I’m back to do another post! Apparently claiming I would do more writing at the end of my last post counts as a written contract in my state, yada-yada; several calls to Goldberg law offices (800-600-6014!) later, it turns out I actually do have to fill more space with letters. Fortunately, I like doing this!

Movies

• Time Bandits - Directed by Terry Gilliam, this “children’s movie” challenges beliefs in ways that most adults probably could never handle. On the outside, it’s a quirky romp through time with a band of little people determined to rob history itself blind; within this are serious questions about morality, friendship, and the nature of good and evil.
• Equilibrium - Every few years, when I haven’t seen this for a while, I somehow convince myself that it’s overrated. Then I find a friend who hasn’t seen it, and while showing it to them think “Man, I was way off.” Christian Bale stars in this 1984/ Farenheit 451 blend of action movie and political piece. Think V for Vendetta, but with Batman instead of Agent Smith at the center.
• Date Night - Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. Together. Plus James Franco and Mila Kunis in a cameo. Plus Mark Wahlberg, minus shirt. I expected good, but by-the-numbers comedy from this; what I got was sharp, poignant satire mixed with a healthy dose of genuine chemistry, and one really awesome car chase.

Television

• Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - When the original run of FMA happened, the manga hadn’t been completed yet; thus, the admittedly bad, sometimes awful second half of the series was more or less filler. Thankfully, with the full run of story now completed by the creator, the animation studio saw fit to completely reboot the franchise. The first two volumes (26 episodes) have commercial releases, and the blu-rays look flawless. And if you don’t mind reading subtitles, the whole 64-episode run is on Hulu, though I don’t know for how long.
• Rubicon - New from AMC – Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and the upcoming Walking Dead – give us their spin on the “espionage drama.” Except it’s way better than anything else that has ever tried this. Based around a fictional private-sector intel-gathering, code-breaking, foreign-policy-altering think-tank, the only thing more interesting than the conspiracy within the conspiracies are the characters themselves.
• The Venture Bros. - Now into the “second part” of its fourth season on Adult Swim, this show is just too damn funny. I really don’t know how else to describe it. Part Johnny Quest spoof, part pop-culture riffing, and all genius, my best suggestion is to have your pop build a box to teach you how awesome it is. Just remember that it sometimes gets very hot, in the box, that pop built.

Comics

• Batman & Robin by Grant Morrison – I’m aware that Morrison’s current work isn’t something everyone is a fan of. But this series – with Dick Grayson as the caped crusader, trying to wrangle an out-of-control Damian Wayne as the boy wonder – has consistently delivered for my money. Removed from this time-travel craziness, it finds it focus in examining just what these personas represent to Gotham, to the people behind the masks, and even to costumed heroes the world over. 
• Chew by John Layman – In a world where certain food has become illegal, a young detective makes his way by using his ability to psychically connect with anything he eats. Whatever ideas might spring to your mind from that statement, they’ve probably been incorporated. With elements of (and jabs at) crime dramas, prohibition-era mob fiction, and noir flicks, this is a great read for someone looking for some new indy love.
• The Marvels Project by Ed Brubaker – The man who helped resurrect Daredevil and has turned Captain America into something amazing again asks us an interesting question: What if Marvel superheroes, from first to last, weren’t just happy accidents, but part of something very carefully orchestrated? Highly reminiscent of the groundbreaking Marvels from a decade ago, this is the universe we all know so well, but through fresh eyes and without the prejudices and pre-conceptions we also know so well.

That’s all for this time.

So what with all the awesomeness floating around out there today, there’s not always time to sit down and hammer out a full article; for those of you left wanting by this, I apologize. I don’t know how frequent my input may be, so for now I’m just going to give you guys a “wham-bam-thankya-ma’am” of what’s been getting my attention.

Books

• The Prince of Nothing by R. Scott Bakker – It’s the crusades, except in the future, or maybe an alternate past; that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that this trilogy is fantastic in its scope, and though a little heavy-handed at times, has enough blood, sorcery, and gratuitous bits to keep you entertained through most of it. Book one is The Darkness that Comes Before.
• The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe – If you like your sci-fantasy heavy on the “wtf” and light on the mass-market appeal, this set is for you. Set unknown-eras into a possible future, Wolfe tackles everything from theology to philosophy to physics and beyond as he drags his main character – a torturer, complete with violent depictions – from one side of reality to another. The first two novels are collected in one tome called Shadow and Claw.
• Terry Brooks – This man has written a good half-dozen trilogies, any of which can be read separately from the others. Though many claim his work is cliché, the dude has been at it since ’77, and is arguably part of the reason high fantasy still exists. If you want something very elves-with-pointy-ears, pick up The Scions of Shannara; if modern-era demon fighting is more your thing, try out Running with the Demon.

