geek bone

KING OF FIGHTERS FAMILY PORTRAIT

2018-08-31T20:03:00.001+08:00

I've been getting back into my favorite fighting games again lately and I've always been partial to the art style used by SNK for the King of Fighters series with King of Fighters 2000 featuring my favorite style yet.

I just put together individual character portraits I found here but it was a bit of a bitch to resize these guys to mesh together naturally. I admit there are still some scaling issues like with Iori and Terry at the either end there so I might fix that when I find time.

Click the image above to full-view.

GREATEST BATMAN THEME MUSIC

2016-06-15T22:12:00.000+08:00

Batman Theme Music. Stop what you're doing right now and concentrate on those three words and tell me what you hear in your head. The answer will more than likely depend on your age because for me, a guy born in 1978, the Batman I grew up with, at least cinema-wise, is Michael Keaton and Tim Burton's (and effectively Danny Elfman's) Batman from 1989. So to this fan, THE quintessential Batman theme is none other than:

BATMAN (1989) music composed by Danny Elfman

Some of you may know that I collect Batman memorabilia, more specifically toys and figures. I cannot recount the number of times I caught myself humming Danny Elfman's score while cleaning my collectibles. The hook is just damn catchy and memorable and I have to say it can be placed on the same distinction level as the great classics of John Williams such as the themes to Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Superman.

Of course, there are other significant and dare I say it, iconic Batman theme music to be considered here so let's count 'em all down chronologically. Note: This list only pertains to the main Batman-theme and not the entire score or soundtrack

BATMAN (1966 TV Series) music composed by Neil Hefti

I only caught the reruns of this show as a kid but of course it was the only Batman show around at the time so I ate it up like the rest of the world did. There's no denying the simplicity of this score is what makes it great and almost anyone will recognize it within a few seconds of hearing the almost surfer music guitar riff.

BATMAN WITH ROBIN THE BOY WONDER (1969 TV Series)

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BATMAN (1977 TV Series)

I actually have only vague memories of this cartoon but I do remember this intro fairly vividly. As for the music well it's hardly noticeable with the voice overs of Adam West and Burt Ward.

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1991 TV Series) music composed by Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman was hired to do the theme music once again for Batman: The Animated Series. He retooled his original score from 1989's Batman but kept the overall march feel of the music.

THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN (1994 TV Series) music composed by Shirley Walker

Shirley Walker originally wrote the theme for Batman: The Animated Series but when Danny Elfman was brought on board, the producers decided to use his music instead. When the series changed it's name to The Adventures of Batman & Robin, Walker's score was used, as well as with the latter series The New Batman Adventures.

BATMAN FOREVER (1995) music composed by Elliot Goldenthal

The change in direction for the Batman movie franchise from the gothic tones of Burton's world to the "we need to sell more toys, damnit!" mantra of Warner Bros. meant Elfman was also out as music composer and replaced with Elliot Goldenthal. With the toy-centric theme in mind, Goldenthal was quoted in an interview saying he got the idea for the main Batman theme when he thought of the music children would make up and hum while they played with their action figures. Listen to the score and you will definitely hear what he's talking about.

BATMAN BEYOND (1999 TV Series) music composed by Kristofer Carter

I admit I hated this music when it first came out. In fact I hated the concept of Batman Beyond at first too. I couldn't get over the fact that Bruce wasn't Batman anymore. Hey, I was pretty closed-minded about Batsy for a long time. Anyway I learned to love the series and the music also grew on me. It's definitely a product of its time with its Rock/Metal/Techno/Industrial roots.

THE BATMAN (2004 TV Series) music by The Edge

I am not a fan of U2 and I think that The Edge is an overrated guitar player. To learn he did the music for this series really surprised me but now that I know it, I can't unhear it. So now I dislike the score even more :)

BATMAN BEGINS (2005) music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

I wasn't used to superhero scores being a bit military-like ala the music from The Rock (which of course Hanz Zimmer had a part in composing). I felt the music didn't have that catchy riff I was looking for. Of course over time I learned to like it but still, gimme them big catchy hooks anytime!

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

Zimmer and Howard continue the military driven theme for 2008's The Dark Knight. It's fairly enjoyable with its string build-ups and big percussive moments.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (2008 TV Series) music by Andy Sturmer

I never got to watch this much loved take on Batman but it surely is on my to-do list. I only discovered the music for the show through the research for this article. The choice for a 60s spy movie feel soundtrack was pretty inspired and seems a great fit for the tone of the show.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012) music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

The overall theme for The Dark Knight Rises seems to have changed slightly from its predecessor but I have to say I like the score for The Dark Knight more especially the unorthodox theme for Joker.

BEWARE THE BATMAN (2013 TV Series) music by Dum Dum Girls

This one is definitely on the or near the bottom of my list of choices for Batman theme music. Seems quite out of place but maybe it was a slight homage to the camp 60's Adam West Batman TV series?

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) music by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL

The most recent Batman score just doesn't do it for me. I find it to be generic sounding like most of the other "epic" movie soundtracks we hear these days (I keep thinking of the music in 300 and those types). The overdone vocal chorus just doesn't make me think "Batman". Sorry Mr. Zimmer and Mr. XL. I hope with the departure of director Zach Snyder and Geoff Johns taking over with his "hopeful" mantra that we get a totally new direction for the score as well.

Resume, Doh! Or Resume Writing Tips For Filipinos

2016-05-14T00:23:00.002+08:00

I work together with the Human Resources (HR) department and as part of my job I do get to see around 25 resumes each day from call center applicants. The hilarity ensuing from these is almost enough to numb the pain of interviewing those very people every day. There is an outdated tumblog with a collection of interview fails (or sometimes wins) that can be found here but I am not at liberty to say who used to run it (me).

Thank you for the laughs guys. Now I thought I'd give some love back and enumerate a few key points that local call center applicants should follow when it comes to resume writing.

List your work experience in reverse chronological order

If you're applying for a web designer position then no one cares if you worked as a cashier at McDonald's ten years ago when you were 15. If you still feel the need to mention your fast food experience then shove that info all the way down the list because your prospective employer's main concern is your most recent & most significant work experience.

Include where and WHAT you studied

This probably down to the mentality we Filipinos inherited from the Spaniards, but do indicate what you studied in college/university rather than just the school you graduated from. It'll go a long way towards helping the recruiter find the right role for you especially if you're a recent graduate. Also don't be ashamed if you did not get to finish your studies. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were college drop-outs, remember?

Make sense, damn it!

If you want to put your objectives in your CV then make sure you are coherent in doing so. Don't just string together all the high-level industry jargon you know into one long run-on sentence. The following is a real life example of what NOT to write.

"To be of service and to be attached to the company with stable and firm foundation, well established and fast growing both financial and interpersonal relations. To achieve optimum personal and professional growth. Skill, creativity and innovation."

