Arkham Riddle me This..

Arkham, a place of Maddness!

Hey all, 

Yes I know, I have been incredibly slack lately, I'd like to blame it on something cool like “I was on a secret mission to save the world." However the truth is far less interesting. I have been working, and life has been full on. So I have reviewed my decision to post every day to posting once to twice a week.

So one of my Geek directions lately has been the Dark Knight Rises, which both lived up to my expectations and left me feeling like I am missing something. Like I lost a dear friend.

I won't go too deep into the Movie as I really don't want to spoil it for any of my readers.  I enjoyed it; it was a great climax to Nolan’s Batman Trilogy. Bane was outstanding and lived up to my hopes of being more than a physical challenge for the Dark Knight.

Feeling the pull of the Batman universe once again, I decided to fire up my Xbox and begin playing Batman Arkham Asylum again. Instantly I am blown away at the perfection and detail placed into this game, for any fan of the comics/ Cartoon series it really is a must play.

Mark Hamil's performance as Joker is outstanding, his ghoulish laugh and performance as joker tickles my heart. The more and more I play this game I find Hamil's performance replaces my inner voice when I read lines from the joker in the comics. His subtle inflections transition easily from manic to murderous, it is fantastic.

Instantly you are drawn into this story and world where Batman is trapped inside Arkham asylum with Joker and his fiendish henchman. With Harley Quinn taunting you as you make your way through the island. The game highlights Batman as a detective first brawler second.

While this isn't a new game I urge you all to play it, but it and the sequel on Steam/ Xbox/ Ps3.

Man Flu/ Geek News 06/07

Cough, Splutter Cough.


Yes I have the Man Flu,  I blame this on why there was no post yesterday...  


 Man flu is real and it is sucks. My partner would disagree and call me soft and a wimp, However this is my blog and If I say I have man Flu I have it ..


While I was busy coughing and spluttering and laying on my couch after work.  I caught up on some of the new information that has been happening in my Geek World.  So I thought I'd list some of them for you today.

• Microsoft has purchased the following domains Xbox8.us and Xbox8.org, in addition to various other Xbox related domains: XboxPhone.com, XboxTablet.com, XboxLiveTV.com and XboxCompanion.com. This has lead to a large amount of speculation over the next Generation Xbox Console being called Xbox infinity with the 8 being the infinity symbol.

• Marvel Universe to undergo drastic changes with a shuffle of the creative teams, with re-launches of new series and big costume changes, new cover desgins and in some cases new secret identities. Now Marvel has stated this is to happen after the current AVX event has completed. Marvel has been firm in saying that this is Not a REBOOT. This is a great time for new readers to get on-board the Marvel universe.

• Transformers fall of Cybertron ( xbox, PS3  & PC ) to be released early due to fan demand and publisher pride the game will be on shelves two weeks earlier than anticipated.

• Halo 4 to require 8GB of HD space if you want to play muliplayer, Microsoft has said you can install this content directly to a flash drive/ usb hdd as long as it is formatted correctly.
• Apple has just been awarded a new patent that may become the wearable version of the Ipad one day called the iGlass - Link  http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/07/would-apple-iglass-be-better-than-google-glass/

That's pretty much it for me today, more news as I read it...

The Batman - Dark Knight Rises.

Batman - He is the night...
Do I need to say Spoiler alert?

Batman, who art in Gotham cowled, be thy mane.

For many of us Geeks especially in the crowds I run with, have a special place in our hearts for the Batman.

My love of the Batman started at quite a young age watching the animated TV series on a Saturday morning, or if I was lucky enough catching the odd episode of the original Adam West Batman when it was on.

Then as I grew older I was gifted the experience of the Tim Burton Batman movies, my crush with the dark knight bloomed into a full blown love affair at this point. I read what comics I could at friends’ houses or some that were bought with pocket money.

Over the years I have watched Batman movies enjoying them with each incarnation of the Batman played by a variety of actors, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer & George Clooney. Now to get off track for a moment I don't blame George Clooney for what happened in Batman & Robin, It was the unfortunate combination which led to its total camp existence.

Now back to what this Blog tonight was supposed to be about, Batman and the upcoming Batman Dark Knight Rises.

In 2005 Christopher Nolan stunned us all with Christian Bale in a very realistic Bat suit, filled with Grit and lip smacking reality driven action. Nolan’s ability to draw from the original cannon and comics with small nods, while setting Gotham as a modern day city with real problems. This movie has all sorts of subtle fan service which made this experience a wonderment to behold. Victor Zasz making a guest appearance in this film, as well as introduction to Rhaz Al Ghul being one of the Dark Knights greatest nemeses from the comics was excellent to see. I greatly enjoyed this film; in fact I will probably watch it tonight after this post has been written.

In 2008 the Sequel the Dark Knight arrived and my goodness did it pack a punch, with one of the best interpretations of the Joker and most of us heralded heath ledgers performance as it was outstanding. The story in Dark Knight leads us to a world where Batman has become more established, Gotham is starting to heal. We were introduced to the Shining knight Harvey Dent who quickly becomes co-protagonist with Batman. Tragedy and Triumph occur in this film several times which Births Two Face. Each turn of this story is gritty and deals with a great moral story based in choice.

