CITY BOY GEEKINESS

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Sequels can be a hit or miss. Sometimes they're innovative and add a new element to the series or they can completely miss the mark, removing the novelty that was acquired from the last game. Luckily, the last few games in this video game series have been good with only a few setbacks. I recently completed all the chapters and storylines so it deserves a place on the blog. The game that I will be reviewing is the survival horror sequel: Resident Evil 6.


The Premise: Set several years after the events of Resident Evil 5, the President of the United States has decided to disclose the events behind the Raccoon City outbreak in 1998. However, before he was able to do so, the world is soon pulled into another international B.O.W. incident of epic proportions. Spanning through four different character storylines over the course of one year, Resident Evil 6 follows the development of the new C-Virus, the malevolent forces behind the outbreaks and the heroes working to save the world.

A few of the main characters (L to R): Helena Harper, Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong, Jake Muller, Sherry Birkin and Chris Redfield.
Resident Evil 6 is four interlocking storylines where the characters interact with each other at different points through the year. The chapters include: the zombie outbreak with special agents Leon S. Kennedy and Helena Harper, the J'avo missions with BSAA soldiers Chris Redfield and Piers Nivens, the Edonia escape with Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin, and the behind-the-scenes adventure of Ada Wong.

Where To Play: Resident Evil 6 is available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.


The Good: Resident Evil 6 wasn't just one game - it was four. Depending on the type of gamer that was playing or which previous Resident Evil they preferred, there was a chapter made to that style. Zombies (early Resident Evil), J'avo (newer Resident Evil), Ustanak and spy missions were the enemy types included. Personally, I loved playing through the zombie levels because it reminded me of the earlier Resident Evil games (Leon's chapter). Also, per each style, there were new weapons to experience and the main player HUD screen changed for that character.

Even though the main story was broken up into four parts, I loved the narrative. It felt an improvement over Resident Evil 5, which was lacking for character development. I felt for the new characters - they weren't thrown in to propel the established icons but were integral to the story. Will we see most of them again? Probably not. However, there were a few that have the potential to be good allies (as supporting, most likely) in the future.

The Bad: There are only a few things I didn't like about Resident Evil 6. The first would be the J'avo enemies. I understand that they're like the bad guys from the fourth and fifth game but the experience was TOO Call of Duty - it ruined Chris' and half of Jake's chapters for me. If I wanted to play a tactical war game, I would. The second would be the storage space for items. Internal space was fine but at times, it did get frustrating trying to make room and figure out why I couldn't pick up items. Plus, there really was no development for weapon upgrades besides unlocking skills (which needed to be purchased).


The Results: 7/10!
Resident Evil 6 was enjoyable, I'll give you that. However, I could have done without some of the chapters. With so many characters added to the story, there needs to be purpose to have them around. The story improved over the last installment and the return of the zombies is a highlight to purchase the game. Plus, the graphics were amazing, with one scene in particular in setting the mood for the climax of the storyline. For those of you still undecided, I would recommend to get Resident Evil 6 because for five chapters within each of the four storylines, it was surprisingly a long and worthwhile game.

Agree or Disagree with the review? Share your thoughts below and let us know what you've thought of the game.
High Fashion is a completely different entity. Sometimes it can be the polished brand-name trends displayed in boutique windows around the world or those outrageous designs lining the runway. Taste is everything! Knowing what's on-trend and when to differentiate between the two is a skill not many celebrities have seemed to figure out quite yet. The next two designers that I'll be talking about today have transcended their acting days to become one of fashion's hottest young designers around. 

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are fraternal twin sisters who have premiered several popular runway collections, as well as writing best-selling books. "The Row" and "Elizabeth and James" are their two current fashion lines which span into both male/female clothing (well, for E&J only) and accessories such as sunglasses and handbags. Currently, the girls have retired from acting to focus solely on their international fashion lines.

I've always known that Mary-Kate and Ashley were fashion designers but I never paid much attention to their lines. After doing some research between both, the men's line for Elizabeth and James could be something I'd check out in New York. The cost may be a little steep, though all fashion pays a price to have something different (not even touching something from Dsquared until I'm ready). The Row is more high-end, it would be perfect for parties or special events to look more polished and up-scale. If you're interested in looking at each line individually, head to The Row and Elizabeth and James (the lookbook site for E&J may be down).

The image below is from the 2011 collection from The Row:


A lot of pick-ups this season and very few cancellations so far.

