Thursday, November 13, 2008

Get your "FIFA Soccer" in 14 languages FREE

Get a load of this press release from EA Sports. Am I the only one who wants to play in Russian?

EA SPORTS announced today that all 14 international commentary packs in FIFA Soccer 09 will be available to download free on both the PlayStation Network for PLAYSTATION 3 and on Xbox Live for Xbox 360. For the first time, fans worldwide can now download and experience all language commentary packs featuring different commentators from all over the world while playing FIFA Soccer 09.

FIFA Soccer 09 currently features specific languages by region but beginning today gamers can download and experience play-by-play commentary from other regions of the world. This will deliver a new international experience to FIFA Soccer 09 fans.

The following commentary packs will be available beginning today:

Language — Commentator's Names
English — Andy Gray, Martin Tyler
French — Herve Mathoux, Franck Sauzée
Italian — Giuseppe Bergomi, Fabio Caressa
German — Tom Bayer, Sebastian Hellman
Spanish — Paco González, Manolo Lama
Mexico — Perro Bermúdez, Ricardo Pelaez
Dutch — Youri Mulder, Evert Ten Napel
European Portuguese — David Carvalho, Hélder Conduto
Hungarian — Richard Faragó, István B. Hajú
Russian — Yuri Rozanov, Vasily Solojov
Swedish — Glenn Hysén, Henrik Strömblad
Czech — Bosák Jaromír, Petr Svěcený
Polish — Włodzimierz Szaranowicz, Dariusz Szpakowski
Brazilian Portugese — Paulo Vinícius Coelho, Nivaldo Prieto

Additionally, FIFA Soccer 09 offers a whole new commentary pack for download on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Marketplace. An additional English commentary pack featuring Andy Townsend and Clive Tyldesley previously unavailable on any version of FIFA Soccer 09 is available for download for only $4.99 US.

Buy Pile Report: Kingdom Come Superman

I'm not through my complete Buy Pile yet, and I don't know if I am going to have time tonight, but I wanted to make sure to get on here and say my piece on JSA: Kingdom Come Special: Superman.

If you read the original "Kingdom Come," it doesn't get any better than this, and you better make sure to pick this up, even if you haven't been reading the current "Justice Society" arc.

The issue reads like another epilogue to the original "Kingdom Come," and looks the part to boot, since Alex Ross handled every last bit of the art, from drawing to inking to coloring, painting the scenes from Earth-22 and drawing the scenes from our Earth.

(By the way, on an unrelated note, the movie "Weird Science," which is on HBO right now, includes a scene with a Mohawk-wearing Native American Biker saying the sentence "You can't even take a shower with a beautiful woman without taking off your jeans!" How awesome was that movie?!?)

Where was I? Oh yeah, understated grace and art. Ross crafted more than a few classic scenes here. Superman fans are going to love the look on KC Superman's face when he realizes he's in a room full of Kryptonite. "Kingdom Come" fans are going to love the reunion with Norman McCray. And, comics do not get any closer to art than those final scenes with Lois.

Most of all, I just really loved reading KC Superman as written by the man who knows him best, once again. At heart, this epilogue was the story of how this Superman is able to handle his second chance. It's one thing to put a tortured character into a bright new world with a fresh chance at happiness, but that character has still been through all sorts of hell. This is the story of a survivor who didn't necessarily want to survive, given all he's seen, and we get to see here how those experience taint his actions.

This is a story anyone who's survived a traumatic experience can relate to, and I could not recommend this issue highly enough to anyone who read "Kingdom Come."

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Town of Batman suing "Batman"

So... apparently there's a town in Turkey named Batman. Who knew?

This town has decided to sue Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan over recent film "The Dark Knight." Believe it or not, this is not a prank. Check THIS LINK to Variety to see the whole story.

I think the part I like most about this story isn't the fact that this town could have been suing Bob Kane for the last 70 years, or the fact that this town could have been suing DC at any point during that time, it's the fact that "The Dark Knight" is a SEQUEL! They're not suing over "Batman Begins," a movie that actually uses the word "Batman" in the title, they're suing over the ultra-successful sequel. Money hungry any?

And the part I like second most about this story is, apparently the King of Turkey (or President or Premiere or Emperor, or Grand Pooba, or whatever Turkey has), apparently let his eight-year-old son name a city. Were my Dad to let me name a city when I was eight, the city would have been named Grimlock — you know, the King of the Dinobots?

Learn more about the Turkish City of Batman HERE.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

This week's comic book expectations

It's an unusually light week this week, with just a few choice DC comics to carry the week, depending on which of DC's top titles you read. HERE'S THE LINK to the full list.

The book I'm most looking forward to this week is JSA Special: Kingdom Come Superman #1, for a few reasons. For one, I love the character, and I'm digging the second half of this unwieldy JSA/Kingdom Come story. I'm also just thrilled by the fact that all these tie-ins exist this month, helping the storyline along to its December finish. And, finally, have you seen this cover? I'm guessing this is just an Alex Ross omage to himself, but if this is actually part of the storyline, what, exactly, is going on in KC Supes' head that he and Our Superman are fighting? This storyline has dragged on for much too long, but with the first of these three tie-ins, I'm still optimistic Geoff Johns is making it worth our while.

