Sonnen has become one of favorites and while I feel he may lose I am not going to dispute the fact that it will be a war.

Can’t put a preview without my picks. Red & Bold are mine of course

Main card

  Anderson Silva © vs. Chael Sonnen– Silva will win but I guarantee it will be a wild fight.
  Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves–Huge fan of Alves and feel he matches up well with Fitch.Think Shields should fight the winner before getting GSP
  Clay Guida vs. Rafael dos Anjos-I can never count out Guida and he delivers awesome fights.
  Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida–While I think Hughes has a shot and can win. Almeida is hungry and younger than Hughes which can be a factor.
  Roy Nelson vs. Junior dos Santos-Nelson has grown on me and how can I not love his humbleness. The guy is hungry for a title shot (no pun intended hahaha)

Dear Hollywood,

Fuck You

Love,

Rich

So we got Marmaduke,Alvin & The Chipmunks,The Smurfs,Garfield  and now Yogi Bear. And guess what folks? It’s in 3-D which we all know is a given.

Got to give props to the Traileraddict crew for this.

I have always felt that Thor while cool in theory is really a boring fucking character. His story is very drab and I knew as soon as the Avengers movie started to take shape that we would see single films based on the the Avengers trinity (Captain America,Iron Man, Thor) prior to an Avengers release.In looking at this trailer I see potential to do the character justice, but I also see a very non engaging storyline that is destined to be the weak link in the Avenger members solo exploits. I must admit that seeing Frost Giants, The Destroyer and Loki’s horned helmet made me appreciate the work put in by Kenneth Branaugh  but will that be enough to guarantee blockbuster status. Check it out and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Sorry guys,
Had to remove the video. Will try and upload a saved version in a few days.

It seems that by the release of Pokémon Black & White fans of the series will have no one but themselves to blame for not “catching ‘em all.” Nintendo is once again giving trainers access to otherwise inaccessible pokémon, this time in the form of the sibling legends, Latios and Latias. To catch them, you will need an Enigma Stone which will be distributed by Nintendo via Wi-Fi beginning July 31 through August 27. For details and directions, go to: http://www.pokemongoldsilver.com/us/#/news/enigma-stone

Happy hunting!

ARTWORK: Latios and Latias – Shimmer by ~Swift Chaos

People should not call Bizarre Creations’ Blur “Mario Kart for adults” because it is not giving the game enough credit. Blur is an arcade racer with power ups and an online leveling system that reminds me of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s prestige system. At its base, Blur is similar to Need For Speed: all of the cars are licensed and each vehicle has its own attributes. Unlike the open world of Burnout Paradise, Blur has you zip through city and countryside on closed tracks (there is no traffic). There are rivals you must beat in what I call “boss fight races” to unlock their cars for use (race for pinks). Some cars are balanced and some specialize in areas like grip, drift or off road ability. This is where the Need For Speed similarities end.

As stated, Blur mixes standard arcade racing with that of kart style racing to try and give you a somewhat different experience from what most games in this vein are doing. In order for you to reach the top (and stay there) you have a variety of offensive and defensive items and enhancements at your disposal. For offense there is bolt (concussion missiles you can fire from the front or rear), barge (a shockwave that pushes opponents away), shunt (a homing energy sphere that flips an opponent into the air and damages them), shock (places three lightning traps ahead of you that act as EMPs) and mine (a land mine that can be fired forward or dropped behind). For defense, you have shield (protects the car for about 30–60 seconds) and repair (self-explanatory). Properly used, offensive items can provide defense as well, so strategy is key. Bolt and barge can be used to destroy a mine that is ahead of you. Shunt can cancel out a shunt that is following you or you can use bolt or mine as well. The nitro boost also has a double usage as it can just propel you forward or it can be a temporary airbrake which gives you roughly five seconds to orient yourself on a turn before it shoots you forward. In Blur, it is more about how you use your power-ups instead of which one you have.

