Top Five Movie Moments #5

#5 - Jurassic Park

There are few films that have been released in my lifetime, that I'm able to remember from personal experience at least, that have had a bigger impact than Jurassic Park. For a long time it was among the very highest-grossing films of all-time and the franchise's name still carries a lot of weight today, to such an extent where the oft-delayed fourth instalment in the series still gets me excited! The second and third films were pretty damn entertaining but surely everyone agrees that the first remains the best. I've watched it a good few times now as well, and here are my Top Five favourite moments from it:

Spoiler Alert: the Top Five Movie Moments featured here obviously assume that you've seen the film in question or don't mind knowing about its most prominent moments so don't come whining to me if they ruin a film that you haven't seen yet!

5... Feeding the Brachiosaur

The arrival in the park itself unquestionably fills you with awe and wonder, but if there's one scene that really transports you back into pre-historic times, it's the unexpected sight of a group of giant Brachiosaurs, their necks poking high above the treeline going off into the distance. I'm not sure if they really did sing like whales, and I can't decide if the snot joke adds to the moment or ruins it, but it's a poignant scene for sure.

4... The Philosophical Discussion

Jurassic Park is obviously an action-thriller, a classic example of the genre in fact, but if there's one non-action scene in it that I always look forward to, it's the discussion that takes place shortly before everyone embarks upon their 'tour'. Particularly noteworthy in my opinion are Dr. Malcolm's lines...

Malcolm: "The lack of humility before nature that's been displayed here staggers me."
Gennaro: "Thank you, Dr. Malcolm, but I think things are a little different than you and I feared."
Malcolm: "Yes, I know. They're a lot worse."
Gennaro: "Now, wait a second, we haven't even see the park yet. Let's just hold out concerns until..."
Hammond: "Alright Donald, alright, but just let him talk. I want to hear all viewpoints. I really do."
Malcolm: "Don't you see the danger, John, inherent in what you're doing here? Genetic power is the most awesome force ever seen on this planet. But you wield it like a kid who's found his dad's gun. I'll tell you the problem with the scientific power you've used here - it didn't require any discipline to attain it. You read what others had done and you took the next step. You didn't earn the knowledge yourselves, so you don't take the responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you knew what you had, you patented it, packaged it, slapped in on a plastic lunch box, and now you want to sell it."
Hammond: "I don't think you're giving us our due credit. Our scientists have done things no one could ever do before."
Malcolm: "Yeah but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should."
Hammond: "But this is nature! Why not give an extinct species a second chance?! I mean, Condors. Condors are on the verge of extinction - if I was to create a flock of them on the island, you wouldn't have anything to say at all!"
Malcolm: "Hold on - this is no species that was obliterated by deforestation or the building of a dam. Dinosaurs had their shot and nature selected them for extinction."
Hammond: "I don't understand this Luddite attitude, especially from a scientist. How could we stand in the light of discovery and not act?"
Malcolm: "What's so great about discovery? It's a violent, penetrative act that scars what it explores. What you call discovery I call the rape of the natural world!"
Ellie: "The question is - how much can you know about an extinct ecosystem, and therefore, how could you assume you can control it? You have plants right here in this building, for example, that are poisonous. You picked them because they look pretty, but these are aggressive living things that have no idea what century they're in and will defend themselves. Violently, if necessary."
Hammond: "Dr. Grant, if there's one person here who can appreciate what am I trying to do?"
Grant: "The world has just changed so radically. We're all running to catch up. I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but look - dinosaurs and man - two species separated by 65 million years of evolution - have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea of what to expect?"
Hammond: "I don't believe it. I expected you to come down here and defend me from these characters and the only one I've got on my side it the bloodsucking lawyer!?"
Gennaro: "Thank you."

3... Raptors in the Kitchen

Those stupid Raptors are determined things, aren't they? Actually, if this film and especially its sequels are to be believed, they were/are pretty far from stupid and this scene was their first real showcase. Some of the film's harsher fans may have been happy to see the chirpy fellows chow down on the blabbering Tim and the perpetually-terrified Lex but the kids put up a fight and ultimately manage to outwit the sneaky creatures in what surely be one of the most gripping scenes in the film.

2... Arrival in the Park

Prior to watching the film, if anyone somehow managed to avoid seeing the many trailers and spoilers that were doing the rounds, this scene would probably have had the same effect as it did on the film's protagonists - complete, dumbstruck awe! The scene is built up superbly as Richard Hammond persuades our heroic scientists to visit his island, and the longer they're travelling, the more we're wondering what they're going to eventually find. Of course, even the film's name gives a good idea but it still doesn't quite prepare you for the sight that soon befalls you. I think Dr. Grant summed it up better than I could: "It's, it's... it's a dinosaur!"

