Recently seen and played
Seen:
Drunken Master: This is one of Jackie Chan's first starring roles, and it was fun seeing what he looked like when he was my age. His Kung Fu is a lot better than mine. When watching big CGI movies like Kung Fu Panda and the like, with exceptionally impressive fight choreography, one is inclined to believe that it cannot get more kinetic or impressive. One is wrong, of course. The fight scenes in Drunken Master are some of the best I've seen in any film, ever, aided hugely by the fact that there are no cinematic tricks, no slow motion, no stunt doubles. It's just a couple of dudes fighting quickly and elaborately, and with Jackie Chan you get the added bonus of a big dose of comedy. The rest of the movie-- the plot, the non-fight comedy, character development, cinematography, etc., is not particularly impressive. But my God, the fight scenes. Hands down better than anything I've seen in the last five years, and probably better than anything I've seen ever.
Played:
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass: There are moments in which playing this game is kind of a grind. The sailing, while much more enjoyable than the game's predecessor Wind Waker, can still get tedious, considering the number of times one has to go back and forth to islands if one is, for example, intent on capturing all sixty spirit gems (which I was). I briefly wrote the final boss battle off as anticlimactic until it was suddenly not the actual final boss, at which point I discovered that the game has one of the more delightful final encounters of any game I've recently played (certainly on par with its predecessor).
Some points that are worth making: Many reviews of this game, I feel, are correct. It feels ninety-five percent of the time as though Zelda was made to be played on the DS. The touch screen controls, while initially awkward, become intuitive very quickly, and the ability to clear an entire field of grass by drawing a flight path for one's boomerang is a pleasure one is not likely to get tired of quickly. There are a couple of boss battles (including the final one) which make use of the top/bottom screen duality to great effect, and any game which makes you yell out loud regardless of what social setting you may be in wins points from me.
I don't know what it is about the "Celda" games that I enjoy so thoroughly, but I can firmly say that this is a Zelda game which did not lose my interest halfway through (I am looking at Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess). Anyone reading this blog is probably going to fall into one of two categories: Has beaten Phantom Hourglass, or is never going to play Phantom Hourglass. Nevertheless, if there's anyone new I can turn in the direction of this fine amusement, I will do so enthusiastically.
Drunken Master: This is one of Jackie Chan's first starring roles, and it was fun seeing what he looked like when he was my age. His Kung Fu is a lot better than mine. When watching big CGI movies like Kung Fu Panda and the like, with exceptionally impressive fight choreography, one is inclined to believe that it cannot get more kinetic or impressive. One is wrong, of course. The fight scenes in Drunken Master are some of the best I've seen in any film, ever, aided hugely by the fact that there are no cinematic tricks, no slow motion, no stunt doubles. It's just a couple of dudes fighting quickly and elaborately, and with Jackie Chan you get the added bonus of a big dose of comedy. The rest of the movie-- the plot, the non-fight comedy, character development, cinematography, etc., is not particularly impressive. But my God, the fight scenes. Hands down better than anything I've seen in the last five years, and probably better than anything I've seen ever.
Played:
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass: There are moments in which playing this game is kind of a grind. The sailing, while much more enjoyable than the game's predecessor Wind Waker, can still get tedious, considering the number of times one has to go back and forth to islands if one is, for example, intent on capturing all sixty spirit gems (which I was). I briefly wrote the final boss battle off as anticlimactic until it was suddenly not the actual final boss, at which point I discovered that the game has one of the more delightful final encounters of any game I've recently played (certainly on par with its predecessor).
Some points that are worth making: Many reviews of this game, I feel, are correct. It feels ninety-five percent of the time as though Zelda was made to be played on the DS. The touch screen controls, while initially awkward, become intuitive very quickly, and the ability to clear an entire field of grass by drawing a flight path for one's boomerang is a pleasure one is not likely to get tired of quickly. There are a couple of boss battles (including the final one) which make use of the top/bottom screen duality to great effect, and any game which makes you yell out loud regardless of what social setting you may be in wins points from me.
I don't know what it is about the "Celda" games that I enjoy so thoroughly, but I can firmly say that this is a Zelda game which did not lose my interest halfway through (I am looking at Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess). Anyone reading this blog is probably going to fall into one of two categories: Has beaten Phantom Hourglass, or is never going to play Phantom Hourglass. Nevertheless, if there's anyone new I can turn in the direction of this fine amusement, I will do so enthusiastically.
posted by Nate at 5:25 PM
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