Blur supports a whopping 20 players online and this makes for some chaotic and fast-paced races (someone will always be at your back or vice versa). Winning races earns you fans (experience points), and as you accumulate fans your fan status (level) goes up. Just about every fan status level unlocks a new car or car mod, which help you progress further into the game. When you reach max fan status, you can either stay there or unlock a legend car (removes fan status completely) so you can work towards more cars.

Blur takes user interactivity to a new level by marrying gaming and social networking. There are services that will send a post to Facebook or Twitter any time you get an achievement but this game allows you to decide when and what you want to post. Any event you complete can be posted to Facebook or Twitter as can photos you take in photo mode. You can also send pictures and info to the Blur web site. You can even exchange bragging rights by challenging your friends to beat your best time and so on.

Bizarre Creations is responsible for graphically flashy titles like Geometry Wars and the PGR series, so it is no surprise that Blur has very colorful, very polished and very beautiful graphics. The power ups employ lovely lighting effects as they flare across the screen. The cars and tracks are on par with PGR, so while this game is no Gran Turismo in terms of visuals, it is no slouch either. The eye candy is all top shelf so your eyes are in for a treat.

The sound design is also what you would expect from BC. All 20 cars on the track have their own engine noise and it can be heard distinctively amongst the vehicular carnage and the soundtrack. The in-game music is the kind of stuff you would expect from an “arcade street racer” so it’s bearable. Having a nice home theater system or at least a good sound bar will be worth the investment when you pop this game in.

I am in love with this racing game as it is one of only two racers I care to own (the other being Burnout Paradise). A friend challenged me in Blur recently and we played from around 11PM ’til the sun came up. This game is addicitve, adrenaline-pumping and ridiculous and I definitely enjoyed it more than Split/Second, which came out around the same time. I’ll never trade this game in and I will be playing it for a long time – care to challenge me?

According to Wikipedia G4 is the following: 

G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward viewers aged 12–34, based on the world of video games. More recently, the channel has diverted its focus to general-interest programming that mainly targets viewers aged 18–34, although one video game show is still offered on the channel. 

Based on the definition above, you would think that the mainstream programming they offer would at least have a semblance of video game relevance. Sadly, in order to capture the 12–34 viewing cluster they have resorted to having the “hot chick” and the “good looking guy” give snarky commentary and perform skits to relate to the gaming audience. I have no issue with this strategy - EXCEPT that they have no real video game knowledge and are just really good at reading a teleprompter, or shall I say trying to read it (Olivia Munn, I am looking at you). I would rather have people that can be both eye candy and are intelligent. Get us a knowledgeable staff that actually adds dimension to the show. 

In order for G4 to make a better connection with the “geek” culture, they need to do a severe overhaul to their programming. Besides using TRUE gamers to host your gaming offerings, G4 should start working on more original programming to bring a steady stream of viewers. Years ago, Spike TV (one of my favorite networks) was much like G4 - lost in the ocean of mediocrity amongst all the cable networks.  Over time, they slowly shifted focus and improved by taking risks to become a legit network that provides kick ass programming. Adding powerhouses like the UFC and TNA Wrestling as well as other cool programming made Spike TV a lot better.

G4’s program block sure is a sight to behold. Besides Attack of the Show (AOTS) and some of the other geek-centric fare,  here are some of their programming gems: 

Award winning programs folks

In looking at these 12-hour blocks, you see that it is mostly repeats of the previous day and 1.5 hour blocks of Cops or Cheaters. Who watches this stuff?  Where is the original programming and the new shows that make me want to put this channel on? Oh yeah– there are none! If they spent more money on production and less on Barbie-gamers-that-aren’t-real-gamers or commercials for the Shake Weight, you would attract better advertisers to your network. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Olivia Munn, Blair Butler, Kevin Pereira or Chris Gore. I know they are getting a paycheck and working towards bigger things,  but don’t take your audience for fools. 

The “beautiful people” that cover our interests.

If you have to sell me on the host being a gamer we have a problem!

