The much anticipated sequel to JJ Abram’s alternate Trek universe is here. Does it match up to the hype? Will I stop giggling every time I hear Benedict Cumberbatch’s name?

Star Trek Into Darkness needs no introduction. If you read WPR, you know about this film. You’ve seen the rumors, you’ve watched the trailers, and you know that it has Khan. I’ll admit, I had a pre-conceived notion about Into Darkness. I worried that it would try too hard to please Trekkies with its quasi-reworking of Wrath of Khan. I worried that Abrams wasn’t up to the task of handling one of the lore’s greatest villans. I’m glad to say I was wrong.

The meat of the film consists of the Enterprise chasing down a terrorist, who (surprise!) happens to be Khan Noonien Singh, freshly unfrozen. Any other plot discussion would be pretty spoiler-iffic, so I’ll just say that the overall plot is very different than Wrath of Khan. In fact, the only similarity is Khan himself. His backstory remains intact and is a key plot point to the film, and Cumberbatch plays him perfectly as the quiet, thinking villan. The overall plot is well done, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This is a movie that never slows down, and it works great.

It must be noted that the scriptwriters who worked on Into Darkness really love the characters and their interactions with each other. The Kirk/Spock bromance deserves recognition, as it is well written and a major plot point. I’ll admit that sometimes the script delved into hokey territory, with sudden unrealistic emotional outbursts from characters that seemed to make little sense. That being said, this is Star Trek, land of hokey space opera style drama, and I ate it up. Those who aren’t fans of the series and just want to see an action space movie may find the cheesiness off-putting at times.

The CGI visuals in the film were gorgeous as always, and I absolutely loved the retro-futuristic interior to Abram’s Enterprise. Seriously, the set designer for the Enterprise deserves a freaking medal. There’s this fantastic mix of retro buttons and knobs along with “realistic” future-computers that tickled both the Trekkie and the geek in me.

At this point, it almost seems trite to complain about overuse of lens flare in an Abrams film, but holy crap JJ calm it down with the lens flare. There was a specific scene where characters are talking on the bridge to another ship, and the added lens flare was so over-pronounced that it distracted me from the dialogue of the film. I actually started laughing during what should have been a dramatic moment because the lens flare was nearly blinding me.

Now I’m well-known (yeah right) for my dislike of 3d in films. Star Trek Into Darkness is a perfect example of a movie that didn’t need 3d and only had it added because that’s what you do to big movies these days. Due to Abram’s penchant for extreme closeups during dialogue, there were several points where a giant out of focus blob would not only take up parts of the screen but due to the 3d stuck out like a sore thumb. While there were no “OMG IT’S IN 3D” moments (like a bullet shooting out of the screen, which I find a capital offense in bad 3d action films), the 3d effects felt forced at best, and lazy at worst.

Despite my admittedly minor complains, Star Trek Into Darkness is a film that I enjoyed immensely, and I eagerly await the inevitable next film in the series. I’m curious to see where this new crew of the Enterprise goes next. Hopefully it’s not a remake of The Voyage Home… though I would love to watch Zachary Quinto mindmeld with a humpback whale.

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Can Robert Downey Jr bring the snark yet again? I think you already know the answer.

No doubt about it, Iron Man has been an insanely popular franchise in Marvel’s giant list of popular comic films. Usually by the time movies get to number 3 or 4, the cracks start to show and the cash-in seems to rain supreme. While I don’t doubt that Marvel Studios can’t wait to get that fat movie check, I can easily say that Iron Man 3 is my favorite of the series.

The movie (very) loosely follows the plotline of Extremis, one of the best Iron Man arcs in recent history. A terrorist who calls himself The Mandarin begins attacking targets in the US, and Tony has to figure out how to stop him. Meanwhile, Tony must also deal with a nasty case of PTSD following the events of The Avengers, which is a neat plotline that is thrown in to give a nod to the continuity of the films. This is probably my favorite thing about Marvel’s big superhero movies. What happened in New York is a major plot point in Iron Man 3.

The film definitely has a darker, more violent tone than the first 2. In my opinion, there are several scenes that push the PG-13 rating in terms of violent content and dark themes. Most of Marvel’s superhero films have been kid-friendly, even with the superhero violence and action. Iron Man 3 is not in that group. While I appreciated the intensity of these scenes, I would probably not be comfortable bringing a child under 13 into the film. That being said, the dark tone of Iron Man 3 works very well. I was impressed with how it kept me on the edge of the seat all the way from start to end, and I really got involved in the storyline.

As always, Robert Downey Jr had many hilarious one-liners in the film, several that brought so much snark I may have missed several followup lines from laughing so hard. The comedic bits of the script are written and delivered fantastically, though the quieter parts still came off as a little hokey. As much as I like Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the “feelings” moments in the film… they just came off as hokey.

The film has a fantastic climax that I wouldn’t want to spoil for anyone, but let’s just say that there is a massive fanwank for enthusiasts of the Iron Man comics. I nearly cheered once… it’s embarrassing to admit but I geeked out hard.

So what’s the verdict? I think you should absolutely check out Iron Man 3. It’s got everything that a big action blockbuster film needs. Of course, continuity is important to these Marvel films, so if you haven’t seen the first two Iron Man films or The Avengers, you should definitely check them out first. Marvel’s got another big winner with Iron Man 3, and I left the theater only that much more hyped up for The Avengers 2.

Oh and yes, you should stay in the theater for a stinger after the credits. It’s well worth the wait.

The post Review: Iron Man 3 appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Since Jasen covered the meat of the movie, I’ll make this short and sweet and talk pure opinion. A caveat to consider: I normally don’t watch horror movies. It’s not that I’m scared or grossed out; I’m just not really that into them… I’d rather rewatch Heartcatch Precure for the hundredth time. That being said, like every other nerd on the planet I love the Evil Dead series. The original’s campy horror was a perfect blend of creepy and goofy, and I ate it up as a kid.

Going into this remake, I knew that Evil Dead would not be the same thing. I expected a modern horror film, and that’s what I got. Jump scares, dark scenes, jumpy camera, etc. Now, that’s not a bad thing, as Evil Dead does a fairly good job. I’ll admit there were several scenes that were very intense and I could feel my heart rate rising, which doesn’t happen often when I watch horror flicks.

I feel that the special effects deserve a notable mention. I’m not squeamish at all when it comes to movie gore; I have been steeled by the likes of Mutant Girl Squad and Ichi The Killer. However, there were several times where I let out an audible groan at how gross the scene was. A particular scene involving an X-Acto Knife and a tongue had me writhing in my seat.

Though I’m not a fan of most horror films, I really enjoyed Evil Dead. The plot was a little formulaic, i.e. the typical Everyone Dies One By One™ motif, but that did not stop me from enjoying the film. If you like scary movies that have excellent gore effects and legitimate frights, then Evil Dead is definitely a film you should check out.

The post Review: Evil Dead appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Japan’s biggest jpop supergroup meets Kawamori Shoji and Macross in what I can only describe as “fantabulous”.

For those not in the know, AKB48 is an idol supergroup from Japan that the word popular doesn’t even begin to describe. AKB48 holds the record for most records sold in Japan by a female group, and their last thirteen singles have topped the Oricon charts (Japan’s version of Billboard). Of course, a huge part of these idol supergroups is marketing tie-ins, and with a group as huge as AKB48, an anime tie-in was not a question of if but when. Even as a big fan of AKB48, I was skeptical when I first heard about AKB0048. Often times popular idol groups will reach out into anime voice acting by having a mediocre series made around them. Last year’s Natsuiro Kiseki, which was built for Sphere (who I am a huge fan of), fell flat and left a bad taste in my mouth. Thankfully, Satelight went all out. If you enjoyed Macross Frontier, you’ll love AKB0048.

The plot of AKB0048 is admittedly pretty silly, but it sets up context for an interesting narrative. The short version is that we’re in the far future, and mankind has colonized many planets across the galaxy. Many of these planet’s governments ban “things that disturb the heart”, such as music and art. From this artistic oppression rises AKB0048, an idol group that uses guerilla tactics, mecha, and what can only be described as “adorable martial arts” to put on illegal concerts and bring hope to the downtrodden people of these planets… though they’re probably making some pretty sweet money on merch as well. 0048 has existed for centuries, with new girls replacing older ones as time goes on. The main characters are a group of girls from different planets that escape their homeworlds and join AKB0048, hoping to become the next incarnation of the intergalactic supergroup.

Still reading? Good. While the plot may sound somewhat shoehorned, it works surprisingly well. The characters are well written, even though a few of the minor ones fall into common anime tropes. The animation is topnotch, coming from the team that did Macross Frontier and Aquarion. AKB0048 is an absolute visual treat, with colors exploding off the screen. I can’t gush enough about how well Satelight has done with the visuals. Obviously, there are many AKB48 songs that the characters sing in this series, as well as several new ones. Personally, I can’t get enough of 希望について (Kibou Ni Tsuite), the new single written just for the show which you can check out in the clip at the bottom of this review.

