The Night Before

Tomorrow morning, my brother Jun and his daughters Patricia and Pamela will be flying off to the US, where they will be reunited with Jun's wife Mylene. Conceivably, we may not be seeing them in the flesh anytime in the near future. I've never really been overly emotional or sentimental, but I will miss them. Even if the kids drive me crazy every time they invade The Sanctum, the house will be a slight shade less lively without them.

When my sister and her family leave in a few months (maybe) for Canada, it'll be just me and our parents left to live in the country. I don't see myself flying off and leaving Metro Manila behind anytime soon, so I'll be around for a while. Things are going well anyway... and hopefully they'll stay that way. All we can do is just hope for the best, take on every test and let God do the rest. And all that jazz.

The Only Constant Thing

Sometimes... no, many times, I wish that you could just stop time and preserve a status quo forever.

You reach a point where everything seems right, you're having so much fun and you wish it could all just go on forever. Well, maybe not forever, but for a while. I think that's a sign that you were or are happy. That you've found contentment with the things around you and you could just stay there in that pocket of eternity for the duration.

But that really isn't possible, is it?

Time marches on regardless of how people feel or act or decide to act. Change comes relentlessly, either as a thief in the night or as a marching band blazing on at full volume. Whether it's a shock or a whisper, change enters our lives and the effects are things that we must deal with in order to continue living.

A lot of things have been happening lately. These events have rocked my world in significant ways. The most distinct recently was the fact that my friend Vin, the genial and jovial shopkeep of Comic Quest has entered a new chapter in his life... and that chapter apparently does not involve him being the CQ shopkeep anymore. It's a big thing, considering that 'The Store' has been more or less the center of my social life for the past, oh, six or seven years. Now, it's no longer that... it's just the place where I get my comics every week. Weird. Really weird.

But this shock of a change isn't the only thing that has hit me in terms of the gang I run with. Lately, we haven't been going out as much. The Saturday Night Outs that we once looked forward to as oasis of discussions, creative mixers full of laughter, anecdotes and experience-sharing aplenty are now few and far between. As people grow older, it seems, they grow more focused on their own interests and their own paths. Some people have left us seeming for dead. Some are about as rare to find as chicken teeth. Others are there but might as well not be.

Don't get me wrong. We still meet, and I still look forward to each time we do. Just not as religiously. Perhaps when some creative urge, opportunity or project appears and beckons, perhaps the old magic will well up and like Musketeers in hiding from Cardinal Richelieu (sorry, I saw it on Star Movies last night), we'll take up our swords and uniforms once again and meet all for one and one for all.

But damn.

Do I miss the days when we didn't NEED to have a hopeless cause or a ridiculous project to rally around to meet each other. When we just enjoyed to meet because of each others' company. When it was enough to just talk and laugh about things for little or no reason aside from it was just for the sake of talking about it.

Maybe we're just getting old. Nah.

That's the way it is, isn't it? You just try to fit in as well as you can. Even if you don't really fit in, you try to give what you can because that's what friends are for. To be there when it counts, or to just be there, period. That's all there is to it. This is as good as it gets.

There are stories to tell and lots of things still to do. I believe this. I really do.

It's just that if I knew that it would all come to this, I'd have recorded and videotaped all those nights out we had before. Archived them on optic disc or memory crystal and put them in a safe at The Sanctum, where I can just bring them out and try to find warmth in the memories for just a little while.

Damn. That's pathetic.

Again, the point of this post. Change happens, like shit. It happens and there's not a damn thing we can do about it but roll with the punches. Change anything that's wrong with you and keep on trucking. Move on as others move on and just find a place where there's more heat and warmth to partake of.

Because while there's really no point in crying over spilt milk or spoiled milk, there's even less point in crying over milk that you actually got to drink and enjoy. You've pissed it all out by now and so you've got to find a new quart to fill that thirst.

I miss the good times.

But I know there will be other good times.

And I'll be damned if I don't squeeze all the enjoyment I can with what I am lucky to have right now.

So this really isn't a rant. It's just an affirmation that I'm still here.

I'm still working at The Salt Mines (and hopefully getting better). Still dreaming about the next big Xbox360 game. Still getting a kick out of finding gems in the ol' DVD bins. Still working on bringing out The Last Angel Ace Story and the further adventures of Agent K and The Pink Ninja. Still counting on the next Project Hero and whatever else comes my way. Still kicking back in The Sanctum to enjoy loot from Comic Quest or Greenhills.

I'm still here and looking forward to the future. That's all I can do.


