Music Video of the Day for 10/31/10

Far East Movement - "Rocketeer" feat. Ryan Tedder of One Republic

Let's get HYPE for CoD: Black Ops!!!!

Call of Duty: Black Ops is out next week and expecting to sell gangbusters this holiday season, but maybe not Modern Warfare 2 numbers even though you never know with considering how big this franchise is these days.

Def Jam Rapstar DLC Picks for the upcoming week or two... again.

Well, Def Jam Rapstar has more songs out for download this week and 4mm Games has admitted they have been slacking in terms of delivering weekly content, but I have been pretty patient with how they are rolling out these songs. It is tough though having only the PS3 version where it feels like its getting screwed with DLC because of Sony's certification process (Like cmon, only that Mims song came out this week on PS3). So, that process needs to get their act together, but then again I'm still being patient with it. In the meantime, these songs are out on the Xbox Live Marketplace though.

And for the potential lulz...

Feeling the Need Again... Hands-On with Criterion's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit...

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is out next month and arguably the racing game of the fall assuming Gran Turismo 5 gets delayed again to next year. Criterion Games, aka creators of the Burnout franchise are at the helm taking on EA's storied racing franchise. This new Hot Pursuit feels like a return to the Need for Speed of old with no open city to explore, or simulation-like focus which was last year's Shift (not that bad of a racing game though too). Criterion didn't hesitate putting in what they're good at with the Burnout games with intense and aggressive racing from start to finish as it shows in this speedball event above as the cops. As the cops, its pretty simple: take out the racers that are attempting to escape by ramming them numerous times till they run out of health (Well they have health meters) or employ police tactics like roadblocks and spike strips to slow down and then go for the kill. In other words, if you played the recent Burnout games before, this is pretty much Road Rage but you're a cop and you have more weapons at your disposal. The driving feels fine with the cop cars as it is similar to previous games of the franchise even though a different developer is at the helm, but its Criterion and they know how to make a good arcade racer. Racers will take shortcuts to avoid the main road as much as they can, but as long as you as the cop can keep with them, you'll take them out in no time. Other than the event in the demo, there are social elements with the Autolog, a key part of the final game. A glimpse of it is shown off with friend leaderboards, sending messages to friends' walls like Facebook, and more. Then again, I feel like most of the fun factor with this game after beating both the cop/racer careers will come in the online aspect and the amount of friends you have playing the game competing for fast times. In typical EA fashion, they want as much people as they can playing the demo to unlock more goodies for the final game, but the catch is you need to have at least one more friend that plays the demo to unlock another portion, which is a racer-event.

The little taste of what the demo offers for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit makes me want to play the final game and it is about that time I feel like playing an arcade racer again, so this will likely fill the void for now. The racing itself feels fine and it seems like a return to form for the franchise with Criterion once again setting the bar for arcade racers with the social elements they implemented in this game. We'll see how those and the rest of the final game pans out when it comes out on mid-November.

Another new Donkey Kong Country Returns clip...

Donkey Kong Country Returns is out next month and in typical Nintendo fashion, not much has been revealed, which is for the best besides the Nintendo Power cover story that's out now.

Music Video for the Day for 10/24/10 aka Runaway...

Kanye West - "Runaway" (film)

Simply amazing... pretty much an album preview too (can't wait! Kanye = too gdlk)

Music Video of the Day for 10/21/10

Chris Brown - New Music - More Music Videos

Chris Brown - "Yeah 3x" (Okay, your dancing skills are still sick)

Def Jam Rapstar DLC Picks for the upcoming week or two...

I was bummed that no new songs came out on the Playstation Store for Def Jam Rapstar and also the fact that the 360 version has more songs out for download as well, but we'll see if Konami and 4mm Games can hold up on their weekly promise of DLC. In the meantime, here are my picks for the upcoming week of DLC I'm likely getting... yay at more guilty pleasure songs. Also, lots of more recent stuff out for download, which is cool, but I want to see more old songs too.

Current Favorite Mixes in DJ Hero 2 (Part 2)

Okay... I continue my series of DJ Hero 2 blog posts with my favorite mixes from the game. Yay house stuff!!!!!

Deadmau5 & Kaskade - "I Remember"



Deadmau5 & Kaskade - "Move for Me"

Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance" (Tiesto Mix)

Yup, definitely sounds like Tiesto and the notechart is crazy for this one.

