Inception: The Thinking Man's Action Film

Inception
Starring Leonardo de Caprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Directed and written by Christopher Nolan

Hot on the heels of a multi-million dollar Batman movie, Nolan follows it up with an all-new original story that takes place in a land where dreams can be intercepted and corporate information could be extracted by a group of experts operating under a company. Unfortunately, due to the death of his wife, Dominic Cobb (Leo de Caprio) fails to pull off a job but finds out that rich businessman Saido (Ken Watanabe) is willing to give anything to Cobb under one condition: Cobb needs to do the opposite of his day job and actually implant an idea to a rival company's heir instead of extract it (thus the title) so that Saido's company will win in the end.

What follows is a series of events set into motion that, if you don't follow closely, will continue on regardless of whether you like it or not, whether you can understand or not. But that doesn't exactly mean that the story is extremely convoluted; in fact, the story and its several threads are handled so well that each of them is a uniquely worthy point of discussion.

Nolan doesn't feel the need to pander to his audience and treats them with the respect they deserve, but I think the thing that's getting a lot of positive feedback is the entire second half of the movie, which for all intents and purposes, is awesome. You will care for all its characters and you will know the gravity of the situation, and this is the part where Inception appeals to a lot of people. It's where the thrills come, where all the subplots of the subplots of the subplots in the subplot of the main plot get tied together, resulting in a handsome pay-off.

The key thing in watching Inception is that it isn't necessarily a thriller that discusses the concept of "dreams" in as much detail as you'd think a pretentious movie would, but it's more of a heist movie that involves a cast of endearing characters doing "one last job" so that Cobb's character won't be a wanted man in America anymore. You can screw up a lot of these kinds of films, but the cast Nolan's assembled here is just excellent and pitch-perfect.

Of note is Ellen Page's character Ariadne is basically in almost the same position as us- the unknowing audience, except for the part where she is a gifted architect- and she does an exemplary job at being hesitant, curious and oblivious at first, even though she becomes the voice of reason in later events. Props also go to Joseph Gordon Levitt for being such a badass and Marion Cotillard for turning in what I think is her best performance since La Vie En Rose.

Oh and Leonardo... is a given. He's pretty much the glue that makes us care for everyone in the first place.

At this point it would be hard to talk about the movie without spoiling it and its intricacies. If anything else is of note, then it may well be the cinematography, the sensationally realistic special effects, the emotional depth, the simultaneous visceral and cerebral satisfaction (which has become atypical of Nolan movies), or the bombastic but less than memorable score. Whatever the case, Inception is a movie you must see to believe, with its trailers barely even justifying the amount of epic contained within its package.

Still, don't go in expecting an overly exhaustive breakdown of dreams and excessive philosophical whimsy, just expect a highly intelligent action film that requires you to be glued to its details at all times. Either way, it's a great movie to watch and talk about for days afterwards.

True, Nolan doesn't achieve levels of "masterpiece", but what he does in Inception, he does very well. And we're all the better for it. In fact, its box office performance may well be an inception all its own. The simple idea that an original and highly cerebral film can be profitable is an appealing proposition, and we must expect no less from the studios and the filmmakers.

Rating: 9/10

Apps Weekly: Tilt to Live + Secret of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition

Tilt to Live
$1.99
One Man Left Studios
Rated 9+, compatible with iOS 2.2.1 or later

One of my all-time favorite games for the iPod touch thus far is this Geometry Wars inspired title, and it's so unfortunate if you didn't get to download it for free. Whatever the case, Tilt to Live is just addictive and tons of fun, and most definitely worth the $1.99 entry fee.

This game basically lets you embark upon a simple task: kill all red dots in sight. Doesn't sound much fun, until you factor in the tons of cool power-ups the game throws at you as well as the achievements you can get. It's ridiculous how long you'll want to play this game, because, personally, I just can't stop.

What makes it different from the vector-based Geometry Wars is not only in the aesthetic and controls (which is clearly tilt-based, more on that later), but also with the fact that the game just has a great sense of humor. It's visible every time you open the app, because its load screens always have something different (and funny) to see every damn time.

The achievements are also just littered with insane but humorous tasks you can embark upon if you ever wish to unlock more weapons. I mean, there's even a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference when you get to maintain a combo.

Unlike other tilt-based games, the developer just has the controls down to a T. It feels tight, and the game provides a few different options for control depending on your position. Whether you standing up, sitting down, lying in bed, or God knows what other position, you can readily calibrate the game to your liking, and for the most part, it always works.

For now, you have 3 game types to play with, and all of them offer a great deal of challenge and perfect gameplay when you're on the move or waiting in line.

It's recommended that you warm yourself up first with Classic mode which deals you with a small number of enemies at first, but increases as the game goes along. Code Red, as stated in its description, is Classic mode on crack. This is the mode that you'll want to go to either if you're completely sadomasochistic, or kind of bored by the slow start of Classic mode. I know I am.

