Gone to the dogs?

Earlier this year the NFL was rocked by the arrest and indictment of Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick on charges of dogfighting.

Vick, who has a career 11505 passing yards for 71 touchdowns, has been a unique talent within the NFL. His all round abilities have made him a household name in Georgia. Not to mention his tendency to scramble out of the pocket when his opponents least expect it. At the Falcons, he had formed strong and productive partnerships with half-back Warrick Dunn and tight-end Alge Crumpler, which produced one of the NFC’s most exciting offenses.

In only two years, Michael Vick has gone from the league’s most marketable player to a pariah in what was described as “the most dramatic and rapid fall from grace that I've seen any athlete experience in contemporary American sports” by agent Leigh Steinberg. The dogfighting charges, which will probably land Vick 12 – 18 months in prison, have destroyed the reputation of the man who was easily one of the most talented quarterbacks the NFL has seen to date.

As the arrest broke the NFL chairman issued an immediate and indefinite suspension on Michael Vick’s status as a player. The restrictions will be likely to last until Vick’s release from prison, should he be jailed and perhaps beyond. These are likely to destroy what was an immensely promising career.

Vick pleaded guilty to the charges and will face sentencing on the 10^th of December. He could face up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine for his part in the dogfighting ring.

At this point the reasons for taking up such a cruel and illegal sport can only be speculated upon. Too much time and money on his hands and boredom may have contributed but historically this is one of the biggest scandals to hit sports since Mike Tyson’s imprisonment for rape.

In his absence the Falcons have sunken to the bottom of their division and third-bottom in the NFC. This is a disastrous outcome for a team that has always had the potential to be a deep playoff team. For Vick the consequences are much more serious. His career in Atlanta is in tatters and with the prospect of prison time, a six-figure fine and further sanctions from the NFL he will be lucky if he ever takes to the field again as a professional football player.

Will his talent be lost to the NFL as a because of these mistakes? If he pays his dues then let us hope that he will be allowed to return to the league and dazzle us all once more with what he is capable of.

The Surfer Cometh!

I finally saw Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer. Not being the biggest fan of the first movie or the Fantastic Four in general, I was a bit apprehensive. The first movie was terrible and, as you would see from an earlier entry in my blog, I was hoping that the Silver Surfer would get a much better treatment.
Boy did they prove me wrong. One of my favourite figures in the Marvel superhero pantheon was given the true respect is deserving of a wielder of the "powers cosmic". The Surfer was rendered immaculately and the physical presence of Doug Jones really filled him out despite him not doing the voice himself.
The rest of the movie wasn't bad either. After the awkward start and fairly lame characterisation in the first film the characters have really grown into themselves, especially Johnny Storm and Michael Chiklis' Thing. I still think that the Thing should have been larger but that's just me. (He's drawn in the comics as being almost as big as the Hulk.) Their interactions this time round were more natural and true to the comics than in the first one. Reid also finally makes an honest woman of Susan as well.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the film and I do think it is well worth seeing. Comic geeks and action movie fans alike will enjoy this movie for what it is. This is an excellent prologue to the forthcoming Silver Surfer movie.

Ha Ha!

Life can throw you a curveball every once in a while. I've been a little skint for the past few months and that is why this is my first post in ages. In the meantime I've been taking the opportunity to look around and learn some very important life-lessons and those vital subbing and writing skills. My times of getting by with charm and a cheeky smile are over. Now the hard work truly begins...
Over the next few months I will be working on expanding my written portfolio, especially in writing on gaming, films and music. Everything will be getting published here and hopefully someone might actually pay me to publish it. Some of my more serious musings about politics and current affairs will go up on my other blog at ewanssaopbox.blogspot.com. Here my life's work begins in earnest. Wish me luck and watch this space.

Violent Ends

This article is nominated for a Write Stuff Award in the College Entertainment category.

Videogames have, once again, become the subject of scrutiny by groups intent on stamping out violence and immoral conduct in entertainment. This time the pressure is coming from local government. In Germany the states of Lower Saxony and Bavaria are pushing for new legislation that would impose a 12 month custodial sentence on developers found to be producing games that feature "cruel violence".