2Pac & Dr. Dre - "California Love" vs. B.o.B feat. Bruno Mars - "Nothin' on You

Current Favorite Mixes in DJ Hero 2 (Part 1)

So DJ Hero 2 is out today and I have been heavily tempted to get it (No new DLC came out today for Def Jam Rapstar bummed me out, which increased my temptation). It doesn't stop me from putting my favorite mixes from the game so far, or basically what I'm feeling at the moment.

David Guetta & Chris Willis - "Love is Gone" vs. Sam Sparro - "Black & Gold"

Iyaz - "Replay" vs. Rihanna - "Rude Boy" (from the commercial)

Kanye West - "Heartless" vs. Lady Gaga - "Lovegame"

More of my favorites from DJ Hero 2 tomorrow.

Layton + Ace Attorney = A 3DS Crossover Unlike No Other

The thought of Professor Layton and Ace Attorney teaming together in one 3DS game is the craziest idea I heard, but Level 5 and Capcom are indeed making this happen and DS fans of both games are flipping out. Both the Layton and the Ace Attorney games are great gems for the DS as this crossover is something I didn't expect, but I guess why not have two of Japan's best handheld franchises in recent years be one game for release next year over there.

Rock Band 3 "Pre-Hype"

Rock Band 3 is out next Tuesday and even though I'm really excited for it, I don't plan on getting it anytime soon due to budget issues (the price of entry is still steep) and the fact I'm usually really picky when it comes to buying games on the stacked holiday season. Plus, the fact I have to start over on PS3 buying songs all over again will be a major pain since all that money has been wasted with my times with the 360 with the first two games. On a related note, my guitar skills have diminished slightly from the lack of playtime even though I played Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock at Best Buy the other day to get used to these instruments again. Then again, my rock phase has also ended and the setlist for RB3 does not grab my attention out of the gate, which means DLC will be why I would still get it again. This is pretty much Harmonix's last stand because who knows how successful these games are now compared to two years ago. They still do well, but I think the novelty was worn off even though Rock Band 3 will still end up as an amazing game (Game Informer's early review thinks that way). The same thing goes for DJ Hero 2 too, which is out this Tuesday despite all the temptation in my mind. Anyway, enjoy some videos since people got the game early. Oh, keep in mind most of the early birds don't have keyboards or the pro instruments yet too.

Play "Freebird!!!!"

Finally, Decapitating Stormtroopers' Heads Off... Hands-On with the Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2 Demo

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is out at the end of this month as a demo showed up on Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Network this week. In case if you're wandering why a sequel exists for this game, Starkiller is dead at the end of the first game, but Darth Vader decided to make clones of him in hopes of having an apprentice that actually succeeds. Of course, his plan goes to waste after numerous attempts even though this one may suffer the fate because of haunted visions that remind the current Starkiller clone of the memories the original had in the first game. He decides to escape since he assumes Vader will kill him if he doesn't follow his orders and therefore we have this game and this demo. At least the demo starts out with a bang as Starkiller descends Force Pushing anything in his way. From there on, its pretty much the first game, but now with dual wielding lightsabers.

Starkiller having two lightsabers at its disposal does not change the core combat dramatically as he still has his other force powers to deal damage to the Empire. It does allow for more flashy moves when up in close, but other than that you can still pretty much the attack buttons to get the job done by mixing things up with the saber, force push, force grip, and force lightning. Controlling enemies and objects by force grip is still fun to use as seeing Stormtroopers fall to bottomless pits still feels funny. The only new addition I noticed in this game gameplay wise is the jedi mind trick as that is pretty self-explanatory if you know your Star Wars stuff. The combat as a whole is still fun despite its repetition at times, but hey you're still one badass that can do crazy things even though most of them are done in quicktime events and epic setpieces (Who else would think of Force gripping tie fighters to destroy a tower to be used as a platform). There also camera issues as it can get in the way at times, but since this is an early demo, it can be improved in the final game.

