Livin’ It Up With Lyndsay

The newest movie to derive its story line from a video game put the payne on the rest of the box office openers this weekend, with Max Payne grossing $18 million. The movie follows New York City detective Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg), whose wife and son were murdered. Relegated to the cold case files, Payne searches for the man who killed his family. Mila Kunis, from That ’70s Show, plays opposite Wahlberg as the dangerous Mona Sax. Together, the pair face off against criminals, corruption and an unknown element that is leaving a trail of dead drug users.

Originally I was skeptical about this movie, as the video game had an M (Mature) rating and the movie is PG-13. It wasn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen but, since I was in the mood for an action flick and taking into account the effects, it was worth the $8.75. As always Wahlberg put forth a great performance, and I was pleasantly surprised that Kunis managed to pull off the edgy role that greatly deviates from her part as the airhead on That ’70s Show. Click here for the trailer.

In other gaming news, the highly anticipated Fable II is released today - or for the dedicated few, at 12:00 this morning. I happen to be lucky enough to have a friend who dragged me to the midnight release at the Pittsfield Game Stop to get his copy of the collector’s edition, that features a dungeon not accessible in the normal game and extra weapons and armor.

The action, role-playing game is set 500 years from the original game in the land of Albion. Many gamers are excited that their character gets to have a dog - that will perform tricks, find treasure and help fight enemies - as a companion throughout the game. Another new addition is “Co-op Mode,” a multiplayer function that allows friends to play together.

Fable II offers an interactive experience: every decision the player makes effects the game in how the character is perceived. Gamers may play as a male or female and the character can go down the routes of good, evil or neutral – with each option having a different ending.

If you’re into role-playing games, this seems to be the game to play right now. Personally, I’ve never really been a fan of the straight forward role-playing games. When I play, I prefer fighting games like Tekken or Devil May Cry. The one redeeming moment of the night came when my friend challenged me to a game on the demo set up of Soul Calibur 4. Needless to say, I demolished him.