Moving on. Moving on.

Fantasizing

I've more or less decided on my entry to the Fully Booked fantasy fiction writing contest. At least, for my prose entry. Not yet too sure about what 8-page comic story to send. That will certainly have to be self-contained, totally new and affecting even in the very short page count. Certainly, I have to give this one the good ol' fashioned college try. I'll do my best to start my efforts on this one come the first day of February. Then, we'll see what happens then.

Ready to Rumble


Rumble Roses XX's new Create-a-Babe mode.

The first Rumble Roses game on the PS2 was a mixed affair. Obviously taking a stab at the niche established by the rival Dead or Alive series, the titillation-heavy all-female wrestling game from Konami had it's ups and downs. For one thing, it had a cast of female grapplers who fit a wide variety of fetishes and persuasions. You had the usuals (bubbly anime heroines, blonde cowgirls and S&M dominatrixes) and quite a few unusuals (megalomaniacal doctors, slutty judo champions) in the roster, with good and evil personas. As wrestling games go, the multitude of holds and grapples were perfect for putting the female characters into some pretty compromising situations. There was even some DOAX-type fanservice in the form of voyeuristic Watch Modes and even some iffy mudwrestling.
Unfortunately, even with all the eye candy and fan service, the game had limited appeal in terms of gameplay modes and variety. There simply wasn't enough game to get in this title. So while it provided a bit of bang, there was little to come back to after the initial play.

Well, a couple of years later, Konami is still at it with their DOA-killer, now aiming for the Xbox360 next generation console with Rumble Roses XX. Now, before you get any ideas, the 'XX' stands for tag team play, not for anything lewd (right).

Aside from the obvious assumption that the game will surely look tons better than the PS2 game (each character model will consist of 50,000 polygons, making for some very smooth and curvy characters), the game will rev up with new modes and gameplay elements. For one thing, there will now be two-three and four way fights, playable on or offline. This should make for some really interesting tag-team or triple threat matches.
What will really please creative types will be the new Character Edit/Creation Mode which will allow players to make up their own wrestling babe from scratch or edit/modify the existing 40 characters. In terms of editing, this entails everything from giving your babe more muscles, more boobage (yes, you read that right), changing hair and skin color, applying makeup or switching wardrobes. It seems that Character Creation is THE mode to have for next-gen fighters (except for snobby DOA). XboxLive users will be able to show off their Frankenstein-esque creations online. Don't worry though; developer Akari Uchida guarantees that you cannot create monsters or ugly wrestlers with his game- they'll always be babes. Wow.

Speaking of the 40 characters, there actually are just 10 base characters, each with three additional personas/versions; there's Face (good), Heel (evil) and the new Superstar versions of Face/Heel. The Superstar versions are flashier, stronger and more fab versions of the wrestlers, with all-new moves and over-the-top ring entrances. As before, the end boss seems to be the mechanical madame, Madame X. No Story Mode this time around, but with all the new stuff, we won't be missing the terrible dialogue or weird plotlines.
Also added will be a new 'Queen's Match', which seems to replace the now-missing Mudwrestling Mode. Losers in QM will have to go through DOAX-like penalty games, which are meant to embarass or put them into a titillatingly humiliating experience- from doing the limbo to bouncing on skippy balls or dancing some lewd dance. Weird but oddly compelling.

THis game certainly isn't for the easily offended or the weak of heart; it's really beyond being suggestive- the characters are just as good at being wrestlers as they are exotic dancers, it seems, and the game really doesn't care about depicting females in a pretty chauvanistic way (athletic as they may be, the girls act all girly and prissy in other situations). It's got it's own code and humor, but safe to say guys should keep this hidden away when offendable female friends are in the vicinity.

Behind all the tons of fanservice though, once again I hope they do the basic steps right, by putting in great wrestling gameplay and animation. When all is said and done, it's the wrestling and grappling that will keep this game in play as much as the T&A. Really. Well, we'll see when the game comes out in a couple of months in March 2006 on the Xbox360.

Evolution


Selene returns to kick Lara Croft's butt.

The first Underwold film was a slick piece of work- while it was often mentioned as a Matrix-wannabee, it did have a cool concept (Vampires fighting Werewolves), nice production values and visuals and the singular genius of having the radiantly gorgeous Kate Beckinsale as the leather-clad vampire warrior, Selene. Apparently, while the first UW was a modest success in theaters, it was a relatively low budget film that suddenly had a big pay-off in DVD sales. As a result, the title gets a new lease on life and a chance for bigger things with the sequel, Underworld: Evolution (which has since gone on to become the number one film at the US box office).

