The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

Today is the day when I finally get to see the new movie The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. I am excited to see Douglas Adams classic story put on the big screen. I know there have been some early negative reviews, but I will not let that dampen my spirits. I am a big fan of all 5 books of the Hitchhikers Trilogy (a fan will know the meaning behind that) and have reread them many times over the years. So tonight I get to make my own decision, If it is bad I will admit it but still look upon the story fondly. If it is good then "Boo YA" to all you so-called professional movie critics. I will let you know the verdict after I see it.

"Don't Panic !"

Also you only have 2 more days to enter for the free dvd giveaway. Winner will be drawn on May 1st. Good luck to all.

Buckaroo Banzai : Part 2

Last week I looked at the original Buckaroo Banzai movie and its effect on pop-culture and movie history. This week I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak with Joe Gentile, Editor In Chief of Moonstone, who at this time is working on a new Buckaroo Banzai comic series. Joe was also kind enough to forward the above image which is a page of new art from the new series, seen for the first time here.

1)BB was a bomb as far as a theatrical money maker, but has gained a incredible cult following since its release onto video/dvd. Why do you think this occurred and where you a fan from the theatrical or subsequent video release?

Yes, I went to see it upon its theatrical release. I dug it right away. It was basically a comic book on film, with a dose of pulp magazine thrown in for good measure!

I grew up reading The Shadow, Doc Savage and The Avenger novels, so BB played out like an updated version of those.

2)Why do you think it is still so popular?

Well, it certainly does appeal to a certain kind of sense of humor, for I laughed out loud many time, but some folks just don't get it.

Its got elements of SCi-Fi, comics, pulps, comedy, drama, and the kitchen sink!
Really everything one can possibly want.

It also starred some pretty big names that weren't very big at the time, so the casting was good: John Lithgow, Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, etc! Think of what a movie like that would cost today!

I guess its just a fun movie!


3) What prompted you to seek out the rights to produce a new BB comic and was it a difficult process?

Seeking rights to anything can be quite the pain. BB was on my list when we started tracking down properties, but we couldn't make sense out of who owned what. We had many fans request that we look into it, and eventually one fan took it into his own hands to get us in touch with the right people.

It took a couple years (!), but out of the blue I got a phone call from director WD Richter, and off we went!

With almost any movie or TV project, the rights are a convoluted mess.

4) Will your stories follow the film premise or will you be adding new and original material?

Well, our story was written by BB's creator (Mac Rauch). It was originally intended for a TV movie in the late 1990s, but nothing ever came of it.

We took that story, and gave it some of our own Moonstone Magic, and voila! A cool NEW BB story, written by BB's creator, that remains VERY true to the original integrity of the film!

5) Who will be working on this new title?

Who wont be might be the question! NO, really, lets see.

Max Rauch, WD Richter, and myself are handling the writing aspect.
David Tischman (of DC/Vertigo American Century fame) will be editing.
The pencils will be handled by Stefan Thompson (of Dark Horse's Star Wars), with the inks by Keith Williams (Who inked Marvels adaptation of the filme many moons ago!)
Cover will be by: Matt Haley, Michael Stribling, David Michael Beck, and maybe more.
Colors are TBA.

6) Will this be a ongoing series or a mini-series?

This will start out as a 3 issue mini series.

7) When is the new issue slated for release?

The schedule is not set in stone yet, but we hope for Fall.

8) Moonstone has gathered quite a stable of cult figures including Kolchak and The Phantom, are there any new properties you are aquiring that you can tell us about?

We are nibbling on a few other licenses, but its too early to tell
I CAN tell you that we have quiet a FEW other cool things coming out soon:

The BIG Kolchak/Sherlock Holmes mini series!
The Kolchak prose short story collection!
Chuck Dixon gives us a Wyatt Earp vs The Cisco Kid face off!
A fully painted Phantom GN by Doug Klauba!
New titles: Lai Wan, Mummy, Revisionary, etc!

