The Losers

As a comic book guy, a millenia or two ago by comic time, I read a series called 'The Losers'. It was espionage/mystery with action film. Ocean's Eleven meets Bad Boys more or less. Two years ago, I find out they're contemplating MAKING this a film. My initial reaction, it can't be as bad as Spider-man 3 and just who is going to play these characters?

Now, on the cusp of it releasing (April fyi), I'm all smiles. Its done just right. Andy Diggle and Jock made a bad ass comic book, and now it looks like Peter Berg, who directed a few films a few were good, others sucked, wrote the screenplay. He didn't just take the Losers and put them in a new story, he took the comics and adapted to the screen. Choice moments from the books are being acted ON screen. I'm going to get the film version of one of my favorite comic books.

Granted, I get a chuckle because of the cast. We have Jeffery Dean Morgan, who played the Comedian in Watchman as Clay, Zoe Saldana as Aisha (She played Smurfette in Avatar, sorry harmless jab, I swear I liked the film.), The dude who played the Human Torch in Fantastic Bore and some people I've never heard of before. I'm not against people I don't know, the Hangover has proven that no names still bring it.

Anyone interested, I suggest reading the comic highly. Anyone wanting to see the trailer, I got the link for you.

The Losers (HD) - LINK

Oh yeah, I could care less what John Travolta or Sly Stallone do, this movie is going to take out some box office.

Week Summary

I swear, this is a week I won't forget about for a long, long time. I've been embarrassed, fired, hired, put down, picked up, laughed at and thanked. There's so many inconsistencies, I think I've walked into the twilight zone.

This blog has been built as a haven for me to do what I want to do. No one can do anything against me when I'm here. It's kind of pathetic to think that I've had to retreat this deep to actually get a tiny place that's wholly mine. enough of this bollocks though. he only thing that gets my mind of my problems is solving other peoples.

The RECAP

Tuesday

Tuesday released the first wave of wallet breaking games on all 3 major consoles and the PC.

Mass Effect 2 has garnered outstanding reviews. Being poor, I can't afford it and I was generally looking forward to Tastunoko more so than ME2. I still have a bad taste in my mouth because of Dragon Age: Origins.

Tastunoko vs. Capcom, I've reviewed for you all, and left on Tuesday.

MAG has completely outdone more expectations than I actually anticipated. They say its like Battlefield 1942 but with 4 times the amount of maximum players than Battlefield and 8 times the amount on any Valve game.

Finally No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. The first game's bizarre plot wasn't enough for the fans. Being the number 1 assassin in the world isn't enough for Travis Touchdown. New weapons, new story and the same insane gameplay and new gameplay makes this a worthy by for those who can't afford other action games or don't have the 360 or PS3. Beware, this game is rated Mature for a reason, no one wants their kid to find out how you save in this game.

Wednesday

So, the iPad came out. It's the Apple Etch-A-Sketch, taking a play right out of Kotaku's book. There's more female care product jokes about this now than a night with Lisa Lampanelli. It's hard to believe that this is blowing everyone's mind. Thankfully I'm not alone is just saying this is just an oversized iPod touch. My twitter mates @tashacook7 and @vinneymedellin were discussing the whole matter over it, and I'm paraphrasing that.

Apple is a good company, with extreme loyalists, but I really can't keep a straight face when I hear Steve Jobs said 599 dollars. I just remember this system that came out three or so years ago that was costing around that much. It could DO all these things and it didn't end very well. I forget the name of it but I think it took them forever to get off the ground. *Facepalm*

Thursday

I got a phone call after a long and unproductive day at school from the editor of an online news website, which will remain unnamed till I'm sure I'm in the clear. Its nice to know there's people who actually are watching out for me, though I still don't trust people after that long fiasco that occurred on Monday. Quick shout out to Kathleen_LRR on twitter, she'd from the internet comedy group Loading Ready Run, she's a great woman and very funny, she also lost her job on Monday, send her something to cheer her up, it was very traumatic. I got a high five from her.

Friday (Today)

Things have finally quieted down her on the old scoreboard. I finally get to break for a moment and take a second to look around. I'm still lacking a few social essentials, like a job and a girlfriend but I guess that stuff will pan out on its own for the moment.