Evolution kicks off right after the events of the first film. In fact, it mops up the loose ends from before quite bloodily quick. But before we actually get into the current affairs, Evo opens up with a flashback to the 12th century. There, we see a small army of vampires in Lord of the Rings-like armor (a bit like vampire elves, actually- which is quite cool) taking on a village infected by the Lycan breed. We learn of the origing of the two warring races, and in particular the fates of the two brothers who started it all- the prime vampire Marcus, and the head werewolf, WIlliam.

The action then shoots back to the present, as Selene and her half-lycan/half vampire lover Michael (Scott Speedman) are on the run. Their opposition, however, quickly changes from ordinary gun-slinging vampire goons to the now-awakened, mutated Vampire Elder, Marcus (Tony Curran), who has his own evil agenda. In order to survive AND stop the world from being consumed by mad vampire/lycan mutants, Selene and Scott will have to ally with a mysterious third party and risk it all for the sake of the future. They must evolve... or die.

This is a pretty slick and well done action film, though I have to say that you need to watch the first film to really make heads or tails of it all. The names and events just fly at you as fast as the flash edits.

Still, the action is quite easy to understand, and the bad guys are pretty easy to see. The production values are more ambitious this time around (more and bigger werewolves with niftier transformations), thanks to a bigger budget, and the film retains the blood and blue look of the first. Performance-wise, Miss Beckinsale's Selene is an awesome action heroine (she could give Angelina Jolie a run for her money)... did I say she was darn gorgeous? I'll say it again. Selene is HOT. Oh, and girls get Michael- Scott Speedman's reluctant superwolf/vamp is pretty kick ass. The two make a great, perfect couple and a subtle cheer for mixed race relations.

All in all, Underworld: Evolution is a worthy sequel/climax to the original film, ending with a pretty optimistic view. The next film in this series, if director Len Wiseman has his way, will supposedly be a prequel showing more of the history of the ancient vampire/lycan war.

While there are some rough spots, I certainly liked Underworld Evolution enough to try and find the first film again and watch it, and have this sequel on DVD when I can. An exceptionally cool franchise which gets a shot in the arm with this hot sequel. Again, I recommend watching the first film before heading to the theaters to catch this bloody good action flick.

Fear Factor

It's great to be a scare-fan lately, with lots of cool, creepy shows on offer. Which is great since I haven't watched Nginiig! in months ever since they started doing more and more celebrity 'possession' shows than actual ghost or mystery features.

Ghost Chasers is a pretty cool show, featuring the exploits of a duo of plumbers who moonlight as paranormal investigators. Together with a seemingly ever-changing support crew, TAPS (The Atlanta Paranormal Society) sets off all over the country visiting and investigating haunted sites. The cool thing about Ghost Chasers is that they often DO seem to catch evidence- be it the odd light 'orb' or even actual footage of moving objects or unexplainable apparitions. Which is a WORLD away from local shows that show nothing but bad acting. Anyway, the show's already on it's 3rd season in the US (the 2nd season is showing locally on Star World) and seems to be going strong. If anyone knows if the DVD of the first season is available locally, please tell me.

A Haunting is a new show on The Discovery Channel which takes a detailed look into some really creepy, real-life supernatural encounters. The show takes great pains to recreate the accounts of the actual people involved and revs up the precedings with flash edits, scary sound effects, suspenseful music and basic special effects... all in all resulting in a pretty scary show that should satisfy your scare-cravings.

Ghost Chasers is shown on Saturdays (9PM, 12:30AM Sunday) on Star World, While A Haunting is shown every Wednesdays (10PM) and Saturdays on Discovery Channel. And be prepared for a chilling good time.

Idolatry

As anyone in The Gang would attest, I'm not into singing... and certainly, I've never really been into the show American Idol. However, for some reason every time I catch the show on TV these days, I am inexorably engrossed in watching it. Seeing all these nobodies and wannabees get grilled, speared, shish-kabobed and sauteed by judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson is just so... entertaining. It's like gladiatorial games, yet without the action but triple the cries of anguish and despair, with the requisite 'Aye' or 'Nay' from the Emperor. Or Imperial Council, as the case may be. I don't know if I'll still be as engrossed when the actual competition starts, but we'll see. For now though, it's good watching.