Graphically, Force Unleashed 2 looks fine for the most part running at a constant framerate and character models can be questionable however, but they're okay. As expected from any Star Wars game, the sounds are fabulous from the John Williams-like music, the top-notch voice acting, and the sound effects of the weapons. The first Force Unleashed was an okay game to most as it did some right things that would appease Star Wars fans, but there were some bad design decisions that made into the game such as the long drawn out quicktime sequence of bringing down a Star Destroyer with your force powers. It was cool in a cutscene, but playing through it felt like a drag to most. Of course, the story is left to be desired being official in the timeline of between episode three and four with the fate of Starkiller and the same is in effect for Force Unleashed 2. It is as if they can not think of anything better to further bridge the gap between the two movies other than let's find a way to continue the adventures of Starkiller. As with the first game, I'm glad a game exists, but it could of been better as a movie too and the same holds for this sequel. Then again, the amount of work put into these games are like the movies treating it as official canon, so who knows. We'll see if The Force Unleashed 2 lives up to expectations when it is out on October 26.

Music Video of the Day for 10/14/10

Rihanna - "Only Girl (In the World)"

I must say, this is one of RiRi's better hit singles and I think her new album, Loud, will be a return to form for her after experimenting with Rated R even though that album had its moments with "Hard" and "Rude Boy."

A Shaky Return To Form For The Hedgehog.... The Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I Review

It has been tough times for Sonic The Hedgehog as he can never catch a break being in a good game these days. In the past decade, Sega and Sonic Team have struggled to make Sonic feel relevant by putting out disappointment after disappointment with the 3D games from the Adventure titles to recently, Unleashed with the Werehog gimmick. While they continue to figure out what it takes to Sonic feel like his true self in 3D, Sega finally decided to go back to his 2D roots with a proper sequel to Sonic The Hedgehog 3, which is why there is now a fourth game in this long franchise. Instead of giving us a full proper game however, they split it up in episodic format meaning you're not getting much 2D Sonic action as you hoped out of the gate. With that in mind, the fifteen dollar price point is asking too much per episode considering the amount of content in the game. Even with that worry, it is a shaky return to form for the blue hedgehog.

Dr. Eggman is once again up to no good as it is up to Sonic and yes, only Sonic this time around to stop him in this first episode. Right off the bat, you can tell that Sega wants you to remember the glory days of Sonic The Hedgehog now in HD by rehashing similar concepts that are in the first two games. By rehashing is having the same exact concept in this new game, so it makes Sonic veterans question why this is called Sonic The Hedgehog 4 if they are not throwing anything new other than a twist to that familiar concept. All four zones in this episode are indeed reminiscent of their previous counterparts with Splash Hill Zone being a new version of Sonic 1's Green Hill Zone, the obligatory casino zone with Casino Street, the Lost Labyrinth Zone borrowing elements from Sonic 1's Labyrinth Zone, and the Mad Gear Zone also being a rehash of Sonic 2's Metropolis Zone along with borrowing elements from Sonic 1's Scrap Brain Zone. The same thing goes for the Eggman boss fights being too familiar, but with a twist thrown in that might surprise you at first. Despite all that familiarity with the level design, Sonic 4 does throw some new stuff to the table like the path of cards in the Casino Street Zone, but the rest of them feel gimmicky especially in the Lost Labyrinth Zone with mine carts and torch puzzles that break apart from what 2D Sonic is about as if they are finding ways to slow down Sonic for a bit. At least you can play any act in any order after beating the first act in the game and again if you want to farm for lives, go for certain trophies, and put up fast times on leaderboards .

Since it is a 2D Sonic game, the developers nailed the core aspects of Sonic blazing through stages with its speed and it is all about having that momentum of continuing to go fast, but it is too easy to make a mistake and slow down in the process. Having that momentum of barreling through the various acts still feels very satisfying, but the physics can get in a way lots of times and end up in frustration being stuck in hills for a second in order to spin dash out of trouble and even deaths on bottomless pits. All of this goes along with the two playstyles of 2D Sonic games with the guns blazing style of going fast with no fear or being more careful of the possible dangers, which is the case sometimes when I play. Of course, you still collect rings to stay alive, gain, extra lives, and access the special stages in the end, which again are reminiscent of Sonic 1's special stages, but with time thrown in to get the chaos emeralds. Sonic's homing attack from the 3D games is another new addition to Sonic 4 and it works well for the most part taking out enemies in succession in order to proceed along with hopping on springs more easily. They made the homing attack such a necessity to the point it becomes your primary offensive attack against enemies even though you can jump on enemies at certain angles to defeat them. Another thing to note is that the game hands out extra lives like no other especially in the Casino Street Zone, so it does make the game more easier even though most of it is a cakewalk and can be beaten in an afternoon.

