Thoughts On The Grey

"Once more into the fray. Into the last fight I'll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day."

This post is spoiler-ridden. You've been warned. 

This poem from Liam Nesson's latest film "The Grey" echoed far deeper as the movie progressed. Nesson plays a wolf hunter who protects employees of a petroleum company in Alaska from wolf attack while working on the pipeline. The movie plays out as if you were reading a novel, fitting because this was based on the short story Ghost Walker by Ian Mc'Kenzie Jeffers. It tells a tale of a man who's battle with nature and beast is an outward manifestation of the battle within his soul.

After a harrowing plan crash, Nesson and several other survivors, find that living through the crash allowed them to enter a new nightmare. They begin to be harassed by a pack of grey wolves. From the first death in the movie you see that the main character has a unique perspective on death. Maybe it was the suicide attempt that was alluded to in the beginning of the movie or maybe it was the death of his wife who visits him in his dreams. 

Once he held the shredded body of one of his companions, looked in his eyes and led him to the afterlife, I knew that I was watching something more than just a character death. You see a man who has walked that valley before, who has seen the face of death as it crept into his life, but that death wasn't coming for him, not yet. That death came for someone he cared deeply for. He recognized the fear in that persons eyes and knew exactly what to say to make that fearful transition as peaceful as possible.

As the story goes on I wondered as to why Nesson's character is fighting so hard to cling to survival. It seemed that as each of his companions died, his resolve to live began to grow.  It culminated to a powerful scene in which Nesson screams out into the heavens looking for God in the frozen hell that he is in. Wondering and hoping that those cries will be answered, but no answer comes. Regardless of the lack of response from this unseen God, the movie heads toward the inevitable fight with the alpha wolf of the pack.

This film was beyond what I expected. After the trailers I had thought that this would be a movie like Anthony Hopkins' "The Edge". But it was more than just a movie about survival, it was a movie about life. It was a film that asks us to re-examine the battles that we go through in this life and gets us looking deep inside at what truly keeps us going.

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Predicting Super Bowl XLVI In Madden 2012

Seeing as The Geek Asylum is based in New York, it only seems appropriate that we take the time to predict Super Bowl XLVI. Will the Giants do us proud?  Will the Pats get their revenge for 2007? Well that's what we have Madden 2012 for. Consider it a crystal ball, if you will. The game was predicted in two different ways. One game was actually played out by a physical player, while the other game was simulated.

Lets start with the first game played by a physical player who chooses to play as the Giants. Keep in mind that the rosters are completely up to date to ensure that we have the closest thing to today's game. Enjoy.

Game 1 Breakdown

First half: Giants receive ball at kick off. They go three and out in first possession. Tom Brady having trouble dealing with the Giants blitz. He manages to put a drive together in the latter portion of the quarter effectively getting the pats in the red zone.

Giants D steps up big time in a goal line stand and hold the Pats to a field goal. Eli finally gets in a groove and puts a drive together. Ahmad Bradshaw is killing it on the ground and eventually gains a TD. End of first half, the score is 7-3 Giants. Overall a very defensive first half.

Second Half: Giants D will not quit, putting Brady on the ground multiple times forcing him to make mistakes. Pierre-Paul is having an insane 3Q sacking Brady twice. Then Mathias Kiwanuka makes a big play when he smacks Brady so hard that it drives the ball loose and Pierre-Paul intercepts the ball.

With great field position, Eli converts the turnover to six points by launching a 38 yarder to Hakeem Nicks for the TD. The New England Patriot's nightmare is just getting started. Giants Strong Safety Kenny Phillips plays like a man possessed. Sacks Brady three times in the Pats next two possessions. Then he intercepts the ball at the start of the 4Q and runs 42 yds with it.

It's just ugly for New England. Eli converts again on another masterful 54 yd drive utilizing Cruz on the slot and then the nail in the coffin with the short pass to Nicks for the TD. The rest of the game sees Brady getting mangled and torn to shreds by the Giants D line. They hold Brady to no TD's and Giants demolish the Pats 24-6. It was glorious.

Final Stats/Awards: Eli Manning 21/32 192 yds 2TD's no INT's. Ahmad Bradshaw 17 carries 102 yds 1TD. Pierre-Paul 4 Tackles 2 Sacks 1INT. Kenny Phillips 6 Tackles 3 Sacks 1INT. Kenny Phillips gets Superbowl MVP. This is every Giants fans wet dream, but this just isn't going to happen. The Patriots pass protection is a lot better than that, at least we hope so. Remember that Game 1 was played by a physical player.

Game 2--Simulation

This is the game that was played as a simulation, which played out much differently. Giants defense isn't nearly as nuts as it was in the first game. The game is actually pretty boring after Eli Manning puts up a TD to Nicks and Hynoski runs in for another TD in the 1Q. Pats D adjusts quickly applying pressure to Eli throughout the game.

Eli throws three interceptions in the first half, he's sacked three times, and he fumbles the ball once. Fortunately the Giants D steps it up and keeps the Pats scoreless. The rest of the game is just a defensive chess match with no real action to speak of. Neither team can get a solid dive going or they would get to the red zone and choke.

The final ended up being 17-3 Giants.  Justin Tuck ends up getting MVP for his eight tackles and two sacks. This better not be today's game, no one wants a defensive match-up on Super Bowl Sunday. Let us know what your prediction for today's game is in the comments below.

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7 Movies You Can't Miss In 2012

There are so many movies this year that it's really hard to breakdown which ones are worth your hard earned coin. The first quarter of the year is usually reserved for a lot of the stuff that isn't all that great, although one movie does eek its way on to this short list. Keep in mind that this list will not include any Oscar-worthy flicks.

I sifted through the movies that I thought would either be forgotten or simply ignored. After doing the homework, I found the lucky 7 and why you should see them. The list will start at seven and work its way down to what I consider the number one movie you shouldn't miss this year.

