Geeks Who Do Music Interview With Gary Samurai

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As you know we have a featured called "Geeks Who Do Music" where we showcase geeks who do music. Our first geek is a hip-hop artist by the name Gary Samurai. We chat anime, his music and more.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Let’s talk first about your origins in music. What made you fall in love with Hip-Hop?

Gary Samurai: Honestly, listening to The College Dropout is what made me fall in love with hip hop. Just hearing Kanye West & knowing that you could be exactly who you are & be accepted was enough for me to realize that I loved it.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Your production on your EP “Sleepless In Atlanta” is very soulful. Any musical influences that you had growing up?

Gary Samurai: Thank you. As far as production goes, I have only a few influences with producing. Those people would be MF DOOM, Daft Punk, & Kanye West. The way they all produce is just so ill to me, but I would never touch their styles. The only influence I have from them is the energy & all around feel of music.

OtakusandGeeks.com: What is your thought process when making a song? How do you choose the subject matter of your songs?

Gary Samurai: I mostly just choose to write about my life. Whether it be something I like, dislike, or am intrigued by, it has to pertain to my life in some way. I can’t write about it if I haven’t been through it.

OtakusandGeeks.com: You cleverly make geeky and anime references in your songs. Let’s talk a little about your geeky origins. What type of geek are you and what age did you notice you were a geek?

Gary Samurai: I’ve been a geek for as long as I’ve been alive, but I really started to notice when I was in the first grade. It’d really be hard for me to choose what type of geek I am, but I’d say I’m more of a book geek. I just love to read & learn new things, while also escaping to new places.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Being an Otaku, what are your choices for 5 must watch animes?

Gary Samurai: 1. Evangelion 2. Hellsing 3. Afro Samurai 4. Yu Yu Hakusho 5. Air Gear

OtakusandGeeks.com: Favorite Anime character and why?

Gary Samurai: Shinji Ikari of the Evangelion series. He and I share the same story. One of his reasons for piloting an EVA is to gain acceptance from his father. That’s also one of my reasons for making music.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Interesting choices. Can we expect an EP dedicated purely to anime?

Gary Samurai: Samurai Cinema isn’t solely dedicated to anime, but there is a song or two dedicated to a series. I don’t really want to fall under the category of “anime rapper”, I just want to be looked at as an artist. When you focus on one thing, you tend to get old.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Do you have any favorite artist from Japan? What makes your ears tingle about their music?

Gary Samurai: I absolutely love Aqua Timez! Their music has just always been dope to me. I also love SAWA. I just love her voice.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Any artist that you will love to collaborate with?

Gary Samurai: I really want to collaborate with Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and June Chikuma. I’m more into wanting to get the chance to collaborate with sound teams. I really want to be able to music along the lines of things you would find in an OST.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Any new projects that you are working on?

Gary Samurai: I’m actually working on a lot of big stuff. I can’t really talk about everything that I’m working on, but all I will say is that “Samurai Cinema” is only the beginning.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Time for our usual fun questions from the readers. Are you ready?

Gary Samurai: Heck yeah! Let’s go, lol.

OtakusandGeeks.com: ILoveKay asked: What anime would you love to do a theme song for?

Gary Samurai: If I could do a theme for Evangelion, Hellsing, or Afro Samurai, I’d flip. Lol.

OtakusandGeeks.com: GamerTed asked: Are you a gamer if so, what is your favorite game?

Gary Samurai: Yes, I actually am! My favorite game to play has & always will be Mortal Kombat. Always been a game I was infatuated with since my younger days. Jet Set Radio is a CLOSE second, though.

OtakusandGeeks.com: Sarah asked: One universe you can live in, what will it be?

Gary Samurai: Hmm, this is a pretty cool question. I wish I could answer it in a better way, but the only universe I would care to live in is Earth-616. If I’m not mistaken, it was invaded by zombies.

OtakusandGeeks.com: You have the floor promote, promote!

