Marvel Comics Review: Ultimate Spider-man #7

Lucky number 7! Or is it?

If you've been keeping up with the new Spider-man of the Marvel Ultimates universe, you'd say so. Miles Morales is the new Spider-man, and so far we've gotten to see a wide variety of powers and abilities that just make your mouth water with excitement. He's got the respect of SHIELD, a bad-ass Red and Black suit, more powers that Peter Parker had in both comics and movies combined, and an amazing team of writers to keep em coming!

SPOILERS BELOW

We get to see a decent portion of home life for Miles in this issue. First we see him trying to keep the powers a secret from his mother. He's trying out things in his room, just as we saw Peter do in the first Spider-man movie. The second portion of home life is the usual opinions ordeal. Miles and family are discussing their own opinions of Spider-man, especially since one had been killed and the new one just kind of appeared.

Next we get to see Spider-man on patrol. He's still developing his powers, so despite the ability to do camouflage, he just doesn't know how to activate it. He also hasn't completely mastered web-slinging either, and that's only slightly less awkward than having to go through some guys apartment to get back to ground level.

As he zips through the city, he comes across a bridge battle with what I'm assuming is Omega Red. I've never picked up an Ultimate Comics book before Spider-man, so if that isn't Omega Red (White face, Red color scheme, tentacles, the Omega symbol...) please correct me. Anyway, pick up the issue- it's an interesting fight to say the least and I thought it was pretty impressive.

We also see Miles' uncle, AKA the Prowler, approaching (and killing) the Tinkerer for making him faulty equipment that ultimately caused his Mexican jail time. During the conversation though, we see that he begins to deduce that his nephew is Spider-man, which we can only assume as he approaches Miles directly at the end of the issue.

I'd pick this issue up; if nothing else you get the book plus a free digital copy too. It's fairly decent, and if you aren't too familiar with Miles' abilities, this is a decent showcase. I honestly don't know where this storyline could head, but I do like the idea that a criminal and Spider-man are in the same family, and I'm more than interested to see where they bring this plot. In case you didn't know, the next issue has the Scorpion on the cover, and if his looks aren't convincing enough, I can only imagine what the insides would be like.

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Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Burns Out

Here's the basics of it all when it comes to Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

1) Grab Spoon.

2) Gouge out own eyes.

3) Wanna see Ghost Rider?

Seriously, don't go see this movie. Do not be part of the group of people that Nicolas Cage can refer to when he says "But somebody must like my shit because people are still watching it."

If you have any thoughts about going to see this movie without the full intent of cuddling with your boyfriend/girlfriend in an empty theater, you're supporting the wrong cause. You're not getting that hour and thirty-five minutes back. It's not even worth watching Regal's "First Look", or the trailers. FYI, here were mine:

The Raven

G I Joe: Retaliation

Battleship

Wrath of the Titans

The Amazing Spider-man

21 Jump Street

So unless you're looking forward to seeing these trailers on a big screen, save your money. Save your time. Save your relationship. Seriously, you're risking a lot. Let me go into the movie itself though, just so you know what you're getting yourself into. I'm not going to warn you about spoilers, I'm saving you don't forget.

First, the story was really choppy. The basic plot was...not so basic. A boy, Danny, is being chased by some guys apparently associated with the devil. Danny is the son of the devil, apparently. Ghost Rider is hired to protect Danny at the deal of having his curse removed. Of course the Ghost Rider is still doing his punishing sinners thing too. 

The devil wants his kid, stuff happens, and you have over 90 minutes of revelation into just how bad Nicolas Cage is in front of a camera. So there you have it, the Spirit of Vengeance is still doing his thing, but protecting the little Devil. Which is funny to me because I seem to recall the point of the first movie being to stop the Devil's other son. Also, not once did the movie refer to the Devil as "Mephisto", and this makes me sad.

 

Yea Nic, we sort of felt the same way about the movie

Secondly, you had a lot of elements that didn't make sense. I know, it's a fiction movie, and logic just walks out the door in a pair of Air Jordans nobody wanted, but still- there was no sense. I mean, you had one guy whose touch decayed things, but he was able to drive. His touched decayed EVERYTHING; you can't even claim it only decayed things he wanted decay because his first experiments with the power revealed he was decaying all the food he wanted to eat except for the Twinkies (I see what they did there...) while driving the vehicle. 

You also run into that whole weapons training thing. You know, it's when the trained mercenaries can't hit a damn thing but the dumb broad that picks up a pistol gets a one-bullet bullseye. That happens frequently. You also had SUVs that can rear-end multiple vehicles at high speeds and never get more than headlight damage.

Lastly, the effects- Oh my were they beautiful. I think this falls under "Wasted Talent". They had amazing effects. Not just the fire, everything. From decaying bodies, to stunts, to explosions, this movie hit the mark. If nothing else, if you can somehow get past Mr Cage, enjoy the effects and hope to whatever God you believe in that these guys get hired again.

I wouldn't recommend this movie. I wouldn't even Redbox it. Netflix is a no-no. Don't even ask your best buddy to burn you a copy.  Avoid the movie at all costs, unless you need a school project on Nicolas Cage or something.

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[Video] Skyrim: Modern Dovahkiin---So Metal Your Face Will Melt

Leave it to the fans to come up with some amazingly creative ways to show their love and adoration of Skyrim. There are a lot of things I'm not proud of, like crying at the end of Homeward Bound, or putting 77 hours into Skyrim. The obsession continues with Skyrim: Modern Dovahkiin, an ode to the metal of yore. This slice of brilliance is brought to you by Warialasky, of YouTube fame. The video also features the BYU mens choir, which makes this even more METAL. Check their page out for the an equally impressive line-up of original videos.

