One of the hardest things about reviewing a band that you grew up with is trying to put their latest release in a fair comparison to their older material. I’ve been a fan of Slayer since the “Regin in Blood” album (circa 1986). And I’ve always felt that “Seasons in the Abyss” was their best album ever.

So, where does “World Painted Blood” fall? Surprisingly, it’s a really good album when compared to the recent releases they’ve had. If you love Slayer, I think you’ll place this album in their top 5. If you only like them, it has enough to satisfy any metal/thrash/speed fixations you need.

My personal favorite on the album is “Playing With Dolls” – a different type of opening riff before they get into the heavier stuff. “Americon” dives into the political side of things which is something Slayer likes to play around with. I’m not going to review all the songs, as this is a review of the entire piece of work.

Rating: 8/10

Disclaimer: TinFlip offers a great little service that I think the readers of this site might enjoy. So, in return for getting exposure at TinFlip, here’s a great way to get more money for your games. – Admin

Eight months ago I walked into a GameStop with 4 semi-old (but not ancient) PS3 titles – Resistance 2, Tiger Woods 09, Mirrors Edge and 1 one other I can’t remember. With the economy in the toilet and my wallet not getting any heavier I thought that I could get a 4-for-1 swap, selling my games to buy something to keep me busy over the weekend. What I found was that even if I signed up for their membership card to get full “credit” my games wouldn’t be enough to get me to the $59.99 price I needed for a new title. The most I would have gotten was $15 bucks for Resistance 2.

I left without selling a game that day and while I wasn’t surprised, I still felt like someone just kicked my dog.

That weekend I came up with the concept for TinFlip:
“Purchase a game at a good price, resell it at a great price and know all of this upfront before you buy.”

Here’s how it works:
You find a PS3, Xbox360 or Wii title you want to buy online.

Before you purchase, check out the BuyBack price and Window Period. The BuyBack is a cash or credit amount you’ll get back if you resell the game to us before the Window Period ends. Window Periods are usually around 60 days.

After you purchase, if the Window Period comes up and you’re done with the game, send it back in the Pre-Paid Return Package. If you’re not done with the game, keep it as long as you want.
What makes TinFlip different is flexibility: not only do you know how much you’re reselling the game for upfront, but we’re also going to give you an average of 50-60% of the original purchase price back. You’re getting a better deal than in the stores and you don’t have to deal with all the drama of a big chain that knows you don’t have another option.

We are gamers that have come together to create the other option.
TinFlip.com (opens new window)

So, I actually saw this movie Monday night, but have only now finally digested everything I saw on the ‘ol silver screen. Much like the Transformers movie, I didn’t go in thinking I was watching the next classic movie. I knew it would be action packed with some punchy one-liners and cool cgi.

On that level, the movie holds up. Another mild concern was how serious they were going to take this movie. As anyone who has every seen any 80’s G.I. Joe cartoon, the closing segment to each episode had a safety tip – “Knowing is half the battle”. That phrase has become somewhat of a punchline and I was waiting for it to appear in the film – which it did. Not under those conditions, but I liked the way the fit it in, even if it was a bit cheesy.

Overall, I liked some of the back stories told – specifically Snake Eyes. While the story was “gut genug” (German for good enough), at some points, it was a feeling of showing off some really cool move by a character or weapon.

So, they are already in the works for a sequel which means we get to see more of the Joes. Hopefully the next one will focus more on story instead of special effects.

Ok, I know the game doesn’t come out until Feb 9th, 2010, but I played through the demo available on Xbox Live. The back story provided was interesting enough. Of course the graphics were excellent – as they should be this far into the console’s life. So, as I was introduced to the game play, I immediately felt like I was playing God of War. All the button mashing needed in order to perform certain attacks felt like I as playing a Kratos clone.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the demo. The battle with the Grim Reaper was cool, and the entire redemption/save the girl thing sets up for a nice story of motivation. But, the problem was the entire time I was playing, all I could think about was how I would attack the next creature Kratos style. They even ripped off the epic battle/final killing blow sequences for the bosses.

If you don’t own a PS and can’t play God of War, I suppose this is as close as you can get. Otherwise, wait for real thing.

I won’t be buying this game, even in the bargain bin. Ratings: Graphics – 9/10, game play 8/10, originality 1/10.