Gary Samurai: Awesome! Everyone make sure you go to http://garysamurai.bandcamp.com/ for all of my music & check out the other social networks I’m a part of!

Check out Sleepless In Atlanta


Download Sleepless In Atlanta

Follow Gary Samurai On Twitter

Like Gary On Facebook

OtakusandGeeks.com: Finally Words Of Wisdom from Gary Samurai?

Gary Samurai: If anyone reading this takes anything from me, always follow your dreams. If you decide that you want to be or do something, do it. Don’t let anyone influence your choice. Achieving your goals is a better feeling than following someone’s rules.


mercibeaucoup,

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'purely, happily, beautifully. mercibeacoup,
neat and proper, but with some fun.
do have something to say, but never with airs put on.
mercibeacoup,
in the name, we show our dedication
never to forget but everyday cherish,
the precious feeling of appreciation and thank.'
                               ~mercibeaucoup,

Happy Sunday! I found a post a while ago that hipped me to a great brand to share, MERCIBEAUCOUP. Surfing Tokyo Fashion's site, the name appears numerous times, but it wasn't until I went on a random, but thankfully short, Hello Kitty obsession back in October that I truly paid attention to this brand.

Here are some of the fun images I ran across as I read, ooh'd & ahh'd, and lusted over the collection on Kawaii Paradise's blog. Needless to say, I googled and found soooo much more ... BUT ...



... They have an OFFICIAL SITE. Not only was I in awe of past collections, but I peeped the video of their 2012 Spring/ Summer Collection. Be sure to head over there and check i out. In my opinion, it is among one of the most creative ways to present a collection, to date. Might I suggest, in you checking it out, that you pay special attention to the last minute and 16 seconds and note their Brand Concept ... it definitely goes hand in hand. Though their latest news is posted in Japanese, you'll get the point ... 

Here are some shares of their 2012 Spring/ Summer Collection, but this does NO justice for their presentation, so be sure go & 
'keep running. 
keep wishing'
                         ~mercibeaucoup
 
  

~je t'adore!





Neon Genesis Evangelion Ending Thoughts

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I decided to re-watch the entire "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series again. My favorite episode is the finale episode 26 "Take Care Of Yourself." I felt that ending was brilliant and a great way to end the series. However many fans hated how this series ended. Truthfully I don't understand how anyone could really hate this ending. I felt the ending gave closure to Shinji. We finally see Shingi stepped out of his shell, and come to terms with who he is. Let's take a look at the final minutes of the series, as Shingi has just finished seeing an alternate reality of himself.



"My life is worth living here." When Shingi finally says those words, you can't help but stand up and cheer and say congratulations with the characters. The best part of this ending is the wisdom the characters tell Shingi. Things about truth and reality, really has you thinking. I think this is one of the best endings in Anime, nothing but pure character development that comes full circle. Great themes, great message and a heartwarming ending. What do you think of the ending? Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? If you did why did you hate it? Leave a comment and voice your views.

Some TEE's to Talk About

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Who doesn't looovveeeee an awesome graphic tee or two ... well, maybe more. I thought, this post of a few words, should point you in the direction of some classic tee goodness great for ANY occasion!

Called for Help, glennz tees
Bill Murray, dutch southern

IN SPACE, threadless tees

Peek Into the DarkSide, split reason
Obamadeus, loiter

The Hall of Cliche Super Heroes, threadless tees
SPORK, tee fury

Who Watches the Watches, the awesomer
Vince Vulcan, the awesomer

Be sure to follow Otakus & Geeks on Twitter for some more cool tee yummies!

Until next time cats & kittens
~je t'adore!
>^.*<

Comic News: Dark Horse Comics-Buffy Season 9 Gets Collected

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BUFFY SEASON 9 GETS COLLECTED!

VOLUME 1 TO BE RELEASED IN AUGUST 2012!

December 2, MILWAUKIE, OR—Series creator Joss Whedon has teamed up with Andrew Chambliss (Dollhouse, ABC’s Once Upon a Time) and Season 8 artist Georges Jeanty for the life-affirming, world-changing Season 9 of the smash hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dark Horse Comics is proud to announce the first collection of the season with Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1: Freefall!

