The Big Honkin’ Demon appears courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo II. I know, I know, it’s an old game, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing it.
The Big Honkin’ Demon appears courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo II. I know, I know, it’s an old game, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing it.
(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5, rated) We all know it’s coming. No one knows when, and no one knows how, but we all know that one day it will happen. There is no doubt that one day the dead will rise from their graves and start attacking the living. But what is in doubt is your ability to deal with it. Do you have what it takes to survive the onslaught of hordes upon hordes of undead ghouls knocking down your front door? Well the key to survival is knowing your enemy, and there’s no time like the present. So before that fateful day falls upon us, do yourself, and your loved ones a favor, and get researching. Below I’ve compiled a helpful list of some of the most informative zombie teaching aids available. Keep reading if you want to make it out alive.
The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks - This book is the most exhaustive source of zombie information you will ever find. Covering everything from weapons and self-defense, to transportation shelter, it is nothing short of an absolute necessity. In addition, the book features a detailed look at the psychological aspects of the zombie, teaching readers how they act and think. This information is essential to those planning a defense against a zombie siege.
For more information, you may also want to check out Brooks’ other books, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks.
The Walking Dead - Now that you know the basics of zombie survival, it’s time to learn about another, much more unexpected enemy: your fellow man. That’s right, under stressful conditions (such as those caused by a zombie infestation) people can become unpredictable, violent creatures. This graphic novel series can help make you aware of some of the dangers you can expect from your supposed allies, giving you a better chance at spotting and avoiding such complications.
Dead Rising & Resident Evil- After learning about your enemy(s), it’s now time to put your skills to the test by pitting you against thousands of relentless undead. In Dead Rising for the Xbox 360 (and soon the Nintendo Wii) you will be place in a shopping mall filled to the brim with zombies. The location gives you all sorts of opportunities to use your newly found knowledge, as nearly everything within the mall can be used as a weapon. But its up to you as to what will be the most efficient and effective against your enemies.
But if its marksmanship you’re worried about, look no further than Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles on the Wii. Played from a first-person perspective, this game puts you right into thew action, which consists mostly of shooting zombies in the face. And that, my friends, is a valuable skill.
28 Days Later - While our undead foes are traditionally slow, in terms of both speed and intellect, there is always the chance that they may have involved. This documentary showcases just such an event, in which zombies have become much faster and much more aggressive then normal. Though the chances are slim that an outbreak will consist of these ghouls, chance favors the prepared mind.
(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5, rated) Ever since The Dark Knight hit theaters to nearly universal acclaim, I’ve noticed the horned silhouette of Batman popping up more and more frequently. And not just in movie posters. In fact, it seems that the success of the latest Batman flick has helped out the caped crusader’s career as a videogame star. There are no fewer then 4 games starring Gotham City’s favorite billionaire vigilante set to be released, and in a surprising turn of events, they all have the potential to be good.
LEGO Batman - Following in the tradition of the LEGO Stars Wars and Indiana Jones games, game developer Traveller’s Tales will be taking the Batman universe and LEGOfying it. Like those games, it will feature a blend of action, adventure, and vehicular segments all geared towards an audience ranging from children to adults.
Players will get a chance to take a ride in the Batmobile, Batboat, and Batwing while battling enemies ranging from the Joker to the Riddler. If the other LEGO games are any indication, LEGO Batman should be plenty of fun, with tons of hilarious in-jokes and lots of unlockable secrets.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - On the other end of the spectrum we have Batman: Arkham Asylum. While LEGO Batman will be family friendly fare, this game taps into the darker side of the Dark Knight. Set in Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum, Batman must fight his way through a variety of different foes after the Joker takes control of the facility.
Early reports claim that the game features a dark and disturbing atmosphere similar to recently released BioShock, which was all kinds of creepy. Even cooler: in addition to the hand-to-hand action Batman is known for, the game will also focus on his sleuthing capabilities with a series of CSI style puzzles to solve.
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe - OK so he may not be the star, but Batman certainly is one of the major draws of this one-on-one fighter. He will join the likes Superman, Green Lantern, and The Flash as they take on the warriors from the Mortal Kombat universe. Some of the first footage of the game showed off the Dark Knight holding his own against none other then Sub-Zero, proving that super-powers aren’t a necessity to kicking ass.
