The Best and Worst Games of 2012

2012 is winding to a close, and while there may be a few weeks left in the year, for all intents and purposes the gaming industry has slowed to a crawl until the first week of the New Year. Because of this, it’s time for year-end lists!

Last year had some truly great, landmark games. Dark Souls, Rayman: Origins, The Witcher 2, Bastion, and Skyrim were all experiences I enjoyed, most of which I still play over a year after they were released. 2011 was slightly less spectacular, but still a pretty big year for the games industry as a whole. Beyond just the games released, we saw a new Nintendo console; we saw Kickstarter become both a viable option for funding, and a major risk to take; we saw indie and free-2-play games blur the line between “retail” and “downloadable” quality; and we saw major discussions open up about how games are made, and more importantly, how women and violence are portrayed and treated in the medium. These are all watershed moments that will be remembered and discussed for years to come, and that really excites me and makes me proud to be at least a small cog in this machine.

But what about the games!? Well, as I mentioned, a lot of what I played in 2012 were games from last year. This is mostly because I’m kind of a weirdo and like to obsess over a game for long periods of time. But also, when it comes to “big” games, I sort of ignored the vast majority of them, and instead focused on the rather amazing year it was for the indie game scene. There was some immensely high-quality stuff this year, and indie games absolutely dominated both my time and my Best of 2012 list. So, without further ado, here are my…

8 Movies to Still be Excited About this Year

This past Saturday officially marked the beginning of Fall and the last quarter of the year. While we might be coming out this absolutely amazing Summer full of blockbusters we still have quite a few big hits coming out before the end of the year. From Middle-Earth to the middle of the sea I have got a list of eight movies that you all should still be very excited about this year.

Looper

Looper is the upcoming sci-fi movie starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as young Bruce Willis. The movie actually is hitting theaters this weekend and the positive reviews have already been coming in. Not only does it star two awesome actors but it is an original and exciting time traveling movie that aims to establish that perfect balance between kick ass action sequences and being mentally stimulating. I have yet to find myself unimpressed with JGL and Bruce Willis is in it. Need any more reasons to check it out?

Cloud Atlas

The Wachowski brothers are back and they seek to reclaim that high water mark they left on the sci-fi genre with the Matrix with their upcoming film, Cloud Atlas. Based on the David Mitchell with the same title, Cloud Atlas is still somewhat of mystery to those unfamiliar with the book. Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, and Halle Berry are some of the big names that make up the cast and all of these amazing actors are actually going to be playing multiple roles throughout the film. The movie is definitely a sci-fi film but it appears to take place at several points in time ranging from the past, present, and future. Based on the footage we have seen so far this movie could definitely serve to reestablish the Wachowski Bros as the kings of sci-fi.

The Man with the Iron Fists

During production of Django Unchained it looked like Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA might be joining Tarantino on the project but it turns out they were working on something else. The Man with Iron Fists is a Kung-Fu film written by RZA, produced by Tarantino and stars Kurt Russell. With credentials like that paired with the Kung-Fu genre are the recipe for one kick ass movie. We know RZA can write lyrics and at least at the moment seems to be pretty capable of writing screenplays.

Wreck-It Ralph

John C. Riley stars in what appears to be the Scott Pligrim of this year. The premise of the film is that a video game villain gets sick of being the bad guy and starts jumping from game to game. This animated flick seems a lot like a modern take on Toy Story for the current generation and while it appears to be catering to that specific demographic the trailer has got our attention by showing off some classic and trademarked villains such as Bower, Pacman ghosts and others. This one should be an amazing blend of comedy, sweet action and nostalgia.

Skyfall

Daniel Craig is back once again as M16’s most sylish secret again. Craig has been one of the most popular Bonds to date which makes his return directed by Sam Mendes highly anticipated. Antagonizing Craig in this newest Bond installment is Javier Bordem who has proven how capable of a villain he is in No Country for Old Men. This time around though he is significantly more blond. Blond, very blond.

Life of Pi

The popular and controversial book Life of Pi is finally being adapted and boy does it look amazing. When I first heard the book was being turned into a movie I was a little wary of how it would turn out due to vast majority of inner monologue which made up some 80% of the novel. As more and more footage is revealed though any doubts I originally had started to slip away. If anything the movie has most definitely captured the magic and fantasy of the book which is what really gets me excited about this movie.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Perhaps the one movie I am most excited about from this year. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first in a trilogy adaptation of Tolkiens’s The Hobbit. Martin Freeman is taking up the mantle of Bilbo and Sir Ian McKellan is returning once again as his role as Gandalf. While The Hobbit might have been a shorter read than the Lord of the Rings trilogy Jackson is using extra material from the appendices to really create a completely intensive, thorough and perfect Middle Earth experience. The question was floating around in the latest Power Cast –which can be found here– about whether we are expecting this trilogy to be superior to the original trilogy and I strongly believe that this could be the case.

Django Unchained

If one Tarantino movie a year wasn’t for you, you are in luck. While The Man with the Iron Fist is only produced by Tarantino, Django Unchained is both written and directed by the violence loving director. Tarantino’s first venture into the Western genre stars both Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx and apparently Waltz’s character is equal to the awesomeness of Hans Landa and Foxx is the coolest he has ever been. From people who got an early glimpse of the film at Cannes the two actors are not only amazing individually but the duo together are one of the best since Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. To top all of that Leonardo Dicaprio is taking on the role of the antagonist and he looks magnificently despicable. These amazing characters and actors paired with the fantastic directorial skills of Tarantino are sure to make Django Unchained one of the best of the year.

