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2011: Year In Review

Videogames, TV, movies and music, these are a few of my favourite things...

There was an overwhelming feeling compiling this list of "well, something's got to go on it", which to me says this was a highly disappointing year for games. Yes, those present were good, more than good in fact, but no release this year ever made me think "well, fuck me sideways". I'll admit that LA Noire remains untouched while the year's other major releases, namely Shogun 2, Crysis 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution likewise merely sit on my Steam library, uninstalled. Although the latter two partly because I feel uncomfortable playing them when I haven't finished their predecessors. And while I've had fun playing Dead Island, I'm not far enough in to say whether it warrants a place on my list. So, almost with a hesitance then, here are my 'favourite' games from 2011...

1. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)

This wins almost by default. With the delay of Mass Effect 3 and my disappointment with Batman: Arkham City, Naughty Dog didn't really face much in the way of competition. Now don't get me wrong, Uncharted 3 is a phenomenal game in its own right and vastly improves upon its progenitors in many ways, but this is also the one I least enjoyed playing in the series. Once again the story is grand, the graphics impossibly good and the set-pieces second to none. This was all very well, but I couldn't help but feel this was a more contrived experience than the previous two. Uncharted 3 was by far the most streamlined experience in the series with more set pieces and movie-esque shenanigans than ever before. The problem with this however was that it saw a divergence away from the more challenging puzzles and epic wall-scaling of Nathan Drake's earlier outings. I felt less like I was playing a game and more like I was interacting with a story and while I enjoyed being a part of an unravelling plot, I also missed, y'know, playing a video game. Still, it could have been worse. It could have been Metal Gear Solid 4.

2. Battlefield 3 (PC)
I don't think there are any more superlatives one can attribute to the Battlefield series. Once again the boys at DICE have outdone themselves with one stunning game which also happens to be hella fun too. Like last year's Bad Company 2 they've also added a nice little single player campaign in what used to be an anomaly for the series. While admittedly the story is incredibly dated by today's standard and almost as ludicrously bombastic and batshit-crazy as that of the Modern Warfare series, it is nonetheless an appreciated and highly polished effort. However it is also incredibly frustrating and it would be perfectly understandable should one choose to disregard in favour of fragging some noobs online instead. Chances are this is what you came for anyway and by now you should know what to expect from Battlefield's multiplayer. That is to say, some of the most goddamn fun you can have online! Gear up soldier!

3. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (X-Box 360)
This is the smallest, most concise Assassin's Creed yet, taking place exclusively in Constantinople and delivering to fans the conclusion of Altair and Ezio's respective stories. I've put Revelations on this list more out of a fanboy loyalty than anything else, the Assassin's Creed world having captivated me since the first instalment back in 2007. I love how it pulled all the real-world conspiracy theories together into a 'coherent' narrative and have consequently eagerly anticipated each sequel for the next plot twist. As for the actual gameplay itself nothing revolutionary has been added here. You will get a hook which allows you to catch onto things but not much else. Saying that, there are two additions which can only be described as 'iffy' at best, feeling much like unnatural bolt-ons. First, a tower-defence minigame which has absolutely abysmal mechanics, second a first-person animus platform puzzle thingy which ostensibly gives us a deeper insight into Desmond but ultimately controls like a dog. Fortunately neither is essential to the game as Revelations mercifully allows you to ignore them should you choose. Other than that nothing revolutionary here, just nice to see the final -cough- revelation.

4. Batman: Arkham City (PS3)
There was one game this year upon which I pinned all my hopes and hype after ME3's postponement. Indeed, the Bat was back. With Batman Arkham Asylum being one of my, if not most favourite game in the past few years, then you could imagine my glee at the prospect of a sequel which promised to be bigger and better. Giving more freedom than the infamous lunatic asylum, Arkham City was certainly larger than the Dark Knight's first outing, so much so in fact that it was almost overwhelming. But it was here where the problem lay. There was something to be said about Arkham Asylum's confined setting, an environment which allowed you to get more intimate with the big bad bat. And while Arkham City is in many ways an improvement, particularly with the additions to its fighting system and bat gadgets, I felt strangely less connected to the caped crusader than I was in Arkham Asylum. This was perhaps in part due to the decision to include every bad guy Bats has ever faced which, in my opinion, diluted the story no end. And while Arkham Asylum had a more focused narrative and largely linear progression, it was nonetheless enjoyable and logical. Arkham City conversely piled on the content, and while gave me more freedom to play like Batman, it scarcely ever felt like I was Batman. In a sense then I was a little disappointed with the final outcome of what I'd been plugging as 'game of the year' beforehand.

