Awesome Mortal Kombat 1 wallpaper featuring the iconic Dragon Logo
Mortal Kombat is celebrating its 20th anniversary! This History of Mortal Kombat retrospective documentary from GameSpot gives a very detailed, hands-on look at the game that blew the fighting craze into the stratosphere with its mature, violent combat, rocketing it to become a national and worldwide phenomenon.
Before Mortal Kombat, fighting games had never gone into a realm of violence that you see from Hollywood movies that are rated R. But once Mortal Kombat hit, extreme violence would become a norm for the industry. And remember that Mortal Kombat actually preceded the original Doom game by one year.
This awesome documentary actually seeks out each of the game developers and almost all of the actors that played the characters in Mortal Kombat, and sits them down to interview and talk with them about what it was like making Mortal Kombat, their experiences developing the game, and what they thought when MK become a huge worldwide household name, spawning Senate hearings, media hoopla and parental outrage on the violence in videogames (which is what directly led to the creation of the ESRB videogame ratings system).
This is definitely the first time I have ever seen all of these people interviewed in the same piece! They include series co-creator and current Mortal Kombat series producer Ed Boon (the sole-programmer for the original Mortal Kombat!), series co-creator and artist John Tobias, John Vogel (background artist), Dan Forden (the infamous “Toasty!” guy who composed MK’s music and headed up all the voice samples, sound effects and sound design in the game), Daniel Pesina (Actor for Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Reptile), Ho-Sung Pak (Actor, played Liu Kang & Shang Tsung, was also in the Turtle movies & a film with Jackie Chan and Hong Kong cinema) and Carlos Pesina (Actor who played Raiden). Sadly they didn’t get everyone, as there is no Sonya, or the guy who played Kano (unless he is one of the above… not sure on that point), but it’s still a really awesome look at one of the biggest milestones in gaming history!
History of Mortal Kombat 20th Anniversary Documentary
….. A Shadow of the Colossus movie is in the works. Here’s an amazing piece of wallpaper showing the sheer sense of scale the game offered.
A Shadow of the Colossus movie is a go! Hollywood via Sony Pictures has inked a deal to bring the PS2 cult-classic from Team ICO to the bigscreen via the Silverscreen director Josh Tank, who helmed the recent real-life superhero drama “Chronicle”.
The film will be a live-action flick, that will hopefully offer a “Clash of the Titans” style epic in scope as the storyline of the game involves a young man who brings down enormous, ancient creatures called Colossi of unparalleled size and scope.
Also helping on the film will be Keven Misher, who will produce Shadow of the Colossus and recently brought us the Julia Roberts comedy “Mirror Mirror”, based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
No writers for the script for the film have yet to be tapped, but Sony Pictures is actively searching them out.
Josh Tank will be furthering his superhero exploits in a myriad of ways for the future, with his next films including a Spider-Man spinoff starring the villain “Venom”, and an all-new reboot of The Fantastic Four franchise.
Here’s a Shadow of the Colossus trailer for the PS2 classic.
This awesome box set includes a 11-disc series soundtrack, Bluray anime, artbook, statue & 4 games!
A Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Box Set has been announced by Cacpom, celebrating the TWENTY-FIFTH Anniversary of the long-running fighting game series. To make matters even more interesting, Capcom thought a sweet $150 dollar Collector’s Set to go along with the anniversary of the game that birthed the fighting game genre was in order. Huzzah! Er… Hadoken!
Sadly though, the set DOES NOT contain every game released in the Street Fighter series…. which seems like a HUGE missed opportunity. But what you do get is several modern and classic games in their modern forms, along with TONS of extras and some very cool additional content.
The Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set Includes:
* Street Fighter X Tekken, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Games.
* All downloadable content ever released for the four games.
* Two-Disc Bluray Set containing: “I Am Street Fighter” 25th Anniversary Documentary, The entire Street Fighter: The Animated Series TV Show, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Super Street Fighter IV Original Film on Bluray.
* 11-Dist Street Fighter soundtrack set spanning the ENTIRE FRANCHISE and it’s amazing music!
* Hardcover Art Book
* 8-inch Ryu Statue that lights up at the base
* Full-size Ryu Belt Replica
* Certificate of Authenticity
Here is a Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collection Box Set trailer!
There will only be a limited amount of these Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collection Box Set’s produced, so if you want one, you better save up money for it and buy it now! You can pre-order Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Box Set on Amazon, they are sure to sell out.
Official Synopsis:
* Experience Past and Present Street Fighter Games: Gamers get a snapshot of Street Fighter with four critically-acclaimed games that represent important chapters in Street Fighter history.
* Light-up Ryu Statue: Standing 8 inches tall, the highly detailed Ryu statue features the iconic character in mid- Shoryuken with flames that light up from below.
* Blu-Ray Video Set: The exclusive Blu-Ray two-disc set includes a documentary that highlights the profound influence the franchise has had on fans – and vice versa – throughout the years.
* Soundtrack: 11 discs worth of Street Fighter music spanning the past 25 years. Two of the discs include remixes and fan-created music inspired by past Street Fighter games.
