Angry Web

Remember that non-official Nintendo Wiifit viral video?

Well, in the interest of equality, she gets a little payback on national TV.

And just in case you don’t remember what that video was like, here it is again.

With “The Dark Knight” making a killing in the box office this summer and Batman merchandise flooding the market, it was only natural that the gaming industry would strike while the iron was hot. As a longtime fan of all things Batman, I always get worried when I hear that the Caped Crusader will be making his way onto a gaming console. Fortunately, “LEGO Batman” hit store shelves last week and squashed some of those fears for me.

Within the first minute of the game, Batman enthusiasts will be hit with a sense of nostalgia. Revealing familiar environments recreated in LEGO pieces set to Danny Elfman’s score from Tim Burton’s 1989 version of Batman, fans will feel right at home.

For those who have had the chance to get their hands on “LEGO Star Wars” or “LEGO Indiana Jones”, you will find a very similar style of gameplay. There is not much of a learning curve to the controls and anyone can pretty much join in on the fun without fretting the technicalities of a complex game.

The changes “LEGO Batman” made from prior LEGO titles are what make this game stand out above the rest. Since “LEGO Star Wars” and “LEGO Indiana Jones” were direct translations of the movies that bare their name, it left for predictability. “LEGO Batman” has no direct ties to any existing storyline so it feels like a new adventure all together.

Another major change that can be found in “LEGO Batman” is the utilization of vehicles. Like its predecessors, the game consists of 3 major acts. Each act in “LEGO Batman” has a level devoted to vehicle gameplay that will allow you to take your fight to land, air and sea. It creates a diversity that prevents the gameplay from become redundant and keeps the game interesting from beginning to end.

The only real problem with this game is that it’s not for everybody…wait, yes it is! Anyone from children to adults, hardcore gamers to casual gamers, and Batman fans will enjoy this title. There is a vast cast of characters that Batman fans will be familiar with including almost every popular villain that Batman has ever faced. The game sports an adaptive difficulty that will adjust to the skill level of the gamer so it won’t be too challenging for anyone.

The graphics are good for what the game is trying to accomplish meaning that it is comprised of mostly geometric shapes and nothing too risky. The game looks especially good on the high definition consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 but again, you won’t see anything as intricate as rendered facial expressions.

The bottom line is this game is extremely fun. Whether you want to hop on and play tandem with your AI partner or Co-Op with a friend, you are bound to enjoy your time on “LEGO Batman”. It has a ton of unlockables that add replay value to the game and it is priced right at $49.99 USD on the PS3 and Xbox 360, which is $10.00 cheaper than most new releases. I recommend “LEGO Batman” to anyone who is looking to purchase a game for the sole purpose of having fun with one of the most timeless super heroes of our era.

Bound to happen.

We received an email today with the assets for the DVD and Blu Ray release of “Hellboy II”. Here they are.

We have just started a group on the myspace. The group will give you a chance to talk about any current happenings that you may read here on Angry Web. You can join the myspace group HERE.

Thanks to an email by Cyfus, one of our readers, this “Iron Man” design work was brought to our attention and was too cool to pass up. Below is a sample of one of the many images that can be found on Yahoo! Movies. Check them all out.

We now have official cover artwork for the 1-Disc DVD, 2-Disc DVD, and 2-Disc Blu-Ray release of “The Dark Knight” as well as the f*ckin’ awesome miniature Bat-Pod that will come in a limited edition Blu-Ray

Warner Home Video has confirmed a Dec. 9th release date.  Better mark that date on your calendar.  I have a feeling these things could be the next Tickle-Me-Elmo Christmas craze…but for big kids

The 2-Disc Blu-Ray release will include the following:

• Gotham Uncovered Documentary
• 2 Featurettes – Batman Tech: The Incredible Gadgets and Tools ; Batman Unmasked : The Psychology of The Dark Knight
• All 6 Gotham Cable News Reports
• Galleries – Joker Cars, Concept Art, Poster Art, and Production Stills
• Trailers and TV Spots
• Uhh…nothing on the viral marketing?

“The Dark Knight” will be Warner’s first Blu-Ray release to implement the BD-Live feature.

