X-Men: Days of Future Past: Sentinels Revealed

     With all Bryan Singer's X-Men advertisement and social media hype, this one actually has me interested- a few pics and a promotional video.  There is now a website for Trask Industries, the creators of the Sentinels that hunt the mutant populace.  This is the first new items that give me a small amount of hope for X-Men: Days of Future Past.

     Most notable is the Sentinel designs and the size compared to human are now shown.  They aren't nearly as bad as I was thinking.  I'm also wondering if we'll get some future designs that won't be shown until after the film is in theaters.  These few images are from the "past" scenes, and one would reason that they would get more advanced as time progresses in the film.  Maybe we'll find a self-aware Master Mold, or possibly even the ultra-futuristic Sentinel Nimrod.

     Although I'm still worried Singer will pull a Brett Ratner with 100 characters being smashed into one film and leaving us with a cameo-palooza instead of a coherent story.  Hopefully he has upped his game since the first two X-men movies, so he can at least compete with more modern superhero films.  Granted he's only really gotta beat X-men: Last Stand and The Wolverine films (more specifically X-men Origins: Wolverine that's a movie that makes David Hasselhoff's Nick Fury and Dolph Lundgren's Punisher look like decent entertainment)

     I know I complain about all the crappy film adaptations of comic stories I love, but this might actually turn out for the better.  Days of Future Past was good at the time, but doesn't hold up well, and stands to possibly benefit from an update.  Then again, how many Hollywood script writers end up crapping out garbage?  I suppose I can just resign myself to disappointment, so if it does turn out awesome I'll be happily surprised.

Nicholas Straight: "The Call" Comic Strip

     My best friend and Drawmit blogger Nick made this for the City Pages comic issue.  Hopefully he gets in- years of work and constant effort should be rewarding him soon.  This particular one is very nice and sums up most artists' struggle with creativity in life.  Too many responsibilities bog us down, and the call is smothered by life's necessities.

The Wolverine: Review: Seriously Marvel- What the F*CK?!?

     After seeing this new Wolverine film, I have to openly say- Marvel, please take off the kiddie gloves.  It's time to grow the F*CK up.  This is Wolverine, Marvel Comics' most bad ass person.  He's supposed to be the "best there is," and what he does is kill, not mope in teenage angst in the rain.

     !!! SPOILER WARNING !!!

     This is my quick summary of the movie:

     This film was supposed to be based on the Wolverine run by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.  Upon viewing the movie, that statement had to have been made with the loosest possible meaning.  It's like they took the story, and instead of reading it, took some kids retelling of it, and then wiped their asses with the pages they never actually read.  Who is OKing these scripts?!?

     Why do the film makers insist on showing Wolverine as this overly regretful man that insists his immortality is some horrible burden?  Sure he's aging slower, but he's only around 120 years old.  Stop focusing on his grieving and move the f**k on.  Have Apocalypse show up and tell Wolverine to go f**k himself, Apocalypse is THOUSANDS of years old.  Deal with it.

     This was a chance to take the character and show him at his best and worst.  Show him learning the art of being a "Ronin" and the process and dedication that sticks with him later on in life.  Show the growth that a man who has been an animalistic killer can become a man of honor.  Show him become the ronin he is called many times.

     It also would give viewers a chance to show that, despite all his abilities, an old man can still easily beat him with a single sword.
     That is quite possibly the biggest flub of this film.  The Lord Shingen fight.  Wolverine barely fought the billion ninjas he was supposed to didn't bother me nearly as much.  Sure he got some Yakuza slaying done, but Shingen was where this movie could've shone.
     They cut the fundamental moments out of this historic battle to make room for an absurd Silver Samurai (mechanical suit) duel.  Why?  Absolutely ridiculous. 
     The Shingen fight in the comics showed Wolverine being systematically sliced up.  Cutting up nerves and stabbing vital organs, Shingen's skill makes Wolverine look like a child.  This is how it should've been handled, not like the film did it. (See pic below)

     Should I even mention that Viper could have, and very well SHOULD have been cut from the film?  And the strange robot insects that attach to hearts were unnecessary.  If they had the tech to subdue Wolverine's healing factor, theoretically they should be able to duplicate the power as well. 

     In all honesty, I would've loved to see how Darren Aronofsky would have handled this story.  I can only imagine he would have done Claremont and Miller justice, and created something along the lines of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight series.
     Does anyone else think he dropped out due to a crappy script?  They blew a chance to display an amazing Japanese culture and it's darker noir underworld.  Once again, I am quite disappointed in the handling of a classic story translated into garbage for money's sake.

Dragon Fantasy Book 1: For PS Vita

     Over the years I've come to the conclusion that I don't really enjoy RPGs.  Mostly due to the mass amounts of grinding to up levels and gear just to handle the absurd difficulty spikes- then repeat the cycle in the next area or part of story.  I gave Dragon Fantasy a go after my brother, who is an RPG-aholic, told me I would actually like this one.

     Well, he was correct, I did like this one.  Firstly, because while there was tedious grinding, it was much less than the games of the 8 bit era it is emulating.  Secondly, the game has a great sense of humor.  Sure it gets highly repetitive, but the game is short enough, overall, to overlook the flaws.

     Though I must say I wish there was more exploring and less wading through enemies.  In the first of 3 story parts (and 1 "intermission") it is super annoying that as retired hero Ogden has to grind for an immense amount of time.  Even the smallest enemies hit for a quarter of your life and they appear at a rate of every 2nd step.  If the first chapter was a little bit longer it would be a massive problem.
     There is also an insane amount of missing when attacking.  I counted at one point 17 misses in a row on my party of 4.  That is an unacceptable occurrence. 

     What kept me going is the humor.  There are tons of small references and nods to things in the game.  The first one I found was an enemy early on is a fly called a "Goldblum."  Nice.  It's hard to go wrong with a Jeff Goldblum joke.  There are wolves called "Blitzer," "Steely" Dan desert nomads, and man-eating flowers named Audrey.

     But my personal favorite is in a dungeon, I came across a Troy and Abed from NBC's Community reference- more specifically an Inspector Space-Time and Constable Reggie reference.  Very nice. 

Troy and Abed in 8 Bits!

     If they keep up the humor and tone down the grinding the part 2 could be a much better installment.  And fix the rate of missing for attacks.  A 25% chance of missing is ridiculous.

