See that multicolored blobby stuff floating out there, son? Those are black boxes, and they contain data, which some would say is more valuable than rez or goons. Data is what helps us make bigger and better weapons, armor, shields and even ships. Best way to collect data is by destroying other ships, so get out there, son, and make with the mayhem…
As I’ve said before, there are three resources in Space Pirates and Zombies: Rez, goons and data. While Rez allows you to purchase blueprints and create ships, and goons allow you to pilot those ships and repair them, data is where things really get interesting. Data is the currency of the RPG portion of the game, in which you level up and gain research points as well as designs for new ships to employ. While we’ve taken a look at the combat and factional elements of Space Pirates and Zombies, we’ll now take a look at the RPG elements that keep me coming back for more.
After the jump…in space, no one can hear you level Continue reading →
Glorious battle seems to have eluded me all throughout this playthrough. All I ask for is a single gigantic siege that results in my kingdom taking an important city from the enemy. Sadly, it seems I was late to that party this time around, as Count Gharmall, the new marshal, is interested only in sitting on the border with the Sarranids until everyone gets tired and decides to sign a peace treaty.
After the jump, disappointment doesn’t last forever Continue reading →
It’s rare to see a low budget horror film carried so completely by the performances, but that’s what you get with Beneath the Dark, which I almost sort of recommend if you can stomach a slow-burn anti-thriller. The lead actor is the very Sean Penn-ish Josh Stewart (pictured, shirtless). He almost single-handedly saves a movie called The Collector, which is like Saw meets Home Alone. But unlike The Collector, there are four other good performances in Beneath the Dark, from a set of actors you’ve probably never seen before but are liable to mistake for James LeGros, Marisa Tomei, Virginia Madsen, or Catherine O’Hara.
You can figure out what you’re in for when, early on, a mysterious character offers Stewart a cigarette from a pack of Overlook Cigarettes. Besides, the road trip as a supernatural rite of passage is almost its own genre at this point. The concept was featured recently in Dark Country, an incredibly awkward Thomas Jane vanity project that tries to capture the look and feel of EC horror comics, and Altitude, in which the road trip is taken on an airplane. Ray Wise did a pathetic family road trip movie called Dead End several years ago in the same vein. One called Rest Stop was successful enough that it had a sequel.
Beneath the Dark is predictable and the direction is sadly artless, but it’s a decent script with five interesting performances. And although you know where it’s going, it reserves a nice surprise for the very end.
Beneath the Dark is on DVD and Netflix’s Instant Watch.
