Short Film!!!!

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Some of us robots get together now and then and put together short films in our spare time. This one was put together in about five hours, we got less then 200 hits on youtube, So we are posting it again! Why not.

It’s funny.

Robotech Available on iTunes

Sunday, September 28th, 2008

RoboTech has just be released on iTunes. I know most of you probably don’t care, though you should. Second only to Star Wars in the genre of Space Opera, Robotech is a kick-ass and sweeping epic tale. It’s certainly one of my favorites and I would advise you guys to check it out.

Robotech Season 1: The Macross Saga (36 episodes): Release date 9/2/08
Robotech Season 2: The Robotech Masters( 24 epsodes): Release date 9/8/08
Robotech Season 3: The New Generation (25 episodes): Release date 10/6/08

Season 1 is easily my favorite and it’s obviously the best place to start.

Check out the trailer (though I’d almost like to cut my own because it could be even more kick-ass):

From the press release:

ROBOTECH is a sweeping science-fiction anime epic of humans defending their homeworld against alien domination. The saga is told through the eyes of characters caught up in a series of wars that erupts when a mysterious spacecraft crash-lands on Earth at the turn of the millenium. The secrets of alien knowledge aboard this vessel were unlocked, leading to the development of “Robotechnology” and the creation of a vast arsenal of robotic “mecha” to defend the Earth against the alien threats that would eventually strike to lay claim to the mysterious power source known as “protoculture.”

ROBOTECH has often been called a “space opera” because it is not just action-packed entertainment, but also an engaging drama.

ROBOTECH is told in three seasons, or sagas. The Macross Saga, the Robotech Masters, and the New Generation.

Seriously, get in on this. I know it looks sort of “anime” but it’s from the 80s, so trust me, it’s cool.

Paul Newman: 1925-2008

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

It is with great sadness that I report that one of my favorite actors (and certainly one of the best ever) has passed away.

Paul Newman was 83.  The man acted in some of my favorite movies, both new and old, and was acting at an ability some only ever dream of.  From Cool Hand Luke to Road to Perdition and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to The Hudsucker Proxy, Newman made the theatre a better place to be.

It is with a heavy heart that I recomend a few movies for you to watch this weekend in honor of one of the most charitable actors the world has known.

1) Check out The Sting. It’s brilliantly written and funny and Newman is a blast to watch.  Seeing him go head to head in a battle of wits and con-artistry against Robert Shaw (Quint from Jaws) with Robert Redford by his side is a helluva ride.

2) Watch The Color of Money.  Newman working with Scorsese at his best next to Tom Cruises first time actually “acting.”  Reprising his role as Fast Eddie Felson from The Hustler, Newman lights up the screen.

3) The Verdict.  Sidney Lumet’s classic film about a burned-out ambulance chasing lawyer played brilliantly by Newman.    It has a script by David Mamet and Mamet’s words coming out of Newman are a joy to watch.  The film is surprisingly relevant in today’s world of legal maneuvering and medical malpractice.

4) Torn Curtain.  Some people say this is a “lesser” Hitchcock film, but those people are clearly idiots.  Paul Newman stars opposite Julie Andrews in this taut suspense thriller about a mathmetician (Newman) who defects behind the Iron Curtain, but ends up in an espionage oriented game of cat and mouse.

REVIEW: Mega Man 9!!!!!

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

Capcom has done it again, as expected by at least one robot. Me. This game kicks ass!
As most of you know, they took it back to the basics and made a really challenging Mega Man game, with most of the same functions as Mega Man 1. I think this game in ways seems harder then the original except for the fact that you are aloud to purchase extra lives, and energy tanks pretty much whenever you want. Making it harder, but then easier at the exact same time. I would address that as a complaint, if I had the spirit left in me to master another impossible Mega Man game. The fact is this makes it more accessible to more players and so I think it’s a good choice.

Mega Man 9 is the feel good game of the year! -Slugtron

Also if you don’t think it’s challenging enough they are releasing challenge upgrades, so that you can play on hard, and very hard modes. I think it is lame to sell content like that for more money, but I still might buy an upgrade. There is one upgrade for a bonus stage, and at this point that would be the first and only one I am tempted to try.

The story in it is actually pretty rad, rather then Dr. Wily’s robots, you are fighting Dr. Lights robots gone mad. It begins with Dr. Wily on the news saying he has changed his ways and he wants to help, and to arrest Dr. Light. Which happens. It is also a cool touch that when you enter the boss cages there are Dr. Light symbols.