7. Snow White & The Huntsman--June 1st, 2012

Go ahead, make fun of me. Yes, Kristen Stewart is in the movie, but we shouldn't immediately write the movie off for that. And who can forget Chris Hemsworth in Thor? He was tailor made for this movie. The movie will also star the lovely Charlize Theron as the evil Queen. The main reason this movie is on the list is because of its unique approach to the Snow White folklore.

Snow White is usually associated with adolescence and animated features. The crazy thing is that Snow White is an incredibly dark tale and it's the tale that director Rupert Sanders wants the world. to see. After watching the trailer I was convinced that going the more dramatic/dark route was a brilliant idea. It's essentially Snow White for adults and I'm okay with that.    

6. Project X--March 2nd, 2012

The tried and true formula of high school/frat house comedies is this: Two losers become rock stars in 90 minutes or less. That's all there is to it. Project X decided to up the ante and perhaps update the formula to version 2.0. Project X is going the Paranormal Activity route with its film style and going with a more HD Handycam look.

I think the concept is a bit overboard, but who cares? This movie is all about complete insanity. I feel that Nima Nourizadeh's directorial debut may have started a new trend in douchebag humor and I'm driniking the Kool-Aid. Check the trailer.






 5. Safe--April 27th 2012

Between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, it's difficult for me to pinpoint which one of these brutes is the new Hollywood action hero. I think Johnson may have relinquished the throne when he went all Disney on us there.

Statham has solidified himself as the new action hero and his new movie Safe may be his Die Hard. What I love about Statham is his raw quality. The dude is a genuine bad ass who is proficient in martial arts, a former Olympic swimmer, and has an absurd workout routine. 

Bad assery aside, Safe looks like a great action thriller, but it's the premise that got me:

 A former elite agent takes on a two-tier mission: rescue a Chinese girl who's been abducted by the Triads, then use a safe combination to outwit the Russian Mafia, corrupt NYC officials, and the Triads themselves. 

It's nothing original, but when it comes to action films, are we really concerned about originality? No, we want to be entertained, and that's what Statham does best.

4. Brave--June 22, 2012

A Summer without a Pixar movie is a sad one. While their last effort (Cars 2) may not have been the best, Brave looks to change that. This would be the first time Pixar ventures into a medieval setting (finally), and we can expect the same brand of charm and humor that they're renowned for.

The movie features a strong female protagonist named Princess Merida who breaks old traditions, which leads to turmoil within her Kingdom. Determined to make things right, Princess Merida relies on her archery skills and bravery to restore order. This has all the makings of a classic. With a solid story, a great character, and Pixar behind the wheel, this is one you don't want to miss.

3. World War Z---December 12, 2012

Based on Max Brooks phenomenal novel, World War Z creates a world where Zombies are a reality and shows us the aftermath. Brooks has this uncanny ability to make zombies seem like a plausible thing. He covers things like a World War III scenario, how the economic infrastructure would be destroyed, how humanity as we know it transforms, how the government and military would react, and creates horrific scenario that feels like it could be a reality.

Details surrounding the movie are pretty sparse, but what we do know is that we have the cast, leading man (Brad Pitt), and a release date. This shouldn't be any cause for concern, I've read the novel and Pitt chooses his roles very selectively, so we should be pleasantly surprised.

2. Safe House--February 10th, 2012

Denzel Washington has many gifts, one of those gifts is his talent at taking crap and making it gold. Crap script? No problem, Denzel will still turn in a killer performance and polish a potential turd. To me, that's a gift. This isn't to imply that his new movie Safe House is going to be a turd, I think it actually looks promising.

Washington plays Tobin Frost, a hardened fugitive who is being looked after by a young CIA Agent (played by none other than resident funny man Ryan Reynolds) in a safe house. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and the safe house is attacked. You should expect Washington to do all sorts of amazingly violent things and Reynolds to play a terrified young buck who learns from the master.

1. Django Unchained--December 25th, 2012

Quentin Tarantino movies never suck do they? You ever notice that every time you watch his movies that you always find another reason to love it? Tarantino is undoubtedly batshit crazy, but maybe that's why his movies are so great. He's so good at what he does that actors come to him. His new movie, that was rumored for years to be a western, is a reality now. Check out the plot summary and this incredible cast:

A former slave-turned-hired gun (Jamie Foxx) heads back to the plantation to free his wife from a tyrannical plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio) with the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Don Johnson, and M.C. Gainey co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Do you see that cast? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm almost positive Sammy L has been in half of Tarantino's movies. Then we have Don Johnson, Jamie Foxx, and Leo DiCaprio? Like I stated earlier, A-List casts like this are a Tarantino staple. Tarantino has always shared his love of  "Spaghetti" Westerns, and you houldn't be surprised if he pays homage to the legendary Sergio Leone and composer Ennio Morricone. I simply can't wait for this one.

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First Diablo III Beta Emails Sent Out

To whom it may concern,

For all of those Blizzard fans eagerly waiting for that glorious beta email to pop up in their mailbox, the wait is over.  Blizzard just recently sent out the first 100,000 beta emails for those worthy enough to face the wrath of the Burning Hells.

Geek Asylum will be posting daily details on all the action if you didn't receive the goods. Sorry to all those who have been left at the wayside.

Yours truly,

Eric G

P.S.
Go H.A.M in the paint.

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Skyrim Patch 1.4 Available Now (for PC)

Bethesda Studios has posted that the latest patch for Skyrim (1.4) is now available through Steam for all PC players. Sadly all console players have to wait a little longer but the studio has said the PS3 and Xbox 360 update will be submitted to the hardware manufactuers this coming week. Lets hope it a speedy release by Sony and Microsoft. Bethesda has posted a full list of the bug and quest fixes to there blog. See if what you wanted to be fixed actually has been.

Thanks to: Teamxbox

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The Last of Us First In-Game Screenshots

      If you haven't heard yet The Last of Us is a survival horror game coming from Naughty Dog Studios, developer of the Uncharted series. The impressive trailer that was released at this years VGA's set this game to be one of 2012s most anticipated games. GameInformers next issue will have a full feature including interviews with the design team and the writers take on what they saw from gameplay. There is a slight possibility The Last of Us will slip into early 2013 but judging by these newly released in-game screenshots Naughty Dog seems to be on track. Take a look.

