The Battlerock X Chronicles

RIP Statesman (1896-2012)

2012-01-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

News reports are still coming in, but it appears that Paragon City's iconic hero, Stateman, has been killed.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

A little cross-comic holiday message from both "The Guardian Powers" and "Tales from Paragon City".

By the way, you'll notice some of the characters with the TfPG banner are ones you haven't seen before. Those will be featured in future issues. Plus, of course, John Battlerock's own story will be appearing. It's just a matter of when. Meantime, enjoy the Holidays!

Click on the image to see the full-sized version.

(And, yes, that Santa beard itches!)

Happy Holidays 2011!

2011-12-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from the City of Heroes!

It's been on everyone's minds since the Halloween Event finished. WHEN will the Winter Event be here?

Well wait no more. It's here!

From today (December 13th, 2011) until January 3rd, 2012, Paragon City, the Rogue Isles, and even Praetoria will be visited by the Winter Spirit, scattering various gifts throughout the lands. You won't know what's in them until you open them up. It could be a mystery present. It could be a lump of coal. It could be a snowball. It could be a candy cane. Or it could be snow monsters ready to kick your butt. (Or at least they'd give it a good try.)

For those that are new to the City of Heroes, this is the time when you can collect some serious seasonal goodies, including some nice holiday-themed costume pieces.

You start out with some earmuffs...

Aren't those cool? You get those for free, just for showing up during that time!

You also get two gifts... one for yourself, and one to give to someone else. The gift for yourself gives you some XP debt protection. I would suggest you not open that one until you get to security level 10 or higher. The gift you give to others is a mystery. It could be anything. It could be a winter hat, some inf, or a temporary power. You won't know until it's opened.

Then what you do is go around the area opening up those presents, and even if you get the Winter Horde, they still have goodies.

But that's only skimming the tip of the Seasonal Iceberg.

For more serious gifts, you need to get to the Pocket D nightclub. There you'll find a special Ski Chalet has materialized nearby.

Yes, it's a beautiful place where you can ski down the slopes, enjoy some refreshments, and... take part in a few dangerous missions. Don't worry, it's a whole lot easier when you have friends with you. Or, maybe if you're a mastermind with a small army to call on. Speaking of which, you can bring in all sorts of people in on this. Heroes, Villains, Rogues, Vigilantes, and, yes, even Praetorians! Have fun, and the rewards are infinitely bigger and better here.

What sort of rewards? Santa-themed hats, gloves, and boots. Snowflake casting power. A special holiday flight-pack (fueled by Holiday Cheer no less). Five special reincarnation "golden rings" (BUH-duh-duh-duh...). Hey, how about that halo? You like? You can get one just like it. Or one that is burning if you're less-than-angelic.

Some of these goodies you get just for taking part in the missions, others you get by acquiring candy canes. Look for an elf in the Chalet that will exchange your candy canes for goodies. OR... or you can SELL the candy canes at Wentworth's. During the holiday season, that's big money!

Oh, one more thing... at some point you may have to deal with a HUGE snow monster. I suggest finding a league. The more the merrier.

Enjoy, and just remember that Enriche and Crey Cola do not mix well.

Much has changed...

2011-11-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

Much has changed in Paragon City, and not all of it can be covered here in the Chronicles.

To see some of the biggest changes, here is a video of the run-through of the reconstructed Atlas Park, a peek at the Street Justice powerset in use, and a fly-by of First Ward, the first attempt to create Praetoria, and Emperor Cole's biggest failure. You'll also see that the Hamidon is far more powerful here than in the Primal Universe, with a hovering "Seed" creature on patrol.

There have been plenty of other changes, including the introduction of the Paragon Market, which gives characters access to features that previously they had to purchase in bulk, plus new stand-alone features such as exclusive pets and special costume pieces.

So the question remains... what happened to Battlerock X during this time? Well you'll hear from him soon.

Get Ready For Super-Powered Chills!

2011-10-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

With the launch of City of Heroes Freedom, you have to wonder just what all of the new and returning heroes, villains, and Praetorians would find themselves into come Halloween. Seasoned veterans have come to enjoy several features of this mystically-bewitched time, including two Apocalypse events, trick-or-treating, and temporary costumes.

So the question is... how can you top that and make things exciting for both new and old operatives?

Five words:

Doctor Kane's House Of Horror!

Yes, we're talking a haunted house with zombies, giant monsters, Jack-O-Lanterns, and a challenge so dire that pulling it off will get you a new aura and costume change emote! Think you're up for the challenge? You better make sure you're up to at least level 15 and then get a team together, because you can't visit his house alone!

But if you can't get your friends together quite yet, there are still all of the other fun events, including the Zombie Apocalypse, the Deadly Apocalypse, Trick-or-Treating, and of course the eternal night and the giant monsters to keep the festivities going. You can load up with temporary costumes and get hold of those cheap cereal-box costumes that you can then trade-in with a certain witch to get an extra costume slot! (Note: you can only do this once, so if you've already done it, it won't work for you again. But these things can be worth a pretty penny on the market.)

So start practicing your best "Thriller" moves, and get in as much sunlight as you can, because once the sun sets on October 20th, it won't come back up again until November 2nd. And be careful, because some of the things that go "bump" in the night don't just "bump".

What's been going on in Paragon City?

2011-10-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a long few months... and for those that wondered what happened... well, a picture says a thousand words.
Now more than ever, Paragon City needs more heroes! Visit their website to see how you can join in the fight!

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #25

2011-09-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#25: Megamind

When it comes to superhero movies, it’s rare to find one that takes the superhero ideal and turns it in on itself without coming off as being incredibly cheesy. And yet, this movie manages to pull it off.

“Megamind” is a computer-animated superhero comedy movie released in 2010 by DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Tom McGrath and featured the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt. It was released in both traditional and 3D formats in the theatres but only in 2D format in the DVD release.

The story begins with a rip-off of the Superman legend, namely a blue alien baby from a dying world is sent into space by his loving parents. He is given some last-minute messages and his “minion” in the form of a sentient fish before being launched into space. Unfortunately as his ship travels to Earth, it runs in conflict with another orphaned baby ship containing the “perfect baby”, and the two orphan ships race to find the “suitable family” for their babies. The “perfect” baby ends up appearing in the living room of a wealthy couple on Christmas Day while the blue alien baby ends up in a prison yard. From there, the two grow up to be in constant conflict with each other. The “perfect” child would do everything right, while the blue child would end up getting tormented and blamed for everything.

Eventually the two grow up to be rivals in Metro City, with the “perfect” child becoming the superhero Metro Man (Pitt) and the blue child becoming the evil villain Megamind (Ferrell). And for years, the two of them have the same routine, consisting of Megamind kidnapping nosy reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Fey), putting her well-being in peril, and Metro Man would foil the “master plan” and send Megamind back to prison, where he would later escape and do the same thing over again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

So when Metro City honors Metro Man with his own museum and gigantic statue, Megamind cannot help but device the “ultimate” plan to humiliate Metro Man. With the help of Minion (Cross), Megamind kidnaps Roxanne and holds her hostage, knowing Metro Man would rush to her rescue, and accidentally fall into his deathtrap. But then, much to the surprise of everyone, Metro Man announces that the deathtrap is made of copper; his one weakness. When the trap is blown up by Megamind’s death ray, a skeleton wearing Metro Man’s cape is thrown from the blast area. At long last, Megamind has won and Metro Man is dead.

For a while Megamind uses Metro City as his own playground, but he quickly discovers he is bored by it all. There is no joy in being evil when there is no hero to save the day. While he prepares to blow up the Metro Man Museum, he accidentally comes across Roxanne, who also wished that Metro Man was still around. Killing the museum curator and taking his place, Megamind begins to befriend Roxanne and decides to follow her idea of creating a new hero. He takes a sample of Metro Man’s DNA to create a serum that would give someone superpowers. But Megamind accidentally sends the serum into Hal Stewart (Hill), Roxanne’s simple-minded cameraman who is head-over-heels in unrequited love with her.

Determined to turn Hal into the superhero worthy of replacing Metro Man, Megamind and Minion launch a scheme to trick Hal into thinking he’s really a “space baby” just like Metro Man. Megamind pulls this off by using the same holographic watch he uses to trick Roxanne into thinking he’s the museum curator, and turns himself into “space dad” (which is a knock-off of Marlon Brando’s Jor-El from the “Superman” movie).

Thus we have a montage of scenes of Megamind getting to know Roxanne and of him training Hal into becoming a superhero known as Titan (or “Tighten”, since it was the only name he could trademark). He also begins to clean up Metro City from his earlier celebrations, much to the pleasure of Roxanne, who begins to think that Megamind isn’t as “evil” as he used to be.

On the evening before the “Big Battle”, Hal, as Titan, shows up outside Roxanne’s apartment to woo her, only to have her utterly reject him. Meanwhile, Minion finds out that Megamind has been sneaking away to see Roxanne in disguise and that he is actually falling in love with Roxanne. Minion reminds Megamind that “the bad guy does not get the girl”, causing Megamind to blurt out that maybe he doesn’t want to be “the bad guy” anymore. With Minion leaving him in disgust, Megamind’s date with Roxanne becomes a disaster, with her finding out that he has been impersonating the curator, and proclaiming that she could never see herself with someone like him.

Dejected, Megamind orders his numerous robot drones to prepare his “Black Mamba” outfit so he can kick off his “big battle” with Titan in style. Sauntering into Metro City in his giant robot with AC/DC’s “Black in Black” playing in the background, Megamind calls out Titan, only to spend the whole day doing nothing but waiting in front of City Hall. Much to his horror, Titan has been spending his time stealing whatever he wanted.

Revealing that he’s really both “Space Dad” and the guy dating Roxanne, Megamind goads Titan into the promised battle, until Titan announces that he’s going to actually kill Megamind for not working with him. This forces Megamind to use his “contingency plan” and contain Titan in a ball made of copper. Unfortunately Titan breaks through the ball, much to the surprise of Megamind since Titan should have the same weakness as Metro Man. Megamind leaves, and Titan announces that the city wasn’t really “saved” as it was placed under “new management”.

And we’ll leave it here, because the rest will spoil the ending.

The movie is a great play on the classic superhero story, showing how the “eternal battle” gets to the point that it becomes boring to the participants. And of course there is the “Wiley E. Coyote” dilemma of what do you do when you get what you’ve been chasing for so long. The good guy always wins, the bad guy always loses, so what happens when the bad guy finally wins? This movie plays up on it quite well.

The vocal casting is done quite well. If you didn’t know it was Will Ferrell doing the voice of Megamind, you wouldn’t have guessed. On the other hand, you can see the facial mannerisms of Roxanne and see Tina Fey doing her voice, and the same holds true to Brad Pitt doing Metro Man’s voice. The characters are done over-the-top, but only just enough to avoid being cheesy.

The use of well-recognized pop songs to mark the arrival of Megamind help sell the character, although a few songs delved more into the “music video” category than helping to sell the story. This was the mistake that the people behind “Zoom” made as well, although DreamWorks didn’t go as far as Sony Pictures did.

In all this is a good hero comedy movie, and one that even villains should be able to enjoy.

Capes:	I’m hesitant to give this movie five capes. The hero level certainly gives it four capes.
Cheese:	While this is a comedy, and a great play on the classic hero story, there is still some cheese to it. I won’t say where because it will ruin the ending, but you’ll know when you see it. Don’t worry; it’s just Mild Cheddar (2).
Books:	Megamind is a good story, although not great, and with the few songs used more for “music video” than to convey a story, I have to give it three books out of five.

Everything Will Go!

2011-08-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

The folks at NCSoft/Paragon Studios have announced that with the coming Free-2-Play model (aka City of Heroes: Freedom), all of their booster and expansion packs are going to be taken off the market on August 30th.

That means that if you haven't gotten the booster packs or expansion packs that you want, you better do so now before the 30th, or else wait until after FREEDOM goes online.

On the plus side, from now until the 29th, you can get the original City of Heroes program for $1.99 and the physical retail box (with all of the added goodies that go with it) for $9.99.

Good deals, so get them now or forever hold your peace until FREEDOM.

NEW: Tales from Paragon City #2

2011-07-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hold on to your capes, heroes... the Praetorians have taken over!

(Click on the image or this link to download the PDF file.)

Who is this mysterious gunslinger in Praetoria? And why is he trying to bring back something unheard of in years?

Find out here!

Go Retro with Steam!

2011-06-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the tech stuff in Paragon City?

Cross-dimensional devices just blowing your mind?

Want a life a little more simplistic?

Well now you can go RETRO with the new Steampunk Booster Pack!

Now you can go "Old School" with over 60 costume pieces designed to bring out the best of the 19th Century. These include old-style faces, hair styles, hats, beards, cameos, jackets, boots, gloves, pants, belts, and skirts.

How about wings? We have the best in wind-up wings. Need something a little more potent? We have a special Steam-Powered jump pack that will give you super-leaping abilities for a limited period of time.

How about hardware? We have the best weapons the 19th Century can give you! Remarkable pistols and rifles! And how about a rucksack? You've never had a rucksack before, have you? NEVER!