If it isn’t obvious by now, I highly recommend AKB0048 to any anime fan out there. Even if you’re not a big jpop fan, this series is very entertaining and an absolute visual treat to enjoy. Satelight’s animation department, which cut its chops on visual treats like Macross Frontier, really shows off some of its best work. Crunchyroll is currently simulcasting the second season of AKB0048 on Sunday mornings. However, you need to watch this series from the beginning, and unfortunately the only way to get your hands on season one right now are through fansubs (I recommend EveTaku). However, I still highly recommend that you check it out. If you’re still on the fence, here’s a clip from season one that showcases some of the beautiful visuals I’ve been gushing over.

The post AKB0048 – Anime Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Recently, Xopher and I sat down with the creator of Metalocalypse and Home Movies, Brendon Small, for a little chat. It got brutal.

In anticipation of the latest Dethklok Tour we were given the opportunity to talk Brendon, in typical RLR fashion. Which is random and well…random. Brendon was awesome and we incredibly enjoyed just being in his phone presence.

TOTALLY METAL Topics we discussed
• GETTING CABLE INSTALLED
• GUITARS
• POLITICS
• CREATING CHARACTER VOICES
• MUUUUUSIC MAAAAAN

And so much more that we could pack into our little 30 minute interview. We can’t Thank Brendon enough for talking with us and we hope to bring you more as the Dethklok tour stop looms in Salt Lake City and Portland respectively, where WPR is hoping to cover the event! Check out THIS LINK to see if it’s coming near you, and if it isn’t, DRIVE YOUR ASS TO THE CLOSEST ONE.

Oh, and that picture of Brendon’s dog? It’s as terrifying as we imagined:

Intro: Dethklok – Opening
Outro: Dethklok – I Ejaculate Fire

This won’t be the last time that we interview people for the podcast which will be entering its third season, but it’s at least something to whet your appetite for off-topic banter. Enjoy!

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The post RLR Special – Interview With Brendon Small appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Perfect World’s other MMORPG they were showing off at PAX is Raiderz, another free to play Action RPG. How does it stack up against the competition? Take a look inside!

Raiderz plays a lot like other action MMORPGs, with the left mouse button being a basic attack and the right mouse being a secondary attack or a basic block with a shield. The game could be compared to TERA in that it is hit detection based, so dodging and blocking play a major role in combat. The game’s focus definitely draws from the Monster Hunter series, in that your character’s main motivation is loot and trophies from giant monsters.. and there are many giant monsters out there to kill.

The class system in Raiderz is unique and very cool. There are no set classes, instead you put talent points into 4 different trees. As you put points in these trees, you gain new abilities that are tied to weapon types. For instance, you can wield a sword and shield. This gives you access to Guardian and Sorceror skills, but then you can quickly swap to a 2 handed mace for Berserker abilities.

Another neat feature is the ability to pick up enemy’s weapons, or in some cases strewn body parts, and use them against other foes. During my hands on time, my Fighter/Sorceror hybrid character would regularly kill Kobolds and use their guns against others. This also extends into an interesting transformation system, where you can in mid-battle transform into different monsters and gain their abilities. This feature allows for very diverse play styles, as each monster has it’s own unique set of skills.

At the end of my playthrough, I was faced with a massive Gryphon, which yo can see in the screenshot above. This boss requires multiple players working together, and between myself and a another player we were able to do some damage, but not enough. The game really focuses on teamwork, after all the motto of Raiderz is “Hunt together, or die alone!” I enjoyed my time with Raiderz, and look forward to more info in the future. The game looks and plays smoothly, and is on track to be released at the end of the year.

The post PAX Prime 2012 – Raiderz appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

A return to the ever popular setting of The Forgotten Realms, Neverwinter is a new free to play MMO from the developer behind Champions Online: Free For All and Star Trek Online, Cryptic Studios. I got a chance to check out The Foundry feature in Neverwinter, and it has made my hype for this game shoot through the roof.

First, a quick primer on Neverwinter: It is an action MMORPG set in the city of, you guessed it, Neverwinter. A volcanic explosion has devastated most of the Sword Coast, with only a few settlements besides Neverwinter left standing, though just barely. Players will take the role of heroes who will take contracts to help rebuild the city and it’s surrounding areas. The gameplay of Neverwinter is fast paced for an MMORPG. It plays a lot like Kingdom of Amalur: the mouse controls where you aim, with the buttons using your basic attacks, and your skills are mapped to keyboard buttons. You can check out a video below that shows off the gameplay:

However, most of my time spent with Neverwinter was checking out The Foundry, which is Cryptic’s name for the mission creation tool in Neverwinter. The Foundry is the same tool that the developers use to design their campaigns and adventures, and players will have access to the full toolset in order to create their own adventures. The levels of customization are very impressive and spoke to my inner DM. For instance, I watched as one of the developers created a quick adventure for us in The Foundry. He started by creating a dialogue path from an NPC in one of the taverns. As the DM of this adventure, he was able to create as much dialogue pathing as he wanted, and it was a fairly quick process. Then, he pulled up the map editor and began creating the dungeon. Players can use pre-built rooms or create their own. One really neat feature was the auto-population of set pieces like tables, chairs, rugs, wall paintings, and other things that made the room really pop. DMs can also individually add every item if they wish, or move stuff around after the system populates set pieces.

After creating a few rooms, we went to the monster creation. When you create an adventure, you set what level it is, and the game gives you a list of monsters you can use. However, the customization of these monsters is insanely detailed. For instance, we were able to go to the boss of this little dungeon, a ghost, and change not only what clothes she was wearing, but her body dimensions as well. Afterwards, with a single click we were able to jump into our little 3 room dungeon and hack away to test.

Afterwards, we posted the adventure to our Author Blog. This is a feature that every player has where they can post their created content. You can read anyone’s Author Blog, and subscribe to it so that you get an in-game email when there is new content from that author. The creator can also use the blog to solicit feedback from players.

As a tabletop veteran who loves to create adventures, I can’t wait to get my hands on Neverwinter‘s creation tools. It really harkens back to the old days of designing D&D adventures inside Neverwinter Nights for my college buddies. Neverwinter has a release date of Spring 2013, and will be free to play. I know I’ll be checking it out.

The post PAX Prime 2012 – Neverwinter appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

PAX? Didn’t that happen like 2 weeks ago? Yeah, it did… but real life has made it hard for me to get any coverage up. Hooray responsibility! The next couple days I’ll be talking about what I saw, and what should be on your radar for the coming year in gaming. So let’s start with Wikipad Inc’s new gaming tablet, the Wikipad.

The Wikipad is a 10.1 inch Android tablet with a custom UI. Powered by the impressive Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, the Wikipad is built from the ground up for gaming. With access to the Google Play Store, Playstation Mobile, and Nvidia’s Tegra Zone store, the selection of games for the Wikipad is pretty impressive. The big feature you will notice is the controller attachment. I had some hands-on time playing the mobile version of Max Payne, and I thought the controller handled really well. It feels sturdy, and the buttons were responsive. The layout is simlar to an Xbox or Dualshock controller, so it fits naturally in your hands.

A small but really neat feature of the device is a raised square that goes around the back of the Wikipad. This helps the user hold onto the device with a single hand, and I’m amazed no one has thought of this yet. I’m always afraid I’m going to drop an iPad if I hold it in one hand (and I have once or twice). This raised portion is a small feature that I was really impressed with.

The Wikipad will be available on October 31st with a price point of $499. While the device is an excellent offering into mobile gaming, I’m not sure if it can stand up to the big names like Apple and Samsung. It costs the same as an iPad or Kindle Fire, but it does offer an excellent setup for the gaming-minded consumer. Personally, I think it’s an excellent addition to the market and brings something that the market space has been lacking, specifically in the controller.

The post PAX Prime 2012 – Wikipad appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Highly anticipated indie platformer/puzzler Snapshot is now out, and we’ve got some free copies to give away!

To celebrate Snapshot’s release, the game can be purchased on Steam for only $9. The soundtrack is also available, and I highly recommend you check it out, as Snapshot has some fantastic music. While the game is only out for PC right now, it will be released on Mac, Linux, PS Vita, and PS3 in the coming months.

I spent an hour playing Snapshot this morning, and I have to say that it is an absolute blast. The platforming is tight, and the puzzles start simple and become real head scratchers as the game progresses. I can’t wait to get some more time into it after PAX.

So now the part you’re all waiting for: how do you get a free copy on Steam?

We’re giving you two options, hopefully you use Twitter or Facebook.

Option one: Share this post on Facebook and leave a comment on this article on our timeline when you’ve done it!