Gauntlet is a radically different mode from these two, because it doesn't involve killing dots, it just involves evading and analyzing their patterns. It's like Pacifism for Geometry Wars.

These three game modes don't actually end right there. The developers constantly release updates that keep gameplay fresh and new, with a new game mode on the way even. Obviously, with the way I'm raving about this game, this is 2 dollars well spent, and it even out-values some of the other games in the App Store, because the quality and sheer likability of this one just works so well.

Rating: 9.4/10

Just released is the sequel to the re-made Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge. Basically, this game gives the 2nd game of the much beloved point-and-click adventure series a huge high-res artwork boost alongside the same nostalgic gameplay and sharp writing. Oh, and there's voice acting as well.

Shockingly not a universal binary for iPhone and iPad, this game features refined controls, an excellent guidance system, and the trademark two-finger-swipe that reverts the game to its original, throwback look.

Honestly, I haven't even finished the first one so I'm not picking this up any time soon, but LucasArts has released the game in Lite and Paid versions, with the iPhone version costing $7.99 and the iPad version $9.99.

If you were a fan of the old game, you might as well be on iTunes downloading it right now.

iPhone [link], iPad [link]

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Review

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley
Directed by Mike Newell
Walt Disney Pictures

Much can be said about the fabled history of video game adaptations. The illustrious likes of the now-infamous Uwe Boll to the failed exploits of Milla Jovovich in the increasingly frustrating Resident Evil films are just some of the more notable points of the medium's young history. When Jordan Mechner- the original mastermind behind the famous 2D platformer- announced a movie deal that was struck with Disney for a Prince of Persia adaptation, I was shocked, cautiously optimistic, and indifferent- in that order.

Sands of Time has a lot going for it: Mechner conceived the idea for a more screen-oriented story based on the rather good story of the video game trilogy that inspired it, a rather decent director Mike Newell was at the helm, and Jerry Bruckheimer was backing it seriously with his gargantuan finances. But now, you say, what could go wrong?

Well, it's not that there's anything technically wrong, it's just that everything feels barely correct. It's like, just as long as setpiece A and plot point X was done, the rest wouldn't even matter; it's like the whole crew wasn't even going for anything special or unique despite a high budget.

In short, it's just plain ol' mediocrity on full display.

Good movies are easy to love. Bad movies are easy to hate (or ironically love). Mediocre movies that are aimless and ambition-less? They're not even worth the time. The entire movie is basically Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton talking for the sake of talking, battling for the sake of battling, and not rewinding for the sake of staging awkward conflict. True, the sand in the movie's McGuffin- the dagger of time- is limited and thus must be used wisely, but there's not an actual sense of danger and despair over the dagger's potential to destroy the world. Nor is there any danger to the main villain- who is clearly made up to be regarded as such.

And by that I mean Sir Ben Kingsley who makes an appearance here as an uninteresting villain who hires a spy and creates a conspiracy in his brother's kingdom just so he can claim the throne. At first people trust him, but come on, he wears evil villain make-up, clearly someone in the palace should at least have an uneasy amount of suspicion around him. Hell, with eyeliner so sinister, the only thing that would make the guy even more evil is if his role was just given to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In a move of uninspired, badly sequenced flashbacks, his motivation is explained, in a manner as if to say, "Well hey, at least our villain has some kind of motive!" and the way that the hero just formulates this motive is just full of B.S. for it feels as if he just pulled it out of his buttocks.

I have no apprehension about giving a name to the usually nameless hero, but I do have to exercise a bit of restraint with the casting choice of a clearly white American. Jake Gyllenhaal, usually a pretty decent actor, is kind of uninteresting and not charismatic here. He's only "adequate enough" for the role and is simply a constant reminder for the film's penchant to settle for mediocrity. Fine, maybe he did do his own parkour, but whenever he does anything related to a stunt, it just appears unbelievable, because the film also has a thing for constantly using slow-motion and fast-motion that it isn't even funny. Hell, it's not even like Zack Snyder who uses much of his excessive slow-mo in an elegant way, it's just slow-mo for the heck of slow-mo. That, in addition to motion blur, makes things look unconvincing... as if the movie wasn't such a huge green screen already!

Also a bit of a negligible character: Tamina. She's the princess that's attached to Dastan's journey to guard the dagger, and she's played by Gemma Arterton. Unfortunately, she just can't plain act. There's nothing endearing, likable, or charming about the character, because there's no personality to even like... unless beauty is a personality. Last time I saw a movie with a person who used her beauty as her personality, it involved robots with balls.

If there's really anything to like about this movie, it may well be the cinematography. There are some moments in the film that are pretty well-shot, and the apparent production value makes the film look initially epic overall. Some scenes suffer from a lack of polish in the special effects department, but overall, the movie looks good enough aesthetically.