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Kickstarting Creativity: A Double Fine Adventure

We’re tired of paying for games that promise so much, but after we’ve spent our $65, we’re left empty, unsatisfied, and broke. Yes, I’m still talking about videogames. But what if you could guarantee that you’d be spending your hard earned money on a game that not only is incredible, but that you helped build from start to finish without ever leaving your room? No, you wouldn’t have to know anything about graphic design, C++ or HTML coding. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a collaboration of Double Fine Productions, 2 Player Productions, and the reason for this project - you.

In the Beginning…

Tim Schafer, former writer and programmer for LucasArts in the 1990’s, started Double Fine Productions in 2000 and had a vision - a vision where honesty and integrity was the foundation of who they were and where games would be original and fun again. Name doesn’t sound familiar? You might know of their games Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, and Costume Quest, which won Best Downloadable Game of the Year by Spike TV’s VGA and PSN Game of the Year by Playstation Magazine in 2010.

Schafer had a brilliant idea that started with Kickstarter - an online company that allows creative minds and their dreams to become realities with the help of others who believe in the project. For now, the project is called Double Fine Adventure - dubbed the name due to the fact that Schafer dreams of a day where old school, point-and-click adventure games are magical and possibilities are endless. Not only is DFA just another game to look forward to, but coupled with 2 Player Productions, it will also be a full documentary of the game’s development from beginning to end.

And that’s where you, the fan, comes into play.

The Game Without a Name

DFP and Tim Schafer originally was hoping for fans to raise a total of  $300,00-$400,000 for the game itself and $100,000 for the documentary. As of February 25^th of this year, they have raised $2,227,006 with 64,928 backers and 16 days until this project starts. They actually raised a million dollars in 24 hours from their start on February 10^th. First off, that gives me hope in today’s generation that appreciates the retro and the proverbial walk down memory lane. 

Secondly, that means that with that kind of funding, all of that extra money is going to go back into the game and documentary so it can be released on multiple platforms, extra music soundtracks, overall better quality of the game and documentary,  Things like that. but what they’re asking for isn’t just donations - there will be a private online community specifically for backers “to discuss the project with the devs and submit their thoughts and feelings about the game's content and direction, sometimes even voting on decisions when the dev team can't decide.” 

The Naked Truth

“The game will be either great or a spectacular failure caught on camera for everyone to see. Either way, you win,” Tim Schafer

If you haven’t heard of 2 Player Productions, here’s a fun fact - they’ve produced behind-the-scenes footage for the Infamous games, Uncharted 3, and 27 episodes in the first season of Penny Arcade.

Double Fine doesn‘t want you to just see the pretty images, the comical panels and get-togethers. They want all to be revealed. 

"They’ll get to see our brainstorming sessions. We’re going to get people together and do like we did in the old days, just sit in a room and talk about anything we want to talk about until we come up with a couple of puzzles each day. We’ll let people see that. And they’ll see what the artists are drawing, the kind of thought process we go into when we’re shooting, what character designs we like. We want to make them feel as much as possible like they’re here in the office sharing in the game development process with us." Schafer on the documentary

Cameras will be following the crew everywhere. It will be paparazzi in their faces at almost all time, I mean, you can’t be followed into the bathroom. That’s a little creepy. Nevertheless, this is their plan come approximately 2 weeks from now. This isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this though, however, it will be the first time that anyone will be able to see a complete start-to-finish of a game’s development without any idea of whether the game will be a failure or success. 

Psychonauts is one of the most notable games by Double Fine.

The team isn’t nervous about doing this, being that they’ve taped an episode of G4 TV’s Icons while creating Psychonauts in 2005. That isn’t to say that it’s not hard work, though. It’s not just about calling the filming crew in to film for X amount of hours and then they go home. 

When they filmed the episode for Icons, workers were far from having it easy. While the work is hard, the result, whether good or bad, will be worth everything. They’re looking to finish in October 2012, but who knows? With all the money that they raised, that means they have more funds to put extra content into the project, but as we all know from our Troll friends in World of Warcraft, “Time is money, friend.”

Oh, the Rewards!

So okay, you donate, you collaborate with the developers, and all you have left is bragging rights, correct? Wrong. Saving the best for last, there are rewards. You have to give your fans some sort of incentive. For a solid $15 donation, you get the finished game on the platform of your choice, access to the Beta on Steam and the video series, as well as the private discussion community. For $30, you get an HD download of the documentary with extra features, digital game and documentary soundtracks, plus the previous $15 reward tier. The rewards go up - and for those that go beyond the call, there are super premium rewards. Visit their website to learn more about all that.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The project will begin on March 10^th at 8pm EDT and continue until somewhere around October. Inspired? Visit www.doublefine.com to learn more about the project, to donate to DFP, updates, rewards, and anything about the company you’d like to know. You can also visit www.2playerproductions.com to check out what’s going on with Double Fine Adventure on their end, plus anything that they’re up to. Have an idea? Check out www.kickstarter.com to learn how your dreams can be a reality.

Sources and quotes from: www.doublefine.com, www.2playerproductions.com, www.kickstarter.com, www.venturebeat.com

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[Video] This Walking Dead Alternate Intro Is Totally Real

I was perusing the interwebs in boredom while listening to old school Wu-Tang tracks and eating ice pops. You know, because it's like 73 degrees everywhere and I came accross this gem. I literally pooped a brick. This is a Walking Dead alternate opening that I had to share. It's not terribly new, but you won't care, you'll LOL yourself to sleep. Check the vid and know that the Internet loves you. And damn you Frank Darabont...damn you to hell.

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Safe House: Mediocrity at its best

When I purchased my ticket for Safe House I really wasn't expecting much. After watching a trailer here and there I immediately drew the conclusion that the producers of this film just wanted to inject as much action as possible into the two hours that they were allotted.