The law in Germany is already extremely strict as regards videogame violence. Games that do not meet the standards of the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, Germany’s videogame equivalent of the BBFC are refused certification and are effectively banned. Gears of War and Dead Rising have already met this fate and are now only available through import. Furthermore bans in place on the displaying of heraldry of the Nazi Party have prevented the release of titles such as Call of Duty and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Raven produced an altered version of the Wolfenstein 3D sequel without the Swastikas specifically for the German market.

The advent of the new legislation could have a grave impact on the European games industry. German developers may be forced to re-locate in order to continue to operate. This is particularly evident in the case of Crytek. Their forthcoming title, Crysis, would most certainly breach the new legislation and result in sentences being handed down. The legislation would also set a dangerous precedent for other countries to follow.

The games industry is no stranger to controversy. Rockstar, the makers of Canis Canem Edit, the Grand Theft Auto series and Manhunt, has received a vast amount of flak for the violent content of their games. In Britain though, Rockstar submit all their games to the BBFC for rating and the GTA series and Manhunt all carry 18 certificates as a result.

Conservative individuals like attorney Jack Thomson and pressure groups such as the National Institute on Media and the Family in America insist that violence in videogames causes desensitisation and can stimulate unstable personalities. Games have been implicated as contributing to the Erfurt shooting in Germany in which 18 people died, the Columbine Massacre in the US and the murder of 14 year-old Stefan Pakeerah with a hammer by his 17 year-old friend Warren Leblanc in Britain. The perpetrators of each crime were disturbed and marginalised teenage males that seemed to have been pushed to commit these acts by other factors. Many blamed heavy metal music, violent movies and games such as DOOM and Counter-Strike for these incidents.

The truth is somewhat different though. The police in the case of Stefan Pakeerah dismissed the possibility of the his murderer’s obsession with Manhunt being a motive, citing instead that robbery was the likely motive. In Columbine, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were bullied and marginalised and in Erfurt the teenager in question was distraught at being expelled and prevented from sitting his university entrance exams. It would be interesting to see a correlation of sales figures and violent crimes that have been connected to them.

Studies have been inconclusive in determining a link between violent behaviour and violent videogames. A study by the Indiana University School of Medicine did show a mild increase in brain activity in the parts of the brain that control emotional arousal and a small decrease in activity in the areas related to self-control. When asked if these results indicated that violent games could cause violent behaviour, the principle investigator, Vince Mathews was reluctant to make that link. His suggestion was that parents be more aware of content of the games that their children were playing. “Based on our results, I think parents should be aware of the relationship between violent videogame playing and brain function.” This study used advanced brain imaging techniques to compare two groups of 22 teenagers, with one group playing Medal of Honour: Frontline and the other playing Need for Speed: Underground. Each group was scanned after 30 minutes of play and the results did demonstrate that the effects of the violent game (Medal of Honour) were different to that of the non-violent game (Need for Speed).

The scientific community is reluctant to confirm any sort of concrete link between violence in games and violent behaviour. Indeed with incidents like Columbine and Erfurt there are many other factors that contributed to the state of mind of the individuals involved. Too many other potential causes are present for such a link to be established conclusively.

The main suggestion that comes from studies such as the one at Indiana University is for greater parental control over what games children play. This is made very easy as there are rating systems in place which, not only impose an age limit on games but also advise on the content of easy game. PEGI in Europe and ESRB in the US are industry standard across the board and provide plenty of indication for parents as to the content and suitability of games. In the UK more and more publishers are submitting their games to the BBFC especially if there is any doubt as to their game’s content. Gears of War and Dead Rising, games that have been banned in Germany, carry an 18 certificate in the UK. This should be a sufficient indicator for parents that these games are not suitable for their 12 year-olds.

In the criticism of violent games we should not be asking whether we should ban them. The correct question should be: “who are these games for?”

Its here...

