Author: admin

Amish Otaku, DC, Features

Bat-mania: Batman: The Long Halloween

Guest Post

“I believe in Harvey Dent.”

The statement is briefly mentioned in Batman: A Long Halloween, but belief in all things hopeless and Gotham related is a theme in this book. Readers with Superman-tinged hearing will also remember the quote from permeating The Dark Knight, in case anyone has seen it. 400 million dollars later, the last statement is as dry humor as I can produce and after having written Bat-mania for three consecutive months, I have only now begun to get a little bored.

Anyhow, Long Halloween is a follow up to Batman:Year One, and the sequel you will note has not been crafted by Miller and Mazzucchelli as the first was, but be aware that Jeph Loeb and Sale did get permission from the legend to write it. This follow up chronicles a period of time after the original post-Crisis origin story and follows Batman on the hunt of a killer known only as Holiday since they only strike on holidays. In the meantime,every classic Batman villain becomes entangled in the plot including the Joker, Catwoman, Riddler and even the Mad Hatter. A mob war has also exploded between the Maroni and Falcone families keeping Batman, Dent and the police in general as busy as possible during the course of the 368 page book.

Having never read anything by Jeph Loeb or having ever investigated Sale’s artwork, this was a very pleasurable first experience, in which a highly structured story is enveloped in mythical, dramatic, Art Nouveau-esque visuals.

Continue reading “Bat-mania: Batman: The Long Halloween”
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Amish Otaku, Comics, DC, PC, PS3, Sony, Video Games, Xbox 360

Eidos and Warner Bros. Announce Batman: Arkham Asylum

You knew it was coming and now it is upon us. Eidos has just announced a new Batman game in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The new game is titled Batman: Arkham Asylum which promises to be “a dark, action packed videogame adventure.”

The setup of the game is Batman is delivering The Joker to Arkham Asylum where a trap is set for him by the myriad denizens of Gotham’s madhouse. The press release says Arkham Asylum will deliver an “immersive combat gaming experience” with an original script by Paul Dini. Continue reading “Eidos and Warner Bros. Announce Batman: Arkham Asylum”

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Amish Otaku, PS3, Video Games, Wii, Xbox 360

Capcom Reveals Three Mega Man 9 Bosses

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’ve been eagerly awaiting the new Mega Man 9 soon to be available on all three current-gen systems. And today Capcom has released information on three of the new bosses to be featured in the game.

From their press release:

Magma Man:
Magma Man serves as the safety control robot at a large geothermal power plant. He is able to work in incredibly hot environments and loves to visit hot spas.

Weapon: Magma Bazooka
Magma Bazooka shoots a cluster of fireballs that spread out after launching. It can also be charged by holding down the shot button. Continue reading “Capcom Reveals Three Mega Man 9 Bosses”

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Amish Otaku, DS, Nintendo, Video Games

Preview: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

Guest Post

Have you ever found yourself playing a platformer and thought to yourself “This game could really use some puzzles right about now,” or conversely been playing a puzzle game and acutely felt the urge to run, jump and shoot stuff? If this sounds like you then EA may just have the game for you.

The game has been tentatively titled Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure and it’s being developed by EA Casual Studios for the Nintendo DS. While the press release doesn’t go into the puzzle gameplay very deep other than to call them “combo puzzles,” the platformer side of it seems pretty straight forward. From the press release: “Jump, fight, and shoot your way through more than 30 levels, including nearly a dozen hidden levels and take on outrageous world-ending bosses.” Continue reading “Preview: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure”

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Amish Otaku, Nintendo, Video Games, Wii

Wii Virtual Console Releases for 8/11/08

Telltale Games

The most exciting thing to ever happen to WiiWare is finally upon us. Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner has finally hit the Wii for 1000 points and fanboys everywhere are surely up in a tizzy. I know I’m kind of excited.

From everything I understand SBCG4AP is a point-and-click adventure in the same vein as Roberta Williams’ King’s Quest games. I’m curious to see what state-of-the-art cell shaded graphics will do for the genre, but I’m more interested in how the developers will take advantage of the point-and-click interface given Homestar Runner’s predilection for Easter eggs.

Other releases after the jump.

