Resident Evil 6 - Review

A mere 3 years ago, Capcom presented fans with what was widely expected to be the final Resident Evil game, Resident Evil 5. In the finale, the last remnants of Umbrella are finally taken down, Wesker is killed by Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine actually isn't dead, she's just more pale-skinned and blonde now. Many signs pointed to a future Resident Evil game being either a reboot of the series or an entirely new tale with new characters. What we ended up getting was neither of these, Resident Evil 6 is a new tale in the saga that is mostly concerned with Wesker's legacy, bringing back Ada Wong, and the first on-screen meeting of Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy.

The tank controls are gone. Moving the control stick backwards makes you run towards the screen now.

In Leon's scenario, Leon finds himself in a situation very similar to the Raccoon City incident 15 years prior. Tall Oaks has become victim to a zombie outbreak, right in the middle of a visit from the president of the United States. To make matters worse, Leon is forced to kill the president when he too becomes a zombie. Leon is accompanied by secret service agent Helena Harper, who knows more than she is letting on about the outbreak and is searching for her little sister Deborah. Along the way, Leon also runs into his old flame, Ada Wong. Leon also discovers a government conspiracy at foot, related in many ways to Ozwell Spencer and Umbrella. Overall, Leon's story is rather standard fare, but the boss fights are incredibly memorable.

In Chris's scenario, Chris is found getting drunk in a bar in Eastern Europe, suffering from post-traumatic stress induced amnesia. Chris's new partner, Piers Nivans slaps him out of his stupor to have him lead an operation in China where a biohazard outbreak has occurred. During the scenario, a flashback happens that explains why Chris lost his memory and eventually Chris discovers that the apparent perpetrator of these viral outbreaks is none other than Ada Wong. The story in Chris's story is much stronger than Leon's, with legitimate pathos, but the game suffers from lackluster boss fights with the exception of the final boss which gives you the most awesome weapon in the history of Resident Evil.

In Jake's scenario, you are very quickly introduced to Jake Muller, a mercenary soldier of fortune who is being followed by Sherry Birkin, unseen since Resident Evil 2. This secret was revealed nearly a year ago, but Jake is in reality Albert Wesker's illegitimate son. Sherry is in pursuit of Jake because he holds the antibodies to the C-Virus within his immune system. If Sherry can get Jake in custody of the U.S., a vaccine to the C-Virus can be made, halting further outbreaks. The U.S. aren't the only ones pursuing Jake, as members of Neo-Umbrella, the group responsible for the C-Virus, are also wanting Jake in order to make sure a vaccine is not made. Jake's story is surprisingly strong as hints of a romantic connection bloom between the children of Albert Wesker and William Birkin coupled with excellent gameplay, fun boss fighhts, and the first time in Resident Evil you can play through the entire game without ever using a weapon.

After completing the previous 3 scenarios, you unlock Ada's scenario, unraveling the final mysteries behind the story of Resident Evil 6. The story is definitely more humorous and even throws in gameplay elements more reminiscent of older Resident Evil games coupled with sneaking, and the more action-heavy elements. Unfortunately, Ada's final boss is shared with the penultimate boss from Leon's scenario, and it's not even that hard since you get both Leon and Helena to help you out.

Leon's Scenario: 6/10
Chris's Scenario: 7/10
Jake's Scenario: 9/10
Ada's Scenario: 9/10

Overall Story: 7.75/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Presentation: 9/10

Replay Value: 8/10

Average Score: 8.44/10

Overall, the story is just slightly above average, hampered by Leon's and Chris's rather boring scenarios only saved by the 2 finally having an onscreen meeting, despite having met each other previously off-screen. Jake's and Ada's stories are far more interesting, despite Ada only having 1 unique boss fight, which in typical Resident Evil fashion involves a person turning into a blob monster. Gameplay-wise, inventory is handled much better than Resident Evil 5. Although RE5 handled inventory more realistically than RE4, RE6 throws realism out the window and returns to the classic Hammerspace pockets, although there is a cap on how much spare ammo one can carry before choosing to throw away grenades or even herbs. The way herbs are handled is great, although it feels as if it is too easy to stay alive now, allowing for more reckless gameplay. 

In order to access Ada's scenario, you must beat the first 3 scenarios... but that will actually change in a future version update for whatever reason, as well as adding a 2nd player character so that her scenario can be done with 2 people. Nevertheless, the game has good replay value, replaying the game to uncover more backstory by finding emblems, and playing as different characters to see parts of the game from different points of view.

Resident Evil 6 is actually a pretty good game mostly because of how much fun it is. The story is so-so, but it can be overlooked because killing zombies and B.O.W.s has never been more fun.

Another Week, Another NFL Evaluation

Thinking about making this a weekly thing. No "power rankings," just evaluating teams in order of standings. The only rankings that matter are how you finish the season.

Undefeated Teams:

• Houston Texans - The Texans should feel embarrassed after allowing the Jets to score 17 points. Their pedestrian defensive effort won't cut it against Aaron Rodgers. (Next vs Packers)
• Atlanta Falcons - Signs of weakness are there, but their defense improved and took full advantage of Kirk Cousins' unexpected first NFL game. (Next vs Raiders)

4-1 Teams:

• Minnesota Vikings - After an absolute beat-down against the Titans, the Vikings are looking legit.  (Next @ Redskins)
• Baltimore Ravens - Joe Flacco isn't doing a whole lot to make his case for being the best QB in the NFL. They played like shit on the right day, against the Chiefs. Next time they won't be so lucky. (Next vs Cowboys)
• Chicago Bears - That elusive Bears defense that was missing last year is back with a fury. Poor Jacksonville didn't stand a chance. (Next vs Lions after Bye)
• Arizona Cardinals - The Cards definitely have a good defense, but their offense is just plain bad. They're incredibly lucky to be where they are right now. (Next vs Bills)
• San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers became the first team in NFL history to have 300+ passing and 300+ rushing yards in the same game. How's that for a balanced attack? (Next vs Giants)

3-2 Teams:

