DC Comic Recap: Justice League

Your "New 52" Justice League

Way back in September, DC launched it's "New 52" series. For those who don't know, it was a major turning point where DC scrapped ALL of it's titles and began with 52 new #1 issues. This change was brought about at the end of the previous "Flashpoint" story that occurred over the summer, having altered the timeline permanently. The New 52 are the changes and new beginnings that occur due to this major change. This past February, DC wrapped up the first arc to one of the most anticipated titles of the New 52, the Justice League.

Before the New 52, everyone knew the Justice League. Whether you remember them from many years ago reading the comics, or from more recently watching them as a cartoon, you know of the core members. Most recently, you probably remember a team consisting of Superman, Batman, The Flash, Wonderwoman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Hawkgirl. You may throw Aquaman around here and there, or you might even go so far back as to wonder how a team existed without Robin or the Wonder Twins.

This time around, we see the same core five (Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, The Flash, and one of the Green Lanterns) and then two not-so-new members. If you divert your eyes to the image above, the first incarnation of our New 52 Justice League will have Aquaman and Cyborg, previously affiliated with the Teen Titans.

Justice League, as it appears now, ran for 6 issues in it's first storyline, which introduced its readers to how the team was formed and established who was on it. Additionally, it gives us a slight look into one of the biggest villains both before and after Flashpoint, Darkseid.

So by now, you're probably itching to know what went on in these six monumental issues. If you aren't, you should be, so either continue reading or go to your local comic store and pick them up. If you're patient or low on cash, wait for the trade paperback or hardcover graphic novel. I'm telling you, it's worth it!

Let's say you're just lazy. Or maybe you like the way I write. Maybe you just want to know NOW. So, here you go. This is my issue-by-issue summary of what went on.

SPOILERS BELOW


We begin this storyline with Batman being chased by the police. We're not sure why, but he's apparently a wanted fugitive. In fact, as we later are told, most super-humans are. He's seen tracking a strange creature with a small box. Saved by the Green Lantern, who is surprised to see that a Batman even exists, the two notice the creature explode itself praising "Darkseid". After investigating the box, the two take to the skies to interrogate Superman, the only other alien life-form on Earth, to see if he knows anything.

Superman begins to attack them both, and while he has the upper hand, the Green Lantern phones in Barry Allen. Barry Allen is the Flash, and as the name implies, is there in just that- a Flash. After a small scuffle, Batman intervenes and the four discuss the box. As they discuss it, the box activates, teleporting many of those creatures, minions of Darkseid, to their scene and they begin fighting them off.

During this, Victor Stone witnesses the Green Lantern and Batman flying to meet Superman and a fellow teammate of his football team makes a remark how Mr Stone is a scientist studying super-humans at S.T.A.R. Labs. Later, when Victor is visiting his father at the lab, he notices the box being studied when it activates as well, transporting minions there and severely injuring Victor. Mr Stone straps his son to a machine, which assimilates with his body immediately, and begins activating various programming. It decodes the box, and transports Victor away temporarily.

Diana, the Wonder Woman, notices a horde of Darkseid's minions attacking and decides to attack them for the thrill of battle. Her fighting eventually leads her to the scene where Batman, Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern are fighting Darkseid's minions as well.

Aquaman is also introduced, having informed the other five that they are invading the sea as well. After showing off a bit of his talent for calling on various predator fish, he kills a large minion by impaling it with his trident through it's head.

At this point, Victor Stone returns, teleporting himself involuntarily to the scene to join the six heroes, murmuring something ominous. At that moment, Darkseid himself appears, fire in his eyes and all.

This is where issue #4 ends. I'd go on to give you a summary of what has happened in issue #5, but it's been done previously by Andrew M., which was posted to The Geek Asylum at the time of it's release. Feel free to read the full summary by clicking Here. You've made it this far, so show some support (and some interest!) and read his summary.

We move on to the last issue of this particular storyline, where we get a reality check on page 1. We see innocent civilians being attacked, and then subsequently saved by the remaining members of the team. As Aquaman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Cyborg repetitively make attacks on Darkseid, Batman is shown trying to rescue Superman. We see that he overhears some of Darkseid's minions mentioning the importance of the Kryptonian in helping locate Darkseid's daughter. Of course we don't know who that is, but I have a good hunch it'll come into play later in the series.