Remember Me: Sadly Lacking Despite Great Ideas

     Remember Me could've been so much more.  It had the balls to start something truly interesting, create a dystopian future world that was interesting on a level I haven't seen too often, but it failed to deliver on the scope.  A future of commercialized memories.

     As Nilin, a "Memory Hunter" that can enter and actively change subtle things in someone's memory, such as moving a table a mere foot into someone's path, causing a completely new chain of events and subsequently creating a divergent memory.  Nilin has a unique ability to CHANGE MEMORIES and thus CHANGE PEOPLE, but the creators of the game only gave us 4 times to really use it.  This is a grand premise to begin with.  Only it isn't developed properly.  It fails because it lacks a singular purpose.  What could've been done if this memory remixing was the focus.  Make a stealth game where you can alter a guard's memory to sneak past.  A game that in the end you've become your own problem because while you may have wiped enemy minds, you've also erased things imperative to your own survival- maybe someone had idea's to assist you, but in changing the memory you are now an unknown or an enemy? 

     I wonder what kind of game could've been made if they had left out much of the cheap and linear platforming.  Neo Paris, despite it's ludicrous name, is an intriguing place.  Maybe some exploration might've added to the experience, maybe not.  If they would've made it more open world and less restricted Remember Me could've been just a little bit better.
     Bland combat systems became an annoyance too.  It's not terrible, just dull.  Even the adaptable combos that allow you to tailor to your needs (you can add power hits, health regeneration, cooldown additions, etc) and it still gets to be just a bit too tedious by the 60% complete mark.  Combat is unremarkable at best, boring at worst.  Honestly, the worst enemy in combat was the camera.  It got all wonky on a regular basis, and would seemingly at random look away from the attackers I needed to see to dodge.  It's damn frustrating when the camera is constantly working against you.


     What I did like in this game was actually a few things.  I really like the main character Nilin's design.  She has the major potential to be quite a new Lara Croft level badass.
     The "Remembranes" are a nice addition as well- strange ghost like memories other people leave that you can access.
     Lastly- I REALLY like the Zorn robot design.  Especially the roar it does, because when it happens an old black & white, grainy film looking yelling mouth hologram is projected.  Strange, but I like it anyway.

     When you boil it down, Remember Me isn't bad, it just doesn't live up to it's concepts.  The comic book I got with the preorder was better at handling the ideas than the game.  If they somehow get the backing for a sequel, they can do this story justice, and maybe they can put the wonderful potential in this game to use.

     On a side note: I wonder why they didn't go with this concept art design of Nilin?  I like it much better than what they went with, clothing wise.

Knights of Badassdom FINALLY Getting Released

     I recall hearing about this like 2 years ago and totally forgot about it- and now they are getting an actual release.  The Knights of Badassdom is an indie comedy/fantasy film about LARP-ers (live-action role players) that accidentally summon a succubus demon into real life.  Now that I've seen the trailer I really want to see this.

     Starring in this are the ever amazing Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Firefly's Summer Glau, Danny Pudi of Community fame, True Blood's Ryan Kwanten, and Steve Zahn.  Just Steve Zahn.
      Written by Kevin Dreyfuss and Matt Wall, and directed by Joe Lynch.


Source [ Deadline ]

Star Trek 3: New Writers and Thoughts

     By the looks of it, according to the rumor mill, Bad Robot has found a new set of writers for Star Trek 3.  The new duo of Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz may be up to the job.  They've previously done Thor, X-Men: First Class, and worked on Fringe, Andromeda, and Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles.  Not too bad, at all.

     By no means is this a done deal, but I suppose Paramount wants it done kind of swiftly to get the next film out in time for the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek in 2016.

     While this could be amazing news, seeing as all my big complaints about the new Star Trek movies are directly related to crappy storytelling, we still need to be wary.  Two of the old writing team (Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci) are still attached as producers, but they may still have some writing sway.
     Now I don't mean to slam Damon Lindelof, but he really, REALLY needs an editor, and I'm fairly pleased that he's been removed right now.  He's a great idea man, but he fails to keep things cohesive.  Does anyone know what the hell was going on in that giant mess called Lost?  And by god, he ruined far more than he helped with John Spaihts' Prometheus script.  Mystery is not created by simply eliminating parts of a story!

     They started the J.J. Abrams Trek series reboot with a brilliant plan- altering the path of Trek history.  To boldly go in new directions.  Instead we got a ridiculously homage filled slog with Into Darkness.  The homages are nice, but it shouldn't be the focus.  What's the purpose of changing the history if they continually repeat what's been done before?!?

     Everyone knows the opening monologue:

"Space.  The final frontier.  These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.  Her 5 year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, and new civilizations.  To boldly go where no man has gone before."

     Where is this wonder and exploration now?  It seems to have been replaced with special effects and rushed, shoddy storytelling.
     Shouldn't they be shooting for something more?  Other Trek writer's knew this.  Think of this amazing quote from the Star Trek: The Next Generation finale "All Good Things."

Capt. Picard: I sincerely hope that this is the last time that I find myself here. 

Q: You just don't get it, do you, Jean-Luc? The trial never ends. We wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did.

Capt. Picard: When I realized the paradox.

Q: Exactly. For that one fraction of a second, you were open to options you had never considered. That is the exploration that awaits you. Not mapping stars and studying nebulae, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence.

     This is what the new writing team should always keep in mind- it's what I believe to be one of the most important quotes in any of the Star Treks.  This is the ideal in storytelling that the new teams should strive for- particularly Q's last statement about possibilities.

     The current writer's have got the characters all nailed down, but they lack something important to the story itself- plot.  The movies feel like a loosely held together series of implausible events that ended up as a sort of Rube Goldberg sci-fi film.  Don't neglect the potential of this untrod path.  Take chances.  Make the stories matter by charting those unknowns.


Source [ Badass Digest ]

The Name of the Wind Coming to Television (Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles)

Still My Favorite Cover

     It sounds terrible, but Patrick Rothfuss' series The Kingkiller Chronicles has been optioned by New Regency Productions and 20th Century Fox, and I am a bit dismayed.  I should be excited, but with the history of books adapted for the small screen- 9 times out of 10 they are terrible.

