Dear Hollywood Leave Anime Alone!

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Hello my dear Otakus and Geeks out there. I haven't ranted in a very long time. But some latest rumors have me severely pissed. What has The Cool One feeling uncool you ask? We'll a few things my friends just a few things. Today I got news that Zac Efron might be playing the lead role in the live action Akira movie. The role he might be playing is Kaneda. Also get this, the movie might not take place in Neo Tokyo. No Hollywood wants to Americanize something that doesn't need to be Americanize. This Akira movie might be in Neo Manhattan. *Sigh* can someone please tell me why Hollywood hasn't learned? I mean Hollywood has done well with Superhero/Comic Book adaptations like The Dark Knight, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, Spiderman 1 and 2, The Walking Dead and many more. My question is why can't they give Anime that same dedication and love? Does anyone remember the horrible "Dragonball Evolution?" I already did a rant on that, but seriously I almost raised my blood pressure when I heard them called Goku, "Geeko." That's another story.

My problem with Anime live adaptations is that it doesn't stay true to the source. Or capture the same magic. Plus finding Actors who look similar to Anime characters is very hard. Truthfully I've seen better cosplayers who look more like the Anime characters, than the actors these producers have chosen. Let's look at exhibit A. Here below you see Justin Chatwin and Anime Angel's Cosplay Boy Of The Week. Who looks more like Goku to you? Justin Chatwin is on the right and the cosplayer is on the left.


Isn't it obvious that the Cosplayer looks more like Goku. The major problem I have with these so called adaptations is that the material is dumbed down and worst Americanized. Let me give you a clear example. Dragonball universe story wise is the most easiest story to adapt. How did they get the idea of making Goku a dude who gets bullied I will never understand. If these filmmakers take the time and actually WATCH and READ the material. They would know that Goku didn't go to high school and the only education he really had was driving school lol. Back to the topic most of these adaptations are made to appeal to American audiences. However you can't do that, because you hurt the main fan base. Last Airbender was a perfect example of dumbing down the story, miscasting and changing the main character's name. However my Otaku's we can't blame just Hollywood. Yes it's true because the original creators have to give the rights for this stuff to be made. So the question is who is suffering the most us or the original creators? These filmmakers claim they are fans of the stuff, but when you look at the film it shows they have no knowledge at all. Chris Nolan is a fan of Batman you can tell by his two movies. The way he captured the soul of The Dark Knight, the atmosphere, characters were all there. Edgar Wright is a fan of Scott Pilgrim. Yes a few changes were made but the spirit and core of the story was there. I don't think Hollywood takes Anime seriously unless Disney is distributing it. I'm starting to think these filmmakers need a fan consultant for these type of films. Who better knows the source material better than the fans? Hollywood here are some tips for you.

1. Get a fan consultant. Someone who knows the source material who can help with the film.

2. For the love of geeks read the damn material or watch the material. Eat, breathe and sleep that shit.

3. If the producers or higher up's are trying to change the source material, then fight for your art. This is your movie directors. That's your job! Direct!

4. Stop trying to appeal to an audience who is not going to pay attention. Someone who is not an Otaku, Gamer, Geek etc might not become a fan of DBZ etc after seeing the live action movie.

5. Respect the fanbase.

Either way no matter how much I cry out. Hollywood is cashing in and laughing all the way to the bank. Here is just a list of rumors of possible live adaptations that Hollywood has planned for Anime, Videogames etc.

1. Ghost In The Shell
2. Cowboy Bebop
3. Robotech
4. Voltron (That's Happening)
5. World Of Warcraft
6. Thundercats
7. Jonny Quest
8. Dragonball Rebirth (Evolution Sequel FML)

That's just to name a few. How can we stop this? It's simple we don't go see these movies. A movie needs to make money in order to get a sequel. If we don't support it, then no sequel. However dear friends this madness will not end. I can imagine most of this stuff will be in 3D as well. Hollywood I just want to say thank you for nailing the casket on hopes for good live adaptations Anime films. As my sister (Anime Angel) says Anime Rules!!! Let us Otakus and Geeks rule it not these people who know nothing about it.

Half-Life Fan Film: Beyond Black Mesa Trailer

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A teaser/trailer for a fan-made Half-Life 2 short film has been making its rounds on the internet.
The film, titled "Beyond Black Mesa," is set a short time before the events of Half-Life 2 as shown with Ravenholm not yet being a Headcrab Zombie hot spot. It centers around Adrian Shepard (whom some fans may remember as the main playable character in Half Life: Opposing Force) and a band of resistance fighters struggling to get out a warning about an impending invasion.

The film has been in the making for about two years, and is operating under the budget of only $1200. I'm pretty excited for it, especially after watching the other HL fan-made short "Escape From City 17." (Which, despite being less than 15 minutes looked fantastic and was only operating under the extremely small budget of $500.) Most, if not all of the sound effects are ripped straight from the game which also gives it a nice touch.