Cyborg activates one of the boxes, transporting the team and Darkseid to Superman's location, where Superman breaks free and unloads on Darkseid. After a severe pummeling, Cyborg teleports all of the team back to Earth, and deactivates all of the boxes left behind, at least delaying the return of Darkseid for the moment.

The team is congratulated and praised, although everyone agrees they are no team. They all feel as though they coincidentally joined forces to face a common threat. When asked what they would call themselves, the Flash takes the opportunity to call themselves a team, naming them "The Super Seven".

When you go to your comic store, or if you see it in a book store, pick up the issues. Don't wait. Don't be that guy or that girl. Don't be the one buying a graphic novel. Buy the 6 issues. It's worth the money.

These 6 issues lay down the foundations that the rest of the series will build upon. It has established at least the first seven members and started a plot line that probably will play a major role down the line in the series. The issues have amazing artwork, amazing detail, and really give you a good outlook on each character's individual powers. Go get them!

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Skylanders: WTF Is The Madness All About?

When we were children, we did childish things, but now that we’ve grown up, we put away those things. I think I heard that said somewhere… but, in theory, and in a mentally-mature world, sure! That’d work. But we like our video games. We like to see fantastic simulations of things that could never really happen, or shoot the crap out of the bad guys without ever having to tell Mom that we enlisted in the military.

Some people take their love for video games and bring it to the next level. Folks, I introduce to you the newest sensation for all ages, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. I work in retail and1 out of 5 people that come in or call up ask for these stupid Skylanders figurines. I don’t even bother looking to see if we have them because I know we don’t, and I don’t bother to ask when we’re getting them in because my boss answers with the typical “who the hell knows?”

And so, I politely tell them we don’t have any. Onward they go to barrage the next store. Here I am thinking to myself, it’s like Turbo Man all over again! It’s true, but if there’s any implication that these things are the bee’s knees, the empty shelves would say exactly that. I have three questions: first, WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE THINGS?

Secondly, where the EFF did they come from? Lastly, when are we getting these things in stock? While I’ll never get my answer to the latter, I can help unravel the skyrocketing popularity of the newest must-have. It started with a company called Toys for Bob who is owned by Activision. The team was given the opportunity to revive the Spyro franchise, and while they sat on the idea wondering if it would actually work or not, Alex Ness and Paul Reiche III believed that it was "so outlandish that it was the most promising idea the team sketched out for the brand."



Ness reminisces "We thought a lot about toys. ...When you played with action figures, you always imagined them doing stuff, and we thought 'What if we could actually bring that toy into the game and do stuff with it?'" And this is where the idea was born. When Ness and his crew brought the idea up to Activision, it was by no means an automatic OMFGLEZDODISSSSSS!

It was more like a "Yeah, I guess" kind of deal. Much like how many of you (myself included) might see Skylanders right now. No matter what you think, Toys for Bob and Activision hit (in Dante's words) "jackpot." People of all ages are obsessed with this. It's the new Pokemon. The game is multi-platform throwing your character into this fantastical world of magic and prehistoric adventure.

If you haven't seen any videos on it - whether or not you care about it - your opinion might just change after watching it. It's Spyro at his most badass, his Skylander buddies at their funniest, and world-saving at its most entertaining. Think Space Jam humor mixed in with some Jak and Daxter hilarity.

So okay, you're not feeling this yet, I get it. But think about it for a second - most games you play, you play the whole way through the story through the eyes of one character, snipets of multiple characters, or you get a really shitty storyline if you're fortunate enough to be able to play through every avalable character (like Tekken). Skylanders is a bit different; you grab Spyro, put him on your portal, and now he's in your game.






Want to play someone else, like Trigger Happy? Put him on the portal, and now you're playing as him. Each character faces the world in different ways, so we can already say that the replay ability is massive in Skylanders. It's a great way to incorporate toys and childhood imaginations and make it come alive again. In this game, you aren't just the player. You're what they call a Portal Master, and as the Portal Master, you take control of the currently available 37 figurines(and to think, my store can't even get one toy!), including Spyro.

You're thrown into this fantastical world and embark on a journey of exploration, battle, treasure-hunting, all while on a quest to save the world from their enemy Kaos. This "portal" refers to a portal that you get when you buy the game, and it comes with 3 characters. You set up the portal, place it near your tv, and now the portal and the console are connecting to eachother, much like how a wireless controller works. But you're not simply just some shark or dinosaur looking thing.