1... T-Rex Attack

Pretty obvious, I know, but let's face it - it sold the movie! Again, it was built up superbly, what with the lack of any dino-sightings on the actual tour, the approaching tropical storm, and the 'ride' breaking down right outside the T-Rex paddock. Then we get the famous ripples in the water before all hell breaks loose! The huge, toothy Tyrannosaur is an angry fellow and is fantastically realised on screen, using a combination of animatronics and CGI. The special effects were truly ground-breaking and, unlike many films that were championed for their effects, even ones released after this one (*cough*IndependanceDay*cough*), Jurassic Park still looks great today. The only thing I don't really like about this scene is the idiotic Lex turning up the giant torch. Why? Why would anyone do that? Stupid screechy kids. Still, least we got to see a lawyer get eaten, straight from the toilet no less!

**Bonus Moment!** I don't know about anyone else but there's one other moment that I always seem to notice - Laura Dern's arse! Hee hee!

SNES Platform Games #2

Skyblazer (1994)
By: Ukiyotei / Sony Imagesoft Genre: Platform Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Nintendo SNES
Also Available For: Nothing

The arrival of the monstrous 32-bit consoles in the mid 90's may have brought lots of flashy polygons and lighting effects with them but something else their arrival did was to overshadow a good few of the later releases for the trusty 16-bit machines, and among them was this offering from Sony which must surely have been one of the last games they made for someone else's console. It takes the form of a platform/adventure game and is actually pretty flashy itself which is just as well since its story is not. It's an adventure that sees you take the role of a young scamp named Sky, believe or not, which presumably means his adventure will take the form of a 'blaze' across the magical kingdom in which he lives; a magical kingdom, incidentally, which is now bereft of its princess, Ariana, who has been kidnapped by the nefarious 'Lord of War', Ashura, who intends to use her magical properties to summon Raglan, an ancient creature of unspeakable terror. The story gets a little more detailed with the odd piece of dialogue here and there but the basic objective is - rescue Ariana and smack Ashura upside the head!

"Talk to the hand..." etc

The quest at hand is a rather large one consisting of eighteen stages which are selected, and can also be revisited, via the map screen which shows them spread across the fictional world in question. They include the usual forests, castles, temples, and caverns, as well as a few more unusual locations, and they're patrolled by a considerable variety of enemies such as sorcerers, dragons, and strange monsters beyond description, all of whom are intent on depleting Sky's energy meter. He's a fairly agile guy though. He can run and jump around like any decent platform hero but he can also climb up walls as well which proves to be extremely helpful. His attacks come in two forms. The most basic sees him unleash his fury via punches and kicks which are so ferocious they leave blue swirly things in their wake! These are of course available without restriction. His more potent attacks requires magic power which is represented by a meter similar to the energy one at the top of the screen.

Amusingly, you can punch those little fireballs!

There are eight magic attacks in all but you start the game with only the first. The others are acquired one at a time after successfully vanquishing successive bosses and, whilst looking quite sparkly and flashy, actually only perform the usual old power-up tricks - more powerful projectile attacks, enemy freeze, temporary shield, smart bomb, etc. You can cycle through all the magics you've obtained and of course each has its uses. Using them depletes your magic power, but it's possible to collect bottles to replenish your reserves. Bottles to recover energy also exist and there are large and small varieties of each. The only other special items to keep your eyes open for are gems. Collecting a hundred of these will award you with an extra life but there's also some bigger ones dotted around which are worth ten normal ones. All these items are dropped by defeated enemies but they can also often be found around the stages, located in hard-to-reach places of course, so mastering Sky's movements is key here.

The map and stage select screen, believe it or not...

He doesn't have a huge repertoire of actions available but control over him is near-flawless, and it needs to be for much of the game. Quite a bit of the action is made up of standard platforming but Sky's agility is called into question on many occasions as well. There's some steep walls he needs to clamber up, the second stage mostly takes place through tree-tops with monsters hiding inside, the fourth stage sees him commandeer a mini-hang-glider, there's a Nebulus-style rotating tower stage with precarious little platforms, and some areas have moving sections of wall which need to be navigated very quickly to avoid a crushing! These comprise but a few examples of the varied gameplay on offer here, and there's also the bosses. Rather than the usual one boss per stage, here there's only ten boss battles, but they also invariably require lots of leaping and wall-climbing tomfoolery as well! Fortunately it's possible to use your magic during these battles and success is generally met with a chit-chat with the old man who guides you through the game and a return to the map screen from where it's sometimes possible to choose between several stages.