And because the 19th Century really wasn't that CLEAN, we have some new auras that show just how messy tinkering with oils and screws and springs can be. You can even change your outfits with either steam or oil. Or you can have some Victorian-style glyphs to show off your classic features to show how "prim and proper" you can be, even while you're thrashing your opponents thusly!

Oh, and as with other booster packs, these are all available from the start, so either new or seasoned characters.

Got you interested? Good, because it's only an affordable $9.95 (in 21st Century coin) over at the NCSoft Store. So get on over there and partake!

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review - Special Comment (Superman)

2011-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

Special Comment on the Superman Movie Series

I have a confession to make: Superman is my all-time favorite superhero.

Hands-down, no doubt about it, he is the icon that I wish I could be. I wished I could do the things that he could. He could fly, he travels super-fast, he’s super-strong, and nothing except kryptonite could hurt him! Okay there’s also the whole X-ray vision thing too, but that was when I got a little older and I also wanted to see what color Lois Lane’s underwear really was.

That’s why, when I give my reviews of Superman movies, I have this tendency to give him higher marks in the “capes” category, because he will always be the iconic model.

Unfortunately when the Superman movies came out from the late-1970’s through to the late-1980’s, Superman was relegated to being a cartoon joke along with all of the other TV superheroes. Sure he was super-serious in ABC’s Saturday Morning series “Super-Friends”, but he really wasn’t the star of the show. It was about “Wendy, Marvin, and WONDER DOG!” Or it was about “The Wonder Twins AND GLEEK!” Anything to stick in lame-ass bumbling kids and goofy cartoony animals pretending to be heroes. Superheroes of the time followed the lead of the campy 1966 “Batman” movie and TV series. Everything was campy and cheesy and about as serious as a Marx Brothers marathon.

That is why “Superman: The Movie” stood out. It stood out because Warner Brothers and Alexander and Ilya Salikind DID NOT play around with this film. They kept one word in mind through the whole process: EPIC. They wanted this to be one of THE BEST films of all time, and they spared no expense to make it so. They brought in the best actors, some of the biggest names of the time, including Glen Ford and Marlon Brando. They had celebrities like Rex Reed come in as cameos appearances, but they weren’t done for the sake of having them. They cast their lead character appropriately, especially using a relative unknown for the title character. They had a superb original and POWERFUL score by one of the BEST in the business. And they spared no expense for the special effects! They utilized green-screen and wireworks, which at that time were state-of-the-art. Bear in mind this was decades before computer-generated digital effects would be possible, never mind affordable, and certainly not realistic. Their Academy Award for special effects in 1979 was well-earned.

But most importantly, they kept the cheese factor contained. Sure, some of the scenes were done for laughs, but that didn’t mean that the whole film was.

The film’s running line was “You will believe a man can fly” and they made us into believers!

Unfortunately, as with all other things Hollywood, too many people in charge lost track of the little things that made a movie like that into a hit. “Superman II” was marred by a change in directors. “Superman III” was shoved into being a Richard Pryor comedy vehicle. “Supergirl” had a non-existent story. “Superman IV” had bargain-basement executives giving bargain-basement budgets and story. By the time “Superman IV” came out, everyone just wanted the whole thing done and over with, and, yes, that included the actors AND the audience.

And don’t tell me that the magic couldn’t happen again after that first movie; because the Salikinds proved that premise wrong with their “Superboy” TV series. If the suits don’t give a care, then it should be no surprise that their finished product is going to be shoddy.

When talking about the whole Superman series, there are two key questions that need to be asked.

(1) Does “Supergirl” count as part of the series?

(2) Where does “Superman Returns” fit in?

The answer to the first question is simple and to-the-point. YES, “Supergirl” DOES and SHOULD ALWAYS be considered part of the whole “Superman” movie series, no matter how bad it really was and how far it strayed even from film canon. Ilya Salikind had every intention of including “Supergirl” as part of the whole movie cannon, including bringing in Christopher Reeve for a quick cameo as Superman. Since Reeve passed on the idea (remember this came right after “Superman III” flopped), Salikind use a poster of Reeve as Superman and had Marc McClure come in as Jimmy Olson. So that pretty much cements the movie as being part of the whole cannon.

“Superman Returns”, on the other hand, is tricky. This movie operates under the premise that everything after “Superman II” didn’t happen. It takes the best of the first two movies, strips away ALL (or almost all) of the cheese, re-casts EVERYONE, and then makes us forget that we ever heard of Gus Gorman (Superman III), Selene the Witch (Supergirl), or Nuclear Man (Superman IV).

Is it part of the movie canon? No, but it should have been.

“Superman Returns” is how the series SHOULD have progressed if it didn’t take twenty years and a complete cast change. Lex Luthor is out of prison and still fixated on land grabs and on killing Superman by any means possible. He remembers the Fortress, and he knows how to get there. Lois Lane bears the fruit of her little journey from the second movie, even if she doesn’t “remember” how it came about. There is no “god-gaze” superpower where Superman could just stare at something and it gets better. You even get to see bullets bounce off him. He has great powers without the producers relying on that stupid “god-gaze” cheat. All of the things that would have been a great tie-in to the whole story were there.

So now the new challenge for Warner Brothers is to come up with a whole new Superman movie series. And here they are running into the same problems as the last film. Shifting directors, shifting directions, and now the executives want to do a complete “reboot” of the whole film canon.

Further complicating things is the fact that Warner Brothers had the “Smallville” TV series running for ten years before FINALLY putting it - and the continual teasing on the audience - to an end. That in and of itself warrants a special comment, but reconciling the Superman lore of the series with any future movie will be a challenge.

However this new “rebooted” series progresses, if at all, credit still needs to be given to the Salikinds for proving over thirty years ago that you could do a big-budget superhero film and have it pay off. They were the ones that set the standard that other superhero series, and indeed other superhero series from other publishers, have tried to keep even to this day. Just remember that when you promise the audience that they will BELIEVE a man can fly… then you better make sure that by the time the end credits roll, that you make believers out of them all.

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #24

2011-05-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#24: All-Star Superman

When it comes to DC Comics animation projects, the in-house Warner Brothers Animation group pretty much has a hit-and-miss record, with more misses than hits. This is especially true when it comes to releases based on popular comic stories, and this is one of them.

“All-Star Superman” is a 2011 direct-to-video movie based on the 12-issue miniseries by the same name written by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly. It was written by veteran screenwriter Dwayne McDuffie, who sadly passed away one day before the movie was released to video. The movie was released by Warner Premiere and featured the voices of James Denton, Christine Hendricks, Anthony LaPaglia, Ed Asner, Linda Cardellini, Frances Conroy, Alexis Denisof, John DiMaggio, Steven Blum, Fiona Hughes, and Arnold Vosloo.

The movie starts with a series of still images being narrated by Lex Luthor (LaPaglia). Each image showed a single segment of Superman’s career, until we finally see him in orbit around the sun, chasing a spaceship containing Dr. Leo Quintum (Denisof) and his staff. One member of that staff is actually being remotely controlled by Luthor, with everything being prepared in advance to account for the time differential. We find, however, that Luthor’s cosmic puppet act was in violation of his parole. Superman (Denton) still manages to toss out Luthor’s puppet and saves Quintum’s ship using a brand new superpower.

Later, Superman and Quintum discover that the Man of Steel’s new powers are a symptom of his cells becoming supercharged from being too close to the sun. Essentially he is suffering from sun-cancer and is slowly dying. They both agree, though, that they need to keep this a secret, lest his enemies try to take advantage of this. But Superman does decide to put his affairs in order.

He first reveals to Lois Lane (Hendricks) that he is, in fact, Clark Kent, but she refuses to believe it. He shows her the Fortress of Solitude and all of its features, including the reconstructed HMS Titanic, the bottled city of Kandor, his army of Super-Robots, and his pet sun-eater, which he supposedly feeds it with newly-forged baby suns. After seeing a distant future version of Superman (the Kal Kent Superman from DC One Million) and his slight resemblance to her father, Lois fears that she’s being prepared for some weird Kryptonian experiment. Stealing a kryptonite gun and inadvertently shooting Superman with it, he discovers that kryptonite no longer has any effect on him either. But it calms Lois down enough for him to give her a special suit and a serum that would give her super-powers for twenty-four hours.

Unfortunately Lois’ newfound powers take a back seat to the time-travelling troublemakers Atlas (Blum) and Samson (DiMaggio), who know about Superman’s final months and challenge him to riddles and feats for Lois’ favor. After besting them in contests and solving the riddle of the Ultra-Sphinx, Superman and Lois spend the remaining time as equals making out on the moon and then she is fascinated by all the things Superman can sense as her powers disappear, and he tucks her into her bed before leaving.

Visiting Luthor behind bars while awaiting his death sentence, Clark’s presence is detected by the Parasite and inadvertently starts a prison riot. Clark manages to contain the damage, though, while still careful to not reveal himself as Superman to any of the inmates or to Luthor, who shows a modicum of respect for the “mild-mannered” Clark Kent after kicking a disabled Parasite to death. He also shows Clark a secret passage, proving that he could escape at any time with the help of his goth-teen niece Nasthalthia (Cardellini). He stays there, though, because he knows that Superman is dying, and he wants to see it happen.

After visiting his adopted mother (Conroy) and leaving an indestructible flower on his adopted father’s grave, Superman tells Lois that he has to leave to take the Kandorians to their new home world, and reveals to her that he may not be able to make it back in his condition. He does, though, only to discover that Metropolis has two new “champions” to marvel over: Bar-El (Vosloo) and Lilo (Hughes), Kryptonian astronauts and his ancestors that see themselves not as heroes, but as the new rulers of “New Krypton”. Eventually, though, they discover that they suffered from Kryptonite poisoning and were slowly dying. The only way they could survive would be through the Phantom Zone, but not before asking for forgiveness to Superman for their arrogance.

As Superman finishes putting his affairs in order, he faces the “Tyrant Sun” Solaris, while at the same time Lex Luthor, having recreated Superman’s super-serum, escaped from the electric chair and prepares to make his move.

At this point I have to stop the summary because it would ruin the ending, which, regrettably, is really the high-point of this movie.

Unfortunately, much like some of the other stories that are turned into movies, there is a lot that is missing in the transition from the original mini-series. Jimmy Olson becoming Doomsday, Bizarro and Bizarro World, a trip to the past with Kal Kent to visit his adopted father on the day of his death, and the discovery of Earth-Q (where Joe Schuster illustrates Action Comics #1) are all scrapped due to time constraints. Instead, what we get is a story that is full of remorse and regret, and an ending that comes off as less-than-triumphant.

Sadly, the movie was working with flawed material. Without the other stories, we have a Daily Planet staff full of people that act like a bunch of over-aged high school rejects, with the exception of Perry White (Asner) who seems to be the only newsperson in the building. (Kudos for Asner for channeling his old “Lou Grant” persona.) Even worse is when Bar-El and Lilo practically reveal that Clark Kent is Superman and the “Breakfast Club” wannabes around him can’t accept it. Even Lois refuses to accept that Clark is Superman, even after seeing him change right in front of her twice. Most of Lois’ time as “Superwoman” was reduced to being a damsel-in-distress-and-cosplay as Atlas and Samson challenge Superman for her affections.

“All-Star Superman” was meant to be Superman’s Ragnarok story. We know from the start that Superman is dying. The problem is that there’s no attempt to fight it. There are no “seven stages of grief” here; there is just acceptance. He’s dying, and he doesn’t try to do anything to change it. He’s essentially given up, surrendering to his own mortality, trying to complete his “Bucket List”, and find some way to end his “hero” career on a positive note. It’s depressing.

Adding to that melancholy was the voice acting. James Denton may do great playing a rugged character in “Desperate Housewives” but his voice did not carry on through as Superman/Clark Kent. Even Adam Baldwin’s version in “Superman: Doomsday” showed more emotion than Denton’s. A far better choice would have been Tim Daly or George Newbern, two people who know how to voice Superman. Even Denton’s occasional “Desperate Housewives” co-star Kyle MacLachlan did a better job when he voiced Superman in the (to be reviewed) “Justice League: The New Frontier” movie, and THAT Superman had a bit part. The only time Denton’s voice shows even the slightest emotion in it is through one point during the Solaris battle.

Anthony LaPaglia’s Luthor was stuffy, arrogant, and a continual know-it-all. And his continual dirge about how everything is Superman’s fault got tired WAY too early.

Christina Hendricks’ Lois was perky and almost out-of-place at times. It’s not the actress’s fault, though. Most of it is how Lois is written. She’s skeptical about Clark being Superman to a fault. When Lois has superpowers, how does she spend a good portion of that time? Standing around while Atlas, Samson, and Superman fight over her affections and going gaga over stolen jewelry. Not exactly the “liberated woman” that she’s supposed to be.

Without getting into spoiling the ending, the battles with Solaris and Lex Luthor were almost after-thoughts. More time was spent on Bar-El and Lilo than on both battles.

In all, the story itself was something of a letdown, a Ragnarok-level story that ends with a whimper instead of a bang. Maybe a part of it could be blamed on the material they had to work with, but that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be improved, and maybe it would help if they got rid of the artificial time constraints they seem to impose and just let the story develop as it needs to.

