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The Tudors - Review

When we compare the present life of man on Earth with that time of which we have no knowledge, it seems to me like a swift flight of a single sparrow through a banquet hall on a winter's day. After a few moments of comfort, he vanishes from sight into the wintry world from which he came. Even so, man appears on Earth for a little while, but of what went before this life or what will follow, we know nothing.
- King Henry VIII / The Tudors

I recently finished watching The Tudors and I love it! Now I know that a lot of liberties were taken with history and events, a lot of characters got changed around to make a better drama or some were completely removed from history in order to make the show more accessible. All of that still doesn't change that it's a great show with interesting characters set in world far more dramatic than any soap you may watch today; history is just way more complex and brutal than anything any author can come up with I believe. In my opinion the show shines because they take liberties with history and authenticity; the creators clearly focused on making the characters accessible to a modern audience with our standards/values on how a powerful, young and beautiful King should look like - something the real Henry VIII was considered in his time but by today's standards he would just be considered ugly, fat and probably uncool.

The fact that I only knew very general things of the history behind the show worked great for me because most of the executions and betrayals I did not see coming and it added a sense of dread when you realize that real plotting in these past brutal times was not based on some master plan but rather on a chaotic mess of wills that caused a lot of innocent deaths. I would also recommend anyone to do like me and read Wikipedia while watching the show to get insight into the real history behind the characters; it really feels like a punch in the stomach when you read many of these tragic fates loosing their heads/lives on a whim in a time that makes fictional shows like Game of Thrones look like civilized times. The show is also smart to occasionally be extremely accurate to history by lifting dialogue and poetry from the real people behind these events which adds a sense of depth to the events.

What I love about the show is how by retelling history in a dramatic condensed way the characters naturally become very grey and multi-layered, for example King Henry is a murdering bastard and has the blood of many innocent people on his hands, yet with others he is this loving, funny and charismatic guy that you really like despite his other murdering side. The other thing I really love is a general liking of these kind of stories, when you follow a whole life from youth to old age and seeing what relationships remain (the reason Merlin 1998 ruled), in the end I really ended up feeling sorry for King Henry because so many people were dead and he was this sickly old man; a contrast that hits you when in Season One he is a very young, positive, idealistic, healthy man. Finally I also want to give the show credit for the handling of the Protestant vs Catholic conflict because I ended up sympathies and feeling infuriated with both sides at the same time.

The Tudors really is a show with many flaws (costumes, inaccuracies, dramatic license with supernatural elements etc.) but at the same time the cast has made these characters come to life in a way that it made me feel extremely sad when the show ended. I simply realized that I would miss Henry, Charles Brandon, Mary Tudor and the others and that if anything is a sign of a show that I can recommend. It's a show that starts of slowly (Season One being the weakest) and just keeps getting better and better with each season. Now I hunger for more shows set in this exciting time period but all I'm left with is The Borgias - The Subway of TV shows and that makes me sad beyond words. So if you're looking for an exciting show set in a time filled with intrigue, backstabbing, a lot of sex and some really touching scenes and moments then you should definitely check out The Tudors. I give you my blessing.

Why I'm a PC gamer...

I'm mainly a PC gamer and damn proud of it, especially now past this E3 and seeing the three major console manufacturers abandon more and more of what I consider core gaming with silly "cinematic" games that play themselves, series with complex gameplay being reduced to simple action games and being called "improved", where immersion is considered using whacky gimmick controllers to look like an idiot while sacrificing gameplay precision, not to mention calling 3D being the next step in graphics when it's running in 560p and 30FPS where as I run most of my PC games in 1080p and 60+FPS with field of view that doesn't look like I'm wearing blinders.

I've come to believe that consoles are silly locked systems that work with some genres but for the general core experience I think that any core game would fit much better on the PC with it's higher graphic fidelity, moddablity that allows you to customize most details of your game, and finally that it's an open system that encourages innovation and has always been known to push the boundaries. I'll point out that countless series that are huge on consoles today had their start on the PC platform, either as series or the developers started there, games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo, Bioware, Rockstar, Epic Games the list goes on.