• San Diego Chargers - Although they lost to the Saints, it looks like Phillip Rivers is going to have a much better year than he had last year. They're still atop the AFC West, but maybe not for long. (Next vs Broncos)
• New England Patriots - Tom Brady continues doing what Tom Brady does. The biggest  surprise has been the emphasis in rushing offense, making the Patriots 3rd in rushing yards. (Next @ Seahawks)
• Cincinnati Bengals - After a tough loss against the Dolphins, next week against the Browns couldn't possibly look more refreshing. (Next @ Browns)
• St. Louis Rams - The Rams are above .500 for the first time since 2006. The Jeff Fisher thing is definitely working, even though it looks like the days are numbered that they're still in St. Louis. (Next @ Dolphins)
• Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles had a pretty big crash landing against the Steelers. Although the game was very close, the game was lost directly because of Michael Vick. Next week doesn't get any easier against a Lions team hungry for a win. (Next vs Lions)
• Seattle Seahawks - This team is a quarterback away from being elite. 6th in rushing, 5th in opp passing, 3rd in opp rushing... 31st in passing. The Seahawks are winning games in spite of Russell Wilson, not because of him. Matt Flynn may get his big chance next week. (Next vs Patriots)
• New York Giants - After an embarrassing loss to the Eagles, the Giants didn't impress anybody by beating the Browns 41-27. While not as injured as their roommates, they're still not the team they once were. (Next @ 49ers)

2-2 Teams:

• Pittsburgh Steelers - 2011's #1 ranked defense this definitely is not. They are blessed with having the Titans as their next opponent, but Matt Hasselbeck ain't dead yet. (Next @ Titans)
• Indianapolis Colts - While they probably won't be a playoff team, it's already clear that Andrew Luck was the #1 draft pick for a reason. An emotional win over the Packers might be the catalyst this team needs. (Next @ Jets)
• Dallas Cowboys - Their bye week couldn't have come at a better time. Statistically, this team should have a better record.  They're 4th in passing, 1st in opp passing, and 15th in opp rushing, so why are they only .500? Next week they get another chance to put up or shut up. (Next @ Ravens)

2-3 Teams:

• New York Jets - It's not Tebow Time yet, but the rest of the schedule does look very friendly: Colts, Patriots x2, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, Jaguars, Titans, Chargers and Bills. Other than the Patriots and Chargers games, the remaining 8 games look winnable. (Next vs Colts)
• Miami Dolphins - The Miami Dolphins have the best rushing defense in the NFL. They also go up against the #1 ranked rushing offense 49ers and the #3 ranked Patriots twice this season. The Dolphins have a friendly schedule going forward and could just be the shocking team of the AFC. (Next vs Rams)
• Buffalo Bills - Oh good god. The Bills are trying very hard to make a case for having the worst defense in the NFL, allowing the 49ers 621 yards of total offense. They're not the worst team in the league, but they're definitely gunning for a top 5 draft pick. (Next @ Cardinals)
• Green Bay Packers - Something smells bad in Green Bay. Even if they had won the Monday night game against the Seahawks, they would still be in 3rd place of the NFC North. Their defense still sucks, even though it's slightly better than last year. (Next @ Texans)
• Denver Broncos - Once again, Tom Brady got the better of Peyton Manning. Manning needs to jell with his receivers faster if he wants to avoid becoming Rams!Namath, Chargers!Unitas, Chiefs!Montana, or Vikings!Favre. (Next @ Chargers)
• Washington Redskins - Just when things were looking up in D.C., RG3 has concussion and their next opponent is the Vikings. If Griffin does end up playing next week, the Redskins vs Vikings matchup looks like one for the ages. (Next vs Vikings)

1-3 Teams:

• Oakland Raiders - The Bye week couldn't have come at a better time, but now they are given the nigh-impossible task of defeating the undefeated Atlanta Falcons. When your team's strongest point is Carson Palmer, you have a problem. (Next @ Falcons)
• Detroit Lions - Another team with a great time for a Bye week. Luckily they have the Eagles next week because they desperately need a bounce-back win. (Next @ Eagles)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers - What's with every 1-3 team getting a Bye week? This team had high expectations coming into the season, but the only thing they're doing right is their rushing defense; they're dead last in passing yards allowed. Next week should come an easy victory. (Next vs Chiefs)

1-4 Teams:

• Jacksonville Jaguars - Uh.... Wow. At least Blaine Gabbert isn't the worst quarterback in the league anymore, but they're still dead last in passing yards. The Bye week couldn't have come at a better time. (Next vs Raiders after Bye)
• Kansas City Chiefs - Fair or foul to cheer for Matt Cassel getting knocked out? I say fair because he was playing so poorly that Chiefs fans cheered BRADY QUINN playing. This team is well on it's way to the #1 draft pick and Geno Smith. (Next @ Buccaneers)
• Carolina Panthers - $cam Newton? After an impressive rookie year statistically, Newton is having the stereotypical sophomore slump. Newton is getting a lot of blame for the poor record, but he needs more options than Steve Smith. (Next vs Cowboys after Bye)
• Tennessee Titans - This team just can't do anything right. How does anyone expect them to do anything Thursday after being so awful against the Vikings? (Next vs Steelers)
• New Orleans Saints - A much needed win against the Chargers right before the Bye week might be just what this team needed to start winning more games, but they're still a team 100% dependent on Drew Brees. 1st in passing, 28th rushing, 29th opp passing, 32nd opp rushing. (Next @ Buccaneers after Bye)

Winless:

• Cleveland Browns - This team is better than their record indicates, yet the rest of their schedule looks impossible with only the Chiefs game looking winnable. What's more, even if the Browns get the #1 pick, Brandon Weeden is without question their quarterback of the future. Their best option will probably be to trade down in exchange for defensive players. (Next vs Bengals)

A Quarter Into the NFL Season, Here's What we Known About Each Team

In order of standings.

4-0 Teams:

• Houston Texans - The Texans are as good as we thought they were going to be. Last year when they had to rely on T.J. Yates, their 3rd string QB, they were still a dominant team. With Matt Schaub back in charge, the Texans look like the easy AFC Super Bowl favorite.
• Atlanta Falcons - Although unbeaten, the Falcons finally have a weakness exposed in their defense. They were incredibly close to losing to the Carolina Panthers, lucking out to a Cam Newton fumble. It helps that they also have Matt Ryan at quarterback.
• Arizona Cardinals - This is really a tough one. The Cardinals have beaten the Seahawks, Patriots, Eagles, and Dolphins.  The Eagles game was a beat down, but the other 3 games were all close games that came down to the final play. Many pundits are talking about how lucky the Eagles are to be 3-1, but the Cardinals are just as lucky to be 4-0. Two missed field goals are the reason the Cardinals are 4-0 instead of 2-2.