Hell, one of the reasons this film is rated R is “Intense violence through out”. To be honest, after reading that I got pretty excited as I just wanted to watch Denzel and Ryan Reynolds kick ass for two straight hours For the most part this would be true if it wasn't for the “Ehh” moments.

The film centers around Matt Weston, a safe house keeper with a smokin' hot French girlfriend (who happens to know nothing about what he does, it being the CIA and all.) About 5-10 minutes into the film we learn that Matt has the job equivalent of the person that has to make cold calls for a telemarketing firm. Matt is eager to step out into field work and prove himself to the agency. Now enters Tobin Frost. A CIA agent (who is illustrated as a badass incarnate) gone rogue...which spells bad news for everybody.

Before long, Tobin is brought into Matt's humble safe house to be “interrogated” until he gives up whatever information they are looking to obtain. They don't even get through two full minutes of the “interrogation” before the safe house is breached, the interrogation team is killed, and Matt is forced to release Tobin from the now compromised safe house and take him along to the next safe house... so says protocol.

From this moment on the film basically becomes an intense chase/run of the mill action flick. Besides the performances of Denzel and Ryan Reynolds, which in my opinion carried the film, everyone else just feels like they are along for the ride. On top of that, the plot was a “Wow, I guessed that coming a mile away!” type of thing. I almost felt like the writers of this film said “Okay, good news boys, we got Denzel on board...now lets just pump out a standard “government espionage” style plot out, and let Denzel and Ryan Reynolds look pretty for the rest of it!”

However, I must say if nothing else, the one thing that this film did outstandingly well was the audio. The audio in this film was off the charts. Never have I been scared by an action film, and this film pulled that off not once, not twice, but on three separate occasions. I literally jumped up out of my seat because I didn't see the next shock and awe hurdling towards my face.

Now with all of that aside I truly do not believe that this movie was worth the $12.50 I paid to watch. Whats even worse than that, is I had to pay for my date's ticket as well. So I paid a total of $25.00 to be underwhelmed in a movie that I thought was going to have kick ass action for at very least a good hour and a half.
Bottom Line: Denzel and Ryan give strong performances, but Safe House has little to offer in the plot department.

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Dear Adam Sandler, Please Stop Making Movies

Alright Adam, we get it man. We get that you have stopped caring, we get that you're worth $300 million, we get that you gave Kevin James life after King of Queens, and we get that you love Rob Schneider. The question is--when does it end? You have already tarnished your namesake enough, but obviously you don't care. Maybe that's a good thing. Hell, maybe that's even why you're rich.

I'm just personally sick of it. I can't be alone in thinking this, can I? I loved your early work man, you know, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore? Then we have arguably your best acting perforamce in "Punch Drunk Love", and I thought you had incredible range. Then you just decided one day, screw it, time to shit on everything you have ever done.

Things just get worse before they get better. The schlock you've been tossing out for the last five years is unbelievable. I mean, just pure, unadulterated shit. Let me break it down for you...

We'll start in 2007 and work are way up.

1. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: Where do I begin? Let's see, ridiculous premise, not funny, Kevin James is fat and goofy so you chuckle a few times, and you grow very fond of Jessica Biel. Honestly, the gratuitous Biel ass shots almost saved this one for me Adam, almost.

2. You Don't Mess with the Zohan:Dude come on, seriously? You play an Israeli Special Agent who comes to New York only to realize that he wants to become a barber? Who...what...I just, I don't know what to say. Then he goes all bad ass when some bad dudes come to find him? And once again you dupe us with this hottie:

Emmanuelle Chriqui

3. Grown Ups: Why must you bring everyone down with you Adam? Chris Rock is easily one of my favorite comics, and you just cram him right into this hot mess. You've single-handedly supported Rob Schneider. The only reason he has a place to live and food to eat is because of you. And Kevin James? What do you see in this guy? Did he save your life or something and you feel like you owe him something? Yes he can be funny, but for the most part he's very annoying.


4. Just Go With It: I can't say anything bad about this. You used Brooklyn Decker and Jennifer Aniston to divert our attention away from the fact that the movie was awful. How could you stoop so low Adam?

You smug bastard...

5. Jack and Jill: I'm not even going to say anything, just watch.




Is this what it has come to Adam? Look at your body of work, and there are some classics in there somewhere, but you've obviously given up man. You just hand us these crap movies and expect us to pay? Well apparently it's working, congratulations. And what is with the shameless product placement in your movies? Adam, I don't even know who you are these days. I only have on plea dude, please, just please stop making movies. When does the embarrassment end? Have you no self respect? I give up man, but please consider putting an end to this madness, I simply can't take it any more.

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Trailer Mash-Up: Beyond The Black Rainbow, Marley, Sound of Noise

We have some obscure titles to share with you all in this weeks trailer mash-up. "Beyond The Black Rainbow" has that Kubrick-like charm for you, Marley brings the us tales of the reggae legend, and "Sound of Noise" has a creative take on the heist movie.





Tell me you didn't feel a Kubrick vibe in that trailer? No? Absurd.





Love, peace, and a 4/20 release. Stupid clever.





Original, quirky, and oddly amusing. We shall see. Thoughts? Drop them in the box downstairs homie.

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Xbox Live Indie Games Comes To Windows Phone With XBLIG Companion

Xbox Live Indie Games has received more exposure in the recent Xbox 360 dashboard update, making indie games easier to find, and helping indie developers get the attention they deserve. The one thing missing for XBLIG was mobile access, which won't be an issue very soon.

What if you could have access to the latest and greatest indie titles on your Windows Phone? What if you could also find the games you're interested in and remotely queue them up for download on your Xbox 360? That's exactly what the XBLIG Companion App, currently in beta, plans to do.

