EB Games Expo 2012

EB Games Expo 2012, what an amazing spectacle.

From the FMX stunt team, to the dancers, to the amazing amount of epic loot available and amazing presentations. I'm one sore reviewer.

The Sydney Olympic Park was packed at all time and game queues had many people waiting in excess of two hours just to get a taste of some of the amazing games heading out to a games store near you, soon.

The only thing I suggest for people next year is: get the Express pass. It's well worth the money.

EB Games really put on a fantastic show and the running of it was executed amazingly.

Also, props go to the Just Dance 4 dancers who danced for days and days and never showed any fatigue at all. Great work.

I personally would like to thank all the EB staff and helpers, game devs and publishers and media for making this the best show we have seen thus far.

What we played and how we felt:

BEST IN SHOW
Assassin's Creed 3:
Although the level we got to play was "more of the same old", the story and the game play seemed much better. The AI of the enemy is a little more forgiving and I can see this being a top seller for sure.

Injustice, Gods Among Us:
Simply amazing, this Mortal Kombat based DC fighting game was nothing short of amazing fun. Kicking ass as some of our fave DC heroes and villains was fantastic, the detail and graphics were amazing and the game play was button spam HEAVEN

Medal of Honor: War Fighter:
I have already stated my love for this game, and it was echoed by fans young and old as they raced around ganking each other in the multiplayer. I also got some time on the single player and for me, this is where this title really shines.

Skylanders: Giants: I was a little disappointed with this sequel as they didn't really add much to the game and it feels even more like a money sink hole than the first.

CoD: Black Ops 2:
More of the same? not exactly. Same game, new maps, better kill streak rewards. It was a lot of fun to play and even more fun to play with a bunch of other gamers. The game feels new and makes me wish I did actually pre-order it.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance:
Blown away. This is the only way to describe the game play and feel of MGR:R. The AR mode we got to try just felt like a new IP, it did not feel like "much the same copy paste bored now" like some of the previous MGS games.

Zombie-U:
If ANYTHING would make me buy a Wii-U, it would be THIS GAME. Look for a review on why, soon.

WORST IN SHOW
Marvel The Avengers: Battle for Earth:
Kinect games always make me wonder why they bother at all, and this game is no different.  The sensor wasn't picking my movements up very well, the game play was chunky and slow and it felt like a turn based game. Not the exciting action we were hoping for. Nothing like the trailers.

Fable The Journey:
Please no, no more Kinect. Just say no. This was for sure one of the worst games of show. If you want a kinect game, go buy Star Wars Kinect, it is actually BETTER than this game has thus far shown.

The Wii-U: still not 100% sold on it as a console.

Joss Whedon, Marvel's Main Man?

Disney has released information stating that Joss Whedon is now contracted to The Avengers 2, the man who made The Avengers into a billion dollar box office smash had previously been non-commital on the rumours that he would direct and write the 2nd of the franchise during SDCC (San Diego Comic Con 2012).

Disney's Bob Iger announced that Whedon has been contracted in their Investors Confrence Call, much to the delight of Whedon fans everywhere. Also, it seems that the Marvel Universe TV live action show (ABC USA) will also have Joss on board.

Joss Whedon, best known for Firefly, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel, has proven time and again that he can do TV better than anyone and this should lead to amazing things with Marvel.
Also, the very idea that Joss has signed on to The Avengers 2 has this guys right here SQUIRMING in his seat, wanting it now, rather than later.

It's an exciting time to be a comic fan, especially Marvel.

NOW, if only we could get him on an X-Men movie.

Ten Reasons The Dark Knight Rises Was Mediocre (At Best)

10- The film felt like it could have been a 2 part movie and not a full film. Nothing like the story restarting an hour or so in.

It’s worked for other films, such as Harry Potter so there is no reason why they couldn’t do it here and potentially double the box office revenue.

9- If you can understand Bane’s voice through the mask one hundred percent of the time, you either have amazing hearing or started making up conversations in your head.

“Mr Wayne, would you like to come over for a barbeque? We have s-mores and your favourite imported beer.”

8- Teasing at the end that we finally see Robin and yet know that no more films will be made for years?

Especially Batman related films feels like a kick to the you-know-what.

Meanwhile, Marvel races ahead of DC in the movie war making one wonder if DC really care at all, or if they just want to make some money and are no longer interested in the long standing war against Marvel.

