The entire game takes place on Arkham Island during a massive luny breakout caused by the Joker. That alone is a recipe for awesome sauce. As someone who doesn't play first or third person shooters usually, I was a little worried I might fail miserably at the game. Fortunately it was easy to pick up and relatively easy to master. While the freeflow combat system is great, I never got the hang of keeping the combos going for long enough to get me the really high scores. It doesn't matter though because I could beat up henchman all day long. I can't tell you how satisfying it was to pummel a group of 20+ goons, not to mention the random raving lunatic that could be taken down with a swift choke slam.
Besides Bruce, I mean, brute force, my favorite aspects of Batman's repertoire are his detective skills and gadgets and you really use them to your advantage in B: AA. A detective mode in Batman's cowl allows you to analyze any situation or environment. With it, you receive the status of individuals within range. Are they deceased, unconcious or scared out of their fucking minds? It also let's you know who they bad guys are and which of them are packing heat. Very handy. Detective mode also helps you find alternative routes of entry and secrets you wouldn't otherwise be able to see. I actually found myself keeping detective mode on the majority of the time so I wouldn't miss things but then I'd feel bad and switch back to see the awesome graphics. Of course those were the times I would actually miss something I was looking for.
Sadly, besides cut-scenes, Batman doesn't get to use the Bat-mobile or any of his other vehicles in-game but he does have access to his classic gadgets and more. His Batarangs and grappling hook are standard but you acquire much more as the game develops. Explosive gel is intended to blow up walls but can also be strategically placed to blow up henchmen as well. Upgrades to your tools, gadgets and fighting technique become available as you gain experience. My favorite has to be the ability to do an "inverted takedown." Hanging from a gargoyle, you grab a thug that was unlucky enough to walk below you and leave him hanging from a rope until he passes out. Not only does he scream in terror, he's a prime example left for the other henchmen - don't fuck with the (babysitter) Batman.
If the entire game consisted of rounding up escaped mental patients and henchmen I probably would have gotten bored after a while. Luckily several classic Batman villains star or at least have cameo appearances. The Joker is primarily a voice from the sky until the very end of the game and contrary to popular belief, you do get to play as him on the XBOX, just not how you'd think. Bane and Killer Croc are obvious powerhouses but it's my girls Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy who stand out, if for nothing else than their attire. I'm in love with Harley's pieced together costume although I'm not too fond of Poison Ivy's look but I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to her. I was slightly disappointed that you don't actually fight Harley herself but her antics and love for the Joker are enough for me.
Fighting Killer Croc was one of the most intense portions of the game. I'm a big wimp so it killed me to have an already heart-pounding boss fight made that much scarier by having to move at a snails pace through it. And by the way, I don't recommend stopping in the middle of said fight because your hands are shaking to pick it up on another day. Trying to pick it up when you're out of practice with the controls is awful.
But nothing, I repeat, nothing was as frightening as the king of fear himself - the Scarecrow. I hadn't read much about the game online before playing it so I was completely taken by surprise when Batman started to show signs of succumbing to the fear toxin. Let me tell you, the mind is a beautiful thing. Once I knew what was going on it was like trying to play on acid. It was really trippy, but extremely well-done. And no, you don't get off that easy. The first time might have scared me shitless, the second almost brought me to tears. The third? Well the third violated Batman in ways I never thought possible.
The thing I loved about B: AA the most was how true to Batman it really was. This wasn't tied into a movie or any particular comic, honestly it was closer to the animated series and you can thank writer Paul Dini for that, so it is easily accessible to even the most casual fan. The trifecta of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and Arleen Sorkin voicing their familiar characters was the icing on the cake. Hearing Conroy say, "I prefer to work alone" and similar Batman-like lines, had be giggling with fanboy joy. The entire cast did an outstanding job though. Fun fact: Steve Blum, the guy who voiced Killer Croc, voiced Jack Shephard in the bizarre Lost video game, Via Domus. Tasia Valenza, who's no stranger to the DC animated universe, voiced Poison Ivy. Actually, a lot of the voice cast has worked with the DC animation team before, not to mention some Marvel video games as well. Now that is a club I'd love to break into.