     I absolutely love the first 2 books, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, but with the poor quality adaptations that get put up make me fearful, and I am NO wise man to be sure.  Some would argue, "What about Game of Thrones?"  Well- that series is run by HBO, they have a much larger budget and generally better quality of all their productions.

     It doesn't help that Eric Heisserer (The Thing remake, Hours, and Final Destination 5) is listed to adapt it for the screen.  Really.  Re-read those movies.  I don't have much faith in this adaptation as of now.  Granted, I could be completely wrong and it could turn out to be a staggeringly great work, but right now- no, I do not believe it will be.
     And I've heard rumors of Felicia Day wanting to play Auri.  Honestly, I like Miss Day in a lot of stuff, but don't believe she would be quite right as Auri.  Once again, I could be very wrong- if she somehow manages the part, she could be brilliant, but I think they should cast all unknowns.

     In the mean time, while we await the 3rd installment- going under the working title The Doors of Stone (set to release 2014)- I look forward to seeing what will come of this televised version. 

     To Mr. Rothfuss, take your time, no rush- we will wait for whatever you write.  On the plus side, you're still twice as fast as George R.R. Martin.


     In the mean time I'll be thinking of small blog posts to toss out ideas I  have about the books- such as Kvothe's thrice-locked chest.  I believe Kvothe locked part of himself inside and subsequently changed his name to Kote.  Names hold great power in this world and it would make sense that he would, or could, lock away a portion of himself perhaps a part of his name itself) to protect someone or something.  Which would explain his problems with Sympathy (magic) and why he has a hard time with even small magic as Kote that would've been effortless years before while Kvothe.
     It's even more plausible as he sort of did the same thing when he was attempting to hide his past from people in Tarbean- hiding himself and slowly losing power.  Another example would be tied to his parents deaths and the Door of Forgetting.
     Or... what if he locked another being in the chest?
     As it has been quite a while since I read them, I may need to re-read them as a refresher.

     Note: This may be of slight comedic coincidence, but after a quick run of the Spellchecker, only names appeared as misspelled.  Nice.

The Huh Gets A Palindrome

     Came on to type up some more things, and get some blogger drafts edited and I found that the number of site hits was a palindrome.  Nothing special, and not even close to a vast amount- but thank you for anyone that has swung by and read what I've posted.  There's a ton of crap to sift through. 

     Seriously, thank you.

     Also, 256 of the 728 posts are drafts.  Some go back as far as 2008.

BBC's Sherlock: How Sherlock Survived the Fall...

     As one of many BBC Sherlock lovers, I am quite curious as to how Sherlock survived the plummet to his concrete doom in season 2's finale: The Reichenbach Fall.

     Molly seemed to be the pivotal, but overlooked, key to survival.  Did they use body swapping?  Forcing our expectations to believe something we thought we "saw?"  Hidden airbags or exoskeletons?   

     Anyway Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive video with Benedict Cumberbatch describing how he survived- and it's  a wonderfully hilarious explanation at that:

“F**k it, I’m going to tell you how Sherlock survived … I know you guys like your spoilers and I feel so much better telling you. Freedom!”

Check out the video here [ Entertainment Weekly ]

     By the looks of it, it involves stuffed monkeys, tricking snipers, a phone call, sad faces, and some tea.  Talk about a genius writing!  Brilliant stuff even if we must still wait.

New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Based on Nickelodeon Toon

     After complaining a whole bunch about not getting a game based on the new show- Activision announces this.  I get half my wish, as the game will be coming to Xbox 360, Wii and 3DS- but for some reason NOT on PS3, Vita, or Wii U.

     The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be directly based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series, which is quite good.  The new show's style lends itself perfectly to gaming, and should've been a match they jumped on during the first season while it was airing on tv.  Honestly, this game looks better visually than the creepy turtles from TMNT: Out of the Shadows.

     It appears to be a 4 player co-op brawler, and really, that's the only way to go for any game featuring the Ninja Turtles.  It's a short trailer, and not much is shown, so we'll have to wait to see more as Activision puts out more info as it nears the Oct 22 release date.

Borderlands 2: PAX Australia DLC Announcements

     More Borderlands 2 DLC.  Yes, I am always looking forward to this.  It was announced this morning that sometime this fall Borderlands 2 will be getting new missions, raid bosses and another raise in level cap.

     The level cap will be increase 11 more levels (for a total of 72) as part of the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2: Digistruct Peak Challenge.  The challenge includes a new map with, my favorite character, Patricia Tannis having you fight high level enemies to "over-level to create an impossible challenge to earn new loot."  The Digistruct Peak Challenge will be available before the end of October for $5.

     Gearbox is also releasing multiple Headhunter Packs.  Each pack will offer unique new missions and boss fights.  The first will contain the return of Zombie T.K. Baha who was last seen in The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned.  T.K. Baha's Bloody Harvest will have players fighting a giant pumpkin monster named Jaques O'Lantern to earn more customization rewards.  No price or release dates have been mentioned.

     In addition, there will be a free upgrade giving us more bank and backpack slots as well as an even larger ammo capacity.

     With Gearbox's next Community Day slated for September 14th, we should be getting more details before then.

Borderlands 2: Pitchford Announcing More DLC Details Tomorrow

     Gearbox head honcho Randy Pitchford had mentioned more Borderlands 2 DLC previously and now he has given us just a bit more info- sometime tomorrow we'll be given the details on at least one of the planned projects at the San Diego Comic-con.

     As we've really no other information than "more DLC coming," what could be on the horizon of our beloved Pandora?  More skins, playable characters, or even campaigns?  Whatever it is, I hope it's more than simple heads and skins.  There's plenty more than we need already.

     While it's unlikely, I'm hoping for another campaign DLC that's on par with Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep.

Batman: Andrew Scott (BBC Sherlock's Moriarty) as The Riddler

     After sharing the BBC Sherlock with a coworker, we had a conversation about the amazing writing and actors.  Somehow that led to us talking about The Dark Knight series. 
     Everyone knows Warner Bros. will definitely be continuing the series because they love money, and everyone loves Batman.  Well, we came to the conclusion that, while many would go with the already over-used Benedict Cumberbatch, we would suggest Andrew Scott for the next Batman series' Edward Nigma- otherwise known as The Riddler. 
     He would be such a wonderful Riddler.  If somehow, Christopher Nolan reads this, pass word along and make this happen.

