Lachlan & The Colonel

Gaming, Film and TV

[patrickmuldrew]

GAMING: Nintendo Switch Reveal

The Switch was finally unveiled in Japan and here is a complete recap of the conference.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this event was realising that the Switch is only about 6 weeks away. Nintendo’s president Tatsumi Kimishima announced a worldwide release date of March 3 for the console\handheld hybrid and a price tag in the U.S. of $299.99. This price point was fairly unsurprising to most who have followed the rumor mill of the console’s development. EB Games currently have their pre-order price set at $469.95 AU with other accessories added on top. The main accessory that people may be looking into is the Switch pro controller which is pre-ordering for $99.95.

Included in the console box is the screen\console unit, L and R joy-con controllers (which I’ll talk about more in a moment), joy-con wrist straps, the joy-con grip controller, the Switch dock, an HDMI cable and an AC adapter with USB-C. Two different skews of the console exist at this point - A grey controller unit and another with one neon red and one neon blue joy-con. Both versions will sell at the same price and there was finally confirmation of a “multi-touch capacititive touch screen” which can display in 720p. When docked and displaying to a TV, this resolution is switched to 1080p.

One thing that wasn’t mentioned at all during the conference was the internal storage of the Switch. Nintendo later released information on their website detailing that the console will have 32GB of storage, and while this is quite disappointing, the capacity can be increased by use of micro sdxc cards. The highest capacity in that format is 512GB, although there should be cards theoretically capable of holding up to 2TB in the next few years.

There will be no region-locking of Nintendo Switch software which is great news for many gamers around the world looking to get a hold of more obscure or Japanese-focused games. The other thing Nintendo have finally come to the party with is voice chat. Nintendo Switch Online Services will let users invite friends to play online, set play appointments and most importantly chat. Other features are to be announced at a future date. There will be a trial of these services post-launch and then a paid (possibly subscription) service starting towards the end of the year. Up to 8 Switch consoles can be connected for local multiplayer and multiple joy-cons and other controllers can by synced to the one system. A share button also exists of the Switch. At the moment it allows the sharing of screenshots but the promise is to have video sharing available in the the near future.

To end the introduction of the Switch, battery life was discussed and it wasn’t fantastic. Users can expect 2.5 to 6 hours of battery from the device, depending on the game being played and the conditions in settings. 3 hours was an estimated figure given for a title like Zelda. Hopefully battery issues can be negated somewhat by the use of USB-C as the method of charging. USB-C is known for rapid charging of products. Apple use it for their laptops as do Google for their new phone, the Pixel. It should be interesting to find out how long a full charge will take and whether first or third party battery packs are introduced for people on the go. 

Joy-Con Controllers

One of the best parts of the presentation was a segment recapping the different consoles and handhelds over the years and what each of them brought to game controls. The piece ended by hinting that there is a piece of every former control scheme in the joy- con controllers and it left me thinking that these devices are perhaps more complex than anyone realised. 

For starters, motion control is part of the Switch experience, making all games of all generations potentially playable on the Switch. Also spruiked was an “HD rumble system” allowing for a greater sensitivity and immersion in gameplay. The joy-con R has a motion-IR camera that can sense the shape, movement and distance of the objects in front of it. Finally, Amiibo will definitely be supported with the joy-con R including an NFC reader.

Games Announcements

“1-2 Switch” can be played even without looking at a screen. It works as a competitive multiplayer motion-controlled game and is available at launch. “Arms” is a new fighting game IP that will release in the first half of the year. It reminds me a little of “Wii Sports” boxing but with more mechanics to it of course. However both these titles are definitely looking to appeal to a more casual\party audience, perhaps trying to rekindle the success seen with the Wii.

The first big title announced was “Splatoon 2″ - I think most people were expecting a re-release of the Wii U game rather than a full fledged sequel. Interestingly it was mentioned that gyro control aiming would be available in al playing styles and all controllers. It is clearly a big franchise moving forward for Nintendo.

