Assassin’s Creed II – Game Preview

This is a game I will definitely be getting. It is the sequel to Assassin’s Creed and it looks like it’s going to be a great game.

The player takes the role of Ezio Auditore de Firenze, a young nobelman-turned-assassin, and ancestor of Desmond Miles. You have to know about the first Assassin’s Creed to understand why being an ancestor is so important. In short, during the modern time period, Desmond was captured by Abstergo. Ezio is also a descendant of Altair from the first game. Lucy Stillman, one of the people with Abstergo, is said to have a larger role in this game. The same goes for Desmond; I read that he will be able to do more things.

Ezio’s family has been killed and he wants revenge on the rival families that killed them. Ezio wields two hidden knives now, instead of having only one like Altair. One of the hidden blades has a “hidden gun” on it, but shoots a spherical bullet with the Assassins logo on it.

The game takes place during the Renaissance in Italy, 1486. Historical figures will be present in the game, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli. Ezio can use some of the inventions made by da Vinci. Ezio will also be able to swim in the canals.

This game sounds fun and I can’t wait to play it. It will be released on November 17, 2009 in North America and November 20 in Europe.

Blood Diamond – Movie Review

Year of Release: 2006

Rating: R

Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, and Jennifer Connelly, is a great movie. The title refers to the diamonds – nicknamed “blood diamonds” – that are mined in African war zones and sold to finance the conflicts that are happening in Africa and profit the warlords and diamond companies across the world. This is a very moving movie; at times you will want to laugh and at times you will want to cry.

Set in 1997-1998 during the Sierra Leone Civil War, the movie follows Danny Archer (DiCaprio), a white Rhodesian smuggler and mercenary, and Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a black Mende fisherman, who join together to find a diamond that Solomon buried not long ago. Before this adventure, however, Danny meets Maddy Bowen (Connelly) an American journalist who wants information about blood diamonds for the world to see. Solomon’s son, Dia, is captured by RUF rebels and is turned into a child soldier. Danny agrees to help Solomon find his son if Solomon will show him where the diamond is. This diamond will change both Danny’s and Solomon’s lives.

This is probably DiCaprio’s best performance. He was great in The Departed but I honestly think he did a better job in Blood Diamond. The accent sounded hard to master but DiCaprio did it.

If you want to see this movie, I recommend buying the DVD or not watching it on public television. When it’s on public television, there are no swears and some of the brutal scenes are actually not shown. And with no swears, it can sound cheesy sometimes.

The soundtrack to this movie is great, too. My two favorite songs off of the soundtrack are “London” and “Solomon Vandy.” They just have that mood to them that makes them sound so great and fitting for the movie. Listen to them and you’ll know what I mean.

Overall, this is a great movie and I recommend seeing it.

The Motorcycle Diaries – Movie Review

Year of Release: 2004

Rating: R

The Motorcycle Diaries is another great movie. Although it is a foreign film (Spanish), I’m sure you can get past that and read the subtitles for the whole movie. It really isn’t that bad. The reason I bought this film was because my friends and I just finished a huge project on Che Guevara and how he made an impact on the world, and it was in the form of a documentary. We talked a little bit about his motorcycle trip through much of South America and how the trip changed his life, which is pretty much the plot to this movie. I heard about this movie and since I just did a project on Che, why not watch a movie on him in his earlier days?

A young Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Che, before he was called ‘Che’) sets out on a motorcycle trip through much of South America with his friend Alberto Granado. Along the way, they meet many different people and see sites that will change Ernesto’s life forever.

Gael Garcia Bernal does a good job playing Ernesto. There are some humorous parts in the movie that provide a little bit of a comic relief.

This movie isn’t for everyone, however. No, some people don’t like subtitles throughout the whole movie; some people get annoyed that they don’t understand a word the characters are saying and they have to “read” the movie. If you don’t mind the constant subtitles, then watch this movie. I liked it and I think most people will.

July 4th

Happy 4th of July! Centuries ago, today was the day when the colonists declared their independence from England and revolted against the King.

Enough history. I didn’t do anything to celebrate today; I usually don’t. I didn’t even see any fireworks. And I only heard a little bit of the Boston Pops. Oh well.

Anybody do anything interesting to celebrate?

Prototype – Game Preview

I bought Prototype last night, and I think it’s a pretty good game from what I’ve played so far; I’ve only played about 5 hours. I bought it used; I didn’t really want to pay full price for it. The game has an interesting storyline and has a lot of violence. It’s rated M for a reason.

The player takes the role of Alex Mercer, who wakes up on a morgue table and is suffering from amnesia at the start of the game. He soon finds out that he has various powers as a result of having a mutagenic virus; the same virus that is plaguing the city of New York. This virus gives Alex superhuman abilities. He can now absorb the biomass, skills, and memories of his fallen enemies. He can also survive falls from tremendous lengths and multiple gunshot wounds barely hurt him. Alex can also “consume” people to help him piece together his past by consuming their memories. Alex embarks on a mission to find out who did this to him and seek vengeance for what they did.

Alex reminds me of Altair from Assassin’s Creed a little bit. Just the way they look and the way they act seem similar to me.

You can also upgrade Alex’s skills. He can have claws, whips as hands, and other cool choices.

Anyway, I think this is a good game so far and I will do a review on it when I beat it.

