The top ten villain choices for Avengers 2...

Avengers is awesome and was a ginormous success, so of course everybody's talking sequel possibilities. Now if you have seen the movie, there is a scene that hints at who the next foe probably is, but there's no reason they couldn't drag out that battle til at least the 3rd film, because frankly it's kind of hard to top that guy after. In addition, if Joss Whedon does come back (and with the gobs of money it's making I'm betting Marvel will give just about anything to get him back), he's already said his idea for the sequel would be to make it smaller and more personal, so upping the ante to some galactic scale might not be the way to go just yet. With that in mind here's 10 very plausible villains the Avengers could face next:

10. M.O.D.O.K.: A big subplot of the Avengers movie was Shield having ulterior motives and secret plans, which Nick Fury basically defended by saying the Earth is not prepared to take on galactic threats. M.O.D.O.K. is a villain that can spring very organically from that simple idea, after all, he was basically created to help understand the Cosmic Cube (aka the Tesseract) and turned on his creators. This would be a good fresh storyline because the Avengers don't really trust Nick Fury and one of their own creations going rogue could cause plenty of good tension between them.

9. Ares: Yeah, another Asgardian villain may be seen as doing the same thing over again, but Tom Hiddleston is so great as Loki it'd be a shame for him to be marginalized or done completely. Ares isn't a bad guy per se, but it'd be easy to have Loki manipulate his bloodlust and pride into fighting the Avengers. It could also open the door for members such as Hercules or Valkyrie to join the team, which I wouldn't be surprised to see expand somewhat.

8. The Leader: Arguably the biggest problem with someone fighting the Avengers is The Hulk. He's virtually unstoppable. So bring in one of his greatest foils, the Leader. It's the classic brains vs. brawn match-up, as The Leader usually is 3 steps ahead of everyone else. Plus, Hulk may not be getting his own movie, so one of his better villains could make a good opponent for the whole team.

7.  Mephisto: Yeah this pretty much writes itself. You want darker and more personal? Mephisto is your guy. Sure, he's probably nearly as powerful as Loki, but he'd focus a lot more on manipulating each Anengers personal demons. He could (and has) claim he's the actual devil come to unleash hell on earth, breaking down the Avengers mentally before they obviously rally and prove he's just another super villain to defeat.

6. Norman Osborn: Granted, the Green Goblin started out as a great Spider-Man villain, but his original incarnation wouldn't be much of a match for the combined might of the Avengers. However in later years. he's essentially become the closest thing Marvel has to Lex Luthor, a ruthless brilliant billionaire who believes he knows how to run the world and isn't afraid to do immoral stuff to get it accomplished. This could be a personal, smaller villain that could still pose a credible threat.

5. Doctor Doom: Few normal humans pose as much of a threat as Doom. He's one of the smartest villains in the Marvel universe, with resources and magic to match, which would make him and his army of Doom bots a more than worthy opponent of the Avengers. Sure he's mainly a Fantastic Four nemesis, but he's taken on virtually everybody in the Marvel universe, no reason he can't clash with the Avengers for their next film.

4. Red Skull: If Captain America is worthy not only to be an Avenger, but be the leader, then surely his primary nemesis is just as worthy to be a major opponent for the Avengers. Hydra is still a heavy presence in the Marvel film universe after all, and and having him still at the head of that terrorist organization would be a pretty natural fit. The cosmic cube is also a lifelong obsession of his, which would naturally lead to taking on the Avengers in order to get it back.

3. Apocalypse: Most of the guys on this list wouldn't be a physical match for the likes of Thor and Hulk, but Apocalypse absolutely would. And while he's primarily an X-men foe, his ultimate goal is usually the subjugation of all mankind, which makes him a natural enemy of the Avengers.

2. Kang the Conqueror: Kang is one the Avengers' more well known foes. Coming from the future with an array of dazzling technology, he's always a real threat. Add to that SHIELD's desperate search for technology that can defeat super beings and that could play into the whole conflict between the two organizations.

1. Ultron: You want smaller, darker and more personal while upping the ante on the threat the Avengers face? There is no better choice than Ultron. Why? Because he was created by the Avengers. More specifically, Ant-Man, which could be a great tie-in to the heavily rumored Ant-Man movie that may finally be getting some real traction since Avengers opened so huge. Again this is something that's so easy it writes itself. The Avengers create this machine, it goes bad, and so they are responsible for the destruction it causes, placing a huge amount of mistrust in the Avengers from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the public, even when they eventually stop him, their image may be irreparably damaged, which would be a great basis to start a third movie from.

Ok that's the list. Obviously if you've seen the movie and stayed through the credits, you know who the most likely next villain is, but again I think it'd be great if they held that off for just one more film and save a battle that big for a 3rd and possibly final Avengers film. If I can do another post this weekend I will, but most likely it'll be next week. Until then, here's your BIG BANG OF THE WEEK:

Best. Superhero. Movie. Ever.

Avengers is an impossible movie. Getting so many heroes together with so many disparate movies, giving them all sufficient screen time, and having people who fit the roles so well just doesn't seem like it could happen. But you know what? They managed to pull it off. Everybody has great moments and one-liners, the dialogue is incredibly snappy, though that shouldn't be a surprise with Joss Whedon at the helm. And it's all capped off with an incredible 40-minute finale that may be one of the finest every seen on film.

That being said, this is a very comic book movie. Unlike say Christopher Nolan's Batman films, which have comic book roots but take a real world context and deal with deep issues and characters that evolve and develop. Avengers isn't particularly deep and the characters don't really evolve or change, but it's smart enough and entertaining enough that unless you're a complete cynic you don't need it to be. I don't even know if they can possibly top this, but I can't wait to see them try because with it having the biggest opening weekend ever, a sequel is kind of a no duh. And of course this means after years of finding at best middling success, Joss Whedon can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants to do next, which is awesome for him and us Whedonites who have been fans of his quirky and brilliant but usually short-lived TV shows.

Of course, this might impossibly raise the bar now. We were pleasantly surprised that Iron Man, Thor and Captain America actually managed to be good, now audiences might expect the follow-ups to be absolutely fantastic and be massively disappointed if they aren't. We also may suffer from superhero overload, as everybody and their mom is trying to get some even mildly popular comic book property on the big screen in some desperate attempt to get in on this thing while it's hot. But as long as they keep making the smart choices they have, audiences should be able to separate the actual movies from the desperate cash grabs.

That's it for today, I should be back with another post tomorrow or Friday. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Goin Up

Star Wars...

Starhawk is exactly the kind of game that really should get me back into playing online, in that it's different than virtually any other MP focused game available on consoles with it;s futuristic settings and RTS components, it offers a refreshing change of pace from your standard online experience. Unfortunately as I've got a boatload as of yet unfinished rpgs on my plate, I won't be getting into it any time soon.

