Super Meat Boy is one of the most infuriatingly difficult and yet ridiculously addictive games you will ever play.

Super Meat Boy is, very simply, psychotic. That’s the only way I can even hope to start describing it. It was clearly designed by total sadists with the blackest of hearts whose days must usually be filled with reading about how to make cadavers in slaughterhouses be neatly and efficiently sliced by rotating blades, or instructions on how make normal people start foaming at the mouth. Let’s get this straight right now: This game categorically hates all players with an unabated and everlasting fury. Super Meat Boy isn’t here for your entertainment. It wasn’t created simply so you can have some fun and fiddle away a few idle hours: It wants your blood. It’s here to teach you a lesson, and that lesson is that you are worthless and insignificant. The only way you can ever hope to prove yourself capable is by completing some of the most fiendishly difficult levels ever created in computer gaming. Perhaps, only then you can call yourself worthy. The game is I dare to say, catastrophically difficult, meaning that only through extreme repetition and literally thousands of deaths will you ever hope to advance to the next stage. However, the upshot of this is that when you actually do complete a really challenging level, the feeling of euphoria you get is simply fantastic and cannot be understated. That is, until the next level brings you crashing back to Earth as yet another microscopic chunk of fleshy meat, thrown to the wind. Nonetheless, in the quest to prove yourself capable, no matter how much ill-temper Super Meat Boy causes you, you’ll find it very difficult to stop playing this enormously addictive game.

Super Meat Boy takes the old-school approach to plot and storyline, meaning that there is very little of one. Any semblance of a storyline is roughly equivalent to that you would find in a typical Mario Bros. game. Meat Boy, the titular cube-shaped boy of skinless meat, is on a quest to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil and despotic Dr. Fetus (who is literally a foetus in a jar, wearing a robotic tailored suit and top hat). So far, so straightforward. Each level is a platforming obstacle course which Meat Boy must navigate to reach Bandage Girl, who each and every time is then whisked away by Dr. Fetus to the next level. These are usually filled with a variety of horrific contraptions which Meat Boy must avoid, including rotating saw blades, deadly spikes and much else besides. Levels are normally very short, usually under 30 seconds, but it will generally take many, many tries to complete one successfully. The game starts off relatively simply, with some easy early levels which help to build your confidence somewhat, before ramping up the challenge to such a degree that it will either infuriate or confound the majority of players. Indeed, it was only through a good many hours of gruelling hardship that I managed to reach the finale of Super Meat Boy, and there were several stages where I considered giving up altogether. If anything, the difficult of the game is both its greatest weakness and one of its strengths. The sheer terror you can feel just looking at a mind-bogglingly difficult level, let alone playing it, can leave you weak at the knees, and will definitely turn a lot of players off. However, for those who are able to persevere, they will be rewarded mightily by the feeling of managing to accomplish something truly great.

There are a tremendous variety of levels, character unlocks and other surprises to discover throughout the game. Alongside the normal Light World is a Dark World, which features even more challenging versions of the same levels you played through the first time. These can be unlocked by beating the par time on the Light World. There are also hidden Warp Zones whose entrances can be found in several places, which will take you to a retro-styled world of three levels, based on the look of games from the Commodore 64, Atari 2600 or the GameBoy, among others. In some of these Warp Zones you can unlock a variety of indie-game characters who are vying for a piece of the action, ranging from Commander Video from the Bit.Trip series to The Kid from I Wanna Be The Guy. Each of these plays and handles quite differently from Meat Boy, and many have a special ability (such as The Kid’s double-jump, or Jill’s ability to slow down in midair). Other characters are unlocked by collecting bandages, which are scattered through the levels in hard-to-reach places, and provide yet another reason for replay. There are many nostalgic call-backs in here, with some of the cutscenes referencing everything from Castlevania to Street Fighter II. Finally, if you manage to rescue Bandage Girl when she is “glitching” (a random occurrence in each world), you’ll unlock a special Minus World, which are categorically the most difficult levels in the whole game.

The control scheme for the PC version is definitely a tale of two cities. It is clear from the outset that the game was designed to be played with a gamepad, because the keyboard controls for Super Meat Boy are pretty abysmal. The keyboard is very finicky and either ultra responsive at some points, or not useful at all at many others. For example, controlling Meat Boy as he glides through the air is a major part of the gameplay in several levels, but doing so is rendered almost impossible using the keyboard control scheme. Running is almost a challenge because it is mapped to the Shift key, and since you will want to be running most of the time, this often involves pressing three or four keys at the same time. All in all, the lack of optimisation for the keyboard is certainly rather disappointing. Furthermore, this isn’t helped by the fact that the developer actively RUBS IN YOUR FACE how bad the keyboard controls are in the opening loading screen, boasting about how you should be playing with a gamepad. Therefore, you must be willing to make the investment of buying a gamepad if you want to get anywhere further than World 1. With a gamepad however, the game certainly feels great. Meat Boy has a weight and speed to his movement that feels very intuitive almost as soon as you pick up the controller, and judging gaps, wall-jumps and other manoeuvres will become second nature once you get the hang of it. These controls, being both tight and yet almost loose at the same time, can allow you to perform some really cool jumps and tricks in the tougher levels which require precision above all else.