Thanks to:

GameInformer and

  ComputerandVideoGames.com 

for the screens

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Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Trailer!

Ubisoft has just released the single player trailer for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. It looks like Ubisoft is taking the series into a more intense gameplay than its predecessors. The trailer gives off more of a Call of Duty pace, but delivers a wide arsenal of futuristic weaponry and gadgets. The third person perspective allows for some violent and exciting takedowns. Watch the trailer below.

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Marvel Comic of the Day: X-Sanction #3

This week's Marvel book of the week is XSanction #3. We start off February with the Red Hulk facing off against Cable, at least from what the cover tells us. Previously we learned that Cable came back from the future to assasinate the Avengers to prevent a disaster. He's already taken down The Falcon, Captain America, and Iron Man. We left off issue 2 with the Red Hulk making his grand entrance and the virus fully engulfing Cable's body.

SPOILERS BELOW

This issue is jam-packed with action. From the get go it's Red Hulk vs Cable, Red Hulk vs Blaquesmith, Red Hulk vs Cable, Cable vs Cyclops, Red Hulk vs Virus, and Wolverine & Spiderman vs Cable. Blaquesmith plays a small role, distracting Red Hulk to let Cable regain footing temporarily.

When Red hulk strikes back at Cable, Cable does something incredible- PORCUPINE POWER! If you see the cover image posted in this article, that's exactly how it looks. Not only that, but after Red Hulk is immobilized, Cable notices the virus leaving himself and beginning to take over Red Hulk. As it does, Cyclops and Hope arrive on the scene. After a heartwarming reunion, and an argument over what Cable is doing, Wolverine and Spider-man arrive to free the Avengers and to kill Cable if necessary. Don't worry, Spider-man was just as confused.

The next thing about this issue is the preview. If you look closely, there are few things in the image that you'll want to look out for in March's final issue. First, it's Wolverine in his X-Force costume and Spider-man in his Symbiote Costume. Could this mean Spider-man will join the X-force? Probably not, but I would hope so. At least have Kaine join it

The other thing to notice is who they're fighting - it looks like Cable. Except Cable doesn't have black hair. The the Red Hulk does! I would have to say the virus takes over Red Hulk for the next issue. So expect March's issue to be Spider-man and Wolverine VS the Red, er, Silver Hulk.

You'd be silly not to track this series. Go to your comic store, spend the $10 (roughly), and grab these three issues. And when #4 comes out, grab that too. It's all setting up for Avengers VS X-men in April, and you won't want to miss that either.

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Mass Effect 3 Voice Acting Cast

When you play the Mass Effect games its like you are playing your way through a full on feature film. Not a game. That’s what makes the Mass Effect franchise and universe so engrossing. You care about Shepard and all of his brothers and sisters in arms. Which is why when you are making a monumental game such as this you want a cast of voice actors and actresses that can pull their own weight and make the universe that much captivating.

-Going in order of appearance in the trailer-

Martin Sheen played the Illusive man in Mass Effect 2 and was fantastic. He gives off a vibe of unquestionable authority while at the same time has a very spooky, yet mysterious element to his persona. With scores of acting and film landmarks under his belt, such as “Apocalypse Now” and “The Departed”, he is a fantastic choice for the character he was dealt to play.

Freddie Prinze Jr. plays the new James Vega on Shepard's squad of kick ass commandos out to rescue the universe...again. For those of you who don't know Freddie Prinze, he starred in the films “Scooby Doo” (Unfortunately) and also starred in a season of 24. Freddie Prinze is well suited for the role of an experienced soldier.

Seth Green has been around as “Joker” since the first Mass Effect and quite frankly, the Mass Effect Universe and Shepard need him in it. He offers an excellent comic relief element and at all the right moments as well. Seth Green is the mind responsible for the hit show on Adult Swim called “Robot Chicken.” He also starred in movies “Austin Powers”  and “The Italian Job”. Seth Green is the perfect choice for the comic relief in the Mass Effect universe.

Tricia Helfer entered the Mass Effect franchise in Mass Effect 2 as the Normandy's A.I. system labeled EDI (pronounced Eee Dee). EDI stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence. When you play the Mass Effect games and hear EDI's voice it really doesn’t phase you much as to who the person behind the machine is; when in fact it should. Tricia Helfer starred on arguably the greatest sci-fi drama ever to air on television. Not only did she star in “Battlestar Galactica”, but she was also in the game “Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars”. Tricia Helfer is an outstanding choice for this sci-fi epic.

Ali Hillis plays the sexy and powerful Asari scientist Liara T'soni. She and Shepard go way back and fight side by side. Once you get the chance to explore the character in game she gets much deeper. The side mission you are given in Mass Effect 2 greatly expands on the character and the dynamics within Liara's species. Ali Hillis has starred in the films “Must Love Dogs” with John Cusack and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” with Robert Downey Jr.

Jessica Chobot is arguably my favorite voice actress in this cast with the exception of Tricia Helfer. Chobot was part of the IGN.com crew and hosted their daily fix video series for over a year. A while ago she announced that she was taking leave at IGN to work on a secret project. I would have never have guessed this is what she was talking about. Ms. Chobot plays Diana Allers who is a reporter and brand new to the Mass Effect franchise. Given the history of romance in these games I wouldn't put the fact that she is a possible love interest past you.

Keith David ,like Seth Green, has been around since the very first Mass Effect. In the Mass Effect he was Shepard's superior officer, which is no longer the case. He has starred in films such as “Platoon” and “Crash”. Keith David has a very unique voice. Its a voice that’s very deep and suited toward his characters military stature and status. His character is very strong and assertive and can motivate anyone of his men to do anything that is required of them. He fits the classic mold of the bold military leader who will fight to the last man.

Jennifer Hale has played the female Shepard since the beginning of the series. I have never played as the female Shepard before so I am not totally acquainted with the sound of her voice. Other titles that Hale has worked on include “Bulletstorm", “Star Wars The Old Republic”, and “God of War: Ghost of Sparta”.