Is this the Wii U launch list? Dear god I hope not. It's like 95% ports. Don't get me wrong, ports are important, you don't want someone to get your system and then be pissed because it doesn't get any of the multi-platform releases like what happened with the Wii, but having mostly titles people can buy on systems they probably already own isn't convince too many to pick up your new comparatively expensive console. Granted poor launches are pretty much a staple of the industry just because no one really knows how to get the most out of any system at launch, but there has to be a few killer apps or no one will bite. Pikmin should be a good showcase title, but that's just one, nothing else sounds that exciting. After last year's downright confusing unveiling, Nintendo really needs to blow the doors off at E3 this year, and this lineup doesn't sound like it will do the trick. But we'll just have to wait and see in about a month I guess.

That's all for today, I should be back tomorrow or Wednesday with a review of Avengers. Until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Campaign

10 More shows Netflix should ressurect before Jericho....

Ugh. Jericho, really Netflix? It's arguably better than Terra Nova, but still not a very good show. I already listed 10 shows that would be prime for renewal and would be better than Jericho as well, and admittedly Warming Glow also did a list, but since there is very little crossover and so many more worthy I have yet another 10 shows Netflix should revive before even looking at Jericho (most canceled fairly recently):

10. Mr Sunshine: Ok, if I had to pick between this and Studio 60, both of which starred Matthew Perry, I would pick Studio 60, but I feel Sunshine had a lot of unrealized potential as it had a very good '30 Rock' vibe of complete wackiness to it along with a great supporting cast especially Allison Janney & James Lesure both of whom usually make anything pretty enjoyable.

9. Rules of Engagement: In the usual CBS logic, this perennial under-performer is far funnier than most of their shitty popular sitcoms, but it's constantly pulled from the air and held in reserve for when something fails spectacularly. It's not official, but heavily rumored it will officially be canned for good by CBS. It Netflix wants a solid broad comedy, this would be perfect, plus it keeps the stellar Patrick Warburton employed.

8. Breaking In: Fox canceled this hilarious quirky show. Then brought it back, made it awful and canceled it again. Seriously, fuck you Fox. I wouldn't bring it back in it's current form, but if you could get Michael Rosenbaum and Odette Annable back and drop Megan Mullaly, I would very much like to see this somewhere that might actually give it a shot.

7. Human Target: A really fun series starring the awesome Mark Valley, this should've been an easy hit but for some reason it couldn't really find its audience and given it's high-octane style its an easy pick up for a really solid action show, which is something TV in general has been lacking since 24 went off the air.

6.  Lone Star: Warming Glow also had this on their list, so good to know I'm not alone in thinking this show was criminally ignored. Arguably the most well-reviewed show of the last several years, yet cancelled after a mere two episodes. The premise is original, ambitious and daring as it asks us not only to follow but root for a protagonist who is basically not a very good person since he leads a double life that involves lie after lie to perfectly good people, namely his two wives who don't know about each other. Had a ton of potential and Netflix would be wise to let it show that.

5. Batman: The Brave & The Bold: Brave and the Bold breaks a lot of the current Batman rules. Batman isn't allowed to be goofy or have a sense of humor, yet this show reveled in having both those traits and managed to be wildly entertaining. Much like Justice League Unlimited, it also really gave a chance for lesser DC heroes like Blue Beetle to shine. And reviving this would be a way better option than allowing the new series, Beware the Batman to air, where a gun-toting Alfred assists Batman on his cases. Sigh....

4. Lie to Me: Yet another brilliant show on Fox (that's 4 on this list if you are keeping count and I'm not done yet) that got canceled way too soon. It's a really brilliant twist on your usual procedural show, focusing on the emotions, facial ticks and body language rather than pure evidence. Tim Roth was also amazing as the taciturn Cal Lightman who just really did not give a damn who he pissed off, but did give a damn about those close to him.

3. Fringe: Brilliantly weird sci-fi show that Fox wants to cancel? What a surprise. Granted unlike most on this list it is getting an official final season but I'm fairly sure there's a lot more stories to tell because it's hardly running out of steam even 4 seasons in. This would be a huge coup for Netflix if they could do it and gaining some loyal nerd fans in the process.

2. The Finder: Though not officially canceled, the low ratings and Friday night graveyard timeslot make it extremely likely this original and very entertaining spin-off of Bones will not make it to a second season. If that is the case, Netflix should swoop in and pick this series up. It actually has a lot in common in Lie to Me in that it takes a very unusual approach to solving crimes and the protagonist doesn't really give a damn, though Walter does it in a way more funny style.

1. Stargate: Stargate as a franchise is no longer on the air and that's a shame, because between SG-1 and Atlantis we had 15 seasons of great sci-fi (the less said about SGU the better). It'd probably be hard to get the cast of SG-1 back together and 10 seasons was certainly a long enough ride. Atlantis was great and got canceled prematurely (especially since there was supposed to be a series of movies) so it'd great to see that back, but Netflix could also start an original show set in the SG universe which could be awesome as well. This is something that has a huge fanbase and Netflix would be wise to take advantage of the fact that they would all love to see this franchise back on the air in some form.

Ok that's the list. Hopefully I'll have another post up tomorrow, until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Cute Explosions

Now you can experience Dragons flying backwards online...

Long-rumored, now officially unveiled, the next Elder Scrolls game will be an MMO. Certainly the framework is pretty much already there, with the consistent world and it's often been described as the equivalent of a single-player MMO, so this certainly seems like a natural evolution. That being said, I'm not sure things will transition all that well, especially the combat. It's certainly more intense and quicker than most MMOs, but it's also really goddamn clumsy. And while the graphics of other MMOs may not be as detailed, that also means no huge clipping or glitching issues on a decently powerful machine. Bethesda is a company known for releasing promising yet bug-ridden games, it's going to be harder to get away with that in an MMO, so hopefully Bethesda will test it as thoroughly as humanly possibly before actually releasing it into the public.

Let the season of geek movies begin! Tomorrow, arguably the biggest (and possibly the best judging by the whopping 92% it's got on rotten tomatoes right now), The Avengers, directed by uber-nerd icon Joss Whedon, opens in theatres. Sadly I won't get to see it til next week due to my schedule but as soon as I get to see it I will post my review. This is clearly a huge test for Marvel and Whedon, but considering the movie has already grossed over $280 worldwide and hasn't even opened in the states yet, I'd say that test has been easily aced. It's a nice bit of validation for us long-suffering Whedon fans and Whedon himself, I'm sure. It's also a nice message to Fox that they are fucking idiots for killing two of his shows before they even got out of the gate really. It'll be nice to know he's got the pull of being an a-list Hollywood director the next time he wants to do something more along his usual brilliant quirkiness.

That's really all I have for today but I should have another post up tomorrow, until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Expendables II

You say shameless rip off like it's a bad thing...