Graphically the game is stylised in a way which both looks and feels retro, but not overly so. From the design of the various menus to the levels themselves, there are definite shadows of Super Mario Bros. seeping through the paintwork and the blood splatter. Warp zone visual design is also superb, the aesthetics perfectly mimicking the look of the various classic gaming systems. The cutscenes look what you’d get in a Flash game, but they are orchestrated so well it doesn’t really matter. Come to think of it, one thing that can be praised without any reservation is the soundtrack. dB soundworks, who also scored the original flash game, have created an incredibly memorable musical score which perfectly invokes what Super Meat Boy is all about. It’s both homage to the early 4 and 8-bit music of classic games from the 1980′s, but also creates its own quirky, funny and original feel. Blending some orchestral sounds with a dash of Electronica and synthesizers, the tunes which loop during the different levels never get old, and are always a joy to listen to. Furthermore, when you are transported to a Warp Zone, the music similarly adjusts to the time period by turning into a retro version of the same theme, complete with authentic chiptune sound effects.

Super Meat Boy is certainly the hardest game I’ve played in my life, and it has also probably caused more anger, verbal tirades and random outbursts than any other as well. At times, after dying for the 1,322nd time on a particular level, I feel like I want to slam down the controller, shut down the computer and simply walk away forever, without looking back. But every time, something in this game keeps me coming back for more. The downright addictiveness of wanting to finish the next level never tires. It’s a game that takes the philosophy of “just one more go” to a whole new and almost frightening extreme. And that is really the true paradox of Super Meat Boy. You almost wish that the game wasn’t as good as it is, so that you could simply outright hate it. However, while Super Meat Boy may categorically hate me, with its charming personality and great soundtrack I’m finding it really tough to stop loving it.

BioShock 2 is still a thoroughly enjoyable game, but the magic of the original is sadly gone.

There was once a game which set itself in an Art-Deco city, located deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean. The game was spooky, immersive and deeply entertaining; partly because the characters and plotline were so interesting, but also because the setting was incredibly unique. However, the founder of that city eventually realised that his creation was a disappointment that he had built upon a set of broken ideals. And in his finest hour, he reminded us all that “A man chooses. A slave obeys.” If anything can encapsulate my feelings about BioShock 2 in the form of an analogy, it is this. It’s a sequel that never really needed to exist, and that was created with reasonably high aesthetic ideals and ultimately manifested itself as a lengthy footnote to the original game without a clear defining narrative. This is not to say in anyway that the game is in any way bad: The combat is fluid and varied, the locations large and dramatic, and the orchestral soundtrack is as haunting as ever. But what is missing from BioShock 2 is most telling: Its sense of presence and purpose. And because this magic and wonderment has gone, the game sadly loses much of its charm. Nonetheless, as Rapture’s swansong, this game still deserves to be played.

BioShock 2 is set eight years after the original game in 1968, once again within the cavernous, failed underwater metropolis of Rapture. The game throws you back to 1958 during the introductory cutscene to show Subject Delta, one of the original series of Big Daddies, being forced to shoot himself in the head by Dr. Sofia Lamb; a highly regarded psychiatrist. Lamb takes away his Little Sister, who is actually Lamb’s own daughter, Eleanor. Jump forward ten years, and Delta awakes in the Adonis Luxury Resort, apparently having been revived at a Vita-Chamber. What happened to Delta’s body during those intervening years remains an absolute mystery. He is quickly contacted by Brigid Tenenbaum, who featured heavily in the original game, and told that during his time incapacitated, Rapture has fallen and Sofia Lamb has risen to power, and has attempted to reconstruct society using her own warped ideas of Utilitarianism. This collectivist thinking is the polar opposite philosophical persuasion to Andrew Ryan, who founded Rapture upon the principles of Randian Objectivism. Whilst Ryan triumphed the ideas of individual above all else, Lamb believes that the destruction of the self will allow for humanity to strive for the collective greater good. Tenenbaum tells Delta that he must reunite with Eleanor or else he will die, and along the way he can help to save a new generation of Little Sisters who have been kidnapped from the surface in order to harvest Adam for the remainder of the spliced denizens.

Although initial plot setup is marred by only a few holes, there are several giant stumbling blocks which cut through the remainder of the storyline like a bloodied axe. Tenenbaum is established as a major character and heard from frequently during the earlier levels, but then disappears and is absent entirely in the latter two thirds of the game; so much so that in the end what happens to her is unknown (although it is later established in the Minerva’s Den DLC). We are led to believe the Delta will die if he isn’t in close proximity to Eleanor Lamb, but it is never explained how he was able to rise from the dead after ten years, or why he couldn’t do so again (which you will in-fact do many times during the game at the conveniently placed Vita-Chambers). Then there are the small, niggling irregularities, such as how Subject Delta can consume all the food and drink around Rapture when he always has on his huge diving helmet. Dr. Lamb is certainly an interesting character, but unlike Andrew Ryan in the original game, she never has redemption and is almost pointedly a zenith of evil, constantly doing unspeakably terrible things which she always justifies as for the greater good. If Ryan was insane, Lamb is totally off her rocker. However, for the most part it can be safely said that the story plods along nicely and will normally keep you entertained, although you will be forced to suspend more disbelief than necessary. The finale however is just as lacklustre as the original game, and unlike the predecessor, there is no dramatic plot twist to fuel your interest into the home stretch.