Several New Signings in the NHL

Mike Cammalleri has signed a 5-year, $30 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Brian Gionta has signed a 5-year, $25 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Marian Gaborik has signed a 5-year contract worth $7.5 million per season with the New York Rangers.
Mike Komisarek has signed a 5-year, $22.5 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Martin Havlat has signed a 6-year, $30 million contract with the Minnesota Wild.
Nikolai Antropov has signed a 4-year, $16 million contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Steve Begin has signed a 1-year contract worth $850,000 with the Boston Bruins.
The Boston Bruins have re-signed Byron Bitz to a multi-year contract.
The Bruins have re-signed Mark Recchi to a 1-year contract worth $1 million.

I think the Canadiens are going to be a tough team this upcoming season. However, the Canadiens said they weren’t going to re-sign their captain, Saku Koivu. This will, without a doubt, impact the Canadiens, and maybe Gionta or Cammalleri will just take Koivu’s spot on the line-up.

I heard that if the Bruins sign Recchi, they can’t sign Axelsson because they wouldn’t be able to afford both of them.

All five players from my top 5 list of unrestricted free agents are signed.

Mafia II – Game Preview

I’m sure all of you out there who play Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 know that Mafia II is coming out this fall. It will be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the PC. I’m looking forward to this game and I plan on buying it soon after it’s released.

Although not a direct sequel to the first title in the series, Mafia, I have high expectations for it. Mafia was a pretty good game for its time. For me, it was a little difficult at times, but I got through most of it. (I never ended up finishing the whole game.) Mafia had a good storyline and it was worth playing. I’ve seen the trailers for Mafia II and it looks real good. I’m not going to reserve a copy of it but, like I said, I will buy it soon after it comes out. I’ve needed a good mafia game ever since I bought The Godfather II for the full $60; it was kind of a disappointment and not worth the 60 bucks.

The player takes the role of Vito Scaletta, a World War II veteran who returns home and soon enters a life of crime. He and his friend Joe Barbaro become gangsters thinking it’s the only way to a better life. Apparently the game is supposed to be like The Sopranos in a way that Vito deals with his personal family and his second “family” (the mafia). With the game set in the late 1940s, the cars have become faster than the first Mafia and the police aren’t as bothersome. The screenshots I’ve seen and the trailers I’ve watched make Mafia II to be a good game. Let’s hope it is.

I’m curious to see what the missions will be like, considering that Mafia had some pretty cool and exciting missions.

Public Enemies – Movie Review

Year of Release: 2009

Rating: R

I just got home from the movie theater not too long ago. I saw Public Enemies, and yes, on opening day. The theater was more than half-full I’d say, and there were a good number of old people there, too. My guess is that they wanted to see how Dillinger, who they might have grown up hearing about, was portrayed.

Johnny Depp was awesome as Dillinger. Christian Bale did a very good job as Melvin Purvis. I was surprised that Pretty Boy Floyd only got a short amount of screen time. Marion Cotillard played a good girlfriend for Dillinger. Depp even had a few funny lines and, like I said, played a great Dillinger.

For those who don’t know, Public Enemies is about the FBI trying to take down John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

I really enjoyed this film. I thought Michael Mann did a pretty good job directing this. However, there were some parts during the movie where the gunfights were a little hard to keep up with.

Public Enemies could easily win some awards. I think Depp will get nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, I think Bale might get nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and I think Public Enemies might get nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture.

If you want to relax in a nice cool theater on a summer day, or if you want to see a very good movie, then go see Public Enemies.

Blackhawks sign Hossa, Canucks re-sign Sedin twins

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Marian Hossa to a 12-year contract worth $62.4 million. To be honest, I didn’t expect Hossa to sign with the Blackhawks. But Chicago has made a bold move and they have taken possibly the biggest unrestricted free agent this off-season. I’m curious to see how Hossa will fit into the team next season.

Also, the Vancouver Canucks have re-signed Daniel and Henrik Sedin, both to 5-year, $30.5 million contracts. This was no surprise to me, and I won’t be shocked if these two end their careers in Vancouver. They work great together and I don’t know why Vancouver wouldn’t want them.

I’m expecting some more interesting signings and trades to happen soon. From my top five unrestricted free agents list, this just leaves Gaborik and Cammalleri left. I wonder, who will they sign with?

My Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies For The Second Half Of 2009

With June just ending yesterday, I want to take the time to make a list of the top five movies that I’m looking forward to the most for the second half of 2009.

1. Public Enemies
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. The Wolf Man
4. The Road
5. Shutter Island

Here are my reasons why:

Public Enemies came out today and I’m going to see it tonight. Be ready for a review when I get home from it. Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors and Christian Bale can deliver a good performance. I’m curious to see how Depp portrays John Dillinger. Having an interest in the mafia also adds to my anxiousness.

Inglourious Basterds is directed by Quentin Tarantino and stars Brad Pitt, which means this movie is going to have fairly high expectations. I’ve seen the trailer and, to me, it looks good. I’ll try to go see this in theaters.

The Wolf Man stars Benicio del Toro. This is a remake of the 1941 film. I think del Toro is a very good actor and I’m thinking he will do a great job as the Wolf Man.

The Road stars Viggo Mortensen, another very good actor. I’m currently reading the book which is by Cormac McCarthy and I plan on finishing it before I see the movie.

Shutter Island is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio. The plot sounds well thought-out and I know Scorsese can make a great movie.

These five movies sound great and I can’t wait to see them. Hopefully they are as good as I’m thinking they will be.