Who you play matters. Much akin to the D&D setup where each character belongs to a certain class or "element" and each have varying attributes depending on who you choose. Each character have a primary and secondary attack, and after you level up, you gain more attacks, upgrade your attributes, etc.

It's a sophisticated game that even 6-year-olds can understand, and appeals to the nostalgia and familiarity of those who were into Spyro and have a geeky love for Dungeons and Dragons. I've said my piece, now let's hear yours. Any of you guys play it? Do you guys think it's worth the hype? Let us know in the comments below.

 Quotes pulled from: Game Informer, Youtube

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Syndicate: Bio-chips, corporate warfare, Skrillex, oh my.





Syndicate is not Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Syndicate is Syndicate, and that's okay. It's really not fair to compare the two, but I'm going to entertain it because it's bothering me. It's also because there are too many similarities to ignore. Don't misconstrue these similarities as Starbreeze Studios (Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay and Chronicles of Riddick: Assaullt On Dark Athena)  "ganking" DE:HR. The similarities lie only in setting and certain themes.

Both games are visually and thematically identical, just replace trans-humanism with humans embedded with bio-chips,  hardcore corporate espionage with full blown corporate warfare, and Adam Jensen with Miles Kilo. They're also fundamentally different from a gameplay perspective.

Syndicate is a superior shooter in almost every regard because it is a traditional FPS, through and through. Syndicate does try to emulate the cool praxis point system that was in DE to an extent, only it isn't nearly as robust or well designed. It serves little or no purpose in the game, while the praxis point system was basically the entire foundation of how your character played in DE.

The similarities are hard to ignore, especially in the narrative. Both tiltes tend to paint this very bleak future where corporations will be exceptionally greedy and evil, but Syndicate goes in a darker direction. While Deus Ex flirted with moral grey areas and ethics, Syndicate creates a world where corporations are the governing bodies of the world.

I'll break this down really easy for you. It's 2069 and companies are at war with each other in a massive power struggle. The world population has exploded, and to garner control, companies implanted chips into the general populace. Those who can't afford to be chipped are relegated to the pit of the underworld. You are an agent employed by Eurocorp, and it's your job to preserve the good of the company. The parameters? Execute objectives by any means necessary.



The world as Miles Kilo sees it. The DART 6 bio-chip opens up countless ways to dispatch your enemies. Usually ending in some grisly scene where people scream, bleed a lot, and explode.  

Sure it's a bit cliche, but I still go gaga for these sci-fi bits. DE:HR has a richer story to tell, but what sets Syndicate apart is its creative approach to a genre where players have seen it all. Syndicate may be an FPS, and finding imaginative or creative ways of making another FPS exciting is difficult. That being said, Starbreeze Studios did a phenomenal job of making Syndicate stand apart with some really ingenious gameplay elements.

The DART 6 gives you some insane ways to dispatch your enemies. It allows you to hack into enemy chip sets compelling them to do things that they have no control over. For example, say you're in a situation where you have three enemies firing at you, you have the ability have the guns backfire on enemies. This gives you time to turn on the slo-mo function (which has been done to death, but it's still so cool) and pick your shots. This is one of the more timid take down methods, the rest are incredibly violent.

The suicide and persuade functions are really where it's at. You can literally get into the heads of your enemies and have them take themselves out while taking out their team in the process. I loved how the DART 6 system worked seamlessly within combat. You could be in the middle of an insane firefight (which happens every five minutes) , and DART 6 works on the fly.




Low on ammo? Time to get creative. Use the persuade option to get covering fire from one of the grunts, and then get in close and snap a few necks to get ammo. Activate the backfire function to buy the time you need to plant a few rounds in the last couple of grunts. Remember the guy you used persuade on? Don't worry, once he's served his purpose he'll turn the gun on himself. Like a boss.

The DART 6 system has a lot to do with why I really enjoyed Syndicate. It's an  unique addition to a title that would otherwise be your run-of-the-mill shooter. The action is so satisfying in Syndicate not only because of DART 6, but sharp AI as well. The action can get overwhelming at times, requiring players to think on their feet. Enemies are well-organized, constantly flanking you as they ruthlessly attack you.

Syndicate isn't doing anything terribly new from a narrative standpoint, however, it does break some new ground with the DART 6 system. Syndicate is a gratifying experience (making an enemy pull a grenade on himself and running into his teammates never gets old.) due in large part to Starbreeze Studios creative approach to a genre that many feel has run stagnant.