It's a resume, not a family tree!

Some people have a strange need to put unnecessary information in their resumes. There are a number of people who include their father and mother's name plus their occupations to boot. Some even mention their siblings or children and what year they are in school. Seriously, no one cares about that crap.

Being tall and sexy is insignificant (sometimes)

It's probably a cultural thing and what we Filipinos are used to, but unless you're trying out for the Miss Universe pageant there is absolutely no need to include your height and weight in your personal information. Some countries like Australia even forbid the inclusion of a photo in your resume because it might sway the impending decision of employment, ultimately meaning discrimination.

HR people do not like jumpers

If you are an experienced applicant but have a history of working in different places for short periods of time (3-6 months) try not to include that information in your resume unless you have a very valid reason for continuously jumping ship (medical emergency, death in the family, sexual harassment case, end of the world, etc). The HR folks will always think you are not capable of committing to any job. Instead, just include the lengthiest experience you have and mention in detail all the responsibilities you had for that job.

Don’t strike a pose

You might be a frustrated model-slash-actor but please try and use a professional looking headshot for your resume. Countless times have I seen profiles with ridiculous photos attached. Some use the tried and tested ‘emo’ angle from above the head. Some use cropped group photos where you can see the shoulders of people standing beside them. I even encountered a guy who submitted a full body shot, in jeans and sneakers, in his CV.

Remember you want to appear professional no matter what job you are applying for and this relates to everything from your resume, to your attire, and all the way to your decorum. Smile when you’re being interviewed, don’t let Mr. Crankypants HR person get to you.

[TUTORIAL] How To Update JTAG/RGH To The Latest Dashboard (17150) Jan. 11, 2015

2015-01-11T21:27:00.001+08:00

As a touch of irony, I had to use my older tutorial on updating the XBOX 360 dashboard in order to play the latest game in my library, Shadow Of Mordor. Things went well but upon boot-up my system now boots into the default XBOX 360 dashboard instead of Freestyle Dash 3 :( I tried all fixes I found online (mostly editing the launch.ini file which used to work) but have had no luck yet.

So the only workaround that's working for me is to use XEXMENU to run Freestyle Dash; a tedious process indeed. Anyway here is an updated tutorial on how to update your dashboard to the latest version (17150 at the time of writing) using the latest version too of JRunner.

>>How to put XexMenu into your RGH/JTAG via USB tutorial<<

MY SETUP

+ XBOX 360 4GB Arcade JTAG/RGH (I was led to believe my console was JTAG but I've also seen signs that it could actually be RGH).

+ Dashboard version was 16203 (to be updated to the latest version).

+ Freestyle Dash 3 running from 1 TB external hard drive FAT32-formatted.

DISCLAIMER: If your setup is not exactly or at least very similar to mine, I cannot answer for any errors or damage your console may incur.

APPS/UTILITIES REQUIRED

+ Simple 360 NAND Flasher - For dumping and updating your dashboard.

+ JRunner - For creating a new dashboard update. Extract all files to any location on your PC.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

+ FAT32 formatted USB drive

STEP ONE: Dumping Your NAND (that sounds nasty)

* Grab the Simple 360 NAND Flasher from the link above. Now, unpack the Simple 360 NAND Flasher folder to the root of your external FAT32 USB drive. You should end up with something like this (E:\Simple 360 NAND Flasher\)
* Head over to your XBOX 360 and boot your console into Freestyle 3.
* Use the File Manager utility in FS3 to browse to the Simple 360 NAND Flasher directory,. Next, highlight default.xex then press A to start the program.

sorry this is a screencap from an older version of Simple 360 NAND Flasher but it will look essentially the same as the latest version

* Press X as it says and the utility will quickly dump or copy your NAND to your USB drive - the file will be called flashdump.bin. Mine only took 16 seconds.

STEP TWO: Creating A New NAND Image

* Back on your PC, insert your USB drive, fire up JRunner, and update to the latest version if there is an option in the menu bar that says "New Version Available" . The latest version of JRunner is so much simpler to use in that you really just need to point it to the NAND file you created and then create your updated NAND file.

* Click on the Load Source button and navigate to the flashdump.bin file we created in the previous step and select it.
* The magic of the latest JRunner is that it will find all the necessary info you need such as the CPU key, the motherboard version (mine is Trinity), and the type of system mod you have (RGH or JTAG).
* Next, in the XeBuild section, click on the Dash Version drop down menu and select Add Dash
* A small pop-up window will appear with a list of dashboard versions. Scroll down to the latest one (17150 at the time of writing) and then click Add Dashes. JRunner will now download the latest dashpack for you. Amazing!
* Once the download is done, click on the Create XeBuild Image button near the top of the application window to create your updated NAND file.
* Now find the updated NAND file called updflash.bin. This should appear in a sub-folder (mine was called 000273203108) within the JRunner application folder. Copy the updflash.bin file into the "Simple 360 NAND Flasher" folder of your USB drive. So in that folder you should have both the "flashdump.bin" and "updflash.bin" files. Cool? Let's move on.

STEP THREE: Updating Your NAND

* Go back to your XBOX console and like in step one, open up Simple 360 NAND Flasher by going into its folder, selecting default.xex, and pressing A.

* You will be greeted by slightly different screen this time.

again sorry for the outdated screengrab but trust me it will look essentially the same as with the latest version

* Press A to overwrite your NAND with the one we created in step two. This should only take about 30 seconds.

* Once done it will say that the system will reboot in 5 seconds.

* Boot up your console again and your XBOX 360 Dashboard will now be updated to the latest supported version.

Hooray!!!

Please let me know if your system now also boots into the default XBOX 360 dashboard instead of the FreeStyle Dash and if you've found a way to get it back to booting into FS3 by default.

THE EVOLUTION OF HOT TOYS BATMAN

2014-09-19T12:02:00.001+08:00

Just the Nolanverse bats here.

BATMAN BEGINS & THE DARK KNIGHT NEW 52 VERSIONS

2014-08-18T23:39:00.000+08:00

Quick Photoshop of the Hot Toys Batman Begins and The Dark Knight figures in New 52 colors (which I hate by the way).

Joaquin Phoenix is Dr. Strange

2014-07-29T21:45:00.003+08:00

In light of a recent unofficial announcement that Joaquin Phoenix has signed on to be Dr. Strange in an upcoming Marvel movie, here is another quick and dirty photomanip of the actor in the traditional comic book garb.

MATT SMITH as JOKER

2014-07-14T22:07:00.003+08:00

I recently listened to a Kevin Smith's podcast, Fatman on Batman, and on that episode guested a very vocal comic book legend Neal Adams. They discussed many things bat-related and in the second half of the show they shared their opinions on all Batman movies so far plus Neal shares a strange story about the first time he took LSD.