Capes:	Normally I’d have to give Superman all-five capes, but here he’s only getting three, and that’s sad.
Cheese:	The cheese factor here is Mild Cheddar (2). When your first image of Jimmy Olson is of him in drag, and both Steve Lombard and Cat Grant are there only to play middle-aged high school students, then you know that it’s cheese.
Books:	In terms of storyline, I can only give three books out of five. There is SO MUCH that is missing from this.

Happy Seven Years of Super!

2011-04-28T03:25:00.000-07:00

It was seven years ago today that NCsoft and Cryptic Studios launched a new Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game called "City of Heroes", inviting people of all ages to come to Paragon City in Rhode Island and be heroes and superheroes.

This was a time when Worlds of Warcraft was the 800-lbs gorilla for MMO activity. Often-imitated, never duplicated, and with big money to have celebrity advertising. It still is the king for its genre. You'll find plenty of similar games trying to be like them, trying to replace them, and many people still want to put City of Heroes in the same category.

It's not.

City of Heroes has gone through two expansions and twenty updates or "issues". In 2005, one year after the launch of the game, the "City of Villains" expansion was launched, giving players the ability to go through MMO life as a villain. In 2010, "Going Rogue" opened a whole new world, and the means to go from a hero to a villain and back again by the alignment system. In between these events there have been invasions, bank robberies, time travel, zombie apocalypses, and hundreds of new ways to customize and improve one's character. All this without big name celebrities and mainstream media commercials.

Today, City of Heroes is the measuring stick for the superhero-genre MMO. Champions Online (created by the same people that started City of Heroes) and DC Universe Online both compete against City of Heroes and are measured BY City of Heroes standards. Sure they provide some things that City of Heroes don't, and DC obviously has the mighty corporate dollar behind them for advertising. But money doesn't provide experience or a track record of loyalty and dedication. Even during hard times, City of Heroes players find ways to go online and keep the game going.

No, City of Heroes is not Worlds of Warcraft, and it doesn't try to be Worlds of Warcraft. It doesn't have to.

Happy Super-Seventh.

Issue 20 is now LIVE!

2011-04-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

The Age of Incarnates is here with Issue 20!

Mender Ramiel's mission is now clear. From his timeline, the Well of the Furies, the source of godhood, has chosen the WRONG Marcus Cole as its champion.

Emperor Cole, the Praetorian Tyrant, would soon have the power to take over not just the Primal Universe, but ALL of the Omniverse itself!

Ramiel's plan is to disrupt Tyrant's operation and force the Well to choose another champion. New Incarnates face Tyrant's lieutenants to stop them from creating the invasion force needed. To do that, the BAF and the ultra-secret Lambda Sector need to go. Take out Nightstar, Siege, and Marauder, and you MIGHT be able to take on Emperor Cole himself and undo a dark future.

There are also new missions for medium-level operatives. Medium-level heroes join up with Admiral Sutter and the USS Mason to confront a new floating fortress from the Praetorian Universe creating portals for invasion, then race to stop the already-arriving forces from decimating Talos Island and Skyway City.

Meanwhile, medium-level villains follow an opportunity by Moritmer Kal to steal the Flames of Prometheus from Positron, and make sure the other villain groups don't then take it from them.

But there is a reason why this new Issue is called INCARNATES, and that is that new Incarnates get FOUR new levels. Combined with their initial Alpha slot, they are now halfway to reaching their ultimate potential.

There are a few other goodies as well. The teamwork system has been updated with a new grouping of teams into larger Leagues. This allows operatives to take on larger missions such as the Hamidon and Rikti raids. A new Teamwork Teleporter system has been incorporated as well so players looking for teams can register for any team available, and then are automatically teleported into a League.

One more feature for villains is the expansion of the Black Helicopter Line so every zone in the Rogue Isles now has at least ONE Black Helicopter point.

The multiverse that is City of Heroes is getting more and more interesting.

(Note: Going Rogue Expansion is required for many of the new features.)

Breaking News! The City is Running Out of XP!

2011-04-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Apparently there was a reason why there was an 11-hour cosmic downtime yesterday, and for once it had NOTHING to do with Cosmic Rikti Monkeys (no doubt they're pleased to hear that).

Apparently the City of Heroes is running out of... EXPERIENCE POINTS!

Don't believe me? Well take a look...

(Oh, and check the calendar.)

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #23

2011-03-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#23: The Punisher (1989 film)

Between box office wins such as “Spider-Man”, “X-Men”, “Fantastic Four”, and “Iron Man”, it’s hard to imagine that the Might Marvel Comics could EVER do wrong. And yet the biggest example of that fail rested with five words…

“Dolph Lundgren is THE PUNISHER!”

Okay, I’m sure you’re scratching your head over this and wondering what the heck the Pundit is talking about, right?

Well, the film that you probably know as “The Punisher”, be it the 2004 incarnation featuring Thomas Jane or the 2008 “War Zone” movie featuring Ray Stevenson (both films on the “To Review” list), is actually the second and third attempt at telling the story of the gritty skull-bearing Marvel vigilante.

The first incarnation, however, was abysmal, and you can understand why people would not want to remember that it was even made.

This “Punisher” was released in 1989 by New World Pictures, and it starred Dolph Lundgren, Oscar-winner Louis Gossett Jr., Kim Miyori, Jeroen Krabbe, Nancy Everhard, and Barry Otto. It was directed by Mark Goldblatt. It was never released in US theaters, appearing only in West Germany in 1989 and then released on VHS in 1991. The reasons behind the non-release were less on the film quality and more to do with New World Pictures suffering from financial problems.

This was back in the day when Dolph was the hottest actor in the market, or at least the hungriest, and he was signing his name onto as many roles as he could play after “Rocky IV” came out. He had teamed up with Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) for one movie, became “He-Man” in the “Masters of the Universe”, and served as the foil for Jean-Claude Van Damme in “Universal Soldier”. Basically if you had film that featured a side of beef, that side of beef would answer to the name of Dolph Lundgren. But I digress…

The film starts with a gritty title sequence featuring sill images travelling through a dark service tunnel and Dolph shooting them with his M-60. Then we see a news report of a mob leader being acquitted from the murder of Frank Castle and family. Strangely, the picture of Frank looks nothing like Dolph. Then we see a cocky mob leader boasting his innocence and promising that “The Punisher” would not get near him. As the mob boss drives away, we see a leather-bound boot with a skull-head dagger strapped to it. The boot starts up a motorcycle and follows the limo. “The Boot” follows the mob boss home and proceeds to pick off the players one by one in serial-killer fashion. As the nearby media react to the sounds of gunshots, the house explodes, and we see the shadowy figure of “The Punisher” (Lundgren) hiding in the flames before the rest of the explosions destroy the whole house.

We then hear Punisher begging God to know why he survived when his family didn’t as we see views of that same service tunnel before finishing with a shot of Punisher’s naked backside, then a flashback of the death of his wife and kids.

The scene shifts back to the remains of the destroyed mansion as Lt. Jake Berkowitz (Gossett) shoos away a nagging reporter, and then is told from his superiors that “Frank Castle is dead” and to back off. Berkowitz refuses to back off, though. He is joined by Detective Sam Leary (Everhard), who is told in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t want a partner but changes his mind when she says that she also believes that Frank Castle is not dead.

The media then chase around Gianni Franco (Krabbe), who was the last of the mob bosses and had returned to the United States only to be welcomed by Berkowitz, saying he needed “more bait” to catch the Punisher. Joined by his son, Gianni is quick to take over the mob operation. A ragged drunk (Otto) and bad actor called “Shakes” asks a patron for some financial help before being thrown out of the bar and lured by a moving bottle of booze to divulge what he knows of a drug shipment to the Punisher.

At the nearby drug import, the mob operatives are silently picked off by a gang of ninjas before the Punisher could arrive. He fights off both gang members, but not before being knocked off the pier by a knife-throwing girl. Later Berkowitz sees the Punisher knife in one of the drivers.

Franco briefs his men on the woman behind the attack. It turns out they all work for Lady Tanaka (Miyori) of the Yakuza, and the mute knife-throwing girl is her protégée. Tanaka then arrives at the meeting and tells Franco that they are taking over the family’s operation, which Franco vows will not happen. We also discover that the entire conversation being overheard by Punisher.

At the police office, Leary shows Berkowitz how her computer would predict Punisher’s next location. She says that the Punisher is actually living under the city.

As the Punisher rides about underground, the children of the mob bosses are being kidnapped by the Yakuza. Shake begs Punisher to step in - in bad rhyming form no less - but Punisher seemingly brushes it all off, convinced that the mob bosses consider him “dead” and that he is no longer a threat.

At the Yakuza headquarters, Lady Tanaka plans on selling the kids to the slave market. The kids all know that something is wrong, but Gianni’s son refuses to believe that his father is a bad guy, much less the leader of the whole mafia. (Hey kid, you’re in good company on that part!) When Tanaka tells the kids that they will soon be “taken home”, little Tommy fights back and is taken away.

At a (poorly constructed) Yakuza nightclub (and amateur circus?), the Punisher attacks, tearing up the bar and threatening to continue destroying their businesses for every day that the children are missing. Berokowitz and Leary realize that Punisher is behind this attack. They also find out that the mob children are missing, which Leary says would be something Punisher would do, but Berkowitz says that Punisher couldn’t have kidnapped children and shows her a picture of Castle’s two children as proof.

Shakes shows Punisher that the kids are being held at an abandoned amusement park. He discovers, though, that the Yakuza are waiting for him. They overpower him and Tanaka’s protégé knocks him out. Punisher then is tortured by Tanaka, but that gets nowhere. She then orders that Shakes be tortured, but Punisher doesn’t care either. She leaves frustrated, with him grunting “Have a nice day”, and he then quickly works his way out of his restraints to escape along with his drunken stooge.

Leary and Berkowitz start looking in the sewer tunnels for Punisher’s lair and he tells her how he met Frank Castle and got his life straightened out. Meanwhile, the mob underlings (minus Franco) meet with Tanaka, only to discover that they were poisoned before she arrived and are quickly killed.

The Punisher steals a city bus to rescue the kids, which he does for everyone except for Tommy. This leads to a little bus chase until they run into a police roadblock. (HOW this could be set up at such short notice is anyone’s guess since the police still think that Frank Castle is dead.) Punisher surrenders to the police and lets the kids go. Berkowitz confronts Punisher in jail, but Punisher continues to say that Frank is dead and the guilty are dead and that 125 murders is “a work in progress”.

Franco breaks the Punisher out while being transported to his court arraignment and offers his help to rescue Tommy in exchange for Berkowitz, whom he had also kidnapped. Berkowitz eventually manages to free himself as Punisher and Franco make their way up the various levels of Yakuza soldiers like a poorly-done video game. Punisher takes on the protégée while Tanaka humiliates Franco in front of his son before being killed by the Punisher. With Tommy safe, Franco then tries to kill the Punisher, but is stopped by his son. This gives Punisher the chance to kill Franco in the ensuing struggle. Tommy wants to kill Punisher, but he doesn’t have the heart to do it. Punisher warns Tommy to not follow in his father’s path or else “he’ll be waiting”. Punisher vanishes as Berkowitz shows up, and we end with the Punisher’s monologue about “The guilty will be punished” and showing his naked backside yet again before going to credits.

There. I just saved you a dollar in the bargain basement bin.

I find it hard to even call this a “Punisher” movie. Lundgren’s character may be named Frank Castle, but there was nothing about him that WAS “Punisher”. He didn’t wear the skull-head shirt, and he looked and acted more like a zombie Terminator than as a war veteran. This probably should have been called “Cops and Mobsters” as this was more of a cop movie than it was a movie based on a Marvel Comics character.

Gossett’s character was probably the only thing that really carried the whole movie. It certainly wasn’t “Castle” or “Punisher” or “Mister P” (as “Shakes” referred to him as). And the gratuitous butt shots should have been eliminated, especially since the butt shots were all from the Punisher and followed nihilistic messages. Here’s a word to the wise: nihilism and gratuitous nudity do not mix! The other characters were either forgettable, or, in the case of the rhyming “Shakes”, characters you WANT to forget.

In all, folks, if you see this movie at your local discount video store, save your pocket change unless you’re a serious Louis Gossett Jr. fan. Thankfully Marvel does a whole lot better with this character the next time around.

Capes:	Zero capes out of five. This wasn’t a Marvel Comics story. This was a renegade cop flick using the name “Frank Castle”.
Cheese:	Between the stereotypical characterization of the villains, the amusement park ninja fight, and the cheesy comeback lines, this ended up with some Mild Cheddar (2).
Books:	Three books out of five, running on par with some of the other “renegade cop” films of the time.

Ask Captain Catastrophe #16: Praetoria

2011-03-01T16:07:00.001-08:00

Yes, the legendary team-killer is BACK with a new video!

He's been a little busy working on projects for City Hall, but he's anxious to do a new video, plus he's pumped up about his forthcoming comic book, a REAL honor for superheroes in Paragon City! That is, if his agent is up to snuff...

Let's get BEASTLY! (Updated Again!)

2011-02-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

This was something that was hinted at for a while now, not to mention being on plenty of wish lists, but soon it'll be coming to the City of Heroes...

