That's right, Glee returns this week! Easily the best new comedy of the TV season returns and what better way to celebrate than a bunch of videos!
4/10/2010
4/06/2010
The short, short version...
Admittedly calling any version of Peter Jackson's epic nerdgasm that is the Lord of The Rings Trilogy short is a rather laughable idea, but I would think most ringers would be very unsatisfied that after a wait that seems like forever for a blu-ray release, all we get is the original theatrical cuts out today. Assuming I ever do pick it up, I will definitely wait for the extended cuts. Admittedly though since watching the extended cuts is an undertaking equivalent to trying to do a speed run on Fallout 3 I may never get around to it, I just don't have the endurance.
Is the PSP a doomed platform? Of course it is. Hell the only reason I hang on to mine is because of the long overdue Birth By Sleep. The weak software lineup and moronic redesigns have basically doomed this thing to be a joke compared to the Nintendo juggernaut. There is hope however, as the fellows at Destructoid point out in Fixing the PSP in six easy steps. Of course these steps are so glaringly if obvious that if Sony hasn't picked up on hem by now, they probably never will.
It is a general agreement that Dr. Horrible is awesome. It is also a general agreement that 8-bit is awesome. Someone put these two incredibly awesome things together in an explosion of pure awesome:
And finally, yes I did catch the season premiere of Doctor Who over the weekend and Matt Smith was absolutely brilliant in the role and really made it his own. It actually was quite a bit stronger debut than David Tennant's, who actually took a few episodes to really grow into the role. It seems like a good sign that the show will survive without the wonderful Tennant, which was a certain worry at the time. I'll most likely post tomorrow or Thursday.
Is the PSP a doomed platform? Of course it is. Hell the only reason I hang on to mine is because of the long overdue Birth By Sleep. The weak software lineup and moronic redesigns have basically doomed this thing to be a joke compared to the Nintendo juggernaut. There is hope however, as the fellows at Destructoid point out in Fixing the PSP in six easy steps. Of course these steps are so glaringly if obvious that if Sony hasn't picked up on hem by now, they probably never will.
It is a general agreement that Dr. Horrible is awesome. It is also a general agreement that 8-bit is awesome. Someone put these two incredibly awesome things together in an explosion of pure awesome:
And finally, yes I did catch the season premiere of Doctor Who over the weekend and Matt Smith was absolutely brilliant in the role and really made it his own. It actually was quite a bit stronger debut than David Tennant's, who actually took a few episodes to really grow into the role. It seems like a good sign that the show will survive without the wonderful Tennant, which was a certain worry at the time. I'll most likely post tomorrow or Thursday.
4/04/2010
Compilations I'd like to see
Compilations are a tricky thing these days. Clearly people are still willing to pay for fondly remembered genuine classics such as FFVII, which is one of the most downloaded games on PSN, and at $9.99 (and yes, I still contend it's a very over-rated game, but that doesn't mean it's not very good), definitely a bargain when you consider it would be at least twice as much for a used physical copy. And let's face it, many "classics" of our youth are seen through rose-colored glasses. Owning Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection has awakened me to a harsh reality that several games I have fond memories of playing in my 16-bit days suck (namely Kid Chameleon & Ecco the Dolphin). But being inspired by collections such as that and the God of War collection have made me think up my own list of compilations I'd really like to see.
The Shining Force collection: Admittedly the fact that the best of this series is already on the aformentioned Ultimate collection would make it a tad redundant, but this would be the entirety of the classic turn-based series (with none of those craptacular PS2 titles included). This collection would include not only the Sega Genesis classics, but also the game gear iterations as well as the Saturn ones, ideally with the chapters that never made it stateside. It would be any strategy-rpgers'dream come true, especially at the currently popular compilation price of $20.
The Ratchet & Clank collection: Much in the spirit of the God of War Collection, these magnificent PS2 titles should be given a re-release as a collection on PS3 with a full HD upgrade. Imagine all 5 R & C games, with Secret Agent Clank thrown in for good measure. It's ok, go ahead and wipe the drool of your chin, nobody is judging you.
The Sly Cooper collection: Sly and the gang really never got the recognition they deserved, being an excellent trilogy games buried by the slightly superior Ratchet & far more mediocre Jaxter. This was an excellent trilogy of games, and the developers have said they would like to do a next-gen version. A collection of the PS2 titles would be a great way to at least test the waters as well as hopefully get some new fans in there.
The Mutant League Collection
Granted, there are only two games here, but they are two marvelous games. With their insane cast of characters, cartoonish violence and being able to either bribe or kill the ref (as well as the opposing team) if you didn't like they way the game was going, this is another classic series that they should release as a compilation if for no other reason than to test the waters for a new curent-gen entry.
The Wing Commander Collection: Why this has never been re-released when we get anthologies of classic pc series all the time is beyond me. The first 4 games and their expansions, along with the Privateer games, would make this the best space combat sim collection this side of the tie-fighter games (and I'd argue the Wing Commander games are superior anyways). If your only experience with this franchise is the headache-inducing movie, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of at least one of the original 4 somewhere just to know how much of an insult it was to the property it was based on.
The Earthbound Collection: Though only one game of the series known as "Mother" in Japan was released here, it has an absolutely ginormous cult following, and nothing would make the rabid fanbase go into a frenzy than a compilation of all of the games released stateside (including yours truly, Earthbound was one of my favorite SNES games). Hopefully we'll at least be tided over with an eventual virtual console release as has been heavily rumored, but being able to own the whole series would be any rpg geek's dream come true.
The Panzer Dragoon Collection: Arguably the greatest shooter series of all time. Few series deserve another shot like this critically acclaimed oddball masterpiece that never seemed to find the mass audience it deserved, probably mostly having to do with that majority of it being on the ill-fated Saturn. Having the 3 Saturn games would certainly be a worthy collection, but the critically-acclaimed Xbox entry Orta certainly deserves to be included as well. People should pretty much be having letter-writing campaigns to Sega to release this in some form for a whole new audience to enjoy (especially Saga, which can go for a couple hundred on the used market).
And that's pretty much my list. I'll most likely be back either tomorrow or Tuesday with a new post. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: (Don't) Save the Princess
The Shining Force collection: Admittedly the fact that the best of this series is already on the aformentioned Ultimate collection would make it a tad redundant, but this would be the entirety of the classic turn-based series (with none of those craptacular PS2 titles included). This collection would include not only the Sega Genesis classics, but also the game gear iterations as well as the Saturn ones, ideally with the chapters that never made it stateside. It would be any strategy-rpgers'dream come true, especially at the currently popular compilation price of $20.
The Ratchet & Clank collection: Much in the spirit of the God of War Collection, these magnificent PS2 titles should be given a re-release as a collection on PS3 with a full HD upgrade. Imagine all 5 R & C games, with Secret Agent Clank thrown in for good measure. It's ok, go ahead and wipe the drool of your chin, nobody is judging you.
The Sly Cooper collection: Sly and the gang really never got the recognition they deserved, being an excellent trilogy games buried by the slightly superior Ratchet & far more mediocre Jaxter. This was an excellent trilogy of games, and the developers have said they would like to do a next-gen version. A collection of the PS2 titles would be a great way to at least test the waters as well as hopefully get some new fans in there.
The Mutant League Collection
Granted, there are only two games here, but they are two marvelous games. With their insane cast of characters, cartoonish violence and being able to either bribe or kill the ref (as well as the opposing team) if you didn't like they way the game was going, this is another classic series that they should release as a compilation if for no other reason than to test the waters for a new curent-gen entry.
The Wing Commander Collection: Why this has never been re-released when we get anthologies of classic pc series all the time is beyond me. The first 4 games and their expansions, along with the Privateer games, would make this the best space combat sim collection this side of the tie-fighter games (and I'd argue the Wing Commander games are superior anyways). If your only experience with this franchise is the headache-inducing movie, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of at least one of the original 4 somewhere just to know how much of an insult it was to the property it was based on.
The Earthbound Collection: Though only one game of the series known as "Mother" in Japan was released here, it has an absolutely ginormous cult following, and nothing would make the rabid fanbase go into a frenzy than a compilation of all of the games released stateside (including yours truly, Earthbound was one of my favorite SNES games). Hopefully we'll at least be tided over with an eventual virtual console release as has been heavily rumored, but being able to own the whole series would be any rpg geek's dream come true.
The Panzer Dragoon Collection: Arguably the greatest shooter series of all time. Few series deserve another shot like this critically acclaimed oddball masterpiece that never seemed to find the mass audience it deserved, probably mostly having to do with that majority of it being on the ill-fated Saturn. Having the 3 Saturn games would certainly be a worthy collection, but the critically-acclaimed Xbox entry Orta certainly deserves to be included as well. People should pretty much be having letter-writing campaigns to Sega to release this in some form for a whole new audience to enjoy (especially Saga, which can go for a couple hundred on the used market).
And that's pretty much my list. I'll most likely be back either tomorrow or Tuesday with a new post. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: (Don't) Save the Princess
3/31/2010
Doctor Who video day
Blargh. Lots of family related heavy crap going on this week, so haven't had much of an urge to post. But hey, the 5th season premiere of Doctor Who is Saturday! David Tennant was fairly brilliant the last few years, but Matt Smith seems ready to do the role justice in his own way, and what better way to get pumped for the premiere than with a bunch of Dr. Who vids?!? Enjoy and I will definitely post again this weekend:
3/28/2010
Would you like to supersize your DSi?
Yeah, today's the day the DSi XL is out. And I really can't see it as anything more than a DS for people who are practically blind or just have a problem handling your normal everyday portable systems. Cause frankly, most people want their portable stuff to be smaller, not bigger to the point of obnoxiousness. Seeing Gary and Alison on Nintendo Week handling it made it look extremely awkward frankly (admittedly that horrible show is a guilty pleasure, seeing as there isn't a real network for gamers anymore, even though I enjoy a good amount of programming on G4, it's become Spike lite).
I got Red Steel 2 in the mail from Gamefly, and after playing a little over an hour, my initial impressions are that it's a good example of a great action game on the Wii. Problem is that pretty much all reviews are saying it's only about 6 hours long. So a rental is all it will be as I have better things in the near future to spend $50 on (i.e. Super Mario Galaxy 2). I mean I'm pretty accepting that with the exception of rpgs, most games will net you around 10-15 hours of play time, that's well established, but anything less than 8 is really unacceptable in my book. I get that you can play through more than once for extra stuff, but for most people they really just want to get their money's worth out of one play-through, especially with so many games vying for our attention these days.