The biggest franchise of them all was up next. “Super Mario Odyssey” is a completely new 3D Mario game in the vein of “Mario 64″ or “Mario Sunshine”. It is all about Mario “journeying to an unknown world” including a modern ‘real-looking’ city. The game also included more familiar things like forest and desert settings. “Super Mario Odyssey” will be released in the final quarter of 2017. Expect to see much more of this game ay E3.

Over 80 games are confirmed to be in development right now from up to 50 third party partners. As strongly hinted at in the October teaser trailer “Skyrim” will be coming to the Switch. Hopefully the third party support will stay strong over the life of this console.

Finally a brilliant new trailer for “Zelda: Breath Of The Wild” was shown finally revealing more of the various geographical locations and boss battles that we can look forward to. The game will release on day one with the Switch (March 3rd)

Verdict:

It seems that Nintendo could be on to a good thing with the Switch. By being transparent about price and any shortcomings (battery life) I think they will be able to build goodwill from a gaming audience that wants to see Nintendo succeed in the industry. It was a little disappointing not to hear anything about the future of virtual console, but perhaps they didn’t want to muddy the water too much. There will be plenty of time for that in future Nintendo Directs. Time will tell if they will be able to form a viable third option with Sony and Microsoft. The one thing that could potentially harm their chances is artificial scarcity. It is something Nintendo has been doing for quite a while now. We’ve seen it through the Wii, Amiibo and recently the NES Classic. There must be stock early in the life of the Switch to get momentum back into the sails for Nintendo. Having Zelda ready to go on launch was a massive plus, maybe the biggest positive of the entire presentation, so there will absolutely be demand on day one. Hopefully Nintendo don’t fumble their chance.

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Episode 80 is up!

Yep, so it’s been a while since we’ve given our page here some love. We are going strong after a period of sporadic episodes, with mostly regular weekly episodes for the last 10 or so shows. We can’t believe we’ve hit 80, and will plan something big for episode number 100! 

We now have an Instagram account that you can follow us on, https://www.instagram.com/lachlanandthecolonel/, and we’ve been live streaming the 20 Questions segment with Facebook Live over on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lachlanandthecolonel/. We’d love for you to join us on those outlets!

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Episode 71: Top 20 Games of This Generation So Far

This week on Lachlan & The Colonel, the dynamic duo battle it out over which games make the cut for the top 20 games of this console generation so far. Did your favourite game make the cut?

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Episode 70

Episode 70 is now up. In it, Lachlan & The Colonel talk No Man’s Sky, Telltale’s Batman game, XBox One S, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition, Suicide Squad, and more!

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Lachlan And The Colonel by Lachlan Hamilton & Patrick Muldrew on iTunes

Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of Lachlan And The Colonel by Lachlan Hamilton & Patrick Muldrew for free.

We are back, and very sorry for yet another unannounced hiatus! In this episode, we talk about our experiences with “The Division”, and brief reviews of Batman v Superman and Deadpool!

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay with this episode, but our live podcast from EB Games Expo 2015 is now up! If you haven’t yet, head on over to iTunes and subscribe to the podcast!

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/lachlan-and-the-colonel/id680273011?mt=2

[lachlanandthecolonel]

We were at Oz Comic Con Sydney 2015! Check out our interviews with some amazing cosplayers!

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Our live podcast from Oz Comic Con 2015

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Lachlan & The Colonel @ EB Games Expo 2015

We have just received word that Lachlan & The Colonel will be covering the EB Games Expo 2015 in Sydney. The show begins on Friday, October 2nd and runs through until Sunday October 4th. There are going to be a ton of games that will be playable before release, such as Star Wars: Battlefront and Call Of Duty: Black Ops III, as well as Assassins Creed: Syndicate, Rainbow Six Siege, Guitar Hero Live, Just Cause 3, Battleborn and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. Also recently announced as being playable at the show are Dark Souls 3, Need for Speed, Star Fox Zero, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Yo- Kai Watch, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations and Dragon Quest Heroes.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, Quantum Break, Tom Clancy’s The Division, Halo 5: Guardians and Rise of the Tomb Raider are all confirmed to be at the show to be experienced.

