December 2010

TRON: Legacy
Submitted Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - 5:24:51 PM by Klaitu

It's been awhile since I reviewed a movie here on special K, basically because there hasn't been much of any interest released recently.

I'm glad to say that TRON: Legacy was pretty good. I saw this one in 3d, and surprisingly, it's the first 3d movie that hasn't given me a headache.

I don't want to spoil the plot, but it's a lot more intelligent than I would have expected from TRON. Of course, it's still a light action movie, but it's smarter than most.

Overall Score: 8 of 10

The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Silver Controller
Submitted Wednesday, December 8, 2010 - 8:02:38 PM by Klaitu

There she blows, the newest and shinest new xbox accessory this side of a Kinect. Why this controller?

Well, this controller is the first in an experimental redesign. What's different?

- The play and charge cord is BLACK (OMG!)
- The Guide button is now chromed
- The D-pad now converts from the "Plus" to the "Disc"
- The D-pad is now chromed
- The face buttons are not colored
- The Thumbsticks have different grips on the top

Are these changes worth it? Well, I am not opposed to any of them. We'll see how the controller holds up with some use!

Happy Pearl Harbor Day!
Submitted Tuesday, December 7, 2010 - 1:32:28 PM by Klaitu

69 years ago today, if your ancestors weren't already swept up in the global conflict known as World War 2, they became so.

This is the day that the Japanese launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

There are few days in history that alter the course of the future of all mankind. This was one of them.

Merry Holidays Part 2: Yuletide Extreme!
Submitted Tuesday, December 7, 2010 - 1:26:05 PM by Klaitu

Long time readers may recall that I wrote on this exact same topic almost exactly one year ago!

This year's "keep the Christ in Christmas" shenanigans comes to us from senator Jim Inhofe, a senator from right here in Oklahoma!

Inhofe made headlines with news agencies strapped for actual news by refusing to attend the Tulsa "Holiday Parade of Lights" because it doesn't contain the word "Christmas".

This might come as a surprise to many people, but a vast majority of Christians consider themselves an oppressed minority group, despite 78.4% of Americans being Christian. Christians will claim that about 70% of those 78.4% "aren't really Christians" to maintain this minority.

Perhaps the flashiest place that secularism and Christianity clash is at Christmas time. After all, it's the only religious holiday that is also a federal holiday in the United States.

Well, the internet, this is my take on the whole situation:

Call your parade whatever you want. Yeah, that's right, I'm a Christian and I'm saying call it whatever you want.. because here's the deal, everyone already knows it's a Christmas parade. You can change the name, but everyone's showing up because of Christmas.

Despite popular Christian belief, the true meaning of Christmas is widespread and readily known. It is common knowledge. The problem that is bothering Christians is not a lack of awareness of the true meaning of Christmas, the problem is that people know the true meaning of Christmas and then choose to reject it.

So, next time.. instead of boycotting a parade because you don't like the name, perhaps you should instead show up and be an example to all the people who aren't Christian of what Christians should be like. Maybe then fewer people would reject Christmas and Christians in general, because after all.. what kind of an ambassador are you?

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Submitted Monday, December 6, 2010 - 4:24:03 PM by Klaitu

There's not a ton to say about AC: Brotherhood. It's pretty much identical in every way to Assassin's Creed 1 and 2 in gameplay and style. In fact, I'm pretty sure they just reskinned Assassin's Creed 2 in order to save money.

The big deal about Brotherhood is the multiplayer component, which isn't featured in any of the other Assassin's Creed games. Unfortunately, I was never able to get the multiplayer to work, as the matchmaking could never find enough people to make an entire game. I feel that AC: Brotherhood would have benefitted greatly from a Red Dead Redemption style of multiplayer.

Still, the single player doesn't disappoint. It's a fully featured single player game on par with the other games in the series. A better name for this game might have been "Assassin's Creed 2.5" because that's really what it is.

Overall Score: 8 of 10
Quality Rating: 5 of 5
Buy / Rent it!