I should be back tomorrow with a look at this week's notable releases, til then:
I got Red Steel 2 in the mail from Gamefly, and after playing a little over an hour, my initial impressions are that it's a good example of a great action game on the Wii. Problem is that pretty much all reviews are saying it's only about 6 hours long. So a rental is all it will be as I have better things in the near future to spend $50 on (i.e. Super Mario Galaxy 2). I mean I'm pretty accepting that with the exception of rpgs, most games will net you around 10-15 hours of play time, that's well established, but anything less than 8 is really unacceptable in my book. I get that you can play through more than once for extra stuff, but for most people they really just want to get their money's worth out of one play-through, especially with so many games vying for our attention these days.
I should be back tomorrow with a look at this week's notable releases, til then:
3/25/2010
The arcade inside of the arcade
Totally meant to do a post yesterday, but was incredibly exhausted. Anyways, yesterday Xbox Live's "game room" service was launched yesterday, apparently with a few bumps. But this isn't really about that. My question is what the hell is the point of this? The 360 is a system that's all about the latest technology and even updating older games with HD graphics and online capability. These "untouched classics" just seem like the closest they can can legally get to the Virtual Console service (and frankly, that Nintendo leaves the VC games untouched is pretty stupid). And those "classics"? They might be fun to spend a quarter on once and awhile, but for the most part they are better left in the past. Granted, this is my thoughts on the initial offering, if they can throw some of my personal favorites in there (hint: THE SIMPSONS ARCADE GAME), I may soften my stance, even if I'd prefer an updated HD version. Though to be fair, I'll take an untouched original over atrocities like Turtles Reshelled.
Is a sequel to Moonwalker on the way? Probably not, but With Sony having recently purchased the estate of Michael Jackson, seeing his ghost on your PS3/PSP in some form seems like a distinct possibility.
Ok, that's all I really got for today, but expect at least one more post this weekend. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: POLEDANCE HERO
Is a sequel to Moonwalker on the way? Probably not, but With Sony having recently purchased the estate of Michael Jackson, seeing his ghost on your PS3/PSP in some form seems like a distinct possibility.
Ok, that's all I really got for today, but expect at least one more post this weekend. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: POLEDANCE HERO
3/23/2010
Is Nintendo cannibalizing itself?
That's the question I really have to be asking. We are mere days away from the launch of the DSI XL, aka a DSI seemingly for octogenarians due to the significantly larger screen, which makes a total of 3 Nintendo portables on the market. And yet they just announced what is hopefully the real successor to the DS, the 3DS. Now, the features sound great. A analog joystick? Awesome. 3D on the go without goofy shades? Fantastic. Backwards compatible? I'm pretty much sold. And probably so is anyone who has not yet entered the portable market or not yet upgraded their DS. Why would you bother with a flashy new 3D model on the way in just about a year? Admittedly, I have no desire to upgrade from my current DS as is. I got my fiance a DSI and we barely use the extra features (we've downloaded Oregon Trail, that's really it), making me think it certainly was not worth the extra money. And to be fair, the DS took a long time to really find it's footing, I'm willing to bet the 3D version will have similar struggles the first year.
Red Steel 2, arguably the only release this week worth caring about, is an interesting beast. The original was a half-baked launch title, a rallying cry for Nintendo haters to point at and say the Wii remote didn't work as promised. This new one wisely ditches nearly everything about the original with the exception of the concept of using both a sword and gun, and from all reports is markedly improved thanks to the use of the Wii Motion plus (one of the few games so far to use that). It makes one wonder why they would have it bear the original's name, given the negative connotations that go with it. Yes, the discerning Wii gamer finally has something to play this year besides No More Heroes 2, but the more casual audience that makes up a large majority of Wii owners will most likely remember their unfortunate experience with the original and pass it by. I certainly plan on picking it up as soon as I get around to finishing NMH2 myself, but FFXIII is pretty much dominating my gaming time atm and will continue to do so til its done (which at the rate I'm going will be another month or so).
That's it for today but look for another post tommorrow. Til then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: MEGAMIND
Red Steel 2, arguably the only release this week worth caring about, is an interesting beast. The original was a half-baked launch title, a rallying cry for Nintendo haters to point at and say the Wii remote didn't work as promised. This new one wisely ditches nearly everything about the original with the exception of the concept of using both a sword and gun, and from all reports is markedly improved thanks to the use of the Wii Motion plus (one of the few games so far to use that). It makes one wonder why they would have it bear the original's name, given the negative connotations that go with it. Yes, the discerning Wii gamer finally has something to play this year besides No More Heroes 2, but the more casual audience that makes up a large majority of Wii owners will most likely remember their unfortunate experience with the original and pass it by. I certainly plan on picking it up as soon as I get around to finishing NMH2 myself, but FFXIII is pretty much dominating my gaming time atm and will continue to do so til its done (which at the rate I'm going will be another month or so).
That's it for today but look for another post tommorrow. Til then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: MEGAMIND
Note to Hollywood: MAKE THIS HAPPEN
I'll do a full post later today, but this awesome fake trailer for a Weird Al biopic is far too awesome to not post immediately upon my discovery of it:
3/19/2010
The Top 10 Worlds I would like to see in future Kingdom Hearts games
Having recently beat the most recent Kingdom Hearts Chapter, 358/2 Days and with Princess and the Frog coming out this week, I've been thinking a lot about worlds I'd really like to see in future KH games. Granted, the fellows over at Topless Robot pretty much already did this not very long ago, but since my list vastly differs from theirs and I've been thinking on this quite awhile off and on, I thought I'd go ahead and post my own list.
#10: New Orleans (Princess and the Frog)
I will agree with TR on the exciting possibilities of a world set in Disney's return to hand-drawn 2D animation. Facilier would be an extremely fun boss if done right, and the lush world of old timey New Orleans would be a fantastically fun place to go. This seems like a really obvious and easy idea, so hopefully it'll be in whatever is coming up after Birth By Sleep so the wait isn't too long.
#9: Middleton (Kim Possible)
Ok, I know some head scratching is going on here, but the world of Kim Possible is perfectly set up to be a Kingdom Hearts level moreso than many Disney properties. It has fun characters and settings, and virtually any of Kim Possible's nemeses would make a fun and exciting boss (my personal pick would probably be Senor Senor Junior, but Drakken or Monkey Fist seems far more likely were this to happen). Even getting Rufus or the Tweebs as a summon would be pretty awesome. I think the odds are decent, but it's sort of become a forgotten commodity now that it's off the air, and hardly considered classic Disney.
8: Municiberg (The Incredibles)
Any Pixar film seems like a really obvious idea and would be great to see, but there is one thing I feel nearly all Pixar films are lacking-A strong villain. Hell some don't even really have an actual villain. Syndrome pretty much solves that problem (although I'd be more excited to fight the Underminer). Plus having any of the members of this fantastically powered family (or Frozone for that matter) would arguably be cooler than teaming up with virtually any other Pixar character (though I could certainly see an argument for Buzz Lightyear). And I posted the Miami Vice mashup just because it's cool.
7: Camelot (Sword in the Stone)
Merlin's already an recurring character in the Kingdom Hearts series, this seems like a fairly natural idea. Madam Mim admittedly probably wouldn't be drastically different than Ursula, who we've already fought a couple times, but it would still be an incredibly fun world to explore.
6: Galatic Alliance (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command)
This series never really got its due in my opinion, it's got a vast universe which makes any number of settings possible, the characters are great (especially XR) and Zurg of course is a fantastically hilarious villain, but there's a large roster of equally fun bad guys to deal with, plus this would ideally allow you to team with Buzz without having to play a Toy Story level, which in my opinion would be fairly dull.
5: NY/Scotland (Gargoyles)
It's easy to see why Gargoyles hasn't been included. New York isn't all that mystical or fantasy-like and Gargoyles is easily the darkest series Disney has had a hand in to my knowledge. But it's such a fantastic story and brilliantly told. Hell you could theoretically place it in Scotland, before most of Goliath's clan was destroyed, and even end the level right at that point. Though that would remove any possibility of fighting some of the better villains of the show like Demona or Macbeth. Still, the Kingdom Hearts games do like to include little suprises for us every now and then (i.e. Tron) so this would be a great oddball choice.
4: Duck Berg (Ducktales)
If you grew up in the 80s, you know the theme song by heart. Duck Tales is arguably the greatest animated show ever. Sure Scrooge and his nephews have appeared in the KH games, but they deserve larger roles, and who wouldn't want to fight heartless in Scrooge's vault, possibly also dealing with the Beagle Boys and well as Flintheart Glomgold just sounds like an incredible level. Also Gizmoduck as your companion FTW.
3. Gummi Glen (Gummi Bears)
There are better shows on this list than Gummi Bears, but it's high placement is due to its potential as a Kingdom Hearts world being so rich. Bouncing around with Gummi Juice while fighting those moronic trolls and Duke Igthorn (with any of the Bears being a good team mate) just seems so screamingly obvious it's kind of a shock they haven't done it already.
2. St. Carnard (Darkwing Duck)
Admittedly this choice is a heavily personal one. Darwking Duck is easily my favorite Disney animated series. But that doesn't make it any less of a great idea for a Kingdom Hearts world. Darkwing would be an incredibly fun ally to fight alongside, and his rogue's gallery has a rich variety of bad guys that would serve as great bosses (with Megaduck being the obvious choice). I would never want or need another Kingdom Hearts game if this world was ever included in one.
1. Rescue Rangers
Yeah I tried looking it up, I don't know what city they are in. But anyways, the reason this takes place over my personal favorite is I think the possibilities are better. The world would be very fun, having Monterey Jack as a party member or a summon would be awesome, and the idea of wailing on either Fat Cat or Professor Nimnul with a keyblade pretty much just gives me goosebumps. Much like Gummi bears, this one also seems almost blindingly obvious to anyone with a decent knowledge of Disney properties.
And that's the list. The universe of Disney is ripe with possibilities, hopefully Square will pick the best ones for future titles. As long as I don't see a High School Musical world I'll be happily playing them all (although wailing on Zac Efron is a tempting idea...)
#10: New Orleans (Princess and the Frog)
I will agree with TR on the exciting possibilities of a world set in Disney's return to hand-drawn 2D animation. Facilier would be an extremely fun boss if done right, and the lush world of old timey New Orleans would be a fantastically fun place to go. This seems like a really obvious and easy idea, so hopefully it'll be in whatever is coming up after Birth By Sleep so the wait isn't too long.
