Jan11

The Superior Spider-Man #1 Review

by panzerjedi on January 11, 2013 at 12:48 AM
Posted In: Comics

MARVEL NOW The Superior Spider-Man #1 Just a note before you read on: I’m going to be talking about what happens in The Amazing Spider-Man #700. You’ve been warned! (Though none of this should be a surprise now, since the events of ASM #700 were all over the news and social media as soon as it was released.)

I’ve been a casual fan of Spider-Man for quite a while, but haven’t bought an issue since ASM #365. I’ve been trying to find a jumping on point since the movies were released, but it’s a daunting task with such a rich and confusing history as Spider-Man’s (especially when story arcs are retconned soon after they’re done). When I learned that The Amazing Spider-Man would be ending and a new series would start, I decided that there’s no time like the present to jump in and see how it ends.

Otto Octavius outwits Peter Parker, trapping Peter’s consciousness inside his dying body and taking Peter’s body as his own? It was pretty damn shocking! Not many will agree with me, but I have to commend Dan Slott for writing such a compelling story to end The Amazing Spider-Man and make me excited for The Superior Spider-Man. Had Peter’s story ended on a high note, I don’t believe the excitement/interest level for The Superior Spider-Man would be anywhere as high as it is now.

I really enjoyed The Superior Spider-Man #1. It breathes new life into the Spider-Man character, with Otto’s desire to be a better Spider-Man than Peter was. We get to see the beginnings of this in this issue, where Spider-Man easily defeats the “all-new Sinister Six” by having superior tech and strategy. I would almost say that it’s almost as if Bruce Wayne were wearing the Spider-Man costume, if it weren’t for Otto’s cockiness and ruthlessness as Spider-Man. Otto’s Spider-Man holds nothing back. He’s willing to maim, destroy property, and even kill. Nor does he really care about innocents. All Otto wants or cares about is to be a better Spider-Man than Peter Parker was.

But that’s not enough. Otto also wants to be a better Peter Parker than Peter was. So far, Otto’s focus is Peter’s job at Horizon Labs and Mary Jane Watson. Otto’s version of Peter Parker is quite cocky as he doesn’t care who he steps on to get what he wants – even Mary Jane. I’m kinda surprised that the people that interact with Peter on a daily basis don’t see this sudden change in his character. This is really my only complaint about The Superior Spider-Man #1. I would have at least expected Mary Jane to say something about ‘Peter’ harshly speaking to her when he’s annoyed and referring to her as “woman”.

Peter Parker’s Spider-Man was built on the foundation that “with great power comes great responsibility”. Otto Octavius as Spider-Man doesn’t have this foundation, but we see it come out in parts of the story, nonetheless. He saves a cop out of instinct while fleeing a fight with the all-new Sinister Six. The dynamic between the ruthlessness and morals is what makes this Spider-Man interesting to me. I look forward to seeing how Otto deals with this new sense of responsibility and seeing what kind of Spider-Man he’ll eventually become. (And hey, I’m very curious to see how Peter will come back to life. You know it’s going to happen. It has to!)

The Superior Spider-Man #1 is a great jumping on point if you want to get into Spider-Man comics. Dan Slott knows what he’s doing and writes a story that’s makes you compelled to read on and anticipate the next issue. If you have a local comic shop, add it to your pull list. (Though, you’re probably going to have to wait until the second printing is released since #1 is already sold out in many comic book shops.) Alternatively, you can buy a digital copy directly from Marvel and read it on your computer, iPad, iPhone or Android device.

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Nov18

Remembering the Nintendo Wii

by panzerjedi on November 18, 2012 at 1:39 AM
Posted In: Video Games

I recently read this great story titled Revolution: The story of Wii over at ComputerAndVideoGames.com about how the Wii came to be. (I highly recommend that you read it.)

The first time I played the Nintendo Wii was at E3 2006. I was working for IGN at the time and was encouraged to take a day and go to the convention. I woke up early drove to the LA Convention Center, got my E3 pass, and went straight to the Nintendo booth to wait in line. That line was probably the longest I’ve ever waited in a line for something in my life. I waited for 4 hours and would have probably waited for several more hours if it weren’t for the Nintendo reps pulling random people out of line to be VIP’d into the Wii booth. (Hooray for using PictoChat to organize a multiplayer Tetris DS game – that’s what got me .)

Me playing Legend of Zelda at E3 2006

Me playing Legend of Zelda at E3 2006

As you can see from the photo above, I choose to play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at E3. They only let each person play for 5 minutes, but what I played showed me that there was no need to worry about Nintendo’s crazy new way to play video games. (Motion based controls aren’t the best way to play video games, if you ask me, but it is a good alternative and can sometimes work really well if the game is correctly made for the experience.) I also checked out the other games that they had there, but Zelda was the only game I was interested in. Would I wait 4 hours in line for something again? Probably not, but I will say that it was totally worth waiting in line for that year’s E3 experience.

By the time you read this, the Nintendo Wii U will have launched in the United States. Like the Wii, the Wii U has a crazy new thing to make it unique. The new controller with a touch screen will make for some interesting new games, if you ask me. We’ll have to wait and see if third party developers are willing to take advantage of what the Wii U can offer, but it’s a guarantee that Nintendo themselves will make games worth buying.

I’m quite excited to try out Nintendo’s new console and can’t wait to see what new experiences the new controller has in store for us gamers.