It has a nice sounding sound track. I think some of the weapons are pretty cool my favorite being “Hornet Chaser” but there are others that are pretty lame, “concrete shot” for example.
Just like the first games the bosses seem to have pretty set patterns, and just because you have the weapon that kills them, doesn’t mean they won’t work you.

With the bosses, just like the weapons there are some cool ones, and there are some lame ones. My favorite boss being “Galaxy Man” lamest being “Hornet Man”

Dr. Wily’s stage is difficult, but fun. In my opinion there are a few to many instant deaths. Dr. Wily isn’t that challenging himself (or maybe he is, but I am just that good?) but by the time I got to him I was rejoicing in the fact I didn’t have to continue in order to figure him out. So to sum it up this game is rad, 153 out of 156 stars.

If I wasn’t mandated by the B.S.R.B to stop handing out phony prescriptions, then I would tell sick kids this would cure their cancer!

INTERVIEW: Dez VylenZ, Director of “The Mindscape of Alan Moore”

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

Big Shiny Robot!: How did you get involved with this film and how did you secure Alan Moore’s involvement?

Dez Vylenz: It’s a long story, most of which I explained in the DVD booklet or in the extras if I remember correctly, but it comes down to my early fascination with the comic book medium, his mastery of storytelling and the university thesis about the narrative in comics, film and literature that made me appreciate his craft and far out imagination even more.

I contacted him by fax with a treatment and explained that the intention was not to make a documentary about comics, but rather a psychedelic experience, a visual essay. The artist as contemporary shaman was the main theme. At the time most of the magazines seemed to talking only about comics and you got the sense that his interest in concepts like magic were seen as too “esoteric” for public consumption. He called me back after the weekend and we took it from there.

BSR!: What prompted you to make this your first film?

DV: It really was all there, his powerful vision, the impressive body of work, but most of all it was a feasible guerrilla film project. It was the perfect vehicle to experiment with my interests in spoken word, music, film, comics and literature and at the same time explore the connection between art, magic, science and the current mindset.

I was fortunate that from my early years on there were always these philosopher types and scientists around who would discuss things. I try to keep that in mind, that an audience should be treated as intelligent in the same way that you wouldn’t talk baby language to a child if you want them to learn something. So I agree that the film is quite dense, but there were a lot of things I had to get out of my system.

Also, I don’t believe in jumping ahead of yourself. Even if I was given a big budget at the time I don’t think I was ready to handle a bigger feature film. So this documentary was also a perfect transition to more elaborate fiction narratives.

BSR!: How much preparation did you do in order to interview Moore?

DV: A lot. I should still have whole files in our archive. Somebody showed me a review of the film a while ago that said something like “an unconstructed voyage etcetera”. Complete rubbish, because if you study it closely, you’ll notice that there are clearly three acts and the film is structured around the principle of the Big Bang and the Big Crunch being connected by a wormhole, in other words everything existing at the same time. But the film obviously is experienced linearly with Moore getting closer than disappearing until the end.

BSR!: Being a fan of his work, even reading it can be a little intimidating, how was it actually interviewing him on camera?

DV: In terms of working with him, I don’t see where people keep saying he’s difficult. Things went really smooth and once you’re on the job you just do your work as is required and engage as deep as you can into different subjects.
It’s only literally when we wrapped up the camera, lights, sound and the whole circus that we whipped out all our comics from the bags and politely asked to have them signed. So yes, at the end we did have our brief fanboy moment.

BSR!: Where did the interview take place?

DV: In his house in Northampton. It’s called Seaview and has a beautiful wooden door with two snakes, double helix style carved into it. He did offer to visit some other locations, local churches and so on, but time was short and in the end it was important to focus on the content and create a comfortable environment. We even rigged up a blue screen against one of his library walls, because with Act 2 you actually get closer to him and the integrated world behind.

BSR!: What was your shooting ratio?  I can imagine that Alan Moore had a lot more to say than what you were able to fit into the film.

DV: Hey, I don’t get that question a lot, you must have a filmmaking background. Shooting ratio scarily was nearly 1:1 or 1:2 with the occasional retake if needed. Almost everything we shot ended up in the film, for the simple reason that it was all tightly structured and planned out. When you’re shooting on film it can get expensive and changing rolls takes time, but I think restrictions are sometimes good. They force you to stay sharp and lean.
Also, I don’t believe in the Kubrick thing, I’ve worked with actors who said they really had to do 98 takes or more just walking down the stairs when doing Eyes Wide Shut.

