The End of Beady Eye

Remember Oasis? It’s hard not to, especially with all the rumours of the brothers burying the hatchet. It’s now over five years since they split, and the various ashes of the era-defining brit-pop band went on to different things.

Picture courtesy of Chris Boland on Flickr

The older Gallagher brother went onto a lucrative solo venture, with his High Flying Birds, a name which coincidentally suited the according critical acclaim. Although Noel’s latest works may not have the same rock-infused riffs and sounds that he pioneered in Oasis, but his latest tunes are still immensely catchy, and will have you singing along at the same levels as drunkards yell out ‘Wonderwall’ after only a few listens.

But what about the rest of the band? The group consisting of Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock?

Well, they went on to form the arguably less known band; Beady Eye. And although they pumped out more content than Liam’s brother, it was to varied acclaim. But none of this hullabaloo about singles and E.P.s really matters anymore, as Liam Gallagher, and then Andy Bell, took to Twitter to announce and then confirm the split of Beady Eye’s five year run. For those after music reminiscent of Oasis, your best hopes now lie with the other Gallagher brother, and the upcoming ‘Chasing Yesterday’.

But was Beady Eye the better phoenix which rose from the ashes of Oasis? Should you actually care that they’ve split? It’s all up to you, but here’s my opinion on the matter.

For me, Beady Eye was always the weaker band in the rat race consisting of themselves and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, with songs of varied quality and consistency. Noel could consistently produce catchy anthems, despite sounding like a mash up of folk and indie rock, but Beady Eye occasionally had the odd tune which was more focused on good old fashioned rock. Although these songs were a bit hit and miss to say the least, the likes of ‘Flick of the Finger’, ‘Four Letter World’ and ‘Beatles and Stones’, had a melody and a certain application of distorted guitar which made them a little bit more traditional than the work of the High Flying Birds.

Every now and then, Beady Eye could produce something which would sound like new Oasis material. Granted, Noel was the brains behind Oasis, but that didn't stop the younger brother from trying to create some hits which harked back to their glory days, something which dedicated fans lived for. 

While Noel was the brains behind Oasis, the odd one or two hits that Beady Eye had drove nostalgia-riddled fans to praise them beyond their actual worth, and while hardly terrible, some of their work was excessively praised due to the swaggering presence of front-man Liam Gallagher, whose character simply couldn’t be replicated by the likes of his brother.  

LG's arrogance simply cannot be recreated by Noel, and it rightfully shouldn't be. In knowing what he does best, Noel seems to have endured the musical storm. 

Take Beady Eye performing the likes of ‘Morning Glory’, ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ and ‘Rock N Roll Star’, all Oasis classics which fans of either Gallagher brother adore. Maybe it's Liam’s excessively strained voice, or the fact that the band lacked Noel’s driven talent, but these songs just weren’t what they used to be when in the hands of Beady Eye. These tunes weren’t butchered, but they were hardly up to scratch.

That said, if Noel Gallagher’s latest single, ‘In the Heat of the Moment’ is anything to go by, I think his debut work may still be his best. Granted, it takes some getting used to, maybe it’s the intro and bridge sections which just repeat ‘Nah’ over again like a Monty Python musical number. I might need to listen a few more times until it inevitably becomes catchy, but it doesn’t have the same instant effect as older numbers like ‘AKA… What a Life!’, or ‘If I Had a Gun’.

Who knows? Maybe the downfall of one Gallagher brother will bring about the 2018 Oasis reunion tour, which everyone and their grandparents have been wanting for what seems like an eternity. But, if the worst case scenario becomes a reality, and everything remotely related to Oasis ceases to exist from the live music scene, it’s not like Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have barely enough tracks to scrape together. We’ve still got shed loads of great songs, and don’t necessarily need any more; it’s not the end of the world. 

Gig Review: Royal Blood at The Leadmill, October 31st 2014

Queuing outside the neon lights of one of Sheffield’s most highly touted small venues had the relatively small crowd divided. Half an hour before the doors opened, my fellow queue-goers consisted of completely emotionless combat-wearing people, giving murderous glares whenever someone sang an incorrect or poorly timed lyric, or those dressed as skeletons who were lovely and sociable, despite making references to incredibly outdated memes.

