July 30, 2008
Cobwebs
The lack of updates has returned! Hooray! Wait, that's a bad thing. Well then, I'll have some stuff up soon. I'm planning a few reviews and some new features so stay tuned and don't give up on us!
July 26, 2008
Aw wtf
So apparently its okay to be a child molester in Holland as long as you do it on national tv.
July 25, 2008
Lol wut?
I don't know why, but this music video made me laugh and just go "wow" that's cheesy. It's not so much that it's weird, it's just that the special effects look horrible, and odd.
July 23, 2008
Review: The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight, the most anticipated movie of the year, is finally here. It's hard for me to review The Dark Knight because I have mixed feelings about the movie. You should see it for sure, that's a given, and you probably will even if I don't tell you to. The Dark Knight is a sad case of how too much hype can ruin an otherwise good thing. By the time I actually watched the movie, I felt like I'd already seen it. There was just so much hype surrounding the movie that, by the time I saw it, I was already tired of it.
It's just as you would expect: dark, story driven, and with fantastic acting. The Dark Knight is not just an excellent Batman film, it's a great film in general. The believability factor that I seem to love so much is as high as it can be in The Dark Knight. Everything that happens is completely plausible in real life and that really sucks you in. The characters are obviously very well developed, even the Joker and Dent which really have no back story and are "just there". Dent obviously was elected Gotham's DA recently which basically tells you that there is a time gap between the two films. The Joker has no back story in the film and it simply chronicles his rise to power. Of course the Joker is captivating; I enjoyed just hearing him talk simply to try and figure out more about how he ticks. It's a shame that the Joker's gone for good now (though he doesn't die he's been written out of the third film's script) because, even though Heath Ledger is dead, I would have liked to see someone else try to fill his shoes.
The movie obviously plays off emotions like fear and all that very well and is basically "true" to Batman. To try and say that the Joker steals the movie is wrong. All the characters are equally important and necessary. In my opinion, it's an ensemble thing and everyone plays their part amazingly. I even like the new Rachael better than the old one. There's really not a whole lot I can say about the movie without spoiling plot points but I will say that a major character dies, but it's not who you think it is. The one other thing that bothers me about this movie was that everyone was obsessed with the Joker. Was I the only one who wanted to see Two-Face? Several people I know didn't even realize Two-Face was in The Dark Knight or they thought he was just at the end for two seconds. I can assure you that not only is Two-Face in the movie for a good amount of time, and he's awesome. I read somewhere that all the pictures online of him were fake. Well, guess what? That picture I posted a few months back that was a Two-Face concept image was pretty accurate. If you must know, here is a picture:
It's very deep. Too deep for a superhero movie- which is why it's not. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Dark Knight. I'd see it again, too. Maybe it'd be better the second time. In any case, go see it. But you were going to do that anyway, weren't you?
It's just as you would expect: dark, story driven, and with fantastic acting. The Dark Knight is not just an excellent Batman film, it's a great film in general. The believability factor that I seem to love so much is as high as it can be in The Dark Knight. Everything that happens is completely plausible in real life and that really sucks you in. The characters are obviously very well developed, even the Joker and Dent which really have no back story and are "just there". Dent obviously was elected Gotham's DA recently which basically tells you that there is a time gap between the two films. The Joker has no back story in the film and it simply chronicles his rise to power. Of course the Joker is captivating; I enjoyed just hearing him talk simply to try and figure out more about how he ticks. It's a shame that the Joker's gone for good now (though he doesn't die he's been written out of the third film's script) because, even though Heath Ledger is dead, I would have liked to see someone else try to fill his shoes.
The movie obviously plays off emotions like fear and all that very well and is basically "true" to Batman. To try and say that the Joker steals the movie is wrong. All the characters are equally important and necessary. In my opinion, it's an ensemble thing and everyone plays their part amazingly. I even like the new Rachael better than the old one. There's really not a whole lot I can say about the movie without spoiling plot points but I will say that a major character dies, but it's not who you think it is. The one other thing that bothers me about this movie was that everyone was obsessed with the Joker. Was I the only one who wanted to see Two-Face? Several people I know didn't even realize Two-Face was in The Dark Knight or they thought he was just at the end for two seconds. I can assure you that not only is Two-Face in the movie for a good amount of time, and he's awesome. I read somewhere that all the pictures online of him were fake. Well, guess what? That picture I posted a few months back that was a Two-Face concept image was pretty accurate. If you must know, here is a picture:
It's very deep. Too deep for a superhero movie- which is why it's not. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Dark Knight. I'd see it again, too. Maybe it'd be better the second time. In any case, go see it. But you were going to do that anyway, weren't you?
July 21, 2008
Epik Pictur Tyme
I'm sure everyone is anxious to read my review of The Dark Knight and the finale of Avatar, but I'll leave that for tomorrow.
For now, I've gathered my own collection of Epic pictures. They're quite different from Doegab's pictures, though. Most of them are not funny, just awesome. Enjoy!
That's all I got in the vault for now!
For now, I've gathered my own collection of Epic pictures. They're quite different from Doegab's pictures, though. Most of them are not funny, just awesome. Enjoy!
That's all I got in the vault for now!
July 18, 2008
Game Demos and More Trailers
Hot damn! I didn't realize how many kickass games there were at this year's E3! So, yeah, there's a lot. I've been trying to consolidate them, but it's hard to keep track. I'll post some trailers I missed yesterday along with some awesome hands-on demos (because who wants to read about stuff, right?). I'm guessing that the response was enormous because there were over 1,100 hits yesterday alone. Without further wasting of your time, here are the latest and greatest E3 '08 trailers and demos!
That should quench your gaming thirst for now. I'll be back tomorrow (later today, actually) with more!
That should quench your gaming thirst for now. I'll be back tomorrow (later today, actually) with more!
July 16, 2008
E3 Trailer Roundup
E3 is home to the biggest games of the year, all of which got brand new trailers for you to enjoy. Sorry is the quality is not fantastic but it's Youtube. Watcha gonna do?