Well... The PS3 has finally arrived in Japan. Unsurprisingly, there are problems emerging, the first of which seems to be backwards compatibility. Yes, Sony screwed something up at launch time. Not only has the rest of the world to wait even longer for this overpowered behemoth those Japanese enthusiasts loyal enough to have bought a launch model have been greeted with some serious backwards compatibility issues with their favourite PS2 titles. IGN and Gamespy have published a shortlist of the titles with the most serious problems but apparently there are problems with 192 titles ranging from the screen being off-centre to audio glitches and even system crashes.

Sony claim that patches are in development but they have not given a time-frame for the availability of these fixes so in the meantime, those excited Japanese consumers will have to delay their "enhanced" play on the PS3 in favour of their old PS2s for their favourites until Sony get round to sorting the problem.

Meanwhile, here in Europe, around the time that the PS3 comes out I will, hopefully, have saved up enough to get a Nintendo Wii. Given Nintendo's track record, that might actually work with my old Gamecube games and will have the added advantage of not cluttering up my already messy room with another giant black box whick doesn't do what its supposed to.

More Comicbook Celluloid Shenanigans

Well, I'm very nervous talking about this at such an early stage, especially seeing as Iron Man is my favourite Marvel hero. I do feel intrigued now as to how its going to turn out. There were rumours a-plenty regarding who was going to play Tony Stark. Tom Cruise (magh), Nicholas Cage (now we're getting warmer), Leonardo DiCaprio (JUST NO, OK) but now John Favreau has signed up Robert Downey Jr.

I was somewhat heartened by the news that John Favreau was going to direct as I have a huge amount of respect for him. His writing and acting in Swingers really showed the world heights the he was capable of and so the thought of him directing Iron Man alleviated some of the anxiety created by the rumour mill. Now with the signing of Robert Downey Jr. I am even more hopeful for the film adaptation. Robert was superb in both Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and A Scanner Darkly. He really added flesh and integrity to both those roles and shows that he is not a single-role actor like Sean Connery (the only Russian submarine commander to have an Edinburgh accent), Tom Hanks (Mr Reliable American) or Hugh Grant (the hardy-perennial English fop).

Now I'm intrugued. Come on Mr Favreau, don't let us down.

All Hail Galactus?

So, the new Fantastic Four movie, eh? This movie will follow the appearance of the Silver Surfer and the coming of Galactus. This is probably the best and most well-known storyline that exists in the Fantastic Four's run and also amongst Marvel fans worldwide.

Galactus is a cool bad guy and represents a danger that is far beyond what we could comprehend. He also seems like a metaphor for our own constant devouring of natural resources. He's a warning to us all, if you will, that if we don't take good care of our planet it will become a lifeless world much like Mars.



The Silver Surfer is a shining pillar of virtue. He was a man, called Norrin Radd, who decided to give up his life and his love in order to save his home and his people from Galactus. He made a bargain with Galactus and became the Silver Surfer, Herald of Galactus. He would spend eternity searching the universe for worlds for Galactus to devour. He would use his judgement to decide whether of not a world and its life deserved to live or not. His eternal search was stopped when he came to Earth and initially judged it to be fodder of Galactus, until Reed Richards and co convinced him that Earth and the Human race were worth saving. Norrin, reconising something of his own people in the Humans, decided to help the Fantastic Four defeat Galactus and save Earth. The succeeded but the cost was great for the Silver Surfer. Galactus imprisoned him on Earth for eternity.



This is certainly my favourite storyline of the Fantastic Four. I do tend to avoid the Fantastic Four because, other than this story, they are a bit bland for me. They have, however, spawned some of my favourite Marvel characters, including Dr Doom, Galactus and the Silver Surfer. I especially love Dr Doom and the Silver Surfer. I am quite partial to the Thing as well, on his own of course. Having said this, the first movie was entirely disappoining. In fact, for me, the only high point was Julian McMahon's superb Dr Doom. I thought that the Thing was too small, Jessica Alba was wooden as Sue Richards and Chris Evan's Johnny Storm was more annoying than a recurring rash. The only time where a Marvel movie adaptation has been less enjoyable was the laughable Punisher with Dolph Lundgren in it. That's right I even thought Daredevil (yes, even though it has Affleck in it) was better than Fantastic Four. Let's just not mention Elektra. Tim Story, also, does not have a good track record. In fact, he has directed the downright awful adaptation of Luc Besson's Taxi with Queen Latifah in it. Enough said.