Throughout the night, the crowd may have been extremely mundane at best, being either detached from the freight-train sound which the duo blasted out to near-perfection or trying to mosh to slower songs such as ‘Blood Hands’, insisting that drumming on your back for the full set was just a bit of fun, (honestly), but it didn’t take away from the experience as a whole.

There’s always someone in front of you…

Drummer Ben Thatcher stood centre stage and parted the crowd, as security attempted to chemically bond me with the person behind me, as though I could fold away like an elegant storage solution. A coffin came through the crowd which was heaved over the barrier, and on stage to reveal a blank-faced Mike Kerr who then proceeded to belt out the immense-sounding B-side, ‘Hole’, with the duo, and the majority of the crowd dressed as skeletons, with varying degrees of convincingness.

The entrance, and subsequent performance of ‘Hole’ had set the tone for the night, and the band proceeded to live up to expectations. Apart from a tiny mic issue, and the odd off note in the closing number, the vigorously played ‘Out of the Black’ was a great performance which made you want to mosh to every song at some point (if you had the physical space and capability to do so).

Kerr’s vocals seem to have the rare talent of remaining consistent in the transition from album recordings to live performance, although this was somewhat ruined by the drunk guy behind me belting out the chorus to ‘Little Monster’ to the point where something dropped. Granted, for those who aren’t too familiar with their music, Royal Blood’s discography may seem relatively repetitive, as with other bands like Rage Against The Machine; the guy next to me really wanted to get into the spirit of things, head-banging like he was intent on breaking his neck, but when it got to the less well acclaimed B-side ‘You Want Me’, he understandably gave in. He deserved a medal for his efforts, but gigs as small as these need people who know pretty much every potential song that could be played.

However, the variation, or interpreted lack thereof, in their songs can’t be helped, and it’s a matter of personal taste. One of few other quarrels was the set itself, and the songs played. I appreciate that Royal Blood aren’t exactly a purveyor of slow, more mundane songs, but perhaps throwing in a lovely cover of ‘Ace of Spades’, or playing their catchier B-sides such as ‘Love & Leave It Alone’ would have been much more appreciated than the filler tunes of their latest album. Unfortunately, their singles retain the best tracks with the most punch.

If you do like being blasted with brilliant riff-centred noise for a good half hour or so, you can’t go wrong with Royal Blood, and their concise live performances. While I’m not a fan of their slower works, the likes of ‘Blood Hands’ really emphasis their prolonged two-pronged assault on the senses, the calm really helps elevate the upcoming storm.

And for fifteen quid, you even get a support act too. Pretty good deal, getting to see one of Britain’s fastest growing bands in a small venue. Especially if you get a group of moshing skeletons dancing to the appropriately vibrant ‘Ten Tonne Skeleton’, it all made for one of the best Halloween nights out there.

After support from Turbowolf, Royal Blood played 12 tracks consisting of:

• Hole
• Come On Over
• You Can Be So Cruel
• Figure It Out
• You Want Me
• Better Strangers
• Little Monster
• Blood Hands
• Careless
• Ten Tonne Skeleton
• Loose Change
• Out of the Black

My Experience of Uni, So Far...

Please forgive the lack of creativity in the title, but trust me, I have an excuse lined up.

I’m typing this at 1pm, having only just woke up, and with a ludicrous headache for seemingly no apparent reason. And so far, I can only conjure up a single comment on how student life has been for me so far: It’s just like everyone says it is.

I’d usually go against stereotypes in any form, but when it comes to being a student, I’ve remembered that they do indeed exist for a reason. If you do decide to go to uni, you’ll certainly learn how to budget on the fly, you’ll meet a load of different people, and you’ll certainly drink enough for a lifetime or two over the course of your three years here.

So in a haphazard, disorganised manner, here are a few pointers/hints/comments on what uni has been like, (at least for me) so far.

Procrastination is a love/hate relationship:

I’m in my fifth week of lectures and seminars now, and I hate to admit it but every time the group is told to read and make notes on a certain play or poem, I’ve gone and left it until the morning of said class.  Even for me, this is some new kind of evolved laziness.

You know that you should do your reading and research, but it’d just be very rude and unsociable not to go out tonight. So in the near future, I can quite easily see myself relying even more on the likes of websites such as SparkNotes and Wikipedia.