Maybe there was a benchmark that was observed during the making of this film. Maybe the producers only settled to make the film "tolerable enough" or "excellent enough for a video game movie". Granted, this film is head and shoulders above much of the Street Fighter's and Alone in the Dark's out there, but as a self-contained, classic swashbuckling adventure film? It just doesn't match up, not because it's bad or unentertaining, but because it just doesn't aim high. It's more than watchable, but it doesn't get any more than just that.

Rating: 6/10

Apps Weekly: Wurdle + Prince of Persia Retro

Now, we have an oldie, but a goodie.

Wurdle
Semi-Secret Software
$1.99
Rated 4+, compatible with iPhone 2.2 or later

One of the early greats of the App Store roster of games was this little work of genius: Wurdle. What the game basically wants you to do is to look at a board with a lot of letters...

...and swipe up, down, left, right, or any which way diagonally to form any word you can conceive in your head before the time runs out.

The most addictive part of the game is pretty much how you don't really have any restrictions to the number and direction of swipes you make throughout the board. If you manage to make a whole word from the entire table, good for you! When stuck though, you can re-arrange the entire table, at the expense of losing some points.

When the timer runs out, you'll be able to see the entire word list to see words you might have missed, as well as words you were able to pretty much discern from the table.

When you think the game is a bit too kind for you, you can tweak much of its settings to fit your playing style. Heck, you could even change the appearance of the tiles, as well as the dictionary the game uses!

It's a short game perfect for those who are constantly on-the-go, but unlike the old days, the game just doesn't feel as responsive. Still, it's pretty addictive and I come back to it from time to time. The amount of replay value is insane, and the $1.99 tag is well worth it.

Rating: 8/10

But speaking of good oldies, the original 1992 Prince of Persia has finally been ported to the iDevices, including the iPad, likely in preparation for the other Prince of Persia Ubisoft is planning to release for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, which is Warrior Within.

Still, the cons that come with a touch-only device plague this game, as if the game wasn't already one full of deaths and falls. The virtual controls will certainly make platforming in this notoriously hard classic even harder, but for a buck though? It's hard to resist. It even doesn't have to rebrand another version of the game with that HD bullcrap, it's a universal app through and through.

Iron Man 2 Review

Iron Man 2
Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by Jon Favreau

When the first Iron Man came out, it was a breakthrough, not only for the superhero genre but because of the revelatory comeback that was Robert Downey Jr. playing the role he was born to play- the playboy arms dealer Tony Stark. This was not even under my radar beforehand, so it was an even bigger surprise for me as I had zero, as in zero, knowledge of the film's content. I just knew that Iron Man was that dude with the red/gold plated armor in Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Well, obviously, the movie changed everything. Iron Man is now a household name usually tightly-knit together with Downey, because for audiences, one wouldn't exist without the other.

Two years later and Justin Theroux comes back with a new screenplay. The same director comes back on ship, and most of the actors reprise their roles. Don Cheadle is a credible actor as well, so what could go wrong?

While the trailers portray Tony Stark as an unstoppably charming rich douche, life is far from the "almost immortal" image he is drawn up to be, because a lot of things actually plague Stark's life.

You may remember Tony Stark's unprecedented confession of his identity in the first movie, and this installment of the franchise (obviously, it's going to be a franchise) deals with the perks and consequences of doing so- a Russian Mickey Rourke wants to seek copyright justice for his dad, the government wants to possess the suit for military use, Stark's refusal to hand over his suit prompts his rival Justin Hammer to make one (and fail), and the arc reactor that's keeping him alive is ironically killing him slowly.

When you think about it, that's a lot of sub-plots. Like Spiderman 3, all these sub-plots eventually converge into one huge action setpiece (which, mind you, is better than the first one's pedestrian final action scene) so judging from the comparison, you'd think Iron Man 2 would suck, but it just isn't the case.

The several events that happen throughout the movie are executed much more elegantly; it doesn't feel convoluted, nor heavy-handed like a lot of superhero movie sequels. However, one huge thing that Iron Man 2 and Spiderman 3 do share is the fact that there is no sense of a main plot. A lot of the movie's threads are based on sub-plots and it doesn't feel as if Tony Stark is actually aiming for one thing that the audience wants him to get.

Maybe it's true that the story of Iron Man should become a bit more complex, but it's hard to really like the fact that it has to be done in expense of the simplicity that made the first one extremely satisfying. This is actually what the second sequel lacks: a sense of true-blue satisfaction.

Despite all of it, the glue that really keeps the movie together is the performances. Obviously, Downey makes every scene enjoyable, Pepper Potts' character is a bit more explored so there's more for Gwyneth Paltrow to do, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer- while a bit cartoonish- steals the show, Mickey Rourke is quite intimidating as Whiplash, and Scarlett Johansenn is most definitely a hot item in that Black Widow suit.

