Game Review

Wii Fit

So you’ve bought your Nintendo Wii. £179 sounds insanely cheap compared to it’s next-gen rivals, and Nintendo have pride in that fact. However Nintendo have a tendency to start with a cheap console then go crazy with a ream of official peripherals. It happened with the NES and it’s happening now.
From my little introduction,  you can most likely tell that I was a huge skeptic (as usual), when it came to Nintendo’s latest “life-improving” peripheral, the Wii Fit board, but after playing for a good 2 hours, I found myself rather enjoying it. Nintendo already made their niche in the market with bestsellers such as Brain Training and Sight Training, that encouraged even older generations that the Nintendo DS is an excellent investment. So how well does the Wii Fit board fare?

Graphics

Now you can’t really be too picky about graphics when it comes to the Wii. We’ve seen it all before on the PS2, so nothing much has really shocked me when it comes to Wii graphics. It uses a cartoon-esque style, similar to the graphics of the “Mii” section on the Wii. They are well finished and look clean in gameplay. Really, the graphics are nothing to get too excited about, it’s just typical Wii gameplay graphics, but I can’t really complain on how bad they are either. All around the graphics have been played safe and most concentration has gone into the gameplay.  7/10

Gameplay

This seems like the most vital part of the game that Nintendo had to nail. Despite the skepticism I had around the Wii Fit board, I was shocked at how responsive it actually is. It picks up the smallest amount of movement, and this makes the games far more enjoyable, as the leaderboard isn’t comprised of blocks of the same score and a more varied range. Nintendo carries on their “family friendly” motto in Wii Fit, and to an extent it works, however they have made a wise decision to include areas for the more serious of the gamers.
In the game there are four different sections which are: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance Games. The first of the two sections are definitely aimed at those who really want to make use off the “fit” part of Wii Fit, and the latter are mostly party games, that children would enjoy. Wii Fit also carries on the idea of daily training and a “Wii Fit Age” much like Wii Sports. This is quite good, as it also allows you to unlock several more stages in the four sections.  8/10

Innovation

Well when it comes to Nintendo, innovation is really the key word that you can’t miss. As I’ve already mentioned, the Wii Fit Board is amazingly responsive and gives a really accurate view when it measures and calculates your BMI. I was very impressed even by how little room for error there is in the skiing games or the hula hoop games. Unlike other people that have tried to produce quick, fun ways to replace good old fashion exercise, Wii Fit actually puts up a great fight. In particular the muscle work outs really put strain on you, and you feel like it’s an actual work out.  8/10

Interest Span

Referring again to Wii Sports, that came with the Wii; Wii Sports was a fun game to persuade you to buy a Wii, however when you bought it and played it copious amounts of times, the novelty wore off. With Wii Fit I can honestly see myself playing some of the games once and never looking back at them, but the serious muscle workouts and the yoga and fantastic for everyday workouts that monitor your progress without the need of a personal trainer. I’m not sure I, personally, would have the commitment to do it everyday, but Nintendo have future plans for the Wii Fit board. At E3 2008, Wii Music premiered for the first time, and showed another use for the Wii Balance Board. It will be used along with the Wiimotes to simulate a full sized drum kit, and that is enough to keep me holding out.  7/10

Overall

Nintendo have done a great job in impressing anyone who thought it was ridiculous to play Hula Hoop for £70. This is a good piece of kit for the Nintendo Wii and the game is just as good. A few minor flaws in the design, like the childish exterior, but overall a good purchase.

7.5/10

Software Review

iPhone OS X 2.0

Prior to the release of the iPhone 3G, Apple announced that they would be releasing a new software update that would come as standard to all iPhone 3G users. After they new OS was announced at WWDC ‘08, a stream of software developers bought in to the Apple Development Programme and with the new, easy-to-use, iPhone SDK, started coding their own little to cover your iPhone’s SpringBoard.

The hype leading up to the release of the new software was minuscule compared to massive hype of the 3G iPhone model. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, took great pride in the release of his new creation, the “App Store”. However many people thought that Jobs got there too late and the thousands of jailbroken iPhone users could just sit back and laugh, but has Steve Jobs shown the world that “slow and steady wins the race”?

Features

The significant changed from the transition to 2.0 are as follows:

• App Store (3rd Party App Compatibility)
• Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync Compatibility
• MobileMe
• Scientific Calculator
• E-Mail Attachment Support

The features make a huge difference to the iPhone experience, starting with the most anticipated and most significant one, the App Store.
Apple must have heard the cries of the consumer demanding 3rd party apps. Before people would have to “jailbreak” their iPhone, voiding their warranty. The App Store now hosts over 500 3rd party applications ranging from useful planners and iTunes remotes to pointless party tricks like virtual beer. Apple have done a fantastic job porting the needs of everyone into the iPhone App Store, and with new apps appearing everyday ranging from free to £50, there’s something for everyone.
Apple have also taken a major step into making the iPhone a business phone. Now the use of Microsoft Exchange Servers and push e-mail makes the iPhone much more convenient for the corporate world, alongside e-mail attachment support such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. This really takes the iPhone from the crowd pleaser it was, to the useful day-to-day phone such as the BlackBerry.  8/10