3-1 Teams:

• Baltimore Ravens - How in the hell did this team let the Browns in the game so long on Thursday night? As I just heard this morning on First Take, bad teams find ways to take themselves out of games (Browns) while overrated teams find ways to let bad teams in games (Ravens).
• San Diego Chargers - 3-1 yes, but their schedule has consisted of wins against the Raiders, Titans, and Chiefs, 3 teams vying for the #1 draft pick. Next week they face the anemic Saints defense and an almost guaranteed chance at 4-1. The Chargers have an incredibly easy schedule this year with their only real tests being against the Broncos (2x) and the Ravens. I'm ready to predict a 4 loss season just because of how stupidly easy their schedule is.
• Minnesota Vikings - Who saw this one coming? Two weeks in a row they defeated the 49ers and Lions? To be in first place of the NFC North? Could it be that last week wasn't a fluke and the Vikings are actually a legitimate threat? Don't sleep on them.
• Cincinnati Bengals - Flying under the radar, just like they want. To be fair, 2 wins are against the Browns and Jaguars, but the way they performed against the Redskins is probably the most accurate evaluation of this team.
• San Francisco 49ers - A great bounce-back win  against the Jets was great enough that the 49ers are still Super Bowl favorites, but all anyone can talk about is how terrible the Jets are. Just as planned.
• Philadelphia Eagles - This is seriously the worst 3-1 team I've ever seen. They finally played well against the Giants, but how good are the Giants really? As the weeks go by we'll see how good the Eagles actually are or if they're just lucky.

2-1 Teams:

• Dallas Cowboys - A heavy favorite to win the NFC East, Monday night will be a true test for them and if they will end up competing with the Eagles for the NFC East crown.
• Chicago Bears - These guys are desperate need of a win. With the Lions stinking it up and the Packers at a controversial 2-2, the Bears need a win to stay at the top of the NFC North with the surprising Vikings. The scary part is the Bears still haven't played any division opponents.

2-2 Teams

• New England Patriots - Putting up 50+ points against the Buffalo Bills isn't impressive at all. I still haven't seen anything that impresses me about the Patriots other thanthe surprising amount of emphasis on the running game, something that Belichick obviously saw was important in a "passing league". Do what your opponent isn't doing and you'll probably win.
• New York Jets - The Jets offense was terrible, not even scoring a field goal against the 49ers. The Jets defense allowed a combined TWO HUNDRED FORTY RUSHING YARDS. The Jets special teams allowed a blocked punt against 1 oncoming blitz. Darrelle Revis is out for the rest of the season. Santonio Holmes looks to be gone for a legnthy period of time. Tim Tebow can't fix this mess, even God can't fix it.
• Denver Broncos - To be honest I'm not that surprised the Broncos are only 2-2. With so much new personnel comes chemistry issues. This team is just getting to know each other, so they need time to gel. In a very weak AFC, this team is a playboff team for sure.
• St. Louis Rams - Wait, they beat the Seahawks? Seems like the Jeff Fisher thing is working out pretty well so far. Bradford is finally playing up to expectations and this team looks like a Wild Card contender in a strong NFC West.
• Buffalo Bills - Holy hell if the Jets are terrible, this team is just plain anemic. They need a completely new defense if they hope to limit the 49ers to under 40 points. The Bills are making a very good case for being called the worst defense in the NFL.
• Seattle Seahawks - Thanks to the replacement refs and the NFL being too pussy to reverse a game's decision, this team is 2-2 instead of 1-3. Russell Wilson has surprised many, but this team really isn't that great, although they are definitely the best 1-3 team.
• Washington Redskins - This team is a Josh Morgan penalty away from being 3-1. I expected RG3 to be good, but not this good. The Redskins are the sleeper team to compete for the NFC East crown.
• New York Giants - Super Bowl hangover. They were lucky to even make it to the playoffs last year but the losses of Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs are being felt. If Manningham were still on the roster, you can bet the Giants would have beaten the Eagles.
• Green Bay Packers -  Thanks to the replacement refs and the NFL being too pussy to reverse a game's decision, this team is 2-2 instead of 3-1. Despite that, the Packers' defense isn't good, allowing Drew Brees to do whatever the hell he wanted to. Depending on what happens Monday night, the Packers might be in serious need of a win next week against the Colts, too.

1-2 Teams

• Pittsburgh Steelers - The Bye week should serve this team well. This is being picky, but the Steelers defense allowed the Jets to score 10 points. For last year's #1 ranked defense, that's 10 points too much as the 49ers proved yesterday. Things don't get any easier with their next matchup going against their in-state rivals, the Eagles.
• Indianapolis Colts -Their Bye week comes with the depressing news that head coach Chuck Pagano has a treatable form of leukemia. It's great news for him that he should be healthy soon enough, but he's still out for 6 weeks. If the Saints have shown anything, it's that losing a head coach can be devastating for any period of time. Nevertheless, this is a very good team.

1-3 Teams

• Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill passed Dan Marino's rookie passing yards record. The Dolphins have FINALLY found their next quarterback, but this is still a rebuilding year. They're a missed field goal away from being 2-2 and tied for the top of the AFC East.
• Jacksonville Jaguars - Well... Blaine Gabbert is better than last year! It's going to be another long year for the Jags.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Bucs went from being an average teams that no one cares about to being an average team that people hate because of their jerkass head coach. Greg Schiano is going to be fired if the team finishes under .500; his style just doesn't work in the NFL.
• Oakland Raiders - This team just plain sucks. Their only redeeming factor is they beat the Steelers last week, but this looks like a favorite to go for the #1 draft pick this year.
• Kansas City Chiefs - Oh my God this team is even worse than the Raiders. This team is probably as bad as the Jets are, but the Jets are luckier with an easier schedule.
• Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton isn't the problem, it's their defense. This team was so very close to being 2-2. I expect them to get good wins along the way, but they need a new DC.
• Tennessee Titans - Jake Locker was taken out of Sunday's game after re-aggravating his left shoulder injury and Matt Hasselbeck wasn't an improvement at all. Hasselbeck needs to retire, he's done. But the problem is that Locker was massively overhyped by Washington fans and is only an average QB.

Worst of the Worst, 0-4

• New Orleans Saints - Karma's a bitch. Drew Brees held out for greed and eventually got his ridiculous contract and the cost of probably the worst defense in the NFL. If things continue, the Saints will go down as having the worst defense in the history of the NFL. Not even Brees' $100 million arm can outscore opponents if his defense allows 50 points pe rgame or whatever. Here's some funny stats for you: The Saints are 32nd in opp rushing yards, 24th in opp passing yards, and 26th in rushing yards. They're 3rd in passing yards, with an 0-4 record. "Passing League" my ass.
• Cleveland Browns - The Brandon Weeden pick doesn't look so dumb now, but the team has much deeper issues than quarterback. This team might need several years of rebuilding, ala the 49ers. If they get the #1 draft pick, I expect them to be the first team in several years to draft an offensive line player with the #1 overall pick.

Is Peyton Manning a Fool for Signing with the Broncos Instead of the 49ers?