#9: Middleton (Kim Possible)
Ok, I know some head scratching is going on here, but the world of Kim Possible is perfectly set up to be a Kingdom Hearts level moreso than many Disney properties. It has fun characters and settings, and virtually any of Kim Possible's nemeses would make a fun and exciting boss (my personal pick would probably be Senor Senor Junior, but Drakken or Monkey Fist seems far more likely were this to happen). Even getting Rufus or the Tweebs as a summon would be pretty awesome. I think the odds are decent, but it's sort of become a forgotten commodity now that it's off the air, and hardly considered classic Disney.
8: Municiberg (The Incredibles)
Any Pixar film seems like a really obvious idea and would be great to see, but there is one thing I feel nearly all Pixar films are lacking-A strong villain. Hell some don't even really have an actual villain. Syndrome pretty much solves that problem (although I'd be more excited to fight the Underminer). Plus having any of the members of this fantastically powered family (or Frozone for that matter) would arguably be cooler than teaming up with virtually any other Pixar character (though I could certainly see an argument for Buzz Lightyear). And I posted the Miami Vice mashup just because it's cool.
7: Camelot (Sword in the Stone)
Merlin's already an recurring character in the Kingdom Hearts series, this seems like a fairly natural idea. Madam Mim admittedly probably wouldn't be drastically different than Ursula, who we've already fought a couple times, but it would still be an incredibly fun world to explore.
6: Galatic Alliance (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command)
This series never really got its due in my opinion, it's got a vast universe which makes any number of settings possible, the characters are great (especially XR) and Zurg of course is a fantastically hilarious villain, but there's a large roster of equally fun bad guys to deal with, plus this would ideally allow you to team with Buzz without having to play a Toy Story level, which in my opinion would be fairly dull.
5: NY/Scotland (Gargoyles)
It's easy to see why Gargoyles hasn't been included. New York isn't all that mystical or fantasy-like and Gargoyles is easily the darkest series Disney has had a hand in to my knowledge. But it's such a fantastic story and brilliantly told. Hell you could theoretically place it in Scotland, before most of Goliath's clan was destroyed, and even end the level right at that point. Though that would remove any possibility of fighting some of the better villains of the show like Demona or Macbeth. Still, the Kingdom Hearts games do like to include little suprises for us every now and then (i.e. Tron) so this would be a great oddball choice.
4: Duck Berg (Ducktales)
If you grew up in the 80s, you know the theme song by heart. Duck Tales is arguably the greatest animated show ever. Sure Scrooge and his nephews have appeared in the KH games, but they deserve larger roles, and who wouldn't want to fight heartless in Scrooge's vault, possibly also dealing with the Beagle Boys and well as Flintheart Glomgold just sounds like an incredible level. Also Gizmoduck as your companion FTW.
3. Gummi Glen (Gummi Bears)
There are better shows on this list than Gummi Bears, but it's high placement is due to its potential as a Kingdom Hearts world being so rich. Bouncing around with Gummi Juice while fighting those moronic trolls and Duke Igthorn (with any of the Bears being a good team mate) just seems so screamingly obvious it's kind of a shock they haven't done it already.
2. St. Carnard (Darkwing Duck)
Admittedly this choice is a heavily personal one. Darwking Duck is easily my favorite Disney animated series. But that doesn't make it any less of a great idea for a Kingdom Hearts world. Darkwing would be an incredibly fun ally to fight alongside, and his rogue's gallery has a rich variety of bad guys that would serve as great bosses (with Megaduck being the obvious choice). I would never want or need another Kingdom Hearts game if this world was ever included in one.
1. Rescue Rangers
Yeah I tried looking it up, I don't know what city they are in. But anyways, the reason this takes place over my personal favorite is I think the possibilities are better. The world would be very fun, having Monterey Jack as a party member or a summon would be awesome, and the idea of wailing on either Fat Cat or Professor Nimnul with a keyblade pretty much just gives me goosebumps. Much like Gummi bears, this one also seems almost blindingly obvious to anyone with a decent knowledge of Disney properties.
And that's the list. The universe of Disney is ripe with possibilities, hopefully Square will pick the best ones for future titles. As long as I don't see a High School Musical world I'll be happily playing them all (although wailing on Zac Efron is a tempting idea...)
3/18/2010
Ferelden is a nice place to visit....
Right back into the swing of things, the biggest release not starring a vengeful bald shirtless Spartan (which I will touch on in a minute) is the new Dragon Age expansion, Awakenings. Now computer users have been used to the big expansion that costs close to what the original did for awhile now, but to my knowledge this is the first time console gamers have had something like this offered to them. Now granted I really enjoyed the 60+ hours I spent with the original, but I really felt like I was done at the end. Ferelden was saved, the big dragon was killed (I even managed to kill the optional one) and the Darkspawn were more or less dealt with. Dealing with some second fiddle general a mere months later doesn't really seem worthy of my time, and frankly there are a lot of other rpgs vying for my attention that offer new worlds to explore. I may come back at some point (most likely after they are bundling the two games together in a discounted bundle), but it's down pretty far on my gaming to do list at this point.
God of War III also seems to be something I'll dedicate a few hours to when I feel like getting around to it. The production values are extremely high and the demo was fun, but when co-workers are talking about beating it a mere 2-days later (and I'm not really all that much of a trophy/achievement whore to beat it more than once) it goes straight onto my gamefly queue to enjoy at a later date.
My most recent pick up is the highly controversial Final Fantasy XIII. I did get the PS3 edition mainly due to only having to put in one disc, and frankly my PS3 gets the least use gaming-wise since I usually prefer achievements over trophies, so getting another game for it seemed like a good idea (seriously, my last PS3 purchase was probably Arkham Asylum). And in case you weren't aware it's controversial in that even for a series that tries something different with every entry, this entry strips away nearly everything that you would usually consider a FF game to contain (including the iconic theme all Final Fantasy fans know so well). There are no towns to shop in and talk to reasidents, sidequests don't even appear till very late in, and the game is extremely linear when rpgs are usually all about exploration. Frankly I enjoy the game, but I do concur that had they slapped some other title on this and made a few minor cosmetic changes, we would indeed have no inkling that this was ever a FF game. On the bright side, the last time they did something that divided their audience so fiercely(that'd be FFVIII, easily my lwast favorite) , they followed it up with FFIX, which is still my personal favorite of the series, so a return to the roots for the inevitable 15th chapter (XIV has already been announced as a new MMO, an obvious successor to XI) would be very welcome indeed.
So given that there are in fact 2 major rpg releases and the latest installment of a mega-franchise out, it would seem nearly suicidal to release brand new IP. Yet here we are with Resonance of Fate; an offbeat rpg by the same guys that did the Star Ocean series (I still haven't quite finished the last game on 360, I plan to someday...). The reviews are mostly solid, but it seems destined to be a undiscovered gem at best. I certainly don't plan on even giving it a rental til way later down the line.
Speaking of renting, it really does seem like online services like netflix and gamefly may be the only way to go (and those rental kiosks that are suddenly popping up everywhere, but in my opinion they suck) as Blockbuster is almost assuredly filing for bankruptcy. Now companies have emerged from bankruptcy to be successful again, but there doesn't really seem to be a light at the end of this tunnel. Now, I have both gamefly and netflix and enjoy them thoroughly, but there is something nice about the instant gratification going down to the nearest video store and grabbing exactly what you want rather than waiting for it in the mail. Oh well, progress is a mean bitch sometimes.
And finally, Twisted Pixel is quickly becoming my favorite Xbox Live developer, as I really enjoy both The Maw and Splosion Man quite a bit. They just posted some vids for their latest project, Comic Jumper, so I'll leave you with those til my next update (most likely tomorrow).
God of War III also seems to be something I'll dedicate a few hours to when I feel like getting around to it. The production values are extremely high and the demo was fun, but when co-workers are talking about beating it a mere 2-days later (and I'm not really all that much of a trophy/achievement whore to beat it more than once) it goes straight onto my gamefly queue to enjoy at a later date.
My most recent pick up is the highly controversial Final Fantasy XIII. I did get the PS3 edition mainly due to only having to put in one disc, and frankly my PS3 gets the least use gaming-wise since I usually prefer achievements over trophies, so getting another game for it seemed like a good idea (seriously, my last PS3 purchase was probably Arkham Asylum). And in case you weren't aware it's controversial in that even for a series that tries something different with every entry, this entry strips away nearly everything that you would usually consider a FF game to contain (including the iconic theme all Final Fantasy fans know so well). There are no towns to shop in and talk to reasidents, sidequests don't even appear till very late in, and the game is extremely linear when rpgs are usually all about exploration. Frankly I enjoy the game, but I do concur that had they slapped some other title on this and made a few minor cosmetic changes, we would indeed have no inkling that this was ever a FF game. On the bright side, the last time they did something that divided their audience so fiercely(that'd be FFVIII, easily my lwast favorite) , they followed it up with FFIX, which is still my personal favorite of the series, so a return to the roots for the inevitable 15th chapter (XIV has already been announced as a new MMO, an obvious successor to XI) would be very welcome indeed.
So given that there are in fact 2 major rpg releases and the latest installment of a mega-franchise out, it would seem nearly suicidal to release brand new IP. Yet here we are with Resonance of Fate; an offbeat rpg by the same guys that did the Star Ocean series (I still haven't quite finished the last game on 360, I plan to someday...). The reviews are mostly solid, but it seems destined to be a undiscovered gem at best. I certainly don't plan on even giving it a rental til way later down the line.
Speaking of renting, it really does seem like online services like netflix and gamefly may be the only way to go (and those rental kiosks that are suddenly popping up everywhere, but in my opinion they suck) as Blockbuster is almost assuredly filing for bankruptcy. Now companies have emerged from bankruptcy to be successful again, but there doesn't really seem to be a light at the end of this tunnel. Now, I have both gamefly and netflix and enjoy them thoroughly, but there is something nice about the instant gratification going down to the nearest video store and grabbing exactly what you want rather than waiting for it in the mail. Oh well, progress is a mean bitch sometimes.
And finally, Twisted Pixel is quickly becoming my favorite Xbox Live developer, as I really enjoy both The Maw and Splosion Man quite a bit. They just posted some vids for their latest project, Comic Jumper, so I'll leave you with those til my next update (most likely tomorrow).