It is unfortunate that many secondary characters usually are very minimally explored. The audio diaries, which were the backbone of forming the deep immersion into the original game’s universe, are not as interesting to listen to this time around, despite the effort of several call-backs. Those characters which you will interact with along the way, such as Augustus Sinclair and Gil Alexander, are never particularly fleshed out enough for you to care about them. This is a great shame, since Gil Alexander could have been as memorable a character as Sander Cohen was in the original game. The voice acting itself is still very good however, with the cold, authoritative voice of Dr. Lamb often echoing off the walls, issuing commands and messages to her splicer minions. From a philosophical point of view Lamb’s crusade of Utilitarianism and the creation of her cult of personality is interesting, although these themes fall into the background whilst playing the game itself.

It has to be said that this is the one area where BioShock 2 really comes out ahead; the shooting and several parts of the gameplay are more satisfying and fluid than they were in the original. This time around you can dual-wield a weapon and a plasmid at the same time, meaning that you don’t have to switch between one and the other constantly. The shooting itself is proficient, and combat scenarios have been overhauled. Now after defeating a Big Daddy you can adopt the Little Sister, and carry her around as though she was your own. This will set you up for many pitched battles where you must fight off the incoming splicer hordes and protect your Sister, whilst she harvests Adam from a corpse. Although this was a frustration in the penultimate level of the original game, in part due to the fact that the Little Sister had a limited life-bar, here it is much more satisfying. The little sister remains invincible but will stop harvesting if she is attacked, meaning that it your duty to see that she complete her task unimpeded. If you correctly set up traps and use a combination of weapons and the environment to your advantage, then these encounters can be great fun. After gathering Adam from the corpses you will then be given the same black and white moral choice as in the original: To harvest the girl, and get lots of Adam, or to save her and receive a smaller amount. Once again these choices will impact on the game’s ending, although the changes are superficial at best and will never particularly come into play.

There is a good variety of both weapons and plasmids available scattered around Rapture and for purchase in the vending machines, which will be needed in order to defeat some of the game’s greater opponents. Mid-way through Brute Splicers are introduced, who are hulking monstrosities that charge at you, and later on you even come across some psychotic former Big Daddies. However the toughest opponents in the game are the Big Sisters, who will hunt you down after you save or harvest a certain number of Little Sisters in each level. The Big Sisters are the closest equivalent to a boss battle that BioShock 2 gets, and will require practically everything in your arsenal to defeat successfully. The purpose of the Big Sisters is never fully explained, although it can be guessed that they are the Little Sisters who have grown up, and have developed superhuman powers because of all the Adam they collected. Due to the good variety of enemies, and the fact that you are facing a lot more of them (often a dozen or so at one time) the combat of the game is fast-paced and hectic, always wondering where the next splicer may be hiding, and the next encounter might come. Furthermore, in terms of sound BioShock 2 is still a triumph. The orchestral score by Gary Schyman is just as hypnotic as ever, and the authentic 1940’s and 50’s music once again sets a good tone for the action to play out against.

It can be said that in terms of character design, the situation is markedly improved. Non-spliced characters now look a lot more human, and those who are spliced have been given a more realistic overhaul, so that their skin sags and their malformed limbs appear appropriately grotesque. Indeed, when it comes to setting, Rapture is still as beautiful and decayed as ever. There are occasionally blurred textures here and there, mainly from when assets have been imported from the original game, but for the most part BioShock 2 is still gorgeous to behold. There is a good variety of levels which are spacious and nicely designed, representing a cross-section of Rapture’s society: Everything from the beneath the tracks slums of Pauper’s Drop to the once lavish but now ravaged interior of Dionysus Park. There is even one or two showcase underwater segments, which although stagnant of genuine gameplay are nonetheless interesting. The main issue with the levels is that the heavy atmosphere which was ever-present throughout the first game is pretty thinly spread here, and the blame cannot really be attributed to a single facet. It’s kind of like you’re walking through a theme-park version of Rapture, which has been designed to mimic the real thing, but you can always see the cracks in the underlying paintwork. You are used to the Art Deco art-style, the Big Daddies, the crazed splicers. The mystery and the intrigue are gone, and what you are left with is familiar and usually predictable.