7- Bane starts a new revolution, however instead of carrying it through, he is going to blow up Gotham instead? Making himself just another terrorist and not actually enacting any new social movement AT ALL?

In fact, his actions would have made America MORE paranoid than ever. Good job, Nolan. You tried to say so much and it meant nothing at all.

(Stupid sexy Flanders)

6- Bane, what is that you’re wearing on your head? Why does it look like a pair of stretched rubber underpants with a breather mask attached?

5- Batman/Bruce Wayne was absent from the goings on of Gotham for eight years? Wayne would NEVER do such a thing. There will always be crime, and when there will always be crime, there will always be Batman. Anyone who reads/watches Batman knows that there is no way he would distance himself from the city whom he loves so dearly.

4- The film score was not the score we deserved. Recycle that score, boys. It will make it cheaper! Really, the same music (pretty much) again feels like Nolan just didn’t bother.

3-Tahlia Al Ghul states that Bats killed her father, who she hated, and thus she is in Gotham to enact revenge. Wait up crazy lady, you hated your father a whole lot, but have come to Gotham to AVENGE him?

Yeah, that makes about as much sense as LOST DID.

Come to think of it, I need to check the writers, I feel a “dead end story becomes not a dead end that is a dead end that’s not what you think yet is yet isn’t rollfaceonkeyboardhihowareyouimgoodthanksyouyeahgood” writing of lost through the movie.

2- Catwoman, not just another pretty face. Oh, never mind then. They put her in to be a love interest to Bruce/Bats but really, she just felt like the DC answer to Black Widow (The Avengers) only less cleavage.

Much less.  Depressingly less. Horridly less. Sorry Anne, Scarlet just blows you out of the pool.

1- This was not the hero we needed, nor was it the Hero we deserved. The Dark Knight Rises had so much hype that it felt like it was to be THE film that defined a generation, that no other film could even go NEAR, The Avengers already gets that title.

The Amazing Spider-man Movie Review

Peter Parker (Richard Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone)

Red and Blue, swinging through the streets of Manhattan. Heart and action balanced in almost perfect harmony with a little cheese and brilliant characters. Spine tingling action sequences and "woooo YEAH!" moments, this film was A LOT of fun.

The reboot of Spider-man and an origin story closer to the original comics was much better than I anticipated. A great mix of Stan Lee's original Spider-man and Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-man story lines. A lot of fans (myself included) were a little worried with the reboot idea, I have made a point of stating how much I disliked McGuire as Spider-man, but also I liked how Raimi portrayed Spider-man....Mostly.

The movie does balance out the amazing and fun action scenes and the small emotional character explanations rather well, the only real issue here is that Flash Thompson, Peter's "frenemy", goes from hating Parker, to being all buddy buddy with no explanation what so ever. Gwen Stacy was introduced well and they really showed Parker's adolescent awkwardness well.

The plot was rather predictable, but it was written much better than the Raimi Spider-man, I would almost say it was executed rather beautifully in all of the relationships of the characters, Parker getting his Spider-like abilities and even the hilariousness of Parker discovering how strong he is (I won't spoil it for you, but when you see it you will laugh like a mad person).

The Lizard is animated near perfectly and I'm happy they went with more of a humanoid lizard look, over the comics crocodile humanoid look. This could have had the "make or break" for the movie and it really did make the movie that much better. The only issue with the story of The Lizard is it felt like they dumbed it down for the audience, explaining The Lizard's nefarious plan when we all know what was going on from the start. I can't explain it without a spoiler, so I will leave it at that.

This is no mere re-telling of the story though, rather this is a refitted and upgraded version of what has come before and does not disappoint at all. Parker still has his camera but is not a photographer for the Daily Bugle, the red haired Mary-Jane has been traded in (upgraded IMHO) for the Smart and sexy Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), the web-shooters are no longer genetic, but mechanical (thank goodness) and the new suit make over really worked well.

All in all a solid film that does not focus too much on action, Marvel really left the huge fight scene until the end of the film (just like all the other Marvel movies, really). No Bruce Campbell was a little sad, that guy should be in everything, however Martin Sheen (Ben Parker) and Denis Leary (Captain Stacy) really made up for that a little. Stan Lee' Cameo is fantastic and laugh out loud funny.

Stay until after the credits for a little surprise /winkyface.