3/17/2010
Yikes, was it really way back in 2008 when I took a break? So much has happened in the year and a half since I've been gone, both personally and in the entertainment industry. My life is as crazy as it ever was if not more so, but like most people who like to write mainly just for the sake of it, I kept feeling that pull to come back, especially anytime something big and controversial broke. And ironically enough, it was getting a fiance (who is just as nerdy as I am, if not more so) that led to me coming back. Her near constant obsession with the likes of Kingdom Hearts, Fable, and more recently Splosion Man & Catan (I know that's been out forever, but we have both just really discovered it playing the actual board game at a friend's house recently) have actually given me time where I really don't have much to do but write.
So hopefully this will be a return to form in most ways, I definitely plan to update at least twice a week, more often if time allows, and my new background will be more consistently updated (probably every few months). My links are definitely going to be reworked, and features such as free game of the week, trailer of the week, etc. will most likely return along with new ones as they occur to me. So look for the first real news post a little later this week, possibly even tomorrow.
So hopefully this will be a return to form in most ways, I definitely plan to update at least twice a week, more often if time allows, and my new background will be more consistently updated (probably every few months). My links are definitely going to be reworked, and features such as free game of the week, trailer of the week, etc. will most likely return along with new ones as they occur to me. So look for the first real news post a little later this week, possibly even tomorrow.
9/25/2008
Ahahahahah Fuck You Jack Thompson!
Yeah, I had to post this: JACK THOMPSON IS DISBARRED! PERMANENTLY! And he has to reimburse the courts legal fees! And yes he can appeal, but only through another lawyer in good standing with the Florida Courts (yeah I can see tons of lawyers just lining up for this one)! Granted, this probably will be far from the last we hear of Thompson. Stopping him from being a bat-shit crazy lawyer doesn't stop him from being able to protest stuff in moronic ways (and even if it does, I'm sure the occasional slow gaming news day will have a "where is he now" story), but as a lawyer, the guy has & could've still caused serious headaches for the industry as a whole, now he's just another loon with no real weight. Ok, back to sabbatical....
9/19/2008
Sabbatical
I think it's time for a break. It's just that I've basically been doing this blog for a few years non-stop and it is like a second job sometimes. And honestly as long as it was fun, I didn't mind, but with increased hours & responsibilities at my real job in addition to trying to have some sort of life outside of work on occasion, it's become more & more like a job I have to do rather than a job I enjoy, so rather than infrequent updates whenever I actually have the time and energy to write something, I'd just take a chunk of time off, recharge the creative batteries, and revisit this sometime in the future and see if it's still something I want to do. I'll most likely be back, just need to take some time & a little distance.
9/16/2008
The Force is not strong in this one...
So, the Force Unleashed hit today, and after months of hype and hope it would be the one thing salvaging Star Wars while Lucas seems to making it his personal mission to sully everything good about it. But alas, possibly due to the hype, reviews have indicated it's just another average, flawed action title, just with the Star Wars brand behind it. Being that I made a goddamned video for the game, I'm fairly dissapointed, but if it's one less game to buy among all the others this holiday season, I'll gladly keep my wallet a little heavier.
OMG. SONIC. 2. IN HD., granted it's only a tech demo, but still awesome.
Miracle of miracles? EA has officially backed down from the seemingly inevitable and has decided to stop trying to buy Take 2. I'm sure your average EA-hating fanboy sees this as a blessed miracle, but the fact of the matter is that Take 2 isn't a healthy company and heavy infusions of cash will probably be needed at some point, inviting a takeover from somebody far less stellar than EA (think Sammy buying out Sega).
That's really all I have for today, but I should be posting at least one more time before Sunday, until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Four Christmases
OMG. SONIC. 2. IN HD., granted it's only a tech demo, but still awesome.
Miracle of miracles? EA has officially backed down from the seemingly inevitable and has decided to stop trying to buy Take 2. I'm sure your average EA-hating fanboy sees this as a blessed miracle, but the fact of the matter is that Take 2 isn't a healthy company and heavy infusions of cash will probably be needed at some point, inviting a takeover from somebody far less stellar than EA (think Sammy buying out Sega).
That's really all I have for today, but I should be posting at least one more time before Sunday, until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Four Christmases
9/07/2008
It's Horrible to be free
Unless of course I'm talking about Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog! Courtesy of Hulu!. If some insane reason you haven't caught the best thing ever on the web, watch it now! And buy the DVD whenever it finally comes out.
Of course, that's nothing compared to today's release of arguably the biggest PC game since WOW, Spore. Potentially limitless gameplay sure sounds damn appealing, too bad my laptop can't even run the thing, so I'll probably just wait for the eventual console versions that are supposedly maybe on the way...
Like Zombies? Like Free stuff? Well check out The Zombie Chronicles. I admittedly have just found about this so I have no idea if it's any good, but I'll probably start checking it out as I've hoping for another decent zombie novel after finishing Stephen King's "Cell" awhile ago.
"
Due to my schedule this week, I probably won't be able to do another update til at least Wednesday, so I want to put in a plug for the rather deranged and excellent season 3 DVD release of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Tuesday. If you haven't experienced the awesomeness of this show, check out some prime examples on why it's one of the best comedies out there ever:
Of course, that's nothing compared to today's release of arguably the biggest PC game since WOW, Spore. Potentially limitless gameplay sure sounds damn appealing, too bad my laptop can't even run the thing, so I'll probably just wait for the eventual console versions that are supposedly maybe on the way...
Like Zombies? Like Free stuff? Well check out The Zombie Chronicles. I admittedly have just found about this so I have no idea if it's any good, but I'll probably start checking it out as I've hoping for another decent zombie novel after finishing Stephen King's "Cell" awhile ago.
"
Due to my schedule this week, I probably won't be able to do another update til at least Wednesday, so I want to put in a plug for the rather deranged and excellent season 3 DVD release of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Tuesday. If you haven't experienced the awesomeness of this show, check out some prime examples on why it's one of the best comedies out there ever:
See more funny videos at Funny or Die
9/04/2008
Whedon's Civil War
There are arguably no fans more diehard than the fans of the Whedonverse. But what happens when you pit one of his beloved properties against another? Unfortunately, this isn't some awesome fighting game with River taking on Kennedy. You may remember sometime ago, that there was news that a Firefly MMO was being worked on. Well now, in a move sure to excite some Whedon fans & infuriate others, that same company has effectively killed any development on the Firefly MMO in order to make a Buffy MMO. Now granted, Buffy (and by expansion Angel) has a longer established history and arguably a bigger overall fanbase (not mention appeal to possibly more casual fans). Also, there is the distinct possibility of any attempt to do a Firefly MMO turning into a complete disaster like EVE. Now, being a fan of both series I am excited by the prospect of either as an continual online universe, but I do think there is more potential in a property like Firefly, whereas Buffy could easily turn into WOW with Slayers and probably missing a key component of what made all of Whedon's properties so good-the writing. That's what made Buffy rise above your standard high school/college drama and your average sci-fi show. With that element absent, it's basically crappy fan fiction with grinding thrown in. Which also raises the question of how it'll even work. Can you be a Watcher like Giles or a souped-army grunt like Riley? Or will it pretty much be limited to Slayers & Vamps/Demons? Cause that already sounds dull. I would hope that this is a property they won't completely trash, but this could easily turn out to be a bigger disaster than Star Wars Galaxies is.
That's pretty much all I feel like writing about today, but I will try and be back of Friday with another update. In the mean time, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Sukiyaki Western Django
That's pretty much all I feel like writing about today, but I will try and be back of Friday with another update. In the mean time, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Sukiyaki Western Django
9/01/2008
You can't play games at PAX
Sorry about no pre-Pax post, but I naively tried to do a mad dash finish for Persona 3 because though I'm somewhat close to the end of the game, I thought I was much closer. Suffice it to say, still not done. PAX '08 was a lot of fun though. Got to meet and get my picture taken with Felicia Day, which was definitely a highlight. Though I wasn't there for his actual concert, after seeing a few youtube posts of his perfomance. I've now become a giant Jonathon Coulton Fan and must have all his music ever. The panels were fun, got a lot of free stuff, and it was just cool to walk the exhibit show floor where all the games were on display but the crowd more than doubled from last year, which meant lines for big games like Left 4 Dead, Fable 2, Little Big Planet, Gears of War, Spore & Fallout 3 were akin to waiting in line at Disneyland on their busiest weekend. And when most of these games will be available in the next couple of months, I'm not to tempted to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours just to get a few minutes of play time. Hell even games no one gives a damn about like Gauntlet for DS actually had plenty of people playing it because everything else was really occupied. That's not to say I didn't get to play anything. Sonic Chronicles & Valkyrie Chronicles look awesome, Champions Online shows a lot of promise, and Resistance 2 looks like utter crap. PAX is bound to be even bigger next year, so rather than try and balance anything or try to just play games on Sunday when the crowds are smallest (which they were again this year, but still too big for the major titles), I'll probably just grab some schwag, enjoy walking the exhibit floor, and prioritize fun-looking panels & events rather than waste my time standing in line after line after line. The only upside gaming-wise of PAX is I got some much overdue time in on Tactics Advance 2.
One other thing I really wanted to touch on was Castle Crashers. Oh god is this game going to eat up my time if I let it. It's a lot like Guardian Heroes (the Saturn version, not the horrid portable version) with a lot of great humor involved. This may easily be my most played 360 title, arcade or console until Fallout 3/Fable 2 drops. And I'll probably pick it up again when I'm done with those two. This seems like it might be the last high-quality release for a little while though after a slew of really good ones as aside from episode II of Penny Arcade, there doesn't seem to be much on the horizon (at least for the near future, there were lots of interesting titles set for Live Arcade at PAX, just with no solid release dates). In some ways, this may be a good thing, as I'm sure most gamers will want to devote their time & especially their money to the bigget titles out this fall, and if something along the same lines as say Braid, which definitely needed a window where there was really nothing to overshadow it, were released, it would almost certainly be ignored and be a massive failure which of course leads to less of companies trying something new & innovative and daring which is why we have 400 billion versions of card games on Live but only a few daring originals.