However, I suppose what really disappoints me about BioShock 2 beyond the game itself, is the support (or should I say, lack of it) which has been given to users of the PC version. In spite of the fact that for myself, the game crashes to desktop every forty-five minutes, certain sounds don’t work and several other technical faults, 2K Games have now refused to issue a proper patch correcting such issues, despite the fact that it had previously been promised for eight months. Furthermore, the DLC of Minerva’s Den and the Protector Trials has now been totally cancelled for PC users, again despite being announced as coming to the platform and already being released on consoles. 2K Games have offered little explanation as to why they made this choice, and I feel that this disregard for an entire cohort of their users is abhorrent. Of course, I only say this because deep down, I still like BioShock 2 very much, and am glad that I had a chance to visit Rapture again, and I wished I could play Minerva’s Den for myself. My disappointment is mainly manifested because I yearn for what could have been if it had been done right, and I am saddened that those who were tasked with safeguarding it do not seem to be acting in our best interests.

So there we have BioShock 2, a game which for me invokes deeply mixed opinions. I suppose that since the original game is one of my all-time favourites, I knew that any developers were going to have to work extremely hard to keep me impressed. Sadly, although BioShock 2 may indeed be a better gameplay experience than BioShock original, almost all of the rich atmosphere and strong plot which kept you on your toes before is absent in this sequel. This certainly does not mean that BioShock 2 isn’t a bad game by any means: As a shooter, it is actually more proficient and has a lot more actual shooting to be getting on with, easily enough to recommend it to anyone fond of a good fight. But alas, most of the suspense is gone from Rapture, to the extent that the plot just feels like it is persuading you to move from point A to B. All of it combines to make BioShock 2 a perfectly playable game, but not a particularly memorable one. I only remind you that as Andrew Ryan said; “We all have choices, but in the end our choices make us.” As far as buying BioShock 2 goes, the choice is as always up to you.

The Verdict: 8.0 out of 10.

Many in the press are constantly drawing parallels between the current global economic crisis and the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which happened 80 years ago this Autumn. Both happened relatively suddenly, and both had huge knock-on effects for society as a whole. The Crash of ‘29 led to the Great Depression, which led to record unemployment and migration across the United States and Europe. Our ‘crash’ has lead to our longest recession in more than half a century, with unemployment still on the rise. However, just how similar to 1929 is life really, for the average person? To put this theory to the test, I decided to try and live a day as though it were actually 1929, only performing actions which would have been possible to a resident of Southampton living at the time.

The day started off well enough: I rose from my thickly blanketed bed (sans duvet) and immediately turned off the radio, not to mention completely ignoring the computer’s existence. Radio of course had already been invented, but at this time the BBC were only broadcasting in London for limited times during the day, and ordinary people couldn’t afford radios. I had a breakfast of porridge oats with a cup of loose-leaf tea, with water boiled on the gas stove (no electric kettles), and left the house, marvelling at the cylinder locking mechanism on the front door. Out in the street there were an incredible number of motorcars on the road, far more than I had previously suspected was possible. Ignoring the buses (Southampton had a sophisticated system of tramways instead until 1949) I walked to university, or as known then, Hartley University College.

However, a major problem here was that in 1929, the university campus as we know it at Highfield didn’t exist (some buildings had been there since 1914, but the library for example wasn’t built until the 1930’s) so for this portion of the day I had to abandon any pretence at accuracy. After my lecture, I decided to go into the city centre to see about getting some lunch. As the tram system didn’t extend out into the green farmland of Highfield, walking was the only sensible option again. Upon arriving at Above Bar Street, I was presented with another problem: where to get lunch. Almost none of the chain stores or restaurants, which now almost entirely make up the shops in the city centre, existed in ‘29. I could safely visit WH Smith, but nothing in West Quay at all (especially considering the land on which the shopping centre is built hadn’t been reclaimed from Southampton Water at this point). I could argue that John Lewis is a continuation of the local Southampton department store Tyrell & Green, but that would be cheating. In the end, I managed to get to a typical locally owned cafe, which sold sandwiches and cakes, hidden below the Bar Gate. My journey home was only punctuated by dropping in the greengrocers in Portswood to buy some potatoes and leeks.

The afternoon was spent in relative boredom: Since there was no TV, Internet or computers to entertain me, I was resigned to diligently working and reading for most of the afternoon. If I had had a gramophone I could have put on a 45 record with some 20’s swing music, but sadly I lacked both. Dinner was a homemade broth, comprising of the potatoes and leeks I had bought, plus some bacon I had acquired from the butchers. I was actually quite impressed by my handiwork. To be truly authentic, I even let the leeks boil for too long. So, how similar is life today to that in 1929? The answer is- it isn’t. Any comparison to 1929 is extremely tenuous.

The German-language film Good Bye, Lenin! is a story of several aspects: A son’s love for his mother, his love for a girl, and a family whose lives are torn apart by the Iron Curtain, all set against the collapse of the German Democratic Republic (more commonly known as East Germany) in late 1989.