The big U.S. television network CBS has revealed that they have ordered full seasons of their two Thursday night dramas: the Sherlock Holmes-inspired Elementary and the crime drama Vegas. Both rookie shows will receive the final back nine episodes of their first seasons which will bring their total numbers to 22 episodes each.

For the 2012-2013 fall season, CBS delivered the first cancellation with Made In Jersey. No news yet has been revealed about struggling comedy Partners.

What did you think of both shows receiving full season orders? Shout out in the comments and let me know what you thought of the seasons so far.

It's going to be a Happy New Year indeed!

Teen-dominated network ABC Family has revealed yesterday their long overdue season premiere dates for Winter 2013. The network, which has aired popular programs like Pretty Little Liars and Switch at Birth will return with a wave of brand new episodes to start January 2013 with a bang.
 
Dates to remember:

Switched at Birth - Monday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (Season 2)
Bunheads - Monday, January 7th at 9 p.m. ET/PT (Returning) 
Pretty Little Liars - Tuesday, January 8th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Returning)
The Lying Game - Tuesday, January 8th, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Season 2)
 
Viewers can also check out the special Halloween themed episode of Pretty Little Liars on Tuesday, October 23rd at 8 p.m. ET/PT! Check your local listings for times and channels. Canadian viewers can catch Pretty Little Liars on MuchMusic and ABC Spark for a list of other ABC Family programming.

Excited to see new episodes from ABC Family? Post in the comments and let me know what you think of the shows.


Today seemed to be the day of renewals.

Not just maybe an hour or two after Arrow received its season pick-up, FOX revealed it would be renewing its superstar talent competition The X Factor for a third season. The singing reality show, which has been adapted from the U.K. television sensation, has premiered its second season with two new judges joining the panel, Princess of Pop Britney Spears and former Disney starlet Demi Lovato.

The X Factor has been averaging around 10 million viewers each week in the U.S. and is set to reveal the Top 16 - after what will forever be known as the 'Scheduling Mishap' day. It is not yet confirmed whether any of the four current judges will return for Season Three.

Also in television renewal news, Showtime revealed that Homeland will be returning for a third season. The award-winning CIA drama features such acclaimed actors as Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.

Are you excited to see The X Factor and Homeland return next year? Post in the comments below and let me know what you thought of the news.

Comic-book fans rejoice!

As revealed through a tweet today by Arrow star Stephen Amell, The CW has chosen to pick-up a full season order of the freshman drama. The order entails receiving and producing scripts for the remaining back nine episodes, increasing the episode total from 13 to the full 22.

Arrow premiered two weeks ago and came out strong in the ratings. It became The CW's highest rated fall premiere date in three years since the premiere of The Vampire Diaries in 2009. What makes this news even more promising is that Arrow has only aired two episodes before receiving the full season pick-up.

In regards to The CW's other new rookie fall shows, E! Online has reported that the network has ordered three more scripts each for both Emily Owens, M.D. and Beauty and the Beast.

Are you excited for the season pick-up? Shout out in the comments and let me know what you thought about the series so far.
Sorry for the delay in posting another movie review since the last one. Though, in that time, I was able to catch a few new movies and programs. One of those movies was an indie flick I wrote about in a previous entry for this site. This mini review will be for the novel-to-film adaptation of the popular Young Adult book: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.

The Premise: Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) is a shy and awkward freshman who has just started his first year of high school. After a few days of feeling isolated and alone, he meets two seniors, Sam and Patrick (Emma Watson and Ezra Miller respectively) who invite him into their group of friends. Love, friendship and new experiences - Charlie begins to open up and transform into a new confident person while dealing with his own personal demons from the past.

The Results: 2/5!
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower was more provocative and expressive than I had originally expected (I mean this in a good way). This may be due to the fact that I haven't read the book nor did I read the book before watching the movie. Film adaptations of popular books are a tricky subject because characters can express how they're feeling through their POV in the novel while in movies, the character needs to emote and present to the audience the thought. I liked the performances of the three main characters and the emotion they brought to the characters. However at times, the storyline confused me a bit and took a while to work through the direction of the plot. Overall, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower was a good movie. Will it survive the test of time? Maybe not. Though, I would absolutely watch it again and add it to my list of favourite movies.

"Another one bites the dust."

That was part of the tweet I wrote when I found out the next fall TV cancellation. As reported by several major outlets today, NBC has decided to cancel rookie show Animal Practice from its line-up. The comedy which featured Crystal the monkey as one of its castmembers was plagued with low ratings and continued protest from animal-rights organization, PETA.

