Reason #387 why our President is a badass. His lightsaber skills are unmatched. I've even heard a rumor that he once settled a trade dispute with China by besting their minister of trade in one-on-one combat. His opponent came away minus an arm, and Obama walked away with a solid trade treaty.
This is how proper politics is done folks. Aggressive negotiations indeed.
Another great bit of news to come out of the D23 Expo last weekend was the official name of the new Pirates of the Caribbean film. The fourth installment of the franchise will be called Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. It is set to be released in the summer of 2011.
I'm a huge Pirates of the Caribbean fan, and while I recognize that neither of the two sequels that have come out so far have been all that great, I still can't help but love the character of Captain Jack Sparrow and can't wait to see more of him on the big screen. Hopefully, with the boring story of the side characters Wil and Elizabeth finished and out of the way, this new pirates film will be able to focus on that which it should have always been focusing on in the first place . . . . Pirates.
At the end of the last Pirates film, we saw Captain Jack racing after Captain Barbossa to try to be the first person to find the fountain of youth. A film that solely focuses on Jack vs. Barbossa would be something that I would absolutely love. And those lucky fans at the D23 were treated to something very awesome indeed. Mr. Johnny Depp himself showed up in full Jack Sparrow regalia to announce the upcoming film.
Over the weekend, the Walt Disney Company held a huge event called the D23 Expo, which basically was like the 100% Disney version of the SD Comic Con. The event was held at the Anaheim Convention Center and for three days Disney executives including CEO Bob Iger and the head of animation John Lasseter and many more made large public announcements about a number of big Disney events, movies, shows, etc. One of the biggest bits of news that I was personally floored by was the long awaited official announcement of a forthcoming new Star Tours attraction at the Disneyland Theme Parks.
I'd posted a few months back some news that Lucasfilm had been secretly filming scenes for the new attraction, but since then we haven't heard anything from Disney at all about when this new ride of awesomeness would be bestowed up0n us. Wel, we finally have some information about when things will be changing for the ride. During the expo, it was announced by Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo that that would be closing the existing Star Tours attraction in October, 2010. Then, this happened:
So there you have it. The brand new Star Tours in 3D ride will be opening sometime in 2011. I'm assuming by their lack of a more specific date that it will be somewhere around Christmas 2011, but that's ok. A year without Star Tours won't kill me. What may kill me though is if the new ride is heavily prequel trilogy influenced. Sure, I'm ok with a podracing scene in the new ride seeing as how that race and Darth Maul were the only good things to come out of Episode One. But if there's more than a 50/50 ratio of prequel trilogy to original trilogy stuff, I'm going to be thoroughly annoyed.
Overall though, prequel stuff aside, I'm pretty damn happy with this news. I love Star Tours, but it definitely has been needing an update for well over a decade now. I've ridden the ride more times and blown up more Death Stars than I can count. I know the script of the ride by heart, and I definitely know that to escape a Star Destroyers tractor beam all you have to do is ease off on your main thruster. It's time for a change. Star Tours opened back in 1988, so to say that the technology used in it is dated is a bit of an understatement. I've seen motion simulators at the local mall that have the same basic tech. Star Tours needs to be made great and awe inspiring again, and now it will have the chance to do it.
Making the ride 3D will be one cool addition, new digital effects are sure to enhance the experience as well, and I'm sure the motion control of the ship itself will be even more finely in tune with the video so that the feeling of actual space travel will be all that more real. While I will definitely mourn the loss of the original attraction, I will wait with baited breath for the new ride to open. Here's to hoping that it will blow my mind just like the original did to a 10 year old Pat the first time he rode it.
Well, fellow writer Xtina beat me to the punch with Wet, that is gonna be fucking awesome, BUT . . . .
I still have my own list of games being released on the same day.
And a good way to start it is:
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2!
The storyline is supposed to start post Secret War then lead into Civil War, and by leading into it I mean a fight between heroes and villains that create the explosion in Stamford, and thus creating the Registration Act. Which side will you pick?
Some of the good improvements are fusion power attacks. They seem more epic in the trailer. As cool as they are, I hope they really aren't that often in the game. A brawler really doesn't need that many cut sequences in my opinion. If you're like me and grabbed that nifty pre-order, you get the blessing of having Juggernaut as a playable character! That's right, that bashy smashy tank gets to be controlled by you!
And of course, everything is adapted to current storyline like Gorgon being the new Venom and his new look. I wonder if you could pick genetically created Thor? Or Giant Man for that matter, probably not.
This game is being run on the Havok engine, which has been used to run Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Motorstorm. Now do you get the idea of what this engine has to offer for this game? All these games are examples of shit loads of stuff all happening at once on the same screen. That means this engine IS designed to handle the carnage. Awesome? Yes. Good outlook? Yes. Creamed my pants? Definite yes.
