Review: Battlestar Galactica Season Four

So here it is, the big finale to my summer viewing of Battlestar Galactica. It's been a long, but mostly enjoyable road with the exception of some speed bumps occurring in season three so far. Unfortunately, a lot of problems persist into the series' final chapter along with a few new ones. But, I still can't hate on it too much, as it easily provides the most exciting and complex set of scenarios found in the show, and ends up tying up most of its loose ends up rather well, even if it isn't quite how I would have done it. It's one of those situations where I want to criticize it for not being as good as the rest of the series, but I must acknowledge that it is still much better than a vast majority of its contemporaries.

Season four kicks off well enough, avoiding the painfully slow start of the previous season, but quickly starts delving into all-too-familiar sci-fi territories. As the show hit the season 4.5 finale (due to the writers strike), themes reminiscent of works like Blade Runner, Planet of the Apes, and Heart of Darkness had started cropping up all over the place. I'm not about to say that borrowing from these works is necessarily a bad thing, but when the uses become so gratuitous and transparent, it makes for a more predictable and boring viewing experience.

However, it is only right around the finales when the show gets this caught up in tired messages. For the rest, there is still plenty of character intrigue, drama, and mystery for the most part, some of which gets wonderfully left up to interpretation (although I assume that some may have wanted absolutely everything explained). But (again, for me personally), I almost wish that the last episode never existed, or at least, was made a bit shorter by cutting out all of the heavy-handed hand-holding that explained what Battlestar Galactica was 'really about.'

My main objection comes at the final few minutes of the entire series, where Gaius Baltar and Caprica Six address one of the main themes of the show in some of the most forced and contrived dialogue I've ever encountered. So, in a way, my complaint is more about the way it was executed (poorly) more than the message itself, but I am not without issue there either. To put it simply, this little exchange sells the entire series short because there is easily more than one single conclusion to be drawn from the experiences of these people, yet the show seems to insist otherwise.

Even through all this bashing though, I can't say that I wouldn't recommend Battlestar Galactica. Upon the final montage, I still felt like I had experienced something truly special. If there is one way for me to wrap up the show, I would say that it is somewhat like the flagship itself: although it may develop some deep flaws over time, Battlestar Galactica hangs in there long enough to get you somewhere meaningful and worthwhile.

The Best Anti-Piracy Campaign

The Software Publishers Association (now known as the Software & Information Industry Association) came out with a little anti-piracy video back in the 1992 that, upon viewing, convinced me that anti-piracy advocates--or at least people that think that there is a viable way to stop piracy--were either completely insane or comedic geniuses. It was called "Don't Copy That Floppy," and this is what it looked like:

Now, 17 years later, with pirates still on the loose, the SIAA has decided to make another video entitled "Don't Copy That 2." It's not out yet, but, based on the trailer, this video may just be the thing that keeps you from pirating music, movies, and games from now on. Or, if you are like me, it just may confirm my theory that the people behind these videos need to be institutionalized. Here's the trailer:

Song of the Week: The Go! Team - "Junior Kickstart"

I've had this song stuck in my head ever since I saw the trailer for I Got Next--a documentary about pro Street Fighter (and perhaps other fighting game) players--a couple days ago. I think it's a little odd that I now immediately associate "Junior Kickstart" with video games, but I think it's a good fit.
edit: I also just remembered that The Go! Team is also featured in LittleBigPlanet. The game associations just keep stacking.

BONUS: You may recall a little review I wrote for Oh.Bliv x Just Plain Ant's Black Soap a little while ago in which I expressed a feeling of emptiness associated with some tracks. Well, my friend Corey Smith (Score One for the Little Guy, Earthtone) must have gotten the message, as he just released a track where he raps over the beat of "Cuz I Need It" for his new single "It's Going Down."

Just for reference, here's the original track:

Wizard Fans, Dear Readers

With the upcoming cinematic release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it seems like Harry Potter fans are getting themselves excited by coming out of the woodwork to re-read books, don robes, write songs, LARP, or what have you. Call me crazy, but I am not too keen on the series myself; however, I am genuinely excited about seeing Harry Potter fans do what they do best: love the hell out of some Harry Potter.

