Button Basher – Modern Warfare 2

Premieres, price wars and parliamentary questions. How did a video game get so big — and, more important, is it any good?

The fourth in the series was released in November 2007. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare brought the combat into the present day, with SAS troops and US marines pursuing the ultra-nationalist leader of a former Soviet republic. The change of setting was a smart move, with the power of modern weaponry giving the game an almost science-fiction feel. It transformed the tired FPS genre into a breathless, cinematic experience that packed in some stunning set pieces — notably a dreamlike interlude in which the player gets a bird’s-eye view of the action from a circling gunship. By June 2009 the game had sold 13m copies worldwide, making it the most successful FPS yet.

So does the sequel live up to its formidable pedigree? For all the hyperbole, Modern Warfare 2 does not break new ground for gameplay, realism or storytelling. Although the new game is set five years in the future, the key elements — running, shooting and ducking behind cover — are virtually unchanged. The plot, which picks up from where the previous title left off, is straight from a Tom Clancy novel, each twist existing purely to justify the next exotic location, the next storming set piece.

Yet Modern Warfare 2 is still a triumph. The action is relentless and the sometimes brutally realistic visuals are dazzling. The title packs in some of the fiercest battles and most exhilarating chase sequences yet seen in a video game. The violence and language earn it an 18 certificate.

The sequence that has drawn the most comment is one in which you go undercover and join terrorists in shooting up a crowded Russian airport. It’s a deliberate attempt to match a truly dislocating moment halfway through the first Modern Warfare when — spoiler alert — a nuclear warhead detonates and knocks your current incarnation out of the game. The terrorist airport atrocity fails on two counts, however. First, it telegraphs the intent with a disclaimer and an opt-out button before the chapter even begins; and, second, it is completely unnecessary, doing next to nothing to advance the story.

Still, as a slick, bombastic, no-holds-barred action game, Modern Warfare 2 is the best the industry has yet produced. Like a big Hollywood film, it has taken years to put together, cost tens of millions of pounds to make and involved hundreds of developers. Forget those cinema tickets for 2012; put The X Factor on pause: this is the entertainment event of the year.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is on sale now – best price so far has been in Morrissons and Sainsbury’s at the wonderful low price of £26, Asda as of today has raised their prices for the game from £34 to £39.71 – online prices will vary.

The X Factor Is Doomed!

Was 8.50pm last night the moment that The X Factor stopped being a talent show?

In what was possibly the show’s biggest upset ever, Simon Cowell decided against saving Lucie Jones and forced the vote to dead lock. This saw the decision revert to the earlier public vote in which John and Edward had received more support than their rival, keeping the controversial duo in the show.

Lucie’s exit followed a flawless version of Whitney Houston’s One Moment In Time in the sing-off, while John and Edward performed a cover of Robbie Williams’ Rock DJ which sounded like something you’d hear at closing time at the local karaoke bar. In fairness to the boys, it was their best vocal performance to date – though that’s not saying much.

Simon Cowell defended his decision by saying that he felt neither act could go on to win the show but that John and Edward was the act he would most like to see again. He also said that the public should have picked up the phone and voted for Lucie if they wanted her to stay in the show.

Arguably The X Factor has always been more about the entertainment factor rather than being a true search for the next music superstar. However, we can’t forget that this is the same show that discovered Leona Lewis as well as the likes of last year’s winner Alexandra Burke.

John and Edward are the most talked about act on this year’s show and the live shows would be much duller without them in it. But do they really deserve to stay in the show at the expense of talented vocalists?

Also, Simon’s decision to take the vote to dead lock over the past couple of weeks has seen two of the show’s most talented singers – Rachel and Lucie – leave the competition. Their departure comes while all three of his acts remain safe – is he using these tactics to help his own acts win?

The show’s credibility has been blown, it is no longer a talent show, how cant it be when Cowell has saved possibly one of the worst acts in the series? The blame however cannot solely rest on his shoulders, it started with Louis Walsh when he chose John & Edward to join his Groups section, Louis has clearly lost touch with what is talent and what isnt.

The British public is also to blame, the people that are constantly voting to keep John & Edward in week after week, yes we do like the underdog and like to see them surpass all but come on, the twin are untalented and at best a novelty record at Christmas duo that will whither and disappear come this time next year.

Then we come to Simon Cowell, you cant bang on about how crap an act is, how they dont deserve to be in the show at all then when a talented young woman who could possibly be seen as a threat to your acts comes along and finds herself in the bottom two with the Terrible Twins, you come out with rubbish and say that she could never win the show and how she has now hit the ceiling where her talent is concerned.

Convaluted rubbish from a man I once respected, in essence he is telling us that John and Edward have more talent than she does, bollocks!