The Dark Knight - The most mysterious of the bunch is the tie-in with the blockbuster film. While games based off of hit movies are almost always a certainty, The Dark Knight has yet to receive that treatment. Though little is known about the game, actor Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon) let it slip that it is in fact in development, and is expected to ship in time to coincide with the film’s eventual release on DVD. Unfortunately, that’s about all we know about the game.
(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5, rated) With a number of big movies to review and Comic Con to round up, I was forced to skip over what could be the most important news of the year. But not anymore! For those of you who don’t know, the trailer for the Watchmen film was released a few weeks ago, and to my surprise, it looks pretty awesome. Now I’ve voiced my concerns over a Watchmen movie on this site before, and it’s going to take more then a slick trailer to convince me. But still, I’ve been having these strange feelings lately that the movie might actually be good. Call me cautiously optimistic. Very cautious. So, to that end, here are a few reasons why Watchmen might make a successful leap into film.
1. Zack Snyder - For me, the most important part of adapting something into film is that you stay faithful to the source material. Sure there can be changes–there has to be–but it should still retain the feel of the original. Director Zack Snyder already has some success in this regard as the man behind the adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300. Rumor has it that Snyder will be using the same technique for Watchmen as he did on that film: using actual panels from the comic book as storyboards for the film.
2. The time is right - If this movie had of been made 10 years ago, it would’ve been a disaster. I shudder to think what Doctor Manhattan would have looked like back then. But with today’s special effects technology, this could actually work. Nite Owl doesn’t look as silly off the page as I thought he would, but if you need real proof though that special effects are an important part of making this movie great, look no further then the end of the trailer. The scene in which Doctor Manhattan builds a crystal castle on the surface of Mars out of sand looks truly stunning, and gives me hope for the rest of the picture.
3. Gibbons’ support - While Alan Moore vehemently opposes this movie, artist Dave Gibbons has a different take. The man who drew the most influential comic of all time had this to say about Snyder and the film: “I do think Zack has got the ability to make a really good movie, and I think Watchmen has the ability to be a really good movie, and hopefully the two things will come together… I’m basically supporting it.” After the treatment that Moore’s work has received in Hollywood (though, despite its differences from the comics, I liked V For Vendetta) it’s understandable that he would be weary of the same happening to his most important work. But to have Gibbons’ suppport is very encouraging.
There are of course, many reasons why the film could end up being a disaster. It is, after all, the ultimate example of comic books as a narrative tool. There are subtle details in the artwork and writing. The book encourages flipping back a few pages in order to better understand it. Most of the things that it does well, are things that are unique to the medium of comic books. It also has very little action, which doesn’t bode well for a blockbuster movie. But only time will tell if Moore was right in taking his name off of the credits. Hopefully he wasn’t.
(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5, rated) Comic Con 2008 is now done and over with, all of the writers, artists, and cosplayers having gone home a few days ago. For those of us (myself included) who were unable to make it down to San Diego this year, wading through the headlines and announcements to come out of the event can be an onerous task. So, in an attempt to make all of your lives a little easier, here are my picks for the standout stories from SDCC 2008.
TR2N revealed - Yes, you read that right, Tron is back. A surprise trailer was shown at the end of Disney’s press conference, and I couldn’t be more excited. With all of the remakes and revisits coming out of Hollywood, a sequel to Tron more then two decades after the original was released seems like a no-brainer. I’m excited to see what the cyber world will look like with today’s technology. Added bonus: Jeff Bridges will be reprising his role from the original.
More Dr. Horrible - If you missed Joss Whedon’s epic three-part super-hero musical, well, shame on you. Go download it right now and prepare yourself for some awesome. Ok, now that you’ve watched it, get ready, there is more on the way. That’s right! The adventures of Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer are not done yet, though what’s in store next remains a mystery.
Millar to return to Ultimates - Superstar writer Mark Millar wil be returning to one his most acclaimed projects with a brand-new project in the Ultimates universe. Though new details have been announced, the project sounds big. Says Millar “All I can say is that it’s mega. It’s not an existing title, but it’s going to be the Daddy Book of the Ultimate Universe. You’ll know what I mean when you hear the details, but I only wanted to come and do more Ultimate work if it was something bigger and better than what we’d done before.”
Mortal Kombat vs DC - Could Sub-Zero kick Batman’s ass? Totally. But if you don’t believe me, we can throw down in the upcoming game Mortal Kombat vs DC and I’ll show you who’s boss. The upcoming fighter will pit 10 classic DC super heroes and villains against 10 of MK’s most brutal fighters in what sounds like a strange mash-up, but looks surprisingly cool on screen. Now we just need a new Marvel vs Capcom and my life will be complete.