I find that wasteful, as a director you also have an obligation to be efficient with the budget coughed up by the investors.

I guess the parallel with martial arts that I try to apply in my approach to film, is that preparation is key, you do all the practising beforehand, but once you have to execute, there should be no hesitation. And when you work with a solid film crew and a solid performer in this case, you know you can’t go wrong.

BSR!: Could you talk about why you made some of the B roll choices you did?  Sometimes they seemed spot-on and other times it seemed oddly disparate…

DV: If you mean the DVD extras, they were deliberately focusing on the creative process. On Disc 1 they are all film related, making of material. On Disc 2 it’s leaning more about the artists who draw comics and the collaborative process, in particular with Alan Moore. For both newcomers to the medium, academics and fans I thought this would be fresh material. The mainstream media usually don’t pay much attention to these extremely gifted artists who each have such unique styles. When you see Kevin O’Neill’s crosshatching technique up close in the original artwork of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you really piss your pants.

BSR!: How did you get involved with Disinformation for the North American release?

DV: They contacted us when we actually had already released the film on the Internet and were gearing up to the UK release in May 2008. The designer told me that they were a highly respected alternative culture label, so decided to meet with them.
Mind you, this is after I dealt with a lot of distribution companies that expressed interest, but things never materialised or they didn’t seem to fully understand the nature of this film, which obviously is leaning towards a cult niche. The film in the end is not really about comics, it’s about a writer, a creative force, a thinker who happens to work mostly in that medium.

But it’s also a film about the power of the Idea and how that is formalised in magic, art and science. A sort of anti-thesis to the mechanistic worldview the contemporary mindset seems to have embraced since Descartes mumbled his “I think therefore I am” and Newton started to break down the universe in small predictable units.

Anyway, once I started talking to Gary and Ralph, I realized they really grasped the whole concept of the film and had a genuine passion in bringing it out there. So there immediately was that mutual respect that is crucial to business or any kind of relationship. Guess it was just one of those things that you could call destiny. Things clicked and we took if from there.

BSR!: What has been the response to the film among Alan Moore fans?

DV: Overwhelming most of the time, we get emails all the time of people who said it really inspired them or broadened their outlook on life. Of course we also get criticism from some hardcore comic fans who expected a more detailed overview of all his works. This is impossible in 78 minutes. And with this form and monologue you can’t push the attention span longer than that without breaking the current hypnotic rhythm of the film.

But the whole point is, they already know all of this comic book stuff, this is not about anecdotes or pop culture trivia. Truth is, you simply can’t please everybody and do test screenings.

Anyway, 95% seems to really embrace the film and take something away with them and many of them are not even comic book fans.

BSR!: What did you take away from Alan Moore in the process of making this film?

DV: A free copy of Promethea ; )

Besides that and all the machinations of the film industry, a more refined sense for the film craft, a more profound understanding of narrative, magic, mysticism and art in general.

But most of all, working with a gentleman like Alan Moore your learn that as an artist you have to remain humble and true to your heart, with of course a sense of pride in what you do, while grinding away in the trenches. Which is what authors have to do most of the time. I’m still out in the field way too much though.

BSR!: What’s next for you? And when can we expect it?

DV: Keeping in mind that film finance is a fickle and shaky thing, 2009 is the projected shoot for my next feature film “Burning” a Caribbean mystical neo-realist thriller. It’s Part 2 of the Shamanautical series and I’m fired up to shoot it, as it’s a much more visceral expression of my own ideas, background and exploration of life into both the urban and jungle settings in Suriname.

The release depends on sales agents, distributors and so on. Talks are going on here and there with potential investors just as the monetary manure is hitting the fan right now but I won’t let any economic recession stop me. With a compact and solid crew, victuals, a camera and stock, a few guns and ammo, but most of all with a tightly planned script under the belt you can come a long way.

Trashtalk

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Greetings all, I apologize for my absence but I just got released from rehab for a sex addiction (compulsively masturbating in my own feces) not unlike our favorite David Duchovny.