So in today's multiplatfrom climate where sadly the PC doesn't get to be lead platform that often anymore, it still baffles me how many of the best multiplat games end up having the best version on the PC. I can understand that PC lead platform games shine above the rest because of the push in technology the PC represents. However even games that were released in a gimped consolized form on the PC, such as Mass Effect 2 below for example, end up modded and improved with the result being that the console version looks worse than the PC counterpart.

PC version with texture mods:


Default PC/Console version:

BioShock Infinite E3 2011 Teaser

BioShock Infinite is an upcoming first-person shooter video game, and the third game in the BioShock series. Previously known as "Project Icarus", it is being developed by Irrational Games for a 2012 release on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. BioShock Infinite is not a direct sequel or prequel to previous BioShock games, taking place in an earlier period and different setting, though it features similar gameplay concepts and themes. The player controls a former Pinkerton agent, Booker DeWitt, as he attempts to rescue a woman trapped aboard the collapsing air-city Columbia in 1912.

Irrational Games is at E3 and they're demoing their current project BioShock Infinite, which comes out next year. They released this teaser trailer composed entirely from gameplay footage and I must say that this is looking like another masterpiece in progress from Ken Levine - the mind behind the System Shock games. What has me worried watching this is that it seems to good to be true, the amount of freedom and how large the areas appear with the seemingly insane amount of badass moments leaves me worried that this is just too ambitious to actually live up to it's vision. Still I simply adore the art direction which to me is on a different level compared to the dank and dark Rapture from the first BioShock; and then there is nothing more creepy than creepy stuff happening in broad daylight located in a place that looks like an utopian vision of the American Dream and patriotism.

Battlefield 3 - Shooter of the Year

I just finished watching EA's E3 conference and I am left blown away by the PC version of Battlefield 3 shown. Not only is it the best looking game I've seen to date (Yes, it makes Crysis look old!) but the tech appears to have been used in such a way to further the gameplay. I was also left feeling nostalgic about the time when I played Battlefield 1942 back in the day with huge battles containing 64 players, vehicles and how all of that was extremely impressive back in the day. Now today I got to relive those feelings in seeing Battlefield 3 and the push in technology that it clearly represents. It's something I've been missing for the past year in gaming - seeing technology used to further the experience and immersion. The game looked like a movie during a few select scenes for Christ's sake and I am now praying that my computer will be able to run it at an impressive setting or this might just be the game that will make me upgrade.

It's especially amusing with this presentation because I was watching the Modern Warfare 3 presentation on Microsoft's conference a few hours ago and being struck with how rehashed it appeared and looked almost exactly like the previous games (since 2007!!!). Now I am baffled at how old and silly Modern Warfare looks compared to what I saw of Battlefield 3 - it just appears to be a game from another level or even next generation of gaming. I can only hope Battlefield destroys Modern Warfare's hold on shooters today so we can have a higher level of quality from now on. Still I think that might be hard because it looks like the game will require a beast of a PC to play it on the settings shown at this conference and that kind of narrows down the audience if the console versions don't end up beings just as impressive on their platforms. I will say that today on National Day of Sweden it is appropriate that the Swedish pride developers DICE are really representing and showing that they have joined a select group of elite developers. Cheers!

Frostbite 2 Engine - Features Trailer
"Thunder Run" - Single Player Gameplay Trailer
"Operation Metro" - Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer

Dark Souls E3 Trailer

New amazing trailer for Dark Souls which is now my most anticipated game of the year after the release of Portal 2, Witcher 2 and the delay of The Last Guardian. Then again we'll see in a few days what E3 has to offer to get me excited. In the meanwhile my excitement for Dark Souls assures me of a bright gaming fall/winter. Thoughts on the trailer are that I like that they seem to be focusing on delivering a more fleshed out dark and melancholy story this time around compared to Demon's Souls, but the main thing that excites me is the atmosphere and the eerie dark fantasy world that the game radiates. I simply love the real-looking functional armors and weapons combined with monsters that look like they've been pulled out of the manga Berserk (read it if you have the Gutts) and the resulting gritty bleak world that this seems to create.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Impressions