Retail Price: 2-Disc Blu-Ray – $35.99 ; 2-Disc Special Edition DVD – $34.99 ; 1-Disc DVD – $29.98

Now here’s the real deal:

The Office season premiere aired last night and if it’s one things the geeks can appreciate is Pam’s ASCII version of Dwight. Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

From the people that brought you Angry Web, we have started a new project that allows users to submit photos of people that kind of, but not really, look like celebrities. You Look Like A Celebrity is up and ready to go so help us gain some speed.

There’s been hype about it. There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding this LucasArts title ever since it was announced. I remember many times, I’ve had friends I’ve talked to say that they can’t wait for this game. The biggest appeal, broad use of the Force within the game ultimately falls rather short.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is an interesting title, inspired to fit within the dual trilogy canon. The events of this game takes place within the two decades between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. You take control of the nameless secret apprentice of Darth Vader, who is plotting an upheaval of Emperor Palpatine. Known only as Starkiller (Luke Skywalker’s conceptual surname), you as the Apprentice are sent on Jedi manhunts and other various missions at the immediate request of Darth Vader (Who unfortunately is not voiced by James Earl Jones). Along the way you have a token goofy robot sidekick and an headstrong female pilot who will serve as a love interest for the Apprentice in the story. While the story itself is well told as best as LucasArts can and its visuals are pretty good, the main fault of this game lies in the gameplay. So I can get this out of the way, the best parts of the TFU is it’s superb facial capture, but now onto what’s bad.

The controls are horrendous, plainly put. The camera angles often are cumbersome and during battle, it’s recenter function does not really function. It recenters for a split second and will overcompensate, something that is very difficult to work with in situations (and there are many) where you will be fighting multiple enemies and trying to dispatch them as fast as you can. On the subject of multiple enemies, the targeting system simply does not work. When you are faced with the many targets you can pick from, the selected target is very hard to see, and the camera is not locked so you may be targeted on something but you can’t see it on your screen. On top of that, you can also lock targets on the many many objects in the game on which you can use your Force telekinesis, so quickly selecting a target is undoubtedly infuriating.

As for the enemies themselves, they fall into the categories of rebels and empire troops, as in everyone’s familiar Star Wars fashion. But only the die hard fans will really care to notice, since they’re all out to kill you regardless. Seemingly, when it comes to basic grunts, they’re unimaginative; they only shoot, rapid shoot or try to prod you with their stun rods. One of my own personal complaints are the rapid shooting enemies. It seems that they don’t really need to reload and can fire incessantly (but then again it’s a laser weapon, who needs to reload anyway, right?) so within the concept of balance, leaves you standing there holding the guard button and repelling laser shots. Of course these shots are not immediately deadly, but a minor annoyance you have to deal with from the onset of the game and oftentimes enemies have an impenetrable defense…. to a lightsaber, but then again if you can cut through anything but other lightsabers, where would be the fun?

As for the battle system, there are several elements that could have used more work as well. The lightsaber combos are initially imaginative, but quickly get dull. There seems to be no real benefit to stringing together a flashy looking combo, as there is in the Devil May Cry series. The damage benefit is mostly negligible, as simple one button presses seem to suffice. Unlike God of War, Ninja Gaiden and Heavenly Sword, where combo damage and really sets in the fun of those respective games. Like the above mentioned games however, there are points to be distributed to build your characters stats. Speaking of point distribution, you can’t really change your mind either. So if you were to happen to accidentally put a point in something you didn’t want, you can’t take the point off and redistribute, and there is no confimation message. That is something that can always be patched of course.

Now, onto the marketing point of The Force Unleashed, the force powers. Force lightning, force push, yeah those are there, nothing new about that. But here you can pick up nearly any object (including enemies) and toss them at will. Even this feature wasn’t as will implemented as planned. You control an object you pick up with your Force powers and control them on the X & Y axis on the Left Stick and the Z axis on the Right Stick. However simple that sounds, it doesn’t feel natural to use to throw objects at your enemies, there is no aiming assist and when you release your Force button the object will be thrown in a general direction which you were holding with the Right Stick.

If you’re looking for an easy game to pick up, this really isn’t it. If you’re a Star Wars fan and want to fill in the gaps, by all means pick this title up. I found this game to be particularly difficult to play through and I could not recommend it to anyone else other than those who just want to experience a story that is actually in the canon. It’s not entirely unplayable, but I can say you won’t get through certain parts without wanting to snap your controller in half.