Review: 311 – Uplifter

So I got the album a week ago (yes, I actually bought it).  Is this the ultimate 311 album or is it another “Don’t Tread On Me”.  Let’s find out.

So as you may have guessed, I hated “Don’t Tread On Me”.  Not that great of an album.  Only the title track and “Solar Flare” were worth a crap to me.  The rest was just average to below-average filler.  Not the case here.

To start I just saw them live at a great show at Nissan in the V to the A (Virignia) so this may be a tad skewed.  Same with the fact that they are one of my favorite active bands in existence today.  So as I try to remain objective, well, that may now happen.

This is a great album.  “Hey You” is an awesome starter and radio friendly single that talks about their love of music and how it saved their lives.  I can totally relate.  It doesn’t help that it is catchy as hell.

“It’s Alright” is a great follow-up and then the amazingly catchy “Mix It Up” which brings back memories (good ones) of “Crack The Code” from Evolver. 

“Golden Sunlight” is good, but honestly filler to get you to the awesome and song that will definately be a hit with fans “India Ink”.  It is all about how you want it all, but can’t really commit, or are having trouble actually putting yourself out there and going all the way.  Great track and extremely catchy, yet meaningful chorus.

Same thing can be said about “Daisy Cutter”.  “Too Much Too Fast” is just ok, not great.  The amazing “Never Ending Summer” is a perfect opener for their live show (which it was) and has again, a great chorus.

The next couple of songs are ok, not great.  More filler.  “Jackpot” is what fans have been asking for though.  A new anthem-styled powerhouse track in the name of “Down” or “Hive” from the Blue Album.  Powerful and just gets you moving.  I really want to break stuff while I listen to this track at my desk here at work.  Great song.

“My Heart Sings” is a good closer.  Almost as good as “Sometimes Jacks Rule The Realm” but not quite.  The 2 bonus tracks are really good, but “Get Down” sounds almost exactly like “Daisy Cutter”.  What the hell?

Overall, this is a great album.  It is definately getting a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from me and most fans I think will agree.  At least those that realize that Hexum, SA, P-Nut, Tim, and Chad will never be teenagers again and write stuff like ”Omaha Sylee” and “All Mixed Up” again.  311 has grown up and fortunately I have too. 

My tastes have matured and along with that, I scream for higher productions and more mature lyrics.   Fortunately “Uplifter” delivers on both accounts and 311 has crafted their best album in years.  Not quite up to “Transister” standards (nothing beats “Beautiful Disaster” or “Starshines”) but it is definately better than the Blue Album.  Yes, I said it.  I like this offering better than album that got me into the 311 craze to begin with. 

Go buy this now.  Even if your not a “true” fan.  Who knows, you might like it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Random: 6/10

So it has been a while.

First up, I bought my tickets to go see 311 on June 28th.  They were the first band I ever saw live and after listening to their new album “Uplifter” I am really looking forward to seeing them again.  “Hey You” is an awesome single, but my favorite track is “Mix It Up”.  Amazing old school feel, yet still positive and downright catchy.  Kinda like “Crack the Code” from Evolver.  I’m just glad it is better than “Don’t Tread On Me”.  As much as I love Hexum and the bunch, that album was a let down.

While I’m on the subject of music, the new Taking Back Sunday album “New Again” came out too.  Not bad.  Catchy as hell.  Less screaming which is a good and a bad thing.  It is what defined them as the kings of Emo, yet it got annoying after a while.  I miss Fred on this album too.  The replacement dude kinda sucks and you can barely hear him.  He is no Fred that’s for sure.  No John Nolan either.  Speaking of which, when the hell am I going to get another Straylight Run album?

inFamous was good.  I played through and well, didn’t finish it, but I got farther along than I get on most open world games.  I can actually see myself finishing this one too.  I just really don’t like playing my PS3.  Not sure why.

Let’s see, oh the new Stan Bush remix of The Touch is actually really odd.  I like the slower pace, it works, but what the hell is with the weird not-really-sounding-like-but-trying-to-sound-like-Mike Shinoda style rap in the middle?  It what it would sound like if it was remade by Linkin Park.  not terrible, just a weird way to hear my favorite 80’s rock anthem.