XBLIG Companion is not an official Microsoft app, it's an effort by indie developers to make browsing indie titles a simple process. The developers came together and developed the app which collects information from RSS feeds on xboxindies.com. This gets the best games the best exposure. This is great idea to not only get more exposure for titles, but a smart use of mobile to console functionality. Check the video for additional details.





Source: Slashgear

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Rockstar Looks to Kick Ass With Max Payne 3

Rockstar Games wants to get people really hyped about Max Payne 3 and I'll tell you what, I'm pumped! The videos that have been released showing off the technical aspects of this game are really impressive. The latest trailer gives some insight into what is really going on with Max this go round.

His latest job was being a bodyguard for a prominent business mans wife, who lives a wild life and ends up kidnapped. So this puts Max into "Man on Fire" mode, hunting and killing anything in his way to finding this woman. If you know anything about the last two games, Max has terrible luck when it comes to women.

On top of the two trailers from the game (All In-Game Footage), Rockstar has released two technical videos showing off how Max Payne 3 will keep its faced paced 3rd person shooter in line with todays demanding gamers. What really stands out in these videos is the improvements to the Euphoria physics engine that drives Max Payne 3. With a combination of this engine and thousand of animations, every character looks to have the most realistic reactions to being rittled by bullets. One example was an enemy gets blasted with the 608 Bull, goes flying backward, hits the barricade behind him, and his neck snap back violently.



Another great example is when Max is in slow-mo running at an enemy with body armor, shoots him with a pistol in each shoulder, and the enemy twists with his left and his right shoulder showing that the bullets didn't penetrate, but their was still a shift in his weight. It looks like every character has a center of gravity they need to find when running, shooting, or being shot which adds a great movie like quality to Max Payne 3.

The level of detail that Rockstar puts into all of its game is overwhelming as some points, and Max Payne 3 is no different. There is such a high level of detail in the gun models you can see the bullets inside the cylinder of the revolver. You can watch spent cartridges fly out of the M4 onto the ground bouncing and rolling. I can't wait to be dual wielding some semi-autos, unload into some bad-guys, then watch the clips drop from the guns and reload for another round.

Only a couple of months away from release, so I'm sure their will be a lot more goodies from Rockstar to get this game as hyped as possible. I'll be eating up every bit of it. Stay tuned to TheGeekAsylum.net for what to expect from this adrenaline-filled action shooter.

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WWE RAW Wrap-Up

Monday Night Raw – February 13, 2012

Our wrestling television week begins with Kane’s focus on the Ambulance he claims will carry John Cena out of the Elimination Chamber PPV in 6 days. Passively advertising a match like this is ideal to me, but as we will see later, that was too good to be true.

The true start to the show was the announcement and commencement of an “Elimination Chamber Debate”, which reeks of an NXT challenge. With the exception of CM Punk, R Truth received by far the biggest pop. Laurinitis interrupts Punk, simply to introduce himself and retreat to the back; these people can’t help but waste time.

The segment went off as one would expect; Punk says he’s the best, Ziggler says he’s even better, Miz harkened back to Mania from last year, which is the last time he was successful, Kofi tries to stake his claim as a viable threat, Jericho points out that HE’S the best in the world (at everything he does) and Truth thinks he’s running for office, which admittedly led to a bit of actual comedy.

That man hates him some spiders. After a promise from Punk that this would not break down into violence, Kofi takes exception to Jericho calling him an afterthought and proceeds to deliver Trouble in Paradise, just before their match.

This is critical for Kofi, as he needs to stand out a bit rather than just be a filler body in the chamber…which he will be. But the wrestling world needs more Barry Horowitz’s.

The whole thing, while good for a couple cheap laughs, screams “me too” as per typical WWE – there are debates on TV right now, so we may as well do one too.

Match 1: Chris Jericho vs Kofi Kingston

A relatively short match, with Kofi getting in a bit of signature offense, aggression and escaping the Walls, to show him as viable. Kofi hits his finisher on Jericho, but cannot capitalize for the fall, leading to an eye poke from Jericho and a ‘cheap’ win via Codebreaker. The fact that Jericho had to cheat to beat Kofi solidifies him as a threat in the eyes of the higher ups, I’m sure.

Winner: Chris Jericho via pinfall.
Something I loved in this match was Jericho using a belly to back suplex as an offensive move, not just a counter as is typically done in modern WWE. There was also a great powerbomb spot out with Jericho countering Kofi’s signature corner punches.

We were then treated to three rapid fire non-match segments with commercials in between: HBK on screen, to get a big pop from the crowd; Ryder and Cena in the back, for another big pop and to put ‘star power’ on screen in between matches; and Laurinitis/Otunga ‘hatching a plan’ to gain more backstage power.

Match 2: Randy Orton vs Big Show

Daniel Bryan comes out first with his usual entrance and his splendid “YES YES YES YES” entrance – this man celebrates anything, even walking down to the ring and I love it. Orton is landing strikes on Big Show and actually moving him; need a credible threat to the ‘monster’ in the cage. The match went well, with a great top rope spike DDT spot on big show, leading to a botched RKO attempt, quickly and effectively resetting and landing the RKO, prompting Bryan to enter the ring and pop both men with his belt.

Bryan is turning out to be a great chickenshit heel, getting in people’s heads. Of note: Orton apparently suffered an actual concussion here and has (at this time) been replaced with Santino in the chamber match. One can only assume someone else will replace him. Also of note: Even after popping Randy Orton with a belt, there were vocal chants for Bryan.

Winner: Technically Randy Orton, as he was struck first.
It bugs me that the announcers could not fathom an excuse for the RKO mistake – that’s their job.
The second hour opens with HBK making a full entrance with pyro. Everyone still loves him, as they damn well should. I won’t bore with the details of the talk with HHH, as if you’re reading this, you’ve watched that.