The HD visuals for Sonic 4: Episode I look sharp with rare instances of slowdown as it does run at a consistent 60 frames per second, which is pretty much mandatory for a 2D Sonic game to be as fast as it is. Sonic himself looks fine even through his running animation takes a while to get going with the walking. The backgrounds look mostly identical to their previous counterparts that I was mentioning earlier keeping the nostalgia factor in mind. As for the music, it is pretty much hit and miss with the soundtrack as with all Sonic games. It does not feel as memorable as soundtracks in the Genesis games and ends up as another disappointing aspect of the game. The Genesis sounds are still intact when Sonic jumps, dashes, collects rings, and gets hit, which is a redeeming factor.

As crazy as it is waiting nearly sixteen years for a game called Sonic The Hedgehog 4, it just does not feel like it lives up the title in this first episode. Other than the homing attack, it does not offer anything new in the gameplay and specifically the level design with rehashed concepts from the first two games. It is also not that difficult of a game until the end as players can breeze this in an afternoon, but there is some replay value with the time attack mode for leaderboards, collecting the chaos emeralds in the special stages, and getting achievements/trophies. The frustration that the 2D games had are still present here as well especially having the momentum of blazing through the game and things come to a halt by just one mistake slowing things down. Despite all those faults, the game is still functional as a 2D Sonic game and fun to play when get things are going your way despite the fifteen dollar price point for the amount of content being offered especially this is only the first episode. In addition, who knows when Sega will release the next episode, but I hope to see some new ideas in the level design. Then again, I do have a feeling it will be just more rehashes of familiar levels and this whole thing will feel like more of the same. It is a shaky return to form for Sonic, but it is still worth playing for fans of the franchise and the genre.

Score = 6.5/10

Pros:

• 2D Sonic gameplay still works at its core and fun when get things go your way.
• Sonic's homing attack from the 3D games is a worthwhile addition and not as disappointing as people feared.
• The sense of satisfaction is still there when barreling through these stages with no fear.

Cons:

• At times, you have to fight the game's physics and that's where the frustration kicks in.
• Soundtrack is hit and miss
• Can be beaten in an afternoon since it is not that difficult and you will get lots of extra lives, so you won't see that game over screen.
• Weird design decisions Sonic Team made with this game, specifically the gimmicks that derail from what Sonic is all about.
• Fifteen bucks is asking too much for the content being offered in this first episode since there are only four zones.
• As a game called Sonic The Hedgehog 4, it is does not live to that title especially with all the rehashed elements and level design from the Genesis games.

Music Video of the Day for 10/12/10

Kid Cudi - "Erase Me" feat. Kanye West

The Rapstars Are Takin' Over... The Def Jam Rapstar Review

Note - The videos are from my Ustream channel of me rapping... so I'll leave it at that.

The hip-hop genre has been left out of the dust in the modernized boom of rhythm gaming that is dominated by the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. Instruments are fun and all plus there are exceptions of including some rap songs in these games and other karaoke games like Singstar. However, there has never been a true karaoke game that defines rap music. In other words, there has never been a game that is really meant for rappers that want to spit their game to the world. Get on the Mic was the first and lame attempt at it, but Konami and 4mm Games decided to make things right with Def Jam Rapstar. The karaoke element is spot on for a game like this, but its the extra community features that makes Rapstar something special in the rhythm genre. The potential is also there for things to come as it lays out a solid framework to how to make a good rapping game and plus it is one of the cheaper party games to get this holiday season on consoles.

