Triplets of Bellville
Crazy stylized animation about cycling.
March of the Penguins
Somewhat cheesy in its anthropomorphic overkill, but very good nonetheless.
Sister Streetfighter
This sequel has nothing to do with the other 2 Streetfighter movies except for a few shared actors (who aren’t even reprising their Streetfighter roles). Lots of goofy baddies provide the only interest in this movie.
Zombie Genocide
Sixty minute homemade zombie film. Admirable for a bunch of Scottish undergrads, but sloppy as all get out.
My Neighbor Totoro
Miyazaki film with beautiful characterization and animation. The plot is a bit thin and just seems to end at the wrong place.
Gattaca
Slow moving sci-fi ala Brave New World. The DNA distopia idea isn’t very interesting, but a decent formula mystery.
The Return of the Streetfighter
Mediocre sequel. Too many flashbacks and not enough story. A few good fights make up for the bad spots.
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee on PC
Most of the platform-type games made for the PC are utter crap (remember Duke Nukem 1 or Biohazzard, yuck!). Abe’s Oddysee is an exception. The graphics and animations, although a bit chunky by today’s standards, are stunningly detailed, and the game makes great use of light and shadow, and the cut-scene animations are smoothly coordinated with actual game play scenes. The story and characters are imaginative and original. Although the basic story is your typical “Business is Evil” fare, it plays out is such a way that you actually care about what happens to Abe. There are always new twists on how you solve the game’s many puzzles: some visual, some skill-based, and others audio based.
FIFA 1999 on PC
Ever since my brother was suckered into buying a 3D0 console system, I have heard good things about the FIFA soccer games that have been released. I have never been much of a fan of sports games. The only exceptions I can think of are Intellivision Baseball, Larry Bird and Dr. J Go One on One for the Apple ][ (also by Electronic Arts) and Konami’s Double Dribble for the NES. FIFA is most similar to Double Dribble. The action is team-based and quick (well, quick for soccer). One button shoots, one passes, and one steals. In addition to these basic controls there are more advanced combinations that allow you to pull some fancy foot work. The graphics are great and the announcers make it a fun game to listen to as well. I have come to the conclusion that sports games are the closest thing to a traditional Pac-Man era video game being produced these days. Simple twitch-based game play without attempting to interject story. The player is concerned more with points and improving skill over beating the final monster, etc.
Nox on PC
Nox is an action packed role playing game for the PC. Many would compare this to Diablo. Both feature hack and slash combat and are rendered in a top-down isometric view. Nox is a much closer cousin to console style RPGs like Phantasy Star or Zelda. The thing that sets Nox apart for me is its goofy sense of humor and the ability to make your character run around in a pair of briefs! Visually, the game is top notch, especially the use of shadows to obstruct areas not in the player’s line of sight. The action is very fast paced and fun, and the controls are easy to master. Über Geeks may be turned off by the simple non-D&D style of character development, but you have to realize that this is a different type of game. I have gone back and played through the game twice now and I’m still not bored of it.