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Project X-TREMELY AWESOME!

“The party you’ve only dreamed of” is the slogan of this film, and boy was it dead on. Before I get any deeper into this let me just say that if I were given the choice to do one last thing before I die it would be to go to this insanely over-the-top, X-tremely awesome anarchy-infestation of a party. If anybody else besides Todd Philips took on this project it would have fallen short. For those of you who don’t know, Todd Philips directed the films Old School, and The Hangover.

Throughout the history of film, or at least in the past decade there have been way too many party films to stomach. I can whole heartedly say that this one takes the cake! Imagine that you are in high school, or if you are then this is no problem. Imagine that you are the loser that nobody knows exists, your own parent’s think that you suck at having a social life. Then, for your birthday this year you throw this unbelievable party that everybody has either heard of or has been to. This is the main plot of Project X.

Project X is shot in the found footage style that many films are leaning towards now. Think Paranormal Activity 1,2, and however many more there are, the brand new film Chronicle (which was awesome by the way) and there are many more that are shot in the same style that are not really that noteworthy. For a party movie, this camera style worked flawlessly. You actually felt like you were there, getting wasted, taking hits, and going skinny dipping with all the drop dead gorgeous girls that only exist in our dreams...exhibit A:

That's just not fair...


One thing that I thought was kind of genius was the way they used montages to their advantage. Now, I know you’re thinking that the whole party is just going to be mashed together in a 7-10 minute montage and then you will have to stomach some story that nobody cares about at the end…wrong! By my count there were 3 or 4 montages, and as the night goes on, the crazier and crazier things begin to get, and you immediately begin to notice the changes in the montages as the night flies by. 

I really did love this film. It had everything I hoped for and even more. The stuff in trailers is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more perverse things that only Todd Philips would be able to deliver upon. This film had those moments where we as the audience would break out in laughter, scream all at the same time, and even applaud at the shock and awe moments that were thrown in our faces without our permission, which made it that much better.

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Why SSX Needs Traditional Multiplayer

When I was playing the SSX demo all last week I was having a blast, trying to best my own times and scores, and more importantly, trying to beat my friends times and scores. Anyway I looked at it I was going to buy this game. I still remember back on the PlayStation 2 playing Tricky for hours on end without breaks. Having friends over and kicking each other’s asses, it was good times.

I wasn’t going to buy this game just for the single player, although the single player is very good on its own. But I want to jump into a multiplayer lobby with my friends and show them that I could get 20,000,000 points with ease in mere minute, then I would get up and do a victory dance in my underwear. Come on don’t deny it, we all do it from time to time.

EA Canada though it would be a good idea to remove the “traditional multiplayer” experience from the game almost completely. Instead you can race or compete for the highest trick score or the best track time on you own time. In short, it is a greatly extended single player experience with amped up leaderboards, no lobbies, no screaming at each other (or a complete stranger) over xbox live, you just jump in, throw down, and jump out.

When the event is over it tallies up all the times or scores and gives you a payout of credits that you have earned. You can’t actually compete with someone in real time online, or even worse, your friends…assuming you have any.

It’s actually pretty funny the way EA sold this title by saying that this SSX was to feature an almost groundbreaking new multiplayer experience. In fact it kind of blew back in their faces as a great number of fans, myself included, really can’t stand the idea of not being able to play with their friends in real time. Which is why I now point the soon to be open side of the yogurt away from my face.

Now I’m not saying that I am going to boycot the game or anything just for that one reason, however, this title is in serious need of a patch in the very near future to add traditional multiplayer to the mix.    

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[Video] Some dude climbs a tree, Gets 10 copies of Mass Effect 3 Space Edition

Everybody knows we love us some Mass Effect 3, but this is an entirely new level of love. Bioware launched a bit of a marketing campaign which involved lauching several weather balloons in San Francisco with 10 copies of Mass Effect 3 attached to them.

Anyone who found the balloons then got an awesome surprise. The only problem is, things didn't quite go according to plan. The balloons ended up getting lost, so Bioware and EA canceled the search for them. Then a team of fans took matters in to their own hands.

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Marvel Recap: Venom and the Circle of Four

For Venom, it never gets easy. Well, for Flash Thompson as Venom, that is.

Flash takes on the Venom symbiote as a secret military operation. It restores his legs while in Venom form, as well as all of the other perks of being Venom. Unlike previous variations of Venom, Flash seems to mostly have full control of the symbiote as more of an extension of himself rather than a team that previous Venoms have shown. Flash even sports an arsenal of guns over relying on webbing and the famous Venom mouth and slimy tongue.

