Static Signal

Western Story: Sometimes the bar eats you

2012-08-31T11:35:00.001-05:00

Hey! Remember that game The Oregon Trail? Who knew dysentery could be so much fun? Well anyway, This Western Story game might be something like that, but with a little bit of funny thrown in.

According to the games Facebook page, Western Story is a social and mobile game "where the Old West is as real as it gets. You'll deal with courageous cowboys, noble Indians, brave settlers and ravenous cattlemen, virtuous lawmen and ruthless outlaws." If the game's developer, Bit Games, still intends for an August 2012 release they're cutting it pretty damn close. Head on over to the game's website to learn more, or hit them up on Facebook, and get in on Western Story's closed beta testing for a taste of what this game has to offer. In the meantime here's some concept art to wet your prairie whistle.

(photos courtesy of Western Story Game)

My Droid also my Game Boy Color

2012-08-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

One of my latest obsessions are emulators on my Android phone. With all the advances in gaming tech it's nice to go back in time to play some old favorites every once in a while. Gaming apps for your smart phone or tablet are all well and good, but very few gaming apps I've played on my Droid phone manage to keep my attention for more than a few minutes (except for maybe Angry Birds). So in my quest to acquire a game app I could lose myself in, I discovered the Game Boy Color emulator for Android, GBC A.D.

I'm currently playing Pokemon Yellow, Final Fantasy Adventure, Final Fantasy Legend, Legend of Zelda - The Oracle of Ages, and Mega Man. You can even load Game Shark and Game Geneie cheat codes on this thing. I can't seem to figure out where my saved game files are on my Droid so I end up using the quick save slots on the app instead. The replay value for this app is pretty much infinite! Keep in mind the GBC A.D. app is an emulator which means you'll have to download game ROMS to your device to actually use the app. Did I mention it's free?

DC Universe Online Shield Weapon

2012-06-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

The newest PVP-centric DLC (The Last Laugh) for DC Universe Online was released early (June 14) for Legendary membership subscribers, and with it came a new shield weapon choice for players.

I, for one was looking forward to this new weapon option because it gives me an excuse to create a new character. I mean, not that I need an excuse to create a new character but it does offer me a chance to step away from the end game gear grind. Although this latest DLC is geared more toward the PVP minded player that doesn't mean PVE players can't enjoy some of the shield wielding fun. In an interview with PC Gamer, DCUO creative director Jens Andersen states, "Shields can be used effectively anywhere in the game, just like the rest of the weapons."

I decided to make my new shield wielder more of a Batman-esque character, so I choose the Gadget power with the Acrobat movement type. Seeing as how I already have a Hardlight Controller (that's the Green Lantern power type for the lay people reading this), I've decided to make this character a Gadget DPS. So far I've only managed to make it to level 5 on this character so I've only received two skill points for my shield weapon tree. Reading through the descriptions on the weapon tree I can tell that it strikes a good balance between melee and ranged attacks. There isn't much information on the DCUO PS3 forums regarding shield weapon/power combinations or loadouts yet so I look forward to hearing from other players in regards to how they will be utilizing the new shield weapon to suit their gameplay styles.

UPDATE:
I went ahead and switched from a Shield Gadget DPS to a Dual Pistol Gadget DPS. I feel the up close and personal approach with the Shield weapon just didn't jive well with gadget DPSing. It seems range is key with gadget DPSing, and I find that the shield weapon suits the likes of an Ice Tank better.

CDC Published Zombie Comic in 2011

2012-06-08T12:41:00.002-05:00

You know, of all the possible Doomsday scenarios floating around out there, I think a zombie apocalypse would be the most survivable situation and the most entertaining. With a zombie outbreak we at least we have a fighting chance, and nothing brings a community together quite like rebuilding society one zombie slaying at a time.

I mean let's face it, if the machines take over we'll be overrun and eliminated before we know what hit us. Machines are quick and efficient killers, and I'm not about to let mama's boy John Connor run the show, No Sir! Now Ice-T on the other hand that's a dude that knows how to survive the game.

Ice T - The deadliest game known to man

Anyway, with that being said, an article posted on The Vigilant Citizen states that in 2011 the CDC published an "educational comic" about a zombie pandemic taking place in the South-Eastern part of the United States. For you geography buffs out there Florida is in the South-East, and more specifically the city of Miami. If you didn't already know, Miami was recently the scene of a horrific "zombie-like" attack where a naked homeless man high on bath salts ate the face of another man; the attack lasted about 18 minutes. WTF?! I'm not usually one to get swept up in conspiracy theories (I'll let the folks over at The Vigilant Citizen fuel that fire), but just in case the CDC knows more than they're letting on; I purpose we get teams of regional zombie slayers together to combat any possible zombie threat. We'll call ourselves The Regulators. Mount Up! I call bids on the chainsaw.