Option two: Tweet this post on your Twitter account and make sure you @watchplayread us!

That’s it. We’ll pick One random winner on Facebook and one random winner on Twitter and send you a Steam Key so you can spend your whole weekend inside, because the outside world is a harsh place to be.

Winners will be selected Friday, August 31st at 12 Noon Pacific Time. Yes. This is a short contest, that way we should be able to get the winners their keys before the weekend and you’ll have two full days to enjoy Snapshot!

{UPDATE} AND THE WINNERS ARE (Facebook) Johnny Doh, (TWITTER) @qwikciphers! I’ll be sending you guys your code via those channels, ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

The post Snapshot Is Out Today, And WPR Has Your Hookup {UPDATE} appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Like any other rabid Legend of Zelda fan, I picked up Skyward Sword on release day. Excited as ever, I went home, played for an hour, and never touched it again. The motion controls drove me crazy, and I wanted nothing to do with the game. This week I’ve had some free time, so I decided to go back and give it another run… I’m glad I did.

I think the biggest reason I was so turned off to Skyward Sword was that it set me up to love the game, then yanked it away with the controls. The game started, and I was blown away by how gorgeous the art style was. The impressionistic look to everything looks gorgeous, even for the Wii’s pathetic 480p display. Then the music kicked in, and all I could think was “wow”. Seriously, check out the main theme from Skyward Sword, it is beautiful. Anyway, ready to go, I ran around snagging cats and doing opening story bits, eagerly awaiting the chance to swing my sword with my new Wii MotionPlus. Finally, I had my sword and was ready to slice wood pieces in training… and I couldn’t hit a single one. I must have spent fifteen minutes trying to correctly use my sword before giving up and turning the game off, never to play again.

So now we fastforward to last weekend. With some free tiem on my hands, I decided to revisit Skyward Sword as I saw it sitting on my shelf. I’ve played every Zelda game that’s ever been released, many of them multiple times through. I knew the game had a great look and the story was genuinely interesting, so I needed to give it another shot. Firing it up, I started a new game and felt that same hook from November. It looked great, it sounded great, but I was afraid that I would give up again.

Thankfully, I was wrong about that. I’m still trying to figure out why I got so frustrated at Skyward Sword last fall. As I played through the opening scenes and headed into the first dungeon, the motion controls started to make more sense. While I’m sure some people may call it gimmicky, some of the puzzle and enemy designs that incorporated precise use of Link’s sword were well done. I enjoyed figuring out which direction I needed to slash my sword, and even some basic enemies made for tense fights with their blocking mechanics.

In retrospect, I wonder why I threw such a tantrum. Playing the game now, I find the motion controls to work most of the time, though I have gotten quite frustrated at several small issues. If I had taken the time to learn the amount of finesse required to play well, perhaps I would have been able to enjoy Skyward Sword back in November.

In the last four days, I’ve dropped over ten hours into Skyward Sword, and I can without a doubt say that it is shaping up to be one of my favorite games in the Legend of Zelda franchise. The story has gripped me; I need to know what happens next. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I cannot recommend it enough. And while I was already excited for the Wii U, now I can’t wait to see what Nintendo does with the next Legend of Zelda game on their new console.

The post Revisiting Skyward Sword appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

I doubt anyone would disagree with noted scholar John Gabriel’s theory above. We’ve all experienced people being jerks in online gaming. That guy in Call of Duty who insults your genitals, the rage-quitter in Defense of The Ancients, that one forum troll you hate… it’s something that’s just accepted as part of today’s modern online culture. It’s even gone so far as to start conversations about cyberbullying in the general public.

Now I’m not generalizing, a friend of mine prides himself on his near-saintly behavior towards others in online games. I’ve met many people who were perfectly pleasant and enjoyable to play with. I usually attempt to do the same. However, there’s one game that causes me to become a complete jerk, and I love it… and that game is Eve Online.

My entire focus in Eve is piracy. The group of people I play with spend our time flying around, looking for helpless people to jump on and attack. If we get to blow their ship up, cool. If we get to blow their escape pod up as well, even better. We celebrate killing people who are weaker than us, and cheer when we get hatemail or people post bounties on our heads. Granted, we also enjoy evenly matched PvP fights, and look for those as well. However, some of our favorite kills are against groups of helpless miners or players who have no idea what to do when we attack. Angry chats are shared on our forums; we revel in causing other people loss, even our website has a tracker of how much monetary damage we cause in each kill.

For example, last night I found a new character killing NPC pirates in a belt. I decided to grab a cloaking ship and sneak up right next to him, then uncloak and let loose with my autocannons. After a quick kill, he escaped in his pod and sent me an in-game mail full of anger and profanity. Of course, I shared this with my online corp members and we had a laugh. Later that night, I found him again and proceeded to chase him across the system until he fled to hi-security space. This followed with another angry in-game mail, which was subsequently shared with my friends. To that player, I was the jerk ruining his time and costing him money. I’m the bad guy… and I like it. Part of the enjoyment comes from making people lose time and money, and the anger that comes afterwards.

Piracy is considered a completely legitimate way to play Eve; we are definitely not the only ones out there blowing people up. However, the question still remains: does this playstyle make us jerks? Some, like our victims, may wholeheartedly agree. Others see it as a way to enjoy themselves. Often, I hear the excuse of “it’s just a game” thrown around, and I can’t help but disagree. I think that my enjoyment of causing people grief, even if it’s just in a virtual space, says something about my personality. Somewhere, deep in my head, I like pissing people off, and I would bet that most people would feel the same way. You can chalk it up to human nature, or culture, or whatever… the fact remains that part of me enjoys the unpleasantness I cause.

In the end, does this make me want to change my ways? Hell no. I love being a pirate, I love screwing with people, and most of all I love playing Eve Online. Some players enjoy creating things, or playing the markets to make money, or running empires in the far reaches of lawless space. I’ve found my niche in this game, and it’s blowing other people’s stuff up. If I harvest some tears in the process, even better.

The post Shedding Morality In Eve Online appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

I’ve made no attempt to obfuscate my love for Hi-Rez Studios. Creators of Tribes: Ascend, a worthy successor to one of my favorite game series, Hi-Rez has made a name for itself in the Free To Play market. Their next entry, Smite, is a DOTA clone with an interesting twist, and I recently got my hands on it for the first time.

First shown at PAX Prime last year, Smite is a MOBA, or as most people call them, DOTA clones. While at first it would be easy to judge the design as riding the wave of popularity that this genre currently holds, Smite offers some key differences that I believe show a great game in the making. The major difference is that the game plays in a third person perspective instead of an overhead RTS-style. You control your character with the standard FPS controls of WASD, and skills are bound to buttons 1-4 while basic attacks and vision use your mouse. This lets you get down close to the action and react quickly to the game, and I think it’s one of Smite’s strong points.

Now I love MOBAs… I’ve easily played over 1000 games of League of Legends and love the genre, but I think Smite is a breath of fresh air in terms of basic gameplay. The same formula is there: 3 lanes, minion waves, turrets… but the in-your-face action is fun and fast paced.

As always, anything is subject to change as the game is still in beta, but I think Hi-Rez has a real winner on their hands with Smite. I’ll admit, it probably won’t stop me from completely playing League of Legends, but it will be a welcome distraction. If you’d like to join in the fun, Hi-Rez has the game on preorder for $20. This will get you all but 2 of the playable characters and is $10 off the release price.

The post First Look: Smite Closed Beta appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Like our glorious Shogun and Mr Ryan T, I’ve also been on a No Hungy crusade. It’s no secret that I’m quite obese, and have been for many years. After being inspired by Xopher’s amazing No Hungy progress, I decided to take up the challenge, but with a low-carb spin on it.

First off, a short background: I’ve struggled with my weight since I was in high school, though as I’ve gotten older my weight has gotten out of control. In October of last year, I was within a pound or two of 400, and decided it was time to change. I started with a regiment of eating less and walking more, and the pounds slowly started to come off. When you’re 400 lbs and you lose 1 to 2 lbs a week, it’s hard to stay focused, and more often than not I overate and shot myself in the foot yet again. In 4 months, I had dropped 20ish lbs and was hovering around 375.

Depressed over my slow progress, I went to my doctor. We did some tests and it turns out that I was nearly pre-diabetic, with some major insulin resistance to boot. With this knowledge, I started studying blood sugar and what it meant to be resistant to insulin. Through these studies, the mantra of a ketogenic lifestyle was introduced to me. After a couple days of hard research, I decided to give it a try and see how it went.

Spoiler Alert: It’s been fantastic. I have lost about 20 lbs of body fat in 30 days, as well as 10 lbs of retained water. I have tons of energy and generally feel better. Hell, my old t-shirts are starting to fit again, and it’s all thanks to my ketogenic lifestyle change.