The ANIMAL PACK!

Beastly creatures sort of were hinted at... there were the occasional dog/bear/chupacabra faces, some lizards, a few cat-like features, and of course the tails and wings, but no real ANIMAL creatures. No birds, no bulls, no actual wolves or tigers or lions.

Now there soon will be, along with the Beast Run travel power so you can run with the tigers.

The good thing is that according to the official announcement, there will be over SIXTY new costume pieces and patterns along with the Beast Run power. This is far more than the handful of pieces from recent add-on packs, so this could very well be worth the money.

Get ready, because the creatures of Doctor Moreau are coming! And they're going to be hungry!

UPDATE: The official release date has now been set at February 23rd.

On February 18th, the developers will be giving away free codes to random people in Pocket D that are dressed in their best "Ready for the Jungle" attire. They will also be giving those codes away on Facebook, Twitter, and the Forums... first use-first get. (And it's a jungle getting it that way.) Check the announcement page for dates and times.

UPDATE 2: The back is NOW available. And at $9.99, for once they have a pack WORTH its price!

Click here to view the details and purchase the game at NCSoft.

Update on Seven Stars Reward

2011-02-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

"City Of" officials have announced that a grace period for the Seventh Anniversary loyalty program has been put in place.

Apparently some Praetorians were getting their brains scrubbed out by Praetor Tilman and didn't catch the announcement of the grace period starting on February 1st. (At least they didn't blame it on those smelly Cosmic Rikti Monkeys.)

Because of this, the Loyalty Period has been pushed back to February 14th. The end date is still set for April 18th, and the Vanguard Pack will still be unlocked on the 7th Anniversary on April 28th.

So if you're still on the periphery of being a hero, villain, or Praetorian, NOW is truly the time to join in and get ready to take part in the Seven Stars of Super!

Ski for Free!

2011-02-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week the walls of reality were once again tampered with by those d@mn cosmic Rikti monkeys.

In gratitude for the masses not revolting, the Ski Chalet has once again appeared next to Pocket D for those who wish to brush up on their slalom times.

The Chalet will be open from 9am February 4th until the 3am February 8th.

This does not mean that the Winter Event has resumed. The Winter Hoard and the presents and the Baby New Year missions are done for the year. It's just that for the next few days you'll get to enjoy the slopes and chill out at some place festive.

Enjoy it, because it's not that often this comes around.

Seven Stars of Super

2011-01-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

You ever hear the phrase "Membership has its privileges?"

Well for City of Heroes subscribers, you're about to find out!

This year marks the seventh anniversary of the MMO. As such, Paragon Studios and NCSoft have a little reward for those of you who stick with the game for a few months.

For those with active and paid-for accounts from February 1st until April 18th, you will be getting...

A special Seven Stars chest emblem for you to add to all characters.

A special seven-star badge called The Constant.

A special emote called "Loyalty" that will display seven stars around you as a symbol showing your morality alignment appears below you.

And the Vanguard Booster Pack, an exclusive Booster Pack that will unlock many of the Vanguard costume features, including weapons, the special Vanguard Sigil costume-change emote, and an exclusive non-combat Vanguard hardsuit pet. (Think of it as a little robotic mascot, only the kind that doesn't get into slapstick trouble like the cartoon versions.)

It should be pointed out that all of the Vanguard features right now require you to reach Security Level 35 and then take part in NUMEROUS Vanguard missions, defeating countless Rikti forces before getting enough Vanguard Merits to purchase these items. With the Vanguard Pack, you'll be getting all of these things at Level 1, without needing to take out so much as a Rikti Monkey... which is good because they REEK! Have you ever had to fight off a Rikti Monkey? They are horrid! They are just living, breathing, perpetual fart machines! They have more methane in each one of them than a whole HERD of cows. But I digress...

Did I forget to mention that all of this will be given FREE? All you have to do is have a subscription active from February 1st until April 18th, and then on April 28th (the 7th Anniversary of the MMO launch) the items will be unlocked and activated for you account. Considering how earlier "booster" packs run from $8-$10 (and the more recent ones are overpriced for what they provide), this is a really great deal for Heroes, Villains, Rogues, Vigilantes, and Praetorians.

So if you are still on the fence about signing up, now is the time to do it, because the after February 1st you'll be out of luck.

Double XP Weekend

2011-01-13T11:57:00.001-08:00

With the Winter Event expiring soon, the last weekend of the event will also be going out with a Double-XP bang!

The Double XP weekend will be going on starting 12noon, Thursday, January 27th until 3am, Monday, February 1st (EST).

This will be your opportunity to get in all of the goodies at the Ski Chalet and the presents in Paragon City, Rogue Isles, and Praetoria. And if you feel you need to get a few last digs in on Lord Winter - because he's an annoying monster - then this is your last chance to do it for ten more months.

The Holiday Season Goes On And On...

2011-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

You know some people are super-fixated on seasonal schedules? They expect the holiday decorations up NO EARLIER than Thanksgiving Day and have them down NO LATER than January First.

Then you have the business world... that can't WAIT to get their holiday stuff up and on the shelves earlier and earlier in the year.

Well, the inverse is now true in the City of Heroes universe, with the Winter Event - complete with the Ski Chalet, presents, Baby New Year, and the Winter Hoarde - being extended until 2:59am EST on January 31st.

So if you haven't gotten all your seasonal goodies, or got frustrated taking on Lady Winter, now's the change to remedy that.

Oh, by the way... the nice/nasty halo auras have now been fixed. They no longer require you to take the aura missions at level 30 before using them. You can use them once you earn them.

Seasons Greeting From the City of Heroes

2010-12-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

The Holiday Season has officially reached the City of Heroes!

Father Time's Ski Chalet has opened next to Pocket D. Baby New Year needs rescuing. Mystery presents are scattered about, and there are Winter Hoarde snowmen sightings. Oh, and Lord Winter is back and he brought a DATE!

Yes, it's THAT TIME again!

Ho-Ho-Hope you stocked up on some inspirations, because you're gonna need them! But don't worry... Pocket D has plenty of infirmary teleporters and your local bartender will help with the right boosters to make your days merry and bright.

Heroes, Villains, Rogues, Vigilantes, and Praetorians that take part at any time between Friday, December 17th 2010 and Monday, January 3rd, 2011 will get special fuzzy earmuffs to get in the spirit of the season. Just head to your local tailor shop to get them fitted.

And we were told there will be a special announcement concerning a certain scandal reported last year in the "Guardians of the Dawn" series. Please visit their site for the special announcement.

Enjoy the season!

Presenting... Issue 19... AND Issue 19!

2010-11-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

This week is a double-shot of Issue 19 releases!

Yes, that's right, a DOUBLE-SHOT!

First out of the gate, released on November 29th, was "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" Issue #19...

This is the continuation of the "Time and Changes" storyline, this time featuring the history of Icon Powers, the older "Powers" family member that came to Paragon City from another universe. He's been on the sidelines for a while now, and if you read Issue #0 then you'd know PART of the reason why. But there is another part to the story that explains why he needs a tech-based suit to augment his abilities, and it ties into events shown as far back as Issue #1!

Then the next day, November 30th, Paragon Studios unleashed their own Issue #19... ALPHA STRIKE!

And boy did they come up with some SERIOUS changes!

First, we have the start of the Incarnate System, the FINAL evolution of a hero or villain (or those in between). This is a ten-level journey (with the first being ALPHA) that will expand on ALL of your powers to a level unheard of before. You will eventually be on the same level as Statesman or Lord Recluse.

Then there is the merging of all transport systems. The Paragon Transportation Authority has merged its Green and Yellow monorail lines to create ONE transportation system that takes you anywhere you have an active monorail service. Likewise, the Ferry system is merged so you can go to any ferry port and go to anyplace that has such a port.

The same applies to the Rogue Isles, including the Black Helicopter system provided by Arachnos.

Also anyone that can create Praetorians

We have more power customization, with alternate animations for more abilities. We have free auras (snowflakes and fireflies). A rather significant change is that the "Fitness" Power Pool is now an inherent power at Level 2. (You will be given TWO power respec tokens so you can fix this if you have already slotted Fitness powers. The first was given with I19's release, the second will be given on December 8th, so don't delay in re-doing your abilities!) Also, Kheldians will now have access to the Fitness power even in their alternate cosmic forms. (This was something not possible when it was a Power Pool.)

This is just SOME of the various changes being made, and I haven't even mentioned the changes in Praetoria! The only thing really missing here is Quality-of-Life changes for supergroup bases, but I hope that will be sooner rather than later down the line.

So be sure to check out Issue 19 of "Guardians of the Dawn", and then log in and take part in all of the fun stuff for Issue 19: Alpha Strike!

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #22

2010-11-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#22: Fantastic Four

In the world of comic, the “Fantastic Four” are dubbed “The First Superhero Family”, although in many instances they are the “First Dysfunctional Superhero Family”. Created in 1961 by comic legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the “Fantastic Four” focus on the quartet team of Reed “Mister Fantastic” Richards, Susan “Invisible Girl” Storm, Johnny “Human Torch” Storm, and Ben “The Ever-Loving Blue-Eyed Thing” Grimm. It was the first team series published by Marvel Comics, and it would also be the series that would introduce some of Marvel’s signature villain, including Victor Von Doom (aka “Doctor Doom”) and Galactus. It would also introduce notable cosmic beings The Watcher and Silver Surfer.

The quartet roster would change over the decades as Reed and Susan got married and had children. Temporary members include She-Hulk, Storm (from the X-Men), the Hulk, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine. This was also a rare superhero team that did not have secret identities, as their lives were as about as public as Hollywood celebrities, and even their Baxter Building stood out in the New York City skyline.

Needless to say, Marvel Comics desperately wanted to do a movie featuring this team, and in the 1980’s they gave the rights to Constatin Film.

Unfortunately those rights were set to expire in 1992 unless filming began before then. Determined to keep the film rights, the studio hired famed B-movie director Roger Corman (of “Battle Beyond the Stars”, “Death Race 2000” and “Galaxy of Terror”) to direct this on the cheap. Production was finished in 1993 and was given an “official” release date for 1994. The cast and crew were all supposedly led to believe that even if the movie would not be released, their work would be used at some point as a pilot for a TV series. The studio then announced that the movie would never be released EVER, all copies were destroyed, any mention of the movie was purged from the books, and all participants were then shipped to undisclosed locations to have their memories wiped by Charles Xavier. (Okay, I’m kidding about the last two parts.)

Bear in mind that the first rule of denying the existence of a movie means that it WILL show up as bootleg releases at comic and fantasy conventions, which is how THIS reviewer knows that the original movie exists!

But with Constatin Film keeping the rights of the film, they were eventually able to raise the money needed to come up with a proper major studio production and release of the “Fantastic Four” movie.

“Fantastic Four” (or “Fantastic 4” as it was alternatively titled) was released by 20^th Century Fox for Constantin Film in 2005, directed by Tim Story. It stars Ioan Gruffuld, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, and Laurie Holden, with special cameo appearance by Stan Lee.

The film starts with Reed Richards (Gruffuld) and Ben Grimm (Chicklis) arriving at the door of Von Doom Industries to convince Reed’s old MIT classmate Victor Von Doom (McMahon) to finance his experiment. Reed believed that life on Earth came from a wave of cosmic energy that was set to make its return, and he planned on measuring its effects in space. But when NASA said no to the idea, Reed turned to Victor for help. Victor agrees to the project, provided he goes up to the station with them along with his girlfriend, Dr. Susan Storm (Alba), and her brother, thrill-seeking pilot Johnny (Evans). Reed looks forward to working with Susan again, although Ben objects both to Victor’s presence and to Johnny piloting the shuttle.

In the private space station, Reed discovers that the cosmic wave would reach them sooner than earlier predicted, and it sweeps the station before they could retreat to join Victor in the safety of the shielded sections. They find themselves back on Earth in quarantine, unsure of what the cosmic radiation would do to them.

Sure enough, they each discover the radiation had changed their bodies. Johnny found out his body could generate heat and fire without burning him. Susan’s body could turn invisible and project invisible waves outward. Reed could stretch any part of his body to seemingly infinite lengths. Ben, however, suffers the worst of the changes as he becomes a rock-skinned creature with a deep gravely voice. His changes are so dramatic that his fiancée Debbie (Holden) wants nothing to do with him. Depressed, Ben finds himself on the Brooklyn Bridge and inadvertently causes a scene which has the police and fire department rushing over. When a traffic accident knocks a responding ladder truck over the bridge, the others quickly move to contain the damage and save lives, with their actions being broadcast on TV around the world. The media dubs them the “Fantastic Four”, and Reed takes control of the team and announces they would retreat to the Baxter Building for further study. The change of scenery allow Reed and Susan to get closer, and Ben even ends up with a new girlfriend, in the form of blind artist Alicia Masters (Washington).

The news of the “Fantastic Four” along with the disaster of the space station bankrupts Doom’s business and his investors quickly abandon him. But Doom was also changed from the cosmic wave, and soon he develops electro-magnetic powers as well as taking on a metallic appearance. Reaching for a metallic mask that was once a gift, Doom vows revenge on Reed Richards and his new “family”.