What comes of this is HBK immediately conflicting/butting heads with HHH; not a punch was pulled here. Seems they want to kick the trip down the Road to Wrestlemania into high gear…fine by me. This concluded with a new video from The Undertaker, showing him cutting his ‘hair’ – this will explain Taker’s short hair look in the match, since he has had short hair in real life recently.

Match 3: R-Truth vs Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler got the ‘jobber’ entrance here – come back from commercial, and he’s already in ring, music finishing. They do this to him a lot and I cannot fathom why. Truth hit signature offense, Dolph hit a great dropkick->kip up->strut sequence, followed by a signature Dolph jumping elbow and situps…only to be cradled and pinned by Truth

Winner: R-Truth via pinfall
Truth is ‘strong’ thanks to a win over the last #1 contender, and Ziggler is given a reason to be less cocky and show-off less in the chamber match, since it cost him here.
Santino gives Ryder a garlic breathstrip. I love Santino and his antics, I really do. This one fell flat. I still love the sonamagun.

Match 4: Tamina Snuka vs Brie Bella

Beth Phoenix is ringside and quite boring on commentary. Great bedazzled shirt though: “Ding. Glamslam. Ding”. Tamina is being announced with her last name now, and proceeds to dominate Brie via Samoan Drop and Superfly Splash.



Winner: Tamina via pinfall

Announcing her with her father’s surname and the quick wins peg her as the face diva of the month. I doubt anyone takes the belt from Beth before Mania, which is hopefully when we see Kharma back in action full time. She does need to be a mommy first. Also, Layla is slated to return soon; hopefully some good divas action coming soon. AJ needs to be unleashed upon her return – she’s solid in ring.

Cena/Kane time – So much for passively advertising the ambulance match. Again, details aren’t needed as you’ve more than likely seen this. What the result sets up is the end of night spot AND potential for a Ryder angle when he’s “healthy” again. He’s filming a movie at the moment.

Match 5: The Miz vs CM Punk

Aside from a fun finisher sequence with the Skull Crushing Finale countered into a shoulder throw and the Anaconda Vice, this fell flat. Something was off with the chemistry between them, and Miz needs to be having strong showings right now.

Winner via submission: CM Punk
Show concludes with the return of the ambulance and ultimately Ryder being pushed off the stage in a wheelchair. This was a nasty NASTY bump. When Mick Foley gets on Twitter and says a bump wasn’t a good idea…you know it wasn’t a good idea. This gives Cena more incentive to embrace the hate at the PPV, but who knows what that will lead to and how that will play into Wrestlemania. Would I like to see a turn from Cena and therefore some development? Hell yeah. Do I expect? Not so much.

Here we have the makings of a lot of things: Ryder has multiple possibilities upon his return; I hate to see the fistpumper give up all of his goofiness, but a slightly more serious Ryder would be great for him and great for fans. The chamber is set up with the usual suspects.

Cena has all the more reason to embrace the hate, get past Kane and prep for the Rock; maybe Ryder feuds with Kane upon his return? HBK is set to take part in the HHH/Taker match as a ref/enforcer/etc. Will he turn on HHH and not let him do what he couldn’t get done himself? Will he help HHH put Taker out? Will Taker have a decent haircut beforehand? Pay your $55.99 to find out in just a few short weeks.

Back with Smackdown and the post-EC podcast real soon!

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Mass Effect 3 Demo Impressions

I'm 16 hours into my fifth playthrough of Mass Effect 2. This is all preparation for the third installment in the franchise. Mind you, it's been over a year since I touched the game. I just recently got back into it in order to have the narrative fresh in my head before taking on three.

Well it's Valentines Day, and Bioware shows their fans how much they love them by releasing the Mass Effect 3 demo on XBL. I played it through twice as different classes, and I'm going to give you my thoughts on all the things I loved about the demo. Much like we did with our look at the Diablo 3 beta This will be focusing on the single player demo, as I didn't have a chance to get into multiplayer.

Choose The Way You Play

When I fired up the demo, the first thing I noticed was that Bioware implemented certain ways to play the game. The three different play types are action, RPG, and story. I'll break those down in a moment, but I want to discuss how this move is a brilliant way to silence any naysayers.

For instance, people like myself enjoyed the RPG-heavy Mass Effect, but loathed its clunky battle system. Then Bioware addresses the complaints about the battle system with a major overhaul, creating what was essentially a 3rd person shooter with RPG elements. The RPG purists found the lack of any true RPG upgrade system as a turn-off.

As it goes in the gaming community, people will find something to hate, but Bioware has now made the game more accessible than ever with these three distinct play styles. They have effectively made the game more accommodating for all players, whether you're a novice or an RPG stat whore.
Allow me to break down the basics of these three play styles.

Action: This explains itself really. his play style is for the person who may not have the patience or desire to worry about what stats they want to upgrade. This is for someone who wants to eff things up and leave the customization of abilities to the game. They don't want to worry about increasing speech skills or making your warp ability have a 20% faster recharge rate. Think Mass Effect 2.

RPG: This is the traditional Mass Effect play style. You will have access to all the stats and abilities you could ask for. I chose this play style and I forgot how much I missed picking and choosing my abilities. I feel that this is really the way the game was meant to be played.

Story If you want to fly through the game this is your play style. It just sounds super boring. No customization of abilities, no dialogue trees, and easy enemies. Cool idea, but I can't imagine playing the game this way.


I found this new feature to be a brilliant idea on Bioware's part. Now, let's get to the meat and potatoes: Guns and battle system changes.

"We're going to need bigger guns. We need big F*n guns!"