Speaking of Johns, Action Comics #871 continues the "New Krypton" storyline, and if you haven't been reading and you're a DC fan, then you are making a big mistake. It's obvious this infusion of so many Kryptonians onto Earth will have far greater implications than simply Superman's feelings.

There are two "Batman R.I.P." tie-ins this week (if you can call them that) in Detective Comics #850 and Nightwing #150, but I am actually more interested in Batman Cacophony #1, the first part in a three-part mini-series written by Kevin Smith. When Mr. Smith can get his stuff out on time, I think he's a pretty darn good comic writer, and I'm hoping the fact that this is a set three-issue job will get him to finish his job in a timely manner. Mostly, though, I am just kind of excited about a plain-old Bruce Wayne Batman story with an interesting sounding (no pun intended) villain in Onomatopoeia.

Out in space, Green Lantern Corps. #30 features the Purple Lanterns, when Guy, Kyle and co. travel to Zameron. I don't know about any of you, but I am loving how Johns and Peter Tomasi have divided up and conquered all the background info leading up to "Blackest Night." Between the two, we've learned all about the Red, Blue, and now Purple Lanterns, in addition to the Yellow and Green we all know and love. I'm eager to read what the Purples are up to here.

Also this week, keep an eye out for Black Terror #1, the first spin-off from the "Project Superpowers" universe. Frankly, I love the character and really think this universe created by Dynamite Comics has a shot at becoming a force in Superhero Comics. However, it's going to take all our support to happen. So, if you enjoyed "Project Superpowers," maybe add this to your pull list this week.

That's all, folks. I'm off to play some "FIFA Soccer 09: All-Play" on the Wii. Who knows? It could be good. I'll let you all know when I know!

'Fable II' DLC Soon?

Get a load of THIS LINK saying there's a big "Fable II" announcement due next week.

We can only hope the downloadable content is an actual ending. Please, please, please, give us an ending!

Heroes Report: Villains

OK, so apparently I was pretty zonked out from a severe lack of sleep over the past week, because I fell asleep not long after last night's "Heroes" finished and didn't wake up until noon.

But, I'm here now to offer a few thoughts on last night's episode, "Villains." And the most predominant thought was What was the Point?!?

We've seen this formula before, at least a couple of times. "Heroes" likes to set up grand ideas, only to take a week off to show a little bit of the past to better inform viewers of current situations. Well, does anyone feel better informed?

Here's what we learned:

1) Elle apparently has had the hots for Sylar, and had a hand in his creation. But how believable is that given the interactions we've seen between the two characters? And how believable was her character here, given how much of a freaky, sheltered, unfeeling badass she was before the end of season two?

2) HRG apparently is a major reason for him becoming a monster... have we ever seen him guilty for this in the least while Sylar stalked his daughter? If anything, this only painted HRG, the Batman of the show, as an unfeeling monster.

3) And by the way, could we make Sylar look anymore innocent?!? What good is his redemption anymore? Suddenly, the most imposing force on the show for over two seasons has become nothing but a mindless pawn. Let him keep one of his balls, please!

4) Meredith is apparently the sister of Mr. Blue Hands Flint, and apparently Eric Roberts tried to make her an agent. First off, why would the agent want someone who can set fires? Second, how ineffective was Eric Roberts as an agent? He was just running around with that craptastic collar of his making a mess of things. And Third, Did we learn ANYTHING worthwhile about any of these characters?

5) Finally, we have the Petrellis. And yes, I suppose we did learn a couple of interesting tidbits here: Linderman was never manipulating Daddy Petrelli. Daddy Petrelli tried to kill Nathan, not Linderman. Linderman had the hots for Mommy Petrelli. Mommy Petrelli was the one who "killed" Daddy Petrelli.

That about do it? Yeah? Did we need AN HOUR to tell all that?

And all the while, these minuscule scenes were padded by other scenes that tied into the pilot. Had we been given more revelations in this episode, I'm sure this would have come off as slick and creative. Instead, it just felt cheap and lazy.

In the past (no pun intended) when "Heroes" has flashed back to show details of the past, it's been informative and felt genuine. Here, I felt like (once again) these writers were scrambling to reshape the past to better fit their half-assed new plans.

Meaning, once again, instead of getting creative, unique storylines in the future, we're going to get the same forced drivel we've been dealing with for some time.

And if you think this is harsh, I just slept for 12 hours. I'm in a great mood!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

This week's video game releases

Have you over-dosed on great new video games yet? Well, get ready for another helping this week. Honestly, it's been four or five weeks straight now, and who has the time?

HERE'S THE LINK to the full list of this week's games.

So what are you playing? I'm pumped to play "Mirror's Edge," but there's plenty for everyone this week.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Friday, November 7, 2008

Saturday's Gaming in the Journal

Well, at 7:30 in the morning I was riding a __________ (censored by Epic Games) into a ______ (censored by Epic Games) in order to ________ (censored by Epic Games), and I finished "Gears of War 2."