The first hang-glider stage is viewed from the side...

As mentioned, one area in which Skyblazer excels is the variety between stages. Some games try to add mini-games or bolt-on inappropriate sections that don't feel right but here the balance has been struck just about right. Each of the many stages is distinctive and each requires a slightly different approach without ever betraying the style and feel of the game. You even have to travel between continents on the map screen by hang-glider which sees the game switch to a 3D view, using trusty Mode 7 of course! A few other touches of Mode 7 have been used during the course of the game too, without ever going overboard, and that's typical of the graphics used throughout really - instead of trying to do too much, Ukiyotei have ensured that everything is clean, neat, and finely polished, and the result is fantastic. Accordingly, the sprites all feature an ideal amount of detail and the backdrops, whilst generally quite basic, are beautifully drawn with fantastic use of colour throughout.

...and the second is in scary Mode 7!

There's some nice special effects during the course of the game, such as the rain on the first stage, and the animation is nice too. The foreground graphics aren't as varied as the everything else, consisting mostly of rock, but all look great as well. Splendidly, the audio is also of a very high standard. The sound effects are good, although not hugely numerous or memorable, but the music is superb. The style is typical of the SNES and its distinctive sound chip and there's lots of different tunes which are very rousing and moody and add a lot to the atmosphere of the game. The various stages, as well as the aforementioned variety, are generally very well designed, and increasingly challenging as well (although there is a handy password system). Most of the usual themes are visited here at some point like woodland areas, slippy ice, deserts, castles, etc, but there is usually at least an attempt to do something a bit more interesting with them than the norm.

The obligatory ice stage, but it's a nice one...

When I first started playing this game my initial impressions of it were great anyway, but after the first few stages I really started wondering what might be in store for me on the next one too! Sure enough, throughout most of its length it continually surprised me, and pretty much always in a good way. The rise in difficulty is well-graded - the first day's play should see you reach the second continent but it does get quite tough and requires some quick thinking as well as quick reflexes. In addition to the modestly-numbered enemies there's plenty of traps and hazards around the stages such as moving platforms, spikes, fire, and all the usual stuff, as well as a few less common ones like rolling logs. Using (or saving) your magic power also requires a little strategic thinking as it can occasionally be used to pass some of these hazards. Overall, it's hard to think of anything bad about Skyblazer. The SNES sets the standard pretty high for platformers but this one is a tremendously entertaining, varied, and long-lasting game which deserves your attention, however belatedly. The last good release for the SNES? Probably not but it's certainly a good release. A very good one in fact!

RKS Score: 8/10

Overhead Run 'n' Gun Games #7

Alien Syndrome (1987)
By: Sega Genre: Run 'n' Gun Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 96,400
Also Available For: Master System, Game Gear, Sharp X68000, NES, PC, Amiga, Atari ST, MSX, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum

Like many game companies in the mid-to-late 80's, it seems almost certain that Sega were also bitten by the 'Alien' bug, so to speak. That is to say, they drew inspiration from the Alien movies for one (or some) of their games. The fact that this release came the year after the super-successful sequel to the classic 1979 film would tend to back up that theory as it's a game that may seem familiar to some fans. Rather than a gound-based colony, however, it takes place in a series of seven spacecraft. These were presumably craft operated by humans but they have become overrun by hideous alien creatures of various descriptions and their human crew taken prisoner. It therefore falls to Ricky and Mary, two suspiciously Space Marine-like soldiers, to liberate each ship in succession and eradicate the alien scum that now dwells within.

Splat! The laser slices through a horrible slug alien...

The interior of each craft is viewed from an angled overhead perspective and usually consists of a maze-like series of corridors, rooms, or open areas linked by walkways. The human captives, or 'comrades', are dotted around the scrolling stages and a set number of them must be rescued (by touching them) within a pretty strict time-limit before the exit is unlocked. This inevitably leads to a much larger and more dangerous alien boss who you must shoot the crap out of before moving onto the next ship. Each stage has unique enemies, usually two different kinds, and from the second stage onwards an infinite number of them are produced by Gauntlet-like generators. Destroying these will finally stem the flow of alien filth and allow you to cleanse the stage. If you want to, that is, as the only actual requirement is to rescue those pesky comrades.

The small, light-blue balls are the standard gun...