Neal being a 70's comic book superstar artist naturally hated Tim Burton's dark gothic take on Batman and went on to suggest his picks for who should and should have been Batman (Ted Danson being one of them, ladies and gentlemen).

Surprisingly though, he didn't like Jack Nicholson's Joker. I thought Jack's Joker was pretty spot on for the late 70's to 80's comic book version of the character. Neal Adams thinks Jack spent too much time being serious in the film and should have spent more time laughing and joking about. One thing I learned from listening to this show is that Neal Adams is a very bull-headed and proud man. Maybe he's earned it by being the quintessential Batman artist in his day. Or maybe he's just an asshole who's bought into his fame too much. Nevertheless he did mention who he thinks would make a great Joker for future Batman flicks and he chose Matt Smith, star of Dr. Who. So without further ado, here's another quick and dirty photoshop job...

STREET FIGHTER: Jason Statham as Guile

2014-06-19T15:01:00.002+08:00

A quick and dirty photomanip of Jason Statham as Guile from Street Fighter.

Photos sourced from Google search. Hairdo is Pauly D. from Jersey Shore fame *cringe*

STREET FIGHTER: Fan Bingbing as Chun Li

2014-06-19T13:06:00.000+08:00

A quick and dirty photomanip of Fan Bingbing as Chun Li from Street Fighter.

credit to Elin-Kuzunoha for the source cosplay image

STREET FIGHTER ARCADE EVOLUTION: RYU

2013-12-30T18:27:00.000+08:00

My OCD has gotten the better of me again and I decided to make a new Street Fighter Evolution feature, this time focusing on RYU and all his arcade game appearances. I tried to find each and every game he featured in and included a copy of his in game sprite/character plus the character-select-screen portrait. Tedious work at the very least! Enjoy the fruits of my sleepless nights.

Click on the image below for the full resolution version

click here for full resolution

[TUTORIAL] Play Grand Theft Auto V On Your RGH/JTAG Arcade XBOX 360 Console

2013-09-22T22:22:00.001+08:00

Having trouble getting Grand Theft Auto V to run on your 4GB RGH/JTAG Arcade console? Hopefully this tutorial will point you in the right direction. Again, like all my previous tutorials, this one is wordy and meant for beginners. I did include summaries under each step for those who are slightly more advanced :)

Basically, GTA V requires that the 8GB of content of Disc 1 be installed to your console's hard drive. As you well know, we Arcade owners don't have an internal hard drive to work with. So this is a workaround where we install the Disc 1 contents into a separate USB drive formatted to work on your console as a Memory Unit.

Sounds straightforward and there are numerous short tutorials online that show you how to do this. Unfortunately I ran into some snags along the way and had to experiment a bit until I got things working.

MY SETUP

+ XBOX 360 4GB Arcade JTAG/RGH (I was led to believe my console was JTAG but I've also seen signs that it could actually be RGH).

+ Freestyle Dash 3 running from 500GB external hard drive FAT32-formatted.
+ A separate 16GB USB thumb drive just for the GTA V installation.

DISCLAIMER: If your setup is not exactly or at least very similar to mine, I cannot answer for any errors or damage your console may incur.

REQUIREMENTS

+ 16GB or greater USB Flash Disk/Thumb Drive
+ FAT32 Format - to initially format your USB Drive.
+ XBOX Backup Creator - to extract the ISOs

STEP ONE: Preparing your USB Drive

Summary; Format your USB Drive using the XBOX 360 Dashboard.

- Plug in your USB disk into your XBOX 360 console.

- Don't boot into FS3. Use the default XBOX dashboard.
- Once there, go to Settings > System > Storage, and you should see an item in the list labeled USB Storage Device.
- Highlight USB Storage Device, Press A, and choose Configure Now. Press A through all the warning messages and your drive should be configured as a Memory Unit in a few seconds.

STEP TWO: Extract Disc 1 ISO Using XBOX Backup Creator

Summary: If your USB drive capacity is less than 32GB you need to extract the Disc 1 ISO into a separate FAT32 formatted drive. If you have a 32GB drive or greater, then you can go ahead and extract the files to a temporary folder in that very same drive.

- Open up XBOX Backup Creator on your PC and click on the Image Tools tab.

- Click on Image Browser. This will open up the XBOX Image Browser sub-app.

- Click on File then Open Image File.

- From here navigate to the Disc 1 ISO file you downloaded and click Open.

- Next, right click on the iso file that appears on the left pane of the app and click on Extract.

- Now this next step is one of a few that made a difference for me and getting all of this to work. When asked where you want to save the extracted files don't save to your USB drive just yet. What I did was save them to a temporary folder in my 500GB external drive (USB1:\temp\gtav_disc1). You can save the files into any FAT32 formatted external drive. We will transfer these files later in Step Four.

STEP THREE: Extract GTA V Disc 2 ISO

Summary: Extract Disc 2's contents to your regular games location

- Repeat the procedure in step 2 but this time extract the files to where you usually save and run your games (eg. USB1:\games\)

Note: When I tried using ISO2GOD for Disc 2, the game would tell me that "an online profile is required" and it would not proceed from there.

STEP FOUR: Transfer The Files To Your USB Drive

Summary: Transfer the extracted Disc 1 ISO files into the USB Drive using FS3's File Manager Utility.

- Now plug in your USB drives (the one we formatted in step one and the other one where you saved the Disc 1 contents) into your XBOX 360 and boot up into FS3.
- Go to Utilities > File Manager
- On the left pane, navigate to where you extracted the Disc 1 contents (eg. USB1:\temp\gtav_disc1)
- There should be a folder labeled content there

- Now go the right pane of the File Manager utility and navigate to the root folder of your other USB drive (eg. USBMU0) and then go back to the left pane.
- In the left pane, highlight the content folder and press and hold RB. You should see 2 arrows pointing to the right appear near the bottom of he screen. This means you are about to transfer files in that direction, from left to right.
- With RB held, press A to copy the whole folder to your USB drive.

This should take a while since it's 8GB worth of data.

STEP FIVE: Enjoy Grand Theft Auto V

- Once that's done, you should be able to run GTA V from FreeStyle 3 without any hitches!

I Got A Problem With... Man Of Steel

2013-06-18T17:32:00.000+08:00

Spoiler Alert! - do not read if you have not seen Man Of Steel

So, Man Of Steel was...OK. Pacing issues aside, it was a nicely done reboot and Christopher Nolan's influence is felt greatly due to the "moderness" of the retelling of Supes' story. I'm not here to talk about how un-Superman Superman was in this film. He seemed to deliberately smash his enemies into buildings and populated areas. He only had a handful of scenes where he seemed to care for the humans' well-being (ie the oil rig scene and the small town brouhaha where he calmly says to the residents "go inside, it's not safe"). But I digress. Let's fast forward to my greatest gripe about the movie or at least its plot; why does General Zod have to recreate Krypton on Earth?

