Okay, so funny story: I’m feeling deja-vu right now. Why? Because exactly one year ago today I was sitting in my kitchen, pounding out a quick list of “lessons” learned from the midnight release of “Avengers.” Now, a full year later, I’m sitting in my bedroom, about to pound out some wayward thoughts about another Marvel movie, Iron Man 3. Wow, thing’s don’t really change for the geek blogger, do they?

So last year, in my list of lessons, I made it a point to state that fans of the comic book heroes should forget Iron Man 2 ever happened. Iron Man 3 only drives the final nail into that coffin. Seriously, I watched the second movie about two weeks ago, trying to remind myself what was wrong with it. Was it the performance easily phoned in by Downey, Jr? Was it the utterly ridiculous accent affected by Mickey Rourke? Was it the over-the-top Justin Hammer, or the blatant overcompensation of the Stark Expo? No, it was ALL of that, and what should have been an amazing look into the day-to-day psychosis of Tony Stark ended up being a cartoon movie on par with Phantom Menace, just sans a motion capture fan-pandering and the utter brilliance of Liam Neeson.

Iron Man 3 is quick to shed any vestiges of that previous misstep. Borrowing heavily from the same character development and loss that worked so well in the Dark Knight Rises (yes, I am making that comparison here), Iron Man 3 manages to capture both desperation and the bravado of Tony Stark, while still showcasing that the man can feel pain. Actual, legitimate pain. Remember, this is a character created specifically to be unlikable, and now we the audience not only see his vulnerable side, but we see him suffer because of it.

We watch as he loses not just his home and armor, but his peace of mind. We watch him dream up nightmares of what he has seen and done. We witness the stress of actually BEING Iron Man finally take its inevitable toll on what is in fact just a man. A brilliant, arrogant genius of a man, but ultimately still just a man. We watch as it robs him of any sense of security he might have had, and cast him into a well of self-doubt and fear that takes actual effort to claw out of. This Tony Stark cannot, and will not, just buy himself freedom from his demons. No, now he has to actually face them, and surpass them, before he loses himself.

No more chasing shadows and suppressing his shortcomings, no, this time we get to see the real Tony. And, as he puts it so eloquently in the film’s closing moments, we watch as he realizes the suit wasn’t his obsession, nor his therapy, but rather it was his “cocoon.”

That, my fellow comic fans, is a story worth seeing. Never you mind that we saw it play out to utter perfection last summer with Bruce Wayne, this time we get to see it again, and watch it happen to quite possibly the most deserving douchebag in the entire comic book canon. Hell, its so worth seeing, that I’ll probably go again next week, just to see if I missed anything.

Some random tidbits now, before my coherence leaves me:

Ben Kingsley, OMGWTF. The man still has it, and in droves. Ditto for Gwyneth Paltrow, who proves, and quite definitively, that she has an inner badass that just needs the right method to convey.

Blight

While I am aware that this film’s plot was culled from the “Extremis” storyline in the comics, the entire time I watched Aldrich Killian “do his thing,” I kept picturing Blight from Batman Beyond. Not that I have a problem with that, Blight was awesome. I just couldn’t shake that notion. (Which, in hindsight, is also probably why I started thinking of Dark Knight Rises…tenuous connection, I know, but one that my mind is already predisposed to making.)

Obligatory post-credit scene? Check. We get to see Ruffalo again. Do not miss out on that, especially all you Tony/Bruce shippers.

And lastly, one does not mess with Don Cheadle. Seriously, don’t mess with him, OR his toys. WARMACHINEROX

This rant has been brought to you by the letters S and D, for sleep-deprived.

At San Diego Comic Con, Deadpool himself announced his new video game. Little was scene but it looked pretty crazy. A new trailer is out and this one looks even more bizarre… in the best way possible. This is exactly who Deadpool is and if this game can play well, it’ll be awesome. Check out the new trailer courtesy of GameTrailers.