Studios are hoping to redeem shitty franchises that raped the souls of comic book fans everywhere by rebooting failed flicks. But you know what? It needs to stop. Warner Bros. has announced that because Bryan Singer’s whatever sequel Superman Returns made no sense (was that dumb ass kid Superman’s son with Lois; did Lois know that Clark and Superman were the same person; why was Cyclops in the movie, who gives a shit?) and was two and half hours too long they’re redoing the franchise from scratch. Great, cool, another Superman movie. I wonder what will happen? Will he save people from disasters? Get sick from Kryptonite? Fly around? Hm, I wonder. They’ve also announced that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are getting a third revamp as the computer animated flick that was released last year made audiences shit blood. Yeah, we all grew up with those loveable green amphibians and they helped shape us to the nerds we are today, but it’s a dead franchise. Let it rest in piece. You don’t see Christians revamping the Bible left and right, well, okay, that’s a bad analogy, Christians are the worst. We’ve got Punisher: Warzone; a remake of the shitty Thomas Jane version that was a remake of the shitty Dolph Lundgren version. I’m at a point where I’ll just fucking watch Death Wish, it’s The Punisher without all the shitty aspects of a movie trying to redeem another movie. My tip for all of you: Don’t see Punisher: Warzone – Rent Death Wish.

And we’ve all been covering the news on the developing Ghostbusters III: The Search for Curly’s Gold here at BSR! and I have to say that I’m looking forward to it ever so much, because not only will we have all the original cast members returning to rape a perfectly good franchise from our childhood (a la Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) but they will return swollen from years of age and flops (we’re looking at you Ernie Hudson). And, I’m sure we can look forward to it being a 90-minute preview for Ghostbusters IV, starring Seth Rogan, Dave Chappell, Will Farrell and Owen Wilson. What a cast!

Well, until the next unwanted opinion of everyone’s favorite robot (it might be about Wolverine: Origins). Cheers!

REVIEW : Kurt Vonnegut’s Armageddon In Retrospect

Saturday, September 20th, 2008

This book really kicks it’s weight in ass -Slugtron

This book was released earlier this year, and is a collection of twelve previously unpublished Kurt Vonnegut writings about war and peace.

Overall this is a really good book.

Starting with a really good introduction by Kurt’s son Mark Vonnegut that gives an outsiders perspective of Kurt’s work and some insights on how he lived. The reason I liked this intro so much was that as a big Kurt Vonnegut fan, I look up to Kurt almost like an untouchable genius (which he is) but Mark really drives in that he was a normal guy that worked hard to make his work good. It just really made me realize how dedicated Kurt Vonnegut was, which I think is inspirational and makes me want to try harder at the things I do.

The Next chapter in the book is a three page letter that Kurt wrote to his family during WWII, I think it shows that he was as good a writer even at a young age and he put just as much care into a letter to his family, as he seems to put in his books. Also it is essentially a three page summary of what happened to him while he was a POW, which is just terribly interesting.

Kurt Vonnegut at Clowes Hall: This is the text of a speech that Kurt Vonnegut wrote right before he died. I think it goes to show a few thinks about Kurt. For example I think that it goes a long way in saying that he is a brilliant deep thinker, and a great human being, but maybe what stands out the most in this speech is that he is a little bit of an ass-hole, (Granted a really funny ass-hole.)

The first thing he does to the audience is make them raise there hands for something they believe in, and then says anyone raising there hand is a moron. It’s an ass-hole move, but quite funny.

I think my favorite quotes from this speech would be:

“If you find yourself on a gurney at a lethal injection facility, here is what your last words should be: “This will certainly teach me a lesson.” And, “If Jesus were alive today, we would kill him with lethal injection.”

He really says some really interesting things about the roots of communism and religion that I find to be terribly true. I think this speech shows two different sides of Kurt Vonnegut, that in turn makes you feel two different ways at the same time. One of those sides, makes you want to get up and do something to make the world a better place, and the other side contradicts that and makes you feel that it’s pointless.

One reason that I think Kurt Vonnegut’s speeches and essays are so engaging is that he always finds what his subjects are best at, what they pioneered, or what makes them unique. Then, he extrapolates those things and makes you understand why these things and people are so relevant to us, and then usually ends with a joke.

You gotta love that bastard.

Wailing Shall Be in All Streets: This is a short story about the Dresden fire bombing. It digs into the niches of what it was, and how sickening and needless it was.

It tells us about how just the Americans were to enter the war, but how dirty we got while fighting it. To sum it up, Dresden was a city that held no military significance and we killed over a hundred thousand people there near the end of the war (mostly civilians) to “disable the railroads” which were up and running two days later anyway.

It’s told from Kurt Vonnegut’s perspective, how he was one of the few survivors and how beautiful the city was. His story tells you the truth about war, that these are human beings that are getting killed, not just “Nazis.”