The way it's presented, Zod is genetically predestined to be Krypton's protector and will do all in his power to keep the planet's history, culture, and people, flourishing. Now Jor-El saw it fit to steal the codex (where the DNA of all Kryptonians is held) from Krypton and away from Zod and infuse it into his baby boy Kal. So after Zod sees his home planet implode, he sees no other choice but to retrieve the codex and remake Krypton by terra-forming another planet in its image, in this case Earth, where baby Kal landed.

So far so good.

Just to make things clearer let's put things in a timeline, shall we?

ZOD ARRIVES ON EARTH AND ANNOUNCES HE WANTS KAL-EL TO SURRENDER HIMSELF OR ELSE!

Zod searches for over 30 years to track Kal-El and this is still feasible since the universe is a pretty darn big place. When he finds him he straight away threatens the Earthlings without so much as a, "Hey, Kal. I'm Zod, a friend of your dad's. Listen he gave you something before he died which belongs to Krypton. It can save our people and all that, so um, do you still have it, maybe?" Instead he sends a creepy Jigsaw from Saw-like video across the planet clearly stating, "surrender within 24 hours or watch this world suffer the consequences".

KAL-EL AGREES AND BOARDS ZOD'S SHIP

...with Lois Lane in tow for a reason that escapes me - Zod apparently just wants it to happen and he's a general damn-it, so there.

KAL IS TOLD THAT HE HAS THE FUTURE OF KRYPTON (THE CODEX) WITH HIM

Zod wants it badly and makes this known by shouting a lot.

ZOD REVEALS HIS PLANS TO KAL-EL

Kal at first seems sympathetic to Zod's wish to recreate Krypton but then he is shown via some unexplained mind-meld, dream-thing that Earth is to be the new Krypton and in order to do that the humans must die and turn into a pile of skulls that act like quicksand - quicksand so strong that even Superman can't escape its pull! Superman ain't havin' none o' that!

KAL-EL REFUSES TO KNEEL BEFORE JOIN ZOD

Zod learns he can extract the codex from Kal's body. So while his mad-scientist buddy gets busy doing that on a restrained Kal-El, Zod unleashes the "world machine" and starts violently terra-forming Earth.

So now the question, why does he have to pick Earth? Is it out of spite for the El family? He could easily have told Kal-El that he can go to an uninhabited planet like say, Mars, and repopulate there. Kal would have agreed since it would mean no Earth people dying, right? It's also not like Earth is the perfect candidate to be the next Krypton. I mean if they can't normally breathe our atmosphere and see the need to do their gravity-push-pull trick, I'm sure there are other, more compatible, Superman-less worlds to do that in, no?

Literal Band Names #133

2013-06-18T15:29:00.003+08:00

Literal Band Names #75

2013-06-18T15:28:00.000+08:00

Jimmi Simpson as The Joker

2013-05-24T15:46:00.000+08:00

I just finished watching an episode of Person Of Interest which had Jimmi Simpson guest-starring. He played an eccentric billionaire with a flair for the crazy and I noticed he displayed some very Joker-like mannerisms in the Heath Ledger vain. So I thought I'd do a quick and dirty photo-manip. I admit it's not as menacing as Heath but it kinda works too.

[TUTORIAL] How To Update JTAG/RGH To The Latest Dashboard (16203)

2013-04-09T20:41:00.001+08:00

CLICK HERE FOR AN UPDATED TUTORIAL BUT PLEASE READ THE INTRO THERE FIRST!!!

I had to update my system so I could play Injustice: Gods Among Us. Now this is a pretty lengthy and detailed tutorial designed for n00bs like me. So if this is your first time to update your XBOX 360 Dashboard/Kernel then I hope this will point you in the right direction.Take comfort in the fact that I succeeded in updating my dashboard on my first try using the following steps.

MY SETUP

+ XBOX 360 4GB Arcade JTAG/RGH (I was led to believe my console was JTAG but I've also seen signs that it could actually be RGH).

+ Dashboard version was 14719 (to be updated to the latest version).

+ Freestyle Dash 3 running from 1 TB external hard drive FAT32-formatted.

DISCLAIMER: If your setup is not exactly or at least very similar to mine, I cannot answer for any errors or damage your console may incur.

REQUIRED XBOX 360 INFORMATION

+ CPU Key (read on to find out how to find your CPU key)

+ Motherboard version (mine is Trinity - read below to find out your motherboard version)

APPS/UTILITIES REQUIRED

+ Simple 360 NAND Flasher - For dumping and updating your dashboard.

+ JRunner - For creating a new dashboard update. Extract all files to any location on your PC.

+ Latest XBOX 360 Kernel supported (16203 at the time of writing) Download latest Dash Pack from the JRunner link above. Extract the files into the JRunner folder you used above and overwrite any files if it asks you to.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

+ FAT32 formatted USB drive

STEP ONE: Finding Your CPU Key

- Turn on your XBOX 360 console not by pushing the power button but by pressing the disc eject button. Your console should, after a few seconds, boot into XELL instead of the XBOX dashboard.

- Wait a bit longer and you should see the screen below.

- Your CPU Key is indicated near the bottom. Take note of this by writing it down or taking a

photo.

STEP TWO: Finding Your Motherboard Version.

- Make sure your XBOX 360 console is powered off.

- Take a look at the back of it and find the sticker as indicated in the photo below. You should see a date in the YYYY/DD/MM format. That is your console's manufacture date. With that info, refer to the link below to find out which motherboard your console is toting.

find your motherboard version here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_hardware#Motherboards

STEP THREE: Dumping Your NAND (that sounds nasty)

- Unpack or copy the Simple 360 NAND Flasher folder, which you downloaded, to the root of your external USB drive.

- Boot your console into Freestyle 3.

- Use the File Manager utility in FS3 to browse to the Simple 360 NAND Flasher directory, highlight default.xex, then press A to start the program.

- Press X as it says and the utility will quickly dump or copy your NAND to your USB drive. Mine only took 16 seconds.

STEP FOUR: Creating A New NAND Image

- Fire up JRunner.

- [A] Choose the dashboard version you wish to update to where it says Dash Version. This drop-down list is dependent on the Dash Packs you downloaded from the JRunner page.

- [B] Select RGH or JTAG depending on your console.

- [C] Browse for the NAND that Simple 360 NAND Flasher dumped into your USB drive (your drive should be plugged into your PC duh!) It will be called flashdump.bin and located in the Simple 360 NAND Flasher folder.

- [D] Now type in your CPU key in the field provided.

- [E] Select DashLaunch Patches and select Include Launch.ini [E] ,then Launch.ini Options [E]

- You can configure your launch.ini here. Mousing over each item tells you what it does. If you still don't know how these work then just leave the defaults alone.