With a cast of voice actors such as these it's easy to see that Bioware is focusing on high quality voice acting. So much talent on one project is hard to ignore. I don't know about you guys, but I will be the guy that is camped out a week early to get the first copy of my collectors edition of Mass Effect 3 once it drops on March 6^th.  

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2012: Armageddon For Nintendo?

 Imagine a world without any more Zelda and Mario games. Imagine when we’re older, when we all have children, that on their 18th birthday, we give them our old Nintendo systems coupled with the top hits from our time. It’ll be a sad day when Nintendo finally does close its doors for good, and that day might be sooner than we all think.

Last Thursday, Nintendo broke some gut wrenching news; they revealed that between March and December 31st, their fiscal year, they lost $623 million whereas in the previous year, they gained $639 million. For whatever the reason, it’s starting to become clear that this generation wants more hardcore consoles with blood and guts over the classics that we all grew up with.

And no, the news doesn’t end there – They’re also estimating their loss by the end of this fiscal year to be $837 million. The cause? Reports say it’s because the yen is strong – it’s currently at 77.54 to the US dollar in comparison to the 82.90 that it was a year ago. My personal opinion? It’s because this generation wants more hardcore consoles, like PS3 and XBOX 360 to cater to their craving for blood, guts, and multiplayer with all the bells and whistles.

Can the Wii-U stop the money from hemorrhaging for Nintendo? Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Even kids at four years old play games like Grand Theft Auto – kids these days only know of the new Mario and Sonic games, not the classics that us old geezers grew up on. It’s a sad forecast and prediction to say that Nintendo’s name is dying out.

While it delivers in strength and reliable hardware, the games are not as desired as they once were and Nintendo doesn’t want to give too heavily into popular demands because they, like us, still value games from a different time.

The other reason for their loss? Nintendo would rather lose all this money instead of firing their employees. Had it been Sony or Microsoft, employees would be cut without a second thought. Even in Nintendo’s time of depression, they’re still producing the Wii-U. Let’s just hope that the Wii-U will have high sales and that the powers-that-be will keep Nintendo around for a while longer.

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Soul Calibur V Review

Its been three years since the last Soul Calibur game and Namco has decided it was a good time for another game. Not too short that fans are tired of the game, but not long enough that they’ve all forgotten. Should Soul Calibur V have stayed in Namco’s closet? Or is it a worthy buy? Let’s take a look at what we’re dealing with.

You start out as a holy warrior, Patroklos, trained to slay the Malfested. He faithfully served Graf Dumas for years in hope to find his sister, Pyrrah, who was kidnapped when she was a child by the Malfested and to also get revenge on the vile creatures for killing his mother.

Throughout his journey, he meets people to give him clues on Pyrrah’s whereabouts, so he persists on the journey, fighting and proving his worth to carry the legendary Soul Calibur.

In time, he finds that the only way to rid the world of the Malfested is to destroy Soul Edge – the cursed sword who transforms its wielder into the ultimate evil, Nightmare. All sounds well and easy, but nothing is that simple. The journey for Patroklos is personal – he is torn between either saving his sister or obeying his Athenian guardian mother. Which will he choose?

Well, you have to play through the storyline to find out.

Online play is generic – you both pick your character, choose your settings by difficulty, time limit, and how many rounds you’ll play. You pick your arena and it has the typical soundtrack with the poetic narrative intro, and each character says their starting line. "Aaaaaaaand FIGHT!"

You both beat the crap out of each other until someone wins. It's the same type of setup as any other 3D fighting game. A new feature of the SC series is it picked up the gauge strategy – from taking and dealing damage, it fills up the gauge. Once it is filled, you can blast out a pretty nasty move.

The great thing about Soul Calibur V is that the fighting system is simple enough that mostly anyone can pick up the game and look fancy doing it. However, speaking from personal experience, button mashing will not be an optimal strategy like it was in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. SCV is simple enough that you’ll pick up on the pattern of what button does what, but challenging enough that once you learn each individual’s fighting style, you can cause some serious damage.





Some characters are naturally slower than others and other characters may be easier to use, but there’s a graph akin to Dance Dance Revolution on the difficulty of the character’s use. Another new addition to the series is the very robust character creation feature, which is absolutely incredible.

Soul Calibur lets you customize either one of the fighters or completely create your own from the bottom up. As far as original characters, you can customize their body size, height, voice, pitch and tone, hair, and tons of clothing and accessories. The possibilities are endless.

I have some friends right now recreating Dragon Ball Z characters - that's how customizable this new feature is. I know a lot of you have some original RP characters from your middle school days. Here's your chance to bring it to life, not to mention it's a lot of fun. Pick up the game to explore more possibilities.

Between the easy to pick up and hard to master fighting style, Soul Calibur will satisfy its fan base. With its simple, yet well done storyline, and an amazing character creation option, SCV packs a lot more than your average fighter. That being said, unless you're a die hard Soul Calibur fan, SCV is more of a rent than a buy.

It's definitely a game that's enjoyable to play alone or with a bunch of people. Every game has its quirks, but then again, what game doesn't? If you don't like it right away, give it a little while. You'll learn to love it like I did.

Verdict: 8.0

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"7500" First Trailer

Ryan Kwanten, Amy Smart, Jamie Chung, and Leslie Bibb all star in Takashi Shimizu's new horror flick "7500". If you couldn't guess within the first 6 seconds of the trailer, it is the name of the flight. This is the only thing since The Grudge that Takashi Shimizu has done.

Ryan Kwanten and Amy Smart are a couple in this film aboard Vista Pacific Flight 7500 with Jamie Chung and Leslie Bibb as hot stewardesses. The flight departs from L.A and arrives at Tokyo which takes a grand total of 10 hours. However, we soon learn that ordinary people are not the only passengers on this flight. A super natural entity resides on the plane to terrorize these poor people.

Gorgeous female celebrities and planes? I am more than willing to bet someone is going to become a member of the Mile High Club.