But what is a ketogenic lifestyle, you ask? Ketogenesis is a process your body goes through when you don’t introduce glucose to the bloodstream. This state is called ketosis, abbreviated to Keto. In ketosis, your body will produce compounds called ketones, which break down fatty acids for energy due to an absence of glucose in the blood. Since fat is not a prime source of energy, like carbs and sugar, your body will pull from fat stores to provide energy… and you lose weight.

While the above paragraph is a seriously condensed version of how Keto works, it covers the very basics. Living Keto is actually pretty simple, once you break it down into a simple list of key points to follow:

1: The No Hungy Rule Still Applies
Though Keto may sound like a “magic pill” diet, it’s not. You still have to follow the golden rule of No Hungy: Eat Less, Move More. Without following this rule, all you’re doing is overfeeding yourself and causing your body to store energy instead of burning it. Nobody loses weight eating 5000 calories a day.

To follow the rule of No Hungy, I use My Fitness Pal to track everything that I eat. Seriously, go check out my profile. This website is free, and has a free Android app that syncs to the website. It also has functions for building personal meals, and tracking weight loss and body fat. To follow the Move More part of the No Hungy mantra, I’ve begun parking a mile away from my office and walking instead of parking down the street. I wear my poor dog out with long walks when I can. I also do body-weight exercises, such as push-ups, burpees, and wall squats.

2: Nutrient Macros
For Keto to work, glucose must not be allowed to be produced in the body. Therefore, one must forgo carbohydrates and sugar as sources of energy. This is a difficult adjustment, as carbs are a large part of the American diet. In order to follow this, and receive proper caloric nutrition, the following nutrient macros are important. My diet is set up as such: 60% Fat, 35% Protein, ~5% Carbs. What this means is that I not only track the calories in my food, but also the source of these calories.

Ah, but why so much fat? Isn't high fat bad for you? Sure, if you let it sit in your body. But as long as you remain in ketosis and don't overeat, your body will burn that fat and then some of your stored fat for energy. Also, you should be eating good animal fats from meat, eggs, dairy, and nuts instead of unhealthy trans fats.

3: Low Carbs, High Fiber
Once again, cutting carbs is the point of this diet. I eat less than 20g of carbs a day, though other people eat up to 50g or even 80g while remaining in ketosis. This number is different for everyone, and though I could probably go higher I choose not to. 20g is a difficult number to stay under, though there is one magic rule: Fiber doesn’t count in your calculations. For example, a cup of green beans has 5g carbs, and 2g of fiber. 5-2= 3g of net carbs, which is what you count.

Fiber is a must on this diet. Without it, you will get constipated and it will be markedly unpleasant. The best sources of fiber are certain veggies and nuts. I usually eat a spinach salad every day for lunch, and at dinner have broccoli, green beans, or cauliflower. These veggies have some carbs, but you’d have to really pack them in to go over your limit as they are also high in fiber.

4: Drink Water
Most medical professionals agree that 8 cups, or about 2 liters of water is a recommended amount of water intake per day. A side effect of ketogenesis is that the body uses more water than normal to turn fat into energy. Because of this, I tend to drink between 3 and 4 liters of water every day. It also helps that water can curb your appetite when cravings hit.

Though you could consider this a brief overview of Keto, the major points above are the basics. By following this lifestyle plan, I’ve been able to change for the better. I must say that Keto is not for everyone, and by all means please consult a doctor before beginning this sort of major lifestyle change. Also, please read more into it. I was a skeptic at first, but through hard research and then trying it out, I discovered that it works great for me. If you are interested, I highly recommend the book Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. Another great resource is the Keto subreddit, which I am an active member of.

If anything, I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at my own spinoff version of No Hungy. Always remember that the rule of No Hungy applies: Eat Less, Move More. I’ve just tweaked my eating less. Hell, I’ve completely revamped it. If you’re interested or would like more information, check out the sources I’ve listed above, or feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to proselytize to anyone who’s interested.

And as this is a diet related post, I’d be remiss if I didn’t have a recipe at the end. These are a favorite of mine to make, though they are high calorie so they’re more of a treat. Even if you don’t subscribe to the low-carb way of thinking, these are an interesting take on an old favorite.

CREAM CHEESE PANCAKES
Makes 3-4 6 inch “pancakes”

2 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1 packet stevia sweetener (If you want. I don’t eat fake sugar so I skipped this ingredient)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Let rest for 2 minutes so the bubbles can settle. Pour 1/4 of the batter into a hot pan greased with butter or cooking spray. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, flip and cook 1 minute on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

You could serve with syrup and/or fresh berries. Since I don’t eat either, I put a little bit of peanut butter on two of them and it was a tasty part of dinner. The other one I saved for breakfast the next day, and used it as a wrap to hold eggs, spinach, and bacon. It was delicious, but they don’t really work well as wraps as they fall apart kind of easily.

Recipe Source

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Chris and Leon teaming up? SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

Though details on the gameplay itself are sparse, Capcom has announced Resident Evil 6, the latest entry in the popular third person action-adventure shooter. With this announcement comes a 3 minute trailer showing a smattering of fan-favorite characters in a new infected city. Of special interest is that both Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy seem to share the spotlight, and some other old characters are back as well (hopefully Ashley won’t be so useless this time around).

I enjoyed Resident Evil 5, even if the story was incredibly stupid. Though I’m all for Leon and Chris brofisting as they kill infected, hopefully Capcom can weave an interesting narrative instead of making the game a giant fanwank… though I’d probably still enjoy it. Check out the trailer below and let us know your thoughts!

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Part 2 of the amazing Super Robot Wars Z2 is eagerly anticipated by fans of the series, and these new scans looks awesome. The big feature this time is that your save game from Part 1 will transfer over, and give you bonuses in Part 2.

There are also even more robots being added to Part 2. These include:

I can’t wait to bust some alien face with Lelouche’s Shinkirō. Check out the rest of the scans in the gallery below!

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Is it weird that if I took a vacation to Japan, the first thing I’d want to visit is the life-size Gundam statue?

A few months ago, Youtuber darwinfish105 brought you a video of the famous Gundam statue in pieces. Now he documents the rebuilding of the 1/1-scale Gundam statue in Odaiba. It was originally built in Odaiba in July of 2009 and attracted 4.15 million visitors before it closed the following month. Then, the statue was rebuilt in Shizuoka — the self-described “model capital of the world” and the home of Bandai’s plastic model factories — from July of last year to March of this year. Now it’s back in Odaiba, hopefully to stay.

I have to admit, this would be one of the major stopping points in my theoretical vacation to Japan (also the school that was used as the model for K-On… I know, I’m a huge weeaboo.) Also, I found it kind of interesting that this statue builds kind of like a Gunpla model.

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Can I truly “review” a Massively Multiplayer Online RPG when my highest level character is only 18 out 50? Probably not… so I’ll just call this my “first” impressions of Star Wars: The Old Republic

I think that one of the most important parts of any game is the first 10 minutes. If you’re not having fun in that initial investment, then there is a problem, and it’s hard to get invested in the game. This is especially true in MMORPGs, where you’re kind of a weakling at level 1. There has to be an experience that works at level 1 as well as level 50, and it is not an easy thing to nail. I’ve played way more MMOs than I want to admit, and I’ve seen too many have that exact problem.

Star Wars: The Old Republic takes the starting zone, a usual bore, and instantly makes it interesting. Believe me, I’ve played through almost all of them. Each story starts with an interesting reason for you to be where you are, and to do what you’re doing. Let’s take my personal favorite example, the Republic Smuggler: You begin on Ord Mantell, in which you’ve smuggled weapons on your starship. You meet your contacts and head off to deal with some separatists that are fighting nearby and endangering your deal. When you return, one of the contacts has stolen your ship and flies it to the separatists, promising them the weapons in your smuggling compartments. This begins a trip across Ord Mantell to find out where this scumball is and to get your ship back. I won’t spoil the story, but I will say that Bioware did a great job of making you really hate the nerfherder that stole your ship.

Though that’s just one example, I have been very impressed with the introductory experience in SWTOR. While the Jedi and Sith ones are more “vanilla” (You’re at the Jedi/Sith academy to train in the ways of the force), they still manage to engage in interesting story lines. I will admit that it seems as though the developer put extra time and love into the non-force user storylines to make them compete with the fact that they are devoid of force powers. But who cares, I love shiving enemies with my Imperial Agent. The fact that I have 6 characters at level 10 or 11 (the end of the starting areas) is a testament to how much I’ve enjoyed it.

After that, you head to your respective faction’s capital planet and start the quest for your ship. Once you get that around level 15, the galaxy opens up and the game really starts to take off (insert snare here). While I haven’t spent much time in the post-level 15 part of the game, I am having a great time so far and must once again say that I was completely wrong about this game pre-launch.