If you have been a veteran of karaoke games, Def Jam Rapstar is simply SingStar but mainly hip-hop and rap focused compared to all the poppy stuff SingStar offers. This is definitely a game meant to be loved by hip-hop and rap fans, because if you're not from the get go, then you might as well stick with SingStar on the Playstation 3 or Lips on the Xbox 360. There are three modes in Rapstar with Party, Career, and Freestyle. Party mode is basically your quickplay mode where you can play any song along with making playlists if you want to rap consecutive songs. It is pretty straightforward when it comes with this mode especially playing alone or with another player. Multiplayer consists of duet and battle modes where players can duet rapping verses at a time or be certain rappers for the song (One player as Dr. Dre and the other as Snoop Dogg in "Nuthin' But A G Thang" as an example) while battle is both players rapping out the same song and the higher score wins. The duets are handled pretty well for the most part as there are standout songs where they shine. Career mode is the bread and butter of the game as play tiers of songs for mics to unlock the next stage and status of the game as the goal is to well, become a Def Jam Rapstar. It is unfortunate that some songs, especially the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa" are locked from the get go as you have to play the career mode to unlock them. You think by now rhythm game developers have learned that all songs in these games have to playable from the start, but yet they still haven't figured that out in 2010. Then again, it does give incentive for players to play career mode to unlock those songs and other customizable elements which I'll mention later on. Plus, there are various quick challenges that test your timing and scoring skills for more microphones such as getting scoring a certain number in a limited number of phrases. Freestyle mode allows players to simply freestyle with beats given by the game. This plays a huge part in the video uploads as players can show what they're capable of besides the main songs in the game.

Players are judged by lyrics, timing, and pitch (in certain songs) in Rapstar. While knowing the lyrics and having good timing are key factors towards getting a high score, you do have to sing to have a good pitch rating in some songs. This is usually the case with songs that have ladies singing the choruses. In addition, you can BS the lyrics to a certain extent as long as you keep your timing and combo multiplier going since all you have to do to max out the orange bar in the various phrases to score points. Once you fill up a yellow meter next to the one I just mentioned, you will activate platinum power, the game's version of star power that doubles your multiplier. It is still though about having a high score keeping that multiplier active throughout a whole song to get those "Off the Chain" ratings and be up high on the leaderboards. Even the difficulties don't have that much of a difference as the game can still be pretty generous even on hard if you don't know the song that well, but there is an unlockable expert difficulty where you rap without the lyrics being displayed. The major other feature of Rapstar is the community aspect where you can customize and upload videos to the game itself and its website for other people to watch and rate as long as you have a Playstation Eye or the Xbox Live Vision camera (also Kinect when it comes out too according to the developers). The video customization ranges from adding audio and visual effects to make your performance stand out from just another video of you rapping in some room. These videos of your performances or freestyles can are uploaded in 30 second chunks for the whole world to see. It is pretty similar to SingStar to how these community features play out besides customizing your videos like crazy having an echo and some money flashing on the screen.

The tracklist is basically all the songs you can think of that has influenced rap in a major way throughout its whole history from the 80s like "It Takes Two" to more recent stuff. The artist lineup is also a who's who of the rap game over the years from Slick Rick with "Children's Story," Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Notorious B.I.G., and 2Pac along with the artists of today with Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, 50 Cent, and Drake. While I'm happy with most of the tracklist the main game offers in terms of the diversity of serious and party-like songs, there are some songs by artists that make you cringe like Ja Rule, Soulja Boy (even though "Turn My Swag On" is one of those guilty pleasure songs which I'll admit), and others I would namedrop. At least there's downloadble songs in the future assuming Konami and 4mm Games go by a weekly schedule releasing them, but who knows how long the wave of DLC will last pending on the game's success and demand by the community. The major disappointment in Rapstar at its core is the fact that radio edits are used in all these songs along with their edited out music videos. You can still curse in the game if you know which ones pop up, but it is bleeped out in the lyrics' display and it can disrupt the whole flow of the performance.

Despite some glaring flaws, Def Jam Rapstar is truly the karaoke game hip-hop and rap fans have been waiting for years. Finally, someone made things right making a game for those that their dreams of being a rapper. The usage of radio edits in all the songs is disappointing, but keep in mind Konami had to release this thing with a Teen rating. It would be nice to play these songs uncensored later down the road, but come to think of it, a Mature-rated karaoke game does not really make that much sense from a business standpoint. The tracklist is very solid including songs that were big back in the day and still are today along with more recent tracks the kids are used to these days since you have to attract as many people as possible. Sure there are missing artists due to licensing issues by other publishers, but the potential of weekly DLC is a good thing for the future to keep players busy. Speaking of keeping players busy, the community features will keep this game going for the long run with the video uploads, freestyle mode, and online leaderboards. Generally, it is those party games that everyone that knows rap music can enjoy and it is at an affordable price of 70 dollars with a microphone compared to the triple digit bundles that DJ Hero 2 and Rock Band 3 will have. There is indeed lots of potential with Def Jam Rapstar as it is right now and hopefully it can become a legitimate franchise in the future.