Season 8 ended with a bang that cut the world off from magic—culminating in another set of world-ending problems. Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless, and brought an end to a millennia-long tradition of superpowered girls. By day, Buffy is a twenty-something waitress with no real direction, and even though magic is gone, she’s still a vampire Slayer by night. Bigger problem? Vampires are becoming an epidemic . . . of zompires!

Written by series creator Joss Whedon and Andrew Chambliss of the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, Freefall collects Buffy Season 9 #1–#5! On sale August 1, 2012.



Comic News: Buffy Season 8 Gets Deluxe Hardcover Release

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BUFFY SEASON 8 GETS HARDCOVER RELEASE!

DARK HORSE TO PUBLISH FOUR VOLUMES!

December 2, MILWAUKIE, OR—Series creator Joss Whedon brought Buffy the Vampire Slayer back to life with this comics-only follow-up to Season 7 of the television show. Now the wait is finally over for Buffy fanatics everywhere as Dark Horse announces the deluxe, oversized, dust-jacketed hardcover collection of Buffy Season 8!

This hardcover edition contains the first two arcs of the series (Buffy Season 8 #1–#10), written by Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways), with art by the acclaimed Georges Jeanty. It includes two one-shots, a cover gallery, and exclusive, never-before-seen sketch material!

After the destruction of the Hellmouth, the Slayers—newly legion—have gotten organized, but it’s not long before new and old enemies begin popping up. Buffy, Xander, Willow, and a very different Dawn are introduced to the season’s big bad, Twilight, and are only beginning to understand the incredible reach of this mysterious threat. Meanwhile, rebel Slayer Faith teams up with Giles to handle a menace on the other side of the Atlantic. It’s a dirty job, and Faith is just the girl to do it!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Volume 1 is on sale May 30, 2012!



Comic News: Dark Horse Comics- Get Killed in the 2nd Story Arc of The Strain!

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The plague is coming and we want to know how you will survive.
Win a chance to get killed in the 2nd Story Arc of The Strain!

We're making preparations for the coming infestation, storing food, comics and weapons. The Strain #1 is on its way, infecting comic shops on Dec. 14th. And here's a little contest to get you excited for the comics from Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, David Lapham and Mike Huddleston.

We want to hear how you will survive the vampire plague. In the comments below give us at least a 200 word description of how you plan to survive the coming epidemic. What supplies will you need? Where would you go to hide? Who would be with you? What weapons would you need? Give us all the details, we need help figuring out how we'd survive.
Official Rules:
1. Post a comment of at least 200 words on the Dark Horse Blog (http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/741/strain-survive-plague-contest) by 11:59p.m. PT on Sunday Dec. 4th, 2011 and describe how you plan to survive the coming plague.
2. Come back next week as we post the top 5 Survival Tales, once per day through Dec. 9th.
3. Starting Dec. 9th. come back to the blog and Vote for the best Survival Plan Through Dec. 13th.
***We'll post the winner on Dec. 14th, the release date of The Strain #1
The Winner of this contest will have their likeness drawn into one of The Strain arc two comics to be killed by a Vampire. We will finalize details with the winner individually.
The fine print: No purchase necessary. One online entry per person (one e-mail address per person/address). You must be eighteen years of age or older to enter. Contest entries only accepted if they are submitted by 11:59p.m. (PDT), Dec. 4th, 2011, to be eligible. Winner will be selected based upon the quality of submitted comments (as determined at Dark Horse's sole discretion) from all applicable entries and will be notified by Dec. 13th, 2011. Entry becomes the property of Dark Horse upon receipt. Entry constitutes agreement by winners to be publicized and permission to use each winner's name for the purposes of promotion of the Contest without further compensation. Contest void where prohibited. Odds of winning dependent on number of entrants.


Comic News: Evan Dorkin Invites You To Dark Horse Present's House of Fun!