So, in order to drum up a little excitement for fans as well as let any 'muggles' in on a secret world, here's a documentary about Harry Potter fandom entitled We Are Wizards. It's a pretty interesting documentary that follows the lives of several of people that have taken J.K. Rowling's epic narrative and made it their own in one way or another. While there are some oddities to the film work itself, it still presents a nice little window into the bizarre yet enchanting world of 'Harry Potheads,' while also doing a pretty good job of focusing on the more interesting people involved with that culture.

As an added bonus, here's some links to some of the Harry Potter stuff covered in the documentary:

The Leaky Cauldron - Harry Potter News Site

WIZARDROCK.ORG

Wizard People, Dear Reader [highly recommended]

Harry, A History - The book that chronicles the history of Harry Potter fans

The Daily Prophet

Info on Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged (here's the actual video, if you dare to subject yourself to it)

Review: The Winter Sounds - Church of the Haunted South

About a week or so ago, I had the opportunity to meet with The Winter Sounds. I had actually went to go see them perform, but their show had been shut down by the police before I even got there. I guess they just rock live shows that hard. Anyway, in the interest of curbing the proverbial blue balling I had just experienced, I decided to pick up a copy of their latest album, Church of the Haunted South, and I'm glad I did. The indie rock quartet from Athens, GA has found some time during their frenzied tour schedule to produce an album that combines elements of new wave with indie-pop hooks and vocal harmonies, making Church of the Haunted South a very unique and enjoyable listening experience.

I would say that the easiest way for me to describe The Winter Sounds 'sound' would be a loose mixture of Band of Horses and Rogue Wave with a tinge of European flavor to it. Don't ask me exactly how I came to this realization, but ever since I came up with it, it seems to have proved itself true for the most part. Regardless, this 'sound' isn't necessarily what makes the album as interesting as it is. While the instrumentation has more than its fair share of moments (the horn section of "Graveyards," for example... heck, actually all of "Graveyards"), it is actually frontman Patrick Keenan's vocal talent that seems to stand out above all else, and this too, is a wonderful thing, as he has a relatively wide range that he often uses to his--and thus the album's--advantage. While this may not quite seem the case at the album's outset, once "O'Fear" starts, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Of course, the vocal work wouldn't mean much if there weren't some quality lyrics to go along with them. While there aren't too many moments where the writing grabbed me as particularly striking, The Winter Sounds seem to have a perfectly competent lyrical style, complete with stresses at most of the moments where they seem appropriate. The lyrics for "Pinebox" probably stuck out the most to me, but that might be partially due to the fact that the song juxtaposes some upbeat guitar riffage and horns to the pretty dark lyrics "Life took its toll on me so they put me in a box made of pine where I’ve lingered on / And if you come for me you’ll find Hemingway and I never die we just drink alone."

But for the more interesting songs like "Pinebox" and "Trophy Wife," there are also a few songs that just don't quite fit in with the majority of Church of the Haunted South. More specifically, "Marry Me" is quite a snoozer of a track that just sort of bumbles along about someone that wishes to marry an uncooperative lover. The problem here is that not only is the subject matter tired territory, but also because it isn't really approached in a novel way at all. Additionally, it is only towards the end of the song that the instrumentation picks up into something interesting, but at that point it's pretty much too little, too late. Fortunately though, "Marry Me" is the only real loser on the album in my book. Every other song on the album seems to pull out a few interesting tricks to make them stand-out. And, while the degree to which those tricks really click for The Winter Sounds varies, they all still seem to contribute something valuable to Church of the Haunted South in some way.

So essentially, with the exception of one song, the indie, new wave, synth pop sound of this little Georgian band works out really well on their latest release. Not too shabby, Winter Sounds. I may just have to try and see you live again when you come to the Red & Black on the 24th.