It's been rumored for awhile now, and Sony's own mascot brawler title has officially surfaced, with the ridiculously long and terrible title of Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. But the surprising thing is just how much of a blatant knock-off of Nintendo's Super Smash Bros series this is. There are certainly other 4-on-4 brawlers similar but this is so close Sony's legal department has to be keeping a tight watch on it. Of course, as long as you accept the fact it's a shameless rip off, if it's a well-done shameless rip off, there's a lot of fun to be had. Personally I'm all for seeing the likes of Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank and Kratos mix it up.

Arguably Sony's biggest problem is going to be having a roster that people give a shit about. Yes, they have a pretty big and varied stable of characters, but nothing anywhere near the level of Nintendo. Even the more oddball characters like Nes or Roy have a cult following. Once you get past the few top tier characters Sony has, you've run out of characters anyone gives a rat's ass about. Random dude from Killzone? Fat Princess? That's not someone anyone cares about playing. I'm pretty sure the developers said there would be some third-party characters as well. Hopefully that will sufficiently swell the roster and there will be some nice surprises come E3 when I'm sure a good portion (though probably not all) of the roster will be revealed.

That's it for today, I'll most likely be back Monday or Tuesday with another post. Until then, here's your BIG BANG OF THE WEEK:

5 reasons the Big Bang Theory sucks (and 5 reasons it's great)

The Big Bang Theory is one of the biggest sitcoms out there, it's wildly popular, but also wildly divisive. There is a rather large geek contingent that considers it insulting and stupid, not too mention it competes against the less popular Community, which has a small but fiercely loyal crowd. I happen to be a fan of the Big Bang Theory, but I can also see why some treat it with such vitriol. So here are 5 reasons Big Bang Theory is one of the worst things to happen to nerds since Revenge of The Nerds, and 5 reasons it's one of the best.

Reasons it sucks:



#5. Canned Laughter:  It is 2012 right? Who still uses canned laughter for virtually all their sitcoms? Just CBS. It's a relic and a crutch for mediocre stuff that has to tell it's audience when something's funny. Because really, how will we know if something's funny unless someone else tells us?

#4. The humor is stupid: For a show about nerdy scientists, most of the jokes are pretty dumb. Much of the humor relies on old standards like stereotypes, prat falls, and random references without much rhyme or reason.

#3: It's Insulting to us nerds and geeks: This isn't really a show about us, it's a show that makes fun of us and for evidence of this all you have to do is look at Penny. She is specifically there to react like the average CBS viewer and be confused when somebody says anything remotely intelligent and just be stunned/amused that grown men play video games, enjoy sci-fi read comics and watch anime.

#2: The characters don't evolve: This is true of many sitcoms, but it doesn't make BBT any less guilty. Raj is the perfect example. He has spent the entire show being unable to talk to women except when drunk or on drugs with wacky side effects. In real life this would cripple more than just his chances of getting laid, it could ruin his career (except in a Chuck Lorre show, where no woman is in charge of anything, more on that in a bit). In 5 years he should've made some smidgen of progress in this area, but not on a CBS sitcom, hell no.

#1: Chuck Lorre is the Michael Bay of sitcoms: Seriously, take a look at this guy's "greatest hits"-Cybill, Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men and Mike Molly. Truly the picture of mediocrity at its finest. But it's also not just mediocrity, Lorre's shows all pretty much look the exact same, and he just seems to have a really weird and negative attitude towards women in general, this shines through the most in the truly awful Two & Half Men, but you can see plenty of it in Big Bang Theory. Amy Farrah Fowler is possibly the smartest character on the show, but nearly all jokes she's involved in are about her possible lesbian attempts with Penny. And speaking of Penny, does anyone know her last name? Oh I guess the primary female on a Chuck Lorre show doesn't get one.

Ok, enough with the negativity, after all I actually really enjoy the show, and here's 5 good reasons why:

5. There is smart humor: Yeah there are some dumb easy jokes, but there's a ton stuff only nerds will really appreciate. Like the various made up games, the huge amount of references to sci-fi and geek culture in general and the random comic book debates are all things that nerds love and will laugh hysterically at and the average viewer won't have a clue why it's funny.

4. Great Nerdy guest stars: Who cares about Wil Wheaton, the whiny kid from Star Trek being on Big Bang Theory? I sure as hell do. The list of geek-approved guest stars runs the gamut from pretty well known icons like Leonard Nimoy & Brent Spiner to more obscure ones like Steve Wozniak and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Sure it may be geek pandering, but hey somebody's pandering to geeks, that's awesome!

3. It celebrates nerds: Yeah it pokes fun at us, but like the saying goes, if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? And while it pokes fun, it also gloriously basks in some of the nerdiest aspects of geek culture. The characters take a lot of pride in the things they enjoy, and so does the show.

2. The characters actually do evolve:While I will give you Raj as an example of someone who hasn't really changed in the course of the show, everyone else has. Howard is getting married, Sheldon is more empathetic (though he's still Sheldon) and sort of has a girlfriend. Leonard & Penny's relationship is constantly changing, which is perfectly realistic. Granted it's not on the same level as Community, but saying the characters don't evolve means you aren't regularly watching the show, but even then you can still enjoy it. Which leads me to my final good thing:

1. It's inclusive: Community is a great show, but the show and it's fans make you feel like you are being punished if god forbid you haven't watched from the very beginning or missed a couple episodes. You can't randomly watch an episode of Community, you won't know what the hell is going on. You can however, randomly watch most Big Bang Theory episodes randomly and just enjoy them. Also, much like Penny hanging out with the guys, you don't have to be an uber-nerd to get all the jokes and references, there's at least a little something for everybody. Some may point that out as weakness, that the show is too broad and not strictly made for nerds, I say it's a great step towards nerds gaining more mainstream acceptance.

Ok that's it for today, I should have another post up this weekend, until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Lawless

Dragons. Must be Tuesday....

Yup another game involving dragons. Though the twist being that this is a Japanese developer's(Capcom) take on a western-style rpg, being far more action oriented than most rpgs you see out of Japan. Will it succeed? Well, the game release is still about a month away, but Capcom released a demo you can check out now on 360 and later today on the PS3. It seems to play a hell of a lot like Dark Souls, with very little hand-holding and enemies that if you're not careful, will kill you quite easily. A very interesting mechanic is the ability to grab things. It sounds really simply just stating it like that, but you can throw various items at enemies, small enemies at each other, and you can climb on large enemies. This is such a simple and yet awesome idea it's kind of a wonder it's not really a staple. Climbing on a massive griffin and relentlessly stabbing it is a great thrill that might never get old.

It does seem lacking in personality, with environments that look like they were ripped straight out of Dragon Age: Origins, but it's hard to get that across in a short demo. I know Capcom is taking a big gamble on this being one of their big new IPs, so hopefully it'll be successful. It is something I'm very interested in picking up if I have time, but I'm pretty front-loaded as is, and I doubt that'll change in a month's time, so hopefully somewhere down the road.