- [F] Make sure the default points to where Freestyle Dash is located in your system (mine is in a folder called FSD3 on my external HD.

- Close this window when done.

- [G] Go ahead and click on the Create Image button near the top of the main JRunner window.

- [H] JRunner will create your new NAND and the log window will show you where the new NAND has been saved.

- Navigate to that location and copy the file called updflash.bin to the ROOT of your USB drive.

STEP FIVE: Updating Your NAND

- Go back to your XBOX console and like in step three, open up Simple 360NAND Flasher.

- You will be greeted by slightly different screen this time.

- Press A to overwrite your NAND with the one we created in step four. This should only take about 30 seconds.

- The console will then power off (no it's still working, don't worry).

- Boot up your console again and your XBOX 360 Dashboard will now be updated to the latest supported version.

Hooray!!!

South Korean Visa Bullshit

2012-12-03T22:01:00.000+08:00

The wife and I were all prepped and raring to go on our first snowy winter holiday ever. We submitted our Visa application and supporting documents at the Korean Embassy at McKinley Hill in Manila on Nov. 24, 2012. Thinking it was practically a shoe-in because we had friends we were supposed to stay with in Seoul, we booked our flight the same night for Dec. 11-17 and patiently waited for our Visa release on Dec. 3.

The day came and we visited the embassy again only to be met with the most ridiculous request from the consul. They called our number to proceed to the release window and the guy hands us a sheet of paper which simply said "Diploma - Transcript". So the Filipino official who is sitting next to the window in case of translation issues tells us the consul requires a copy of our college Diploma and Transcript of Records (TOR) before they can issue our Visas. My first reaction was to say, "What? I'm already 34 years old". The Korean man behind the window wasn't entertaining questions too and prompt called the next number and the guards asked us to move along. Well to cut that part of the story short, we left the place without a Korean Visa and our holiday plans nixed.

What in the world do they need our Diploma and TOR for?! How in the heck does that prove that we are well-meaning visitors to their country and have full intentions to come back here to Manila?! Was this simply a case of the embassy officials making it hard for us to enter their country while we freely welcome them here in the Philippines? We submitted all relevant documents they required such as Certificates of Employment, Official Bank Certificates, and our Marriage License. The wife and I, recently married, were meaning to make this particular holiday our official honeymoon too so we are extra pissed off.

Screw you Korean consul.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BODACIOUS!

2012-09-11T20:02:00.000+08:00

[Tutorial] Repair NZB Downloads - UseNet

2012-08-30T14:03:00.001+08:00

So you downloaded a huge file/movie/game off of Usenet only to be met with an error message saying, "Repair Failed, Not Enough Repair Blocks". This is not an isolated case and while most would cry in rage about the wasted bandwidth and time spent on downloading that "16GB piece of crap!", fear not for there be ways to save yer piratin' arse!

Notes: I download NZB files from NZBMatrix. I use SabNZBd as my usenet client and I pay $10/month for Newshosting's services. All steps here assume you know your way around usenet and NZB files already.

STEP ONE: Use QuickPAR to Check Which Files Are Corrupt

- Download the QuickPAR par2 checker tool and install on your PC.

- Open up the application and click on OPEN at the bottom left corner of the app window (NOT the OPEN button near Source Files)

- Now browse to and select the PAR2 file of your incomplete download.

- QuickPAR will check your downloads and see which files are incomplete. They will be denoted by either a Yellow icon (incomplete) or a Red one (missing).

- Take note of all files that are incomplete and/or missing. It's best not to close this window just yet.

STEP TWO: Use NZBIndex to Find Your Incomplete/Missing Files

- Go to www.nzbindex.nl and in the search box on the main page, type in the exact folder name of your incomplete download (eg. The Walking Dead Ep 3 Long Road Ahead DLC XBOX360 NoGrp) and hit search.

- You may be presented with many results so pick the one closest to your folder name and click on the corresponding "View Collection" link.

- Next you will see the contents of the download (rar files, nfo, etc.)

- Remember those missing/incomplete files you took note off in STEP ONE? Find them on the list and use the select boxes to tick off each and every one you need.

- Now click on Create NZB at the bottom of the page and it should download you a custom NZB file with only the files you are missing. Amazing!

STEP THREE: Download The Missing Files and Unpack Manually

- Start downloading using your new NZB.

- Once finished this will not unpack by itself. Browse to the folder of your new download and you should see all the new and hopefully complete rar, nfo, par2 files.

- Select and copy them all over to your original incomplete download's folder (eg. The Walking Dead Ep 3 Long Road Ahead DLC XBOX360 NoGrp). Overwrite all files needed.

- Finally, unpack your download manually and you should be all set.

Leave feedback and questions in the comments section below.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Friend Or Foe

2012-08-27T21:16:00.000+08:00

Nightwing image by Marc Maraya

[Tutorial] Sleeping Dogs Won't Load On Your JTAG XBOX 360 Slim?

2012-08-10T00:06:00.003+08:00

I'd been looking forward to playing Sleeping Dogs on my JTAG for a while that I even put it in my watched release list on my NZBMatrix account. So the day it got "released", I immediately started my download and left it running the whole night. Suffice to say I was very excited upon waking up and used my trusted method of extracting the ISO file I downloaded using XBOX Backup Creator onto my external HDD. Alas like many people, the silly game wouldn't load on my JTAG using Freestyle Dash. The system would just freeze upon trying to load the game. Curses!

Anyway, after extensive research online I found a few suggestions on how to get around this problem. The most common one was to update the JTAG to the latest dashboard/kernel. Since I did not JTAG my console myself, I was quite reluctant to do so even after watching many YouTube tutorials. Also most tutorials show their process using XBOX 360 Phat versions and as you guessed, I have the black Slim model.

Then I came across a very short comment on one of the forums I researched on. Someone mentioned they got their Sleeping Dogs game running simply because they converted their ISO file into GoD (Games On Demand) format. I looked up tutorials on how to do just that and lo and behold, it worked like a charm. So here I'll share the method, as I used it, on how to get games like Sleeping Dogs to run on your JTAG XBOX 360 Slim.

Note: My JTAG dashboard version is 14699. I run FSD from an external HDD. This tutorial is for those with the EXACT same setup.

Requirements

- A JTAG console - duh!
- The latest version of Freestyle Dash already installed (external or internal) - click here for a tutorial on installing FSD on your external drive
- ISO2GOD - your one stop conversion tool

STEP ONE: (We can have lots of fun!) Download ISO2GOD

- ISO2GOD is the only application you'll be needing for this tutorial so click here to download the rar file.
- Open up the "iso2god_v1.3.6-360h.rar" file you just downloaded and extract all files anywhere you please on your PC.
- Open the Iso2God.exe file.

