The King of Limbs

Very big thanks to Nick for informing about this, cause I was just looking at Radiohead's website yesterday out of curiosity and saw nothing...

The King of Limbs - Pre-Order

Yeah, that's a new Radiohead album. And despite it only being announced today, get this, it will be released this Saturday, the 19th of February. Well, this Saturday to download in MP3 and WAV formats only, for $9 or $14 depending on your preferred format. The King of Limbs won't see a physical CD release until March 28th, and that's for the UK only as of now.

You can also pre-order a special "newspaper" edition, for release in May 2011; which includes two clear 10" vinyl records, a CD, and "Many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together." This also includes a digital download, again in MP3 or WAV, so that you won't have to wait to hear the new music.

So, for us cheapos, we can't name out own price like we could with In Rainbows, but hey.. NEW RADIOHEAD! I can't say I've listened to Radiohead too much since playing the hell out of the last album in 2007, and those couple of singles they gave out in 2009, but I'm pretty excited. As of now there's no mention of what the tracks on the album will be titled, or how many tracks there will even be. We'll find out on Saturday!

Late Night Flickr Update

Hey there, it's been quite a long time since we put the Flickr account to use, so I just put up to images. First off, my Encom Employee Badge:

You can still get one of these for yourself by visiting the TRON Legacy viral site, Flynn Lives, play the Arcade Aid game, and then register for the free badge. Once it arrives you can use it to access Encom's website. It's really simple, and the badge arrives quickly. Quite a neat piece of movie swag.

This one's pretty obvious, it's the sequel to the previous Club Nintendo exclusive Game & Watch Collection. I've yet to play it, but I'll review it once I do, just like the last one.

I'm Here review

This one's a bit of a surprise, as it's not a theatrically released film, nor is it a disc release film. It's exclusive to the web, and to 5,000 viewers each day, but it's beautiful. But, what is it?

I'm Here is a thirty-minute short film from director Spike Jonze (Where The Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich), released and presented by Absolut Vodka, but despite that, the product never appears in the film, nor is it mentioned, so really you can take the film for what it is and not look at it as a commercial.

You can watch the film right now (hopefully) at http://www.imheremovie.com/ I say hopefully, because the way the film works is that it will only be screened for 5,000 people per day, and only at certain times. For instance when I tried earlier today there was a two hour wait, so I didn't bother. But when I tried later, it was just a 30 minute wait, so I just kept reloading the page until the time was up. And thankfully, once you get in, you'll never be kicked out until you close the page or reload, so you're able to have multiple viewings.



The film is a love story about two robots, Sheldon and Francesca, who live in Los Angeles. The robotic beings aren't very well accepted in society, so when the two first lock eyes, it's love at first sight. As I said earlier, the film is only thirty minutes, so it'd be unfair for me to give it all away. But I found it to be like a hipster version of WALL-E, but filmed in the same style and tone as Where The Wild Things Are. And considering I loved WALL-E, and found the filming style of Wild Things to be the only part I really liked, I'm Here really turns out to be quite the nice piece of modern cinema, both visually and emotionally.

What I really loved about the film, is that despite the fact that it stars robots, which are actually just the actors in costume with computer generated facial expressions (much like Wild Things' fur suits), it never once came across as unbelievable, because visually it was just accepted as real. It's so rare these days to see something science fiction like this, without tons of back-story and explanation given as to how they exist. Perhaps it was due to the 30-minute time frame, but regardless it wouldn't have been necessary.

I'm Here is a beautiful short film, and I just hope it gets a disc/digital release eventually, because I'd love to see to see it get more exposure than just here on my laptop in a web-browser. Do yourself a favor, and watch this movie.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

As a just because. Because I thank Absolut for giving this film a home for almost everyone to enjoy, free of charge. Because I'm glad Spike Jonze made a film that wasn't a big budget pseudo-adaptation of a beloved children's book, after having already done so. And because he made a science fiction film that deals with very human emotions, despite it being about robots. Loved it, because sometimes you just have to reward people for doing something different and getting it right.

Bernard Sumner answers my question!

I pooped a little... Joy Division/New Order/Bad Lieutenant guitarist (and frontman of the latter two bands) answered the second round of Q&A questions on Bad Lieutenant's website today, and guess whose question got answered? MINE!