5. Football Manager 2012 (PC)
Last year I made a promise to myself. After winning the Champions League with Everton I vowed never again to play this horrific game. Guess what? I broke that promise. I'm now Norwich and on the cusp of achieving similar feats of greatness. I don't even know what the allure is any more. It's the same game as before, the same look, the same feel, the same mechanics, but every year Football Manager just feels... different. Maybe it's the updated squad lists, or the different tones you can use in your team talks. Perhaps it's even the new transfer and contract features available to you. Whatever it is, I've once again been sucked into this black hole, spending by far the most time on this than any other game this year - by several orders of magnitude. There's something bewitching about her, like a really toxic, co-dependent relationship you know isn't good for you, but you stick with on account of a series of complex emotions built up over the years. I hate what she does to me, but I still love her. So, SO much!

The album is dead. Long live the single. At least to my mind it is. With the advent of services which enable one to download individual songs, you'd have to produce something pretty fucking special for me to want to download your entire album. Indeed, only one album this year actually made me go "fuck yeah!", and that was M83's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. As such I don't really have a basis to make a top 10 albums list. Thus I'll list my favourite songs released in 2011 instead. It has been compiled using the latest methods known to science. That is to say, the number of plays on my iTunes library.

1. Pop Culture - Madeon
2. A Real Hero - College feat. Electric Youth
3. Nightcall - Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx
4. Loca People (What The Fuck?) - Sak Noel
5. Wovon Sollen Wir Träumen - Frida Gold
6. Jar Of Hearts - Christina Perri
7. Midnight City - M83
8. Take You To Rio - Ester Dean
9. After The Moment - Craft Spells
10. Why Even Try - Theophilus London feat. Sara Quin

Perhaps the biggest curiosity is German artist Frida Gold, although then again maybe not considering that ever since an ex-girlfriend I've kept my beady little eye on the German charts. Indeed, there would have been another entry on the list, Culcha Candela's Berlin City Girl, had I not only found out about it this year. But yeah, you can safely assume that I have a bit of a guilty pleasure when it comes to Deutsches pop-music. Another track which defined 2011 for me, likewise released in 2010, was the unofficial 'theme song' of my 'lads on tour' Cyprus holiday. Ralvero's In My Bedroom boasts ridiculous lyrics while also happening to be ridiculously catchy. Anywho, there you have it, my 'favourite songs', or near enough, released in 2011.

Not a bad year at all as far as movies go. Where 2010 was the year of 80s-remakes and blockbuster sequels, 2011 was certainly the year of the art house film. Indeed there was an ambrosial amount of originality on display this year, even the year's mega films mostly new franchises. And while the King's Speech set a seemingly impossible bar by critic's standards early in the year, new films continued to delight and surpass each time. Here is a list of my favourites.

1. Drive - Ryan Gosling's finest performance to date as an ultra-cool getaway driver with an ultra-cool soundtrack to match. Definitely the most stylish film of the year. Read the review.

2. Melancholia - Perhaps one of the more disquieting films I've seen in a while, Melancholia is a strangely alluring film which should be recognised as Kirsten Dunst's breakthrough role. Read the review.

3. Midnight In Paris - Difficult choice between this and The Artist as most charming film of the year, but Woody Allen's love letter to Paris is just delectable. The completely unassuming Owen Wilson merely adds to its appeal. Read the review.

4. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward - A documentary which may well prove to be the most influential thing you've ever seen. It has its faults, but filmmaker Peter Joseph will challenge everything you previously thought to be true. Ever wanted to know why the world is so fucked up? Watch this. Read the review. (YOU CAN WATCH THE WHOLE THING HERE)

5. The Artist - An immensely beguiling film which, to paraphrase Ronan Keating, says it best when it says nothing at all. Made all the more enchanting with the two most effervescent performances all year from the wonderful Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. Read the review.