Issue number 13 does something that Marvel hasn't really done before- it just doesn't end. That is to say there's issue #13....then 13.1....13.2....13.3...and finally 13.4 Luckily, they make up for it as it was released every week in the month of February, including Leap Day. Usually Venom comes out once a month, so if you were expecting issue #13 in February and #14 in March, you won't be too upset; it'll still happen. Now this might also be a downfall, and I certainly feel it is, as you need the issues and you may not be prepared to do this financially. You're looking at $14.95 worth of books for these comics.

SPOILERS BELOW
This arc is titled "Circle of Four" which is enclosed in a satanic pentagram. Here's the 5 issues in one neat sentence: "Blackheart tries to make Earth into new Hell and the New Fantastic Four are involved." The four refer to the four characters of Venom, X-23, Red Hulk and Ghost Rider.

So what's the deal here? Well Ghost Rider accidentally allows Blackheart to begin transforming Earth into Hell. Meanwhile, Venom is being tracked by the Red Hulk. Additionally, X-23 is tracking her own blood. All four of them eventually end up together where all of this goes down and essentially form the New New Fantastic Four. If you haven't read comics, the "New Fantastic Four" was a temporary team of Spider-man, Wolverine, Joe Fixit (Grey Hulk), and Ghost Rider. See the resemblance? We have a Spider-man in Venom, a Wolverine in X-23, a Joe Fixit in Red Hulk, and a Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider.

So now this new team takes on Blackheart and dies.

Yes. Dead. They all died at the hands of some creatures that Blackheart conjured up to be the complete opposites of the heroes. Luckily (or unluckily) it's Hell on Earth (literally.) and dying there really doesn't do much in terms of your soul. At least Mephisto says so, and at the expense of a deal to help Mephisto later in time, he sends them back to the heat of the battle (pun intended).

After a full-on assault, we leave our last issue showing what looks like either the Red Hulk or Venom being possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance and driving a flaming motorcycle right back at Blackheart.

The arc itself finishes next month with Venom issue #14. If you've committed yourself to this arc so far, pick it up, as it comes out next week on March 7th. If I were to give an opinion to a new reader? Stay far away. Anytime a Marvel issue hits a "X.1" you know that it's generic filler to fill gaps in story down the road. This title does it FOUR TIMES. Don't do it. Of course if you collect the Venom series, it is a nice series collection. If you take the four covers create the mural you see at the top of this page.

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Marvel Comic Review: Amazing Spider-Man 680

Anyone else want to just revert back to the days of Jim Henson's Muppets and say "SPIDERS.IN.SPAAAAACE!"? No? Just me? Alright then. Spider-man #680 starts off with a new arc for the webhead, after just having wrapped up the confirmed reveal of Morbius. Well, to Spider-man, at least. Consistent readers knew for a month or two now. So where does this new arc direct us?

SPOILERS BELOW

As far as comics go, we have a solid book. It's got a good intro, a decent plot, climax, and cliffhanger. We've been left with enough to want to grab the next issue and find out what happens next. Unless of course you don't like Johnny Storm AKA the Human Torch.

Let's recap- Johnny Storm was dead. He died sometime last year, sacrificing himself to save the rest of his family. If you read Spider-man regularly, you know this because he essentially gave him his current spot on the Fantastic Four in Amazing Spider-man 657. What you don't know is that he's back. He hasn't completely established his return, only that he's alive and helping the Earth fight off a cosmic battle in both the Fantastic Four and FF comic series. So, we can pretty much conclude that in those issues, Johnny Storm will make a decision to stay. Thank you ever so much Marvel for ruining that for your readers who read those books too..

Anyway, the issue starts off with a view of a space shuttle headed by John Jameson as he contacts his father J Jonah Jameson via skype. During the conversation, the screen goes blank, communication stops, and JJJ nearly explodes in anger. Of course Peter Parker is there on behalf of Horizon Labs, and makes a break for the crime scene. Mind you, it's in SPACE.

Enter Johnny Storm. Spider-man heads for the Baxter Building to find a way into space.  The Human Torch is the only one home, singing in a robe catching up on TV. After ruining the enjoyment of finding out the conclusion of Dancing With The Stars for Johnny, the two head into space.