I'm currently playing Witcher 2 even though I really don't have the time since I should be focusing on my studies, still I couldn't help dedicating a few hours this Friday and Saturday to the game. I'm currently in Act I (three acts total) and so far the game has been superb. It's a lot more polished than the first game and the graphics have been insane - and I'm not just talking about graphics but the amount of detail in character models and environments can at times be staggering. It's such an immersive world because of how the graphics are used to push the beautiful artstyle as you can see in the screenshot I took above and I'm not even maxing the game graphically because it's a beast, but I'm still very satisfied in the visual results I've been getting.

Otherwise the story so far has been really interesting and I like how politically loaded it feels, it adds an edge to it because everything feels grey and I find it very hard to decide who to trust and believe in at times. The decisions so far have been few but I'm glad they seem to go the route where I'll have to take the consequences much further into the game. When it comes to the gameplay I feel that the fighting system is greatly improved since the first game but it does feel a bit awkward in the beginning before you get into it. The quests so far have been good and I appreciate that they let you be a badass in even the simplest side quest missions and going on routine monster killing missions can turn into something extra because of the powerful graphics engine - like when I wandered around the forest of Flotsam and night fell and it felt almost like a horror movie running around killing monsters in a forest during the night.

If I have any complaints so far it's that the game is noticeably developed by a small somewhat inexperienced team with not the greatest budget behind them - there are sections that don't quite have the polish that they deserve such as the voice and lip synch, the audio in general could have been better mixed, some clipping issues that can really get annoying in combat when your sword doesn't always connect with enemy, and lots of small annoyances in the design such as not being able to go from inventory to character screen but having to exit back to the game and into a new screen. These small blemishes detract from the game but the greatness that has been achieved here still keeps me glued to further explore this beautiful world and intriguing story.

The Aviator

I recently re-watched The Aviator by Martin Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes and I can't believe that I've all but forgotten about this pearl of a movie. I find it to be an extremely inspirational movie and Howard Hughes seems like the ultimate kind of crazy guy to tell off all the average naysayers of the world. It also a very funny movie which is gold in the genre we call drama; especially since the movie at times gives me One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest vibes because of all the crazy stuff. In fact I like this Scorsese/Leo collaboration a lot more than the recent Shutter Island, mostly because it doesn't rely as much on atmosphere and setting, instead it focuses on telling select parts of an interesting life story. I recommend everyone to check this movie out since I really get the sense that this is an overlooked movie that deserves more attention.

Exquisite Vector Posters

I stumbled upon these Vector Movie Posters by Grzegorz Domaradzks a while back and I've been meaning to share them for a while now since they are absolutely stunning. This man is unbelievably skilled in Illustrator and Photoshop. The results, as you can see for yourselves, are exquisite displays of talent, as well as a profound understanding of the spirit of the different films depicted. My favorites are Blade Runner and Mulholland Drive but these small samples don't do them any justice, so I urge everyone to click the links below and behold these in beautiful high resolution.

+ Vector Movie Posters vol.1
+ Vector Movie Posters vol.2

My Most Anticipated Games 2011

The current year of 2011 is looking really spectacular for all of us gamers, with so many great games coming out that I probably won't be able to buy half of them, so I thought it would be appropriate to list the ones I absolutely can't wait to get my paws upon. Unlike last time I made a list like this I'm going to keep this list short with the absolute top games I want to try out, this does not mean I'm not interested in playing other great upcoming games left off this short list, games such a Battlefield 3, L.A. Noire, Shogun II: Total War, Batman: Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, Uncharted 3, RAGE etc. All of these games look great in their own way but since I'm an old bored gamer I've left my list exclusive to games which appear to be doing something intriguing and special.

Click images to see trailers.