6. 50/50 - Ever wondered how to make a comedy about cancer? No, me neither. But it's exactly what screenwriter Will Riser, upon whose experience this is based, did in this touching yet funny tale. Read the review.

7. The Guard - Hilarious dark comedy about a contrarian cop who's partial to the occasional drug use. Brendan Gleeson is phenomenal, sporting shades of an equally fantastic portrayal in In Bruges, while you wonder how the fuck they got Danny Glover anywhere near this. Read the review.

8. Moneyball - Not quite your traditional sports drama, more like what would happen if economists ran a baseball team. Brad Pitt in glorious form once again while Jonah Hill shows another side to himself as the pair set about sticking it to the man by using numbers. Read the review.

9. The Tree Of Life - Probably a controversial choice given that many people will see it as esoteric existentialist bullshit. However, if you're into all that contemplative metaphysical garb and are able to accept that this is not your typical kind of film, then this might be well worth a shot. Read the review.

10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - While this received the plaudits it deserved it was another British film, The King's Speech, which hogged the limelight this year. However there is no doubt in my mind that this was the superior film, dragging you into its compelling dreary world and helped on by an all-star cast with a fine performance from one Gary Oldman. Read the review.

Raspberry: Bridesmaids - By far the most overhyped, overrated film of the year. This 'Hangover for girls' did more to reinforce that sexist stereotype of 'women aren't funny' than anything I've seen before. Utter shite. Read the review.

Phenomenal year for television once again. I don't think I've been privy to as many 'WTF' moments in one dose as in 2011. Except maybe with Lost - that had more 'holy shit' moments than all other television combined. Nonetheless, this year was good. The old shows upped their games, deepening or relationships with characters we've come to know and love, while there were also some excellent newbies as well.

1. Breaking Bad (Season 4) - An absolutely fascinating battle of wits played out as Walter White took on one of the most revered bad guys in recent TV history, Gustavo Frings. Some absolutely tense shit right here with an ending that showed that even after four seasons we really don't know Mr. Heisenberg at all...

2. Game Of Thrones (Season 1) - Based on the best selling novels by George R.R. Martin, this well-realised fictional Medieval epic smacks of Machiavellian concepts taken to their logical extremes. Political and literal backstabbing abound, Game Of Thrones was the most absorbing thing on TV this year.

3. Fringe (Season 3/4) - More the third season here, Fringe managed to reignite my passion for the series just where I thought it would never go anywhere. New reveals and plot arcs came into play as the two universes met, adding an impetus to what will surely be its final season. Although season 4 has started slow it's only a matter of time before it kicks up a gear.

4. Boardwalk Empire (Season 2) - Twists and turns abound in season two of Boardwalk as Nucky's former protegee, Jimmy Darmody, attempted to usurp him as Atlantic City's kingpin. Some of the finest drama on television this year.

5. Homeland (Season 1) - It's nice to see Damian Lewis sporting his excellent American accent again, this time in an 'is he, isn't he?' drama about a PoW returned home who's suspected of being a terrorist. Just when you thought you had him figured out, Homeland neatly made you guess again where I don't think any of us truly knew what was going on until the final episode. Promising stuff makes season two an exciting prospect.

6. Sons of Anarchy (Season 4) - A solid season for the Sons which saw a new sheriff, an ambiguously motivated FBI guy and Clay doing some unspeakable shit. Plus, Danny Trejo! The ending was a little bit of an anti-climax, but it did nicely set-up some interesting story arcs for next season.

7. The Killing (Season 1) - US version of the Danish series, this was an entertaining little crime thriller about the seemingly isolated murder of a teenage girl which fitted into a much larger conspiracy. Its aesthetic reminded me heavily of -uhum- Heavy Rain.

8. Person Of Interest (Season 1) - Nuanced drama with Lost star Michael Emerson about a system which can detect pre-crime. The series is still finding its feet but each episode always exceeds the last and they're now beginning to build in some interesting plot threads. If it continues as is this can only get better.

9. Community (Season 3) - One of the best comedies on TV in a long time. Sadly however it's currently on hiatus due to not getting the ratings it deserves. This is probably because it may seem a little recondite if you don't enjoy movies or television that much, particularly if every episode is invariably a piss-take of popular culture.