- Click on Add ISO
- For Image Location, click Browse and navigate to your Sleeping Dogs ISO file. Once that's done, the appropriate info for the game should be displayed in the middle section of the dialog box.
- For Output Location, click Browse and choose any folder you have sufficient space on.
- Next leave everything as is and click the final Browse button near the bottom to choose a secondary folder to save another copy of the rebuilt ISO.

- Now click on Add ISO at the bottom of that dialog box to close it and return to the main iso2god app.
- From there you can go ahead and click on the Convert button at the top and the program will start the conversion process.

STEP TWO: (There's so much we can do) Copy the Files to your External HDD

- Once the conversion is done (mine took 8 mins 47 secs), navigate to the folder you specified for Output Location in step one. You should have a folder there called 53510811 which is the Title ID of Sleeping Dogs.
- Copy this entire folder to any folder on your external HDD and step two is done.

STEP THREE: (It's just you and me) Loading the game using Freestyle Dash

I cannot take screenshots of my TV screen so bare with the rest of this all-text tutorial.

- Plug in your external HDD to your JTAG and fire up your console let FSD boot-up/load.
- From the main screen, choose Settings and then Content Settings and then Game Path
- Select Choose Path and then locate your games folder on your hard drive.
- Choose USB0, press A, choose the folder you copied the 53510811 folder to, press A, and then press Y to select that folder.
- Next, press X to save your game path and it should appear on the right pane of the screen.
- Get back to the main menu and choose XBOX 360 Games and you will be taken to the game selection screen where your Sleeping Dogs game can finally be enjoyed.

Voila! Leave feedback and questions below.

SCRIPT TO SCREEN: Part 1: Marvel Heroes (Aug 8 Update)

2012-08-08T01:02:00.000+08:00

What started out as a quick & dirty blog idea on doing a side-by side look at how comic book heroes have been visually translated on screen has now blown out to me going nuts trying to do a comparison for virtually every major comic book hero/villain that's made an appearance on screen!

So I thought I'd start with the solo heroes from Marvel, then the teams, and move on to the villains. I'll do Marvel first then DC then the rest.

Update Aug 8 2012: Hulk, Ghost Rider, Black Widow

Update Sept 25 - Hawkeye, Nick Fury

Update: July 25 - Spider-Man, Captain America, and Thor

NICK FURY
Portrayed by: David Hasselhoff [Nick Fury: Agent Of Shield (1998 TV);] Samuel L. Jackson [Iron Man (1998); Iron Man 2 (2010); Thor (2011); Captain America (2011); The Avengers (2012)]

Before the Iron Man movie from 2008, I had no idea there was an alternate, "Ultimate", black-guy version of Nick Fury so imagine my surprise when the extra scene showed up at the end of that movie with Sam Jackson as the colonel. I also very recently discovered that Nick Fury has also been played on TV by none other then The Hoff himself. Awesome!

HAWKEYE
Portrayed by: Jeremy Renner [Thor (2011); The Avengers (2012)]

I loved Hawkeye as a kid. I wasn't a big Marvel reader but I did have a number of Avengers issues. Anyway I'm kinda glad they didn't give him his comic book, Wolverine-like headgear for the movies but we've yet to see how Jeremy Renner and the writers portray Hawkeye. Fingers crossed.

THOR
Portrayed by: Chris Hemsworth [Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012)]

Thor wasn't a bad movie (wasn't great either) as it had out of this world special effects but the stare-at-each-other's-eyes-and-then-giggle-like-girls romantic scenes were cringe-worthy. Chris Hemsworth did a nice job in the role of the once-arrogant God of Thunder. The costume was pretty cool too.

CAPTAIN AMERICA
Portrayed by: Dick Purcell [Movie Serial (1944)]; Reb Brown [TV] (1979); Matt Salinger [Captain America (1991)]; Chris Evans [Captain America (2011, The Avengers (2012))]

I recently found out that the 1991 Captain America movie wasn't the first time Cap appeared live on screen. He starred in a movie serial released in 1944 but the Steve Rogers character was replaced with a guy named Grant Gardner and his trademark shield was nowhere to be found being replaced instead with a pistol. How American!

The next live action Cap features were several TV movies where we see him wearing a motorcycle helmet instead of the winged mask.

Then there was the OK movie from the 90's and now of course the latest Marvel offering with Chris Evans as Steve Rogers (both buff and very skinny pre-Super Soldier Serum version).

IRON MAN
Portrayed by: Robert Downey Jr. [Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012)]
Well who'd have thunk it? The Iron Man movie was pretty damn cool. I was never a fan of the character in the comic books, mostly due to the fact that I'm a DC fan, but this movie, along with the Civil War comic series, made me realize that Tony Stark was quite an interesting character. Obviously Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal played a big part in this realization, but he can make any character interesting anyway (can't wait till Tropic Thunder opens here)

WOLVERINE
(included here due to the future solo movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Portrayed by: Hugh Jackman [X-Men, X-2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class] (2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011)
A 6-foot tall, singing & dancing, Australian Wolverine?!? No friggin fan-boy way! So was the cry of most fans when they heard Aussie stage actor Hugh Jackman was to play mean ol' Logan in the X-Men movies. Well as far as I know, everyone was blown away by Mr. Jackman's performance as Wolverine. No one cared in the end if he wasn't 5-foot-3 like in the comics nor did anyone even talk aboot his lack of a Canadian accent. What can I say, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was just plain cool.

HULK
Portrayed by: Lou Ferrigno, Bill Bixby [TV] (1978); Eric Bana [Hulk] (2003); Ed Norton [The Incredible Hulk] (2008); Mark Ruffalo [The Avengers (2012)]

The latest Incredible Hulk movie seems to have strengthened the new trend in comic book to movie adaptations started by Batman Begins. That is if your last attempt at the character didn't work, start from scratch and have a do-over. The others that have done this are The Punisher and the upcoming Superman revamp. Sadly even though 2008's Incredible Hulk was better than Ang Lee's yawn-fest, Hulk, it was still just an average action flick.

THE PUNISHER
Portrayed by: Dolph Lundgren [The Punisher] (1989); Thomas Jane [The Punisher] (2004); Ray Stevenson [Punisher: War Zone] (2008)
For a second-tier character, Frank Castle, aka The Punisher has had quite a few movie adaptations. The first movie starred Dolph Lundgren of Rocky IV and He-Man fame. I remember seeing this as a kid but can hardly remember anything from it. The next version starred one of my favorites, Thomas Jane. Sadly his boyish good looks really took a lot away from the supposed grittiness of the character. The latest to play Mr. Castle is the fairly unknown Irish actor Ray Stevenson. We will get to see what he'll bring to the table this December in Punisher: War Zone (which I honestly think will stink).