I'll be back later with a roundup of the live gameplay demos.
*Edit* Yeah... the FF trailer is the PS3 one, but it's exactly the same. The only difference was that the "new" trailer said Xbox 360 at the end. As the trailer says, it'll be exclusive to the PS3 only in Japan so don't worry.
I'll be back later with a roundup of the live gameplay demos.
*Edit* Yeah... the FF trailer is the PS3 one, but it's exactly the same. The only difference was that the "new" trailer said Xbox 360 at the end. As the trailer says, it'll be exclusive to the PS3 only in Japan so don't worry.
PLEASE REMAIN CALM
*EDIT- 10 mins. later...*
Wow, where have I been? So much for all that stuff. Or are they still pulling our leg about telling the tru7h?
Anyone visiting Bungie's homepage this morning was in for a surprise. Late last night, exactly 12 hours before the countdown was to stop, at exactly 7 PM, the countdown froze and a message appeared.
Bungie also refused to call its publisher (that many assumed to be Microsoft) by name, leading many to believe it to be EA or even Nintendo. The message actually makes no mention of a cancellation of the big announcement. It says it was postponed. Both Gamespot and IGN have live streaming coverage of E3 online. Gamespot has a slot at 4:30 (4+3=7) today for a "new Xbox game" and IGN has a TBA for both 4 PM and 10:30 AM tomorrow. Many have jokingly thought of TBA as "The Bungie Announcement". The 10:30 slot could also make sense, as the superintendent left a code behind that adds up to 10:30 (on 7/17... hmmm... 117?). So the announcement could have just been postponed until later today (7 PM, perhaps? 12 hours later?) or maybe even the last day of E3.
Though several Bungie employees have come forward saying that the message is indeed true, they could either be lying or telling the truth. Bungie says they don't joke like this, but the reality is they do. So much so, that I've come to believe that they might be lying about telling the truth just to throw everyone off and they won't expect the announcement when it comes. Or, they are telling the truth and this was all planned from the beginning. The set up with the superintendents telling everyone to "KEEP IT CLEAN", "REMAIN CALM" and "EXPECT DELAYS" was just for this occasion. Bungie planned to stop that countdown at 12 hours just to mess with us, but we were warned ahead of time. With the Bungie community up in arms we must listen to the words of the superintendent who, I believe, was created just for this occasion and has nothing to do with their upcoming game. Finally, in last week's Bungie Weekly Update, Luke Smith told Bungie fans the following:
Be sure to check back regularly for the latest updates on this and other important stories. And keep your eyes pealed to bungie.net in case anything develops.
Wow, where have I been? So much for all that stuff. Or are they still pulling our leg about telling the tru7h?
Anyone visiting Bungie's homepage this morning was in for a surprise. Late last night, exactly 12 hours before the countdown was to stop, at exactly 7 PM, the countdown froze and a message appeared.
From: Harold RyanNeedless to say, I, the rest of the Bungie fan community, was pretty upset. Then I realized there were numerous things that just didn't add up. First and foremost, Harold Ryan is not president of Bungie, but in fact one of their testers. Fishy. Second, Bungie loves the number seven. The original message is exactly seven lines and was posted at exactly seven PM. Third, the homepage has not returned to normal. If Bungie's announcement were really suddenly canceled, one would assume they would revert back to their original homepage with an apology announcement. Instead, they post a "letter" exactly twelve hours before on the homepage and never take it down. The message is actually simply pasted on top of the image that was already there. The entire page, for that matter, has been replaced with one giant image instead of the flash page that was previously there. If you investigate the page source on your internet browser, you'll find two hidden text boxes. One is blank and the other contains some nonsense code that starts with H4sI. Halo 4 Superintendent? If you paste it into your address bar, it brings you back to the same page. The background itself has changed as well. Looking closely, you can see that some of the text in the background has changed, further supporting the claim that original page was replaced with a single image. Some people have reported seeing the countdown in the corner (now frozen at 12) to have changed to display the word "rebooting...". There has been strange activity at the Bungie webcams as well. Yesterday afternoon, they were filled with images of superintendents. Now, only one remains and Master Chief looks angrily into the camera.
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 7:00 PM
Subject: E3 Announce
For the last several months, we've been building toward a reveal of something exciting that Bungie is working on. We were looking forward to sharing that with our fan community during the week of E3. However, those plans were just changed by our publisher.
We realize that many of our fans are disappointed by this turn of events; members of the Bungie team share that disappointment.
When the right time comes, we look forward to sharing this exciting announcement with you. Until then, we appreciate your continued support and patience.
Harold Ryan
President
Bungie LLC
Bungie also refused to call its publisher (that many assumed to be Microsoft) by name, leading many to believe it to be EA or even Nintendo. The message actually makes no mention of a cancellation of the big announcement. It says it was postponed. Both Gamespot and IGN have live streaming coverage of E3 online. Gamespot has a slot at 4:30 (4+3=7) today for a "new Xbox game" and IGN has a TBA for both 4 PM and 10:30 AM tomorrow. Many have jokingly thought of TBA as "The Bungie Announcement". The 10:30 slot could also make sense, as the superintendent left a code behind that adds up to 10:30 (on 7/17... hmmm... 117?). So the announcement could have just been postponed until later today (7 PM, perhaps? 12 hours later?) or maybe even the last day of E3.
Though several Bungie employees have come forward saying that the message is indeed true, they could either be lying or telling the truth. Bungie says they don't joke like this, but the reality is they do. So much so, that I've come to believe that they might be lying about telling the truth just to throw everyone off and they won't expect the announcement when it comes. Or, they are telling the truth and this was all planned from the beginning. The set up with the superintendents telling everyone to "KEEP IT CLEAN", "REMAIN CALM" and "EXPECT DELAYS" was just for this occasion. Bungie planned to stop that countdown at 12 hours just to mess with us, but we were warned ahead of time. With the Bungie community up in arms we must listen to the words of the superintendent who, I believe, was created just for this occasion and has nothing to do with their upcoming game. Finally, in last week's Bungie Weekly Update, Luke Smith told Bungie fans the following:
Future TenseIndeed there are things we are arguing about and things we will make angry videos about, perhaps even point-of-view-truths. This is just phase one. We must wait for the clarifications, the announcements, and of course the things we will love. So I say, do not worry. The announcement is indeed coming, just when you least expect it. It's all been a part of the plan all along. Bungie has fooled a lot of people, but they can't fool me... or my readers. So just hang tight because something big is coming soon. I can feel it.