That's it for today , I should hopefully get another post up tomorrow. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK:  Labyrinth iXi

Making the case for day one dlc...

This is an image that Rocksteady has been teasing tied to supposedly new dlc for Arkham City. In addition to pretty obviously being Harley Quinn, it's also been heavily rumored that Robin will feature in some solo DLC as well. Sounds great, the problem? Arkham City came out in October of last year. That's virtually a lifetime for a videogame. I loved it, but I beat it and it's done. I have virtually no interest in it now. I probably would have if it had come out within a couple months of release, but I've moved on, and my bet is most other gamers have too.

That being said, since Arkham City has been confirmed for the Wii U, it would be at least a nice bonus for anybody who waited for that release. Those combined with something  showing why the Wii U version would be superior through unique features could make a strong case for buying ports on the Wii U versus the other systems. I'm not saying games should always have day one dlc, but if they want gamers to stay invested they probably need something to trickle out every couple of months.

We know Skyrim is getting DLC and it'll be a massive expansion. But really, unless I've got nothing else on plate, it seems unlikely I'll be interested because again it's been too long. Though I haven't bought any myself, I think one game that's a good example of properly doling out dlc is Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. They've already come out with 2 fairly meaty DLC expansions and the game has only been out two months. That's a great enticement for people who really enjoyed the game and want more of it to keep playing at a pretty reasonable pace. I'm actually mild surprised there hasn't been any Mass Effect 3 single-player dlc as of yet but my guess is the negative reaction to the ending and admittedly ridiculously corporate message of "buy dlc!" at the end may have pushed initial plans back until they release that extended ending dlc and the heat has died down a bit.

Bottom line, DLC is a tricky beast, and it's important to do it right. And it may not fair to developers hoping to get a little extra cash, but there's a window and I think it's pretty much closed for Arkham City (and possibly Skyrim for that matter at the rate they are going). Sure it will sell, but probably not nearly as much as if it had been released already instead of up to several months from now.

That's all for today, I should be back on Monday with a new post. Until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Struck By Lightning

God of Bore....

Now for the record I'm really not opposed to a new God of War game, but I was hoping a new game would take it in a different direction. We've now had no less than 5 seperate games of Kratos wreaking havoc all over Greek mythology. A prequel isn't going to change that I'm betting. Either a new setting or a new protagonist (arguably both) is strongly in order. I'm pretty sure some new equivalent of Kratos in a different culture (Eqypt would probably be the most obvious, but there are plenty of other interesting options as well). Honestly I was getting a little bored with the whole theme by the end of God of War II, and III just seemed completely unnecessary.

Horror movies mostly seem to follow a similar formula. You've seen a few, you've pretty much seen them all. Cabin in the Woods knows this, and uses it in extremely brilliant ways to subvert your expectations. It manages to be savagely funny, have a couple good genuine scares, and some nice surprise pop-ups from a couple Joss Whedon alums as well. To really discuss the plot would be to spoil the surprise, but needless to say this goes well beyond your average group of dumb teens getting slaughtered in the woods. Easily the smartest horror film in over a decade, even if you aren't really a fan of horror films (especially if it's because they are all the same) you'll probably get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

That's pretty much it for today I should be back tomorrow with another post though. Until then here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: 2am Truck Stop

The Witching Hour...

I don't think the Witcher 2 could've planned it's console release this Tuesday better if developer CD Projekt Red were clairvoyant. In the wake of Mass Effect 3's failure to deliver on it's promise of true choice and consequences for your actions, Witcher 2 is already acclaimed for and prides itself on its protagonist, Geralt, for making grey choices in a world where nothing is simple. It also is one of those games that prides itself on not being particularly welcoming to newbies, as one of the common complaints is that it has rather unforgiving combat and complex systems that it doesn't bother explaining much.  I'm certainly interested in trying it out, but admittedly I've got far too much on my plate to fit in another 30-40 hour epic rpg at this point, so I'll get it somewhere down the line.



Roger Wilco returns? Most likely not, but the creators of the legendary and completely awesome Space Quest have re-united to bring us something new. Odds are it'll be right up there with the newer Monkey Island games & Sam and Max adventures in terms of awesome bizarre humor. Hell even Leisure Suit Larry is trying to get back into the game. It really is great to see all these old school adventure series making a comeback as its the stuff I pretty much got started on. Now if they could bring back Maniac Mansion I'd pretty much be completely content.

Super Mario 4? Hell technically we're up to about 15 Super Mario titles (and that's not counting various spin-offs), but officially there's never been a Super Mario "4". So now that Nintendo has gone and registered "Super Mario 4" as a domain name, people are speculating about what exactly that means. Most likely it'll be something that's a callback to the earlier 8 & 16-bit titles, but Nintendo's never really been afraid to do bold and daring gameplay with their core titles, so it also wouldn't surprise me to see Super Mario 4 as a premiere Wii U title that balances old school gameplay with showing off the new features of Nintendo's latest system. Hopefully we'll find out at E3 which isn't too far off.

That's it for today. I might have another post up Monday, but will most definitely have one up by Wednesday. Until then here's your BIG BANG OF THE WEEK:

The Legend Continues...

The Legend of Korra probably has an extremely unfair legacy to live up to. Avatar: The Last Airbender, is easily one of the greatest animated series ever, flawlessly blending action, humor and heart and managing to tell an extremely tight story in 3 short but amazing seasons. And after the extreme horror that was M. Night Shamaywatchamacallit's "vision" of Airbender on the big screen, this was pretty much fans' last hope for anything remotely salvageable from the franchise.

So to say expectations are unrealistically high is an understatement. Does it manage to live up to them? Hard to say after just one episode, but the premiere episode does show a lot of promise and flair and seems to be a worthy follow up so far. It manages to touch plenty on the past series, have an interesting new heroine to follow in Korra, and a few enemies more complex than the simple rule the world fire thugs that dominated the previous show. There's still a lot of unanswered questions, such as who will be Korra's inevitable buddies and how well they will compare to Aang's, and whether her enemies will have any real depth to them. But if the first episode is any indication, this will be just as good as it's predecessor. If you want to watch it for free and don't have cable, you can download it off Xbox marketplace, and if you haven't seen the original, it's available on pretty much everything including Netflix streaming so do yourself a favor and catch up.

The Wrath of the White Witch is easily on of my most anticipated games coming out for the PS3. The combination of Studio Ghibli and Level 5 is a no-brainer instant classic. Sadly it's been delayed til 2013 already, but here's the first English trailer in the meantime:



That's really all I have today but I should have another post up tomorrow, til then here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Schoolgirls vs. Orcs

When Worlds Colllide....

In the realm of PLEASE GOD LET THIS COME OUT HERE: Sega, Capcom and Namco are making a crossover game. No not a fighting game (though that would be great too), but a strategy RPG. Granted, this is hardly the first game of this type. And in fact, previous similar crossover efforts have not gone so well (i.e. Namco x Capcom), but I'll hold out hope that an rpg that sees Mega Man team up with Yuri Lowell as one of the most awesome things ever.