Blasting the idiotic aliens does take up valuable time of course, but it also makes the game a lot more fun! Each new alien encountered looks and acts differently to the last. Some can spontaneously reproduce, others chase you, but most of them are able to shoot at you. A single touch from any alien or one of their projectiles is enough to take a life from Ricky or Mary but surprisingly the aliens are just as fragile - from the first stage to the last, a single shot is all that's required to take them out. Except for the bosses, obviously. Typically, you start the game with a pea-shooter gun which just about does the job, but its range and rate of fire is somewhat limited. There are four other weapons available, however - laser, flamethrower, napalm, and a rapid-fire cannon - which, impressively, not only have unlimited ammo but also last forever as long as you don't lose a life.

The second stage boss in all its grotesque glory...

It's also possible to collect up to two small guns that follow you around and shoot backwards every time you shoot your normal weapon which can be shot in eight directions but only forward. These, and all the other weapons, can be collected from panels on the walls where you can also find bonus points and maps that show the basic layout of the stage as well as the location of the remaining comrades. Points are awarded at the end of each stage for any remaining time and for any comrades rescued beyond the quota but, if you're like me, you probably won't see too many of them! I usually tend to play games in a very meticulous way, trying to do everything and see everything, so I found the time limits to be quite tight. Aside from that though, Alien Syndrome isn't an overly tough game and is actually, dare I say it, even pretty fair.

Part of the reason for this it that the aliens are defeated by a single shot from whichever gun you're carrying at the time (even the one you start with) but it also helps that their movement doesn't seem to conform to any repeating patterns. Their appearances are apparently random and their movement is seemingly dependent on your own, so your progress is pretty much just down to your own ability. Accompanying you on your refreshingly-unfrustrating mission are some tunes and sound effects which aren't too bad, although not especially memorable, but about the only thing I don't really like about Alien Syndrome is its graphics. It's running on Sega's System 16 board which I`m not hugely fond of at the best of times and this means that most of the colours used are rather pale and drab and there`s some quite unpleasant patterns used for the stage floors. That aside though, there's little to complain about, and some of the aliens look great!

This is particularly true of the big and imaginative bosses and there's quite a few different normal sprites too. The two playable characters don't look much different and are even less different to play as but they're not there to provide a bit of variety - they're there to facilitate a two-player game, and they do that well. A few differences between wouldn't have hurt anyway though, I suppose! Oh well, it's still an enjoyable game, for one or two players, and proves to be a very addictive one as well. The stages themselves get bigger and more complicated but are never overly large or complex - this is a game that's about fast and frantic shooting and nothing more, and with the ever-increasing hordes of aliens in the later stages, you'll need to be precise as well as fast! It's a shame it doesn't look a bit nicer but if you can handle the offensive patterns, this is a game that's aged well.

RKS Score: 7/10

Awesome Nature #8

Toucan
Type: Bird Lives In: Central and South America Conservation Status: Least Concern

These strange-looking creatures have long been my favourite birds and it's not hard to see why! There are around forty different species of Toucan in all, varying in both size and colour, but my favourite, and also probably the best-known species is the one pictured - the Toco Toucan. It lives in South America across much of Brazil with its range also overlapping a few of Brazil's neighbours. Sadly, none of my own trips to Brazil have yielded a sighting of this splendid bird but there's a lot of them out there, mainly in the areas that are seldom touched by mankind (and long may it stay that way). I guess their poor flying ability could be one reason I haven't seen one in the wild but there's plenty about in zoos and the like, even here in the UK, where they can be seen hopping around, passing food to each other, and clunking their giant bills! I'll have to take a trip to the Pantanal one of these days where I might actually spot a few of them (or get eaten by a Jaguar).

Why It Is Awesome: Because they pass berries to each other!

F-Zero Series - Part 7

F-Zero GP Legend (2003)
By: Suzak / Nintendo Genre: Racing Players: 1-4 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Game Boy Advance
Also Available For: Nothing

Everyone knows the F-Zero series rules more than any other racing game series in the history of the universe so it's slightly odd that Nintendo hasn't thought to expand the franchise to other potentially profitable areas. Until now, that is! Indeed, unknown to me (because it didn't make it to the UK, as usual) there was an F-Zero anime series produced in 2003 known as GP Legend which centres around good old Captain Falcon, Dr Stewart, and a new 'good' character called Rick Wheeler (or Ryu Suzaku, depending on where you live) and their battles against Zoda, Black Shadow, and the other 'bad' characters. It was a good idea which, at the very least, adds more to characters from an already character-heavy series and, in a move that would make Capcom proud, it wasn't long before there was a game of the series of the game too!

