I'd like to think we didn't provoke them...

Developer Puppygames

Things You Might Like

• Retro-style graphics
• Excellent take on Space Invaders gameplay
• Upgrades all over the place
• Retro soundtrack

Things You Might Not Like

• Some might consider it a Space Invaders clone with tweaks

Conclusion
Titan Attacks! is an excellent tribute to the Space Invaders days of gaming done in Puppygames’ signature neo-retro style. It looks great, plays well, and costs next to nothing. Go get it!

5 out of 5 Titans Terminated

Josh Robinson

***

So first things first. Titan Attacks! is not a new game. However, as an avid PC gamer who lives on Steam and is a fan of developer Puppygames’…..games, I was more then pleased when I found out about Titan Attacks! The first in the “Titan” series from Puppygames (see our review of Revenge of the Titans here), Titan Attacks! details the dark days when planet Earth was defending itself from the alien hordes. As it turns out, it’s a lot like Space Invaders.

As the last tank on Earth, it’s your job to repel the invading forces from Jupiter’s moon, Titan. This is easier than one might think, since apparently the Titans will only attack the Earth in wherever you are now. However, the foolish invaders have no idea what they’re in for. Armed, initially, with only one skyward cannon, you will pulverize and devastate the incoming alien ranks. In time, though, you’ll be able to purchase deadlier means of defending the homeworld.

Titan Attacks! exists on the same plane of gaming existence as the arcade classics Space Invaders  and Missile Command. The gameplay is rather straightforward, though very entertaining. As I said earlier, you are initially armed with one cannon but can soon purchase more upgrades. This is based on cash rewards for every enemy you defeat. Other ways to garner extra cash are to annihilate the elusive ships scuttling across the top of the screen or to catch falling aliens after you destroy their ship. The upgrades range from simple damage upgrades to deadly additions to your tank. Worth noting is that your health is measured in Shield points. These carry over from stage to stage, so make sure to replenish your defenses after a particularly brutal engagement.

Combat in Titan Attacks! is pretty simple. You move around the ground using the mouse and fire at the heavens using the same. As with Space Invaders, your goal is to clear the screen of alien interlopers to ensure your safety on the ground below. Sometimes, this can be rather difficult. A word to the wise: pick up a smartbomb or three. They are pricey, but every now and then you get a screen jam packed full of life-ending baddies. Make them pay.

Graphically, Titan Attacks! shows the signature neo-retro stylings that I’ve come to expect from Puppygames. This latest version, available at both Steam and through their website, also includes HD graphics. The difference is noticeable. You can see how the art style evolved for later games such as Revenge of the Titans, but that doesn’t mean this offering is substandard in any way. I’ve been playing on my HDTV and have been wowed by how well the game maintains its visual quality. Throughout your experience you’ll travel across the Solar System to push back the extraterrestrial menace and each area does have a different feel to it, despite how small the areas seem. While the levels are relatively tiny, the almost bite-sized nature of the game works in its favor. 20 minutes here and there does add up after a while, and you’ll be left wanting more.

All in all, Titan Attacks! is for fans of the classics. Sure, modern gaming is great and I love it. (I’m currently engrossed in Star Wars: The Old Republic as we speak) However, there’s something about old-school sensibilities coated in fresh graphics that really calls out to many gamers. If you’ve never played the games that inspired Titan Attacks!, this is a great way to get that classic experience without having to hunt down a collection of old Atari games. Also, this will be a far more polished experience.

Buy Titan Attacks! now on Steam or at Puppygames and save the world!

You Might Also Like:

1. Revenge of the Titans (2011)
2. Space Marine (2011)

Director

Stars Ji Seong-won, Seo Yeong-hee

Country South Korea

Things You Might Like

•  Powerhouse performance from Seo Yeong-hee
• Harrowing drama
• Bloody last act
• Wicker Man vibe
• The final shot metaphor

Things You Might Not Like

• Disjointed use of Ji Seong-won
• Can be hard to watch
• …potatoes?

Conclusion
Bedevilled is an absolute must-watch for both horror and drama fans. It more that satisfies both markets courtesy of two intense lead performances.

4 out of 5 Honey Farms

Luke McGrath

***

Running through trees, a woman in white trips and falls to the ground. She pushed herself to her feet, her clothes are now stained with earth. They are the kind of clothes that usually get washed before they get dirty. The woman runs again. She runs out of the trees and over some rocks, down to a makeshift harbour. A boat it moored there, tied to a useful stone. The woman climbs aboard the boat and frantically tries to start the engine. She looks up in terror and her arms fall to her sides.

A second woman stands on the rocks. Her face is smeared with blood and her eyes glisten with madness. A scythe in her left hand drips red onto the brown stone.

Pop quiz: who do you want to know more about?

Chances are you said the second woman, the feared woman. I thought the same myself whilst watching Bedevilled and I’ve thought the same about many films over the years. After all, who’s more interesting; Sidney Prescott or whoever is behind the mask in Scream? A bunch of whiny teens or Freddy? A bunch of whiny teens or Jason? A bunch of…OK so teens are never too interesting, and thankfully you wont find any such dross here.