In any case, I have faith in Takashi Shimizu. I can see this working because this whole movie will take place on  an airplane, making for a forgiving budget and giving Mr. Shimizu more room to work. This dark being is leaving on a jet plane and for the moment we do not know when it will be back again. Keep it locked on the Geek Asylum for all the info.

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A Look at Ninja Gaiden 3

We're still a little more than a month away from the release of Ninja Gaiden 3 but it's never to early to get some juicy details on what to expect. GameTrailers.com was able to play a level or two from the Xbox360 version and they got to see some of the new abilities that Ryu Hayabusa has gained since we last met.

The dragon sword ability has somehow transferred itself into Ryu's arm which should make for some very excellent kill combos. Also he can now slow time while jumping to aim that insane bow he has. Team Ninja has said they calmed down with the difficulty of Ninja Gaiden 3 to help the noobs out. That might save me an aneurism or two this time around.

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Ninja Gaiden 3 - Preview HD, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Source: GameTrailers

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Game of Thrones Season 2 Trailer: A Clash of Kings

Whether you are following the books, HBO series or both, I believe a good viewing is in order for HBO's new Game of Thrones Trailer

Season 2: Preview - You Win or You Die

The trailer starts with the spider, Varys of the Kings council telling Tyrion a riddle.  "Three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man.  Between them stands a common sellsword.  Each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two.  Who dies?"  Varys' riddle resonates throughout the second book and perfectly sets the tone for this second season.

A Clash of Kings introduces a whole new batch of characters that were only spoken of in the previous book/season including the late King Roberts brother, Lord Stannis.  The treachery, brutality, and glory will keep you drooling for more.

"A very small man can cast a very large shadow."

Please share your thoughts about the Game of Thrones new trailer below.

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Fan-Made Zelda: The Lost Oracle Wii U Trailer

     A very talented and dedicated fan has put their best effort in creating a trailer for a Zelda game for Wii-U. 20,000 YouTube views in one day is a definite accomplishment, maybe not a record, but a nice pat on the back for a job well done. A combination of great art and some good animating makes this seem so real but we know Nintendo could take this to another level.



Lets hope someone at Nintendo sees this and takes it to that level. The Wii-U is going to need some serious platformers to launch the system into any kind of success. Judging from their last quarterly results, they need it desperately.

Thanks to IGN.com

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Inspiration For The Glorious Uncharted Series

Sony gives a quick behind the scenes look at some of the inspiration and tech used for the Uncharted series.

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Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet/Phone Gets Release Date

The latest effort to bring a tablet-like experience to your pocket has been underway around the globe for some time, but the states have been left with options that don’t quite cut it. The Galaxy Note is Samsung's latest device in the Galaxy Series that is making its way to the U.S. under the AT&T banner and it is looking to fill your pockets to capacity.

This design is neither phone nor tablet, the hybrid is attempting to carve out its own niche in the mobile device market. With a 5.3in screen, you can imagine that a lot can be done on that sort of real estate and the OS has been tweaked to take advantage in some situations.

Because the Galaxy Note does not have a 7-10in screen that is common on most of todays tablets, using your finger as the universal input can't be accomplished throughout the entire experience. Samsung has included a built-in stylus to accommodate users who aren't used to such a large screen on their phones.

This is a step in the wrong direction. I know all the old school Palm users disagree and I would be happy going back to the days of stylus inputs, but I remember losing every single stylus I’ve ever owned so this does not tickle my fancy. Short of a major life-changing incident, my fingers don’t get lost.

Samsung has also paid attention when building this phone/tablet hybrid, making sure that the under 10mm profile allows you to fit something besides the device in your pocket. With 5.3 inches of screen I can’t see it being anything of any size though (Perhaps a credit card or I.D.).

The overall design of this phone makes it a niche product, not a game changer. Playing in-between large phone/small tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note has too many disadvantages. The size almost guarantees I wouldn't be putting this is in my pocket, and holding the device with one hand is almost out of the question. Stylus’ need to die the death they should have 4 years ago, (Just let go little buddy) If you feel the need to buy an aftermarket stylus that’s fine, but designing a product around the use of one makes no sense in 2012 on beyond.

One handed use? I don't think so.

The Samsung Galaxy Note pre-orders start Feb. 9^th and will be available on AT&T Feb. 19^th for $300 with 2yr contract.

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Trailer Mash-Up: The Hunter, Lockout, and More

Welcome to Trailer Mash-Up, our new weekly feature where we round up the best movie trailers that we can find. We figure new look, so why not a new recurring feature? So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Viva La Vita! Anxiously Awaiting the PSP Vita's Arrival

The Sony family is expecting their new baby handheld, the PSP Vita, on February 22nd, 2012. This adorably tech savvy and absolutely brilliant bundle of joy is at about 182 mm in length and 9.8 ounces. Unlike its siblings, the PSP GO and the first, second, and third generations of the original PSP, this little guy will give PlayStation fans what they’ve always been looking for.

This handheld features baby smooth front and rear touch pads, dual analog sticks, front and rear cameras, motion sense technology, and because we get super bored sometimes, there will also be downloadable applications.

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DC Comic Book of the Week: Justice League #5

So the DC book of the week is by far Justice League 5. I know it might seem cliche that the biggest title for DC is my book of the week and I can likely promise that for February when JL 6 comes out that will be too, but understand this book is unreal. Geoff Johns is incredible and Jim Lee is kicking-ass with the art. The story line is the perfect book to infant DC readers getting you into the main characters, weaknesses, showing each for how special they are, and integrating the team element into a great title, so without further ado here is the review.

SPOILERS BELOW!!!

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Underworld Awakening Review

Ever since the first Underworld I have been addicted to the series. To be quite honest, vampires are a guilty pleasure of mine. That's really why I love True Blood. (And just for the record I'm really not a fan of the Twilight franchise, just to get that out of the way.) Another really big factor for why I love the Underworld franchise so much is because I literally grew up with the series. On top of that I have been madly in love with Kate Beckinsale since I first saw her in the first Underworld film.