Okay, so I used Rutger Hauer's line from 'Split Second', but it's so fitting. The battle system in ME2 changed dramatically over its predecessor. Bioware opted to go more of the shooter route in ME2 and they made it work. While they did make significant improvements to the system, the squad-based combat was really inconsistent.

There was nothing more annoying than issuing commands, having the NPC confirm the order, and then not execute it. It's absolutely maddening, so I was curious if ME3 would tackle this issue. The answer is a resounding yes, not only do the NPC's execute orders, they recommend strategies on the fly.

Here's an example of this improvement in action. The first thing I notice while in battle is how much smarter and organized enemies are. They work as a unit, so you have to play smarter. Well, when we were being overwhelmed with enemies, one of the NPC's said "flush them out". I then realized it was time to roll in a grenade to thin the herd.

The grenade took out two tangos, and then three just fanned out and took cover. I directed one of my NPC's to use warp, and as the enemy was floating aimlessly, I used push to get them over the edge. The other two split up, and when I was in cover, the NPC said "Shepard, take to the high ground."


Sure enough, there was a flight of stairs to my right. I was thoroughly impressed with the AI improvement overall. The HUD has also changed to make it easier to monitor your squads health and the recharge rates on their abilities.

Another difference I noticed was not only more guns, but the way they feel and sound. The game feels like a polished shooter. Firing guns is a more visceral experience now. I guess what I'm trying to say is that they feel more violent and raw.

This all comes down to the sound design of the guns, as well as how they feel when fired. Guns now have more recoil, and you can no longer just hold the trigger button down to take down enemies. You have to do short bursts to be as accurate as possible. Bioware has gone and made a shooter, plain and simple. If any of this sounds absurd, that's understandable, it's just that I notice things like this.

Other small alterations include better running animations, a roll function that actually works, and slight improvements to the cover system. Shepard does't move like a slug anymore. He/She runs and rolls with conviction now. The multiplayer component of the game makes complete sense now. After playing the game and seeing the changes Bioware has made, I can't wait to see what multiplayer is like.

March 6th can't come soon enough, and based on what I've seen, ME3 looks to raise the bar one more time. It really breaks my heart to think that this is the last installment in the series, but I'll get over it. For those who have played it, what are your thoughts? We'd like to hear what you think, especially if you've played multiplayer.

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Bees Knees Apps: Jetpack Joyride

Jetpack Joyride (Halfbrick) is your basic side scrolling obstacle-based game.  Your character is a failing salesman who stumbles upon a secret laboratory who is developing a prototype machine gun powered jetpack.  Pretty straightforward.

As you don your deadly jetpack, you need to maneuver your way through super-charged electric barriers, dodge horizontal laser systems and evade homing missiles.  There are even coins to collect along the way. You can see that these scientists do not want their new toy flying out the front door.

Why is this any different than the helicopter game on Addicting Games?

First of all, it's a mobile app you can take anywhere.  Second, the detailed cartoon graphics bring colorful and eye-catching visuals.  Third, and the most important, Jetpack includes special power-up vehicles that creates a whole new dynamic to gameplay.

Other than your average machine gun jetpack, your character can pick up special vehicles that allow you to teleport, breathe fire, stomp, reverse gravity, eat more coins, and ride like a badass.  These vehicles all have different gameplay mechanics so you always need to change the way you navigate passed obstacles.

Mr. Snuggles, a mechanical fire-breathing dragon, automatically floats upward and holding a finger on the screen brings him down while breathing fire on panicked scientists.

The Hog, a motorcycle, travels quickly across the ground while you automatically terminate scientists and have to hop over barriers.

And, the teleporter has a guided location beacon in which you can instantly materialize yourself to a new location.

These are only to name a few. Jetpack also has special coins you can collect during your airtime adventure which can be used once you crash and burn in a mini slot based game.  You can win extra coins, exploding bomb boosts, 750m headstarts and a second chance to continue or previous game.

Jetpack also has fun store option which allows you to spend your collected coins on vehicle upgrades, special power-ups and a plethora of outfits.  I believe the Super-Saiyan hair is somewhere a little over 9000. "Damn it."

Jetpack Joyride is free to install and comes connected to Apple's Game Center so you can keep track of your high scores and achievements against friends.  I recommend it and would love to see if anyone can beat my 3495m high score.  Please share your high scores below to shame me.

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Thoughts On The Walking Dead Season 2 Return

 SPOILERS BELOW

The mid-season premier opened up directly where the mid season finale left off. When I say exactly, I mean when the opening shot comes in, the camera angle is set so the audience is staring down the barrel of Rick's gun seconds following the execution of Sophia. Shortly following the massacre at Hershel’s farm, many of the main issues that the fans have been wondering about since before the massacre were addressed. Did Hershel know that Sophia was in the barn? He says he didn't, but Shane still doesn't buy it.

During the premier there are a lot of moral crossroads that are presented not only to the characters of the show, but to us as well. Do you agree with Shane opening up the barn door to slaughter those walkers? Should Rick have handled it like he said he was? Is Shane's way of handling this post-apocalyptic world the right or the wrong way? Most of these questions are addressed in the mid-season opener.

Putting all of that on the back burner for the time being, the main issue that I personally think should be addressed first and foremost is; Team Rick or team Shane? I am team Shane all the way. In a world of constant decay one cannot risk life and limb around every corner simply to rescue one little girl. Please don't think of me as being cold hearted here, but put your self in any member of Rick's group's shoes. I would be concerned about survival, and strength in numbers.

Going by the rule of any given police force nowadays, the window is only really 24 hours before the chances of getting the missing person back alive is sliced in half. Now take a zombie infested world with those odds, and that's not exactly a lot of room for success. Nobody wants to come out and say that, however, that is something that totally needs to be brought up. And that’s exactly what Shane does from the very beginning, and nobody listens to the poor guy. Not until the only beacon of hope shows up undead that is.