The Melvins attempt Guinness World Record

2012-06-05T11:21:00.000-05:00

The Melvins announced today that they will be touring all 50 states plus Washington D.C. in an attempt to break the world record for the fastest tour of the United States by a band. If you're not familiar with who The Melvins are, then I suggest you get to know them. The official announcement can be found on The Melvins Website where you can get a list of tour dates and venues; you can also read about it over at SPIN. So if you're worried you might miss out don't be they're playing every state in the country Duh Face.

(photo courtesy of themelvins.net)

The Doom movie - I call shenanigans!

2012-05-31T12:42:00.002-05:00

I was channel surfing the other day and I came across Doom playing on Spike TV. If you don't know what Doom is, and I can't imagine why you wouldn't know; it's a first-person (FPS) video game released in 1993. It is widely recognized as popularizing the FPS genre of video games.

The plot of the game focuses on an invasion of Earth from Hell, but the plot of the movie is about...well I'm not really sure what it's about but it had something to do with a virus. I guess in that sense the movie is only loosely based on the game. It seems like the only thing the two have in common is the name. Anyway, I just wanted to bring to your attention that the shot of the info screen reads, "Fans of the popular video game are rewarded with this thrilling adaptation", while touting a rightly deserved one star rating. To say fans of Doom the game are being rewarded with Doom the movie is like taking a crap in my cereal bowl and calling it Captain Crunch.

Anywhozulbees, I just wanted to get that off my chest. Thank you for listening. xoxo

Grant Morrison 99 cent Sale

2012-05-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

DC Comics Digital is having a sale of some of Grant Morrison's work. Over 100 issues are available for 99 cents each. From Animal Man to Batman; Seaguy to Superman, you can get them here. The sale goes until 6/1/12.

(via - vertigocomics.com)

a palpable is the antidote for civilization.

Leeroy Jenkins as a heist film.

2012-05-29T12:05:00.003-05:00

Concieved by doug & serge inc. and directed by Finn O'Hara for the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival taking place in Toronto June 5-10, 2012.

(via - SuperPunch)

Smells Like Deadpool

2012-05-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

What do you get when you cross pollinate Nirvana with Marvel? You get this picture apparently.

(via - BatJames)

Tyrion Lannister Street Art - Shepard Fairey Style

2012-05-26T14:27:00.002-05:00

Ice Cube had the Good Year Blimp, Peter Dinklage has a building. I'm not sure if this is real or not. It looks like it might be super imposed onto this building using a smartphone but whether it's real or not, it's speaks the truth.

Tyrion Lannister = P.I.M.P

A Sexy Rainstorm

2012-05-22T16:56:00.001-05:00

A Sexy Rainstorm

A sexy rainstorm. So sexy, sexy. Do you like it? Because it's sexy.

A sexy track by Dj Skagnetti. I think he used to work at a gas station or something.

The Issue with Rolling Stone "The Big Issue"

2012-05-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

So I received a copy of this special "BIG" issue of Rolling Stone in the mail yesterday. I opened this over sized "special" issue ready to skim through the pages before it went into the recycle bin, and the first thing I see is a letter from the publisher, Matt Mastrangelo, telling me it's going to be loud, fast, and out of control.

The BIG Issue seemed more like an advertisement for TNT and TBS shows than a special issue of Rolling Stone to be honest. Tricia Melton, senior vice president for entertainment marketing at TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies was quoted stating that “This is not a sponsored magazine, this is not a special advertising section.” “This is truly a big issue that Rolling Stone is putting forth.” in a May 6 article for NY Times Media Decoder. I'm not so sure about Tricia.

There were a couple of things in this issue that caught my attention. Like the section on Metallica where I read about their upcoming Orion Music + More festival in Atlantic City, where they will play the Black album in backward sequence, starting with "The Struggle Within" and ending with "Enter Sandman". They will also play through their Ride the Lightning album. Another note worthy item of the magazine was the announcement that Garbage is getting back together and working on a new album after all these years. There was also a bunch of articles on people, bands and ads for TNT shoes I care nothing about. Mr. Mastrangelo promised me this "BIG" issue of Rolling Stone was going to be loud, fast, and out of control. All I ended up with was an under whelmed feeling on an issue of Rolling Stone that falls flat.