For me, a quick glance at my timetable shows me that I’ve got loads of free time at university, apart from the occasional shift at work, but its absurdly easy how quickly said spare time can simply vanish. One minute you’re slowly losing yourself in the endless void of the internet, but next thing you know, its half-past 3 in the morning, and you’ve got to make notes on Great Expectations.

You’ll some things on the fly. And it’s not a bad thing:

One of the weirdest experiences of my student life so far has been the simple act of shopping. Not shopping to treat yourself, I mean the Sunday standard food shop. While walking around the local Morrisons, I spent a good 10 minutes wondering what to buy; what I needed, what I fancied, and what I could actually afford. But then I merely got a variety of Pepsi Max, frozen chips and chicken steaks for 8 quid and went on my merry way.

The sudden realisation that you’ve become an adult is quickly met with the need to budget how much you can spend on vodka this week, and that mini-crisis of looming responsibility disappears instantly.

But, basic budgeting and shopping are nothing compared to looking for next year’s accommodation. It needs to be done unfortunately, and little can compare to the dread of reading and trying to understand a 20-page contract of a house, while remaining realistic among five other optimistic, excited flatmates who want to put their deposits down straight away.

Would you ever learn about real-life skills like these unless you were thrown in at the deep end? Possibly, (probably) not.

You’ll learn to be social, at least a bit:

Speaking of being thrown into something, the first day of awkward greetings and glaring at your room like a dreadful Majorcan budget hotel room will soon be a thing of the past.

As long as you can remember everyone’s names, you’ll be fine; just get the alcohol going and go out as much as possible in your first week. Everyone’s in the same boat, as much as that phrase gets excessively used.

Even if you are inclined to dislike people, as long as you try for a week or so, you’ll make friends whether they be from in or outside your apartment. Looking at my flatmates, you’d swear that they switch places in their rooms; one minute we’re all quiet and minding our own business, the next we’re out being the loud, obnoxious and shameless students which society portrays us as.

Hopefully that doesn’t put you off of uni, and maybe even eases some of your uncertainties regarding the new, daunting experience of higher education. The social side of uni was one of the biggest worries for me, and probably affects a lot of other potential students. 

Regardless of how uni unfolds for you, it’s completely dependent on how much effort you put in. If you go around with no intention of making friends, then chances are that’ll unfortunately come true for you. However, if you join a society or two, go out to places you wouldn’t normally, and spend a bit of your budget on getting to know others over a drink, you’ll be absolutely fine.

Uni is simply what you make of it.

Better Call Saul: Will It Be Any Good?

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'spin-off'?

You might have a passing thought in the direction of NCIS, Saved By The Bell and even technically The Simpsons, but there's a huge mountain of simply mediocre and generic TV shows which have tried to capitalise on the success of their predecessors. Remember Three's a Crowd, Baywatch Nights or even the more recent Joey? Of course you don't, and that's what fans of Breaking Bad are worried about; the possibility of the original idea being unnecessarily exploited, poorly executed and forgotten in a sea of 'meh'-worthy shows.

In all fairness, under the supervision of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, its very unlikely that Better Call Saul will slip into the aforementioned abyss. As with games, films and any other form of media, a successful sequel will develop and expand upon previous ideas, rather than simply replicate them. At a glance, Better Call Saul appears to be doing just that, with a complete shift from the dark and tense atmosphere which was so well utilised in Breaking Bad, with a new comedic focus poised to be honed in by Bob Odenkirk's portrayal of the lawyer himself.

While Goodman's antics in Breaking Bad served to provide some comic relief to an otherwise very tense series, it's unclear as to how key comedy will be to the new series. Presumably, with new characters, a new setting and a new time frame, Better Call Saul looks to almost completely ditch it's predecessor, and have a much more light-hearted atmosphere than the morally questionable drug kingpin world of Vince Gilligan.

With only the odd familiar face being brought along for the ride, I have to say that I'm glad Better Call Saul doesn't seem to be relying on the popularity of Breaking Bad. The most notable characters consist of Saul himself, and private eye, Mike Ehrmantraut. Apart from the odd suggested cameo, appearances from the likes of Walter, Jesse and Hank have essentially been ruled out due to conflicting real-world schedules. But it's probably for the best; Take it as a new comedy show with a memorable (and somehow familiar) characters, rather than an exploitation of a highly successful previous idea and you'll get the most enjoyment out of it.

