When did we stop just having fun?

About a week ago, I posted a quick little monologue on Facebook asking when we stopped just having fun and being entertained.  At the time, I was frustrated at a lot of different reviews I was seeing online of everything from games to books to movies.  I was reading article after article in which this thing or that was being nitpicked to death, only to never actually answer the big question ... "Is it any fun?"

I'll be honest, at the time, my post was just meant to be me venting a little bit of steam.  Well, I was surprised at the response that quick post got, so I've decided to expand on the thought a little bit here.

Just paint a target on my back ...

Earlier this week, I finally started spending some time in the early access multiplayer for Naughty Dog's latest globetrotting and relic hunting adventure, Uncharted 3.  Now, I could go on and on about how much I'm looking forward to the next chapter in Nathan Drake's story, and about how the game looks and plays so far ... which is something I'll probably do in a later post.  But this particular post isn't so much about Uncharted 3, as much as it's about the realization that I generally suck at competitive multiplayer ... and how I've finally decided that I'm okay with it.

@Gamer Issue #13

The start of another month means yet another issue of Best Buy's awesome @Gamer Magazine.  Of course, another issue of @Gamer means that another chance to check out a little bit of video game coverage from a certain video game journalist we all know and love.  Plus, this marks the debut of an extra little goodie in the magazine that we'll hopefully see more of in upcoming issues.  More on that later.

For now, though, let's take a quick peek through the pages of this month's issue of @Gamer and see what sorts of cool and interesting stuff you'll find inside.  Afterwards, if you haven't already done so, make plans to head out an pick up a copy from your nearest Best Buy ASAP.  Or better yet, head on over to the @Gamer website and get yourself signed up for a one-year subscription so you don't miss a beat.

PCP Game Review: Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (PC)

In case you're just tuning in here, there's something you guys should know about me.  I am a self-professed and unapologetic comic book fanboy.  Marvel, DC, IDW, Dark Horse ... it doesn't matter.  I love the art, the writing, the characters, and pretty much everything about the medium.  Heck, before I got into this whole writing shtick, I even managed a couple of comic book shops.

Because of this "fanboy" mentality, whenever I see a new movie, TV show, or video game coming out based on a comic book, I kinda feel obligated to at least check it out and see if it's any good.  So when Gazillion Entertainment and The Amazing Society released the kid-friendly, free-to-play MMO based on Marvel Comics' Super Hero Squad ... well, who was I to pass up a chance to "Hero up!" and save the day?

Extra Content ...

Just a quick little post here to let everyone know that I've started up a second blog, PopCult POV.  PopCult POV is a collaborative blog I've set up to cover all manner of pop culture goodies.  Comics, games, movies, TV, books, food ... it's a wild mix of interesting and fun topics.  Because of this, I might not be posting here QUITE as much as I had been before.  To make up for it, I'll occasionally do a little cross posting here of articles I write over there, and adding an extra tag/label to point it out.

Be sure to let me know your thoughts ...

A "GD" boycott on Grant Morrison and Action Comics?

Every once in a while, I stumble across a story that, due to the sheer ridiculously absurd nature of it, starts to give me a migraine.  This morning, it was a piece at Comic Book Resources reporting that a North Carolina comic retailer was launching a boycott of DC's new Action Comics series and its writer, Grant Morrison.  So what sort of pernicious plot could have possibly been perpetrated in the pages of this periodical to provoke such a passionate proposition? (Ahh ... alliteration. Gotta love it.)   It's all because of a single panel that, according to Jeff Lamb, owner of aptly named Asheboro, NC comic shop, The Comic Conspiracy, shows DC's newest version of the Man of Steel in a blasphemous light.

Is Morrison's Superman flying around Metropolis spewing out bile and hate in the "New 52"?  Not quite. In fact, not even close.  Instead, the panel in question doesn't even have Supes uttering a single complete word.  Instead, it's just two little letters that have riled Lamb up as "a slap in the face to Superman, Christians and Superman creators Siegel and Shuster!!"

Under the Radar: Firearm

When it comes to comic books, I'm often asked what my favorite series/character/etc. is.  Hmm ... well, I like a LOT of comic books and characters.  Iron Man, Green Lantern, Ghost Rider (both Johnny Blaze and Dan Ketch), Witchblade, Daredevil, Hellblazer ... I could go on and on.  I've got a lot of fond memories growing up with various superheroes and supervillains, and I still love making weekly trips to the comic shops to see all the new stuff.  I'm also lucky enough to work in a field where I get to follow all sorts of cool comic books projects.