That's really all I have for today, but I plan (key word being "plan") to be back on Monday with another post as I have at least one specific topic I really want to discuss. In the meantime enjoy this awesome video from PAX (which I did not film, which is good, because I am a horrible cameraman) of Jonathon Coulton & Felicia Day singing "Still Alive"
One other thing I really wanted to touch on was Castle Crashers. Oh god is this game going to eat up my time if I let it. It's a lot like Guardian Heroes (the Saturn version, not the horrid portable version) with a lot of great humor involved. This may easily be my most played 360 title, arcade or console until Fallout 3/Fable 2 drops. And I'll probably pick it up again when I'm done with those two. This seems like it might be the last high-quality release for a little while though after a slew of really good ones as aside from episode II of Penny Arcade, there doesn't seem to be much on the horizon (at least for the near future, there were lots of interesting titles set for Live Arcade at PAX, just with no solid release dates). In some ways, this may be a good thing, as I'm sure most gamers will want to devote their time & especially their money to the bigget titles out this fall, and if something along the same lines as say Braid, which definitely needed a window where there was really nothing to overshadow it, were released, it would almost certainly be ignored and be a massive failure which of course leads to less of companies trying something new & innovative and daring which is why we have 400 billion versions of card games on Live but only a few daring originals.
That's really all I have for today, but I plan (key word being "plan") to be back on Monday with another post as I have at least one specific topic I really want to discuss. In the meantime enjoy this awesome video from PAX (which I did not film, which is good, because I am a horrible cameraman) of Jonathon Coulton & Felicia Day singing "Still Alive"
8/26/2008
The best Halloween movie about Christmas ever
Oh this is potentially a very ,very expensive week. Not only is PAX just a few scant days away, not only are two highly anticipated rpgs, Tales of Vesperia & Disgaea 3 hitting the 360 & the PS3 respectively, but we also have very awesome shows getting their latest seasons released on DVD-The Shield, Entourage & Heroes all are hitting stores tomorrow, along with one of my favorite movies of all time-IN BLU-RAY! THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Jack Skellington in hi-def will hopefully be an extremely memorable experience and not a rushed cash-in (I'm looking at you T2!). I'm probably going to at first play it safe, trade in a few games for Disgaea 3 and just pick up "Nightmare". Depending on how much I blow on PAX, I may pick up a lot more next week (though there's more stuff to empty wallets next week as well).
Ok, I've got a really early morning tomorrow (and the next day), so that's really all I got time to post today, but I'll definitely do a nice long post about Castle Crashers, PAX and possibly a few other things on Wednesday evening. In the mean time, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: REPO! The Genetic Opera
Ok, I've got a really early morning tomorrow (and the next day), so that's really all I got time to post today, but I'll definitely do a nice long post about Castle Crashers, PAX and possibly a few other things on Wednesday evening. In the mean time, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: REPO! The Genetic Opera
8/25/2008
R.I.P. Lord Bowler
Julius Carry has passed away of pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. The name may not be that familiar unless you are awesome enough to have watched either Barry Gordy's The Last Dragon or more recently the awesome but short-lived Adventures of Brisco County Jr. He always added a lot to any show he was on and always seemed involved in my favorite stuff. His presence will be sorely missed. I'll be back tomorrow with a regular post but for now enjoy some of his greatness:
8/22/2008
A Taste of the Dark Side
So I did not pick up Too Human. As I said, it was ok if the game didn't live up to the lofty expectations placed on it, but pretty much every review panned the hell out of it; with the last straw being the game's creator, Dennis Dyack, coming out and pulling an M. Night Shamalahaimekahinieho, claiming that anybody who didn't like the game, just "didn't get it". Well Mr. Dyack, I'm happy to not "get it" and spend my hard-earned money instead on something I do "get", such as Disgaea 3 which lands next week.
The very short but incredibly awesome demo for The Force Unleashed hit Xbox Live & PS3 today. I honestly still had some fears as there has yet to be a good Star Wars action game, but this demo pretty much put those fears to rest. I may play through it a few more times before the game finally gets unleashed itself on Sept 19th.
Here's my estimation of this week's movies: They suck. I still haven't seen Tropic Thunder, so I'll probably check that out sometime this week. In the meantime, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Body of Lies
The very short but incredibly awesome demo for The Force Unleashed hit Xbox Live & PS3 today. I honestly still had some fears as there has yet to be a good Star Wars action game, but this demo pretty much put those fears to rest. I may play through it a few more times before the game finally gets unleashed itself on Sept 19th.
Here's my estimation of this week's movies: They suck. I still haven't seen Tropic Thunder, so I'll probably check that out sometime this week. In the meantime, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Body of Lies
8/18/2008
Only Human
Well, this week, finally, a game that has taken the length of a couple of console generations to develop finally lands with a wide mix of dissapointment and hope. Too Human finally comes out on Tuesday, and the question on everyone's minds is of course was all that development time worth it? Will it show in the final product?
The simple answer is hell no. This was originally being planned for the PLAYSTATION. It's not like they had spent all this time thinking it would be made for The 360, especially since back then people laughed at the idea of Microsoft even making a console. Hell it was pegged for both the Nintendo 64 & the Gamecube when Silicon Knights was under Nintendo's control. So should all that constant console switching excuse a bad game? Of course not, but when the negative comments I hear about the game are along the lines of "It's merely a good game, for this long in development it should be a great game." It makes me wonder what the hell was everybody expecting? Luckily the release of the demo right as E3 hit seemed to at least alleviate much of the feeling that it would surefire flop everyone was claiming it would be last year. I thought the demo was quite awesome, so I fully intend to pick it up come Tuesday and will probably give you my impressions on Wednesday. Until then, spend some time with the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Anika's Odyssey
The simple answer is hell no. This was originally being planned for the PLAYSTATION. It's not like they had spent all this time thinking it would be made for The 360, especially since back then people laughed at the idea of Microsoft even making a console. Hell it was pegged for both the Nintendo 64 & the Gamecube when Silicon Knights was under Nintendo's control. So should all that constant console switching excuse a bad game? Of course not, but when the negative comments I hear about the game are along the lines of "It's merely a good game, for this long in development it should be a great game." It makes me wonder what the hell was everybody expecting? Luckily the release of the demo right as E3 hit seemed to at least alleviate much of the feeling that it would surefire flop everyone was claiming it would be last year. I thought the demo was quite awesome, so I fully intend to pick it up come Tuesday and will probably give you my impressions on Wednesday. Until then, spend some time with the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Anika's Odyssey
8/13/2008
Down to the old pub instead
One of Xbox live's releases this week is sort of an odd beast. Fable II Pub Games is a small sample of Peter Molyneaux's latest fantasy world, with the added incentive of using money that you earn in these games to use in Fable II when it actually hits. But these games are in the game when you buy it, and you even get a code to download for free beforehand if you pre-order the title. So apparently the $10 is for fleecing complete idiots. I mean c'mon, if everyone who buys the game gets it free anyways, it should either be only available to those who pre-order, or a completely free download for everyone.
Luckily Live's (and PSN's) other release this week proves a much meatier experience for the same price in Bionic Commando Rearmed. Admittedly, the next-gen remake looks ready to sour all the great memories of the beloved NES classic, but this IS the NES classic, just with a fresh paint job, so it will definitely be worth your while and a good edition to what's starting to finally be a solid library of downloadable titles for both PSN & Xbox live.
And finally, let's talk about how brilliant Tropical Thunder looks. Ben Stiller playing to his strengths as an obnoxious jackass. Robert Downey Jr. in black face. Tom Cruise in an insanely hilarious cameo. Jack Black. Yeah, this has all the tools to be incredibly hilarious, and so far the reviews are saying it actually makes use of them. I am very excited to check this comedy out.
That's really it for today as I got plenty of work to do over at the new gorillamask board over the next day or two, but I should be back Thursday with another update.
Luckily Live's (and PSN's) other release this week proves a much meatier experience for the same price in Bionic Commando Rearmed. Admittedly, the next-gen remake looks ready to sour all the great memories of the beloved NES classic, but this IS the NES classic, just with a fresh paint job, so it will definitely be worth your while and a good edition to what's starting to finally be a solid library of downloadable titles for both PSN & Xbox live.
And finally, let's talk about how brilliant Tropical Thunder looks. Ben Stiller playing to his strengths as an obnoxious jackass. Robert Downey Jr. in black face. Tom Cruise in an insanely hilarious cameo. Jack Black. Yeah, this has all the tools to be incredibly hilarious, and so far the reviews are saying it actually makes use of them. I am very excited to check this comedy out.
That's really it for today as I got plenty of work to do over at the new gorillamask board over the next day or two, but I should be back Thursday with another update.
8/12/2008
The best Xbox live game ever...
Is Braid. Have you played it yet? I'm not going to be like everyone else and try and shame you into buying it. Sure, you've probably wasted more than $15 on something you didn't even use more than once or regretted buying immediately after. But at least download the demo and give it a try. It's probably the best independent title besides Portal that has come along in quite awhile.
Wiiware owners also finally get another reason to clear out some hard drive space in Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. I admittedly haven't followed Homestar Runner at all, so I'll probably try & see what it's all about before I decide to download it, but the word is that any fans of the site will enjoy it tremendously.
All hyped for Too Human next week (which I'll talk about in more detail when we get a little closer to release)? Then you'll definitely be interested in these pretty awesome new themes up on live. I normally don't post this crap, but it's rare I see good themes for a good game that you can actually get a good look at before you download.
That's really what I have for today, but I 100% guarantee I will be doing another post tomorrow covering among other things Tropic Thunder & Bionic Commando Rearmed. Until then, check out the TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Yes Man
Wiiware owners also finally get another reason to clear out some hard drive space in Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. I admittedly haven't followed Homestar Runner at all, so I'll probably try & see what it's all about before I decide to download it, but the word is that any fans of the site will enjoy it tremendously.
All hyped for Too Human next week (which I'll talk about in more detail when we get a little closer to release)? Then you'll definitely be interested in these pretty awesome new themes up on live. I normally don't post this crap, but it's rare I see good themes for a good game that you can actually get a good look at before you download.
That's really what I have for today, but I 100% guarantee I will be doing another post tomorrow covering among other things Tropic Thunder & Bionic Commando Rearmed. Until then, check out the TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Yes Man
8/07/2008
The Top Six Downloadable titles I'm actually looking forward to
So I saw the only movie I care to talk about opening this week, that being Pineapple Express. It's a surprisingly entertaining stoner comedy (this coming from a guy who generally doesn't think highly of most stoner comedies), but they also tried to shove an action movie in there and a very poorly done one at that, so it dilutes the overall experience. But still, if you are looking for a good dumb time at the movies, I definitely reccomend it.
