It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post up here and I’m overdue.  I haven’t been to any new movies lately that are worth mentioning (I saw Whiteout but I’m trying to pretend I didn’t) so I figure that I’ll just chat about some of the games I’ve been playing.

First up: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  I was a rabid fan of the first one to the point that I put in a good 100+ hours into it.  Naturally, hearing about the sequel and seeing those stunning graphics led me to buy this thing ASAP.  First impression: too short and that’s a crime!  This one lacks in almost every way.  The comic missions of the first one?  Gone mostly.  Four costumes per character?  Try two!  Huge campaign spanning MANY locales?  Try ten hours split into two plays.  Character choices??  TRIMMED!!! No Blade!  No Elektra!  No Moon Knight!  No Ghost Rider!  No Doctor Strange! But… we got Ironfist… um… woo!  Thanks for that trade! 

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Assault on Dark Athena • Champions Online • Chronicles of Riddick • Cogs • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 • Vin Diesel • Wet »
by FiFi
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Okay, yes, my title is a little obvious.  I’ve said it for days, perhaps even weeks.  Arkham Asylum was the Shangrila of gaming that I have been looking forward to with all the jitters and bounce of a school girl on Pixie sticks (what? They’re good).

The game was released to outstanding reviews.  The demo captivated me in the same way that a masterpiece movie might enthrall a drooling film student.  I was standing in a line outside of a game store in the freezing cold at midnight to get my copy (okay, so it wasn’t cold at all and there was only one other person in line… but the midnight part was true). 

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Arkham Asylum • Bane • Batman • Harley Quinn • Jim Gordon • Kevin Conroy • Killer Croc • Mark Hamill • Oracle • Poison Ivy • Steve Blum • The Joker • X Box 360 »
by FiFi
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I know that I’m snarky most of the time and have ridiculous and outrageous things to say about movies and games.  Well, maybe not outrageous but certainly different.  I approach all films with a singular viewpoint: was the experience entertaining?  There may be things to tease, parts to nudge and silliness to point out but in the end, if I was entertained, I say that the movie was a success.

At least, it was a success with me.  That doesn’t mean that everyone else won’t pan it or otherwise consider it to be the worst tripe since the Caveman Comedy of 9000 BC. 

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « aliens • District 9 • neill blomkamp • peter jackson • prawns • sci fi • sharlto copley • south africa • terri tatchell »
by FiFi
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Where do I even begin?  There are so many things coming out and so many that have been promising to appear that I almost lost track.  A few of these we can just take for granted because they’ve become a gaming tradition (see that football Madden thing).  Others are traditionally forever in development and take so long to finish you wonder why they bothered to mention it while it was still just an ink doodle on a cocktail napkin.

Let’s start with some of the big ones: StarCraft 2, Dragon Age, and Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 2.

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Arkham Asylum • Assassin's Creed 2 • Batman • Brutal Legend • Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 • Champions Online • Dead Rising 2 • Dragon Age: Origin • Fallen Earth • Fighting Game • FPS • Left 4 Dead 2 • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 • MMO • PC • PS3 • Rock Band: Beatles • RPG • RTS • StarCraft • StarCraft 2 • Tekken 6 • The Old Republic • X Box 360 »
by FiFi
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GI Joe.  Transformers.  First comic books now toys.  And not Toy Story type toys either but honest to God straight from some people’s childhood toys complete with the same names, cheesy dialogue from the cartoons and shameless capitalizing on people’s nostalgia.  Never mind that these movies are successfully raking in the dough, it’s just creepy how people flock to catch them.

Now, I know that I said I liked Transformers and I stand by my statement.  If you hate fun or cool, then wouldn’t like the giant robot smash fest.  I have to take a similar stance with GI Joe.  It’s a thrill ride of fun and brutal with larger than life characters and vehicles that had a cameo in your latest Wired magazine.  Overall, I liked this movie.