As you might expect considering the inspiration behind this entry in the series, one of the play modes included here is a Story Mode. Experienced F-Zero players will recall, however, that this isn't the first time such a mode has graced the series. Much like the Story Mode found in F-Zero X, this one consists of a series of racing-based missions with set objectives which usually involve beating a particular opponent on a particular course, and they are punctuated by some nice anime-style cut-scenes to progress the story. To start with, only the new main character, Rick Wheeler, can be used here but it's possible to unlock more characters up to a total of eight, including a few more new ones, and they all have their own set of missions. And yes, you can play as the bad guys too!

As well as this splendid mode, GP Legend also features the usual Grand Prix events (arcade mode), this time named the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Cups, each of which consists of five races, and the Platinum Cup which consists of eight races and is unlocked upon successful completion of the others. Each cup comes with various difficulty options as usual, too. There's also a Link-Up multi-player mode for up to four players available from the off, and Time Attack and Training modes can be quickly unlocked. Curiously, there is also an all-new mode called Zero Test. This consists of forty-eight simple missions divided into four classes which are meant to hone your racing skills. It's a bit like the license tests in Gran Turismo - they involve completing a given section of track within a strict time-limit which is ultimately meant to improve your corning techniques and things like that and there are gold, silver, and bronze awards for how well you do.

The Story and Zero Test modes are welcome new additions but other than that it's business as usual here. The style of the game, aside from the anime influence, is a curious mixture of previous games. For example, the courses are presented in the same graphical style as the original SNES game (and Maximum Velocity) but the game also includes all thirty racers from F-Zero X (as well as a few new ones) and an attempt has been made to present their machines in the same way as the N64 game, from their supposed polygonal appearance right down to the ability to toggle their acceleration and top speed ratio before each race. Use of the booster is taken from both games too - you only get one boost per lap but it reduces your energy levels too. The resulting amalgamation is mostly very good but it's not a game without faults either.

The presentation is of the usual high standard - all the menus, machine profiles, and anime cut-scenes are really nicely done, and the fact that the in-game visual style is mostly based on the original game means experienced players will know exactly what to expect there - the courses are all flat and the backgrounds colourful but the amount of detail is somewhat lacking too. Having said that, there are a few attempts to imitate the GX visual style (grated race surface, busy cities at trackside, etc) whilst remaining flat but overall the visuals do their job well enough. The sense of speed isn't great while going in a straight line though, often resulting in sharp corners seeming to appear from nowhere, and the smaller screen size means the many unique machines are less easy to distinguish during races unless they're close up and this probably won't be too often as the poor little GBA is apparently unable to display more than four simultaneously.

Indeed, this means that despite the fact there are thirty contestants in each race, unlike F-Zero X, and even GX, the other racers are not flitting about all over the track and jostling for position in front of you as you can only see the three machines immediately ahead. If you start well and race well you may not see anyone else for the entire race! It's not always as simple as that though, obviously. Many of the course locations from the first game return such as Mute City, Big Blue, Sand Ocean, Red Canyon, Silence, White Land, etc, and a few courses are even based on previous ones, albeit rather customised. There's a few new locations too such as 'Mist Flow' (courses are shrouded in mist, reducing visibility), 'Lightning' (GX-style courses with grated floors), and 'Illusion' (where the tracks have no sides). There are several variations of most courses and they can get rather complex as usual!

One thing I definitely noticed about this game more than the other entries in the series was the number of jumps! There's blinkin' loads of them here, on most courses in fact. Not only that but they're often rather long as well meaning you have to get a good run up - bump the side of the track or another racer just before reaching one and you're doomed! Some jumps have more than one possible landing point too meaning there are a few short-cuts (which the computer-controlled machines always use, of course). Other features include forks (one route might have an energy field, the other might have dash plates, for example), and roundabouts, as well as all the usual stuff (super-hairpins, right-angle turns, slow-down patches, slidy stuff, dash plates, magnets, etc). The sheer number of jumps is surprising though - I'd like to think I'm a pretty good F-Zero player and while playing it for this review I won around 75% of my races. The only ones I didn't win is because I was caught out by a ramp and crashed!

For the most part, GP Legend is about what I was expecting. The graphics offer little new to the series and will be very familiar to fans, the sound effects are again almost all taken from the original game, there's the usual arranged versions of the various music tracks, and the courses are filled with familiar sights and features. The new stuff works well and is welcome though, and it doesn't take too long to unlock the other play modes. Zero Test should keep you going for a good while and there's also plenty of other things to unlock of course, primarily the other characters machines. There are only five available at the start but up to thirty-four are ultimately available to choose between, although the difference from one to another is far less pronounced here.

