Rogue, Iceman, and Kitty in Days of Future Past

Director Bryan Singer revealed that Ellen Page, Anna Paquin, and Shawn Ashmore will be in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. Presumably, they’ll be reprising their respective roles of Kitty Pryde, Rogue, and Iceman. The cast is becoming awesomely impressive, with Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, and Jennifer Lawrence already confirmed. At the very least, the movie won’t be hurting for star power.

Page has the most challenging role, depending on how close to the comics Singer keeps the movie. She was charming in her small role in X-Men: Last Stand, but Days of Future Past will require her to play a broken and tragic character. Thankfully, she has the acting chops to kill it as alternate-future Kitty Pryde. I suppose Jackman will be working the most since he can play present-day and future versions of Wolverine, thanks to the character’s healing factor slowing down the aging process. That’s a convenient way to maximize an actor’s time.

Anyway, how do you feel about Singer getting talent from every X-Men film every made for Days of Future Past?

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NAMM 2013: Blue Microphones Nessie

Tech nerds love Blue Microphones’ mix of quality construction, sleek looks, and great sound. The company’s USB mics are used by thousands of musicians and podcasters. The latest USB mic from Blue is the Nessie. Like the Loch Ness Monster it’s named after, the Nessie has a curved, elongated neck. It uses the same capsule as the renowned Yeti, but features adaptive processing for users that don’t want to mess around with EQ and levels. The Nessie features a built-in pop filter and shock mount, adding to the user friendliness. This mic is a great choice for podcasters that don’t know how to optimize sound and musicians laying down quick scratch tracks.

I’m a huge fan of Blue Mics. I use a Yeti for VO and used an Encore for interviews/karaoke. While the Yeti is still going strong, a friend of mine broke my Encore by accidentally smashing it on concrete (I’m still not over it). Some of you will recall that comedian Jay Mohr was so impressed by my Encore that he grabbed it and busted out some Van Halen. Anyway, back to the Nessie! On paper, it looks like a great USB mic for single users. I expect it to offer the same great sound quality as the Yeti, but in an idiot-proof package.

Check out the video above and let me know what you think of the Blue Microphones Nessie when you have a chance. Also, since Blue already has the Yeti and Nessie, which mythical creature do you think the company will go with next?

NAMM 2013: Journey Instruments OO-verhead Guitar

I’ve seen a lot of travel guitars over the years, but all of them compromised sound quality for portability. The OO-verhead from Journey Instruments is significantly better than its competitors. It offers surprisingly full sound for a travel guitar, yet is small enough to fit in an overhead bin. In terms of sound, the OO-verhead is as big as a dreadnought acoustic at its thickest point, allowing for a full and rich tone. In terms of portability, it comes with a carry-on sized case that has enough room for the guitar, a 14-inch laptop, a tablet, and other travel items.

The OO-verhead is available in wood and carbon fiber. The wood model is geared towards players that want a traditional acoustic sound. Carbon fiber offers a brighter tone, which is a bit polarizing. Unlike wood, it’s not sensitive to humidity changes. The carbon fiber model is a good choice for world travelers that hop around different climate zones…or people that dig the cool, space-age look of carbon fiber.

Personally, I’m lusting for the carbon fiber model. I love its sleek looks and weather resistance. As someone that hops around between California, Hawaii, and Thailand, I appreciate what carbon fiber brings to the table.

Check out the video above and let me know what you think of the Journey Instruments OO-verhead (please!).

NAMM 2013: IK Multimedia iLoud Speaker

Like most of you, I’ve seen loads of Bluetooth speakers over the years. The IK Multimedia iLoud stands out for its blend of power, sound quality, and versatility. In addition to being able to pair with your PC, tablet, or phone via Bluetooth, the iLoud also features a 1/4-inch plug that accepts microphones and musical instruments. With 40 watts of power and high-quality sound (according to the manufacturer), this speaker can double as a studio monitor for musicians and vocalists. The iLoud also features a built-in iRig circuit that allows you to manipulate mics and instruments with mobile apps like AmpliTube and VocalLive.

I spent some time at NAMM 2013 playing with the iLoud and was impressed by its power and versatility. With all the noise blaring on the show floor, I wasn’t able to get an idea of the sound quality it offers. The iLoud will be released some time in the first half of 2013 and hopefully I’ll be reviewing it in the future. For now, please check out the video above and let me know if the iLoud is something you’re interested in.

Off to NAMM 2013

Howdy ladies and gents! I’m taking a short trip to Anaheim to attend NAMM 2013. My brother is going to be at the show doing some promo work for one of his saxophone sponsors. I’ll be checking out some music games, mobile speakers, cool guitars, and more. There are loads of artists performing at the show and at sponsored parties. If you have a chance, check out the exhibitor list and let me know if there are any booths or artists you want me to check out on your behalf. I’ll have my video gear with me, so hopefully I can get some fun videos out of the show.