This year has already been incredible as far as movies go and it is only going to get better. While these are the ones I am most excited about there are even more out there that you shouldn’t miss. Once a few more of these bad boys are released you can be sure to expect a “Top Ten 2012 Movies” at some point or another from us. Either way, be sure to stay tuned to Powercords for all your movie news!

Scott Discusses Blade Runner Movie

Ridley Scott has recently been approached by Collider and asked about the visuals we could expect to see in his upcoming sequel to the much beloved Blade Runner. Rather than go into design specifics he instead just describes the beginning of a particular scene from the film. From what I gather I believe it is the opening scene but whether it is or not has yet to be disclosed.

Scott says that the scene takes place in the middle of nowhere and“there’ll be a vast farmland where there are no hedges or anything in sight and it’s flat like the plains of – where’s the Great Plains in America? Kansas, where you can see for miles.  And it’s dirt, but it’s being raked.  On the horizon is a combine harvester which is futuristic with klieg lights, because it’s dawn.”

He continues to describe how “the harvester is as big as six houses. In the foreground is a small white clapboard hut with a porch as if it was from Grapes Of Wrath. From the right comes a car, coming in about six feet off the ground being chased by a dog. And that’s the end of it, I’m not gonna tell you anything else.”

Regardless of how you felt about Prometheus, it demonstrated that Scott can make an absolutely beautiful film so it can be safe to assume that our jaws are going to be dropping for the Blade Runner sequel. I am curious as to see how to new movie will relate to the original 1982 film. In Prometheus we saw a rather large number of kick-backs to Alien (perhaps an excessive amount) which leads me to wonder what to expect from this new movie as far as references to the original. At this point not a whole lot is known about the film though so it is a little difficult to speculate. One way or another I am incredibly excited about this bad-boy!

So what do you think about the scene he described? What do you think is going to take place in the movie? Leave your thoughts and predictions in the comments below! One way or another I am incredibly excited about this movie.

7 Must-See Films of 2012

Hello readers! Please give a very warm welcome to our friend and newest addition to the pwrcords.com writing team, Marshal Ellison! For his first post, Marshal made up a list of films he is positive will rock your face in 2012. Be sure to comment, and be on the look-out for more articles from Marshal in the near future!

As of right now 2012 is looking like it is going to be a pretty phenomenal year for movies. The year is full of many long awaited sequels and prequels, as well as some

new films from great directors like Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) and Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect.

Prometheus

Thirty years afte the release of Blade Runner, Ridley Scott finally ends his sci-fi hiatus and is returning to the genre with a prequel to the Alien movies [Ed. Note – Fuck. Yes.]. The film was originally going to be a direct prequel that led right into Alien, but instead ended up being more focused on the giant species killed by the “aliens” that the crew of the Nostromo discovered at the beginning of the original Alien.

Link to trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIPlqEcfyhg

Gravity

Anyone who saw Children of Men knows Alfonso Cuarón can do action, and he can do it with style. Gravity is set to have that same intense cinematography filled with long takes that made Children of Men so good. This apparently simple story about a pair of survivors from a repair mission, trying to get home has already received praise from director Guillermo Del Toro who said it will push “a new boundary of filmmaking”. Not much else is known at this point, other than it will star George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, will be in 3D, and the first twenty minutes are one long take.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I know I am not alone when I say that The Hobbit was always my favorite out of the Lord of the Rings series [Ed. Note – something everyone at pwrcords.com agrees on.]. Peter Jackson brings us back to Middle Earth with part one of The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey. Jackson is splitting the adventure into two parts to tell the story in full, leaving out as little as possible. Martin Freeman stars in the film, portraying Bilbo Baggins, and Ian McKellen returns once again taking on the role of Gandalf, amongst a highly promising cast.

Link to trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight trilogy comes to its epic conclusion with Tom Hardy playing the villain, Bane, and Anne Hatheway appearing as Cat Woman. The first two Batman movies Christopher Nolan made are arguably some of the best super hero movies of all time, and based on his résumé stacked with other great films, I am sure it will not be a disappointment. Joeseph Gordon-Levitt joins the cast, as well as Liam Nieson once again playing the role of Ra’s Al Ghul, and of course, Christian Bale once again playing Bruce Wayne.

Link to trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GokKUqLcvD8

Django Unchained

Django Unchained is a film directed by Quentin Tarantino about a slave-turned-bounty-hunter and his trek across America in his journey to save his wife. While not an actual remake of the 1966 film Django, Tarantino did admit to be influenced by the film. With an all-star cast consisting of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Christoph Waltz, and Jamie Foxx and with all of Tarantino’s style this will be one you won’t want to miss

World War Z

Based on the novel by Max Brooks, World War Z is the story of a U.N. employee racing around the world in an attempt to stop the zombie pandemic. World War Z will have less of a George Romero feel and more of the intense action packed style of Children of Men. Based on the fact that director Marc Forster has a budget of $125 million to work with and the fact that reviews of the script all say it is great we might be looking at the next big zombie flick.

Iron Sky

Timo Vuorensola is directing Iron Sky, a film about Nazis launching an attack on Earth from their Moon base. Nazis invading Earth from their Moon base. Need I say more?

He is Legend no longer on hiatus, will record new album for 2012!

–By Brendan

This is exciting news! The experimental southern rock/stoner metal/post-hardcore band He is Legend are no longer on hiatus, and will be recording a new album slated for release in 2012, as reported by Lambgoat, and tweeted by frontman Schuylar Croom.

He is Legend have not recorded or toured since 2009’s It Hates You.