     I spent all of 10 minutes making this simple mock up pic just because.  Enjoy, and let me know what you think of our casting choice. 

PS Vita Won't Get Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW?!?!

     There's been a bit of bickering about Namco Bandai EU's upcoming game release Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW! due to the platforms it's being released on.  The Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, and Wii U will be getting the game, but it will not be available for us PS Vita users.

     I love both Adventure Time and The Regular Show, which has Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land going exclusively to 3DS, and this will be one more game I cannot enjoy on the Vita.

The Twitter reply from the official NamcoBandaiGamesEU was, "Yeah, bad Namco.  Who has a PS Vita by the way? Oh wait I DON'T KNOW!" 

     While I appreciate the play on the games title (it's actually quite the brilliant reply), why would this game not go to the Vita?  I can't say I'm angry about this, just a little bit disappointed that Vita is left out again.  There are plenty of comments on the game's official Youtube trailer that show there is support for it.  Some speculate that it's because there aren't enough Vita users, but really- there's more Vita users than Wii U users, and if I'm not mistaken it's around a 2-to-1 ratio at that.

     Being a Vita supporter, I have a slew of consoles and portable game systems, including all the various DSs, and the Vita makes them all (portables) look like garbage.  It's an extremely remarkable system and games like this should be brought to it.  It really just needs an expanded library... and maybe a price cut.

     Perhaps Namco Bandai will change their plan.  We'll just have to wait and see.


Source [ Jim Sterling at Destructoid ]

Octodad: Dadliest Catch Coming to PS4 in 2014

     Years ago, when I first watched the videos of Young Horses Inc.'s Octodad, I was taken back by how strange Octodad was.  Why would someone make a game that was so absurd?  But, it was an amazingly absurd game.
     The video commentary helped as well.  Whoever was playing was struggling to control Octodad, who is essentially an 8-legged gelatinous puppet attempting to pass himself off as a human...  who is happily married with kids.  Something about the odd troubles that plagued this individual's life was intriguing.  I wanted to know more, and now there is more.

     Being a dad is hard.  Being an octopus is tough.  Being an Octodad is super difficult.  All the tasks to complete are the seemingly simplest things possible... for land-dwelling humans.  The boneless cephalopod pretender is attempting to be an inconspicuous father, and even the most mundane task requires a heroic effort just to keep suspicions to a minimum.  Want to nonchalantly walk through the living room to go clean a single dish in the kitchen for your wife?  Good luck not flailing around like an accidental tentacle-whirlwind having a grand mal seizure and unwittingly destroying everything in your path.

     Clumsy, awkward, and hilarious- stealth shouldn't be the word used, but this is a "stealth" game worthy of your time.

     Are you up to the DAD-ly challenge of maintaining your oceanic nature for the joys and hardships of parenthood?  Family life is good as long as your family remains unaware that you are an octopus.

Sources [ Sony PlayStation Blog ] [ Young Horses Inc Official ]

Bad Robot: Possible Star Wars Episode VII Script pic Tweet?

    I have to wonder if this is a picture of the first script for the upcoming film???  Regardless, they are pretty awesome looking with the black and red, with the nice logo on the cover.

Hot off the presses. Can you guess what's behind the cover? #FoundAtBR #MysteryScript pic.twitter.com/VFvoxedpqC
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) July 17, 2013

NBC's Heroes- How I think the return should begin... (Dynamite Comics)

     Ever since the Heroes Season 4 finale (Brave New World) this is how I thought they should bring it back.  I figure it's a good time to post this because Dynamite Entertainment has made a deal with NBC to continue the series in comic book form.  They need a hell of a start, and with the way it ended- it left this particular encounter as an inevitability.
     Really, could there be a more perfect beginning than this?

     Chapter 1:Opening Scene:

An old man's hands can be scene making some simple foods for a lunch.  Over the shoulder, just miscellaneous tasks with his hands.  This is an individual that knows you must find things to do with your hands. 

He's walking around his trailer house, in the background are many oxygen tanks.  There can be seen some animals stuffed by a taxidermist.  The man enters a small room, sits down, and switches on an old television set.

NEWS

(what is shown is fuzzy footage from the last episode)

(Claire Bennet climbing up and jumping off the ferris wheel)

 

My name is Claire Bennet and this is attempt number... well, I guess I've lost count.

 

 

The hand puts down the sandwich and turns the volume up.  The view swings around- Samson Gray.  With a smile on his face.

 

 

Samson

It's amazing how it just comes right back... 

that desire...

that hunger...

 

 

Scene cuts.

 

 

 

     I remember reading years ago that Sylar's father was supposed to be the ultimate evil in an interview with Heroes writer/producer Bryan Fuller. [ Digital Spy ]

"...Sylar's dad was going to be the ultimate evil, the devil essentially. I was like, 'didn't you guys just do that with Arthur Petrelli?'"

     So, they created this amazing villain- Samson Gray- and then flubbed it.  Even with Arthur Petrelli it was done poorly.  Arthur wanted power to horde it.  Samson has the killer drive behind him.  This is a man that wants to live and do things simply because he can.  He wants to change the world now, a chance to do this over.  Samson Gray is a hunter, he lives for the challenge, and he has the will to follow the desire for more. 

 

     What Heroes has with Samson Gray is the ultimate serial killer with the potential to make the original villain, Sylar (Gabriel Gray), look like a child.  There is so much they could do with this.  Think what would happen if he got his hands on time travel?  He could dump bodies elsewhere in time! 

     The final showdown would necessitate many of the heroes fighting the singular villain in time, space, and in the telepathic realm.  That's 3 tiers of fighting.

     All the "behind closed doors" fights (I'm talking about the massive disappointments of the Peter vs. Sylar) need to be stopped.  There are appropriate times to show and tell, and not showing these is a slap in the viewer's face.

 

     If this is handled properly, the new series could easily make Heroes a huge hit again.  Sylar flip-flopping from good to bad, Nathan dying all the time, and Claire bemoaning her life got to be an annoyance.  Up the stakes, the actions need serious consequences, make us feel for the characters.  I'll give it a chance when it hits the comic stands because Cullen Bunn's other comics writing, while not amazing, are at least worth reading- and I look forward to seeing what's going to happen.  That old hunger burns again... I may even re-watch the series as a refresher...