Buyer Beware

Have you heard about the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan film, The Lady in the Water? It's billed as a 'bedtime story' that Mr. Sixth Sense tells to his daughters, and stars actor Paul Giamatti as the main hero Cleveland Heep (a building super who finds the titular lady) and Bryce Dallas Howard (from M. Night's last film, The Village) as Story, a 'Narf' or aquatic creature whom Cleveland must somehow help get back home. It sounds weird and wonderful on paper, and I'm pretty curious to see how this film turns out.
Imagine my surprise to find a DVD titled Lady in the Water on the DVD stalls a few days ago. WOW! Maybe it was an ultra-ultra-ultra advance copy, with no effects and shit. WHOA! So I scooped it up. No matter that I wasn't able to preview the thing. I had found a gem.

Later at home, I popped it into my mutant dvd player and the movie started. It wasn't Lady in the Water. It was She Creature, this b-movie mermaid/horror film from a couple of years back.

Sigh. Well, you get lemons as often as gems with the bootleg biz. Had me a bit of a laugh and this blog entry, so it's not a total loss. Heheh. Gah.

Weird Dreams

Lately I've been having really strange dreams. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I often come home pretty pooped and just aching to get some shut-eye. Now, I've had odd dreams countless times before. It's just that these days I seem to remember them a lot more even after waking up. Perhaps they're visions. Then again, perhaps not. But I guess it might make some interesting reading for me to jot them down when I can.

Here are some of the recent ones.

One dream had me flying a dragon with Harry Potter (yeah, Daniel Radcliffe in character) trying to get it back home. Unfortunately, it was a particularly slow species of dragon, so we eventually had to go and take a train since flying it home would take several months. Unfortunately, I didn't meet Hermione anywhere in the dream.

Another dream had me in a Star Wars-esque setting, among a troop of captured rebels or perhaps conscripted workers drafted to serve the Empire. We stood in formation as we watched Imperial Stormtroopers file out of a ship and past us in a long line. The weird thing here is that the troopers were BURNING. Yep, burning stormtroopers, or firetroopers (the flames looked pretty nifty, and they didn't seem to be bothered). After these burning soldiers passed, they were followed by ICE troopers, all frosty and foggy.
To compound the weirdness, after the military parade my troop was sent to have our meal. We waited in line as an officer approached each of us, serving some sort of gruel. The rest of my group each had a meal tray... however I inexplicably had only a newspaper. EH?
Realizing this, I worriedly stared and waited with dread as the Imperial officer serving the food came to me. He stopped and there was silence as I thrust out the periodical. Luckily, before anything else happened I was woken up by our maid- It was lunchtime.

WEIRD.

I think there are profound messages in these dreams. Messages that may mean the difference between my success or failure in my endeavors.

Or not. What the heck. They're pretty funny in any case.

Doing a 360, Part Two



So far, my new XBox 360 has been working fine. No sign of any bugs or defects, or signs that the rumors of overheating and other crap are happening to my unit. It works fine, especially the cool wireless controller. Yesterday, in anticipation of my running out the included batteries, I got the XBox360 Charge and Play Kit which consists of a rechargeable battery pack, and a USB charger cable (you plug it into your PC or the Xbox to charge it up).

My only game so far is Dead or Alive 4, which was my first and only choice for an initial game (it came free with my unit). The game looks incredible, though at first glance it looks very similar to the previous XBox entry, DOA Ultimate. However, as you see more of the game you will notice the increased level of detail and realism in the graphics, the new animations and tons of little nuances which make it a whole new game and pretty much the most playable and technical game in the franchise.

In terms of Story and cinematics, DOA4 impresses with a collection of probably the best CG endings so far seen in a videogame fighter. These somewhat lengthy movies range from the bizarre and funny (ever think you'd see Kasumi the Ninja Heroine as a mermaid? Or how Hitomi spends her mornings? It's here...) to the silly (Leifang overreacts anime style, Zack in a slapstick quest ala Harryhausen/Indy Jones) and the plain weird (Brad Wong goes tripping). Several though are epic, and center mainly on the ninja characters' quest to destroy the evil DOATEC corporation once and for all (which result in some righteous ninja butt-kicking). If you finish all the initial characters' Story Modes, you will unlock DOA4's ULTIMATE Ending movie, which belongs to the character of Helena, the opera singer turned new CEO of DOATEC. Her movie reveals a lot, begs the asking of some questions and finally brings this chapter of Dead or Alive to an end. My advice... don't turn off the movie until the credits end.

