Page-turning: A review of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged"

If there's one thing both critics and fans of Ayn Rand can likely agree on, it's the author's ability to make a point. And then make it. And make it one more time.

At the center of Rand's masterpiece, "Atlas Shrugged," is the moral and political principle outlined in the pledge devised by the book's enigmatic protagonist, John Galt:

"I swear - by my life and my love of it - that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

In the parlance of the philosophers, this principle has become known as rational self-interest, and it is the driving force behind every page of "Atlas Shrugged" - all 1,100 of them.

Perhaps it is unfair to judge Rand's repetition as the major downfall of an otherwise thrilling and thought-provoking narrative. It is impossible, once you have dove in headfirst, to ignore the fact that the book is trying to do two things simultaneously: tell a story, and outline a philosophical position. Rand's unwavering allegiance to the second purpose grants the book an overly weighty significance and bogs down its story with needless, carbon-copy characters whose growth and actions at best mimic each other, granting the book unneeded rhetorical girth, and at worst undermine the moral significance of Rand's writing by allowing dated suppositions to peek through the cracks of a narrative that breaks down so often one wonders if Rand is playing some kind of subtle joke mimicking a Taggart train.

Rand's tome is an important work, driven by a singularity of purpose, that drowns in its own self-importance and delivers an uninspiring, arbitrary and soap-opera ending to a tale that could have been so much more.

NARRATIVE BREAKDOWNS

This is, perhaps, the greatest fault of the text. As stated, this book is clearly meant to be more than a simple novel. However, the medium of fiction is where Rand chooses to make her impact and, because of that, it is necessary to hold her to a storytelling standard.

The basic story at the heart of "Atlas Shrugged" is one that would make Christopher Nolan, or any other major filmmaker, giddy with the opportunity. Set in 20th century New York, the story focuses on Dagny Taggart, the last competent executive of a railroad steeped in history and human ingenuity. The cast quickly swells to include other great industrialists, chief among them Francisco d'Anconia, the heir to a copper fortune in South America, and Hank Rearden, an American product who has invented a new type of steel that outperforms all other alloys known on Earth. These three are beset by politicians and bureaucrats who, it is apparent from the outset, are the enemy - concerned only with capping the accomplishments of the best and brightest for their own material gain.

This leeching of American ingenuity is the high point of Rand's prose. Her depiction of a withering American dream - if I may borrow from T.S. Eliot, a depiction of the world ending "not with a bang, but with a wimper" - ranks among the finest examples of dystopian literature America has. The destruction of the continent - and the minds that created it - is so shockingly plausible and complete it is often gasp-inducing. Perhaps this the major reason why the book is so long - Rand wishes to emphasize the piecemeal destruction of the world's last great nation.

But the real reason is Rand's lack of devotion to the story. It is interrupted incessantly by wordy, practiced dogmas running through the minds of her protagonists, who arrive at ht esame conclusions in much the same way throughout the text. In no other place is this apparent than in the climactic radio speech of Galt, who appears in the book's third act as the savior of humankind. All pretense of storytelling breaks down, and his speech becomes a one-on-one conversation between Rand and the reader, broken only by quotation marks appearing at the outset of every paragraph.

This would be excusable if the ideas introduced were new. They aren't. They merely put into words the ideas and precepts Rand has established through her fiction for the past 900+ pages. Imagine reading Catch-22, and then coming to a speech by Yossarian condemning war. Or Catcher in the Rye, and Holden waxing poetic to a bum about the importance of preserving childhood precociousness. This is the effect of Rand's speech - condescending to a reader for whom she clearly has little regard.

A BLOATED CAST

In addition to the trio of industrialists and Galt cited above, "Atlas Shrugged" is populated by a host of bureaucrats, clingers-on and other personalities. The purpose is to show that the faceless and nameless apparatus of the state does not require distinct individuals to carry itself. As the names of the bureaucrats change throughout the book, their message essentially remains the same.

This is not a condemnation of that practice. Instead, it is a questioning of why there needed to be so many industrialists. Indeed, the three students of Dr. Hugh Akston are so indistinguishable from each other, one begins to wonder if Rand created them simply to assure herself that more than one great industrialist mind still exists in the world.

The presence of Francisco, Rearden and Galt together also is a puzzle. Rearden seems to exist merely to buttress the conclusions of Dagny and other industrialists who have made it to Galt's Gulch. Add Ellis Wyatt's presence and the reader begins to wonder if Rand is trying purposefully to confuse them.

The trio of love interests for Dagny may be the single greatest detriment the large cast introduces in the work. Dagny comes off, not as a whore, but clearly as an object of conquest. The flowery language of "love" that Rand tries to coat the three sexual relationships does nothing to ease the tension in the text, or explain why three self-interested men would surrender the woman they so passionately cared for to another man without some type of test of honor. We're supposed to believe that Dagny is the only thing for which Rearden can find pleasure in the world, but he simply gives her up after hearing her voice on the radio station? And Francisco pined for her for 12 years, and then decided, ah, what the hell, I'll always have copper?

This is to say nothing of the violent sexual episodes in the book, where blood and physical harm intermingle with passion. The enjoyment of physical pleasure is an important part of the theory of rational self-interest, and that human beings should be allowed to enjoy the pleasures of their body. But every sexual episode in the book is strained, driven by male dominance and violence. Dagny's head is always been grabbed and pulled, and she is always submitting to the will of her male companion.

This effect is redoubled when it appears that Dagny's only moments of pure joy and bliss in the novel is when she's serving Galt in his home. She feels a simplistic pleasure in making his breakfast that is absent anywhere else in the book, save from when she's smoking Galt's brand of cigarette. She can't wait to get up in the morning and go to the market to fetch items for the day in service of Galt's house. The strong undercurrent of anti-feminism is odd, especially considering Rand goes out of her way to point out Dagny's competence in railroading and the shock it brings male members of the railroad line.

CHECK YOUR PREMISES...AND YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Following Galt's speech, the book essentially unravels into what can only be called a sentimental romance novel, filled with intrigue, melodrama and adventurism, a sad end for a text that promises spiritual and moral enlightenment on its cover.

I won't ruin the ending - even now, 50 years later - except to say that it is traditional, tidy and completely uninspiring. Rand set out to establish a new, exciting way of approaching politics, industry and society and ends with a caper and scene lifted from depths of hack serial authors. The conclusion feels more like the end of a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys effort than one which encompasses the totality and future of Western thought.

Rand does not even grant the courtesy of the final words of the book to Eddie Willers, who opens the narrative. Instead, we return to a traditional scene of the sun rising, so that Rand can finally drive the nail in that coffin that certain people are right, and everyone else is wrong.

For her commitment to that principle, Rand is to be commended. For fleshing it out in fiction, her effort can only be given the pittance one would play a lowly track worker in the tunnels beneath the Taggart Concourse.

A Sticky Floors and Salty Popcorn Review-Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson is an acquired taste. You either love the visual style employed and themes explored in his work, or you find them to be repetitive and overly whimsical. Moonrise Kingdom isn't going to change your mind - it is Anderson at perhaps his most whimsical, creating a world that is full of visual wonder that acts as a storybook stage on which to explore the theme of young, forbidden love.

In this particular iteration of Anderson's ongoing tale about the clash between the dreams of the young, aging and the effect that process has on the destruction of those dreams, the setting is a barrier island in the year 1965. We are introduced to the family of Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), a misunderstood girl who is the fourth child of parents (played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) in a loveless marriage crumbling due to mutual disinterest and a poorly concealed affair. The opening shot, a sequence of moving tableaus featuring the entire family cloistered in their own concerns, evokes the cutaway shots of Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and is perhaps the most visually breathtaking sequence in a film that is constructed and held together by such scenes.

The film skips to the backstory of Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), an orphan who has been juggled through the social services process and ostracized by his Khaki Scout peers. He flees the camp of Scoutmaster Randy Ward (played brilliantly by Edward Norton, blending perfectly utter ineptitude and deep-seated compassion for his charges) to find Suzy, who we learn through a flashback met Sam a year prior and remained pen pals with him throughout the ensuing year.

Sam and Suzy hatch an escape plot that brings them into conflict with Sam's scout peers, the Bishop parents and local law enforcement (embodied by Captain Sharp, played by Bruce Willis in a capable turn as a cop with a heart). The entire tale is narrated by an eccentric-looking local, merely credited as The Narrator in the opening titles, played by Christopher Guest-veteran Bob Balaban.

Much has been made of Anderson's visuals in this film, and indeed every scene is drenched in nostalgia-coated beauty. But to simply describe its aesthetic quality would be to ignore the practical brilliance of the world he has constructed. Like "The Tempest"'s tropical isle, this is a world that is untenable as it stands. Suzy's parents are trapped with a daughter they do not understand and cannot control, just as Norton's scoutmaster has a charge on his hands he doesn't completely understand. The realization of this by Suzy's mother and the master lead to two equally powerful scenes - one with Suzy in the bathtub and the other between Norton and Gilman. This is Anderson at his best - depicting the misunderstanding between the young and the old; those that understand the world the way it is, and those who see so much more in what could be.

As Balaban's narrator tells us early on, a storm is to arrive and wash this conflict, and the world it inhabits, away. This provides the film's climax and more terribly breathtaking visuals, with the rushing water and breaching dams drawing not so subtle hints of Anderson's most recent film, the stop-motion "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Anderson's creation apparently extends beyond the visual elements of the film, as well. I was surprised to learn, while looking up background information for this review, that the books Suzy reads from in the move are, in fact, fictitious creations themselves, and that Anderson has recently released an animated companion to their narratives.

It is difficult for Anderson-philes not to leave the theater pondering where this film rates in his oeuvre. It is certainly deeper, and explores more territory, than Life Aquatic, though Murray proves just as capable of donning the Anderson persona of befuddled development once again. And, in its exploration of love, it is more heartfelt and honest than Rushmore. Suzy and Sam's romance blossoms realistically and dripping with adolescent awkwardness that brings out the muted charms of Hayward and Gilman, whose chemistry onscreen is so quintessentially Anderson it's difficult to imagine them working for any other director.

Moonrise Kingdom does not, however, approach the majesty of The Royal Tenenbaums, whose scope simply encompasses so many themes and relationship dynamics that it will likely stand as Anderson's magnum opus for his career. But that does not mean Moonrise Kingdom should be overlooked. This is one of this generation's finest directors, still at the top of his game, and continually challenging the audience to explore the process of growing up and what that means to ourselves and the world we construct around ourselves.


Rating: 5/5 stars

They've got it covered

We've all been there. The "band" weddings, with an inebriated Mick Jagger wannabe swaying back and forth to the mangled chords of an 80s pop song that should have died with the Kansas City Royals' postseason appearances.

The cover song has a long and bumpy history in popular music. In the early 20th Century, swing bands, jazz artists and bluegrass outfits from rival publishing houses would cover the hits of their competitors' stable of artists, leading to about 57 versions of "Mack the Knife" (Bertoldt Brecht wrote this???).

Since that time, every single garage band has tried to make it big with their own interpretations of the Beatles, Guns and Roses and The Pretenders.

Many of these songs are merely meant to be ironic attempts to pad an original album -- or, in the case of Less than Jake, fill an entire album. But it is the mark of a truly great artist/group who can take the work of a previous musician and turn it into something else and imbue it with a transcendent meaning, in the same way a great movie remake should do.

With that in mind, here are some of my favorite cover songs that take the source material and inch it forward to make something new and uniquely powerful. Or, simply, to take a terrible song and make it listen-able. Both accomplishments are equally impressive.

Santana "Black Magic Woman" 1970 (originally by Fleetwood Mac)

That first guitar riff is simply legendary. Can anyone remember any portion of the original Fleetwood Mac version as much as those first few notes? Santana takes another of Fleetwood's contrived tunes (sorry, I simply can't stand that band) and turns it into something soulful, earthy and -- gulp! -- magical.

Joe Cocker "With a Little Help from my Friends" 1968 (originally by The Beatles)

Yes, it was the theme song to "The Wonder Years." But it was also a re-imagining of what was already a sentimental song about needing the aid of those around you into an even more mournful, heartfelt tribute to the necessity of friendship. And the Woodstock performance just puts it over the top.

Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower" 1968 (originally by Bob Dylan)

Anyone who is unfortunate enough to have a couple of beers with me when this song comes on the jukebox will have to endure my endless ramblings of why Dylan's version is superior: it's haunting, bare-bones sound with Dylan's trademark scratchy vocals more closely embody the narrative of the tune. But can you really deny that Hendrix's version takes the source material and turns it into an electric rock masterpiece?

Cream "Crossroads" 1969 (originally by Robert Johnson)

This 1936 tune, originally titled "Cross Road Blues," has been covered by a ton of recognizable artists: The Doors, Bob Dylan, The Steve Miller Band, Phish and even John Mayer. But it is the Cream version, with the young Eric Clapton providing the unforgettable blues riff, that elevates this timeless classic to a new level.

The Clash "I Fought the Law" 1979 (originally written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets)

It may not have started the punk/alternative trend of covers in faster time with edgier riffs, but "I Fought the Law" is perhaps the most famous. Its themes gel so nicely with the rallying cry of the counterculture that it's difficult to believe Joe Strummer and Mick Jones didn't pen the track themselves.

Soft Cell "Tainted Love" 1981 (originally by Gloria Jones)

Let's forget that awful Marilyn Manson cover from ten years ago, shall we? This song gets double duty, because the 1980s rockers also incorporated The Supremes' "Where Did our Love Go?" at the end of the track, tying together two thematically related hits from the soul era into the synth era of the 1980s.

Jeff Buckley "Hallelujah" 1994 (originally by Leonard Cohen)

You may remember this song from Shrek. If so, punch yourself. The above live version of this song takes a forgettable crooning mess from the 1980s and turns it into something incredibly powerful. All gospel songs should be redone like this.

Cake "I Will Survive" 1996 (originally by Gloria Gaynor)

Some may take Cake's version of Gloria Gaynor's anthem of femininity as a kind of farcical parody. Nothing could be further from the truth. They syncopated delivery of John McCrea and mournful horns on this track jive nicely with Cake's other tunes about unrequited love and heartbreak, notably "She'll Come Back to Me."

Johnny Cash "Hurt" 2003 (originally by Nine Inch Nails)

Cash also covered Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" to great effect, but it is this version of Trent Reznor's "Hurt" and the slight alteration of lyrics to reflect Cash's faith that take a great song about self-defeat and turn it into a tribute to one of the most self-destructive icons of a past era. The music video is immensely powerful, as well, retreading images of Cash's life and career over lyrics that just as easily could have been written by the man who penned classics like "Folsom Prison" and "Cocaine Blues."

Citizen Cope "Karma Police" 2006 (originally by Radiohead)

The original song can be interpreted as an Orwellian nightmare or an ode to the all-encompassing justice of the universe. Either way you take it, this dub version of the tune makes it funky and danceable, brightening the subject matter up a bit while at the same time merging the cold English moors with the sands of Jamaica.

Are there any others I've missed? Let me know below!

Deranged in America

Rush Limbaugh has been busted.

No, it's not another Oxycontin charge. Or divorce filing. On Monday, Limbaugh was immortalized in bronze with a bust in the Hall of Famous Missourians at the State Capitol in Jefferson City.

This post has nothing to do with my personal feelings of Limbaugh. The man's content speaks for itself, and there's enough vitriol on the Internet already both inspired by and coming from the mouth of the radio personality, so I'll take a pass.

This post is about the way in which Limbaugh was inducted, and how it shines a light on deeper implications for our local, state and federal government and the way they do business. Monday's ceremony, according to a report from the Associated Press, was not publicized in any fashion, ostensibly to keep protesters away from the capitol. State House Speaker Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, has been pushing for Limbaugh to be inducted in recent weeks, inspiring symbolic protest from the other side of the aisle and even a measure to clarify authority of the rotunda, where Limbaugh's bust now stands among the faces of George Washington Carver, Ewing Kauffman, John J. Pershing and (perhaps the most ironic of all) Samuel Clemens.

The ceremony was private -- which is a euphemism for "keeping undesirables out" -- for the divisive (another euphemism) conservative talk show host. In his coronation (I can't really think of another noun for a ceremony where one has a statute dedicated to their remembrance) speech, Limbaugh took the opportunity to once again take potshots at his opponents, repeatedly calling them "deranged."

What is deranged, I'm afraid, is what this ceremony and the manner in which it was held says about local government. A ceremonial honor, with nothing at stake other than a few square feet in the capitol rotunda, inspired an impassioned outcry from one side of the aisle, media and public subversion by the other and bloated self-aggrandizement from the honoree. Is this the station at which representative democracy has arrived in the summer of 2012?

Let's not forget that the state legislature has been embroiled in some pretty high-profile partisan bickering over the past several months. A protracted budget battle was largely fought along party lines, and a nominally non-partisan bill designed to alter judicial appointments received flack from Democrats, who thought the measure would perpetuate a stranglehold of the state's legal elite on the composition of the state's higher courts.

What's happening in Missouri, too, is a microcosm of the partisanship exploding at the federal level. That phenomenon is well documented. Anecdotally, in my time as a public life reporter for the Columbia Missourian, I can also say a similar type of partisanship has erupted (or, at least, is being identified by members of the electorate) in nominally non-partisan local elections.

Healthy discussion, debate and conflict are necessary in a democratic system. In the American model, friction and inefficiency are built in. "As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed," Madison wrote in Federalist No. 10.

At the same time, however, it is necessary for an engaged citizenry to not only petition their representatives, but also have the faith in their neighbor that they, too, are interested in the well-being of the republic, and the best interests of the nation at whole in their hearts. De Tocqueville describes this ideal in Democracy in America:

"The New Englander is attached to his township because it is strong and independent; he has an interest in it because he shares in its management; he loves it because he has no reason to complain of his lot; he invests his ambition and his future in it; in the restricted sphere within his scope, he learns to rule society; he gets to know those formalities without which freedom can advance only through revolutions, and becoming imbued with their spirit, develops a taste for order, understands the harmony of powers, and in the end accumulates clear, practical ideas about the nature of his duties and the extent of his rights."

When one side of the aisle shuts out another for a ceremonial coronation because they believe their opinions unpopular, but exercise them anyway, we do not attain the Tocquevillian ideal. We continue down the path of partisanship that has led us to an age where the right of a human being to marry another and pursue happiness has become a politicized decision.

That, dear reader, is truly "deranged."

An open letter to IGN

Dear IGN,

It's not your fault. You push out a ton of high-quality entertainment content that no other news source can on a daily basis. You've been one of my favorite online destinations since I was a young pup cutting my teeth (underage) flying a Dodo in GTA3, and your multimedia offerings grow more varied with each passing day. The new site design simplifies the main page while drawing the eye even more directly to top visual and textual content.

But you have a grammar problem. It may be nitpicking, but when a feature article citing the director of a film that smashed domestic box office records is spelled two different ways in the second graf (Whedon and Wedon) of a feature story, it's time to reevaluate the editorial process.

Here are five reasons why you should consider hiring me as a copy jock. I'm not keen on resumes and I'm sure you have a mound of those anyway.

1. I'm the perfect man for the job. The boilerplate stuff is that I've got a year of community newspaper experience under my belt — with the Columbia Missourian — on both the copy desk and as a general assignment/politics reporter. I've got a bachelor's in political science and a master's in English literature from Belmont University and I'm pursuing a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia. I will be spending this summer as an intern at the copy desk of the Chicago Tribune.

The more important stuff: I once postponed sex to play another five stages of Galaga (Notice the operative word: postponed, not canceled. I'm a human being, after all.). I can carry a conversation with you about the metafictional implications of the Tales of the Black Freighter. And, if you pardon brief pauses, I could likely do so entirely in quotes lifted from the two major motion pictures in the "Fletch" franchise.

In other words, this is the geek you're looking for.

2. I'm cheap. We're not talking pro bono cheap. A wise man in clownface once said, if you're good at something, never do it for free.

How can you argue with that?

I assume you guys have a ton of promotional junk sitting around the office. I mean, you give stuff away every week. I think an advanced review copy of Max Payne 3 for the Xbox 360 would be a nice signing bonus...hint, hint...

3. I care like you care. I understand what IGN is about. You guys aren't hunting Pulitzers (though you do produce some excellent investigative work). But there are people out there, yourselves included, that have a passion for what you write about. Maybe some people, like Mr. Ebert, don't get it, but we do. Video games, television, music, movies and comic books are all a form of art as well as entertainment, and it's OK to bring a contemplative perspective to evaluating these mediums.

To prove this point, here are some of my own musings on the video game world:

Virtual Dork-E3 2011

Duke Nukem Forever Review

Top 20 Games of the 00s

4. The masses demand it. As a (until recently) frequent contributor to the Neoseeker forums, I understand at times that gaming gadflies that lurk online can at times be a petulant bunch (myself included). But what they are asking for is not an impossibility in this instance. Immediacy is an important part of journalism in the digital age, that much is true. But credibility always weighs down the other side of that see-saw, and IGN, as perhaps the biggest name in online entertainment news, has an opportunity to commit itself to that side as well. And all it takes, sometimes, is a fresh pair of eyes to improve copy exponentially.

5. I don't really have a fifth, but I wanted a nice round number. So, please enjoy this music video from my pal Andrew Whitman in which I make a cameo as a guy that pretends to play guitar and harmonica.

I could be THAT GUY in your office.

I know, like all news outlets, you guys are probably going through identity and financial quandaries right now. Consider adding me as part of your part-time staff in the future.

Sincerely,

Kip

aka Corp_Zsettslani (oh yeah, my Gamertag is a Faulkner reference)

Virtual Dork- Gaming's Top 10 Opening Moments

Good Old Games recently released the original Fallout, first on the market in 1997, for free download from its website. As a Fallout fan initiated on 2008's superb third installment in the series, I was naturally curious to see the roots of a title I previously hailed as the 3rd greatest title of the decade 2000-2010. I downloaded the 500 mb (!) file, loaded into onto my five-year-old PC, and got ready for a night sipping Miller Lite in my pajamas and blasting pixelated ghouls.

And a funny thing happened.

I was immediately and hopelessly engrossed by a FMV sequence that looked like a poorly designed episode of Reboot (oh yeah, I went there). From the opening strains of "Maybe" by the Ink Spots to the wonderful 1950s faux aesthetic the series is known for, the roughly 2-minute clip had me begging for the Start Game screen to appear while simultaneously making me pine for the intro to never end.

Gaming opening sequences are arguably not as important as those in film. By the time you've plopped down $50 or more (or, you've downloaded a classic title for free from the Internet), usually you've put in the time and effort to know you're going to enjoy the gameplay and narrative goodness that awaits you. But when a title does it right, and gives you an opening sequence you don't want to mash the start button until it ends, it's a pleasant surprise.

In that vain, here are some of my favorite flourishes to begin the interactive digital entertainment we all know and love. They may not signal wonderful gaming experiences (though, in the case of almost every title listed below, the care with which the developer introduces the narrative displays the quality of the game as a whole), but they do grab us by our analog sticks and force us to pay attention. And for that, we thank you.

10. Grand Theft Auto 3 (Rockstar Games, 2001)



GTA3 was a big step up for Rockstar. It ushered in the jump to 3D and a dedication to gangster storytelling that has only evolved in the 11 years since GTA3's release. The opening to the game that started the franchise as an international superhit is a jazzy, stylized presentation of Liberty City in all its dazzling, morally decrepit splendor. Teasing us for the treat that would propel video games into a new generation, this opening sequence will likely never leave its permanent occupation in my brain.

9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, 2007)



From the announcement that the shooting franchise would be leaving World War II in the past and bringing us to the contemporary theater, gamers knew Call of Duty 4 was going to be something special. Drawing upon the trail blazed by interactive opening sequences in Half-Life and other titles, Call of Duty 4 cast us in a helpless position as the credits rolled, a new narrative technique that built in tension and showed off the gorgeous, 60 fps engine developed by the folks at Infinity Ward. When the bullet left the chamber, it started a roller-coaster thrill ride of a narrative that never let you go.

8. Portal 2 (Valve, 2011)



The original Portal was an addition to Valve's Orange Box package. It told the story of Chell, a "test" subject at Aperture Labs who used a gun that created temporal passages to solve puzzles and defeat the evil GLADoS. What the original Portal achieved in simply dropping you into the story, its full-fledged sequel trumped in spades through the introduction of personality and humor immediately. Wheatley, in particular, shines through in this introduction, creating a relationship that sees, ahem, some ups and downs during the course of the title.

7. Metal Gear Solid (Konami, 1998)



Its blocky visuals may look dated today, but you can't deny the pure cinematic feel of the opening to Metal Gear Solid, which immediately casts you as an action hero cut off from any kind of support. The opening is a perfect summation of a narrative that will twist and turn throughout dozens of hours of gameplay, and gives you that wonderful sensation of a badass with the weight of the world's survival on your shoulders - a video game narrative trope that feels genuine in this tension-filled opening sequence.

6. Bioshock (2K Boston, 2007)



Eloquent in its brevity, the opening to the spiritual successor of System Shock plops you down immediately into the shoes of protagonist "Jack," with only a wallet photo for identification. Seconds later, panicked screams play behind the soaked logo of the game, and you gain control of the character after a horrific plane crash. Gee, that lighthouse sure looks inviting...

5. Silent Hill 2 (Konami, 2001)



Some messed up things are going to happen to you in Silent Hill 2. The opening sequence, where protagonist James Sunderland is pondering the creepy occurrences that have brought him to the quiet town of Silent Hill, assures you of that. Sunderland's voice over reminds us, as he makes his way out of a rest stop bathroom, that "a dead person can't write a letter." But we, like Sunderland, have no choice but to search.

4. Fallout (Interplay, 1997)



The look is dated, but the pan from a television screen to a nuclear-ravaged wasteland as Ron Pearlman's iconic voice-over: "War. War never changes" introduces us to a rich world teeming with genetically mutated activity. Series staples, including morbid humor, robotics and that cool 1950s aesthetic are all on display here, catching us up on 300 years of alternative history and establishing a world simultaneously without hope and full of possibility.

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady, 2009)



If you didn't share Bruce Wayne's misgivings about how easy it was to catch the Joker as the first few moments of Rocksteady's surprising smash hit ticked by, the extended opening sequence featuring Mark Hamill's undeniably creepy portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime surely made you a believer. Rocksteady took the player and forced them into the cowl as the credits rolled, and when things finally do go wrong, it's impossible not to share the Dark Knight's conviction to clean up Arkham.

2. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2015, Inc., 2002)



We'd witnessed the horrors of Normandy in Steven Spielberg's unapologetic film "Saving Private Ryan" and in stock footage of the attack, but never before had we as gamers been put in the uncomfortable boots of the soldiers storming the beach. Despite the limited technology available, this third installment in the World War II shooter series thrust us immediately into the herculean effort of securing a beach under heavy machine-gun fire, producing an authentically horrifying experience in the game's first few moments through dialogue, sound effects and atmosphere.

1. Half-Life (Valve, 1998)



It's hard to remember now, but interactive opening sequences weren't par for the course when Valve's groundbreaking first-person shooter appeared in 1998. The sequence gave you control of protagonist Gordon Freeman, a scientist on his commute to work at the Black Mesa Research Facility on a day that would turn out to be anything but routine. Putting you in Freeman's shoes from the outset, you get a sense of the scale of the game world you will be traversing as the title moves forward, and forces the player to develop a relationship with the character that has nothing to do with seeing their face on the screen.

What do you think of the list? Did I miss any heavy-hitters? Is one of these titles not worthy of its position? Sound off in the comments below! And, as always, thanks for reading/playing!

Holy inverted joysticks!! Batman: Arkham City Review

Before you even say it, I'm well aware I'm reviewing a game that's been out now for the better part of seven months. My Xbox time is essentially limited at the moment to late night Saturday hangover-recovery sessions, so I've been working my way incrementally through Rocksteady's solid follow-up to the 2009 breakout smash, Batman: Arkham City. I also wanted to make sure I'd found all the collectibles and seen everything there was to see in the title before I gave it a proper review. After spending most of my St. Patrick's Day evening nursing one hell of a headache with Brownie Batter ice cream and everyone's favorite mild-mannered playboy gone rogue, I feel like now's the time to weigh in on a title that was on everyone's short list for Game of the Year in 2011.

Since it's been out so long and many folks who are interested in playing the game have probably already had the chance, I'll spare the reader most of the set-up. The long and short of it is, you begin the game as Bruce Wayne in the clutches of Dr. Hugo Strange, who reveals he knows you're Batman. He releases you into the depths of Arkham City, a new compound built adjacent to Gotham where crooks and supervillains are given free reign to act as dastardly as they want. Strange has something special planned for Batman, though, which is revealed throughout the course of the title.

STORY

Arkham City had some big shoes to fill. Arkham Asylum played out like a fantastic iteration in the comic series' storied lore. There was a focused confrontation with the Joker evident from pressing start, and while a similar showdown seems inevitable in Arkham City, along the way you're forced to do a few confusing things.

The narrative thread holding episodes with the Penguin, Mr. Freeze and Ra's Al-Ghul all make sense in the loosest sense of the word for the in-game narrative. There are some fantastic set pieces throughout the game that rival many of the twists that unfolded during Arkham Asylum. However, by attempting to cram in as many supervillains as possible based on the game's lofty premise (how did all the noteworthy portions of Gotham, including where Bruce's parents were shot, find themselves enclosed in Arkham City? That was convenient!), the narrative loses some of its focus and conflicts are always downplayed and unsatisfying (except your bout with the Joker at the end of the game, but to avoid spoilers - yes, even I must conform to the don't give away the ending rule seven months later - I'm leaving that part out of this discussion). The deaths of several principal characters in the game, then, fall flat.

The problem may be with the series' robust Gotham Stories and taped interviews, which return in Arkham City. The most compelling parts of the narrative in this game feel contained within text and audio, as opposed to playing out before your very eyes as they did in Arkham Asylum. All the same, the quibbles above are minor annoyances when you look at how Rocksteady weaved a cogent, compelling narrative that never slacks off. From start to credits, Arkham City will arrest your attention, bat-nerd or layperson alike.

GAMEPLAY

The much lauded move to open-world gameplay in Arkham City is indeed one of the most commendable accomplishments by Rocksteady. The game world always has a new twist or challenge down the numerous alleyways in Arkham. You won't find yourself wishing there were more things to do. 400 Riddler challenges, extensive side missions and playable chapters as Catwoman keep the title interesting into the 40+ hour range. And, if you enjoyed the game the first time around, the New Game+ option gives the ability to start over with all of your gadgets and upgrades unlocked against beefier enemies.

Combat was one of the shining points of Arkham Asylum, and the sequel delivers once again in spades. The developers added the ability to use gadgets in combat, which can make for some pretty interesting encounters. The first time I pulled a thug in with my Batclaw and slammed him to the ground in glorious slow motion brought a shout of joy to my lips that is normally reserved for discoveries of Twilight Zone marathons on late-night television. The combos available, and the satisfying sound effects and physics to nailing a perfect freeflow sequence, will still paste your face with a smile. The addition of more combat challenges and the Riddler campaigns (sequences of challenges with tweaks to scoring and how to complete the challenges) add shelf life to a game that is already more robust than 99% of what you will play this year.

Stealth is still a big aspect of Arkham City, despite the move to more wide-open environs. You will find armed thugs taking out your traditional hiding places much earlier in Arkham City, forcing you to play the game in ways that may be uncomfortable if you're familiar with the first title in the series coming in.

DIFFICULTY

Having not had the chance to complete New Game+ yet, I can't speak to the difficulty of that title. What I can say is that Arkham City, the first time through, isn't all that difficult. Where it does get tricky, the game will often come in and hold your hand, telling you what you need to do to move forward. It's a theory of game development that encourages some experimentation in the way you play the title and keeps the action moving swiftly, but at the same time those looking for a unique challenge will likely not be bothered too much with Arkham City. I died frequently only during a few fights, and even then it was due more to my stupidity than to game design.

PRESENTATION

From the pained steps of Batman after being infected with Titan to tossing insults at baddies like Harley Quinn and the Penguin, this game never stops delivering on its premise of making you feel like the Caped Crusader. Using gadgets and ingenuity to defeat large groups of enemies, pulling off dizzying combos, and searching crime scenes for traces to lead you to your next objective — it all feels like part of Batman's universe.

This includes the sections of the game where you play as Ms. Selina Kyle. The version in Arkham City, like those of all the villains, is somewhere between the dark animated series version of the characters with a sense of magical realism, to the gritty Gotham envisioned by Christopher Nolan in the current film series. Catwoman is sleek, sexy and showing quite a bit of cleavage. She's also faster in combat than Batman, and her method of getting around town has a unique feel. I remember first reading about the opportunity to play as Catwoman in previews of the game last summer, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a tad skeptical. But Catwoman's sequences have a narrative of their own that make sense in the timeline of the game proper. Rocksteady knocked it out of the park on this point, as well.

OVERALL

Arkham City is an experience not to be missed by fans the comics, video games and just any consumer who wants to see a well put-together entertainment package. The story, though at times rather disjointed and running the risk of being bogged down in exposition, ends with one of the most important events in Batman lore. As the final credits roll, you'll wonder if what you just saw will change Batman's story forever. It'll make you think, and really appreciate what a wonderful job Rocksteady did once again bringing the Batman experience to our fingertips.

Score: 5/5 stars