I’m going to buy Prototype today I think.  I really want to play it.

What’s up with this new show called “The Listener”?  I agree with Greg Grunberg when he asked what the fuck on his Twitter page.  NBC must really be desperate.  Though to it’s defense it was a decent show.

Burn Notice is back.  YAY!!!  Great show.  Jeffrey Donovan is a great actor that is so underappreciated in this day and age.  Why he isn’t “truly” famous I have no idea.

E3 was big this year.  Project Natal was a waste of time and energy, but the rest was good.  Halo: ODST looks amazing. Same with Splinter Cell: Conviction.

That’s it for now.

Random: 5/22

So, I have some stuff.

First off, yes I did return the LX09.  The phone calls were too terrible to make the phone worth the price that I paid.  Nice phone, just terrible voice calls.

Next up, the new Linkin Park (New Divide) song for the Transformers 2 soundtrack is actually pretty good.  True it is essentially What I’ve done with different lyrics, but it is still a good song.  What happened to the rap/rock that I loved so much.  This song needs more Mike Shinoda, but that can be said about their entire Minutes To Midnight album can’t it.

I bought, played and beat Terminator: Salvation twice for the 360 since I got it on Tuesday.  Got the 1000 achievement score and am officially done with it.  Too many little bugs and glitches plus the lack of a decent makes it a definate avoid unless you are a die hard fan.

I am disappointed with UFC 09.  It is really easy to exploit the flaws online and the career mode seems barebones.  My real question is why the crap is it so complicated?

The inFamous demo for the PS3 was downright amazing.  Must, buy, now.  Well next week when it drops.

I have been listening to this album by a band called Parachute.  Holy crap is it awesome.  The New Year, All That I am, and She Is Love are just amazing.  There isn’t a bad song on the album though.  You must go buy now.  NOW!!!!!

Tony Hawk just announce Ride with a stupid skateboard controller.  I love me some Hawk, but it looked overly complicated.

Terminator: Salvation came out yesterday.  I’m going to check it out this weekend.  Looks good.

I was really unhappy with Smallville.  The killing of the not so real Jimmy Olsen (I know it was dumb) and the really lackluster fight with Doomsday made the show less compelling than it should be.  Hopefully next season is better.

I’m mad that the Terminator show, The Unit, and Reaper have been cancelled.  That was good television all around.  They will be missed.

Prison Break’s series finale was awesome.  The last 15 minutes almost made me cry.  Michael’s death, while inevitable, was really sad.

That’s about it for now.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX 09: Preview/Rant

Ok so I bit the bullet and upgraded my account to the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX 09.  I got it in last night and have been using it since.  Here’s some quick impressions.

The screen is stellar.  Amazingly crisp and vibrant.  Too good for the rest of the device really. 

The kick portion is really sturdy.  It is nice to know the screen won’t go flying off, but it is a pain to actually open it.  Definate 2-hand operation there.

The actual phone feels really sturdy, though the screen when open is a little loose.  The back has the soft touch paint and it is good.  Still pictures look surprisingly great.  Video, not so much. 

Keyboard is nice and large, almost too large in fact.  The keys are kinda far apart really.  Not uncomfortable, just different.  Really nice otherwise though.  Satisfying clicks on the keyboard to type.

The Twitter application is amazing.  I love the integration into the rest of the device.  This needs to be in every device.  Really.

So what about the phone?  The few calls I’ve made have been terrible.  Low volume, buzzing, hissing, pulsing sounds, and just generally not very good overall.  Essentially just the Sidekick 08 in this aspect.  I expected more.

3G has been good but the network seems down so it is constantly moving in and out of signal.  Really disappointed here too.

Let’s see, oh the GPS stinks.  It couldn’t find me in my house.  Got kinda close outside, but the real bummer is Live Search.  It isn’t integrated at all.  It is just an app, well so is the rest of the “communities folder” but the Twitter app is integrated.  The Search is definately not turn-by-turn google maps style.  It is better than nothing I guess, but really it is a giant let down.  I’ve had more success with google maps apporximation on the iPhone.