Team Ico's neverending project is still my most anticipated games and even though the development has been covered in secrecy, every time a new piece of information is presented the game seems to be heading in the right direction. There is not much to say that I haven't said last time I put it on a similar list, but I guess I can repeat some of it. This game looks absolutely magical and reminiscent of the innocent creative experiences only possible in one's childhood. It simply looks unique and unlike any game I have seen attempted, except for other Team Ico games, and I guess that's what gets me so excited. The only worry cloud about this are the reports of trouble in development, but it's not something I really worry about since it's a Team Ico game and while they haven't made many games they also haven't made a bad game yet. I think Fumito Ueda is to gaming what Hayao Miyazaki is for animation and they are both needed in their respective formats, now more than ever since creativity seems attacked from all fronts these days. I think that many years from now when gaming actually becomes accepted as a legitimate artistic format we will talk about these games as the forerunners, rather than most of the big sellers of today's gaming.





Demon's Souls is my favorite game this gen, it was bold and broke most of the rules established in recent years when it comes to games and game design, mainly it's a great example of a game based around a single idea - an uncompromising vision that despite flaws took me on a ride I haven't felt in years when it comes to games. Dark Souls is looking to really earn the title of "spiritual successor" to Demon's Souls, it's looking beautiful but mainly it's looking to expand on things that made Demon's Souls great. The developers have mentioned that the game might be even harder than it's spiritual predecessor, a more open world has been established for greater exploration, and the whole thing just oozes atmosphere and a solid refined dark fantasy world. I'm getting the Deluxe Edition once again on day one if the developers manage to pull a game like this for a second time.





Speaking of role-playing games the sequel to The Witcher is also looking absolutely stunning. I never got into the original game because I had issues running it as well as the world having some juvenile elements such as collecting naked cards and other quirks that I found did a disservice to the otherwise great dark fantasy world. Don't get me wrong however, I do feel sexual content is appropriate in a dark fantasy game but not in the silly form of collecting cards with daring pictures of your conquests. Now with the sequel it seems like the developers are making a game truly built on the strengths of the PC with unbelievable art-direction and graphics that look to make this the best looking role-playing game this coming year. This game as a whole shines brightly in the coming year judging by all the preview material which has only made me more and more excited. I think these guys are close to pushing Bioware off the role-playing throne, and I at least will not be surprised if they succeed judging by how laughable Dragon Age II looks compared to this.





The first Deus Ex from 1999 is among my absolute favorite games of all time. It was a unique mixture of genres in a world filled to the brim with darkness and conspiracy - an unforgettable game many years ahead of its time. This sequel/prequel to the first game is not being developed by the same studio as the first two games; which is a bit concerning I must admit. However everything I've seen from them and this game has helped ease me into actually believing that they might just pull off making a great sequel to one of the best games ever made. I get the distinct feeling that these guys actually get it, they get what Deus Ex is all about, while at the same time bringing the game design up to today's standards. My only fear are the few reports that the game is still buggy, something which I'm really hoping will not be a problem upon time of release.





Another sequel in a year filled with them, however picking on this sequel as unimaginative would be pretty crazy considering all the information that has been shown to date. It looks to take the tech-demo status of the first Portal and actually make a huge and great game from that basic idea. So far this looks to be an actual puzzle game being given a huge budget because the production values shown so far have really appeared to be amazing with the lab test chambers literally being constructed around the player. I expect that I will once again be getting a headache from a game that will make me think too hard with it's often time confusing and extensive puzzles. What worries me about the game is the inclusion of co-op multiplayer gameplay, since I'm not sure puzzle games are a greatest setting for such modes, but as long as it doesn't affect the single player I'll be satisfied.





I guess this is something of a wild card, to be excited about a downloadable small art game but it's being developed by thatgamecompany - the studio which brought us FLOW and Flower. These games were more experiences rather than games and they really made me feel something new which is worth thousands of hours from a normal run of the mill game, at least to a bored gamer like me it is. The trailer for Journey has reassured me that this studio is going to deliver another great experience that I won't soon forget. The world looks more lonesome and melancholy in this game, but beautifully constructed and the idea of exploring it together online with another person is somehow appealing to me - but I guess that last depends on the company you choose to take your journey with. Simply put, this just looks special and unique and I'm looking forward to my journey.