How do you make a game that has tons of baddies, super powers, established characters we know and love even better? Fucking Multiplayer is how! You get a friend in on the destruction, and possibly race each other to blow up that truck in Stamford just for the fun of it! A Little cold? Maybe, but I'm really assuming it's gonna have a cutscene and a predetermined character falling into it. Now all of this sounds like good fun!
And second on my list...
Monday is the start of the new NHL season, but Tuesday is videogame release day! So that means NHL 10 will also be in my hands!
The improvement I'm seeing is an increased AI of the players. Unless you play the game with an AI that's turned down to "clay pot" then you probably won't notice the difference. Now there is a real impact of "puck sense" meaning if a player is near a puck he'll do something to get it in his possession and none of this "static" cling where the puck all of a sudden is on the players stick. If they are near it, they'll do something about it, especially if you're one of the ones like me that actually plays the goalie. When a puck lands behind you he doesn't do jack about it. Why? Because the AI for skaters will have him move his stick near it and it gets glued to him. Goalies don't always function like this, they will either cover it up or, like the video says, get it out as quickly as possible, and look fucking good doing it.
And the shooting goals while on your knees? It's ice, you'll slide, why the hell not? This obviously makes a drastic change. They are no longer thinking like hockey foosball figures. They don't have to be on their two feet anymore to keep playing. Basically a lot of these improvements are "If it can be done in real life, you can do it here."
If you want to play the asshole on the ice and try to draw fights or penalties, the face washing mechanic is there. Meaning you rub your stinky glove all over the face of the opposing team member. Also after the play you can do a dirty trip, etc.
There are the obvious staples to this game, like keeping track of trades in the NHL and updating it on your game, etc. And of course multiplayer. Don't worry, that's all still there.
When the weekend is over, Im glad that this Tuesday will bring some happiness to me with goodies like these.
If you are getting any of these games, and want to join in on a brawl of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, message me at Johann@gamesand.me
There are few things I take more pleasure in then watching a hot woman kick major ass. Especially if I can pretend to be that woman, even if it is only for a video game. This is why I got all giddy when I saw a preview of the game, Wet, a couple months back.
Wet, short for Wetworks, is a third person shooter about a gal named Rubi who is on a mission. The game, released by Bethesda Softworks, stars Rubi as a gun-for-hire that agrees to track down and bring back a wealthy man's son. Of course any of us who live in the real world know that nothing is ever as cut and dry as all that, so Rubi is going to have to fight her some bad guys in order to complete the mission and get paid.
All I can say from playing the demo is Rubi is nothing sort of bad ass. Voiced by the ever lovely Eliza Dusku, Rubi not only demonstrates her superior shooting skills, but she also wields a brutally nasty sword. Set in a very Quentin Tarantino-esque vision, the game looks to be like a cross between Kill Bill and Grindhouse with some film noir thrown.
Besides shooting and slashing, Rubi can jump, slide, run up and across walls, use bars to do some superb acrobatics, shoot two bad guys at once and then some. You also don't want to piss her off because it looks like she has a berserker mode in which everything goes red and everything in site is going to die. Oh, and I can't forget that Rubi regains her health by taking a big swig of whiskey after which she throws the bottle in the air and shoots it. This girl is hardcore. Eat your heart out Clint Eastwood!
There is something to be said about the music as well. Fast paced rock and a bit of country ala Johnny Cash sets the soundtrack from some intense game play. Everything from a shoot out in a banquet hall to a crazy scene down the 101 Freeway and that is just in the downloadable demo.
Wet comes out for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on September 15th. I can't promise it will be good as I have yet to see any reviews, but if the demo is anything to go off of I believe it should be a resounding success and I will certainly be getting Wet. :P
I'm back. A lot has changed while I was gone. I have been reading ALL of it. Dick Grayson is Batman. I love it. I love the way they did it. I love all the writers and artists that have contributed to it. They have done a great job. Honestly I hope Bruce Wayne NEVER returns as Batman at this rate.
Damian Wayne (Bruce Wayne's Biological Son that he fathered with Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Ras Al Ghul) is now Robin. He is nine years old, he was raised and trained by the League of Assassins, he has a tendency to kill, he is a brat, he is impulsive and doesn't listen. He is great. I love him. I love that Dick feels that he must take over raising him after Bruce's "death". I love the fact that Dick's way of raising him is the only way Dick knows how, the same way Bruce raised Dick: as Robin. I think it shows that the Dick's upbringing was awesome but at the same time a warped vision of childhood and his relationship with Damian mirrors his own relationship with Bruce, when Dick was the same age. However I feel the truth of the relationship is closer to Bruce's failure with Jason Todd. I hope Dick can succeed where Bruce failed.
