marjolaine says, it has to do with him having mistresses. Seems harmless, right? Wrong. After laying the documents on the desk, Leliana notices that the papers contain the official seal of the Orlais military, and what she has committed can be considered treason. Leliana confronts Marjolaine, and after some words, they go back to retrieve the papers. Here is where Marjoliane becomes a complete back-stabbing bitch: she sets you up. Big surprise.

When you are fleeing the estate with the papers, your party sees Marjolaine who stabs you, and you’re captured. Hurt, both emotionally and physically, Leliana receives some kindness in prison, which helps her escape. Sadly some things have happened to a member of your party, but you gain a new member to take their place, so it all balances out. I will say, that by having three members in my party rather than four, some battles were difficult since I had to drastically adjust my tactics. Fortunately I was able to level up multiple times throughout the DLC, so I was able to beef my characters up.

Once Leliana and her companions break free from the jail, she wakes up in the Chantry. From there she is shown that reformation and change can happen, and she can leave her old life behind. She just has to make the right decision for her. Obviously one would think Leliana wanted revenge, and of course she does, but by doing so, she would be just like Marjolaine. Having a difficult decision to make, Leliana knows that she at least has to fix the damage that was done and retrieve those papers. I won’t say what happens at the end, but if you’ve played through all of Dragon Age: Origins, you pretty much know what happens.

The feel of this DLC was different. It had a very gritty, outlaw style, and at times it heavily reminded me of Kill Bill, but that’s a good thing. Getting to see Leliana kick some ass was awesome too, because it really shows just how drastically her character has changed from her time in the Chantry. Unlike past DLC, Leliana’s Song was fully voiced, and you were given the option to make choices. The soundtrack was different, and brand new. It had this French renegade style, and it really fit with the style of the DLC.

When I played through Leliana’s Song, I put in over 2 hours of gaming, but if you don’t care and skip through the cutscenes, you can finish it in a significantly shorter amount of time, but it is still much longer than the other DLC’s in terms of playable content. I have yet to play Origins, so I have no idea what the exclusive items are, but I know there are at least 3 new achievements you can get in the DLC. One is obtained by doing various acts to a drunk, passed out Captain in Denerim, another is by collecting multiple pieces of leather to create armor, and the final is by completing the DLC.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If you’re a fan of Dragon Age, get the DLC. It’s that simple. It was a lot of fun, it was nice getting to learn more about Leliana, and the overall feel was fantastic. My only complaint is that I wished it were longer, especially because the price on Leliana’s Song is 560 Microsoft Points compared to past DLC which was priced at 400.

If I had to give it a score, I’d say 7.5 out of 10.

You can download Leliana’s Song for PC here, Xbox 360 here, and for PS3 here.

- Me

Today, I spent a good portion of my time playing, and completing, Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air by PlayFirst. Well before the game was released, I knew I wanted to play it. I’m a huge fan of hidden-object games, so the recent installment to the Dream Chronicles franchise was a must-have. I will admit that The Book of Air is the first Dream Chronicles game I’ve ever played, so I was going into it with fresh eyes.

Upon launching the game, I was immediately thrust into a gorgeous cinematic filled with vibrant colors and beautiful music. Once that finished, I was presented with the menu and it was very easy to navigate. Since I was playing the Exclusive Collectors Edition my menu featured options to take me to additional content as well as a bonus chapter, but I will touch on that in a bit.

I selected to start a new game, and after naming my save file, I then got to select which difficulty level I wanted. Having to choose between casual or challenge, I opted for casual. In challenge mode, the puzzles are more difficult, and you can’t skip though them. If you are new to hidden-object games, or working through puzzles isn’t a strength of yours, I highly suggest casual mode because even then, there are puzzles I skipped through.

After I had my selections all worked out, the game began. I was treated to another intro cinematc, which is narrated by a young girl named Lyra, who is the daughter of Fay and Fidget from the previous Dream Chronicles Trilogy. On the day before her 18th birthday, she was celebrating with friends and loved ones, when her grandfather, Tangle, gave her a present he called ‘an amazing gift’. Once Lyra opened it, she heard a strange voice, and then everybody vanished. There she was, all alone in her town named Wish, and that’s when my journey began.

The first ‘level’ was in front of the local school. There I learned about my Dream Journal, which stores all of the notes from Tangle you come across in your travels, along with details about each puzzle you’re working on. I then learned about the Dream Jewels, and how by connecting enough Dream Pieces, I can unlock their powers. There are five total Dream Jewels in all: Decipher which translates ‘fairy text’, Reveal which is pretty self explanatory, Transmute which turns golden objects back into their original wooden state, Brilliance which lights up dark rooms or caves, and Thunder which causes a storm and rain to fall. The Dream Pieces look like small shards of glass, or crystal, and sometimes they can be difficult to find, but throughout the entire game there are 180. I managed to find over 160, but in order to unlock every Dream Jewel, you have to find 150 of them.