I can't wait for the release of this new comic. It has been many years since Buckaroo's last comic appearence in the Marvel movie adaptaion, and a new original story is long overdue. If you would like to know more about this title or any of the other cool books put out by Moonstone, make sure to check out thier website at www.moonstonebooks.com . Also look for the Moonstone crowd live at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con and at Wizard World Chicago in August.

I would like to thank Mr. Gentile for giving up some of his time for this article and for the piece of exclusive new art seen above.

New Release Tuesday !

It's Tuesday once again and time for some new DVD releases. With over 60 DVD titles being released this week, I have just picked a few to showcase.

Blade Trinity:The 3rd installment in the Blade series and supposedly the last Blade movie. This time we have Blade going up against the grand-daddy of all Vampires. But this time he has help from The Nightstalker played by Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds. This movie was written and directed by David Goyer who has also written the new Batman Begins movie. This 2-disc unrated edition adds 11 minutes of additional footage and has several featurettes, a blooper reel and a much darker alternate ending.

Darkness:This movie hung in limbo for a few years before finally being released in 2004. It is a Spanish produced film that was made in 2002 but couldn't get distributed at the time. Film stars Anna Paquin (X-Men) in a twist on the haunted house story. No spoilers given here. It is not a groundbreaking story and the acting seems forced at time, but it is one of the most beautifully filmed movies in a long time. Very moody with amazing use of color and texture.

Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events:I have to start off by saying I am a big fan of the books that this film springs from and was a little weary when it was announced that Jim Carrey would be starring as the villain Count Olaf, but all my fears where unfounded and it is a wonderful movie. It squeezes the first 3 books into 1 movie and doesn't drop the ball and stays true to the original material. The costumes and sets have a "Tim Burton" feel to them and the actors chosen to portray the Baudelaire orphan nail the roles, especially Emily Browning as Violet. The 2-Disc SE includes tons of featurettes and 11 deleted scenes. This is a great movie for adults and kids alike.

ER-Season 3:Not much needs to be said about one of the greatest TV series of all time. You get 22 episodes on 6 discs. My only pet peeve about this show is that I have been to Cook County Hospital ER and it does not look anything like the set used for the show. :)

Quartermass:This might not be as well known as some high-budget sci-fi films around, but it is a must see for any true buff. Made in 1975, it is a true testament to British TV film-making by making a truly amzing movie on a very low budget. This time we find Prof. Quartermass coming out of retirement to investigate a strange Alien force threatening the Earth. It is set in the not so distant future where England is in ruin from war and ecological disaster. This DVD features all 4 parts of the original TV mini-series and also includes the very rare, slightly edited, theatrical release version which was called The Quartermass Conclusion. Also included is a episode of the History Channel In Search Of show "Enduring Mystery of Stonehenge. If you get a chance also take the time to check out Quartermass and The Pit and Quartermass 2.

Now I must turn off my computer and once again become comatose in front of my TV while playing the newly released maps on HALO 2.

"Have A Nice Day !"

DVD Give-away update and HALO 2 Maps.

Only 6 more days to get your entry in for the DVD give-away of Caddyshack. So far I have 36 entries and the winner will be posted on May 1st, so keep watching this site. I am working on a new give-away prize for May.

On a gaming note, the first 4 of the new HALO 2 multi-player maps will be released today starting about 9am. They will start branching out to all servers, so everyone should be able to get them before the end of the day. Downloads may run slow so be patient. 2 of the maps will be free, with 2 more costing $5.99. The new maps will only be available for custom play until next Monday when the new playlist update comes out. After that the 2 free maps will be in the playlist. If you are the patient type (which I am not) you can wait until June 28th when all the new maps will be free on XBOX live.

No new post yet,,,sorry.

Hello to all and I hope you are all having a good start to your weekend. No big post today. I am working on some new ideas for the coming week so keep checking back. Also I recieved my new Dell laptop in the mail yesterday so I have been working on getting it uploaded with firefox and all the other programs I use.

"We came,we saw,we kicked its a$$"

Web Sites to check out !