Score = 8/10

Pros:

• Solid tracklist having the who's who of rap music.
• Community features like customizable videos that can be uploaded and rated will keep this game going,
• Core rapping/singing mechanics are also solid,
• One of the cheaper new party games to get this holiday season.

Cons:

• Radio edits for all the songs as the blurred out lyrics can be distracting at times
• Some songs are locked, which is unfortunate but it does force you to play career mode
• If you're not a fan of hip-hop and rap music, then this game is simply not for you.

Okay... My Obligatory Def Jam Rapstar DLC Wishlist

In case you haven't been noticing what's going on with me lately, I have been playing lots of Def Jam Rapstar since its release last Tuesday and tearing up the PS3 leaderboards (my review will be up on Monday). Konami and 4mm Games are planning a weekly schedule of downloadable songs with music videos (hopefully) being two bucks per song. There's already some songs out for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Store even though there's more on XBLM than PSN at the moment, so hopefully the Playstation Store can catch up this week. In the meantime, here comes the obligatory wishlist of what I want as downloadable in the game and keep in mind there will be more 90s and 00s stuff than the old school offerings (Also the game needs more lady rappers reppin - Only Lil' Kim & Salt-n-Pepa I think on the disc).

Twista - "Overnight Celebrity"

Cali Swag District - "Teach Me How to Dougie" (Well, why not haha)

Fabolous - "Young'n (Holla Back)"

Craig Mack - "Flava in Your Ear (Remix)"

LL Cool J - "Doin' It"

LL Cool J - "Headsprung"

Missy Elliott - "Get Your Freak On"

Missy Elliott - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"

Outkast - "B.O.B."

Outkast - "Rosa Parks"

Eve - "Who's That Girl?"

2Pac feat. Dr. Dre - "California Love" (Obvious pick)

Young Money - "Every Girl" (I saw the video yesterday & realized it can be fun)

Nas - "If I Ruled The World"

Ludacris - "Move B****" feat. Mystikal & I-20

50 Cent - "In Da Club" ("I Get Money" was a good choice for the disc though)

Ice Cube - "Check Yo Self" (Remix)

Ice Cube - "You Can Do It"

Warren G - "Regulate"

Warren G - "I Want It All"

Dr. Dre - "Dre Day" feat. Snoop Dogg

Busta Rhymes - "Touch It (Remix)"

G-Dep - "Special Delivery (Remix)"

Black Rob - "Whoa"

Ghostface Killah - "Cher Chez La Ghost"

Redman - "Da Goodness"

Pras - "Ghetto Superstar"

The Fugees - "Fug-ee-La"

M.O.P. - "Ante Up"

Mobb Deep - "Quiet Storm (Remix)" feat. Lil' Kim

Mobb Deep - "Shook Ones Part II"

T.I. - "Why You Wanna"

T.I. - "U Don't Know Me"

Rick Ross - "Hustlin"

N.O.R.E. - "Nothin"

Ludacris - "My Chick Bad" feat. Nicki Minaj

Notorious B.I.G. - "Mo Money, Mo Problems" feat. Diddy & Mase

Fat Joe - "Make It Rain"

Three Six Mafia - "Stay Fly"

The Game - "How We Do" feat. 50 Cent (Almost forgot about this one)

Dr. Dre - "The Next Episode" feat. Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg - "Drop It Like Its Hot"

Kanye West - "Can't Tell Me Nothing"

Jermaine Dupri - "Welcome to Atlanta" feat. Ludacris (Either that or the remix)

Cam' Ron - "Oh Boy"

Juelz Santana - "There It Go (The Whistle Song)"

Ying Yang Twins - "Wait (The Whisper Song)" (Potential lulz there)

Lil Jon - "Snap Yo Fingers"

E-40 - "Tell Me When to Go"

Too Short - "Blow the Whistle" (What's my favorite word?)

Well that's it for now... hopefully there will be long DLC support for the game as long as the community keeps at it with their user-generated content.

