Gears of War Movie Dream-Casting

With the recent news that Dwayne Johnson is "wanted" for Marcus Fenix in the Gears of War movie adaption. Let me say I have no problem with Dwayne Johnson, but since most video game movies suck. Let’s avoid using him as Marcus Fenix, granted be he could do it but I obviously feel that he can't. So with that I actually got to asking myself who would be good for the roles and heeere are the Picks :)

Ron Perlman as Marcus Fenix

Ron Perlman proves he is a leader in Hellboy; he’s got the ability to carry a movie and make as many ridiculous monologues as the movie might want and avoid the cheeziness factor. Plus he’s a real veteran with voice acting so a video game character in real life shouldn't be an issue for him. 

Thomas Jane as Damon Baird

What is it about Baird that screams Thomas Jane, blond hair. Check. His body language when in a scene similar to Bairds grumbling attitude around Fenix. Check. Social Commentater (watches Deep Blue Sea). Check. Thomas Jane would provide an outlaw feel to the character like Baird should be when paired with Fenix. 

Bruce Willis as Dominic Santiago

Yes the ethnicities are a little off...i think. But here’s the thing, the moving scene from "The Sixth Sense" shows he can portray the emotional side exhibited in Gears of War 2 for his wife. And I hope they incorporate that. Otherwise, Bruce Willis has the energy to play Santiago and should be guns blazingly since he usually accompanies Fenix.

Tyrese Gibson as Augustus Cole

WTF you may be thinking. Look you have to balance the talent, plus who else is fun to watch instinctively and could have as much fun shredding Locusts? Gibson plays GOOD side characters anyway and probably like the others doesn't ask for too much money. Important since a movie with as much CGI as they promise is probably costly to make. 

Comic Review: Invincible issues #1-13

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Robert Kirkman and the work he has done on “The Walking Dead” series. So when I first heard about Invincible about three years ago I was definitely interested but just never picked it up. Quite a stupid thing to do having now read through the first 13 issues in one sitting.

Invincible tells the story of a boy named Mark Grayson who has been waiting years to obtain the powers that his world famous superhero dad Omni-Man has. Now that is coming of age he has started to possess powers such as super strength, super-speed, and invulnerability.

The first four issues of the story are used to ease us and our hero into this new world. The comic is a lot of fun right from the get go. We get to see what a day in the life young and new superhero might be like. From coming up with a name to designing a costume and then to figuring out how to balance a life of heroism by night and homework by day.

We get introduced to this team of superheroes that act as this universes teen titans and while I liked them at first I can’t say that other then Atom Eve that any of them have grown on me. I’m curious to see how big a part they play as the series goes on. I just don’t feel so well connected to them unlike the relationship between Mark and his father Omni-Man which has been the highlight of the story for me so far.

Omni-Man is Superman on the job but when it’s dinner time he’s just Nolan Grayson another dad trying to pay the bills and love his family. The way Kirkman lets their relationship unfold is just so natural and inviting. They are the ultimate father and son team; it’s a relationship every son would want with his father.

The best thing about this story is its unpredictability. When reveals are made they hit you in the stomach like a ton of bricks. I keep wondering what will be next but things go so far in the other direction that it’s hard to even see the point in trying to predict where Kirkman is going with “Invincible”.

While I can’t praise the writing enough the one downside of the first seven issues has been the art by Cory Walker. While it’s not bad it just is a very simplistic line drawing style that just isn’t my preference. In issue eight and on though Ryan Ottley has taken over and the art has been much better and only seems to be improving.

Story: 5 out of 5
Art: 3 out of 5

Comic Mission Statement

I think it’s important to know first that I’m not that well versed in the world of comics, yet. It’s something that I’ve always dipped my toes dipped in but never really explored. I believe most of this comes from the fact that with Marvel and DC comes forty to sixty years of intertwining storylines. There is just so much in the timeline that even the combined minds that roam the internet have yet to figure it all out. So how am I a lowly newcomer supposed unlock its secrets?