As a reader, I can only imagine just how frustrating it is to not have any new information just yet. Rest assured, dear vengeful, hypertense reader many things are in motion. Many things. These numerous things include the following:
- Major changes to the Halo 3 Online experience
- Sweet Announcements
- Poignant Clarifications
- Certain-point-of-view Truths
- Things you will love
- Things you will argue about
- Things you will make angry videos about
Be sure to check back regularly for the latest updates on this and other important stories. And keep your eyes pealed to bungie.net in case anything develops.
July 15, 2008
Nintendo & Sony @ E3
Nintendo started the day off bright and early at 9 AM with their press conference. They began by explaining how Wii has had mass appeal, doing well, yadda, yadda, yadda. Then, they announced Animal Crossing: City Folk which looks to be an upgrade of Wild World, which was an update of the original. In this installment, you can travel to and explore the city. Otherwise, it didn't look that different and it's definitely not the MMO that fans had in mind. I can confirm, though, that it will have more than four-player online play. Nintendo designed a new peripheral for the game which is basically a speaker/mic combo so you can chat with your friends. It's not a head set. They went on to announce various casual games like Shaun White Snowboarding that will utilize the balance board and several other games like The Raving Rabbids and the like. Then, Nintendo unveiled their new MotionPlus device which attaches to the Wiimote and creates 1:1 motion control. The possibilities are pretty much endless, but Nintendo chose to unveil a new Wii Sports as the first compatible game. Hooray. Nintendo closed the show with the announcement of Wii Music. It's kind of like a motion-controlled Rock Band, but more like a jam session with a huge instrument variety than a competitive play-along game. For the hardcore, there was only an announcement of a new GTA title exclusively for the DS. That's something, right?
Sony, on the other hand, appears to cater only to the hardcore. They announced several new games like Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Resistance: Retribution for the PSP, and MAG (Massive Action Game), a massive squad-based shooter for up to 256 players. No, your eyes do not deceive you. 256 players. As Naruto would say, "believe it." Sony showed off trailers of other big upcoming games including Resistance 2, GOW3, Infamous (Prototype, anyone?), and LittleBigPlannet. They showed a short video of Home, but failed to give any concrete details on when it would finally hit. Sony also announced some changes to the PlayStation store with the inclusion of movie and video rentals and downloads. Yawn. A little late to the party again, aren't you Sony? Killzone 2 was a no-show at the conference and no release date was announced still (though later it was announced for February 2009). What did show it's face was a project that, I at least, had forgotten about: DC Universe Online. It has promise, but the trailer failed to wow me. It looked like City of Heroes with DC characters. I'd wait it out for Champions Online.
So in review: Sony caters to the hardcore, Nintendo caters to the casual, and Microsoft has displayed the ability to cater to both. Sony unveiled some great new games, but didn't prove how they plan to outdo Xbox Live. Nintendo had plenty of games you can play with your grandmother, but nothing to please the hardcore gamer audience. And neither company had any earth-shattering announcements like the FFXIII one (holy crap, still can't believe it!). At the end of the day, Microsoft's conference may not have been the most engaging or fancy, but it did have great games demoed in real time (unlike Sony who just showed a bunch of trailers) and it did have some great new announcements both software-wise and for the hardware. Though there were no major new game announcements besides a few XBL arcade games (and FF, of course), there weren't any promising new IPs like Sony had. Luckily, Bungie has something planned for tomorrow, and whatever it is, Halo or not, you know it's going to be huge. So Microsoft wins. Bravo. And as much as it pains me to say it, Nintendo comes in last. I used to be a Nintendo fanboy, but now... I'm not so sure any more. Oh Nintendo, what's become of you?
Sony, on the other hand, appears to cater only to the hardcore. They announced several new games like Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Resistance: Retribution for the PSP, and MAG (Massive Action Game), a massive squad-based shooter for up to 256 players. No, your eyes do not deceive you. 256 players. As Naruto would say, "believe it." Sony showed off trailers of other big upcoming games including Resistance 2, GOW3, Infamous (Prototype, anyone?), and LittleBigPlannet. They showed a short video of Home, but failed to give any concrete details on when it would finally hit. Sony also announced some changes to the PlayStation store with the inclusion of movie and video rentals and downloads. Yawn. A little late to the party again, aren't you Sony? Killzone 2 was a no-show at the conference and no release date was announced still (though later it was announced for February 2009). What did show it's face was a project that, I at least, had forgotten about: DC Universe Online. It has promise, but the trailer failed to wow me. It looked like City of Heroes with DC characters. I'd wait it out for Champions Online.
So in review: Sony caters to the hardcore, Nintendo caters to the casual, and Microsoft has displayed the ability to cater to both. Sony unveiled some great new games, but didn't prove how they plan to outdo Xbox Live. Nintendo had plenty of games you can play with your grandmother, but nothing to please the hardcore gamer audience. And neither company had any earth-shattering announcements like the FFXIII one (holy crap, still can't believe it!). At the end of the day, Microsoft's conference may not have been the most engaging or fancy, but it did have great games demoed in real time (unlike Sony who just showed a bunch of trailers) and it did have some great new announcements both software-wise and for the hardware. Though there were no major new game announcements besides a few XBL arcade games (and FF, of course), there weren't any promising new IPs like Sony had. Luckily, Bungie has something planned for tomorrow, and whatever it is, Halo or not, you know it's going to be huge. So Microsoft wins. Bravo. And as much as it pains me to say it, Nintendo comes in last. I used to be a Nintendo fanboy, but now... I'm not so sure any more. Oh Nintendo, what's become of you?
