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.