SPIDER-MAN
Portrayed by: Nicholas Hammond [The Amazing Spider-Man TV] (1977); Tobey Maguire [Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3] (2002, 2004, 2007); Andrew Garfield [The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)]

My cousin & I had this feud when we were little kids. He was a big Spider-Man nut and I was the Batman geek (erm, I mean AM, I still AM). Anyway I hated Peter Parker because he had the hot girlfriend-wife-to-be Mary Jane Watson while Bruce Wayne, the playboy, could never really settle down with any of the women he fell for. Mostly coz he fell for the psychotic ones like Selina "Catwoman" Kyle.

Just a little FYI, Nicholas Hammond played Friedrich, one of the Von Trapp children in The Sound Of Music movie.

BLADE
Portrayed by: Wesley Snipes [Blade, Blade 2, Blade: Trinity] (1998, 2002, 2004); Kirk 'Sticky Fingaz' Jones [Blade: The Series TV] (2006)
Much to my surprise, almost no one I've spoken to that's seen Blade 2 actually like the movie. I loved it! Guillermo Del Toro is a comic book geek and he made this flick look outstanding and very, very comic book like. What's wrong with you people?

DAREDEVIL
Portrayed by: Ben Affleck [Daredevil] (2003)
The movie was a joke but I'll be honest, Ben Affleck sure looked like Matt Murdoch in costume to me! Oh and this movie is responsible for giving the world Beniffer! Groan!

GHOST RIDER
Portrayed by: Nicholas Cage [Ghost Rider (2007)], [Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (2011)]

A B-grade movie for a B-grade character. I have no idea why they made this movie. But at least Ghost Rider looked the part.

As for the sequel, it was greatly improved because it acknowledged and embraced it's B-grade status with lots of in-jokes and quirky comedy.

ELEKTRA
Portrayed by: Jennifer Garner [Daredevil, Elektra] (2003, 2005)
Another B-grade movie for a another B-grade character. Aside from the bandana, the costume was pretty faithful to the comics.

SILVER SURFER
Portrayed by: Doug Jones [4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer] (2007)
What I thought would definitely be an all-CG character turned out to be a mix of special effects and amazing costume work. What's with the Lawrence Fishburne voice though?!? I thought it was so out of place since I never imagined SS to have such a deep sounding black man's voice!

BLACK WIDOW
Portrayed by: Scarlet Johansson [Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012)]

Natasha Romanov

SCRIPT TO SCREEN: Part 4: DC Heroes (Aug 8 Update)

2012-08-08T00:57:00.000+08:00

And now we'll cover the DC characters by starting with the major heroes roster. There have been a lot of characters making cameos (especially in the Smallville series) but have not appeared in their respective costumes so I've decided to leave them out for the time being.

UPDATE Aug 8 2012: Black Canary, Captain Marvel
UPDATE: July 25 - Green Lantern

GREEN LANTERN
Portrayed by: Ryan Reynolds [Green Lantern (2011)]

Interesting move by the producers to do Green Lantern's costume as CGI - their reasoning being that the suit is alien so it shouldn't be anything like what we have on Earth. Ryan Reynolds looks extremely slim from the movie still I've seen. (I haven't watched the film and will wait for it to come out as a torrent)

BATMAN
Portrayed by: Lewis Wilson [Batman Movie Serial (1943)]; Robert Lowery [Batman and Robin Movie Serial (1949)]; Adam West [Batman TV Series (1960), Batman The Movie (1966)]

The Batman's costume sure has come a long way since those 1940's movie serials. For more info and pics of the later incarnations of Batman on screen, read my previous feature on the Batsuit's evolution here.

SUPERMAN
Portrayed by: Kirk Alyn [Superman Movie Serial (1948)]; George Reeves [Superman & The Molemen, Superman TV Series (1951)]; Christopher Reeve [Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1986)]; Dean Cain [Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV Series (1993)]; Michael O’Hearn [World’s Finest fanfilm (2004)]; Brandon Routh [Superman Returns (2006)]

I intentionally did not include Tom Welling's Clark Kent character from Smallville here since he's never worn nor is he ever supposed to wear the Superman costume in the TV series.

ROBIN
Portrayed by: Douglas Croft [Batman Movie Serial (1943)]; Johnny Duncan [Batman and Robin Movie Serial (1949)]; Burt Ward [Batman TV Series, Batman The Movie (1966)]; Chris O’ Donnell [Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997)]; John Fiorella [Grayson fanfilm (2004)]

I did not include the 3rd and 4th costume worn by Chris O' Donnell in Batman & Robin since those were more akin to the Nightwing costume design than the traditional Robin's.

BAT-GIRL
Portrayed by: Yvonne Craig [Batman TV Series (1966)]; Alicia Silverstone [Batman & Robin (1997)]; Dina Meyer [Birds Of Prey TV Series (2004)]

I liked the Batgirl costume worn by Dina Meyer which I'd guess was very much influenced by the Batman Animated Series Batgirl. The latest comics version of the character now wears a very BDSM-like leather mask covering the entire face.

THE FLASH
Portrayed by: John Wesley Shippe [The Flash TV Series (1996)]; Kenny Johnston [Justice League of America TV Pilot (1997)]

I watched the 1996 TV series regularly and I thought the costume was pretty nifty. Looking back at it, I guess it still is but now I question why they decided to make Barry Allen ultra-muscular. The 1997 JLA pilot was a joke so the costumes and even character adaptations were askew as well. Trust me, I watched it.

SUPERGIRL
Portrayed by: Helen Slater [Supergirl The Movie (1984)]

Again I did not include the Smallville version of this character because as far as I know, just like her Kryptonian cousin, she hasn't appeared in costume yet.

STEEL
Portrayed by: Shaquille O'Neal [Steel (1997)]

Did they really need to cast a 7-foot tall man to play John Henry Irons? Sure Shaq is charismatic & all but my god did he look akward in that suit.

WONDER WOMAN
Portrayed by: Lynda Carter [Wonder Woman TV Series (1975)]

Lynda Carter sure was hot enough to play the Amazonian Princess. The live-action movie slated for 2011 is looking more and more like a no-go but I never had my hopes up for it anyway unless they write her character like the later comics version where she's a much more headstrong and even slightly unbalanced Warrior Princess.

HELLBLAZER: JOHN CONSTANTINE
Portrayed by: Keanu Reenes [Constantine (2005)]

Total miscast here. Keanu just wasn't anywhere near as interesting (or British) as his comic book counterpart. Costume-wise, it's really hard to screw up the trench coat look so besides the darker color choice, it's pretty much alright. Oh and it's pronounced Constan-TYNE!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
The Spirit (2008) Gabriel Macht; Swamp Thing (1982)/Return Of The Swamp Thing (1989) Louis Jourdan; Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941) Tom Tyler; Black Canary [Birds Of Prey (2002) Rachel Skarsten; Smallville (2008) Alaina Huffman]; Huntress [Birds Of Prey (2002) Ashley Scott]; Green Arrow [Smallville (2007) Justin Hartey]; Aquaman [Smallville (2007) Alan Ritchson]

Next up we shall take a look at the DC "teams": League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Justice League Of America, & Watchmen.