The first time I played GP Legend I thought it was a stupidly easy game but it does get a lot tougher. Most of the courses are well designed and feature some fairly complicated (and even confusing, on occasion) layouts, but generally they offer a good challenge. Some sections on later courses can reduce your power reserves from full to empty within five seconds (like the dense minefields) and the irritating pinball effect is alive and well again, and there are some rather aggressive opponents too. On the plus side, there's more recharge zones to compensate for the increase in hazards and the tricky method of banking introduced in Maximum Velocity is gone too. Anyone who's played a videogame before should still avoid the easiest difficulty setting though, or playing may end up being a rather lonely experience, especially if you're ultra-skilled like me! Overall, It's not the fairest game in the series and doesn't have the most finely-balanced difficulty in the world either but GP Legend is a great game, classic F-Zero really, and a more than worthy entry in the series.

RKS Score: 8/10

Film Review #36

Colombiana (2011)
Director: Olivier Megaton Starring: Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Lennie James, Callum Blue, Jordi Molla, Beto Benites, Jesse Borrego, Amandla Stenberg

Certificate: 15 Running Time: 108 Minutes

Tagline: "Vengeance is beautiful."

A while back here at Red Parsley I took a look at some of Hollywood's finest arse-kicking chicks. I'd like to think it was and remains a fairly respectable list but I've discovered a few more ladies lately who might also be worthy of inclusion. One featured in the superb 'Hanna' and it seems we may have another here in this thriller directed by the awesomely-named Frenchman, Olivier Megaton. The character in question is called Cataleya and is played by rising star, Saldana. We first meet her in Colombia as the child of Fabio (Borrego) who's a gangster trying to leave the employ of drug baron, Don Luis (Benites). Predictably, Fabio's intentions do not go down well with Don Luis who has him and his wife killed, but not before he passes a 'valuable item' wanted by his boss to his young daughter who of course manages to escape and find her way to the American embassy. Once she arrives in the US she seeks out an uncle, Emilio (Curtis), in Chicago who agrees to train her to fight and to kill.

We catch up with her fifteen years later where it emerges she has forged a successful career as an assassin while at the same time plotting revenge against Don Luis and his minions who have now also made the move to the Land of Opportunity. So yes, as you may have already guessed from the hardly-inconspicious tagline, Colombiana is a revenge film, and the thing that's often of vital importance with films like this is whether or not we care about the protagonist, namely the delightful Cataleya, and by extension her 'mission'. One thing's for sure - whether it's as a young, newly-orphaned girl (Stenberg), or as an adult trained killer (Saldana), she certainly impresses in the numerous action scenes which are of the chase, infiltration, and standard shoot-out types. As satisfying as these are, however, there is little emotional connection with our 'hero' despite some more tender moments with her boyfriend (Blue) and even an FBI agent (James).

It could be because she's avenging someone who perhaps doesn't warrant it - her father wasn't exactly an innocent bystander after all. Questionable motives aside, however, the end product is a fairly solid if not particularly original action-thriller. Few of the other characters are remotely memorable, and the film is probably offensive to Colombians, but Saldana just about engages the attention enough to keep you watching. There is one particularly superb scene involving a jail break-in, and some tense moments as the police close in on her, but I can't help feeling a slightly more polished script and a more sympathetic main character would've made this a gripping film for its entire duration. The involvement of Luc Besson (who acts as both writer and producer) can't turn this into a must-see thrill-ride but it's not a disaster either.

RKS Score: 6/10

Cover Art: Master System - Part 3

I was supposed to be taking a look at the cover art of some games for a different system next but the first and second parts of this series were pretty popular and I'm quite keen on doing a few more Master System cover comparisons too, partly because it enables me to see some more lovely (and previously-unseen) Japanese cover art but also because those non-Japanese ones are often so amusing! So, here is another selection for your viewing pleasure...

The Ninja (1986)
I guess the name pretty tells you all you need to know about what kind of game this is. Few games involving ninjas are anything but combat games but even so, clearly very little effort was put into the UK/US cover. If it wasn't for the shuriken (and its giant companion in mid-flight), this guy would look more like a medieval executioner than a ninja. The Japanese cover is far more appealing featuring a good indication of the kind of peril and intrigue our hero can expect as well as an example of the kind of locale in which he can expect to receive it. The main character doesn't look much like the one in the game though...