In terms of gameplay, DOA4 is a whole new ball game given that several key mechanics have been refined and made more robust. Counters are now harder to do and cause less damage, giving fights a bit longer life span (which is good) and minimizing the winning of bouts due to random countering and luck. Fighting against the CPU is now more challenging given the fiercer A.I., who WILL counter you if you just rail out the same attacks again and again. There is no Easy Mode, so right off the bat you'll be in a fight.
Oh, and at the end of the Story Mode for most characters (and at the end of Time Attack) is Alpha 152, a glowing, transparent, crystalline or metallic female Kasumi clone (think Dural from Virtua Fighter but with hair) who is the new Boss of DOA. Forget Raidou. Forget Tengu. Forget Genra. Alpha 152 will kick your butt and then some with teleportation, super-long combos and some scary throws that can take out half your life bar in a flash. Sparring mode will do you good.

My main gripe with DOA4 is an aesthetic one... I hate the choices Team Ninja made for the unlockable costumes. In fact, I believe they got a bit lazy or rushed things. Many of the characters sport palette-swap outfits (the same outfits but with different colors) and a lot are shortchanged again on the size of their wardrobes. Where are the bikinis? The cool choices fans were given in DOAU are sadly lacking in DOA4.
That aside, DOA4 plays great, looks beautiful and is easily the best of the lot in terms of gameplay. Now, if only Team Ninja gets to working on additional costumes for download, it'll be perfect. As it is though, you can't get any better than DOA4 when it comes to fighting games on the Xbox360 (there's no other fighter anyway), though as it is DOA4 fails to top my current fave game, Soul Calibur III for the PS2. Still, it's one of the best reasons to get an Xbox360. Though Rumble Roses XX is coming late March. Hoho.

Yes, the Filipino Can!

Congratulations to The Pacq-man, Manny Pacquiao, for winning his long-awaited bout with Mexican pugilist Eric Morales. This day Manny was truly powered by the faith of his people as seemingly every Pinoy was watching the match. Late in the day, me and my friend Pot went to the malls in Greenhills and we found the usually-filled up parking buildings virtually EMPTY. It seems that most of the population was glued to TV sets watching their champion do battle.

Congrats, Manny. You earned it.

Doing a 360

Before the weekend, I finally got my very own Xbox 360 console. I opted to get a less expensive Japanese version, which I intend to have modified eventually if and when the system is busted open. It’s still pretty early in the life of the device, so it’s quite pricey- however, my set comes with the complete package that includes an optional Hard Drive, wireless controllers and one game. The whole kit and caboodle cost me just as much as much as the Archos AV700 I got late last year, which is fine considering I’m getting a machine that will be providing me tons of next-gen entertainment in the next couple of years.

This early I have to say that I am pretty impressed by how slick the whole thing is. It just looks so futuristic and smooth, like it wouldn’t look out of place in a sci-fi movie. I am particularly blown away by the wireless controller. It’s amazing to feel this freedom after a lifetime of playing games with controllers tied by wires and cables to the central console. It’s incredible, like playing a PSP or handheld save your screen is the big TV. WHOA. The down side though is that the controller is battery operated, so either I’ll be buying batteries every so often or I may have to invest in rechargeables and a battery charger.

The system looks great, and on my first play time seemed to drift off and before I knew it, it was dawn and I was still raring to play. Oh well. I don’t want to keel over so I’ll be sure to have rest (and give the box rest as well) every now and then. I’ll also see about getting a broadband connection so I can connect to the Xbox Live marketplace eventually.
My review on DOA4 to come soon. For now though, I have to log on a few more hours of playtime. While the batteries last.

Best Videogame Movie Yet?



That's the impression I got after watching the latest trailer of Silent Hill.

Whereas the first teaser spot was kinda... off... the full trailer makes me totally excited in this movie adaptation of the classic survival-horror game series from Konami. In a contrast to the Biohazard/Resident Evil games which basically puts players in the shoes of trained combat professionals on missions, Silent Hill throws in hapless souls out of their daily humdrum lives into a horrifying mystery quest. The frights are more visceral, more twisted and less monster than they are nightmares grabbed from the darkness inside the human mind. At stake are their very souls, and the souls of their loved ones, typically lost and missing in the all-consuming fog.
The new trailer has it all... the innocent victims at the start, the inevitable accident that traps them into the realm of shadows that is Silent Hill. There's the protagonist- a young mother (Radha Mitchell) seeking her missing child (Jodelle Ferland). There's Cybil, the hot lady cop straight from the first game (Laurie Holden), a with-like woman named Dahlia (Deborah Kerr Unger) foretelling doom, and a worried father (Sean Bean, hopefully as a real hero this time) trying his utmost to actually get IN Silent Hill to find his wife and child. Apparently the town's being consumed by something terribly evil, and people are actually being forced to hole up and run from its grasp or be utterly destroyed. The key to it all is the spectre of a young girl (yes, another evil young girl to inspire terror), with which the protagonist must somehow deal with if she is to save her child...