Now for those wondering about why I didn't include Monday, its because I already let loose about what happened on Monday, and two, most people were arguably too busy waiting in line for all the good games coming later that night.

Finally, I'd like to explain why I don't have a facebook. My original intent was to get fully connected into everything. Despite some of the good it does for people, I really don't see anything that Twitter, E-Mail and this blog don't already cover. I can update my status using twitter, post enough stuff on this blog to cover whatever and finally if there's any personal stuff I'm unable to talk about, I got my e-mail.

Either way, I've give a weekend update sometime on Saturday. I'm still banging out a schedule for the blog. I figure New Games on Tuesday, Wednesday will be review time, Thursday I'll hunt down some technical stuff on the web. Friday will be recap. Weekend stuff with be obsure news from around the world. I think I'll keep Monday as the "Drew Misemer talks about his life day".

Borrowing from Sean 'Cheeks' Galloway, cheeks74.deviantart.com, HOPE YA'LL DIGGS

Up a creek with a iPad dle

Sorry for the lame pun, but it's all in good fun. Either way, it looks like Apple created yet another thing to try and dominate the market. It's pad is the size of an etch a sketch, hopefully it lasts longer. Granted, while I'm mildly excited about it I'm not about to go run out and reserve mine. I'd rather just deal with setting up my laptop thank go out, buy this and a keyboard and have another thing to fiddle with. Sides I just bought the laptop in the first place, so I'm not about to blow more money away.

Granted, kotaku.com has loads more information for those looking into this matter. I'm just the guy trying to stay relevant. Unlike every major news source I'm just one guy with a computer and an opinion.

I'd like to also give an update. I am looking for hosting for an actual website. I haven't figured the name out, nor gotten the rights to the domain name but I'll do my best. I need to get someone who knows dream weaver or something of the sort. A friend offered to give me a hand on setting it up, but I dunno if he's just yanking my chain on the matter. I'll probably ask my class for help first.

Either way, I'll try and sum up the iPad later tonight, but I want to at least be active in school, between classes when I have the free time.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

What's UP BROS. Alright, so I'm back with ANOTHER update, I'll try to keep at least one new post a day. If I get myself into rhythm I'll be just fine. So, I was up late last night, playing on the Wii. I had to mop the dust off it first, replace the batteries in the remotes and reconnect the thing to the TV. The PS3 and PC have been eating up most of my time when School isn't rolling me like a tumbleweed in a windstorm.

Alright, so here's the low down on TvsC.

Blieve this or not, it's one of the better Wii games, something I sadly think the Wii is lacking. I mean, we got major first party support for the thing but the third party games are so lack luster, that it damn near just fall apart. I guess the Gamecube was the same way, and the N64 as well. I think that trend needs to quit, but I think the core reason is cause Nintendo seems mildly anti social when it comes to grabbing 3rd Party support/exclusives.

Thankfully, this game is an exclusive and it disappoints very little. This is the first fighting game where I didn't die running through Arcade Mode on the default difficulty. Fighters in most senses of the word give you two freebies to get warmed up and the rest of the battles are an uphill struggle for everything. Dominating an opponent is any fighting game but this one takes arguably 30 to 40 hours of practice with just one character.

It did annoy me that the characters for this game are kind of stunted. I'm not going to point any fingers nor am I truly pissed because I only got to choose from 20 or so people. I just remember that the old Versus titles in the series had roughly 45 characters to play as, and it'd border on insane how many different things would be seen. My friend, whom I'll refer to at One, ordered it online and didn't recieve it today, much to his discontent. So I woke up early to give him some cheering up.

The game is a walking statement for easy to play but difficult to master. It borrows simpler controls from Smash Bros. Brawl but offers up complexity with the tag system. Each fighter is a 2 versus 2 match. Like Marvel Vs Capcom 1 and Capcom vs SNK 1, its very simplistic and flashy but the depth behind is enormous.

My favorite characters turned out to be Batsu from Rival Schools, his last appearance in project justice for the Dreamcast. The other was a left field pick of Jun the Swan from Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets/G-Force). I went all the way with the both of them, Jun being my quick strike character and Bastu being the heavy weapons guy. They work extremely well together, and I will admit that nearly everyone in this has a different style.