Edit: Check out the official trailer below!


Expect to be able to watch this with your eyeballs some time later this year. I'm totally unsure.

New Xbox 360 Dashboard Update Review (ESPN included)

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Microsoft started out the month of November with a free software update for its Xbox 360 users. The new UI gave users the feel of an upgraded console to a certain extent. The main reason for this was to make the Xbox Kinect compatible, some of the additions included ESPN, Zune unlimited music program, upgraded Netflix, life like Avatars and a slicker dash among many other things. But how does it fare?

Espn: My favorite new feature! As a huge sports fan this was the biggest announcement for me at E3 2010. As I'm typing this, I'm actually watching the Celtics play the Bucks on it now(in OT!). Now let me explain the new app.

Espn Xbox is Espn3 and Espn.com merged together. You can Live stream pretty much every game that Espn 1 & 2 shows except for (MNFl). Also for some reason the NFL won't even let them show highlights just pics. Once you enter the app you have the option to watch a live game, watch a replay of a game or watch some highlights. I live in the highlight section, gone are the days when I have 2 sit through highlights that I don't care about, or sit through news about a sport I don't care about. You have the option to pick you favorite sports then see only news and highlights from that sport. Want to see Miami Heat highlights no problem just click on it, want to see Randy Moss latest interview no problem just click on it, want to rewind that amazing dunk by Kobe no problem.

Now hows the quality? Depending on your connection, most of the time you have a HD option which looks amazing! Im watching it now in HD with wifi from a G router so that shows alot there.
This App isnt perfect its still missing full shows like PTI, Mike and Mike and Around the Horn among others. Also No NFL highlights (just news), No NBA or MLB games not being shown on
Espn already. I KNOW this app will get better so be patient.

Netflix: Search bar added & new look. Search Bar not only shows you what is available to stream but it shows what is available in the entire netflix database

Overall the new look and the new additions are great, so many tweaks actually to many to name. Besides minor glitches which will be fixed shortly(ie avatar clothes/awards problems) this is a great Dashboard update! Not as ground breaking as the NXE but hey its free.


8/10



NBA Elite 11 Cancelled! Read What Happen....

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For those who don't know NBA elite was cancelled yesterday & now NBA elite 12 has a new developer. EA Tiburon, yes the Madden Developers. Lets look at this from different angles.


1.Dear EA how the hell are you going to cancel a game that already went gold? WTF! For those who don't know. EA gave out copies of the game at the Elite 11 launch event. Hence the reason why it was sold on eBay, here's the link below. Credit to Kotaku.com



2. Kevin Durant- The cover boy for NBA Elite didn't come cheap (yes 2k11 cover boy cost way more), how is that spent money justified? Will they use Kevin Durant again? Doubt it.


3. NHL developer team vs Madden developer team - EA's NHL franchise is amazing, it basically killed 2K's NHL game(not by buying them unlike Madden) so EA trusted them to lead the way with its NBA franchise. They re-branded it and gave NHL10 game director full control. In my opinion this was a great move. It seems that EA didn't truly understand that even Rome wasn't built in a day so they rushed Elites development. Once the game went gold EA execs wasn't happy with the negative demo reviews. They immediately blamed EA Canada for not fulfilling promises, shortly after the layoffs. Several reports say that EA laid off over 100 developers but none in the Madden offices.


Madden is EA's cash cow, in August Madden sold over 2 million copies. Yes! 2 million in one month! So EA feels like anything they touch turns to gold, well I actually met and attended a class held by EA Tiburon General Manager Phillip Holt. Let me tell you they are amazing! The amount of work that team puts into Madden every year is astronomical. Personally I don't think they can turn Elite around but what do you guys think??


Will Madden suffer now?

Will EA Tiburon turn around NBA Elite?

Should they use a brand new engine??


Let me know..

Sonic Fan Remakes Sonic Music

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Today is Music Monday and truthfully I'm so burned out right now. That I couldn't even think of a countdown. But I did however find something cool for you Otakus and Geeks out there. A Youtube user by the name of Ubergrau. My favorite work of his is the Green Hill Zone.

Green Hill Zone


Carnival Night Zone Remake


Final Boss Remake Orchestrated / Rock


Angel Island (Sonic 3) - Remake 2009



Aquatic Ruin Zone (2009) - Remake


Christopher Nolan Titles The Next Batman Movie

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Christopher Nolan has named the next Batman movie. The next and last of Nolan's Batman movie will be called "The Dark Knight Rises." I'm very excited about the title and I hope it has something to do with the ending. Nolan also stated that "The Riddler" will not be in the movie. So much for seeing the master of riddles. Now this leaves for us to question and debate, who will step in to be the next baddie. Who do you think will be enough of a threat to face Batman in the last film? I personally think Nolan will go with someone pure left wing like Hush, Blackmask or Penguin. Either we will have to wait and see.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Review

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"What you seek you will find." Yoda said. Not exactly Yoda, what we sought was a great follow up to the original Force Unleashed. Instead we got a very short game that could of been an DLC, on PSN or XBOX Live. Even though The Force Unleashed 2 is bigger and badder, does that mean it's worth the buy?

