Emulating the Greats

Yes fellas (and fellettes,) Tron Legacy is less than two months away, and I get to hear that long-awaited (on my part at least) Daft Punk score. If that video is anything to go by, then it is just a sign of what could be the best original score since The Social Network. Admittedly, I just bought it yesterday, and I'm still reeling from the tremendousness of the film, but more on that later.

Apologies for not posting yesterday, but I was far too busy downloading some of the best games I'd ever had the privilege of playing. I hadn't played these games for years. The reason? I thought I'd moved on to bigger and better things, but now, in a somewhat bizarre turn of events, I find myself having a more engaging and worthwhile experience playing games on a Sega Mega Drive emulator than I have in quite some time with a PS3. Micro Machines, Robocop vs. The Terminator, Paperboy and STREETS OF RAGE!!!! (THIS ONE IS MY FAVOURITE) are all just classic games, the likes of which you'll never find today, with some rare exceptions. Obviously, the graphics aren't nearly as advanced as recent games are, but the gameplay in certain titles back then was just so simple and easy to pick up and play, it was a gratifying experience. Nowadays, there's just so many damn buttons for combos, etc, it takes days to even get a hang of it, let along master. Now this doesn't mean I'm going to regress back into Mega Drive mode, I mean come on, Force Unleashed II and Call of Duty: Black Ops are out within 2 weeks of each other. I actually can't wait. So yeah, back to my point. I think that until I either find my old Mega Drive in the attic or buy one from eBay, I'll be using this emulator for the time being.

Here's the link for the emulator: http://www.eidolons-inn.net/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=574

And here's the link for the ROMs (the games): http://www.freeroms.com. You can thank me later.

Now moving away from the realm of retro gaming, and onto The Social Network. If this film doesn't win at least one Academy Award this year, I'll be very unimpressed. Of all the people, Justin Timberlake's performance as Sean Parker is actually fantastic. Now I know he won't have a chance of winning Best Supporting Actor, because that HAS to go to Andrew Garfield, but more on him in a minute. JT still does very well in this film, and deserves a lot of recognition for turning himself around from that guy who was bringing sexy back while rocking his body at the same time. I can now find acceptable to like the man now. When Brandon Flowers made comments that no singer should act, and vice versa, he was talking shit, rather like his latest musical venture (AY-OH! ...I'm such a bitch.), in rare cases, it can actually turn out very well, rather like the aforementioned Timberlake performance.

And now, on to the star of the show, a certain 27 year-old named Andrew Garfield, who's going to be swinging onto our screens in 2012 as the new Peter Parker. But now, he's rightly deserved all the praise he's earned for his performance in The Social Network, it's a show-stealer, and like I said earlier, he needs to win an Oscar for this, a Golden Globe at least. I can't stress this enough, but it'll be an absolute travesty if he doesn't emerge from awards season without a damn thing. A TRAVESTY, I TELLS YA!

Another thing about TSN well worth writing about is the score by Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross. It's very atmospheric, and synth-tastic, but it fits the mood of the film perfectly. I find it hard to believe it's the first score Reznor's done outside of a few things for Quake (it's an old PC game for those unaware), but there you are. I bought it yesterday, only £8 from HMV, BARGAIN, so yeah, or you could Spotify it too, it's on there as well: http://open.spotify.com/user/dhmufc/playlist/2JEOV7zt5O3Z3YKMC6nKx4

I've made it into a playlist for you, give me a comment if it doesn't work, and I'll post another link.

Also grasping all my spare time at the minute is Final Fantasy IX. After downloading it from the Playstation Store and copying it to my PSP, (which is SO helpful for when you can't find a Moogle to save with, by the way,) I've been playing it non-stop for a fair while now. After giving up due to boredom at the end of Disc 1 of FFVIII, IX is so much better.

I have to go now, I'm watching Hamlet, the 1996 one directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, and I'm loving it. Who knew Andy Daly would introduce me to something awesome?

Darren out, saying alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now?