The premise of this film is that the Lycan's (werewolves) and Vampire species have been discovered by humans and now they are on a campaign to completely wipe all of them out. In midst of all this is Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and a girl called subject 2 who inadvertently convinced an entire vampire coven (vampire hideout) to fight back against not only the humans, but the Lycans as well.

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Starhawk Beta Impressions

When Incognito Entertainment (now Lightbox Interactive) released Warhawk on PSN in 2007, it was considered by many to be one of the best multiplayer experiences available at the time. It was a multiplayer-only title unlike anything that had been seen at the time. Warhawk put 32 players in a massive arena, dropped vehicles into the mix, and let the pandemonium ensue. It was critically well received and was a sucess for Sony.

Fast forward five years---Lightbox is finally releasing an unofficial successor to Warhawk in the form of Starhawk. Dubbed as "Warhawk in space", Starhawk takes all of the elements that made Warhawk so great, while also introducing some unique new features. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of playing Warhawk, but that doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy Starhawk.

The game is currently in public beta (it should be noted that only those with a code that was povided in retail copies of Uncharted 3 and subscribe to PlayStation Plus have access to the beta) and I have been having the time of my life with it. It makes me regret missing out on Warhawk. After three solid hours with Starhawk, I can confidently say it's one of my must buy titles for the year

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Resident Evil 6 Trailer Has Zombies and Guns In It

Another Resident Evil is on the way. That means another story about some village and Wesker. Then some shit explodes and Wesker. Then some gigantic creature emerges from some lagoon and then Wesker shows up. Then Leon brushes his hair aside and says something stupid. Then Chris takes some more human growth hormone and shows off his python arms. Then Chris gets a machine gun and staright effs things up. Then Wesker shows up, does a maniacal laugh, and goes on some tirade about power or something. Then a buliding blows up. Then some zombies moan and Leon goes all Bloodsport on them dudes. Check the trailer.

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DC Comic of the Week: Green Lantern Corps #5

This week I want to go over and cover the newest Green Lantern Corps #5. The series has been pretty kick-ass so far. I have to admit I haven't read a great deal of DC titles going into the New 52 and although GLC is one of the few titles not effected by Flashpoint I was able to jump right into it and enjoy the hell out of it so far. One of my favorite things that has been going on with the New 52 books in DC is that a lot of these titles are introducing new villains and not just reintroducing old ones in a new way. These Keepers that are in the books are really whipping the GLC's ass something serious.

SPOILERS!!!

In issue five Guy Gardener gets together a bunch of Green Lanterns after an "enhanced interrogation" of a Keeper prisoner. The Green Lanterns are the ones we saw from the first five issues. Guy also recruits a group of certified bad ass Lanterns to go in shoot first and ask questions later. They remind me of the elite force that doesn't get sent in unless things are really ugly and the soldiers need to do some dirty work. I guess I could reference something like "The Expendables" as a direct comparison of the type of Lanterns that get sent in to clean house.

These Lanterns suggest using a "Fear Bomb" and guns. The Fear Bomb is two Sinestro Corps Lanterns named Fat Man and Little Boy. The history fan in me had to laugh inside and if for some reason you slept through all of history in school Fat Man and Little Boy are the names of the nuclear bombs dropped during WWII. So obviously this Fear Bomb is going to be some wicked shit that gets dropped on the Keepers. Then since the Keepers are mostly immune to the green power ring the Lanterns attack a pirate ship in space and raid it for all of the extremely heavy artillery on board to open up a can on the Keepers.

I give this a 2 thumbs up and definitely recommend for purchase and reading. Be on the look out and if you want to catch up now is the time, come February issue 6 of most DC titles will be a conclusion of whatever arch is occurring and some major crap is going down.

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My Take On SOPA and PIPA...It's BAD folks (please read)

For those of you who don't already know, there are two new pieces of legislation that are currently moving through congress with the sole purpose of censoring the internet in order to stop the piracy of movies and music.

Lets take it back a step and slow it down shall we...SOPA (stop online piracy act) and PIPA (Protect-IP Act) is what these bills stand for. Basically in laymans terms this means that any website, any website at all that you can upload to (i.e. wikipedia, youtube, google, facebook, and even this one!) will be censored. And when I say censored I mean shut down. There will quite possibly not be much of an internet to go back to if these two pieces of legislation passes.

So please take out a few minutes to follow the link below and write your local senator to try and stop these vile bills from passing. While I am confident that these two bills will not pass, you can never be too safe. In the words of V for Vendetta "Governments should be afraid of their people, not the other way around!"

P.S. I would be shut down for quoting that because its not originally mine. (Just a thought)

AmericanCensorship.org

Dan W.

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Golden Globes Live Blog

8:00pm- Golden Globes open up with the amazing Ricky Gervais. And yes, he is still ranking on The Tourist.

8:00pm- Christopher Plummer wins best Supporting Actor. Yeah...he was also awesome in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Umm....why is it that listening to older actor's acceptance speeches is like being water-boarded? Nicole is snoring......

8:15pm- Laura Dern wins Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series. Dr. Sattler looks hot. And I cared more about seeing Mila Kunis' nip through her dress than Ashton's haircut. And I think Nicole and Dan agree!

8:20pm- Downton Abbey wins best Mini Series. Teleprompter  for Rob Lowe & Julianne Moore screwed up. God I love technology...and live TV.

8:24pm- Kate Winslet wins best actress in a mini series. Kate wins everything because of two reasons: one is that she awesome and two James Cameron owns Hollywood and rules it with an iron fist.

8:35pm- Best Actor in a  TV Drama goes to Kelsey Grammer for Boss. As a Breaking Bad fan my heart is crushed. But I hear great things about Boss so I look forward to watching it in its entirety.

8:40pm- Homeland wins for best TV drama. I NEED TO SEE THIS SHOW!!!

8:45pm- Best Original Score goes to Ludovic Bourcic (sp?)....umm...show of hands of people who care about this category unless Howard Shore or Hans Zimmer is in it?