Story - The story follows the events after the first game. Starkiller is on Komino uncertain whether he is himself or just a clone. After a fail training with Lord Vader. Starkiller escapes on a mission to find himself and answer the question of his true identity. The story is nothing special and can't compare to the first one. The story lacks emotional depth and the use of Yoda and Boba Fett is poorly used. Instead of the story exploring Starkiller's constant inner conflict with light and dark. We get a Starkiller that is one dimensional and has a one track mind, his mission is finding his love Juno Eclipse. Nothing else matters to him beside that. The story leaves you with even more questions such as where the hell is The Emperor? What is the progress of the Death Star? How far are we from Episode 4? The ending will also leave you disappointed as it setups for another installment. Just when the story is getting good it ends.

Gameplay - If you played the first game then move on along. The gameplay is the same with a few tweeks. Starkiller is still a walking force bomb. All powers are intact like Force Lighting, Force Push, Force Repel, Saber Throw and many more. New additions are the Jedi Mind Trick. Players can trick enemies to attack each other, or kill themselves. It's pretty funny watching a Stormtropper just give up on life. The Jedi Mind Trick is very useful when you have multiple enemies on the screen. Another new tweek is the Force Sense. The map that many gamers found annoying is gone. The Force Sense replaces the map and by pressing the up on the d-pad, the force will guide you to your destination. This is a welcome, but not really needed. Since the game is so linear and the design doesn't take different routes its not needed. You can't get lost in this game. Like the last game players are able to upgrade their powers and lightsaber skills. This time however it's not as in depth. You earn your point and upgrade, you don't get to choose your lightsaber skills at all. The game is normal level even on the hardest setting. Once you put your force levels to at least two the game is easy. The boss levels are easy once you recognize the patterns, however it is really epic. The final battle with Vader was amazing. My major problem with the game is that it's really short. It should take you to 4 to 5 hours max to beat. It's really short.

Gameplay Video


Graphics - The graphics are beautiful. It's a nice upgrade from the first one. The rain on Komino is one of the best I've seen this year. LucasArts make sure that players gets the Star Wars feel. The only thing I didn't like was a little glitch I found in the elevator. Sometime Starkiller will become a ghost and you can see through him. But this rarely happens, there was a little hiccups on framerate through my gameplay, but otherwise that the graphics is amazing. Nothing put me a smile on my face than the Stormtroppers getting their limbs chop off with each swing. It's a beautiful site to see.

Sound - It's John Williams music that we know and love. Do you really expect anything less from him? Have you ever played a Star Wars game where the music wasn't on point? The music is beautiful and fits each cutscene very well. I love the use of "Anakin's Betrayal and The Immolation Scene." The screams of the Stormtroppers are a delight and the voice acting is top notch. There is no over acting in this game. I still wish James Earl Jones would play Vader, but it's still good.

Replay Value - The game features two endings, the dark and light. After you see those endings and complete the challenge mode there is nothing to do.

Final Grade C- The graphics are beautiful, gameplay has some new tweeks. The story is one dimensional, flat and lacks emotional depth that you expect from Star Wars. The Force Unleashed 2 has some heart, but lacks the spirit of the force. Even with a few epic set pieces the game is way too short to even suggest to die hard fans. Final Grade C-.


Scariest Videogame Of All Time (Justin's Choice)

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I have played a lot of horror games in my 23 years of living on this earth. However no game has ever made me drop the controller, or completely turn the game off like "Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly." I know saying that a game is the scariest of all time you better have a reason. Well here are some of my reasons why I think it is.

1. This can actually happen to you to some extent. Granted there won't be such thing as a Camera Obscura. However the chances of meeting a ghost is way more higher than meeting a Zombie or Alien. What Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly does is bring us atmosphere unlike any other. The dark corridors, the sounds of ghost talking through the walls. It gave gamers a great feel of what it would be like to be in a Japanese Horror flick.

2. The scares are amazing. Besides the creepy atmosphere and voices of the dead echoing around. What really makes is this game scary is that you never know when the ghost will appear. The ghost can be anywhere. I remember the scariest moment in this game is when I saw the ghost kid. I was in a room and hand to use the camera to search for a clue. I position the camera up and then boom in the ceiling was this scary looking ghost kid. I always find kid ghost to be more scary then the adult ones. Needless to say I drop the controller and turn the game off.

3. The story makes for a great horror game. Ghost are always trying to possess or make you do their bidding. In part 2 the ghost are trying to finish a ritual which involves two sisters. How scary can that be? A village of dead ghost running after trying to sacrifice your life. Yeah I would be freaked out. But don't take my word for it look at some videos below.