Rick introduces his good friend 'Python' to some unfortunate soul

Another thing that I would like to point out is that throughout the entire second season so far I felt like Hershel was being a big baby about everything. He didn't want to see the hard truth that was staring him right in the face. It takes Shane to release his wife and put five in her chest and say “WHY IS IT STILL COMING!?” for him to actually see that he is being that delusional. On top off all that he makes the selfish decision to go into town all by his lonesome just to have a drink. So only following logic Rick and Glen go after him.

Which brings us to the next segment of this episode: the bar scene. This 10 minute scene kind of sets the tone for the rest of the season to come. After Rick and Glen pursue Hershel into town and enter the bar, they face a much more trying challenge than walkers. They have to learn to face their fellow man. Two douches barge into the bar and strike up a conversation with Rick. They seem friendly at first, but then things get insane real fast.

They figure out that Rick and friends are held up at Hershel's farm all safe and sound. After an exchange of friendly and not so friendly conversation, it becomes pretty clear where this scene is headed.

After a short while of a little more conversation this turns into the wild west, and we get to see what Rick was like back when he was a bad ass cowboy cop that he showed us in first few episodes of the series. And let me tell you, Rick has one quick draw. In a blink of an eye he whips out his python and puts one square in the not so friendly guys head.

The last thing that really stuck out at me from this premier was when they were gathering the dead corpses of the walkers. They would collect them from the barn to bury and burn, but that's not what stuck out at me.

When Andrea and T-dog loaded the back of the pick up and started driving to the drop off point, they don't even get 50 feet when some poor bastards arm just falls off his body like meat falling off a rib. Andrea nonchalantly runs back, picks it up, and throws it back onto the truck. It just goes to show that this is life to them now, it's second nature, and it's not going away.

By the end of this episode both Hershel and Rick learn that there is more to life in this screwed up walker infested world then just keeping everyone happy. You need to step on some toes sometimes, get your hands dirty. Only then can you wash the blood out from under your finger nails.

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Comic Book Men Shatters Dreams, Destroys Lives

I don't want to be that guy right now. You know, the guy who just wants to take a dump on anything Kevin Smith, just because he's Kevin Smith. I personally like the guy, and I understand why he's doing Comic Book Men, but what the hell?

I'll admit, I liked the show until the employees started talking. Bryan is funny because he's fat and has a beard. And he says things like "Awesome" and "I want to ruin Ming's
life".

His sardonic tone makes him seem cool, when he's really just the same douchey, cynical comic book elitist who hates that you read digital comics (nobody cares that you buy individual issues for $1-$2 more, moron).

Comic Book Men should only serve as a podcast, not a television show. The four dudes that work in the shop are dull, boring, and socially awkward. It's hard to watch because you will feel embarrassed for these ass clowns.

The show follows these four studs who work in Kevin Smith's comic book shop in Jersey (cleverly named Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash) as they basically do Pawn Stars for comic book nerds.

The only reason it's even on TV is because Kevin Smith says things. The cast is a batch of weirdos who barter with social miscreants in an effort to capitalize on the 18 to man-child demographic on AMC.

There are times where you will hate yourself for watching. It's unapologetic about how awful it is. I took issue with it blatantly ripping off Pawn Stars, only it wasn't nearly as entertaining.

I used to frequent my local comic book shop nearly everyday, and I can count the times anyone ever came in with the rare crap that was featured in the show. It was laughably staged and painful to watch.

I received a text from a friend about the show, and this is literally what he said after watching it:

"I just wasted an hour of my life watching 'Comic Book Men.' Fuck you Kevin Smith, fuck you."

That's word for word, exactly what he said. This was my response.

"If you told Kevin Smith he's not funny, he would lose so much weight."

We immediately went to hating the guy, but why? Well, I think it's because it's embarrassing to think that this is how people view others who read comics.

I liked Red State, it nearly compensated for Cop Out, but someone tell Smith that and he'll spew some vitriolic hateful shit at you. Words like "fuck" and "stain" will be peppered in his tirade as he stands with an XXXL New Jersey Devils jersey to hide the shame. My friend also illustrated Tracy Morgan in Cop Out via text surprisingly well.

"I'M TRACY MORGAN. AND. I. TALK. LIKE. THIS!"

I laughed really hard because I heard Tracy Morgan in that text. Back on topic, I don't hate Smith for this. I know why he did it, it's just a bad show. I can't see it lasting very long, but I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm just some asshole with a keyboard and that makes my opinion completely invalid right?

Just watch it, then you can try to find ways to defend it, and then finally embrace the fact that you actually hate it. It's a fun ride really, if you like things that are nearly unwatchable. I mean, that's the stuff I live for.

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Adam Adamowicz's Artwork Lives On

You may not be familiar with who Adam Adamowicz is, but you know the worlds he created. He was the concept artist at Bethesda and was responsible for the amazing worlds in Fallout 3 and Skyrim. Sadly, Adamowicz passed away, but his artwork will live on. 

Fallout 3 is easily one of my favorite games, and I was enamored with the post-apocalyptic world that Adamwicz was able to create. I have also played Skyrim, but I've always prefered the Fallout universe with its steam punk appeal. This isn't to say that the Skyrim universe isn't gorgeous, it's simply matter of preference. 

I've been going through Adamowicz's concept art for the better part of an hour, and I've decided the world needs to see this.

This stuff is really impressive. People really tend to forget how much work and creativity goes into these worlds we get lost in. It's sad to see Adam leave us so soon, but his art will always be remembered. For the rest of this gallery, go here.

