The Fox Blog

I’m not sure if “exceptional” is enough for describing this game. Fahrenheit (aka Indigo Prophecy) is a one of a kind RPG game by Atari, not just because of the content but also because of the incredible gameplay. It’s not a static game where you have to perform specific actions in order to finish the game. Actually, the way you play, “truly play” determines what happens next and how the story will end, I completely love this new gaming concept. So you’ll never get bored playing it once, twice or three times. The game script is also excessively rich, “Quality stuff”, good story line and characters performance.

The story starts in a regular American diner. You play Lucas Kane, who possessed at first by an extraordinary spirit, hits a man three times with a knife cutting his three main arteries leading to the heart. Your first task is to escape the diner before anyone discovers the body and reports to the police. Throughout the game, Kane must find out what happened to him on that night which completely changed his life and turned it upside down on a cold winter night - does Fahrenheit has something to do with it?

You’ll play the game as Lucas Kane, as well as many other characters including a sexy-looking cop called Carla Valenti and a weird-looking fellow who claims to be 2000 years old. Believe me when I say that you’re making up the story not just following a pre-defined path the characters should follow in order to reach the ending credits – even the credits are great. I’ll give two-thumbs up for the graphics and the animated scenes in the game. Extensive work was done on the scenes, just the way it’s done in movies using motion capture – did I mention that you’ll find make-of movies and art in the Bonus zone?. The game was done in association with the French institute of cinematography, serious people made in Europe. It’s as if you were watching an action movie only that you’re controlling the actors.

A small problem I faced when playing the game: you reach a point where using your keyboard brutally becomes a necessity, some actions cannot be completed unless you just focus 100 % on the screen and rip off your keyboard keys. You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about, you’ll have to play the game to answer your question.

Good thing you can download a demo version from the Official Fahrenheit Web Site to get a taste of what the game is like. Try it, you’ve got nothing to lose. And if you like it, well just buy it, you’ll be happy to spend the most useful dollars on PC games this year.

December 12 2005, a bomb blast was heard in Mkalles, a suburb of Beirut. The target was Lebanese Journalist, Gebran Tueni. Police says 40 kg of explosives caused the blast which caused the death of Tueni, a friend and his driver. Several foreign workers were also injured.

Gebran Tueni was an international known journalist, issued from a family of prominent Lebanese journalists, founders of daily newspaper An-Nahar, leading arabic newspaper in Lebanon for the last 71 years. Tueni also was a member of the Lebanese Opposition during the Syrian occupation of the country. He was elected, earlier this year - May 2005 - member of Parliament of Lebanon, following the “Cedar’s Revolution”.

More information can be found on Gebran Tueni’s Official Web Site

Just another horror movie you would think… Possibly, but since it’s based on a true story, according to director Scott Derrickson (Urban Legends: Final Cut), there’s supposed to be more to it than just imagination. It turns out that the movie is partially based on a true story. The place, the characters and a part of the plot were actually modified to contribute in forming a suitable film environment, and most importantly to remove the shock effect some people might experience while watching; it was rated PG-13 for “thematic material including frightening sequences and disturbing images”. The Exorcist (1973), was the latest major release about the subject, and still shown on TV today.

Some Trivia:
- The Exorcism of Emily Rose may be the first court room horror movie.
- The Vatican has updated in 1999, the guide to exorcism in the Roman Catholic Church
- Requiem, a movie by German director Hans-Christian Schmid and to be released late 2005, tells the original story of the Anneliese Michel, the girl in question, keeping the story closer to reality than to a horror movie.

The plot: a 19-year old girl, Emily Rose, believes she’s possessed by an extraordinary spirit after experiencing several abnormal activities (what science recognized as a mix of epilepsy and psychoses). She talks languages she never supposedly learned and sees demons everywhere. The archdiocese concludes she’s possessed by a demon and approves an exorcism ritual on the girl, performed by Father Moore, the parish priest. The girl is killed in the process, the father charged with attempted murder. His lawyer, Erin Bruner, career-targeted and assigned by the parish, must defend him and prevent a conviction.

The cast: it’s not an all-star movie that’s for sure, but the cast performs well enough. I recognized Laura Linney (in the role of Erin Bruner) from Mystic River and Tom Wilkinson (in the role of Father Moore) from The Patriot. As for the rest of the cast, well mostly unknown; I note that Jennifer Carpenter (in the role Emily Rose) performs extremely well for a first major appearance that is… Well I never heard of her before.

Duality between science and faith is what the movie is all about: some would believe that the girl was a victim of demonic possession, others support the scientific approach stating that she refused to follow a proper medical treatment which could have cured her. More info on The Official Web Site