You may remember that just this past off season, Peyton Manning was released by the Indianapolis Colts in order to make room for #1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck. During the offseason, Manning was courted by various teams who more or less openly admitted that as much as they liked their quarterbacks, they'd rather have Peyton. The 3 teams that were most linked to Manning were the San Francisco 49ers, the Tennessee Titans, the Miami Dolphins, and the Denver Broncos. The Titans and Dolphins were almost immediately out of the picture, but the 49ers remained a potential contender despite head coach Jim Harbaugh had repeatedly talked about his confidence in Alex Smith the past season. All that was for naught however, as Peyton decided to sign with the Denver Broncos, presumably to avoid playing his brother, Eli, on a regular basis.

Two weeks into the regular season, Peyton Manning looks like an idiot for signing with the Broncos over the 49ers as the Niners have absolutely demolished the Packers and Lions while the Broncos struggled to beat the Steelers and lost to the Falcons when Manning threw 3 interceptions in 1 quarter. Some of the more big-mouthed pundits are saying that picking Denver over San Francisco might be the biggest mistake of Manning's career.

They're wrong.

The 49ers are so good because the core of the team has been together for several years now, Michael Crabtree being the newest addition to the core, and that was more than 2 years ago. The 49ers have grown together and because of that, are one unit. Bringing in Manning would disrupt that, no matter how legendary a QB he is. The reason the Broncos aren't off to the hottest start is because the majority of the team has yet to build real chemistry, even though many players came from the Colts and are familiar with Peyton.

So while I ponder what things would be like if Manning were in 49er red instead of Bronco orange, I just remember that sometimes it's nice to have a bunch of losers who become winners. I'm sure Manning will do fine in Denver, but I'd rather have a group with pre-established team chemistry.

NFL Week 2 Headlines

Another week done in the NFL, minus the Broncos vs Falcons game tonight where we probably won't learn anything other than both teams are really good in a toss-up showdown. Here's the biggest stories to me:

Rookie Quarterbacks Impress

Last week, only Robert Griffin III had an impressive showing, but this week his fellow rookie QBs Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson, and Brandon Weeden had much better games. Although Weeden lost his game, it wasn't his fault, the Browns simply have an atrocious offensive line and just plain bad defense. As far as the Redskins' loss, it can be chalked up to Sam Braford finally playing living up to his status as the #1 overall draft pick from a few years ago thanks to the new coaching staff Jeff Fisher brought with him.

How in the Hell are the Eagles 2-0?

Two games, two 1-point victories. In both games, the Eagles turned the ball over like crazzzyyyy. After barely winning against the awful Browns and just barely eking out a win against the Ravens, it looks like either the football gods finally like the Eagles or their competition has been very weak. I'm as puzzled as everyone else is as to why the Eagles are 2-0, and I'm praying for them to finally face a team that will make them pay for allowing so many turnovers.

What the Hell Cowboys?

The Cowboys received a lot of kudos last week after embarrassing the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, but they proceeded to lay an egg visiting the Seattle Seahawks that saw the Cowboys turnover the ball on 3 consecutive possessions, leading to 3 consecutive scores. Brian fart doesn't even begin to describe how awful the Cowboys were. Thanks to how terrible they played, the downright lucky Eagles are the NFC East leaders. 

Drew Brees Hasn't Played This Badly Since He Was a Charger

OK, so last week the Saints were thumped by RG3's big debut. Yesterday, they were thumped again by Cam Newton. It's very clear at this point that the Saints are going to be the worst defense in the NFL, allowing nearly 1,000 yards and 80 points in TWO GAMES. Steve Spagnuolo is a very good defensive coordinator, so i can't explain why the Saints are just so terrible at defense this year. But even with bad defense, the Packers only lost 1 game last year and the Patriots made the Super Bowl. The reason the Saints won't even make the playoffs this year is because Drew Brees hasn't played this awful since the San Diego Chargers declined to re-sign him as  afree agent.

The 49ers Aren't Being Talked About Because There's Nothing to Criticize

Alex Smith hasn't thrown an interception since Thanksgiving last year. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter are eviscerating teams' rushing defense. The 49ers still haven't allowed a rushing touchdown at San Francisco in nearly 2 years. The defense held Matthew Stafford to 1 touchdown last night and got an interception, while also preventing Calvin Johnson from getting 100 receiving yards. David Akers continues to kick super long distance field goals while making it look easy. It's a bit much to call the team flawless, but............. there's flat out nothing wrong with the team.

It's a very scary thought, but the most impressive teams on the 49ers' schedule are actually the NFC West rivals. Although I do believe the 49ers will sweep the Rams, The Seahawks and Cardinals have an incredible wild card factor. The first game for the Hawks and Cards were against each other in a very close contest, while yesterday the Hawks defeated the Cowboys and the Cards shocked the Patriots AT NEW ENGLAND. Next week will determine how hard the 49ers' schedule actually is as the Seahawks host the Packers on Monday Night and the Cardinals host the lucky Eagles.

The NFL is Finally Back!

Yes, we torture ourselves nearly every year spending so much time talking about the NFL when there are no games being played. There are 26 weeks of football played every year, 21 of them being competitive. Yes, nearly half of the year contains football being played, but the other half....... oh my God it is so torturous hearing endless speculation about trades and draft picks.

But all that is over now, and now we can talk about the biggest storylines from the first week in the NFL.

You Don't Mess with Texas

Both Texas teams were awesome in their first games. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declared that his team would kick the Giants' asses and most people laughed it off. But once last Wednesday rolled along, they did exactly as instructed and embarrassed the defending Super Bowl champions at their house. On Sunday, the Houston Texans continued to show that they are a legitimate team now by annihilating the Miami Dolphins 30-10. The Texans greatly impressed last season even with their 3rd string QB, but with Matt Schaub back, this team looks like a favorite in the AFC.

Robert Griffin III is for Real, Saints are Not

40 points. The Washington Redskins scored forty points against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. The loss of Gregg Williams and Sean Payton was very noticeable, the Saints coaching staff looking completely lost and inferior to Mike Shanahan's oft-criticized Redskin coaching. Drew Brees also played exactly like he did in the playoff game against the 49ers last season, throwing interceptions like crazy, including one Hail Mary that was intercepted at the end of the game. This looks to be one hell of a season to be a Redskins fan and a very long season to be a Saints fan, even with Bountygate (mostly) over.

Tebow Who?

The New York Jets scored 48 points. Mark Sanchez was so sublime in his dismantling of the Buffalo Bills that when Tebow came out to play, he was received with a chorus of boos. Quarterback controversy over.

