This is my first ever review of a computer game. I am not a massive gamer but a couple of months ago I caved in and bought an XBOX 360. I only have a handful of games, the most recent being Brutal Legend. The game has plenty of good points and bad points so I thought it would make for an interesting review. What made me decide to get the game in the first place was it’s rock and roll links. The game is based around classic metal and features characters based on and voiced by Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to name a couple, the main character is voiced by Jack Black who also appears in the intro video. The main character is Eddie, one of the best roadies in the business, who gets crushed by falling stage scenery and is sent to another land where demons walk the earth and rock and roll influences are all around. All the human characters in this world look like rock stars or rock fans and some of the terrain features include a cliff face made from amps. In this world Eddie meets Ophelia, Lita and Lars who are fighting to free the rest of the human race who have become slaves to General Lionwhite. All the men, save for Lars in this world are headbangers who are made to mine with their heads. All the women are held caption in Lionwhites ‘pleasure tower’. Once the slaves have been freed and Lionwhite has been killed, the game unfolds further.
You have two main weapons which are a giant axe and your guitar, which in this world can shoot lightning when played. The game has a very old school feel about it. Running around slicing demons reminds me of the old playstation game, Medieval. The world map is very open and there are plenty of hidden secrets and side missions although the side missions are very repetitive and finding all the hidden secrets is tedious to say the least. This is similar but not as extreme as Oblivion, where the main story is just a small part of the game. I must also mention the music on this game. If you are into classic metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Judas Priest etc. then you wont be disappointed. The music on this game is simply great and fitting for the game.
The multiplayer mode is a mix between the main gameplay and a sort of command and conquer style gameplay. During the story of the single player you play various stage battles where you have a stage and merch booths and from these you can build units and lead them into battles against the enemies stage. This is essentially what the multiplayer is although you are not just limited to being Eddie and building his units.
Verdict: I would recommend this game to anyone who is into classic metal music and just want a casual fun game to play on. Be prepared to be driving about all over the world map, there are a few tedious moments and once you’ve done the story and side missions there isn’t much left apart from trying to find all the hidden secrets and the multiplayer which can get boring after a game or two.
It seems a bit weird to review an album that was first released 20 years ago but the new release of Bleach is different to the original and is worth a review. The album comes in a really nice digipack case with a booklet full of rare photos of the band in their early days. The album also contains a bonus live show which I expected would be on a bonus disc but it is added on to the end of the disc instead. The live show is from February 9th 1990 and was recorded at Pine Street Theatre in Portland. This show was available on a bootleg but it is not as good quality as it is on this disc. The only bad thing about this show is there is nothing special about it. It is just live performances of songs with no mid song banter and average crowd reaction. I would like to have seen a show such as the Vienna show from November 1989 which is widely known as THE best Bleach era Nirvana gig. The main highlight from the live show is that it contains the song Sappy, which is the best Nirvana song that was never released officially.
If you are a fan of the Flight of the Conchords TV show then you will no doubt love this CD. The album contains songs from the second series of the cult musical comedy, and these songs definatly top those form the first series, and the first series had some very funny songs. 
Muse are a band who have changed their style slightly over the last years. From being a riff heavy, effects driven, high tempo alternative band they have slowed down the overal pace and added to the generic bass, drums and guitar. Resistance is good example of the new direction Muse have taken. All the old elements are there and in Unnatural Selection especially you are still treated a fast paced guitar riff which shares a lot of similarities to Origin of Symmetry’s New Born. The album kicks off with the first single from the album, Uprising. The mix of guitar and voice shouting ‘come on’ during this track is definatly the highlight. The rest is what you would expect from Muse, as is the title track, Resistance. What stands out for me on this track is the backing vocals from Chris and Dom. Although at first they may sound a bit cheesy, I think they really work with Matt’s lead vocals and it also seems like the band are communicating with each other through song. You are treated to Matt Bellamy’s piano skills on United States of Urasia and I Belong to You, which the more and more I listen to is quickly becoming my favourite track from the album. Bellamy also showcases more of his musical skills in the beautiful Undesclosed Desires in which he composed the string section but he does not play neither guitar or piano on this track. 