The X Factor stopped being a talent show last night, a show that gave us Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, JLS etc. Yes it had some unworthy winners too but come on, people stop voting to keep these talentless idiots in, this is not what the show is all about!

Undisclosed Desires Official Video – Part 2!

Boo!

Hiss!

Channel 4 majorly pissed me off last Friday with promises to show the new and exclusive video to Muse’s next release from their new album, The Resistance. Instead I was greeted by the Artic bloody Monkeys, hailed as Britain’s freshest sound, personally I dont care for them but had been alloted the space where Undisclosed Desires should have been without so much as a ’sorry, for legal reasons we cannot show Muse’s new video blah, blah, blah’.

Damn Channel 4 and damn the several leading TV guides and national newspapers for also listing that UD would be shown as a premiere – I should have known better, Matt bellamy would have called it a global conspiracy, I would have called it a load of old bollocks.

So, for those of you like myself who patiently waited with baited breath to see the new video only to be disappointed, here is the official video for Undisclosed Desires.

Enjoy!

Undisclosed Desires Video Premiere

Muse fans in the UK will be able to watch the next new video for Undisclosed Desires from the ‘Resistance’ album, the track will be the second release from the album and Channel 4 in the UK will be premiereing the video on their channel this coming Friday.

To watch the video, tune into Channel 4 at 11:55pm on Friday 30th October.

Muse On The Twilight New Moon & Eclipse Soundtracks

Whether they wanted to or not, Muse have pretty much established themselves as the resident “Twilight” band. After being frequently shouted out by author Stephenie Meyer, the British rockers’ “Supermassive Black Hole” was featured on the soundtrack to the first film. It surprised absolutely no one that they were asked to record a song for the second flick in the franchise, “New Moon,” but the band is pretty flattered to be the only artists to appear on both discs.

“It might be something to do with Stephenie Meyer and that she loves us,” drummer Dominic Howard told MTV News. “We met her quite awhile ago in Phoenix — it was before ‘Twilight’ came out. She’s a very nice lady and talked about how she listens to our music as she writes her books. This is all way before it turned into this huge success that it is, before everyone went vampire nuts.”

But now that everyone has gone “vampire nuts,” Howard says they’re happy to benefit from the extra exposure. “I think our music has reached out to whole loads of new people that haven’t heard us before,” he said. “It’s great to know that people are discovering our music. It’s a nice side project to be involved in.”

Muse originally recorded the piano ballad “I Belong to You” for their latest album, The Resistance. But just as that album came out, the brain trust behind the “Twilight” flicks asked them to rework the track for “New Moon.”

“I know the director [Chris Weitz] really, really liked that track,” Howard said. “He really wanted to get it into a scene somewhere, but they wanted a slightly different vibe of what was already recorded for the album.”

So, they headed back into the studio, and Howard said he’s quite pleased with the results. “It’s a bit more rock in some ways,” he said. “We rocked it up a bit and put some guitars on it and did an alternative mix.”

Although Muse will soon be heading out on a tour, Howard said they might be able to fit the film’s premiere into their schedules. “I think we got invited to the premiere, which might be in London the day before one of our shows in London,” he said. “I liked the first one. I thought it was quite cool. I thought it was quite raw as well.”

Muse are apparently fully embracing their status as the “Twilight” band. They’ve already had their track “Supermassive Black Hole” on the first film’s soundtrack, and come Friday, Twilighters can get their hands on the “New Moon” soundtrack, which features the group’s remixed track “I Belong to You.”

Now it looks like there’s a good chance the British rockers will be back for even more vampy fun on the “Eclipse” soundtrack. “It’s great to have the feeling of being a new band again in so many people’s eyes or minds … we might even do something for the third one,” drummer Dominic Howard told MTV News. “How about that for a scoop?”

Nothing is set in stone yet, but Howard noted that besides being a favorite of “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer, they also have an in with “Eclipse” director David Slade.

“[Slade is] kind of a friend of ours ’cause he directed about three or four of our videos for the second album, and he’s a really great video director,” Howard explained. “I know he did that really great kind of sick horror [film '30 Days of Night'] which was a bit of a vampire/zombie vibe, wasn’t it? So I think he’s a great director, and he’s quite a funny character as well. So, yeah, we might do something for him as well.”

Although Muse have no problems selling albums without the assistance of “Twilight,” Howard notes that they’re not going to pass up the chance to work on music for the hugely popular franchise. “That’s not the sole reason why people know about us, because this is now our fifth album,” he said. “But it’s a nice side project to be involved with.”

Muse In Children In Need Concert

Paul McCartney will headline a gig at London’s Royal Albert Hall in aid of Children In Need this November.