One thing that stands out among EVERYTHING in this game is the unique battles that take place. Fighting a 25 foot tall golden robot or a giant Mech from Lost Planet gets the adrenaline pumping. They don't flinch so hitting them with as much stuff as possible is the only true way to get them down. It reminds me of Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 with the giant mech fights which always put you as the underdog no matter how you looked at it.

Versus mode is rudimentary, seems like they ripped it right out of Marvel vs Capcom 2. The real beauty is the online mode. It's smooth, even on lower quality connections. We were connected within seconds which took me by surprise. Battling it out online seems like you're fighting the best AI in the game cause you can't communicate at all. It cuts down on the smack talk of course, which really makes this nicer but still seems impersonal when you hand someone their butt.

I admit I'm glad I didn't have to use the wii motion stuff. I actually played this game with the remote on its side, two buttons for attack, B to use partner and I haven't bothered with 'A' yet. Everything is as it should be, I guess. I can fight One on equal field with him using the gamecube controller or classic controller and I can use the 'NES' style and we'll be going at it. He even admitted it wasn't a handicap.

For anyone who's just now visiting, I don't give games numbers, I truly don't believe there's any game that can be filed under a 7 or a 10 or anything like that. Numbers ruin the visual. If I gave Uncharted 2 a 5 and said it was average, people wouldn't be impressed with it. I want to make people curious by building the game up in words and examples rather than putting a number on it and walk away.

I will say that overall, this game is the next Super Smash Bros. for the Wii, something its been lacking for quiet a while. As a matter of note, I actually took out the disk I had previously left in my Wii and it turned out to be Brawl so I kind of chuckle at this comment. Still, without a doubt, if you're looking for a good time, look no further. This game gives the same kind of wackiness that one would expect from such a strange title. If you're on the edge, I'd rent out and take your pick. If you're a fighter buff or you're looking for something to go online with that doesn't involve putting up with little kids and 'tough guy' teenagers, go for it. None of them would get caught dead playing this game unless it had the Master Chief or Marcus Fenix in it.

Cheers Bros, look forward to me updating tomorrow. Working on a better banner for the Blog, probably needs it considering.

The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

By: Drew "Duo" Misemer (Myz-mer)

While I loathe Smashing Pumpkins, its a kind of unfortunate thing to say that this is so adequate. Nothing bothers me more than thinking that I've blown not one, but two chances to actually make a living at writing, when some don't get a chance at all to even let their voices get heard.

It's been a dissappointing weekend so far, despite my football teams winning, I still think Brett Farve should have won that game on sheer will alone. It breaks my heart to see the old generation falling down, after fighting to the bitter end, just to have a mistake ruin his chances. Like Farve, whom I respected through out his entire career, even the bumpy parts, I still feel I need to get up and continue working down the field, despite the endless poundings and emotional abuse I receive on a near daily basis.

However, THIS is my blog, and since this is mine, I can finally do what I have always wanted. I've named this the High Score after my old podcast on my newspaper. It was probably the best time I ever had when I was working there, and I hope to actually get back to casting again. I'll probably get some friends in on it, so we can have ourselves a real show. I might put the PG-13 label on it and keep myself from letting my mouth go.

Time for the news however. Without a doubt, these next couple months are going to be rocky. Games like Mass Effect 2, God of War 3, Super Street Fighter 4, and all the millions of sequels in video game land, seem to have set the date for attacking the first fiscal quarter of this business year. I think i lay the blame squarely on Modern Warfare 2, which for better or worse has dominated every sales chart in the country. My only quip for this game comes as follows.

Modern Warfare 2 is a good game, with a great story and single player, but the multiplayer is not the god saving grace that everyone I know expected me to think it was. Though argued as perfection by a few of the true diehards, putting perks into a game so that great players stay great, and new players die horribly is not what I consider fair. There is no human way to fire two shotguns and be combat effective, I do not care how many times Infinity Ward watched The Rundown with Dwayne Johnson, it just doesn't work like that. There's a multitude of comparisons, with people saying it's Counter Strike for the console. To clear something of this up, counter strike only lets you use 1 shotgun, be it the Auto-Shotty (Noob-Tube) or pump action, not 2 and you're not unkillable because of a random perk you picked up.