I’m going to leave the rest for you to discover, but sufficient to say the rest of the film does both the characters and their creators justice.

The movie is a welcomed break from the original comic origins, which involved the Mole Man and one of his giant creatures. It provides an easier explanation for their powers, as well as the “unstable molecules” idea that would become key to explain how they could use their powers without ending up naked (something that Alba’s Susan Storm found out the hard way on more than one occasion). I do, however, have to balk at it used to justify Reed’s sudden “touch of grey”.

The casting was top-notch, especially with Chicklis and Evans. Chicklis lived up to the character both as Ben Grimm and as The Thing. Sadly, McMahon’s character of Doom, although narcissistic and sociopathic in nature, was a little wooden… or, in this case, mechanical. Overall the story jumped a few places, but not in crucial ones. I’m surprised that for someone who couldn’t afford to pay his bills, Reed could somehow get funding for the equipment they used when they moved into the Baxter Building. Where was all this equipment at Von Doom’s undisclosed hospital? Or did they blow the money on restaurant settings, helipads, and hot escorts doubling as nurses?

There are multiple versions of the DVD release, including an expanded version that incorporated some of the deleted or alternate scenes. Get them if you wish, but the movie enough is worth the purchase.

Having seen both this version and the original Corman incarnation, I have to say that the executives at Constatin Film redeemed themselves with this release, although it still does not justify the level of duplicity they used surrounding the 1993 production.

Capes:	The heroic qualities of the film gave it four capes out of five.
Cheese:	Sadly, a lot of sharp cheddar (3) cheese, mostly by Evans’ hammy performance and the montage of Johnny’s various pranks and jokes at the expense of Ben.
Books:	Good story, but lacking in a few areas. It only gets four out of five books.

City of Heroes Origins Pack

2010-11-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Once again, Paragon Studios has released a "goody" package. This time around, instead of lame dance moves and "sports" poses, we have tangible goodies. COSTUME PIECES!
This is the ORIGINS PACK.

Looks nice, huh? Capes and auras... each based on a character's power origin. And supposedly you can access these at Level 1 - which is important, because normally you can't access capes until you pass a special trial at Level 20, and you can't do auras until you pass that special trial at Level 30! Also, just because the costumes and auras are designed for specific origins, that doesn't mean you're restricted to those origins.

Okay, they look nice, and I would even be interested in getting them... except for one thing.

The price.

They want $9.95 for this goody pack! That's about two-to-three dollars too much.

That's the same price as a Super Booster pack. Those packs have costume pieces, auras, and special features. This is just capes and auras. No additional features.

As I mentioned in an earlier review, the "Party Pack" costs $7.95, and that was far too much for a bunch of lame emotes.

I won't go so far as to say that NCSoft/Paragon Studios dropped the ball like they did with the Party Pack, but I will say they're asking more for this kind of pack than what they should be worth. I think I'll probably wait until the price on these go down before I consider it.

Issue 19 pre-loading now

2010-11-09T03:52:00.000-08:00

Okay CoH/CoV/GR operatives... you may have noticed a little "update" slipped in after you logged off of the system.

Yes, Issue 19 is pre-loading.

Which is strange for me because when I think "Issue 19", I'm not thinking "Alpha Strike". I'm thinking "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight". Both of these WILL be out this month!

Oh, and don't tell anyone this (*wink-wink*) but here's the cover to the GotD Issue 19...

Looks good, huh? Yeah, it's "Phase 2" of the "Time and Changes" storyline, and this one will have some surprises you won't expect! Some names and faces from "Issue 0" will be returning.

Anyway, back to "Alpha Strike"...

For those who are not familiar with the pre-load, this is a way for the developers to get most of the big changes put in without being TOO much of an inconvenience.

So, for instance, you have 100mb worth of changes you want to put in. You COULD load them up before the game starts, like all of the other updates... but this would take a lot of time, especially for those who don't have high speed cable access.

OR... you could load the bulk of the changes after the player exits the game. So all of the maps, characters, mission data, sound files, additional features, will all be there prior to launch, and then on the day of the upgrade launch, you just send a small file with what few bug fixes need to be made and a code to switch the data. It saves a lot of time and hassle.

Plus the pre-load lets you know that the developers are REALLY CLOSE to releasing that new update, because they wouldn't be doing this if they weren't confident in about 95% of the material (giving that extra 5% for bug fixes and tweaks).

SO... next time you log off, give the devs those few minutes to pre-load Issue 19. You'll thank yourself later.

AND for the COMIC Issue 19, also due out in the next few weeks, check out the OFFICIAL Guardians website at:

GuardiansOfTheDawn.wordpress.com

RIKTI ALERT!

2010-11-05T08:50:00.001-07:00

RIKTI ALERT!

This is a public service message brought to you on behalf of Vanguard, the United Nations Defense organization.

From this Thursday, November 4th, 9am ET until Monday, November 8th, 3am ET, all citizens in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles need to be on the lookout for extensive Rikti incursions.

Vanguard operatives believe that this will be the peak period for Rikti forces to attack Earth.

All citizens both powered and non-powered need to be prepared for probable Rikti incursions in their area.

Vanguard will try to give each area five minutes notice before the attack is believed to begin, followed by a warning that an attack has begun in that area. All citizens not engaged in the defense of this planet are urged to seek shelter immediately when they hear these warnings.

The most telltale sign of a Rikti attack will be the change in sky color to a sickly brown-green color, which is the main mothership approaching that area. Do not attempt to engage the main mothership as Vanguard forces will keep that ship from further approaching. Paragon City residents will also see the Rikti War Walls in their area power down. This is a necessary evil as most of the Vanguard resources will be employed to keeping the main mothership from approaching Earth.

Rikti forces attack in two waves. The first wave will consist of drop ships dropping bombs onto the area. Citizens are strongly urged to NOT approach any unexploded Rikti bombs as they are set to detonate later for maximum effect. Leave the bomb disposal to registered operatives and stay as far away as possible from such unexploded devices.

Also, DO NOT ATTEMPT to approach or engage the drop ships directly. Rikti drop ships will attack any being within range of their weapons, no matter if they are provoked. Drop ships can be defeated, however it will take extremely large numbers of experienced operatives to do so, and often at the cost of further damage to the area.

The second wave consists of ground forces being teleported directly from the mothership. These consist of Rikti soldiers, automated drones, and Rikti monkeys, and they will attack anyone they see, civilian or otherwise. Additional forces will be teleported in if they encounter resistance.

All operatives engaging in the defense of our planet are strongly encouraged to seek teams to combat this threat. By working together and utilizing all resources, you will survive. However, if you should succumb to the overbearing force of the Rikti, you will be allowed to use nearby medical services without incurring experience debt for the duration of the incursion.

The Rikti are aware of the time required before Vanguard heavy weapons are able to come to bear against their mothership and they will terminate all attacks and teleport all remaining ground forces prior to that point. Vanguard will notify you when this occurs.

Advance notice has been very helpful in the minimization of casualties, and Vanguard will continue to give the citizens of Earth as much advance notice as possible.

The Rikti may have advance technology and superior numbers, but they do not have our heart or our determination. We HAVE survived their assaults and with the help of brave operatives, we WILL continue to survive their assaults.

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #21

2010-10-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#(21): Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Before I go into the actual review I feel compelled to give you a complete understanding of one of the key characters in this movie. One of the most troublesome characters for DC Comics of late was one that they had pretty much written off for several years before finally killing her.

Supergirl really didn’t have too much of an appeal as her cousin Superman did. She was sexy and powerful, but not as much as Wonder Woman. Superman could save the world three times a day and in five different comic series, while Supergirl mostly worried about her love life, her friendship with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), her parents in the bottled Kandor City, and keeping her identity secret.

Her greatest hurrah came during the Crisis on Infinite Earths series, where whole multiple universes were eliminated, and Kara Zor-El dramatically gave her life to save her world and deal a mortal blow to the Anti-Monitor. The event was a shocking turn in the story that would galvanize Superman’s resolve to see the Anti-Monitor destroyed by any means necessary.

And then… she was forgotten. She was written out of the DC Universe, because the new One Earth Only canon dictated that Kal-El of Krypton was the ONLY survivor of that planet.

There were a few attempts to fill the gap, though. Fan-favorite Power Girl still existed as a member of the Justice Society, but her history was retconned a few times so she wouldn’t be an Earth-2 refugee and alternate-universe cousin to Superman, but rather she was a time-lost survivor of Atlantis. She became a Justice League member, and sadly reduced to being an emotional time bomb. She was the foul-tempered “Hot Lips Houlihan” to the “Hawkeye and Trapper” comedy team of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. She would finally get her respect, and her history, but not before leaving the Justice League and going back to the Justice Society. But even then she could not fill the gap of Supergirl. She was her own woman - with the emphasis on WOMAN - and with the cleavage-showing costume to prove it.

DC tried to bring Supergirl back as an alternate-universe creation using the same plot hole they used to justify having Superboy (another casualty of the Crisis retcon) still serve as the inspiration to the Legion of Super-Heroes. This Supergirl existed in a “pocket universe” in which their Superboy was killed. Soon after, that universe’s Lex Luthor (who didn’t go bald or bad) accidentally released three criminals from the Phantom Zone… yes, Zod, Ursa, and Non… who take over the world. Grief-stricken, Lex creates a “protomater matrix” being (later known as “Matrix”) first to replace Lana Lang (one of the first victims of the Kryptonians) and then later gives her powers so she could become a symbol of the resistance. She would end up being the last survivor of that universe, rescued only by Superman of the “normal” universe. DC allowed her to mature into her own character as Supergirl and played a key role in the “Doomsday” and “World Without A Superman” storylines. Eventually, though, the writers decided to mess with her some more, merging her with a human named Linda Danvers so she could have a human family, giving her a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse hooker costume (to match the one in the animated TV series) making her a fire-powered angel, and eventually really messing things up by switching places with the Pre-Crisis Supergirl, falling in love with Pre-Crisis Superman and having their lovechild, and then finally just becoming a full-blown fallen angel before falling into storyline limbo never to be seen again.

A second attempt to bring Supergirl back involved a future-born daughter of Superman and Lois Lane sent to the past to stop Brainiac-13 from taking over. The storyline was so badly convoluted that getting rid of her was actually a godsend.

Finally we get to THIS incarnation of Supergirl, whose origin became the second storyline in the “Superman/Batman” comic series, and the basis for this current review.

“Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” was released by Warner Brothers as a direct-to-video movie in 2010 and serves as the follow-up to “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies”. The movie features returning voice actors Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy playing Superman and Batman, along with “Justice League” actress Susan Eisenberg returning as Wonder Woman, “Serenity/Firefly” actress Summer Glau, Andre Braugher, and Ed Asner returning from “Superman: The Animated Series” and “Justice League Unlimited” to play Granny Goodness (and, no, that is NOT a mistake).

We start the movie with a quick reference to the events in “Public Enemies”, how ex-President Lex Luthor was awaiting his criminal trial, and that the last remnants of the monstrous Kryptonite meteor were falling but thankfully the world was saved by Superman and Batman. As we hear that, a large chunk of K-rock falls into Gotham Harbor.

Batman (Conroy) investigates the impact to discover there was a spaceship in the meteor, and that it was already opened. Meanwhile, a nude woman (conveniently hidden in shadows of course) steals the Bat-Boat and crashes it on shore. She walks into the streets of Gotham, getting an overcoat from a dock worker to cover herself up before encountering Gotham police officers. She (Glau) speaks a strange language before being whisked skyward by her own uncontrolled power. She encounters Batman, who subdues her with a piece of the Kryptonite rock he fished from the harbor. Taken to the Bat-cave, she meets Superman (Daly) and discovers that he is her cousin from Krypton.

She is taken to the Fortress of Solitude, where Batman still has his suspicions of her. Even Krypto doesn’t like Kara Zor-El, wherein Batman comments that the dog is a good judge of character. Superman takes Kara shopping in his disguise as Clark Kent (BIIIIIG mistake, Clark - you should have let Lois do it) and enjoys a hot dog (yes with all of the usual jokes about the food). But this time together is short-lived as Wonder Woman (Eisenberg) and a team of Amazon warriors kidnap Kara and bring her to Paradise Island for training. This was Batman’s idea, of course, as it would teach Kara to fight and to control her abilities. Superman, of course, doesn’t approve.

Meanwhile, Granny Goodness (Asner) oversees the training of her Female Furies when she is interrupted by Darkseid (Braugher). Darkseid knows that Kal-El’s cousin has appeared and he wants Granny’s furies to bring her to him.

Kara makes friends with Lyla - whom comic fans will remember as Harbinger from “Crisis on Infinite Earths” - although Lyla is plagued with visions of Superman fishing out a blond girl’s dead body from the water. She keeps the visions to herself… and to Batman and Wonder Woman… as she enjoys her time with Kara.

Suddenly, a Boom Tube from Apocalypse appears, bringing forth… Doomsday, the only creature that could (and once did) kill Superman. Then we see a whole ARMY of Doomsday clones. Wonder Woman rallies the Amazons together to fight the monsters, but they are clearly overpowered until Superman unleashed his heat vision and vaporizes the clones. Batman realizes that this was only a diversion, and we find that Lyla’s vision has come true.