You can understand then why I have some misgivings about the second outing of the Fantastic Four. Especially with the use of one of my favourite stories featuring two more of my most-loved Marvel characters.

What I don't understand is that the Hulk, which I thought was superb and inventive, has recieved a change in director for the sequel but the Fantastic Four, which was mediocre at best has not. A quick comparison, using www.rottentomatoes.com (a site which compiles ratings based on all available reviews of movies) finds the Fantastic Four at 26% where Hulk scores a very reasonable 60%. Why then are we being subjected to another Tim Story effort? Probably contractual obligations. I can only cross my fingers and hope that this time he'll get it right. On past endeavours though, the outlook is not good.

My only hope is that, when the time comes for Norrin Radd's first solo outing on celluloid, he will be given the respect he deserves. For a man who sacrifices everything to save his home and his people from the "Devourer of Worlds" I can only hope that his story is done justice.

On a more personal note...

This Is a rare Marvel Legends Series 7 Apocalypse action figure. I have been searching for one of these now since I let it slip through my fingers when they came out a few years ago. Now, on the advent of my 25th birthday, I am finally the proud owner of one. I am one of the ever-so-rare and lucky geeks to have a girlfriend who shares and actively encourages my geekiness. So much so that she searched high and low and spared no expense to make this action figure the crowning jewel of my birthday gifts. I was grinning from ear to ear the other evening when I unwrapped this bad-boy. I would just like to say, publicly; thank you Leigh-Anne you are wonderful and I would be lost without you. I will always remember my 25th birthday fondly because of you.

Oldies are goodies

To continue in a similar vein from my last post, Doom is back and then some. I discovered, much to my delight that Microsoft have released Doom on Xbox Live Arcade. I am impressed. It is an excellent port right down to the dodgy midi version on Pantera's "Mouth for War" playing over the first level of the third episode. I excitedly played through the first few levels and remembered fondly all the old tricks and secrets that those days of playing on my old 486 revealed to me. It plays really smoothly and the console control system adapts perfectly to playing with speed and indeed it plays a bit quicker that it does on the Windows 95 keyboard on my PC. I have been disappointed by recent efforts to port Doom and I am very pleased at the quality of the 360 port. Playing Doom on the Gameboy Advance was a frustrating effort for me, especially as I had one of the original consoles with the unlit screen (Nintendo, what were you thinking?). The 360 version, however, has me smiling. Perhaps I am over-enthusiastic about because it has appeared just in time for my birthday and I am in an excellent mood because my girlfriend has bought me all sorts of amazing gifts but nevertheless well done Microsoft. Now, I never thought I'd say that...

The Past is the Way of the Future

There is a current trend in computer gaming that is reflected in the new generation of consoles. Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo's Wii's expected online services and guesses at the PS3's online content all show a leaning towards retro games. With the recent release of Street Fighter 2 on Xbox Live Arcade and the promise of some classic 2D platform action in the vain of the Playstation classic Castlevania, added to the presence of Gauntlet, Smash TV, Joust and Robotron. The trend has already been set. Nintendo has followed suit, with plans to make available a very extensive back catalogue for download to the Wii. I am unsure what Sony's plans are for the PS3's online content but it would be a safe bet that retro gaming will feature in some form.

What is it about retro gaming that has everyone so excited? Do we really miss the old pixellated and simplistic gameplay that much? I am very interested in playing the old classics. I splashed out on Street Fighter 2 on Live Arcade as soon as I could. More recently I bought a PSP so that I could get my hands on Ultimate Ghosts 'n' Ghouls and the Gradius Collection. I love all that stuff and a lot of other people do too. The thought that I could sit in my house in front of a Wii and play Mario Allstars on a 42" HD LCD TV has got me very excited indeed. Its not just geeks like me thnat are buying the retro classics. A large portion of the market is casual gamers who want something that they can pick up and put down as easy as possible. These older games are perfect for that.