While, in the end, Star Wars: The Old Republic is more of the same in terms of basic MMORPG gameplay, it manages to be a fresh and interesting look at a genre many have considered played out. Is the fact that it is Star Wars helping it along? Absolutely. However, the game manages to be an entertaining entry into a flooded genre, and I would recommended the experience I’ve had to any fan of MMORPGs.

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With Christmas just around the corner, I have a sneaking suspicion that I won’t get my yearly gift of socks if I don’t come clean.

Bioware, I’m sorry. For the last month, I’ve been going around the tubes and ripping on your upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. These hurtful comments were predicated on a stress test beta weekend that I participated in. I used comments like “buggy”, “themepark horsecrap” and “lag infested craptown”. After cancelling my Collector’s Edition preorder, I spread the gospel of Don’t Buy This Game.

And I was wrong. Thanks to Amazon not following through with their promise to revoke the pre-order codes that those who cancelled the game received, I’ve been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic for the last two days… and I love it. Yeah, I was right about many of the concepts being ripped straight out of World of Warcraft, but I thought that would matter to me… and it doesn’t. I’m having a blast with my arrogant asshole Smuggler, and the story so far has sucked me in. I hereby rescind all the mean things I said about SWTOR. Well, except the part about the buggy graphics. That still needs to be fixed.

So please Santa, don’t deny me my socks. I’m at that age where I cherish practical gifts.

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The creator of Dinosaur Comics brings us more absurdly amazing adventures from the land of Ooo this February!

The art will be done by Shelli Paroline (MICE, Muppet Snow White) and Braden Lamb with covers by Paroline and unannounced others. The first issue will contain 32 pages, with a $3.99 price tag.

Dinosaur Comics have been a staple of my mornings since as long as I can remember. Wake up, get some cereal, and read the latest entry on Qwantz. To quote Reggie “Beefburger” Fills-Aime: “My body is ready.”

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Ready for a taste of psychotic comedy genius? Hit the jump and check out 12 minutes of mind-bending insanity, all in the name of selling a video game.

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of the anti-comedy that is Tim and Eric, so I won’t spend time gushing over the amazing advertisement for Saints Row 3 that they’ve made. All I will do is implore you to watch it whilst chanting TALL CAT PARADE! TALL CAT PARADE!

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As if I wasn’t already completely sold on Saints Row 3, now we get an episode of the game’s killer Japanese game show done by WPR’s golden boys of comedy: Tim and Eric. To whet your appetites, a frighteningly amazing trailer lies behind the break.

On November 4th, Tim and Eric’s version of Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax will hit the internet. a Japanese game show inside Saints Row 3 that “pits you in a battle to the death against furry mascots and human hotdogs with a chance to win extraordinary prizes such as cash and the opportunity to not die.” Sounds like a blast to me. I think the trailer speaks for itself in terms of the insanity we will get to witness at the hands of Tim and Eric. All I can say is that my body is ready.

THQ has been pushing this pre-order DLC hard, and with advertisements like this, I’m totally behind them. Then again, I was the moment they announced the game… Saints Row 2 was one of the best co-op experiences I’ve ever had. November 15th can’t come soon enough.

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Yeah, I play World of Warcraft. Deal with it. And I’m freaking excited for this new expansion, because Pandas.

In the opening ceremony for Blizzcon 2011, the new expansion for WoW was announced. It will be called Mists of Pandaria. The features include:

Well, I’m stoked. Of course, knowing Blizzard Time™, it will be 2017 before the expansion comes out… and us addicts will wait with bated breath.

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One of PAX’s most popular events is now on the internet, and finally us plebeians can experience the wonder of Acquisitions Inc: The Last Will and Testament of James Darkmagic I

Aquisitions Inc is the name for Wil Wheaton, Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik, Scott Kurtz, and Chris Perkin’s infamous D&D group, and every year at PAX the play a live game in front of an audience. These sessions are hilarious, and this one is also quite tasty. I’m a huge fan of the old Penny Arcade D&D podcasts, and this session is more of that same great D&D-age. You can check out the session in both audio and video format at WOTC’s website.

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The greatest television show in history is back… or at least it’s on its way. You can start dancing in the streets now.

On Sunday, Mitchell Hurwitz and the cast of my favorite television show, Arrested Development, met for a panel at the New Yorker Festival. During the panel, Hurwitz announced that he has plans to write a 9 or 10 episode season of Arrested Development that takes place 5 years after the 3rd seasons finale. It will be a lead-in to a feature film that Hurwitz is currently writing.

The announcement was later confirmed by Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, and it looks like the entire old cast is on board. Though a network has not picked up the possible fourth season yet, Hurwitz is shopping it around, and both Showtime and Netflix are rumored to be interested.

I cannot truly express my excitement in words: Arrested Development is and will always be my favorite tv show, and I’ve been waiting for years to hear about the oft-rumored film. Anyone else freaking out as much as I am?

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More adventures of Atlas and P-Body? Oh hell yes!

Coming October 4th, Portal 2: Peer Review will add another co-op track to Portal 2′s already stellar co-op gameplay. There will also be new single player and co-op challenge maps, as well as leaderboards for both. The DLC will be for Steam, Xbox Live, and PSN, and all versions will be free. Oh Valve, how I love you so.

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I can bearly wait!

I know we’ve been slamming you guys with news about the upcoming Persona 4 games, but I had to post this debut trailer for Ark System Works upcoming fighter. Though the trailer doesn’t show any new characters, we get a good look at some gameplay and it looks sexy as.. well… Chie. ANYWAY, I’m beary excited for this game… are you? Between the anime, PSP Vita re-release, and this awesome looking fighter, the Persona 4 brand is making a big show in 2012.

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Well, that explains why my PC version kept prompting me to use the right analog stick…

Dead Island, a 4 player co-op zombie survival game, was released today. Unfortunately for Steam users (like myself), we received an early version of the game that was not meant for distribution. There are bugs and crashes everywhere, and pressing Y turns on noclip. This build also has references to Xbox controls.

Thankfully, Techland recognized the issue and has said that they will have the correct Gold build up on Steam and other digital distribution sites later today. Hopefully this fixes the problems, because underneath the crashing, buggy mess that I played this morning lies a really fun game.

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Some small details and screenshots have emerged about the new Persona 4 titles that Atlus announced a couple days ago, and I’m riding this hypetrain all the way to Funkytown.

First off, there are several new details and screenshots on the PSP Vita port of Persona 4, entitled Persona 4 The Golden. There will be new Personas, and several new events, like a Halloween party at Junes. Atlus is also adding about 50% more voicework to the game, and several new animated cutscenes (including the hotsprings event above). However, the biggest news is a new character named Marie, and a corresponding social link. The wonderfully low-res screens are below:

Ultimate Mayonaka Arena, the Persona 4 2D fighter being done by Ark System Works, also had some new screenshots and details drop. The game actually has a semblance of plot: “Two months after the conclusion of Persona 4, Teddie is promoting an event called the “P-1 Grand Prix” and announcing that various members of the Investigation Team will be participating.” Yousuke, Chie, and The Protagonist are confirmed characters, as well as Aigis from Persona 3. I’m guessing that Priestess Arcana slot is for Yukiko, but that’s just a hunch. Ultimate Mayonaka Arena hits arcades in Spring 2012 and Xbox/PS3 in Summer 2012. Check out the (once again lo-res) screenshots below:

All I can say is that my body is ready.

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BEST. NEWS. EVER.

Atlus has slammed us with some sexy news in the latest issue of Famitsu: Persona 4 is getting a PSP Vita remake, Persona 5 is in development, and Arc System Works (of Guilty Gear and Blazblue fame) is making a 2d fighting sequel to Persona 4. It’s ok, take a minute to catch your breath.

Now time for the sparse but delicious details: Persona 4‘s re-release, titled Persona 4 The Golden will have a new character named Mary, reworked animations, and “wireless support for calling on others to help you when you’re about to die in a dungeon”… whatever that means.

Persona 5 will feature all the main developers from Persona 4, including director Katsura Hasino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shouji Meguro.

And last but most certainly not least, Arc System Works’ Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena will be released in arcades in Spring 2012 and consoles in Summer 2012. The game will take place 2 years after the story of Persona 4, and will be released on both Xbox 360 and PS3. Though there are no specifics on a US release, Arc would have to be idiotic not to release here due to the popularity of the Persona series.

There’s not much more information, all I can say is that I’m fracking excited and, once again, will be letting Atlus take all of my money.

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If you owned a gaming PC in 1999, then you played Starsiege: Tribes. The fast paced aerial combat and skiing made it a hit, as well as its sequels. After 6 years, we’re finally getting a new Tribes from a new studio, and Hi-Rez has got a killer entry into the series on their hands.