Double Dragon (1988)
This splendid brawler featured one of the best UK/US covers in my opinion. The logo/title takes up too much space, admittedly, but the image clearly indicates that not only is a street-fighting game, but also makes is fairly obvious that it's a two-player one too. I suppose most scrolling fighting games are two-player but even so - even the characters are good likenesses! The guy on the cover of the Japanese effort, however, looks like someone just yanked his junk! I suppose you would guess from the image that it's a fighting game but it's still perhaps the weakest Japanese Mark III cover I've seen and a rare example of a superior overseas cover.



Enduro Racer (1987)
I suppose neither of these covers are much cop really. Both feature motorbikes as indeed the game itself does, but neither really gives any more clues. You might assume from the Japanese cover that the game is a motocross game - I guess it is in a way - and using a photograph is pretty lazy but you can't get much lazier than the amusingly-bad cover on the left either!



Astro Warrior (1986)
I've always been rather keen on this fine little blaster but my affection for its cover is less enthusiastic! The blue triangular contraption could be an aircraft or a spaceship and it's shooting what could be a pizza or a car steering-wheel. I suppose it does at least tell you that there's shooting involved but just take a look at that fantastic Japanese cover! It clearly features a spaceship (although mainly by virtue of the fact that it's in space than anything else) but it does a superb job of indicating the kind of game that awaits. The long, flat alien base is similar to that in the game and shows that the game is almost certainly going to be a vertical-scroller too. Great stuff!



Spellcaster (1988)
I'm not actually sure which I prefer out of these two - they're both pretty good but obviously feature the kind of artwork most common in their part of the world. So, the overseas version features a fairly serious image of Kane battling some sort of fiery magician dude whilst the Japanese cover predictably uses an anime/manga-style image. I'm not sure how many small naked girls I can recall seeing in the game though. Both covers look pretty nice but I think the UK/US cover actually does a better job of depicting the style of game (although I'm not sure why Kane has a sword - he casts spells in the game, hence Spellcaster!)...



I hope you liked the latest selection! I have a few more MS covers lined up for praise/ridicule but after the next post I really will be moving on to another system... :)

Arcade Shmups #10

Star Force a.k.a. Mega Force (1984)
By: Tehkan Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: ???,???
Also Available For: Nintendo NES, Sharp X68000, MSX, Sega SG-1000
Download For: Wii Virtual Console

Most of the games I feature here at Red Parsley seem to fall into one of three categories: either old favourites from my youth that I'm fondly revisiting, classics I've known of for many years but never gotten around to playing, or obscure, little known games I've never heard of. This early Tekhan (Tecmo) release, however, falls into a much rarer category. It's apparently a very-well known and influential game, but one of which I previously had no knowledge! Eeek, how did that happen?! I suppose the fact that it wasn't converted to any home systems I owned at the time is a slight excuse but still! Luckily, thanks to the wonders of emulation I am now able to rectify this glaring oversight!

As many of you probably already knew, it's a shmup of the vertically-scrolling variety. What you may not have known is that it's set in "the year 2010 of Dimension Almanac" and pits you against the "mysterious planet named Gordess which was moving in the darkness of the cosmos for the purpose of mass murder and plunder". Jeepers! Predictably it falls to you to end this horror by piloting the 'Final Star' space patrol vessel through the twenty-five areas into which Gordess is divided. Contrary to the information provided with the game, these areas are apparently all enemy installations which have been constructed on asteroids or something of the sort floating in the expanse of space.

These metallic-looking enemy base things take various, seemingly random shapes and are built on different colours of what I assume must be rock. Adorning their surface are various objects which can be destroyed by the Final Star but they are not weapons. The threat comes exclusively from the many small enemy ships which zip about all over the place. There are around twenty different types in total and, whilst they almost always appear in groups or formations, they have many different methods of attack. Each stage is named after a letter of the Greek alphabet and at the end of each is a large boss ship bearing the letter in question which is your target.

Successful destruction of the boss ship will of course provide immediate progression to the next stage which, aside from perhaps a couple of new enemies, features more of the same. Your only weapon with which to strike down the evil minions of Gordess is the mighty 'Star Beam Gun' bolted to the front of your small but formidable ship. It shoots an unspectacular twin-shot straight ahead but it's enough to destroy most enemies with a single shot and it can be fired quite rapidly too. There's just the one power-up available which doubles the size of your ship and increases its rate of fire, but that's it - you'll get no more help, so this is definitely a reaction-testing game throughout!