 Games

• Metro 2033 - If you own a 360, you should get this next time you go into GameStop. If you have a computer with Steam – and if you have a PC, you need Steam – just get it now. An FPS set in post-apoc Moscow – or rather, then metro tunnels under said city – this chilling sci-fi tale has it all. Beautiful production values, a too-good-to-be-true story, tight gameplay mechanics, and several moments that will keep you up at night.
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light - I hate to be such an XBot, but this Live Arcade action / adventurer has sucked up many hours in my house since its release. With full on-box or online co-op, this little gem will surprise you and whoever you get to play it with you. The graphics are impressive, the puzzles are either thoughtful or oh-$#^%-a-giant-spike-wall intense, and each level has multiple challenges and time-trials to keep you coming back for more.
• Torchlight - A little more PC love, again brought to me by the goodness that is Steam. This Diablo-style loot grabber is all about becoming bigger, meaner, richer, and then selling all that old crap two level-ups later. Created by the same mind that brought us the aforementioned devil-monikered title, this single-player-only experience is the testing platform for an MMO that will launch later on down the line. If my time with this version is any indication, adding the ability to play with friends will render me useless for a month or so.

That’s all I’ve got for now; keep a weather eye on the horizon, as tomorrow should bring similar tidbits from the cinema and comics areas of entertainment.

Click Here for the A-Team trailer

I think they could have done a better job for a commercial that is going to cost them $2.5 billion to show during the Super Bowl.  At this point I’m sure they’re going for just more of an “oh I’m excited to see a commercial for it” factor than trying to compete with the usual creative commercials seen during the game.  I did however like the split second view of the coaster train on the dragon’s fire.

kill. kill. kill. kill. kill. lunch. kill. kill. kill. kill. tea. Yeah. I stole an Eddie Izzard joke. Sue me.

Now for the goods. If you played the first Assassin’s Creed then you’re in luck. Not too much has been added or changed. In fact, that’s one of the complaints i had with the game. Its too similar to the first game as a whole. For a sequel that was as anticipated as this one, there should have been a sea of upgrades, bug fixes, changes, etc. But instead, its closer to an Assassin’s Creed 1.5 than it is a Part II.

The engine itself has several problems. The combat seems to have de-evolved from the first one, making fighting more clunky, less cinematic, and incredibly frustrating at times. The first game was much better about keeping the flow of combat while still keeping the engine performing like it should be. On top of that, ive witnessed tons and tons of instances of items or objects phasing into the items in the  environment, or just the level itself. On top of that, the assassinations i performed only had a fraction of them actually come off looking good, the others suffered from “Where is that pointing” Syndrome. that’s what she said. Meaning that if i were using my hidden blade, the actual blade would be above the targets head, or off to his side. More often than not did i have an assassination weapon actually make contact with a target. Throw in the old “jump on that wall. no that wall. that’s the same wall. That’s still the same wall. the other wall.” and you’ve got a muy frustrated TFC.

Now to the non complaining part. The additions to the game are a nice way to waste a little more time and get a little more involved. You can now renovate the city that you consider home, allowing you to receive money from the business you help. Mini-economies are always fun, thank you FarmTown. There are many weapon additions, allowing you to use anything from swords, to maces, to pole-arms. Each with its own stats for speed, defense and attack power. Add in a few extra hidden items to hunt down thru the course of the game and you’ve got yourself a solid time consumer.

Mostly all of the visuals are all very very eye pleasing. Buildings, people, items, etc all have a nice polish on them that kept me pleased. The only real thing i had a problem with was the lack of gore. I’m not normally one to criticize the lack of, because you don’t need gore in a game to make it a great one. However i seem to remember that all of the more violent scenes and assassinations and blood all looked better in the first one. The scene itself is great whenever you kill someone, but the way the engine handles the blood and whatnot is just a little sub-par compared to the original. Apart from that, absolutely no complaints. The rest is amazing. The views from the Eagle Vision Points, especially the ones in the bigger cities in the higher buildings, are stunning. And the fact that you can travel to anything you see sells it even harder.

