- The big website redesign I’ve been mentioning for months now is tentatively scheduled to go live this Monday. That could easily be pushed back, but for now that’s the plan. OB1 and Mecha-Shiva have been working their butts off for this project.
- To get you all psyched up for the redesign, I’ve pledged to write a review a day this week (since evidently it’s my most popular feature).
- DC revealed a bunch of Bat-titles for its upcoming “Brand New DC” (my term) in December. Pros: Dick Grayson back as Nightwing, only one Batman. Cons: Damian Wayne still Robin. Not sure how to feel about: Barbara Gordon getting her legs back and returning as Batgirl. I recommend you read this op-ed by Jill Pantozzi. And finally, Rather worried about: While Catwoman, Batgirl, Batwoman, Nightwing, Batwing and even frickin’ Jason Todd get their own books, there was no sign of Tim Drake yesterday. I have a bad feeling Tim may be getting killed off/”disappeared” by Didio & friends.
- There seem to be a lot of mixed feelings on this, but I’m psyched about all the Halo news out of E3 so far. First off, I’ve never loved any Halo game as much as I loved Combat Evolved, so the news about the updated version was welcome–it’s something I’ve talked about for years. As for Halo 4, while I generally do think certain companies do the best job with certain properties, I also think Bungie had some idiosyncrasies in its game development and storytelling that I wouldn’t necessarily miss (Gravemind anyone?). So long story short, I’m willing to give both games the benefit of the doubt. The one thing out of E3 I’m not liking? All the discussion of the Kinect and Move, especially them being used in games like Mass Effect 3. No thank you, game developers.
Griffin
Some of these redesigns seem very 90s x-treme.
Poe
Tim Drake lives!
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/08/the-next-…
Very glad to hear it, though the wings are bit goofy.
George
@ Battle Catman:
I completly agree.
Erin
I'm betting Tim Drake will be in Teen Titans. If DC's keeping Damian, I can't believe they'd ditch Tim.
OB1
Poe wrote:
I think I read somewhere–G4, IGN or Joystiq–that you will be able to buy the "new" CE multiplayer maps for Reach, so maybe no need for buying the game at all if you only care about the MP maps and have Reach. That said, I think the $40 is worth it to go Magnum wild again, even if the up-rezzed Mark V Chief armor looks kind of stupid compared to what you can build for same in Reach. Hopefully they end up doing Halo 2 as well so I can play all of them in HD…
googum
That DC reboot, man…I'm not reading a lot of DC books now, so we'll see if that number shoots up. Kinda hoping for some more surprising #1's, though. (Currently, I read Batman, Inc. on occasion; but Xombi is a favorite.)
The Batgirl thing…I'm not sure about that, either.
Poe
Novelty wrote:
Honestly, I don't know how you do it. The time and money investment seems like it must be enormous.
Novelty
Yay, a review a day… but only for a week? You should try doing it for a year 😉 I do wonder though…
Battle Catman
The good thing about the voice commands in Mass Effect 3 is that they're optional. But even if they made them mandatory, I love Mass Effect so much I'd plunk down the cash for a Kinect anyway.
@ George – I feel the same way when I play online and my team gets slaughtered by guys who have studied the map and know how to pin you down and generally make the game not fun. I hate playing against guys like that, but that's not to say I hate losing. If it's a solid match-up with both teams evenly skilled and we lose 50 to 49, that's okay. But when we get shut out 50 to 13? To hell with that. Same goes for when my team WINS by that much. I hate one-sided victories.
PrfktTear
I don't think I've ever played more than a half hour of any Halo Game. Same for COD. Just never been a huge gamer. It might be fun to play at some point.
As far as DC reboot, I've always found comics very convoluted and hard to follow. With fifteen bajillion current titles without proactively seeking out whats what its hard to know when/where to start. Thats why of the few books I have read they've been TPB's or one-offs.
Doc Thomas
Halo is great. Halo 3 is one of the best games of the decade. Last year I played over 70 games to completion, and have played over 2000 games between 2000 – 2010.