Considering Godress has ruled for 2,000 years and "everyone gave up fighting because of its awesome power", it's a surprisingly straight-forward task to end its oppression! To watch someone else play the game may also make it look like a rather easy one but it is actually a pretty tough challenge. The surprisingly-numerous stages are of differing lengths - one might take a few minutes to play through, another thirty seconds, but there's little variety. The bosses are the same, and the graphics for each stage, whilst fairly detailed and well-drawn, are merely different-shaped arrangements of the same grey squares with various-coloured rocky surrounds.

The explosions are poor too but there are a few things to keep you plugging away. Shooting certain areas of the 'ground' occasionally unveils bonus icons. If you can find all of them during a stage, a nice bonus awaits at the end of the stage! The instruction book of the NES version also speaks of 'seven mysteries' that the game contains which are mainly other ways of obtaining bonus points. Star Force is still a simple game though, even by shmup standards, but I don't think its simplicity is a restriction imposed upon Tecmo by the limited technology at the time - there were more complicated shmups around, after all. I think it's supposed to be this simple, and it works... to a degree.

This may be a game I knew little (okay, nothing) of before playing it for this feature but it immediately reminded me of a game I have played before, namely Astro Warrior for the splendid Master System which, as it turns out, is a Star Force clone. My affection for Sega's game means my first impressions of this 'original' were great - control of the ship is smooth and accurate, the blasting action is slick and fairly balanced, and the action is accompanied by a few nice tunes. As mentioned, new enemies are introduced quite often and some of them can get really fast, whizzing around the screen spewing bullets all over the place. The grey scenery is fairly well-designed too - certain parts of it block your shots, forcing you to keep on the move to wipe out as much of the advancing scum as possible. I must admit though, the more I played it, the less I felt compelled to continue playing it. Unusually for a shoot 'em up, I just didn't find it particularly satisfying. It's a slick and playable game throughout, and considering its age its fantastic, but unfortunately the lack of variety takes a toll in the end.

RKS Score: 6/10

Lush Food #2

A Rare Treat

As those who know me will already be well aware, my favourite food of all-time is without question curry. Whilst keen on most varieties found on Indian restaurant menus, I tend to stick to hot chicken-based ones such as the Vindaloo and usually have several a week, whether home-made or preferably from a takeaway. For me to go longer than this without a curry is almost unheard of and one of the only times I do is when.... I'm on a long holiday!

The mother-in-law's fine pastels garnished with chillies!

As some of you may know, I'm currently into the fourth and final week of a trip to a far-off land (Brazil) where curries are unknown and, accordingly, times like this can be a source of great difficulty for me. However, where on the one hand the lack of many of my favourites are causing me to endure withdrawal symptoms, on the other hand I can look forward to special treats that cannot be found in the UK but which are commonplace here. Chief among these are the delightful 'pastels' I discovered on my very first trip to the country in Rio de Janeiro. Contrary to popular belief, these are not merely delicately coloured crayons but are also a mighty lush foodstuff that originated in Portugal. Subsequent research reveals that several other mostly Hispanic countries have foods that share the same name but it's definitely the Brasilian variety that appeals to me.

And the auntie's, with some uncooked on the right...

They are a fairly simple savoury fast-food often found on the menus of cafes and restaurants but their popularity here, particularly in Rio and Sao Paulo as far as I can tell, means that there's even dedicated 'pastelarias' which pretty much only sell them. But wait... what are they? Well, in typical fast-food style they're not very healthy for one thing! They're usually square or semi-circle shaped and made of a crispy, bubbly, deep-fried pastry filled with a variety of tasty ingredients! These can of course include boring things like vegetables or disgusting cheese but the best ones contain various meats. My favourites predictably feature chicken with a good few dashings of 'pimenta' (spicy sauce similar to Tabasco) which is a permanent fixture at most Brasilian dinner tables.

Although my last few trips to Brasil have taken in what has become my favourite pastelaria in Sao Paulo, this trip has seen both my mother-in-law and my auntie-in-law make special pastels just for me! The resulting feasts have been of monumental proportions and also included masses of pimenta, and it got me thinking... given how simple and lush these things are, combined with their rarity in north-western Europe, maybe I should open my own pastelaria in England! Hmmm, unless I ended up giving everyone food-poisoning. I'm just getting over a non-pastel-related bout of that myself so I know it's not the most enjoyable affliction! Well, whatever else happens, one thing's for sure - even if I do have to wait another two years for some pastels, it'll be worth the wait!