The big news about Tribes: Ascend is that it is a free to play game. The business model revolves around 3 types of microtransactions: cosmetic purchases, unlocking classes quicker than playing the game, and xp boosts. There will be no “pay to win” items in the store; You can’t just buy a super gun or anything like that. Instead of doing full custom loadouts, Hi-Rez has decided to make the game class based with a leveling unlock system. As you play, you can unlock more classes, up to 15 at launch. Or, if you like, you can buy a couple classes and play them now.

The game itself plays just like Tribes should. One thing that I was worried about was the jetpack/skiing mechanic, but Hi-Rez has nailed it down. All the classic guns are in as well as some new one, and the spinfusor is back and better than ever. My only gripe is that each class can only carry 2 guns, which does limit your toolkit somewhat, especially on the faster classes that usually have one large gun and a weak pistol. Regardless, my game of CTF was fast paced and crazy. There are also 3 types of vehicles in the game, with more planned after launch.

I’ll admit, when I first saw that Tribes: Ascend was going to be a free to play game, I was apprehensive. However, my visit to Hi-Rez Studios booth has completely quelled those fears. This game is Tribes to the core, and Hi-Rez knows it. You can check out some off-cam footage of the game below, and go to the Tribes: Ascend website for more videos.

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One of the best parts of PAX is that indie developers get a chance to show off their games next to the big companies, giving everyone equal ground and letting us know about games we otherwise would not have heard of. I got the chance to swing by Grinding Gear Games’ booth and check out Path of Exile, their free to play action RPG, and its twist on the Diablo clone market has me very interested.

Path of Exile is, like Torchlight or Titan Quest, a Diablo clone. We’ve all played them before, we know how they work. So what sets it apart from other games of its kind? Most importantly, the game is free to play with a microtransaction model for cosmetic items only. Also, the game is ran server side instead of client side, like an MMO. This eliminates problems like hacking and item modding in other games of the genre. The most interesting feature is the skill system. Character skills are tied to socketed gems that go in every equipped items. These gems work like the materia system from Final Fantasy 7, leveling up as characters do and becoming more powerful. There is also a talent system, and as you gain experience you begin to unlock nodes of a grid that powers your character up. These upgrades boost your base stats and upgrade powers and abilities. This talent system is very reminiscent of the Final Fantasy X sphere grid.

Grinding Gear Games has a real contender on its hands in the action rpg market, and though the game is still pretty early, I liked what I saw. You can check out more of the game at their website, and sign up for the beta.

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Runic Games’ story is almost something out of an industry fairytale. Bringing a small group of people together and shipping Torchlight a mere 11 months later is no small feat. Now Runic is getting close to a release for Torchlight 2, and all I can say is that my body is ready.

In 2009, Torchlight took the PC gaming community by storm. The action rpg and unapologetic “Diablo clone” has sold over 1 million copies, and was a personal favorite of mine for 2009. Runic Games has aimed high for the sequel, and they’ve done a pretty damn good job. Torchlight 2 has taken the core of the original game and improved on the little points. A kickass redesigned UI, full multiplayer support, and new classes are the big bullet points here.

In my hands-on time, I got to play the Engineer, a tanky class that uses big 2-handed weapons. Leaping around smashing enemies with my hammer was hilariously fun, and I also had some pet robots to pour on the damage. The game supports 6 player dropin-dropout multiplayer, though Max Schaefer admitted to me that with the full mod tool set that ships with the game, players can modify that number along with anything other part of the game.

I’ll admit that I’m a big fan of the original, and I’m riding the hypetrain on Torchlight 2… but for a good reason. What I saw at PAX gives me every reason to be excited for a “this year” release, and you should to. Check out the trailer below for more Torchlight 2 goodness.

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Evan and Jeff play a hands-on game of League of Legends‘ new Dominion mode in front of hundreds of PAX attendees. Can our heroes squeeze a victory from the evil Red team?

League of Legends is a free to play MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena aka DOTA clone) that has taken off in the last year. Both Jeff Seale and I have become big fans of the game, and play regularly with a group of friends… so we were very excited to try the new game mode that Riot Games is releasing soon. Dominion is a spin on Capture The Flag, where two teams of five players fight to control five points across the map. The gameplay is sped up to make quicker paced games with more fighting. Our game lasted 20 minutes, where a regular game of LoL lasts anywhere from 30 to an hour+. The two teams fight to control the points and drain the enemy team’s points, and whoever loses all their points first goes home and cries to mommy.

Jeff and I had the chance to play a game with some other PAX attendees, and we had an absolute blast. The gamestyle is quicker paced and focuses on 1v1 and small group PvP fights. Jeff played Taric, a healing and support character, and I played Blitzcrank, a giant robot that is built to be annoying and disruptive to the enemy team. The game consisted mainly of us running around trying to stop the Red team from taking out our points, but in the end we were able to barely take down the other team. The fast paced action never stops in Dominion, and its an absolute blast to play. If you’re interested, you check out the League of Legends site.

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We kick off our PAX 2011 coverage with a look at one of the most anticipated games of 2011.

PAX 2011 is in full swing today, and the first game I got my hands on was The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. This latest entry in The Elder Scrolls series has much to live up to, and so far it looks to be a great game. I was able to get my hands on the Xbox 360 version. The control scheme was fairly simple, with B acting as a quick menu button to replace the tedious menus of Oblivion. Being able to switch spells and weapons on the fly is much easier, and there is a favorites menu that allows even quicker access. Any weapon or spell can be placed in either hand, allowing you to single or dual wield anything as you like.

The spells in Skyrim have been retooled and are really neat. I was only able to get my hands on a flamethrower and heal spell, but there was much fun to be had with both. The fire spell can be put in either hand and works as a flamethrower. As I was exploring the mountainside, I came across some ruins and ran into a tree elemental. I figured that fire would work well, so I equipped the fire spell into both hands and let lose a torrent of flames. Sure, it burned my magicka twice as quick, but it sure was fun to melt that leafy bastard.

I’ll admit I’m a huge Elder Scrolls fanboy, but I can say with earnest that 11/11/11 can’t come soon enough. The world of Skyrim is just sitting there waiting to be explored, and I can’t wait to light the entire place on fire.

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A free game! What more could you want?

I don’t have an iOS device, so I can’t say that I’ve played id Software’s RAGE HD, but a free game is always nice. RAGE HD is a first person shooter for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. This deal runs from today until August 25th, so head on over to the iTunes Store and get to downloading!

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Now you can waste even more time at work with Minecraft: Pocket Edition for Android phones.

This version of Minecraft is currently listed on the Android app store for $6.92 US, and is the basic world-building mode. It also features multiplayer with local wifi users. Sadly, adventure mode is not included yet, but since both the PC game and the Android version run on Java, I’m sure it’s not far behind. You can pick up the app at the official Android Market. I’m picking this up ASAP… anyone else interested in wasting more company time?

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2 venerable rogues and one fine gentleman enter Jeff and Evan’s apartment and consume all their pork.

So, Jeff and I were going to make a manly but healthy and well-rounded meal for my Manly Meal, but unfortunately we ran into some trouble. As we were beginning to prepare our dishes, a mustachioed gentleman broke into our apartment. He proceeded to call on two henchman, a ninja and a man referred to as The Masked Marshal. These rogues proceeded to beat the tar out of us and demand we cook them a feast worthy of Crom, so we did. Contained below is our unholy creation: The Aporkalypse

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts
4 Small Strip Steaks
3 lbs of Bacon, Thick Cut
1 box of Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes
1 container of Todd’s Dirt Seasoning
1 bag Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
Salt and Pepper
1 Hershey Chocolate Bar
1 phone for heart-related 911 calls

Set your oven to 400 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into 3 pieces each, place on baking pan. Wrap each piece of chicken in 1 bacon strip, use 2 if the piece is large. It should take about 1 lb of bacon to cover all the chicken.

The Ninja and The Masked Marshall were both very excited at this point, and took pictures commemorating the crimes against humanity we were committing:

The oven should be heated up by now, place the chicken/bacon abominations in the oven and set your timer for 50 minutes. Panfry the 4 small steaks on medium heat, after seasoning with Todd’s Dirt, salt, and pepper. Begin cooking the bacon in a large pan on medium to high heat, being careful not to scar your arm with grease burns.

Cook 1 pound of bacon crispy, and crush into small bits. The Masked Marshal felt it necessary to threaten us with his gun, hence the menacing piece next to said crushed bacon.

As you are cooking the bacon, get a large pan and make the Idahoan instant mashed potatoes according to the recipe on the box. I would have used real potatoes, but the Ninja slapped me and pointed towards the box. Once the bacon and potatoes are finished, mix the two in unholy matrimony. As you can see here, I was able to get some of my sentiment towards the aberration across.