NBC will continue to air the remaining episodes of the freshman comedy until November, when sophomore comedy Whitney will premiere its second season in the now vacant timeslot. The decision has received mixed feelings from fans as another NBC fan-loved comedy Community has been left in television limbo without a premiere date set anytime soon.

Animal Practice is the second new show to be cancelled this fall season; not including the unaired Dane Cook show which was scheduled for mid-season on NBC.

Are you surprised to see Animal Practice cancelled? Sound off in the comments and let me know what you thought about the now finished show.
Another year of renewals, pick-ups and cancellations have officially come to an end as the new television season starts for 2012-2013. Mostly 90% of the new fall shows have already premiered and I'm beginning to pick and choose which ones I'll be following. I don't have DVR so it's either watching live or online (or with my handy mobile apps that I downloaded beforehand).

Last summer I created a post about the five shows I was excited to watch premiere - three of those shows got cancelled (I'm not bitter). Though, I was hesitant to write this feature but I'll see if it has the same outcome again. Based on the five big U.S. networks, five new programs stood out to me at a glance. I've watched the first few episodes of each show below and have been impressed so far.


Arrow (The CW)
Arrow is the television adaptation of the DC comic-book superhero, The Green Arrow. It isn't the first time I've watched a superhero television show, let alone The Green Arrow. The character of Oliver Queen appeared on The CW's Smallville for a couple of seasons when the show was still on the air. It was a great show, though I caught up with the storyline periodically from time-to-time. From all of the previews I've seen and Arrow's first episode, Arrow looks to be a really great show. It's dark, gritty and includes cast members I enjoy like Katie Cassidy and Willa Holland.


Elementary (CBS)
Sherlock Holmes is hilarious (I can't help it). This new modern day adaptation of the Scotland Yard investigator takes place in  New York City with Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson. There have been several crime solving duo television shows in the past and Elementary provides a fresh take on the concept. Neither lead characters are police officers, their setting isn't the police station and there isn't a blatant comedic foil. Being a drama/mystery type of show, there will be "case-of-the-week" episodes with a new case to solve. I'm not sure if there will an "arc" or a recurring villain but with only two episodes airing so far, we'll see how the season develops.


Nashville (ABC)
Another music show. Hey, I like musicals and theatre! Nashville focuses on the trials of performing in country music and the career of two very different stars: Rayna James (Connie Britton), the 40-year-old superstar who's star is falling and Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) the current sensation on the scene. I'm not the biggest country music fan but Nashville does stand out as something I'd really like to see beyond the first episode. Both lead actresses are amazing in the pilot and combine this with Glee and SMASH, I'll have three very different music shows - one teen (Glee), one theatre (SMASH) and one showbiz (Nashville) storyline.


The Mindy Project (FOX)
Three episodes have already aired and I absolutely like The Mindy Project. Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) plays a quirky OB/GYN who is looking for true love and is obsessed with romantic-comedies. I never watched The Office but I've heard good things about Mindy Kaling and this show did not disappoint. It has that New Girl vibe to it and could be a nice watch for someone that can relate to the main character's dating life.


666 Park Avenue (ABC) 
Apparently this show is based on a book adaptation (which is surprising as I usually know these things beforehand). 666 Park Avenue is a supernatural-drama that takes place inside the halls of a New York City apartment building. Soap opera dramas like this are great to follow for the twists and turns but after two episodes, I'm interested to learn more about the building's history. Maybe I'll pick up the book to read the full story before they make changes? 

Beyond just these five shows, there are a lot of others that I'm excited to see. Plus, there's always the mid-season replacements to catch something brand new in January.

Already have your fave new shows for the season? Share your comments below and let me know what programs you’ll be tuning in!


Today marked the first day of the end for low-rated fall shows. What many might have already suspected, CBS officially cancelled Made In Jersey by pulling it after two episodes. The legal drama, which starred Janet Montgomery as Martina Garretti, focused on her life as an attorney in a New York City law firm.

While Made In Jersey didn't outperform in its two episodes, its Friday night timeslot was expected to provide some leeway before a cancellation notice. Friday nights are generally regarded as a weak ratings night - networks are more understanding with the low numbers.

Made In Jersey will now join a list of programs that hold their record as the first show cancelled each fall season. Last year's was the 60's inspired drama The Playboy Club, which was cancelled by NBC after three episodes.

Did you expect Made In Jersey to be cancelled? Sound off in the comments and let me know what you thought of the show.