NBC's Heroes to Return... to Comics.

     Dynamite Entertainment announced that the NBC television show Heroes that I watched obsessively from 2006-2010 will be brought back in the form of a comic book series.  While this sounds kind of great to begin with, I would be hesitant myself.  I read the previous Heroes comics and they were... less than spectacular.

 

     Cullen Bunn, who wrote Deadpool, Wolverine, Defenders, and Fearless for Marvel Comics, and The Sixth Gun, Helheim, and The Tooth for Oni Press, and is now working for Dynamite scripting this project.  While I'm not his biggest fan, I believe he could bring something to the series that it lost after season 1.

"Like so many others, I was a huge fan of Heroes during its original run," says writer Cullen Bunn. "I was drawn to a cast of characters with interesting back stories and development, a setting boiling over with potential, and -- of course -- the exploration of superpowers in a 'real' world scenario. With this book, I have the opportunity to contribute to the mythology of the series in a way that will surprise readers. When I was watching the show, I never could have imagined the direction I'd be taking the story. The narrative I'm developing will be multi-layered, complex, and character-focused, and it will shake up the Heroes storyline in a major way. I don't think anyone is expecting what we have in store for Claire, Hiro, Peter, Niki, Sylar, and the rest of the gang."

     Because that's where it all fell apart- once season 2 began.  Sure it had some shining moments, but nothing worthy of the magic it had captured during the first year.  Not to long ago I read about MSN and Xbox making a deal to potentially bring it back, but that never happened, and this might be the best we can hope for.  Some of the actors are busy with thriving projects and could be a problem to recruit again.

As to the specifics of the story that could be revealed now, Bunn said however Dynamite ends up labeling the final series, he is viewing the gig as essentially "Heroes Season 5." "To me, this is picking up the story and taking it from where it left off, but there is a big curveball right from issue #1 of the comic. That will set a lot of what we've seen in the series on its ear. It'll change a lot, but this is essentially the continuation of the TV series. I'm taking it into some bizarre, unique and unusual territory. The benefit of comics is that you can do some things there that you can't do anywhere else."

     I've posted plenty of things about the series- predictions, hopes, and critiques- but I can only hope they do this revival justice.  [ Here's the posts ]  They are very sporadic, and some are quite long, read at your own risk.


Sources [ Dynamite Newswire ] [ Comic Book Resources ]

Ken Levine Still Pushing for a Bioshock on PS Vita

     It's been so long since Irrational Games' Ken Levine (Creator of the Bioshock series) announced the potential Bioshock for PS Vita that I nearly forgot about it.  A few days ago he Tweeted a kind of update about it- talking to both Sony and 2K- trying to get them to come together and make a deal.

"I talked to both Sony and 2K about it yesterday.  Trying to make a match." 

"Trying to get the 2 companies to sign off." 

     This is actually fairly decent news despite the fact it's been 2 years and in February Levine mentioned Bioshock Vita was not currently being developed.  I think it's a better sign that Levine is still personally pushing for this.  As both a PS Vita lover, and a Bioshock enthusiast, this is an immediate pre-order as soon as a release date is announced.

     So what do I do to show my support for this?  The Playstation Vita NEEDS a game of Bioshock's caliber.  Sony wants to support the lagging Vita sales?  This is their chance.  MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

     Video from an IGN Podcast:



Source [ PlayStation Universe ]

Star Trek: Khan Miniseries From IDW Comics

     It appears that IDW Publishing will be expanding the origin story of the great villain Khan Noonien Singh with a 6 issue miniseries this October. 

"Khan will add dimension and depth to this new iteration one of the most classic villains in all of Star Trek lore." -Chris Ryall (IDW's Editor in Chief) 

     That's good because the film Star Trek: Into Darkness gave us so little, that it needs explaining through other mediums.  In fact I wonder if they'll cover the reason why in this alternate universe Khan has been genetically modified to be white.  Perhaps it was Eugenics War induced trauma?

"We're traveling back in time to show Khan's rise to power and give fans their first look at the legendary Eugenics Wars," says Johnson. "As the series unfolds we will see the events that led to Khan leaving Earth aboard the Botany Bay, and then jump forward to witness his awakening in the future by Admiral Marcus."

     There were novels already written about this, so it's not the first look at the Eugenics Wars.  Sure, I sound off putting, but I've bought a bunch of these issues already, and they are mediocre at best.  I was hoping they could do so much better, and honestly- there's only one issue I've thoroughly enjoyed.  It was Leonard "Bones" McCoy's stand alone one-shot issue.  Somehow in IDW's mess of a J.J. Abrams' Star Trek tie-in series, they managed to make a single comic book stand out.

Source [ IDW Comics ]

Star Trek 3: Zachary Quinto: Set to Film 2014 (Next Year)

     During Ireland's Galway Film Festival Lucien from Buzzhub caught an interesting tidbit at a public interview with Zachary "Spock" Quinto:

"Star Trek 3 should be filming, I suppose, next year. It’s going to be made a lot quicker than the last one. That’s the plan, although nothing is confirmed yet."

     That's awfully damn quick to start shooting the next installment.  He also mentioned that Abrams would still like to direct.  It seems odd because J.J. Abrams is also directing Star Wars Episode VII.  Mr. Quinto apparently also noted that he will not be appearing in Star Wars, but would like to show up on The Big Bang Theory.

     This seems a bit rushed, but I suppose they want to keep the momentum of Star Trek Into Darkness, as it's already made almost $450 million.

     Personally, while I enjoyed Into Darkness, I also was very displeased with it.  Mostly with the poor scripting.  It took 3 writers, and NONE of them caught some of the absurdities?  Where are the "no men" to tell them something doesn't work?  To say, "NO! This is poor writing."  Look what happened to the Star Wars prequels.  George Lucas had no one to tell him no, and the movies suffered for it.

     In Into Darkness there was too much focus on homage to the old stuff and not enough new stuff.  Wasn't the point of rebooting the series to make a new path?  New chances and stories, not rehashing all the same old stuff.  They could've altered Khan's story in so many other ways.  All the possibilities they had, and in my opinion, they dropped the ball.
     And another thing about Khan- the fact everyone guessed it form the trailers, but the film makers insisted it wasn't Khan.  That is really annoying.  I mean when he reveals himself as "Khan," I was expecting there to be an awkward silence, followed by Spock asking him if they were supposed to have heard the name previously.  In this film it didn't matter who he was.  There was nothing to make it meaningful in the film.  I've got more to say on this in another draft post.  In the mean time, someone hire a couple better writers and editors to help the current Star Trek crew out.