This is not to say I have no knowledge of comics. I’ve read various volumes of the Walking Dead, Preacher, and Runaways. Though if you notice the trend most of them aren’t a huge part of superhero continuity with Runaways being the exception. I’ve always loved superheroes; it’s just that the idea of where to start is mind boggling. This frightened me away from getting into most comics for quite a long time.

I’m tired of missing out on them anymore. I’ve now taken it upon myself to at least try to get hold of just about every comic possible, online. It is with this new found courage that I dive into the vast ocean of comic’s laid before me. I’ll be starting this journey with a title from Robert Kirkman entitled “Invincible” published by Image Comics. I’ll use this as a starting point and then it’s anyone’s guess from here on out.

Obscure Video Game Review: Toxic Crusaders

Hey guys, I figured I'd take a little time out of my day and bring to you a first in a series of reviews I'll be doing. These reviews will focus on the obscure titles that maybe not everybody knows. So, the game I'm Taking a look at is Toxic Crusaders on the Sega Genesis. First, let me just tell you guys about how licensed this game is. This game is based on a TV show of the same name, which is based on a comic book of the same name, which is a spin-off on another comic book called "The Toxic Avenger" which was based on a cult-classic movie, "The Toxic Avenger". So, this game already has a lot of back-story to it... However, that isn't quite it's focus.

The real focus here is the gameplay, it's a side-scrolling brawler, much like the TMNT Arcade Game or something like Streets of Rage, you scroll to the side, and you fight dudes. While those games have never been too much about accuracy, this game is even MORE in-accurate, sometime you wonder if you're even hitting the enemy at all. It gets so bad that sometimes you're shooting at stuff off-screen! However, this somehow doesn't limit the game's fun-factor too much. The enemies, while numerous, usually only take 1 or 2 hits to kill, so the in-accuracy of the combat doesn't feel like it's limiting you very much. Besides regular combat, you can also take down enemy helicopters and hop in them for a short period of time.

You play as one of three characters, Toxie (Who you might also known as The Toxic Avenger), NoZone (A Mutation of a pilot and a bird), and Junkyard (A Mutation of a obo and a Junkyard Dog). There's no character select screen, so the only way to hange who's playing who is to goto the options menu at the beginning of the game and choose the player. If you're playing as Toxie, you also have Toxie's little pal Blobbie running around, who was also in the TV show. However, instead of being pink like he was in the show, he's yellow here, and on the back of the box, they call him Bloobie for some reason. Anyways, Blobbie can be used in many different ways to attack the enemy, but my personal favorite is using your mop as a golf club and golfing him into different enemies.

While the game isn't heavy in storyline, it has a thin plot, taken directly from the TV Show. Aliens called Radiation Rangers are attacking Tromaville, and it's up to Toxie n' pals to stop them. I find it funny that somebody who is essentially made out of toxic waste is fighting to stop people who are trying to pollute the planet. Anyways, you get to fight in a variety of locations. You start in a city area (Tromaville), but there's also a Park with a bunch of radiation oozing about, An Alien Spaceship, a Train Station, and more. There's enough Variety in the six different levels to keep the game from becoming boring, even though you're fighting the same enemies over and over.

Overall, the game is fun, but if you're not a fan of the TV Show, or The Toxic Avenger, it might not do anything for you. Thats not to say you shouldn't give it a shot, though. I first played this game before I even watched The Toxic Avenger or Toxic Crusaders, and I still enjoyed the hell out of it. So, if you ever wanted to mop up Tromaville, or you just want an average side-scrolling brawler, Toxic Crusaders for the Genesis is for you.

I give this game 4 out of 5 stars.

Collecting the Classics

These days we have the urge to keep all the systems we get, we become so attached to our Gen 1 Xbox or our PS2 and we don't wanna get rid of it or the games. Its come to the point where we are buying classic systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Atari 2600, why?

Well for one thing we of the internet generation have a guy called the Angry Video Game Nerd who reviews all the classics, and the nostalgia it brings makes us want to get our systems back. It drives me crazy when I try to obtain a NES 2: Top Loader, which retailed for 50 dollars now going for 80 or more! Granted be, there aren't as many but when you consider the amount of Nintendo Wiis being sold...how could the old ones be popular?

