Marvel Shirts at SM MOA

Normally, when I find something good, like a well stocked toy store that no one goes to or a place with cheap yet amazing taco food thingies, I just keep it to myself in fear of them getting more and more popular. However, a discovery took place last weekend that reduced me to a stuttering compulsive buying fanboy and I just felt like sharing it. Yes, I had a bad case of g.a.s. or Geek Acquisition Syndromre.

Lemme tell you the story.

My girlfriend and I went to MOA to catch Cloudy, With a Chance of Meatballs in 3D, which was really entertaining, by the way. On our way up to the second floor of MOA’s department store, she spotted a shirt with Daredevil on it. She pointed it out to me and I spazzed out. I pushed my way to the top of the escalator just so I could hop on the one going down. She gladly followed me.

When I arrived at the Marvel clothing section for big boys, I picked up 8 shirts right away! Budget constraints made me limit my purchase to only 4, though. Fortunately, the girlfriend paid for one of the shirts as it was her Valentine’s gift for me. She’s a sweetheart like that. Here were my choices:

An awesome Iron Man shirt. There were actually tons of other designs. One was even a classic comic book cover, and another had just the helmet, and it looked quite fantastic. It sucks hard that those didn’t come in my size anymore. And my size is Ultra Fat.

Cyclops, bitchez! They had an assortment of other X-Men designs- Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler. I will go back for the Nightcrawler shirts next pay day.

Spider-Man designs were aplenty. They had swinging Spidey, a Spidey with the Marvel logo, the Amazing Spider-Man logo and a couple others. The best Spider-Man shirt would definitely have to be the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15. Those didn’t come in my size either. Maybe next week.

My second favorite shirt.  Yes, second. It’s Daredevil. ‘Nuff said.

My girlfriend’s gift to me, IRON BEAR! Okay, so it didn’t exactly come from the Marvel shop section. Came from that other store with other bearbrick designs. It’s shiny and cute.

There were other characters, too. If you’re into Captain America, Hulk or Thing, you’d find them there.

I’m not entirely sure if MOA is the only SM that carries the line. I haven’t seen them outside of MOA, and I passed by SM Makati earlier today. Anyway, at MOA, it’s at the ground floor, near that Kodak thing. Each shirt goes for P299.75. They’re a bit tight but the cloth is comfy. Go ahead, check it out.

Iron Man 2 Game Trailer- War Machine

I think the old Iron Man game won the award for being the suckiest game everyone played. Besides the eye candy, there really wasn’t much to the gameplay. Fly here, destroy that. It was cool to see but it got repetitive. My review of it didn’t get very high, just 2.5 out of 5.

Sega did say they were going to take what they learned from the old title and apply it to the new game. Who knows, yeah, maybe it would end up being the next Spider-Man 2 game. Check out the trailer.

Sega is now going “There. I fixed it.”

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Character Analysis Part 2

Here we are with our second installment of the character line-up analysis for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. We finished with Spider-Man in the last one, and we continue with one of his nemises, Venom.

Venom is, truth be told, is like the leg bones on a whale - quite fucking useless. He attempts to be a tank with his Leaping Feast attack with auto-heal, but his HP is still a bit low and his attacks are mediocre, at best. His range is also nothing to excited about either. He’s good as mid-range character, maybe, but still doesn’t shine well in that department either. His melee is slow, on top of all that. 1.5 out of 5. Best thing about him is his alt costume.
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Comic of the Week: Justice League #41

What the hell was that?

The line-up changes how often these days? Once in two months? And this month’s issue of Justice League feels just as useless as the last few issues. I saw so many things I didn’t like about it, and it could quite possibly be the worst issue of JL I’ve read in a while and the last storyarc was a huge shitfest.

