As Metal Gear Solid 4 hits the shelves and takes over gamers lives all over the world, I take a step back.  A step back to where it all began for famed Game Developer Hideo Kojima.

One of his first ventures into the gaming business being ‘Snatcher‘, which was released on the SEGA CD.  The game had quite a cult following amongst hardcore gamers and still stands today as one of the best games ever made.
Follow over to here for my first ever retro game review!

A true masterpiece in film history, Luc Besson’s The Big Blue.  This film, like the sea which is its subject, hypnotizes you, seduces you and rocks you into a state of oneness with the scenery.  In France the film was such a phenomenon attracting well over 9 million viewers upon release in 1988.  The whole generation of youth who saw it was renamed The Big Blue Generation.  These people became more sat back and balanced in life, like it was an emotional revolution. 

The Big Blue takes you away from the routine and guides you into a magnificent world, a world where the soul and the body become one.  In the case of Jacques Mayol this world is full of blue, this world is the sea. For everybody else it is what we really love, it is what we are ready to give everything away, even are own life, in order to become part of it.

This movie goes beyond all themes and issues and beyond all films.  It is the ultimate film about a man’s will to become part of the world he loves and the sacrifices he has to make.  The big blue is a journey full of liveliness.  The choice of music is outstanding, the cinematography is just magnificent and the acting is up to the standard.

Featuring the amazing sites of the Greek island Amorgos, and the marvelous Sicily, this film will amaze you not only because of its beauty but also because of its theme. Through the magnificent journey of Jacques Mayol and Enzo Mollinary in places where the sun is always present and the color blue is dominant, the film leaves you with a feeling of aw and love, love for life.

Main Cast
Rosanna Arquette (Johana Baker)
Jean-Marc Barr (Jacques Mayol)
Jean Reno (Enzo Molinari)

My Score: 9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% 
IMDB: 7.4/10 

If you own a Playstation 3, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of Warhawk. Icognito’s mutiplayer awesomeness! The game is based off the original Warhawk which debuted in 1995 on the Playstation 1. Warhawk is only multiplayer, which means you need your internet to be connected to your PS3, otherwise you’ll just be playing a localy networked game. Though the game was initially to have both single-player and multiplayer modes, the single-player was scrapped because developers decided that it was vastly inferior to the game’s multiplayer component

With eight weapons, two ground vehicles , three air vehicles, and three turrets available to the player, you are delivered variety in the gameplay. From bombing your enemies up above in a plane, to using your precision targeting in a ground tank. Just don’t think of this as a walk-in-the-park though, because you’ll be in for a shock! The battles are fast paced and the action is intense! The storyline behind the game is that the player takes part in the never-ending war between the Eucadian and Chernovan armies (blue and red team, respectively), and there is no further storyline or back-story provided.

There are several game modes of play such as ‘Capture the Flag’, ‘Deathmatch’ and ‘Zones’. Five maps are included with 30 different layout combinations in total. If you really fall in love with the game, there is an expansion pack available called ‘Omega Factory’, which is available on the Playstation Store for $9.95. The Omega Factory is a huge factory made up of many different factories on each side of the play area, it is separated by a bridge in the middle. With this expansion, the Combat Dropship is also made available to players, which is capable of carrying seven troops (one pilot, six passengers) and a ground vehicle, which can also contain troops; making it able to hold up to ten players if a 4×4 is transported. The Dropship sports three heavy cannons on both sides and every passenger has control of a missile turret. It can survive a belting and this ship is something to be seen!

The game alone is downloadable from the PlayStation Store for AU$49.99 (£19.99, €29.99), with an initial download size of 798MB. This version is restricted to the Playstation Network account that buys it. The second is a retail Blu-ray Disc version that sells for $59.99. This version features extra content such as behind-the-scenes developer interviews, concept art and trailers. In addition, the retail version of the game comes bundled with a bluetooth headset which you can use to talk to whoever is in your team.

I really can’t recommend this game enough.. With amazing gameplay and some of the best graphics on the PS3, you’re going to have to make sure you’re playing on a full high definition television! If your one of those guys who hasn’t picked up a Playstation 3 yet, then do yourself a favor and go grab one. With all the great games out now and with a phenomenal lineup for 2008 theres no better time to slap that credit card out.

Score: 8.5/10