Rusty Quarters Retro Arcade

2012-05-19T10:15:00.001-05:00

In an attempt to recapture a piece of my late 80's/early 90's youth, you know, that shift in time where kids were trading in their Adidas tracksuits and shell toes for British Knights, genie pants, and high top fades?

I quested for a bastion of retro revival, the sort of place you skipped class with your friends for, and spent your collective lunch money and day in Gauntlet induced bliss. Just as I was starting to lose hope that I would ever find that long sought after sanctuary of yore, my partner in all things shenanigan, J. Manley shook me out of my shoe gazing stupor and directed my attention to Rusty Quarters Retro Arcade & Museum. Just off the corner of Bryant Ave S and West Lake St. in Uptown, Minneapolis Rusty Quarters Arcade was like a beacon of light that drew me in like a moth to flame. As we stepped into the joint, my appetite for destruction was immediately induced when I spotted:

With a price tag of just a quarter per play for every game and at least $5 in our pockets, Manley and I knew we were in it for the long haul. We rampaged for about fifteen minutes and managed to destroy all of Detroit. We could have laid waste to Cleveland as well, that is until we saw:

J. Manley getting his 3 initials in

I stuck with the Red Warrior while JMan switched it up, alternating between Yellow Elf and Yellow Wizard. We played Gauntlet for so long my hand started to cramp up, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from laying the smack down Willy Smith style on some Space Invaders.

Some hairy bastard putting an end to E.T.'s

We stuck around until closing time that night and I was able to satisfy my old school retro arcade craving. Rusty Quarters Retro Arcade & Museum is local gem, a little piece of nostalgia tucked away in one of the trendier parts of Minneapolis. It's definitely my go to spot when I need a Joust fix, and now that I've found an arcade that sticks to it's gaming roots, it'll be hard to let it go.

Just a handful of what Rusty Quarters has to offer:

Photos Courtesy J. Manley

gaming

Night Train: Be careful where you stand

2012-05-19T00:27:00.001-05:00

A Guns N' Roses inspired web strip featuring an Aardvark looking dude - Courtesy of Manley Tales

That's one heck of a bum wine!

Tomorrow Jones - A Comics Project

2012-05-15T22:03:00.001-05:00

While aimlessly wandering the Internet, I came across this interesting project on Kickstarter. The project is a comic series called Tomorrow Jones. According to the project page:

"Tomorrow Jones is about a 14 year-old girl named Tomorrow who comes from a family of superheroes. While she may be strong enough to fold an armored truck into origami, Tomorrow has to pretend to be a normal girl at school. Her father won't take her seriously, and her traditional heroine mother expects Tomorrow to follow in her footsteps. But Tomorrow doesn't want to dress in skimpy spandex though, and starts fighting crime unmasked and simply wearing jeans and a T-shirt with her real initials on it. All the while her parents keep trying to get her to do things "the traditional way" and Tomorrow finds she might be getting in over her head in the superhero community."

I can appreciate a dose of super-powered teenage rebellion. The purpose for this Kickstarter project is to raise funds to pay the artist who is currently working on completing the first issue. Any funds that exceed the projects goal will be used towards the production of future issues and advertising.

Tomorrow Jones is the brain child of Brian Daniel, creator of a webcomic called Shifter, which he wrote and drew in his spare time. Once the artwork and lettering are complete, the first issue of Tomorrow Jones will be published in digital format by Arcana Studios. Arcana is home to a few of my personal favorites titles such as Kade, Blam, and Ant Vol. 1 (which ran for four issues before making a move to Image Comics, and later Big City Comics). Tomorrow Jones has 5 more days to raise $2032 to meet it's $3600 goal.

What's in store for the Justice League?

2012-05-14T10:03:00.002-05:00

If you're wondering what's in store for Earth 2 and the Justice League come August, head on over to DC Comics to find out, and check out some tasty cover art while your at it. I'm personally looking forward to the release of Earth 2 #4 and the debut of the brand new Atom Smasher.

Jerome Manley: Your New BFF

2012-05-10T12:30:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a friend that when you go out to restaurant he ends up with the hot sauce in his pocket? Or how about the kind of pal that starts a street fight, and somehow gets you involved, when all you want to do is enjoy a pizza slice in the back of a cab? You know, the kind of buddy that convinces you a can of PBR brewed in a coffee machine is a good idea, but that's ok because while his attention is occupied coming up with even more genius ideas, you rack up a $100 bar tab in his name? Whatever your answer, get to know Jerome Manley. He makes films and stuff. It's a wily vestige of suspenseful cloud-cuckoo-land!