Now, I wrote this question like... two months ago, and being a Blur fanboy I was a bit annoyed that Blur's bassist, Alex James, didn't get more than just a couple inclusions on some tracks, despite being a reason the band formed in the first place. Here's my question and the answer I got from Bernard Sumner:

"JDW: While I understand that Alex James only appears on a few tracks Never Cry Another Tear, and he wasn’t in the final band because of “distance issues,” but is there any chance of him getting a more central part in the future of Bad Lieutenant? It’s a shame that a talent like his gets over shadowed by fellow Blur-mates Damon and Graham, and it seemed when he finally got his own chance to shine, he was put in the backseat again.

BS: I think that’s a matter of perception. I see all the musicians in Blur with equal standing really. Obviously, the singer is going to get a bit more attention because he is doing something different to the others, is usually the focal point for the band and is usually the biggest c***. The guitarist always looks a bit clever because he’s got so many strings and apparently knows what to do with them. The drummer is the backbone of the band and is the real underrated one. Mmm … Bass players … mmm …"

Besides being surprised that he actually answered my question, I'm a little amused/annoyed at how he dodged the question, seeming having nothing to say about bass players in the end. Thanks Barney. I guess I can consider that our first interview...

Visit Bad Lieutenant's website for the original article.

Soundgarden reunited?!

I just may have made the first crap in my pants of 2010... Because if this link I got via Pearl Jam's official Facebook page is anything to believe, Soundgarden in back!!!

The website in question is this new SoundgardenWorld.com, which states 'The 12 Year Break is Over and School is Back in Session. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!'. It then plays a video of "Get On The Snake," from the band's second album, Louder Than Love, originally released back in 1989.

What's this mean? I don't know, but the 12 year break clearly would suggest the twelve years since the band broke up in 1997 and went their separate ways. With lead singer Chris Cornell going solo, forming Audioslave with ex-Rage Against the Machine members, and then breaking that band up and going solo again with two abysmal records. While the band's drummer, Matt Cameron, found great success when he became drummer for fellow grunge band, Pearl Jam, and has been with them ever since. Ben Shepherd (bass) and Kim Thayil (guitar) also have had their musical endevours since the band's break-up, but I can't say I've heard any of it.

Regardless, as a big fan of grunge growing up, having liked Soundgarden the most, I'm really excited by this news. And it only makes sense, with fellow grunge bands like Pearl Jam, who haven't actually stopped recording and playing shows since their heyday, and Alice In Chains, who recently released their first album in 14 years, both finding new success.

At the same time I'm also nervous, as the Soundgarden records that were, and have been as is for the last 12+ years have been great when untouched. Reuniting may ruin that, especially since Chris Cornell's voice, and personality, aren't exactly what they used to be back in the grungy 90's. Then again, Alice In Chains got a completely new singer in the band, and they still sound just like they used to. As of writing this, I can't say if the reunion will just be some live shows and that's it (a la Rage Against the Machine and Blur), or if the reunion will also include a new album. When I find out, I'll make sure you do as well!

Update: Figured out a way to show you the new website's four new background images:

Interestingly enough, the photos, and the music video on the site are from early Soundgarden days, and not their more fruitful Badmotorfinger/Superunknown days. I mean, clearly when they reunite they'll have to play stuff from that era and later, but I just thought it was interesting that they chose to focus on the band's older imagery.

The Work of Jared D. Weiss

Hey, sometimes we all have to do a little shameless self-promotion. And considering I do run VFH, and cater to all of you wonderful readers, I figured, hey.. why not?

I have just finished launching my new, art focused blog:

As one would assume, this new blog is a way to keep anyone interested in my artwork (and other projects I may or may not take part in), up to date with what ever it is I may be doing. All, in fully written out, image supported, proper form; as opposed to the Twitter I've been using in preparation for this.

It also means that my internet time will now be divided between my personal work and the work I do here at VFH. So if you're noticing a lack of content from myself, chances are it's because of this. But, of course, I can't speak for the other staff members...

Anyways, please, if you could, do me a favor and check out the site. There's still a few things I need to work out in the coming days, like graphic links, and an RSS feed, but as of right now the site is ready for reading!

Thank you all!

Viva la Revolut'n

Saw this on Xbox.com this morning while I was checking for the daily update, not sure why but it made me chuckle a little...