Killzone 3 Single Player - Impressions

Killzone 2 is among my absolute favorite shooter this entire generation. It had some flaws however, like the minimal mostly uninteresting story, the few glitches here and there - such as hiccups and sometimes really long loading times. On the other hand it remains a fine example of a game being based around a single idea and approaching that idea in an almost perfect manner; the heavy sluggish controls everyone keeps complaining about I considered absolutely brilliant since they did what I think should be done to make first-person shooters on a console relevant - they were slower and slowed down the entire game and as a result we got some really methodic and brutal gameplay that erased the idea of "auto-aim" from a console shooter once and for all. It was a beautiful console game with a great art-direction and it was among the most intense, dark and horrible war experiences since the first Gears of War.

So you could imagine my excitement when I got my hands on Killzone 3 a week ago. I already knew the graphics had been improved but wouldn't impress me as much as last time around because the game is just not as a big of a leap as Killzone 2. I had also seen that the reviews weren't too happy with the story but I didn't pay that much mind since like I said; the previous game didn't exactly win any Writers Guild Awards two years ago. But none of these things disappointed me as much as the so called "gameplay improvements" that had been done to the campaign. I will give them some things which I found had been made better, I liked the slide mechanic, I also really loved the new sounds of guns blasting and some of the locations were exciting visually, but the biggest praise I can give the game is that despite being disappointed in it I ended up having a lot fun during large portions of the game with its basic gameplay.



However the game remains disappointing mainly because it feels like Guerrilla Games lost faith in their own vision - the vision and the world that they so well realized in the second game. I guess my biggest complaint with Killzone 3 is that it feels like a game made by Sony "Suits" and not by the great and passionate developers at Guerrilla Games. It's a game that has listened to all the expert critiques of the world that disliked the previous game, and completely ignored the fanbase of mentioned previous game who loved it and the way it separated from other games in a first-person shooter genre that has become increasing stale lately. We the fans of the second game suddenly got a game that feels more like a sci-fi spin-off Call of Duty game - with faster gameplay and shooting mechanics with auto-aim (on by default), a jumping storyline around different locations, huge set-piece moments every cutscene and a storyline delivered under the serious prolonged impression that it is interesting.

It's basically the definition of a game with an identity crisis and it's really sad that people like me who bought Killzone 2 for the exact reason to avoid twitchy retarded gameplay of a Call of Duty shooter are now being forced to play such a shooter in a Killzone game. I can imagine how the Suits from Sony had a field day with this game because it got put in line to appeal to the Call of Duty mass audience, and many of the other additions feel like pure business decisions made by Sony execs to push the many different hardware projects of theirs - PlayStation Move support, 3D-TV support. I get the distinct feeling that too many chefs were at work behind this game and that the soul of Killzone has been severely harmed by these design decisions. Because we now have a world that feels very inconsistent; the countless on-rain elements (probably for the sake of Move), the fact that Helghan all of a sudden has many different environments, lots of colour and is no longer the industrial hellhole which I learned to love, the fact that the Helghast all of a sudden have the most advanced technology known to man in the blink of an eye when in the previous game they were the sci-fi version of a decaying Soviet Union.



The list can be made long on why this game disappointed me but I think it's sufficient to say that it's just sad that another game was stripped down of the many elements which made it unique and interesting in the first place, and instead we have been delivered another run of the mill shooter with very few things that make it stand out. A big part of me hopes that this experiment fails on the sales front and that Guerrilla Games gets their chance to return to the root of the series with a hellish battlefield gameplay in the future and none of this trendy cinematic hold-your-hand watered down bullshit that's attempting to copy the shitty Hollywood. Oh, and I want to deliver one last complaint, while I loved Uncharted 2 and it was a great game and I can understand why Guerrilla is looking up to their achievement, I still think it's completely inappropriate that a Killzone game sports such a similar main menu theme music as an Uncharted game. It's sad though because the game is still good despite these shortcomings but that only makes it worse somehow; there is just too much lost potential I guess because the game could have been one of the best games this year.

