Player Affinity

‘Safe House’ Secures First Over President’s Day Weekend

Simon Brookfield — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:53:00 -0700

After narrowing losing a victory last weekend to rom-com The Vow, spy thriller Safe House inched up a spot to first, while three newcomers did reasonable business debuting throughout the top 10.

Borderlands 2 Doomsday Trailer

Joe Button — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0700

While I highly doubt that there will be anything near 87 bazillion guns in Borderlands 2, if you are hungry for more Borderlands then this trailer certainly has what you want. I never got hooked on the original game like so many others did, partly because of how essential playing with other players is for its enjoyment, so I’ll be diving in early this time around to see if that can alter my view of the sequel. Borderlands 2 is set for release on September 18 on Xbox360, Playstation 3 and PC.

Rumor: Mass Effect 3 Costumes for Final Fantasy XIII-2?

Justin Speidel — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:54:00 -0700

After an announcement late last year that Assassin’s Creed clothing would be coming to Final Fantasy XIII-2’s Noel as DLC, this latest rumor isn’t as much surprising as it is perplexing. Apparently Square Enix isn’t planning on stopping the cross-franchise costuming anytime soon, as there is a new rumor floating around that Mass Effect gear is on the horizon for Final Fantasy XIII-2.

DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 2.21.11)

Kieran Freemantle — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:54:00 -0700

Unforgiven is considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made and it has been re-released on Blu-ray. This new edition contains the usual set of features, including commentaries, documentaries and an episode of Maverick.

Cybernetic Augmentations You Don’t Want

charles battersby — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:54:00 -0700

With Starbreeze’s Syndicate hitting shelves this week, many gamers will be fantasizing about how cool it would be to become a cyborg. But if there’s anything we can learn from cyberpunk stories it’s that augmenting the human body with machinery can cause more harm than good. With that in mind, here are some video game cyborgernetic augmentations that players are better off not getting if they ever become real.

Mark Millar Says ‘Kick-Ass 2’ Shoots This Summer

Julian Stark — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:34:00 -0700

Comic creator Mark Millar has been hard at work on making Kick-Ass 2 and bringing it to the big screen. In a recent interview, he indicated that the film will begin shooting this summer.

SSX Demo Releases Today on Xbox Live

Justin Speidel — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:01:00 -0700

EA Canada’s return to the world of extreme sports and to a series that has never graced the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, SSX, releases its demo today on Xbox Live, and tomorrow for PSN. It’s been over four years since the series last appeared on the Nintendo Wii. In an attempt to differentiate itself from other titles in the genre, EA Canada is doing something that seems pretty groundbreaking.

Jak and Daxter HD Trilogy: Review

Aaron Betts — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:59:00 -0700

The greatest trilogy of PS2 action platformers returns in high definition and they are still just as good as ever.

Shameless - A Bottle of Jean Nate

Manju Reijmer — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:38:00 -0700

One of the more passive episodes of the season left room for character development and stories to grow. While Frank is trying to find a way to get his mother out of the house, Kevin tries to deal with Ethel's departure. If anything, this episode was about getting things done. There were fights, there was sex and of course there was some shameless behavior, but most of all the episode flourished in showing the capability of people who have not much to work with.

The strength of the show comes from the sense that even when you have nothing, with the right people and the right attitude, you can survive anything. And that theme would have Frank teaming up with no other than Fiona herself. The much needed father/daughter time was a treat for long-time fans and proof that there is still some sense of bond left between the leads. Surprisingly, the wonderful William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum are as enjoyable as a team as when they are shouting at each other across the living room.

Spartacus: Vengeance - Empty Hands

Arjun M. Bhat — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:10:00 -0700

I'm not entirely sure whether it's a good sign for Spartacus: Vengeance if we seem to care more about the supporting cast than the main character. But in the latest episode "Empty Hands", that's exactly what happened. In an obviously unintentional move, the writers created a situation where I didn't give a crap about what would happen to Spartacus or Naevia. There were more important developments happening in Capua, and Spartacus' struggle to survive in the woods just didn't seem to matter. A lot of plotting & backstabbing has transpired (or is about to transpire) between Spartacus' foes and all this hostility is bound to rear its ugly head in a more ominous manner over the next few weeks.

Supergirl #6 Review

Kat West AKA Comic Uno — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:22:00 -0700

When I first heard about this series when Dc was announcing all of their reboot titles I was kind of hesitant to pick up this series up. I thought Supergirl was going to be totally different from her character before the dc reboot, but after reading the issues that have came out for the series so far I have realized that Supergirl has not changed that much. I like the new spin that they have brought to Supergirl and still having some old qualities in her character that we saw before the Dc reboot.

