The Epic Gentleman's Society

Bangkok Knockout

2010-11-08T13:05:00.001-05:00

Check out the latest trailer for Bangkok Knockout. It's choreographed by the same person who choreographed the fight sequences for Ong Bak, so I'm sure we can all expect a ton of flying knees, elbows, and over the top non-stop action. Yes please!

Wishery

2010-11-05T07:54:00.000-04:00

It has been quite some time since we've heard some new music from Pogo. Don't fret friends, because he recently released an awesome mix comprised of samples from the Disney animated classic "Snow White". Enjoy and have a great weekend gang!

McBusters 2

2010-11-04T13:11:00.000-04:00

A follow up to the super awesome McBusters. Check it out!

Ellen Scaring The Hell Out Of Guests Montage

2010-11-04T05:24:00.002-04:00

Ellen you're a jerk!

Candy Warhol

2010-11-04T05:14:00.001-04:00

If you haven't been to Etsy lately, then I recommend that you go there and check out Candy Warhol Studio, created by Etsy user Whitkneee. At Candy Warhol you can find handmade pot holders, prints of everyone's favorite Italian siblings, and the mushrooms they abuse to "power up". Whitkneee also has some cool and friendly monsters for sale (sounds like a slave trade, if you ask me). All of the art is reasonably priced and the prints are framed! Head over to Candy Warhol Studio and get yourself some sweet art.*

* Yes, I realize that was a terrible pun but I refuse to apologize for it!

Y:The Next TV Show?

2010-11-01T11:42:00.007-04:00

With the successful premier of AMC's "The Walking Dead" last night, I think that it is safe to say that we'll be hearing news of more series being developed into live action shows in the near future. Marvel and DC Comics have both briefly discussed plans to develop television programs. There has also been talk of "Chew" hitting the small screen. So the question lies, which series could be the next epic hit? For me, the answer is quite simple, "Y: The Last Man"

For those of you not in the know, "Y: The Last Man" is a tale of Yorik Brown living in a world where every male mammal (with the exception of his monkey Ampersand) spontaneously and mysteriously died at the same time. During his adventures, Yorick learns what takes to really become a "man" in a world full of women.The story heavily focuses on gender issues, sexuality, and science/technology disrupting the "natural order".

Brian K. Vaughan's post apocalyptic masterpiece has been in Hollywood's developmental purgatory for years. It's time to let go and let someone else actually do something with the property. Honestly, Hollywood has never been the right place for the series. Y would suffer the same problem as "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World". While Scott Pilgrim was a great movie, it was essentially a cliff notes version. Due to the sheer amount of content of the series and time restraints for a film, many of the ancillary characters were not fully realized on screen. Television would allow Y to flourish as a weekly, hour long, drama. Vaughan wrote issues that were stand alone stories but also served the overall story, which would be perfect for television. A series that is filled unique locales and characters, action, sci-fi, comedy, and drama?! Yes please!

So there you have it gang! How do you think "Y: The Last Man" would hold up on TV? What comic book series would you like to see television?

Jesus Lean

2010-11-01T10:22:00.000-04:00

Last week we were movin like Bernie. This week it's all about doing the Jesus lean! No, you didn't misread that, someone actually made a snap song about Jesus! I doubt that it was B-Shoc's intention to make a super funny video, but that was the end result. For some reason I don't see this "dance craze" taking off.

Video Game Creepypasta Pt 3: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

2010-10-29T15:35:00.001-04:00

Last in my triple threat creepypasta postfest, we have a story about The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (aka "BEN DROWNED"). Prepare to have any fond memories you may have had of Majora's Mask warped into paranoia and dread.

As with the other video game creepypastas, this story starts with the writer obtaining a suspicious video game cartridge. The writer buys a copy of Majora's Mask from a creepy old man at a flea market. When the writer goes to play the game he notices a saved game marked "BEN". The writer decides to delete the file, and...well, let's just say he shouldn't have done that. From here on out bizarre and ominous events begin occuring in game.

This story is long, but is extremely well written. The real icing on the cake is that there are videos that document the supposed game activity documented in the story. I've attached the first video below, if you want to see the entire story and videos go here. Also here, if you find that version difficult to read.

If you just want to watch the videos, you can view them on Kotaku.

Video Game Creepypasta Pt 2: Pokemon Black

2010-10-29T14:45:00.001-04:00

It's time for your second helping of video game creepypasta; this one is Pokemon flavored!