Source [ BuzzHub ]

X-Force Movie: Confirmation by Rob Liefeld?

     This is an interesting turn of Marvel Comics movie events- X-Force has been kind of announced, and sort of confirmed by creator Rob Liefeld.  I suppose this could be a nice offshoot from the upcoming X-men: Days of Future Past movie.

     They already have cast the right Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), it was just unfortunate that he was in the WRONG movie (X-Men Origins: Wolverine).  If this is actually happening we have to wonder which version of this we'll get?  Will it be the original crew?  Will it be the newer female focused group, or how about the Black Ops X-Force?  Please let it be dark and gritty.  X-Force has always been the darker side of the X-Families.

     I would also like to note that Stephen Lang would be the perfect Cable.  He's already pretty much played the role in Avatar anyways.

Despicable Me 2: The Fart Blaster

     I saw Despicable Me 2 a few days ago, and the Fart Blaster is one of my favorite things the minions use.  After seeing the Fart Blaster on Amazon, I have to mention that there's a small piece in the description that tickled my fancy:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:  Ages 4+ Press trigger for fart sound effects and color changing lights. The Despicable Me Fart Blaster includes Joke Mode with 20 second time delay fart sound. CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.

     I know it's there for liability and legal what-have-you, but seriously, the "choking hazard" has to be some kind of raunchy flatulent by-product joke.  Isn't that the point of a fart gun?  Someone, somewhere, during the creation of this toy, had to have the same childish hilarity as me and caught this.  In my heart I know someone giggled at it and that simple fact brings me great joy.

*fart noise*

...tee hee...

Deadpool: The Videogame... Not Quite a Review

     In reality a Deadpool game should be everything parents hate.  He's crass, violent, and loaded with a vast amount of inappropriate material.  Well, High Moon Studios has come as close to perfection as possible, and Deadpool does not disappoint. (Within rules of gaming, so no actual nudity)

     The premise of the game is Deadpool making a video game about himself.  Yes, it's exactly how it sounds.  But, the strange thing is, it actually works.  It works very well.  It is so true to the spirit of his character.  Deadpool is constantly self-referencing things, and plenty of 4th wall shattering moments.  Honestly, this probably couldn't have worked with any other characters.  (Although Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is a notably similar game)

     Marvel Comics' Merc With a Mouth, Wade Wilson, is a one way ticket to insanity induced perpetual humor.  Granted the humor is crude, but that is exactly where he excels.  This form of comedy is perfect with the nature of video gaming.  When High Moon Studios tossed out any form of serious gaming they opened an entire new world of potential with Deadpool.
     With Deadpool you get a 3-in-1 main character that complains about the crappy polygon models of his in game furniture and keeps censor bars folded up in his pocket for covering up his nether regions.  Really, they got his character nailed down perfectly. 
     They even have nice X-Men cameos here and there, with pretty well designed looks for the game.  I think the character of Death has been updated wonderfully. (See Picture Above)  He even checks out her butt.  

     Even the combat is pretty good.  Each weapon felt distinctly different and had their own uses.  Although the leveling system seemed a bit backwards- when you level the weapons to do higher damage (with Deadpool points, lol), the combos get severely limited.  My biggest combat complaint would be that the counter button and the teleport dodge should've been separated.  It lead to many unfair deaths when I wanted to teleport but countered instead and got swarmed to death.  More of a repeated annoyance.  Especially, because there are tons of small problems where either you or enemies get caught on geometry.

     This was a particularly large frustration during the excessively long last level's end battle.  It would've been less of a hassle if the enemies didn't have monstrous amounts of health to be compounded with nearly indestructible shields.  It just got to be too much and probably should've been a bit shorter.  The whole game could've actually been cut down by about an hour under the 6-ish hours it plays for.  It just felt like a bit of a slog through the last level.

     When it comes down to it, if you've ever been a Deadpool fan, or had a soft spot for questionable humor this game is completely worth playing.  It is not an amazing game by any means, but definitely a good way to entertain yourself for a few hours.  It is a wonderful parody of gaming itself, and that makes Deadpool good enough for me.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger: Best Western Next to Red Dead Redemption

     It isn't often I can say that a game is wholly great, but Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is  just that.  It is even less so that it is a western game.  Somehow, this installment of Call of Juarez doesn't just do it right, but the writing and game play are handled extremely well.

     Gunslinger is a downloadable game that tells the story of Silas Greaves.  He narrates the story, changing parts here and there and it alters the in game during play through flashbacks to his younger days.  At one point all the Apaches poof into cowboys because he changes what he was saying.  The reason for this is two-fold, and makes sense once the story is at an end.  ***SPOILERS***  He purposely does it a couple times for entertainment purposes- embellishing to make himself both look better (or worse), and then later to help confirm a person's identity.  He uses the misinformation in story telling to see if his suspect knows what really happened, which would prove that they were there or had inside information.

     This method of game opens up alternate hypothetical story lines- pathways taken that didn't occur, but are played to show what could've happened if he took a different route.  In this manner the world itself changes at times.  Sometimes due to his remembering forgotten details, or as others question him and he adds to the narrative.  There are entire portions of time that are replayed because his tangential stories wasn't what really happened.  At one point you get to play 3 different versions of stopping a bank heist due to shifting perspectives.  Sure, it's been done before, but it is handled so well in this case, that is needs to be noted.
     Another interesting thing of note is time slows and turns sepia toned as things are happening between the narrator and those he is telling the tale to.  He asks for more booze, exchanges witty banter and even leaves to go piss- leaving the listeners to comment about Silas and his story while he's away.

     There are plenty of familiar western names found that cross Greaves' path.  He was friends with Billy the Kid, John Wesley Hardin, Jesse James, and a run in with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Even a nod to events at the OK Corral.