I'm pretty in the know on voice actors between playing video games and watching various animated shows, but it still blows me away occasionally finding out who voiced some of my favorite characters over the years because there's usually a lot of crossover and the really talented voice actors can do completely different voices for different characters. So I'm extremely excited to see this documentary that really gives them a little spotlight though it still seems like its a ways from coming out.

And it looks like we finally have one of the first horror movies in years worth checking out in Cabin in The Woods, which although his actual level of involvement is questionable (he's listed as a co-writer) is basically being treated as Joss Whedon's take on horror. The important part is this probably has the best reviews of a horror movie in years if not decades. I'll be checking it out Tuesday and I'll be sure to post my review on here. I also know I haven't been mentioning movies in theatres or dvd releases as much lately, but I'll try and work on that and at least post if something important and geeky is out, which admittedly there hasn't been a ton of so far this year anyways.

That's it for today, I should definitely get another post in this weekend, I'll try and aim for two. Until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Looper

Xenosaga....

So I've logged around 6 hours with Xenoblade Chronicles so far, not enough to give an in-depth review but certainly enough to give some fair impressions. This is one of the more fun rpgs I've played in awhile, for a Wii game the graphics are tremendous but it's clear that this would benefit highly from the power of an HD console. The battle system, which plays out quite a bit like FFXII is extremely addictive and I love that much like an MMO battles take place right there without going into another field. The full voice acting (which is all-around pretty stellar) and achievement system are nice bonuses. And unlike many jrpgs, it includes a great fast travel system and a save anywhere feature not too mention a generous checkpoint system which really makes running into powerful enemies that kill you quick much less frustrating.

However there is one major area where the game falters and that's quest management. It's just a mess. There's no efficient way to even just list the quests you currently have, but you also can't place markers and at best the game only gives you a very vague idea of where to go rather than just having the markers on the map like virtually every other rpg in existence. Granted for quests where you have to kill X amount of a certain monster or find items that just randomly spawn thats fine, but many involve finding specific NPCs and since they actually do move around on their own internal schedule, something that tells me where the hell to find them would remove a lot of frustration. Also, some of the game's systems are not explained very well, specifically the "heart-to-hearts" which are optional scenes you can activate to increase party affinity. But all I ever seem to get is ones I don't currently have the correct characters for. It's kind of pointless to have those markers there if I can't use them, other games (i.e. the Tales series) have similar features where such scenes can simply be triggered at the right moment, there's no reason they couldn't do the same here.

But it's really a minor complaint for an otherwise amazing game. If you like rpgs at all there is pretty much no reason not to pick this up, it's a real gem and between this, Skyward Sword and Last Story, I probably will spend more time playing my so-called dead system more than any other this year.

That's all for today, should probably have another post up Tuesday or Wednesday.

Bioware Caves. Bad Bioware...

So in a not completely surprising move, Bioware has caved to the more pissy "fans" and is offering an "extended" ending DLC to come out at some point this Summer. This is seriously a terrible precedent, there is no other way to put it. Even if this was something they had planned and had to move ahead(which seems possible, because it would be very difficult to throw something like this together in just a few months), then the game was rushed and released unfinished. At least they aren't stupid enough to try and charge for it. I can't imagine what this extended ending will contain that will possibly satisfy the ones so pissed they demanded a change anyways, odds are it won't since Bioware claimed it's not altering the ending, just explaining it more. Regardless, I don't think this move will pacify these trolls and will just make them think that if they whine & bitch enough, they can get whatever they want changed.

Moving on, when Epic Mickey 2 was announced, I was pretty skeptical, as I said previously, it had some great ideas, but was more or less unplayable. Well consider me officially excited, as this 10-minute gameplay video seems to show a playable game with a camera that actually frakking works:



Add to that a 3DS version that's supposed to be an homage to the classic Castle of Illusion, and this may be the first game I buy for two systems.

Finally, tomorrow, the long-awaited Xenoblade Chronicles is out. Frankly if you own a Wii and want finally to send a message that yes, there really is an audience on the Wii (and therefore most likely the Wii U) for a critically acclaimed core title and not just people who only play Wii Sports and Just Dance, this is one of your last chances to do so. Buy it BUY it BUY IT.

That's really all for today but I should still be able to cram in one more post this weekend. Until then, here's your BIG BANG OF THE WEEK:

WoW on Wii U?

So over the last couple days there have been conflicting reports about the Wii U's power. Originally it was reported to be up to twice as powerful as the PS3 and 360, which given how long those systems have been out, isn't a big surprise. Then reports came out that it isn't even on par with what 360 & PS3 can do now. There's seems to be no real consensus, but hey as long as you can bring me this:



I could care less what the specs say.

One extremely interesting tidbit that's come out of all this is that the controller seems primed for MMOs which could be a key difference in distinguishing itself and its library. MMOs are still pretty much in their infancy on consoles. A key franchise like WoW, which believe me they have been trying to figure out how to make that cash cow work on consoles for years or The Old Republic would do wonders for system sales. Dragon Quest X being an MMO would make a lot more sense and could be a showcase for MMOs on the Wii U. So hopefully at least this is true because it could be a key weapon for Nintendo in the next round of the console wars.

Ok That's really all I have for today but I should definitely have a post up Saturday or Sunday with early Xenoblade Chronicles impressions. Til then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Ragnarok Eternal

This is all you need to know about Star Wars Kinect...

Ok, so Star Wars is officially dead to me and really should be to any nerd, even Michael Bay and Uwe Boll on their best day could not fuck up beloved characters this bad. But really this highlights all the real problems with Kinect as a platform as well. You probably could've had a compelling core title using the Star Wars license that showed Kinect was more than a gimmick, instead tomorrow's release is basically a minigame collection, almost seeming more like a hastily thrown together tech demo than anything else. But Star Wars has gotten to the point where it's almost more a kiddy franchise than anything that somebody who saw the original movies can even relate to, so it will probably sell a million copies easy.

Is Sega dead? Well they certainly haven't been the powerhouse software developer that they were back in the day when they were still making consoles, and if the latest news of massive layoffs and outright cancellation of all but a few titles most likely means it may be awhile before we see the Sega that brought us daring original stuff such as Shenmue, Phantasy Star Online, Bayonetta, Madworld and so on. If ever. It's been a rough decade or so with a lot of bad decisions and too much reliance on licenses rather than actual gameplay to sell. As a former stalwart Sega diehard, I hold out hope that someday they'll get back in shape, but I'm not holding my breath.

All right, that's it for today, I should certainly have a post up Friday with some thoughts on Xenoblade Chronicles. In the meantime, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Total Recall

The Indoctrination Theory and why it doesn't matter....