We will be there on the opening day, Friday, October 2nd, bringing as much news and content to you as we can. If you’re going to be at the show, please come up and say hello!

[thetalklocker]

AMY Review

It’s been a little over four years now since Amy Winehouse tragically died of alcohol poisoning. There have been a handful of documentaries made about her life, the most recent entitled AMY. Directed by Asif Kapadia, the film is mostly comprised of footage taken from Winehouse’s friends’ mobile phones, appearances on talk shows and, of course, live concert footage. I am a big fan of Amy Winehouse’s musicality, but I walked out of the cinema feeling something I’d not felt walking out of a cinema before. I was angry.

I immensely enjoyed Kapadia’s previous feature length documentary, Senna. Admittedly, I didn’t know a great deal about Ayrton Senna prior to watching that film, so part of the enjoyment was learning about the late Formula 1 driver’s life and career. What I feel Kapadia excelled at, however, was showing how Senna’s actions moulded the sport of Formula 1. It was as much a history of the sport as it was the man. Amy is not a documentary about the music industry. Nor is it a documentary, in my honestly humble opinion, a documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse. No. This is a documentary about Amy Winehouse’s friends and family, and their actions that ultimately resulted in her death.

At the time of writing this review, I remain conflicted on how I feel about certain aspects of the film. Primarily, the use of incredibly private and personal footage from what seemed to be Winehouse’s phone, as well as her friends’. I felt uncomfortable watching videos that clearly were never intended to be broadcast publicly. Imagine finding a stranger’s phone. Now imagine unlocking this stranger’s phone, reading all of their text messages, and looking through all of their photos and videos. You would suddenly discover a lot of personal information about this person. Now imagine making a feature length documentary, featuring mostly information and footage taken from that phone you found, and sharing all of that private information to the world, knowing that the owner of the phone was unable to do anything to stop the movie from being made or shown. Doesn’t sit well, right?

Throughout the film, we are introduced to different “characters” from Amy’s life. Juliette is one of Amy’s closest friends from her childhood, and plays an important part in the film. Let’s call her the protagonist. We’re also introduced to Amy’s father, Mitch Winehouse. We’re told by Amy herself that he was never “there” during her childhood. He was always busy whenever it came to spending time with her, or disciplining her. Let’s call him the antogonist.

The film does a good job of profiling Amy’s passion for music, and how disheartened she was at the time with pop music. More specifically, how pop music didn’t provide any good role models. She grew up listening to jazz, artists such as Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. Winehouse always referred to herself as a jazz singer, even though at the height of her popularity she would have been considered a pop singer, or in the Soul genre.

Throughout the documentary, there are numerous clips of Amy Winehouse commenting on her inability to deal with fame. These comments come both from before she signed major record deals, and after. After Amy’s first major string of incidents under the influence, most of which was captured by paparazzi, her friend Juliette encouraged her to go to rehab, and was almost successful. Winehouse’s father insisted, however, that she didn’t need rehab. After this point, things spiralled out of control toward the end of the movie.

Though you know how the film has to end, it’s like watching a train crash. The film itself isn’t bad, quite the opposite. In order to produce this response of anger, I believe the film has done it’s job. Though I don’t entirely agree with how much footage was shown from what seemed to be incredibly private mobile phone footage, I feel as though Asif Kapadia’s mission here was to expose the people responsible for Winehouse’s downfall, as well as the friends that tried to prevent it. It’s an upsetting film, but hopefully we can learn from it to prevent another tragedy like this from occurring.

[thetalklocker]

The Death Of Superman Lives: What Happened? REVIEW

I had heard about The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? documentary through social media ever since the filmmakers discovered footage of Nicholas Cage in a bizarre looking Superman outfit. My first thought, like others that aren’t big fans of the actor, was something along the lines of “no wonder this film didn’t get made!” This documentary not only changed my thoughts on the aborted film, but also my feelings toward the divisive actor.