The 49ers Look Unstoppable

So let's this straight: The 49ers defense made Aaron Rodgers look merely average, Alex Smith   was finding open targets all day with his new WR corps, and kicker David Akers has now entered NFL lore with his legendary 63 yard field goal. A team with no visible weaknesses against a Green Bay Packers team with one of the best offenses last year and worst defense ever? OK, yes this was really the biggest defensive test for the 49ers, but this is the same Packers team that was eviscerated by Eli Manning last year en route to a Super Bowl. Sometimes, there is a lot to learn from teams that can totally embarrass horrible defenses.

Peyton Manning Ain't Dead Yet

Manning is finally back and yes he's still good. There was a lot of concern over his neck and whether or not he'd be the same old Peyton, but he reassured fans (and fantasy football players) with a sublime performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Steelers' #1 defense from last year took a giant hit, even though they were against Manning. It's safe to say that the Steelers will probably not be as good as they were last year, which is saying a lot since their defense was eviscerated by Tim Tebow last year.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Announced

Ordinarily, I'd post the first trailer to this, but it's 14 minutes long and I'd rather talk about the story implications of this.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is a sequel to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which took place in November 1974. What we know about Ground Zeroes' story is that it most likely takes place mere days or weeks after Peace Walker since Chico has not visibly aged and Paz is described as having recently been found by fishermen in Belize. Furthermore, reference is given that the UN will soon be conducting a nuclear inspection on MSF/Outer Heaven's Mother Base. The villains of this story are a mysterious organization known as XOF that uses a mirror image of the defunct-FOX logo as their emblem. In the demo shown, they are keeping Chico and Paz prisoner at Camp Omega, an American military base on the southern tip of Cuba, obviously an analogue to Guantanamo Bay.

Hideo Kojima has stated that Ground Zeroes serves as a prologue to Metal Gear Solid 5, implying that there will be at least 3 Metal Gear games coming in the future, possibly 4 if Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is successful. With the announcement of Ground Zeroes, it also raises the number of Metal Gear games that Big Boss is the main character in to tie him with Solid Snake. Kojima has said that Snake's story is not over, so will MGS5 potentially be a game that has you play as both Big Boss and Solid Snake in different time periods? Or will MGS5 turn out to be similar to how MGS4 is a direct sequel to MGS2, but MGS3 introduced several concepts and characters to the series?

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is set to be released on current-gen consoles as the debut of the new Fox Engine.

China's Model for Olympic Success is Disturbingly Successful

The People's Republic of China is well-known as being one of the most oppressive countries in the world in regards to personal liberty and government control, despite supposedly being a socialist state. Although not nearly as oppressive as the Soviet Union was, it's still pretty bad over there if you are not a skilled individual. The vast majority of Chinese Olympic athletes were discovered at age 4 or 5, scouted for any remote athletic ability. They are then taken from their homes and only see their families around 1 month out of the year, spending the majority of their time in government run training facilities practicing 4-5 hours everyday, leaving little time for formal schooling.


When a Chinese Olympian wins a gold medal, they receive a congratulatory letter from the Chinese government, but they do not receive any such congratulation for winning silver or bronze, being totally ignored.


Ever since the doping scandals of the 90s, China has fired back with a scarily impressive number of gold medals and overall medals. Most recently, a 16 year old female Chinese swimmer shattered the world record in her event, including a split that has been described as "impossible," sparking allegations of doping.


Whatever the case, it's become clear that the totalitarian method of raising children to be athletes tends to work and it's only a matter of time until China or some other totalitarian country attempts eugenics to produce better athletes.

Man of Steel Trailers #1 and #2!

Two teaser trailers for Man of Steel have been released, one narrated by Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent and the other narrated by Russell Crowe as Jor-El. Originally thought to be released this holiday season, it looks like the release date has been pushed back to next summer. Take as much time as you need working on this movie, because it won't really be that hard to make up for the below-average mess of Superman Returns.

Rise.

This review needs no introduction. The final film of the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy has finally come. Incorporating elements from The Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall, and No Man's Land, The Dark Knight Rises tells the tale of Bruce Wayne donning the Batman costume once again after having been retired for 8 years following the death of Harvey Dent. In the years following Dent's death, he has become a martyr and started the catalyst for a new law that led to the Gotham City Police Department gaining new power that led to the complete dissolution of gangs and the mafia in Gotham. John Blake even jokes to Gordon that soon enough, they'll be busting people for petty crimes.


In the 8 years since he retired as Batman, Bruce Wayne has become a Howard Hughes-like recluse. After a series of events involving Bane plotting to destroy the city with a nuclear bomb, Wayne makes the decision to become Batman once again, to Alfred's objection.


What follows is a film with some flaws, but a persistent theme of rising. Though the movie starts slowly, the stakes, action, drama, etc. all pick up until the final battle between Batman and Bane happens. Generally, I reserve saying the phrase "the best part was when it ended" for movies I hated. In the case of The Dark Knight Rises, the best part really is when it ends. The final 20 minutes are monumental and grandiose, right up to the final second when the title of the movie appears to signal the end, including quite possibly the worst kept secret in Hollywood proving to be true (no, not that one, the other one).


Final Score: 5 Leaps of Faith out of 5


So how do you follow that?


Inevitably, more Batman movies will be made because they're good money and there will come a time when a new generation of kids will have only seen the Dark Knight trilogy on TV or on video. No more Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, or Gary Oldman. Really, how does a new crew possibly follow the previous 3 movies? There has been suggestion that due to the success of the Marvel movies, it is possible to make a Batman movie that more closely follows the comics, including supernatural villains and sidekicks without making it campy. I say it's possible, but the best decision wold be to simply allow the Batman film franchise to stay on ice for a few years and not attempt what Sony did with Spider-Man.

According to Kotaku, Final Fantasy Versus XIII has Been Cancelled (Take That With a Grain of Salt...)

According to Kotaku, Square Enix has made the decision to simply cease production of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, similar to how Konami originally treated Metal Gear Solid: Rising before that project was resurrected by Platinum. I would take this news with a grain of salt, though. Kotaku's credibility took a major hit some weeks ago when they falsely reported that a Halo 2 HD remake was in the works, only to have Microsoft and 343 immediately confirm that story to be false.


Final Fantasy Versus XIII was originally conceived as one of the 3 games that would make up the Fabula Nova Crystallis, alongside Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII. XIII would be for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Versus would be PS3 exclusive, and Agito would be a mobile phone game. As time passed, Agito was converted to a PSP game and gained the new title of Final Fantasy Type-0, losing the XIII moniker, although still part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis. Type-0 has yet to see a release outside of Japan since last year, although Square Enix claims it is working on translating the game, despite the PSP being mostly dead. 