Really, Microsoft? Adding an "i" and "o" was that difficult that you'd rather this mildly educational strategy game sound like some sort of absurd urban warfare title? Have fun revolut'n....

These Are My Twisted Words

Good news Radiohead fans, new music! And it's free! After the recent release of "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)", a song dedicated to Harry Patch, the last of Britain's World War 1 survivors who past away recently, it seems that wasn't all Radiohead had been working on.

Starting today, from Radiohead's own website, you can download "These Are My Twisted Words" for no charge. Downloading the file from Radiohead's website (I didn't try their torrent link) will get you the track in MP3 format, album artwork (thankfully for us iTunes completists), a credits text file, and a PDF with some related artwork for the track.

Overall, the song sounds really good, but for me it took a few listens before I really got into it. It's a real mix of their current sound with that of Kid A / Amnesiac. But overall I do like it, so that's always good. This release does come after the band stating that they wouldn't like to release more full albums, instead opting to release EPs, so I'm curious as to how more stuff will be released, and as to how this track will fit into all of that.

Fantastic Mr. Fox trailer and website

Finally! After USA Today's recent gallery of images of the film, the long awaited trailer for Wes Anderson's first animated film and film adaptation is now online!

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Official Website

First thing, I guess I was misinformed, but I swore this film was going to be released under the Fox Searchlight banner, and not 20th Century Fox... so much for that Fox Searchlight press account I just got.

As for the film itself, it's peculiar to say the least. I never read Roald Dahl's original Fantastic Mr. Fox storybook, but much like the rest of his literary work I assume it's very British. So maybe it's just Fox misrepresenting the film, as the try to make Wes Anderson's usually artsy style look like its a comedy in the vein of Ice Age, and chances are it wil be nothing like that; point being, other than the visual style of the models and puppets, I'm not getting a British vibe from the trailer and that's a little unsettling.

I think the real verdict will be seeing some actual film clips and not a gagged up trailer; just something a bit more propper at least before the film releases this November.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

With the release of DC Comics' next DC Universe direct-to-disc (because it's now DVD and Blu-ray releases) animated movie, Green Lantern: First Flight, just a week or so away, it seems that Warner Bros. is silently gearing up for their next release: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, based on the "Public Enemies" story-arc from the first six issues of the 2003-present Superman/Batman comic series.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies website and trailer

Based on the trailer alone, I can say that this is certainly the most visually different work that DC and Bruce Timm have released in recent years. Other than Batman: Gotham Knight, which was made by anime studios, Superman-Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier, and Wonder Woman all resembled past DC work, albeit slightly tweaked. Public Enemies (not to be confused with that new Johnny Depp as John Dillinger film...) instead aims to look like its source material, giving the character designs that very comic-booky, unreal design. Personally, it bothers me, because I've always liked the look of Bruce Timm's animated series/films for DC Comics, and this just seems to stray too far from that for me to visually enjoy. I'll be the final judge of that when it releases on DVD and Blu-ray this September 29th...

8bit l8bit

Last night while wandering around on some forums I happened upon a very cool little radio station. The station is called 8bit l8bit, and they only play chiptunes.

The music was all very good, and they do take requests. How you get those requests in is beyond me, since they don't seem to have a website or anything. I guess it comes down to if you're lucky enough to find them on a forum.

Anyways, the music was consistently good through the night, so not being able to make requests isn't that big of a deal. So, next time they're on the air you should give them a listen. Oh wait, there is a catch. They only broadcast Saturday nights, starting at midnight. Yeah, I know. Lame. Just think of it as a chiptune K.K. Slider.

8bit l8bit

Kojima teaser site shows another face

When the Kojima teaser site last updated, we were treated to an image of Big Boss. This time around we are given another familiar face ... or is it?

Personally I think it's Raiden; I mean ... it's extremely obvious that it is him because the armor and jaw is the same as it was in Metal Gear Solid 4. But there's some nay-sayers on the internet claiming it to be a Grey Fox, future Sunny or another woman. First off, if you played Portable Ops, you'd know Grey Fox looks nothing like that; and as for Sunny or a woman in general ... I know Raiden is a little feminine looking, but seriously, give the man a break.