Boardwalk Empire Title Sequence

The cool opening sequence for Boardwalk Empire - a new time piece crime drama from HBO that chronicles the life of Nucky Thompson, the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who was equal parts politician and gangster during the prohibition in the 1920s.

The Last Guardian Official TGS 2010 Trailer

New trailer for The Last Guardian, from Tokyo Game Show 2010. I'm so damn excited for this game but also so very pissed that it's taking them so long to finish it. I was hoping I'd be playing it this holiday but it looks like I'll have to wait until next year.

Title: The Last Guardian
Genre: Adventure
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: SCE Studio Japan
Release Date: Q4 2011
Exclusively on: PlayStation 3

Mad Men - The Carousel

Nostalgia – it’s delicate, but potent. . . . ‘Nostalgia’ literally means ‘the pain from an old wound.’ It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a spaceship; it’s a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called the wheel; it’s called the carousel. It let’s us travel the way a child travels – around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know we are loved.

The reason Mad Men is my favorite TV series is mainly because the show is filled with scenes that really stand out; I guess it would be more accurate to call them moments. These moments usually come from nowhere and can make a good episode great in just a few seconds. One pattern that has emerged however as the show has progressed is that every season finale to date has featured one or more of these true Mad Men moments.

"The Wheel" as the season one finale episode is called is still to this date my favorite episode from the show, largely thanks to the scene above. The first season is really special because everything was still new and mysterious, but what I think really set it apart was the sense that the writers were unsure whatever or not they would be coming back for another season, so it really felt like they weren't holding back at all when it came to the story.

So I guess it's natural that season one has many of my favorite episodes from the show and is literally filled with great scenes and moments. None of them are equal to the scene above, in which our protagonist Don Draper pitches a campaign to Kodak for their new line of "wheel projectors" - the projectors ended up being renamed "Kodak Carousel Slide Projectors" and this scene speculates how that could have happened.

Instead of focusing on reinventing "the wheel" in a modern way as Kodak higher-ups suggested, Don decides on a nostalgic pitch where the projector becomes more than just another new piece of modern technology and instead becomes "a time machine". A carousel of memories that takes us on a ride to the different places and moments in our lives. This whole scene is made even more powerful because Don uses his own personal family photos to pitch his campaign to the executives.

Don's blatant longing for his family and the clear ache of separation / isolation that he feels towards them really is heartbreaking and sealed Mad Men as the best drama series on television for me. However this scene is especially poignant to me personally, because now years later I still watch the scene from time to time and I actually feel the emotion that Don Draper must be feeling in it. I've lost some important people in my life these last couple of years and I can feel myself aching to go back again, to that place / time where I knew I was loved.

I have recently noticed this shift in perspective that I have experienced as I've followed the show, more and more I am relating to Don Draper rather than Pete Campbell when I'm watching new as well as old episodes. My life has been turning for the better in these past few years, despite the sad things, and my success actually seems feasible and almost certain at this point. However at the same time I have the distinct feeling that a lot of what was originally me had to be sacrificed to get to this point.

I just hope there is more redemption in my life, compared to the life of Don Draper.

Boardwalk Empire

I love HBO, or more specifically I love HBO one-hour dramatic television series. In the past I've rested by button eyes on Oz, Rome, Deadwood, The Sopranos and now I'm currently following The Wire (I know, I'm late.) and True Blood. All brilliant TV shows in their own way. Especially The Sopranos, and since then I haven't gotten quite the same fix of a great gritty crime show focusing on a crime perspective of the story.