Confused? So was my boss today, when I send him that sentence un-edited, with all the "Gears" jargon in it.

"What's a _______ (edited by you know who)? Is that like an SUV?"

It's amazing how much I am not allowed to talk about. But, in a couple of days, when everyone has had a fair chance to play the game, I will start blabbing.

For now, I just finished my review of "Gears of War 2," so look for it in the Poughkeepsie Journal's Gaming page (Page 3C on Saturday!)

Also on the Gaming page (Page 3C on Saturday), we have a feature on the World Series of Poker's Final Table (which begins on Sunday), and a fantasy football column.

But mostly GEARS! (Sorry "Resistance" fans, I only had time to play one this week, and the wire didn't send me reviews of either, so I had to choose).

Check out the Poughkeepsie Journal's Gaming page on Saturday (Page 3C), or check www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/gaming for the stories on Saturday.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

'Gears of War 2' launching tonight


Is everybody counting down the hours? Well, as least Xbox 360 owners? "Gears of War 2" is out tonight at midnight.

I spent seven hours playing the game last night, and all I can say is, you won't be disappointed. The story is bigger, the battles are bigger and, well, some of the enemies are bigger. The Predator even makes an appearance!

And as soon as I get out of the office tonight, I'll be going right back to Sera, since this is one of the (if not the) best shooters I've ever played. Oh, and if you want more details, look for my review in Saturday's Poughkeepsie Journal.

Sorry, I'm under strict orders not to spoil... pretty much anything... but, once the game is out I'm going to post the full list of EVERYTHING Epic Games didn't want me mentioning in the review. You need to see the lengthy list I got sent, it's like government censorship!

(and keep waiting for that "Spider-man: Web of Shadows" review... it's coming, I promise!)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

'Mirror's Edge' preview video

This video was sent to me yesterday and since I'm so high on EA's upcoming "Mirror's Edge" I figured I'd share it with you all. By the way, I have no idea what's up with this guy's hair, he doesn't work for me. Enjoy!


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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

This week's comic expectations

I don't think I'm going to have time to post any expectations for the week until at least 1 a.m. tonight, if at all, so in the meantime, HERE'S THE LINK to the list of this week's releases.

Impressions of 'Mirror's Edge' and 'Spider-man: Web of Shadows'

Well, I spent the last nine hours playing my Xbox, namely two games:

1) I finally downloaded the demo of "Mirror's Edge," and I was floored. If you haven't seen the game yet, this is a one-of-a-kind experience, a first-person adventure game in which you're basically a free runner (in fact, your character is called a "Runner" in the game). Anyway, the world is your monkey bars in this game, kinda like buildings and stairwells are one big "Ninja Warrior" course. And while, yes, there were several many kinks here, and while there were a couple of instances of oblivious frustration in the demo alone, the game was so exciting and unique that I would say everyone should at least download the demo and give it a try.

(In case you're wondering, yes, I did immediately contact Electronic Arts in hopes of getting myself a press review copy).

2) The better part of that nine hours was spent with "Spider-man: Web of Shadows." A full review on this one will be posted to the Gaming Web site in a few days, but for now, I'll give some impressions on what I have played so far, the first two acts. Spider-man fans are going to love this game, pretty much just because of the fluidity of the web-slinging and wall-crawling. The storyline is also, at heart, pretty good... the only problem is that it's non-existent for the entire first act. For the most part, all you do in the first two acts is swing around beating up generic henchmen to meet quotas and earn XP. Not the most exciting stuff, especially after the unexpected thrill that was "Mirror's Edge." Still, the game has some humor, and a lot of promise, so don't take this as a full judgement by any means. I'm hoping the second half of this tale is the stronger of the two.

Monday, November 3, 2008

'Heroes' creative team shakeup

Well, there is no new episode of "Heroes" tonight, but there is big news out of the creative team for the show. Hit THIS LINK and see two executive producers, Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander have both been fired from the show.

Personally, I love this move, and not only because I have not been able to stand Loeb's recent work in any medium. I love the move because it is clear the writers are trying WAY TOO HARD to pander to every single criticism they heard over Season Two, and the result is stories written with the attention span of a five-year-old boy in mind. On top of that, there have been far too many wink-wink comic book jokes this season, and while I am sure Loeb is not the only reason for these, his spot in the executive producer chair leaves him as the figurehead for the problem.

As I said in past "Heroes Reports," the show is still entertaining, but the writing is some of the most under developed drivel you're going to find this side of "Spider-man 3." Maybe a little shakeup of the head writers is just what the show needed to remember to develop its ideas before putting them on screen.

From what I can discern, by the way, the show should be shooting around episodes 13 or 14 right now, which means we're still a good two months away from seeing if this change equates to success.

This week's video game release list

Check out the list of new video game releases at THIS LINK, where the question is: Are you going to be playing "Gears of War 2" this week or "Resistance 2"?!? Big week for the FPS fans out there, eh?