Quite some time ago, gameplay footage of Versus was finally displayed, showcasing a combat system similar to the Kingdom Hearts series, just as director Tetsuya Nomura had promised. In reality, this was actually pre-rendered footage made to look like gameplay footage since the game had to change engines due to Crystal Tools being such a high performance engine.


If this news is true, it's great news for Final Fantasy and fans of it in general. This game was to be Tetsuya Nomura's ideal Final Fantasy game without the restraints of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yasumi Matsuno, or Motomu Toriyama. Nomura wished to create a "fantasy based on reality," essentially a Final Fantasy game that takes place in the real world, similar to the original concept of Final Fantasy VII that was scrapped.


Additionally, should this news be true, it means that Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy XV, and a remake of Final Fantasy VII have just been pushed up in SE's line of priorities.


Then again, this is Kotaku that is reporting this.


Update: Disregard that, Kotaku lied AGAIN. Square Enix is reporting that the game is not cancelled and very much still in development.

Batman: Earth One

Just in time for the big release of The Dark Knight Rises, Batman: Earth One has finally been released. Originally conceived as a re-telling of Batman's origin for a 21st century audience, and the first such attempt at a new origin story for Batman since 1986's Batman: Year One, the story was then tweaked to become the canon origin story for the Batman of Earth-1 (The mainstream DC characters are from Earth-0). While J. Michael Stracynzki wrote Superman: Earth One while writing Superman, Geoff Johns has never written for Batman before outside of crossover events. I'm going to just list the major changes in the story then analyze how well each change fits the new origin, for better or worse.

Are the New Orleans Saints Cheap, or is Drew Brees Greedy?

It has been reported today by multiple sources that Drew Brees has rejected a contract offered by the Saints that pay him on average $19.25 million per year. Brees and his agent(s) want $20.5 million per year. The $19.25m would make Brees the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, being just slightly above Peyton Manning. Despite that, Brees wants that extra $1.25m per year. Brees claims that he is committed to staying with the Saints, but only if they give him a long-term contract worth at least $20.5m, refusing to sign the franchise tender. If Brees does not sign the franchise tag or receives the long term contract he wants, he will become a free agent on Monday.


So is Brees greedy, or are the Saints cheap?


It's really a little of both. Brees definitely deserves to be the highest paid QB in the NFL, but his team has been defeated by an NFC West team the last 2 years in the playoffs, thanks to Marshawn Lynch's miraculous beast mode TD run and Alex Smith playing at a Montana/Young level. He did set the single-season passing yard record last year, although many detractors point out that Brees is statistically 1000x better when he plays indoors.


Like any business, the New Orleans Saints want to get the most bang out of their buck, paying players as little as possible unless extenuating circumstances cause crucial players to refuse to play unless they get paid. Drew Brees is one of those. He is basically saying that he is willing to sit out the entire 2012 season if the Saints will not pay him. In a year when they are already being severely penalized for the bounty scandal, the last thing they need is for Drew Brees to turn into a jerk and sit out playing for a year over something as trifle as 5 million dollars, chump change for someone like him.


My verdict is that the Saints really have no idea what the fuck they're doing anymore and Brees isn't happy with it, basically just putting on a show to make the Saints seem like the bad guys. "I really want to play, but they won't let me!" Never mind the fact that they franchise tagged him, so he can't pursue free agency even if he wanted.


Update: They met halfway at $20 million per year. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo.

Team USA Basketball Roster Finally Finalized

Guards

• Kobe Bryant, Lakers
• James Harden, Thunder
• Chris Paul, Clippers
• Russell Westbrook, Thunder
• Deron Williams, Nets

Forwards

• Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
• Kevin Durant, Thunder
• Blake Griffin, Clippers
• Andre Iguodala, 76ers
• LeBron James, Heat
• Kevin Love, Timberwolves

Center

• Tyson Chandler, Knicks

Due to the incredibly wacktacular number of injuries suffered during the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, among many others, were not in consideration for the final roster. Despite that, this is an overall roster that is among the best in the world, although Spain is going to try again to get a gold medal. In all likelihood, the starting 5 for Team USA will be the following:

• PG Chris Paul
• SG Kobe Bryant
• SF LeBron James
• PF Kevin Love
• C Tyson Chandler

The Amazing Spider-Man

Before I get into my review, I first have to talk about  the development hell this movie went through. Most people know by now that the original Spider-Man had quite the development hell, going through numerous studios, directors, writers, and actors, before 25 years passed and Columbia Pictures acquired the rights to Spider-Man, then hired Sam Raimi of The Evil Dead fame to direct, David Koepp to write the screenplay based on James Cameron's screenplay, and the infamous casting choice of Tobey Maguire. The movie was a success, leading to 2 more sequels.


Although Spider-Man 3 was a financial success, critically it was met with very mixed reviews from the choice to not bring back Alvin Sargent to write the screenplay, Danny Elfman's refusal to work with Sam Raimi, and the controversial decision to feature 3 villains, 2 of which are barely featured and the "main" villain was radically changed to become a sympathetic figure.


Originally, Spider-Man 4 was planned to simply continue the story, but it was not clear if Tobey Maguire or Sam Raimi would return for a 4th film. Maguire was noticeably aging and could no longer portray a man in his early-to-mid 20s as well as suffering from more back pain as time went by. Raimi notoriously had conflicts with the studio and Marvel Comics, who both wanted the main villain to be the Lizard, Dr. Curt Conners, a character who had been featured in the previous 2 movies. Raimi, on the other hand, wanted to have the Vulture as the lead antagonist. Suffice to say, most fans were immediately disgusted to hear that after ruining Sandman and Venom in a single movie, they were not pleased to hear Sam Raimi wanted to use quite possibly the worst Spider-Man villain and wanted to cast John Malkovich, an actor known for being a little too over-the-top as the villain.


Columbia wanted to go along with their plan anyway, choosing to recast Spider-Man as their original 2nd choice, Jake Gyllenhaal, and pretending that Peter Parker always looked that way. Unfortunately for them, actors started dropping like flies because they all had loyalty to Maguire, Raimi, or both. It was then decided to cancel Spider-Man 4 and just reboot the whole franchise from scratch with a new director, but the same production team, giving more leeway to Marvel, who had proven that they could make faithful-to-comics movie adaptations after the successes of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America.


The review, after the break.

Lara Croft's New Voice Actress has FINALLY Been Revealed

Meet Camilla Luddington, the new voice of Lara Croft. In case you couldn't tell from her incredibly British name, Luddington is in fact English. Prior to today's announcement, much internet discussion was made that the at-the-time unnamed actress had a "bad fake English accent." Shows how much the internet knows, right? The 28-year-old Luddington is still a relative newbie to acting, mostly known for playing Kate Middleton in the Lifetime made-for-TV movie William & Kate and for being naked a lot in Californication (Google Image is your friend).