Muse, Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal, Snow Patrol, Leona Lewis and Shirley Bassey are also on the bill for the November 12 show, which has been organised by Take That’s Gary Barlow

Speaking at the launch of the gig, Children In Need presenter Terry Wogan said the gig will help to make 2009 “a really special year for Children In Need“, reports BBC News.

Tickets for the gig will be allocated by ballot, with fans able to buy a maximum of two per person. Registration is open now at Seetickets.com/childreninneed/, and runs until noon (BST) on October 20. Fans who register their details will be notified if they have been successful by email.

The show is also set to be broadcast on BBC1 the weekend before Children In Need, which takes place on November 20.

To check the availability of Children In Need tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

Muse Need Your Help!

Muse have asked fans to submit pictures of themselves to be incorporated into their forthcoming Resistance live tour.

In a message on their website the band said: “Want to see your face on stage with the band? Muse would like to use your portraits as part of their amazing new live visuals.”

They’ve asked fans who want to get involved to send “a passport style portrait of you against a plain background” in order to be considered for selection.

The UK leg of the Resistance tour begins on 4 November in Sheffield.

Photo submissions

People under 13 who want to submit a photograph need to do so with the permission of a parent or guardian.

Submissions can be made via an email address on Muse’s official website, located at www.muse.mu

Muse’s Matt Bellamy recently lent his support to Lily Allen’s views surrounding illegal file-sharing by sending the singer a email published on Allen’s blog.

Queen Star Hails Muse Album

Queen guitarist Brian May has praised the Queen-influenced sound that Muse have incorporated into their recent number one album, The Resistance.

“I love it, I think it’s great stuff,” May told the BBC.

“I think they’re very good boys and extremely talented, and like us they have their tongue in cheek a lot of the time,” May said.

One key track on the new Muse album – United States of Eurasia – has drawn comparisons to classic Queen.

Last month, Muse drummer Dom Howard said: “I guess people have thought it sounds a bit like Queen, particularly that big chord and the big harmonies.

“When we did that in the studio we laughed a lot because it was so uplifting. It’s a real chest out, hand in the air moment in the song.”

May, who gained a doctorate in astronomy in 2007, said he had met Muse a couple of times in the early part of their career.

“They said they liked us and that we’ve been an influence, which is obviously nice for someone like me to hear,” said May.

He described the track United States of Eurasia as “brilliantly done”.

“They are extraordinary musicians,” May added. “Real virtuosos – much more than I am.

“I like the way they let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artist.”

Game plans

May also said he was delighted that he was being portrayed as a figure in a Lego Rock Band game – due out next month.

“It’s the ultimate accolade, to be portayed in Lego,” he said. “My dreams are all fulfilled now.”

And he said there was talk “going on behind the scenes” about a dedicated Queen Rock Band game – like The Beatles version that came out last month.

“Yes we’re into it, I think it may happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, May is preparing for the launch next week of a book he has co-written – A Village Lost and Found – a collection of 3D photographs from the 1850s.

Glenn Beck – An Idiot?

Fox News presenter Glenn Beck’s declaration that Muse had asked him to stop praising the band was entirely false, it has been revealed.

As previously reported, Beck had praised the band on Twitter and during his radio programme in September, before telling listeners that the band’s representatives had been in touch with him asking if he would “retract my endorsement”.

Beck, who is known for his strong conservative views, is still under fire after he called President Obama “a racist” in July.

Speaking about the presenter’s comments about Muse, Christopher Balfe, the president and COO of Beck’s company Mercury Radio Arts, admitted that the whole thing had been a ruse, reports MTV.

“After raving about Muse for four minutes, Glenn made a joke about their representatives emailing him to stop,” Balfe said. “While it is entirely possible that Muse does not like having Glenn as a fan, he was making a joke and their representatives never reached out to him.”

Despite Beck suggesting on several occasions that he believes Muse share his strong libertarian views on western power, the band’s spokesperson said they would be making no comment about the issue.

“All I Want Is A Number One”

MUSE star MATT BELLAMY won’t be happy until he’s matched his father’s success and scored a number one in America.

The British trio is just breaking big in the U.S. and Bellamy is thrilled American fans have started to discover the band – but he has some way to go to match his father George, who was a guitarist with The Tornados when they scored a massive global hit with Telstar in the 1960s.

The younger Bellamy says, “Until I get a number one in America, I’ll always have a slight chip on my shoulder. If I can get a number one album there, we’re truly even.”
The Muse star had no idea his dad was a star growing up in Cambridge, England – because George had turned his back on showbusiness to become a building contractor.

He tells Rolling Stone magazine, “My dad got burned by the industry – he didn’t get paid anything… Weirdly, he thinks I’ve done way better (than him) in terms of success.”