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   The Figueroa Hotel in downtown Los Angeles just finished getting this sweeeeeet makeover. The dozen-floor-high advertisement for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is positioned for maximum E3 nerd-exposure as the Figueroa is one of the closest to the Staples Center. This definitely won't make the wait for November 11th any easier on those lucky/unlucky to live in the neighborhood. Hell, if I lived across the street I have no doubt I'd eventually be seeing a doctor about my constant raging nerd-boner.

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     Week one of the podcast’s winter getaway was one that Dub, Jeff, and I will never forget. Mountaineering without proper equipment is one thing that shouldn’t be played with. And this isn’t a hungover “I’ll never drink again”, I will never ice climb without spikes again.
 
     The trip started well, a campfire, a remote cabin that looked like Evil Dead 2, a volcano inside the warm cabin, and no cell reception. We even were good boys and << MORE >>

   If you don't know about this video, be very angry at those close to you for not being awesome enough to clue you in on it.  Frankly you should also feel a little disappointed in yourself for having sub-awesome friends.  If you've seen it already, nobody cares, quit bragging.

 

My awesome friend and I are coming after you...
....and when (not if) we find you, we'll be wearing Richard D. James masks.

In this must-hear Season 2 premiere, Dub, Ryan and Doc get together for a first-ever strategic marketing meeting and ponder the podcast itself.  Jeff swoops in via an epic flashback sequence to hammer home life's true meaning and bring everyone up to speed.  After that the guys are able to narrow down potential sponsors rather quickly, inking a lucrative deal with Johnson's Industries before the episode is finished.  Also, be sure to listen in and find out how to get YOUR chance to join us as an on-air guest host!

It's new!  It's improved!  It's kinda scary!
It's entertainment that can only be described as DISCLAIMER-WORTHY!

| Download | Duration: 00:46:35

| Download | Duration: 00:43:31

     Capcom sure knows how to keep us drooling releasing a new first cinematic trailer for Marvel vs Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds.  The plot seems to center loosely around Wesker's vial of macguffin, but who gives a crap - it's a fighting game and this looks sick.  They should hammer out a deal for a comic or animated series (I'd hit that).  Keep an eye out for Arthur on the charge, fucking hilarious.

  Good games make me wish I was playing when I'm not.  Great games make me wish I could keep playing when I turn them off.  Then there's games like Oblivion, those you have to plan for in advance.  Games like these elbow their way into your life and make room for themselves.  Without adequate preparation, I fully expect to wake up a week or so after it's release, lying face down on my coffee table, my controller still in-hand.  My life would already be in shambles by that point, having lost my job and girlfriend days before. around the time the waking dreams of Daedric Princes started. 


  The teaser trailer that hit the net earlier this week shows no gameplay and gives only slight hints to the story.  Taking place in the Nordic realm of Skyrim, this direct sequel is sure to involve dragons and someone named "Dovahkin the Dragonborn".  The good news is, according to the screenshot above, he's got Selleck-level moustache game.  (Prediction: I'm betting it's your dead or soon-to-be-dead father.)  There's also news that it's being made on a brand new technology, leaving behind Oblivion's Gamebryo engine, and that the studio has brought on some new talent in an effort to punch up some of it's character animation.

  Slight as these details are, it's enough to get millions of fans frothing at the mouth.   I'm very interested into how much of the net feedback Bethesda has taken into account, as the differences between Morrowind and Oblivion have sparked countless fanboy flame wars.  As we wait for more details (promised in an exclusive Game Informer this February) I can't help but wonder how many copies of the original are being dusted off and booted up.  I write this, the original Oblivion is installing to my HD, and in minutes I'll strapping on my horse armor for one more trip through Tamriel to tide me over.

Follow @ElderScrolls on Twitter for the latest news and information on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

    With the upcoming spring releases of Rage, Portal 2, Duke Nukem, Bulletstorm, Gears 3 and much more, console gamers everywhere are looking past a dull winter to the shiny new games of 2011.  It's no secret that one of spring's biggest releases is also one of the crew's most-anticipated new titles Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.  With the steady stream of character announcements there have been over the past few months, there is certainly a great deal to talk about.  
    
    Fighting game veterans worldwide are thrilled at the chance to get behind our old favorite characters and beating the ever-loving shite out of each other, this time in eye-gasmic HD glory.  While the new character roster has plenty for faithful fans of the Marvel VS Capcom series there's also a wealth of new characters coming our way, and this is what I'm most excited about.  


    Capcom punched up their side of the roster by really reaching back into their history to pull out a few classics.  Arthur (of Ghouls 'N Ghosts) and Nathan "Rad" Spencer (of Bionic Commando series) and Zero (of the Megaman series) are great additions.  I'm disappointed not to see Captain Commando, but I'll take Rad instead.  Arthur's animation and fight style looks cool and quirky - straight out of G 'N G, just the way he should be.  Zero is standing in this time around for Megaman and I welcome the change, no more kicking soccer balls and shooting leaves.   Rounding out the Capcom side are the Streetfighter crew Ryu, Chun-Li and C.Viper, the Dark Stalkers girls Felicia and Morrigan, along with Tron Bonne, Dante, Wesker, Amaterasu, Jill Valentine and Viewtiful Joe.