Johansenn, dare I say it, made me a 'fan' of hers in this movie. Screen size does matter.

But putting that aside, her character is a real badass secret agent, and some of her scenes make for some pretty funny comedy.

That's one of the best things that the movie retains: the comedy. Even after dealing with Afghanistan, near death, the arms race, and daddy issues- just to name a few- the movie is still able to keep a sense of humor, be it with Stark's snappy retorts or the slapstick that occurs with a driver, the humor balances everything and makes it all click. Through it all, the movie is still quite fun, charming, and badass.

Iron Man 2 tries to address the criticism lobbied on the first one by at least trying to go for a more multi-threaded story and better action sequences, but I think the movie succeeds more on the latter. The plot is still quite easy to follow and the actors make the movie more than watchable, but that sense of satisfaction that made the first movie so refreshing and compelling is just not there. Normal audiences won't even notice much to nitpick or complain about, because the film is still a great time in a theatre, not only because of Downey and company, but also because of its sense of humor... and its undying ability to constantly serve you with a large can of whupass, so if you haven't already watched this one, well, what're you waiting for?

Rating: 7.9/10

The Bounty Hunter Review

The Bounty Hunter
Starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler

I planned to make a "Movies Opening This Week" for this one, especially since the movie is supposed to come out on May 7, but since I've already watched it, I'll do a review instead of pretending like I don't know what the movie actually contains.

So yeah, here's the set-up: man is assigned to hunt down for ex-wife because she can't drive for turd.

OK, OK, you know what, I have something to confess: I didn't really watch the entire movie. I watched 3/4... no, 1/2 of it. Now, I know this is definitely not enough to make a review that even has a semblance of objectivity, but I'm sorry, from what I watched, it's not worth the "integrity".

While I have to admit that the lead stars have a sort of charisma and chemistry, the script just doesn't allow them any sort of fleshing out, as in, it's just extremely the same sort of predictable, dumbass story wherein you know what happens. It's true that the premise is a bit of a draw for those who have unhappy marriages but the movie just isn't worth it because the promise, if there was any to begin with, just isn't lived up to.

It's a bit hard to make a definitive assessment on this movie, if only because it's just like any other modern rom-com, where everything ends sort of well. It's not particularly bad bad, but it's not remotely good either. But I guess this is why they invented the word mediocre. Or maybe the word I'm looking for is derivative?

Whatever the case, it's still watchable enough, but it just doesn't feel worth it. Especially in the theater. Wait for the DVD where it'll warrant a bit more appreciation.

Rating: 4/10

Red Cliff 1 & 2 Review

Red Cliff 1 & 2
Directed by John Woo
(This is a review of the Asian edition.)

I didn't like Chinese History while I was in high school, so it should come as a surprise that 4 hours of just one fraction of the illustrious events that happened in the Communist country's history is... something I really, really liked.

Based on events surrounding the tyrannical reign of Cao Cao, Red Cliff depicts the steps that were taken by two oppressed countries to combat the onslaught of the general's intimidating army. You could call it China's own 300. But so much better.

Since the movies were released as a two-parter in Asia (with each movie lasting two hours), Americans who watched the heavily abridged version may find the review to be a bit different than what critics from, say, Rotten Tomatoes think. Truly, the additional 2 hours of story and action make all the difference.

It's true that the characters don't get fully fleshed out, but it's obvious that the personality development is there. I mean, a lot happens from the start of the war to the end; camaraderie is formed, trust is established, and courage is obtained. I don't want to elaborate more on this, but all I want to say is that you'll have much reason to root for the underdog.

You'll be able to see how they form their strategies, and how conveniently observant they can be. You'll be able to marvel at the painstaking amount of detail they go to to be one step ahead of Cao Cao's army, and how they significantly reduce the tyrant's army's number despite small numbers.

A lot of the time, the film is entertaining and thrilling, and your eyes will be glued to every frame, delicately composed with a bit of the stylish visual flair John Woo has been known for.

As usual, action choreography is excellent, and the build-up for these epic battles pay off extremely well. They're gratuitous but not disgusting, they're exciting but not edited like a music video and a lot of the battle strategies are just unlike anything you've ever seen. One of the biggest highlights is especially the "Turtle" formation, which is one of the most novel twists on these kinds of battles in some time.

I've watched these movies months before today, but the feeling of watching these movies stay with me, if only partly because of my surprise due to the historical context, which usually bores me to death in Chinese films. A must-see in every sense of the word.

Rating: 8.5/10

Apps Weekly: Opera Mini + Orion Racer

Apple introduced a new firmware version (to be released June-ish) and one of the biggest controversies surrounding the new terms and conditions Apple set for iPhone app developers was that if developers used anything other than Apple's supplied tools to build an app (somewhat like an app being emulated through a system that bypasses Apple's own), the app would be rejected. It's hard to say for now if the fire Apple is getting prompted them to actually approve the app I'm about to review, but this somewhat surprising move is a sign that Apple actually has a heart despite the megalomaniacal quest for control of the platform. At least that's how PR for the company would be.