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EVAN DORKIN INVITES YOU TO HOUSE OF FUN!

November 30, MILWAUKIE, OR—With Dark Horse Presents continually adding new and awesome stories to the lineup, Evan Dorkin wants to tell you about House of Fun!

“While we were working on the Milk and Cheese collection with Scott Allie and Daniel Chabon, I pitched the idea to do new material for Dark Horse so I could revive some of my old characters. This dovetailed nicely with the revival of Dark Horse Presents, since most of my humor comics originally ran in various anthologies including several from DHC like Instant Piano, Deadline USA, and the first run of Dark Horse Presents.

“The idea was to bring back as many of my old characters and concepts from Milk and Cheese and Dork as possible, grouping it all under the new House of Fun name. I decided not to use Dork as a catchall title for these comics. I got sick of the name a long time ago and this relaunch felt a good opportunity to finally retire it.

“So, what I’m doing is twenty-four pages of comics to be spread over three issues of DHP, with each eight-page anchored by a new Milk and Cheese strip. The other features will include a new Murder Family episode; several pages of Fun gag strips, as well as the return of The Eltingville Comic Book, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Role-Playing Club. If all goes according to plan I’ll also be doing a one-page Fisher-Price Theater adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 and a short Devil Puppet story.

“Also, the comics will all be colored by my longtime collaborator and long-suffering wife, Sarah Dyer.

“This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now. The last issue of Dork came out in 2006 and it’s been even longer since I worked on an Eltingville or Murder Family strip. I’m excited to be working on my own stuff again, I’m having a lot of fun making these comics, and I hope folks will have fun reading them. If not they can go suck an egg.”

House of Fun will premiere in Dark Horse Presents #10, on sale March 21, 2011.



Comic News: Dark Horse Delivers Day & Date Digital Comics Same Day As Print!

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DARK HORSE DELIVERS COMICS

DIGITALLY AND IN PRINT SAME DAY

STARTING DECEMBER 14!

November 30, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse’s digital evolution continues after seeing huge success with digital sales. Dark Horse Comics will now make their comics available digitally the same day they are on sale in comic shops.

Beginning December 14, all titles from Dark Horse Comics will be on sale the same day in both print and digital format, allowing new-technology readers to access their favorite comics at the same time as their print-oriented counterparts.

Dark Horse Digital launched its standalone comic-reader app earlier this year and received incredible support from the continuously growing digital-comics fan base, a new type of comics fan eager to adapt to new technologies.

Since then, Dark Horse Digital has grown significantly in numbers and readership with the additions of several key titles to the digital roster, including Star Wars, Buffy, Angel & Faith, and Dollhouse. Dark Horse Digital also provides weekly sales and discounts to its readers, currently offers over eight hundred comics, and continues to increase the digital availability of the Dark Horse back catalog.



Marvel Comics App 3.0 Available

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Check out this Press Release from our good friends at Marvel.

The future of Marvel Digital Comics is here—download the Marvel Comics app 3.0 for your iOS device RIGHT NOW! This all-new update takes the unparalleled Marvel Comics app experience to the next level a stunning new interface; broader array of search and browse functions; improved performance and stability; easier management of purchases and downloads; and more! In celebration of this exciting new upgrade, the Marvel Comics app is offering a special sale on the biggest new launches of 2011, including FF, X-Men Schism, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and more until next Tuesday, December 6th (11pm EST)! So what are you waiting for? Upgrade your Marvel Comics app now to take advantage of this unprecedented offer!

“Marvel is committed to giving our fans the best digital reading experience possible and with this latest upgrade to the Marvel Comics app, I’m proud to say we’re delivering just that,” said Peter Phillips, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Marvel Digital Media Group. “So whether you’re a fan of Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine or the Wizard of Oz, you’re going to find some great comics to read—and they’re going to look better than ever.”

Upgrade to Marvel Comics app 3.0 on your iPad ®, iPhone ® or iPod touch ® right now to experience the world’s greatest super heroes like never before!

Download the app by going to the link.