Continue reading “Wii Virtual Console Releases for 8/11/08”

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Amish Otaku, Video Games, Xbox, Xbox 360

One-of-a-Kind Halo Sculptures in Silver

Guest Post

How much of a Halo fanatic are you? Do you own all the games. Did you just have to buy the Legendary Edition of Halo 3? Did you just need the scale model helmet?

If this sounds like you then you might want to check out the new Halo sculptures from Weta. If you were at the San Diego ComicCon this past month you’ve probably already seen the one-of-a-kind silver-plated Halo sculptures but now you’ve actually got a chance to own these one-of-a-kind items.

The only way you’re going to get your hands on these beautiful figures is by winning them in an auction on Ebay. The current bid for the Master Chief and Arbiter sculpture is currently at $898 and the reserve has yet to be met. So yeah, these aren’t for just anybody. In case you’re wondering the Master Chief and Grunts is currently bidding at over $1,600. Continue reading “One-of-a-Kind Halo Sculptures in Silver”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, Manga, Viz

Stan Lee’s Ultimo in Sept. Shonen Jump

The ultimate East meets West collaboration is finally coming to our shores in the form of Ultimo. This is the product of Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man and the X-Men, and Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of Shaman King.

So what’s this Ultimo story about anyway? From the Viz website:

“High above Farmless City, citizens are stunned by the sudden appearance of two floating figures. Are they human boys, monolithic robots, or something much more strange? As the battle ensues between them, destruction and devastation falls on the hapless city. One figure is Vice, and seems to be as evil as his name implies. The other is Ultimo, intent on trying to stop Vice from wreaking more havoc. ” Continue reading “Stan Lee’s Ultimo in Sept. Shonen Jump”

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Amish Otaku, Anime, FUNimation

Funimation Airing Episodes on YouTube

Some of you may have already heard about the new Funimation channel that’s popped up on YouTube but it’s news to me so I’m sharing it with you.

As of August 4th they will be showcasing four of their shows on YouTube. Currently in Funimation’s weekly lineup are episodes five through eight of Blue Gender, Kiddy Grade, Peach Girl, and Slayers. Continue reading “Funimation Airing Episodes on YouTube”

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Amish Otaku, DS, Nintendo, Video Games

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (Long title for a game with a long review)

Guest Post

Sitting here in a hair salon just South of Boston, it occurs to me that, up to now, I’ve written about PC games, console games, and game modifications…But have left the subject of portable games woefully underrepresented.In recognition of this fact, I feel that it’s time to break my silence on the subject and bring my – admittedly slight – experience to bear on you: my adoring public.In fact, I’m so committed to the idea, I’m typing this with my thumbs on my recently-purchased LG Voyager phone.

So PSP, DS, GBA, Game Gear, Gameboy…Consider this my penance to the portable gaming world, as anybody who has “typed” anything of significant length with their thumbs can attest.

Continue reading “Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (Long title for a game with a long review)”

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Amish Otaku, Comics, DC, Features, Movies

Bat-mania: Batman: Year One

Guest Post

“A richly thrilling crime saga,” concludes Rotten Tomatoes about The Dark Knight.

The truth, no doubt but where did the noir-ish Batman come from? Certainly there were some elements in Batman: The Dailies 1943-1946, which I reviewed a few months back, but from the start, Batman was always a detective and lacking superpowers he has to use cunning, as well as a smattering of clever gadgets, to get the best of the villains. Well, the answer to that lies in the dark, dank and moody Batman: Year One. From the onset is raining and depicts the arrival of Chicago native Lieutenant James Gordon, who is praying that his wife, Barbara, is not pregnant and that they will not have to enduring raising a child in crime infested Gotham.

Let us step back for a moment. Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy, the noir-strip that had a significant influence on Batman, always unofficially set Tracy in Chicago, where he lived and the Windy City was Gotham in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Year One, like Tracy, is about crime. Gotham is dirty up and down, from prostitution, gangs and drugs in the Eastern End to up and down the police force, even as high as Commissioner Gillian Loeb who brings Gordon in because of his ability to keep the media away from his mishaps while on duty. The Commissioner is dirty and sees this is as an invaluable asset.

Continue reading “Bat-mania: Batman: Year One”

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