8:50pm- Best Original Song goes to Madonna. She is as immortal as Hulk Hogan. Seriously.

8:52pm- I don't know who that is but her dress is horrible. It was like a sleeveless Snuggie!

9:00pm- Catherine McPhee...marry me.

9:00pm Idris Elba wins Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini Series for Luther

9:01pm- SETH ROGAN IS STILL FUNNY! KATE BECKENSALE IS STILL HOT! and Michelle Williams wins for Best Performance for an Actress in a Mini Series for My Week with Marilyn

9:10pm- Peter Dinklage wins for Best Supporting Actor for Game of Thrones. You all should worship him.

9:15pm- Best Animated Feature Film award goes to The Adventures of Tintin. Spielberg is the most powerful Jew since Jesus.

9:20pm- Woody Allen wins Best Screenplay for Midnight in Paris. Woody couldn't except the award in person because he is picking up chicks at an elementary school.

9:25pm- Jessica Lange wins Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series for American Horror Story.

9:30pm- Best Foreign Film goes to the film The Separation.  *insert inappropriate joke here*

9:35pm- Dustin Hoffman is the man. He made Tootsie! If you haven't seen Tootsie.....then fuck you.

9:35pm- Claire Danes wins the award for Best Actress in a TV Series Drama for Homeland.

9:45pm- PENIS JOKE!

9:45pm-Matt LeBlanc wins Best Actor in a TV Series Comedy. His face was like "I WON AN AWARD AND I'M NOT ON FRIENDS ANYMORE?!?!"

9:50pm- Octavia Spencer wins actress Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. Someone literally screamed her name at the top of their lungs like they watching the NBA playoffs at a barber shop.

10:00pm- Sydney..................................you.......................................space.........................your.................................words................................so............................................far............................apart.......................you..................douche.

10:05pm- Morgan Freeman.........you're brilliant.

10:15pm- Martin Scorcese wins Best Director for Hugo. His eyebrows have accepted the award on his behalf.

10:20pm- Best TV Series Comedy or Musical goes to Modern Family......I'm Spanish and I have no idea what's going on. But Sofia Vergara is hot.

10:26pm- nope...not posting this...honestly... it's honestly a waste of my time.

10:35pm- Meryl Streep wins. Everything. I'm surprised she hasn't won Best Actor yet...but she will.

10:40pm- Jane Fonda....wanna go out on a date?

10:40pm- The Artist wins for Best Musical. I sigh deeply because as Editor of TV/Film I am obliged to watch this film. I don't want to. But I have to. Chances are I'll eat my words because I have a very accurate trend of hating some movies before I see them then becoming very embarrassed when I actually like it.

10:50pm- George Clooney wins Best Actor in a Drama. He's the reason why Meryl Streep will never win Best Actor.

10:55pm- The Descendants wins Best Drama. Fox Searchlight puts out good shit.

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SEX...Now Watch The First Five Minutes of "Haywire"

Haywire (also known as Bourne Identity with a vagina) comes out in a week and if you're craving some spy thriller action, perhaps the first five mintues of the movie will sate your appetite until next week. Gina Carano, in all of her MMA sexiness, goes all apeshit in a coffee shop.

You have to watch Channing Tatum, well, be Channing Tatum, but the end result is oh so gratifying. I'm a fan of Soderbergh's work and Haywire looks pretty damn slick. Notice I said "looks pretty damn slick". Soderbergh is an awesome director, but his last few flicks have been lacking a bit.

This clip is US only unfortunately seeing as its a Hulu exclusive. We will have a review for "Haywire" up next week, in the meantime lets hope the entire movie is as incredibly violent as the first five minutes. Click play...you know you want to.

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Verizon Wireless Requires 4G Devices

Verizon Wireless Associate Director of Device Marketing Keith Lampron, told CNet that all new devices that come to the Verizon Network this year are mandatorily required to have 4G capability. Not sure exactly why because Verizon has said its 4G network will not be completed until 2013 and they've also had 3 major network outages just this year. But looking on the bright side, I assume this means we have a 4G iPhone coming in 2012. (psyched)



Source: BGR.com

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CES Rundown: Smart TVs, OLED and 3D

A major part of CES is always the unveiling of the new TVs. What new advancements can they come up with this year? Consumers were wowed the past few years with the major push towards 3D technology. This year 3D seems to be on the backburner. OLED screens seen to be on every manufacturers lineup, and the new focus for these flat screen panels this year is the integration of “Smart TVs”.

These new “Smart TVs” are integrated with gestures/voice commands and social integration. It seems the TV manufacturers are going to route of the new trends, set by cellphone and game developers, with hands free control. Many of the new panels will be able to be commanded using simple voice controls. Gestures are also being used to control the set, rendering a remote obsolete. Companies have come to realize that social media is one of the biggest markets. Many models of the past years have already included social media on the displays. This year the companies are going for even more integration. Chatting and up to the minute updates on your social media accounts during a television program, these are part of the new social integration these new panels will possess.

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Comic Book of The Day: Uncanny X-Force #19.1

Uncanny X-Force #19.1 is today's comic book of the day, and when you're done reading it you'll have one very simple question on your mind, as I know I did.

Where was the X-Force?

Don't get me wrong, this book is worth the read, but I personally hate when you have a book who's title means little to nothing in comparison to what's inside. Anyway, Marvel's had this "thing" going on where they add decimals to their titles. 19.1 is a clear cut example, as were any other titles you may have seen (Feat Itself, for example, had Issues 7, 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3).

The reasoning is simple. It happens after the main issue (in this case, #19), but is off to the side and meant to happen before the next issue in the timeline. When you read this issue, you have to take this into consideration, as that is exactly what has happened here.

SPOILER BELOW

Issue #19.1 is all about the Age of Apocalypse. If you read Uncanny X-force #19, you know that Jean Grey and Sabretooth went back to their own universe, the Age of Apocalypse (further referred to as AOA), leaving Nightcrawler behind. The issue picks up right at that point, marking the return of Jean Grey.