July 14, 2008
Pwned.
So everybody knows by this point that both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero 4 are coming out this fall. But which will reign supreme? Well, we know one thing: who has better drums. The Guitar Hero drums were touted as "the most realistic drum experience ever in a video game." They looked something like this:
That's them there on the far right. While it only have three face pads, it's good to know it has dedicated cymbal pads. It looked like this would surely outdo the Rock Band drums.
Then the first picture of Rock Band 2's premium set showed up:
This baby also doubles as an electronic drum kit. Pwned.
Stay tuned for the latest E3 goodness.
That's them there on the far right. While it only have three face pads, it's good to know it has dedicated cymbal pads. It looked like this would surely outdo the Rock Band drums.Then the first picture of Rock Band 2's premium set showed up:
This baby also doubles as an electronic drum kit. Pwned.
Stay tuned for the latest E3 goodness.
Microsoft @ E3
Having seen the Microsoft E3 press conference earlier today, I can say that it was very Halo-deficient and very awesome.
The conference started out with demos of some of the biggest Xbox games coming out this year. Fallout 3 was shown, for the first time, in real time and it was announced that exclusive downloadable content was coming to the Xbox 360. Fable 2 was shown off, as well, and the seamless multiplayer integration was the star of the demo. The game is officially content complete and will ship in October. A beautiful Gears 2 demo was on display along with a five player co-op mode. The game was announced for November 7. Finally, Resident Evil 5 gameplay was shown for the first time, and the new co-op mode was unveiled. The game will release worldwide on March 13, 2009.
The next part of conference was the shocker: the brand new Xbox interface. Say goodbye to the blades you have come to know and love, because this fall a beautiful new and intricate interface will take it's place. You'll be able to interact with friends and other players like never before with avatars, universal parties, and new gameshow-like games where players compete for real prizes. The new interface resembled cover flow. Microsoft showed that they not only cater to the hardcore, like Sony, but also the casual player, like Nintendo. Microsoft has almost achieved that perfect balance. They showed off a numerous amount of casual games for the XBL Arcade that will appear to a larger audience. A partnership with Netflix was announced that will make available to Netflix and XBL members the entire library of Netflix titles for free. New XBL arcade games were announced as well. Among the big titles were Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2, the original Banjo-Kazooie, and Portal: Still Alive, all exclusive to the Xbox.
Both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero 4 were shown off and it was announced that Rock Band will be exclusive to Xbox this September. The game will ship with 84 songs and will be compatible with all the original's tracks as well. Rock Band has an exclusive partnership with Guns and Roses as well as David Bowie and Van Halen. Guitar Hero 4 will have the new Metallica album, in full, as an exclusive download as well as new music from REM.
Finally, the president of Square Enix takes the stage. He talks about their upcoming Xbox titles : The Last Remnant (Nov. 20 worldwide), Infinite Undiscovery (Sep.t 2 in US), and Star Ocean (March 09). Footage is shown, release dates are announced, and he leaves the stage. Looks like everything is going to wrap up. Then, Mr. Wada comes back. He says he has one more announcement. The footage begins to roll...
HOLY FREAKING CRAP IT'S FINAL FANTASY XIII. FINAL FANTASY XIII!!!! NO LONGER PS3 EXCLUSIVE! OUCH.
No word on any Halo anything, though. No Halo Cronicles, no Halo Wars, no mysterious Bungie project. All we get is this. Counting down to 7:07 on Wednesday morning. Guess we have a little more to wait.
Keep your eyes pealed to IGN.com for the latest scoop.
The conference started out with demos of some of the biggest Xbox games coming out this year. Fallout 3 was shown, for the first time, in real time and it was announced that exclusive downloadable content was coming to the Xbox 360. Fable 2 was shown off, as well, and the seamless multiplayer integration was the star of the demo. The game is officially content complete and will ship in October. A beautiful Gears 2 demo was on display along with a five player co-op mode. The game was announced for November 7. Finally, Resident Evil 5 gameplay was shown for the first time, and the new co-op mode was unveiled. The game will release worldwide on March 13, 2009.
The next part of conference was the shocker: the brand new Xbox interface. Say goodbye to the blades you have come to know and love, because this fall a beautiful new and intricate interface will take it's place. You'll be able to interact with friends and other players like never before with avatars, universal parties, and new gameshow-like games where players compete for real prizes. The new interface resembled cover flow. Microsoft showed that they not only cater to the hardcore, like Sony, but also the casual player, like Nintendo. Microsoft has almost achieved that perfect balance. They showed off a numerous amount of casual games for the XBL Arcade that will appear to a larger audience. A partnership with Netflix was announced that will make available to Netflix and XBL members the entire library of Netflix titles for free. New XBL arcade games were announced as well. Among the big titles were Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2, the original Banjo-Kazooie, and Portal: Still Alive, all exclusive to the Xbox.
Both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero 4 were shown off and it was announced that Rock Band will be exclusive to Xbox this September. The game will ship with 84 songs and will be compatible with all the original's tracks as well. Rock Band has an exclusive partnership with Guns and Roses as well as David Bowie and Van Halen. Guitar Hero 4 will have the new Metallica album, in full, as an exclusive download as well as new music from REM.
Finally, the president of Square Enix takes the stage. He talks about their upcoming Xbox titles : The Last Remnant (Nov. 20 worldwide), Infinite Undiscovery (Sep.t 2 in US), and Star Ocean (March 09). Footage is shown, release dates are announced, and he leaves the stage. Looks like everything is going to wrap up. Then, Mr. Wada comes back. He says he has one more announcement. The footage begins to roll...
HOLY FREAKING CRAP IT'S FINAL FANTASY XIII. FINAL FANTASY XIII!!!! NO LONGER PS3 EXCLUSIVE! OUCH.