Outside the school, I completed the puzzles necessary to get inside the classroom, and once I was inside I had even more puzzles to do. In The Book of Air, there are a variety of puzzle styles. Some are simple like collecting pieces of an object and then putting it back together. Others are more difficult like assembling cogs inside a clock perfectly so it can run. There were some puzzles I really enjoyed though. Like where you opened a book and on the right side was a paragraph with some text missing and you had to unscramble the words on the left side to to complete the puzzle and get a clue. Then there were actual puzzles where you are shown an image and then it breaks off into squares and you have to put it back together again. I love doing traditional puzzles like that, so I semi-squealed with delight when I saw them.

Once I was finished with the school, obtained the ‘world map’, and discovered the airship Lyra’s father was hiding, I was off to find a man known as the Clockmaker, since he was the only one who could help me. By now, and through the notes provided by Tangle, you know that Lyra is stuck in a different dimension. By meeting with the Clockmaker, who reminded me a little of the Wizard of Oz, he tells you to find three keys that will unlock his Time Synchronization Machine and bring you home.

The first place you go to is Treehouse Village. By now you should have the Transmute Dream Jewel unlocked, and here is where you get to use it. The four trees on your screen look like they’ve had a nasty run in with King Midas. Once you restore the trees, you complete some puzzles, obtain the first key, and move on.

Wind Music Island, your second destination, frustrated me to no end. I suggest that when doing the main puzzle to unlock the key that you have pen and paper handy, because you’ll need them. Here, you have to make the island come alive with music, and to do so is rather intricate. Even though I got a little miffed at this part, I’m actually glad that I was given something challenging.

The final key location is named Water Collector. By using your Thunder Dream Jewel, you fill the pool with water, use the key you find to get inside a hut, and complete some puzzles in there to get the last key. That puzzle inside the hut is one of the ones I skipped. It had to do with plank pieces, runes, a scale, and heavy objects like a chalice. Maybe my brain was puzzled-out at that point, but I’m so glad there was an option to skip it.

When you return to the Clockmaker with all three keys, you unlock the doors and fix the machine. Here is where you are given three ridiculously difficult puzzles, and it’s all with clock gears. Yes, I skipped through all three of them, but I really tried and put in a decent amount of time trying to figure it out. With Lyra on her way back to Wish, you quickly discover that something is wrong, and that sets things up for the next installment: The Book of Water. Going into this game, I knew it was a trilogy, so I wasn’t surprised with how things ended the way they did.

Now, let me get into graphics, gameplay, and sound. I have no complaints. Not one. Graphically is was lush, colorful, detailed, and simply gorgeous. The gameplay was easy. No keyboard involved, all mouse, and really delightful. Perfect for the style of game. The soundtrack was amazing, melodious, and had this nice fantasy RPG feel to it.

Currently PlayFirst is only offering the Exclusive Collectors Edition for $19.99, but you get unlimted play, exclusive content like a strategy guide/walkthrough, a screensaver you can download that is a collection of production art from the game, six wallpapers to choose from (Airship, Flying Over Wish, Tower of Dreams, Wind Music Island, Taking Flight, Tower Above the Clouds), and lovely MP3 audio which includes the main theme, The Book of Air opening tune, and more. The Bonus Chapter you get is rather nice too. It gives you more playtime, and more production art, along with many puzzles to complete. You are also given a peek into The Book of Water which, sadly, won’t be out until 2011.

Do I think this game is worth $19.99? Maybe, but it depends on many different factors. If you are a person who likes Collectors Editions, who likes bonus features like screensavers, wallpapers, game soundtracks, and bonus levels, then yes. It’s worth it. If you don’t care about that and want to just play the game, then I suggest picking up the $6.99 version that just released today. You will still get the same levels, abilities, and unlimited gameplay, but none of the bonus features.

My only real complaint is that I wanted the game to be longer, because I enjoyed playing it that much, but with games of this genre it’s difficult. PlayFirst did a good job with giving us a wide variety of puzzles and objects, and making sure it never felt repetitive. Had they gone with a longer game, maybe they would’ve had that problem, so the length of the game could very well be a blessing in disguise.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air an 8.5. If you’re a fan of puzzle/hidden-object games, or if you’re just getting into games of this nature, I highly recommend giving it a go because it really is delightful.

- Me