What can I say?  I'll forever be a comic book fanboy.  But when it comes to my personal FAVORITE series?  Well, it's probably one you'd never expect and may not have even heard of ... which naturally makes it the perfect choice for this Under the Radar piece.

It's Firearm, a relatively short-lived series from the now defunct Malibu Comics' Ultraverse line.  And this is why you should try to find it in the back issue bins of your closest comic shop.

Under the Radar: Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion (3DS)

So I've decided to work on a new semi-regular segment for ye ol' blog here, titled (as you can see) "Under the Radar".  One of the things about my job is that I see a deluge of different properties coming out all the time. Video games. Comic books. Movies. DVDs. The truth of the matter is that there's simply SO much stuff out there, that inevitably things are going to slip by unnoticed and under appreciated.  Sometimes you might stumble onto a quick blurb about one of these hidden gems early on, only to remember about it far too late, after it's already been exiled to the realm of the bargain bin, or worse, faded into obscurity and out of existence completely.  Well that's where these "Under the Radar" segments will come in.

First up in "Under the Radar"?  Crave Games' recent 3DS brawler, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.

IT'S ALIVE!! ... and in 3D!!

So the big bit of video game news going around this week has to be Nintendo's surprise announcement that, less than six months after the retail debut of the 3DS, the portable system will be getting a hefty price cut come August 12th.  For gamers in the US, the 3DS price will drop from $249.99 to $169.99, a whopping savings of $80.  To put that in a little more perspective, if you were to rush out right now and pick yourself up a DSi XL from Best Buy, you'd be paying the same amount as you would if you wait just a couple more weeks for some glasses-free 3D action.

That's kind of a big deal, but that's not all ...

Batman: Arkham City gets a little "Ghul"-ish

Earlier today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment released a new trailer for Batman: Arkham City, showcasing the in-game appearance of Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin.  The trailer also showed a surprise appearance of Solomon Grundy.

Well, just when you think that they couldn't cram any more into the Arkham City experience, it was confirmed today at Comic-Con that Talia al Ghul will be making an appearance in the game as well.

And I'll form the head!!

Assuming you didn't giggle like a little schoolgirl at the title of this post, you can probably guess that this one's all about the coolest cat(s) to ever defend the universe ... none other than the Voltron Force.  Just in time for Comic-Con, word has come out that the studio behind Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the upcoming Cowboys & Aliens flicks has optioned the feature film rights for Voltron from World Event Productions, with plans to develop the property into a new live-action project headed for the big screen.

Beware my power ...

If you know me (or you've been following this blog much), you probably already know that I'm a BIG fan of DC Universe Online from Sony Online Entertainment.  Hell, I've got both the PC and PS3 versions of the game, and I play both on a regular basis.  The game is simply a blast to play, and you can't help but actually feel like your hero (or villain) is an active part of the DC Universe.  Well, at Comic-Con this week, SOE is showing off the game's first DLC expansion back, "Fight for the Light".  As a longtime fan of Green Lantern, I was already stoked about this before the show.  Now? I'm just itchin' to join the Corps.

If you think I'm just blowing smoke and you happen to be at Comic-Con, head on over to Booth #4436 and check in out for yourself.  For everyone else, read on to learn what you'll be getting when "Fight for the Light" goes on sale later this Summer.

Will Spock get a flight ring?

More interesting news out of Comic-Con today, as we learn that the Starship Enterprise is taking a bit of a detour from its original five year mission in order to warp straight into a brand new voyage ... this time straight into the heart of the DC Universe and an encounter with a certain group of 30th century Legionnaires.  That's right.  Earlier today, IDW Publishing announced its first-ever crossover with DC Comics, courtesy of the upcoming six-issue miniseries, Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes, beginning this October.

Don't worry, continuity buffs, no one is trying to shoehorn the entirety of the Star Trek mythos into the DC Universe proper (or vice versa).  As we all know, both groups have done more than their fair share of dimension hopping over the course of their respective histories, and this will be no exception.

So, what's in store for both groups of space faring adventurers?

Where does he get those wonderful toys?

With Comic-Con in full effect, it's no surprise that everyone is talking about how the comic book industry is making its mark in other media.  And when it comes to video games, especially those based on popular comic book franchises, well let's just say that you'd better damn well have your act together otherwise these fans will rip you apart.  One game on everyone's mind at Comic-Con this year is Batman: Arkham City, from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Rocksteady Studios.  It's pretty much a given that Arkham City is going to be big ... but what about that OTHER Batman game currently in development? You know, the one from Monolith? The guys behind F.E.A.R., Tron 2.0, and both Condemned games? The one that's a first person shooter starring a bunch of Batman and Joker wannabes?

