Akting Out

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is DC’s newest animated film, and acts as a direct sequel to the dubious Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. While the original wasn’t a bad film, I was disappointed by how far it strayed from the original material, primarily with one of its key characters. Having never read Superman/Batman: Supergirl (which is the basis for this film), I had to base my opinion on the film alone.

The movie picks up a few months after the events of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. When a large meteor crashes into Gotham Bay, the Dark Knight moves in to investigate. He finds an exceptionally strong young girl who’s managed to incapacitate several ill-intentioned dockworkers and evade police—by taking to the skies. The pursuit is nearly catastrophic until Superman intervenes. Meanwhile, Batman, having deduced the girl’s origin, renders her temporarily powerless with kryptonite. As Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman (who plays a large role) bicker over what to do with the rebellious adolescent, Darkseid involves himself with plans of his own.

The character design is much sleeker than the over muscled, blocky design found in Public Enemies, and Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly reprise their roles as Batman and Superman, respectively. Summer Glau scores as Kara/Supergirl, and Susan Eisenberg is impressive as an iron-willed Wonder Woman. The only cast member to fall short is Andre Braugher, who is completely miscast as Darkseid. While he pulls off Darkseid’s ruthless intelligence, he fails to make Darkseid frightening. The animation is the film’s high mark, and it’s amazing to see how far fight choreography has come in an animated film. Watch Wonder Woman’s battle with Darkseid’s furies to see what I’m talking about.

The story is almost a huge letdown, especially as it climaxes. The entire thing feels rushed, as though the filmmakers were trying to get as much of the original source material in here as well as please the fans. Although the climax opens one gaping plot hole, the final battle nearly makes up for it.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse does better than its predecessor, but not by much. For twenty dollars, you can get the two-disc special edition which includes a digital version as well as a short featuring Green Arrow. Hardcore fans might find this a worthwhile purchase (and I did), but casual fans would do just as well spending fifteen dollars on the regular version. Not horrible, not great, but better than average.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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I’ve always thought exclusivity in the land of video games was a bad thing; if one company owns the rights, it has no competition. If there’s no competition, there’s no incentive to raise the bar.

Electronic Arts has held the game-making rights to the NFL for several years now, and while we’ve seen several minor improvements over the years, in my opinion, we haven’t seen anything as innovative as the leap to 3D in 2002. So when Madden NFL 11 hit shelves last week, I was hesitant to drop sixty bucks on it.

So was it worth it?

Longtime fans of the series may be disappointed; it’s still Madden, and it’s still a lot of fun, but there’s nothing new here. I erroneously told a friend that the series had done away with the traditional game settings; I was wrong, and I discovered that after getting into Franchise mode.

As always, the animation has been tweaked to look more realistic, and players reflect being tackled at the body or the legs. Gang tackling still looks like the last thing you want to be at the bottom of. All of the familiar staples, such as Playmaker and life-ending hit-stick tackles, are still intact. In-game athletes still play like their real-life counterparts; Michael Vick has DEFINITELY lost a few steps.

The game’s big draw, the new “Gameflow” system, is absolutely nothing special. Essentially, it comes down to you allowing the computer to choose your plays for you. If you don’t like what the computer chooses, you can always audible at the line, but that’s what the system is about. It eliminates time in the playbook but also removes a sense of control. On the plus side, it pays attention to the team you’re using; defensive teams like Baltimore will use a lot of confusing blitzes on defense (that work) while offensive powerhouses like the Saints will pass three of four downs, after a healthy fear of Reggie Bush has been established.

Overall, it’s Madden, and it’s still a lot of fun, but the time of a recession, is it worth dropping sixty dollars on? For those of you who own Madden 10, I’d have to say no. There is simply not enough that is new here to justify the better part of a hundred dollars. Diehard fans of the franchise will be pleased, but those of you who have played Madden 10, and casual fans of the series, are better off waiting for a used copy. Good game, just not good enough to spend sixty dollars on.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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You know what makes a Sly Stallone film great? It’s unpretentious. The films make no attempt to be anything but what they are; action piled on more action. It’s guys hitting each other until their jaws fall off or blowing up anything that has a foundation.