By the latter half of the trailer, the imagery turns to the familiar horrors of the game- ghastly apparitions, dark realms of shadow, rust and blood, bandaged walking and grasping abominations. And the sirens... those evil sirens are blaring by the end, and the familiarly creepy Silent Hill music is playing... They got it. They got it all.

The director of Silent Hill is Christophe Gans, who may not be a popular director but megged the very atmospheric Brotherhood of the Wolf, and that will surely aid in the creepy feel of SH. I can't wait to lose myself in this film. And it looks to work, thanks to the recent craze in creepy films. Silent Hill may just have what it takes to be the most successful and at least, faithful videogame to movie adaptation yet.

Silent Hill sweeps into theaters this April 2006.

To see the awesome trailer, click here.

K.I.A.



The events in the latest Batgirl comic seems to have put me into the mood for sexy, petite Asian girls with perfect killing-machine beautiful bods. Yep, I feel like doing another K.I.A. comic, and soon. Hopefully focusing on the adventures of my own Kai will make me forget the travails of Cassandra Cain.

Anyway, I ended the first K.I.A. anthology release with Agent K suddenly remembering her real name- Kai. Then what? It's conceivable that she would then go about trying to learn all she can about herself; aside from still wracking her brain for the shards of memory that are flitting about, just out of reach, she may try to track down some of the faces in her head. Foremost of course, is Angel, whom she has been seeing everywhere faintly until 'Shock to the System'.

Would Kai trust Vanya and KALI enough to openly ask for their help in finding her past? Probably not. As Agent K, she has learned to be more cautious... she'll do her probing on her own. This will lead to abruptly ask for a vacation (the simple act of which I have already written a script for) to have time to do her sleuthing. But what will this search uncover? Angel Ace? The SIVA? What happened in the time between Kai's 'death' and rebirth as Agent K? What role did Vanya and KALI play in the current situation of Agent K/Kai?

All these we'll try to take up in the next K.I.A. release (and perhaps with a mission story or two). I really would like to continue Kai's adventures in smaller sizes than the original anthology (so I can do it more often), but still with colored covers and good production values (instead of making it a Xerox book like Kunoichi Boy). As I said, it's my favorite. Heh. We'll see what happens, soon.

There. I've forgotten about Batgirl already. DOH!!!

Comics in Crisis

Some comic bits...

Darn, Infinite Crisis is a doozie of a read. Four issues and I'm still reeling with each new reveal, with the pull-no-punches action and the cataclysmic developments. It's enough to make me want to go out and grab a new copy of the Original Crisis on Infinite Earths to relive the events that set the seeds for all the dire situations happening presently in the DC universe. Whoa. Gotta pause... Whoa. This issue is so far the best in a so far outstanding and appropriately grim and universe-changing series.

The latest issue of Batgirl is cataclysmic in a smaller way. WHAT THE FOCK!!!!! HOW CAN THEY DO THAT!!?! SPOILER ALERT. Yeah, they killed Batgirl AKA Cassandra Cain. The spunky, coolly awesome little oriental girl in the batsuit gets stabbed through the chest in this penultimate issue. And no, she's not on her last legs as the issue ends- she's DEAD, as in, she breathes her last breath, says her last words then trails off into silent stillness with her eyes open DEAD.

Then Shiva comes, picks up her limp body and takes her to.. where? Well, there's a Lazarus Pit nearby just begging for Cass to take a bath in, but we'll just have to see how this ultimately ends. Will Cassandra Cain remain dead (which SUCKS since she was pretty awesome and is so similar to my own Kai) or be resurrected? One thing's for sure, whether she's alive or still dead at the end of the next ish, the Batgirl series is over. As for the character of Cassandra Cain, we'll just have to see. I do hope that if she does stay dead, they don't just forget her. She mattered, damn it. I want to see her live on and continue, hopefully as one of the new members of Birds of Prey. Darn, it's going to be a long wait to February...

Waiting for Armageddon


The many, the proud, the deadly.

