ODD: DCUC Wave Two is hitting all over the country, but not the online retailer I pre-ordered it from. I don’t blame the retailer for that–nor Mattel, frankly. Wave One arrived at the online retailers before it hit the brick and mortar stores, so there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. And considering the speed and tenacity of the local scalpers, I’m still better off waiting for my full set to ship than wasting gas money driving around to Targets and Wal-Marts to get one or two figures. But still…patience is not one of my more practiced virtues.
I’ve got vacant spots on my DCUC risers waiting for the latest heroes and villains to join them. If Wave Three (which I’m anticipating the most) ships this late from the online retailers as well, I may go briefly crazy. Just a warning.
END: Many of you were traumatized by my giant crotch-shot of David Bowie’s action figure from Labyrinth. Allow me to make up for that by posting these giant, hi-res photos of Leonardo from their upcoming TMNT line.
ODD: I got Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii over the weekend. I was an obsessive fan of the original N64 Super Smash Bros in college, often cajoling my friends into playing just so I had someone to beat the living crap out of (my roommate, who delighted in pounding me in Goldeneye or Perfect Dark, refused to play SSB with me). I’m surprised by how similar the Wii version is to the original. I never played the Gamecube version (Super Smash Bros. Melee), but I find that my skills from the N64 game are perfectly applicable to SSBB. That said, there are definitely some differences, such as the extremely dynamic (and sometimes annoying) stages and the frenetic way the power-ups work. I find the matches often get a little out of control, though never as badly as, say, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (which I played once and, after nearly having a seizure, never touched again).
END: Speaking of videogames, I also picked up a used copy of Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (an Xbox game that’s backwards-compatible with the 360). I’ve played it–extensively–before, but it’s still one of my favorite games of all time. As much fun as I’ve had with similar games such as Crackdown, nothing compares to the sheer joy of running up the side of a skyscraper barefoot only to leap off and perform an Atomic Elbow Drop on a giant mech. A fantastic, well-made game created by people who understood the appeal of the Hulk.
It got me thinking–what would the perfect Batman game be like? They’ve tried beat-’em-ups, brawlers, and Metal Gear Solid-style stealth games, and none of them have really quite been a hit with fans. I’m betting this year’s LEGO Batman will be good, but obviously the gameplay won’t exactly be based on the comics. So what sort of game would perfectly capture the spirit of Batman? It would need to include combat, adventure, mystery, and a really good story. Maybe a sandbox game a la Hulk and Spider-Man 2, but with a stronger story element, like GTA?