10. The Walking Dead (Season 2) - The jury's still out on this as far as I'm concerned. This is well above solid in its characters and setting, but the lack of anything 'meta' and the mere function to survive every week can make for more boring than compelling television. Sometimes it's like watching Big Brother but with added zombies. Good drama, but needs direction.

.....

And there you have it folks! My review of 2011. Until next year...

2010: Year In Review

Like a lot of people, I like to make lists. This list in particular ranks my 'Top 5' things from 2010, ranging from songs to technology. They might not necessarily be the best by anyone else's measure, but they are things I either enjoyed most or, for me, defined 2010.

Movies:

2010 looked to be a good year for movies, with blockbusters such as Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, Harry Potter - not to mention the new found fascination with 80s remakes in the form of the A-Team, TRON and the Karate Kid - all promising to blow audiences away. What ensued however was a mildly disappointing and mediocre execution of projects which never really lived up to their hype. That is not to say 2010 didn't spawn any great movies - indeed, many were highly enjoyable affairs. Rather, true greatness was difficult to highlight in a sea of sequels and remakes.

1. Inception - Much hype surrounded Christopher Nolan's non-Bat project. Given the success of his rebooted Batman franchise, there were fears this would give him license to go all pompously artsy. Fortunately Inception wasn't like that. It proved to be the most intrinsically interesting, creative, exciting and stunning pieces of cinema of 2010. Nothing came close to how brilliantly ostentatious it all was. Film of the year by a country mile.

2. Shutter Island - 2010 was really Leonardo Di Caprio's year as he gave two career defining performances in both this and Inception. While Shutter Island was a reasonably predictable psychological thriller, the artistry and execution which Scorsese brought to it, coupled with Di Caprio's performance, made this one of the stand out films last year.

3. Monsters - Many came out shouting and hollering after seeing this low-budget indie-movie, largely on account that Monsters hardly featured, well, any Monsters. But that was never really the point of Gareth Edward's mini-masterpiece. A highly believable, character driven plot against a remarkable scenario, Monsters was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2010.

4. Kick Ass - Based on Mark Millar and John Romita's comic book of the same name, Kick Ass follows the exploits of one idealistic teen's desire to become a super hero. What ensues is a hilarious, awesome film featuring one of the most memorable characters of the year, Hit Girl. Kick Ass most certainly kicked ass.

5. Four Lions - Just when you thought Chris Morris had faded into obscurity after his taboo-shattering parodies of The Day Today and Brass Eye, back he pops with his latest piss-take of societal norms. While Four Lions may not necessarily be in most people's top five, or even top ten films of 2010, for me it was one of the more interesting and different narratives of the year.


Music:

Whilst I probably listened more to music from previous years, I think it more pertinent in the context of this list to put songs that were actually released in 2010. They are ranked in accordance to my iTunes number of plays throughout the year:

1. Baby I'm Yours - Breakbot
2. Gotten - Slash feat. Adam Levine
3. Hey Soul Sister - Train
4. Meet Me Halfway - Black Eyed Peas
5. Waka Waka (Time For Africa) - Shakira

This list is actually quite surprising to me. I thought it might add some credence to my musical taste. Alas, it probably doesn't. 'Baby I'm Yours' is a highly addictive, happy song by French electro outfit Breakbot, which had far more plays than any number deemed reasonable. Slash's return in his collaborative album, while not brilliant, did feature some genuinely good songs and the one I couldn't stop listening to was the mellow 'Gotten', featuring Maroon 5's Adam Levine. However, perhaps most embarrassing is Train's 'Soul Sister', which, having received the amount of airtime it already has, probably now pisses off any number of people. Yet it struck a certain resonance with me for some reason and, bizarrely, evoked memories from the past few years. The Black Eyed Peas were also in form again this year, creating highly addictive tracks which you play the shit out of, only to get sick of them. Finally, we have Shakira's World Cup theme tune. Whilst once again caught up in the media hype that England might actually win the tournament this time, it appears that out of all the theme songs from an otherwise crappy World Cup, this was the one I listened to most.

Video Games:

2010 was once again a great year for video games across all platforms. Suffice to say I'm not tool enough to say "OMG, Black Ops!" (more like Black Cocks, badum-tsh) was the best game of the year, and neither am I going to bum Grand Theft Horse, otherwise known as Red Dead Redemption, like every other publication. Instead, my criteria considers things that I found innovative, how much time I squandered playing the game and, most importantly to me, the storyline. With that in mind, forward!