I never thought I'd be excited over a Mortal Kombat game, but I am. Yeah, the previous couple of installments- Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and MK: Deception are collecting dust, unplayed, in The Sanctum- but I find myself quite in a tizzy over the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

The latest issue of Game Informer magazine has released the first solid info on the upcoming MK title. Contrary to expectations, the latest MK will not be a next-gen title. Yep, it will instead be coming out on the older PS2 and Xbox. The reason for this is so Midway can tie up all the loose ends left in the current storylines before moving onto the Next Gen platforms.
Aside from that though, there's little revealed about what will be in store in terms of story. What is revealed is more about the gameplay, features and perks that are coming with Armageddom.

First of all, MKA will feature over 60 characters. Yep, you read that right. More than 60 kombatants- which is literally almost everyone who has ever appeared in an MK game, in all the released platforms. This includes even obscure titles like MK Mythologies Sub-Zero and MK Special Forces. The only character to perhaps miss the proverbial boat though is the centaur-like sub-boss, Motaro, who apparently might not make the cut (good riddance).

If 60 of the baddest, meanest bastards and bastardettes in Outworld and Earth Realm aren't enough for you... then KREATE your own! MKA will include a Kreate-a-Kombatant mode which will allow you to create your own death-dealer from the ground up. Dress him or her up from head to toe, customizing everything from eye color to breast size (Yes, you read that right too). Not only that, but you'll be able to select each of their special attacks and moves, and even name your special techniques yourself. Yeah, like Soul Calibur 3 it will be Attack of the Bikini Fighters all over again, but darn, it's gonna be fun. Hoho.
Tired of the usual Fatalities? MKA will also have Customizeable Fatalities. It's not clear though how this will be implemented. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to represent EVERY twisted fatality dream out there (particularly anything to do with pouring hot oatmeal down some orifices), but we'll just have to see.

In terms of other modes and extras, MKA will feature a redone Konquest Mode (which was basically a mini-adventure in previous games) that will be more similar to the recently-released and quite excellent Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Unlockable secrets and extras, once accessible only from Konquest, will now be reachable by play in other modes, and will be found in the game's new Vault (which replaces the old 'Krypt' as the storehouse for goodies).
As for actual gameplay changes, all we know is that the fighting system will be overhauled. You can customize combos and there will be a new way to do air combos. You will also be able to control where you throw opponents, adding a bit more strategy to environmental dangers like deathtraps and stage-specific dangers.

WHEW! That's a lot. A damn lot. And I am giddy with glee. There's a cool fighter coming still to the present platforms, so fighting game fans looking to see what may be the best MK ever would do well not to sell off their PS2s or Xboxes just yet.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is set for release on Xbox and PS2 in October 2006.

A Lion in Winter

I finally got to watch Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe last night. After a pizza dinner at Greenwich (yummy original crust pizza), I made a beeline for Gateway Mall's nice theaters. I caught the last full show and had my choice of pretty much everywhere to sit since there were only about a dozen people in the spacious theater. And good thing too, since the goddamn idiots behind me kept talking and talking even after the movie started. I walked off and found myself a nice seat near the front, nearer to the screen, away from cinematic barbarians.

Anyway, Narnia is the first in what may be a series of films based on C.S. Lewis' fantasy novels. Actually, I haven't read the actual book, but I DID watch the classic animation movie based on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe shown years and years ago. So, yeah, I knew what was going to happen even before getting in the theater.
The four Pevensie children- Lucy, Edward, Peter and Susan- are living in London during The Blitz in World War II. After a night of bombing from above, their mom sends them packing off to the countryside where they'll be safe. They are sent off to stay in the rather large mansion of one Professor Kirke, along with the McGonagall-like housekeeper, Mrs. MacReady (Elizabeth Hawthorne). While exploring the mansion during a game of Hide and Seek, Lucy (the youngest) discovers a huge wardrobe closet which turns out to be a portal to the fantasy world of Narnia.
There, she meets Mr. Tumnus (a quite well-cast James McAvoy), a faun, and has a bit of tea with the hoofed halfling creature. However, fun and lightness soon turns into menace when Lucy learns of the White Witch, Jadis (played note-perfect by Tilda Swinton), a tyrannical sorceress who has locked Narnia into an eternal winter. Eventually, all four Pevensies enter Narnia, and there is some drama as younger brother Edmund finds himself making some pretty daft decisions involving sweets called Turkish Delights. Ultimately, the children unite with Narnia's Lion King, Azlan (voiced by Liam Neeson), and together fulfill a prophecy to vanquish Jadis and bring summer and justice to the land.

First off, comparison with the more mature and sophisticated LOTR trilogy are unavoidable- the effects (or at least some) were done by WETA Workshop, which also did LOTR's eye-popping FX. The flavor and mood of Narnia however is more storybookish and whimsical compared to the midieval pseudo-history of Middle Earth. While LOTR makes you feel that you walked into some lost chapter of earth's history, Narnia is a trip into a fairy tale.

