Mortal Kombat Legacy: Raiden, Scorpion & Sub Zero

I should have posted the Raiden episode already, but I have a valid reason for holding off on the Scorpion Sub Zero episodes. That being I wanted to wait until both parts were online so I can post the complete story and not just the first half of it.

I really loved the Raiden episode. The gritty real world feel works really well with this story. Even if it is really creepy. I've seen several takes on the 'wrongfully stuck in an insane asylum' trope before and it always winds up being really dark. The episode really doesn't pull any punches (heh, Mortal Kombat pun) with the content and really goes all out to create a dark and terrifying environment to introduce the character. In short, it creeps me the hell out, but I love it anyway.

Episode 6:

I was also pretty impressed with what they did with Scorpion and Sub Zero. Some might argue that part one drags a little, but they clearly wanted to take the time to set up Scorpions character and show him as he was before fully embracing his role as MK's token tortured soul.

Episode 7:

Episode 8:

Only two further episodes remain, hopefully they will maintain the quality we have seen thus far.

New Deus Ex Trailer

Incredible new Deus Ex: Human Revolution trailer includes a ton of never before seen footage. As I've pointed out before this game is without a doubt a day 1 purchase for me already... this trailer just makes the wait til release all the more excruciating.

More Deus Ex: Human Revolution Videos

The Witcher 2: PSA

Just want to give a quick shout out to the upcoming release of The Witcher 2: The Assassins of Kings. The game officially launches on Tuesday May 17th both in stores and online via digital distribution platforms. On the topic of digital distribution I do want to make special mention of Good Old Games (GOG) who are selling the title completely DRM free.

GOG is the only place you can buy the game without any form of DRM to get in the way of your gaming experience. Additionally GOG is offering a slew of extra content for those who preorder the game via their site. Of particular note is the fact that they are giving away a free classic rpg title with any preorder (they have a list of five titles to choose from).

Be aware though that you only have one more day to get the preorer bonus content along with the $5 discount.

Mortal Kombat Legacy Kitana & Mileena

I held off posting this until both parts were up on YouTube. Legacy episode 4 and 5 are a two part story featuring, as the tile indicates, Kitana and Mileena. I lot of folks seemed to be pretty critical of the Johnny Cage focused episode 3, but personally it's been my favorite thus far. Granted I expect that will change when we get to the Sub Zero/Scorpion stuff.

Anyway episodes 4 and 5 represent a bit of a departure from what we have seen so far, though I guess that makes sense since this story is heavily steeped in the mystical side of Mortal Kombat that has been lacking from the previous episodes which were much more grounded in reality. In these episodes the live action content is interspersed with an animated narrative that is used to bridge the large jumps in the timeline that are necessary to convey the whole backstory of these characters. I'm still a little on the fence about it... I think it works quite well on it's own, but when you consider it as part of the series as a whole... I feel it rather breaks the momentum a little. Perhaps that's just me though, you're mileage may vary.

Of paticular note in these episodes is an expanded role for Shang Tsung after his brief cameo in episode 3, the first on screen version of Legacie's Shao Khan along with the debut of Baraka and a look at Edenia and Outworld.

Episode 4:

Episode 5:

 

Syfy has an image problem on its hands

I just want to throw my support behind the articles written by Darren Sumner over at Gateworld. He recently ran an op-ed piece about how the Syfy channel is having difficulty competing midweek against broadcast networks and how they have to re-assess how they measure success in those highly competitive nights.

Today he ran another short piece in which he highlights Syfy's response to his widely circulated op-ed and once again tries to instill the fact that he is not arguing about the cancellation of Stargate, he is arguing that Syfy have backed themselves into a corner with their redesign. They have successfully broadened their content to appeal to a wider variety of viewers, but in doing so they have gradually alienated the core demographic that made the station a success in the first place.

A large component of this is the slow decline of scripted 'traditional' sci-fi shows in favor of more, dare I say 'whimsical' programming such as Eureka and Warehouse 13 (granted I do enjoy these shows)... not to mention the plethora of so called 'reality' television. I have never been a fan of Ghosthunters... I personally think it's garbage of the highest order, but I was willing to overlook it as long as there were still good quality sci-fi shows on the network.

I've gotten a bit of topic there I know... I am beginning to delve into my own rantings about the situation instead of the very well thought out and presented argument of Darren, so I'll go ahead and finish up here before I go off on another tangent.