However it looks like in exactly one week my wish is about to be fulfilled and I've been waiting eagerly since I first heard about it this summer; I'm of course talking of HBO's latest project which really seems to be shaping up to be something extraordinary. Boardwalk Empire is a new original TV series from HBO about 1920s mafia activities in Atlantic City and the reason I'm so stoked is because of the gentlemen involved.

Martin Scorsese has produced and directed the pilot episode of the Boardwalk Empire, and he is expected to continue to be creatively involved in the ongoing production. Add to this script by Terence "The Sopranos" Winter, Steve Buscemi (Fargo) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) in leading roles and set design / costume that has cost more than the entire production budget of all four seasons of Dexter - and you have a series that I would not miss for all the honey in the world.

The series begins in 1920, when America is facing major changes. Alcohol Prohibition, The Great War is over, Wall Street is about to boom, a time of social change when women are getting the vote etc. Atlantic City seems to be filled with corruption, murder, beatings, promiscuous women and classy outfits. I think it's going to take a lot for me not to end up loving what appears to be another success heading our way from HBO. Will it become the next Sopranos? We'll just have to wait and see.


Boardwalk Empire Promo #1
Boardwalk Empire Promo #2
Boardwalk Empire Promo #3

Just Do It.

Nike feat. Oscar Pistorius - Bad Listener.
Nike feat. Oscar Pistorius - This Is How I Fight.

Speaking of great advertising, I've been meaning to blog about one of the best ad-campaigns and slogans of all time for a while now, as you might suspect I'm referring to Nike's "Just Do It." slogan and the general idea in their advertising that come along with it. You can tell that the slogan carries weight from the simple fact that Nike has stuck with it for the past twenty years, and since companies don't run on charity it is a pretty good indicator that it's getting the job done. And why wouldn't it? It's advertising based on pure emotion and actually throws a direct competitive challenge to anyone viewing these ads, which can only be right and appropriate for a company so associated with different sports.

Nike are regularly brilliant at advertising and there are many classic ads over the years that have come from them, they have a smart strategy of repeating their mantra over and over again while at the same time associating their brand with new and hot sports and the different top level athletes found in these sports. The ad above is one of my favorite Nike ads of all time, it has come in a few different versions thought the years. Oscar Pistorius is simply inspirational and epic-looking despite his disability, the fact that the disability is barely acknowledged at all is telling, there is no shred of pity for him anywhere in the ad. However the strength of this ad is not Oscar's great achievements, the strength is that the ad challenges you to strive and be the best that you can be.

Looking at the ad above I instantly get an urge to go running and all excuses of why I shouldn't or silly doubts about why I can't are made to sound ridiculous and petty. And that is why these ads are so effective, they are clean, emotional and they associate with the best within all of us. I'm personally a big fan of positive advertising and Nike have here managed to associate their brand with the one trait humanity can actually be proud of; the ability to overcome. I've grown up with their slogan and their ads, and from personal experience I feel that they have worked on me for I now aspire for the day when I'll own my own quality Nike running shoes. I will associate it with my own success. I can do more and I can do better, and so can all of us. I want to believe in the best of us and not the ugly and the low. Just do it.

House - Season 7

House season 7 starts in just a few weeks and judging by the promos, the tagline "Love/sick.", as well as the summary for the season opening episode have made me cringe and decide not to tune in. When I started watching House it was probably one of the boldest shows on television and I could never have imagined it would sink to the hotchpotch mess of the past few seasons. Still, I remained a loyal viewer for the sole reason of Hugh Laurie's brilliant portrayal of House, but even that no longer seems to keep me interested. The story lost any idea of going somewhere a long time ago and the writer have sunk to the level of just delivering fan service these days, House as a character has become a caricature of the quirky genius from the early seasons, but the main issue I have with the show is it's terrible attempt at becoming a multi-character drama like Mad Men, with the result reminding me of some bad soap opera. House used to be my favorite show when I first started watching it and it really saddens me to see such a decrease in quality but at the same time I finally feel that now is the time to move on. There are better shows to watch out there and I'm no longer wasting my time for old-times sake.