Kevin Smith returns to comics - Director, writer, podcaster and all around great guy Kevin Smith has announced that he will be bringing his unique voice to comics once again. In a three-part Batman mini-series, Smith will collaborate with long-time buddy and artist Walt Flannigan in a series that will pit The Dark Knight against the awesomely named Onomatopoeia. Expect to see the first issue on news stands in November.
Wallace & Grommit episodic game series - Episodic gaming is the new hotness, and the next franchise to get the treatment will be Wallace & Grommit. Telltale Games, best known for the Sam & Max series and the upcoming Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People, will be taking the popular claymation world and converting it into a traditional point-and-click adventure game. The game will be released as a series of episodes, with a new one released each month. It’s perfect for those without all the time in the world to get their game on.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Fusion - The sequel to the addicting Marvel Ultimate Alliance was on display at Comic Con, and from the looks of things, Fusion will be bringing more of the same. The dungeon crawling action RPG will feature new characters and special moves, but more importantly, a new setting. This time around the game will be set in the Civil War universe, so the game will have a much greater emphasis on story this time around. Another cool change is the new titular Fusion system, which allows two heroes to combine powers for a super attack. It doesn’t get much better then The Hulk rampaging around in an invincible ball made by The Invisible Woman.
- Also, people dressed up as things. Which is, I guess, pretty cool. My Personal faves are the cardboard Optimus Prime and the real life Sim.
(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5, rated) Adapting a comic book into a film can be a tricky thing. There is a fine line that divides that which will please the hardcore fanboys, and that which will be accepted by a more mainstream audience. And since these films tend to be big-budget, blockbuster affairs, the majority of these films fall into the former category. With The Dark Knight, director Chris Nolan has been able to craft a film that will not only please both sides of the line, but exceed their expectations at every turn.
With 2005’s Batman Begins having handled all of the set-up work, The Dark Knight pits Batman against his most famous nemesis, the incomparable Joker. Much has been made of the late Ledger’s unique take on the character and indeed, his is a performance that is worthy of all the praise it receives.
The reinvented Batman movies have created a darker, more realistic Gotham City, and the Joker is the perfect villain for the crumbling metropolis. Ledger’s take on the classic character is suitably maniacal, painting the deranged clown as a deeply disturbed anarchist. His ultimate goal is neither money nor fame nor revenge. Instead, he is in it simply for the joy of destruction. As Bruce Wayne’s trusted butler Alfred says at one point, “some men just want to watch the world burn.” His reinvention of the Joker is so total, that this is the version of the character that will be most resonant with fans for years to come.
Ledger provides a perfect balance to Christian Bale’s dark, brooding Batman, who is dealing with somewhat of an identity crisis. In the wake of a number of copy-cat vigilantes, he begins to question what his role is and whether or not he is actually doing any good. This internal conflict brings about a number of moral dilemmas, and begs the question of what a hero truly is, and if Batman himself fits that role.
The insanity of Ledger’s Joker spreads throughout the city, a fact that is portrayed expertly throughout the film. At several points the tension builds up to an almost unbearable fever pitch, before finally releasing its grip on the viewer. The Dark Knight should also be praised for its ability to weave two classic villains into the narrative seamlessly. Harvey Dent, who eventually becomes the villain known as Two Face, is an organic piece of the puzzle, as opposed to say, The Sandman in Spider-Man 3. His obsession with chance provides yet another reaction to turmoil, contrasting Batman’s strict morals and the Joker’s live-with-no-rules attitude.
Despite a hearty running time of nearly two and a half hours, The Dark Knight remains engaging throughout. The Joker’s intentions are always a question mark, and Ledger’s disturbing performance is nearly impossible to look away from. This helps to mask a somewhat stiff offering from Bale, though the rest of the supporting cast is able to pull its own weight as well (especially Michael Cane, who once again turns in a terrific performance as Alfred). On the surface The Dark Knight is a terrific comic-book action movie, but deep down, it is so much more. The film is littered with complicated moral choices, and constantly challenges the viewers assumptions about what a hero or villain truly is.
The film is, without a doubt, the best comic book film yet.
The Dark Knight Photo
Copyright © Warner Bros. Pictures
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