Luckily, in “The Expendables” you get both. And it’s a whole lot of effin’ fun.

The film centers around a group of elite mercenaries as they infiltrate, and retake, an overrun South American village. Star power is off the charts as Sly managed to wrangle every major action film star in the last two decades into this film. I wonder how long Van Damme waited for his call. Although it’s fairer to say that the film stars Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham, only Dolph Lundgren’s role feels minimized; everyone else is well-utilized. Bruce Wills and Arnold Schwarzenegger are relegated to cameos, but their scene may be the best that doesn’t involve gunfire; veteran actors doing what they do best. Eric Roberts is the bad guy you love to hate, Terry Crews once again finds a way to be both very intimidating and funny as hell, and while Randy Couture can’t act to save his life, he gets points for trying.

The film’s action sequences are spectacular; the final thirty minutes of the film resounds in a kill-em-all sequence that may cause seizures in epileptics. And at sixty-two, Sylvester Stallone still looks like he can kick anyone’s ass (and certainly holds his own in the movie)

“The Expendables” is a thank-you card to action film fans of the eighties, nineties, and today. Well-received, the film is a lot of fun and worth the price of admission. Go see it.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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No self-respecting gamer/writer/nerd lets something as big as this go without saying something.

So two of gaming’s biggest—and arguably most incompatible—franchises are finally collaborating in Street Fighter 4 Vs. Tekken 6. According to rumors reported by G4TV, developers are working on two different versions of the game; one to run on Capcom’s Street Fighter 4 engine, and the other to run on Namco’s Tekken 6 engine. Players would have the ability to choose between both versions. Great idea, if they can make it work.

I was originally going to argue for both 2D and 3D versions of the game; both could work, but in the end, if we have to make a choice, I’d say the Street Fighter characters would fit better into the Tekken engine than vice versa. I say scrap the idea of a 2D game and make the entire game 3D. Not like Street Fighter EX +Alpha, but genuine 3D. Here’s how I’d do it.

1). Eliminate Projectiles

Okay wait, wait, WAIT!! Don’t hit the back button just yet. I have a point…but in order to make this game balanced, we can’t have one character set that can attack from long range and another that can’t (Devil Jin and Azazel’s lasers don’t really count).
Don’t eliminate the animations for the projectiles, just the projectiles themselves; Ryu/Ken’s Hadoken takes on the same properties as Heihachi’s Demon Breath, and Guile’s Sonic Boom becomes similar to Jack’s Cross Cutter, just for starters. This way, these moves become great counters or juggle combo finishers.

2). Turn the Capcom Super Moves Into Unblockables

Following this logic, Ryu’s Shinkuu Hadoken would have windup time and then blast opponents across the screen if it connected.

3). Give the Capcom Character’s moves Juggle Properties

We’ve seen this explored (successfully) in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Give Ryu/Ken’s crouching Fierce (pulled off with RP in this control scheme) the ability to launch foes. Follow that with two jabs and a Hurricane Kick and you have a seven hit combo that carries opponent’s clear across the screen.

Story is easy; Guile and Chun Li are investigating the Mishima Zaibatsu, which is being threatened by Section 6 (or whatever Seth’s organization is called) causing Heihachi to investigate the organization. Hoping to draw out whoever is behind the organization, Heihachi announces a King of Iron Fist tournament. M. Bison hopes to use the tournament to rebuild Shadoloo, while Ryu hears rumors of a devil-like being participating. He goes to test himself against it. Ken, his lifelong friend, goes with him, hoping to add another notch to his belt.

I have other ideas, but I want to keep this blog short. I may present arguments for a 2D version at a later date. For now, no blog like this is complete without a wish list, so…

Tekken Characters
Jin Kazama

Kayuza Mishima

Heihachi Mishima
Asuka Kazama

Raven
Yoshimitsu
Bryan Fury
Jack-6
King

Devil Jin

Eddie Gordo

Paul Phoenix

Nina Williams

Hworoang

Street Fighter Characters

Ryu
Ken

Akuma

Guile

Zangief
Morrigan

Chun-Li

Sagat

Ibuki

Guy

M. Bison

Sakura
Cammy

Dan (yeah, Dan)

There should be some hidden characters, of course, but a 28-character roster at the outset should keep everybody happy for a bit.