On board the shuttle, they are attacked by Octobots (Little spider robots designed by Doctor Octopus) and Jameson saves the day. As the three converse about what's going on, Jameson explains that he's the only survivor, and as they approach the abandoned shuttle they see why. The crew begins crawling out towards them, controlled by the octobots all zombie-like, which ends the issue.

Do they survive? What do they do? It's what a cliffhanger does- leaves you with more questions than you started and none of the answers you were hoping for.

I give it a "meh". It's just an issue to me, and until the arc develops I can't be sure how it'll turn out. Pick it up in a week when the next one comes out, and read them together. The jokes were funny, but they can wait. There was nothing monumental in the world of Marvel in this issue (except the whole Johnny Storm spoiler), so just sit tight true believer. (Always wanted to do that!)

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[Video] Second Official Trailer for "The Avengers"



I want to say that's "Fin Fang Foom". Google it.



It seems that we finally get an action-packed Trailer showcasing the moves of all of the Avengers on screen- Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk (Both as Hulk and as Bruce Banner), Black Widow, and Hawkeye. We see a few extra shots of Loki, Nick Fury, and Agent Colson as well.

While not directly named, we do get to see parts of what they are fighting. It looks like an alien invasion, some sort of airborne fleet. The end of the trailer shows a fairly large eel-type creature or ship chasing after Iron Man.

From a comic perspective, I'm still waiting to see if we're getting perhaps a late announcement of Ant-man/Hank Pym, The Wasp/Janet Van Dyme, a living person taking the role of Jarvis, and any indication of a cameo by other Avengers favorites such as Ultron, Kang, Spider-man, Wolverine, or the Skrulls.

If you can't wait for this movie's release, this will do more than suffice for the time being.

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Thoughts On Act of Valor

So, here we are my friends, at long last. I have been looking forward to this movie ever since I saw the first poster and read about the fact that this movie was to feature active duty U.S. Navy SEALS. I was, however, a bit skeptical that if they are indeed featuring real life military personnel, the acting can't really be that top notch. I really don't want to be that a-hole that is going to give this movie a bad review, and be declared all but treasonous toward this great nation of ours. I am glad to say that I will not need to be that treasonous a-hole today, as I very much enjoyed Act of Valor.

I'm just going to get this out of the way right now and say that I think this film sounds exactly how a first person shooter video game title would sound like, I.E Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. You can fight it all you want, but the title “Act of Valor” does fit right in there with the others. To be perfectly honest with you, the entire film kind of felt like a video game as well. As bad as that may sound, this actually helps the films more then it hurts it.

I can quite literally pick out a scene that, with a few exceptions, resembles a level from the game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare almost exactly, and the strange part is, it was actually done the way I would want to see it done. Many of the things that you would witness your digital brothers in arms doing (like, the motion of taking cover, breaching a room and the way they would actually hold and fire their weapon) are all actually done and performed in the same fashion in this film. With that kind of-gripe aside lets move on, shall we?

The film centers around an elite SEAL team who are tasked with going behind enemy lines and rescuing a captured CIA agent who is being tortured without mercy for information that she may or may not even have. Right off the bat we get the impression that these guys are trained, and ready to handle any situation that is thrown at them.

They can adapt to the situation in a heart beat and be ready to shoot on target without even thinking about it. These boys are the best in the world at what they do. They are in the best shape of their lives and ready to kick some serious ass at a moments notice. Whether it be doing halo jumps out of a plane, going in from sea in a mini sub, or just through the thick jungle, these guys can get it done, no problem.

Throughout the entire length of the film the audience (myself included) gets the impression that at any given moment any one of the members of the SEAL team would give their own life in the blink of an eye to save one of their brethren. I can't even tell you how well this works in this film. The title of this film is “Act of Valor” for god sakes.

Before anybody goes on about how they though that the script was unoriginal in any way allow me to point out that this whole movie was based off of actual events that the men in this movie went through themselves. How much more original can you get!? From a hollywood stand point maybe not, however, these guys have actually been there, in the sh*^. They saw it happen, and were nice enough to bring the moments where they were stopping major terrorists attacks and risking their lives back to Hollywood.

 I am glad to have spent the 12 dollars to watch this film in its entirety. I would also like to add that I really hope that a Call of Duty movie is never brought into production, or Medal of Honor, or any other “Military Shooters” that are currently circulating their way through the video game market at this point. 

