Preview: Tron Legacy Soundtrack

Last week was Comic-Con, and among the crazy nerdy stuff on the show floor was a recreation of Flynn's Arcade from the movie Tron. Inside this little piece of nostalgia was both a quick look at what light-cycles in the new movie will look like as well as a speaker system blaring Daft Punk's new Tron theme. Check them out with this video, and enjoy.

And, if you want to hear a higher-quality version of the song, just click here.

Mole’s Main Event

Hey, guys. Rob Molster here with a new weekly column for your reading pleasure here in Mise En Scène. This column will focus on professional wrestling, with an emphasis on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), with some Total Non-stop Action Wrestling (TNA) as well. Some weeks will feature recaps and analysis, some will include features focusing on a specific rivalry, match, or topic related to the business.

Since this is the first edition of Mole’s Main Event, I would like to address some obvious issues. First and foremost, contrary to popular belief, professional wrestling is not fake: it’s choreographed. Think of a match as an elaborate dance number, but instead of plies and spinning, there are bodyslams and powerbombs. You wouldn’t say that a dancer is faking when he/she performs a number, would you? For more on how “fake” pro wrestling actually is, take a look at this TV special that aired at the height of WWE’s Attitude Era. Be forewarned: Nick Bakay acts like the viewer is 8 years old at times, but there are some interesting tidbits in the documentary. If you still think it’s straight up fake, check out wrestlinggonewrong.com.

Yes, pro wrestling is more entertainment than sport. The Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock are perfect examples of this. All of these guys were good (not great) technical wrestlers. What made them stars was their ability to connect with the crowd. The Ultimate Warrior had strength, but couldn’t wrestle his way out of a paper bag if he had a chainsaw. But he had amped up entrance music, face paint, and insane promos. Hogan had better technique, but what really got him over with the fans, brother, was telling his millions of Hulkamaniacs to eat their vitamins and say their prayers. Indeed, watcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you? The Rock, who probably was more technically sound than the previous two superstars, has so many catchphrases that you’re probably thinking of one right now. WWE even named a show after one of them (Smack Down). Do you like my column so far? If not click here.

However, the days of Hulkamania, the New World Order, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock are long gone. This is a new era of professional wrestling. The late 90s, early 2000s mindset of more cursing, more offensive gestures and more tits is no more. To me, the professional wrestling world is looking for a new identity. The WWE doesn’t feel right in its own skin. The Attitude Era has been done, as has Hulkamania, so now what? If you want the answer to that question, plus a take on the controversial superstar that is John Cena, check in next week. Until then, in the words of Mick Foley, have a nice day.

PS: If you still don’t like this, I got two words for ya: click this.

Post written by Robert Molster

Song of the Week: Chris Brown "Forever"

I have to admit that I am an obligatory fan of Chris Brown because he is from my hometown. I know what he did to Rihanna was despicable, but I can't help but like him because I feel like we have some sort of connection due to our shared stomping grounds. Also, I think he may have just gained a little cred back because he made this wedding possible:

Protoculture Review: Trine

In a nutshell, Trine is a physics-based platformer that plays very much like an updated version of The Lost Vikings with Diablo-like visuals tying the whole package together. Beyond that, there isn't a whole lot to this game, but it provides enough entertainment to make it feel like you got your money's worth.

The game starts by introducing the player to the three main characters in the game: a thief, a wizard, and a knight in a introduction/tutorial level where each character eventually happens upon a mysterious object called the Trine. Once the three touch the object, there is a blinding flash of light that magically fuses all of them together, thus setting the stage for Trine's gimmick: the ability to switch between any of the three characters at any point in the game.


From here on out, the 3-in-1 combo of adventurers set out to try and undo this mysterious spell by adventuring through ghost towns, mines, and forests that have been overrun with hordes of skeletons. Not surprisingly, none these characters seem to have what it takes to navigate a level solo, thus forcing the player to utilize different powers that each character possesses in order to overcome obstacles or kill skeletons. Here's a quick breakdown of skills: the thief can attack from afar with her bow and swing across gaps using her grappling hook; the wizard can conjure boxes, planks, and floating platforms in addition to being able to levitate other objects; and the knight has the ability to lift and throw objects as well as a sword, shield, and hammer.

The really neat thing about all these abilities is that they can be used in a variety of ways due to in-game physics engine. Environments in Trine react fairly realistically in response to each ability, so that puzzles can be solved in an extremely wide variety of ways to the point that there doesn't seem to be a right or wrong way to progress through the game. For a simple example, say you need a box to reach a ledge, but your wizard is out of energy and your knight is dead. Using the thief, you could either go back further in the level to find a box lying around and shoot it till it moves where you want it to go, try to grapple up the ledge, or--if you're feeling frustrated--simply go back to a checkpoint and revive your knight so he can pick up and move the box.