In 1978, Alex Kerner’s father seemingly abandons his wife and children living in East Berlin, and flees to the West to seek a new life. Alex’s mother, Christiane, in a form of emotional withdrawal from the , decides to dedicate herself to furthering the socialist ideals of the GDR, becoming effectively a model citizen. Jump ahead to October 1989, where Alex’s mother has a sudden heart attack and falls into a coma after witnessing him being arrested during a demonstration. Alex is told that any further stress may kill her. Whilst she is unconscious however, the Berlin Wall falls and the country his mother had dedicated the past decade of her life to serving effectively disappears overnight. Thus, when she wakens in 1990, in order to prevent her dying from the shock, Alex attempts to pretend that the GDR as she knew it still exists, and goes to considerable lengths to keep the truth from her. He fakes the existence of East German foods which were no longer made, shows her reruns of old news programmes and even celebrates Christiane’s birthday in the typical socialist style.

The acting in this endearing, funny and poignant film is superb, and it really is a shame that so few in the English-speaking world have had the bravery to see it, since even with subtitles, the strength of the production is clear to see. Daniel Bruhl is very convincing as in the main role, lending a youthful and defiant attitude to the character of Alex, and the rest of the cast provide the perfect backdrop. The humour is also a mixture of satire and farce, with many hilarious but also thought-provoking scenes, such as the solemn changing of the East Berlin guard outside the Neue Wache, whilst a column of Coca-Cola trucks roll past them down Unter den Linden. Alex and his West Berlin friend Denis also recreate a number of East German news reports for Christiane, presenting a counterfactual alternative history where the people in the West flooded into East Germany, rather than vice versa. I also very much enjoyed the scene where Denis tries to explain the (in)famous jump cut in 2001: A Space Odyssey, oblivious to the fact that Alex has never had a chance to watch it.

There is also an excellent orchestral soundtrack throughout from the same composer who scored 2001′s French film Amélie, which is alternatively dramatic and sombre, quirky and melancholy, which helps to set the varying mood across the film. In the end, Good Bye, Lenin! expresses a kind of sad nostalgia (known in Germany as Ostalgie) for a GDR that no longer exists, in fact and never existed. The East German regime often brutally suppressed its citizens, as this film demonstrates and can be seen also in The Lives of Others, and yet many were still willing to believe in the socialist ideals it claimed to serve. As history is apt to remind us, neither socialism nor indeed capitalism can hold all the answers to life’s problems. Good Bye, Lenin! is a remembrance of time past, but also embraces that which is yet to come, and for a comedy-drama, that’s quite a feat to pull off.

The Verdict: 9.0 out of 10.

What little storyline there is seems to have been pulled straight from the video game Just Cause: A rag-tag team of grizzled mercs (known as The Expendables, unsurprisingly) are presumably hired by the CIA to organise the assassination of the dictator of the fictional South American country of Vilena. Along the way, they discover that said dictator is being backed by a shadowy former CIA agent, supposedly so he could cash in on the lucrative drugs trade, so in the end they need to take him down as well. Along they way they also rescue a beautiful damsel in distress, because that’s just what real men do. The plot definitely takes a back seat when it comes to the action, and this is usually thick, fast and definitely over the top. You will realise this less than two minutes into the film, when a Somali pirate is literally blown in half by a gunshot. These action scenes form the backbone of the film and are nicely executed, being both grisly, exciting and yet funny. Indeed, much of the humour seems accidental, whether it’s Jason Statham deadpanning the line “Next time I’ll deflate your other balls!” or some guy delivering a devastating punch in the face to another guy, who is already actually on fire.

Indeed, there is much punching to be had generally (even a woman is punched in the face at one point by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin), but the signature move of The Expendables is definitely breaking out the throwing knives, which are exploited frequently and to great effect. Indeed, it is almost impossible to keep track of the body count. Granted, the CGI laser-sight dots on rifles and the knives sticking out of people’s chests look very tacky, but each and every gigantic explosion (which occur more and more frequently towards the end leading up to the apocalyptic finale) is spectacular. The cameo of both Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger is hilariously great/bad but painfully short, meaning Willis’ appearance on the film poster is somewhat strange considering he is on-screen for less than five minutes.

Nonetheless, Sylvester Stallone has created a true throwback film here. It reminds you of those crazy action films from the mid-1980′s like Commando or the early Rambo, where the testosterone was always pumping and the guns were always blazing. It is almost as though the production is so over the top that it seems to be sending itself up, but without the knowing winks to camera of doing so. It isn’t clever, it isn’t emotional, and it doesn’t have any real point to make. All it wants to do is shoot you in the face repeatedly and then blow up your still twitching corpse with a massive amount of nitroglycerin. And for this fact alone, this stupid film is stupidly brilliant.

The Verdict: 8.0 out of 10.

I will confess, here and now. When I was about 13, I listened to hardly any music whatsoever. All I knew was some limited Classical stuff and some selected hits by the great Rolf Harris. Aside from that, music had never interested me. I listened to audiobooks and the like, rather than albums and songs. Then one day, my parents happened to be playing The Beatles compilation album ‘1’, and on came ‘Paperback Writer’. Something about that song just clicked for me; it was like hearing a new and totally beautiful birdsong for the very first time. Music was now something to be cherished and preserved, and The Beatles were my catalyst for this discovery.