No word on any Halo anything, though. No Halo Cronicles, no Halo Wars, no mysterious Bungie project. All we get is this. Counting down to 7:07 on Wednesday morning. Guess we have a little more to wait.
Keep your eyes pealed to IGN.com for the latest scoop.
July 13, 2008
MEGA MOVIE REVIEWS
No posts for a week. That's because I've been watching movies. Lots of movies. I give you five movie reviews:
Hancock
Hancock is a very unpredictable movie. You may know what it's like, but you don't. You know what the first half of the movie is, but you'll soon find that the film is not what you thought it was. It starts out with the Hancock from the commercials. He's a bum, people hate him, he meets a guy who tries to reform him, Hancock becomes a better hero, blah, blah, blah. But then, the tables turn with the inclusion of a major twist. You spend half the movie wondering what the hell Hancock's story is, only to be bombarded with it half way through. It's not what you'd expect, and it's from an unlikely source. Unlike the first, the second half is very much serious. Hancock is a different kind of super hero movie which I, personally, find refreshing. It's humorous, packed with action, and a lot of fun. Go see it. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Get Smart
Unlike Hancock, Get Smart is exactly what you'd expect. It's just a fun action/comedy and nothing more really. It's not deep, there's not underlying meaning. You know what you get with Get Smart. Though it is funnier than I thought it would be. If your looking for some fun, go see Get Smart. If your looking for substance, look elsewhere. At least Steve Carell's character is not a total moron this time around.
Kung-Fu Panda
I liked Kung-Fu Panda better than Wall-E. As with all animated movies, it's geared toward kids, but has some underlying meaning and jokes for the adults. Kung-Fu Panda is a great example of this, but it's not at all depressing like Wall-E. The animation is great and the cast is amazing. In animated movies, it's really the voice cast that makes it, and Kung-Fu Panda has a superb one. Though I can't figure out why they would hire people like Jakie Chan when their character has only two lines of dialog. Nevertheless, Panda is a great, stereotypical, Kung-Fu film, but animated and with animals instead of people. Why aren't there ever CGI movies with people as the main characters?
Hellboy II
I have come to the conclusion that Guillermo del Toro is an imaginative genius. He, no doubt, created a more fantasy-oriented Hellboy to prove to the world that he was ready to take on the Hobbit. He has proved his point well. This movie kicked some major ass, though it definitely takes a different direction than Mike Mignola's Hellboy comic series, though not too much different. I'm fairly certain that this film wasn't based on any particular Hellboy story arc like the first movie was, and was probably written by del Toro himself. It's very full of fantastical creatures and the scene in "the underground troll market" reminded me a lot of the cantina scene from Star Wars. The creatures look very real, too. That's probably because del Toro opts for the use of makeup and real people rather than relying on CGI. The CGI that is in the movie is awesome, by the way.
That all being said, the movie itself was solid. I enjoyed the atmosphere that del Toro created and the main characters (well, three of them anyway) were very well acted and fleshed out. The story is strong and at the same time weak. It seems good at the start, but by the time you get to the end it really doesn't seem that threatening. The story, of course, revolves around The Golden Army, an army of indestructible robots created to defend the elves against the humans in an age long past. A truce was made and the crown, which was used to control the army, was split with one piece going to the humans and two going to the elves. The truce was that the humans get the cities and the elves get the forest. The elvish prince returns to get the third piece of the crown and seek revenge on the humans for destroying the world. That part could have been fleshed out more. I would have liked to seen more of the elves' side of the story. The side of the story we do see is the human side where the BPRD tries to stop the activation of the Golden Army. Though the movie is called Hellboy, I couldn't help but notice that the movie seems to be more focused on other characters- Abe in particular. Which is fine, because Abe is totally awesome. But there was never really a sense of impending doom that would have kept me on the edge of my seat. It seems as though a deus ex machina randomly pops out at the end of the movie so that it can actually have a conclusion; the situation that our heroes weave themselves into would have been impossible to conclude otherwise. There was a scene towards the end that kind of sets up things to come and now I can't wait for the sequel! And I especially can't wait for The Hobbit!
Oh, and as a random factoid, Seth McFarlane voices Johann Krauss (another totally awesome character who consists of ectoplasm in a scuba suit).
Batman: Gotham Knight
The film bridging Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is very unique and well done piece. It consists of six interlocking short films chronicling Batman's rise from a nobody to the caped crusader. Each film has a different director, artist, and writer making for six truly unique experiences. The first, Have I Got s Story For You, tells the story of batman's fight against crime from the perspective of three kids, each with their own interpretation of the Dark Knight. The art in this piece is very stylized, and the most unique of the six. Next, is Crossfire, the story of two cops who get caught in the middle of a gang war and are saved by Batman. This is the most badass batman yet! He walks through freaking fire! Third, is Field Test, in which Batman tries out a new magnetized bullet deflector only to dispose of it after it injures a civilian. In Darkness Dwells is probably the best of the six. While many of the other shorts resemble anime, Dwells is more like a living comic book. It tells the tale of Batman's journey through the sewers of Gotham in pursuit of Scarecrow. Batman must first fight off Killer Croc, however and ends up with an injury with leads to the next piece. Working Through the Pain gives viewers the untold tale of Bruce's journey to India where he trains to suppress his pain. The final film is Deadshot in which Batman must take down Deadshot before he can assassinate Commissioner Gordon. All six films are very well done and, really, you've never seen animated Batman like this before. It's actually very dark and violent... and awesome. I'd give this one a look before you see The Dark Knight this weekend. It'll quench your Batman thirst.