Looking forward to both of the Halo games.
George
@ Poe:
I find Halo boring, I just never saw much difference, to other shooter type games. I know its a stable in xbox, and I'm an Xbox fan-boy; but i find it too kiddy for me.
I hate how people can hide in different parts of the map where clearly they aren't suppose to be.I'm sorry I don't play enough to find secrets in maps or even care to look for these erroneous areas, for the sheer enjoyment to hid and kill people who pass by (I mean really you enjoy that waiting for someone to pop their head, requiring no skill or sniper incentive?).
I really like their concepts of Spartans but the game play is just not there. The designs are supreme but their shadowing bothers me, I typically get lost in campaign which is weird because I'm an alright gamer. I'm one of those ego-manics though, play Gears to insult and belittle people (humping them while there down) So maybe that's why,or maybe its the fact that I've been over exposed to violent video games so the non removing of limbs and under-use of blood splatter irritates me. Plus its those stupid little kids on Xbox live crying loudly on their mics, complaining about a rated M game their mother shouldn't be letting play. End Rant
Will West
I'd heard a rumor about a series called "Red Robin & The Outlaws". Not sure if it's confirmed yet, nor is there any proof that Tim is the same Red Robin, but it's a start.
Poe
@ LBAM: It's going to cost $40, and will be available in stores. It will come with a second disc that uses the Reach engine to play the classic Halo multiplayer levels (with Halo weapons).
As for why you should buy it, well, that's entirely your opinion, which you're more than entitled to. But I've never enjoyed any of the Halo titles as much as I enjoyed the first one, and I don't think that's nostalgia talking–I just find the game more fun than the sequels, for a few reasons.
It's not so obsessed with its "universe" and world-building;
The weapons are all over the map in terms of their usefulness which adds a fun chaotic (and arguably realistic) element to the proceedings;
And because the game was rougher than the sequels, you could do all sorts of fun things like climb up to an area you were clearly not intended to go to and use the sniper rifle to pick off bad guys.
Basically at this point, I still enjoy replaying Halo, but the graphics are getting so obsolete as to induce eye-bleeding, so a graphics update is very welcome.
Again, though, I understand those who aren't excited about it. But I am. I'm also the guy who's pre-ordered the Halo 1 Master Chief.
LBAM
My question about the re-release of Halo:CE is, frankly, why should I pay $60 for a game I've already played umpty-billion times? I'm assuming it isn't going to be some really cool digital download from XBLA, right? Because if it's that, if it's reasonable, fine. But no chance am I dropping $60 for the same game, but prettier.
Poe
Vincent wrote:
Well, there's going to be online co-op and multiplayer. Both of those things are enough to make it appealing to me…I can't wait to finally play Sidewinder with sixteen people.
Vincent
One thing that really bothers me is the knee jerk reaction that people have to Halo now. "UGH more of the same!" Well guess what? That's how every other franchise is. It's essentially the same thing over and over again. From Madden to Tomb Raider, it's all variations on a theme.
I want more Halo. And no, the games are never exactly the same. Each one has had different aspects about them in single and multiplayer that people who like the series will certainly notice. If you don't like Halo, that's fine, but that's usually how it's expressed.
And I hope to hell that there's no flood or Gravemind.
I'll probably be skipping out on CE as I said via Twitter, I've played through the original too many times. There would have to be significant changes aside from graphics before I'd want to beat it a fourth or fifth time.
Poe
Monte wrote:
I did actually pick a winner (and sent him the prize), but for now that site is on the backburner while I get the revamped PGPoA going.
fengschwing
Looking forwards to Brand New Poeghostal.com, not so much to Brand New DC, although it might make a nice point to draw a line under my DC collection and concentrate on picking up the pre-reboot trades and leave the new continuity.
I'm not happy about the Barbara Gordon thing myself, I think DC should of left her in the chair.
Monte
What about the winner of the contest regarding the name of the pop culture site? Did I miss it, or is it forthcoming?
(Also, I have a Show and Tell half-written for ya; it's about a Turkish robot and some forest ghosts.)