I really liked the cover for this issue. I have been really enjoying the art for this series and it has to be one of my favorite art for the Dc reboot. The concept for the cover is also pretty great for this cover. In this issue we get to see Supergirl on the brink of death, and seeing her have to decide if it is still worth living after she finds out that her family and friends have died.

Syndicate Developers Doing What's Best for the Series

Justin Speidel — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:01:00 -0700

Starbreeze Studios, the Swedish minds behind both critically-acclaimed The Chronicles of Riddick games, are reviving a long-dormant franchise tomorrow. Syndicate will release in just a few short hours, and fans of the first game, also titled Syndicate (released way back in 1993), are hesitant considering the switch from an isometric tactical shooter to a more modern, first-person perspective. I’m going to attempt to allay their fears and disappointment, as I firmly believe that this is the correct transition to get this futuristic sci-fi shooter into the attention of gamers everywhere.

Dwight Yoakam Departs ‘The Lone Ranger’

Julian Stark — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:33:00 -0700

Country-singer-turned-actor Dwight Yoakam is no longer a part of the cast of Disney's The Lone Ranger. Scheduling conflicts led to his dropping out, and though nothing specific is listed, there are several possible projects that could have caused an over-booking.

'Galaxy Quest' Director to Helm 'RED 2'

Julian Stark — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:25:00 -0700

Dean Parisot is nearly set to direct RED 2. Parisot is perhaps most famous for the sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest with Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver.

Garfield Ongoing Series Comes to Kaboom in May 2012

Kat West AKA Comic Uno — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:45:00 -0700

Starting in May 2012 Garflied is going to have an ongoing series with Kaboom, which is where Boom Studios producers their kid comic books. Garfield is not newcomer to comic books because Garfield had first made his start in the 1970’s in comic book strips. Garfield is a lazy, over weight, self centered cat whose favorite meal is lasagna.

The writer of the current Garfield Show on Cartoon Network, Mark Evanier, will be on board as the writer for the series. Mark will team up with Gary Barker, who is a Garfield strip cartoonist. So, this series will be in great hands for all of the Garfield fans out there.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Makes Appearance on Developer’s Resume

Erik Chalhoub — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:03:00 -0700

As spotted by Joystiq, Hugo Beyer, who has worked for developers such as Terminal Reality and Liquid Development, let slip on his LinkedIn page (which has since been pulled by Beyer) that he is working on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 under developer Nerve Software. Nerve Software worked on the first Call of Duty: Black Ops, making it seem likely that they will be working on the inevitable sequel.

New Experiment Proves Video Games Are Good For You

Mat Ombler — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:37:00 -0700

It’s too easy to give video games bad press these days. Society often finds itself passing the blame for a lot of today’s problems onto the media, and in particular, video games. Enter delicious irony. A recent experiment has found that first person shooter video games can improve the sight of adults afflicted by cataracts, so keep counting up those kills in online FPS games!

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #1 - Review

Sean Elks — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:10:00 -0700

Rodimus and company begin their quest for the Knights of Cybertron, co-beginning a new era of IDW’s Transformers franchise. This is a series that will clearly focus strongly on character interactions, but it ends up playing itself up too much for laughs at the expense of its central story.

For those not up to date on the current state of IDW’s Transformers franchise, the war between Autobot and Decepticon is over. The Autobots have won and retaken their homeworld of Cybertron, which has undergone drastic changes through the course of their war. Optimus Prime has gone into self-exile to smooth out the transition into a post-war era between Autobots and non-aligned Cybertronians. But rather than manage that uneasy transition, Rodimus has begun a movement to find the legendary Knights of Cybertron, who he believes will be able to usher in a new golden age for Cybertron.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise #1 - Review

Sean Elks — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:55:00 -0700

The Transformers wade deep into political intrigue and moral ambiguity with Transformers: Robots in Disguise. It’s part of a new chapter in IDW’s Transformers continuity and one that seems to have a lot of potential as Autobots and Decepticons reluctantly work together to rebuild Cybertron.

The war between factions has ended. A flood of non-aligned Cybertronians have returned home, and Optimus Prime has gone into exile as a gesture that the war is over. Now, it’s up to Bumblebee to lead the Autobots in restoring civilization to Cybertron even though they’re no longer welcome on their own world.

Fringe - A Better Human Being

Narcisse Tchouati — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:44:00 -0700

After the closing scene kiss that took Peter and the viewers by surprise last week, Fringe picked up where it left off in Olivia's apartment and delivered an episode so well crafted and so well written that it has to rank up there with the very best of the entire series.