{20} Tearaway AUGUST 2011
RU
SS
EL
L B
RA
ND
Love him or otherwise,
youve got to admit Russ
ell Brand is a
character. He has an exc
ellent vocabulary, really
big hair for a bloke
and a super-famous wife
(Katy Perry). He recen
tly lent his voice to
Hop, an animated feature
film. We talked to him a
bout Hop,
donkey boys, and other s
tuff.
In Hop, youre the voice of the Easter Bunny, E.B. We bet there
are some good outtakes.Well, sometimes when Im improvising I just
say anything that comes to mind and a lot of the things that come
to mind are disgusting. I cant remember specific lines but they
would be unsavoury remarks, given the genre.
Growing up, which was your favourite animated movie? I liked
Pinocchio. I liked that little guy, lying and that. But it was a
bit macabre, wasnt it, when he had to go to that island where all
them boys were turning into donkeys. That freaked me out. A lot of
fairy tales, because of their social function, have at their core a
peculiar disruptive darkness like if you lie, you will end up a
lost boy on an island full of donkey boys. I mean, Ive lied, and
that has not happened yet.
Do you miss being a kid?No, because I have retained a J.D.
Salinger-like attachment to perpetual childhood. There are things
that are beautiful about childhood, for example being accepting of
people, looking for joy in human beings and having an essentially
benevolent and optimistic outlook in life. These things you can
retain in adulthood.
If you were a bunny who could poo out something cool, what would
it be?Not jelly beans. But I think it would be good to poop
complete wedding cakes and then to make one for the English Royal
Wedding.
Why isnt Katy singing on the Hop soundtrack?Shes very, very busy
with a lot of things, touring and stuff. I guess shes sort of
preoccupied with that and we see each other a lot we live with each
other so perhaps its good that the work things are distinct.
Living in Los Angeles, do you miss London life and your
friends?I do miss some aspect of London living, yes. Everyone
misses where they are from. It doesnt matter where you go in the
world, where you are from is where you are from and you cant escape
it.
Do you miss British food?I dont like not being able to get a
good fried egg sandwich, or beans and cheese on toast, or a jacket
potato.
Youve written two autobiographies. Is writing a natural process
for you?Its not natural, no, I have to be imprisoned in a room by
the people I work with and then I will write. I only write if all
other options are eliminated. If its write or eat, I will eat. If
its write or look out the window, I will look out the window. If
its write or go to the toilet and look on the internet, I will do
those things. So once all other possibilities are eliminated, then
eventually I will become creative.
Hop is out now on DVD, and we have three copies up for grabs.
Email [email protected] with HOP TERM 3 in the subject
line. Remember to include your full name, date of birth and
physical address.For full terms and conditions, see page 35.
GA
ME
RE
VIE
WS Pirates, wizards
... oh my!and decepticons
Our leading game-ologist, I
AN KNOTT,
finds that the latest offer
ings from the
game gods range from de
cidedly average
to description-defying.
IAN
KN
OT
T
Title: Xbox 360 Triple PackFor: Xbox 360
Microsoft has packaged together three must-have Xbox Live Arcade
games and released them on one disc. Its an excellent idea that
will provide hours upon hours of top quality gaming.
On this particular disc (which is the first of its kind, to the
best of my knowledge) we have: Trials HD a motorcycle trials game
that is so addictive that it should be illegal; Limbo a cute, dark
game that sees a young boy set off in search of his sister its
simplistic in gameplay and very unnerving; finally there is
Splosion Man a classic platformer that bursts with humour and
personality and includes some quality co-op multiplayer action.
All three games are critically acclaimed and are essential
inclusions in any gaming collection. The fact that you can now
purchase them in one handy package is just
the icing on the cake.
Title: Red Faction:ArmageddonFrom: VolitionFor: PS3Also on: PC,
Xbox 360
The Red Faction series has been around for a fair while now and
it was the pioneer of destructible environments. Encountering a
locked door in the original game and being able to blast away the
wall around it was most satisfying. Red Faction still has
destructible environments, but on a much larger scale.
Red Faction Guerilla (the previous release) gave us non-linear
gameplay and wide-open environments, along with great graphics and
quite evil enemy AI, but Volition have decided to turn this latest
instalment into a linear, close-quartered affair built around a
messy plotline.
There is also a second mode of gameplay, which is more of a
time-waster than anything. Its called Ruin and it gives you a time
limit to destroy as many structures as possible, which earns you
more powerful weapons to use the next time around. Its fun for some
mindless destruction, but the novelty soon wears off.
Armageddon is decidedly average and will no doubt be seen in a
bargain bin near you soon enough.
Title: inFamous 2From: Sucker PunchFor: PS3
The original inFamous was a major success for PlayStation,
despite having several flaws. Its sequel improves on the original
in some ways but manages to find a few annoyances of its own.
Cole McGrath is back once again and heading for a confrontation
with the prophesised colossus The Beast from the end of
inFamous.
Cole is again equipped with superpowers and the choice is yours
whether you wish to use them for good or evil, although the game
could have easily done without this muddled morality system. Theres
a lot of fun to be had, despite an overwhelming air of
predictability presiding over the game.