But now that I'm severely off-topic and unwilling to think of some witty segueway for the review, I'll just say "LET'S GET ON WITH THE REVIEW".

Opera Mini
Opera Software ASA
Free
Compatible with iPhone 2.2.1 or later

Apple's SDK rules dictate that if a developer were to create a browser, the browser cannot execute proprietary engines and must run off Safari, so basically, most of the browsers in the App Store are pretty much Safari with a new skin. Opera, however, is not a new skin, but it doesn't run off a proprietary engine either. What Opera Mini is, since its Java versions a long time ago, is basically a browser that compresses a web page you want to visit by as much as 90% and displays that version of the website on the screen, slimming down the expenses made on your cellphone bills considerably. This is done through Opera's own servers, which may actually prove a security risk for banking or shopping sites, but I'll elaborate more on that later.

First and foremost, you shall see the "Speed Dial" screen which lets you go to a favorite website in a tap of a thumbnail.

Like the desktop and Java versions, these slots are customizable.

Also brought over from those versions are real, full-fledged tabs.

When you tap a certain menu item below the screen, you'll be able to see the thumbnails of the web pages you have open, and you can scroll to the end to open a new tab. This system is quite slick and fast compared to the Safari version of tabs, and it's extremely easy to just leave a tab while it's loading and open another tab to load another page.

Like any browser, Opera also offers Bookmarks, History, and access to Settings. What Safari doesn't have that Opera has is a basic (but sorely needed) "Find in Page" feature, the ability to access your favorite pages in a cached state ("Saved Pages") and a Help manual.

In the Settings, you'll be able to customize the quality of images, size of text, the ability to enable "Opera Link" and more.

I'm not gonna delve too much into "Opera Link" (because I didn't try it), but if you do use Opera on a computer, you'll be happy to see that this will enable the iPhone and the computer to sync together. This means that whatever Bookmarks and pages are open and stored in the computer will be transferred to the iPhone.

What I am going to let you see is the "Fullscreen mode" and it's basically the app hiding out most of its interface elements and leaving out two buttons that'll let you summon said interface elements.

Another thing that Opera has a leg up on Safari is the ability to switch between search providers on the fly.

Granted, you can't really add more search providers to the list even in the settings, but the ability to choose is much appreciated. A feature that actually makes search super-easy is that you can actually select a block of text and you can just tap "Search" and the block of text will instantly be copied to the search field, saving you much time copying and pasting.

At this point, Opera Mini sounds like a real threat to Safari, but like any product, it has its flaws. One criminal flaw is the inability to granularly specify a zoom level, meaning that you're stuck in two levels of zoom:

This is the zoomed out view of a typical website...

...and a single tap will bring you a close-up. That close-up will be the only zoom level you'll be afforded, meaning that you won't be able to pinch the screen and zoom it out slightly, because that will only bring you the zoomed out version of the whole website. This kind of sucks, quite frankly, but that's not to say it actually makes browsing near impossible.

To save time, I've made a little side by side comparison of Opera Mini and Safari all running my blog.

If you noticed, Opera Mini does quite the crappy job of rendering certain web page elements, like my Shoutbox which becomes downright unusable. Apparently, the compression also seems to be limited to rendering a standard, bland font, which makes the web page look rather iffy. In addition to that, the system with which Opera actually displays web pages can be quite the security risk. Since Opera sends out the URL you want to visit to their own servers first before displaying it all, anything involving user names and passwords may be at risk in case an Opera employee goes rogue. If a log-in screen is sent for compression, all that private data will be transmitted to Opera and it might instill quite a bit of paranoia now that I think about it. If you're gonna do that, please please please use Safari.

Despite its flaws, Opera Mini is a perfect mobile browser for iPhone users that surf with 3G or GPRS because the real goal to the browser in the first place is giving you the web in smaller chunks of data, thus putting less strain on the network, as well as your pocket. It's not about rendering web pages perfectly, which means that if you're gonna use a Wi-Fi hotspot anyway, you might as well use Safari to see web pages in the way it was intended. But if you're really into speed, Opera Mini can and will do the job for you. Now it must also be noted the Opera Mini is merely a first generation product, and updates will happen. For now though, I don't see much reason in switching to this one, other than to save some time and money, which for a lot of people, is reason enough.

Rating: 7/10

Now let's go see a little game that looks promisingly fun, and it's called Orion Racer.

It looks like a basic racer, because it kind of is, but hopefully the space motif and hovering going on will bring on a sense of speed, which is actually the appeal to these types of racers.

There are a few unlockables to be found, and... well, it's pretty barebones. The crisp visuals and general fun to be had with a racer can justify the not too demanding $2.99 the developers offer, and I'm off to download this one myself.