Before Nintendo ran out of prismatic colors, precious metals, and birth stones to name their various Pokemon adaptions after; there was simply Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue. It was a simpler time where one only needed to catch 151 Pokemon to catch them all. Pokemon was just a simple, wholesome game about children obsessively trapping one of every known species of wild animal in a baseball-sized cage and forcing said animals into turn-based combat.

Enter Pokemon Black.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Nintendo did release a Pokemon Black and White recently. However, this game/creepypasta emerged well before the current (and legitimate) Pokemon Black.

The tale of Pokemon Black starts like most video game creepypastas, with the protagonist obtaining a mysterious game cartridge. The cartridge is supposedly a hacked version of Pokemon Red entitled, you guessed it, Pokemon Black.

What makes Pokemon Black different from Pokemon Red?

Death.

Shortly after the player acquires their first pokemon, an additional pokemon called "ghost" is added to your party. This is where things start to get eery.

Ghost uses an ability called "Curse" on pokemon and pokemon trainers alike; the ability "curse" is fatal. Here's an excerpt from the story to explain.

“Defending Pokémon were unable to attack Ghost — it would only say they were too scared to move. When the move “Curse” was used in battle, the screen would cut to black. The cry of the defending Pokémon would be heard, but it was distorted, played at a much lower pitch than normal. The battle screen would then reappear, and the defending Pokémon would be gone. If used in a battle against a trainer, when the Pokéballs representing their Pokemon would appear in the corner, they would have one fewer Pokéball.”

The implication was that the Pokémon died."

And it just gets creepier from there. Read the full original story here.

Video Game Creepypasta for Halloween Pt. 1: Super Mario 64

2010-10-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

The intarwebz defines Creepypasta as creepy stories that are often copied and pasted throughout the web. Creepypasta is the internet generation's take on the classic campfire ghost story. There's a few creepypasta tales that have received some considerable attention (and hence more copy-pasting) over the years.

Recently, I've stumbled upon a few creepypastas about video games. Video game creepypasta often involves a mysterious game cartridge that either winds up being haunted/possessed or containing a twisted version of the original game. These stories are considered old by most internet circles, but since it's Halloween and they're relatively new to me I figured, why not?

It's a me! In a your nightmares!

First up, we have a creepypasta about a possessed Super Mario 64 cartridge.

Without spoiling too much, the story is about a college kid who orders a Super Mario 64 cartridge via a suspicious website pop-up ad. Upon playing the game, the protagonist has Mario traversing a horrific world that's more Amityville Horror than Mushroom Kingdom. The whole thing gets a little over-the-top at the end, but it's still interesting and engaging.

Click here to read the story. Check back later for another serving of video game creepypasta.

Happy Halloween/Happy Friday!

2010-10-29T10:15:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween gang!

I know things have been pretty quiet around here for the past few weeks, and for that we're sorry. Remember, none of us are professional bloggers--we just play them on the internet--so occasionally we get caught up in other stuff.

Anyways, to make it up to you all here's a picture of one of the greatest Halloween costumes of all time: Dog Blanka.

Fable III, Part 2

2010-10-26T10:35:00.095-04:00

Continuing from yesterdays post, today I am going to review the good, the bad, and the not so attractive of Fable II, and my wishlist for Fable III.

Four years after the great success of Fable, Microsoft and Lionhead Studies released Fable II. Fable had a lot of promising moments and plenty to build on. With a new console in the Xbox 360 and an updated graphics engine, this was shaping up to be better than the original. But was it...?

*Warning* If you haven't played the game, this post will contain spoilers.

The short answer to that question is no. Now, that isn't to say Fable II didn't have some great moments, but I just feel like it didn't hold up. The main reason for this is the story and story telling. As stated in my previous post, I think Fable had one of the best told stories in gaming, and you felt a connection with everything in the world. In Fable II, I just never got that feeling.

The story still takes place in the world of Albion, but about 500 years after the original game. The Guild and Heroes are all but gone. You start your story in the run down town of Bowerstone, following your sister around, doing small chores to earn some money. With your money, you wind up buying a magic box from a street vendor -- a box that is told to grant its owner a wish. The siblings wish to live in the main castle of Albion (Castle Fairfax), and the box vanishes.That night you find your self going to Castle Fairfax by order of Lord Lucien (magic box is magic for sure!). You travel to the castle and meet Lord Lucien. Soon you find yourself in a weird experiment by Lucien, where he discovers you are not one of the three, but either you or your sister is the fourth, so Lucien shoots both of you. You wake up much later only to learn your sister was killed.

So the story actually starts out pretty good, but it was only down hill from there for me. I never really felt connected to characters in this game. I really felt more like I was just going through the motions. I even felt like I lost the original drive of the story at times, as if what happened to your sister was simply forgot about. Its really all about you and what you want to do with your life now.