Keep reading

[patrickmuldrew]

GAMING: Ori & The Blind Forest Review

A platformer with brilliant design, substance and heart.

Xbox One & PC

Price: $26.95 AUD

“Ori & The Blind Forest” opens with the forest in turmoil. Three elements of light have been stolen and it is up to the title character to restore balance to the troubled world. The opening to the game runs long and is as emotional as almost any game you can think of. Developers Moon Studios made a bold to have what amounts to a 15 minute interactive cut scene opening Ori, but by the time it’s over you are engaged, left wanting to fix the situation and explore the amazing world.

The art style in the game is simply gorgeous. You will struggle to find a better looking game this year with the possible exception of Nintendo’s “Yoshi’s Woolly World”. Using the “Unity” Engine the game gives off the appearance of being hand drawn while displaying at a full 1080p at 60 frames per second. The fluid visuals, courtesy of the high frame rate, make traversing the world an absolute joy. “Ori” truly is a masterclass in platforming. While the jump mechanic is more floaty than classics like Mario or Mega Man, it still feels entirely controllable, which is nice considering the difficult and precise movement needed at times, especially in the “escape finales” of each act. The fingerprints of “Metroid” are all over this game and the escape sequences are reminiscent of the ‘time bomb’ finales of that franchise.

The ‘Metroidvania’ ideas also spread into how you explore the world, with many secrets to be uncovered and upgrades to be found. Ori’s health, energy and  skill tree can grow to a point where you feel comfortable exploring anywhere at any time. Don’t be fooled though, this isn’t a game you can finish with ease. The platforming, puzzles and combat can start to play with your head, especially the later dungeons that use changing gravitational directions as a mechanic. Prepare to die a lot and this game rarely auto-saves so it is up to the player to control their own progress by setting up save points, which cost energy. The trade of checkpoint versus resource cost is really well balanced, particularly early in the game.

Combat within the game also feels very nice. The excellent Xbox One controller does make Ori feel like an extension of you & the different enemy types will keep the balance and interest of combat fresh throughout the roughly 10 hour playthrough. On PC this game can be played with a mouse and keyboard but I can’t imagine playing this game without a controller. Xbox 360\One and Wii U pro controllers would all suit the Steam release very nicely.

The only real fault I can find with “Ori” is that once the story is complete the game file you are using becomes locked and you aren’t allowed to return to the world to collect the remaining power-ups. Annoyingly, my first playthrough was stuck at 98% but the good news is because of its astounding quality, this game has excellent replay value.

Verdict:

“Ori & The Blind Forest” is one of the most engaging and memorable games I have played in years. Besides the wonderful balance of platforming and combat game mechanics as well as the gorgeous visuals and story there is just something indescribably ‘special’ about “Ori”. A definitive edition has been announced for later this year. A very accessible game, everyone should give this a chance, because in this reviewer’s opinion it is the clear front-runner for game of the year honours.

9.5\10

All games are reviewed on a 20 point scale 

[lachlanandthecolonel]

Episode 60

Lachlan Hamilton and Patrick Muldrew settle in with you this week to catch up on everything they’ve been playing and watching. There’s also a special game of 20 Questions to listen out for!

https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/lachlan-and-the-colonel/id680273011?mt=2&uo=4&at=11l5VE

[thetalklocker]

Funko Video Game?

As far as I can tell, no one has said or predicted this before online (if be happy to be proven wrong!), so I’ll say it now. I am predicting that Funko, the makers of the adorable Pop Vinyl figures, bobble heads, T-Shirts, key chains and other licensed merchandise, will move into making their own video games and animated features.

There, I said it!

LEGO has had tremendous success doing essentially the same thing. Their video games are incredibly well made, and always sell big numbers. I would love to play a fully fledged Avengers or Justice League game, in a style similar to Rocksteady’s Arkham games. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham certainly scratch that itch, albeit in a somewhat hectic, fun, cartoony style! They’ve even transferred these characters from the video games into their own feature films, and they appear in the feature film The LEGO Movie. 