At this point I’m going to have to stop the recap because I don’t want to give too much away. Sufficient to say we see the “Big Trinity” of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman recruiting Big Barda so they could travel to Apocalypse to face Darkseid, but saying anything more would be too much of a spoiler.

The overall story suffers on a few points, and - as usual - the biggest ones are at the end. This is another movie where the story starts off GREAT and then they have to struggle to keep it going to the end. The story fails to fully use the cast of characters seen in “Public Enemies” and instead only gives lip service to the previous movie at the very beginning and then forgetting about it completely. Introducing Barda into the mix was another refreshing step, especially seeing her team up with Wonder Woman in the big battle on Apocalypse. And while the final battle was somewhat refreshing, even the ending came up short.

The animation falls flat in several areas. Where “Public Enemies” had hints of anime (especially with Power Girl), “Apocalypse” goes all-out, with a look that is more “Cowboy Bebop” and “Samurai Champloo” than anything resembling a Bruce Timm production. Here’s a hint for DC producers: next time you want to emulate anime, think more Kenichi Sonoda than Shinichirō Watanabe. This is especially true with the portrayal of Darkseid.

The only positive point here is the vocal talent, and even that has one sore spot. I’m sorry, but Andre Braugher does NOT do a good Darkeid. Just like only Mark Hamill can do the voice of Joker, only Michael Ironside can do the voice of Darkseid. On the other hand, Summer Glau does an excellent Kara, and the vocal combination of Daley, Conroy, and Eisenberg did not fail. And Ed Asner does Granny so well you really wouldn’t know it was a man until you saw the credits.

The follow-up to this movie is a DC Spotlight mini-movie featuring Green Arrow. As with the “Spectre” mini-movie, this story works within the DC Universe and stars Neil McDonough as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow and Malcom McDowell as Merlyn. The movie has a look and feel of “Die Hard 2”, with Oliver trying to save a young visiting queen from being taken by Merlyn and Count Vertigo in the middle of a busy airport. This was actually a much better production than the main feature, both in story and quality. In fact the people behind this mini-movie should be the ones in charge of future productions provided they can carry the same quality on through.

Bonus features (if you spring for the $19 2-disc special edition) include the “Little Girl Lost” story from “Superman: The Animated Series” and a look back at the history of Supergirl, but if you aren’t interested in either, you can always get the regular DVD.

In short, “Apocalypse” was not necessarily a “Superman/Batman” story as it was a “Superman” story, and that pretty much summed up the rest of the main feature. It has potential, but it still fell short in too many ways.

Capes:	Despite having the “DC Trinity”, it only gets four out of five capes.
Cheese:	Thankfully just Swiss Cheese (1).
Books:	Unlike “Public Enemies”, which started strong and ended weak, there was weakness all around, which kept the story only at three out of five books.

Important News from Vanguard!

2010-10-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

The following message was sent to the Chronicles from the Herald division of Vanguard:

Vanguard intelligence warns that the Rikti high command is preparing to unleash a new wave of attacks on Earth. Dark Watcher believes the new wave of incursions should start on Thursday, November 4th, and last until Sunday, November 7th.

Residents of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles should be on alert for the warning signs and take shelter when they hear the sirens.

There is no word as to whether or not this also applies to Praetoria, as it is not known if the Rikti are aware of that universe.

Halloween Event 2010

2010-10-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

While that may seem a bit premature, it's actually a little late for Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.

The 2010 Halloween Event is now upon us, and for the first time it affects the Praetorian Universe.

From October 21st until early November 1st, Paragon City, the Rogue Isles, and Praetoria will be in 24-hour darkness. Mystical forces will keep all three areas in perpetual night (except for Cimerora, The Hive and The Abyss), allowing heroes, villains, rogues, and vigilantes to take part in all of the strange and mysterious things that will occur.

Trick-Or-Treating: This is one of the most popular features. Knock on any door... ANY door... and you can either get a treat (random rare goodies) or tricks (Halloween-themed monsters that will kick your butt). You can also get special costumes (for a limited period only) and if you collect enough of them you get special badges.

Zombie Apocalypse: At random times during this period, you will have to deal with a Zombie Apocalypse... which means the skies turn blood red (which is more profound since we're dealing with 24-hour night) and the dead crawl up from the ground and go after anyone living. This is NOT a time to be standing around, unless you're next to an automated sentry unit. The longer you still live, the more zombies that will come after you. And they WILL get stronger and tougher and more powerful as time goes by. Like dealing with the Rikti, you need to team up, and preferably the maximum size possible. Kick enough undead butt and you'll get a special Pumpkinhead helmet that you can use at any time of the year.

Deadly Apocalypse: Think the zombies were bad enough? At random times during this period, you will also have to deal with the Deadly Apocalypse, which means the sky gets foggy (which doesn't mean much since you're already in darkness) and four mystical banners appear in your zone. Each banner is defended by different monsters based on the nature of the banner (and you can see where these banners are on the map). The hard part is that you have to defeat the monsters watching the banner before you can attack the banner, and you have to destroy ALL FOUR BANNERS in order to win. Note: this is impossible to do! Several members of the Guardians of the Dawn have tried repeatedly last year to take part in this challenge and no matter how many people take part in this challenge, they have been unable to destroy ALL FOUR banners in the time allowed. Good luck for those of you who want to try.

Giant Monsters: Oh, you think we're done with the misery? THINK AGAIN! Eochi and Jack-in-Irons are back to randomly terrorize the zones, and they don't show up alone. If you decide to take them on (like Galatea Powers and Lyon Powers did last year) make sure you're not alone either.

And now with the launch of Going Rogue and the new Tip Mission system, we have a special Whispered Rumored Tip Mission which will give you an opportunity to get different badges depending on how you handle this mission. (It's a little complicated, so please take advantage of these hyperlinks to give you more information.)

That's a lot of stuff to deal with. Oh, and Praetoria will have a new witch that will help you with the BEST part of Halloween Event... the Halloween Masks! Unlock that extra costume slot if you can get four Halloween Masks! Just be aware that doing so WILL trigger a new Zombie Apocalypse. The good news is that this feature carries through even when the Halloween Event ends, so you don't have to panic if you don't have all four masks right away. (And FORGET trying to buy one unless you literally have MILLIONS of Inf in your account. Wait until after the event if you want to go that route.)

And just think... once this is through, the Winter Event is just a few weeks away.

Is THIS The Coming Storm?

2010-10-13T07:39:00.001-07:00

City of Heroes is getting ready to release Issue 19: Alpha Strike, the first post-Going Rogue update in the City of Heroes universe.

With it, we see the debut of a character that was previously only seen in the comics: Apex.

Yes, the star of the original "City of Heroes" comic series is back, and just in time as Tyrant has launched his new campaign to take over the Paraverse!

Will the evil version of Statesman succeed? That's up to the heroes. And is THIS what Mender Silos warned was the "Coming Storm"? We'll just have to find out.

There will be a few more things with the update... such as the merging of transport systems, so you can use one subway or one ferry to go anywhere. Speaking of transports, if you have Going Rogue, your non-Praetorian characters WILL be able to access that universe through Pocket D.

Plus, the Fitness Power Pool will now become an inherent power pool. SO if you've already loaded up on heath, stamina, speed, and leaping, you'll probably have to shuffle things around again. Good thing you have those Respecs, right?

AND Issue 19 will be the start of a new level of play... with the first step in becoming an INCARNATE!

Oh, and should I also mention that Halloween is approaching? Get your days in the sun out of the way, because on October 21st, it'll go dark and stay dark until November 1st.

New Party Pack

2010-09-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

Normally I'm pretty excited about new add-ons for City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue.

Normally I am... but not this time.

Okay, here's the skinny... NCSoft/Paragon Studios/the people behind City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue have released a special add-on pack called the PARTY PACK.

Here's the trailer.

Now with previous add-ons, there are a few additional features such as costume pieces, emotes, special weapons or objects, transformation sequences, and then that little "extra" feature that really makes it worth the purchase.

But... what you see in the trailer is really what you get with this add-on. Eight emotion (emote) commands; three involving dancing, three dealing with sports, one that involves opening an exploding gift box (which is the same as the holiday gifts you get), and one where you're doing air guitar. THAT'S IT!

No additional costumes, no extra items... just eight emotes that can keep you busy.

Not too much of a quality of life improvement there, guys.

Oh, and by sports, I don't mean your characters actually PLAY the sports in question. Sure you can dribble the basketball, but you're not PLAYING basketball. You can kick the soccer ball, but you're not PLAYING soccer. You're chalking the pool cue, but you're not PLAYING pool, even if you're in front of the pool table.

And then there's the price... $7.99. When normal booster packs with even MORE stuff to use costs $9.99, charging $7.99 is just way too much. $3.99 maybe. Or better still they should have just included it in Issue 18 that was just released to coincide with Going Rogue, or held off until Issue 19.

In fact it would have been BETTER to include it in Issue 18 because as a standalone upgrade without Going Rogue, it was pretty weak.

In short, folks, I really can't say that you should get this feature. It's just not worth the price they want for eight idle emotes. If you have the money to spend and if you REALLY NEED those emotes, then maybe. But it's not really an earth-shattering gimme feature like other add-ons.

Sorry NCSoft/Paragon Studios, but you dropped the ball on this one.

I HATE CAVES!

2010-09-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to say it...

I
HATE
CAVE
MISSIONS!

I don't just mean dislike... I mean HATE, with all of the passion and fury that the word is connected to.

I DREAD getting a mission that requires me to go into a cave. As soon as I see that cavern entrance or mineshaft door, I have to cringe because that means going into a hell that I would just as soon eliminate.

Now bear in mind there are all sorts of different underground missions to deal with. There are snake holes, there are caverns that lead into Rikti bases, there are sewers, and there are the various caverns of Oranbega. There are even SNOW caves during the holidays. But even those don't compare to the overall frustration of a regular straightforward mineshaft CAVE mission.

So why do I hate them? I have five ways right off-the-bat.

5. Much like Chickenman, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!

I can understand the reason for Oranbega caverns... Paragon City is supposed to be built on top of the remains of this very ancient city. But why come up with all sort of mineshaft caves on top of that? At least Sharkhead Isle has a reason for all those mineshafts. They have an actual MINE. Why waste our time with mineshafts in Perez Park, Steel Canyon, Atlas Park, Galaxy City, and anyplace that are clearly CITY settings?

4. They're the WORST places for gang activity!

Who was the genius who came up with the idea that street gangs would be having a turf war in a mineshaft? You don't have turf wars or make drug deals or weapon deals in caves. You make them in alleyways and abandoned warehouses, and you battle in the STREETS so everyone knows there's a power play going on! If the Trolls can go on a rave in the middle of Skyway City, then the Skulls and Hellions should be able to have shoot-outs in the middle of the street as well.

3. They're structurally UNSOUND!

Okay, it's bad enough that Paragon City has Oranbega and the Rikti AND the Minions of Igneous AND the Trolls AND Devouring Earth... but do they really have to have even MORE mineshaft caves on top of all of that? What is keeping the rest of Paragon City from sinking into the ground? Fairy dust?

Forget the Trolls, I think what REALLY hollowed out Eastgate were the geniuses with a cave fetish.

2. They're easy to get STUCK in!

With all of the crevices and corners in a standard mineshaft cave, it's hard to maneuver around in, even IF you have flight, and that's BEFORE they throw in crystalline formations and little pockets of nowhere that you have to backtrack to get out of.

And finally...

1. They are the WORST PLACES EVER for a rescue or "defeat all" mission!

Whoever came up with the idea that you should have a "defeat all" mission in a mineshaft cave needs to be keel-hauled repeatedly and then have salt poured over their wounds. There is nothing more frustrating than having to go through an ENTIRE mineshaft cave, complete with dead-ends, pitfalls, rock platforms, to find that ONE bad guy that is hiding in a corner just so you can complete your mission.

And while a rescue mission would be okay if your objective was to just REACH that person, having to then LEAD that person back out is made even more problematic when you're in a mineshaft cave, where you have a hard enough time getting TO that person, never mind getting them back out. At least a snake cave or a Rikti cavern or even some Oranbega caverns are all on the same level. Oh, and guess what happens if the person you're leading out is stuck in a corner? Yeah, you have to try to backtrack to find them.

I know some of the newer missions have more realistic goals, such as "eliminate five baddies" and then completing the main objective instead of the burdensome "eliminate all". That's a start, but a better way to make these missions tolerable would be to simply get rid of at least half (and I'd even say ninety percent) of the mineshaft cave entrances. This is supposed to be "City of Heroes" and "City of Villains"... not "City of Lara Croft" or "City of Mineshafts".

Let's leave the caves for something that would be really NEED one! I, for one, am SICK TO DEATH of them!

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #20

2010-08-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#20: The Justice League of America TV Movie

A hero in Paragon City recently wondered what my review would be of the live-action Justice League movie.