“Fate/Zero” Blu-ray Disc Box Set Coming March 7th, 2012

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Heads up Otakus. Aniplex has announced that the new series Fate/Zero, will be available on Blu-Ray on March 7th 2012. The Blu- Ray will contain 13 episodes with new footage. This will be imported Blu-Ray with Japanese voices and English subtitles. The Box Set will contain 7 disc in all, 5 Blu-Ray and 2 CD's which will be the OST and Drama CD. You can find more information at http://www.fatezerousa.com/. Anime Rules!!!!

Prophets Of Science Fiction: Arthur C. Clarke

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Hey Otakus and Geeks fans Sean (The Comic Guy) and today I’m here with this weeks review and info on Prophets Of Science Fiction Ep. 4 Arthur C. Clarke. Here is the bio on this weeks Prophet.


Arthur C. Clarke




Sir Arthur C. Clarke is among the most revered science fiction writers the genre has ever known -- responsible for some of the most iconic stories and essential technology of the modern world.

Some sci-fi storytellers are content to merely predict, but Sir Arthur C. Clarke creates. The writer is single-handedly responsible for the cornerstone of modern telecommunication: the satellite. Clarke details the design of satellite technology in a 1945 essay. His failure to patent the radical idea results in an aptly-titled later essay: How I Lost a Billion Dollars in My Spare Time.


In the 1960's, Sir Arthur collaborates with legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick on the breakthrough epic 2001. The film revolutionizes sci-fi cinema and correctly prophesizes details of our modern world, including commercial spaceflight, video-chatting, and even iPads. But can the deadly artificial intelligence of 2001's HAL 9000 be far behind?


Clarke's 1979 novel The Fountains of Paradise proposes an ingenious method of traveling from Earth to the stars: a Space Elevator. Today, Clarke's prophecy of geostationary, non-rocket space launch is being realized as hi-tech building materials make fully functional space elevators a very real possibility for the near-future.


Sir Arthur C. Clarke's writing ushered in the dawn of the space age and gives us a glimpse of the next stage of interstellar travel. His sci-fi legacy inspires us to unveil the mysteries of the universe, confident in the knowledge that science is the new magic.



Review:

This week Ep on Arthur C. Clarke was absolutely a must watch for any tech geeks out there.

I personally never read any of his books, but did see 2001 a space odyssey and it’s one of my favorite Sci Fi flicks. This is an episode again shows how Sci Fi movies and books influence today’s technology.

So to all you Iphone users you need to thank this man as well as Steve Jobs (although I would love to see what a Arthur C. Clarke and Steve Jobs collaboration would bring Hmmm)

I recommend this episode to any of my fellow geeks out there who are in to space travel and technology.

If you aren’t a fan of this series, you will be after this week’s episode.


Premiere: Wednesday, November 30 at 10PM e/p on the science channel

Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection Streaming Live

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Our good friends at Aniplex will be streaming another Rurouni Kenshin OVA live with Niconico. It will be on Friday, December 16th 8:00 AM PST. You can watch it here Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection. Below is a brief synopsis of the OVA. Anime Rules!!!!

Kenshin's history of death and destruction has left him known throughout all of Japan as the sword-bearing
master assassin. Seeking retribution for his past, Kenshin wanders further away to a place he can call home.
Although creating a time of peace through his actions, Kenshin continues to distance himself from the ones he
loves. Kenshin's wife, Kaoru, anxiously waits for the moment of his return. Will Kenshin ever return to his
wife before she passes away from waiting?

Ohiya & "Imani" Munny Goodness

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What otaku couldn't appreciate a well put together collectible vinyl toy? Well! It just so happens that some dots connected between myself, Tharp (the artist of Ohiya Friends), and NYCC. If you don't remember the coverage of Ohiya that I posted from NYCC, be sure to check it out HERE.

In support of such a great brand, I took a gamble and signed up for a raffle, in which the winner would get a customized toy. Little did I KNOW that I would actually win.  Below is the account, as seen by Ohiya artist, Tharp, as it all went down.