Also, this thing is slow.  It really does kinda jump around at a lower clip than the previous versions.  Things I could fly around on the 08, LX 07, or even the SKiD are a chore here.

Enough bashing.  I like the slim profile and all but it just doesn’t seem worth it to me to upgrade.  $200 plus a 2-year commitment seem really high in terms of price to keep this thing.  I’m going to try to return it.

Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Xbox 360)

Quick preface.  The movie wasn’t the biggest disaster in the world but it pretty much sucked so I was expecting complete garbage for this game.  Damn was I wrong.  This game is fucking awesome!!!  Period.  The little glitches and such that plague the game are disappointing but really the game itself is just great. 

I usually start with the good, but I’ll get the bad out of the way real quick since well, there isn’t much.  The biggest flaws in the game are in presentation.  Some of the textures and graphics look really low-res (epsecially in the indoor environments). 

Also there are several little glitches that cause you to restore a checkpoint.  During a few fights there is a cutscene that plays or what have you, and the game will not move Wolverine to the right mark causing you get stuck in the environment.  I mention this since it happened to me several times (stupid Sabretooth fight).  Also I got stuck behind a few walls and fell through the earth a couple of times forcing a reload.

And the story, while told better than the movie, is weirdly paced.  The beginning is slow as hell and convoluted using flashbacks to Africa to tell the background of Wolvie getting pissed off at Col. Striker and such.  Once you meet the Sentinals it picks up significantly.  Oh yeah there are Sentinals and a couple of really stupid boss fights.

And that’s it for the bad stuff.  Really.  The rest of the game is pure awesome.  First Wolverine is a badass.  Other than a really short stealth section (which isn’t bad actually) you will be clawing the living shit out of everthing.  Yes the game is rated M for Mature and holy crap does it deserve the rating. 

Dismembering,  massive amounts of blood, decapitations,  and slo-mo stabs through the chest are the norm and are plentiful throughout this 10+ hour adventure.  Yes over 10 hours my first playthrough.  Some of the attacks are just brutal and you feel really powerful as the Wolvie.  Just as the character should be portrayed.

Once you learn the lunge (which is really early) you will be jumping straight into combat all the time.  Wolvie is damn near indestructible and it is really hard to die.  This isn’t a complaint since the game is so fun.  The combat is successful and lunging and attacking NEVER gets old.  EVER.  It is fun as crap just beating the living piss out of everything.

There is a tad too much platforming but then again it is a mild distraction from the killing spree of justice that Wolvie dispenses.  There is an on rails shooting section that is cool and a neat shooting gallery section with a Sentinal hand that was interesting.

Now the boss fights, those are another story.  Most are pretty good.  The Sabretooth fight is good, same with all of the other mutants/baddies.  I liked them.  The only ones that kinda stunk are the weird monsters that pop up in africa.  I know, WTF is what you’ll be saying when you see the fire monster.

The voice acting is good with Hugh Jackman being on point most of the time.  The others aren’t bad, though I can’t tell if they are the actors from the movie.  I don’t think so but I could be wrong.  I think Liev is the Tooth but reall hard to tell overall since this is a Wolvie game.

Finnally we get to the graphics.  The CG cutscenes look really good except for Wolvie who does not look like Jackman in those.  Weird.  The realtime cutscenes and ingame Wolverine look really good though.  The realtime regeneration of Wolvie as he gets shot, beaten, and stabbed is amazing and really cool.  It is awesome to see a hole in the middle of his stomach and then watch it close up in real time. 

Also the blood, while comical (no pun intended) at times is well done overall and the same with the dismembering badguys.  They scream and flail around as they die.  Sometimes with no arms or legs.  Funny as hell.

So should you buy this game?  If you like God of War, X-Men, Wolverine, or kicking the living shit out of people then yes.  The little bugs/glitches don’t mar the experience as much as other reviews would lead you to believe and while the game is contrived and generally rather simple in terms of depth, it is fun as hell and true to the character.  There are a ton of combos and I was never bored.  This is the ultimate Wolverine simulator.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED