It's simple. An independently developed game in which you play one of six young women of varied ages, with the task of taking the infamous basket to the infamous granny's house while wearing the infamous red riding hood.

Do that, and you'll have reached Game Over in three minutes. In accomplishing the game's prescribed goal you fail.

Do what most youths do and wander off the path, and that's where things get interesting. Each of those six young women are gothic stereotypes, lolita to disaffected emo to harlequin, who are facing the major crises of life. Exploring the woods that line the path will yield memories and thoughts on their personalities, memories and crises, and eventually to the Big Bad Wolf that a certain old story threatens children with.

A splendid subversion of course, in that the player is actually seeking the wolf.

The results are varied,  be it morality or mortality, the girls face awful tests, and will eventually reach their granny's house, but in a far less idyllic state than they thought they'd arrive.

Told with simplistic but highly stylised three dimensional imagery, blending classical-romantic artwork with modern gothic aesthetics, aas well as using disturbing choral chants and minimalist compostion akin to Philip Glass for audiological fare, The Path is an artistic acheivement that asks a lot of its players. It's been called a 'getting raped simulator', not because of sexual content, but because of its grim depiction of the woods as the horrors of the real world being visited upon innocent children.

From a traditional gaming perspective, it's terrible, with poor controls and ill-defined goals. From the perspective of one seeking a linear, rich and coherent story, it lacks direction, as the player's own intellect and insight will colour their experience. But for one seeking a means of using interactive technology to create new means of expressing and comprehending art, The Path excels.

It's only $10 US and should run on any computer that wasn't made while the Spice Girls were popular, and can be found on Valve's software distribution system Valve. Don't play it, live it.

 

Remember how I said that Cowboy Bebop was the kind of visual media that should be borne by vestal virgins, wreathed in lillies and adored by all?

Well, just so you kids don't think I'm all hugs and cuddles for Japanese film and TV, let's review a live-action film by Yoshihiro Nishimura. This film goes by the name of Tokyo Gore Police (TGP), starring Japanese horror-film star Shiina Eihi as sword-weilding heroine(?) Ruka, which portrays Tokyo in the future as being a bleak and violence-obsessed hellhole in which crime is so costly to the government that the police force has been privatised.

Ruka plays the orphaned daughter of the last of the real police officers, who now must fight mysterious genetically engineered super-mutant criminals that plague Japan, amidst a society growing less and less concerned with sexual and physical excess. From depictions of remote controlled execution devices for grieving families, to cute and stylish wrist-cutting blades for teenagers, TGP's Tokyo is a nightmare vision of modern isolation and misanthropy reaching its not-so-logical extreme.

To get the easy stuff out of the way, TGP's soundtrack is passable, mixing Japanese heavy metal and traditional folk tunes with some rather disturbing little bits of pop. It works for the most part, though sometimes one wishes they could get away for a moment to catch their breath from all the distortion.

Cinematograpy is nothing of note, though there's a tendency to linger on scenes too long, as well as focus too much on props/special effects that can't really stand up to too much scrutiny. Prop design and costuming is done well for the most part, though occasionally the gore and blood effects (of which there are many) look rushed and poorly planned.

Okay, we got that out of the way? Here's what's notable about TGP. It's fucked up, off the chain, 120% batshit crazy, sucking cocks in hell, the work of the devil offensive. From giant pirahna vagina monsters, penises that can fire bullets, amputee gimps with swords for limbs, acidic projectile breast milk and mass murder and rape, TGP sets out to break every taboo. Whether guilty or innocent, TGP will kill them and kill them sadistically, kids and women aren't spared, racism rears its ugly head and every attempt is made to find new ways to disgust the viewer.

A scene in which mass urination and hideous body modification comes to mind as the symbol of what TGP stands for. It's either a witty way of portraying and getting at the culture who watches movies like it, or a base and perverted celebration of it. Either way, a strong stomach and an even stronger suspension of disbelief is necessary to watch it.

My verdict? If you don't vomit or become lobotomised by it, you'll probably finish the film laughing like I did, but for the most part it's the dripping, ichorous creature that exists on the opposing plane to things like Cowboy Bebop. It's everything bad about Japan and horror movies, and my only reason to recommend it is on the grounds that if something's going to rape you in your life, it might as well be a movie.

Peace out!

Hey there furs and murrs, Jay here on the dark side of the moon with all that's new.

• 100 litres of (thank god) semi-diluted hydrochloric acid spilled at work last Friday, destroying the server, splashing two staff, making the place reek and causing a lot of cosmetic damage
• One staff member at my workplace has just been diagnosed with cancer, another with a degenerative eye condition, so there's a pretty gloomy vibe there as of late
• Mysterious people have been doing late night construction/renovation work near my apartment... they must die!

Otherwise, I've been occupied with Bethesda's new PC RPG Fallout 3. Starting with a blood stained camera shot facing out from your mother's womb, it tries it's harest to be immersive, and mostly succeeds where Oblivion (Bethesda's previous release) failed. Though prone to crashing, it uses the ever stunning Gamebryo engine to display a far more interesting world than the bland English countryside of Oblivion, has far more quirky writing, as well as a more cohesive art and design path. Eccentric old songs from the '50s as well as a massive library of foley for guns and movement help keep everything sounding right.

It allows one to be so good as to fight for the rights of an androids and slaves in a post-nuclear wasteland, or to continue the mushrooms by nuking peacfeul human settlements, amidst the struggle to restore some life to a mostly charred and barren Washington DC. Allowing one to be anything from a sneaky little thief to butch Hispanic soldier (I named her Vasquez, anyone get the reference?) it honours the tradition of the Fallout games before it while building on Bethesda's previous stock of epic RPGs.

And there's nothing sexier than a personal nuclear missile launcher.

Otherwise I'm hot, tired, sick and bored. But whatever, go play Fallout 3, and good vibes to you all!

Studio Ghibli. That name makes one think of the whimsy of 'My Neighbour Tottoro', the wide-eyed wonder of 'Kiki's Delivery Service', and the triumpant 'Nausicaa and the Valley of the Winds'.

A Japanese animation studio founded in 1985, Ghibli's high-class animation, soundtracks and complex but accessible themes (often evironmental, pacifistic and noble) have made them the arguable pinnacle of anime. Their works are often seen as light, uplifting, poetic... as well as being youthful but adult in their intellect.

( It is oddly pleasing then that their 1988 anime 'Grave of the Fireflies', is one of the most heartbreaking pieces of film I have ever seen. Read on for a review... )

Aloha hoi to all of you out there in internet land. During a weekend spent in Wollongong with a certain fiendish cat, I saw a film by the name of Tropic Thunder.

It is imperative that you see this film.

It is not a work of art, but it's certainly amusing. It parodies war films, Hollywood and the actors it both features and portrays.

Ben Stiller plays an action film star who's long gone the way of Steven Segal, Jack Black plays a coke-addicted college comedy actor and Robert Downey Jr plays an eccentric Australia actor... who plays a hammy/over-the-top African American soldier...

It's all hammy and over the top really; from a disturbing scene involving a severed head, to the pre-teen Laotian drug lord, to the hip-hop dance scenes starring none other than Tom Cruise. Jack Black's lameness and a few convenient deus ex machina notwithstanding, it was well worth it.

I shall remember it fondly for its spoofed movie trailers, hyperbolic script, and the best thing Robert Downey Jr has ever said.

"I'm a motherfucking lead farmer!"

Companions! Compatriots! Competitors! Lend me your ears! Failing that, your audiological nerves!

I come with word of events both small and great, that shall steer the course of our collective futures! By that I mean at least a couple of days!

I have returned from an epic weekend trip to Wollongong, to see atpaw as well as to escape the cosmopolitan miasma of Sydney. Aside from the white-knuckled thrill of pillioning on the speedcat's Tiger at 130km/h, I geeked heavily with Super Smash Brothers Brawl, ate at a lovely Japanese restaurant by the name of Roppongi with the cat and weasely and saw the grim tale of the Man who is also a Bat AKA The Dark Knight.


I'm listening to another OC Remix piece as I write this, a recent posting from an old SNES game I like, the tile and author listed below. The game its from is an action RPG by the name of Terranigma. It was anachronistic, had too many gruelling boss battles and the characters were for the most part bland and stereotypical. It did however have one of the best soundtrack evers, some interesting graphical/gameplay touches and the balls to serve up a story arc/ending that was so depressing that I (admittedly as a pre-teen) cried.


My ranting/reviews aside, there's not much more to be said. Take care to one and all!

Hey there folks, not much to report aside from setting up a new high-interest savings account, and sending my tax return in. I know, fascinating stuff, but there's something to be said for financial responsibility.

Anyway, this post is mainly for me to test my reviewing mettle in the form of a retro video game review, for Looking Glass Studios' "System Shock 2".

In my aforementioned post I discussed my weekend and did a small review of the delicious B-grade film "Death Race 2000". It was like falling asleep in the gutter to find you've woken up in a bubble bath, a pleasant surprise in what is packaged like detritus. It was an amazingly tight dystopia piece with my favourite hammy actors and a cynical edge you could cut steel with.

I failed to mention that I saw another movie that weekend, one much more recent and well funded.

Speed Racer! It stars Emile Hirsch as the titular lead, a bright and eager young man with nothing but motor racing and his girlfriend Trixie (played by Christina Ricci) on his mind. There is the slight problem of his brother's lapse into crime and then his sudden death in the middle of a non-regulated race... but nothing can break Speed Racer's plastic-fantastic facade as he competes in a series of races to fight corporate corruption, assert the strength of an individual over "The Man" and get over his angst.

The movie and the main character have as much depth as a chat with Steven Segal, but unlike Mr Segal there's some saving graces that rescue Speed Racer from tedium.

Directed by the Wachowski brothers (responsible for the Matrix trilogy) Speed is a hectic affair, bright, colourful and slathered with odd cinematic techniques and computer generated effects to produce something that conjure up memories of the frame-deprived affair that was the anime the film is based on.

When the actors are living up to their job descriptions (John Goodman was almost a dead certainty for the role of Pops, Susan Sarandon is a little empty as Speed's mother) these odd visual effects mainly find their place in framing emotion in cute ways. A flashback to Speed's youth in which he meets Trixie utilises a filter to make the background merge into technicolour hearts, cheesy, but so well done and sneaky that you can't help but enjoy it. The transitions between media coverage and action are done as well as can be hoped, the sweeping talking heads another nod to the anime.

On the race track (and relying on a surreal future as the setting) racers speed down looping and chaotic metallic raceways in the sky, protected from death (usually) by a bubbledome that forms around them in the event of vehicular destruction. Sparks fly, colours blur and shapes bend with the motion of it all, so much so that I've encountered claims of motion sickness in response to these sequences.

I have a stronger constitution than most in that regard, but found myself challenged by the utter ham fistedness of some of the story elements. I'm aware of the plotline of the anime, but a decent bit of subtlety in some of the revelations regarding some characters would have been appreciated.

Also, the villain Arnold Royalton (played by a very schlocky Roger Allam) was so cardboard-cutout evil I thought he might as well have had a cat to stroke as well as a moustache to twist. Racer X (Matthew Fox), despite his secret and a nifty leather suit, was a little too contrary and aloof to make much of an impact. And while I'm hammering away, the Japanese business family involved in the film's events barely made a dent despite being pivotal to the plot.

However, the true JOPI (Jay's Order of Pointless Individuals) goes to Paulie Litt, the young boy who played Speed's younger brother Spritle. Assisted by an irritating chimp, he serves as the lowest common denominator, with groin punching, toilet humour and the usual supposedly charming mischief that defines the under-10 precocious male perfectly. I sincerely hope that Litt is given more mercy by subsequent employers then he gave to his performance of a creature more twisted then the film's villains.

Special mention must be made of the final race sequence however, in which a few intelligent bits of scripting and visual design helped to tell a good deal of the story, as well as being quite exciting. As the race nears its end there's a cascading and escalating sequence of dodges, hits and movements that lead to what can only be described as a mechanical orgasm. The intense rush of light and colour, accompanied by a choral crescendo, feels like the reverse of the Wachowski brothers' primal scream effect used in the Matrix to depict Neo's passage into reality.

Overall, it was a bright and colourful affair, but left little in the way of enlightenment or wit. Imagine falling asleep in the aforementioned bubble bath, and waking to find it cold and dim. Watch it if you want a quick laugh and some eye candy, just don't expect anything beyond what melts in your mouth.

Welcome to my parlour of pointless exposition! I'll be your host, Jay Fear, bringing you an account of recent events and a restaurant review that could (and has) kill a horse!

Friday night was a lovely get together at techie_fox and Yuumei's house, much liquor and good vibes were shared by all.

I attended a dinner celebrating the 27th birthday of atpaw last night, with a fur visiting from the US, Armadillos, who is soon to have a birthday of his own. Also attending was aussiehusky, rob_wolven, taubu_lion, Harley, techie_fox, Yuumei, Weasely and Zwabbe.

The night was expensive but good, and in the cut below I've written a review of the restaurant it was held at. Happy birthday to Atpaw once more, and here's hoping for many more! Oh, and as of 10:05am, 2-6-08 I edited this to correct the dish that Atpaw had.

Tonight we join Jay Hieronymus Fear as he reviews a fabulous Japanese dining location in the heart of Sydney's CBD, sure to tantalise your tastebuds while leaving your wallet as full as your stomach!

I knew I'd find you here! Guees what?

I went to a furry dinner/movie event last night (though only 4, Wolven, Enigma, Aussie and myself ended showing up after a flood of cancellations) which was rather nice (thanks to Aussie for the idea). Went to a Japanese restaurant in Broadway that overcharges for its sake, but does nice tonkotsu (pork bone) soup so I'll forgive them.

The movie was Superhero Movie, made by the delightul fellows who made Scary Movie 1-4, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans etc etc, and it was garbage. Amusing garbage though, much like teenage masturbation its something you think is awful and base and oh I could sneak a few minutes in before anyone gets back I'm sure...

Acting was hammy and bland though Ryan Hansen makes an entertaining super villain, and Leslie Nielsen is funny even when he's not trying (or trying too hard as is the case here).

Special effects were lame and I pray to god they wanted people to notice it, because there were some tiny little gaffes in the structure of sets and lighting effects that were just off, and I'm hoping they were parodying old Batman episodes because otherwise someone needs to get their position reevaluated.

The plot was generic though Hourglass is an interesting villain concept, one I'm half-tempted to believe was "borrowed" from less popular material. It does the required parodies of Spiderman, Batman Begins, X-Men and the Fantastic Four while mixing in culturally relevant or *shudder* hip technological referances such as YouTube, Facebook and blogging.

Its better than some of the work put out by its creators as of late but that's hardly saying much. If you're inclined towards seeing it I recommend a DVD and a bunch of friends, its mindless, guilty fun that I'd give 2 stars.

Oh, and the music I have listed as what I'm listening to at the moment is by a friend of mine in the fur community by the name of Alex Coe, he's solid, as a friend and musician. He does solid dirty house tracks, good dance stuff, unique, though I don't think he's distributing yet.

See 'yall on the flipside!

We interrupt my sporadic rambling with an idea suggested by a friend dustandfox, who after noting my propensity for hunting down cheap and interesting restaurants said that I should write about them.

So without further ado...

MENYA!

Ramen. A dish hailing from Japan comprised of soup with noodles and chunks of biological material floating in it. Hardly a flattering description, but the most informative. Ramen is the raison d'etre for the staff of Menya, a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown that has mastered the art of making the best noodles with the tastiest biological matter to accompany them.

Menya is found much like an oasis to a lost desert traveller - the desert in this case is the vast expanse of Chinese fare that surrounds it in its Thomas Street location - by complete surprise and a degree of relief. Upon walking in the traditional Japanese call of 'irrashaimase!' issues from the staff, a good sign of the venue's cultural authenticity, and in true ramen vendor fashion orders and payment are made in advance at the front counter. Staff are pleasant and capable enough with English to mean anyone who can't wrap their tongue around Japanese won't feel alienated, so even complicated orders are relatively painless.

At this point, a distinctive point about Menya must be mentioned, specifically its communal seating arrangement. With two long central tables and benches running alongside, it is the not place for a quite canoodle in the corner. Even if you manage to sneak in on a quieter night, the slightly cramped quarters, open kitchen and rather post-modern wire-surfaced wall don't make for the most romantic of spaces.

Once you've squeezed in though, you'll find that almost any dish you can order will be in front of you before ten minutes have passed, and while you may have to leave your seat to fetch water (getting your meal is the extent of the table service), Menya comes off as casual, quick and friendly. Oh yes... and CHEAP! A point that must be noted is that despite the generally high level of quality and service available, there are no dishes that cost more then $20 there, with the majority being less then $15.

As for the fare available, I've already stated that the staple of Menya is their ramen. They have 16 basic varieties on offer, ranging from the non-threatening (Teriyaki Chicken Ramen) to the daring (Hot and Spicy Kimchee Ramen), all of which feature delicious noodles made on-site and some rather interesting soup stocks (the best of which is their standard tonkotsu stock). The appeal of ramen, especially Menya's, is that its a mix of quality ingredients in all the food groups (pickled bamboo and various leafy vegetables make appearances in most dishes) with the noodles serving as the filler, so one can finish the meal without feeling like they need more, but also not feeling like they need a jog to burn it off afterwards. My recommendation in this field is the Karaage Ramen, which uses slightly spiced deep fried chicken to great effect.

Dishes that use soba (buckwheat) and udon (fat and chewy) noodles, such as Tempura Soba with deep fried prawns and vegetables, are also available though in less abudance then their egg-noodle cousins. For those trying to keep the carbs out of their diet, there are some curry and teriyaki dishes, as well as some simple entrees (try the takoyaki, hot and creamy octopus, served in fried balls with a tasty cream sauce). Vegans and vegetarians will find that there is little on offer, though there is the corn and butter ramen and various salads to tide them over if they dig their heels in.

As for drinks the debauchery will have to wait as Menya has no on-site alcohol or BYO, so its all the usual soft drinks and juices as well as some Asian import juices and mineral waters. All dishes except for ramen and box set meals are available in take-away form.

SUMMARY - Menya is a cheap and easy ramen-focused restaurant, better for quick meals with friends then prolonged fine dining. If such a tacky thing as a score must be given then I'd give them a 7, with points lost for cramped space, lack of variety and poor alternative dining options.

RECOMMENDED DISHES - Karaage Ramen ($8.90) or the Eel Lovers' Set (a whole eel with salad rice and ramen for $18.50).

Menya is located at Shop TG8 - 8 Quay St in Haymarket, with its entrance lying on Thomas Street just around the corner. Give them a call on 9212 1020 or visit http://www.yakiniku.com.au/menya.html for their menu. They're open everyday for lunch and dinner except for Tuesday.