For any confused about that 'checkpoint' option, let me clarify: if a character dies, they can be revived by reaching any of the various checkpoints spread throughout a level. If all the characters die, the player will be sent back to the last activated checkpoint, but the checkpoints operate somewhat like Vita-Chambers in Bioshock, as the progress you made after passing that checkpoint seems to remain intact. Perhaps this kind of thing doesn't happen on some of the higher difficulties (I was playing on Medium), but I would not necessarily say that this mechanic makes the game 'too easy.' Actually, if I had to describe how this checkpoint system impacts the game, I would say that it single-handedly keeps Trine from playing like a frustrating piece of garbage.

Why do I say this? Well, to put it simply, I died a lot in my playthrough of Trine, but the miserable thing was: most of the time, I felt like my death was caused by some weird physics-based thing that was beyond my control. Uncontrollable grapple swings into spikes, boxes randomly toppling over sending me off a cliff, spike balls that suddenly start rolling over me even though I took pain-staking care to stop them before placing them on level ground: these are just three things that annihilated my group of three for what seemed like weird physics glitches that were beyond my control.


So, even as cool and responsive as they are, Trine's physics are a double edged sword. While on the one hand, they make for neat puzzle set-ups that encourage experimentation to find a solution, they also make frustratingly stupid things happen. Thankfully, that forgiving checkpoint system is in place though, because otherwise the game would suffer greatly for it.

Beyond the physics stuff, there are a few other novel aspects thrown into the mix, but none of them seem to add a whole lot to the experience. There's a very elementary character customization element that allows players to upgrade certain each characters' abilities, a few hidden items that can make certain elements of the game easier, and an option to play three player co-op locally, but they all just feel a little tacked-on. The game is just so short (6-8 hours) that most the abilities and items don't seem necessary, and the co-op seems like it would just add to the frustration by tripling the possibility that something could go wrong physics-wise.


However, as a downloadable game priced at $30, you get what you pay for. If a somewhat short, but beautiful physics-based platformer sounds like something that's up your alley, I would feel obligated to recommend it, physics anomalies and other weaknesses notwithstanding.

Trine is already available for PCs and is slated to arrive on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade soon.

Review: Miike Snow - Miike Snow

Five years ago, someone from the future told me that I would eventually sit in front of my computer and start to gush over a band that contains the songwriters for Britney Spears' "Toxic." I simply scoffed and proceeded to write him off for being catastrophically insane. Not to knock Britney or the song, but a suggestion like that just doesn't seem like something I'd like--for starters--or even real. Then, Miike Snow rolls up on the scene with their self-titled debut to fulfill this crazy prophecy; indeed they are the fabled band that is two-thirds Bloodshy & Avant that have made an album that I simply can't stop listening to and am now--for lack of a better word--'gushing' over.

To keep things in perspective though, I almost avoided this album entirely. To be honest, when I first heard the lead single, "Animal," I wasn't too impressed. It seemed like a perfectly competent pop song, but something about it just didn't click with me until--seemingly at random--I couldn't get the bloody thing out of my head. Pondering this mystery, I consulted a colleague of mine, and he made me aware of the fact that "Animal" is best described as a latent virus of a song. Whereas MGMT songs lose their initial appeal because of shallow songwriting and ill-conceived synth work, "Animal" will grow on you and not stop until you are singing "I change shapes just to hide in this place / But I'm still, I'm still an animal / Nobody knows it but me / When I slip, when I slip I'm still an animal" all the live-long day.

Once this happened to me, I couldn't help but give the whole album a listen, and it's a good thing I did. First of all, it's a great debut for the Swedish trio, and secondly, I could have upset the cosmic balance had I not fulfilled that nonsensical prophecy. Every song on the album presents some different, well-executed pop arrangement that keeps the album interesting while also showing the Miike Snow's near-limitless potential.

That may sound like a bit of an exaggeration, and maybe it is, but here's just some things you may or may not realize you are encountering on this album: the stylistic combination of Sufjan Stevens and Animal Collective in "Burial," the whimpers of The Fray as they realize that "Sylvia" is miles above anything they could ever hope to do, and the re-imagining of summery, Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz ditties with "Song for No One." And those are just the next three songs following "Animal." The rest of the album does similarly awesome things.

Considering I was so skeptical at first, I was trying to unravel why what I would usually think of as a ridiculous outfit for a band would be so dang enjoyable, but then I had a revelation. Having an indie-pop group that contains experienced producers that have also been writing songs for Kylie Minogue, Madonna, and the aforementioned Britney Spears for years would actually be fantastic. It's a simple way to take proven creative talent and separate if from the mentality that some image or style needs to be maintained in order to create a 'best selling' package that is easily digestible for the lowest common denominator of music fans.

From here, I'd usually continue talking about each song on a track by track basis, but I don't want this review that obviously doesn't have anything bad to say about Miike Snow to get in your way of going out and buying it.