Apps Weekly: Words With Friends + Words With Friends HD

In the tradition of mail chess, Newtoy has an iPhone app that somewhat resembles that game but electronically, and that's Chess With Friends. I'm not too good at chess, but I do like a bit of Scrabble, and thankfully, Words With Friends is there to fill that void.

Words With Friends
Free with ads, $2.99
Newtoy, Inc.
Compatible with iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later

Arguably, this game is a bit like Scrabble, but the twist here is that your opponent is a real person, and he'll take his time to think about his next move. And what I mean by that is that your opponent might take longer than a minute to a day before he gives you his move. While one could say that this sluggish pace could be a bit of a turn-off, a person with a busy lifestyle is actually the perfect candidate for this game. If you gotta go to a meeting in the middle of a game, you could always exit the game and get some work done. Don't worry, your opponent will understand (and if you're really worried about your opponent's patience, you can just say that you have to leave through Chat).

This screen is basically the home screen of the game, but when you first run it, you'll be asked to put in your e-mail address and username. After a few seconds, you'll be able to start creating games and making moves.

I don't exactly know the mechanics that determine whether you or the other player goes first, but whatever the case, this leisurely paced version of Scrabble plays as you'd expect. There are score bonuses when you have tiles in either the Double/Triple Word score or the Double/Triple Letter score, and you can swap some letters off as well as pass a turn when you're really stumped.

In a smart move, the app also features some in-game chat so as to maximize the "social" aspect of the game. You can talk about movies while in a game, or trash talk to some random dude you're playing against. Heck, you can do these things simultaneously, because the game allows you to create up to 20 simultaneous games so chances are, you won't end up too bored when a player is not online (as marked by the googly eyes near the Chat button). If you want to play with your actual friends, you're given the chance to do that as well. You can post an alert to your Twitter or Facebook account, so your friends can go online and play with you.

Whatever the case, this game is a perfect game in this fast-paced world. When you're resting from that exhausting run for a promotion or grade, you'll be able to be comforted by the fact that your Words With Friends game will always be waiting for you- that is, unless you ignore it for 7 days.

That's not to say that the app is the most perfect app. For one thing, there's quite a bit of lag during gameplay. I've also encountered a bug that forced me to pass several turns (a letter that was stuck on the board), and the game does crash sometimes. Still, push notifications work flawlessly in notifying that you have to make a move in the board. Still, just making a move takes more than a minute to do, because the sending is just a ridiculously long wait. Is it because it's loading an ad? Oh ads, you annoy the hell out of me.

But that's where the $2.99 version comes in; the full version eliminates those annoying ads that pop-up after every move you make.

Still, I think Words With Friends is one of the better games out there, and I hope I can play with anyone reading this some time.

Rating: 7.5/10

In one of the laziest attempts at a "preview", I'd like to cover the companion iPad version of the game I just reviewed, which is Words With Friends HD.

You can get a taste of the sheer expansiveness that the iPad's resolution offers by clicking the screenshot on top.

Obviously, it will feature a much more comfy way to play this game, and the Chat feature will actually not be all that intrusive to the gameplay, as it will only appear in a little window. The game looks like fun on the iPad and it seems that it will launch alongside the product this Sunday.

Developer Newtoy will be holding a little party at the Apple Store in Frisco as they will be giving away some promo codes for this game. Sadly enough, no actual iPads to give away, but you might want to consider joining a certain Twitter giveaway if you really want one.

Apps Weekly: Articles + Pictionary Multiplayer Apps!

Wikipedia, while not the most reliable source of information on the web, is still one of the biggest free encyclopedias ever conceived, and it still ranks as one of the top go-to websites in history. While iPhone users have the option to browse Wikipedia using the Safari browser, there are still some limitations brought upon by the mobile version of the website, one complaint primarily being: you can't copy nor cut. And as we all know, Wikipedia is for research as Justin is to Biology.

AHEM, but I digress.

This is where people start looking for Wikipedia apps in the App Store. While Wikimedia has its own official app, I've found that the paid app Articles is so much better.

Articles
Sophia Teutschler
$2.99
Requires iPhone 3.0 or later

Featuring a very clean interface, Articles starts off with a friendly notice: "Tap the search bar to start...". The user-friendly nature of the app encourages you to just do what you'd normally do with Wikipedia.

The fact that it looks like it was built for the iPad is kind of noticeable, so you feel like you're living in April 3.

But anyway, the resembles Safari in a lot of ways. The lower buttons are especially reminiscent to that of the browser, and it works just as you'd expect. There's a back and a forward button, an "add bookmark (or E-Mail article)" button, a "view bookmarks" button, and lastly a multi-page button which somewhat acts like "tabs" or "windows" in a browser.

Still, there's more than meets the eye in this Wikipedia app.

The content rendering for most articles look extremely good, with a font large enough to read for a relatively reasonable amount of time.