I strongly suggest you go see this movie, it's not as good as The Avengers, but man is it a great film.

7.5/10 Spider bites

SPIDER-SENSE TINGLING!

The (Not So) Amazing Spider-man Game 


                                                       (Photo credit: theragingnerd.com)

Wow Activision (and Beenox, yeah I'm scowling at you Dee), you really did just copy (albeit badly) Rocksteady's Arkham Asylum and Arkham city games, huh. Two years in the making and you couldn't even deliver on your promise of "brand new, exceptional, fresh" you just used the same old 2004 game template, no kidding. The only new is "web rush" and it's not really that great anyway.


The game is set after the new movie rather than a tie-in and begins with a promotional video from Oscorp introducing Dr. Alistair Smythe, whom is Curt Connor's successor. In it, Smythe explains how the new face of Oscorp will be nano-bot technology, and that "Oscorp is a new company with the same name you trust."

And at this point I have a major jones, this is amazing, this is cool, this IS new. The first cut scene allows you to look around Oscorp's lab even though you are "on tracks", but later during the game you start to realize that it was one of the ONLY cut scenes that allows this and it's the same old game as always.

The combat is boring, it's the same as the 2004 Spider-man game, in fact, just play the 2004 Spider-man game, the graphics won't be as pretty but at least you won't feel ripped off.

Glitches? WE GOT GLITCHES!

Swinging through the streets, up and over a building, go to collect a comic cover and BAM. Stuck.

So far I have has an entire boss fight bug out, gotten stuck in scenery, had a room vanish to blackness in an indoors level, voices continue to clip after rescuing a sick person, had lag in the sound from a boss fight and had to reset my xbox because of in game "lag".

The game feels like it was rushed through to meet the release of the film

All in all, this is NOT the revolutionary video game Activision and Beenox made it out to be.
The combat is simple and boring, the Web Rush mechanic is not well used and it really does feel like a copy of the previous free-roaming games.


Maybe Activision should have just copied Mortal Kombat and made a Spider-man fighting game. That would be worth the $70....
This game obviously has no multilayer, single player only.
6/10 Spider-tracers, wait for it to go to the bargain bin in 4 weeks and get it at $20.

Al's Geek Dating Tips.

Blogging is cool, right? well I thought I would blog funny stupid crap, because that's kind of me, a little "left of the mark", so to speak.

ENJOY!!

OK, geeks....It's time to get off that brand new xbox you bought and get some action...

FIRSTLY- do not assume that your date will know all of your "1337 5p3ak" and slang. LOL, ROFL, ROFLMAO, LOLPWNED and the like should NOT be used.

Oh, and she does not CARE what planet Klingons, Romulans, Wookies, Ewoks and the like are from, however she may think your "James T Kirk" modified my little pony is cute.....

BE CLASSIC; Look her in the eye and say, "Let's go somewhere we can be alone." Resist the urge to use a French accent.

When removing her undergarments, don't say something stupid in a French accent like "au au au, i'm going to give you de French tickler" no matter the geeky urge you have to be funny....

BE ALL ABOUT HER: Give her the impression that you can't stop whatever you've been doing until she is satisfied (THIS MEANS NO WORLD OF WARCRAFT). Sure, you'll probably get off in the process, but assure her that she is going to have fun, too.

BE SICKENINGLY SWEET but not a DOUCHEBAG: "Want to come over and cuddle and a movie?" Note: This puts you at risk for just cuddling, so remember to slip the hand from her tummy to her boob.....trust me.

BE PLAYFUL: Smile and say, "I'll come over if you promise to make me bacon and eggs in the morning." This gives her the opportunity to say no to one part of the request--hopefully the bacon and eggs part or kick your ass and put it up on youtube.

When removing her bra, perhaps it's better for her to do it, lets face it...if you are reading this, you wont have ANY idea of what you are doing....unless you have worn one before....

YOU may find it amusing to put her black silky g-string on your head and pretend to be Darth Vader, however chances are she is going to A) think about how stupid you look, B) expect you to make "light sabre" sounds when putting on a condom and C) wonder if you are HUNG like a wookie, or just smell as BAD as a wookie...

Ahhh the final step, the "moment of truth", her vagina is NOT THE DEATH STAR, you make a tiefighter noise, and expect her to stay? that would be like rolling off to watch start trek, your screwed now....