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Channing Tatum • Christopher Eccleston • Cobra • Dennis Quaid • Destro • Duke • GI Joe • Joseph Gordon-Levitt • Marlon Wayans • Rachel Nichols • Ray Park • Sienna Miller • Snake Eyes • Stephen Sommers • Storm Shadow »
by FiFi
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Fast and the Furious um… four, I guess came out a while back and hit the DVD shelves like an out of control Duster plowing through a mall.  This dramatic piece of work was full of the sort of heart and soul that builds a classic; the biblical style quality of epic spirituality and social bonding was brought out in the dazzling colors and displays of valiance from the characters.  Future generations will look back and say…

‘That movie had so much testosterone it needed it’s own nut sac’.

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Fast and the Furious • John Ortiz • Jordana Brewster • Justin Lin • Michelle Rodriguez • Paul Walker • Rob Cohen • Vin Diesel »
by FiFi
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When I first heard about Harry Potter, it was a book series that all my colleagues were reading.  I wasn’t much of a reader back then.  I liked the straight up in your face entertainment that movies provided.  My running joke that annoyed my reading friends was ‘What, they made a book after that movie?’ Yes, I was an idiot, try not to judge too much.

The first movie came out and I was very wowed… which made no sense in a way.  I mean, I’ve been dealing with witches & wizards for a long time.  I’ve seen it in person.  The normals (maybe I should just call them muggles) went berserk and really, I have to admit that I did too.  What a magical and lovely premise!!  And it really appealed to the inner kid in me (inner, outer, back then I was all kid, all the time except when I wasn’t… anyway).  This was a series that was done right.

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Alan Rickman • Bonnie Wright • Daniel Radcliffe • Emma Watson • Evanna Lynch • Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince • Helena Bonham Carter • Jim Broadbent • Michael Gambon • Robbie Coltrane • Rupert Grint »
by FiFi
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Who didn’t see the first Transformers movie?  Those people raising their hands were probably sitting in a stuffy community theater watching the amateur production of Grease for the fifth time.  I’m not knocking Grease (not much) and community theater is okay (they smell weird) but we’re talking about a cultural phenomenon that is more than meets the eye *ahem*.  The bottom line is simple: if you saw the first Transformers, you’re tooled up to see the second one and that means, you’re ready to experience wild action and FREAKIN’ GIANT ROBOTS!!!

I admit that when I first saw the trailer for the initial Transformers I twitched in my seat.  It wasn’t because I was already bored (thank you all those who think that I’m THAT ADD) but rather, how could toys from a beloved era become a serious, live action movie?  Who would have the nerve and gall to pull off such a thing?  Who would have the audacity to attempt a stunt like this?  The Lord of Boom Michael Bay had to be the ONLY person willing to step up and take on a project of this explosive magnitude.

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « John Turturro • Josh Duhamel • Megan Fox • Michael Bay • Rise of the Fallen • Shia LaBeouf • Transformers »
by FiFi
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My last review was for ol’ Wolvie, and it took me a while to gather up the energy (read as boredom) to write another one.  I mean, as far as folks go, I’ve got plenty going on so sitting down to hit the blog requires me to have something exciting to say.  I don’t want people to hop by and go ‘Holy Crap, that kid needs to get a hobby… that doesn’t involve writing… or anything else that might have a modicum of entertainment value’.

Fortunately, Star Trek came along and gave me the inspiration (Jesus, that word was hard to spell today!) to write about something that I would like to say is fantastic.  Anyone who likes to breath needs to see this movie.  It was THAT good!

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Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Anton Yelchin • Ben Cross • Bruce Greenwood • Captain Kirk • Chris Pine • Eric Bana • Gene Roddenberry • JJ Abrams • John Cho • Karl Urban • Leonard Nimoy • McCoy • Simon Pegg • Spock • Star Trek • Winona Ryder • Zachary Quinto • Zoe Saldana »
by FiFi
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Right now, one can get a copy of Glass Moonlight and the Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society CD Clockwork Dreams together for the low price of 20.00. 

Another bundle throws in the DNBS Casebook Volume 1 for another 5 dollars (25.00 for 3 products!)

Hop over to http://www.deadlynightshadebotanicalsociety.com/sale.html to place an order or gather more details!

Filed under: Deals
by admin
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