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Jan30

Final Fantasy XIII Review

by panzerjedi on January 30, 2012 at 11:58 PM
Posted In: Video Games

Final Fantasy XIII Box Art Square Enix PS3 Xbox 360Since Final Fantasy XIII-2 comes out today, I thought I’d share my thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy has usually been considered to be the best of the best when it comes to the traditional RPG. However, since moving from cartridge based to disc based media, the series has become dependent on showing off its graphical prowess instead of telling a decent story. We saw this in Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X (probably Final Fantasy XII as well, but I haven’t played FF12 yet so I can’t say for sure). Sadly, Final Fantasy XIII continues this new style of traditional RPG where pretty graphics are more important than having a compelling narrative.

Final Fantasy XIII‘s English Trailer

This won’t be that long of a review, because I still haven’t finished the game. Actually, I’m not sure if I ever will. I’m just not compelled to play Final Fantasy XIII. I’m just not entertained by it’s linearity – basically going from point A, fighting some monsters, to point B where a cut scene is played out (repeat). Now I’m not saying that the cutscenes aren’t well done – they have very high production quality. Even the voice acting is well done! Other than Vanille, that is. (Why Square Enix chose such an annoying voice to narrate the entire game is beyond me.)

A big problem with Final Fantasy XIII is that it’s more movie than game. You walk 5 minutes then a cutscene and repeat. It really removed me from the experience. On top of this, I just don’t find the story interesting. Now, I’ve been told that 6 or so hours in, the story gets really good. But, I’m already 6 hours in and still waiting for the real game to begin.

One plus of Final Fantasy XIII is its battle theme, Blinded by Light.

On the plus side, the battle system is well thought out and quite fun. I just wish that Final Fantasy XIII played more like Final Fantasy games of the past – more RPG gaming, less watching the game play itself. Will I pick up Final Fantasy XIII again? Maybe. The release of Final Fantasy XIII-2 has made me think about FF13. So we’ll see. For sure though, I won’t be buying Final Fantasy XIII-2 when it’s released – even though there’s a Collector’s Edition that includes a soundtrack.

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Dec31

Batman: Arkham City Review

by panzerjedi on December 31, 2011 at 8:19 PM
Posted In: Video Games

Batman Arkham City box art Xbox 360Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of the best licensed games to come out in this console generation, if not video game history. Its release showed that with a little love and care, a licensed game can do more than be a just a quick buck for the publisher. Batman: Arkham City offers more of the same, but at the same time offers the best video game experience one could ask for.

Batman: Arkham City does what any good form of entertainment should – it draws you into another world. Arkham City does a wonderful job at creating a virtual Gotham. More so, if I dare say, than Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, have done. This subsection of Gotham feels more gritty, crime ridden, and dangerous. Granted, Arkham City itself is just an open-air facility where all of Gotham’s criminals, criminally insane, and super villians are allowed to run “free” while Gotham in the movies deals with one problem at a time (so far). But that’s besides the point. Batman: Arkham City provides the means for the player to experience Gotham as Batman himself would.

Batman: Arkham City launch trailer

I’ve always imagined, while reading the comics, that Batman’s world isn’t always as linear as it may seem. As you’re gliding through Arkham City to your next mission point, you’ll find that you get distracted plenty of times along the way. Whether it be from a distress signal, random beatings, or a side mission. (I would have to say that my favorite side mission is the one where Batman has to answer ringing phones all across Arkham City and listen to Zsasz’s stories.) All of it, I find, is thrilling. It makes me feel like I’m Batman protecting the city he loves so dearly. It’s a beautiful thing to behold, in video game terms.

Even the Start Screen is awesome.

Batman: Arkham City is probably the most enjoyable game I’ve played this year. It retains the fun combat system from Batman: Arkham Asylum and improves upon it ever so slightly, has a great story written by Paul Dini himself, and builds a wonderful gritty atmosphere. It’s the sequel any video game fan could ask for. Like Batman: Arkham Asylum, if you’re a fan of super hero games, action games, or just Batman, Batman: Arkham City isn’t a game to miss.

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Oct05

Thanks Steve Jobs!

by panzerjedi on October 5, 2011 at 8:15 PM
Posted In: Movies, Tech

Every once in a while, someone comes along and just changes everything. Crazy radical ideas that turn what you once knew to be the best into something that you just can’t live without. Today, innovation lost one of its greatest foreword thinkers.

You’ve got to find what you love

You don’t have to like Steve Jobs, or Apple, but you can’t deny the impact he’s had. In the short time that he was here, he was able to influence not only the technology industry, but the music industry and product design (and probably countless others we’re just not aware of yet). His ability to think different raised the bar for other companies to aim for – showing us how things should be done. Nearly every product you own has some degree of Steve’s influence.

I’m not a big fan of Steve Jobs myself – I’ve always felt he was kind of a douche – but I do respect the work he’s done. When I was younger, I always thought of Apple products as overpriced, underpowered, and limiting computers. I was wrong, very wrong. Now that I’m older, I’m able to appreciate the mantra that things should “just work”, that simplicity says more than information overload, and why can’t this thing that I use every day be functional and look good. It’s an aspect of not sacrificing design nor functionality that not everyone can recreate.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. – Steve Jobs

The world will feel Steve Jobs influence for many years to come. We lost a great innovator. So before you watch your favorite Pixar movie, listen to an mp3, go surfing the Internet, read an e-book (or whatever you crazy kids do on your electronic devices these days) on your iPod, iPhone, Mac, PC, Android device, iPad, or tablet take a moment and reflect and send your thanks to Steve Jobs for sharing his crazy ideas with us.

Thanks Steve, you’ll be missed.

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