 


This is the result of the drawing we had during the NYCC at the Ohiya booth.  After the show I took all the entries threw in a bag and drew the winner's name- Imani K. Brown and she even has her own website www.artisticsole.com.   Once I contacted Imani we worked out colors, and any other theme of her choosing.  She passed on her logo to me and I kinda used that for some inspiration.   The result was really one of my favorites to date!! I was sad to send it out put it is clear that Imani will give it a great home.   The fun part is working on a piece that is inspired by something that the winner is into . To me, it really drives home the mission of Ohiya "the art of making friends".  Its a really fun way of getting to know someone...Enjoy! 

Something also new and different about this one is I filmed the whole painting process and will be posting it on  www.ohiyafriends.com &www.tharpsmart.com. 


 Here are some flicks after I shared with Tharp after I received my new boo. Can you believe it though!? Imani's ALREADY making friends ;-D

 


 
 Can you believe it though!? Imani's ALREADY making friends ;-D

Jurassic Park The Game Review

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One of the most greatest film franchise returns to the gaming world again. Telltale takes a shot at the beloved franchise. Is this worth another trip into the park? Or should these dinosaurs remain instinct?

Story - The story follows the events during Jurassic Park and before The Lost World. Think of it as Jurassic Park 1.5. The story is center around the missing embryos that is lost in the first film. Remember the fat guy who got eaten by the Dilophosaurus, yeah his embryo. Anyway a female mercenary is sent in to retrieve the embryo. Naturally things go wrong, and she ends up meeting up with other survivors on the island. One person she meets is Gerry Harding a dino doctor on the island and his daughter Jessica. Together with a two people from a rescue team and an Ingen scientist they must band together to get off the island.

The story does fair job of making you feel nostalgic about the first movie. The characters are interesting, but not deeply explored. The most interesting character is actually Jessica Harding, the daughter of the dino doctor. She is just your average teen, going through teenange problems. She is a rebel, gets into trouble and she is the most interesting out of all them. For the most part the story keeps the feel of Jurassic Park, with it's scientific explanations, random encounters with Dino's and music from the soundtrack. I just wish the characters we're better developed so we can actually care if they got eaten or not.

Gameplay - The gameplay is really non existent. The game is packed with quick time events over cutscenes. This plays as an interactive film, similar to Heavy Rain only with a lot more bugs, more lip sync issues, and smaller indication of what button to press. You don't move your character around like previous installments like Back To The Future. Instead you select the location, of where your character will go. The quick time events would be a breeze, if they made the indicators more easier to see. Countless times I found myself either, pressing any button to see which one will work, or leaning towards the television to see what button to press. This became very frustrating becomes sometimes the quick time is unresponsive when you clearly press the button. The puzzles in the game are very simple and not challenging. Overall the game is a interactive movie, where you press buttons from time to time. I expected more from a Jurassic Park game.

Gameplay Video


Graphics - The graphics is not the best and it will feel a little outdated. However this is Telltale interpretation of Jurassic Park, it works for their universe. Does it work for Jurassic Park universe? The answer is no, Jurassic Park is a dark gritty world, but you don't get a dark gritty feel. Instead it kind of looks kid friendly, the designs are bland and a lot of graphic hiccups, like framerate issues during cutscenes.

Sound - The voice acting is pretty good. The actors make the characters believable and watchable. There are a few over the top performances, but those characters didn't live long enough for you to care. The music is great with John Williams composition, you'll get the original Jurassic Park theme and a track from The Lost World. There are a few compositions that are original but not done by John Williams, for the most part it's pretty good. The sound of the Dino's are intact and it really makes you feel part of Jurassic Park.

Replay Value - There is no replay value here, this a one trip back into the park.

Final Grade D-/5.5 - Jurassic Park has a decent story, you'll find out who is responsible for the dinosaurs surviving. You'll get a soap opera Father and Daughter story. However the buggy glitches, the small quick time indicators make this a one time trip. Final Grade D-/5.5.