G4’s coverage of this past week’s Comic-Con, while a service to the “geek” culture was also chock full of jokes at the attendees’ expense. While this was humorous, it was also fucked up, since these are the guys and girls that hang on to your every word and make you household names.  In short, G4 is the equivalent of GameStop with their big-box presentation of gaming news. Real gamers loathe both since they feel both are full of shit — which is unfortunate. I challenge G4 to improve and become a true voice for the gaming, geek and tech communities.  Odds are, they won’t give a fuck about my opinions but it is time someone called them out on their bullshit. 

What do you think of G4 and it’s program offerings and how would you improve it? 

Share your comments below or on the FB fan page.

Good news everyone, Inception is a fresh idea in the festering sea of remade and recycled garbage that we call the 2010 movie season. The not so great news is that it does not live up to its hype. Now there are those who will say “Oh you didn’t like it because you didn’t understand the depth and complexity of what was going on.” Those people should be summarily slapped in the mouth by the dead hand of Rick James. Inception is a good movie; it is not a great movie. It is very straightforward in what it wants to accomplish, but it runs into a lot of problems in its execution.

I have to give it to Christopher Nolan, he managed to write a solid story because he followed the KISS rule. I can even tell you about the movie without spoiling anything because the plot is dreadfully simple and see through. An idea needs to be put into the Scarecrow’s head (Cillian Murphy) and Leonardo DiCaprio’s team sets out to do it. Everything looks like it will go according to plan until the actual mind invasion begins. At that point the team goes through a series of video games. First they play a game that is a combination of Split/Second and Grand Theft Auto III, with a little bit of The Getaway thrown in. Next the scene turns to a 3D version of Elevator Action (and it actually has some of the best action in the movie). What was supposed to be the last stop on this literal mind trip is a rather intense round of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, however, things go even more wrong because the whole time this team does not realize they are also playing Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. That part winds up being Leo’s fault so he makes up for it by playing Crackdown but it’s more like Crackdown after you have beaten the game because he’s in this huge city with nothing to do. Add in an ending which just pissed me off that is Inception and you are scratching your head wondering what the hell I am talking about. That’s alright, it will all make sense after you watch.

The ridiculous description of the plot is saved by a fantastic cast of characters. Leonardo DiCaprio is the lonely and tortured Dom Cobb, a thief who has to pull one last job so that he can finally go home. His main partners are Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Eames (Tom Hardy). These two have a great comic relief vibe going in early scenes but quickly become serious when the time comes for their talents to be utilized. Cobb is normally in the business of stealing information from within the human mind but this time he needs to plant a seed of an idea in order to make a man do something in the real world. For this, he needed two specialists. The first is Yusuf (Dileep Rao), a chemist who specializes in sedatives. Yusuf has to ensure that they cannot be awakened by normal means. The second is Ariadne (Ellen Page), who is a master of creating mind puzzles and mazes. The final member of the team is Saito, and he is the one who contracted the mission. He insisted on coming with them to witness the job. The five characters (at least onscreen) play off of each other beautifully and save an otherwise paper thin plot with good acting. Having Tom Berenger and Michael Caine as supporting cast did not hurt at all either.

Many movies have dealt with dreams or a perceived self within the mind but Inception did something very interesting in the dream self having cognizance of what is happening to the physical body. Yusuf had to pee when he went to sleep (not kidding) so it was always raining where he was. Whenever someone got moved suddenly or for example, got wet, it would happen to the dream self.This made for some pretty awesome visual effects. The “Elevator Action” scene as I referred to it had several fights in a hallway that would shift suddenly, turn upside down or on its side and even spin. Action wise, it was easily my favorite scene in the movie. This movie was not very special effects heavy which was as refreshing as it was kind of strange. On the one, you have things going on in someone’s mind where literally anything could happen so you’d think you would see SFX every couple of seconds. Instead, scenes were kept very realistic, using effects only when it was necessary.