Then at the end of the film Batman chooses to be thought of as the villain, because he hopes that such an action will bring the people of Gotham together, and fight crime day-in-day out with his intrusion.

Now The Dark Knight Rises is coming out sometime this month, I have been pumped for this film; I must have watched the trailer dozens of times, each time leaving me chanting ”Matelo Matelo Bane Bane Matleo matleo Bane Bane." 

So I ask myself this question, what should we be expecting in a now post Avengers (Movie) World?

It won't be the giddy escapist fun action adventure with Aliens invading Manhattan, Avengers is the closest to a perfect comic book movie I have ever seen. Batman Dark Knight Rises won't be anything like the Avengers and that's ok by me.

Nolan’s vision for Batman has always been set in a realistic world, skyscrapers, and a modern world with a modern world’s problems. Nolan’s settings and themes have always been dark and of suffering, suffering created the Batman so it is a major theme in the movies.

What has always made the Batman experience so defined for me, even so far back as the comic books has been the Villains. Dark Knight Rises will indeed focus on at least two villains Bane & Cat woman. 

For a properly satisfying climax (As this is Christopher Nolan’s last Batman Movie), Bruce Wayne has to be driven to the very breaking point of his emotional, mental and physical endurance. Bane is perfect for this role...

Bane? Bane people ask? Isn't he a wrestler?

To which I respond, No...  Bane is one of the most menacing and brilliant foes Batman has ever encountered  

 Bane is very combat capable, but he is more than a physical challenge to the Dark Knight, he is a strategist and plays many games to outwit and out manoeuvres Batman.

Whatever nefarious schemes Cat woman and Bane have planned for the Bat, I am looking forward to July 20th.

I'll let you know what I think after I see it on July 21st...

Diablo III

Diablo III

Click , click and click.

Ah Diablo, this game has been one of my many obsessions this year. But more importantly this game this spiritual successor to the game of my geek-youth.

The first time I ever played Diablo was at a friend’s house in country South Australia at this point I had only ever had owned a Macintosh computer ( unable to play most PC games) this game Diablo II was mind blowing at the time. I played for hours barley passing the first few missions, about 1.5 years later my family purchased a PC it was a 1.00GHZ with 32 MB of Video Card and it was amazing. I ran out and purchased my very own copy of Diablo II.

I must have spent so many hours playing/ questing until I couldn't stay awake any longer.

So my love ran deep for this game.

Then 6 years ago when I moved to the city to live with a fellow Geek. I learned that people played this game at LAN parties, then this old game which I dusted off become an obsession once more catching up with friends and playing Diablo for the weekend became a regular occurrence.

Now we are living in a post Diablo III world. Firstly before I make any complaints about the game, I will say I do like this game and it is awesome amount of fun.

The game has had more than just a facelift, the game is simpler to a point yet its simplicity allows you to have longer more epic battles and a flexibility to do whatever you need to at that time.

The graphics are stunning, the 3d models moving across backgrounds that are almost watercolours in appearance looks and feels smooth and fun to play. The mechanics and classes all have unique skills and flexibilities. While I miss, the build fun that existed in the previous diablo games, this game is still great and feels like the action that I crave.

Jumping online to Diablo and seeing which one of my Geek Buddies are online, and jumping straight into an adventure with them has been great.

I guess I need to address the elephant in the room, constant internet connection required. Yes this can be frustrating and yes you can only LAN with people who are also online.

This can be frustrating on many levels, but I personally haven't had many dramas with this. (Outside the first week of launch) So to me, Internet connection being required hasn't been an issue but I appreciate the problem for a section of the Geek population that don’t have constant internet connection.

On the other side of the coin since there is real money involved, with the auction house having the extra security measures makes sense. I don't blame Blizzard for making that call, especially after some of the dramas that have occurred with world of Warcraft in the past. 

It would be nice to see blizzard address the option by creating no auction house accounts so that people can play and LAN offline. However I don't see this happening any time soon.

I have had a blast with Diablo; I'm not quite ready to place the game back on the shelf just yet.

I have many more adventures to have with my frog casting Witch Doctor that lie ahead of me.

Don't forget to click to win...

Introduction

Well, I guess we are here @ blogspot. Time to introduce myself, I'm, Brad a 27 year old average Geek.
 Dictionary.com  states "average" as being: typical; common or ordinary.
I guess by labelling my self as average I label my self as run of the mill as far as Geek points go.


I watch Movies, I love sci-fi , I play video games (PC, XBOX, PS3), Play Dungeons and Dragons, love gadgets and I play War-hammer. There are not many Geek cultures that have'nt been part of or have had exposure to in the past.


I guess this Blog is about me getting some of my geeky thoughts, and rants onto the internet.

So why am I starting a blog, not haunting some obscure forum? I personally wanted to see if I could challenge my self to write everyday, about something. Now the search for what to write about,  well I had trouble narrowing down to one hobby so I decided  to talk about my Geek direction and how I hop back and forth between obsessions.

Stick around and I may talk about your current obsession..