Just a quick post today. I am dead tired after trying to work 12 hrs and then try to finish the porch I'm building onto my house. These are 2 very interesting web-sites, they are not new, but they pack a lot of content and you can spend hours just cruising through them.

ifilm.com This is a great site for any videophile. It offers thousands upon thousands of video and movie clips as well as assorted info on the same. They offer different categories to choose from and always have feature videos on the main home page that change by the hour. This is also one of the only places to see tons of fan-made films featuring comic heroes, Star Wars, Matrix and more. My favorite spot on this site is the Viral Videos section. This offers a always changing assortment of video shorts on just about every topic you can think of. From news bloopers to chase scenes to homemade funnies. There are a sections dedicated to movies, music videos, fan-made and even an adults section. Site supports WMP,REAL and QT, and will self set itself to your computers settings. You can really lose track of time while surfing this site, so set your watch and have fun.

Movie-List.com This site is one thing only, movie trailers. They offer movie trailers for new movies and a well stock library of classic trailers. Most are hosted and can be downloaded to your computer, while others are streamed or linked directly to the official movie page. I have never had a problem with this site and it is a daily stop for me while surfing. If you are a movie buff, or just want to check out a movie trailer for something you thought about going to see, this is the site for you.

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all those who have been reading my site and invite all those BlogExplosion readers to stick around for more than 30 seconds and just maybe you will find something interesting. Also don't' forget to enter my free give-away for the Caddyshack DVD. Drawing will take place on May 1.

New Release Tuesday !

Well, it's Tuesday again and time for another round of new releases. There are many good releases this week and a few gaming tidbits.

Birth : Nicole Kidman stars in this somewhat slow but entertaining reincarnation story.

House Of Flying Daggers : My #1 pick of the week. Director Zhang Yimou, who gave us the visually stunning Hero does it again with this movie. This is more of a moving oil painting than a movie. The use of setting and color is just amazing, and add in the outrageously beautiful Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon and Hero) and this is a must-see movie experience.

Meet The Fockers : The mis-adventures of Gaylord Focker continue. This time we are introduced to his parents who are played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand. The DVD contains 2 versions of the movie (theatrical and extended) with 65 Bloopers and over 20 Deleted scenes. A very entertaining sequel to Meet The Parents.

Primer : Here is my #2 pick of the week. This movie was the Grand Jury Winner at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Shane Carruth on a whopping buget of $7,000.00. Shane shows us that a amazing movie does not have to cost millions. This is a thinking-mans time-travel movie and will cause many a discussion between viewers after its done, much like the original Donnie Darko.

XXX Uncensored Unrated Director's Cut : Well, if that isn't a mouth full. This is more of a promotional tool for the release of the new XXX:State of the Union movie than a new look at this movie. Don't get me wrong, I loved the first movie, call it a guilty pleasure. But this 2-disc set only adds 8 minutes of additional scenes and over half the special features are about the new movie. There is a short on disc 2 entitled "The Death of Xander" which bridges the story gap between the two movies. You have Vin playing a bad-boy James bond and Asia Argento attempting to act,,come on, how can you go wrong.

Miracles-The Complete Series : This TV series aired during the 2002-2003 season and was cancelled after 6 episodes. It was almost a carbon copy of the X-Files with more a a slant toward spiritually oriented stories. The main character worked for the Catholic Church and investigated miracles. The 4-disc dvd collections features the 6 original episodes plus the remaining 7 that where never broadcast.

Riding The Bullet : Another Stephen King made for tv movie comes to dvd. This adaptation of King's first ebook was directed by Mick Garris who helmed the great adaptation of the Stand. This was a good book, but sure didn't make a good movie.

On the gaming front the major news this week was the release of the long awaited HALO 2 auto-update for XBOX live. This update corrects glitches and cheats that where present in the initial release. Also the new map downloads have been slated for a Monday April 25 release.

Unreal Championship 2:The Liandri Conflict : This XBOX release finally gives us a sequel to the first Unreal. With updated graphics and a new melee system this looks to be a great game and will be a monster on XBOX Live.

Buckaroo Banzai : Part 1

Attention all Blue Blaze Irregulars, Dr Banzai needs your help in locating the dastardly Red Lectroids !