His captors family’s lived in Dresden, and were completely wiped out. Then after losing his whole family he split his last cigarette with Kurt. Which in the context of the story seems to be the greatest act of kindness that I can imagine.

It’s a really sad story that makes you feel like shit to read, but you need to read it. - Slugtron

Great Day: This is a science fiction story based in the distant future, where the entire world has come together in peace and there is only one army called “The World Army.” Most people in the future seem to be simple minded nitwits. The main character is a boy, posing as a man enlisting in the world army.

The world army gives them a mission to experiment with time machines, and they send a company of men back to 1918 during WWI to observe it as ghosts, they are ghosts because that is how the technology works, you can see 1918 and they can see you, but it can’t touch you, and you can’t touch it.

That is the premise, and it is funny and good, and I think it has a very good short story ending. Read it, why not?

Guns Before Butter: This is a story about three American privates that are POW’s in Dresden after the fire bombing. Due to the Geneva convention, POW’s with the rank of private are to be put to hard labor. Their job is to make neat piles of rubble throughout the city. They are overseen by a sixty-five year old Nazi, who is constantly annoyed by them because all they talk about is food.

This is another really good short, maybe not the best in the book, but it’s funny, has good characters and is fun to read.

Happy Birthday, 1951: This is a story about an old man that is raising a boy that was abandoned, in a city taken over by soldiers. There is a new rule implemented, that people can’t live in the city without proper paper work, and part of the proper paper work is a birth date. The old man and the boy decide that his birthday will be the following day. The old man decides that he must get the boy a present, and he decides the present should be a day away from soldiers and war. Since the boy was raised in that environment, he doesn’t seem to mind the war.

I really liked this story, it is simple and short, and makes you not like war.

Brighten Up: A group of POW’s are put to work, one of them decides to barter between the guards and prisoners, for cigarettes and valuables.

Once again this is a likable story, Kurt Vonnegut doesn’t really write villains into his stories. This is not an exception, but the guy that is doing the bartering is ripping everyone off, and is clearly a scoundrel. It is a fun short story, it fits into this collection nicely, but I wouldn’t say it is one of my favorite Vonnegut stories. (Which is alot like saying Boogie Nights isn’t my favorite P.T. Anderson movie, because they are all great anyways.)

*Unicorn Picture Added for comic effect.

*Unicorn Picture Added for comic effect.

The Unicorn Trap: In the year 1067 there is a village that is terrorized by a dictator named Robert the Horrible ( a friend of William the Conqueror.) The main character is a man that lives in the village who is asked to be Robert the Horrible’s tax collector. His wife wants him to take the job and try to get in Robert the Horrible’s good graces. His son is a bug eyed kid that doesn’t seem to know what’s what, whom happens to be building a unicorn trap. Even though it is obvious to everyone that there are no unicorns. The man decides that he won’t accept the job, and in turn will die for his ideals.

This is a well written story, and although the humour is not as blatant in this story, as it is in most of Vonnegut’s works, it is still there, and it is still good. I also like stories about decent, and this certainly has that. To top it off, it is a story about decent with a happy ending, who can complain about that? Not I.

Unknown Soldier: This is a terribly short story about having the first baby of the millennium. Since it is so Short, I am just going to say that you might as well just read it, rather then this review. NEXT!

Spoils: A small group of newly freed american POW’s make there way back to their base, going through evacuated villages, looting the whole way. One of the men doesn’t do any looting, and it tells the story of what he saw and why he doesn’t want to loot.

I love stories like this. He starts off showing you a human being, shows him something tramatic. Then shows how it effects him.

Just You and Me, Sammy: At the end of the war the Americans are trying to get back to base,  a soldier named Georgie asks Sammy to go out of their way to get some cigarettes. They get to a secluded house and Georgie has a proposition to trade identities with Sammy, for a large sum of money. Sammy gets the impression that things are a little shifty, and then the Russians show up.

I think this is by far the best story in the collection. It’s pretty much perfect the perfect short story. It has some of the most brilliant turns that I have ever read. It’s simple enough that everyone will get it, but smart enough to keep you thinking. The timing for the information it gives you is simply perfect, and he hooks you right from the start by telling you that there is murder.

The Commandant’s Desk: The story of an old furniture builder in Czechslovakia. His villiage is constantely being taken over by different armies, from different dictatorships. This story starts after the Russians leave and the Americans come in. He was building the Russians a desk, (a special desk with a secret) that he decides to give to the American commander.

I really like this one, and I guess I’m tiring writing all of these reviews so I say, ONWARD!!!!!