When you push on a picture, you'll be able to see a higher-resolution rendering of the picture after a few seconds.

If it's an information chart or a table, the app will feature a custom view for them as well.

Usually, you'll only be able to view them if you press on a section that would normally contain a chart or table.

In the bookmarks view, the app also utilizes the iPhone's GPS capabilities, because it has a rather unique "Nearby" option that likely brings out information about your location or something. I wasn't able to try this because I was on an iPod touch and the Philippines doesn't have the triangulation thingy.

It also contains a "Surprise Me!" button which summons a random articles, and pre-loaded bookmarks like "Famous Paintings" and "Post Impressionism". They're all editable so you can delete them.

Also, the app contains the ability to lock the orientation; basically if you pull the app down Tweetie-style, you'll see an arrow and text that says, "Release to lock orientation". This will enable the app to not turn into either landscape or portrait mode when you change the iPhone's position. The app also features a unique way to navigate the entire article: after double-tapping the screen, you can scroll up or down to navigate through the article's various sections, thus removing much need for the Table of Contents. The feature isn't really stated enough in the app, because it's a rather convenient and useful gesture.

True, it doesn't have in-page searching and some people prefer that the table of contents be readily presented to them, but the app's ease of use and gorgeous interface more than make up for its shortcomings.

Rating: 8/10

If you like Pictionary, you'll probably be pleased to know that there are a few online multiplayer Pictionary apps present in the App Store. If you don't know what Pictionary is though, then it's pretty much guessing the object a person is drawing, but the real board game has a few more intricacies and twists to it.

One of them is the free game, Depict.

Technically, I shouldn't even preview this app as it has been released since December. However, the major thing about the app is that it has just transitioned into free territory, and the developer's only source of revenue would be in-app purchases, which consist of game modes and custom avatars.

It pits you against 5 players and if you guess the answer in the quickest way possible, you'll earn much points. Still, unlike actual Pictionary where the choices available to you are in the imagination, the game does the imagination for you; you'll pick among 6 choices that contain the answer. It is powered by OpenFeint, which is free and powerful.

Another online multiplayer Pictionary app is Charadium which costs a buck.

The premise is somewhat similar to that of Depict's but the difference is that instead of providing you with choices, the game actually leaves you to guess the object being drawn correctly and quickly through typing the damn thing. Revision3's AppJudgment says that the iPhone's native auto-correct feature stands in the way of fun but the developers have swiftly responded to this rant. It's also powered by the gaming network plus+.

The game looks somewhat more polished than Depict but the difference is that Depict's pixely aesthetic allows for more precision in drawing. But that shouldn't really stop you from enjoying any of this.

At the end of the day, choosing a great Pictionary online multiplayer app will have to depend on your preference. Both are fundamentally the same, but Depict lets you save time typing by providing you with choices instead (and it's free), while Charadium lets you type out the actual word thus encouraging more of your imagination to work (and it's not free). They both look rather good, but the problem is that they don't really provide much in the way of local multiplayer, meaning you can't pit yourself between a Bluetooth powered iPod touch or iPhone that's nearby which is a bit of a sad oversight.

A warning: when playing online, be wary of pervs who draw gonads.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth Review

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Capcom
Nintendo DS

With 4 games under the Ace Attorney belt, it's hard not to get tired of the same mechanics and gimmicks that Capcom rehashes for every year a title gets released. However, the only thing that keeps fans coming back is pretty much story and new characters. I mean, even the twists that a case possesses has become familiar, so it's hard not to just sigh at the sight of yet another new entry in the series. Now, I'm a fan of the series, but after Apollo Justice, there was just... fatigue, really.

Fortunately, this new installment adds enough fresh mechanics but instills it with the familiar characters of the original "trilogy" to form a game that satisfies the fanboy within me and makes me want more. Couple that with the usual excellently-written dialogue and trademark interrogation gameplay mechanics and you get a very welcome, refreshing sequel.

Extremely accessible for newbies, Ace Attorney Investigations re-introduces prosecutor Miles Edgeworth as a man who only wishes to search for the truth at all costs. The story has him finding the right mantra for his aforementioned goal by subtly reflecting his inner struggle. And through it all, oh yeah, people get murdered. The familiar supporting cast: Detective Gumshoe, Franziska Von Karma, Manfred Von Karma... they're here, all right. That, and a few familiar faces that range from an old bag to a smelly troublemaker. While all the characters, even the new ones like Kay Faraday or Shi-Long Lang, get their due introductions, there are still a lot of in-jokes that will thrill the franchise's established fanbase. So yes, that may either be called a ladder, or a stepladder.

True, the story doesn't match up the caliber of the original, but what game in the series has? Despite that, Ace Attorney Investigations still has an intriguing story with 5 crime scenes to investigate and solve, each one increasing in length, difficulty and complexity as each case gets solved. All the events in the game happen in a span of 2 days in the game world, and while they are all tied together by a common thematic thread, you are rarely stuck in the courtroom.