Given the drastic change, Breaking Bad fans may very well be disappointed by the new show, something which Gilligan himself has proved to be fairly anxious about. In noting that the new show could either relate to the relative success or failure of Fraiser or After M*A*S*H, it's entirely possible that the creators believe that their product could go either way. 

Gilligan's own response barely instills confidence in fans, as he states "I am worried ... it may turn out it was a mistake to do this". And if you weren't already clutching your Breaking Bad merchandise fearfully, Gilligan's only directing the initial pilot episode, and not the series as a whole. But don't fret, the dark melancholy which serves as a constant undertone in Breaking Bad may not be as well suited here, in a series with a nonsensical and less serious protagonist than Walter White. That, and the new Peter Gould has been nominated for four Writers Guild of America awards, so it's relatively safe to say he knows what he's doing.

Despite the potential of Better Call Saul; the perfect amount of familiar faces, the new setting and the necessary shift in atmosphere, we'll have to put ourselves in the shoes of those involved for once, and simply wait and see. Sure, a repeat of Breaking Bad would be great for die-hard fans, but where's the innovation, where's the potential, and what's the fun in doing that? However it's going turn out, I can certainly understand why people are notably less excited for Better Call Saul than it's predecessor.

And for that reason alone, I hope that Gould and the rest of the crew utilise the potential of the new setting and blow everyone out of the water with a solid and unexpected comedy. What can I say, I'm a fan.

What's All the Fuss About Skyrim?

If you haven’t already guessed by the title, prepare yourself for some heretical words; I don’t really care for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Trust me; I’m as surprised as you are. Since its release back in 2011, I’ve heard nothing but praise from the huge following who adore the game, through the numerous Game of the Year awards, critical acclaim, or tales told by friends when they’ve installed new mods.

Above is one of many glowing reviews for Skyrim, this particular one by IGN. It's safe to say, while it does mention some flaws, the majority of the review is droning on about the beauty and creativity behind the game. It's something I'm still not sure about, even after a few years. 

I’m fairly certain I stand alone on this matter. Surely, countless reviewers, fans and gamers in general can’t be wrong, but I’ve tried time and time again to enjoy this game, but to no avail. So, here’s why I’m not too keen on the arguably overrated pinnacle of the action-RPG genre.

The Beginning                               

I understand that this is a running convention in Elder Scrolls games, but the inception of my grand adventure in the land of Skyrim really didn’t compel me. Being a prisoner in a horse-drawn cart and forced to listen to the info-dump taking place around me? Not my idea of fun.

The rail section has you simply sat around doing nothing with only the ability to move your head. And while it’s hardly the worst opening to a game, there’s so much wasted opportunity in this introduction. Instead of the expansive vistas of the snow-frosted region, you get a few trees, dull rock faces and enough grey to give Cormac McCarthy’s The Road a good run for its money. For a game which relies on your desire to explore, the opening conveys the exact opposite.

The opening does little to immerse or involve you in the world of Skyrim, something which isn’t aided by exposition dump taking which completely locks out noobs like me. While the lexis of ‘Savvengard’ and ‘Hammerfell’ is great for fans of the series who know about the lore of The Elder Scrolls series, it does nothing but make me lose interest. People filter jargon like that, and I’m no exception.

If you compare it to a similar opening, such as that in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Skyrim’s introduction is travelling at a snail’s pace. In Modern Warfare, no specific terminology is used, and the setting nails the feeling of being in a foreign place on the brink of change. Even little things, such as having to turn to face fellow prisoners in Skyrim’s intro, are enough to partially alienate you from the clunky expositional conversations.

All this led to a sub-par first impression of Skyrim, and that may have been why I didn’t like it; it set the mood to one of disinterest. If it were a person, for me, Skyrim would have been one of the most uninteresting people out there.

The Combat

The reason I’m so surprised that I didn’t enjoy Skyrim was that it appeared that Bethesda broke down a lot of traditional RPG game elements in order to appeal to the masses. But despite their efforts, I still don’t really care for the game. 

While I could blame my displeasure on the questing system or the copious amounts of lore within the game, I'd have to say that it was the combat which hammered one of the bigger nails into Skyrim's coffin for me...

Noobs and pros alike simply tend to stick to one or two of the skill trees, rendering their new approach somewhat useless. What's the point of all these options and tiny upgrades when the majority of them won't be used?