Hancock
Hancock is a very unpredictable movie. You may know what it's like, but you don't. You know what the first half of the movie is, but you'll soon find that the film is not what you thought it was. It starts out with the Hancock from the commercials. He's a bum, people hate him, he meets a guy who tries to reform him, Hancock becomes a better hero, blah, blah, blah. But then, the tables turn with the inclusion of a major twist. You spend half the movie wondering what the hell Hancock's story is, only to be bombarded with it half way through. It's not what you'd expect, and it's from an unlikely source. Unlike the first, the second half is very much serious. Hancock is a different kind of super hero movie which I, personally, find refreshing. It's humorous, packed with action, and a lot of fun. Go see it. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Get Smart
Unlike Hancock, Get Smart is exactly what you'd expect. It's just a fun action/comedy and nothing more really. It's not deep, there's not underlying meaning. You know what you get with Get Smart. Though it is funnier than I thought it would be. If your looking for some fun, go see Get Smart. If your looking for substance, look elsewhere. At least Steve Carell's character is not a total moron this time around.
Kung-Fu Panda
I liked Kung-Fu Panda better than Wall-E. As with all animated movies, it's geared toward kids, but has some underlying meaning and jokes for the adults. Kung-Fu Panda is a great example of this, but it's not at all depressing like Wall-E. The animation is great and the cast is amazing. In animated movies, it's really the voice cast that makes it, and Kung-Fu Panda has a superb one. Though I can't figure out why they would hire people like Jakie Chan when their character has only two lines of dialog. Nevertheless, Panda is a great, stereotypical, Kung-Fu film, but animated and with animals instead of people. Why aren't there ever CGI movies with people as the main characters?
Hellboy II
I have come to the conclusion that Guillermo del Toro is an imaginative genius. He, no doubt, created a more fantasy-oriented Hellboy to prove to the world that he was ready to take on the Hobbit. He has proved his point well. This movie kicked some major ass, though it definitely takes a different direction than Mike Mignola's Hellboy comic series, though not too much different. I'm fairly certain that this film wasn't based on any particular Hellboy story arc like the first movie was, and was probably written by del Toro himself. It's very full of fantastical creatures and the scene in "the underground troll market" reminded me a lot of the cantina scene from Star Wars. The creatures look very real, too. That's probably because del Toro opts for the use of makeup and real people rather than relying on CGI. The CGI that is in the movie is awesome, by the way.
That all being said, the movie itself was solid. I enjoyed the atmosphere that del Toro created and the main characters (well, three of them anyway) were very well acted and fleshed out. The story is strong and at the same time weak. It seems good at the start, but by the time you get to the end it really doesn't seem that threatening. The story, of course, revolves around The Golden Army, an army of indestructible robots created to defend the elves against the humans in an age long past. A truce was made and the crown, which was used to control the army, was split with one piece going to the humans and two going to the elves. The truce was that the humans get the cities and the elves get the forest. The elvish prince returns to get the third piece of the crown and seek revenge on the humans for destroying the world. That part could have been fleshed out more. I would have liked to seen more of the elves' side of the story. The side of the story we do see is the human side where the BPRD tries to stop the activation of the Golden Army. Though the movie is called Hellboy, I couldn't help but notice that the movie seems to be more focused on other characters- Abe in particular. Which is fine, because Abe is totally awesome. But there was never really a sense of impending doom that would have kept me on the edge of my seat. It seems as though a deus ex machina randomly pops out at the end of the movie so that it can actually have a conclusion; the situation that our heroes weave themselves into would have been impossible to conclude otherwise. There was a scene towards the end that kind of sets up things to come and now I can't wait for the sequel! And I especially can't wait for The Hobbit!
Oh, and as a random factoid, Seth McFarlane voices Johann Krauss (another totally awesome character who consists of ectoplasm in a scuba suit).
Batman: Gotham Knight
The film bridging Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is very unique and well done piece. It consists of six interlocking short films chronicling Batman's rise from a nobody to the caped crusader. Each film has a different director, artist, and writer making for six truly unique experiences. The first, Have I Got s Story For You, tells the story of batman's fight against crime from the perspective of three kids, each with their own interpretation of the Dark Knight. The art in this piece is very stylized, and the most unique of the six. Next, is Crossfire, the story of two cops who get caught in the middle of a gang war and are saved by Batman. This is the most badass batman yet! He walks through freaking fire! Third, is Field Test, in which Batman tries out a new magnetized bullet deflector only to dispose of it after it injures a civilian. In Darkness Dwells is probably the best of the six. While many of the other shorts resemble anime, Dwells is more like a living comic book. It tells the tale of Batman's journey through the sewers of Gotham in pursuit of Scarecrow. Batman must first fight off Killer Croc, however and ends up with an injury with leads to the next piece. Working Through the Pain gives viewers the untold tale of Bruce's journey to India where he trains to suppress his pain. The final film is Deadshot in which Batman must take down Deadshot before he can assassinate Commissioner Gordon. All six films are very well done and, really, you've never seen animated Batman like this before. It's actually very dark and violent... and awesome. I'd give this one a look before you see The Dark Knight this weekend. It'll quench your Batman thirst.
July 7, 2008
HAPPY BUNGIE DAY!
It's 7/7. You know what that means. Bungie Day! Even though it's nearly over, you still have time to download the exclusive Bungie Day stuff for free on XBL. What are you waiting for? Hurry up! Times's a wasting! And a reminder that the Legendary Map Pack is at a reduced price today. Only 600 MS Points! What a steal!
As always, keep it clean!
As always, keep it clean!
July 6, 2008
Harry Potter MMORPG? What has the world come to
Yes it's true, their just might be a Harry Potter MMORPG coming out in the near future. Recently, Turbine, a somewhat well known MMORPG company, was given 40 million dollars from private investors. Right after this news, Warner Bros posted on a popular Harry Potter fan site that they are highly considering making a Harry Potter MMORPG.
If it is true that a Harry Potter MMORPG is being made, then their is a very high chance World of Warcraft might soon face competition from a fanchise even more famous than it's own.
July 5, 2008
Happy 4th!
Hope everybody's Fourth of July celebration was full of stuffed pig intestines and colorful explosives!
Though this has nothing to do with that, remember that Monday, July 7th is Bungie Day! Be sure to log on to Xbox Live to download some free stuff including the new map Cold Storage! And as always, remember to keep it clean!