Style

Well there’s not much to say when it comes to iPhone and style; it is a stylish piece of technology. The swift, fluid movement of the screen and the innovative accelerometer add to the experience making the iPhone so easy to handle and use. However despite all these wonderful attributes there are some major flaws in the 2.0 update. Firstly, those fluid movements that the iPhone has become so well known for, have now become buggy and lagged. The keyboard detection has gotten worse as it takes several seconds to register your first tap on the SMS screen. These would be considered problems of “usability”, but the phone itself is still simple to operate, but the lag just takes some of the charm away from the original concept of iPhone.  6/10

Usability

The usability of this new software update is much like the old 1.1.4 firmware. The menus glide past with the swipe of a finger despite there being several bugs that are to be fixed in firmware 2.0.1. The implementation of contact searching and mass e-mail deletion, is definitely an added bonus in this software update, making it easier to use on the go, when you’re searching in your packed contact book or sliding through your reams of spam e-mails. One of the other new features titled “MobileMe”, allows you to sync all your calendars, photos and contacts straight from your PC to the iPhone. This is simple to set up and very handy, so you don’t have to worry about backing up your files manually. The initial backup takes quite a while, but after that everything runs smoothly. To add to Apple’s extensive success of the iPhone, they now ship to over 60 different countries, so there are now several different language packs that adjusts the on screen keyboard. Apple definitely made a huge improvement in this update regarding usability.  8/10

Overall

I was skeptical, about another software release as I’d grown so used to running on the earlier firmwares, but I thought I would give this one a shot primarily because of the App Store. Apple have done a fantastic job with 2.0, catering to the customer’s needs, but there are still several bugs that need to be fixed.

7/10

Film Review

The Dark Knight

Sure the hype has passed, and being bombarded with reviews from left right and centre isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I assure

you, this movie is no where near peaking it’s fanboy status of legen…wait for it… dary.
Everywhere you look, newspapers, TV, MySpace, even Burger King; The Dark Knight is plastered to it’s surface. The fact that the image of Christian Bale in a bat suit is burnt into the back of my retinas is in no way homoerotic or strange in any way.

Now why is there so much need for this hype? Why does everyone feel the need to blog, film or voice their opinions toward this movie? Well, it’s simple really; because it was a fantastic movie. Well it was either that, or “kill the Batman”.

Now I know what I’d be thinking by now. When are you going to shut up and talk about the movie! Well, my friends, this is your lucky day.

Video

Now I didn’t have the privilege of seeing this movie at IMAX, so i’m just going by the regular filmstrip. I don’t know what there is to be said that everyone else hasn’t already. It’s simply stunning. From the bustling streets of Gotham City to the dark grimy pits of the criminal underworld, everything is shot superbly. Unlike most other superhero movies you really get a feel that this is a living, breathing city. There is no nonsense dealing with he city’s vast overpopulation of criminals, it just feels like any other city. Director, Christopher Nolan, has created such a realistic tone for his revival Batman series that it feels like it’d be a shame to tarnish the fantastic dark depiction of Gotham.  9/10

Audio

Again, this is unlike many other superhero movies, as it hardly feels like one at all. Gone are the days when the only thing you hear is a heroic soundtrack accompanying the hero’s every move. Instead the movie takes a much more natural approach relying on the typical sounds of an urban jungle as stated by the composers themselves.

The “Batman” theme is heard only twice in the film, as Composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard decided that a heroic theme that a viewer could hum would ignore the complexity and darkness of the character. Hearing the tune only twice would create what Zimmer calls “a musical foreshadowing.”

I do have a couple of nitpicks however with the audio. In the opening sequences of the movie, the audio seems too loud and confused. I could hardly hear anything that any of the characters were saying until about 15 minutes in. At first I thought this may have just been me, but after further consultation with other people, I found that this was a common problem that other people shared.  7/10

Cast

Now I think we all know what my first criticisms are when it comes to Christian Bale, so I’ll spare you the hassle of listening to me moan by giving you these words: no, more, stupid, batman, voices.
I think we can all safely say that the star of this show however is the late Heath Ledger. Ledger plays the formidable role as the Joker, and completely captivates the audience by really displaying the antics of a true psychopath. His performance is hauntingly beautiful as Ledgers “nice boy image” will forever be replaced by this dark, sinister character. His smeared makeup and unexplainable scars add to the mystery of the character and considering Ledger sadly passed away before the press could interview and reveal his concept behind the character, it just adds to the eerie sensation that Ledger gave the Joker. Harvey Dent/Two Face (Aaron Eckhart), is a prime example of versatile acting. For a character to go from being a saint to a killer requires real talent, and both villains are fantastically pulled off.  9/10

Plot

Obviously I’m not going to go too in depth about the plot, as I don’t want to give away any spoilers. All I can say is that, despite the movie being a bit too long, the plot ties up nicely, and leaving it open for a sequel was very well executed. Nolan leaves enough time to develop the new characters introduced, but also manages to continue the theme from Batman Begins in which Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has to find out who he is. Even thought it may not have been the most enthralling plot of all time, there is enough chemistry between the characters (especially the Joker and Batman) and action to fill the places. 9/10

Overall

The Dark Knight, has truly lived up to it’s expectations, scoring a 9.3 on IMDB and being the first movie to reach the #1 position in it’s opening week. Batman fanboys are pleased and so are the skeptics, which not many movies can say the same for. Overall this movie gets:

9/10