Written by James Robinson
Brought to life by Mark Bagley (pencils), Rob Hunter, Marlo Alquiza, Walden Wong (inks) and Pete Pantazis (colors)
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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Character Analysis Part 1

The best thing about the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series (and when I say the MUA series, I include the two X-Men Legends games) is the fact that you’ve got a bajillion characters to choose from and even bajillions more to encounter. This is a wet dream for any fan who wants to see their favorite character come to life in polygonal awesomeness. Unfortunately, if you want the MUA character to play like their comic book counterpart, not all characters would be balanced. I think MUA suffered greatly from this, as Thor got knocked out faster than guys like Cap or Blade. This was changed in MUA 2. The downside is that a weaker character in the comics would generally be weaker in the game. I’d rather thave it this way, though.

In this post, I’ll talk about what I think about each character and how I think would be the best way to play as him/her.

I’ll be talking about non-DLC, non-preorder characters, because Activision and Marvel apparently couldn’t come to a decision that would be beneficial for the consumer. Meh. Also, FUCK MISNEY!

There’s going to be a ton so let’s do it by parts. Okay, let’s start with good ole’ Captain America.

Cap was nerfed something awful. In MUA, the shield throw was fucking devastating. It would knock down people and go through multiple enemies. He also had that buff that made his attacks faster. It totally made him a moster to play as. In MUA 2, not so much. Shield throw, even at the highest level, does not knock down anyone. It only staggers them. His best move would be his Shield Swipe, which clears out a radius of enemies. Good melee character, but still pretty weak. Cap gets 2.5 out of 5. (more…)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Review

The only reason I got myself a PS3, since I’m not a big gamer anymore, was Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. I know that the reason may seem utterly mongoloidal, and that’s what the guys over at different forums say also, but I just felt like my life wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t get to play it. Turns out, my life would’ve been just fine without MUA2. I can’t say the same for Brutal Legend, though.

Story:

Probably the biggest carrot for this whole video game would be its faithfulness to comic book storylines. Well, that was their hook anyway. I appreciate how it took elements from different storylines to come up with its own unique plot. Thing is, had Civil War really ended like the game, people would cry “cop-out!” then swear never to buy Marvel again, only to buy Dark Avengers and Siege a few hours later. And then I would cry. (more…)

IT IS UPON US ONCE AGAIN!

 The last image is the study of the cover, which is most fucking AWESOME! I’ll see you guys there, yo. Check out their website!

Newer, Mightier, Ultimater Avengers!

While I was working and looking for music to play, I was lucky enough to come upon these videos. And this is probably the funniest shit I have seen all week.

Now here’s what I want you to do. Watch it, then rate it a 5, then leave a comment thanking the guy who made it for his genius then you thank me for sharing it with you.

Guess Who’s Back.

After reading the jaw-dropping conclusion of Joss Whedon’s run on the Astonishing X-Men, I developed a newfound love for Kitty Pryde. She was always absent from my radar until then. When I thought X-Men, I would think Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Beast and everyone else was secondary. Come to think of it, I never really liked any of the female X-Men, except for Emma Frost.

When I was heavily collecting Marvel Legends, I was reluctant to collect the Astonishing X-men cast because I knew I had to buy a Kitty Pryde, and since those are extremely hard to come by, I figured it wasn’t worth it. That was, until, I read how she developed this whole new level of badassery in Astonishing X-Men under Whedon and Cassaday’s pen.

If you don’t know by now, Kitty Pryde saved the world by phasing a planet-destroying bullet through Earth. She phased an Earth-killing bullet straight through and past Earth. Wrap your puny minion mind around it.

Oh, and she’s coming back.

Advocate’s Videos

There’s this guy on Plurk who posts videos of his action figures on YouTube. He’s a fellow-PTK‘er. I love that forum, seriously. Nothing like hanging out with like-minded geeks, yeah? Anyway, I’ve featured him before, but now he’s doing reviews and once-overs of amazing customized figures. Check out this customized Strong Guy.

And here’s one about a customized Speedball and Ares

I hope the Filipino toy-customizing community continues to grow and improve.

The Latest Iron Man Armor

Are you ready to feast your eyes upon the horror that is the latest Iron Man armor? Check it out:

What gay-ass anime-bullshit monstrosity is that? No, really. WTF is that?! The Marvel atrocities keep coming.

That is not a suit of armor. That is a lightly padded jumpsuit. Iron Man wears armor, not thick rubber pieces. And the hell is up with those LEDs at totally irrelevant areas? This… suit looks like it could be torn into by Squirrel GIrl. Who the hell designed this? Mr. Granov, if you’re reading this, please knock some sense into the dude who created this… abnormality.

I would have gladly accepted any of the Iron Man or Iron Man 2 movie sets of armor as Marvel Universe comic book canon. They looked great, and they looked menacing. He looked like a walking tank with substance abuse issues. This hideous blemish in the hall of armor looks like something Force or The Wizard would wear.

Now THOSE are Iron Man sets of armor. Would’ve loved the Mark III or Mark V as comic book canon. Gah! Hope this doesn’t last long.

BRING BACK THE MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2 DLC!

FUCK!!! FUCK THIS SHIT!!!

As some of you know, I recently got a PS3. The first game I bought was Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, in the hopes that I could get good DLC packs for it, and it becomes a totally awesome gaming experience. I bought it before Dec. 31, 2009. I heard about the DLC was going to get pulled before 2010.

I go online and find out that the DLC for MUA and MUA2 have been pulled from both Xbox Live and PSN stores. WHAT IN THE HOLY MOTHERFUCKING FUCK IS THAT FUCKING SHIT!?

This was supposed to be my FIRST EVER DLC PURCHASE, EVER and Activision or Marvel or someone chose to take that away from me.

I wanted to fucking play as PSYLOCKE and fucking CABLE! And yes, EVEN FUCKING CARNAGE!!! I am seriously pissed the fuck off.

I am not happy with Marvel or Activision right now. Could it be backlash from that FUCKING MOUSE buying the House of Ideas? Oh god, I hope not. But just in case, FUCK YOU, MICKEY MOUSE! FUCK YOU HARD IN THE ASSHOLE WITH A SPIKED STEEL DILDO!!!

I appeal to you, dear friends, to sign these petitions at Hero HQ Forums and the GameSpot Forums.

Activision, Marvel and Disney, I don’t get the thinking. There are people who are practically begging you to accept their money for digital characters. PLEASE BRING THE DLC BACK!

Comic of the Week: Siege #1

The event that a lot of fans have been waiting for is finally here. Whether you loved or hated Dark Reign (and you’re a fool if you didn’t like it), its backlash, Siege, has been built up to be the can of kick ass that finally puts things back in order in Marvel Universe. I, for one, am kinda sad that the status quo might become too normal again, but with Siege, I’m just going to enjoy the geekfest while it lasts.

Words and plot by Brian Michael Bendis
Shapes by Olivier Copiel, silhouettes by Mark Morales, and shades by Laura Martin
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Iron Man 2 Movie Toys! HOARD AND DIE, FUCKHOLE!

I caught wind of the prototype Iron Man 2 concept series action figures over at Marvelousnews. I have to say they are magnificent. I’m sure the hoarders and the collectors are going to jump right on these and make the search for the best figs a race. Prices are going to skyrocket.

I’m going to share some with you, but if you wanna see all the pics, click here. I merely ganked these images from Marvelousnews, that awesome website.

All figures come with armor cards (whatever the hell those are), stands and glowy pieces of plastic that will serve as your effects. I seriously hope they don’t raise the price past P550.00. I will be very cross if they do.

Classic Iron Man. This is a must-have for me. Looks cooler without the gigantic red middle finger, too. This’ll sell like hotcakes, but it is far from what’ll be most sought after.
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Alternate Costumes

Ah, first post of the year. Feels good.

I bought myself a PS3 as a gift for myself. I honestly don’t know why I thought I could afford it. I’m now burried in debt and extremely non-liquid. However, I am enjoying the living fuck out of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, the sole reason for my purchasing a current gen console.

It is incredibly fun! Well, for me, at least. I have to explore it a bit further for me to be able to review it fully, but as far as I can tell, it’s not really for everyone. If you’re a fan of the franchise, then by all means, pick it up. Otherwise, a seasoned gamer might not find this as engaging as other titles on the market.

The thing that caught my eye from the time the art was being released was the costume redesign for most characters. I was fucking livid. I loved the first MUA because of how accurate things were to the comic.

Howevah, my friends, check this out.

That is Iron Man’s alternate costume. His Extremis armor adaptation was already fucking awesome. With this included in the fray, it made my Pro-Registration choice that much more enjoyable.

Oh, and since the Iron Man armor is still pretty much up in the air right now, and people have been using the pre–Extremis armor (which is cool, don’t get me wrong), I’m still not sure what the next Iron Man armor is going to look like. It’s very likely that it’ll turn out to be one of the movie sets of armor, but wouldn’t it be freakin’ awesome if he went back to the basic look, but updated to look like it’d actually work, like this one? That would be effin’ sweet.

Goodbye 2009

Character of the Year

2009 was a year of tragedies, in real life and in the mythos of escape we call comic books. And out of those fictional tragedies emerged a team that was interesting, they had their faces drawn on almost every major book from that publisher. And the leader of that team was a man who was so intriguing, I was glued to his every action and eagerly awaited every major consequence.

I present to you the Comicology Character of 2009 - NORMAN OSBORN!

His emergence from being a burried Spider-Man villain to the main big baddie of MU really came from way out far left field. As Secret Invasion was ending, rumors were swirling about and the solicits did show that Normie was at the top of the food chain, but it was just hard to believe. I chose to be pessimistic and be pleasantly surprised if things turned out okay. I’m happy it turned out the way it turned out. Thank you, Mr. Bendis.
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Comic of the Week: Dark Avengers: Ares #3

Everyone was talking about Blackest Night #6 because it was a great title. I agree. I think it was phenomenal. However, there was this other title that just really got to me. It could be because Ares, the god of war, has been skyrocketing in popularity since the days of the Iron Man-led Mighty Avengers and that I think he’s a great character. It could also be because I’ve been playing a lot of Modern Warfare 2 lately. Either way, this week’s comic of the week is Ares #3.

Ares #3 is a fantastic mixture of elements of brotherhood, drama, and a ton of badassery.

Written by Kieron Gillen
Pencilled by Manuel Garcia
Inked by Stefano Gaudiano and Matthew Southworth
Colored by Jose Villarrubia
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Christmas Haul

This is the first year since I started action figure collecting that I didn’t receive an action figure or get one for myself. This year, though, the girlfriend got me the most amazing gifts EVER IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND!

Check it out.

Green Lantern hoodie! All those cold nights in the office are now a thing of the past!

It fits me well, I think. The material is really thick, so it’s not something you could wear every day in this country. Well, unless you work in a server room, in which case, this might not be enough. The GL logo looks to be printed on with very thick rubberized paint. Dunno how well that’ll hold after washing.

Other designs include the Batman and Superman logos, which both really weren’t that nice.

A COMICOLOGY SHIRT! BOOYAH!

And here I am looking like a mongoloid with the Comicology shirt on.
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Operation: Comicology Christmas - Success!

Thanks to the tactical planning and support of the girlfriend, the financial support of the bidders (Peter Juan, Joel Ramos), the donations of a few generous souls (Larry Cayco, and the girlfriend’s family friend whose name I will edit in later) and the cooperation of a few security guards around Makati, Operation: Comicology Christmas was successful.

We were able to give away:

46 Jollibee Chicken/Spaghetti meals with a soft drink
30 pieces of Jollibee Chicken and rice and 30 zest-o’s
50 loot bags with assorted goodies

It took us barely 2 hours to give away the food to street kids and some people living off the streets.

On my way to my own family for our little Christmas celebration, though, I saw more homeless people. I want to do this again, but I’m going to need more people. I hope that when this is launched again, I can get more people to join in and help out.

Again, thanks to everyone. Know that you gave a few people a better Christmas than they would have otherwise experienced.