Billed as a horror, Bedevilled is much more of a harrowing family drama than slasher. It has a brilliantly rousing final act of slashing but one that works because of the patient set-up, not in spite of it. It’s The Wicker Man if he ever picked up a garden tool for revenge. Over two hours of twisting emotions, bookended by a unexpectedly powerful narrative.

Set on a barely inhabited island community, Bedevilled follows the relationship of two women local Bok-nam (Seo Yeong-hee) and outsider Hae-won (Ji Seong-won). The longer Hae-won stays on the island, the more she discovers about the life Bok-nam leads. Regularly beaten and abused by her husband and the female village elders, she is at breaking point.

The success of Bedevilled is the partnership of Seo and Ji. Bok-nam teeters on the edge of sanity, waiting for a moment that might tip her into seeking bloody revenge. Hae-won is her opposite, cold and unfeeling; she visits the island to recover from stress after refusing to identify one of her friend’s muggers. The see-sawing of focus between them works well, until Seo turns up the heat in the middle act.

Seo’s performance is mind blowing, awards worthy in any other genre. She nails every part of Bok-nam; the eager friend, the abused wife, loving mother, vengeful psycho and effortlessly controls her emotions to make it all ring true. Seo anchors the misery and murder with a perfect air of stolen innocence, one of the best horror performances of all time. She’s so good that the story’s insistence on following Hae-won turns into it’s downfall. Any time away from Bok-nam feels like time wasted.

The story redeems itself at the end with a stunning visual reveal that I won’t spoil. Suffice to say it pulls the rug from under a character’s feet and brings the audience back on side. Even with this final act of magic Bedevilled can’t quite justify a place at the table with masterpieces of film making. It comes just a scythe’s width away, and falls only due to a standout performance, but falls nonetheless.

Buy Bedevilled from Amazon

I dare you to not read this title in a horrible Irish accent

Author Ian Weir

Things You Might Like

• Evangelist character who’s not a horrid, inhuman jerk
• Victorian London
• The creepiness of the Devil
• Wide range of narrators

Things You Might Not Like

• Semi-forced humor from William Piper
• Similarity Jack and Jaunty’s narration
• Obvious plot twist

Conclusion
Daniel O’Thunder is a fun little book about a prize-fighter’s quest to defeat the devil. A nice, quick, and fun read.

3 out of 5 Rigged Mills

Aaron Simon

***

I believe that the last time I tried to read a Dickens novel, my eyes bled and I heard in my head the calling of a thousand demons, screeching my name in their eldritch language and, I believe, rejoicing in my imminent demise. I shortly closed the book and have not stopped cursing Dickens’s name.

See, it has to do with the way Victorian literature is written: That unmistakable superfluous verbiage which describes in every minute detail every crevice, bump, pimple, whisker, or abnormality upon a character’s visage before moving on to the exact cut, content, makeup, color, source, and history of that character’s clothing.

Of course, there’s a good reason for all of that: Writers like Dickens wrote for newspapers and were paid by the word. So, while A Tale of Two Cities is indisputably a master work of the English language, it’s a big son of a bitch because Dickens had to feed his family somehow. And that, of course, can be applied to every novel under his belt. The way we read them now isn’t exactly how they were meant to be read—so when you tackle them and their often-repetitive chapters, it’s daunting.

All of the above is why I bloody love contemporary authors who write in a 19^th century style. Take Drood by Dan Simmons, a brilliant mystery/horror novel narrated by Wilkie Collins in the depths of opium madness. While it’s length keeps it from being beach reading, the book’s a great example of what can be done with a lot of research and a lot of imagination.

So, when I was wandering the Nashville Public Library, looking for a book to read, I came across Daniel O’Thunder by Canadian author, Ian Weir. The book follows the story of the titular former prize-fighter, turned evangelist as he works to create a safe haven for the poor, disenfranchised, and otherwise trodden-upon in mid-19^th-century London.

His work attracts the attention of none other than the Devil, who, naturally, stalks the streets in these rough and tumble times. The Enemy, unhappy that a mortal has the gall to attempt to save the weak, takes it upon himself to ruin O’Thunder in whatever way he can.

O’Thunder is not to be shaken, though, as his former comrade-in-arms and pugilism trainer, Jaunty, has set up a couple of fights in the boxing ring. O’Thunder chooses to use these fights as a way to spread his message of salvation through Jesus, and, from there, to issue a direct challenge to the Devil.

The book is told through four points of view: Nell the prostitute, Jaunty the trainer, Jack the former priest, and Piper the newsman.  Though Jaunty and Jack blend together diction-and-tone-wise, the characters are pretty easy to tell apart, and, considering the importance of Nell and Piper to the stories, you probably won’t grow bored.