    Marvel brings back the Avenger crew along with all the heavy hitters: Wolverine, Spiderman, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor.  They reached back for Shuma Gorath, Doctor Doom, Storm and Magneto and also into the back issues for some super villains that VS gamers may never have seen before.   I'm excited for most of the list: Deadpool, X-23, Super Skrull, Dormammu, even M.O.D.O.K..  Less we forget, every fighting game needs a character that everyone laughs at, this game has She-Hulk.

    I'm planning on getting Shuma and Jill via the collector's edition, but I know that selling DLC on a game's release date is a little lame, I do like the precedent they're following with offering characters in fighting games.  With a little more Criterion-style attention to DLC developers can extend their game's longevity and give us something to micro-buy rather than outfits.  Future DLC and annoucements aside, we've now got 32 characters - more than enough love to go around. I want it now!   Live and let die!  (Wait, what?)

    I really hate commercials.  I hate their blatant buzzwords, mindless marketing gimmicks and the awful, awful humor.  Dumb jokes are bad enough, nothing's worse than an awful pun that's trying to sell you something.  

    In essence, all commercials are telling you what to do by telling you where to spend your money, and I think I respond to that on some deep level.  "Fuck you, I'll buy whatever kind of cheeseburger I think tastes the best, thank you very much."  So, even soundless and speeding by as fast as my DVR can carry them, my hatred for commercial on TV will not lessen.

    Every once in a while, though, I see one that makes me smile despite myself.  A spark of imagination, creativity or humor shines past the sales pitch and makes me forget that I'm actually supposed to be reaching for my wallet.  Here's one commercial I saw recently that gave my hatred a brief chance to catch it's breath. 

(FYI - This is not an advertisement, I don't give a fuck if you buy this product or not.  Unless Logitech wants to send me one for free, in which case I'll sell out quick, fast & in a hurry.)

    
    With the upcoming release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the horizon, fighting games have once again risen to prominence in the video game world and diehard fighting game fans are exercising their thumbs and building up their fast twitch muscles.  Fighting game fans are some of the most dedicated and loyal fans that exist, and once their sink their nimble fingers into a game, they rarely let it go completely.  But what is it about fighting games that draw players in more than a pedophile to a Twilight midnight showing.  There is something about fighting games that connects to the psychology of a player, and creates an explosion of pride in a true fighting game connoisseur.

    Every player knows the exact best line they ever uttered just as Spider-man jumps backwards into a Maximum Spider to knock out a poor Bison jumping in at the worst time.  What a stupid stupid man that tried to pull that move on me!  No one does that to Spider-Man.  I own the skies!  Whoa, sorry.  But that’s just what I mean.   No other game brings out the razorblade tongue more than a fighting game.  And it is this shit talking that makes each win just a little bit better.  Before, during, and after, a win gives ammunition for verbal annihilation like nothing else. 

    There is also masculine brutality in playing fighters.  At times, I get a psychological erection from smashing the ever-living crap out of someone.  In a world where the warped images of violence that my mind produces are quenched by my sense of responsibility, fighting games are a way to unleash my rage on my closest friends through Wolverine’s claws. 

    Instead of acquiring a Helm of Pointyness, fighters allow you to quest for real skill.  The precision and technical prowess needed for fighters surpasses any other game played with a controller(sorry Guitar hero).  Each match I play increases my muscle memory, and the ability to hit that perfect half moon at the right time cannot be accomplished with simple button mashing.  This fine-tuning is a quest to become a level 65 Ryu with a nasty Dragon punch. 

    In all, fighting games allow players to test themselves against other men in a physical contest without breaking bones or puncturing a lung.  The quickness of my hands and the reactions of my eyes are put to the ultimate battle against another human without the need to wrap my face in an ace bandage.  Even though a true fighting game freak may walk home with their pride destroyed, the moment when you dominate your best friend, the feeling of proving your superiority is without gaming peer.  

 

Zack Snyder has been tapped to direct the Superman reboot.  Snyder is reportedly going to be directing the film under the supervision of Chris Nolan, whatever the hell that means.  This announcement is sure to please fans of Snyder's work on films such as 300, the Watchmen and Dawn of the Dead.  It's also sure to piss of people who maybe wanted Nolan to do it himself.  Let's cross our fingers that Snyder doesn't subcontract it out to Uwe Boll.

As for me, up until yesterday I wasn't the least bit interested in seeing Superman back on the silver screen.  I realize that the man with the "S" on his chest has become a part of the culture, both in America and the world over.  So it's with all due respect to the characters, the mythos and DC comics as a whole, that I say: Superman's origin story is boring as hell.  It's 2010 for god's sake, we don't need to see the same thing done all over again.

Earth's Yellow Sun!   Wind-Breath!  Kryptonite!

…I know, I know

Mild Mannered!   Lois Lane!   Single Bound!

...I said I heard it before.

Lex Luthor!   Fortress of Solitude!  

…seriously, stop it.

