tristanhiegler-blog

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Time to start stockpiling photos.

A Helpful Tip

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Batman: Arkham City Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC

“Payback Trailer”

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The Three Stages of Gaming

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Available for Download from Xbox Live and PlayStation Network: 1970s Batman, Year One Batman, The Dark Knight Returns, Earth One, Batman Beyond, Animated Batman and Sinestro Corps Batman.

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While I might not be the biggest Robin fan after "Batman and Robin," at least this incarnation manages to be somewhat badass. The Robin Bundle Pack released today, for those of you itching to return to fighting crime in Arkham City. 

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"Skyrim" is of course amazing. I've been playing it every chance I get, and I've compiled some quick observations about how to improve your game and make the most out of the experience. 

The entire article could have been written about the dangers of angering giants, but I chose to include some other useful stuff too. 

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It's finally here. Get augmented with the "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" original soundtrack, released today on Amazon and iTunes. Trust me, you did ask for this. 

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Saw "Immortals" last night. It was enjoyable. The care that went into building the sets, framing the shots and animating the many, many blood splatters is evident. The script is less so, but honestly, that's not why you see a movie like this. 

I will say that I liked it a great deal more then "300", which I've always had problems with for its racist caricatures and simplistic plotline. "Immortals" feels more like art that lost its message slightly in the creation process. "300" feels like pro-America propaganda. 

The best scenes in "Immortals" involve the Greek gods plotting from on high or fighting savagely against the Titans. My only real complaint here is that the character of Zeus, while managing to kill many, many people in slow motion, never chucks a single lightning bolt. Not one. But he does cut a Titan in half with a giant chain, and isn't that what really we want from our movies anyway?  

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The "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" is on sale today on Xbox Live. Time to go defeat some evil exes. 

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As cool as the new Nightwing DLC is for "Batman: Arkham City," I think we all know what kind of additional content we'd like to see next. Rocksteady, make it happen. 

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I would never have predicted I'd choose to see The Ides of March over The Thing. As a rabid fan of the John Carpenter version, it's tantamount to heresy of the highest order. Yet I have no regrets. 

Ides takes the worst of politics -- the corruption, compromises and backdoor deals -- and slowing but surely unleashes them on Ryan Gosling's optimistic campaign manager. I'm still tracing the numerous betrayals heaped upon him and analyzing the depths to which he sinks. It's a brilliant work that examines all the great human frailties. It's a big accomplishment for Gosling and Clooney as actors, and another high quality production from Clooney as a director. 

There will time enough later for alien shapeshifters. For now, I'm content to contemplate the muddied waters of the modern political landscape. 

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I was starting to get a little worried about this season of Community. After a couple lackluster episodes that didn't feel up to par with the greats of seasons 1 and 2, I had no idea what the direction the series was heading in. But after Remedial Chaos Theory, I am confident that the series is back on track. Evil trolls, alternative time lines, "Roxanne" by The Police and Evil Troy and Abed: These are the things that tell me all is right with the multiverse. 

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After beating Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, I can look back fondly on the hours spent beating up bad guys and facing down villians as the webslinging hero of the Amazing, Noir, 2099 and Ultimate dimensions. The game does a lot of stuff right, such as giving you a couple different gameplay styles to mess around with, plenty of minions to throw around each level and memorable, dramatic boss fights.

Each level is centered around one boss, like Carnage, Vulture and Sandman, and the entire level is constructed as a running battle between the current Spider-Man and that boss. This kind of cinematic setup allows for cool showcases to be made out of each villian's personality and powers. Standout levels included fighting Sandman in an old mining town where he grows into tornados of raging sand, taking on Carnage in an infected SHIELD base and putching out the Noir version of Goblin in a creepy circus as fireworks light up the sky.

The game has some serious problems with perch point pathing, and some of the fights can drag on. Objective can be repetitive, like rescuing four civilians or taking four generators offline, but there's usually enough variety to keep you pushing forward to the next encounter with one of Spidey's iconic foes.

My favorite dimension by far is the Noir universe with its dark themes, hardboiled Spider-Man and stealth based gameplay. While it borrows heavily from the best parts of Arkham Asylum, with some more depth I would happily play Spider-Man Noir as its own game. Make it so.

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So glad Community's back. I would be freaking out like Abed when he found out Cougar Town got moved to midseason if I hadn't gotten a fix. 

Plenty of great moments in the season three opener. Jeff's imaginary musical number, Chang living in the vents, John Goodman's new evil dean, Jeff attacking the table after experiencing some sort of strange 2001 hallucination thanks to the monkey gas meant to smoke Chang out. Great  stuff. It's good to be back at Greendale. 

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Spent an hour with Dead Island today at a local gaming lounge. Right off the bat, the best thing I can say about the game was that I was playing it in a really, really comfy seat. 

Not that I have a problem beating down zombies with a paddle or pipe. Far from it. However, the first person melee combat definitely felt clunky. I had a hard time keeping track of foes, the weapons broke too easily, and the zombies proved to be far too intense in groups for my level 2 character. 

I will say I really liked the setting. Most games don't let you run throw the tropical surf while zombies come pelting after you. And seeing my weapons bend and splinter as their condition worsened was a great touch. 

I highly recommend the lounge I played at though, if you're in the Cowlitz County area. It's called Game On and it's in the Three Rivers Mall in Kelso. Great seating, plenty of games, deals on food, tournaments, the works. Check it out. 

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So glad to be revisiting Greendale via the Community Season 2 DVD. Go human beings.

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After playing Fruit Ninja Kinect for the first time tonight I can report that I'm covered in sweat, pissed that I didn't beat one of my friend's high scores, and totally addicted to slicing virtual fruit with my hands. The controls work well, the different game modes keep things interesting, and the inclusion of the challenge mode on the home screen compells you to go after your friends' scores with a vengeance.

The unlock system for backgrounds and blades is nice as well, but I would recommend the storm DLC. Pretending you're a thunderlord as you blast fruit with a lightning bolt and hearing blasts of thunder as you move your hands greatly enhances an already superb experience.

If you own a Kinect, this one is a must buy.