If you followed that last sentence then you are part of a very large following for one of the biggest cult movies to hit the silver screen in the last 20 years. In 1984 a movie with the extremely long title of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eight Dimension premiered to so-so reviews and a somewhat decent box office take. It starred a whos-who of great acting talent with Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Lloyd. But even with all this talent the critics still couldn't agree, was it a Sci-Fi adventure, was it a comedy, was it a documentary? im actuality it was all of those and more rolled up into one amazingly fun and enjoyable movie. We thrilled to watch Buckaroo Banzia (adventurer,musician and brain surgeon) and his group of Hong Kong Cavaliers which included
reno, New Jersey, Perfect Tommy and Rawhide. We hissed and booed at the evil Red Lectoids with their inconspicuous human names of John Bigbooty (that's BUUTAE) and John Smallbottom. And lets not forget the ever impressive Banzai Institute and the band of reserves named The Blue Blaze Irregulars. You have to look at this movie from the stance that nothing is ever as it seems. Buckaroo drives his rocket car into the side of a mountain and enters the 8th demension and comes out the other side alive, but in doing so brings back something with him and our wild story begins. John Lithgow as the evil Dr. Lizardo gives the best campy villain performance ever and wants to steal Buckaroos Overthruster and help the Red Lectoids take over the earth. As with my other movie rants I hate to give away too much story so that those who have never seen it can enjoy it without spoilers, so lets look at other aspects of the movie.

So what happened? It didn't last long in theatres or gain the sales to make it a blockbuster hit, in fact it was considered a box-office bomb and Sherwood Studios went bankrupt shortly after its release, and put the movie and sequel rights into a legal limbo which still lingers today. The movie hit its true stride when it hit the home video market and became a cult favorite much like 1979s Mad Max and The 5th Element. In 2001 MGM fought through mountains of red tape to release a Special Edition DVD to expose a new generation to Buckaroo. The DVD was loaded with tons of extras including scenes of Jamie lee Curtis playing Buckaroo's mother from a flashback sequence that was cut from the original release as well as several other deleted scenes.

This was a movie that has firmly planted itself into pop-culture. There are still active web-sites that update weekly about Buckaroo Banzai, with the main official site www.banzai-institute.com . You can go to any Sci-Fi or Comic Convention and still find patches and other Buckaroo merchandise. In 1987 the prop for the "oscillation overthruster" was used as a "spectral analyzer" in a episode of Star Trek:TNG. Nods to Buckaroo have been given in shows as recent as Fox Networks hit show 24. Recently Moonstone Comics has announced an all new comic series based on the characters from the movie and should be very sought after by all Buckaroo Banzai fans. Take the time to sit one Saturday night and watch this move, watch it twice, even three times. You will see and hear something new every time. It's just plain outright fun and can be seen by all ages.

Coming Soon : "Buckaroo Banzai vs The World Crime League". Just kidding, but keep an eye out for Part 2 of the post. I will have the opportunity soon to speak with Joe Gentile, the owner of Moonstone Comics and writer of the new Buckaroo Banzai comic series and ask some questions and gather some info on the new series. I also have a piece of new art from the series that has never been posted anywhere else.

Future Theatrical Release : Land Of The Dead

In 1968 a movie was released that would change the face of horror movies forever. It was a low budget black and white film from Pittsburgh called Night Of The Living Dead. Now, almost 37 years later George Romero is finally release the 4th movie in his Dead series.

The new movie is titled Land Of The Dead and takes place after events of 1985s Day Of The Dead. In this bleak future the Zombie hordes have pretty much taken over the earth and the un-infected survivors live within a walled city. The rich and influential citizens live in sealed skyscrapers and the rest are forced to live it out down below. The city is protected by a giant tank-like vehicle named Dead Reckoning, that has the firepower of a small army and is able to venture out into the Zombie infested lands. Also the Zombie are starting to evolve, as hinted at in Day Of The Dead, instead of just wandering husks as seen in the 1st 2 movies.

The movie has a planned release date of June 24th (originally slated for Oct 23) and is Written and Directed by George Romero and stars Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento (daughter of Dario Argento), Tom Savini (the coolest man alive) and Simon Pegg (yes the same guy from Shaun Of The Dead). The makeup FX will be handled by Greg Nicotero and KNB FX.