MvC3 NYCC '10 Video Blowout

New York Comic-Con is going on right now and for the rest of the weekend and of course Capcom is there revealing more characters for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. On the Capcom side, the new fighters announced are Nathan Spencer from "the new" Bionic Commando game and Arthur from the Ghouls n' Ghosts franchise. Yay at new Capcom characters finally making debuts in the fighting genre especially Arthur since its been a while for him appearing in an actual game. On the Marvel side, is the return of Magneto (Playtime has ended!!!!) and a surprise addition that is M.O.D.O.K. All the trailers for the new characters are below.

Oh I should mention that Marvel announced the Konami X-Men Arcade game for Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network for a release likely next year, so yay at more old-school beat-em-ups!

Music Videos of the Day for 10/8/10

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Linkin Park - "Waiting for The End"

La Roux - "In for the Kill" (2nd video)



Ke&ha - "Take It Off" (Alternate video)

Swedish House Mafia vs. Tinie Tempah - "Miami 2 Ibiza"

Kanye again stealing the show...

Kanye West performed on SNL tonight and killed it as expected with "Power" and "Runaway." Yup, it feels good to be a Kanye fan lately with "Power" brainwashed in my mind because of The Social Network, still delivering on G.O.O.D. Fridays despite all the leaks, and the hype for his new album increases as its gets closer to release.

The Social Network... Yeah, Its That Good.

I watched "The Social Network" last night and boy did it lived up to the expectations and the positive buzz. Like most people, I was not really excited for it at first because well it is a Facebook movie and who in the world wants to see that? I was totally wrong when I found out who were behind it, which are David Fincher (director) and Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter) considering their pedigree of movies they worked on. Its also worth mentioning that the cast is pretty good for the most part as I didn't have any glaring issues with them. Anyway, it is based by a book called "The Accidental Billionaires," so it is pretty much a loose tale of how Facebook was born and became what it is today. It does seem crazy that the popular site had a bumpy road before getting 500 million friends and eventually became a movie, but the movie-ish part actually worked out after all. Who of thought that Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook creator played by Jesse Eisenberg was that really a jerk yet a genius at the same time. He does seem like one of those guys that are all that intellectually and yet he has a tough time being a person with a heart. It seems to be the case where his mindset is the company first and everyone else second betraying those he trusted the most, which is his best friend, Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, to get where he is today being the youngest billionaire out there. The theme pretty much fits the movie as you can't get 500 million friends without making a few enemies.

Making something as successful as Facebook does come with a price, which is the case how "The Social Network" is all about. It is actually cool to see the whole process go down of how Facebook was able to be the juggernaut it is today from the dorm room to its offices at Palo Alto, California. What makes the movie that good though is how nicely put together it was from the pacing, the tone, how the setting was perfectly nailed down (being that it took place in 2003-2004) and more. IGN actually said it right that this movie is very Rashomon-y (shout out to my philosophy friends with that reference) in terms of how scenes played out going back and forth between the past and present of that movie. In other words, when the legal discussions were rolling out between Zuckerberg, Saverin, and the Winklevoss brothers, they go back and forth telling the stories on how it all went down. It is also pretty crazy how prior experience from a company that used to have it all to have a big role on the rise of Facebook with Sean Parker (co-creator of Napster played by Justin Timberlake). Actually, I gotta hand it to Justin as this is his biggest acting role yet and handled it pretty well. I didn't expect him to be great of an actor, but he proved me wrong. It is also worth mentioning Rashida Jones (the main chick from I Love You Man) and Brenda Song (yeah that Brenda Song) are also in this movie as they played their parts well for the most part. In addition, the theatrical score is also one of the best things in this movie by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross as the movie gets all moody at times and Nine Inch Nails-like music is spot on for it.

In a nutshell, "The Social Network" is that good of a movie from every end. Fincher and Sorkin pretty much nailed the Facebook story at all angles (of course not all of it is true being based on a book that also told the tale loosely) making as movie-ish as they can to make it feel like a movie that has protagonists, antagonists, and whatnot. The college lifestyle at the time the movie was taking place was also spot-on being 2003 and 2004 as I noticed little details that made me laugh and smile. There are also funny moments in this film as Zuckerberg had some funny lines, but the Winklevoss brothers had most of those moments being that they were twins too. I highly recommend watching this film as soon as possible as it is one of my favorite movies of the year and highly up in the ranks with "Inception." In the meantime, let's do the "Power clap" since that Kanye song is also perfect in the commercials for this movie.