Though this has nothing to do with that, remember that Monday, July 7th is Bungie Day! Be sure to log on to Xbox Live to download some free stuff including the new map Cold Storage! And as always, remember to keep it clean!
July 2, 2008
Best rock songs you've never heard
The List returns with the best rock songs you've never heard! Over the years I've collected many a good song from an obscure band that no one has heard of. I decided to make a list of those along with some other more obscure songs from mainstream bands. And so, here it is (in alphabetical order because that's how they display in iTunes):
Ties That Bind- on Blackbird by Alter Bridge
Though Alter Bridge's first album was nothing special, the band really stepped it up for their second CD. Not only is this the best song on the CD, it's also the band's best song period. Fans of Creed will not be disappointed! For those of you who don't know, Alter Bridge was formed by the remaining members of Creed. They hired a new lead singer and formed Alter Bridge. Finally, this song is now on my list of the best intros in songs. Something about it is just really awesome.
Los Angeles is Burning- on The Empire Strikes First by Bad Religion
You may know Bad Religion from a little game called Crazy Taxi. Other than that, they aren't terribly mainstream. This is one of their newer songs that wasn't in those games. Not only is it catchy as hell, but the music video is awesome! I considered including "Them and Us" on this list, but you may have heard that one from Crazy Taxi. Look it up yourself if you're interested, though because it's a great song.
Hero- by Chad Kroeger
This song was created for the first Spider-Man film. I don't even remember it from the movie and its rarely ever played anywhere. It's a shame, too, because it's a really good song.
Believe- on Believe by Disturbed
It's a title track, so it's not obscure. So why haven't you heard of it? Probably because the band is named Disturbed. It sounds like heavy metal, but it's not. It's about as heavy metal as Korn. It's a shame that so many people would get turned off because Believe is a really, really awesome song.
Madder- on LoveBox by Groove Armada
Yeah, I know. Why would you listen to a song on an album called LoveBox from a band called Groove Armada. How silly is that, right? Well, you know those kind of bands that have one good song and the rest are crap? That's Groove Armada. Listen and judge for yourself. I happen to love this song.
No Leaf Clover- on S&M by Metallica
This song doesn't get played ever. In fact, I've never once heard it on the radio or anywhere for that matter. It's great. The beginning is totally epic and I keep imagining how great this song would be in a game like Rock Band. And, yes, the album really is called S&M.
While I'm on the subject of Metallica, Hero of the Day is another fantastic, obscure song. The music video is bizarre though.
Blue Monday- on ??? by Orgy
And you thought S&M was bad! This band's name is Orgy! Another one hit in a sea of crap. This is a great and very obscure song from a very obscure band. Plus, the music video is very strange and the lead singer is just fucking creepy.
Fly From the Inside- on Leave a Whisper by Shinedown
Hey, these guys are from Jacksonville, Florida! I discovered this song by accident and I'm hooked. It's good stuff all around. And the band isn't creepy to boot.
Downfall- on The Lonely Position of Neutral by Trust Company
Trust Company is a band that no one's heard of, yet they've been given the nickname of "Linkin Park's little brother." While I think most of their stuff is nothing special, this one song rocks.
Anything by Tool- on All of Tool's Albums by Tool
Strangely enough, many people not only don't listen to Tool, but haven't even heard of them. Perhaps because their merchandise is sold at Hot Topic and people think they're really heavy. Well, they're not at all. In fact, there is zero screaming at all. I hate screaming in music, so trust me when I say there's none. Tool does a variety of stuff, from guitar riffs and drum beats that remind me of Metallica to really mellow, atmospheric stuff that sends you on a journey to everything in between. I suggest if you're going to listen to some tool, start here:
Ties That Bind- on Blackbird by Alter Bridge
Though Alter Bridge's first album was nothing special, the band really stepped it up for their second CD. Not only is this the best song on the CD, it's also the band's best song period. Fans of Creed will not be disappointed! For those of you who don't know, Alter Bridge was formed by the remaining members of Creed. They hired a new lead singer and formed Alter Bridge. Finally, this song is now on my list of the best intros in songs. Something about it is just really awesome.
Los Angeles is Burning- on The Empire Strikes First by Bad Religion
You may know Bad Religion from a little game called Crazy Taxi. Other than that, they aren't terribly mainstream. This is one of their newer songs that wasn't in those games. Not only is it catchy as hell, but the music video is awesome! I considered including "Them and Us" on this list, but you may have heard that one from Crazy Taxi. Look it up yourself if you're interested, though because it's a great song.
Hero- by Chad Kroeger
This song was created for the first Spider-Man film. I don't even remember it from the movie and its rarely ever played anywhere. It's a shame, too, because it's a really good song.
Believe- on Believe by Disturbed
It's a title track, so it's not obscure. So why haven't you heard of it? Probably because the band is named Disturbed. It sounds like heavy metal, but it's not. It's about as heavy metal as Korn. It's a shame that so many people would get turned off because Believe is a really, really awesome song.
Madder- on LoveBox by Groove Armada
Yeah, I know. Why would you listen to a song on an album called LoveBox from a band called Groove Armada. How silly is that, right? Well, you know those kind of bands that have one good song and the rest are crap? That's Groove Armada. Listen and judge for yourself. I happen to love this song.
No Leaf Clover- on S&M by Metallica
This song doesn't get played ever. In fact, I've never once heard it on the radio or anywhere for that matter. It's great. The beginning is totally epic and I keep imagining how great this song would be in a game like Rock Band. And, yes, the album really is called S&M.
While I'm on the subject of Metallica, Hero of the Day is another fantastic, obscure song. The music video is bizarre though.
Blue Monday- on ??? by Orgy
And you thought S&M was bad! This band's name is Orgy! Another one hit in a sea of crap. This is a great and very obscure song from a very obscure band. Plus, the music video is very strange and the lead singer is just fucking creepy.