To cut the issue down to a bare-bones plot, Jean Grey had picked up something telepathically while in our own Universe. She had picked up on the events of House Of M, rather that the Scarlet Witch had removed a majority of the mutant gene from Earth. Jean had proposed they use the body and dead mind of their Scarlet Witch, reaching out and controlling her telepathically to have the same effect in the AOA and save Humanity.

The end result?

Jean is the only one who loses her powers, and William Stryker (You did watch X-men 2: X-men United, right?) tricks Jean into destroying a small island where mutants and humans are living. It isn't clear on whether or not the island is 100% in either race, but judging by Jean's reaction I'd say they were mutants who were against mutantkind and trying to save humanity.

While this book had next to nothing to do with the X-Force, I highly recommend this book. After looking ahead at Marvel's future releases, there will be a mini-series set in the Age of Apocalypse which, after reading this, I will be picking up to read. This was one of those books that really got me interested, because it's not a universe I'm used to, and I want to see where the writers will take it. After all, there are endless unused possibilities, origins, and plot twists that they can touch upon as they write this story, and you can safely expect the unexpected!

Joe A.

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Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Is Coming Out. We Promise.

Ghost Recon has been in development for what seems like forever, and yes, you will have to wait a bit longer for your dose of future soldiering.Ubisoft has just confirmed that they will in fact be pushing the release date from March to May 22 in North America (May 24th Europe). For those of you pining over some Ubsifot shooter action, you've waited this long, why not a couple of more months?

Ubisoft has taken their sweet time getting their two most beloved shooter franchises (Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. R6 Vegas is one of my favorite games)and in a world that seems to be dominated by Call of Duty's and Battlefields, another delay doesn't seem ideal. We're not sure what the hold up is, but these things happen for a reason. If the whole thing feels like "a little late to the party", I can see that. We've been seeing footage of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for the past three E3's, it would be nice to play it.

Ubisoft did state that they will be releaseing a multiplayer beta in April, which is nice because at this point I think people are tired of hearing about it. And contrary to what was previouly rumored, a PC version of the game does exist. There was some concern that Ghost Recon Online may have taken its place. The whole idea that Ubisoft would abandon the PC market for a game like Ghost Recon: Future Soldier seems absurd. Check the video below for the multiplayer walkthrough.

                                                                                                                                   Source: Giant Bomb

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Comic Book of The Day: Red Lanterns #5

The Red Lanterns are a fairly new creation that came into life only a few short years ago, but their popularity and fame have given them their own title.

Recapping recent past events, Atrocitus has his entire corps on a planet where they mumble and stumble like a bunch of morons with no capability of thought. Atrocitus has been using the dead body of Krona (former Guardian of the Universe) as his pulpit to confess and confide his secrets with. At the end of issue 4, Krona is missing. Atrocitus blames his fellow corpsmen Bleez (whom he recently gave her intelligence back) of stealing the body. Then issue 5 happened.

SPOILERS BELOW

Like any good story, Red Lanterns 5 picks up where 4 left off and Atrocitus is pissed. He immediately attacks Bleez accusing her of trickery and deception (not to mention the whole stealing the dead Guardian bit). The two of them fight for a short time and then Bleez asks the question of what if Krona is not dead? This relaxes Atrocitus somewhat but he still falls into shock thinking Krona could be alive.

Meanwhile, the other members of the Red Lanterns that Atrocitus threw into the blood ocean to restore their memories are beginning to come about. They look to each other with anger and hatred (how surprising) but eventually fall in line with Atrocitus. The Red Lanterns decide that their mission will be either recovering Krona’s dead body, or finding him and killing him again. Atrocitus ends this by chanting the Red Lantern oath.

Back on Earth a small sub-plot has been brewing. A human whose grandfather was murdered by a thug has been feuding with his brother over how to act. I myself thought the one brother full with anger and fueled by rage was going to become the first human Red Lantern.

I was wrong.

His calmer brother, John Moore, had much more rage built up inside of him that he never revealed. Even when his brother was beaten to death by police; he did nothing to stop it. A red power ring appears on Earth to provide John with a red power ring making him unofficially the first human Red Lantern.

Red Lanterns is a title that could be hit or miss when it comes to purchasing a new title of DC’s New 52. The Krona story line and the introduction of a new Lantern all make me excited for issue 6. Bring on the next one!

Andrew M.

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Comic Book of The Day: Uncanny X-Men #4

X-Men left off with the end of the “Sinister” three part arc. The X-Men find themselves at a bit of a crossroads with the citizens afraid of what they are capable of, but X-Leader Scott Summers (aka Cyclops) believes this to be beneficial, if humans fear the X-Men, they won’t harm mutants. That brings the X-Reader to issue 4. 

SPOILERS BELOW

Issue 4 is one of those one-shot books that are used to keep the title coming out monthly while the writers get ready for the next big arc. The story focuses around a member of the Phalanx, the alien life forms who try to take over the galaxy through the use of a hivemind and turn everybody robotic. This member was captured and systematically tortured by Mr. Sinister for an unspecified amount of time. I’m quite sure unspeakable things were done here to this member of would be conqueror people.

After his escape, and repeated failures to contact his larger collective, he builds a one man Phalanx army made out of himself and people he killed. This is, of course, where the X-Men arrive to stop him. The real tragedy comes when the Phalanx member discovers that he is the last remaining member of his people. That is the true reason he couldn’t contact the hivemind collective. Upon discovery of this, he lowers his shields and allows himself to be killed the X-Men’s attacks.

With this book being a one-shot, it technically isn’t going to have any bearing on the rest of Marvel, or even the X-Men. It’s used to either introduce something that later will be very important, or what I believe to be the reason this time, bridge a gap between two arcs. In this case a villain is taken and shown to be a sympathetic character that I felt sorry for when he was killed. Where my curiosity lies is how does Mr.Sinister benefit from what information he obtained from the Phalanx member? Will this book have any lasting effects on Marvel or the near future? In my personal opinion no, but that remains to be seen.

Andrew M.

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