The combat was almost as clunky as the initial exposition dump. Sure, it was fun to swing a sword and shoot fire out of your hands, but when it becomes commonplace, there’s just no more fun to be had. 

Granted, it is notoriously difficult to make a competent, and even enjoyable first person melee combat system but with such a budget and experienced development team behind it, everyone realistically expected a little bit more from Bethesda when it came to punching glitching mammoths all day long.

The Characters

This is another Bethesda thing which isn’t just restricted to Skyrim. Maybe it’s because I can’t involve myself in the virtual wonderland of the latest Elder Scrolls game, but the characters and NPCs do very little to add to the immersion of the world. Basic and unfortunately underdeveloped fetch quests do very little to increase interest of characters, just as with the Fallout series.

The emotionless and restricted conversations only add to the issue, but this is a flaw which is out of any developer’s control. Any multiple choice discussion with an NPC will feel a bit false, but for a game which was so heavily promoted before its release, people expected Bethesda to at very least have a go at the issue.

There's only so much modding you can do to fix such issues, and a game shouldn't really it's fans to fix it. You're there for a reason, developers. It's a tad scary that videos like the one below are needed for games like this. 

If the blank residents of Skyrim aren’t an issue for you, have you seen their hair? Luckily for us, helmets exist.

The Gameplay Issues

The critically acclaimed game of 2011 is burdened with seemingly countless glitches, bugs and other programming mishaps.

The aforementioned mammoths have a tendency of spawning in mid-air and immediately falling to their deaths, your horse can climb almost vertical surfaces, and some areas of the lovingly crafted world simply get you stuck with no chance of escape. In my experience, these glitches and occasionally game-breaking issues were very rare, but the fact that they exist is still a bit dodgy for a game on such a big budget. And scarily, there are still a worryingly large amount of issues which still remain unpatched and open for exploitation.

If one of these problematic (but mostly hilarious) bugs doesn’t get you, the excessive amount of loading screens and lag probably will. With large save files, the PS3 version of the came becomes almost unplayable, as you encounter frequent moments when the gameplay drops to a minimal frame rate. Unavoidable fantasy and action RPG tropes are understandable, but elementary gameplay and mechanical issues are not.

For me, Skyrim did nothing to invite me into the supposedly epic world that everyone loves, and even when I tried to enjoy it, the bugs, barebones gameplay and generic characters made it impossibility. I can appreciate it for what it is, but I can’t help but feel like Skyrim is a tiny bit overrated.

But after all, that’s just an opinion. If you enjoy a game, then enjoy it regardless of what others think. I didn’t mean to sound like I was simply slating an award-winning game, but imagine how good it could be if these issues were resolved. 

Then we’d have a game that everyone can get into. 

Album Review: Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie

Blues rock is a genre which is mostly filled with uncertainty and a lack of mainstream attention, and while the likes of Jack White may be able to open his form of rock with a hint of country lap steel to the attention of the global music scene, very few other artists have done this. 

Seemingly unintentionally, Rival Sons have made their iteration of blues rock more accessible through catchy, melodic riffs and a refined sound which is a definite innovation from their earlier work.

At a glance, or listen, Rival Sons emit a sound which sounds like the best thing from American rock since the Black Keys, and while they’re not the first to the more classic rock orientated revival scene, they could easily represent it.

The opener to the album, ‘Electric Man’ is an example of what is to come. A song which opens with razing riffs, quieter verses and well-executed choruses, and best displays the unrestricted, widely appreciated style of rock which all can enjoy. Little is held back in the album, and when the band isn’t going all out, the separation and limitation of instruments is a welcome break, rather than feeling like the album is deprived of energy. 

As a whole, ‘Great Western Valkyrie’ is brilliantly paced; while the guitar of Scott Holiday may sound a tad overpowering at times, you can usually hear the arsenal of drum and bass too, from Miley and Beste respectively. The resulting sound is one that invites comparisons to early rock legends, and is nostalgic without growing tiresome. You’d be forgiven for thinking that any song on ‘Great Western Valkyrie’ is a future classic.

Speaking of classics, for me, ‘Belle Starr’ manages to nail the varying tempo rock song, especially in its latter half. The simple notes and screaming vocals nicely compliment the plodding pace, and show how a rock song can end slowly without the need for dramatic, quick endings, and Holiday’s outro riff to the song proves it can be done. 