Begin to cook the third pound of bacon, but cook for a shorter time to make the bacon less crispy. Once the steaks are done, place them on a plate and wrap in softly cooked bacon.

At this point, Jeff and I figured our blasphemous work finished, but the gentleman would have nothing to hear of it. He beckoned us to create yet another horror, and we obliged: Take a piece of uncooked bacon and split into half, and then one half into quarters. Take the two quarters and layer them into a cupcake pan.

Take a scoop of potato/bacon mixture, and place it into the bacon cup. Top with Colby Jack cheese and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. When finished, it should look something like this:

For desert, take a Hershey Chocolate bar and break it into quarter pieces. Then take the pieces and, unfortunately, wrap those in bacon too.

Until this point, the ringleader aka The Gentleman did not want to be photographed. However, at this point he and the Masked Marshall were so enthralled with our abomination that they didn’t even notice me take pictures as evidence. The Ninja was nowhere to be found…

Hopefully these pictures will lead these outlaws to justice. The atrocities committed upon our kitchen will not soon be forgotten, and I can only hope someone out there can help the police in their quest to save us from these mad scientists of the culinary arts. Until then, our hearts remained ruined and our arteries clogged.

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What better way to kick Crom Week off than with the movie based on the comic based on the book that started it all?

We’ve all seen Conan The Barbarian, so I’ll skip the summary and get straight to the beef: I haven’t seen this film in about 10 years, and there’s probably a reason for that. Though I recognize that this movie is a solid fantasy film, especially for the early 1980s, I just couldn’t get into it. Don’t get me wrong, in terms of the time period it is a classic, and I can appreciate it for what it is, but I personally didn’t find it super entertaining. The pacing is incredibly slow, and I found myself wondering several times if it whole sets of scenes were necessary to tell the film’s story.

All that being said, Conan The Barbarian does have its high points. The action scenes are notably well done despite their lack of special effects, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is a believable Conan. However, the slow pacing and lack of good storytelling made this 2 hour film a hard one to finish, and I’m not sure if I can recommend Conan The Barbarian to those who missed it. Check out the classic clip below, and then unleash your hate-filled comments.

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Flashbacks and explosions and wargames, oh my!

September 13th marks the release date of the highly anticipated Red Orchestra: Heroes of Stalingrad, and Tripwire Interactive has put out a new trailer to tease fans waiting for the game. While the trailer doesn’t show anything new, it is somewhat amusing and worth checking out if you’re a fan of the game. I’m a big fan of the first game, and can’t wait to get my WW2 on in this next iteration of the hardcore shooter series.

The post Red Orchestra 2 Coming Soon, Shows Off New Trailer appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Out of all of the 1960s themed zombie killing, surf rocking, strategy games that I have played (literally gazillions of them), Atom Zombie Smasher takes the cake.

In all seriousness, Atom Zombie Smasher is a fantastic PC indie game that I got my hands on this week. At its core, it is a type of tower defense and strategy game hybrid. You pick an infected city from the world map and use whatever strategic resources you are given to save the survivors and kill Zed. The game plays somewhat like a tower defense game. As you play the game, you gain access to resources like artillery, barricades, snipers, mines, and other weapons and tools. For each mission, the game chooses 3 of them for you to use. You must strategically place and use these around the city before the mission starts. Once you hit go, zombies starts pouring into the city and you must save as many survivors as possible by airlifting them out. As the game progresses, your score is added against the zombies, and you both gain victory points. Whomever reaches a set limit first wins the game. Points also let you earn upgrades and new weapons.

Though the core gameplay is a blast, the real winner in Atom Zombie Smasher is the style and music. The game gives a farcically serious vibe, while some badass surf rock constantly kicks butt in the background. There are also short motion comics called “vignettes” that recount the tale of how Zed came to eat the living.

At a mean $15, Atom Zombie Smasher is a must buy funfest. There’s even 3 player co-op, though I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet. I’ve been playing the crap out of it the last few days and you should too. If you pick up the Humble Indie Bundle 3 today (it ends in about 5 hours), you also will get a copy of it for free! Still not convinced? Check out the trailer below.

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Get your Miku on!

J-Pop’s rise in popularity in the United States is not something to take lightly, and much of that can be attributed to bands using Vocaloid. Between Toyota’s commercials featuring Hatsune Miku, J-Pop bands getting on US Amazon and iTunes stores, and our own version of The World Is Mine concert, J-Pop has risen to a legitimate music genre here in the States. For this reason, Vocaloid will be the featured topic of the 2011 J-Pop Summit Festival in San Francisco.

The 2011 J-Pop Summit Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, August 27th- 28th in San Fransisco’s Japantown. There will be panels and featured performances by ZANEEDS, a supergroup of popular Vocaloid performers that have made many popular songs, DJ AMAYA, and Danceroid, a group of 4 Japanese girls with very popular choreographed dances to popular Vocaloid songs. If you’re interested, you can get more information here.

This conference sounds like a lot of fun, and if I wasn’t going to be at a little show called PAX Prime that weekend, I’d seriously consider checking it out.

The post Bay Area Hosts J-Pop Conference, VOCALOID To Be Featured appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

The Penny Arcade Expo has always been known for having fantastic keynote addresses, and this years looks like it won’t disappoint.

David Jaffe, lead designer of the God of War and Twisted Metal series will be delivering the speech. An outspoken designer, Jaffe is known for his direct involvement with the video game fanbase and his candid remarks on the industry.

PAX has also announced the musical lineup for this year, and as always it fails to disappoint. I’m very excited to see first time acts The Video Game Orchestra and Supercommuter, as well as returning acts like Metroid Metal. The entire list of performers is as follows:

• Jonathan Coulton
• MC Frontalot
• Metroid Metal
• Minibosses
• Paul and Storm
• Supercommuter (first PAX Prime appearance)
• The Video Game Orchestra (first PAX Prime appearance)

As always, PAX Prime will be the must-attend event for gamers this year. Jeff Seale and I will be rocking the convention with news and impressions of all the latest in the gaming industry, and we can’t wait.

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The sequel to one of the best multiplayer PC shooters out there, Red Orchestra 2 hits shelves and digital download services on August 30th.

The Red Orchestra series is Tripwire Interactive’s answer to the “WW2″ shooter. It boasts realistic features like advanced bullet physics, no crosshairs, and authentic tank armor modeling. Red Orchestra 2 adds new realism features, for example there is a new first person cover system combined with blind firing, which I got to check out at last year’s PAX.

Tripwire has also announced that they will be using a combination of Punkbuster, Valve’s VAC, and PBBans to beat cheaters and hackers. Competitive multiplayer PC games have always struggled with script kiddies and cheaters, so I’m glad Tripwire is taking a very harsh stance on cheating.

I’m definitely looking forward to August 30th, Red Orchestra is one of my favorite PC multiplayer games and the sequel is shaping up to look even better. Anyone else out there excited?

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Submit to your cute robot voice overlord!

It’s a good day for fans of Hatsune Miku and Supercell. Today, you can pick up Supercell’s first album on the US iTunes or Amazon MP3 store. The first single from the album, THE WORLD IS MINE, has been on these stores since March, and hit number 4 on the iTunes world chart.

I’m a huge fan of Supercell, and even though I’ve “had” their music for a long time, I’ll definitely be hitting up a legit purchase of their first album, especially at 8 bucks on Amazon. Will you?

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Love him or hate him, Duke Nukem had something to do with most of our childhood gaming experiences. Duke Nukem 3D was a defining moment, a fun and raunchy experience my 10-year old self had never seen the likes of. And now, 12 years after it first was announced, Duke Nukem Forever has landed… but is it worth your time and money?

Sadly, I can’t just give you a yes or no answer. DNF has so many ups and downs that trying to attach a basic buy or no buy label to it is very difficult. This game is so mired in controversy and hype that it is very tough to be objective… especially since I’ve been a fan of Duke since I was a kid. So let’s get the basics out of the way:

Obviously, this game is very lowbrow and scatological in its humor. The game opens with Duke taking a piss, then walking into a locker room to discuss Operation Cockblock with some Earth Defense Force soldiers. Now this is one thing I love about DNF: it does not stray from the downright stupid humor of its predecessor. It pulls no punches when it comes to how over the top and absurd it is. For example, every boss has a death scene after you shoot their health bar to zero, and one in particular falls to his knees when you do so. Then, Duke walks up and proceeds to use the boss’s testicles as punching bags. Stupid? Yes. Did it make me laugh? Unfortunately, yes. I love that 3D Realms and Gearbox hit the lowest common denominator with the humor, it’s the way Duke should be. There are a few scenes that have made some people angry and offended, but this is Duke Nukem. It’s supposed to be offensive. If people hate the game because of its humor, then this is not a game for them.