Modern Warfare 2, like the rest of these new updates suffer from the fact that in these days, guns are not meant to just kill a single person, they're meant to kill multiple people and in a very short amount of time. I will not belittle the game or its fanbase by saying that it's a console FPS and by all points and standards they'll never be good enough to compete with Counter Strike players who never, ever stop playing, even when the Source version came out. No, there are people who will play Modern Warfare till the x-box melts and continue doing controller exercises until they get another chance.

This does not save the game from me saying that its an over hyped multiplayer experience I wouldn't dare sit through. Its learning curve being a straight cliff is also another problem. It's not fun when you can't win, no matter how many grenades or bullets you throw at them.

As for the news, Mass Effect 2 and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom come out tomorrow. One game will sell out completely, the other will have people still wondering how you pronounce the title. I will not be picking up Mass Effect 2 due to sheer worriment thanks to Dragon Age: Origins which seemed half assed, though I blame Edge of Reality games for it. I do find myself twiddling my thumbs however, as I grow more anxious for Tatsunoko.

For pretty much all of us out there, Tatsunoko is unheard of, unless you remember Speed Racer or Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets, G-Force). It's funny because when I was growing up I thought Speed Racer sucked and I loved G-Force to death. Now I'm more in love with Speed Racer's subtle hints of a broken family coping and the irony of the death they're broken over, while Battle of the Planets (G-Force) seems to be getting more and more annoying for me. I didn't know the show had a fan base a mile long, nor that there's more people who will debate the entire thing till they die.

Anyone interested in knowing something about Tatsunoko, please visit this link, http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/bt/jewwario/mp/16302--what-is-tatsunoko

Either way, tatsunoko vs. Capcom is the first versus game since Marvel vs. Capcom 2 which debuted on the Dreamcast in 2001. That's right, it's been nearly 10 years since we've had a major crossover game show up on these shores. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was considered the greatest fighting game of the decade, with people paying upwards of 80 to 100 bucks just for a used copy of the game. I actually picked it up for 20 bucks at Best Buy on a weird buying run for some other game. Despite this, I actually played MvC2 more than any other fighting game, simply because I was wowed by these insane specials and probably because I was still kind of into Dragon Ball Z at the time. Shut up, I don't want to hear it.

Tatsunoko seems to be that fighting game that will tide me over till Super Street Fighter 4, as I'll probably pick that up at its 40 dollar price and do a little dance because I waited instead of buying SF4 at 60. From the game videos alone, and the small demos I've played at the conventions I went to over the summer, this Game looks to take a spot in being one of the best fighters for this decade, much like its previous cousins. I still think Capcom vs. SNK 2 was a great 3vs3 fighting game like MvC2 and to be honest, I thought the characters were cooler. Unfortunately, finding MvC2 for the PS2 is impossible, but now you can download it for 20 bucks on X-Box Live or the PSN.

Now, I'd like to give a shout out to anyone who's actually taken the time to read my long winded crap. If anyone skipped the beginning, cool, I respect people who don't pity others because of a minor set back in life. I just like to get things off my chest so that I don't bottle them up and go postal on someone. It's funny to think that I see people keep everything wrong with their lives private, then wind up on the seven o' clock news.

On a side note: This just happened. Kotaku just announced that Uncharted 2 got game of the year. Link provided. http://kotaku.com/5455099/kotakus-2009-game-of-the-year

This is one of the best news sites on the web concerning videogame news and such. I'll probably regurgitate most of their stuff for anyone who reads, but I'll be sure to make it a bit more beefy. I'll also make sure to keep this updated, as it's my only outlet now to keep writing anything I have, as well as keep you all in the know.

Special shout outs to my editors, who all gave me a chance in the first place, wouldn't do this without you. THE artist, who illustrated all my reviews this season, and worked endless to make sure each piece of art was as good as it could be. Finally, I'd like to say thank you to everyone in my graduating class, without you guys, I wouldn't be working in videogames and probably would have settled on a stock broker job and been cast out of this country in less than a week.

Also, thank you to Doug Walker a.k.a. That Guy with the Glasses. he friended me on Twitter, I suggest you check it out and James Rolfe a.k.a. the Angry Videogame Nerd for making reviewers have to work that much harder to entertain people with words, something you seem to do so easily.

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER - twitter.com/dmisemer

UPDATED
Also, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and MAG (Massive Action Game) are comin gout for the Wii and PS3 respectively. No More Heroes is rated M for Mature and should never be sold to children. EVER.