Author Archives: Martin Mulrooney

Martin Mulrooney's avatar

About Martin Mulrooney

I am a professional writer and editor from the UK. I graduated with a B.A. (Hons) degree in Media and Film in 2009, specialising in Print Journalism and Advanced Screenwriting. I created Alternative Magazine Online soon after.

GAME REVIEW – Tales Of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 ‘Lair Of The Leviathan’

By Marty Mulrooney

TitleScreen

We are now at the halfway point in Telltale’s take on the Monkey Island Universe. Tales of Monkey Island has so far provided fans with two excellent games that we are still amazed have even seen the light of day in the first place… although I did note in my review for The Siege Of Spinner Cay that some technical shortcomings were ruining the proceedings somewhat… So now, it’s crunch time. We can no longer let nostalgia and love for this classic adventure franchise cloud our judgement. How does Chapter 3 measure up as an adventure game in its own right?

Well first of all, any technical shortcomings from the last two chapters have disappeared with this, the third chapter in a five-part adventure of piratey proportions. I am happy to say that Lair Of The Leviathan had addressed nearly every single niggle I had with the previous two episodes: it is tightly woven, consistently funny, and a joy in both the graphics and sound departments.

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Games

Site Update – A Word From Site Creator And Founder Martin Mulrooney

By Marty Mulrooney

bio pic 2

Hey everyone! If you are reading this, then congratulations. You are one of the increasingly large number of people who visits Alternative Magazine Online on a regular basis. You are the lifeblood of this whole experiment in offering something set slightly aside from the mainstream!

Today marks a very special day for the site, and for myself personally. That is because today, the site hits 6 months of age! I would have never thought all that time ago, not even graduated from university yet, that the site would grow so rapidly, or get such a wide variety of visitors and collaborators. So now, if you would please bear with me, I have several announcements to make!

Continue reading

7 Comments

Filed under Alternative Musings

INTERVIEW – In Conversation With Duncan Jones (Director Of Moon)

By Marty Mulrooney

I had the immense satisfaction earlier this year to see a film that not only instantly became one of my favourite science fiction films of all time, but one of my favourite films ever, period. Moon, the debut film of director Duncan Jones, is a small low-budget sci-fi film with a big heart.

Duncan and Sam
Director Duncan Jones and actor Sam Rockwell on set.

Boasting a phenomenal central performance from Sam Rockwell as a lonely lunar-miner, as well as voice support from Kevin Spacey as his robotic companion, it now rivals Blade Runner (at least for me personally) as an enduring cinema classic that I will rewatch again and again for many years to come.

They don’t make sci-fi films like they used to, but Moon looks set to change that. Miniature work, a focus on smart plot development, and some very deep questions about the human condition… Moon truly is a blast from the past.

Finally, I was able to speak to director Duncan Jones over the phone for a good 20 minutes on the 21st September 2009. What follows is a recording of our full conversation, as well as a transcript to make all of the little details easier to pour over and enjoy…

Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Alternative Musings, Film

GAME REVIEW – Batman: Arkham Asylum

By Marty Mulrooney

BatmanLookingOverArkhamAsylum

With Christopher Nolan successfully rebooting Batman on the silver screen in recent years, the dark knight is pretty hot property right now. I didn’t realise before writing this review, but there have actually been a lot of Batman games over the years, usually to tie in with the various film releases, with varying degrees of success.

This new Batman game from Rocksteady Studios is nothing do with the recent film releases though, being released on the PS3 and Xbox360 last month, with the PC release coming out later this week. The version I am reviewing is the PS3 version, but it should apply to the XBox360 version as well: at long last, it seems that multi-platform game design is reaching a stage where differences between the HD console versions is negligible. Continue reading

3 Comments

Filed under Games