Unfortunately, the humor is pretty much all Duke can stand on, at least when compared to modern games. I’m sure you’ve heard some say that Duke Nukem Forever plays like a 12 year old FPS. Well, they’re right. The guns have no recoil, and the enemies either stand and shoot or rush straight at you. The few times the AI does more than stand there is in heavily scripted events, like when Duke is stuck in a portable trailer and some pigcops jump on it and begin to shake it. The game feature several driving sequences, and though the ones in Duke’s monster truck are somewhat bland and have shoddy controls, I did enjoy the level where Duke is shrunk down and has to drive an RC car around a destroyed casino, dodging enemies and falling rocks.

Another major pet peeve I had with the game was that Duke can only carry two weapons at a time. I know it’s a small thing to be unhappy about, but that really bugs me that the world’s most badass dude can only carry 2 guns instead of all of them. It felt really odd against the backdrop of a world that worships Nukem.

As far as how the game looks, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gearbox took the old 3D Realms code, cleaned up the models, and made it compatible with the latest hardware. The graphics are nothing special, and the static prerender backgrounds are very noticeable in 2011… once again going back to the “game stuck in the 90s” complaint many have had. Everything just feels rough around the edges.

This roughness brings me to an observation I made over and over while playing this game. Gearbox Software has put out games with more polish and quality than Duke Nukem Forever. Games like Borderlands and the Brothers In Arms series were of a much higher caliber… so what happened here? It seems to me that Gearbox spent their time updating and cleaning DNF‘s code instead of making it a better game. The reason that Duke Nukem Forever feels like a 12 year old game is because it is a 12 year old game with a fresh coat of paint. After all, Steve Gibson, the VP of Marketing for Gearbox, was quoted by Ars Technica as saying “This is an execution of 3D Realms’ design. We didn’t redesign the game at all. We took their concept, their design, and their ideas, and we finished them. We polished them and executed on them.” One of the glaring examples is the puzzles in the game. The action is broken up with basic physics puzzles that serve to frustrate more than entertain. 12 years ago, moving barrels to the other side of a bridge to raise it would have been cool, now it’s just tedious.

So once again we come to the important question of this review: Is Duke Nukem Forever worth your time and hard earned money? Who cares, because you’ve already made up your mind. If you like the stupid humor of the Duke Nukem series and don’t mind playing a game straight out of 1999, then you’ll probably enjoy DNF. If you want to see why no game should be released after 12 years and 3 developers, then Duke Nukem Forever is a lesson. However, don’t get me wrong: I do not regret the 100 bucks I dropped on my Balls of Steel edition. That resin bust of Duke was worth it.

I enjoyed my time with DNF, but that may be the MST3ker in me; my love of bad entertainment has been known to cloud my judgement before. I feel like I need to say it again and emphasize:Duke Nukem Forever is not a good game. It’s not even mediocre; It’s straight up bad. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, I know I sure did.

If you want to play a game that has the spirit of Duke but has great gameplay, then in all honesty you should skip DNF and check out the under-appreciated Bulletstorm. It has all the raunchiness of Duke Nukem and fantastic gameplay to match.

As an aside, I’d love to see is a Duke Nukem game built from the ground up by Gearbox. I think they nailed the over the top spirit of the series, and a Duke Nukem game that plays as hardcore as its attitude would be a welcome sight.

The post Review: Duke Nukem Forever appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Though I am usually against renting, the fact that Aniplex decided to put all 7 OVAs of Kara no Kyoukai on PSN is freaking sweet, as even the casual anime watcher should check this series out.

For the uninitiated, Kara no Kyōkai is a seven episode OVA series based on light novels of the same name. Here’s the part where I’d give a minor opening plot summary, but in this case I really can’t for fear of ruining it. Garden of Sinners, as it is known on PSN, is a supernatural action anime with elements of both the thriller and horror genre. The animation is gorgeous, almost surreal at times, and makes the series that much better. It’s hard to explain without showing, so here’s a 5 minute clip of a fantastic scene from he first film.

Currently, you can rent each episode individually on PSN for 2.99 an episode. While it’s better than paying 400 dollars for the Blu-ray set (no joke, and it’s currently sold out), the biggest issue here is that the rentals are not in 1080p… which really defeats one of the shining points of the OVAs. However, if you’re just looking to check out a great series, or don’t have a 1080p television, then perhaps you should check out this much cheaper alternative on PSN.

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Because us mecha nerds can’t get enough Gundam, Bandai has thrown some new details about the newest entry in the long running franchise, titled Gundam AGE. Hit the jump to check out the new details and a video preview.

So far, we know that this new series will take place in yet another timeline, known as A.G. (Advanced Generation). The show will feature 3 main characters who pilot the titular Gundam AGE-1 over the course of 100 years. These pilots, who are family (grandfather, father, and son) fight in the One Hundred Year War, and pass the Gundam down to each subsequent child throughout the war. Not many other details are known about the plot.

I’m really digging the old-school art style that Gundam AGE has, even if it’s fairly obvious that this Gundam series is meant to be more of a kid’s show. The last several iterations of Gundam have been fairly, for lack of a better word, emo… so a more lighthearted series could be a welcome change. Also, video game company Level 5 (Dark Cloud, Professor Layton) is working on some of the animation and CGI for the show. Level 5 is also working on an RPG for the series, though there are almost no details on the game so far.

And for the haters out there that aren’t digging a more cartoony look and want more of Jesus F. Gundam, don’t be disheartened. Bandai is working on a completely different Gundam series as well, with details on this other entry dropping on June 25th.

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Finally, my and Xopher’s favorite synthesized singer is legal in the good ol’ US of A.

Viz has acquired the license to Hatsune Miku, meaning that we will soon see a flood of Miku products into the US, especially with the big concert that’s going down at Anime Expo next month. Miku is a moneymaker in Japan, with more products and sales than one can count.

This announcement comes on the heels of Supercell’s first US release album, Supercell Featuring Hatsune Miku, which will drop June 21st here in the states. Supercell is a Japanese band that features Miku as the vocalist for some of their songs.

It will be interesting to see exactly what products Viz brings over. Personally, I’m hoping we get a translation of Project Diva, the PSP games based on Miku’s most popular music.

The post Viz Snags Rights To Hatsune Miku, Prepare For The Vocaloid Invasion appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

First it was Rescue Rangers, then Darkwing Duck, now Boom Studios has revived another mainstay of our childhoods and brought back Ducktales as a comic. Even better, the comic is written by the legendary Warren Spector. But does this comic solve a mystery, or perhaps rewrite history? Well… no. But it is worth checking out.

The last time I reviewed Boom Studio’s Disney comics, I praised Darkwing Duck Annual #1 for its mix of old-school Disney cartoon goofiness with a gritty story. Though I don’t think these revival comics need to take the content in a new direction, it was really neat to see that. On the other hand, Ducktales #1 may as well have been still frames from an episode of the show. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not; they are two different things. Darkwing Duck was written for the original fan in mind: adults who loved the series as a kid, and are ready to see Darkwing tackle tough issues, albeit with some slapstick thrown in. Ducktales, on the other hand, is definitely written for children. Once again, this is not a bad thing at all, but you do have to take that into account when you read it.

The plot centers around Scrooge McDuck’s new museum exhibit in which he shows off his collection of oddities and treasures from his years of traveling. Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webbigail start to have a crisis of conscience as they realize that many of Scrooge’s treasures were obtained through less than honest means. They eventually convince him to return some of the more controversial items to their rightful owners, but there’s trouble afoot as someone looks to snag the treasures in transit.

Speaking of the writing, the author is none other than Warren Spector, whose resume includes Wing Commander, System Shock, Deus Ex, and the Thief series. Coming off his latest work, Epic Mickey, it’s clear that Spector intended this to be a kid’s comic, and it works. The writing is simple, but I can totally see this being an episode of Ducktales, and that’s what works.

The only gripe I have with this comic, and it is a small one, is that the comic spends most of the time setting up the story for this arc. The action doesn’t really kick in until the very end. Now, most first issues are going to be this way, so it’s not a big deal, but be forewarned that the first 75% is mainly dialogue and setup. Granted, it’s well written for the subject matter and demographic, but it is mostly setup.

For an SRP of 4 dollars, I’d say that Ducktales #1 is worth adding to your collection if you are a fan of the series, or have kids that would be. The mix of adventure with a moral lesson is, as I remember, what the cartoon was all about, and it’s what makes this comic an excellent addition to the Ducktales franchise.

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Because you can never get enough ICO, Miyabe Miyuki’s acclaimed novelization of the PS2 masterpiece is coming to our side of the Pacific in August.

ICO: Castle in the Mist is Miyabe’s personal take on the story of ICO, and was originally printed in 2002. Haikasoru, VIZ’s sci-fi novel print shop, is translating the novel and releasing it in the US this August. You can check out a excerpt here. I’m a huge fan of ICO and will probably pick it up… how about you?

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