On the flip side to the sub par story, the game play did improve. The controls were again intuitive, and there was a lot more meaning to your actions. They took away stats on your gear, allowing you to mix and match your outfits however you choose. In turn, they gave different stat boosts to other things, like sleeping a night in house you own may increase your speed. You were able to purchase almost every building in the world of Albion, allowing you to cash in quick if you own a lot of land, as well as get deals from certain vendors. The powers system also changed for the better, creating some depth to the how you pick and choose your abilities. This really builds on the last game a ton, and helps give a sense of individuality to your character.

Two of the biggest additions to the game play was your pet dog and the change of your character/world based on your actions and path. Your dog had a fun personality, and made discovering items and beating enemies more fun throughout the world. I actually felt more connected with the dog then I did with anyone else in the entire game (hence why I saved him at the end :P). Also, one of the cooler things in the game was seeing how your character and the world changed based on your actions. If you are an evil Will user, it really shows on every inch of your body. Also, early decisions in the game can determine if a town is completely poor and rundown in the future, or a peaceful, flourishing town who loves having you around.

I think one of the biggest let downs of Fable II was the ending. Up until the ending, I thought Fable II was just an average game that had its moments of fun. But when it came to the ending, my jaw almost dropped. At the end you are facing Lord Lucien, and he begins to go into a long speech about normal end-game speechy stuff. I was gearing up for an epic fight, 4 long lost heroes vs 1 villian. Scott had just arrived at my house as I was getting to this point, and we were joking about how it would be funny to just shoot him right now during his speech. So I jokingly hit the shoot button, only to have my character do what we just said, shoot and kill Lucien. It was that simple. No end battle. No nothing. It was one of the most anti-climatic ends to a game that I have ever played. I was left speechless, and still to this day am completely disappointed in the ending. The game had plenty of end game content after that, but I just found it really hard to get back into the game after such a let down.

So what does this leave for Fable III? Both games had great features, but they were really opposites of each other. Fable had an amazing story and connection to the world and its characters. Fable II had the gameplay depth you wanted. Fable III really needs to find a way to merge these two features. The potential is there. I have heard in a few interviews that Lionhead wants to add more elements of action/adventure games into the mix, which I don't think would hurt as long as they keep the original vision in mind. Without a great story and game play, I worry Fable III will fall flat on its face. I am crossing my fingers for another amazing game from Lionhead, but only time will tell as the game is released today. Look for my review in the near future as I try to get through the game at least 2 times.

Movin Like Bernie

2010-10-26T07:43:00.000-04:00

Does anyone really know how to "Dougie"?! Here's a dance that you can do if you're drunk or white. The best part it's based on one of the best movies of all time.... "Weekend At Bernies 2: The Underwater Treasure". Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to move like Bernie!

Fable III

2010-10-25T10:35:00.071-04:00

With Fable III coming out tomorrow, I wanted to recap and post my wish list for a franchise I hold pretty close to my gaming heart. So lets start from the beginning.

*Warning* If you haven't played Fable or Fable II yet, this post will contain spoilers...

The original Fable came out in 2004 for the original Xbox, and it is one of my favorite games of all time. The game had its hits and misses, but what truly sold me hook, line, and sinker was the story. In my personal opinion, Fable has one of the most well told stories in all of gaming. You start out as a young boy in Oakvale, a small, peaceful town in the world of Albion. Its your sister's birthday, and its pretty much her worst birthday ever. Soon after the game starts, the town is raided, your father is killed, and your mother and sister are kidnapped. After the dust settles, a mysterious man named Maze shows up to help, and takes you to the Guild. The Guild is where you are introduced to all of the abilities of the Hero, as well as many of the main characters in the game. Once your training is complete, you are off to find out who is responsible for what happened to your family, and finally get your revenge.

Now, I know when written out like this, it doesn't sound all that original, and at its core, the story really isn't. But the story is told and played in such an way that it really draws you in. You feel connected to your character and the people you meet. One of the things that really draws you in deeper is the decisions you are faced with. The first time I played through the game, I thought a lot of the decisions were really tough, heavy decisions. Without giving too much away, some of these decisions were whether or not to kill your childhood training partner, and yes, your sister. They were also tough because you weren't sure how the world or story line would change with each decision. But this was also one of the downfalls of the game.

The first play through of the game is truly amazing, and I found myself wanting to play through it again immediately just to see how the game would change if you decided to be evil instead of good, and unfortunately the story doesn't really change all that much. Its actually a rather linear story. Some of the events change slightly, but you are always faced with the same decisions and you get to the same place at the end of the game. The only things that really change are your appearance to a degree, and how people react to you in towns.