The camera moves around far too much and can easily become more
of a hindrance than a help and the game has a strange pacing to it,
along with some extremely irritating enemy encounters that had me
reaching for the off-switch on more than one occasion.
inFamous 2 just doesnt live up to the pedigree of its
predecessor, and thats a shame.
Title: LA NoirFrom: Rockstar GamesFor: PS3Also on: Xbox 360,
PC
Cole (seems to be a very popular name for video game
protagonists) Phelps is an LAPD detective. He attempts to climb the
ranks in as righteous a way as possible, amid the post-war boom of
Hollywoods Golden Age. But this is a time of rampant corruption,
high murder rates and a thriv-ing drug trade. When a string of
arson attacks, racketeering conspiracies and brutal murders occur,
Phelps must infiltrate the seedy LA underworld and discovers a
rotten element in his own ranks.
LA Noir shows off a groundbreaking new animation technology that
captures the actors facial nuances like never before. So lifelike
are the characters, that its a little bit disconcerting, to be
honest. Much like Heavy Rain did a while back, LA Noir blurs the
line between gaming and cinematic entertainment.
The result is a gritty work of art that exhibits unparalleled
realism and a level of involve-ment that demands that you come back
for more. This will be a lead contender on most Game of the Year
lists.
Title: Duke Nukem ForeverFrom: Gearbox SoftwareFor: Xbox 360Also
on: PS3, PC
It took so long to make that the reboot of the Duke Nukem
franchise got dubbed Vapourware and Duke Nukem For Never. Then all
of a sudden, the finished game was announced and released, all
within a couple of months.
Except the sad thing is, after so much anticipation and with so
many nostalgic fans anticipating something special, Duke Nukem
Forever isnt actually finished at all. In fact, the game would have
benefitted greatly from another 12 months in production.
The jokes are there, the nostalgic nods to its roots are there,
the smutty innuendo is there and so is the comic book violence. But
all of that means nothing without a decent first-person shooter to
base it around and that, Im very sad to say, is where Duke Nukem
Forever fails miserably.
So much missed potential will most likely see the ultimate
downfall of Duke Nukemforever.
Title: Green Lantern: Rise of the ManhuntersFrom: Warner
BrothersFor: Xbox 360Also on: PS3, Wii, 3DS, DS
Inspired by the movie of the same name, Green Lantern: Rise of
the Manhunters is a 3rd person adventure that places you as Hal
Jordan (or Sinestro if the drop-in, drop-out co-op multiplayer is
your style) who, aided by the Green Lantern Corps and his Power
Ring, is charged with halting the invasion of the Manhunters and
restoring intergalactic order.
Superhero movie/game tie-ins are pretty much a no-brainer;
theyre made to go hand-in-hand and this is no exception. It looks
great, has Ryan Reynolds likeness and voice, and despite getting a
bit repetitive, is a blast to play.
As you play, you are able to purchase constructs (special
powers) which can then be assigned to button-slots. You can switch
these around at will, depending on the type of enemy youre dealing
with at the time. There are some tricky level bosses and plenty of
puzzle solving along the way too.
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is well worth a three-day,
rainy weekend hire and even better if you play it in 3D.
Title: UFC Personal TrainerFrom: THQFor: Xbox 360Also on: PS3,
Wii
Lets get one thing clear: UFC Personal Trainer, despite being
officially licensed to the UFC, is not a UFC fighting game.
Instead, what we have here is a fitness trainer that requires
Kinect, PS Move or the Wii to play. Personally, the thought of
playing this holding any kind of controller seems quite awkward, so
Kinect would be the weapon of choice.
The user is put through a fitness training programme designed by
MMA experts certified by the UFC and the National Academy of Sports
Medicine (NASM) in which you can choose from several trainers,
including Frank Mir, Kenny Florian, Javier Mendez and Greg
Jackson.
Your progress and fitness level is monitored and workouts are
tailored to suit your level.
In all honesty this is the best in lounge workout Ive ever had,
and I was sore for a couple of days after my first workout, which
included a surprisingly intensive initial fitness test.
If gym memberships are too costly, then I highly recommend UFC
Personal Trainer.
Title: Child of EdenFrom: UbisoftFor: Xbox 360Also on: PS3
Every once in awhile, a game comes along that almost defies
description. Rez, Flower, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, flOw, they
all make you sit up and say wow. Add to that list Child of Eden
from award winning game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi.
Project Lumi is a mission to reproduce a human personality
inside Eden, the archive of all human memories. A virus invades
Eden and its your job to eradicate it.
The game can be played with the Xbox controller, but trust me
when I say that Child of Eden is best played using Kinect and your
hands as the controllers.
Gameplay is very similar to Rez and flOw, in that its a mix of
wire-framed flashy visuals, particle effects and interactive audio
that responds to the action on screen.
Really, Child of Eden is worth investing in Kinect alone. Its
one of those games that can sell hardware. Get it. Play it. Love
it.
Its definitely going to end up in my top five of 2011.