‘Destination on Course’ however, is the most emotive and dramatic track on the album, and a fitting finisher. Fly through the choir vocals and unhinged build up, and if you’re not sold on the album, the upcoming instrumental will. In the song, everything clicks together. Jay’s vocals and the angelic choir which supports them, the classic solo section from Scott, and in the end Miley and Beste’s performances nicely tie up the song with one or two tiny piano sections in their for good measure. It’s a great attempt of a song which shows the enthusiasm of the band, and just double checks that you can appreciate the effort put into the album before you must part ways.

The album, the fourth offering from the band, isn’t restricted to class rock. While still heavy, songs such as ‘Rich and The Poor’ hold more country-like elements, with a quiet guitar humming along to Jay Buchanan’s vocals, which wouldn’t sound out of place in a classic action film, or alternatively, your own choice of Tarintino film. The combination of slower verses and more emotive chorus sections are again present, but rather than becoming a repetitive predictability, it adds consistency to the band, and solidifies their position in the rock genre, and justifies frequent comparisons with icons such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.

With the likes of Rival Sons, Royal Blood and Radkey blowing up in recent months, its set to be a great year for rock in all its forms, with blues, industrial and punk elements of the genre all exploding in popularity. ‘Great Western Valkyrie’ best shows how accessible rock is, and how it has been dearly missed, but much more importantly, it is a great album in its own right. 

Put frankly, if you don’t engage in the message of the album or the lyrics, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the form of the catchy guitar riffs and excellent vocals of Rival Sons in what is arguably their most refined and progressive work to date. It’s simple rock, and it’s enjoyable for all. 

Breaking Bad: A Year Later...

Warning: Potential spoilers and all that…

While still a prominent pop-culture icon, the success and excitement of Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad is slowly fading away. Despite the rise of new critically acclaimed TV shows, take any of Netflix’s originals as an example, Breaking Bad still remains a great TV series which is arguably unique, and has yet to be matched. Here are a few reasons as to why it remains one of the great TV shows of our generation, and how it became so successful.

1. Netflix

Remember when Netflix was a physical disc based rental firm? Probably not, but when the streaming of shows became a feature in 2007, Breaking Bad was one of few shows to jump at the chance to archive its episodes in this way.

The 2008 inception of the show was pretty well-timed with this change of business model, and more importantly, it allowed something which we are all guilty of. As the cinematographer of Breaking Bad, Michael Slovis puts it, the ability to “binge view and catch up”, making interest in the show more focused around long-term marketing and spontaneous recommendations.

We’ve all recommended the show, or accordingly become enraged when we know someone who hasn’t watched it, so we all played our part into fitting into the marketing model for the show. With all episodes readily available on the format, Breaking Bad wasn’t restricted to AMC’s reach. And, it was in Netflix’s own interest to promote the show, bringing in more subscriptions and allowing the firm to expand. So next time you watch a series for 7 hours straight, you just might be making the next TV sensation.

2. The Pacing

When Breaking Bad snagged your attention, it made sure you were kept interested. After being nagged by everyone you knew, the show always ensured that some form of plot progression took place every episode. New and instantly notable characters were introduced on a steady rotation, bringing new issues with them to make sure the life of Walter White never became too leisurely.

While the entire pink teddy bear foreshadowing fiasco of season two may have been a little long-winded, it did build up to a fairly dramatic event which effected a lot of characters, as seen in the episode ‘ABQ’. Gilligan seemed to have nailed the perfect combination of suspense-inducing cliff-hangers and appropriately necessary concluded episodes, meaning that regardless of what happened in a certain episode, you always left satisfied and in anticipation of the next one.

3. The Actors

Before Gilligan’s TV sensation, what was Bryan Cranston known for? Being an inept and caring father in Malcolm in the Middle? Pretty much, and it seems that Breaking Bad was a huge break for actors who previously were confined to the likes of TV films and daytime sitcoms.

Take a look at Aaron Paul’s filmography, which went from occasional TV appearances and supporting roles for generic action films, to a variety of roles in films such as Need for Speed and Helion, mostly due to their exposure from Breaking Bad.

Even actors such as Dean Norris, who had appeared in well-known films from Terminator 2 and Evan Almighty, and equally marketed TV shows (CSI, True Blood…) , are still best known for their performances in more recent crime drama shows.