I'm interested in a re-imagining, not a reboot.  Sure, there's probably several other great ways to tell how baby Kal got on the short bus to meteor town.  I, for one, am not interested.  The real courage is leaving the origin behind and going for a new angle - something with balls. That's what I'm hoping Zack has to offer.  

If thing's don't go too well, we'll see the Man of Steel dry-humping Lois in the night sky over Metropolis - AGAIN.  If things DO go well, we might see a great movie with a new storyline with Braniac and Doomsday.  If things go according to the script I wrote, we'll see a buddy cop movie with Bizarro and Zombie Gus Gorman (played by George Clooney and Zombie Richard Pryor).

Does the trailer look amazing? Yep!!! Does it reek of Medellín? You betcha!!! Will I go see it? Uh-huh!!! It hasn't been Starfucked, I have no expectations, and its NOT in 3-D. I love popcorn !!!

The Puff Puff crew is back with a bang!

Dub and Jobu are joined by Ryan and Doc for Episode X - a veritable royal rumble of craziness.  First Doc gets evasive about singing in the shower, then conversation on seafood is soured by the oilspill.  Ryan's talks about his trip to DR which somehow leads to a conversation on the apocalypse.  Doc reveals his disrespect for nature, then we hear from Jeff who appeals to the audience for a new butler.  A conversation on drunk driving dissolves into a zombie-Jeff scenario.  We round out the whole episode with a double helping of outtakes. 

Enjoy!  We sure did.

| Download | Duration: 00:55:31

No matter how old Rutger Hauer gets, dude is still intensely BAD ASS!!!
This trailer was created a couple of years ago as a fake trailer for the Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino double feature Grindhouse movie. Canadian audiences were privy to the trailer, the way US audiences saw the original Ma-Ch-Tee trailer. With the recent success of the Rodriguez\Trejo flick, and After winning the SXSW (South by Southwest) Grindhouse trailer contest...Dartmouth, filmmakers Jason Eisener, John Davies, and Rob Cotterill will see their trailer become a full feature !!!

Hey gang!!! Remember a while back I showed you the behind the scenes look at at AMC's new series the Walking Dead? Well AMC has released the official trailer and it looks nothing short of EPIC!!! I'm foaming at the mouth waiting for this series... Figuratively!!! The 90 minute series, premieres on All Hallows Eve... Braaaains!!!!

So last night I have a dream that goes something like this:

   I get onto a bus, it's one of those super long hinged two-section jobbies. Inexplicably, half of the bus seems to be a bodega, or convenience store, and seeing cigarettes behind the counter, I walk up to buy a pack. Apparently the clerk is on vacation, so Conan O'Brien is filling in for him. He's making some jokes to another patron, and I join in a bit, and we have a couple laughs.

   At some point, something catches fire and Conan seems to have no clue how to deal with it. The flames start to spread and he's waving around a stack of flaming newspapers trying to put them out. So I lean forward with my chin propped up on my hands. (inwardly I'm amazed that I'm so calm for being on a bus that's on fire) I tell Conan that he's got to smother it, to drop the paper and stomp it out. He does so, and while I watch chuckling and smiling, he ends up stamping out the majority of the flames behind the counter.

   Conan then climbs up a ladder presumably to check to see if the flames spread further ahead to a forward section of the bus/bodega. As his feet disappear, all I hear is him saying "uh-oh... ohhh this is bad" - the fire has apparently spread.  I get out of the bus (which is stopped) to see how bad the fire is and if I can help put out the fire from the outside. As soon as I step off the bus-dega I see that the drivers section is engulfed in flames and it promptly takes off, out of control, down what is now a huge-ass hill.  Panicked, I run to my car, but can't find my keys. The bus-dega is now out of sight, but I finally find my keys laying on the ground by my cardoor. I jump in and tear through a busy intersection (cars crashing around me) in an attempt to catch up to the bus-dega.

   By the time I get to the bottom of the hill it's too late. There's a dock at the end, surrounded by restaurants and onlookers. As I race up and get out, there are people screaming and kids crying in the general commotion, but no sign of the bus-dega. I run to the end of the dock, and look down to see the burned out bus completely sunken under water, framed by the mangled bodies of two orca whales. (I can only guess that the whales were struck and killed by the flaming out of control bus as it hit the water)

   Screaming something to the effect of "holy shit, i just got off that bus" over and over, I look frantically around and become aware that I'm the only person who knows that Conan O'Brien is dead. Lo, the crowd parts, and there stands a sooty weeping Conan who runs up to me and hugs me tightly as he cries into my shoulder. Then we turn and pull a huge, unscathed, fat dude out of the water - maybe he's the driver - before I can find out my alarm clock goes off and I wake up.

   I should say that I'm not (nor have I ever been) a big fan of Conan. I've never seen an orca whale in real life or ridden on a hinged bus. There's a whole beginning part to this dream about me applying for some job wearing jeans and ugg boots, but I can't really remember the specifics because of what followed. I'm seriously not making any of this up, except in the sense that it was my dream.

I figured I should record it somewhere for posterity (even though this one's gonna stick with me for a long time.)