The rest of the game is all pretty much Grade A. The story is great, its actually whats been keeping me playing thru the mega repetitive last 1/4 of the game. You don’t spend half the game outside of the Animus walking around being lost, once they throw you in, you pretty much stay in until the story calls for you to do otherwise.  All of the voice acting is great. I kept getting lols because I apparently love the way Italian accents sound.

Done aaaaaand done. All in all its a solid game. It might be one that you want to hit a price drop first. If you haven’t played the first one yet, pick it up and play it, and by the time you’re done with it there should be a price tag on this one that is maybe a little more suiting.

Assassin’s Creed II – 7/10

When asked about putting Blu-ray drives in the consoles he said:

Well I don’t know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you’ll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories.

You can see the interview here.  Where he also talks about plans for Project Natal.

Let’s hope he wasn’t just throwing out his own thoughts on the subject, and knows for sure it’s coming.  If Microsoft wants to keep calling the Xbox 360 a media center, and not just a gaming console, Blu-ray is a must. Unfortunately I think Microsoft is a day late and a dollar short on this.  Many people have already gotten a stand alone Blu-ray player, or even sprung for a PS3 when Sony dropped the price.  I wonder how much money Microsoft could have made if they would have released an external Blu-ray player last year around the holidays.

As for me, since they have no official word on a release date for the Blu-ray add-on, Microsoft has already lost me as a potential Blu-ray customer.  I plan on buying a player in a few weeks for less than $100 when black friday hits.

I have worked many jobs in retail,

and never have I heard of something this stupid.

It has come to my attention that a store,

I will not say which has begun selling copies of Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2,

and that they have been selling them all weekend.

Now do not bother to ask me the how comes and why fores,

because I really just don’t know.

The fact of the matter is that everyone at said store from the GM down should be FIRED!!

Yes you heard me right FIRED this would teach them a lesson that they would not soon forget.

J.S. Wolfwood

P.S. Think I am being to hard then Leave a comment and I will Respond

This week brought great happiness with the acquisitions of

Forgetting Sarah Marshell, starring Jason (“How I Met Your Mother”) Segal and Kristen ( Couples Retreat) Bell.

School of Rock starring Jack (Be Kind Rewind) Black and Miranda (“iCarly”) Cosgrove

North By Northwest, Directed by Alfred (Jamaica Inn) Hitchcock and starring Cary (Charade) Grant.

note My copy of the aforementioned film came in a Blu-Ray book this is the first of these I had hitherto seen and so greatly enjoyed the special features the book had to offer.

And Waitress starring Keri (Wonder Woman) Russell and

Nathan (“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”) Fillion

somewhere amongst this weeks DVDs I broke 100 movies so congratulations to me!!

On November 3rd 2009 Dragon Age releases on the Xbox 360 and PC

with the PS3 version releasing later that month, however the first round of downloadable content or DLC for short will be available on release day.

Now before you go on the same rant I went on after reading that headline two of those will be free to everyone who pre-orders the game with the third being the only one to pay for.

click on the link below for all the details

Dragon Age DLC Revealed

I am glad to see Bioware keeping up with their games hopefully this means Mass Effect 2 will see a good bit of DLC as well.

On a side note the original  Mass Effect only got 2 batches of DLC so Dragon Age has already out done it.

as for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 the first Downloadable character has been revealed that of Carnage.

click on the link below for details

MUA2: Carnage Hands-on

My personal thoughts on this are that like the MUA there will be at least two DLC packs one for villains and one for heroes.

And finally to drum up support for Brutal legend EA will be releasing a three pack of songs for Rock Band 2

click on the link

Brutal Legend Track Pack

Dragon Age : Origins on the 3rd of November,

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the 10th of November,

and both Left 4 dead 2

and Assassin’s Creed 2 on the 17th of November

Now obviously I will not be able to review all of these right away so I will be doing the reviews in pieces something that I feel is crucial for Dragon Age: Origins as this game is said to be between 40 and 70 hours.

hopefully I will be getting some help from my colleagues on the site but until then

yours as always

Jerimiah Wolfwood