This is just me and what I’d do if I was in charge. But I’m not, so with everyone else, I’m just watching, hoping…and waiting.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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Fluid, gripping, and utterly violent, Batman: Under the Red Hood provides a condensed telling of Batman’s greatest failure and the subsequent rise of one of his most tragic villains. Strikingly animated, with gorgeous action sequences and fight scenes that would do Yuen Woo Ping justice, DC’s latest entry into its animated portfolio is a very good example of animated storytelling for the grown-up crowd.

This is also easily the most violent entry in the animated series; one characters death is graphically depicted and the Joker cuts some poor schmo’s throat with a broken drinking glass. Not for kids.

That being said, there’s very little to complain about here. The animation is fluid and moves without a hiccup. We see more of the Batman universe explored here than any other animated outing, and although fan-favorite Nightwing is a welcome addition, it would’ve been nice to see him get a little more screen time. Still, the relationship between Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne is represented well here. The dialogue does a good job of depicting their history without getting too much backstory.

The film’s only real flaw is in the voice-casting. It’s not horrible, and Jason Isaacs (of Harry Potter fame) brings an impressive Ras Al-Ghul to life. Neil Patrick Harris also does a pretty good job as Nightwing. Notably absent from the cast is Kevin Conroy, who has lent his voice to Batman for almost twenty years now. Bruce Greenwood is passable at best as the Dark Knight, but often comes off as trying too hard. He often sounds more like a Dirty Harry knock-off than Batman, but his performance isn’t so bad that it takes away from the film. John Di Maggio’s Joker is hit-and-miss; never very funny, never all that scary, either.

The DVD retails for $15 or $20 (the $20 version is a special edition which includes a free preview of Jonah Hex). Either way, this is money well-spent. Batman: Under the Red Hood very much worth the asking price and a great addition to any fan’s collection.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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Clash of the Titans (4/10)

I’ve enjoyed Sam Worthington since his scene-stealing performance in Terminator: Salvation. I expected the cast he was surrounded with to bolster the Clash of the Titans remake. It did, but not beyond mediocrity. The film also breaks the number one rule of the action/fantasy GENRE; it’s BORING.
Louis Leterrier gets excellent performances out of his actors; Ralph Fiennes is a little creepier here than in his outing as Voldemort, and with Sam Worthington, all one has to say is “be intense.”
In 3D, the special effects are gorgeous and the monsters are truly something to behold (Medusa scared the hell out of me), but the film spends too much time winding up and then not paying off. The few action scenes are trite and predictable, and then it’s back to the long windup. The 3D outing isn’t worth the price of admission, and not even the special features can justify a thirty dollar price tag when the inevitable special edition comes out. Save your money.

Why Did I Get Married Too (7/10)

I loved the first movie because it was hilarious; it was hilarious because it was real. There was also a strong undercurrent of hope throughout the film that resonated in a very satisfying conclusion. The sequel isn’t quite as funny, lacks the same undertone, and is a lot more visceral, but it’s still a good movie. All of the actors from the first film return, including an enhanced Janet Jackson.  The couples retreat has been moved from Colorado to the Bahamas. Of all the couples, Troy (Lamman Rucker) and Sheila (Jill Scott) have come the furthest, but are arguably on the hardest times. This made them the best couple to watch, the ones you want to see work out. Marcus (Michael Jai White, who again showcases his acting talent) and Angela (Tasha Smith) still provide most of the film’s laughs. You learn in the previews that one couple does not make it, and this is where the film falls short. The breakup is ugly, friends are divided, and a couple of brutal scenes make this film much darker than the first one. The inevitable ending isn’t quite as satisfying as the first film, feeling rushed and hackneyed. One scene in the film showcases two great actors but felt more like a deleted scene than anything else. Still, the darker tone of the film isn’t enough to make it unwatchable, and it’s still an enjoyable, relatable experience.