Let me just sum up with a terrific quote from Darren's follow up piece:
"However one might spin the numbers (and, as someone who loves the show, I’m certainly guilty of putting SGU in a positive light), what is clear from the swell of support that last week’s editorial received is that Syfy has an image problem on its hands."

Darren's original Op-Ed
Darren's follow up

I'm a Marvel

Screen Rant originally ran a story on this priceless 'I'm a Mac... I'm a PC' riff that some enterprising person uploaded to YouTube. Instead of Mac Vs PC though, this is Marvel Vs DC in the form of Green Lantern and Thor arguing about who is going to have the best summer movie. It's a really good parody and is a hell of a lot funnier than the TV commercials ever were.

MK: Legacy Episode 3

Johnny Cage is the star of episode 3. I know I'm once again late posting this, but I was waiting for the TV-MA version to be released. The version embedded below is the regular censored version, to view to no holds barred TV-MA cut go here. I haven't checked them out myself yet, but I understand that you can find the uncensored version of episode 1 and 2 on Machinima's YouTube channel as well.

Episode 3:

Game of Thrones Violence in Florida

Apparently two dipshits in Florida started kicking the crap out of each other over a 'disagreement' about the new HBO series Game of Thrones.

Originally I assumed this would be some argument resulting from how faithful, or unfaithful, the adaptation has been so far. Nope... IGN (who initially ran the story) reports that these guys resorted to brawling over 'who will win (the game of thrones).'

Honestly I wish this kind of shit still surprised me.... but after living in Florida for almost a decade, I can assure you that this kind of thing is par for the course. In fact your average news broadcast here is usually going to contain far crazier shit. Not to mention that this argument is even more ridiulous when you consider George Martin (the guy who writes the books on which the show is based) hasn't finished the series yet... even he probably doesn't know who will eventually 'win.'

Regardless - episode 2 was pretty good, though honestly I think it did lose a little something between episode 1 and 2. The second episode seemed to drag a little in my opinion... overall there was good stuff in there, but the pacing was rather slow when you consider they only have 10 episodes to get through the entire book.

Mortal Kombat Legacy

Yeah I know I'm a week behind on this, thing is after watching the first episode I wasn't entirely sold on the series. Second episode was a marked improvement though, so I figured I'd go ahead and post the first two here for your viewing pleasure.

The production values are a tad low (as you might expect for a web series - anyone who recalls how Sanctuary started will have a pretty good idea what to expect) and the dialogue can get somewhat cheesy, but never the less there is a lot for MK fans to like here. Given the arc the series seems to be following thus far, I think it at least deserves a chance.

Episode 1:

Episode 2:

PSA: Alone in the Dark on GoG

Title pretty much says it all. Good old Games has added the classic Alone in the Dark trilogy to it's catalog. Apparently this is the first title in a series of classic Atari games, so keep your eyes on the site over the next few weeks.

I know I have fond memories of this series, but then again it may be a slight case of the old 'rose tinted glasses', who knows. I do remember that the original Alone in the Dark was one of those games that allowed to you to screw up in such a way that 4 hours later you'd realize you can't complete the game because you don't have a certain item (DON'T USE THE OLD ANTIQUE SWORD IN COMBAT). Developers just aren't that cruel anymore, it's like comparing today's games with the soul crushing difficulty of the X-Com series... it just doesn't happen.

So it's true that the Alone in the Dark series is a difficult game, but I think it does deserve it's place in the arena of Classic PC titles.

Top Gun Special Release

Just like they did with Back to the Future, AMC Theaters are showcasing a special 25th Anniversary event for Top Gun. The event is limited to two showings, one on Saturday April 30th at 12:30pm and another on Monday May 2nd at 7:00pm. The complete list of participating theaters can be found here.

I was there for the Back to the Future event, and I expect I will be there for this one. It's a real treat to see classic 80's era movies on the big screen. I can only hope the trend continues.

Finally, if you're feeling particularly nostalgic, here is the original theatrical trailer from 1986 - enjoy!

Mass Effect 2: Arrival is... well arriving soon

March 29th to be precise, thanks to the folks at The Escapist for nailing down the release date. Seems it will take place between the events of ME 2 and ME 3, with Sheppard and Co. rescuing some operative who may or may not have critical info about he impeding Reaper invasion. Whatever, I'll be buying it anyway, I've bought almost every other piece of ME related dlc, with the exception of the equalizer pack (sorry I just think the Kestral armor looks dumb).