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Bees Knees Apps: NinJump DX

If you haven’t stumbled across NinJump DX in the App Store or Android Market then you need to click that little blue icon and search for it now. NinJump DX by Backflip Studios is a simple runner game that moves vertical instead of your standard left to right. You play as a small ninja warrior with a voice like a chipmunk that endlessly runs upward, crouching tiger, hidden dragon style. It isn’t as easy as it sounds though.

As you scale upward, they are obstacles that look to hunt you down and send you falling to your death. You can expect arrows, cannonballs, suicidal parrots, ninja stars and all other kinds of crazy shit. The deadliest obstacles of them all are the stationary barriers. Waiting still and silent for you to run right into them. Still and silent.

Your only method of attack is your jump that sends you to the other side of the game. Timing a hit in the air with an obstacle will grant you a power-up point that appears in the bottom left hand corner of your screen. Hit three of the same obstacles and you get a boost upward. Each type of obstacle you collect has a different graphical display and height boost. Do not hit another obstacle though. This will reset any current power up you are collecting.

Defense is even simpler. A shield. You gain a blue aura if you run through them in the game and it only grants you one folly. You can purchase additional shields with real cash if you really start to become addicted, or suck.

There are four levels in the game: Classic, Jungle, Pirates and Castle. Each level has its own unique art and music to take away from seeing the same old scenery every time.

Scoring is based on the distance you cover. Each map keeps its own high score too.

NinJump DX is only $0.99 in the App Store and scores are connected to the Game Center. Download and battle for the highest scores against your friends. If you don’t have any friends, you can beat your own high scores I guess.

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DC Comics Review: Aquaman #6

If you checked your store shelves for an image of Aquaman to be on the cover, you were probably having a rough time. That is because this issue has Mera on the cover, and the entire issue about Mera. That's right- Mera. Not Aquaman, but Mera.

And you know what? I'm okay with that.

Issue number 6 gives insight to what Mera can do as part of DC's new 52. Being a new DC comic reader, I don't know who Mera is or who she was. So as of the New 52, she's a certified bad-ass to me! So far, she's only followed Aquaman around like a dog, and aside from combat and some confusing action artwork, we really don't get a scope of what she can do that makes her impressive.

Or, maybe you're an excellent reader and you know her full arsenal. Regardless, I read this issue and I was impressed. Apparently, she has 100% control over sources of water. We're talking like a Water Magneto!

SPOILERS BELOW

The issue starts off  weird, and I say weird because she tells her father Aquaman will die. It gets you curious right away, because for the first five issues of this series the two have been a couple. When I read that, I was in awe. And mind you, she says this to her father in the tone that says she will be the cause of his death.

So if you read issue number 5, it left you with Aquaman finding out that Mera had left to get some dog food. At that point, you didn't know- was it an excuse? Was it their shadiness? Was she coming back? Well, now you know, she really was getting dog food.

This issue takes place over 3 locations, the store where the dog food is sold, a random civilian home, and the lighthouse.

At the store, Mera is introduced to an aggressive store owner who touches her inappropriately. She doesn't like it, in fact she finds it insulting. She had witnessed him inappropriately touching his employee and has a thing for the mistreatment of women. She ends up breaking his arm. In addition to the chaos that erupts from other customers because of this, the cops arrive and make the mistake of raising a gun to her. Her first act of awesomeness comes up- she uses her power to pull the water from nearby water bottles and retaliate. After a small scuffle, she ends up going freely in their police vehicle.

As the vehicle drives, they drive past a hostage situation, where a man has been holding his daughter hostage. Upset at the mistreatment of women again, she gets out of the vehicle despite the cops' request not to, and approaches the man. She sticks her hands out, and controls the fluid in his body.

She begins torturing him, pulling the water out slowly, exclaiming that he will be feeling dry, followed by how it would feel after time had elapsed, and up until a point where dehydration would just outright kill him. The daughter stops Mera before this, telling her "It's still my dad".

Mera leaves the scene for the lighthouse, where the employee arrives. She brings Mera dog food for the dog, and Mera makes the decision that all humans aren't so bad after all.

Our final panel shows Aquaman finding Mera, and telling her that Dr Shin so he can tell them who sunk Atlantis.

Geoff Johns is an amazing writer, and I would pick this book up on principle. If you haven't grabbed the first 5 issues, grab them too. This is a great series, and the direction they're taking has so many routes available. I would highly suggest keeping on top of them.

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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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