Wrestlevania

Finally got my Xbox back from Microsoft last night and so duly Christened it with Fallout 3. I'd forgotten how cinematic the opening score is for the title screen, which is unchanged from Bethesda's "sneak peak" web teasers. Really good, but not something I'd describe as anthemic still. The music production throughout the character creation and escape sections early on were also very good. Playing with headphones deliberately, so I can better appreciate the soundtrack.

Well, my (new) 360 arrived in the post from Germany yesterday. So I finally got to fire up Fallout 3, having restorted to flipping through the manual repeatedly over the weekend in impatience. I've only played up until the point where you first venture outside. But, for a 3D version of what I've experienced of the Fallout series, Bethesda's game definitely feels "right" to me also. There's one thing that's slightly bothering me, though, about the escape sequence:

Ah, but you're implying we didn't like the original. Which isn't true. I thought Casino Royale was the best bond film I'd seen a very long time. And an excellent movie in its own right anyway.

Been listening to a lot of Editors lately. They just get better and better each time--can't wait for their imminent 3rd album!

What really pissed me off about that promo shot is that it's not even a scene in the film.

No, just some healthy launch day cannibalism by a massive UK retailer. It's probably jumped backed up to full price now. Wrestlewatch Update: My 360 still hasn't arrived in the post. Come on, Microsoft!

I thought Quantum of Solace was arse, personally. It's like a dragging mega epilogue to Casino Royale that doesn't make much sense and robs eye-rolling set pieces from at least half a dozen earlier Bond films. It's total over-reliance on making reference to obscure or complex Casino Royale references, as though you'd just literally finished watching the former film right before seeing this one, was frustrating in its vagueness and intangibility. Basically, to me, QoS smacks of filler and I'm very disappointed--as were the 3 other people I went to see it with (Mrs V, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend).

I know the scene well and it's a good illustration. The whole film, in fact, has a superb soundtrack, making it all the more memorable for it I think. Having pondered this thread over the weekend, maybe it's the use of "music as a narrative" that is the point we're all looking at. When we couldn't have full speech in games - or full text even, in earlier games - I think it's right to identify that music was used to heighten the player's investment in the game. (Monkey Island and TIE Fighter in particular both reinforce this for me, personally.) Yeah, I think you're right; less dependence on "music as acting" is where we are with modern games. They're more subtle nowadays, typically, but still carefully crafted. I guess I miss big, anthemic productions in games now. I love music - especially electronic - but haven't heard anything really powerful and all-encompassing in gaming for a while. I'm also somewhat disillusioned with the greater prevalence of "proper" music in Video game soundtracks today, too. I don't mind if it's genuinely interesting or appropriate music (GTA4 is a diamond), but then there are a lot of AAA titles that just have catalogues of licensed music thrown at them time and again. I hate to say it, but EA's "BIG" brand is one of the worst offenders. There's stuff on the Burnout Paradise soundtrack, for example, that's either a simple remix - if not exactly the same track - as appeared on things like SSX3 years ago. NB: I get no audio playback on my iMac. What codec did you use? (I've got Xvid and DivX both up to date.)

Sounds more like late 70s classic Mastermind to me.

I was all traditional and shit and sent you an email yesterday. ...but not to this address! This isn't the same address you have on the Thumbs.net homepage!

Cheers, Chris. Mrs V picked up a bargain copy of Fallout 3 this afternoon as it happens, which I'm really looking forward to playing. Just need my 360 to hurry up and get back from Germany! (That's where the European repair/refit centre is, you see.)

Whole-heartedly agree; Unbreakable is suuuperb! I reckon Marvel should've kidnapped Shyamalan, locked him in a bunker somewhere and made him write the screenplay for The Punisher--probably the Jigsaw storyline. I'm thinking this because the trailer for the C-grade sequel looks total arse. "Hmm, what can we do to make these truly dull, recycled sets look different..? I know, a metric fuck-tonne of coloured gels in EVERY shot!"

Oh, FFS...

Mine expired in March this year, but if you get 3 red lights its an automatic refit in Microsoft's eyes.

I suspect this is the real reason why Grandpa Sachs wanted this kept off the radio.

Well, at 8-9 years old it's not exactly contemporary I'd say. Not given how few years (relatively) I'm reaching back for Lucasarts' classics. Granted, it is fucking cool though. But I wasn't intending to say "ALL modern game soundtracks are COMPLETE AND UTTER FILTH" either. Just that there are so few landmarks at the moment I'm struggling to recall any in recent times. I can't think of anything on the 360 I'd count as having a classic soundtrack, for example. I don't recall ever catching myself whistling a modern game's main theme while washing up.

I suspect it's MrChaz is telling the truth, actually. If correct, he's the 4th person I know of who's on (at least) their 5th Xbox 360 now.

My wife just picked me up a copy in Sainsbury's; they're selling standard retail copies on Xbox 360 for £29 a pop. Bargain! Just need my 360 to arrive now...

Having given the irritating tramp a moment's ponderation and - given that photo of her posted on the previous page - I wonder how long it'll be before some moron starts citing her as "the British Dita von Tease"..? Failing that, Gorgina herself makes a play for the monicker--with no small amount of support from Clifford's PR goblins, naturally. Know what? I hate her already.

Considering how many orders of magnitude more play you've had out of yours than I did, that's pretty fucking impressive. Still complete shit that expensive, mass-produced hardware dies at all, mind. But there you go.

I think you should play until you've done at least one of those sections, then call it.

Have you played any of the unusual environments yet, like low/zero gravity? Those are supposed to be very good.

This is the first time mine's died, had it since March 2007. I believe they replace the motherboard and the DVD drive as standard for the launch-spec machines (like mine). For later hardware iteration failures? I don't know.

...fucking hell, I must have this game!

Make Brand eat Moyles, alive. That'd shut them both up.