Gilligan gave previously unknown actors a chance to shine, and in doing so, cemented the success of the show, as seen through the excessive amount of nominations and awards the show, and its actors, have received, which stands at 101 at the time of writing.

4. The Concept

Unlike the Zombie sub-genre which has been done to death in recent years, or the excess of mystery/drama shows which preceded it, the genre in which Breaking Bad is situated managed to become a new and interesting premise without straying too far from the status quo to seem inaccessible to its audience. AMC’s finest series is a mash-up of genres, most notably including elements from Western flicks, Crime dramas and good old thrillers, and this creates a show which can take the best bits from each, with few consequences. I mean, when was the last time we had a contemporary western TV show?

The tension from episode to episode, the looming overtones of foreshadowing and the ever-present cliff-hangers were mostly typical of more traditional crime dramas, such as any variant of CSI, The Wire and Dexter, but the Western elements of the show were suitably utilised near the end of the season five, as the need for revenge and redemption became arguably the key plot point of the show.

This combination of elements was new, refreshing and most importantly, relatively original, and because of this, Breaking Bad succeeded in using appropriate genre tropes where it saw fit, entertaining millions in the process.

5. The Conclusion

Many shows leave the airwaves with an uncertain ending which is open to interpretation. Countless TV shows, films and games have done this, simply to keep their respective fan-bases going in an array of conspiracy theories and fan-fiction. Again, Breaking Bad broke the mould, and tied up all the loose ends in a manner which was fitting of the crime drama/western genre. While the ending left some critics relatively unsatisfied, the majority of people at very least respected the decision to finish the series where it did.

Of course we all want more, but that branch of the Walter White story has come to an appropriate end, and of course, there’s still more to come in the form of Better Call Saul, a spin-off focusing around the antics of the small time lawyer Saul Goodman, and featuring characters from the original series. The new show focusing on comedy rather than crime will hopefully be a new step which will be brilliantly executed, and ideally won’t aim to stay in the shadow of Breaking Bad.

Is the show one of the classics of our generation? Arguably yes. I hate to go with the flow, but when tourism in Albuquerque skyrocketed after the finale of season five, it’s hard to argue that show hasn’t had a huge impact on a global level. We still see people of all ages donning Heisenberg shirts, stationary and socks, and until we wait for new dramas such as Orange is the New Black to die down, we’ll have to wait and see if Breaking Bad was all we made it out to be.

Only time will tell.

Game Review: Luftrausers

I've never really been a prominent 2D shooter fan, and the aptly named 'bullet genre' has done little to drag me into such games. But due to some freak change, a mind control event, or an act of God, I decided to give Luftrausers a go. And for less than £7, I'm glad I did.

So what is it? 

Luftrausers is a 2D bullet-hell dog-fighting game, set in a seemingly random alternate WW2 setting and is highly styled and notably arcade-ish in nature. Hiding behind the retro look is essentially an insane arcade shooter, which is incredibly accessible and re-playable. The game is controlled by five mere buttons, those being the arrow keys to manoeuvre, and the 'x' key to fire. If you manage to stop shooting for a fraction of a second, your 'rauser' repairs, and if you release the 'raus' key, you can pull off stall turns and temporarily plunge into the ocean, (if that's your thing). 

If you thought that smashing your plane into other planes was an nonviable method of aerial combat, then you would be wrongly mistaken, and nothing is more satisfying than building up a combo through smashing into ships and planes alike. There's even a body based around the idea, so if you want to nose-dive into warships and frigates, go ahead. Luftrausers does everything it can to make you feel like a truly bad-ass pilot, and it’s very easy to get into, thanks to its simple controls and non-existent loading between games. If you do die, you'll be back playing again before you can figure out how to pronounce the title. 

Between these games, you can customise your aircraft with different engines, body sections and weapons. It’s all very simple, but there’s plenty of unlocks to keep you going if the gameplay fails to do so. Arguably, the best thing about Luftrausers is that it never feels like a huge grind-fest, as other games can (I'm looking at you, Payday 2). The small challenges are enough to keep you going, and the customisable pieces ensure that you feel sufficiently rewarded for your efforts. 

You feel badass most of the time, and the game is fair, mostly. When you inevitably die, you can easily understand why, as a stray bullet clips you, or you stall into the ocean for just a fraction too long. Luftrausers is great fun, and definitely worth the price. I mean, it's also got a cracking soundtrack which fits the game really rather well.