This makes for the more ecclectic look of Narnia's creatures- the armies of both good and evil are made up of half-man, half-whatever races, or even actual animals like cheetahs, rhinos and beavers (ah, the Beavers...), wolves and foxes. While the faun and centaur warriors certainly look awesome, the armies look mismatched and motley compared to the armored humans of Middle Earth. Don't expect gritty combat- this is simpler by a long shot (with armies led by children, what do you expect?) but still you can expect some pretty exciting battle scenes by the end- a big pay off for a pretty long film (going a bit over two hours).
In terms of acting, the Pevensie kids are pretty good, though I have to say there's a bit of woodenness to some scenes. Lucy's (Anna Poppenwell) face is definitely button cute and perfect for the role, while Edmund (Skandar Keynes) has the sullen look befitting his character. As expected, Tilda Swinton own ever scene she appears in as the icy queen, even more so in her climactic fight scenes- that girl can swing a sword and make it look serious... I wonder if she can do it as a protagonist, eventually?

Worth watching certainly despite my nitpicks, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a respectable entry into the fantasy film genre. Give Narnia a visit in theaters now in the Metro.

Kick Ass Babe


Milla Jovovich is the ultimate ass-kicker in Ultraviolet.

WHOA! I just saw the newly-released trailer for the film Ultraviolet, and I have to say I'm anticipating this film with eager beaver glee. The film is set in the future when genetics have allowed for the development of mutant, superhuman beings. However, these beings were hunted down when the ruling government saw them as a threat. The last remaining mutated supersoldier is, of course, the titular Violet, and she's got a bone to pick with humanity.
The film stars Milla Jovovich as the pistol-packing, shades-wearing, bodysuit-hugging super agent, which is kinda fitting since the psychedelic, dazzling and comicbook-like visuals of the futuristic world Ultraviolet exists in bears a bit of resemblance to the Fifth Element, which Jovovich also starred in. The visuals also bring to mind the look of the videogame Killer 7, which I really, really dig.

The fight scenes look pretty amazing, with UV taking on literally armies of black-suited thugs, so this will be a feast of carnage (though maybe bloodless) and lots of supergirlpower action.

Will this be something awesome or just all flash and sizzle? We'll just have to wait and see. I'll be sure to give this a big lookee-lookee when it comes slamming in later this year.

To see the awesome trailer, click here.

The Final Countdown

I guess I'll have to at least try to give that Neil Gaiman contest at Fully Booked for comics or fantasy literature a good ol' fashioned college try. 100,000 smackers isn't something to sneeze at. We've all got until the end of February (the original deadline was extended from end of December) to come up with some extraordinary stuff. Of course, I'll have to start wracking the noodle for some new stuff... I know something's still in there untapped. Just have to tickle it a bit and milk the head udders. Maybe I should get some inspiration by watching something cool- hopefully Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in a nice, big theater. We'll see what the grey macaroni pumps out soon.

Shootout

Finally, I'm able to update. It's been a pretty busy weekend for me: I had to attend a shoot for one of our major clients. It was an MTV/Promo TV commercial, starring lovely local singer/actress/model/VJ Iya Villania and quite a few attractive young women as well. We shot the spot in two days of shooting inside a studio, which meant long hours of sitting around as the crew set up the shots, and take after take was filmed. Yeah, I and my art director Trish had to spend hour upon hours on duty (sipping sodas and nibbling on chips and candies periodically placed before us), but it was cool to be on the client's seat and see everything done well. The Production House was great, the talents were marvelous and the director hilarious. By the time we finished it was early morning Monday, but what the hey... it looks like the commercial/MTV's gonna look great and that's all that matters.

One funny little thing- to pass the time during some of the longer setups, I actually watched the whole Aeon Flux movie on my O2 Mini. It's actually the first time I actually watched a full-length movie on my mobile, and it wasn't half bad. It's a great way I guess to see some films that you ordinarily don't have time to see. And I still had lots of power left over till the shoot packed up. Coolness. My thoughts on the film? Well, here's a mini-review for the mini-watch. Cool story with some nice mysteries and a bit of the psychobabble and philosophizing morality plays from the original cartoon. I would have liked Trevor Goodchild to have been blonde though- the actor wasn't bad but he looked kind of non-descript. Miss Theron gave a great performance, but I still hate her costume. Not bad at all, and perhaps I'll give it a watch when it slips into Manila theaters.