If you haven't seen the other movies yet, make a trip to your local movie store or online at NetFlix and check them out. Also don't forget the 2 remakes from 1990 and 2004.

Night Of The Living Dead 1968
Night Of The Living Dead 1990 (remake)
Night Of The Living Dead 30th Ann. Edition 1998 (newly filmed scenes added)
Dawn Of The Dead 1978
Dawn Of The Dead 2004 (remake)
Day Of The Dead 1985

"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth."

New Release Tuesday !

Just a short list of some notable DVD releases for this week.

Hotel Rwanda : I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Don Cheadle is just amazing and should have received the Academy Award for it. It's not a fun movie, it won't make you laugh, but it will make you sit and think.

Oceans Twelve : The sequel to Oceans 11 is good, not as good as the first movie, but well worth the rental price.

Suspect Zero : A very dark and somewhat suspensful serial killer movie starring Ben Kingsley and Directed by E. Elias Merhige (Shadow Of The Vampire).

Seed Of Chucky was supposed to be released today but its release date has been changed.

If you are reading this and have a few extra minutes, please take the time to email me with feedback and thoughts about my site. I have received some emails about movies (see Battle Royale) and also some comics people would like to see.

Battle Royale DVD

Battle Royale DVD and Novel.

In 2000 a movie was released in Japan that would quickly become a worldwide phenomenon and gather a huge fan-base in America, even though it has never even been released here in the theatre or on DVD. The movie was Battle Royale, based on the book by Koushun Takami and directed by Fukasaku Kinji.

I saw this movie for the first time in 2002 when a friend gave me a official 2-Disc VCD copy of the film. This VCD was produced over-seas by Universal Laser and was a very nice copy with nice bright sub-titles, even though the translation was slightly off. I was glued the TV for the entire 114 minutes of the movie. Here presented for our viewing was a total blood-bath of a movie with some of the most potent political overtones I had ever seen. The movie revolves around the story of a group of 9th grade students who are chosen to participate in the battle Royale program which is a battle in which they must fight each other until there is only 1 survivor. This is a State sponsored and run program that even gathers media support. the students are gassed while on their bus and transported to a deserted island and fitted with collars that monitor there where-abouts and also are set to explode if tampered with. Each student is given a bag containing a random weapon, ranging from guns and knives to binoculars and pot lids. After that each kid is set out on the island to battle to the end. The tag line for this movie was "Could you kill your best friend?", and the story plays heavily on this line. We watch friends attempt to stay together and other students doing anything they can to be the last standing. I don't want to give any more of the movie away to anyone who has not seen it yet, but it is a amazing tour-de-force beginning to end.

The cast is entirely made up of 15-16 year old students, except for a few key rolls and the appearance of "Beat" Takeshi as the classes teacher. The movie also features Chiaki Kuriyama as Takako Chigusa/Girl #13 who is a menacing character. American movie fans will recognize her as Go-Go-Yubari from the movie Kill Bill Vol 1. Quentin Tarintino has stated in many interviews that this was the movie that brought her to his attention for the role of Go-Go.

Many people think this film was banned in the USA, which would explain why it was never released here. The truth is that the owners of the film rights have refused to sell them to a US distributor. Also I don't think the premise of the movie would go over well with most movie goers, yes we have a lot of violent movies out, but here is a movie about 15 yr old students being killed by other 15 yr old students. With the recent tradigies in our school systems this would greatly effect the view of this film. But we have to remember that this is only a film, and a work of fiction. It is an amazingly well done film, with superb acting and insightful directing.

There are several different releases of the film out today. The original theatrical release and a "Director's Cut Special Edition". The Special Edition actually has scenes that were filmed after the theatrical release and added for the DVD. The picture above shows the 2-Disc StarMax edition which was released in 2003, also pictured is the American Release of the original novel published by VIZ. The 2-Disc set features the complete special edition movie and a 2nd disc with extras. Movie is in Japanese with English subtitles. The book can be purchased at almost any bookstore and online. The book presents a slightly different story , but the movie is still true to its source material.

