Archive for December 22nd, 2010

GlennzTees: T-Shirt Greatness

Scooty Flash

A podcast listener submitted a link that we couldn’t ignore. Glennz Tees is the home of many great graphic designs with beautifully rendered vector illustrations that are a blend of quirky humor, and nods to fan-culture. Naturally we couldn’t resist. Many of the editors/podcast members of the Giggaheim.com resent wearing t-Shirts since 90% of them are blatant advertising, but these particular shirts are great expressions of witty fandom. Glennz Tees has a blog, and store with a wide array of cool designs to look over.

 

December 22, 2010   Tags: , , ,
Category: Holiday Gift Guide, Useless Crap   No Comments comments

Afterglow Xbox 360 Controller Review

Afterglow Xbox 360 Controller

After having broken all of my controllers, out of anger of course, I decided it was time to stop playing with screwed up controllers and find a new one. I didn’t really want to buy a full up $60 Microsoft controller, so I was looking for a 3rd party alternative. I came across this Officially licensed controller called Afterglow. The Afterglow is a clear, xbox 360 controller with LEDs built in to illuminate the controller in. It is a wired (10 feet long) controller. It is basically a standard xbox controller only cheaper and I got to say I like it. For $20 it was a really good buy. I am never really more then 8 feet away from my console, so the wireless necessity wasn’t a concern. The controller feels great while holding it, the buttons are very responsive and the left and right thumb sticks are really fast. They are so fast they you will probably finding yourself toning down the sensitivities on some games because you will be looking around on screen much faster.

The LEDs inside are not very distractive and the triggers are great. You can even turn off the LEDS if you want to. The right and left bumpers are kind of clicky but not too bad. I recommend this to anyone that does not have to have the wireless controller and can get away with being wired. It is a great alternative and ver inexpensive. You can get 2 maybe even 3 controllers for the price of 1 wireless controller.

It handles pain very well. I slammed it in anger last night and the plastic clear housing didn’t crack or falter in any way. Normally after one hit the controller losing to my strength but not this time. It is holding up well but give me time. I’ll win in the end. LOL

 

December 22, 2010   Tags: , , , ,
Category: Video Games, Xbox 360 Reviews   No Comments comments

DC Universe Online Gets Official Release Date

The MMO that has taken years to be released now has a launch date: January 11th, 2011.

Sony Online Entertainment announced the release date yesterday. The game will be available on the Playstation 3 for $59.99, and $49.99 for PC Gamers. The Game includes a 30-day game membership, and then switches to the $14.99 monthly membership fee for PC gamers, but included in the SOE all-in-one Station Access subscription.

Here is Sony’s Press release:

Official Press Release

“Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that the highly anticipated online action game DC Universe ™ Online (DCUO), has reached gold master status and will be available at retail outlets worldwide on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC on January 11, 2011. DCUO, licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on behalf of DC Entertainment,will be the first online game based in the DC Universe, the first MMO on PlayStation 3, and the first time DC Universe Online will be accessible to the millions DC Universe fans.

“Creating DC Universe Online has been a massive undertaking, and we’re excited to be that much closer to launch,” said Christopher Cao, Game Director of DCUO for Sony Online Entertainment. ”We’re grateful to our beta players for providing us invaluable feedback in these final stages that has enabled us to put the finishing touches on a fun and exciting experience when the game launches in January.”

DC Universe Online will carry an anticipated retail price of US$59.99 for PlayStation 3 and US$49.99 for PC in North America. The game includes one 30-day game membership, with monthly subscriptions available thereafter for US$14.99. For customers playing the PC version of the game, DCUO will be included in SOE’s all-in-one Station Access subscription. Sony Online Entertainment expects to update the game regularly with new episodes featuring iconic DC Comics characters, new instances and major in-game events.

As a traditional action-based MMO that combines fast-paced, twitch-based combatDCU Online with an interactive physics system to deliver a new and unique gameplay experience, DC Universe Online brings the DC Universe to life, allowing players to create their own superheroes – or villains – and join forces with their favorite DC Comics characters such as Superman , Batman and The Joker to aid in saving – or destroying – the universe.