Moving onto today's topic, it seems like downloadable games are finally getting a little respect, as we are finally starting to see titles that aren't just poorly rushed rehashes of old classics, generic me-too shooters, or crappy casual party games. Leading the charge is today's Xbox Live release Braid, which I tried out today and found quite fun and refreshing. It's definitely got a premium price tag at $15, but seems worth it, especially if supporting it will get more titles in the same league. So here's six others you should be looking forward to (and yes, there's something for every system):
6.
Mega Man has sucked for many years, but by going back to its roots, (way, way back) this latest edition cuts out a lot of the crap and boils down to what made Mega Man so great to begin with-Defeating robots and getting their powers to use on other robots. This will be a treat for the old-schoolers (and maybe some newer gamers looking for a real hardcore challenge, which was definitely what the Mega Man games were about back in the day. And it's coming to all 3 downloadable services so everybody can experience it.
5.
Granted, this has gotten some undue attention from moronic feminists with too much time on their hands, but ignoring all that there is a really solid-looking strategy title here that may have actually slipped completely under the radar had it not been for the morons protesting it. Good going morons!
4.
The Dishwasher is easily the highlight of Microsoft's XNA experiment so far. Featuring tremendous style, a promising story and brutally good action make it one of those titles to really keep an eye on.
3.
Granted, it's been available on PC for awhile, but really, the insanity of Sam & Max on a console seems worth the wait. Anybody craving the old school point & click adventure titles with a huge helping of psychotic humor should download this day it hits either your Wii or Xbox 360.
2.
Bionic Commando is easily one of the all time NES titles, and while I don't hold a lot of hope for the next-gen makeover, this update to the classic seems like a retread well worth buying into, especially for the seemingly right price of $10.
1.
The hype may have grown too much at this point, but Castle Crashers seems like the definitive live game, offering an extremely deep and fun game along with 4-player co-op. Hopefully it's really, really, REALLY long development cycle will pay off.
That's it for today, but I'll definitely be back this weekend with another post.
Moving onto today's topic, it seems like downloadable games are finally getting a little respect, as we are finally starting to see titles that aren't just poorly rushed rehashes of old classics, generic me-too shooters, or crappy casual party games. Leading the charge is today's Xbox Live release Braid, which I tried out today and found quite fun and refreshing. It's definitely got a premium price tag at $15, but seems worth it, especially if supporting it will get more titles in the same league. So here's six others you should be looking forward to (and yes, there's something for every system):
6.
Mega Man has sucked for many years, but by going back to its roots, (way, way back) this latest edition cuts out a lot of the crap and boils down to what made Mega Man so great to begin with-Defeating robots and getting their powers to use on other robots. This will be a treat for the old-schoolers (and maybe some newer gamers looking for a real hardcore challenge, which was definitely what the Mega Man games were about back in the day. And it's coming to all 3 downloadable services so everybody can experience it.
5.
Granted, this has gotten some undue attention from moronic feminists with too much time on their hands, but ignoring all that there is a really solid-looking strategy title here that may have actually slipped completely under the radar had it not been for the morons protesting it. Good going morons!
4.
The Dishwasher is easily the highlight of Microsoft's XNA experiment so far. Featuring tremendous style, a promising story and brutally good action make it one of those titles to really keep an eye on.
3.
Granted, it's been available on PC for awhile, but really, the insanity of Sam & Max on a console seems worth the wait. Anybody craving the old school point & click adventure titles with a huge helping of psychotic humor should download this day it hits either your Wii or Xbox 360.
2.
Bionic Commando is easily one of the all time NES titles, and while I don't hold a lot of hope for the next-gen makeover, this update to the classic seems like a retread well worth buying into, especially for the seemingly right price of $10.
1.
The hype may have grown too much at this point, but Castle Crashers seems like the definitive live game, offering an extremely deep and fun game along with 4-player co-op. Hopefully it's really, really, REALLY long development cycle will pay off.
That's it for today, but I'll definitely be back this weekend with another post.
8/05/2008
VIDEO DAY: The Top 5 Looney Tunes shorts
Ok, don't really have anything to talk about today, but wanted to do a post, so thought everyone would enjoy some old school Looney Tunes skits, these being my personal faves:
Wabbit Season
Rabbit of Seville
Robin Hood Daffy
DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24 1/2 CENTURY
And my all time favorite, DUCK AMUCK
Wabbit Season
Rabbit of Seville
Robin Hood Daffy
DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24 1/2 CENTURY
And my all time favorite, DUCK AMUCK
7/28/2008
No one wants to believe...
I didn't really feel like talking about a desperate resurrection of a franchise that was clearly better off dead (and given the movie's paltry opening weekend, everyone seems to agree). So I just thought I'd wait til today to do an update. Now, speaking of franchises that I would gladly like to see resurrected, check out this apparent bootleg trailer of TRON 2!!!.
I did pick up Final Fantasy IV. But honestly, I probably won't dive into it until I got done with Tactics. I've got no less than 6 ds rpgs, so I figure I should beat at least a couple of the ones I already own before moving onto some new thing.
Despite everyone saying what an absolute waste E3 was this year, the ESA is going to give it at least one more try. I hope they are able to regain some of the brilliance & excitement of the last couple of years, but I'm very doubtful.
That's really all I got for today, but to make up for it, here's 5 awesomely NSFW minigames!
I did pick up Final Fantasy IV. But honestly, I probably won't dive into it until I got done with Tactics. I've got no less than 6 ds rpgs, so I figure I should beat at least a couple of the ones I already own before moving onto some new thing.
Despite everyone saying what an absolute waste E3 was this year, the ESA is going to give it at least one more try. I hope they are able to regain some of the brilliance & excitement of the last couple of years, but I'm very doubtful.
That's really all I got for today, but to make up for it, here's 5 awesomely NSFW minigames!
7/21/2008
The future of E3/Batman
So, two major events went down last week, but both have a left many questions in their wake. I'll deal with E3 first, because it pretty much boils down to one question, is E3 dying? Probably; at least as we used to know it. As much as everyone was bitching about how much of a headache E3 was in its flashy years, now everyone is whining and moaning about it's seeming lack of importance. Lots of big names pulled out and there wasn't much of anything new or surprising in an event that used to be known for that kind of stuff. Maybe Nintendo summed it up best when they just full on admitted that they weren't using E3 to target core gamers because as much as MS & Sony may want to pretend otherwise, they used a majority of their presentations for things most certainly not geared towards core gamers in the first place either (i.e. Netflix integration). Maybe dying is a stretch, but E3 used to be THE show. It was where most of the big announcements for the next year or so were made. Now it's at best just another show, especially when most companies are putting together their own press events that are cheaper, less of a hassle, and let the spotlight be on them rather than shared with others. E3 may never completely die, but if it wants to retain any real relevance, a major revamp is in order. Just keep non-essential people (i.e. the brother of some gamestop manager) from going and that should keep the excess under control.
Now, onto the greatest movie ever! (I may be exaggerating, but not by much). Lots of questions, probably firstly, who should be the next Batman villain(s)? I think there's lots of good options. Even a resurrected Ra's Al Ghul or Two-Face (because Eckhart did a great job, just overshadowed by Ledge) seems like a decent idea. To be honest, what I'd really like to see is the Joker & Harley Quinn, but Ledger put such a definitive stamp on that character in Nolan's universe that if they were to re-cast the Joker (which I believe they should eventually) that you'd probably wait until at least a 4th film (if indeed that even happens, but I see Batman like Bond, make 10 films if you want as long as the rules of the Nolan-verse are strictly adhered to) to give some distance. Riddler & Penguin seem like poor choices. Catwoman would be good to include, but not as the primary villain. So I think the best possibilities would be either Poison Ivy (especially with Catwoman, make it sort of a love triangle) or Mr. Freeze. If for no other reason, to erase the horrible memory of these great characters being butchered by Joel Schumaker. Also, I would like to eventually see Robin included, as he's such an essential part of the Batman mythos. I even have pretty much the perfect actor for him, Emile Hirsch. But regardless, the future of this franchise overall looks incredibly bright, so I'd hate to see it only have one more film with so many good directions it can go.
Ok, I had planned to do this whole post yesterday, but inspiration struck as it often does at random times, prompting me to make this kickass new video for The Force Unleashed:
And I'll most likely post again on Wednesday with my initial thoughts on the Final Fantasy IV remake for DS as well as anything else that pops up. Until then, keep yourself busy with the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Space Ranger
Now, onto the greatest movie ever! (I may be exaggerating, but not by much). Lots of questions, probably firstly, who should be the next Batman villain(s)? I think there's lots of good options. Even a resurrected Ra's Al Ghul or Two-Face (because Eckhart did a great job, just overshadowed by Ledge) seems like a decent idea. To be honest, what I'd really like to see is the Joker & Harley Quinn, but Ledger put such a definitive stamp on that character in Nolan's universe that if they were to re-cast the Joker (which I believe they should eventually) that you'd probably wait until at least a 4th film (if indeed that even happens, but I see Batman like Bond, make 10 films if you want as long as the rules of the Nolan-verse are strictly adhered to) to give some distance. Riddler & Penguin seem like poor choices. Catwoman would be good to include, but not as the primary villain. So I think the best possibilities would be either Poison Ivy (especially with Catwoman, make it sort of a love triangle) or Mr. Freeze. If for no other reason, to erase the horrible memory of these great characters being butchered by Joel Schumaker. Also, I would like to eventually see Robin included, as he's such an essential part of the Batman mythos. I even have pretty much the perfect actor for him, Emile Hirsch. But regardless, the future of this franchise overall looks incredibly bright, so I'd hate to see it only have one more film with so many good directions it can go.
Ok, I had planned to do this whole post yesterday, but inspiration struck as it often does at random times, prompting me to make this kickass new video for The Force Unleashed:
And I'll most likely post again on Wednesday with my initial thoughts on the Final Fantasy IV remake for DS as well as anything else that pops up. Until then, keep yourself busy with the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Space Ranger
7/18/2008
New year, same shit
Well, E3's out of the way, and honestly, we got the same song and dance that we did last year. Microsoft is trying to please everybody, stretching themselves too thin, Nintendo isn't trying to please anybody, which since it's working it's kind of hard to hate on them for it, but leaves us longtime gamers in the cold, and Sony once again seems poised to have a great year next year. Pretty much the only surprising things about the show were that Final Fantasy XIII is coming to the 360 (and it's always fun to see irrational PS3 fanboys react to that) and that Too Human might not suck (seriously, if you have Live, download the demo). Lots of cool games to look at, but nothing we really hadn't heard a ton about.
