Alternative Magazine Online

by Martin Mulrooney | 27/11/2009 · 12:00 pm

INTERVIEW – In Conversation With Merlin Crossingham, Lead Animator At Aardman Animation

By Marty Mulrooney

This interview was originally published within the print version of Alternative Magazine Online, going towards my media degree (on my 21st Birthday actually, January 09). Since then, Aardman (who recently celebrated their 20th anniversary!) have kindly given me permission to reproduce the interview in full on Alternative Magazine Online’s rapidly growing site. I hope you enjoy it!

One thing that Alternative learnt during it’s pursuit of an interview with an Aardman employee, was this: they are always busy. But we persevered, and that is how this interview came to fruition. The fact it is conducted via mobile phone whilst the interviewee is on a train only further drives home our point, but we think the results were worthwhile.

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Filed under Alternative Musings, Film, Television

Tagged as A Close Shave, A Grand Day Out, A Matter of Loaf and Death, Aardman Animation, Chicken Run, Fluffles, Merlin Crossingham, Nick Park, Shaun the Sheep, Stop Motion, Studio Ghibli, The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, The Wrong Trousers, Wallace And Gromit

by Martin Mulrooney | 26/11/2009 · 12:00 pm

How Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s Single Player Short-Changed Gamers

By Marty Mulrooney

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I have recently had a terrible time trying to obtain a copy of Modern Warfare 2 for the PS3. To start, my original pre-order went missing in the post, and the retailer I had bought it from was out of stock and couldn’t offer me a replacement. (Only just got my refund today!)

Then, the next copy I ordered came damaged in the post (Hardened Edition) so it had to go back. Then, the retailer (I won’t name them to save embarrassment) took so long to process a replacement, I asked for a refund (still waiting on that, over a week now) and re-ordered again. That one came with a dent as well, so I gave up.

But I digress! I am actually HAPPY all of the above happened, because it somewhat killed the buzz of playing the game on release day, and let me approach the game long after everyone had already played it to death with a less hyped mind. Let’s not beat around the bush either; it is a fantastic game. But it also has some very serious flaws that make me think Infinity Ward were very lazy when it came to creating the single player campaign… (Contains Spoilers!)

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Filed under Alternative Musings, Games

Tagged as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Single Player Campaign, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Hardened Edition, Infinity Ward, PS3

by Guest/Previous | 25/11/2009 · 1:00 pm

GAME REVIEW – Dragon Age: Origins

By Duncan Voice

DragonAgeOriginsCover

Occasionally, I’ll sit back for a moment, wondering why I even play games in the first place. Sometimes I just burn through them in a few hours for the sake of collecting achievement points. Other times I’ll become bored fairly early on and they just become currency for my next trade-in.

During these times I lack a certain gaming muse. Something to stir a few emotions inside me other than anger when I fail yet another song on the latest cash-cow rhythm action game. A game that you can truly call an experience, and reminds you once again why you are willing to hand over forty notes for a small shiny disc.

One such game is Dragon Age: Origins, one of the greatest games I have ever had the pleasure to play.

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Filed under Games

Tagged as BioWare, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins Review, PC Gaming, PS3, rpg, Xbox 360

by Guest/Previous | 24/11/2009 · 6:00 pm

FILM REVIEW – The Invention Of Lying

By Stewie Sutherland

the_invention_of_lying_poster

If there’s one man in our time who could claim to be a Jack of all trades, it would be Britain’s own Ricky Gervais. Actor, comedian, singer, author of children’s books, podcaster, script writer, TV star and creator of Extras, The Office and the theory that supermarkets hide their cakes behind narrow doors to ward off larger-sized people. Gervais himself (I find) is a man for only a select crowd at his un-filtered best; his live tour of America, Out Of England, was a sell out but subject to criticism, poking jokes that he managed to get away with, but could quite easily have backfired on him.

Alternatively, his work on creating and staring in Extras and The Office have each received award nominations and critical success, the former winning a Golden Globe while the latter has been remade for audiences in four different countries. Both ran for only two seasons but have been the subject of their own cult followings and have proven his depth at being able to create different realities from the simplest ideas. Love him or hate him, Ricky Gervais has proven that he knows comedy inside and out, and being a co-writer, co-director and main star of his new movie, I settled in to watch The Invention of Lying with a high grade of expectancy.

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