(I should note that Piper was my favorite narrator by far. Weir really lathered on the humor and added a nice Woody Allen touch to this character that made him incredibly sympathetic. However, if seriousness and straight-forward plot development are your things, then you’ll despise him.)

And, it shouldn’t surprise you, there’s an appearance by Unreliable Narrator. Yes, it sort of had to happen in a novel about the Devil, and yes, it won’t surprise you when it’s revealed, but hey, the fun’s in the journey, not the destination, right?

Another good thing about this book: If your knowledge of Victorian society isn’t complete, then you’ll walk away with a bit more knowledge than you had before. (Who am I kidding? I’m addressing the Bullet Reviews readership—an eclectic mix of Victorian scholars and 200 year-old individuals.) If you don’t want to know anything about it, though, never fear! The history isn’t written to intrude upon the story.

And hey, you might start getting an interest in pugilism, which reads pretty much like this:

Oh, one more thing for all of you. Kind of a homework assignment.

I want you all to read this book—because it is damn good—and then go read a brief history of the Salvation Army. Say, here.

You done? Good. Now, your Comment Section Question of the Day is: Is Daniel O’Thunder a loose allegory for the Salvation Army? Discuss.

Buy, Rent, or Pirate? Buy this book from Amazon now! (NOTE: Bullet Reviews does not condone piracy. Aaron Simon is quite mad. If you pirate books, may the Hammer of Heaven strike you down, brother.)

You Might Also Like:

1. The Monkey’s Wedding and Other Stories (2011)
2. I Saw the Devil (2010)

If only cleaning your apartment was this fun...

Platform PC

I Can't Fly, That's Not OK

Director Chan-wook Park

Stars Su-jeong Im & Rain

Things You Might Like

• Joyous and uplifting
• Beautifully filmed scenes of fantasy and reality
• Balanced romance of the lead pairing
• Inventive moments of escapism
• Unusual love story at its heart

Things You Might Not Like

• A real lack of cynicism
• Nothing like Park’s previous
• Not a moments thought for mainstream entertainment

Conclusion
I’m A Cyborg is a masterpiece of inventive, romantic and uplifting cinema.  Chan-wook Park displays a tenderness of touch that shines a light on a warmth that even a robot can’t deny.

5 out of 5 Licked Batteries

Luke McGrath

***

In his first film after the much acclaimed Vengeance Trilogy, director Chan-wook Park decided to accentuate the positives with his 2006 film I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK.  Turning from brutally violent revenge films to a quirky romantic comedy, Park showcased his range and made a strong case for a shot at a first English language movie.

Set predominantly inside the walls of an asylum, Cyborg tracks the interweaved lives of two inmates.  One (Su-jeong Im as Young-goon) thinks she is a robot (hence the title), the other (Rain as Il-sun) spends most of his time behind a home made rabbit mask stealing other people’s characteristics.  Il-sun takes a shine to the new arrival and so begins a classic unlikely partnership romance.

The change of direction works wonders for the director, whose previous trilogy was getting weaker towards the end.  His success shouldn’t surprise those who’ve followed Park’s career; while it was the violence that made the poster quotes, it was the tender moments that anchored his work and provided lightness to darken the dark.  This time around it’s pure lightness though and nothing short of a refreshing joy to watch.  Any cynicism needs to be left at the door; Cyborg is a masterpiece of the indie rom-com that Hollywood has come to embrace of late (See any Michael Cera movie).

The delights of Cyborg are almost innumerable; every piece of the puzzle fits together perfectly.  The cinematography is kept bright throughout the time in the asylum and scenes that bring to life the central couple’s delusions.  The only time the picture dims is during brief flashbacks of Young-goon’s life before the asylum.  So bright are the white-walled corridors and sunlit asylum gardens that the line between delusion and reality is never clear.  Patients act out their fantasies in a world that could just as easily be real life as inside a character’s head.

Essential to any good romantic comedy is its lead pairing, an area where Cyborg again excels.  Su-jeong Im inhabits the odd world of Young-goon with unnerving brilliance.  Her mechanical movements and blank outlook wander the line between her truly held belief she is a robot and the limits of a body trying to survive without food or emotion.   Rain balances her icy calm with a variety of quirks as his character develops by stealing parts of other peoples’ psychoses.   His highly emotional presence and interest in Young-goon is the real plot motivator – his decision to help her incites the events that drive their relationship.  Like any good robot Young-goon responds as expected to outside influences.

There’s no doubt that Cyborg is a modern masterpiece of filmmaking.  It is pure sunshine cinema, an absolute delight to watch and a joyous beacon of unusual romance.  Cyborg does everything that odd, indie rom-coms do in the west (See Eagle Vs Shark,  (500) Days of Summer) and then adds Park’s inventive visual style and adept skill with tender moments.  Just as good as any of his more famous Vengeance films, Cyborg is as much a perfect CV as it is an uplifting night in.

Buy I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK from Amazon

You Might Also Like:

1. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)
2. Thirst (2009)