DC Universe Online is rated T for Teen by the ESRB with the following content descriptors: Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes and Violence. For more information about DC Universe Online, visitwww.DCUniverseOnline.com.

About DC Universe Online
Lex Luthor has traveled back through time with news of a dire future: While the heroes and villains spent years battling amongst themselves, Brainiac has been feeding on their powers, building strength to return to Earth and destroy humanity. To change the future, Lex has come back to set off a device that bestows super powers to thousands of every-day citizens and give humanity a fighting chance. Can Brainiac be stopped, or is this another nefarious Lex Luthor plot?

For the first time, players and fans will be able to enter the DC Universe as an active force for good or evil. A massively multiplayer experience, DC Universe Online delivers unparalleled high-energy, physics-powered combat that brings the player’s extraordinary powers to life.

DC Universe Online was created in the artistic vision of legendary comic book artist Jim Lee, and set within a world created by famous DC writers including Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman.

About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, PlanetSide®, and Star Wars Galaxies, as well as the recent kids’ phenomenon Free Realms™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Tucson, AZ, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development across various platforms and genres for audiences of all ages.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest , Champions of Norrath and PlanetSide are registered trademarks andUntold Legends , Legends of Norrath , and Free Realms are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern,Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

 

December 22, 2010   Tags: , , , , , , ,
Category: Comic News, PS3 News, Video Game News, Video Games   No Comments comments

Family Guy Star Wars: It’s a Trap Review

Family Guy: Star Wars It's a Trap

The Movie

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJfLZAgMkFY

The movie itself, in true Family Guy fashion, is a complete parody of Return of the Jedi. The Family Guy staff use the characters from the show to portray the characters from the movie. Even-though I will not go over who is who, I will say it definitely got tough on them because they had to use characters from other programs that the staff produces. The movie itself was awesome. Some of the jokes/stabs at the original movie really make me wonder how LucasArts approved this. WERE THEY HIGH or something? Do not take this to be a Leslie Neilson style parody at other movies. Staying true to the Family Guy formula, it is filled with jokes at plot holes toward the original movie and other flaws. There are side-gags like those in a normal Family guy episode. If you are any kind of Family Guy fan you will enjoy the hell out of this. I could tell Seth M has become tired of doing these episode and would like to move on but Fox wouldn’t let him. He says so right in the movie HAHA!! I do hope this is the last one cause the prequels are just too awful. They would make great parodies but I hope that the Family Guy staff gets its wish and moves on. I do hope they do Wraith on Khan though. That would BE AWESOME!!!

The Picture

The picture, or video quality, is by far the best part of the movie for me. The 1080p video resolution along with the new widescreen format is what really made me like this movie. It was the most beautiful Family Guy I have ever seen. Peter Shin’s, director of this episode, used a new character highlight technique with really makes the characters on the screen really pop. It gives the characters depth and feel, when compared to a normal Family Guy episode. The environments were amazing and the CGI spaces ships (EXPENSIVE MODEL SHOTS!!!) were spot on. Prepare to should off you awesome TVs, if you have one. And don’t think that because this is a cartoon, that it will look flat and not interesting. It really is beautiful on blu-ray. I WANT MORE!!!  

Sound/Music

Much of the music/sound effects were taken straight from the original movie, provided by Skywalker Sound. The DTS quality sound was amazing in my home theater system and is in line with some of the best movies on the market that take pride in the audio experience. They even asked John Williams to come in and play his part in the movie but he of course declined. Seth MacFarlane and his team did an amazing job scoring the sound effects and music throughout the episode. I agree, it is by far the most important part of any movie. Without sound and music, the movie would suck.

Extras

If anything were too be lacking in this movie, it is the extras. There really isn’t any extras worth noting other than the audio commentary. If you are a true Family Guy fan you know what is in the commentary. The other extras don’t really do anything. I was expecting stuff like in Blue Harvest, where the crew went to Skywalker Ranch and Seth had an interview with the great Flanel one. There were no table readings, which I would have loved, and no audio outtakes, which would have been nice. This was by far the most disappointing aspects of the blu-ray. I will say however, that if you own a blu-ray player, definitely buy this on blu-ray. If you bought all 3 episodes, you get copies of all three on blu-ray, DVD and digital copy. Really good deal and I like to support the Family Guy crew cause the amount of work they do and the quality really goes under-appreciated at times. Please keep up the good work guys. It is astounding.
 

Click Here to Reveal Spoilers (Jokes)

Some of the jokes were AWESOME. We here at the Giggaheim don’t judge a comedy by how funny it was when we saw the movie but how well we quote it toward eachother. I have seen this a few times and by god I think I could quote the entire thing. My favorite quote so far, which I enjoy saying, is Mike Henry’s maid voice at Jabba’s palace, yelling “Kitty! Kitty! Kitty Kitty Kitty!!!” Everytime I hear that I laugh my ass off and have to watch that scene over and over and over. Some of the stabs at Lucas and his special editions of the DVD were awesome and basically a middle finger of toward Lucas. Darth Twitty was awesome and a very good effect. I loved the extended Ted Knight scene on Tatooine and the stabs at Seth Green, and his career, were awesome (really good sport). Clause as Admiral Actbar was awesome and destroying Power Station was just what I always wanted. The pillow fighting storm troopers were completely fresh and Luke snapping Vader’s neck was just perfect. :) I can’t stop watching this!!  ”WOW your white?? You totally sounded black on the phone!” I could quote this all day long. Leave us comments on your favorite parts of the movie.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sWJcqDTWX0  

Back to Top
After due consideration I have to give this a 9 out of 10. This was truly one of the best Star Wars adaptions out of the three. The script was great and the gags were great. Darth Stewie was great and the rest of the characters were spot on. I really can’t stop watching this. There are just too many gags to reveal them all and I love them all. It is just too good. I’d love to meet the Family Guy staff to thank them personally for this great episode cause the quality is just spot on. Thanks or the great episode guys, I WANT ME!!! PLEASE GIVE US MORE!!!  I WOULD PERSONALLY PAY TO KEEP THIS THINGS GOING IF FOX BECAME MENTALLY BRAIN DEAD!!! The quality is just perfect!!!!

DO WRAITH OF KHAN!!! PLEASE!!! That would be awesome.

 

December 22, 2010   Tags: , , ,
Category: Blu-Rays Reviews, Featured, Movie Reviews   No Comments comments

Podcast Episode 41

Strange Tales 2 #3 • Kinect Porn • Mexican Spy Planes • Holiday Gift Giving

With the holidays fast approaching the Giggaheim podcast crew try and cram in all the latest comic book, gaming, tech news and dating advice they can. Pete reviews the weeks comics with Strange Tales 2 #3, Green Lantern #60, Brightest Day #16, Time Masters Vanishing Point #5, and Thor: The Mighty Avenger #7. Craig introduces us to Kinect Porn (No I didn’t!!), Gives us the scoop on the VGA’s and talks about the hot game trailers for Batman Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, and Elder Scrolls. Doug Gives us the low down on NASA’s rail-gun styled propulsion, Mexican Spy Planes (I’m not making that up), phone Apps that give away your confidential info, and Net Neutrality rears its ugly head. Randis then gives us the Do’s and Don’ts to holiday gift giving.

 

Download it here.

 

December 22, 2010   Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Category: Featured, Podcast Episode   No Comments comments

Marvel Comics Announces Next Event: Fear Itself

Yesterday Marvel Comics announced their next event in 2011, “Fear Itself“. The latest 7-issue cross-over will pit eight Marvel Super heroes against their worst fears. The story is written by Matt Fraction and feature artwork by Stuart Immonen.

Fear Itself collage

Here’s an excerpt of the press conference from ComicsAlliance.com:

In a taped message, Fraction said Fear Itself will be “Relatable to where we are today and something that speaks to the world we live in. There is a shadow of anxiousness and anger, reason and discourse have taken a backseat to mob hysteria.” Fraction added that if you don’t believe him, remember his words the next time you walk through the security line at an airport.

And in typical Marvel Comics fashion, they made a trailer for the comic cross over event:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWD4LhCYJOs

 

December 22, 2010   Tags: , , , , ,
Category: Comic News, Featured, I Have Issues   No Comments comments

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