This is one DVD worth searching out and I hope some who read this do take the time to watch it.
There are several fan sites online that can give tons of info on the movie and production.

Battle Royale (Batoru Rowaiaru) 2000 114 min/122 min Director's Cut.

Astonishing X-Men : Gifted TPB

Now available at your local comic shop.

Back in the early 90s I stopped reading the X-Men titles that littered the shelves. Before that I was a avid reader of the series and still look upon the Claremont/Byrne issues as some of the greatest comic stories ever written. But by the mid 90s the stories started going to pot. To many different titles that never connected in continuity, everyone kept dieing only to come back a few issues later, and stories that you would read and then 5 minutes later scratch your head and still have no idea what it was about.

With the release of the newest X-series Astonishing X-Men my faith and interest in the franchise has been renewed. Written by Joss Whedon, the creator behind TVs Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the short lived FireFly, it has a "real feel" behind it. In that I mean the characters connect with the reader, the dialogue sounds it could come from the mouth of the person standing next to you and every sentence gives off emotion. The book also features stunning art by John Cassaday, who is one of the hottest artist in the field today. Cassaday's art jumps from the pages and conveys the same sense of action that was found when he did Planetary.

In this series Whedon finally put the X-Men back into costume, no more of the leather biker outfits made popular from the movies. These remind us more of the X-Men of old. The base team consists of Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde (ShadowCat, Sprite, etc,etc,etc).

This trade paperback covers the first 6 issues of the series. The story revolves around Cyclops reforming the team at Xaviers School and the emergence of a possible "cure" for mutations and a new foe in the alien Ord. The story really lays on the tensions and feeling between the group members. From Kitty's distrust of Emma to Wolverine confronting Cyclops from the foot of his bed and getting blasted out the window by a optic blast. Just 2 issues later we see a knock-down brawl between Wolverine and Beast over the Mutant "cure".

Issue #3 ended in a cliff-hanger with Scott saying "Jean". This was Whedons attempt to mislead the readers away from the rumors of another characters return. Cassady even went as far as to make a fake mock-up art showing a Pheonix effect, but marvel ruined the surprise by releasing info too early.

Now issue #4 is the issue that really dragged me back. The return of one of the best, most human characters ever created in the X-verse, Peter Rasputin, Colossus. Peter gave his life many many issues ago to cure the Legacy virus that threatened the world. Now he returns after being held captive all these years by the alien Ord. What a return it is, the look on Kitty's face is utter surprise and disbelief, and Peter's of relief and sadness. In the next issue we learn from Peter what has been happening, then a few pages later we get to see something that has only happened a few times before, we see Wolverine caught by surprise, the look on his face and those of Emma and Beast are priceless. Then in the finally issue we see the return of the best team move in history, the fastball special.

If you haven't read it yet, go out and grab a copy. Don't miss this new starting point in X-Men history.

"I don't need have to watch you Miss Frost, I can smell you". Kitty Pryde issue #2

New Release Tuesday. Better late than never!

I have to apoligize first for this post being late. Like I stated a few days ago I am now out of town at a convention and posting has been difficult. A few notable DVDs for this week include:

Elektra: Jennifer Gardner returns as Elektra in this quasi-sequel to Daredevil. This film picks up with the events of Elektras life after her "appearent" death at the hands of Bullseye. I don't agree with the casting of the Typhoid Mary character, this character has always been a favotite of mine and the movie version does not do the comic one justice. Its a good movie to spend some time on, but one on par with Spider-Man or X-Men 2.

Spanglish: A love/comedy starring Adam Sandler. this is a very good movie and once again Adam Sandler shows another side of his acting abilities. This is a major sleeper hit.

Also a correction from last week. Wrestlemania 21 was supposed to ship out last week before the pay-per-view event on Sunday, but it was pushed back until April 14th.

Looking ahead to next we we see several good movies being released, including one of my top picks, Hotel Rwanda. Don Cheadle is a amazing actor and is overlooked in Hollywood. This man needs more leading roles.

If anyone has any thing they would like mentioned on this site please let me know. I have recieved a few requests for older movies which I am tracking down now. I am also looking for new comic projects to post info about.