Speaking of breaking into. Publishers Eidos proved they are just like the Dark Knight himself - prepared for every eventuality. They've inserted a copyright protection in the game that disables Batman's glide function for illegal downloaders. Read one players complaint and a classic response from Eidos on the subject here. Not that I condone illegal downloads but if you were only going to buy one game this year, make it B: AA. It's fucking amazing.
I really only found one fault with Batman: Arkham Asylum and it's that the end of the game was far too easy. I didn't even die once and for a player such as I, that's saying something. But overall the game was certainly challenging, even on easy. Some of the Riddler's challenges had me obsessing for quite a while. To be honest, I still haven't found two of them. The details overall were phenomenal. As the game progresses, Batman begins to show signs of a 5 o'clock shadow! When you visit Clayface, be sure to pay attention when you turn around. Blink and you'll miss his morphing sound as he changes into his next form. And the game was pretty, oh so pretty. And no, I'm not talking about Bruce's rippling muscles and manly stature. At least not entirely.
This first one of the Volturi because I love their style and I think Dakota Fanning looks appropriately menacing.
Robert Pattinson looks kind of disproportionate here but everyone else looks great, especially Jasper. I really think they did something to Rob's head here though. In fact, I think they manage to make him look bizarre in just about every promotional item they put together.
And this one of the wolf pack? Do I really need to tell you why I like it? It's totally the cool tattoos. What? You don't believe me? :) Taylor Lautner actually looks like he's about to crack a smile here. It's almost as if he's thinking, "Man, if this doesn't get me laid, I don't know what will!"
2. Oh look, another vampire movie. What a surprise! Frankly, Underworld didn't even need Scott Speedman for me to like it. I was all about the Kate Beckinsale. She had me at "Death Deala." This one may seem a little out of place on the list considering it was popular enough to spawn two sequels with a third on the way. Obviously the concept is cool, vampires versus werewolves but...oh who am I kidding, I love pretty much everything about this movie. Liquid sunlight bullets? Genius. Bill Nighy is always outstanding, no matter who he plays and Michael Sheen is delicious here as Lucian. One major downfall of Underworld? The dude who plays Kraven is literally one of the WORST actors ever. For all my talk though, this is the one movie on the list I don't own. I've resisted buying it at least 10 times already but I honestly can't see why.
Way back in 1994 The Cranberries posed the question, “What’s in your head?” They were also kind enough to give us the answer: Zombies! Yesterday I brought you the review of Awakening - Volume 1 from Archaia Comics, today I dig deep into the recesses of Tapalansky’s head and find, thankfully, he can still be counted among the living. Alex Eckman-Lawn, his artist? Maybe not so much.
Zombie stories are like dating musicians. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all. Sure, there have been a few deviations from the typical moaning, reanimated corpse. You’ve got your fast zombies, your smart zombies, The Zombies but it takes real ingenuity to breath new life into a worn out genre. Luckily Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn have that in spades and make us look at zombies in a whole new light with Awakening from Archaia Comics.
Loyal readers, I apologize. I almost died this weekend, depriving you of years of further enjoyment via my fabulous writing. How did this happen? I almost died from geekasm in the most extreme sense of the word. My brother and I went to Star Trek: The Exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It was, as any Klingon would tell you, glorious.
My oldest brother is one of the reasons I love Star Trek as much as I do so when I first heard about the exhibit I knew that's where I was taking him for his birthday. That was months ago and we were both too busy at the time. Well, September snuck up pretty damn quick and we were lucky to make it there for the very last weekend. Technically speaking, pictures weren't "allowed" so I just snuck a few with my camera phone, hence the low quality.
The main attraction of the entire exhibit were the costumes. They had something from just about every ST series and every movie ever made. Classic KHAAAAAAAN of course above, minus Ricardo Montalbán's classic chest. The strangest costume was William Shatner's original Captain Kirk uniform which looked like it had been shrunk in the wash several times over. 