In case you get bored or just don't have the time to watch a nearly 25 minute youtube video, this seems to be the popular theory by fans lately on why Mass Effect 3's ending was so vague and incoherent: Shepard has been slowly indoctrinated throughout possibly the whole series and the end of the game is actually taking place in his head. The final decision you make basically whether or not you succumb to said indoctrination. There is a lot of strong evidence for this, the slight but noticeable differences in the endings, things from the dream sequences, and frankly it would probably be the only way any future DLC would make any real sense.

The problem with that, whether its what Bioware planned from the beginning or if it's how they decide to officially explain things is that this was supposed to be the end, the culmination of Shepard's journey. Sure we can have more Mass Effect titles, that would be great. but again and again we have been told Shepard is done. For him and for a good portion of his crew, there is no Mass Effect 4 or MMO or whatever. If this theory is even the slightest bit correct, that's really just as bad because then Bioware didn't even give us an ending, good or bad. Then they possibly want us to pay for the "real" ending whatever that is? Admittedly I might be willing to accept something free that further explained things, but as I previously said asking us to pay just to see the ending is beyond ridiculous.

So really the only way the Indoctrination theory makes sense is if Mass Effect 3 isn't the end of Shepard's story (which admittedly is kind of hinted at when the old man and the little boy are talking in the end). But it's supposed to be. I'll be all excited about an announcement of Mass Effect 4, as long as Shepard has little to no part in it. Doing otherwise feels like a huge cop out.

That's all for today, I will most likely have another post up by Tuesday. Until then, here's your BIG BANG OF THE WEEK:

Seriously just fuck you Capcom....

I don't know how this happened, but somewhere somehow Capcom has quickly gone from one of the most respected game companies to one of the worst and most shameless. Granted, they've been milking their biggest franchises with little innovation for years, but their was usually cool original stuff to go with it whether it was a new take on an existing franchise that could use a reboot, or totally new IP. Then they went and killed Mega Man. Even for Capcom, they are pushing it too much on their main franchise, Resident Evil, by releasing several titles this year alone.

And now, they are releassing new DLC for their newest franchise, Asura's Wrath, that will include the "true conclusion" of the game. Granted, I have no idea how Asura's Wrath originally ends, as I found it to be pretty shallow and no interest in finding out, but as Capcom is hoping it's a new franchise in the making, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't tie up much of the story, that's what sequels are for. But then, you get a whole new game to play in addition to the ending, not just some extra addition that basically seems to say even though you paid your hard-earned money for the game, you have to pay more to get the real ending. I can't see how anybody would see this as anything less than desperately trying to squeeze your customers for every penny you can. To be completely fair I can't imagine Asura's Wrath being so compelling that anyone would pay money just to see the "real" ending, but it's really the precedent here that matters. Think of one people are a lot more invested in, like say Mass Effect 3. Sure the reaction is overwhelmingly negative, but it's an ending and most of us spent well over a hundred hours of our time to get there. What if you had to pay to get some "real conclusion"? A surprising percentage of commenters on various boards I've seen even seem ok with this, as long as they get whatever ending makes them satisfied, obviously that's a terrible, terrible idea. Do you want the Scooby Doo ending where it was Old Man Withers under a rubber mask all along? $10 Please.

Hopefully this will be a terrible failed experiment because frankly a future where I have to pay just to see a real ending of games I enjoy is one where I'm probably not buying very many games anymore....

That's all for today, I should get another post up by this weekend, in the meantime here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Jungle Wars

Eternal Damnantion?

In the most unlikely sequel news, 2 of the quirkiest games released in the last decade might be getting well deserved sequels. The first has been in demand for awhile, as developer Silicon Knights has said their next project would be follow-up to one of their most requested IPs. They really only have 2 IPs worth mentioning-The Legacy of Kain series and Eternal Darkness. And no one cares that much about Legacy of Kain, so hopefully that only leaves a sequel to the completely crazy and incredibly awesome Gamecube exclusive. The inherent randomness and weirdness of the franchise could certainly benefit from the Wii U's unique controller and that is supposedly the system they would be developing the follow-up for. As much as I'd love a sequel, Silicon Knights hasn't made a good game since the Gamecube days. In fact their last couple, Too Human and X-Men Destiny were fairly high-profile disasters. So as excited as I want to be for this possibility, I gotta wonder if it's some last ditch effort to do reclaim some past glory.

Suda 51 is arguably the craziest developer out there with games that flaunt non-traditional characters, gameplay and storylines such as No More Heroes and Killer 7. Arguably his most grounded work to date, Shadows of the Damned (imagine Resident Evil crossed with From Dusk til Dawn), received really solid reviews but pretty much died at retail in part thanks to virtually no marketing for it. I recently picked it up as part of a buy 2 get one free deal and am very entertained by it so far but it is really short so I admittedly might have felt cheated paying a full $60 for it (I'm hoping Lollipop Chainsaw, his next title will be much longer cause it looks very awesome). So it's surprising and awesome that a sequel is apparently seriously being considered. Hopefully if this does happen some serious marketing will actually be put behind it and it will make up for the failure of the first one.

That's all for today, should hopefully have another post up by Thursday. Until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Host

Flying too close to the sun....

Few franchises are like Kid Icarus. Even though it only has 2 previous games to its credit, the last being waaaayyyy back in 92, it has remained a popular franchise despite being practically buried by Nintendo. Sure he made a brief resurgence in the Smash Bros series, but that was no reason to believe there would be a whole new entry in the series. Then when the 3DS came out, a new Kid Icarus game was touted as one of the premier titles for the system. It took nearly an extra year but now it's finally here, and does it live up to the hype?

It depends on who you ask really, but all the reviews seem to agree on one thing-the controls for the on-ground sections are downright uncomfortable, sometimes to the point of causing pain. You think this would lead to a near universal panning, but again depending on the review you read the game is either awesome despite these control issues, or terrible because of it, and again, the reviews seem to all say the same things, the dialogue is funny, the upgrade system is slick, the graphics are top notch, etc. But the scores still tend to drastically differ. Granted I got done with Super Mario 3D Land months ago and am getting tired of only having Mario Kart 7 & Find Mii II to play, but I don't plan on buying a game I can't really get a serious try when the controls are such a divisive issue. This is where Nintendo's recent openness to demos would really come in handy in deciding to make a purchase or not. Since I can't really try before buying, I think this'll be a pass for now and just hope something else comes along soonish.


-That's all I have for today, I'll try and get another post in this weekend, until then here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: The Adventures of Zomboy

Excuse me, this FFXIII-2 has some Mass Effect in it!

Yup, that's the main characters from FFXIII-2, Noel & Serah, wearing N7 armor from the Mass Effect series. It actually looks really cool, but for some reason it's only available in Japan, which really makes no sense because no one cares about Mass Effect in Japan, it's sold less than 10,000 copies. Hopefully it'll make its way over here soonish, as though I don't currently own FFXIII-2, I plan on picking it up at some point.

