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Gears of War 3 Review

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This is it. The trilogy ends. The last ride of Delta Squad begins. Okay, so Gears of War 3 has been out for like a week or so. This isn't the most new review in the world. Still, there was a lot to go through in my attempt to review the game. Now I love Gears of War. I love the gameplay, the weapons, the art, the levels, the world and the fantastic characters. Epic Games built a large franchise and a compelling story line. The question is, can Epic live up to their namesake and end the franchise in the fashion it deserves? The first thing I noticed about Gears 3 was the refined gameplay. The cover system has been smoothed out to perfection, the weapons finally seem properly balanced, the trench run is faster and every portion of the gameplay just feels more fluid than ever. Cliff Bleszinski promised the most polished Gears of War game ever with Gears 3, and in that regard, Epic delivered. The gameplay is utterly perfect and many of the new additions make the perfect set...

DC Comics Presents: Sexism!

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DC Comics recently reset their entire lineup of comic book characters and rebooted the universe. With the reboot comes new creative teams, new comics and in some cases, entirely new origins. Recently, a controversy has sparked at the core of not one, but two releases. Catwoman , written by Judd Winick and featuring art by Guillem March, and Red Hood and the Outsiders by Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort. Both of these titles feature writing and art that is sexist at its best and misogynistic and its worst. Let’s begin with Catwoman . Right off the bat there is something odd. The first few pages are nothing but ass and cleavage shots of Catwoman as she is dressing up in her outfit. I can’t even accurately pinpoint when we finally get a good shot of her face. She wears red lingerie that screams “look at my massive tits.” This is supposed to be a new beginning. Essentially, this is the pilot episode. Now, I know for a fact that no self-respecting director would make...

Gears of War: In Retrospect

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Tonight at midnight, I will be on my way to pick up my copy of Gears of War 3. The Gears of War series is probably my second favorite franchise in video games today. I love its larger than life characters, its desperate atmosphere, its gothic art style, etc. It was most definitely one of the more unique shooters out there, and has proven to be one of the most innovative games of its generation. The first Gears of War game was one of, if not the first games to feature a cooperative campaign that actually made player 2 relevant not just to the gameplay, but to the story. As a younger brother, I can instantly appreciate any co-op game that actually allows me to play alongside my brother. Gears of War happened to be, by chance, an awesome frigging game as well. I loved Gears of War when it came out. Its multiplayer was loads of fun, if a bit competitive (I’m kind of a wuss) but the campaign is what sold me. The story was pretty straightforward, but not without interes...

Mass Effect 3 is Going to Rock!: A Counter Argument

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A few months ago, I ripped into Mass Effect 3 about how I believe the game will suck. What you did not know was that I have been plotting a counter argument this whole time!!!! Yes I am a sly evil genius. Now, even though it took me five articles to point all the adversity that stands in front of Bioware for Mass Effect 3, I am not going to do that again. I got sick of myself after article three, so this time I will keep it short and succinct. What you are about to see is me, attacking myself. This should be interesting. In my first article you may remember that I tore apart Mass Effect 2’s story. Not because it was bad, but because it was not quite the sequel it should have been. Bioware said that Mass Effect 2 was supposed to be a dark second act, and I personally felt that the game did not feel dark nor did it feel like a second act. There was very little of an emotional journey to be had and what it did have was not that great. Will this affect Mass Effect...

Star Crossed Galaxy #2 Update

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Well it has basically been a year since Star Crossed Galaxy #1 was released, and I'm sure all of the fans are eager for an update. Well, I got some bad news. SCG #2 has hit a bit of a snag. The artist, the amazingly talented Matt Martin had to drop out as the artist for the series. He's got a few gigs his working on right now, and I for one wish him the best of luck. He was an incredible artist and a stand up guy, but the best part about working with Matt was his passion and zeal for the series. He really loved working on the book and with the characters. I feel bad that he is leaving the SCG, but I'm happy he's making his mark in the world of comics. Good luck, Matt! Don't be too sad as Matt has pretty much finished his penciling duties on SCG #2. So he's still our man, at least until #3. Right now, I'm busy trying to find an artist to fix up the final pages, give us an exciting cover and then we're ready to roll. So I begin my search fo...

Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars Review

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A few months ago, I was desperate for some really good sci-fi. I scoured the internet looking for a trace of some new space age adventure to lose my imagination in. I found a few good ones like Dark City and Gattaca. At the time, neither was streaming on Netflix and my local video store didn’t have them in stock, so I never got to see them. I became dismayed, but then, a friend of mine recommended Farscape, a sci-fi TV series that initially aired in 1999. I saw an episode or two when it was still on the air a long time ago and thought the show was goofy and weird. My friend insisted it was worth a gander, especially when starting from the beginning. I began watching the show on Netflix, and although the show was indeed goofy and weird, it was still impressive. As the show went on, the goofiness faded and the show became, potentially the best science fiction television series of my generation. The writing was smart and sophisticated, but not without an irreverent sense...

The Problem With The DC Reboot

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Everyone knows by now that the DC Reboot is right around the corner. DC Comics will, for the first time in history, reset their entire comic book line up back to #1. There are more changes to be made in the DC Universe then a simple numerical reset. New titles will be introduced, and old favorites will be retrofitted with a new continuity. New creative teams will be combined for each book and the general business practices of DC as a company are being reconstructed. This isn’t just a DC Universe reboot; this is a DC Comics reboot. I can admit that I am curious about DC’s direction. They have been chasing Marvel’s success for years now, both in sales and creative pursuits. Marvel has been massively successful in the animation and film departments, DC on the other hand had to deal with the commercial disappointment that was Green Lantern. All in all, DC can’t catch a break. They had to do something to remain competitive with Marvel Comics, and in their eyes, an ent...

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

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Marvel Studios has defiantly made a name for itself in the movie business. Starting out of the gate with the immensely entertaining Iron Man, Marvel has garnered not only commercial success, but also wide acclaim from both film goers and critics. As of right now, not a single Marvel produced adventure has failed to disappoint the box office, the fans, or the critics. Marvel has proven to be one of the top contenders in the film business right now, and on a personal note, Marvel has entertained and satisfied me 100% of the time. Captain America could indeed be the movie that shatters Marvel’s record. Everyone has a different idea of how Captain America should be. Is he is own character, or is simply a conduit for American idealism? If it is the latter, what is America’s idealism today as opposed to yesterday? No one person can agree on what good old Cap represents, which is why Captain America: The First Avenger is such a gamble. Captain America takes place (mostly) ...

Mass Effect 3 Is Going To Suck pt. 5: Have You Sold Your Soul To The EA Devil?

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At long last, we have come down to it. The final obstacle that stands in the way of Mass Effect 3’s success. Yes, I am nearly done with this massive rant. You will soon be able to go back to your porn. And so will I! Today we discuss the one aspect that that has the individual power to both enhance and destroy. Our parents can forge us into great people, or they can throw our development completely out of whack and destroy our futures. This is also true of business. The parent company will always be just like a parent to their child. Such is the way for EA and Bioware. Remember way back when I said that Bioware was the license holder for Mass Effect. Well that’s not entirely accurate. Mass Effect was at one time the sole property of Bioware, but that was only in ME1. EA bought Bioware, and now, EA pulls their strings, which means that they have the final say in what makes it into the game, not Bioware. Now B-Ware says very specifically that EA does not meddl...