Tim Drake is now Red Robin. First the Red Robin persona was seen in Kingdom Come (a alternate future version of the DC Universe) and his secret Identity was Dick Grayson. Later, as with so many of the popular designs from the Kingdom Come story, DC tried to introduce Red Robin into current continuity. First the resurrected Jason Todd obtained the outfit from a Batman on an alternate earth. Lame, I know. Then some Robin villain named Ulysses Hayden Armstrong got his hands on the outfit shortly before he took the identity of Anarky another long-time Batman extreme vigilante/villain. Even lamer? Yes. When Tim learns that Dick wishes to disobey Bruce's order's by becoming Batman after his death, that Dick intends to replace Tim as Robin with Damian and that Dick does not support Tim's belief that Bruce isn't dead, Tim takes on the persona of Red Robin. He feels that since his mission to prove that Bruce is still alive is a dangerous one that may put him at odds with many known heroes, he would take on a persona that would not be associated with Batman or Robin.
Batgirl is revealed to be Stephanie Brown: the daughter of the Batman and Robin villain The Cluemaster, she was a vigilante for quite some time as The Spoiler and was Tim Drake's long-time girlfriend. She briefly took on the role of Robin when Tim quit the role after his father's death. Batman quickly fired her though, when she deliberately disobeyed a direct order of his during her training period. He asked that she not return as Robin, or Spoiler for that matter. She eventually put into action a Gang War in Gotham when she attempted to gain favor in Batman's eyes by enacting one of his famous contingency plans. The plan backfired and put Black Mask into a position of power. Stephanie was tortured by the Black Mask. It had appeared she had died in a hospital. It was later revealed that her death was faked with the help of Leslie Tompkins to insure her protection after her identity had become compromised.
Now Stephanie Brown is Batgirl. Honestly this news is barely a few weeks old. I know that Pat just wrote on this site his dis-pleasure at this news. I will have to agree with him that I also wish that Barbra Gordon could don the Batgirl outfit again too. I think they could come up with great storyline to get her out of the wheelchair too. I also agree that all other Batgirls, long-time and short-time have been stupid. But I think that Stephanie Brown was a great choice. As a long-time Batman reader I was really afraid that when I found out who the new Batgirl was, it would be someone of the caliber of Huntress, Casandra Cain, or Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, whoever the hell that is. I really do wish that Barbara Gordon was the choice but I was afraid that they would never do that. So with all the possible outcomes this was something I never considered and I am very pleased with it. It could have gone MUCH worse. I am interested in seeing where the writers take it.
That sums up quite a bit. There is quite a bit more though. Kate Kane the new Batwoman is the star of Detective Comics. Black Mask has returned to Gotham. Riddler is masquerading as a hero Private Investigator. Catwoman, Posion Ivy and Harley Quinn live together. In last week's Batman Two-Face successfully broke into the Batcave and scarred one side of the giant penny. I could go on, but let's get to this weeks release:
Red Robin# 4
Written by Chris Yost and Penciled by Ramon Bachs
This month in Red Robin Tim continues his quest to prove that Bruce Wayne is still alive. For anybody that has been reading we all know that Bruce Wayne is indeed alive but it's pretty ambiguous. We saw him die at the hands of Darkseid, we know that the heroes buried his body but we also know that Bruce is alive. This is because Darkseid's Omega Sanction beam that he shot Batman with, gives the victim "death that is life". At the end of Final Crisis we see Bruce in what appears to be the early history of man writing on a cave wall the symbol of Batman.
Now Tim is in Iraq and working with the help of Ras Al Ghul and his resources in the League of Assassins. He has found a valuable clue to Bruce's fate: the same symbol we see Bruce drawing on a cave wall at the end of Final Crisis.
The issue also gives some insight into the falling out between Dick and Tim via flashback. It shows an argument between the two before Tim leaves the country as Red Robin. At the end of the argument Tim asks that Dick not allow Damian to ruin the good name that they had built as Robin.
This issue was a good read. I really enjoy everything I'm reading now. Every Batman title is a gem. Batman and Robin, Batman, Batman: Streets of Gotham, Detective Comics, Red Robin, Batgirl, and Gotham City Sirens! Man they are all awesome! For next week: Batman and Robin, Batman: Streets of Gotham, and Batgirl. I can't wait!
Tune in next week. Same Bat-time, same Bat-Channel. Mattman
I know I post a lot of Star Trek themed drinks here for Friday Happy Hour. I just can't help myself, especially when they have such awesome names as the Sissy Klingon. The very moment I read the drink's name, my mind instantly flashed on the above photo of Mr. Worf from the Next Generation episode when Q made the crew all act as if they were Robin Hood and his Merry Men.
Worf, obviously, was not very merry at all. That's ok though, he never is. You can be plenty merry however if you have one or two of these wonderfully named beverages.
Recipe:
1 shot Flor de Caña rum
1/2 shot Raspberry Pucker
1/2 shot Bombay Sapphire gin
Cherry Bomb Jolt
Instructions: Mix the booze together in a shaker and pour over ice. Add the Jolt to taste.