How do you rationalize the sudden collection frenzy of systems for gamers, or at least the need to hang on to their last gen systems?

You play the games over and over, you didn't have online capabilities and the graphics compared to today could be beat by your own drawings (except for mine). So whats the rationalization for this frenzy, and am I the one to know the absolute truth?

All I can say is, you learned from the first games you played. You got better through these games, you had to use your imagination with these games with their limits compared to today. Theres such a difference between todays games and games of yesterday, except with yesterday there isn't a never-ending amount of games (except for PS2). Theres a finite collection within that console you can reach if you have the money, and you know enough from impressions throughout the years to know exactly what you want. 

Theres many other reasons involving money and preferences, but the basic feelings of a gamer to make him/her want the old systems is to explore and relive classic moments. Gaming is trial and error, you start anywhere and learn your tastes and your moments of gaming where you struggled. That is the element of gaming, the journey you take. 

Classic Movie Review: Casper

Its 1995 and Steven Speilberg has his hands in many projects to this day, Casper being one of them. I had known almost nothing about this friendly ghost except for the fact that my grandfather painted him on the side of a wooden Halloween decoration he made for us one year for the trick-or-treaters. So imagine me at 7 years old hearing about a Casper movie, well its been 14 years and since it was on I decided to see whether it still hits those chords that made me enjoy it as a child :)

Directed by Brad Silberling, his first feature film. I have to say this movie got to me even at 21. Yes its campy at times and Eric Idle's performance made me have a few WTF moments. As for the other actors, Christina Ricci is pretty good here and so is Bill Pullman who seems...idk a bit "surreal" during the movie but I agree with critics that their performances are good for having to stare at almost nothing since Casper and the other ghosts are CGI (vaporware). Cathy Moriarty's performance has been classified by critics as a "poor mans Cruella Deville", I'm gonna get off the fence and disagree. Theres a campiness to her but I think she really tried to be unique in her character, and I applaud her for that. So for a first time feature film director, not a bad job and it doesn't hurt Speilberg is producing. 

The CGI for 1995 is pretty damn good and once again used for the campy effect, no its never overdone in this movie. There are some genuine physical humor and irony here and there. The movie is actually criticized for mixing campiness and seriousness (seriously? why are people always expecting one type of direction in a movie?!). I was moved by Caspers story about how he died and it was sad to see him let Pullman take his chance to be alive again.

SPOILER ALERT! (oh wait, too late? o well ;)

So to round it up let me say this:

The Good: CGI is great for the time period. The performances are earnest if not all on top form. The mix of campiness where there isn't seriousness works great. The scene where Casper and Kat (Ricci's character) dance is moving IMO. Story isn't nearly as campy as the atmosphere which makes the movie work on kid and adult levels.

The Bad: Eric Idle's performance. Pullman's "attitude". The apparent "prank" by this annoying bratty bitch and the stereotypical gullible guy was a complete waste of screen time for me. Fatso's cleavage when he pretends to be a woman is just wrong to say the least ^_^

All in all, this is a classic movie worth watching as a Halloween Special. Even when it's not Halloween. A good job for first time director Brad Silberling. Can he show improvement when his newest movie Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell? idk, the movie looks pretty bad to me but with Silberling attached I will give it a chance. Will I go see it in the theatres....um unlikely. 

I Give it a 3 out of 5

Welcome One and All

Hey Guys,

This is TJ here letting you know what this whole Geeksquisite thing is about. If you know us from Midnight Multiplayer we will still be continuing that series of podcast. The only difference is that for now on, they will be posted here instead. We will also be using this site to write about whatever we want. The goal is to bring you our opinions on everything we find Geeksquisite. If we care about it we’ll write about it. Welcome to the launch of Geeksquisite and we hope to see you become a member of our little slice of the internet.


Geeksquisite [Geeks-quiz-it]
1. used to describe something that encompasses all things awesome


Origin:
May. 14, 2009 by TJ