     Really, the only troublesome problems are the Gatling gun boss fights and the obligatory duels.  For the Gatling bosses you have to continuously chuck dynamite and hope not to catch a stray bullet.  The Gatling can mow you down in a second if you don't stay in cover.  As the duels go, it takes a bit of getting used to, but using both joysticks to balance speed and focus becomes an annoying hassle while also trying to keep the focus reticule on the opponent's body.  They aren't to difficult, but it is aggravating that the speed will just flip direction seemingly at random, which can directly cause a loss in the fight.

     As a Borderlands fanatic, I can see this game has drawn many references and style from that beloved series, but really, it works quite well in this situation.  From the semi-cell shaded graphics to the skill tree development, it all works wonderfully.  Outside of Red Dead Redemption, I've never played a western with this much enjoyment ever.  All in all, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is worth every dollar spent on it- this short downloadable game has FAR more to offer than the $15 price they charge.

     Note:  As for the story, while Silas is an "unreliable narrator" it is for good reason, and the story is quite well written- but you have to FINISH the game to see why.

Jeff Daniels Confirms Dumb and Dumber To (2)... Sort of...

     On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night, Mr. Fallon asked Jeff Daniels, "I gotta ask, are these guys coming back?"  The pic below is the response.

     He goes on to say, "I'll believe it's happening when I'm actually there staring at Jim Carrey."

     It looks like they'll be starting in September, they'll be middle aged and, yes, they are still that stupid.  There are 50 bazillion people waiting for this.  The dream team is returning for the 20th anniversary next year of the first Dumb and Dumber.  I wonder if I can preorder tickets to this yet?


Here's my last post about this topic- Dumb and Dumber 2 News... Sort of...

Borderlands 2: Pitchford Confirms MORE DLC

     During an interview on the The Nerdist podcast, Gearbox head honcho let it out that there will be more to come for Borderlands 2 DLC.  This isn't really unexpected, due to much of the previous news and announcements from Mr. Pitchford.  Many including myself thought there would be plenty more to come.

“We did a Season Pass for Borderlands 2 and the Season Pass was like, ‘hey, if you buy the Season Pass we’re going to be doing four campaign DLCs, but you can get all four of them for the price of three if you buy upfront,’” Pitchford said about Borderlands. “So everyone has this expectation that those would be the four DLCs and then that’s it. We’re going to do more. We’re going to do some other things. We don’t have details yet about it exactly.” 

He added that “I’m not ready to announce what other things are” but that the recently-released Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep “won’t be the end of it.” He concluded by saying, “we’ve got more stuff in the hopper that we’re planning and that we’re getting pretty excited about. So if you are a Borderlands fan, you don’t have to be afraid that that’s the end of it.”

     Really, after Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, I figure they'd put out some more small stuff while focusing on the creation of the third installment for the next gen consoles- being Borderlands 3.
     While Gearbox will probably focus the future DLC's on small things like skin packs or weapon packs, I wonder if we'll actually receive any more story DLC.  Especially because Pitchford mentions that Gearbox is creating an entirely new IP for the next gen systems in addition to the ones they already own- Brothers in Arms, Duke Nukem, Borderlands, and Homeworld.

     As for the future of Pandora in the Borderlands saga, I hope we get a DLC that takes place on the Hyperion Moonbase, which the end of Tina's Assault hints at, which would create a nice segway into the potential Borderworlds from the end of the the main story.
     Regardless, I'll be getting whatever they put out.  That, is also what she said.

Sources [ The Nedrdist: Randy Pitchford ]  [ IGN ] 

Bioshock Infinite: Arrested Developement Meme

     I haven't really gotten to write anything about the game yet, because I started when it first came out and then had my final school term get in the way.  Now I'm back to playing and I've made it around chapter 28 or 29.  It truly is amazing. 

     Playing on 1999 mode right from the start may have been a mistake, but I'm slogging through it and it's still highly enjoyable despite the frustrating difficulty.  Well, I made this meme because, really, a majority of my in game money is from the trash bins.  Apparently EVERYONE on Columbia throws all their money in the garbage.  Maybe there is some sort of infinite universal bank system that uses them as depositories or something? 
     It appears that it would be highly lucrative to be a waste management professional/garbage man on Columbia.

Machinarium: A Quaint and Subtle Experience

     I've never really been a point-and-click game player, but when Machinarium appeared free on the PSN for Plus members, I gave it a try.  I'd seen plenty of stuff on it previously- ads, reviews, and whatnot- but I hadn't been interested in it enough to pick it up, although I do think it was in one of the Humble Indie Bundles I purchased.

     Well, it's difficult to say exactly why Machinarium stands out.  It's a very short game, and a lot of the story doesn't really have the necessary motivations.  You find yourself - an unnamed robot- dumped in a scrap heap at the beginning and try to find your way to your robot lady-friend, then you leave in a helicopter.  There's just enough material to hold together a plot.  But do they need anything more?  In this case, no. 
     There's also a bomb that just happens to be there for no reason other than you need to deactivate it, a hint system if you get stuck, and an inventory that NEVER is full (a relief).  Really the game never bogs you down with difficulty or frustration.  The puzzles are just hard enough to keep you going, but not hard enough to be aggravating.
     It might be of note to say there is also a small arcade with a couple mini games as well.  Nothing amazing, but there is a small version of Space Invaders.
     It is also nice that there is a zoom function.  The only reason I can think of having it would be to get a closer look at the wonderful backgrounds.

     Maybe it's the heart of the game- the nameless robot.  If you leave him sit for a short time, he has small thought bubbles that appear and replay memories of his past including having moments with the robot girlfriend.  And during the extremely short gameplay, he only ever helps other robots.  I recall annoying a couple of others, but not directly harming anyone else.  In a time when we are overloaded with First-Person-Shooters, killing everything in sight gets old really fast.

     Mechanarium isn't a game for everybody, but if you want something nice and interesting for 3 hours, check it out.  Maybe you'll be charmed by this peculiar little robot too.

Man of Steel: Another Super Meme

     I've been busy a lot lately, so I've been sitting on a few review-ish posts, including my thoughts on the Man of Steel film.  Really, it's more of me buying time to think of ways to express my feelings about the movie.  So in the mean time, here's another meme I made about our newest Superman.

Bale Will NOT Don the Batman Cowl Ever Again

     Christian Bale has confirmed he will NOT return to be Batman again.  In any film.  Be it another Batman movie or for DC Comics' potential future Justice League film for Warner Bros.  (The Justice League being Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc.)