1. Mass Effect 2 (360) - This was by far my most highly anticipated game of 2010. I absolutely fell in love with the world BioWare created in the first Mass Effect and was eager to see how the story would progress. The added brilliance was the ability to use the same character you created from the first game, which gave an even greater sense of continuity and epicness. Everything from the scale of the game, to the choices which make you feel as if every decision matters (and they do, impacting on how you will play the third installment) is absolutely astonishing.

2. Alan Wake (360) - I wasn't sure what to make of Alan Wake upon first glance. The graphics looked incredible for sure, but it had been in development for so long, and had been so hyped up, that I was dubious. Further compounding my preconceptions was that it was a psychological thriller, not usually my cup of tea. But 'Oh My God' did my fears prove unfounded. While critics may argue it is a rather linear experience, Alan Wake is one of the first games which makes the gamer feel as if he is in an interactive movie, seamlessly blending between the two mediums. This could very well be the turning of the proverbial corner in a new direction for gaming experiences.

3. Civilization V (PC) - Sid Meier's over-glorified board game returned this year, simultaneously overhauling everything while maintaining a familiarity that kept veterans happy. Aspirations of global conquest once again took hold, keeping me up into the small hours as I watched with twisted glee when my army of giant death robots crushed everything in their path.

4. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC) - The thinking man's Call of Duty, the Battlefield series placed even more emphasis on teamwork with its latest incarnation. The new 'Rush Mode' actually required squads to work toward an objective and while some may not have liked the consequent bottlenecking of action, I thought that the confined space in which the action took place not only made for a tenser experience, but the feeling that far more than your own personal survival was at stake. And, for the first time, DICE threw in a semi-decent single player campaign as an added bonus.

5. Star Trek: Online (PC) - Now, I know this is far, FAR from being technically at least a good game, but hell, I couldn't contain my excitement upon first hearing they were making an MMO brimming with Klingons, Romulans and Borg. Even if it was shit, I had to play it. While the list of problems beguiling STO are extensive, I actually had a good few months playing this, able to overlook the problems on account of being Picard's number one fan. For a while there was nothing more satisfying than watching quantum torpedos slam into the side of a Borg Cube.

I must also make notable mentions to a host of other games that didn't quite make the list. Fifa 11 was of course further refinement on the beautiful game, impossibly improving upon Fifa 10. The same is also true for Football Manager 2011, which I can't bare thinking how much time I've wasted on this venus flytrap. But they were, by and large, more of the same, and didn't add anything particularly distinctive to warrant a place on the list. Likewise the same can be said for Napoleon: Total War, which was basically a re-skinned Empire: Total War. Two games however that just missed out on the list, which probably more than deserve a place, are Heavy Rain and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. While Heavy Rain was perhaps the most innovative and different game I had played all year, it just missed out on account for being a series of set pieces in which you had to time correctly when you pressed a button. As for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, I have not yet played it so it would be unfair for me to award it a place. Disappointment of the year however goes to Final Fantasy XIII, hands down.

Gadgets/Technology:

Upon purchase of a new computer, phone, laptop or other assorted piece of crap you think you need, it is immediately obsolete. Yet, we all like shiny things with flashing lights that sound like a transformer when you switch it on. These be the top five, now defunct, pieces of kit that caught my wonderment.

1. iMac - It is difficult to do justice to such a beast of technology. While the first two Macs I received from Apple both came with a screen flicker bug, it was third time lucky when I finally got a working one. But my, does it now work. Sporting an Intel Core i5 processor at 2.66GHz, 8GB 1067MHz DDR3 RAM and an ATI Radeon HD 4850 gfx card with a maximum resolution of 2560x1440, things run at a breeze. It helps that you can also partition the 1TB harddrive to run Windows 7, meaning your gaming experience is no longer limited by Mac OS X.

2. iPhone 4 - As is customary with Apple, each year sees a newer and better iPhone released. Having been taken in by all the hype, I became one of those stupid bastards who went and queued to get one on the first day, only to inevitably end up disappointed. But it was worth the wait. There really is an app for everything, and now I see this piece of kit not just as a phone, but a handy companion in my day to day life.