You mean you haven't heard of Gotham City Impostors yet?

A long time ago on a 360 far far away ...

There's no shortage of interesting news coming out of Comic-Con this year. And I'll be honest, there's WAY too much for me to cover it all.  I'll be doing what I can here and there in between assignments too, so I can update this blog with those little personal bits that I come across which seem pretty cool.

This particular tidbit falls squarely into that "I Think It's Cool!!" category.  What is it?  Why, it's a Star Wars Xbox 360!!

"Saving" the day?

Considering it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything new to the blog (sorry guys), I was getting myself all geared up to write some deep, thought provoking, insightful post into the my world.  THEN I just got ticked at a silly little issue and decided to rant instead.  The issue? Why the hell is everyone up in arms over Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D inability to reset a player's saved data?  I've seen gamers declaring their utter disgust at Capcom over this matter that you'd almost think the company had become a new member of the "Axis of Evil".  I mean, seriously, people. Is this really enough of an issue to get up in arms about?

Okay, in case you missed what all the hubbub is about, here's a quick rundown ...

Old and busted. New hotness.

So, another E3 has come and gone.  While everyone in attendance had something to show off, one of the biggest impacts of the show had to be Nintendo's unveiling of the "Wii U".  No folks, that's not some sort of new college funded by Nintendo and dedicated to the development of new motion controlled games for the Wii library.  No, it's the name Nintendo decided to go with for it's newest upcoming game console.  While it's good to see Nintendo getting a jump on the competition and to see all the cool new games in development, there were a couple of major details conveniently left out of the presentation ... like a price or release date.  In fact, Nintendo was quick to point out that even the hardware being shown was still considered "prototype".  So, with all focus on the Wii U and the build up for its eventual release, I can't help but wonder if Nintendo's Wii U (the "new hotness") has essentially put a bullet through the head of the original Wii console ("old and busted").

A little How-To PSA on on Sony's "Welcome Back" deal

It's been a while longer than I'd like since I updated the blog, but I've been a busy little bee as of late.  Still, I decided to chime in here with my own little PSA to help out those of you out there having issues getting your freebies from Sony's recently launched "Welcome Back" deal for PS3 and PSP owners affected by the recent PlayStation Network hack.  It's a really good deal (up to four free games and one month of PlayStation Plus) offered to gamers as Sony's way of apologizing for the PSN outage.  But the problem is, it really only helps if gamers can access the content in the offer.  I've been reading a lot of comments from people and even talked to some friends that have had issues.  Hell, even I had some issues getting it to work right.  Before you go tossing your system into the drink and cursing the name "Sony", rein in your rage a bit and see if this helps.

Superhero ringtones?

Last week, I was spending some time at one of my local comic book stores when I came across a copy of Power Girl #23, guest starring one of my personal favorite DC characters: Zatanna.  No, I'm not going to spoil any major plotlines or anything, and I'm not even going to review the issue as a whole (though it was a fun read).  Instead, I'm zeroing in on one particular scene in the comic that got the ol' gears in my brain working.  Without giving too much away, let's just say that we, as readers, learned that Zatanna apparently has her ringtone set to "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police.  After I finished my little chucklefest at that revelation, I started to wonder something.  What would some of the OTHER heroes and villains of the DCU (or any comic universe for that matter) have as their ringtones?

Which brings us to this post.  That's right, here's a list of what *I* think would be great ringtones for some of comic's greatest (and not-so greatest).  Check 'em out and while you're at it, get creative and add a few of your own in the comments section, trend #ComicBookRingtones on Twitter, or over on my Facebook page.

Supporting the comic book industry

In case you didn't know it, or simply forgot with all the insane events of recent weeks, tomorrow (Saturday, May 7th) is Free Comic Book Day.  FCBD is a day in which everyone around the world can walk into a local comic book shop, check out the latest and greatest in the world of the graphic novel, and oh yeah ... pick up some free comics along the way.  It's kind of a big deal, folks.  If you're already a comic book fan, it's a way to show your support for the industry you love, and also a way to introduce some friends to the world of the four color media (that's a printing term, for those of you playing at home).  And if you AREN'T a comic book fan, well FCBD is the perfect chance for you to pop into a shop and check out what you're missing out on.  Think about it as a "risk-free trial offer".  It's definitely worth checking out, and hey, it's not like you've got anything to lose except a few minutes of time.

Of course, there's a whole lot more to the comic book industry than Free Comic Book Day ...