And of course many people are right now watching the movie event of the year, the Dark Knight. Admittedly, I've been in Batman overload, watching movies and tv shows (even the new Gotham Knight, which honestly kind of sucked). I'm think I'm over midnight showings for the most part, but I've already purchased a ticket for the earliest showing at a nearby theatre.
I'm honestly feeling kind of crappy so that's all I'm going to post today, but next time I will expand upon my E3 thoughts and The Dark Knight along with anything else that pops up. In the meantime, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Watchmen
And of course many people are right now watching the movie event of the year, the Dark Knight. Admittedly, I've been in Batman overload, watching movies and tv shows (even the new Gotham Knight, which honestly kind of sucked). I'm think I'm over midnight showings for the most part, but I've already purchased a ticket for the earliest showing at a nearby theatre.
I'm honestly feeling kind of crappy so that's all I'm going to post today, but next time I will expand upon my E3 thoughts and The Dark Knight along with anything else that pops up. In the meantime, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Watchmen
7/14/2008
Better off dead
I did manage to see Hellboy II over the weekend, and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't up there with the likes of Iron Man or probably what Dark Knight will end up being, but it was a lot of fun, and the characters are what make it more than anything else.
Now onto today's main topic. While I would hardly say that Buffy as a franchise would really be considered dead (especially with a rather excellent comic book going on right now as "season 8"), I think we can safely say that it is a franchise in its twilight and not likely to ever get back into the mainstream consciousness again. So it seems odd at best that a game company is picking this of all franchises (which has a very dedicated and somewhat scary fanbase) for a video game release, much less a DS video game release. I want to believe that because there's no impending movie or other quick cash-in, it's something the company will take their time & make an awesome product out of. But the cynic in me wants to say it's a desperate attempt to grab some money from a fanbase so rabid they will buy even bad products in support. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but early screen shots seem to point at something that looks like a pathetic licensed cash grab rather than a real treat for the fans.
That's really all I have for today, but E3, the biggest game conference of the year, starts Tuesday, so I'll definitely be updating plenty for that along with the biggest movie this year should make for a very fun week. In the meantime, enjoy your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Chronicles of the Slayer
Now onto today's main topic. While I would hardly say that Buffy as a franchise would really be considered dead (especially with a rather excellent comic book going on right now as "season 8"), I think we can safely say that it is a franchise in its twilight and not likely to ever get back into the mainstream consciousness again. So it seems odd at best that a game company is picking this of all franchises (which has a very dedicated and somewhat scary fanbase) for a video game release, much less a DS video game release. I want to believe that because there's no impending movie or other quick cash-in, it's something the company will take their time & make an awesome product out of. But the cynic in me wants to say it's a desperate attempt to grab some money from a fanbase so rabid they will buy even bad products in support. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but early screen shots seem to point at something that looks like a pathetic licensed cash grab rather than a real treat for the fans.
That's really all I have for today, but E3, the biggest game conference of the year, starts Tuesday, so I'll definitely be updating plenty for that along with the biggest movie this year should make for a very fun week. In the meantime, enjoy your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Chronicles of the Slayer
7/10/2008
The Big Red Machine
Any other year, a movie like Hellboy II would seem like the easy mark for the big comic book movie of the Summer. The original, while not a mega-hit, was well received and has a healthy following, and the sequel seems to follow suit. But in a summer where you've got the somewhat surprise success of Iron Man, the revitalization of the Hulk and what many are already calling the greatest superhero movie ever in The Dark Knight, Hellboy seems to have almost been forgotten. Luckily it doesn't really have much direct competition this weekend, with another failure of an Eddie Murphy vehicle and a merely decent-looking Brendan Fraser special effects heavy film not having anything to do with mummies. But I can see it having a huge drop-off next weekend for obvious reasons, so they better make this one count.
And while anybody should be happy with the idea of Jack Thompson getting a decade-long ban from practicing law, how about a lifetime ban? Because that's what's apparently being recommended . I gotta tell you, it's stuff like this that makes me actually believe evil soulless jackasses will eventually be punished for all the crap they do.
That's really all I got for today, but I'll leave you with the TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Max Payne
And while anybody should be happy with the idea of Jack Thompson getting a decade-long ban from practicing law, how about a lifetime ban? Because that's what's apparently being recommended . I gotta tell you, it's stuff like this that makes me actually believe evil soulless jackasses will eventually be punished for all the crap they do.
That's really all I got for today, but I'll leave you with the TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Max Payne
7/08/2008
Back to the future
Ok, in case you have no idea why I was so excited about a ticking clock in my last post, the reason is because it was a teaser site for CHRONO TRIGGER ON THE DS. If that still doesn't get you excited, get out of my sight, you disgust me. But seriously, The mere thought of of my favorite game ever on the go makes me tingly all over, and it's awesome that it is coming this holiday season as usually we have to wait quite awhile between the Japanese release of something like this and the US port.
Is the wait for what is already the greatest movie ever made unbearable? Two big releases this week should tide you over pretty well until next Friday: The blu-ray release of Batman Begins, and Gotham Knight, a collection of animated shorts by different acclaimed directors. I was pretty keen on Gotham Knight initially, especially since Bruce Timm, who is basically responsible for all the great DC animated shows over the last decade or so was involved and they had gotten Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman in the animated series to star, but word is it's an interesting but forgettable collection of stories that aren't really connected to either of the movies and really do nothing to expand the Batman universe, so it sounds like a rental to me at this point.
And finally, to get all pumped up for the start of season 3 of the absolutely brilliant Psych, season 2 is out on DVD, so to get you pumped, here's a cool fanvid I found on youtube:
Is the wait for what is already the greatest movie ever made unbearable? Two big releases this week should tide you over pretty well until next Friday: The blu-ray release of Batman Begins, and Gotham Knight, a collection of animated shorts by different acclaimed directors. I was pretty keen on Gotham Knight initially, especially since Bruce Timm, who is basically responsible for all the great DC animated shows over the last decade or so was involved and they had gotten Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman in the animated series to star, but word is it's an interesting but forgettable collection of stories that aren't really connected to either of the movies and really do nothing to expand the Batman universe, so it sounds like a rental to me at this point.
And finally, to get all pumped up for the start of season 3 of the absolutely brilliant Psych, season 2 is out on DVD, so to get you pumped, here's a cool fanvid I found on youtube:
7/03/2008
Sony giveth and Sony taketh away
Sony's long-awaited 2.4 firmware update that was to include long overdue features like in-game achievement trophies and in-game XMB. But the update was unceremoniously pulled a few short hours later due to "limited issues"/ In reality, it looks like another big black eye just after Sony had started to heal from the last one for delaying Killzone 2 til next year. Hopefully 2.4 comes back in full force, but if Sony ever wants a real chance at even giving the 360 a real run for their money, stupid mistakes like this need to stop happening.
So over the last few days, I saw both Wall-E & Wanted, and I can pretty much recommend both. Wall-E is great like most Pixar films, and Wanted, though a little silly, is a very fun over-the-top action flick.
Of course the big movie out this week has Will Smith once again pretty much owning July 4th with Hancock. The reviews seem to range from so-so to so terrible, but you could probably put Will Smith just grinning and saying "Aw hell naw" for 90 minutes and it would still make $100 million dollars. And it's nothing against Smith, he's a very talented guy (even the worst reviews seem to be praising his performance as one of the few highlights). I might see it, as I've mostly heard from friends that it's a decent matinee flick, but nothing I'd pay full price for.
And finally, OH MY GOD!!!!!
So over the last few days, I saw both Wall-E & Wanted, and I can pretty much recommend both. Wall-E is great like most Pixar films, and Wanted, though a little silly, is a very fun over-the-top action flick.
Of course the big movie out this week has Will Smith once again pretty much owning July 4th with Hancock. The reviews seem to range from so-so to so terrible, but you could probably put Will Smith just grinning and saying "Aw hell naw" for 90 minutes and it would still make $100 million dollars. And it's nothing against Smith, he's a very talented guy (even the worst reviews seem to be praising his performance as one of the few highlights). I might see it, as I've mostly heard from friends that it's a decent matinee flick, but nothing I'd pay full price for.
And finally, OH MY GOD!!!!!
6/27/2008
Son of number 5?
Granted kids (hell probably anyone under 25) won't remember, but I'm sure that for a lot of us that are starting to enter out not so young adult years, Pixar's annual instant classic, Wall-E, has a main character that bears a very, very strong resemblance to a rather cheesy yet fondly remembered character named "Johnny 5" from a movie called Short Circuit.
Definitely not a rip-off, but arguably a slight homage. I fully intend to be one of the many checking out Wall E this weekend as it seems like another brilliant movie.
I'm also very tempted to check out Wanted. Granted, it looks like a pretty direct Matrix rip-off, but a pretty well done one, and admittedly, Angelina Jolie is enough to get me to see almost anything.
That's really it for today, but I spent most of the early AM hours making a new video for the highly anticipated DS remake of Final Fantasy IV, so check it out:
Definitely not a rip-off, but arguably a slight homage. I fully intend to be one of the many checking out Wall E this weekend as it seems like another brilliant movie.
I'm also very tempted to check out Wanted. Granted, it looks like a pretty direct Matrix rip-off, but a pretty well done one, and admittedly, Angelina Jolie is enough to get me to see almost anything.
That's really it for today, but I spent most of the early AM hours making a new video for the highly anticipated DS remake of Final Fantasy IV, so check it out:
6/25/2008
6/23/2008
Goodbye George
Not a lot of stuff really gets to me, but I just read that one of the great comedy legends, George Carlin, has passed away. This guy has always been nothing short of brilliant and the world is a lot stupider for having lost him. We'll miss you you miserable but hilarious bastard. I'm just going to post one of my personal favorite bits and probably do a regular post tomorrow:
6/20/2008
Stupid Love
Ah, another weekend of two underwhelming (and possibly migrain-generating) summer "comedies". Mike Myers is back in front of the camera in his first live-action film in quite a few years, which seems to basically be Austin Powers 4, just without the swinging 60s references. It's a shame because reportedly he spent a lot of time fine-tuning his character in comedy clubs. This is reportedly already an early contender for worst movie of the year (and being that 10,000 B.C. has already come out, that's saying quite a bit).