As far as the game play goes, I thought it played pretty well (I actually played it on the PC and thought the controls were pretty intuitive, so I cant really speak for the Xbox version). There wasn't too much depth in how you could progress your powers, but it was interesting to find which combinations worked best. Progressing the lifestyle of your character was fun at times, but certain actions like buying a house and marrying someone were not critical. Beyond that, it felt like a pretty traditional RPG in combat, upgrading your gear depending on the stats, and collecting special items around the world. The game really had potential here, but fell just a little short.

Another small, but very mentionable note for what made this game so great was the voice acting. The voice acting was phenomenal, and really gave the world of Albion personality. It a brought a realness to the game.

All in all, Fable is an amazing game (at least on the first run through), and is definitely worth your while if you never played it. With as much fun as I had in Fable, Fable II was sure buy when it was released. But did it hold up to/go beyond the original? Check back tomorrow for my recap on Fable II and my wish list for Fable III.

Spider-Man : Big Time Trailer

2010-10-18T13:10:00.002-04:00

I've never been really into Spider-Man. This trailer for the upcoming storyline "Big Time" left eagerly waiting to read Peter Parker's solo adventures! People that know me will know how hard that was for me to say! Expect a review when the new creative team of Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos takes over 11/10/10.

Wait...what?! #73

2010-10-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

After much debate, I've finally decided to include remixes in "Wait...what?!". Andrew Maury of RAC remixed "Lights and Shapes" by Moving Mountains. This song has been playing on a non-stop loop on my Ipod. If there is a DJ playing this in a club, congratulations because you are my new favorite DJ! Enjoy!

The Foreign Exchange : Thank You For Listening Short Film

2010-10-18T10:27:00.000-04:00

Last week, The Foreign Exchange released their third album "Authenticity". The album is a must have! To celebrate, here is the short film "Thank You For Listening" by Sandrine Orabona & Anke Thommen chronicling the group's history.

Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 5

2010-10-15T10:35:00.007-04:00

To conclude our Facebook week, I give you Fox McCloud trying to get the gang back together...

DC Comics Drops Price To 2.99

2010-10-14T12:35:00.001-04:00

With the prices of monthly comics steadily increasing over the past couple of years, some readers have taken to waiting for the TPB's to be released. Well fans, DC Comics have listened and decided to roll back the prices throughout their entire line! Jim Lee and Dan DiDio discussed the price drop with Newsarama. This is great news for my inner-fan boy but terrible news for my wallet.

Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 4

2010-10-14T10:35:00.006-04:00

More video games invading real life after the jump.

Bumblebee Crash

2010-10-13T13:15:00.001-04:00

While filming Transformers 3 in Washington DC, a police officer responding to an emergency call, drove on set and collided with Bumblebee. My guess is that the officer is an old school fan that couldn't get over the fact that Bumblebee was changed from a Volkswagon. I feel you pain officer, I feel your pain! Unfortunately the collision took place in reality and not Michael Bay's testosterone universe, hence no explosions. Michael Bay, I also feel your pain!

Fun Fact - I'm not stoked for Transformers 3, so this will probably be the only bit of coverage you will see from me.

Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 3

2010-10-13T10:35:00.002-04:00

Here we find Raiden trying to rally the troops.

The thread concludes after the jump.

X-Men: Destiny

2010-10-12T13:05:00.001-04:00

Activision has recently announced that they are teaming with Silicon Knights for a brand new X-Men game called X-Men: Destiny. Below is the reveal trailer but it doesn't offer us much detail. Is this the next X-Men Legends/Marvel Ultimate Alliance type of games? Is this Marvel's answer to DC Universe Online? Let us know what you think in the comments!

More X-Men: Destiny Videos

Video Games on Facebook, Pt. 2

2010-10-12T10:35:00.002-04:00

Day 2 gives us a little peak in the every day troubles of Link and Zelda.

More hilarity after the jump.

Walking Dead Mini-Documentary

2010-10-12T08:33:00.007-04:00

Initially I had mix feeling when "The Walking Dead" television show would air on AMC. This is no way a slight to AMC. "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" are both excellent shows. While Robert Kirkman's series is a great story examining humanity, it's still story set in the zombie apocalypse. I was nervous as to the type of influence/pressure the network would have on the show. My fears have been laid to rest after watching this mini-documentary. The network has been doing a wonderful job promoting the show. I was very excited to see that the program was respectful towards the source material but was not a slave to Kirkman's work. The show premiers 10/9c on Halloween. Get stoked!