My guess at this point, is that what we're seeing now is for a Metal Gear Solid 4 DLC expansion(s); which will feature two different stories from the past. One being from the perspective of young Big Boss, the other from Raiden's point of view after MGS2 until the events of MGS4. Why? Because there's still more to say about Big Boss's past, and Raiden cyborg suit there looks to be at a transitional state from how he finally looks in MGS4, and we never actually see how he comes to be that way.

Just a hunch, but E3 can't come any sooner!

Kojima teaser site finally makes things very obvious

I'll be honest, it was pretty hard to keep quite when Kojima Productions' "Next" teaser site went live. But I refrained from speculating flashing letters, mysterious clouds, and lightning storms here on VFH. But now, one of those flashes makes everything painfully obvious:

Yes, that's Big Boss (or Naked Snake) right there. No doubt about it. As for what this means in terms of consoles is a whole other realm of speculation, but there's no doubting at this point that Kojima's next title is part of Metal Gear. As an open Metal Gear fanboy, I'm excited to say the least. E3 can't come any sooner!

Mega64: Shadow of the Colossus

It's not everyday I choose to post random internet videos (thought it's not that random), but I thought I should post this none the less. This is Mega64's latest video, and as the title says, it's of the Playstation 2 classic, Shadow of the Colossus; one of my personal favorite games of all time.



Sure, as usual, the video aspect is funny, more so to those who've played the game. But the thing that hit me while watching this, is just how damned fantastic the soundtrack to that game is. You can't tell me you didn't have a euphoric sense of triumph when that music kicked in. Really wish I could get that on CD too... Anyways, just thought I should mention that is all, sometimes it's the things you don't expect from a game that make it so memorable.

For another hilarious venue that'll let you hear Shadow of the Colossus' great soundtrack, be sure to check this out: YTMND - Doggy Colossus.

Put that in your milk!

Nintendo DSi Browser review

The Nintendo DSi gets its first non-gaming application at launch. But does this DSi Browser prove its practicality, or does it fall short like Nintendo's previous attempt at getting the DS online?

First Thoughts
This was my first download from the Nintendo DSi Shop, and as a process, it was pretty simple to download; and with my wifi network the download was a breeze. I wasn't really sure what to expect of the browser though, having heard a lot of negative remarks regarding the previous Nintendo DS Browser; but it seems Opera got there act together this time around.

Plus, that last browser was $35 and was a DS game card and a GBA slot expansion cart; kind of a hassle when you just want to check a web page. This time around though, the DSi Browser is a easy to download file, and best of all it's free with no mention of having to pay for it yet (unlike the Wii's Internet Channel, which was free but now costs 500 Nintendo Points).

Gameplay ... er, not really
It's really hard to judge an application as opposed to judging a game, but I'll try my best. Once downloaded, accessing the browser is as simple as selecting the icon on your DSi Menu; and if the browser was the last thing you opened, it'll be selected for you as soon as you turn your system on. After just a few seconds, you'll be brought to the home screen which allows you to enter a web page, search (either with Google or Yahoo), or check the Help, Settings, and History menus. So it pretty much works like the Internet Channel, just condensed.

I cannot really speak for everyone here, but for me, the pages downloaded pretty fast on account of me using my DSi just a few feet from my router. It's just about as fast as the Internet Channel, however due to the DSi's memory shortcomings, sites that use Flash media or things like video players will fail to load. But, if you are on the go, with your DSi, the browser certainly proves it's use as a means to check your RSS feeds, or even be able to check your favorite site: View From Heaven (sorry, I had too).

Control-wise, the DSi Browser is pretty simple. You have two methods: you can have the full image on the top screen, while you only see a close-up portion on the bottom screen; or you can have it swapped, with the full screen on the bottom and the selected spot on top. Personally, I prefer the former as it allows me to click links with the touch screen, where as the other method I feel is too zoomed out for me to do that properly. As for typing, it's as easy as using an on-screen keyboard... because it is an on-screen keyboard. I happen to like the DSi's type method better than the Wii's because you can't really get more accurate than tapping exactly what you want, instead of being at the mercy of a shaky arm.

Final Thoughts
For what it's worth, the Nintendo DSi Browser is a pretty useful application. Sure it won't be able to get you onto YouTube, and it may not be presented on the most hi-res of screens. But, at the end of the day, it'll allow you to do anything else on the internet with precise controls and an easy to use interface; and depending on your connection, it's a fast easy way to get online. And did I also mention it's free? You have no reason not to download this, even if you just plan on deleting it later.

