Gift Guides 2008: Video Games
So, you’re looking for a gift come Black Friday, and you don’t know what to get your gamer, and you forgot to ask them what they wanted. Or, alternatively, you are a gamer who doesn’t know what he or she wants… Here’s a list of high profile releases to help you make your decision on what to buy this holiday shopping season for your geeky gamer…
Console
PS3/XBox 360
Gift Guides 2008: American Animation
Ah, the Holiday Shopping season is about to begin, and you’re wondering what you should get that animation fan of yours. Well, ComicsOnline.com has reviewed several excellent animated features this year, for viewers young and old. Here are our suggestions:
DVD Review: Spin City Season One
It was 1996, and Michael J. Fox had left television for movies. His career was waning, and it seemed like he was going to be relegated to lesser, direct-to-video releases. In comes Gary Goldberg and DreamWorks with a new television series. This series was Spin City, and it aired on ABC Tuesday nights. Spin City: The Complete First Season was recently released on DVD and collects the entire first season, including the pilot onto DVD.
Spin City was about the deputy mayor of New York City, and his day to day life where he practically ran the city under a pretty much incompetent mayor, and wacky staff.
Episode Highlights:
“Prototype”: Pilot – City Hall has to deal with a garbage strike going on, and an insensitive comment that the mayor makes toward gay people.
Blu-ray Review: Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is the story of Po (Jack Black – Tropic Thunder), a panda that has spent his life working in the noodle shop belonging to his goose father’s (James Hong – Big Trouble in Little China) noodle shop, while all the while dreaming of becoming a kung fu master. Through a series of wacky accidents, Po is inadvertently chosen to take the mantle of the Dragon Warrior so that he can defend his home, the Valley of Peace, from an escaped criminal, Tai Lung, who also seeks the secret knowledge of the Dragon scroll. Po puts up with the misgivings of his reluctant master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), and overcome his own weaknesses in order to find his inner strength and save the day.
Blu-ray & DVD Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
When the world as we know it is under attack by monsters…who you gonna call? HELLBOY! Hellboy II: The Golden Army is now available on DVD and Blu-ray! Hellboy II is brought to you from the director of the award winning film Pan’s Labyrinth and the hit movie…Hellboy!
DVD Review: Son of the Beach: Volume Two
Baywatch was popular, but not funny. Son of the Beach was funny, but not popular. Ok, it wasn’t really funny, but it was produced by Howard Stern when he had his massive legion of fans. Son of the beach aired from 2000 to 2002 on FX, and garnered an audience large enough to keep it on the air on a cable network. Son of the Beach: Volume Two is out now on DVD.
Son of the Beach is a Baywatch parody that deals with the day to day life of Notch Johnson, the head lifeguard of the beaches of Malibu Adjacent, and his staff.
Episode Highlights:
”Grand Prix”: Head Lifeguard Notch Johnson must uphold the honor of all of America by defeating
”Witness for the Prostitution”: Notch Johnson is being honored by having a building named after him at the local University, but he senses that something is of at the university’s sorority house.
DVD Review: The Fist Foot Way
The Foot Fist Way is a 2008 low-budget comedy film directed by Jody Hill and starring Danny R. McBride. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s production company, Gary Sanchez Productions, picked up distribution rights to the film and hoped for it to achieve a Napoleon Dynamite-like success. It premiered in 2006 at The Los Angeles Film Festival and was screened at Sundance that same year.
VOD Review: Goth Cruise
Overview: This film follows the guests of the 4th Annual Goth Cruise. 150 American and British Goths embark on a luxury cruise ship along with 2,500 non-Goths for a relaxing vacation in the Caribbean. It is directed By Jeanie Finlay, and premieres on IFC FREE (VOD): November 27, 2008 at Midnight.
VOD Review: Goth Cruise
Goth Cruise
Directed By Jeanie Finlay
Premieres on IFC FREE (VOD): November 27, 2008 at Midnight.
An in-depth view of the 4th annual Goth Cruise where 150 goths get together with 2500 norms on a cruise from New Jersey to Bermuda. Why? Well, interestingly, as people grow up they find they no longer consider going to a big party to be a vacation. They want a real vacation, fancy that! Some of the goths on the cruises actually went so far as to refer to themselves as ‘Elder Goths’, a sign that this subculture, unlike others from the 80’s, has survived the passing of time.
PS2 Game Review: Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World
In Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World there are new “dragon missions” that are based on different moments from the anime. Not all the missions are fighting related, there are challenge missions like running to the end of Snake Way under a time limit and exploring an area looking for “gate” or check points, which is also under a time limit. Of course, there are battle based missions, and they are difficult. It doesn’t really matter what level you’re playing at, this game is a challenge and it may take you several tries to complete a mission. Now, this is the first time I’ve played a DBZ game for the PS2, so I found the controls really confusing and I didn’t like the lack of basic training. You get to use “ESS” or “Exciting Skill System”. Those skills can be used to customize a character by adding them to their skill tray. Unlike the previous DBZ games, you can purchase upgrades for the skills.
Blu-ray Review: Firefly The Complete Series
Space Western.
These two words summarize the amazing story of the Serenity and her crew. Now the adventures of Captain Mal Reynolds and the gang are available to own in glorious high definition because Firefly: The Complete Series (one of the best Sci-Fi series ever) is available on Blu-ray! This thrilling series comes to us from the mind of Joss Whedon, best known for his work on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer the TV Series, and most recently, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
In the future the people of Earth have left and traveled out into the universe (or The Verse) in search of opportunity, growth, and profit. Colonies have popped up everywhere and everyone has needs. Luckily the crew of the Serenity is here to provide for those needs.
Cast
Nintendo DS Game Review: Dragon Ball Origins
The Dragon Ball franchise has a deep and lasting following going all the way back to 1988 with Dragon Ball: Daimaō Fukkatsu. Dragon Ball: Origins takes you back to the beginning of the saga. You start out as a young Goku training by your self. Out on a training hike, you see your first car and believing it is a Monster you blow it up. A girl comes out and shoots you a few times, but because of your shin is like iron it has no effect. This girl is none other than Bulma and this is your first meeting. Goku takes Bulma home and that is were Bulma discovers that Goku has the Four Star Dragon Ball and she tries to get him to give it up because she on a quest to find all seven of them to be able to make a wish. There is no way Goku would give it up, so they decide to work together to find them and the joint quest and lifelong friendship begins.
Nintendo DS Game Review: Bleach The Blade of Fate
In Bleach: The Blade of Fate you have to first go though the basic Story Mode, which is set during the first time in the Soul Society. Playing as Ichigo you go through levels, fight the people in your way, and then save Rukia, which can be relatively hard if you don’t read the cut scenes . When you’ve completed that, things get fun, and easier. New characters are unlocked for Arcade mode Versus mode. You also unlock some of the Extras and the rest of the story modes. There are a total of 23 story modes, each based on a different character and the last one is the really long conclusion of Episode 1. I quite enjoy the multiple Story modes you unlock and the character available.