I am very harsh in my criticism of this movie. I have had people tell me all day that I am crazy for not liking it and they really are not paying attention. I do like this movie. I will buy it when it hits stores. I encourage people to see it both in theatres and at home. I am just tired of all the hype and unwarranted praise it is getting. I always go to IMDB when I write reviews because I never remember everyone’s name, whether it be real name or on screen character. I started reading reviews of other moviegoers and someone said this was the best movie of our time. If Inception were even the best movie of this year I would be disappointed. Out of five stars I would give this movie three and a half to maybe four. It loses points for a ridiculous story and only hangs on due to some really good acting.

Zack Snyder debuted the trailer for Sucker Punch at comic-con and I must admit it has got my attention. With it’s bad ass visuals and twisted Alice & Wonderland style story line it looks like it’ll get a lot of press much like 300 did. The real question is will people embrace the weirdness of this film? Based on the trailer I say odds stand at 50/50. Check it out and decide for yourselves.

Let me in is an American version of the great Swedish vampire film Let the Right One in about a young boy and his relationship with a girl who is not like all the others. Chloe Moretz from Kick-Ass plays the girl with the “secret”. I am always concerned with American remakes of foreign films because most of the time they lose sight of what made the source material classic. But I am going reserve judgment till I see it.

I had a funny feeling about this game when it was first announced. It looked like something that could be fantastic; it also looked a hell of a lot like a cheap Burnout clone. I said that I would reserve judgment. The demo came out and I played it several times. I personally love driving games but even I admit that they can be a bit tedious and repetitive. Games like Burnout paradise have done everything they can to keep that tedium to a minimum. This demo did not. The saving grace there was that it was a demo and as we all know a demo may not represent the finished product. Finally I got to play the game and I am going to be honest: Split/Second is a real mixed bag. You have some absolutely fantastic race moments and then you have some unbalanced gameplay and graphical problems that make you want to scream. Even with this review, I say try it and judge for yourself.

STORY

Yes, I have a story section for a driving game. Split/Second seems to be the creation of someone who decided to Play Burnout Revenge while watching the movie Death Race and dropping acid all at the same time. Apparently somebody with insane amounts of money decided to make this reality show called (surprise) Split/Second. An entire city was created for the show. Nobody lives in it and nobody would want to. You’d be safer in the California limo scene of 2012 than anywhere in this city. So your character has passed the auditions to be the newest driver on this show and your goal is to climb the ranks to the top this season, episode by episode. Each episode of Split/Second has events: usually two regular races, a test run of a new vehicle against the clock, Elimination races (which blow up the losers), an elite race against what I like to call “the rubber band crew” and special events. Oh these events are special alright. One is called Survival. Imagine you are racing at top speed down a track while Optimus Prime is throwing explosive barrels at you from the back of his trailer – that  is pretty much Survival. There’s Air Strike, where you race on a track while a military chopper targets you with sidewinder missiles. And if you get tired of that, there is Air Revenge where you can mess up said chopper’s targeting system to make the missiles blowup the chopper. Are we high enough yet? If not, well then read on. in any of the events that involve other named drivers, you have power plays. Power plays are events triggered by the drivers that are designed to essentially kill your opponents. It says that you “wrecked so-and-so” on the screen but those are just kind words like the way Pokémon “faint” at the end of battles. The game is devoid of any representation of a driver in the vehicles and that’s the only way it got an E rating. The concept is ridiculous, but I will forgive a bit because it makes for generally good racing. SCORE: 7/10