In any case, pricing is as follows

• 360 - 560 Microsoft points
• PC - 560 Bioware points
•  PS3 - $6.99

Lucky Playstation owners get to pay real money for the content, unlike everyone else who has to jump through hoops to buy points first. (Evidently I don't own a PS3)

So.... another Wonder Woman TV Show

Starring Adrianne Palicki (of Friday Night Lights fame) in the titular role. Yeah, I don't disagree with the casting. Though after reading a bit about the show, I don't think it'll make it past it's first season. In this incarnation of the character, Palicki will be playing 3 (count em, three) different persona's (one of whom is a high level business exex, who's company manufactures and sells Wonder Woman toys - bizarre).

The one thing that the show has going for it, in my humble opinion of course, is the costume they've picked out for the character. (As pictured)

It will certainly attract a rabble of teenage boys, and I admit the use of a corset is not lost on me either - I'm not dead yet.

Rob over on TR seems to be relatively happy with the costume choice too, like me he expects it will be the only saving grace of the show. However, Tony of Screen Rant is not sold on it, describing it 'embarrassingly uninspired'. Seems a bit harsh to me, sure it's goofy, but the creators want the character to be instantly recognizable, and thus have to stick to the basics of the iconic costume. I know the current comic book version has been adapted to include a dodgy stars and stripes motif, but I think they were wise to sidestep that one.

I think the costume works, it doesn't seem that ostentatious to me, take out the gold, make the boots a little less severe and you've got something you're likely to see on the streets fairly often in L.A.

Paul and Hangover 2 Trailers

Just wanted to share a couple of trailers that have gone out recently.

The first is the new Red Band trailer for Paul (the latest movie to star Simon Pegg and Nick Frost). I was looking forward to this one already, the Red Band trailer just puts it over the edge into 'absolutely must see this on the opening day' territory. The following trailer is rated R for a reason, it includes drug use and a plethora of F-bombs - view at your own discretion.

The second trailer is the first teaser for Hangover 2. Anyone who has seen The Hangover will be lining up for this one already, myself included. Enjoy the teaser.

The Wolfpack is BACK!!

Another quick Deus Ex update

Yeah I know, I've been plugging this game pretty heavily, but dammit it looks awesome. Anyway, no flashy trailers to share with you this time, but instead just a write up of the first hour of gameplay. I've read a few different previews on sites like IGN and Shacknews, but it's Kotaku's preview that I think shines the brightest.

Feel free to check out the other previews that are out there, but there's a lot of humor in the Kotaku preview that I think is lacking a bit in the others. Specifically when he discusses the mistakes he makes. Personally, I found the following phrase (in reference to a hostage situation) absolutely histerical, but maybe that's just my own morbid sense of humor shining through  

" But then I foolishly walked through a trip wire, killing them all..."

Overall, my excitement level over this game is going in one direction... up. I am still a tad disappointed that it has been delayed, I really, really wanted to be playing this on March 8th. None-the-less if it's even half as good as it seems to be shaping up to be, it will indeed be a true sequel to Deus Ex and will finally wash away the foul taste that was Invisible War.

New Deus Ex preview

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is among my most anticipated releases of the year. With that in mind I figured I'd go ahead and share the latest preview, a look at Adam Jensen.

Video Games | Deus Ex: Human Revolution | Adam Jensen Profile Trailer

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games                                

Maria Hill in Whedons Avengers!

Cobie Smulders (Robin from How I Met Your Mother) will apparently be playing SHIELD assistant director Maria Hill in The Avengers movie.

Cobie Smulder - looks pretty convincing if you ask me.

Personally, I'm fairly happy with this casting. Smulder certainly looks the part, and comedy actors do have a habit of successfully playing dramatic roles... so I really think this can work.

My only question is what particular incarnation of Hill has been penned for the movie. Hill has been a bit of schizophrenic character, she was a clear antagonist to Stark when he was running SHIELD, but then she completely switched sides and joined up with Stark during Dark Reign. Currently I see her as much more, dare I say heroic, character now that she seems to be an ally of Stark rather than an enemy. Granted the movies have carved out their own canon so all of this conjecture from the comics may be completely unwarranted. We shall see!