Well, you asked for it…

I’m sure some of you are scratching your heads when the words “live-action” and “Justice League” come about. Most people know of the Justice League - the all-star superhero team of DC Comics - only through the animated groups, either in the “Justice League” animated series, the direct-to-video movies (which I will get to later), “Super Friends”, or the 1967 episodes of “The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure”. But, yes, there WERE live-action incarnations as well, much to the regret and overall embarrassment of the hero community.

The first live-action incarnation of the “Justice League” was the “Legends of the Superheroes” specials that were known best for reuniting the campy “Batman” characters headed by Adam West, Burt Ward, and Frank Gorshin. It was super-campy and super-lame, and it made you want to burn your Spandex outfit just for even knowing it exists.

The second incarnation was a 1997 TV movie that was supposed to be a back-door pilot to a future TV series, but thankfully that series never materialized, and the TV movie never EVER aired on American television.

So how did anyone know it even existed? Well, it never aired on any AMERICAN television station. But it aired in a few countries, and a few of those folks taped it and sold the footage in bootleg markets along with the X-rated “Supergirl” parody, the pre-released Roger Corman “Fantastic Four” movie, and a few others.

This movie starred Kimberly Oja, John Kassir, Matthew Settle, Michelle Hurd, Kenny Johnston, David Ogden Stiers, and Miguel Ferrer. It takes place in the fictional city of New Metro. Why they chose to make up a name like “New Metro” instead of taking from already-established cities in the DC Comics universe like Star City, Keystone City, Coast City, Empire City, Gateway City, Happy Harbor, Park City, or even Dairyland (that’s an old “Super Friends” reference), is probably one of a million things that shouldn’t matter.

We start with a bunch of heroes in their civilian attire struggling to live day-by-day. Shy and awkward Tori Olafsdotter (Oja) works at the local weather institute, who, along with her boss, Dr. Eno (Ferrer) observes a huge storm spawning in the middle of the city. Barry Allen (Johnston) is a slacker who got kicked out of his apartment but was called away while his now-ex-landlord was trashing his stuff. Guy Gardner (Settle) is trying to impress his girlfriend, but obviously his plans are ruined by the developing storm. B.B. Da Costa (Hurd) is auditioning for a fruit-themed commercial when the storm forces her to leave. Ray Palmer’s (Kassir) class is interrupted by a mysterious call as well as the sudden storm. Tori and Eno watch as a tornado appears in the city after watching video footage of “The Weatherman” laying claim to the damage and destruction that was to come.

As the city is trashed, we see the heroes save the day in their own unique ways. Guy, as Green Lantern, saves a boy from a downed power line. B.B., as Fire, cuts through a metal wall with her flames to save trapped construction workers. Barry, as The Flash, uses his super-speed to counter the winds and bring the storm to a quick end. And Ray, as The Atom, shrinks down… to rescue a trapped cat. Yes, that is his great contribution to this crisis.

Crisis averted, and later on Tori discovers a mysterious machine in a locked room at the institute, which she spills some water on and it hits her with some strange electricity. She seems okay, but afterward random things around her just freeze. She tries to rescue a drowning man, but the water freezes around him when she comes in contact with it. Later she is abducted and interrogated by the heroes about what she knows of The Weatherman. She’s released and is convinced that the whole abduction and interrogation thing was just a bad dream.

The Weatherman soon strikes again, this time with a hailstorm in the heart of New Metro, and a threat to the city to pay him $20 million “or else”. The hail ruins Guy’s date (again) and this time around he has to save his girlfriend as Green Lantern long enough for Fire to melt the hailstones above them.

Later at the institute’s fundraiser, the League members infiltrate themsevles in the crowd, allowing Ray to befriend Tori in his civilian guise. Ray then sneaks himself into the computer system (with a really BAD version of laser limbo) to discover the devices that The Weatherman used to manipulate the weather. Tori finds out that her boss is really The Weatherman and goes to Ray looking for help. The League takes her (blindfolded) to their underwater headquarters, which is a crashed alien ship. There Tori meets J’onn J’onzz (Stiers). J’onn asks Tori to join the League, promising to help train her in using her powers, which mostly consists of the Leaguers walking around shivering as Tori tries to freeze a simple drop of water in front of her.

Eno tricks Tori into bringing a tracking device to the League’s headquarters, and then Eno threatens to destroy New Metro with a tidal wave and sends a heat ray to the underwater ship. The League (except for J’onn, who thinks that 300 degrees is a “summer day”) escape to “deal” with the impending disaster, which consists of Flash running around scurrying abandoned children to safety, Atom riding on Fire’s shoulders looking around like idiots, and Lantern finding Eno and not being able to stop the tidal wave even though HE HAS A POWER RING! That leaves dazed-and-confused Tori, who somehow manages to stop the tidal wave by freezing it solid, even though she couldn’t freeze a drop of water earlier.

Later, Tori ponders over joining the League, and is finally convinced to join when Atom removes his mask and reveals himself to her as Ray Palmer. At that point she takes the unspoken pledge and J’onn welcomes her to the Justice League. We end the movie with a quick recap cast list of the “public” heroes, followed by them doing the “Buckaroo Banzai Strut” down the city. If you don’t know what that is, you need to see the end credits to “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension”, or the opening credits to Joss Wheaton’s “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, or the opening to the “Justice League” animated series. I just think of it as the “Buckaroo Banzai Strut” and start whistling the theme song.

There… I just saved you guys some bootleg video money.

Of course, all through this movie are little “human” troubles… such as Barry not being able to keep a job, Guy losing his girlfriend, Ray not being able to fix anything, and B.B. with a stalker-like suitor who accidentally discovers her secret identity. Oh, and did I mention they all (except for Tori) live in the same house? Well they have to now because Barry lost his apartment.

Let’s see… where do I begin with this abomination?

Right off the bat… a Justice League WITHOUT “The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes” sucks. No Batman, no Superman, and no Wonder Woman means that it SUCKS. There is no way around it. It SUCKS. Period.

Of course I can understand why they wouldn’t want to include Superman after the whole Nuclear Man shtick. And the Batman franchise had JUST tanked with “Batman and Robin”. Bringing in Wonder Woman at that point would… well it would result in plenty of Freudian jokes and references about her chest. Plus it would be hard to see anyone play the most famous star-spangled Amazon after Lynda Carter did it so well.

About the only things missing from this “Super-Buddies” group are Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Oberon, and either Doctor Light or Power Girl, although with the latter you would again deal with Freudian jokes about chests. But even that would be a step above the banter they do give.

With the exception of Guy Gardner, the costumes SUCK. Atom and Flash both have masks that look like the ridges of J’onn’s brow. Atom looks like a linebacker in his costume. And Flash… I’m sorry, but for a man with supposedly a hyper-accelerated metabolism, he looks like he wolfed down fifty pizzas before squeezing into his Spandex. Fire and Tori (who is only referred to as “Ice” in the credits and is only seen in-costume then) use colored mascara and a shock of color in their hair as their disguise. And people aren’t supposed to know who they are? And for a shape-shifter, J’onn seems to emulate less like a hero and more like Orson Wells, but I suppose that is understandable given the casting.

That brings us to the characters… which also SUCK. Guy Gardner as a sensitive and understanding software salesman? Guy Gardner is a special needs coach and a major league d-bag who wanted EVERYONE from day one to know that he was a Green Lantern. Barry Allen is a police scientist… not to mention - at that time - very, very DEAD. Wally West would have been a better fit for the comedic slacker role. Ray Palmer is a physicist and noted expert in nanotechnology, not a goofy high school teacher who can’t even fix a TV set. Fire and Ice are international fashion models who used their hero status to further their careers. The people seen in this movie are NOTHING AT ALL like the comic book characters they are supposed to be. It’s almost as though the producers told a bunch of clueless writers who have never read a comic book in their lives “Here are a bunch of names and costumes - go make something up that doesn’t look too much like a rip-off of a certain popular NBC sitcom.”

The story… or what little there is of it… also SUCKS. We’re talking “Justice League Antarctica” sucks. We’re talking Bat-Credit-Card SUCKS. We’re talking Superman God-Gaze with amnesia kiss SUCKS.

Guy Gardner has the most powerful ring in the universe, capable of moving whole planets, and he can’t save the Weather Device from being thrown off a tower, block a heat ray, open an elevator door, or stop a tidal wave? Fire couldn’t evaporate the rushing water? Flash couldn’t set up a counter-wave with his vibrations? No it’s all up to Tori, who couldn’t even freeze a drop of water in a Petri dish, who somehow manages to freeze the WHOLE wave right before it falls on her head.

I haven’t been this disappointed with a hero-themed movie since Cathy Lee Crosby did a blonde non-powered flat-chested covered-up Wonder Woman in 1974. CBS actually did their viewers a huge favor by not airing it on US networks. It’s just a pity that SOMEONE still saw it and started spreading it around for the rest of us to watch, much to our later regret.

I’d say that this was all a Nemesis plot, but I doubt even Nemesis would want to put his name on something as miserable as this.

Capes:	One out of five, and I’m being generous.
Cheese:	Full-bore smelly rotted limburger (5) cheese all around.
Books:	One out of five, and, again, I’m being generous.

Going Rogue IS LIVE!

2010-08-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

After all of the hype, it's finally here...

CITY OF HEROES: GOING ROGUE

The world of online gaming has now gone beyond "good" and "evil". The lines from here on in become blurred as a whole new universe is opened up for you to explore!

No more will good guys stay in Paragon City and bad guys stay in the Rogue Isles. Now good guys can go bad, and bad guys can redeem themselves.

Be a hero, be a villain, or be a PRAETORIAN!

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #19

2010-07-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#19: Superman Returns

After the abysmal failure that was “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”, the whole Superman franchise was thankfully sent to movie limbo. Superman was relegated to the “Superboy” TV series, a brief Saturday Morning cartoon series on CBS, a romantic comedy series “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” on ABC, and back to the world of cartoons with “Superman: The Animated Series” and “Justice League”, and then in the anti-Superboy series “Smallville”. In the comics, he was killed by Doomsday, he came back to life, he finally married Lois Lane, and he finally brought down Lex Luthor.

The call went out to bring Superman back to the big screens, especially after Marvel proved with “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” that big-budget superhero movies still worked.

Warner Brothers considered several approaches. Directors Tim Burton, McG, Kevin Smith, and JJ Abrams each took a shot at trying to come up with something. Superman was going to be played by Ben Affleck, Nicholas Cage, Tom Welling (who already plays anti-Superman Clark in “Smallville”), Ashton Kutcher, Brendan Fraser… well pretty much anyone who was young and had a leading role someplace was approached to play Superman. The “Doomsday” story was going to be re-created. Then it was “Batman vs. Superman”. Then it was Superman versus Brainiac.

Finally it fell to “X-Men” director Bryan Singer, who said that he was a huge fan of the original Richard Donner movie, and he managed to bring Superman back to the big screen.

“Superman Returns” was released by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures in 2006, and it starred Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Sam Huntingon, Eva Marie Saint, Tristian Lake Leabu, and - thanks to the magic of modern technology - the late Marlon Brando. The film also brings back brief appearances by Noel Neill and Jack Larson.

The film starts with a text introduction of Superman’s brief origin and mentions that scientists had discovered the possible remains of the Planet Krypton. We then see Krypton as the voice of Jor-El (Brando) gives an important speech from father-to-son. This is the same speech made in the original “Superman” film. As we pull away from Krypton, we see the massive red sun as it collapses into a nova. The shockwave of the destroyed sun then tears Krypton apart, scattering its remains outward. (This is similar to way Krypton was destroyed in the original movie, albeit not as realistic-looking.)

As the credits roll in the same manner as the original film, we travel through space seeing all sorts of cosmic wonders. We finally arrive on Earth, where Martha Kent (Saint) is cleaning up after a night of Scrabble. Suddenly a huge object crashes into the field. She drives out to find a crashed Kryptonian ship, and Clark Kent/Superman (Routh) wearing a grey-and-black Kryptonian bodysuit.

Elsewhere, an elderly woman (Neill) is on her last breath as she praises the man she loved and helped to make her last days special. As her relatives pound on the door begging to be let in, she uses the last of her strength to sign away everything she has to Lex Luthor (Spacey). Luthor pulls off his toupee and tells the family he owns everything, and then leaves with the maid (Posey) who was working for him all along.

The next morning, Clark reflects on his childhood in Kansas, remembering when he could first fly and no longer needing glasses. He tells his adopted mother that he buried the crashed ship so nobody would find it, and that, despite what the scientists originally suggested, there was nothing left of Krypton. He notes that the world had gotten worse since he left and wonders if there is a place for him as well.

Luthor and Kitty travel by yacht north as he lectures her on the story of Prometheus, the god who shared fire with the humans. Kitty says that he’s no god, to which Luthor says that gods are people in capes (Superman) who fly around and don’t “share” their power with the people. He doesn’t want to be a god, he just wants to share “the fire”… and get his cut. Wait, I thought he wanted LAND.

We discover that Luthor has found Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, and activated the crystal control panel, where the spirit of Jor-El (using footage from the first movie digitally remastered) mistakes him for Kal-El. Kitty comments that Lex acts like he’s been there before (a subtle hint to “Superman II”). Then Lex asks the spirit of Jor-El to tell him everything, starting with the crystals.