And then there's Steve Carrell in his latest attempt to go from small screen god to big screen star in Get Smart. Granted, if you have to do a movie version, Steve Carell seems like the obvious choice, but the reviews seem to say much like Evan Almighty, this plays it a little too safe to in fact be as smart as it's legacy.
So what to do? Give Incredible Hulk a chance. I caught it on Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised. It has some weak points (mainly Liv Tyler), and it's a very different feel from Iron Man, but I think it's about as good a flick you can really do with that source material, because Hulk is a hard character to make a film for in the first place. I hope this one holds up strong, because they definitely planted lots of seeds for a sequel (not to mention possible tie-ins to other Marvel films) which I would like to see come to fruition.
In game news, Sega is starting to make me believe in Sonic again with their new trailer for Sonic Unleashed. But I'm warily optimistic, given how many times they've tried to re-launch the blue blur. This video seems like an awfully good start, however...
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Death Race
And then there's Steve Carrell in his latest attempt to go from small screen god to big screen star in Get Smart. Granted, if you have to do a movie version, Steve Carell seems like the obvious choice, but the reviews seem to say much like Evan Almighty, this plays it a little too safe to in fact be as smart as it's legacy.
So what to do? Give Incredible Hulk a chance. I caught it on Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised. It has some weak points (mainly Liv Tyler), and it's a very different feel from Iron Man, but I think it's about as good a flick you can really do with that source material, because Hulk is a hard character to make a film for in the first place. I hope this one holds up strong, because they definitely planted lots of seeds for a sequel (not to mention possible tie-ins to other Marvel films) which I would like to see come to fruition.
In game news, Sega is starting to make me believe in Sonic again with their new trailer for Sonic Unleashed. But I'm warily optimistic, given how many times they've tried to re-launch the blue blur. This video seems like an awfully good start, however...
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Death Race
6/16/2008
Links, everybody loves links...
I'm directly ripping that header off from some gaming mag, either EGM or Game Informer, really the only two I read, but can't remember which. Anyways, not a whole ton of news since my last post, so I've just got a few cool links and a video or two for everyone to check out:
First up, everybody loves free games, and while one a week is pretty awesome, I've got a total of 60 in the two links I've got here, both from Gamesradar: For you old school shooter fans: The Top Ten Free Shoot-em-ups, and then for those looking for more variety, also from Gamesradar, The Top 50 free games. Obviously these aren't going to be on the scale of something like Mass Effect, but there are plenty of great little gems in there, especially if you are a fan of the old school point & click Sierra/Lucasarts titles.
And yet one more link from Gamesradar (I've plugged these guys so much they should be giving me free ad space at this point), the top 7 games that don't deserve nostalgia. There are few lists I agree with more wholeheartedly than this one. Pretty much every single game on there has not aged well or wasn't good to begin with and is nowhere near worthy of the ridiculous pedestal its put upon to this day. Final Fantasy VII being so worthy because of the insane level of praise it gets. Yeah, it was good, but it had plenty of flaws too, and those would probably be a lot more evident if a remake with nothing but a graphical overhaul was actually made like the fans keep clamoring for. If you doubt that, take a look at the mostly horrible crap spin-off material that has spewed from FFVII since it's release, most notably Advent Children.
And just a few videos to finish off the day, first up, The Philosophy of Billy Mitchell. If you thought he was a giant ass when you watched King of Kong (and if you haven't watched that, go out and buy/rent it immediately), you'll think even less of him now:
And a fake, but hilarious trailer for King of Kong 2:
Finally, since I probably won;t update again til at least Tuesday, check out this pretty cool fan trailer for what is for my money, the best action show on TV, Burn Notice, which the first season of comes out on Tuesday, so check it out before the second season premiere in July.
First up, everybody loves free games, and while one a week is pretty awesome, I've got a total of 60 in the two links I've got here, both from Gamesradar: For you old school shooter fans: The Top Ten Free Shoot-em-ups, and then for those looking for more variety, also from Gamesradar, The Top 50 free games. Obviously these aren't going to be on the scale of something like Mass Effect, but there are plenty of great little gems in there, especially if you are a fan of the old school point & click Sierra/Lucasarts titles.
And yet one more link from Gamesradar (I've plugged these guys so much they should be giving me free ad space at this point), the top 7 games that don't deserve nostalgia. There are few lists I agree with more wholeheartedly than this one. Pretty much every single game on there has not aged well or wasn't good to begin with and is nowhere near worthy of the ridiculous pedestal its put upon to this day. Final Fantasy VII being so worthy because of the insane level of praise it gets. Yeah, it was good, but it had plenty of flaws too, and those would probably be a lot more evident if a remake with nothing but a graphical overhaul was actually made like the fans keep clamoring for. If you doubt that, take a look at the mostly horrible crap spin-off material that has spewed from FFVII since it's release, most notably Advent Children.
And just a few videos to finish off the day, first up, The Philosophy of Billy Mitchell. If you thought he was a giant ass when you watched King of Kong (and if you haven't watched that, go out and buy/rent it immediately), you'll think even less of him now:
And a fake, but hilarious trailer for King of Kong 2:
Finally, since I probably won;t update again til at least Tuesday, check out this pretty cool fan trailer for what is for my money, the best action show on TV, Burn Notice, which the first season of comes out on Tuesday, so check it out before the second season premiere in July.
6/13/2008
Hey waiter, there's some Iron Man in my Incredible Hulk!
Marvel is really pulling out every stop they can to try and give people a reason to see their second big hero movie out this year, The Incredible Hulk, casting some serious actors like Ed Norton and Tim Roth, trying to make it look nothing like Ang Lee's disastrous effort several years ago, and even blatantly showing that it has some tenuous connection to Iron Man since that has been a success well beyond anyone's expectations. And by all accounts, it is a much better effort, but I'm not sure the same interest is there, if for no other reason than Hulk, at least is in his movie incarnation, isn't a good guy superhero, he's just a big guy who likes to smash stuff. And there is some appeal in that, but not the same across the board appeal you get to make something a big hit like Iron Man or Spider-Man or Batman (only now am I realizing how utterly uncreative these superhero names are), and Marvel is very much banking on this film to be up there with Iron Man in order to try and legitimize themselves as a studio powerhouse capable of mostly doing their own movies for their properties. I want it to be good, and most reviews are very positive, so I'll probably check it out, but not opening weekend.
And as far as the other movie opening this weekend, The Happening, I've more or less made my thoughts on this giant waste of celluloid well known, so instead of wasting more energy and hate just go ahead and enjoy the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Skywire
And as far as the other movie opening this weekend, The Happening, I've more or less made my thoughts on this giant waste of celluloid well known, so instead of wasting more energy and hate just go ahead and enjoy the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Skywire
6/11/2008
Snake Eyes
So yeah, the PS3's supposed salvation comes tomorrow in the form of Metal Gear Solid 4. But this declaration seems like a desperate fanboy thing. Yeah, The Metal Gear Series has a pretty solid legion of followers, but it's nowhere near Halo or GTA or FF numbers. It's never had to be a system seller, and now it's in the unique position of trying to be a game that legitimizes the PS3 as something more than a blu-ray player with a couple of games. Personally, I pretty much lost interest after the incomprehensible mess I considered both 2 & 3 to be. Pure weirdness aside, the dialogue was always laughable and the plots never made the slightest bit of sense. Fans will defend that as a positive trait, but great games with totally insane plots (i.e. No More Heroes) at least make sense in their own twisted universe, Metal Gear as of late has stuck to no such rule. It's actually good to hear Gabe & Tycho spew their vitriol on the series because I seemed to be alone in my... hatred is too strong a word, but indifference fits pretty well. I'm sort of intrigued to try it out just to see if maybe, much like GTA IV, this really turns my opinion around on the series (and so I have an actual PS3 game to play on my PS3), but quite frankly, I'm a little too busy currently enjoying Persona 3 (another example of a great game with a crazy story that makes sense in its own universe) to just go out and buy much of anything else right now.
That's really all I got for today, but I'll definitely be back tommorrow with my thoughts on this weekend's releases. Until then, here is your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Babylon A.D.
That's really all I got for today, but I'll definitely be back tommorrow with my thoughts on this weekend's releases. Until then, here is your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Babylon A.D.
6/06/2008
Hit the road, Jack.
This is it, this should be the nail in the coffin for psycho anti-gaming lawyer Jack Thompson, as he's been recommended for a 10-year disbarment. Not helping matters is that he walked out of the hearing, claiming the judge didn't have the authority to oversee the case. You know, at some point this guy went from intelligent yet soulless ambulance chaser to just plain nuts and I'm wondering what triggered it. Oh no, wait he was always fucking nuts, nevermind.
Lots of big games out this week, but with Bourne Conspiracy seeming to be just another mediocre action title and Ninja Gaiden II being a follow-up to a game so frustrating I nearly broke my original Xbox, the only one I had my eye one was Lego Indiana Jones. I really enjoyed Star Wars being Legoized so I thought Indy would be just as fun. For the most part it is, but there are some camera & A.I. issues (along with a lack of online play) that make this seem like an effort that doesn't really make the most of the license. Hopefully these problems will be resolved when Lego Batman hits or I won't be nearly as kind.
I love a good animated film, and word on Kung Fu Panda is extremely solid (which is surprising, given that it's an animated movie not made by Pixar). So I will most likely be checking that out this week.
Gamer on an extremely tight budget? Not to worry, there are plenty of awesome new budget games that don't suck coming out this year. Just check out GameRadar's list of games coming out this year that cost $20 or less (I really can't wait for Castle Crashers to finally get done).
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Finding Amanda
Lots of big games out this week, but with Bourne Conspiracy seeming to be just another mediocre action title and Ninja Gaiden II being a follow-up to a game so frustrating I nearly broke my original Xbox, the only one I had my eye one was Lego Indiana Jones. I really enjoyed Star Wars being Legoized so I thought Indy would be just as fun. For the most part it is, but there are some camera & A.I. issues (along with a lack of online play) that make this seem like an effort that doesn't really make the most of the license. Hopefully these problems will be resolved when Lego Batman hits or I won't be nearly as kind.
I love a good animated film, and word on Kung Fu Panda is extremely solid (which is surprising, given that it's an animated movie not made by Pixar). So I will most likely be checking that out this week.
Gamer on an extremely tight budget? Not to worry, there are plenty of awesome new budget games that don't suck coming out this year. Just check out GameRadar's list of games coming out this year that cost $20 or less (I really can't wait for Castle Crashers to finally get done).
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Finding Amanda
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