Today, they are back in the spotlight once again. Beatlemania is reborn. With the release of their newly remastered albums and their introduction to rhythm video games with The Beatles: Rock Band, their name is still an incredibly powerful icon in popular culture. One question remains: are The Beatles still, for want of a better word, cool? Some may question whether The Beatles are still relevant to modern society, almost forty years since the group disbanded. With the murder of John Lennon in 1980 and George Harrison’s death from cancer in 2001, only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are left alive. How can a band our parents grew up listening to be important to us?

First off, their music is still indisputably brilliant. Songs such as ‘She Loves You’, ‘Get Back’ and ‘Let It Be’ are now timeless classics, firmly established as British institutions alongside old-fashioned ideas such as afternoon tea and cricket. You only need to look at the listening figures on the popular internet music website Last.fm for evidence of its popularity. The Beatles had the most played tracks for the whole of 2008, ahead of Radiohead, Coldplay and The Killers. For the week of 13th September, the Radio 1 Chart Show listed eleven of their remastered albums within the Top 40. Undoubtedly, the band still means something to a great many people.

The other facet that must be considered is the effect The Beatles continue to have on most forms of popular music today. MTV recognises that the modern music video was essentially invented by The Beatles film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. The first use of audio feedback is featured in their song ‘I Feel Fine’. They also pioneered multi-track recording, complex overdubbing and other post production techniques, all of which are used on a daily basis in modern records. The practice of world tours was also established by them in 1964, during their first visit to the United States. If it were not for The Beatles, it is theoretical that music as we know it today would not be possible.

There is hardly a style they did not experiment with at some point during their tumultuous career. Want some Hard Rock? Try ‘Helter Skelter’. Reggae? ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’. Avant-Garde? ‘Revolution 9’. And these are only songs from ‘The White Album’! A great amount of time has passed since The Beatles rocked out one final time on the roof of 3 Savile Row in January 1969, but their music still resonates as clearly as though it had been yesterday.

This is not to say that the revolution in popular music can be laid solely at the throne of their Fabulousness. Others, including The Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin must also have their recognition. But The Beatles were right at the centre of an explosion in society, which saw the old Post-War 50’s mentality replaced by one of love, peace and harmony. Although the ideals of the 60’s were eventually replaced by the Punk anti-establishment of the 1970’s, its fallout reached far beyond what was originally predicted, and is still meaningful today.

In essence, there are two things that are slowly but surely destroying the existence of the CD today. The first is the rise of digital downloads, mp3’s and iPods. The second is the Loudness War, which many record companies have been constantly waging since the 1980’s. This movement has meant the slow death of High Fidelity sound during the last three decades. The idea behind the Loudness War is a simple one: loud albums sell better, and the louder your album, the more likely it is going to outshine the competition.

To illustrate: imagine you have a CD released in the mid 1980’s; as The Beatles albums on CD originally were. In 1987, the overall album sound level was lower; if you wanted it to be louder, you had to crank up the volume knob on your stereo yourself. This meant that there were greater differences between the soft and loud noises in the mix. However, year upon year, the music industry has had this unending compulsion to raise the overall volume of an album, by digitally compressing the dynamic range of the music. If one band puts out an album that sounds loud and hard-hitting, a competing record company feels compelled to release its artists’ albums at similar or higher volumes.

For example, if you were to compare the original LP version of The Beatles single “Something” on “Abbey Road”, as well as the 1987 version, to that released on the 2000 compilation “1”, you would notice that the version on “1” is much louder across the board. The sound quality itself suffers as a result, because highs and lows in the music are levelled out.

Whilst this isn’t always a bad thing, it normally can ruin the original dynamic range of a song. There are many examples of this happening in modern music. You might very well have listened to the first album by the Arctic Monkeys, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”. Ever wondered how the vocalist and the rest of the band are able to keep up the unendingly hectic pace without ever seeming to draw breath? The answer is the songs have been digitally compressed to make the tempo faster. At first, this makes the songs seem more punchy and catchy; our attention is drawn to the source of the noise. However, after a few minutes of constant loud noises without any change in dynamics, it starts to just get irritating and monotonous. With limitations to the dynamic range, all you are left with is a flatline in the sound.

In the words of the great Bob Dylan; “You listen to these modern records, they’re atrocious; they have sound all over them. There’s no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like… static.” When there are no genuinely ‘quiet’ sections of a song, there can be no actual ‘loud’ sections to complement them, since everything is the same volume all the way through.

One real victim of the Loudness War was the American alternative rock band Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s 1999 album, “Californication”. It was digitally compressed to such a large extent that many critics and fans alike deemed it almost unlistenable due to the range clipping that took place on all the songs. Similar feelings were voiced concerning Metallica’s latest album, “Death Magnetic” .  Perhaps the most famous example of this occurence can be found in Oasis’ “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” The point can really be summed up like this: if you really want your music to be loud, turn the volume up yourself. Don’t let a record company executive do it for you. Good quality sound need not be lost because of an increase in volume.

For more information, go to www.turnmeup.org

Since the opening of Marriott’s Walk, there are still many storefronts standing vacant in the development: Evidently a result of the current economic malaise and soaring property rental costs. Nonetheless, three eateries have opened: Café Rouge, the restaurant in question here, alongside Hackett’s-to-Go (a takeaway version of Hackett’s from the Woolgate Centre) and also the standard Frankie & Benny’s, which always seems to open alongside any multiplex cinema in the country. Since we can usually safely disregard the possibility of getting a good meal in a reasonable time from any Frankie & Benny’s ever, Café Rouge is the only viable option for anyone wanting a sitdown lunchtime meal in town, and either cannot walk the short distance to the High Street, where they are a plethora of other dining options, or simply cannot be bothered to do so.

Café Rouge seems to bill itself as the French version of Bella Italia, which is unsurprising considering both chains are owned by the Tragus Group. Sure, it’s a restaurant chain, but you can still expect to usually receive a good meal at a reasonable price. Walking in, the décor seems appropriately French. Done in the style of a Parisian Bistro, the effect is almost perfect, if not for the variety of French food words such as ‘baguette’ and ‘poisson’ that have been painted around the ceiling, seemingly in an attempt to give you a quick vocabulary lesson. An eclectic, if somewhat strange selection of paintings and posters have been screwed onto the walls in frames, and the tables themselves are a mixture of rattan and polished wood. Nonetheless, the surroundings are pleasant enough, and aside from the French lesson on the ceiling, you may occasionally feel almost across the Channel.

Alas, like Bella Italia, someone in management had the bright idea of piping French folk music constantly into the dining area. Apart from being both stereotypical and clichéd, this type of music, with its repetitive use of the accordion, is almost purposefully designed to either annoy or enrage diners after 15 minutes, and thus, a pair of earplugs may be a good idea if you want to retain your sanity. Nonetheless, at our lunchtime visit we were seated quickly and comfortably at a good table in the back centre of the room. The menu had a good selection of choices across a typical range of French food, including steaks, soups and fish cakes. Similarly they also had a Primer menu where you could get several courses at a discounted price, which was what I went for. I started with Bruscetta, whilst my companions had crab cakes as well as doughbread with a garlic mayonnaise. The Bruscetta came with a generous helping of tomatoes and red peppers, as well as being liberally coated with olive oil. As is custom, it came served on a French baguette slice, rather than Italian bread, but I suppose that was to be expected. Nonetheless, the light pleasantness of the starter impressed me. My compatriots said the crab cakes were also great, if woefully small, whilst the doughbread was simply rather uninspiring.

The main course was also pretty good. I had a burger steak with french fries and garlic butter, with the steak cooked excellently to medium with the juices running smoothly. However, my friend had asked for medium rare, and his steak was definitely a solid medium as well. Certainly, this was where the authenticity to actual France slid heavily, since the French like their steaks rare to blue unless you specifically ask otherwise. Taste-wise however the burger steak could not be faulted, and it made me wish I could taste one of their real, prime steaks. The French fries were essentially chips, but these days you would be forgiven if you couldn’t fathom the difference. One of our number opted to have a chocolate brownie for dessert: A dish which can seldom be done wrong, and this was not an exception, with a soft yet spongy centre and lashings of chocolate sauce with vanilla ice cream. It was all quite standard, but nonetheless highly tasty and prepared proficiently. All in all, at that price range and in that setting, it was a great meal. If you’re looking for pretty good French-style cooking at High Street prices, Café Rouge is a safe and reliable option to choose.

Décor: 7.0 out of 10.
Food: 7.5 out of 10.
Service: 8.o out of 10.
The Verdict: 7.5 out of 10.

Let’s be clear on this from the very start: I adore Star Trek. Deep Space Nine was rubbish, but the original series and Next Generation were great. So obviously, I’m bound to be ever so slightly biased in favour of any game that gets released about it. However, I can honestly say that Star Trek: Bridge Commander is a really great game… just so long as you are into Star Trek, or anything in any way ‘sci-fi space’ related.

Star Trek: Bridge Commander really is a tactical shooter at heart. The main plot is that you were the unnamed First Officer aboard the USS Dauntless, patrolling the Vesuvi System (sounds strangely like Vesuvius doesn’t it?) in the Maelstrom region of space. I say ‘were’ because you get promoted to Captain as old Captain Wright gets killed when the Vesuvi star mysteriously explodes during the introduction. From then on, it is a race to discover why the Vesuvi star exploded, whether it was an accident, and who was behind it. The game lets you control two starships during the main campaign; The USS Dauntless, which is a Galaxy Class, and the USS Sovereign, the prototype Sovereign Class. Controlling these ships is relatively easy, thanks to the assistance of the crew. Simply click on whatever crew member you desire, and choose from a drop-down menu a series of orders, such as increase speed, attack vessel, or warp to a different sector. In game, there are two views from which the game can be played. A tactical external view, where you see the ship from the outside as it fly’s majestically around, and a bridge view, where you are glued solidly into the Captain’s chair, but can at least pan around to look at the crew members, and can see what is going on outside through the view screen.

Most of the missions follow a very similar structure; go in, scan the area, meet the bad guys, shoot and destroy the bad guys and then return to the Starbase. While this can become a little repetitive, there is some variety in these missions, such as where stealth will be required to succeed, or you may have to hold off an attack before the reinforcements can arrive. The plot is very strong, and you do feel some attachment to many of the characters you meet along the way. The game is also quite long, and will require at least several sittings to get through the campaign. Battles are extremely fun, and the ships all seem to have accurate, or at least realistic sense of speed, strength and power. You wouldn’t expect a huge spaceship to turn corners abruptly, but instead they turn like blue whales. AI is normally very competent at dealing your attacks, and friendly AI can be ordered to attack specific targets. In multiplayer and Quickbattle modes, you can also play as ships from Klingon, Cardassian, Federation and Romulan fleets (no Borg unfortunately) although you must keep the Galaxy or Sovereign bridges.

The major drawback of Bridge Commander is the graphics. With all the settings maxed out, the external shots of the spaceships looks pretty impressive and majestic. However, whenever any damage is sustained, all you get is a generic damage texture, which looks rather silly and terribly unrealistic. All explosions look just like bits of smoke ballooning out of nowhere. Never attempt to crash into a planet, as you will be able to approach without any problem before suddenly hitting the surface of the sphere and dying instantly. The damage on the bridge is little better. The screens do flicker nicely, sparks fly, and air vents will burst, but none of it lasts very long or makes it feel like the ship is taking serious damage. Furthermore, additional useless crew members on the Sovereign bridge may be thrown over by a torpedo hit, and then never get up, instead lying prone, face up on the floor. The character models themselves are also very bad, and there really isn’t any lip syncing whatsoever.

Thankfully, sound is quite good. The music is suitably ‘Star Trekesque’, and the character voices include those of Patrick Stewart as Picard and Brent Spiner as Data, though the role of Picard is very minor within the game. They all get a great variety of dialogue to play around with, though I would have loved to have seen more. The genuinely only annoying character is that of your First Officer, Commander Saffi Larsen, who is universally despised by all players of this game, constantly reminding you of your mission objectives, or what Starfleet protocols you are breaking. Just listen once to her voice and you will understand exactly what I mean. While it was meant to assist in remembering what you were supposed to be doing, you are supposed to be in charge here, being the captain, and should not be bossed around by your executive.

At the moment, this is still the best Star Trek action game there is. That fact was set to change with the release of Star Trek: Legacy, which should have really been the successor of Bridge Commander. However, thanks to the abject failure of Legacy on the PC on all counts, Bridge Commander is still the pinnacle of Star Trek gaming, and worth checking out if you love this genre. The gameplay is exceedingly fun and engrossing on many levels. Just be prepared to overlook the mediocre graphics.

The Verdict: 8.0 out of 10.

In recent history, few Presidents have had to deal with so much, so quickly after taking office. President G.W. Bush faced the horror of the September 11th attacks nearly a year after being elected, and looking slightly further back, John F. Kennedy had to deal with the Bay of Pigs incident after three months in office. Obama has had to wrestle with a devastating worldwide economic recession, as well as attempting to improve the image of America around the globe, and cope with the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as he stepped inside the front door of the White House. Has Obama lived up to expectations so far?

For the most part, it seems that Obama has kept very much on the ball. One of his first actions was to announce the closure of the Guantanamo Bay Prison, where suspected terrorists are being held, many without actually being charged for anything. Some may be disappointed that the US Naval Base at Guantanamo will remain however, despite the land officially belonging to Cuba.

Obama has also managed to steer an enormous stimulus package through Congress, amounting to approximately $787 billion. To put that in some context, the entire GDP of Belgium amounts to just $390 billion. This hasn’t been enough to save the decaying US car industry, with Chrysler filing for bankruptcy and announcing a merger with Fiat. The word of the street is that there are signs the world economy is possibly beginning to bounce back however, but with full recovery still rather a long way off.

Internationally, Obama has done much to try and reinvigorate America’s image overseas. His whistle-stop world tour showed that almost every country was vying for his attention, and during the G20 summit he even managed to start improving the decidedly icy relations between Washington and the Kremlin by sharing a joke with Russian President Medvedev.

Although trying to avoid being branded as ‘the world’s policeman’, Obama’s interest in the ongoing issue of the nuclear capabilities of Iran has been more sympathetic to the Iranians, compared to that of his predecessor. His speech calling for a “new day” was a friendly gesture that Tehran would be ill-advised to ignore.

Since it was all the rage with the US networks to ‘grade’ the President on his relative success and failure, I shall follow suit. Obama most likely deserves an ‘A’ so far, based on everything he has achieved. If he can maintain this even-handed balance and authority, Barack Obama is likely to excel as President in the coming years.