One part that is slightly being swept under the rug is that Luddington also provided motion capture for Lara, making her the first person to have their body modeled for Lara as well as providing her voice. Keeley Hawes previously protrayed Lara in the last 4 games, Legend, Anniversary, Underworld, and The Guardian of Light, but she did not provide motion capture since the Tomb Raider games did not utilize motion capture at the time, with the exception of Underworld.


Now, I'm having trouble remembering, but what game series has become well-known for its use of voice actors working double duty as motion capture actors?

It's all come full-circle.

Final Fantasy XI is Getting a Fifth Expansion Pack

At Vanafest 2012, Square Enix made the shocking announcement that Final Fantasy XI was not only the most profitable Final Fantasy game of all time, but that a 5th expansion pack, Seekers of Adoulin, was in development. Not an add-on scenario like Abyssea, but a full expansion pack, featuring a new continent and two new job classes: Geomancer and Rune Fencer. Seekers of Adoulin is set to be released in 2013, which contradicts an earlier statement by Square Enix that there would be no more major updates to Final Fantasy XI once the level cap was raised to 99. It appears that the decision to make a 5th expansion pack is in response to the game continuing to be one of the top 5 most popular MMOs and returning players thanks to Abyssea, the waning popularity of World of Warcraft, and the spectacular failure of Star Wars: The Old Republic.


The two new jobs, Geomancer and Rune Fencer, continue the trend of primarily including jobs from Final Fantasy V, leaving only Time Mage, Berserker, Chemist, and Mime as the only jobs not included. Those jobs will more than likely never be added due to Time Magic being included in White Magic, Berserker having no function in an MMO, Chemist being unusable due to the expense of items in FFXI, and Mime being an intentionally overpowered job in the game it comes from.


Analysis of the new jobs after the break.

...So, LeBron James is a Champion Now

LeBron James and the Miami Heat won the 2012 NBA Championship on Thursday. The defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in 5 games, probably the least competitive NBA Finals since the Spurs vs Cavaliers Finals. In true ESPN fashion, the only thing that could be talked about before, during, and after the series was how the Miami Heat played. After they lost Game 1, the only talk was about what did Miami did wrong, rather than what OKC did right. After Game 5, all the talk was about LeBron's dominant triple-double title-clinching performance, rather than Russell Westbrook's incredibly choke-tastic 4-20 shooting night.


After the broadcast on ABC ended, Nike aired a commercial congratulating LeBron James on finally winning his first championship 9 years after signing an exclusive partnership with him the day he was drafted. Sportscenter has since deified LeBron in all descriptions of him, including an unbelievably biased mini-documentary about LeBron's basketball career starting in high school. Ridiculous phrases included claiming that "LeBron changed his personality" after losing in the NBA Finals last year and it was "unbelievable" how he showed little emotion while playing en route to the Finals this year. Several ESPN writers and personalities have talked about how LeBron's critics have to shut up now and of course declare him the best ever.


More after the break, including ripping ESPN for not crediting LeBron's teammates.

Tales of Graces f

When one thinks of a Japanese video game company, usually Square Enix or Capcom come to mind. There have been many complaints over how Capcom has handled on-disc DLC in recent years as well as doing the stereotypical Capcom move of re-releasing the exact same game with some minor new features 1 year later, although that move has been corrected a bit thanks to DLC. Capcom has also garnered criticism for just plain refusing to localize some games and cancelling production on games like Megaman Legends 3 and Megaman Universe, causing Keiji Inafune to leave the company that he helped bring out of the coin-op business.

Square Enix has also received criticism for constantly remaking and porting the first two Final Fantasy games to the point that it is impossible to own an electronic device that cannot play the original Final Fantasy. SE also has a tendency to remake and port Final Fantasy IV too much, as well as the very concept of Compilation of Final Fantasy VII insults some people who think SE is cashing in on Final Fantasy VII by making prequels, sequels, and even midquels, while ignoring fans' requests for a full console remake of the original game, which would mostly satisfy American fans who received a very poor localization, needing to read online to clarify plot points that are clearly expressed in Japanese. Recently, there have accusations that SE only cares what its Japanese fans think, since Final Fantasy XIII had a mixed reception outside Japan, but received a perfect score from Famitsu and a generally excellent reception in Japan overall, enough to warrant a sequel which has received much better reception outside Japan. The incident with the Final Fantasy XIV launch has also highlighted a rarity in Japanese corporations, an executive apologizing for an inferior product; Capcom never apologized for making Devil May Cry 2.

So why do I bring up Capcom and Square Enix for a game made by Namco Bandai? I just wanted you to know that as terrible as Capcom and Square Enix can treat their American fans, Namco is probably the most infamous at ignoring their American fan base.

The Future of Gaming

Square Enix initially planned a low-key E3, showing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the 3DS, Final Fantasy Dimensions for iOS and Android, and Final Fantasy XIV version 2.0 for PC and PS3. What is quickly becoming the highlight of E3 2012, however, is their tech demo for next-gen systems, the Luminous Engine. Similarities are being compared to the Final Fantasy VII PS3 Tech Demo, although Square Enix once again emphasizes that Agni's Philosophy was just a tech demo, not an actual representation of what Final Fantasy XV might look like.


Despite SE not announcing a new game, the demo for the Luminous Engine is spectacular. It seems that in every console generation since the PS1, what was considered CG movie graphics becomes the next generation's gameplay graphics. Final Fantasy VIII's CG movies wowed us back in 1998, while Final Fantasy X's gameplay looked like one giant FF8 movie. FF10's CG movies were incredible, but FF13 again looked like one long FF10 CG movie. It's pretty clear now that the amazing visuals seen in Beyond: Two Souls will be child's play in the next generation of games.

Winners and Losers of E3 2012

Biggest Winner: 3rd Party Developers


UFC announced a new partnership with EA, severing their ties with THQ. EA also displayed Madden NFL 13 with Kinect controls demonstrated by the greatest QB ever, Joe Montana. Call of Duty: Black Ops II had an impressive trailer, although many were bored with the very idea of a new CoD game every single year. 3rd party games managed to be the hot topic, whether it was EA's Dead Space 3, Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, or Square Enix's Tomb Raider. While the Big 3 are undoubtedly developing new consoles (with Nintendo sure to reveal even more info about the Wii U at the Tokyo Game Show), the 3rd party guys will make sure the end of this console cycle continues to get great games.


Biggest Loser: Microsoft


It was an awful show. Not a single addressing of the Xbox 720 rumors, another trailer for Halo 4, a game no one is really that hyped for, more Fable, announcing that the Xbox will have an internet  browser in the next update, but oh wait, it's Internet Explorer powered by Bing, and so forth. Oh, and just to top things off, more fucking Kinect bullshit. Smartglass is an interesting concept, but so was Kinect, and look how hard that failed. Sony seems geared to make a gigantic announcement at next year's E3 after having a low key presser this year, but Microsoft just appears to be lost and aimless.


Honorary Mention: Spike TV and GameTrailers E3 Coverage


Live and in HD, no bullshit. Geoff Keighly. World premiere trailers and gameplay footage after the press conferences on E3 All Access. If it weren't for GameTrailers and Spike, I would not have heard anything about Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance since IGN and Joystiq both refused to cover anything first shown on Spike or GameTrailers and G4 continued to have unbelievably inept coverage with the addition of Jessica Chobot of IGN. It was awesome and straight to the point, without having G4 hosts constantly creaming themselves at everything and IGN and Joystiq having lazily written stories on games people are really interested in. I expect big things from Spike and GT if they decide to cover the Tokyo Game Show on TV this September.

I Think It's Time We Talk About Damian Wayne

It's hard to believe, but come this September, it will have been 6 years since the creation of Damian Wayne by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert. Damian represents everything about Grant Morrison's run on the various Batman titles of Batman, Batman and Robin, and Batman Incorporated, that being that he is the re-introduction of an old idea in the comics that used to be considered non-canon for various reasons, alongside Jason Todd actually being a redhead, and the word Zurr-En-Arrh being used.


Some of Morrison's ideas have tanked, like the concept of Jason Todd being a natural redhead. Currently, Jason has been reverted back to his old appearance, although he now has a gray streak in his hair due to the Lazarus Pit reviving him. The entirety of Batman R.I.P. has largely been ignored ever since it ended. Talia al Ghul drugging Batman to have unprotected sex with him is no longer valid.


Other ideas have succeeded. Dr. Hurt is once again a Batman villain, the leader of the organization known as the Black Glove, a group that worships the devil and Death herself. Batman's current costume is clearly influenced by Batman's Batman, Incorporated suit, although the yellow oval is gone again.


The main thing that will inevitably be Morrison's legacy, however (besides the ridiculousness of Final Crisis), is the creation of Damian Wayne.


More after the break.

My Thoughts on Alan Scott Being Rebooted to Be Gay

DC knew what they were doing. The news of "The Green Lantern is gay" has appeared in the news and has been reported on lazily. Most media sources show headlines of just "DC Comics' Green Lantern is Gay" without clarifying which Green Lantern it is, only the Associated Press clearing up early on that it is not Hal Jordan, nor any other member of the Green Lantern Corps., but instead the Golden Age superhero, Alan Scott. Their strategy has worked perfectly, as seen on TMZ Live today. TMZ showed an image of Hal Jordan to get their audience to know who they were talking about, but people on staff clarified that the gay Green Lantern is not the one featured in last year's Green Lantern and that Alan Scott once had a gay son. HLN's website also used an image of Hal Jordan, although they clarified that it is not him who is gay.


It's an interesting strategy, getting people to investigate which Green Lantern it is that is gay, discovering that there is an alternate universe where there is only one Green Lantern and with the absence of Superman, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman, he is the world's most powerful superhero... and he's gay, possibly leading people to go buy Earth 2.


It's not going to work. Non-comic book fans see the move as tokenism, making the character gay for the sake of making him gay, with no substance. Others who hate homosexuality just plain hate the move for obvious reasons. Comic book fans hate the move because of the cop out of making a character from an alternate universe gay. Probably the only people who actually like the move are writer James Robinson and DC Co-Publisher Dan DiDio. Robinson was a writer for the book Starman, about another gay superhero.


Dan DiDio is the man most well-known for saying Countdown was 52 "done right" and for angrily responding to a fan complaining that the New 52 cut down female creative talent from 12% to 1%, asking in an angry tone repeatedly in different ways, "who should we be hiring?" as if he were not aware of female writers and artists in the comic book industry other than Gail Simone (currently writing Batgirl) and Amanda Conner (fired during the New 52 relaunch). DiDio is also responsible for coming up with and overseeing the New 52, which has received mixed reviews, although the members of the Justice League have all received good reviews and great sales in their own comics, which is what DC is most concerned with, beating Marvel in sales.


I don't really care about Alan Scott being gay, I'm more concerned about his boyfriend. Gay characters haven't been handled well in comics, especially supporting characters without superpowers. DC, please don't kill off Alan Scott's boyfriend just to make him ANGRY AND FULL OF REVENGE, ok? He's supposed to be your flagship character of Earth 2, so make him likable in a good relationship, please.

Hines Ward is Joining NBC's Football Night in America Pre-Game Show

Two-time Super Bowl champion Hines Ward, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers, now retired, will be joining NBC's Football Night in America pre-game show for Sunday Night Football as an analyst. Ward worked part-time for NBC a few months ago for their Super Bowl XLVI coverage and received favorable reviews. He was widely expected to join ESPN and become the latest football player to be one of thousands working for ESPN, but instead he is now part of a small group of employees working for NBC.


I think the move is fantastic. Ward is well known for his infectious smile and charisma, something hat will surely translate to television analyst very well, the same way Chris Webber has become a fan favorite on TNT and NBA TV due to his every-man approach to NBA analysis. Ward will join former Chargers and Patriots player Rodney Harrison (ret. 2008) in the studio every Sunday night.

The Golden Age Green Lantern is DC's New Gay Superhero

The Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott

The original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, who used a magic ring unrelated to the Green Lantern Corps. and is magical in nature with a weakness against wood, will be re-introduced in Earth 2 #2 as a gay character. In the old days, when the Golden Age superheroes were introduced to the fused universe of New Earth, Scott had 2 children, Jade, who later became a Green Lantern, and Obsidian, a superhero with shadow-based powers who was also gay, much to the disappointment of his father.


With Earth 2 getting its own revamp, the Golden Age superheroes will be getting reboot as well, with their ages returned to being young. They will also be getting new costumes and origins, which will offer a whole host of new superheroes for DC to work with and do basically whatever they want with them because they aren't the mainstream heroes  and some people may not be into the concept of Earth 2 anyway, thinking "why would I want to read about an alternate universe if these characters won't interact with the main universe?" If Power Girl and Huntress are any indication though, it looks like it will be possible for old-school Earth 1 meets Earth 2 superhero type moments, but DC will be doing a much better job of categorizing their infinite Earths thanks to much better data entry/storage today compared to the 1980s. The cover of Earth 2 #3 will tell the tale of Alan Scott's new origin story and features a partial view of his new costume.

The New 52 Alan Scott of Earth 2. He's also gay.