Overall Score: 8/10

Another Mega64 classic?

If thought Mega64's encounter with Shigeru Miyamoto was an amusing piece of internet "cinematography", wait till you see their latest effort:



Yes, that's Mr. Hideo Kojima, who unlike Mr. Miyamoto, gets in on the action. Also, Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski also makes a brief camero... but c'mon Hideo Kojima acting stealthy? That's priceless!

Summoning of Spirits

OverClockedReMix has done it again with another fantastic remix album release. Summoning of Spirits: An Arrangement of Music from Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Symphonia.

This latest endeavor is the definitely new, seeing as the games featured in the album are considered cult phenomena, rather than tried and true classic games as seen in their previous album releases. Tales of Symphonia stands out more so, with the game's popularity making appearances in its own manga, anime OVA, drama CDs, and more. The game is also known for being one in few as a J-RPG released on the Nintendo Gamecube in North America which is considered the primary reason in which Symphonia has achieved its title of being a "cult classic". Tales of Phantasia however is a classic Tales game, that has seen releases on the SNES, GBA, and PSP alike. Chronologically the two games are connected yet there was no interaction with the other characters aside from cameos.

The album itself is divided into four downloadable discs and includes three bonus tracks of remixed material from Tales of Symphonia's sequel Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Disc one and two cover music from Tales of Phantasia while three and four is music from Tales of Symphonia. OCReMix is known for quality remix material and Summoning of Spirits show that they still got it, I myself was especially impressed that the character theme song for Tales of Symphonia's Sheena Fujibayashi was included in the album, a very welcome suprise. What most gamers familiar with the Tales series will probably skim through the album looking first and foremost for the songs "Fighting of the Spirit" and "Fatalize" which have only had a few quality remixes before, (one by the infamous S.S.H) and have no fear the remixes of those song are present and very well done. Fans will certainly be pleased by this and waste no time filling their iPods with the songs. There's not much to gripe about either, I wasn't fond of a few of the songs but that's just being picky, the good outweighs the bad in almost every way. The album is sure to impress fans, and even those unfamiliar with the games may find themselves liking the music. Well presented and packaged this album was a must have for me, and probably a lot of JRPG nuts, leaving a nice lasting impression on my music library.

Summoning of Spirits: An Arrangement of Music from Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Symphonia. Is available for download at http://tales.ocremix.org/ also be sure to visit http://www.ocremix.org/ for more remixes and more.

NBS Nightly News Honors Ten Years of Doctor Manhattan

Psst. If you you don't get it by now, it's viral marketing for Watchmen. I have to say it's pretty well done as I thought it was real, old footage from the 1970s, when this piece claims to be from. Joining the video, is a new viral page, TheNewFrontiersman.net

Enjoy!

Have we played MGS Touch before?

It just may be so, soon after reviewing the two released screenshots of Metal Gear Solid Touch, I noticed something. The gameplay looks shockingly familiar to an unlockable Flash game (Special Mission: 02) at the Metal Gear Solid 4 website.

Top: The Flash game; Bottom: MGS Touch

The Flash game is a point and click shooter; which would make plenty of sense for a touch screen transfer, I just hope it's not the same game because that would be a really cheep move by both Konami and Kojima for having viral marketing for a game we've already played. Sure, the interface graphics are a little different, but it's still far too similar. Hopefully, some answers will come soon.

A Next Metal Gear Is...

Totally unfair! Just tell me Kojima! You've probably already heard this elsewhere, but I'm sorry, you'll have to hear it again. Kojima Productions has put up a mysterious URL, with an even more mysterious image:

Click to view the teaser page

What could this mean? Who knows. I'd like to assume this has something to do with that Metal Gear Solid Existence trademark a few months back. However the page's URL has "MGST" in it, and not "MGSE", though it may just stand for "Metal Gear Solid teaser" as that's essentially all it is at this point.

A lot of folks are speculating that this could be the 360 version of MSG4, what with the neon green, but I don't think Konami would make a fact like that so cryptic. A new MGS built for 360, however, seems more likely ... and would probably force me to get a 360. What do you think this all means?