Protoculture: Gaming For Free

Every year, there seems to be a weird summer lull where no big video game titles come out. While this trend doesn't really seem to affect me much--as I spend a majority of my money on video games, many of which I don't have time to play (except during these dry release periods)--I'm sure there are more than a few of you out there that are a bit more careful with your game purchases.

So, given the economic times and shortage of traditional, full retail releases, I figured I could help out anyone that still wants to play new games, but can't find or afford the right ones. So, before you make a trip over to the Gamestop bargain bin to try your luck and drop some cash, check out these ways to find free games from the comfort of your own home.

No Downloads
Kongregate.com
While there are many websites that offer free flash games, Kongregate seems to prove time and time again that it has the best collection. Games include anything ranging from simple puzzle games to even complex RPGs. Out of the 16,393 games hosted on the site, my favorites have included the zombie RPG Sonny 2, the short-but-sweet robot adventure known as Little Wheel, the conceptual platformer Hunted Forever, and the adorably violent puzzler Bloody Fun Day. If you enjoy the site and think you’ll be visiting it often, I highly recommend registering with the site so you can take advantage of all of Kongregate’s features, like user reviews and achievements. UPDATE: Kongregate just added Street Fighter II Championship Edition!


Minimal Download (<15mb)
Quake Live
One of the most popular multiplayer first-person shooters ever, Quake, has undergone many iterations throughout the years, but none have been quite as impressive or convenient as Quake Live, a free downloadable version of Quake III Arena that can be run through your internet browser of choice. I wasn't too sure how well a fast-paced game like that would perform through a browser, but it actually seems to run perfectly. So, if you're still into old-school deathmatches and arena shooters, Quake Live is a perfectly free way to scratch that itch.


Soldat
Don't like shooting people in the first-person? Maybe you should try the classic, side-scrolling variety with Soldat. It may not be the prettiest game out there, but it has very solid mechanics and a healthy online community that has made it such an enjoyable game for all the years it has been around. Plus, you get rocket boots!


Konjak.org
Konjak.org is a peculiarly titled website that hosts the art and games of a (surpise!) artist and game designer named Joakim Sandberg. The 22-year-old has posted quite a few games on his site and all are delightful because they each offer unique gameplay experiences while retaining unity with Sandberg's signature art style. Legend of Princess, Chalk, Noitu Love, and Tripline are all fantastic games that I recommend you try at least once. And, if you liked those games, perhaps you may support the artist/game designer and pick up his latest work Noitu Love 2 for $10. It's a really neat game that continues the story of the first Noitu Love game while also incorporating game mechanics from most of the other free ones he hosts on his site.


Download (>15MB)
Battlefield Heroes
EA’s Battlefield Heroes is a cartoony, simplified iteration in the Battlefield series. The good news though is that it’s free, and it doesn’t feel entirely like a stripped down version of a game you may have already played before. With its unlock system and persistent character creation, Battlefield Heroes adds an extra layer of depth not found in other Battlefield games. So, even though the game plays like a simpler, arcade-y version of Battlefield 1942, Heroes manages to successfully bring something fun and unique to the table.


Home of the Underdogs
Looking for an old PC game that seems to be out of print? Instead of scouring eBay or Craigslist, why not check out Home of the Underdogs, the website that hosts tons of PC games considered to be “abandonware” (or rather, a game that has long been taken off retail shelves and is no longer supported by its developers). So, if you find yourself looking to dust off your old copy of Dune or Lode Runner, only to find it lost or unplayable, head on over to the Home of the Underdogs and you can get download another copy, free of charge.


If none of those satisfy you, then I guess you might have to drop some dough for a game you will enjoy. And, if you are looking to keep up with cool places to find free games, I suggest digging around on video game blogs like Kotaku, as they post about free games from time to time. In fact, they posted about this free PC fighting game a couple of days ago, maybe you should check it out. I know I’m going to… right now as a matter of fact.

UPDATE: I just found a cool place where you can play Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne against other people for free too: http://games.asobrain.com/

ANOTHER UPDATE: In the near future, you will also be able to play MechWarrior 4 for free. Make sure to check out MekTek.net to snag yourself a copy of this mech simulation game.