One of the most refreshing changes of the game primarily comes from the new third-person perspective that is utilized for investigating, talking and moving around, naturally.

You are assigned a partner during your investigations, so yes, an on-screen character will follow you around. Now, it's usually not bothersome (and it gives the developers excuse to let the characters converse every time Edgeworth gives stiff descriptions for every piece of evidence found at the scene), but there are times when the character actually blocks a crucial piece of the room that needs to be examined, but that's easily remedied by, well, walking to the assistant's direction. Still, when your eyes feel strained but your mind feels intrigued, it's hard to just... never mind.

Another refreshing new mechanic to the investigation is Edgeworth's ability to use "Logic". Basically, there will be times when a piece of evidence spawns a sort of "thought". When you have multiple pieces of "thought", you can press the Logic button during the investigation to bind these "thoughts" in a way that is most... well, logical.

While it can be a bit frustrating when two pieces of logic don't really work for the game, but sound logical in the real world, these cases are pretty rare. Still, one will need to be cautious when the game considers your logic to be screwed up, because on the top screen there is a sort of "Life bar" akin to fighting games. When you screw up, you suffer humiliation from your peers (usually your partner, or Franziska) and your "Life bar" depletes. When depleted entirely, the case is out of your hands and in the words of Edgeworth, "the truth is lost forever".

The life bar is also present during your interrogations (or arguments), and these are scenarios wherein you, prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, are tasked upon exposing the lies (or snafus) of witnesses or exploiting the holes in logic of colleagues. These play out almost exactly the same as the courtroom sequences in the original Ace Attorney games, but the novelty is that you're able to just interrogate or argue with people outside the courtroom, meaning that there's no judge to comment on everything. Still, it's not like arguing with these people with baseless conjecture is enough to convince them of your point (especially that... last dude, urgh...), you'll need to present evidence to support your "OBJECTION!". Still, if you feel like a testimony is a bit too airtight, you can always "Press" a witness' statement to squeeze out more information. Even the most trivial of matters is important to solving a case, so keep an eye on your evidence at all times.

Because when you do expose a contradiction, you just feel satisfied with yourself. I don't know why, but that part plays a huge role in the series' appeal. Still, a bit of that satisfaction is lost when you find out that you can actually save virtually anywhere, anytime (although there is no "auto-save"). Really, a life bar becomes a bit moot when you can just load the moment right before the presentation of evidence. But you can't fault the game, it's just built with portability in mind.

There are also other things you can do in a certain crime scene. When you find something of note, the screen will magnify to that part and you can take a closer look, ala the old Ace Attorney games, in a 2D plane. When the "Examine" button appears, that's how you'll know when a crucial part of evidence is present so you'll rarely get stuck searching every nook and cranny for anything of note, because the game offers you indication of what exactly is of note.

Using evidence, you'll sometimes have to "Deduce" something about the crime scene. That means that the crime scene seems different and contradicts the facts known about a certain piece of evidence (or testimony). This may prove that the scene was tampered with, or there was something conflicting about date or time of murder.

Again, the life bar plays a part in this, and when you get the contradiction wrong, the life bar depletes.

What you may or may not get stuck with is testimony, however, and that's because the game goes on in a linear pace, so you'll need to adapt to the game's line of logic and reasoning. You can't defend a piece of evidence that should be technically correct! When the game thinks your line of logic is wrong, it's wrong, period. Alas, this has been a trademark of the franchise, and cases of this happen quite rarely anyway, so in actuality, it's a bit of a minor nitpick.

Despite the themes of murder and corruption, the game still manages to keep a goofy sense of humor, and despite introducing new and quirky characters, each of them is given a reason for existence, and a bit of backstory to boot. An airhead of a woman may turn out to be more than just a lovestruck co-conspirator, or a girl you think you didn't know is actually the one who saved your life years ago. This is one of the best things about the series, and it's glad to see it retained in this refresh of the series.

Also retained? The heavy text-based nature of the game.

The game's trademark presentation- a combination of sound effects, sparsely animated facial expressions, scarce voiceovers and flashes of light- are all left intact, and it's still as effectively done as ever. Maybe it's the well-written dialogue that seals the whole deal, but whatever the case, reading all this exhaustive text is still quite an engaging "chore", and the background music for each character is exquisitely done.

Existing fans of the Phoenix Wright trilogy (as well as the Apollo Justice game) may need to adjust to Edgeworth's stiff demeanor, but the man's charming enough and brimming with personality to deserve your 10 hours of game time. There are a lot of in-jokes and visual cues to take note of for old fans, but they're not prominent enough to alienate new players. Overall, this installment is an enjoyable return to the world of twisted lawyering that is Ace Attorney, and I couldn't be happier.

Rating: 8/10