Mafia II - Impressions

I finally finished Mafia II a few hours ago and I am left with mixed feelings about it. Mafia II is somehow, surprisingly disappointing, and several steps below from what I expected in terms of quality, despite it's surface polish and sometimes amazing; and cinematic graphics. The main problem I have with the game is that it feels so tightly controlled and I literally felt like I was driving from one piece of the story to the next despite having a whole city to explore. It's strange because Empire Bay is a superbly crafted city and when it's at it's best you really feel the setting of vintage America - the magic allure of a more stylish time in American history. I mean let's be honest here; this is the closest I'll get to playing a game in an era so close to the style of Mad Men.

Still, I was hoping to get more interaction with the city of Empire Bay itself, to socialize with its inhabitants, to be able to enter more houses/apartments in the city and buy them, to do some side jobs outside of the story, to pick up a girl in a bar, buy her a gift, marry her, stuff that gives you the illusion of freedom outside of the otherwise strict story. Instead you get the main story, which is usually top-notch, and all you can do in between the main story missions is change clothes, drink/eat, crush cars for money and rob stores. Empire Bay is great visually and drips with a lot of atmosphere like I mentioned, but it lacks the most important details to make a fully believable picture, and quite frankly often times feels dead and empty despite looking so busy on the surface.

The other big gripe I have with the game is the story. Don't get me wrong, it's a great story in many ways and you really get attached to many of the characters. My problem comes from the fact that the story quality is so uneven and I literally felt many times throughout the game that stuff had been cut and important scenes edited out. I mean there is literally no relation or interaction with Vito's family despite him falling into crime for the sake of settling a family debt. Another example is when Vito early on in the game ends up in prison and when he finally gets out the first thing our protagonist does is to visit his friend Joe and start a new crime adventure. My question at that point was why his sister wasn't mentioned at all. The game simply feels like an initially epic story spanning decades that didn't quite make it due to troubles during a long development and things simply needed to be cut out.

And that doesn't just apply to the story because there are quite a few moments where I'm feeling like I'm playing an unfinished game, like my contacts that are suppose to have jobs for me but throughout the game keep telling me to come back later, like a phone I can pick up but there are no numbers to call, like the cabs and the public transportation that I can't use; all leave me with a sense of playing an unfinished game. It's really sad to see so much wasted potential in what I feel could have been one of the greatest games this gen. However despite all of these issues, I have to say that I had a blast finishing the game, the basic shooting and cover gameplay was satisfying as hell, the setting was amazing with a solid story, and very few things beat wearing a tailored suit with a Tommy Gun in your hands feeling like a totally badass mafioso.

Sony BRAVIA 2010

BRAVIA NX800 系列 - Monolithic Design Concept
The Design Story: 2010 Sony BRAVIA HDTV

Sony's new BRAVIA HDTVs for 2010 are probably the most stylish televisions around at the moment. You might say that they are ridiculously pristine. The design is clinically clean, fresh and modern, especially on BRAVIA NX800 above with stand. I don't know how well they perform visually but if I had the money and a home to decorate, I'd definitely put one of these as the centerpiece of my living room.

Sony is a strange company, sometimes they make some of the most stylish pieces of home electronic equipment around, other times they seem to have no idea what the hell they're doing on the the design front. This time they nailed it and I can recommend everyone interested in learning about the design of the new TVs to check out the mini documentary above so they can learn about "Tatazumai". I just hope that the next PlayStation from Sony is going to be based around the same ideas when it comes to design.

Happiness...

"Advertising is based on one thing, happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay." -Don Draper

The new season of Mad Men is making me appreciate great advertising once again and the SONY BRAVIA bouncy balls commercial remains one of the most amazing works of advertising in recent memory. It's simply based on the premise of what Don Draper talks about above how advertising is based on happiness, with the addition of magic in this case.

DIRECTOR Nicolai Fuglsig
ADVERTISING AGENCY Fallon fallon.co.uk
MUSIC BY Jose Gonzalez