20051008 - rFactor is online king

Building upon the technology of the game I once considered "perfect" - F1 99-02 - here is rFactor.

The F1 cars are gone, since Sony now has the exclusive rights for that championship, but that should be no problem: the main idea behind this software is to deliver a platform that can be modified (modded), easier than any previous racing game.

In other words, it will be a matter of weeks, before you can drive this season's F1 cars in rFactor - in fact, you can already download a F1 mod that features the Toyota team.

However, the best mod I stumbled upon is the "F3 2005 1.2" modification. This mod is particularly great for online playing, since all cars are born equal and the only thing that will make a difference is your driving skills and your setup.

How long will rFactor last, depends on the support it gets from the community of mod developers and how good it'll play online, because online playing is where the top fun is.

rFactor is also interesting for single players. The artificial racers are competitive, at least if you push them beyond the 100% skill, in the game configuration options. In single player you get open wheel cars and touring cars, that can race from single events to championship seasons, in *superb* racing tracks that should make challenging "real life" circuits.

The problem with rFactor "default" cars is that they all require upgrades to perform better, and upgrades cost virtual money that you earn by winning races... meaning that if you take your "default" car to a online event, you might no stand a chance against the people, that have already upgraded their machines to an higher extent. There is a know cheat to avoid this problem...

So, rFactor scores high as a single-player game, as a game for developers, as a game for free riders wanting to install free mods from the developers, and as an online game. Graphics are very good. Online playing is fluid. There are mods. There is a community of developers. The car handling is realistic. What more can I say: this is a must buy!

My rating: 8/10
From what I know, you can only buy the game @ rFactor.net

20051008 - Land of the Dead (2005)

My first contact with George Romero was not a movie. It was a portuguese translation of the book (of the movie) "night of the living dead" (NOTLD). I found it good enough to go search for Romero's video. And that was when I became fond of horror cinema.

For most of my teenager years, my preferences went for low bugdet, but imaginative movies. I found (and still find) value, mostly in what is NOT shown. An explicit movie simply doesn't give imagination a chance and if you don't have question marks regarding what will happen, then the suspense fades.

After all these years and many remakes of the original NOTLD, I lowered my expectations for this particular horror genre. Hence, I did not expect *any* surprise from Land of the Dead (2005) - Romero's latest.

But I was surprised. LOTD features new and improved zombies... If you appreciate challenges, such as how old plays on new sets can deliver a new experience, then this is a movie you should try.

My rating: 7/10
My "Worth reading reviews": @the spinning image | @hollywood gothique
Buy: DVD (USA) | DVD (Europe) | Poster (only avaliable for the original Night of the Living Dead)