Death at a Funeral (7/10)

I may never understand how you can cast Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Tracy Morgan in the same film and then give James Marsden the best scenes. In a nutshell, this is a good movie, funny, but nowhere near as funny as it should’ve been, considering the talent showcased.
This is a remake of the 2007 British film directed by Frank Oz; Chris Rock (who also produced) is the harried, underappreciated head of household who takes on the enormous responsibility of assembling (and paying for) his father’s funeral. Martin Lawrence is the family favorite, Chris Rock’s older brother who is also a published author (something Chris Rock’s character is not allowed to forget), Danny Glover is awesome as mean-ass Uncle Russell, and Columbus Short of Stomp the Yard fame is Jeffery, the shady pharmacology student.
Don’t get me wrong, the movie is funny, and well worth the price of admission, it’s just nowhere near as funny as it was supposed to be. A lot of this movie is spent on little laughs waiting for the big one that never comes. It may depend on your sense of humor, but one scene is so far beyond nasty that it nearly ruins the film. James Marsden easily gets the funniest scenes in the movie.
Still, this is a pretty good way to see some of the best comedians of our generation slowly begin to fade into the sunset. Good, but nowhere near a great movie.
Thanks for reading.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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The Apple iPad made its debut a little more than two weeks ago. True to the hype, the iPad is a beautiful, functional piece of hardware.

And yet, I just don’t want one.

I’m a tech geek; unfortunately, I’m also a broke tech geek, which means I have to carefully choose who gets my hard-earned cash. I went for the Xbox 360 over the PS3 because of the hundred dollar price difference.

I was all for the iPad until they announced a starting price of $499. Suddenly, minor faults turn into glaring missteps. The iPad does not support Flash, SMS messaging, and there are even issues about charging it from your computer.

All that aside, I’d still be tempted…I didn’t already own an iPod Touch.
I expect the initial iPad craze to die off eventually, when more budget-conscientious spenders realizes that Apple has long since offered superior products for less money. When you stack the iPad against the iPhone or iPod Touch, it falls short in too many ways to be viable.

The 32-Gig iPod Touch retails from the Apple Store new for $299. The same-size iPad retails for double that. If you want the 3G coverage, you’re going to first pay $729, and then the monthly data plan fee.

Here, see for yourself. Here’s the iPad pricing guide, and here’s the iPod Touch pricing guide.

The 32-Gig Touch allows me to fit all of my music, four feature-length movies, nearly one hundred video clips and every single one of my most important apps. I have two pages that’re strictly games, and I have room to spare. Plus, I can plug the thing into my computer and not worry about running out of power ten minutes later.

Cheapest iPad I’ll get is one hundred dollars more and half the size, with all the issues. This may be just me, but I don’t need a big-screen luxury item that badly.

I imagine that second and third generation iPads will rectify some of the original’s mistakes. If someone gave me one for free, I wouldn’t turn it down. For now, I’m inclined to sit on what little money I have and wait for the next version. I advise you to do the same.

Thanks for reading.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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Dear Electronic Arts;

Hey, longtime fan here; always loved the Madden and Need for Speed franchises. Lately, though, you seem less like the popular kid we all want to be like in and more like the whiny brat  who has to have all the toys and keeps screaming; “LOOK AT ME!!”

I have three examples for you. Let’s examine the Dana White conundrum. The man approached you about doing a game based on Mixed Martial Arts, which is emerging as a popular sport. ‘No’ would’ve been a more dignifying response, but you wouldn’t even take a meeting with the man.  You told him that Mixed Martial Arts “disgusted you”. You also told him that Mixed Martial Arts “wasn’t a real sport”, you “wouldn’t touch this thing” and you wanted “nothing to do with it.”

Okay, not quite how I would’ve gone about it, but everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But then, eighteen months later, you have the audacity to reveal your own MMA title for the 360?