Avengers: Battle for Earth

2012-05-10T10:49:00.003-05:00

Ubisoft Quebec in conjunction with Marvel Entertainment is working on the development of a video game based on heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe.

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth will be based on the Secret Invasion storyline and will feature 20 different characters from the Marvel verse, including the Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor. Avengers: Battle for Earth will be released this fall for Xbox 360 with Kinect, and Nintendo's Wii U system.

God of War: Ascension Trailer

2012-05-07T21:27:00.002-05:00

The folks over at PlayStation have released a trailer for the upcoming title in the God of War series, God of War: Ascension. Ascension is actually a prequel to the previous GoW titles, and will included 8-player multiplayer battles, a first for the GoW series.

Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited: Free Focus

2012-05-07T10:51:00.001-05:00

You know what I like just as much as comic books? Free comic books, and if you didn't make it out to your local comic shop on free comic book day, Hakuna Matata (it means no worries).

Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited has got your back true believers. Each week Marvel's Free Focus will hook you up with what's new in the world of digitized Marvel comics that you can read for free. So here's what's available this week:

Captain Britain (1985) #13
Daredevil & Captain America: Dead On Arrival (2008) #1

As you can probably tell, each digital comic available to readers is one that was previously released in print and is part of a collection, or is currently on shelves now. That's like Disney opening up their vault and telling you to enjoy.

Rex Velvet - Real Life Super Villain

2012-05-04T11:32:00.002-05:00

It seems the city of Seattle is on the verge of becoming a battle ground. In this video, a Real Life Super Villain who calls himself Rex Velvet is calling out Real Life Super Hero, Phoenix Jones.

Rex Velvet apparently views Jones and his gang of "misfit power rangers" as disturbers of the peace, undermining the authority of the Seattle P.D. I guess Commissioner Gordon was right when he warned Batman about escalation. Whatever his motivations are, Rex Velvet seems like the type of villain I would hang out with. We'd watch bad low budget movies from the 70's and 80's, braid each other’s mustaches, and get cray-cray off whatever that red liquid with sparks coming out of it is. Rex Velvet you are my new bestie.

A New Mutant Fan Film

2012-05-03T22:58:00.003-05:00

A film class over at Central Michigan University has adapted a short film from Marvel Comics, Ultimate X-Men Vol 41, written by Brian Michael Bendis. You can watch it here. At 15 minutes long, it's extremely well done, and the music score is pretty tight.

Vs. Reality - a book review

2012-05-02T15:01:00.000-05:00

Vs. Reality (The Vs. Reality Series) is the debut novel from writer, twitterer, and self-proclaimed vampire slayer Blake Northcott.

Without giving too much away; the story centers on a group of individuals with abilities beyond the capacities of normal human beings, as they run from a shadowy organization out to "collect" people with such abilities. Through the use of a drug called Muse, the group is able to manifest their abilities instantly, where normally a trigger such as physical pain or anger is necessary to bring about their manifestations. Through this premise the author tackles issues like addiction, and subjugation in pursuit of peace.

The novel reads like a Jason Statham movie; quick in its pace and never skimping on the action. It has a Heroes, meets X-Men vibe to it. There were instances where I found the writing was not as efficient as it could be, and times I found the writing elegant in its imagery. I couldn’t help but wonder if Vs. Reality is better suited for a comic book format. Regardless, every time I put it down, I had to go back to see what happens next. In that sense it was a quick read, where normally I would take my time with a novel and savor its flavor. I felt the need to devour this story like a fat kid eats cake.

Being the first book in a series I expect the follow up novel to be just as engaging as the first. Vs. Reality is also being adapted into a film. The novel is available at amazon.com in E-book format.

AL

Update: Skyrim DAWNGUARD

2012-05-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

Although not much information has been released, Bethesda has announced that the Skyrim DLC (which shall be named DAWNGUARD) will be available for the XBOX 360 this summer. More information will be released at E3.

I see what you're doing Bethesda. Giving us just morsels of information at a time. Keeping us hungry for more while we salivate all over our pillows with anticipation. Damn your marketing tactics! It's working! You're probably wondering why it's coming out for XBOX first. My guess, it has something to do with Bethesda making Skyrim compatible with Kinect.

Preview of Spawn #219

2012-04-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

Todd Mcfarlane is giving fans a 5 page preview of Spawn #219. It's part one of "Eye Of The Storm." the epic battle between Spawn and Malebolgia. Expect this issue to drop Wednesday, May 2. The layouts are amazing by the way.