Disney have achieved some pretty great success in the video game market too with their Disney Infinite line of games and figures. Whilst still in the same cartoon graphic vein, the difference here is the ability for kids to play with these recognisable heroes in toy form, and then teleport them onto the TV screen to play with them virtually. 

Which is where, I feel, Funko come in. Funko must be making an absolute killing off of their toy line. You can’t tell me that the profit they make just goes back into designing more bobble head figures. I have a feeling in my gut that we are going to get a video game, in a very similar style to the LEGO and Infinity style games, featuring characters from the Funko Pop Vinyl range of figures. It makes perfect sense, right? I would absolutely love to run around Central City as my Funko Flash figure, and see who would win in a fight between my Funko Batman and my Funko 6" Hulkbuster (spoiler: Batman always wins).

If this happens, you can absolutely say you read about it first here on The Talk Locker.

[patrickmuldrew]

GAMING: Journey PS4 Review

THE 2012 AWARD WINNING GAME RETURNS, BUT IS IT STILL ON THE SAME LEVEL IN 2015?

PRICE: $22.95 AUD

Having missed the original release of this acclaimed title, I was excited to finally play through the 2012 indie-darling that won multiple GOTY (game of the year) awards.

The expectations were high as the game opened upon a Dune Sea, Tatooine-esq desert stretching as far as the eye could see. The ambiance created by the sparse soundtrack, composed by Austin Wintory and undeniably gorgeous visual style drew me further into the game as I tried to understand the reason and meaning behind the journey I was embarking on. The visuals of this game truly are amazing and developers Thatgamecompany should be highly commended on producing something so unique and vivid. Creating an environment that is so dynamic and engaging is one of the great achievements in gaming. However, it is only one. 

I found myself continually wondering when the game would present a bigger idea, story or gameplay mechanic to me, but it never came and soon enough the credits were already rolling. This won’t be the first time I write these words, but they need to be said: “Gameplay is king” and I never felt like I was ever really challenged by this game, nor particularly entertained. It was pleasant enough but the puzzle elements throughout the game could be described as ‘moderate’ at best. You just feel as though you cruise through the game and despite all the praise for it’s emotional storytelling, I was left feeling very little. I did enjoy the attempt at trying to wordlessly tell a story. No dialogue or text appear in the approximately 90 minute playthrough. 

It sounds as though I’m starting to get very negative about this game, but it’s really just bringing me to my main point. Indies and small budget titles have come along way, even since 2012 and I’m just not sure whether “Journey” would be anywhere near GOTY contention in 2015. Games like “Ori & The Bind Forest”, “Shovel Knight”, “Valiant Hearts” & “Guacamelee” are all examples of similar budget games that match or even surpass “Journey” in my mind. Rather than being the exception, “Journey” stands out to me as being the foundation for all other “Indie/small budget” games to build upon.

Verdict:

Perhaps playing “Journey” for the first time as a redux title had me setting my expectations too high. However, I maintain that if you want engaging gameplay you won’t find it here. This price is probably $5 too expensive, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see it turn up for free on Playstation Plus in the coming months. An above average Indie game, “Journey” helped shape the current landscape of gaming that we all enjoy today.

7\10

All games are reviewed on a 20 point system

[thetalklocker]

Audio Visual

My girlfriend is always the first to tell me I’m biting off more than I can chew with my social media ambitions. Already, I blog, albeit sporadically; I cohost two podcasts, Lachlan & The Colonel and MacMen - we’re working hard to bring MacMen to you more regularly; and I am trying to connect with you more on my Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter, bringing targeted content to each platform rather than sharing the same thing across all of them. In fact, as I write this paragraph, it’s clear that I’m having to excuse myself for a number of different activities. So why on earth would I even be considering starting a YouTube channel, with new content yet again!?

Keep reading

[thetalklocker]

First (of many?) vlog for 2015

My first vlog for 2015! Would you like to see more of these?