Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and David Fincher team up once again

The soundtrack scoring duo, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails, How to Destroy Angels) and Atticus Ross (How to Destroy Angels), are set to team up with director David Fincher for the third time to score the soundtrack for Gone Girl.

The trio have previously collaborated on the soundtracks for The Social Network, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, while Fincher also directed the music video for the Nine Inch Nails' track, Only.

A good weekend of gaming was had by me

After watching a few episodes of 24 with Em on Friday night before she went to bed, I was able to get to get through the last chapter and a half of Portal 2 (excluding the credits). The credits finished playing just before 00:30 Saturday morning. I went to bed feeling satisfied, and in a good mood due to the humour of Portal 2, especially the ending.

The next day I played some Need for Speed: Most Wanted before Em and I headed out for a picnic with some friends. When we got back later that evening, we watched a couple more episodes of 24, and I decided I was going to try my hand at God of War II again. I'd been stuck in the corridor leading to the Loom Chamber since May. Between travelling up and down to Cape Town twice, Em's TV turning blue, and my trip to Europe, I hadn't actually had much time to play GoW II since May. When I did try get back into it a few days ago, I found I had forgotten the controls, and didn't get terribly far before dying and getting frustrated with the game. However after a few brandy and Cokes yesterday, I decided to take another swing at it. 

** here be God of War II spoilers **

It didn't take many attempts and I found my way into the Loom Chamber, after nearly three months. There were no hitches with game progression form then until I reached Zeus. The brandy must have been affecting my quick time event response times, as I must have died about twenty times during the final battle. Many of which I failed to hit the first button, resulting in Zeus splitting Kratos' skull with the Blade of Olympus. 

I eventually got it right, commanding Kratos to thrust the sword into Zeus, only to have Athena get in the way. Cue last cinematic, slightly disappointing ending (although somewhat expected due to the existence of GoW III), and roll credits.

** end of God of War II spoilers **

Over three months after starting to play God of War II, I finally managed to complete the game. On the same day I had completed Portal 2, none-the-less. Saturday night I went to sleep feeling even more satisfied, and in an even better mood after having kicked plenty of mythological creatures, and Zeus' arse.

To commemorate the weekend, here's a link to download the official soundtrack from Portal 2. Now to decide what to play next weekend; do I get stuck into God of War III straight away, or play one of the other first person shooter titles on my shelf? Or do I go the controversial route (i.e. old school PC gaming) and try and finish Diablo II: Lord of Destruction before the console release of Diablo III?

Call of Duty: Ghosts - Multiplayer reveal featuring new single from Eminem

This morning saw the video reveal of some multiplayer gameplay from Call of Duty: Ghosts. The video also features a comeback from rapper Eminem, in the form of his track Survival. While the single is mediocre at best, the actual gameplay for CoD: Ghosts looks pretty bad ass.

What really got me interested in this game though, was the following video showing side-by-side comparisons between the graphics from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the previous release from Infinity Ward, and those of the next-generation engine for CoD: Ghosts. This game looks as though it is going to take not only the Call of Duty franchise, but also all first-person shooters to the next level in graphic detail.

Em would probably kill me if I pre-order the Prestige Edition, which comes with a 1080p HD tactical camera, and a few other downloadable goodies. I think I may however pre-order the Hardened Edition, while she is off shopping for shoes or handbags, as it includes pretty much all the same stuff with the exception of the HD camera.

If you're interested in listening to the Eminem track mentioned earlier, you can listen to it in the player below. I like the vocals of Skylar Grey Liz Rodrigues over the guitar, but the actual rapping by Eminem, not so much.

Listen to the Sound City Soundtrack

The full soundtrack for Dave Grohl's rockumentary Sound City is can be streamed by clicking this link. So far I've only gotten as far as the track three, which features the unmistakable voice of Stevie Nicks, but I can already confidently say that this is my album of the year.

I can't wait to receive my copies of the Sound City DVD and CD.

Sound City - Real to Reel full track listing

The soundtrack to Dave Grohl's rockumentary, Sound City, will contain 11 original tracks, featuring collaborations of many of the greatest artists in rock. The album is set for release on the 12 March 2013, and is available for pre-order from iTunes. Folks who pre-order the album will receive an instant download of the first single Cut me some slack, featuring Paul McCartney (The Beatles), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, Nirvana), Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) and Pat Smear (Foo Fighters, Nirvana).

Here is the fill track list:

1. Heaven and all (Robert Levon Been, Dave Grohl & Peter Hayes)
2. Time sowing down (Chriss Goss, Tim Commerfors, Dave Grohl & Brad Wilk)
3. You can't fix this (Stevie Nicks, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins & Rami Jaffee)
4. The man that never was (Rick Springfield, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Pat Smear)
5. Your wife is calling (Lee Ving, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Alain Johannes & Pat Smear)
6. From can to can't (Corey Taylor, Dave Grohl, Rick Nielsen & Scott Reeder)
7. Centipede (Joshua Homme, Chris Goss, Dave Grohl & Alain Johannes)
8. A trick with no sleeve (Alain Johannes, Dave Grohl & Joshua Homme)
9. Cut me some slack (Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic & Pat Smear)
10. If I were me Dave Grohl, Jessy Greene, Rami Jaffee & Jim Keltner)
11. Mantra (Dave Grohl, Joshua Homme & Trent Reznor)

At this point, I'm most excited to hear the last track, as it has contributions from three of the musicians of my 'dream team.'

Fron left: Grohl, Reznor & Homme in the studio.