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Big Cross-over Events vs. Individual Titles

So let’s take a wide lens look at comics of present past, and future. We have DC doing all sorts of crazy, culminating in Flashpoint, which was then followed up by “The New 52.” Essentially, individual titles with minimal cross-over (not including the Green Lanterns on this list) followed by a major event, which ended up in them starting over from scratch.

Now that they've started over, we are all wondering “what will DC’s first BIG event be in the coming months?” That's the key here, we don’t know yet, and even if we are given the slightest of ideas, it's still months away from actually happening. There is too much going on in each title to actually give way to a cross-over event. Not to mention Justice League as an issue in and of itself is acting as a pseudo cross-over title, where all of these characters are coming together to face a common enemy.

Compare that to Marvel, where each year there is always “the Big Event.” House of M, Civil War, World War Hulk, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, Siege, Fear Itself, and now Avengers vs. X-Men. This is a lot to expect out of the writers at Marvel to actually preserve continuity and write the big event. This is just a small list of big events, not including anything Cosmic or individual character books, that involves a multitude of others.

So this Summer Marvel intorduced Avengers vs. X-Men, and I can tell you it's on the top of my reserves list. What I love about this book is how it utilizes some of Marvel’s top talent in one book, which only crosses over into Avengers titles and X-Men titles. Usually crossovers have about 1000 tie-ins you can buy to get the complete story, but Marvel learned their lesson and is limiting it to one unique crossover. It's also bringing back the idea of hero vs. hero, which we last saw in Civil War, one of the greatest books in the past twenty years if not longer.

So what I was thinking is “which concept is better keeping to the classic one character per book, and writing it like that, or should we have crossover events which show that these characters live in the same universe and on the same earth?

I think that both are essential to a comic’s survival, and that when there are too few major events things feel incomplete, there needs to be that spine to tie it together. Also, throwing out too many just doesn’t work. Stick to the best stories and shelve the others. I’m curious to see what others think

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Motorola Droid 4 Available Today

Attention all Android lovers, Motorola's latest and greatest Droid 4 is NOW AVAILABLE!!! With its 4inch HD screen, dual core 1.2 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 8mp/1080p camera, and 4G LTE compatibility this device seems to hit every spot on even the most demanding of techies checklists. The Droid 4 also settles down those folks who are still not convinced to switch to touchscreen only keyboards with its LED edge lit qwerty keyboard.

This bad boy even has the mini HDMI output so you can show off all those great 1080p videos and 8mp photos on the big screen. The only downside I can find is that the Droid 4 is not shipping with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right away. Early adopters will have to deal with 2.3.5 Gingerbread for the time being. The update is said to be on the way but no release date has been revealed. A major bonus to buying yourself the Droid 4 from VerizonWireless.com is they are offering Free Overnight Shipping so if you order before 4:30pm this powerhouse device could be in hand by tomorrow. For the full specs click here.

Source: VerizonWireless

Engadget

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David Jaffe Wants Your Help "Blowing sh*t up" In New Twisted Metal Ad

In a brilliant marketing move, Jaffe is in a new video asking for players help destroying the Sweet Tooth truck with a light machine gun. You're probably wondering how you would go about doing that, and that's where the brilliance comes in. Players will log into a shootmytruck.com, press a button and make it rain bullets.

This is one of the most interesting ways to market a product, while having fun in the process. Twisted Metal is set to release February 14th. Check the video for all them deets bro...



[Source: PlayStation Lifestyle]

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Sony's Financial Rating Downgraded

It appears that Nintendo isn't the only company suffering financial woes as of late. Sony, whose offerings stretch well beyond gaming, recently announced a $2.9 billion loss. This is just one of several reasons that has led to Standard and Poor lowering Sony's long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings to a BBB+.

Because of continuing net losses since fiscal 2008, Sony's profitability looks significantly weaker than that of its global industry peers. In addition, we believe its ratio of adjusted debt to EBITDA is likely to remain high for the next one to two years, even for companies in the 'BBB' category. Standard & Poor's also believes Sony's adjusted total debt to capital (excluding finance operations) will rise to around 40% as of March 31, 2012, from 35% a year earlier. However, we base our one-notch downgrade on our view that Sony's profitability and financial standing will gradually recover in fiscal 2012 because there will be no repeat of one-off expenses due to floods in Thailand and impairment losses on stockholdings.

If you have no idea what any of that financial mumbo jumbo means, think of it in terms of a consumer credit report on a much larger scale. Sony has been struggling since fiscal year 2008 to post any positive financials. This may also be why former CEO and President Howard Stringer stepped down earlier this month. Kazuo Hirai, former president of the Consumer Products & Services Group for Sony, has taken over as the new CEO for the company. 

With the PSP Vita coming out later this month in North America, it should interesting to see what steps Hirai and Sony take in order to turn things around for the company  

Source: Reuters

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Corning Inc. Brings You The Future Through Glass

Corning Inc. is a manufacturer of specialty glass (Gorilla Glass) and ceramics and have been used by many big time companies.  Apple, including one.  There capabilities include display technologies, environmental technologies, telecommunications, life sciences, and specialty materials for advanced optics.  That is nice and all, but what does that mean to us?

It means a fully integrated future with the use of their glass products in collaboration with consumer technology companies we can't help but buy. Imagine a day with self-dimming window panes, 3D projection displays, large panel touch gesture screens and the ability to connect all of them seamlessly.

Well, Corning Inc. has brought a small taste of what that could be like.  Watch the videos below and experience a "Day Made of Glass".  I warn you though.  Tech heads or not, you will need a paper towel to clean off the drool from your desk.

A Day Made of Glass

 

A Day Made of Glass 2

A Day Made of Glass: Unpacked (What is possible now, and what isn't)

Source: Corning Inc.

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