* Art Book: The 64-page art book pays tribute to Street Fighter fans from all over the world and includes fan pieces submitted by professional and aspiring artists alike.
Isn’t is CRAZY to think that Street Fighter is a whopping 25 years old? That means I was two when the original Street Fighter hit Japanese arcades. :/ YIKES!
Capcom will also be putting on new tournaments to celebrete the 25th Anniversary of Street Fighter and to promote this boxset, and the tournaments will be started in July 2012. They’ll be handing out $500,000 worth of prizes, so get in on it if you think you can win!
“Find Your Worth, Come Home” is the all-new Sophomore album from “To Speak of Wolves”, following their debut Solid State Records album called “Myself Is Less Than Letting Go” from 2010. Be sure to buy To Speak of Wolves Find Your Worth Come Home On Amazon.
Find Your Worth, Come Home was released on May 22, 2012, and will appeal to fans of metal music in the vein of UnderOath or Norma Jean. The music is extremely busy, and the first couple of songs blew by me and made me grit my teeth to the point where I was dreading having to take a full 11 tracks of this noise…
Making matters worse, I had the official lyrics in my hands (along with my review copy of the album provided by Solid State Records) and had extreme difficulty following them due to the vocal style of the band. Which reminds me of Oh, Sleeper, UnderOath or Norma Jean. Thankfully, however, the album begins to redeem itself once you hit the 4th song… all the way up until the finale, which is a song so powerful that it moved me to tears… and from a thumbs down to a thumbs up position. I recommend everyone go out and pick this album up. Even if it is NOT your cup of tea, give it a real shot. Listen to the songs below that say “HIGHLIGHT” and go through each one until you reach the final song. I can virtually guarantee you that, at that point, you will NOT be disappointed. While the music, the vocals and the themes of the album grow tired and do not manage to stand out from the crowd, the songwriting is spoken with passion… passion and conviction that boils over once you reach the end and will leave a HUGE impression on you afterward.
Any album that can move you to tears gets an immediate recommendation from me. As that is a feat rarely accomplished. Give this album a shot!
* Click on a songname to purchase that song digitally on Amazon.
– Now let’s go through “Find Your Worth Come Home” track-by-track, these opinions mark my INITIAL LISTEN, as I wrote this review as I listened to the album for the first time. –
1. Hive Mind
A blur… I don’t even have anything to say. Except that I don’t want to relive what just happened.
2. Stand Alone Complex (feat. Micah Kinard)
This song goes in some interesting places thematically. Especially towards the end, the song makes it blatant that this is talking about the hurt of a broken family. With lines like, “i swear dad has changed/he’s still a good man/ if i’m wrong i’ll hold my head high/ i’ll let God / spit in my face”. This song also has some interesting words about God, such as this line: “you cast your fault/project your loss/but reflections must mirror the victor/ your heart longs to honor/the fact remains/that His flawlessness waits/to accept only/utter surrender / and he’s extending his arms”. However even with lyrics in hand, I had a very hard time following what was being said… it all blurs into each other, and there were a few annoying parts in this song, with voices speaking over each other and such. Which always bugs me.
3. Vertigo
This is the first song that really stands out from this album, which will catch your attention immediately with the really cool sounding intro. The track is much better than the previous two, with interesting lyrics that are easier to follow than the previous songs. This song also features some brief clean vocals on a briefly sung chorus, which isn’t too bad. Overall this is the best song yet and a certain HIGHLIGHT, and the first song that immediately feels like Id’ go back to it on a later listen.
4. Broken Birds
Now THIS, is great songwriting. This song is absolutely amazing… if you just read the lyrics on their own without hitting the play button. Unfortunately, the lyrics in this sung are screamed so fast and are so “muddled” sounding that it is very difficult to understand what the lead singer is saying. Particularly in the first two lines, great ones that read, “broken birds cant fly/and broken bells cant sing”. This song really challenges those who believe they have life all figured out and yet don’t know Jesus Christ, and the song is really pointed. The lines in this song are amazing. “now you lose your soul every day/as it wastes away/you cant face the day /you waste away/you cant face the day/you lose your soul every day /the hands around your throat are your own.” I think sadly, that these lyrics do not match the style of the vocals or the music. This made me sad because the opening moments of this song are awesome, you think something amazing is in store, and there is… until the music plays. Although I love the “i wanna give my memory to the flame/ i wanna burn it all away” part. Regardless, this is definitely a HIGHLIGHT. And overall this is a powerful song.
5. A SIMPLE THOUGHT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
This is a great song. For once, To Speak of Wolves decides to slow it down and not scream their crazy lyrics in their crazy way throughout the whole sung. Nope, instead most of the verses and portions of this song are SUNG. Not a positive thing when you’re a hardcore metal band of this sort, as the singing is the typical juvenile style that you’d expect from a band like UnderOath… that is, it grates on the nerves. However there is a lot of passion behind the words being spoke, and the song itself is quite beautiful. The song is from the point of view of a struggling Christian who can’t seem to reach his “Healer”, because his life is so hard and the pain blinds Him to God. This is reinforced through lines like, “this cross on my back/ has grown to be too much/ the crown on my head wont fit/my sword is dull from the drag/ i am the wounded carried / i’m not carrying the wounded / healer did you get my call?” However in the end, he realizes that all he has to do is believe, and he feels God near. A great song with effort that must be commended. The execution will be hard for some to swallow, and you’ll just have to deal with the voice given in the singing portions, but if you just get lost in the words you’ll come to love the song. I also love what they did near the end of the song to mix things up. And overall I felt that this song was very tight, and executed extremely well. A huge HIGHLIGHT and their first “ballad” on the record.