Red Riding Hood Fights Japanese Demons in Akaneiro

From American McGee’s Spicy Horse Studios comes Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, an action-RPG that pits a dark version of Little Red Riding Hood against demons in a Japanese-inspired setting. While the game is free-to-play, the developers are looking for funding through Kickstarter. The target platforms for the game are Windows, Mac OS X, Android/iOS Tablet, and Linux. Check out the pitch video below for more information on the game and its campaign.

Akaneiro looks like it’s totally in my wheelhouse. I love action-RPGs like this and have a special place in my heart reserved for ones made by indie developers (the outstanding Bastion currently occupies that particular space). The art style is slick and the tone is typical American McGee — a twisted version of a popular fairytale. Hopefully the “freemium” features won’t be obnoxious; there are several free-to-play games that are great on paper, but are absolutely killed by money-grab content.

Any of you interested in playing or backing Akaneiro?

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Frank Darabont Writing Godzilla Movie

From the writer that brought you The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile comes…a Godzilla movie! That’s right, renowned scribe Frank Darabont is currently rewriting a script for Godzilla, set for release in 2014. While he’s best known for his outstanding dramas, Darabont has lots of nerd cred from his work on The Walking Dead, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. In a roundtable interview with iO9, Darabont spoke about bringing Godzilla back to his roots as a terrifying force of nature:

What I found very interesting about Godzilla is that he started off definitely as a metaphor for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And some of the atom bomb testing we were doing in the South Pacific in the subsequent years. The giant terrifying force of nature that comes and stomps the sh*t out of your city, that was Godzilla. Filtered through the very fanciful imaginations of the Japanese perception. And then he became Clifford the Big Red Dog in the subsequent films. He became the mascot of Japan, he became the protector of Japan. Another big ugly monster would show up and he would fight that monster to protect Japan. Which I never really quite understood, the shift.

What we’re trying to do with the new movie is not have it camp, not have it be campy. We’re kind of taking a cool new look at it. But with a lot of tradition in the first film.

While I loved the “Clifford the Big Red Dog” version of the Toho monster as a kid, as I grew up I came to appreciate Godzilla being an allegory for the repercussions of using atomic weapons. I’m intrigued by Darabont’s take on Godzilla. He’s a uniquely skilled writer that can write a compelling monster movie that people will take seriously.

What do you think of Frank Darabont penning Godzilla? Are you interested in his upcoming film? What’s your favorite Godzilla movie of all time?

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Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Screens

Here’s a fresh batch of screens and artwork from the upcoming Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Set for a Fall 2013 release, this RPG brings the FFXIII heroine back in an all-new adventure. Director Motomu Toriyama claims that the game will be, “the most complete and polished in the Final Fantasy series.” While I can’t comment on that lofty claim (yet), what I do know is that Lightning is back in black…and several other costumes. While she’s the star of the show and the only playable character, FFXIII fans will be pleased to know that Hope Estheim and Snow Villiers will apear in supporting roles.

As a mark for the series and someone that enjoyed XIII/XIII-2 more than most, of course I’m going to play this game. How about you guys and gals? Are you interested in jumping back into the world of Final Fantasy XIII? Or are you done with the series?

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Coffee Talk #560: Wolverine, X-Men, and Social Media

A few weeks ago, Comixology had a 99-cent sale on Wolverine and the X-Men. In November, I expressed my displeasure with the pussification of Wolverine, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first eight issues of the series. It’s full of charming characters, great humor, and thrilling action. In a modern twist, the world of Wolverine and the X-Men has been brought to life (or cleverly marketed, depending on your point of view) through social media. Here’s a rundown of why I’ve been enjoying the series and its social-media tie-ins…more

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Barbara Walters blading at President Obama’s inauguration, the Sacramento Kings probably moving to Seattle, or Mandy Moore looking surprisingly hot without makeup, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

A few weeks ago, Comixology had a 99-cent sale on Wolverine and the X-Men. In November, I expressed my displeasure with the pussification of Wolverine, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first eight issues of the series. It’s full of charming characters, great humor, and thrilling action. In a modern twist, the world of Wolverine and the X-Men has been brought to life (or cleverly marketed, depending on your point of view) through social media. Here’s a rundown of why I’ve been enjoying the series and its social-media tie-ins.

The Wolverine: I’m still annoyed that the formerly bad-ass Wolverine is now a school headmaster that’s pushing the agenda of mutants peacefully coexisting with humans, while Cyclops is heading up the militant faction. While he’s definitely part of the book and gets his name on the cover, the book really isn’t about him…and I’m totally down with that.

The Staff: Reading the faculty’s adventures and mingling has been more fun that reading about the headmaster. I’ve been a fan of the modern version of Kitty Pryde since Astonishing X-Men. Beast is always a delightful mix of brains, brawn, and a complex vocabulary; he’s been my favorite teacher thus far. As the first person that Wolverine asked to accompany him to the new school, Iceman is arguably the heart of the staff. I love that the book acknowledges his background as an accountant, though it seems like the “not living up to the potential of his omega-level powers” angle has been going on for decades. The school even gets special guest lecturers like Deathlok, who dazzled the class with ominous predictions in Future History 101. While they’re the people that are guiding the next generation of Marvel mutants, this book isn’t really about the teachers either.

The Students: Now this is what the book is about! It’s been so much fun meeting new students and seeing new characterizations of other young mutants. The troublesome Quentin Quire (Kid Omega) was (literally) roped into attending the school. It’s fun reading lines from a student that doesn’t want to be there; he reminds me of the “I Hate School!!!” people I knew. Idie Okonkwo (Oya) was a great character in X-Men Schism and I’ve enjoyed her continued development in this book. Kid Gladiator is a fantastic alien version of the jocular bully you knew in high school. My favorite student is Broo, the smart and innocent broodling whose sweet and naive heart masks an enormous potential for violence.

The students have characteristics that make them seem like super-powered archetypes of people we all knew in high school. They’re just written so well. It’s fun reading about characters with amazing powers that are unsure of themselves and trying to form their identities. It’s like taking the flame that is typical high school insecurities and dousing it with the fire that is being a mutant in the Marvel Universe.

The Villains: Also from the pages of X-Men Schism, the new Hellfire Club returns. These guys (and gal) are a guilty pleasure. There’s just something funny about a quartet of brilliant, wealthy, and murderous children that hate mutants. There’s no way that this team should work, yet it does — delightfully so. These young psychopaths are every bit as charming as the young students they’re trying to scar (killing them would be counterproductive to the immensely profitable selling of Sentinel robots to mutant-hating governments).

The Writing: Jason Aaron has rocketed to the top of my list of favorite comic-book scribes. Like many of my other favorites (Michael Bendis, Mark Waid, Joss Whedon, Peter David, etc.), Aaron’s dialogue is snappy and humorous. His characters are deep and interesting. Unlike most writers that are known for great characterization, Aaron is also good at plotting out exciting action sequences. It’s rare that a writer excels at both.

The Social Media: To breath life into the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, Marvel set up this nifty web site that has cute class descriptions and staff bios. Following the Twitter accounts of the staff and students adds to the fun of the comics. Here are some of the peeps you should follow.

  • Official School Account (@JeanGreySchool): These are mostly updates from Headmistress Kitty Pryde, though other faculty members occasionally send out tweets. Stay up to date on Bamf-related damage and injuries (and a whole lot more) with this account.
  • Quentin Quire (@QQuire): Get the latest on militant uprisings, like Quire’s movement against “the draconian dietary restrictions regarding tater-tots,” by following the school’s resident troublemaker.
  • Broo (@_Broodling_): Cute and insightful tweets from the smartest kid at school…that doesn’t really have a clue.
  • Idie Okonkwo (@idie_okonkwo): Like the girl in school that always told you how much she hated herself, these tweets are from a nice young girl that’s convinced she’s a monster.

Check out the entire listing of Jean Grey School-related Twitter accounts here.

The Conclusion: So yeah, to my surprise, I totally love this book. The writing is stellar, the art is fantastic, and the characters are wonderful. Even though it’s a marketing function, I love that the school and the characters are given additional development through social media. I highly recommend giving the comics and Twitter feeds a read. If you’re already a fan of the book, please leave a comment and let me know why you dig it. Lastly, Broo rules!

This Week’s Videogame Releases

Anime fans in the U.S. have been anxiously awaiting the release of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and the game lands this week! Ni no Kuni comes from developer Level-5 and the legendary Studio Ghibli. I’m curious to see if the millions of people that love Studio Ghibli movies will pick up the game. Although I didn’t write the “new releases” post last week, I wanted to mention the new Devil May Cry. This time around, Capcom has entrusted the franchise to the capable hands of Ninja Theory. The developer has its share of fans, thanks to games like Heavenly Sword and Enslaved. The reviews have been great so far and I’m hoping that Ninja Theory gets to play around with more OPP franchises. Perhaps the company can go into the business of resuscitating stale videogame franchises.

Any of you picking up new games this week?