DOOM 3 for XBOX .

Well, after a long wait and many delays, the XBOX post of DOOM 3 has finally been released. The PC version of this game was a monster, chewing up even the most updated machines. I know that many people had trouble meeting the high requirements for this game to play correctly. The XBOX port is dead on. Sure some of the backgrounds are not as sharp , and some levels have been changed to accomidate console play, but it is still a amazing game. If you have 5.1 sound hooked up to your XBOX you need to turn off all the lights when you play . You will become fully emersed into this digital world and time will fly by. One of my only gripes is that the darn marine still hasn't learned how to hold a flashlight and a gun at the same time. I picked up the Limited Collector's Edition which comes in a fancy metal case like the HALO 2 Collector's Edition. This is only a single disc collection and includes a behind the scenes DOOM 3 feature, interviews with the ID team and concept/production art. But the main biggy on this extra material is the inclusion of the original Ultimate DOOM and DOOM II. Both games are complete and you can play throught the whole campaign mode, it also supports split-screen co-op and deathmatch with up to 4 players.

DOOM 3 also supports XBOX LIVE play. I havn't dived into the online play yet but I do know it does support a 2 player co-op mode to play through the campaign mode.

I will post more info once I get a few days of play under my belt.

"So many games,so little time"

Boy what a HECTIC week !

Hello to all. This coming week will be a little up in the air post wise. I will be out of town on business from Tuesday till Friday. There will be a post tomorrow and the New Releases on Tuesday morning, but after that it will be hit-or-miss till Friday night.

Make sure to keep checking in. I have some fun stuff coming up, including a look back at Buckaroo Banzai and a first hand interview with the writer on the new comic series coming out this year.

"Don't touch that monkey-boy"

The Horrible Addiction Of HALO 2 !!

Some people are addicted to drugs, others to drink, my horrible addiction is to Halo 2. Recently this darn game has been taking up way too much of my time. Yes, I won't deny that it is outrageously fun to play and watch, but when I can start playing at about 7pm and then look at my watch again and it is suddenly 1am,I know I am in deep trouble. I do have to give Bungie and Microsoft credit for creating a game that has taken the world by storm. I am sure by now everyone has at least heard of the Halo games, if not played them. Halo 2 is the much awaited sequel to HALO Combat Evolved that was a original XBOX launch title and is probably the biggest reason for the XBOXs original success. Halo 2 was released in Nov 2004 and was greeted with lines of fans waiting to purchase a copy, some waiting all night. Halo 2 is in short a masterpiece of gaming technology. The single player campaign may have been short and many where very upset with the cliff-hanger ending, but it is just beautiful to see.

The big draw though, and the reason this game will be around for years to come is the multiplayer game play via XBOX live. This online content is the heart and soul of this game. Bungie has outdone themselves with creating a user friendly interface for all gamers. Gamers gain ranking the more they play and the system matches players up by this rating so that all players are evenly matched for games. The collection of maps that came with the game range from wide open huge areas like Waterworks to close-quarter shoot-fests like Lockout. Game types are varied and all are customizable including Slayer, CTF, Oddball and Assault. Bungie has also just released news that they will be making 9 new maps available STARTING in April. 2 maps will be distributed free on XBOX live to begin with, 2 more will be released that same day for a fee. The remaining maps will be free on LIVE in late summer. They also state that a game disc will be released in store containing all the maps plus extras for $19.95. This disc is being produced so that players who do not have XBOX live and for those who don't want to wait for the rest to come free on the LIVE system. A lot of people have posted on the message boards showing anger at the fact that Bungie is charging for these new maps at first, but they need to understand that it does cost money to produce new content, and in the end they only need to be patient and it will all be free by late summer.

So, as I sit is my chair and zone out on the carnage taking place on the tv screen, time flies by, my wife rolls her eyes, my kids wonder why dad doesn't seem to answer them and my fingers cramp in horrible pain. Ahhh, the joy of playing Halo 2.

You can check out all the great HALO and HALO 2 info and goodies at www.bungie.net

"Time keeps on slipping into the future