"First, Bale said that he wouldn’t do another Batman movie unless Christopher Nolan opted for a fourth Dark Knight chapter, which Nolan says isn’t happening. Then Man of Steel and Dark Knight screenwriter David S. Goyer confirmed that the Justice League’s Batman would be a rebooted character. So that pretty much closed the book."

     This shouldn't be news to anyone that saw Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.  No, seriously.  The entire trilogy was made this way FROM THE BEGINNING.  In Batman Begins Ra's al Ghul (Ducard) tells Bruce Wayne:

Ducard: A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely.

Bruce Wayne: Which is?

Ducard: A legend, Mr. Wayne.

     Then later Batman says to Gordon, "A hero can be anyone."

     It isn't who wears the cowl that matters, but the Batman himself.  That is the symbol.  That is the legend.  So when Bale says in the Entertainment Weekly article, “It’s a torch that should be handed from one actor to another. So I enjoy looking forward to what somebody else will come up with.” it is much more meaningful than just passing a role.  I had an argument with some people about this shortly after the Dark Knight Rises came out.  John Blake will not be the character Robin, as in the boy wonder persona, but he will be the next in line to be the Batman.  The next to be the legend.

     I would like to throw out the option that, while he said he wont be playing BATMAN, there is always the possibility of returning as Bruce Wayne. I mean he could, however, be Robin John Blake's mentor in some small cameo.  It would be a fitting part to play an advisor, Blake as the Bat and Wayne becomes Mr. Fox.

Source [ Entertainment Weekly ]

Guacamelee: Pretty Damn Fun.

     While I bought this a while back, I hadn't really gotten to play much of it.   Last weekend I went and finished the entire game in 2 short sittings.  (On the PS Vita, not the PS3)

    It was well worth the purchase.  You play as Juan Aguacate.  A simple agave farmer that becomes a supernatural luchadore that can swap between the realms of the living and the dead.
     The story is simple, your love is taken by Carlos Calaca, an undead skeleton man-demon, and you are killed by him in the process.  You then are revived and given a magical luchadore mask and super powers with which you can hunt down Calaca and his group of hooligans.  There is nothing of great depth in terms of story, but there is plenty of humor make you laugh out loud.  Notably when you get the power upgrades, and one of them is "NOTHING POWER!"  Where you don't actually get a power, but the screen plays anyway.  The Pollo Power is quite hilarious as well, turning you into a chicken.

     The combat grows very nicely from simple punches and kicks into a vast array of super powered combos and additional skills like the almighty suplex.  This gets compounded by the ability to swap between living and dead realms.  Some enemies can only be fought in one of the two, but may damage you in either.  It creates a hugely satisfying system of fighting polarized into two worlds.

     Although I must say, there could've been slightly more, or better, uses for the living and dead realm switching story wise.  Many puzzles and platforming sections rely on swapping mid-jump or flight, but story wise it felt under-utilized. 
     Which brings me to the only point that I felt was sort of unfair or imbalanced.  The Thule Tree's Tree Tops level.  Thank the game makers this wasn't made to be a mandatory part of the game, or I would've never finished the it.  This segment requires and amazing array of platforming skill and realm flipping timing, which I just couldn't manage on the Vita's compact controls.  I am a grown man and my hands get super cramped on the child sized controls. 

     Here's a video of the level From a Youtube fellow named TheCrabShack:

     The art style is quite interesting as well.  Simple 2d side scrolling and a unique color scheme.  I can only hope for more expansion DLC (there is a costume pack that changes abilities of the player based on which of the 3 new suits they are wearing) because the game is very, very short.  Regardless, I look forward to whatever Drinkbox Studios' next game is.  And in the mean time, I'll probably give their Tales From Space games a try.

     On a side note:  One of my favorite things in the game is the homage posters all over in the background.  They have nods to the Super Mario Bros., Link from The Legend of Zelda, and Grumpy Cat (among others) all made up with a Mexican flavor.  I made sure to include a screencap of one above

It's the Legend of Zelda: NOT The Legend of Link. MAKE ZELDA PLAYABLE.

     For years I've loved the Legend of Zelda series and I saw this posted over on The Mary Sue, and went looking for some of the stuff I wrote on the subject.  After a bit of hunting I found a few blog drafts, including one from 08/12/2009 that I didn't actually post (what follows is an edited version of the 2009 draft post), and a couple of tweets (Sept. 26, 2011 on below).

     Nintendo needs some serious reinvigorating of their IPs.  I have a post on their biggest issue in draft form that should be finished by next week, but I want to clarify and clean it up a bit more.

     They can start with this one individual- Zelda.  The Legend of Zelda is already an immensely wonderful series, but really, if Nintendo wants to make something worthwhile- make a NEW game with Zelda herself in the lead.  Female gamers comprise, what, 45% of gamers (Not positive on this estimate?)- and with all the talk of having more female protagonists- why hasn't Nintendo jumped on this chance.  As much as I love Link, she needs to take center stage in the the series that bears HER name.  This is the perfect time for an actual ZELDA game.
     Over the years I've talked to numerous friends and fans of the series and this is something pretty much every one of us is clamoring for.

Hyrule needs a new hero(ine).

     Think of the ramifications- this is a chance to show how capable she is.  We've seen how she handles herself in the guises of Sheik and Tetra, and we want more.
     Typically we get slightly new and changed versions of these beloved characters, so something original would be expected.  But we are familiar enough with the characters that this is completely within the realm of possibility.  A reinvigorated mythos can be brought to Hyrule.   

     This should NOT be a gender swap.  It should be a completely different feel.  A DISTINCTLY different feel.  Show us that Zelda is stealthy and a worthy fighter in her own right, with her OWN styles of play.  We want Zelda, not Link in Zelda's skin.  She has to be the leader she was born to be.  A Princess that leads.  Capable and badass in her own right.

     Nintendo, it's time to take action, it's time to get this done.  You have a huge chance to set an example for the future with a Zelda centric game.  Samus Aran cannot remain the only active female in the Nintendo arsenal.  You can make something fans will love and support, or you can ignore us at your own loss.

UPDATE:  This morning Mr Jim Sterling posted this over at Destructoid.  I also joined the Facebook group "Nintendo, Please Give Princess Zelda a Stronger Role."