SCRIPT TO SCREEN: Part 6: DC Villains [Update Aug 8]

2012-08-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

I've racked my brain and tried to think of all the significant DC Villains that have appeared on screen but the only ones I came up with are Lex Luthor and the Batman Rogues gallery. I thought that was really strange. Is Batman really the only one with interesting movie villains? Anyway here is the roundup of DC villains as promised.

Update August 8: Bane, Ra's Al Ghul, Talia Al Ghul

THE JOKER
Portrayed by: Cesar Romero [Batman TV Series, Batman The Movie (1966)]; Jack Nicholson [Batman (1989)]; Andrew Koenig [Batman Dead End (2003)]; Heath Ledger [The Dark Knight (2008)]
There's no question about it, Heath Ledger breathed new life into this character with his portrayal in The Dark Knight. I happen to think that Jack Nicholson's Joker was beautifully faithful to the comics at the time. It was the Joker I knew as that was the time I was collecting every single Batman title that came out. To be fair Cesar Romero played the Joker just like his 60's campy counterpart. Walter Koenig and the Batman Dead End film makers on the other hand decided to make the Joker more akin to the Arkham Asylum version which wasn't a bad idea, but I just didn't like Koenig's over the top acting.

CATWOMAN
Portrayed by: Julie Newmar [Batman TV Series, Batman The Movie (1966)]; Michelle Pfeiffer [Batman Returns (1992)]; Halle Berry [Catwoman (2004)]
There's something really hot about the 60's look to me. Playboy Playmates from this era are PHWOAR! So yes I think Julie Newmar was yummy as Catwoman. Michelle Pfeiffer on the other hand was the creepy version of the character but still that costume was perfect. Now for the 'other' Catwoman, Halle Berry. I included her here only because of the moniker similarity but as far as I know the Catwoman in her film wasn't even Selina Kyle.

THE PENGUIN
Portrayed by: Burgess Meredith [Batman TV Series, Batman The Movie (1966)]; Danny DeVito [Batman Returns (1992)]
Who can forget The Penguin's trademark laugh from the TV series (HUAKK! HUAKK! HUAKK!)? Burgess Meredith certainly looked like The Penguin in the comics. A lot of folks were disturbed by Danny DeVito's deformed Penguin though, but I thought it was a great version of the character, not so much a criminal mastermind but a bully, mob-boss type out for revenge on society.

TWO-FACE
Portrayed by: Tommy Lee Jones [Batman Forever (1995)]; Aaron Eckhart [The Dark Knight (2008)]
Tommy Lee Jones is usually a great character actor so I would like to think that his version of Two-Face was a result of bad direction from Joel Schumacher. It was totally wrong and was more like a Joker-type psychotic character. TDK's Harvey Two-Face on the other hand is very similar to the Two-Face written by Jeph Loeb in The Long Halloween and Dark Victory which happen to be brilliant titles. And I can't say enough about the oh so disgustingly real make-up effects.

THE RIDDLER
Portrayed by: Frank Gorshin [Batman TV Series, Batman The Movie (1966)]; Jim Carey [Batman Forever (1995)]
The Riddler just isn't that interesting of a character in my opinion. I guess Frank Gorshin was ok but to me The Riddler was just a Joker knock-off so I thought the same about his portrayal. Jim Carey just strengthened my belief with this kooky, zany, wacky version.

POISON IVY
Portrayed by: Uma Thurman [Batman & Robin (1997)]
Again I put the blame on Joel Schumacher for this version of Poison Ivy. She really could've worked but again I'm guessing Mr. Schumacher turned the "FASTER. MORE CAMP" signs on and Uma Thurman was forced to ham it up. Still, she had the perfect physique for the role.

MR. FREEZE
Portrayed by: Arnold Schwarzenegger [Batman & Robin (1997)]
If Arnie didn't have to deliver those god-awful lines of dialogue I think he would've pulled it off. The costume was ridiculous but worked for character. I happen to like the Mr. Freeze character especially with the origin story written by Paul Dini and somewhat used in the film. He's a tragic character like Bruce Wayne but one who decided to take his vengeance out on society instead.

BANE
Portrayed by: Jeep Swenson [Batman & Robin (1997)], Tom Hardy [The Dark Knight Rises (2012)]

I hate this character. Ok its an uninformed decision since I never read the Knightfall storyline but I hated the idea of Batman being beaten by brute force. Anyway at least the movie version looked pretty damn close to the comics. And since they used a body-builder for the role I guess it was a good idea to let him have one line in the whole film, "BANE!!!"

Tom Hardy and The Nolan brothers' version of Bane was quite different from all the previous iterations we've seen and is so far, for me, the most compelling. It's been said before but Tom Hardy really was almost as good as Heath Ledger in his portrayal of a very worthy, can't-take-your-eyes-off-of-him type of Batman villain.

THE SCARECROW
Portrayed by: Cillian Murphy [Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008)]
I thought Cillian Murphy was a bit too good looking for the creepy character, The Scarecrow. Admittedly, Cillian has a bit of a dark strange side but i guess I'm just used to the Scarecrow of the comics and Animated Series where he's shown as a really twisted, demented, unattractive man. In the comics of course Jonathan Crane was a bit loopy right from the get-go meanwhile the movie version lost his marbles due to inhaling his own "fear toxin".

LEX LUTHOR
Portrayed by: Gene Hackman [Superman (1978), Superman II (1982)]; Michael Rosenbaum [Smallville (2001)]; Kevin Spacey [Superman Returns (2006)]
The Lex Luthor character has gone through numerous changes but the one I grew up with was the Gene Hackman version which closely resembled the comics character although Mr. Hackman's version was a lot more comical. I had high hopes for Kevin Spacey but I think because Superman Returns was supposed to be a spiritual sequel to the original movies, he decided to emulate Gene Hackman's performance a bit too much. There's special mention here of Lionel Luthor (John Glover) who is Lex's dad in the Smallville series because the look of the character was obviously based on one of the recent versions of Lex Luthor in the comics where we find him younger, buff, and with long red wavy hair. If I recall correctly he was supposed to be Lex's son but was really his clone. Or something to that effect...

RA'S AL GHUL
Portrayed by: Liam Neeson [Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012)]

The Demon's Head

TALIA AL GHUL
Portrayed by: Marion Cotillard [The Dark Knight Rises (2012)]

As much as I'd hate to admit it, I did not see that plot twist coming, and I hate myself for it.