Ok, I really think this whole Mass Effect 3 ending thing is getting way out of hand. Filing complaints with the BBB, Amazon offering refunds, and it sounds like Bioware might really be caving in and at least offering some DLC that offers more explanation, closure, Shepherd becoming the new Doctor Who companion, whatever. Ok, the ending was bad, we get it. But Bioware changing it is an enormous mistake. This will set a bad precedent, period. Frankly, if the fans are truly that annoyed, the solution shouldn't be paying Bioware money for DLC anyways. Besides, we already have the perfect ending:



Epic Mickey 2 has just been announced, yay? It's coming to pretty much all platforms this time, and it does seem like they are doing something very different and unique, with it being a "platformer musical". But I was extremely disappointed by the first game so at best I will approach this with cautious optimism.

That's all I got for today, I should be back tomorrow or Friday with thoughts on Kid Icarus: Uprising along with some other stuff. In meantime, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK:  Dark Shadows

Aftermass....

So I just beat Mass Effect 3. It was a harrowing epic filled with great and tragic moments, coming to a conclusion that well, there's been plenty of discussion about. I think it would be nearly impossible to please all parties involved, I mean if you had a super-perfect happy ending...

You'd probably have people bitching that it's unrealistic Hollywood-esque shclock. That being said, an ending that puts you in company with  Lost and Battlestar Galactica and FF7 with a vague cutscene that offers no real closure and explains nothing. Some people complained it removed true choice which is probably valid. Overall my reaction was probably much like my Shepard's. It was a thrilling ride, but damn I'm just ready for it to be over, so what actually transpired didn't really do much for me. I will say in my opinion, the ending shouldn't have been a choice at all, it should've been a culmination of everything you've done thus far, that would actually put some real weight behind this being a true trilogy where everything supposedly matters when in the end it really didn't amount to all that much. Maybe that's too much to ask for with all the variables, but considering they were able to offer 2 drastically different endings on Knights of the Old Republic I think several vastly different endings based on your decisions up until that point (or even 2) wouldn't have been too much of a stretch. And now Bioware has essentially said that DLC will offer more explanation and closure. That's pretty goddamn ridiculous. If this is the ending you wanted Bioware, that's fine, I'll support that, but don't cave in because pretty much anything by consensus is terrible.

The other thing I'd really like to address is the multi-player. It is incredibly fun and well-done, but also a clear sign of EA's influence here, not because of the multi-player itself. Sure people bitch about having mp put into a series that up until now has been single-player, but before that people were bitching about it only being single-player so that's kind of moot. And while it is well-made and a worthy diversion all on its own, clearly EA felt that people would just ignore it because if you want any chance of getting the best possible ending choices, you need to play it. Not a ton mind you, I got my galactic readiness rating up to snuff in probably about 6 or so hours of mp games. But the point is Bioware repeatedly said if you didn't want to play the MP you didn't have to. They blatantly lied about it. What's more, good MP can stand on its own, which this is, there was no reason to make it some essential component of the overall game. So shame on both Bioware and EA on this point, it's shady practices.

So where does Mass Effect go after this, because Bioware has stated repeatedly that while this probably the end of Shephard's story, it's hardly the end of this franchise. Well I don't think a continuation would be out of the question. It would mollify a lot of the fan base if Mass Effect 4 took a look at the universe Shepard created. A game where you could finally be a protagonist from another race would be welcome. A prequel (like the one I suggested focusing on Sarren) wouldn't be amiss either. An MMO seems extremely likely, but honestly since nearly everything seems to be trying that route, I wouldn't be too excited about it.
One extremely unlikely but awesome idea would be a strategy game based around it. I'd prefer something turn-based, but real time would clearly work as well. Something in the vein of either Starcraft or if they are going turn-based looking at Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars would be an excellent example.

Ok that's really all I have to say on the subject. I should have another post up by Tuesday. Until then here's your BIG BANG OF THE WEEK:

Too epic for DLC?

DLC can be a great thing when done right. After all it's a great way to expand the life of your favorite games. I've admittedly gotten tons for most Bioware titles, for instance, and it helped me spend more time with some of my favorite games and characters in the better instances. But admittedly sometimes a the end of a game now matter how much I enjoyed it I'm exhausted and relieved it's over and don't really feel like going back to that series until there's another full entry. It can have to do with length but just as often it's the dramatic scope of the game. For instance, I didn't get the Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles, which was by all accounts fantastic. I had literally spent a couple hundred hours playing Oblivion and never even got done with the main quest, but I became the head of most of the guilds, slew thousands of monsters, etc. I felt I was just done with the damn thing one day. Though I didn't put nearly as much time into Skyrim, I easily spent a hefty 60 or so hours, beat the main quest along with  several other major quest lines and really have no urge to take on  more even though any DLC is promised to be sufficiently epic and probably add 30 or more hours to the game.

Though I'm taking a break while finishing Mass Effect 3(which should be finished in the next few days), Kingdoms of Amalur is a game I've been having a lot of fun with, but it's huge open world and couple hundred possible hours of questing just seems so daunting I can't imagine getting DLC for it, and hey there's some coming just around the corner!



Great for someone who wants to squeeze a few more hours I guess, but I'm already getting a solid backlog of rpgs with Xenoblade Chronicles and Witcher 2 being added to that in the next month or so here. I can't ever see getting it.

With Mass Effect 3, it's more emotional impact. This is the end of Shephard's story one way or another, I can't really imagine myself going off and doing some side story afterwards. In the previous games it was different because it really felt like there was still plenty to do and see in this new universe and that there could be plenty of new stories and adventures for the Normandy crew to have. The third entry very much has a finality to it that doesn't really fit adding more. The day one DLC makes even more sense this way.

Does this make DLC for these games a bad idea? Not really I'm sure there are plenty of people who just can't get enough no matter how many hours or emotion they've already invested. I'm just saying for myself that there is too much of a good thing sometimes.

That's all for today. I probably will squeeze in another post tomorrow if I can. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Surprise Bullfight

Aging Gracefully...

Though it's not nearly as renowned as series like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, the Tales series from Namco is a prolific longstanding rpg series dating back to the SNES days. I've played and enjoyed a good portion of them, though some of have never seen the light of day over here in the states. Like many long-running Japanese rpg series, though the stories and characters vary the basic style and gameplay remain pretty much the same. Whether or not that's a selling point can vary, as obviously change is necessary to keep a series from getting tired. Love it or hate it, Final Fantasy tries something new with virtually every entry. But sometimes something familiar is fun to fall back to. Tales hasn't really changed a whole lot since the series moved to 3D, but then again the real time battle system that mixes a light fighting game style and programmable A,I. teammates still manages to be fun and while the characters are usually beholden to rpg/anime cliches they still manage to be entertaining.

