Monday's Report | The Beginning

Here There Be Rants


Sadly, it doesn't seem like the Bannendrome has caught on like it would. I must admit, I'm not much in the way of marketing, so I fear this will only continue. I'm basically the digital form of a homeless guy mumbling to himself. Still, I figure this is a pretty good place to do as I like, though I think I'll always have the ol' soft spot for my original home over at 1up.com. Visit it if you like, invisible friend. I have to say, I have become more and more curious over this whole Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game that Midway's got coming down the pipe. At first (and, still now) the idea sounds simply ridiuclous. I mean, at least Marvel vs. Capcom was top to bottom crazy - a ton of random characters thrown together for laughs. But now Scorpion is beating the hell out of Superman, which is odd to see. It's like a Superman Returns flashback. And, by the way, that's what ruined the movie (if you don't count the reveal of Super Brat), for the last half of the movie, Superman is getting the crap kicked out of him. While Superman needs some sort of threat in the cinematic realm, the truth of the matter is that no one wants the guy to be a puss. And seeing Scorpion latch that spear into Superman's cheast and yank him into the all-too-familiar uppercut from Hell was depressing. Surely, America is doomed. Just as confounding is Batman's grapple with Sub Zero. Whatever. The point is, early word from the journalist crowd is that the game plays surprisingly well, bringing back the "feel" of MKII, which is great since it's one of the few fighting games I could ever actually play and wi with some regularity. Add to that the new announcement that The Joker is a character and I'm sold. We'll see what happens when November rolls around and 10 different games are pulling at my free time, soul, and wallet though. It could be that no DC hero has the strength required to pull $60 from me. I just hope this whole Fatality for villains rule does actually apply, because how cool would it be to see Scorpion fry Superman? Cool.

Speaking of DC heroes and The Joker, I'm wondering how long until Heath Ledger's performance forever influences future apperances of the character in the comics, cartoons, and so on. I can only imagine the answer is "not long". I read an interview about DC Universe Online and Rob Lee was mentioning how he's already tweaking the Joker's appearance to be more inline with his Dark Knight counterpart. Will the Mortal Kombat version follow suit? And it's not that I mind - Ledger's Joker is an incredible performance. Will he get an Oscar nomination? No. For all the buzz, it's from us - the comic book fans, internet fiends, and the cinematic laymen that the Oscar folks clearly ignore (how else do you explain all the love given to period pieces?). In reality, the people who programmed Oscar's primary directives are far too stuffy and bitter to applaud the works of The Dark Knight. it's funny though. Imagine, for just a moment, TDK if it were just a crime drama without the Batman mythos. Imagine Ledger's same performance, sans facepaint. You just know he'd get the nod then - he makes Anton Chigurh look like he was part of Amateur Hour at the villain club. Ledger's Joker makes you uneasy, makes you squirm. But add that makeup and "The Joker" moniker and the rules change somehow - now he's brushed off as a comic villain, which is a shame considering Ledger left the world this as the proof that the dude could act. Nevertheless, awards or not, the movie is making stupid money, earning in just a week what Ironman and Indiana Jones took three months to make. Who would have thought? And back to Ledger again - would the movie be such a phenomenon if he hadn't died? It's an impossible question, I know. Still, makes me wonder. I've heard people have seen the movie numerous times, anywhere from three or more. I'd like to see it again (therefore bringing my number to two), and may do so tomorrow - but then again, I may rather simply enjoy a day off to do other things. I have a tree that needs some limbs trimmed.


I just finished up MGS1. It was odd playing a PS1 game - I mention the whole adventure over at World 1 dash 1, a site I highly recommend you visit if video games are your thing. So, as my OCD demands, I have now begun playing through MGS2. It's odd, because while I want to get through it, it's more so I can play MGS3 and less about this adventure. I still blame Raiden, and while MGS4 helped smooth things over a bit, and somehow managed to make everyone's favorite transgendered hero look incredibly cool, MGS2 still holds the stigma of being the game that killed the series for me. But I have to play it, I just do. I bought the damn box set, so I might as well play them all, and if I take on MGS3 now that means I'll really never get around to MGS2. It's all about knowing one's self - and I put things off. I'm currently on the Tanker section of the game (also known as "The best part"), and while I dread seeing Raiden, I'll take comfort in having a reunion of sorts with Fortune. Ah Fortune, my favorite Metal Gear Solid person. Don't know why, but she is - so back off.

This concludes my first official Monday's Report. Expect more in the future...