That’s cold. But most single mistakes can be forgiven.
I have more.
Let’s take a look at (ugh) Dante’s Inferno. Did you do everything under the sun to hype this game, or what? Let’s be straight. It’s not a bad game, but you went straight to the Cliff Bleszinski playbook for this one. This is God of War on the 360. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that if God of War had never been made, we never would’ve received Dante’s Inferno.
The game has not opened to rave reviews. It turns out that not all the hired protesters and an animated adaptation are not enough to distract players from the truth; you ripped off God of War. The game is just barely good enough to keep us from going up in arms. Oh, and the animated film isn’t so hot, either.

My last example hit close to home, and I strongly hope you reconsider what you’re about to do.
So now you’re going to start charging us what everyone else releases for free?

Granted, there are valid arguments as to why you’re doing this, but I think you’re overlooking one vital thing; you’re developing expensive, luxury items as the country attempts to emerge from its harshest economic depression in decades.
Being of the mentality that video games should be accessible to everyone, not just the top twenty-five percent, the idea of paying up to fifteen dollars for demos—even extended demos—seems like milking the cow to death. I know things have been rough for you these past few years—join the club. But you’re not hurting for money. This is an unnecessary, selfish move. If you really wanted to boost your customer base, and show them that you give a damn as to how they spend their hard-earned money, why not give these extensive demos for free, on the condition that the consumer gives feedback? No one goes broke and you get free beta testers. Everyone wins.

Sadly, a lot of people will continue to support your practices. A lot of people may even buy into this PDLC crap. You don’t get to where you are without knowing how to survive.
I, however, will not, and I will encourage others to save their money for the full version of your titles and hope that they’re worth the wait. I also hope that you think long and hard on your future releases, realize that there are many viable options for games before you shut someone out, and rely on the quality of a game, rather than a pointless media blitz, to help it sell.

Then we’ll all be happy.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,

Avery K. Tingle
Gamer

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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I think it all started with Capcom, back in the nineties. Street Fighter 2 wasn’t just an awesome video game, it helped mainstream gaming. Follow-ups were justifiably expected.

Champion Edition allowed us to play as the final four bosses! Great! Awesome!
Hyper Fighting gave us…new colors…and sped up the gameplay! Um, great! Awesome!
Super Street Fighter 2 was a significant jump, introducing new technology (Q-Sound) and four new characters! Now this is what I’m talking about! Beautiful! Updated graphics! Right on!
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo upped the difficulty, gave us super moves, and the hidden boss to end all hidden bosses. Pretty good.

Bear in mind, when these titles came to the home market, you had to buy each title individually. There were restrictions on what tech could do, so this was understandable. If you were to line up each of these titles when they were new, Capcom made approximately one hundred and twenty dollars on nothing but upgrades.

We should never have indulged this. Look where it’s brought us.

I think the whole idea of downloadable content is a freaking hustle. These companies needed no assistance maintaining their bottom line when they released titles in their entirety. Granted, in small doses, I understand how downloadable content/add-ons can enhance the consumer experience, but when you start to deny players key features for not buying at a certain time, or on the right platform, then you’re ripping them off.

What started this little tirade was Popcap’s Bejewled Blitz. I compete in the weekly tournaments on Facebook, and was quite surprised to find that someone who hadn’t ever gotten more than 100k at that game had suddenly broken the half-million mark. At first, I assumed that he had just gotten really good.

Then I learned that PopCap enabled new boost features to players—only available to those who play on the computer.
I don’t play Bejeweled on the computer, but I thought enough of the app to buy (I said buy, as in SPENT MONEY I WORKED FOR ON) it for the iPod Touch. So I was pretty pissed off to learn that the bonuses were not made available to the paying customers.

Pardon me, but in what world does this make sense?! An unlevel playing field is unfair in any situation, buy why are the rewards greater on the free version?

This is where downloadable content and nonsense add-ons go too far.  I don’t mind paying for a portable version of a game when it’s worth it, but I shouldn’t be penalized because I can’t make time for another version.

I can’t see myself buying anymore PopCap games if this is how they choose to do business. I’ll keep my three dollars and do something else.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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