My personal favorite however, were the set pieces. They had the arch and table from Main Engineering and the bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation (my personal favorite series). I had been on a recreation of the Next Gen bridge at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas many years ago but you were only in the room for about two minutes and you weren't allowed to touch anything. I just about lost it when I entered the bridge and realized I could explore. The screens in the rear had moving computer read-outs on them and everything. My brother and I giggled at the padlock keeping the turbolift doors shut.
Speaking of pennies....Dabo anyone? There were tons of props being displayed as well and they were probably the most peculiar things to see. Most of them looked really cheap and beat up. Seriously, my toy tricorder looks more realistic. Some of the alien heads on display were impressive though. My favorite was, what I thought from a distance was Data's head from "Time's Arrow," but turned to be B-4. Close enough I guess.
What can I say about an anthology consisting of horror comics from the 1960s? Well, my mom once said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Fortunately that sentiment doesn’t apply to us reviewers.
He's posed like Superman, starred in numerous comic books, now, President Barack Obama shows us he is a true Jedi master. If it were anyone else I'd call foul for them being a giant poser, but it's already been confirmed our President is a giant geek and I love him for it. I'm sure photoshopped pictures are just pouring in from this perfect capture.
Here, President Obama shows off his mad Jedi skillz as he goes for the gut of this Imperial spy. Ok fine, it's actually some dude who'd like to fence in the Olympics. But he's still no match for Master Obama. This was all part of a promotion to get the International Olympic Committee to choose Chicago, Illinois (Obama's hometown) as host for the 2016 summer competition. The IOC will be making their decision on October 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Do you like comics? Do you like Dark Horse? Do you like…Myspace? Well then, I have just the thing for you! Actually, you don’t really have to like Myspace at all in order to enjoy Myspace Dark Horse Presents Volume 2. It might be a collected anthology of stories that originally appeared on the social networking site but MDHPV2 has something for everyone.
All fantasies aside, B: AA kicked so much ass it's ridiculous. I mean, just look at that picture above. Don't take my word for it. It's sold over 2 million copies already and has been given a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever." So what exactly is so great about B: AA? Oh, I don't know, just about EVERYTHING. Ok, fine. I'll break it down for you.
If the entire game consisted of rounding up escaped mental patients and henchmen I probably would have gotten bored after a while. Luckily several classic Batman villains star or at least have cameo appearances. The Joker is primarily a voice from the sky until the very end of the game and contrary to popular belief, you do get to play as him on the XBOX, just not how you'd think. Bane and Killer Croc are obvious powerhouses but it's my girls Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy who stand out, if for nothing else than their attire. I'm in love with Harley's pieced together costume although I'm not too fond of Poison Ivy's look but I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to her. I was slightly disappointed that you don't actually fight Harley herself but her antics and love for the Joker are enough for me. 
Here's a picture of me from my very first Telethon appearance back in *cough cough* (yes I've gotten to the age where I cough instead of saying a year). I'm the one in the middle, standing next to Sally Jessy Raphael and John Tesh, proudly displaying my NJ State Poster Child pin. This morning I'll be a guest on my radio station's morning show with Lou and Liz to promote what will be my 19th year appearing on the Telethon. (I'm hoping for my 20th next year I can make it out to the national show with Jerry himself.)You can listen to the morning show online if you aren't in the area. I'll be on at 7AM.
Lobo will be produced by Joel Silver, Akiva Goldsman and Andrew Rona. Don Payne (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) has written the most recent draft of the script which Variety describes thusly, "In the film, he will be an indestructible, blue-skinned, 7-foot-tall and heavily muscled antihero who drives a pimped-out motorcycle and lands on Earth in search of four fugitives bent on wreaking havoc. Lobo teams with a small-town teenaged girl to stop the creatures." Apparently it will rely heavily on special effects. No shit.
Variety is reporting Guillermo del Toro will be producing an adaptation of DC Comics' Deadman for Warner Bros. Originally created in 1967 by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino, trapeze artist Boston Brand was granted the power to possess any living being by the goddess Rama Kushna after he was murdered. He's been on a constant quest for his killer and eternal peace ever since. 
