Why is the judge from Phoenix Wright such a clueless dingbat? I’m finally finishing this game since I picked up the second one. I do not want to know you if you choose to press the buttons in lieu of barking out objections!
I guess I’m going to have to order Hotel Dusk online, because most of the game stores here are sold out of the couple copies they got, and many don’t think they’ll be getting more. Oh, a rough life indeed.
Originally, I wanted to show each of you what I consider to be the boldest comic book cover of all time: a Star Wars comic that depicts Lando (a stunning likeness of Billy Dee Williams) getting double-fist punched right in the kisser by his own servant, Lobot; truly a thing of beauty.
I couldn’t find it, so you’ll have to live with the description for now. However, in my diggings I started thinking, as I’m wont to do when confronted with a stack of funny books, about what makes a comic cover so exciting. Most importantly, why are they not exciting anymore!? The answer is simple, so I won’t take up much of your time. First, bookmark this and then leave your job or whatever it is you do and take a stroll to the comic book shoppe.
For this next section I will assume you are browsing via a mobile device or, more likely, that you lied and did not leave at all.
Fig 1.1*
Now look at the covers on the “new issues” rack. No, you are not at a museum! Yet, despite your location, you find yourself surrounded by confusing pieces of paper. These are comic book covers, but they do not tell you what to expect inside the comic! Hey, look over at that one on the second shelf; it appears to be a Western adventure comic. But where are the cowboys and word bubbles exclaiming distress over an Indian threat? Instead, there is just a fancy painting of a cowboy hat!
You have been fooled.
It’s probably not about cowboys at all. Who knows? Below, I have scanned and posted two examples of comics that really let you know what to expect. The Star Wars cover is especially well done. I’ll close with these images, which you can click to enlarge, and announce that you may expect some similarly titillating Slamm Dunk covers soon!
* Fig 1.1 – What the heck is going on here?
I’m hesitant to visit Japan, because deep down inside I know that it might not be like this at all:
However, this is pretty much what it must look like when the O.T.A.C.K.E.R.S. invade the streets together.
Just got back from this one. It’s too bad Smokin’ Aces will never survive tired comparisons to flicks by Tarantino and Ritchie, because it was really fun and ridiculous.
Jason Bateman is definitely a stand-out, though he doesn’t get a lot of screen time. I hope he has the greatest career in the world, personally, after being one of the best straight guys in comedy history on Arrested Development. But hell, I thought Ryan Reynolds was pretty rad in this too, so what do I know?
It’s nice to see a new over-the-top R hitman flick, and regardless of whether or not you find the whole concept derivative as all hell, Joe Carnahan cracked out a movie that I’d love to sneak some tall boys into if I ever see it again.
Obligatory Statement: Alicia Keys is really hot.
I meant to write this here in a more timely manner, but damnit, I had a comic to post.
The Crackdown demo dropped a few days ago on Xbox Live, and I couldn’t have been less excited, honestly. I was sort of looking forward to checking it out, but something about the early videos and screens I had seen made me write it off prematurely. I have a feeling quite a few people felt this way initially, but after thrashing through a lot of the demo (as much as the level-up time limit would allow) with a friend, I’m fully prepared to buy this damn game when it comes out.
And yes, I want the actual game and don’t really care about the Halo 3 beta testing invite that comes with the launch shipments. Though the idea of a new sandbox-style outing isn’t the most exciting prospect anymore, Crackdown has an energy and fun about it that takes it a level above most. In this one, you’re a cop with superpowers that can– as his levels of strength continue to rise– jump higher, punch harder, throw heavier objects, and generally do all the fun-with-physics-and-platforming stuff you would ever want to do in a big futuristic city.
By the end of the demo, between cracking gang member heads, I was leaping from rooftop to rooftop and flipping cars on the street with the WHAP of a single kick. Its colorful, cel-shaded coating doesn’t veer too far into the cartoon category, and ends up looking more like a comic book than anything. Even the way the city is designed is very comic book-like.
I want to play more of this game, but I don’t really want to keep sitting down with the demo only to be kicked 30 minutes after raising a couple of levels. I’ll definitely be there when this streets, though.
subhumanzoids 