6. Nostalgia Seeds
Of all of the songs on the album so far, this one is the strongest both vocally and in showing off the typical style of this band at its best. The vocals here use lower growls instead of the typical yelling style of screams, and the lines of the song are screamed in a much more deliberate manner. This makes the song lyrics much easier to follow. This song is excellently paced, and is easily one of the best songs on the record so far. A clear HIGHLIGHT. Thematically, this song deals with a person who is taking the brunt of life and being crushed under it. Feeling hopeless and angry at God for not “being there”. With lines like, “the killing feeling / that i cant save my brothers / the loneliness of my father / the abandonment of my mother / the confused thoughts of my sister / raining on me / it’s always raining on me.” Definitely not a happy song, but one that is realistic with what a lot of young people go through in their broken family lives and many people will likely relate to it. HIGHLIGHT
7. Je Suis Fini
This strangely named song is another strong one vocally. The song starts out as a kind-of counter point to the last song, speaking of being strong in the face of adversity. However thematically it quickly degenerates into the same tired old themes that pervade on this record, and which the song itself attacks with the lines, “oh please release my body/ from the jaws of the beast / let my savage triumph be a sight for all to see / day in day out / all you taste is stagnation / so spit it out / it’s getting so old.” Sadly, this type of juvenile drama IS getting old by this point in the record and the themes of a rough life beating you down is starting to wear thin. Although this song offers some redemption, it pulls it back too far to ultimately be more redeeming than not. Even so, it’s another strong vocal performance like on the last track, Nostalgia Seeds.
Here is the Je Suis Fini music video from To Speak of Wolves:
8. Oregon
WOW. My respect for this band just rose up a notch thanks to this incredibly heart-wrenching song. This may be the second, if not first, best song on the album. The song tells the all-too-common story of the pain that his parents bare with them due to their failures in life. And the manner in which the love between them and the love for others is wasted… This line in particular hit me hard: “well i rest my head / and i cry myself to sleep / cause they’re both lonely / when there’s no need to be / and that kills me.” Man can I relate to that. Overall this was an outstanding song. If there’s any one that you download, be sure it is this one. GREATEST HIGHLIGHT
9. Dialysis Dreams
The heavy themes continue from the last song with this one, which almost wholeheartedly revives the band in my eyes. This song conveys extremely powerful emotion of the regrets, sadness, confusion and loss that comes from losing a loved one; how that effects a person and how that person cannot change the circumstances and is powerless to do so. Additionally this song is done in a real personal manner, you can feel the pain… because the vocalist is talking about himself (or the person who wrote the song, using pronouns like I) and that adds so much more emotion and power to the song. This line can’t help but to move you, “everyday i lose a memory / i feel the pull of time / a piece of me dies / a bit of my life unwinds / but i’ll never ask why / because everyone grows and everybody dies.” Powerful stuff. HIGHLIGHT
10. Voidmaker
This song takes the band back into familiar territory from earlier on the record, with a return to themes about the difficulties, tribulations and trials of life and questioning God and the like. This song is done pretty well though, and by this time you are getting more used to their style and lyrics. I love the ending of this song when the music cuts out and switches up, although I thought the end vocals at that part could’ve been done much clearer. Overall this is a pretty good song. It’s worth noting that the title of this album is taken from the final line of this song, “find your worth / come home”. I liked these lines in particular: “changing lines and shifting sides / coward cant you grow a spine? / you will fail the test of time … oh, defiant lion tearing your way through life / blood in my teeth but i’m still thirsty.”
11. Rearview Memories (featuring Levi The Poet and Bree Macallister)
HOLY…. *wipes tears* I am speechless. This song literally led me to tears and made me wept. This is flat out one of the most powerful and heart-wrenching songs I have EVER heard in my entire life. This song has singlehandedly pulled this album from the grave of “average” and violently shoved it into greatness. This TRUE HIGHLIGHT is a song like no other… made up of spoken testimony, real stories of real people… whose lives were shattered by the suicide of that one individual. One point of view is from the daughter, who is asking God questions but has a forgiving heart, and is trying to remember the good aspects of their relationship. The other is one of complete anger, especially due to the fact that it led to the daughter’s downfall, as bitterness at God and life grew in her heart. “she took off her crown / i watched it shatter when it hit the ground.” This song gives you chills, and I’m still being moved by it. If this song doesn’t make you re-evaluate life, then check your pulse. You may already be dead. A must listen. BUY THIS SONG NOW. (buy Rearview Memories by To Speak of Wolves on Amazon MP3)