Given that the last Tales game I played was Vesperia a few years ago, and in the intervening time anything resembling a traditional jrpg has been hard to come by, and frankly after the Dragon Ages and Skyrims and Mass Effects a little something familiar might be a welcome change of pace. Granted the timing of the release the latest in the series, Tales of Graces F seems odd given that Mass Effect 3 came out just a week ago, and this is coming out just a week later, but smaller titles like this usually have a dedicated enough fanbase that they will actively seek it out. I know I was hoping the original Wii version would come out so I would have an rpg to play on my Wii a couple years ago (that came out in 2009, so it's been a long wait to see this game at all stateside) but I'll gladly take it on PS3 with enhanced graphics and added features as well. I'll certainly understand if people pass on this very traditional, very Japanese rpg, but given that this style of game is getting harder and harder to come by I'll gladly pick this up for that old familiar feeling if not this week, soon after I finish the more modern Mass Effect 3.

That's really all I have for today, I should have another post up by Wednesday, until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Frankenweenie

10 shows Netflix should ressurrect before Terra Nova...

Netflix seems determined to basically have its own slate of original programming, starting with bringing back Arrested Development and now there are already talks of them picking up the recently canceled Terra Nova. But frankly, Terra Nova isn't a good show and it's incredibly expensive. It ultimately seems like a bad investment. There are plenty of other shows that people actually liked that were canceled well before their time. Here's 10 I think Netflix could reasonably do (and no, Firefly is nowhere on this list, because Castle is awesome and it's honestly been too long):

#10: Boomtown-Arguably the best cop show of the last decade, but it didn't even manage two seasons. It's great Rashomon-style perspective, brilliant writing and acting made for truly compelling episodes. Most of the actors are doing other work, but as long as you could find a new great ensemble cast and keep the style and writing it would be awesome.

#9: Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip-A witty drama by Aaron Sorkin about the behind-the-scenes happenings at an SNL type show. It was engaging and original, but also up against the similar but more comedy-focused 30 Rock. You want a prestige drama to show off, this would be a really good choice.

#8: The 4400-You want a great epic sci-fi series that actually has fans and really needs to be brought back? The 4400 fits the bill pretty well, especially since the show ended in a cliffhanger with no resolution. Add to that the show was more a victim of the writer's strike than anything else and it is probably more deserving of a second chance than most.

#7: Torchwood-This Doctor Who spinoff is admittedly extremely uneven, but when it really works it makes for some of the best stuff on TV, and John Barrowman is always worth watching. Though not officially canceled, it would seem in limbo after the underwhelming 4th season, so it could be a smart move for Netflix to pick this cult sci-fi show up.

#6: Dollhouse-I am a huge Whedon fan, but I'll admit Dollhouse was a woefully uneven series. It does seem at least part of that was Fox's constant messing with the show. Granted, Whedon may be too busy to have more than a passing hand in any revival, but the show had a lot of potential that shined through in its better episodes, and anyone one of his regular crew of writers could probably make the show solid if given a chance.

#5: Reaper-Granted Bret Harrison is on "Breaking In", which just recently got rescued from cancellation itself, but he's hardly an essential element of that show. He'd be much better off continuing this supernatural comedy along with the hilarious Tyler Labine and the always fabulous Ray Wise as the Devil. Canceled way before its time, this would be a great quirky offbeat addition.

#4: Justice League Unlimited-One of the greatest animated shows of all time, and it had a ton of stories left to tell. Arguably the best feature of the show was that it could offer compelling and fun episodes about lesser known characters such as Vigilante and Booster Gold. If they were to resurrect this show, it could probably mostly do that and still be really good.

#3: Better Off Ted-Just as brilliant and offbeat as Arrested Development, and equally mishandled by its parent network. BOT was original, biting, uncompromising and just absolutely hilarious. Making this in a comedy block with the returning Arrested Development would make me all kinds of tingly all over, and it should be the same for the people who have managed to catch this brilliant show.

#2: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles-In all reality, this show shouldn't have worked. The last 2 terminator films were pretty bad, and focusing and young John Connor and giving him a hot female Terminator to ogle seemed like really poor ideas. But it managed to be a really awesome show (even making Brian Austin Green of all people cool) and do justice to the first 2 Terminator films. It even got pretty solid ratings, but Fox canceled it anyways. Because they enjoy making nerds cry (seriously, take a look at the long list of awesome shows they have canceled anytime like Brisco County Jr, Firefly, the Lone Gunman, just to name a few). You want an epic sci-fi show that was just on Fox that was actually good? Take this instead of Terra Nova. PLEASE.

#1: Veronica Mars: This was a completely brilliant detective show, and it left a lot of unanswered maddening questions even after resolving it's initial premise of who killed Veronica's best friend. There were several pitches for a change of scenery that all sound great, either just Veronica in college and/or her interning for the FBI several years in the future. Most importantly it's a showcase for Kristen Bell who is one of the great TV actresses' out there, and is being completely wasted on crap like Gossip Girl and House of Lies.  Add in the always great Enrico Colantoni as her dad and that's pretty much all you need to keep this show a winner.

That's the list. Honestly even if Netflix doesn't decide to renew any of these actually great shows, I'd rather they keep Terra Nova dead altogether, because it's seems like they would just spend too much money to justify their investment on a mediocre show when they could either save it altogether or spend it on something original. I should have another post up Saturday or Sunday. Until then, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: The Love Letter

March Massness

Yeah there may be political rallies and college basketball and spring training starting up this month, but all us gamers really care about is the release of Mass Effect 3 and the conclusion of the greatest trilogy of this or possibly any console generation. It's a lot of heavy expectations to meet up to, and there's certainly been some controversy with them essentially shoe-horning in multi-player or daring to have dlc on launch day (and don't even get me started the literally hundreds of dollars of collectibles that also offer dlc). But take all that bullshit noise away, just focus on the actual game, does it deliver on its promise? Well maybe not if you were expecting something like massive space battles against giant Reaper ships, but this game is pretty much about gaining alliances, resources, and morale and doing it in an entertaining and compelling fashion, and at about 10 hours in, I can say so far they manage to do it in traditionally epic Bioware faction. Hell they even managed to make scanning incredibly tense, with reapers able to close in on your location.

Any complaints I have are pretty minor overall-Mainly that they still have limited ammo and especially fuel. It would be nice to be able to outfit your squad members with better armor and whatnot, but it's not a huge deal since they didn't have it in 2. Anyways. even with sky high expectations, I think ME3 would manage to impress anyone not determined to hate it for idiotic reasons like EA now owning Bioware and therefore suddenly making them "terrible".

Will this be the last Mass Effect game we see? Thankfully the odds are that will not as Bioware has repeatedly stated that while this is the end of Commander Shpehard's story, it definitely does not mean this would be the last game taking place in the Mass Effect universe. As long as they can make the stories this compelling and fun, I would love to see future iterations of this series that have a new story and protagonist to focus on.

That's all for today, I should have another post up by Friday. Until then, here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: A Thousand Words