Nolan North makes a great Deadpool, he captures his crazy perfectly. Deadpool: The Video Game is set to be released this summer. I cannot wait for it and it’s Man-Bazookas.

GFF is under way, and I’m really excited because I’m introducing a figure I’ve been looking forward to a really long time.

Princess Shirahoshi Excellent Model Portrait.of.Pirates Figure

This Princess Shirahoshi figure does justice to the  beautiful mermaid. The thing I love the most about the figure is all the attention paid to detail. Each scale stands out by itself and gives the long multicolored tail some realism. The balance between vivid color and transparent looking parts mix perfectly. It’s a definite must have for any One Piece fan.

To remain true to the manga, Luffy should be smaller, but since I believe it’s mostly an artistic choice than a mistake it can easily be forgiven. My only real complain in the crack that can be seen behind her, right where the flowers and the coral reside on the rock, it’s distracting.

Maker: Mega House  Average online price: $119.33

Anime Chara Heroes One Piece D.P.C.F. Volume 1

This is the first out of what promises to be a new line of those lovable random assortment figurines. They stand 57 mm tall and have the heroes in cowboy getup and an assortment of villains in their normal costumes. There are 16 figures to collect, with a mystery figure known to be out there.

Maker: Plex  Average online price: $5.20

Avengers Head Knockers

More commonly referred to as bobble heads, but these are not your dad’s regular bobble heads (unless your dad is really cool). These are Avenger bobble heads worthy of displaying with dignity.

These figures stand alone without the need of a pole, and their base is the Avenger’s symbol. Sadly no Black Widow but there are all the most important heroes whose movies you’ve seen before.

Maker: NECA  Average online price: $17.95

San Diego Comic Con is always packed with surprises, and this one came way out of left field. High Moon Studios, the force behind Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, announced at Comic Con Deadpool, The Game. While no consoles have been specifically announced, they did announce that Nolan North, Drake from Uncharted and recent iteration of Deadpool, would be voices our lovely merc. Looking at this trailer, they’ve already nailed the character. Check it out and don’t forget to visit the official website for more goodies at Deadpoolgame.com to scratch that Deadpool itch.

Welcome to #KillzownKomix Vol.1, where your resident ROG DJ dishes out on how he feels about comics.

If you are an avid comic reader or if you even a newbie of Marvel and DC, you must get acquainted with Alex Ross.
The man made most famous for his graphic novels Kingdom Come and Justice where the hero’s and villains where doomed and the other where the villains tried to become heroes are not just great stories, but the artwork is like a painting in comic book form. The level of detail makes Ross’sartwork so distinct that one might say he is the Van Gough or Da Vinci of comic books. Kingdom Come and Justice cemented Ross at a young age of 26 years old before only doing mini series or just cover art for big series such as Superman, Terminator and others and it became one of the biggest selling comics of all time
Comic book writers and publishers love him as well because he works (though for a fee) with everyone. Since then he’s done titles such as Earth X, Marvels, the recent Vol-tron Comics and other many other titles and cover art for comics as well. He even as an art book called Mythology, which collects his best works and breaks down the inspiration as well as the techniques.

Check out some of his art down below and let us know if you agree wit the title in the comment section below.

It’s 3:10 AM, and while all my better sense is telling me to get to sleep, I can’t. Because I must take this moment to record the myriad thoughts flowing through my head. See, I just went to see Avengers. Somewhat spur of the moment, and unexpectedly in 3D. And while I can keep my hold on this rare case of post-midnight lucidity, I must mention a few things- lessons mostly- from watching this movie.

This is not a review. There really is no need for a formal review, because let’s be honest, you already know if you’re going to see this movie. My words will not sway you in any way from that path. Take this, then, as a few things to look out for, or just as the ramblings of an exhausted 30-something lifelong geek late at night.

First, an analogy: Avengers :: Marvel as The Dark Knight :: DC. This pretty much sums up the movie in as few words as possible. Everything we have come to expect from a Marvel movie in the past decade is on display here, at it’s utter best. Don’t try to over-think it, just enjoy it. Dark Knight Rises will be out in a few months for your cerebral pleasure.

Second: The 3D doesn’t suck, but it’s also not necessary. Seriously, just save the money from a 3D surcharge and go see it twice. You will want to.

Third: Forget Iron Man 2 ever happened.

Fourth: You will laugh, cry, cheer and come way from the experience feeling blown away. Last Marvel movie I saw that did that for me was First Class, but I’m a self-admitted X-Men junkie. Hell, I don’t even like or read Avengers comics, and I still had a blast here.

Fifth: Mark Ruffalo is the best Hulk, and is easily the best performance in the film. Downey and Hiddleston come in a very close second, but we’ve seen them both doing this in their own films. Ruffalo came from out of nowhere.

Sixth: Two post-credit scenes. One will mess up your pants. I will not say which.

I guess that’s all I have to say then. Enjoy the movie this weekend!

Marvel is gearing up for the biggest movie of the summer.

If you have $40 bucks to spare on May 3 and are in the following cities:

Boston Common 19 – Boston, MA
Burbank 16 – Burbank, CA
Downtown Disney 12 – Anaheim, CA
Aventura 24 – Aventura, FL
Empire 25 – New York, NY
Garden State 16 – Paramus, NJ
Downtown Disney 24 – Lake Buena Vista, FL
Metreon 16 – San Francisco, CA
Alderwood 16 – Lynnwood, WA
Tysons Corner 16 – McLean, VA
you can relive all 5 movies leading up to the premiere of the Avengers at midnight on may 4.
The party starts at 11:30 AM may 3 and you will receive a ticket for all 6 movies pair of limited edition Avengers 3D Glasses and if you are a AMC stubs member you’ll receive $5 bonus bucks. These are only the 1st few off the entire list of theaters will be here

In good Real Otaku Gamer Spirit, we have the Japanese version of the 2nd Trailer for the Avengers film.

Captain America: Super Soldier

Platforms: NDS, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3

Platform Reviewed: Xbox 360

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Edited by: Paco /@apeachmoon

As gamers, we all know what is usually thought about movie tie-in games, that they are poor games, often with very little to commend. “Summer blockbuster X has a game releasing that ties in with the movie experience.” This is usually followed by chokes and gags as memories of almost every other crappy movie tie in, read: cash in, with their rushed-to-market gameplay and clunky graphics, speeds to the front of our minds. But, I did say almost. There have been a few exceptions. One such exception is Sega published and Next Level Games developed Captain America: Super Soldier.

Captain America and the guys witnessing Hydra technology.

Captain America: Super Soldier starts where you’d expect it to start, with action. It’s 1940, World War II and an opening cinematic shows two American soldiers chewing the fat before they are attacked by a mechanically enhanced Hydra baddie. One soldier is killed while the other, clearly outmatched, runs. Cap enters heroically, just in time to save the fleeing soldier. Cinematic ends, time to play as Captain America. A quick tutorial helps establish the basic controls. Taking its cue from some of the other successful superhero games, Captain America: Super Soldier focuses on a free flowing one button combat and defense moves. Simply press X to strike, Y to grab, B to counter and A to evade attackers. The counters, evades and attacks are seamless but don’t expect an aggressive combat style some other games in this genre, though this doesn’t mean Cap doesn’t bring it. Captain America’s combat style is fun and addictive, sticking to a simple set of effective moves that doesn’t over power the wholesome image that Cap embodies.

Captain America: Super Soldier is fluid throughout. The controls take very little time to get the hang of, allowing the player easy introduction and enjoyment throughout. The game feels solid. Cap isn’t a clunky licensed character and he wasn’t placed in inferior graphics and sluggish gameplay. It feels like Next Level set the bar as high as their budget and talent could take them. The result is a fine product and a very enjoyable romp through Captain America’s universe. The only frustration in the game I found was that at times it felt a little claustrophobic, I wanted to do a bit more than move through tunnels, climb walls and run through corridors of the compound. There were memorable locales but I would have liked a little bit more to explore, more variety. Also no Red Skull battle and what happened to Madam Hydra? I thought she was a great addition and a fun character to fight but then she flees. I kind of hoped she’d return. Either she couldn’t handle the fight or she will return in (and I’m hoping for the this) the sequel. Regardless of my nitpicking, the game looks great and is far superior to the vast majority of licensed, movie tie-in games that get shoveled out of studios and into the hands of consumers.

Cap is about to dish out some justice.

Other treats for me, was the sound design and score. Both lent themselves well to Next Level Games respect to the franchise and (it seems) their hope to create a surprising, fun and entertaining licensed game. The narrative was simple but enjoyable and the voice acting was definitely better than your average game. For those who enjoy challenges, Captain America: Super Soldier offers fighting challenges which are fun and addictive. Want to practice clobbering bad guys with a shield, there’s a challenge for that. The sound of the shield, clobbering baddies is quite satisfying.

For me, Captain America: Super Soldier is worthy addition to a gamer’s collection. It plays surprisingly well for a licensed title, is fun and with it’s AAA- like production values, Captain America: Super Soldier is easy on the eyes, baring it’s own unique look and feel that should satisfy long time Cap fans (that would be me) and gamers looking for a fun and easy title to play. It is worth the rent or purchase. I sincerely hope Next Level Games gets another shot at making a second Captain America game. I had great fun stepping into the role of Cap even after my second play-through.

Here are more Screenshots of this amazing game!

[Show as slideshow]

Not too long ago, Capcom kicked off Tokyo Game Show with two Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 reveals, Virgil and Iron Fist. on top of that, UMvC3 has been announced for the PlayStation Vita with cross game features. Here are all the new trailers and vignettes for Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3′s newest characters.

IRON fist

Virgil

There are only a few fighters left to be officially revealed in UMVC3, even though the full list leaked before the announcement of the game, and Capcom at TGS had announced that UMVC3 is also now a PlaystationVita launch title. UMVC3 for Playstation Vita with have cross console features as well as cross game features with Street Figther X Tekken. The specifics of these features were not reveled but the game will still ship on home consoles on the 15th. The only question is will people who bought Jill and Shuma Grutha get the characters for free with a MVC3 save as well as the folks who bought the original game additional costumes? History has shown differently but everyone still holds their breath until Capcom lets the other characters go and full info on the game. Here are the other characters to already revealed to the public by Capcom Enjoy and Please continue to support Real Otaku Gamer and we’ll be sure to bring you more on this UMVC3 as news develops!

FireBrand

Ghost Rider

HawkEye

Strider

Dr. Strange

Nemesis

Canada’s most attended comic con is a place for people with hobby interest in Anime, Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, or Video Games. Held in the heart of Toronto at the Metropolitan Convention Center August 25-28^th2011, Hobby Stars’ Fan Expo Canada featured local and international artists, celebrity photo-ops, autograph sessions and Q&A opportunities plus multiple Game tournaments and cosplay awards. Conventions are always an adventure of inspiration and learning about whats new and good in fandom. Here’s a taste of my adventure at Fan Expo Canada 2011! 

First things first: I played in Canada’s Largest 3D Gaming Tournament featured by LG playing Call Of Duty: Black Ops to promote 3D gaming and television – although I didn’t win the match, the 3D experience is certainly worth mentioning. It definitely does enhance the immersion by creating depth to the visual of the familiar maps of COD and raises the degree of intensity of watching someone run towards you with their AK in your face. But is that enough to make 3D gaming last?  Later, during G4′s Panel featuring the cast of Electric Playground, Host Reviewer Jose Sanchez explained why he loves his 3D TV and games while the rest of the panel shakes their head in disagreement. He cleverly reminded Creator/Host Victor Lucas of how psyched he is when playing 3D games when Host Miri Jedeikin cleared the air reminding everyone that 3D is indeed an incredible achievement in movies and games as long as it is used to somehow enhance the narrative experience mentioning that some movies and games don’t “need” 3D using David Ellis’ Shark Night 3D as an example of where 3D works. Other video games featured at the Fan Expo were Ubisoft Montreal`s Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Just Dance 3, Rayman Origins, Rocksmith, Driver: San Francisco and Tom Clany`s Ghost Recon Future Soldier. And in case you missed the news of this badass game check out They Bleed Pixels with music by DJ Finish Him – Electric Playgrounds’ own Shaun Hatton who performed live in Toronto after the expo on Friday night. 

Rin (Voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard)

After eating ridiculously overpriced pizza (then realizing there is cheap food across the street and easy re-entry) we made our way over to another most mentionable highlight of Fan Expo Canada; Colleen Clinkenbeard (Rin, Daughters of Mnemosyne) and Caitlin Glass (Winry Rockbell, FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) sharing the panel Voice Acting 101. This Q & A style duo answered questions from the audience that focused on learning how to get into the business of Voice Acting, performance tips for English Anime- Dubbing, memorable studio moments, and favourite character experiences. 

Winry Rockbell (Voiced by Caitlin Glass)

Underlying everything they said – it all came down to experience as an actor. They encouraged ambitious voice actors to explore all areas of acting because when it comes to audition time you will need to read right off the page with emotion and character. But how do Winry and Rin really get into their characters? By recording while experiencing the emotive imagery of original work and studying the voices of the original Japanese cast. They treated the audience to the reasons why its easy for them to cry when its required by their character. Besides not having to physically have tears run down their face being a voice actor, Glass and Clinkenbeard praise the Japanese versions giving them the credit for making them have such strong connection and response to characters they voice. Glass’ co-star Vic Mignogna (Edward Elric) also made an appearance at the Fan Expo along with other American Voice Stars like the recongizable Veronica Taylor ( Ash Ketchum, Pokemon ), Chris Sabat (Piccolo and Vegeta, Dragon Ball) and John Stocker from all our favorites including The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and Adventures of Sonic the hedgehog. You can find the full list of Anime guests and their work at Fanexpocanada.com.

More FanExpo Cosplay

Browsing hundreds of pieces of art, admiring the most amazing cosplay I’ve ever seen and making friends in lines for autographs from a few favorites like the Cast of Lost Girl, Tom Felton (Draco, Harry Potter), Tom Savini (From Dusk till Dawn), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Marina Sirtis (Matriarch Benezia,Mass Effect and Deanna Troi, Star Trek TNG) we had a chance to catch up with Matt Fraction and his panel about whats coming in the Marvel Fear Itself series.

Portal Cosplay

I’m personally looking forward to the plans for Hulk and Banner separating once again for quite a different adventure and relationship. An audience member asked Fraction how they feel and deal with the way some people don’t consider comic books as serious fictional art. Although I think most people are well aware of the integrity of comic books and graphic novels Fraction said it best “We are not movies, we are not TV, we are not regular books. We are comics and this is our art, our medium and we should be proud of what we do.” an argument justified and familiar by the games industry and fan communities.

<3 it!

All in all this years Fan Expo was a success offering entertainment and quality fan goods catering to all your hobby needs. Last years fan expo was a disappointment in terms of organization when they failed to book the larger part of the two building convention centre but redeemed themselves this year staying organized and efficient with both buildings booked and 4 days of expo rather than the usual 3 day duration like previous years. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table at next years Fan Expo especially since the 501^st Star Wars Legion – a professional cosplay charity group drawing the biggest Star Wars crowds – will not be attending next year due to a conflicting Star Wars Celebration in Florida.  I’m dying to know what genre is going to land the big attraction in their  sci-fi absence. Will horror fans steal the show? Or will Ubisoft take the opportunity to expand the gaming expo? I vote for some console release information. Hopefully I’ll see you there!