Green Zone is an interesting film for Canadians to watch; just like The Hurt Locker before it we’re watching a current world event that we very well could have been part of. Both of those films carry a meaning for Americans that isn’t a reality for most Canadians: this isn’t our war. It’s chilling to think how different things could have been if we had been taken in by the same deception (or mistakes, depending on who you believe).

The plot of the film center on Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, a man tasked with finding the weapons of mass destruction that the American Army was sent to war over. When his unit is sent on yet another fruitless search for WMDs, a local man alerts then to a meeting of high value targets taking place only a few kilometers away. This sets events in motion that  lead Miller across Baghdad and against his own comrades in arms in an effort to find the truth.

Green Zone plays like a Tom Clancy thriller, with fast moving shots, explosions, and Matt Damon playing Jason Bourne light. It’s well framed and the action moves well, without ever feeling like it’s overstaying its welcome. The dialogue is sharp and well written, and performances from the principles are good. Continue reading »

 

Hearing the trophy ding for the first level of Transformers: War for Cybertron made me look up at the clock; it was 1am on June 29th.

Two thoughts ran through my head. First: damn, it’s time for bed. Second, well, I’ll just pop into multiplayer briefly to check it out. When I tried to access it I was booted out, and asked to sign into PSN… odd, I thought I was. The screen cleared up my late night confusion: a firmware update was required and PlayStation Plus was upon us.

I performed the required update and clicked through the PlayStation Store. There, as large as life, was a PlayStation Plus advertisement. $49.99 for Sony’s enhanced online service. I bought it instantly. Why?

  • I like automatic updates; I don’t need to have them, but it’ll get me into my games faster. My time is worth something to me, so this was a no brainer.
  • “Free” stuff. The PS+ content isn’t free, but it feels like it. I was going to download the add-on to Fat princess last week, and I was going to pick up the Warhawk add-on as well. I forgot to and because of my laziness, I’ve saved $3 as Warhawk: Fallen Star is free and the Fat Princess DLC is a dollar off with PS+ this week. There’s also two PlayStation Avatars and a new dynamic theme.
  • Deals? So far so good – all Midway titles are half off this week, and there are big sales on games from Create Studios (if you picked them up during the spring fever sale you’ll be happy to know the DLC for most of their games is free with Plus)
  • As an owner of a PSP Go, I’m rather happy to see PSOne Classics included in the package. Though the first offering, Rally Cross, isn’t a long awaited classic, it didn’t cost me anything extra.

So why did I buy PlayStation Plus? There certainly isn’t anything you have to have involved, but it’s just a nice package of additional content that makes my PlayStation experience more fun. I’m cool with it, and for me it’s money well spent.

If the idea of PlayStation Plus makes your blood boil, if it’s everything you hate about gaming, if you don’t want to give Sony another red cent because of it… then don’t. But don’t take my word for it. I’ve been subscribed to Xbox LIVE since it launched, so I’m clearly the wrong guy to ask.

 

DC Comics are now available through the PlayStation Network digital comics service for PSP (PlayStation Portable). Starting today, users in the US can access DC Comic titles on PlayStation Store, directly on the PSP or via Media Go on their PC. The content library on PlayStation Network continues to grow. The addition of DC Comics brings some of the comic book world’s most iconic characters to the digital download service.

Continue reading »

 

It’s a weak week on the PSN, devoted to Sonic’s 19th birthday. That means that there’s a lot of Sonic DLC that simply isn’t much of a bargain if you don’t have the games to go with it.

So what is worth it?

  • Blue Toad Murder Files can be sampled with Episode 1 for $1.49, and the entire series can be had for $26.
  • MAG Interdiction adds new maps, gameplay, and trophies for $9.99
  • Kick Ass is on sale for $9.99. Our review is here, we liked it.
  • Warhawk Fallen Star DLC is $1.99 – 75% off.
  • Red Dead Redemption “Outlaws to the End” Co-op Pack is free.
  • Little Big Planet has a free character download for the summer solstice.

All in all, it’d be pretty easy to ignore the PSN this week as we’ll be too busy playing Red Dead Co-op. Maybe it’s for the best.

 

DSC01272I’m a big fan of BBC documentaries. There’s something about them that’s so uplifting, so utterly positive, that even in a world where the Gulf of Mexico is disappearing, possibly forever, and the Great Barrier Reef is being chipped away at year by year, and the East coast of Africa is a toxic dumping ground, you can still take a moment and appreciate the beauty that this planet does have left.

When you consider the quality of most BBC Blu-ray sets and the quantity of video you get in them, the prices are actually an incredible bargain. I felt that way about Planet Earth and I feel that way about the latest Beeb series to hit shelves: Life. Continue reading »

CC 2010 PS3 Arcadians Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha