Added: 10.03.2015 3:01 | 3 views | 0 comments

The first ten minutes of Ori and the Blind Forest depict a beautiful and soul-crushing story of friendship, selflessness, and loss. They recall the opening minutes of Pixar's Up! in their melancholy, and like in Up!, the introduction provides an emotional foundation for the life-affirming journey that follows. It is a phenomenal opening--a short and wordless tale, playacted by two expressive characters who move with purpose and demonstrate pure affection towards each other.

There's a certain elegance to the game's initial sorrow, and it translates to the way you move through this exquisite 2D platformer. Ori and The Blind Forest is, on a fundamental level, structured as so many other platformers are; It springs from the Metroid and Castlevania tradition, gating your progress behind doors that can only be opened once you have learned a particular skill. As the nimble, lemurlike Ori, you leap and flit about with fantastic grace, and as Ori's abilities improve, so do the joys of navigating his world. When you learn how to climb walls, Ori responds wonderfully to subtle movements of the analog stick, allowing you to finesse him into exactly the right place, such as a sliver of stone embedded within a sea of lava. When you earn your double-jump, Ori somersaults like an acrobat and reacts in mid-air to your aftertouch. What a delight to have such fine control over a character this agile.

One by one, you learn new skills, and new challenges arrive with them. Ori can fire energy orbs at nearby foes when he isn't avoiding them completely, and those creatures can be difficult to overcome. The blobs that stick to walls and ceilings? They aren't much of a hassle, at least until they coat the surfaces you need to cross and spit acid onto the ground. They won't let you stay still: You must take advantage of Ori's dexterity, by leaping over acidic pustules, jumping from wall to wall, or putting the other abilities you have to good use. For instance, you ultimately learn how to deflect projectiles, aiming them back at your foes while propelling yourself in the opposite direction. Turning an oncoming ball of fire back towards its owner is fun, but if you don't pay attention, you could thrust Ori into a wall of spikes, or into a crow hovering nearby.

Propelling yourself through the sky in this manner becomes one of Ori and the Blind Forest's most vital maneuvers. When you first learn it, you typically use the glowing lanterns that dangle from overhangs. Soon, however, you must fire Ori through treacherous areas replete with fiery spheres and those pesky crows, which hurl towards you as if launched from a slingshot. Timing is crucial, as is quickly determining the safest trajectory that still delivers you to your destination. That mid-air fling is at the heart of one of the game's most thrilling scenes: a difficult escape from roaring tides that swallow you whole should you make a single grievous error.

It's important, however, not to mistake Ori and the Blind Forest for being simply beautiful. It certainly is--but it is also unceasingly clever. It consistently surprises you with new tricks: gravitational divergences, new ways to move through its spaces, and carefully designed levels that require you to think quickly and respond. It is not as snappy as, say, a typical Mario platformer, seeking instead a broader gameplay arc stretching across a single, interconnected world. It's a superb and thematically consistent approach that allows Ori and the Blind Forest to build joy on a bed of heartache, adding a new layer of mechanical complexity with each ray of hope.

Added: 04.03.2015 20:26 | 13 views | 0 comments

1. Sean Bean in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Known as the guy who dies in everything, the Game of Thrones star voiced Emperor Martin Septim in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. By the next Elder Scrolls installment, his character was -- yep -- dead.

2. Kristen Bell in Assassin’s Creed

The star of Veronica Mars is a self-proclaimed nerd who lent her voice to the Assassin’s Creed franchise as Lucy.

3. Billy Bob Thornton in Deadly Creatures

The Sling Blade actor has one video game credit to his name, the 2009 title Deadly Creatures, which also starred the late Dennis Hopper.

4. Willem Dafoe in Beyond: Two Souls

The Green Goblin in the Spider-Man movies, Dafoe also voiced Norman Osborn for the companion video games. Another video game gig: the interactive thriller Beyond: Two Souls.

5. Elijah Wood in The Legend of Spyro

He's not only Frodo Baggins, but also a featured voice in a dozen video games, such as the character Spyro in The Legend of Spyro.

6. Ellen Page in Beyond: Two Souls

Juno and Inception actress Ellen Page joined Willem Dafoe in Beyond: Two Souls.

7. John Goodman in Rage

The voice of everyone’s favorite monster, Sulley in Monsters Inc., Goodman most recently voiced Dan Hagar in the game Rage.

8. Mark Hamill in Batman: Arkham Asylum

Luke Skywalker himself became one of the most renowned voice actors in Hollywood. Appearing in more than 30 games, Hamill is most famous for voicing The Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum.

9. Ice Cube in Call of Duty: Black Ops

The multitalented rapper-turned-actor gave his voice to the 2010 edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops, as Joseph Bowman.

10. Kiefer Sutherland in Metal Gear Solid V

The man behind Jack Bauer has voiced parts in 24: The Game and the Call of Duty franchise, but his biggest game gig could be the iconic Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid V.

11. Ray Liotta in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

The voice of Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City? It just so happens to be Goodfellas star Ray Liotta.

12. Liam Neeson in Fallout 3

Neeson has Taken a liking (see what we did there?) to the video game medium as James in Fallout 3.

13. Gary Oldman in Call of Duty: Black Ops

Oldman has voiced characters in two Call of Duty games with Kiefer Sutherland and Ice Cube, and also joined Elijah Wood in three of the Spyro games.

14. Samuel L. Jackson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Jackson’s boisterous voice was perfect for the villainous role of Officer Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

15. Seth Green in Mass Effect

Green's most famous video game role: the fragile pilot Joker in the Mass Effect trilogy.

16. Snoop Dogg in True Crime: Streets of L.A.

Snoop lent his silky smooth voice to True Crime: Streets of LA as ... himself.

17. Patrick Stewart in Castlevania

The narrator of Lego Universe has done more than 20 video games, including the role of Zobek of the Castlevania franchise. That’s what happens when you’re both Professor Charles Xavier and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and you have a ridiculously awesome voice.

18. George Takei in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

The iconic Mr. Sulu has voiced some Star Trek games, of course. But he’s also the voice of Emperor Yoshiro in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

19. Christopher Walken in Ripper

Is he the hero or the villain? Walken is great at playing both, so it's no wonder he was cast as the good guy (or is it bad guy?) in Ripper.

Added: 04.03.2015 20:26 | 38 views | 0 comments

1. Sean Bean in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Known as the guy who dies in everything, the Game of Thrones star voiced Emperor Martin Septim in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. By the next Elder Scrolls installment, his character was -- yep -- dead.

2. Kristen Bell in Assassin’s Creed

The star of Veronica Mars is a self-proclaimed nerd who lent her voice to the Assassin’s Creed franchise as Lucy.

3. Billy Bob Thornton in Deadly Creatures

The Sling Blade actor has one video game credit to his name, the 2009 title Deadly Creatures, which also starred the late Dennis Hopper.

4. Willem Dafoe in Beyond: Two Souls

The Green Goblin in the Spider-Man movies, Dafoe also voiced Norman Osborn for the companion video games. Another video game gig: the interactive thriller Beyond: Two Souls.

5. Elijah Wood in The Legend of Spyro

He's not only Frodo Baggins, but also a featured voice in a dozen video games, such as the character Spyro in The Legend of Spyro.

6. Ellen Page in Beyond: Two Souls

Juno and Inception actress Ellen Page joined Willem Dafoe in Beyond: Two Souls.

7. John Goodman in Rage

The voice of everyone’s favorite monster, Sulley in Monsters Inc., Goodman most recently voiced Dan Hagar in the game Rage.

8. Mark Hamill in Batman: Arkham Asylum

Luke Skywalker himself became one of the most renowned voice actors in Hollywood. Appearing in more than 30 games, Hamill is most famous for voicing The Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum.

9. Ice Cube in Call of Duty: Black Ops

The multitalented rapper-turned-actor gave his voice to the 2010 edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops, as Joseph Bowman.

10. Kiefer Sutherland in Metal Gear Solid V

The man behind Jack Bauer has voiced parts in 24: The Game and the Call of Duty franchise, but his biggest game gig could be the iconic Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid V.

11. Ray Liotta in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

The voice of Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City? It just so happens to be Goodfellas star Ray Liotta.

12. Liam Neeson in Fallout 3

Neeson has Taken a liking (see what we did there?) to the video game medium as James in Fallout 3.

13. Gary Oldman in Call of Duty: Black Ops

Oldman has voiced characters in two Call of Duty games with Kiefer Sutherland and Ice Cube, and also joined Elijah Wood in three of the Spyro games.

14. Samuel L. Jackson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Jackson’s boisterous voice was perfect for the villainous role of Officer Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

15. Seth Green in Mass Effect

Green's most famous video game role: the fragile pilot Joker in the Mass Effect trilogy.

16. Snoop Dogg in True Crime: Streets of L.A.

Snoop lent his silky smooth voice to True Crime: Streets of LA as ... himself.

17. Patrick Stewart in Castlevania

The narrator of Lego Universe has done more than 20 video games, including the role of Zobek of the Castlevania franchise. That’s what happens when you’re both Professor Charles Xavier and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and you have a ridiculously awesome voice.

18. George Takei in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

The iconic Mr. Sulu has voiced some Star Trek games, of course. But he’s also the voice of Emperor Yoshiro in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

19. Christopher Walken in Ripper

Is he the hero or the villain? Walken is great at playing both, so it's no wonder he was cast as the good guy (or is it bad guy?) in Ripper.