Armageddon In Retrospect: Named after the title of the book. I think this is the longest story, it’s good. It’s about trapping the devil.

Dr.Cyborg out!

Is CERN trying to find God or destroy Earth?

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

A $9 billion particle accelerator was turned on this morning beneath France and Switzerland. Why does this matter? Well basically because it could unlock the mysteries of the Universe! Or all that crazy shit in comic books we always thought was really cool but could never really happen really could happen!!!

Scientists at CERN believe that using the Large Hadron Collider (their marketing team sucks at names) they could replicate the conditions of the Big Bang and possible discover information leading to things such as alternate dimensions or the “God Particle” that explains why matter has mass. Head on over to CNN to read more about it.

Nintendo Wii WiiWare/Virtual Console Releases 9/8

Monday, September 8th, 2008

This Week there were 3 games released 1 WiiWare and 2 Virtual Console.

WiiWare

Groovin’ Blocks (Empty Clip Studios, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): A music-based game like no other, Groovin’ Blocks
adds innovative musical game play to an addictive action/puzzle game
foundation. Play to the rhythm of the music to increase your score, and
try to hit “Superbeats” to double your multiplier.
Go for the high
score in each of the 27 stages as you collect stars to unlock 15 levels
of power-ups. Groovin’ Blocks features three skill levels, from

the accessible Casual to the fiendish Hard mode. Play with your friends
in co-op mode or against them head-to-head. Head-to-head brings it up a
notch as the power-ups now become attacks on your opponent. Play
head-to-head with people of all skill levels using a golf-style
handicapping system.


You can see a little gameplay here. The game seems to be very similar to Tetris or Wario Woods and games along those lines;  If you like puzzle games like that I am sure you would like this game.  As for me I don’t care for these games too much they tend to get annoying really quickly.


Virtual Console

Final Solider
(TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Mild Fantasy Violence,
700 Wii Points): A vertically scrolling shooter from the well-known Soldier series.
In the 23rd century, invaders from the future suddenly attack Earth.
Controlling a fighter created by the world’s scientists, you rise to
meet the enemy. Collect power-up units, such as LASER, E-BEAM, FIRE and
MISSILE, and then equip them in Options to launch a variety of attacks.
For each of these weapons, you can freely select from three different
types in SET-UP. Anticipate enemies’ strikes and deftly switch between
weapons to defeat the invaders. In addition to NORMAL GAME, there are
also 2 MINUTE GAME and 5 MINUTE GAME score-attack modes. The most
perfect blend and balance of any game in the series, Final Soldier is a title you don’t want to miss.

Final Solider looks really cool.  the game seems to be a combination of Gradius and 1942.  If you like vertically scrolling shooters than this game will be awesome for you.  If i could work out obtaining the money for this game I would get it.  This is a game you are going to need some patients for more than likely highly frequint deaths.  You can see some game play here.

Cho Aniki
(TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone and Older—Mild
Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 900 Wii Points): The odd
world in this shooter made for quite the conversation piece in its day.
Players control either Idaten or Benten, celestial warriors out to
bring
an end to the tyrannical rule of the emperor of Planet Builder,
who holds muscular prowess to be the supreme virtue of the universe.

Aided by able-bodied muscle-head options Adon and Samson, they must
battle to defeat the emperor’s army across five stages. Use the buttons
to fire away and lay into the Builder forces. Power up your character
and options with protein from defeated enemies to have them “bulk up”
with a yell, and take their macho battle to the next level.

Another Shooter that came out today it’s defenitly an interesting looking game you seem to be some form of god and your shooting things like you would on Gradius with an upgrade system that is also similar to Gradious.  I would say it is worth a try but Nintendo still hasn’t done any form of “demo” system for any of there console games.  Yet again if you like shooters then you will more than likely appreciate this game.  Here is a game play video for the game.

At the end of the day it seems that shooters was the keyword.  I have fun with shooters as much as the next guy but it would seem having at least one other type of game on the Virtual Console releases would have been a better choice for Nintendo.

Comic Pulls 9/3

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
  • Amazing Spider-Man #570 Anti-Venom? Eddie Brock? Really?
  • Secret Invasion Front Line #3 I’m not usually one to push tie-ins to a big crossover. But this one is worth a look.
  • Venom Dark Origin #2 For those curious if Brock has always been a d-bag.
  • Boys #22 Another 32 pages of fucked up stuff.
  • Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #2 So good I’m almost not ashamed to admit to reading it.