Fly From the Inside- on Leave a Whisper by Shinedown
Hey, these guys are from Jacksonville, Florida! I discovered this song by accident and I'm hooked. It's good stuff all around. And the band isn't creepy to boot.
Downfall- on The Lonely Position of Neutral by Trust Company
Trust Company is a band that no one's heard of, yet they've been given the nickname of "Linkin Park's little brother." While I think most of their stuff is nothing special, this one song rocks.
Anything by Tool- on All of Tool's Albums by Tool
Strangely enough, many people not only don't listen to Tool, but haven't even heard of them. Perhaps because their merchandise is sold at Hot Topic and people think they're really heavy. Well, they're not at all. In fact, there is zero screaming at all. I hate screaming in music, so trust me when I say there's none. Tool does a variety of stuff, from guitar riffs and drum beats that remind me of Metallica to really mellow, atmospheric stuff that sends you on a journey to everything in between. I suggest if you're going to listen to some tool, start here:
- 10,000 Days- The most epic song ever created. Ever.
- The Grudge- A good introduction into Tool's heavier stuff.
- Disposition- A really light, and atmospheric song.
- Vicarious- Just a great hard rock song.
- Right in Two- A song that goes from mellow to hard.
July 1, 2008
I got your anime right here!
You want anime? I got your anime right here! There's a little website called TV-Links that has all the anime you could ever want- and anything else for that matter.
Yes, that TV-Links. I'm as perplexed as you.
Yes, that TV-Links. I'm as perplexed as you.
More Movie Reviews!
Hooray! Everyone loves movie reviews! Expect this many pretty much all summer long.
Wall-E
Wall-E is a sweet tale of a robot love story. Wait. Robots can fall in love? I want' even aware that robots had emotions. As Bender once said: "Robots don't have emotions. And sometimes that makes me very sad." Anyway, it's all rather touching and well done unless your a sad lonely person with no love in your life. Then it just makes you depressed. Other than the whole "love story" thing, the sub-plot/ underlying meaning of the story is enough to make happy people depressed. In Wall-E, earth has become so full of trash that the government tricks its inhabitants into a "seven" year space cruise. Those seven years become seven hundred as they find out that the job of cleaning up was to daunting for the Wall-E robots left behind. So the people of earth evolve into obese, mindwashed blobs as they float through space. Though there was an original intension of recolonizing earth, it was scrapped because the earth was apparently no longer life-sustaining. And so, the captain of the ship sends out robot probes every so often to search for plant life on earth. If one comes back positive, then it is safe to return home. The problem is, shortly after the cruise took off, the ships "AI" was instructed never to return home because it couldn't sustain life. Well, that's where Wall-E and Eve come in. Eve is the probe robot sent to earth who is given a plant that had been accidentally discovered by Wall-E, the last operational clean-up bot on Earh. The two fall in love and... I pretty much just ruined the entire plot. I'm going to shut up now. On one final note, this movie had the best CGI animation ever.
Wanted
Wow. Wanted is the best movie I've seen so far this summer and, quite possibly, this year. It's just so packed full of awesome that I can't even describe it. If you've even heard of this movie, then you know what it's about from the previews. Basically, a young man with a boring job is found by a fraternity of assassins and told he is the son of one of the greatest assassins ever. He's sent to take down a rogue agent that killed his father, but first must under go so
me (painful) intense training. That's about all you need to know. I don't want to spoil anything because the plot takes some surprising turns that I didn't see coming. Pretty much everything about this movie is awesome: the plot, the action, the special effects, etc. But am I the only one who thinks Angelina Jole looks completely goofy when she's angry? Ah, well. It doesn't matter because you get to see her naked ass. On a final note, I had no idea this was based on a comic. That puts it way up there on my list of best comic book movies. Oh, and if the name Sloan sounds familiar, that's because it's the name of a company that makes toilets.
Wall-E
Wall-E is a sweet tale of a robot love story. Wait. Robots can fall in love? I want' even aware that robots had emotions. As Bender once said: "Robots don't have emotions. And sometimes that makes me very sad." Anyway, it's all rather touching and well done unless your a sad lonely person with no love in your life. Then it just makes you depressed. Other than the whole "love story" thing, the sub-plot/ underlying meaning of the story is enough to make happy people depressed. In Wall-E, earth has become so full of trash that the government tricks its inhabitants into a "seven" year space cruise. Those seven years become seven hundred as they find out that the job of cleaning up was to daunting for the Wall-E robots left behind. So the people of earth evolve into obese, mindwashed blobs as they float through space. Though there was an original intension of recolonizing earth, it was scrapped because the earth was apparently no longer life-sustaining. And so, the captain of the ship sends out robot probes every so often to search for plant life on earth. If one comes back positive, then it is safe to return home. The problem is, shortly after the cruise took off, the ships "AI" was instructed never to return home because it couldn't sustain life. Well, that's where Wall-E and Eve come in. Eve is the probe robot sent to earth who is given a plant that had been accidentally discovered by Wall-E, the last operational clean-up bot on Earh. The two fall in love and... I pretty much just ruined the entire plot. I'm going to shut up now. On one final note, this movie had the best CGI animation ever.
Wanted
Wow. Wanted is the best movie I've seen so far this summer and, quite possibly, this year. It's just so packed full of awesome that I can't even describe it. If you've even heard of this movie, then you know what it's about from the previews. Basically, a young man with a boring job is found by a fraternity of assassins and told he is the son of one of the greatest assassins ever. He's sent to take down a rogue agent that killed his father, but first must under go so
me (painful) intense training. That's about all you need to know. I don't want to spoil anything because the plot takes some surprising turns that I didn't see coming. Pretty much everything about this movie is awesome: the plot, the action, the special effects, etc. But am I the only one who thinks Angelina Jole looks completely goofy when she's angry? Ah, well. It doesn't matter because you get to see her naked ass. On a final note, I had no idea this was based on a comic. That puts it way up there on my list of best comic book movies. Oh, and if the name Sloan sounds familiar, that's because it's the name of a company that makes toilets.
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