3. 3DTVs - Having only just got used to the idea of HDTVs as the future, some clever clogs went and got the idea to make everything 3D. While I don't actually own one of these, I have had the pleasure of experiencing them. While the technology is new, and consequently still a bit pricey, this is definitely the future. Still find the prospect of donning 3D glasses a minor annoyance however.

4. Kinect - While I'm not a fan of standing up in my living room and waving my arms in the air like a lunatic, I can appreciate the Kinect for the technology that it is. While I remain a traditionalist in the sense that I consider gaming all about lazing about infront of the television, the potential for changing this is immense. If the technology evolves and matures to a point beyond merely being able to pet your virtual dog, then this could well revolutionise how we play games.

5. iPad - Perhaps you are sensing a theme. Three Apple products in a top five list might make me appear like a fanboy, but there's no denying what a fun piece of kit the iPad is. First let me start by saying that I was this oversized iPhone's biggest critic. I could not really see the point of it, especially with the kind of price tag it holds. To an extent, I still can't. It is an utterly superfluous object which one could easily do without. But it is a luxury good, and having received one for Christmas I have had a lot of fun playing around with it. It's even become quite sociable when taken out with friends. Moreover, the idea of reading books, papers and magazines on this beautiful device is incredibly appealing. I've already stopped buying hard copies of one publication in favour of downloading it straight to the pad, which comes with the added bonus of interactive elements such as videos embedded into the articles.

TV Shows:

There were a lot of great television moments in 2010, particularly with the long-awaited climax of Lost. Fantastic new shows appeared, as well as the older stalwarts moving in new and exciting directions. Indeed, 2010 was a great year for TV, and it is to the Americans that I am thankful for this.

1. Lost - As a newcomer to the show that provided more 'WTF' moments than any other show in history, I had just about caught up with the past five season's happenings by the time the highly anticipated sixth season aired. This was the season the promised to answer everything, but in true Lost style, it only left one with more questions. Some saw the grand finale as an anti-climax, left unsatisfied without knowing as to why there were even polar bears present on a tropical island that shifted through time. For me however the ending was perfect, answering some things and, in truly great storytelling style, leaving much to be pondered upon. This really was the greatest television show of the last ten years and it will be sorely missed.

2. Sons of Anarchy - The third series following the exploits of a biker gang from a small town in the USA began with a bang, gave off even more bangs, and ended with an almighty satisfying bang of a climax to the culmination of events over the three series. This was by far the most entertaining and exciting viewing pleasure I had all year.

3. Rubicon - Rubicon was a rarity. This was complex, intelligent and thoughtful, often qualities missing for sake of entertaining the masses. Unfortunately, this was also probably its downfall as it failed to get funding for a second season. It's a shame really as it really was one of those shows where next week's episode honestly couldn't wait.

4. Fringe - You can't help but love Walter Bishop. While starting out as a 'monster of the week' type affair, Fringe really got going in season two where all the odd happenings started to come together. The final third season, having just began before Christmas, promises a more and more dramatic conclusion each week as shit gets realer. Now in the final run in to the finale things are starting to pick up pace as it makes for incredibly compelling television. 

5. Breaking Bad - The genius (Vince Gilligan) behind the idea of a dying school teacher pairing up with a high-school dropout to cook meth should be commended. In terms of originality, Breaking Bad cannot be topped as the third season saw Walter White delve ever deeper into the dangerous meth dealing business. In terms of drama there isn't any better television.

As stated, there was a lot of great and original television this year. Notable mentions must also go to The Walking Dead, Dexter and Boardwalk Empire. The Walking Dead however is still in its early days, with the first season only lasting six episodes. Since, the entire writing team has been fired so it will be interesting to see how it develops. So far it has remained relatively faithful to the comic, but the television series has shown it is not afraid to add 'improvements'. As for Dexter, while season five was solid, it also proved a little underwhelming after the events of the trinity killer last season. Hopefully they'll be able to ramp it up a gear with season six, which interestingly has not been touted as the final season, opening the possibility to a seventh. Finally, it was very difficult to leave Boardwalk Empire out of the list. I have enjoyed Steve Buscemi's portrayal of kingpin 'Nucky' Thompson immensely throughout and do not have a bad word to say about the series. At the end of the day however it all came down to a matter of personal preference, and that is the only apology I can make for excluding it.