Devolver Digital seem determined to solidify their image as one of the best indie game developers out there, and adding Luftrausers to an existing portfolio of Hotline Miami and Broforce is another leap towards that title. It's an enjoyable combination of fun gameplay and excessive amounts of projectiles which is accessible to all.

That, and it's only like £7. So if you want an addictive side-wards shooter which excels in short bursts, look no further. 

The Recent Rise of E-sports

E-sports are great. They're like playing games normally, except you're not good enough. Although video games have been played competitively since their conception, only recently have they become commonplace among gamers and slowly seeping into society as a regular form of sport. Without the physical exercise, of course.

They've have become more popular than ever, since their rapid growth in the early 1990s. At the time, these competitions were of a much smaller scale than they are now, and they tended to focus around console games. Take the 1990 Nintendo World Championships. This tournament toured across 29 US cities and used the SNES, along with Super Mario Brothers, Tetris and Rad Racer as the virtual arenas in which contenders fought with their thumbs and fingers, hammering at controls rather than keyboards.

In comparison to these much simpler times, E-Sports are now held in huge event halls and arenas, with ridiculous amounts of money up for grabs. Instead of genre-defining First Person Shooters such as Doom and Quake, Action RTS and MOBA games such as StarCraft 2 and DoTA 2 have become the proven base of E-Sports.

These games and their contests are also no longer the exclusive activity of American enthusiasts. Thanks to the explosive expansion of the sport, competitiors come from all corners of the globe. Even the home of E-Sports has changed, with the concept now intertwining itself into the youth culture of South Korea. The foundations for this degree of popularity have been in place for decades in South Korea, and this has certainly helped games like StarCraft 2 essentially become a national pastime.


The original StarCraft was a hit in countries like these due its fairly low system requirements and free online play at the time. The high rates of broadband connectivity and accessibility for online games such as StarCraft meant that its predecessor was set to become a game which integrates itself into a nation. The lack of sports dominating culture and desire to avoid inevitable military conscription, on top of endorsement from large companies like Samsung, meant that children in South Korea are essentially driven towards the idea of video games. Because of all the build-up over previous years, games like StarCraft 2 and the E-Sports they are involved in have accordingly boomed in popularity.


The influence of the gaming culture in these countries is easily shown if you look at the standings of the World Championship Series for StarCraft 2; currently, out of the top 16 players in the world, 12 of them are South Korean. Instead of being live-streamed, E-Sports in South Korea are broadcast on national television, just as most Western sports are. 

The scary thing about all this, on top of South Korean dominance when it comes to strategy games, is how quickly E-Sports have spread as a legitimate and serious form of competition. Huge endorsements and celebrity treatment for players is now essentially commonplace.

Around 18 months ago, few actual gamers had even heard of E-Sports, never mind watch them. I was part of the majority who were unaware of its existence. And now, these events are incredibly accessible and entertaining, through a vast array of video sites or live streaming. 

Although some will ask "Why bother watching a game when you could play it yourself?", I can assure you that the levels of skill and effort put into some of these matches are unparalleled. It’s like football or any other physical sport; you could do it yourself, or you could watch someone else do it far better than you. I mean, it is easy to sit in front of a TV and proclaim "I could do that." 

Across the world, TV stations are slowly covering E-Sports as their popularity continues to grow. Sponsorship deals and prize money are becoming huge factors, just as with any other sport. In a fairly recent DoTA 2 event, the largest prize pool in E-Sports history was created, at $2.8 million. With such large amounts of money on the line, it’s fair to say that companies have begun taking virtual sports rather seriously when the rest of the world has not.

Some people love these events simply due to the difference from what’s always been on offer. Instead of the boiling feuds between teams in football matches, some would say that E-Sports are a lot calmer, yet simultaneously more energetic. Some also love it for the skills and according atmosphere. Competitors need to know everything about a game, down to the last smallest detail. For the audience, events such as these give a live buzz like attending any sporting event, with the intellectual reward of studying a game like chess. It’s a unique combination which is refreshingly new, and one of which we are unlikely to see anything similar to in the near future.

Despite all this, I can hardly imagine the day when fathers in America ask their sons to practice League of Legends rather than baseball. However, the groundwork for E-Sports is most certainly in place, it's now just up to gamers, and the wider world, to begin taking it seriously.