GRAPHICS/CAMERA

The artists deserve serious credit for this game because the car designs and the backgrounds are just beautiful. It’s a shame that polish doesn’t always hold up during gameplay. Technical issues abound in this game from clipping to weird hit detection to cars rolling over or going through each other. No matter how you or the other drivers crash, there is only one model for a destroyed car and it always looks the same. There were moments where I wondered if I was really playing a 2010 release. This game was clearly shooting for Burnout Paradise’s title as top arcade racer but it is technically inferior to Burnout Revenge, originally a last-gen title. For the most part the camera works but there are key moments where it just seems to hate you. If you pass right under something the camera can get stuck on that object which can really mess you up. The lighting occasionally provides for some annoyance as there are areas where you cannot tell whether what is in front of you is an obstacle or open road and that usually equals a crash. For the most part things go very smoothly but when there’s a hitch it turns into a tear your hair out and toss your controller moment more than once in the game. If there is a sequel this must be addressed.. Being able to toss a super dump truck at your opponents is awesome; having no idea where to safely pass said vehicle so it doesn’t smear you across the track is not. SCORE: 8/10

MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS/VOICE ACTING

Sadly, this is the one part of the game that seems phoned in. The car sounds are there and they are more than decent, but nothing is remarkable. It is very convenient that the surround effects let you know in advance if someone is about to pass you because that will happen very often. Even the big explosions are lackluster because they are often followed by the slowdown sound effect when a power play wrecks your opponents. The music is all instrumental and all forgettable. It will start to annoy you if you are a completist and try for gold on all events because the Detonator  events require you to be near perfect. The announcer is probably the best thing you will hear in the game and you only hear him at the start and end of each episode. This game is not going to be one of your “glad I got that surround sound system” moments. SCORE: 5/10

GAMEPLAY

Split/Second gives the player a wonderful sense of speed but you always feel like you need more. I half understand why this direction was chosen but it was taken a bit too far. In a race, it does not matter how well you perform or how far ahead of your opponent you are, you are going to hear that sound of someone coming up from behind that is about to pass you. That can be really annoying because you have almost no way to attack when you are the leader. The one offense you have in that position would be to activate a shortcut and have it crash down on the followers but just like the cops, that is never around when you need it. Drifting is a huge part of this game as it is one of your main ways to power up your power play ability yet unlike most games where it is a way to maintain or even increase your speed on a turn, it slows you down. The acceleration in many of the cars is terrible and the ones that have really good acceleration are not terribly fast. Everything in the game is set to leave you in last place and it is up to you to fight your way to the front. That would be all well and good if not for the horrible rubber banding in the game. I have had races where I am four to six seconds ahead and suddenly two cars or more pass me while i am at top speed. Of course that does not work the other way around. If you are in second place and the screen says you are six seconds away from first, unless you can activate a shortcut that the leader misses, you will never get the gold in that race. No matter how much punishment you inflict on the AI cars, they are right there behind you. Check the videos of me playing the game for a better idea of what I mean. The first is me just getting trashed repeatedly and it displays the glitches i mentioned. The sewer race I showed has me literally destroying the competition and I just barely get first. You have to play online just to get any kind of sense of balance. The game is not difficult because it is challenging or requires any special degree of skill; it is difficult because it is simply unfair due to balance issues. SCORE: 7/10

REPLAY VALUE/TROPHY & ACHIEVEMENT HUNTING

Fortunately with a racing game, you can squeeze replay value out of it as long as there are people to play with. This one should have an active community for a good while because the outrageous power plays will attract people to it. The achievements/trophies are all attainable and it is only the Detonator related ones and the 100% completion that will give you some headache. Everything else is either trial and error or patience as you rack up the necessary numbers. Anyone that plays through the entire season and plays online should be able to accomplish everything and just doing that will add plenty of replay to the game. SCORE: 9/10

OVERALL

Split/Second had the potential to really give Burnout Paradise a run for its money. In truth it is too linear to ever have knocked BP from its top spot. The game reminds me a lot of Burnout Revenge because of the way there are not that many locales but they interlink to form different tracks. The power play system, while ridiculous, was a brilliant idea for adding action and uncertainty to the game. When you are leading the pack you’ll drive through certain areas praying that nothing blows up in your face. I would love to see a sequel to this game that fixes the problems of this one. If they went the Burnout Paradise route and made an open city and have it laden with all kinds of surprises that could make for an incredible game. Hopefully Disney Interactive can pull it off. OVERALL SCORE 7.2/10