Clark returns to the Daily Planet, where his return is largely ignored by everyone except Jimmy Olson (Huntington). Perry White (Langella) comments that he only got his job back because another reporter had the audacity to die. Jimmy gets Clark caught up on what had happened, including how Lois Lane is engaged, has a son, and has finally won her much-sought Pulitzer Prize… for an article entitled “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman”. How’s that for a kick in the codpiece?

Back at Lex’s new home (which is now missing one pet dog), his henchmen shave off a sliver of one of the Fortress crystals and then drops it into the miniature lake of a railroad set. At first nothing happens. Then the ground beings to shake and all electricity is shut off.

As Clark and Jimmy have a lunchtime drink and tell their sorrows to the bartender (Larson), they watch Lois Lane (Bosworth) on board the launch jet of an experimental shuttle as it ascends. Suddenly the power goes out in the bar. This is followed by the power going out at NASA. This is followed by the power going out on the shuttle and the jet. Power is quickly restored, but both the jet and the space plane are locked in launch mode, hurling into the upper reaches of space.

News of the runaway space plane and airline cuts across all networks. Clark runs into a nearby alley and rips open his shirt to show the legendary “S” shield. Superman is then seen racing into space to catch up with the jet and the shuttle. He uses his heat vision to separate the shuttle from the jet and guides it into a safe orbit, then races down to catch the jet, which is now in a free-fall. He catches the jet and brings it safely down in the middle of a ballfield. Lois is shocked to discover he has returned and, in a scene reminiscent of the first movie, tells everyone flying is still the safest way to travel. As he leaves the plane, his face is shown on cameras all around the world and everyone cheers at his return as he flies off into the skies… and as Lois faints down the emergency slide.

Later Clark catches up with Lois, who is also introduced to her fiancé Richard White (Marsten) and their son Jason (Leabu), who suffers from asthma. Richard is Perry’s nephew, which probably explains how he somehow managed to get an editor’s position. Clark is also shocked to learn that Luthor was acquitted of all charges after Superman wasn’t on Earth to testify in the appeal of his conviction. Feeling rejected after peeping into the White Family life, Superman spends his time saving the world from all sorts of problems, and Lex is busy getting his new master plan in motion.

I don’t want to ruin the whole story for those who haven’t seen it, so I’m going to leave it there. Sufficient to say, Lex’s old ambitions from the first movie will come back to the forefront, and we discover another reason for us to hear Jor-El’s speech from father-to-son.

First, this hero reviewer has to thank Director Singer for doing what twenty years could not… and that is to get us to FORGET about “Superman III”, “Supergirl”, and especially “Superman IV”. And it did it from the first few minutes on in by bringing us back to the original movie, with Jor-El and the score from John Williams.

Brandon Routh looks like he was born to inherit the cape from the late Christopher Reeve. He plays both Superman and Clark Kent in the same way as Reeve once did, and I would dare say that at times he does Clark one step better than Reeve did. This Clark Kent isn’t a total bumbling buffoon. The only disturbing part about his Superman character is when he uses his powers to peep into the White household. Understandable, given his abilities, but still somewhat disturbing.

Kate Bosworth did an okay job as Lois Lane, although somewhat detached. She looks great as a brunette… far better than her natural blonde color… but she doesn’t really fit into the role as did Margot Kidder, or even as Erica Durance does in “Smallville”.

On the other hand, Kevin Spacey does an EXCELLENT Lex Luthor, and he outdoes Gene Hackman’s comedic approach to the character from the original movie. He does make wisecracks, but he is also very, VERY dangerous, and he lets the audience know just how dangerous he really is after getting out of prison.

Parker Posey as Kitty, Luthor’s girl-of-the-moment, is also one step above Valerie Perrine’s Eve Tessmacher. She’s not there to be eye candy. She’s there to be Luthor’s assistant, and she’s not an idiot, even though she is often treated as one.

And then there’s Eva Marie Saint as Martha Kent. Though she only has a limited role in this movie, she still lives up the part of Clark’s adopted mother in both the beginning and near the end of the film.

As for the movie itself, the special effects are mind-blowing! From Krypton’s destruction, to Superman catching the falling plane, to the various ways he stops bullets and saves Metropolis, to just watching him hover over Metropolis listening in for problems, they all make you feel like he’s really doing these things.

Sadly, though, the story is just a bit off in a few places. Superman blowing out a natural gas fire like it was a candle is one of them. A sonic wave by clapping his hands would have resolved that. The effect of the Kryptonian crystals shutting down power EVERYWHERE, even in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, didn’t make sense either. On land, okay. But in the air too? And how is it that the SLIVER of the crystal could cause far more of an effect EVERYWHERE opposed to the whole crystal itself?

Although this movie doesn’t really fit in with the whole Superman series (and I’ll have more on that in a future special comment), it certainly should have been. Singer, Routh, and company brought the Superman series back from cinema limbo. Now it is up to Warner Brothers to make sure they don’t squander the second chance they were given.

Capes:	Clearly earned all five capes.
Cheese:	Although there is some cheese, it’s only Swiss (1), and a far improvement from the full-blown limburger of the previous films.
Books:	Sadly, I could only give it four books out of five. There’s a good story in there, but not a GREAT story.

Ask Captain Catastrophe #15: Influence

2010-07-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

The legendary team-killer is BACK with a new YouTube video! And stay tuned to the very end for the special announcement regarding the Captain!

NEW COMIC! "Tales from Paragon City" #1

2010-07-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

It's HERE!

(Click on the image to download the PDF file.)

"Tales from Paragon City" takes a look at some of the heroes (and even villains) in the City of Heroes universe.

The first issue focuses on KDave, a member of Battlerock X's Omega 2 supergroup. Other members of Omega 2, including Battlerock X, and some of the other groups seen here in the Chronicles will be featured in future issues.

Due to the author's work with his other project ("Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight"), this will be an infrequent series, so stay tuned to the Chronicles for details of when the next issue will be available. In the meantime, feel free to leave your comments and feedback here.

City of Heroes Issue 18 Details

2010-07-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

NCSoft/Paragon Studios have just released the details about the next update issue for the City of Heroes MMO.

Issue 18: Shades of Gray is the issue that will not only herald the launch of the Going Rogue expansion but will also bring back a much-requested challenge and an old supervillain.

The Cathedral of Pain was the one and only mission that supergroups could take part in together. Located in the Shadow Shard universe, this was the dimensional prison of the demigod Rularuu the Ravager and his minions. Rularuu had attempted to pierce the barriers and enter our universe, but had been turned back first by the Midnight Squad, and then in 2006 by various hero groups that could have the devices needed to pierce the dimensions.

Paragon City may have forgotten about the threat of Rularuu... but Rularuu hasn't forgotten.

In Issue 18, Rularuu tries once again to cross over. And if he succeeds, then our world is destroyed!

But that's not all going on.

Previously the merchant accounts of Wentworth's Fine Consignment and the Black Markets were completely separate, even though the same items were for sale. What could be considered cheap in Paragon City could be expensive in the Rogue Isles. With Issue 18, that ends. Both marketplace systems will be merged into one, so you will get a fair market value ANYPLACE in the City of Heroes Universe. Plus, you know how bad guys and good guys can get together in places like the Shadow Shard, Pocket D, Ouroboros, and the PvP zones? Well, now you will be able to TRADE with them. You may not be able to trust them, but you WILL be able to trade inspirations

What else is in store? A new Tip System will be created. When you take on adversaries that are at a threat level 20 or higher, they will give you certain tips for other storylines and contacts. This will allow you to take on new challenges, and will set the stage (for those with Going Rogue expansion) to change their alignment. More and more "morally challenging" opportunities will be presented, which means a hero could fall into a vigilante, or a villain could become a rogue.

Shades of Gray indeed.

That's only just skimming the surface, and of course that isn't covering all of the things that will be going live with Going Rogue, including four new powersets and a whole UNIVERSE where the heroes you THOUGHT you knew are the RULERS of the world.

Got your interest yet? You'll just have to wait until August to see it all plays out.

Comic updates

2010-06-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Things have been progressing pretty fast here at the Chronicles.

First, from the Guardians of the Dawn... we have the release of Issue 13, which concludes the storyline from the previous issue. It also includes a custom cover by "He Who Chronicles", also based on the previous issue.

Second, we have the release of City of Comics Compendium #5, featuring a custom cover by "He Who Chronicles" and an exclusive story also featuring the Guardians of the Dawn. We've also had ads running on EU-based Rogues Radio.

Third, there is a NEW comic series being developed called "Tales from Paragon City", which will be an infrequent series dedicated to the lives of heroes in Paragon City (and a few villains from the Rogue Isles). The first issue will features KDave, one of the members of the Omega 2 supergroup.

Details on that new series will be forthcoming. Future issues will highlight other Omega 2 members, including Battlerock X.

Plus there are some more tactical files to release as well as hero reviews.

Oh, and you can get regular updates courtesy of the Get Brutal Productions page on Facebook! Be sure to "Like" so you can get the updates when they are available.

And now a word from our producer...

2010-05-26T03:22:00.000-07:00

Please click here to read a quick message about the new GBP seal that has appeared on the website...

The MONSTER 6th Anniversary Post!

2010-05-05T05:53:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe the City of Heroes is now in its SIXTH year.

And they started it with the release of Issue 17: Dark Mirror on the same day as the original MMO was released six years earlier. And even if users do not have a powerful enough system to handle Ultra Mode, the graphics are now distinctly sharper than ever before. And that is just the TIP of the iceberg of updates and new features, including access to the Epic Archetypes at level 20 instead of 50, simplified Market interface, easier invention interface, animated tails (and where they should be - as a separate category instead of in lieu of a belt), more Mission Architect locations, and the ability to create missions using GIANT MONSTERS! And again, that's not ALL...

War Witch (the developer) gave the anniversary message this year, and everyone in Paragon Studios is eager to see the start of Going Rogue, which should be sometime this summer. People who have pre-ordered GR will already have access to the two new powersets - Dual Pistols and Demon Summoning. (Inside word is that Demon Summoners are already the new troublemakers for players.) They are also powerset options for Mission Architect so even if YOU don't have the powersets, you can still create characters in missions that will use them.

One annual feature is that through the month of May ALL Paragon Heroes and Rogue Isles operatives will be given a special 6th Anniversary badge. But this is ONLY for those who make an appearance during the month of May.

Here are some videos...

Samuraiko's Mirror Mirror

;

Paragon Studio's Trailer

Samuraiko's 6th Anniversary Music Video

And that's STILL not all!

City of Comic Creators is putting the finishing touches on CCC Compendium #5, featuring a flashback story from the Guardians of the Dawn, a special VIP guest appearance, and with a cover designed by David 2. This should be released SOON. REALLY FRAGGING SOON!

Speaking of which...

CCC Promo

Plus there are more commercials on the way.

But I CAN say that Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #11 WILL be released on Friday - May 7th! I've gotten good feedback from the people who have read it, so hopefully we'll get more readers soon, especially after the City of Heroes forum admins announce it like they did with Issue #10. Oh, and can you believe I'm ALREADY getting work started on Issue #12? I'm sure after the teaser I leave in... ah, but I better wait until AFTER Issue #11 is released before going any further.

Hey, this is a HUGE celebration this month!

Recognition and a Villain Video

2010-04-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the persistence of yours truly and the leader of the City of Comic Creators, the administrators (aka "Red Names") of the City of Heroes forums have started a new announcement thread for all C.C.C. releases.

First comic announced... "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" Issue #10!

It's good to see the comic series finally get some recognition!

Meanwhile, I came across this great video from Powerman 5000 that I wish they came out earlier with so it could have been included in the City of Heroes & Villains Soundtrack on iTunes. Enjoy!

Trailer for Issue 17

2010-04-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, actually this isn't from Paragon Studios. Even better... it comes from Samuraiko. And it shows the GREAT features in Issue 17.

Issue 17 is Pre-Loading NOW

2010-04-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

Players for City of Heroes will probably notice a HUGE download after closing their game engines.

Issue 17: Dark Mirror is pre-loading.

"Dark Mirror" sets the foundation for the new "Going Rogue" expansion (which should be released at the same time as Issue 18).

What this means is that GR's new "Ultra Mode" is being installed into the City of Heroes universe. This is a new graphics system that will make the layout of ALL "City of Heroes" locations look more realistic. Reflections, light shadows, textures, will all take on a new vibrant appearance.

Atlas Park

Port Oaks

Wentworth's Fine Consignment in Atlas Park

Cimerora (Ancient Rome)

The good news is if you are using a low-end graphics card, you can turn this feature off.

But that's not all!

All epic archetypes (Kheldians and Arachnos Soldiers) will now be accessible at level 20 instead of 50! That means if you're struggling just to get a character up to the cape mission, you can now enjoy the FULL range of archetypes instead of having to get all the way up to 50. (By the way, if you're using a trial version of the game, you're still screwed, because you can only get up to level 14 without getting the full subscription.)

"Dark Mirror" will also introduce a brand new enemy to the Paraverse, and it's one that you'll face AT level 20! Good thing you got that new help, huh?

Also the Positron Task Force will be split in TWO! Finally! That's the hardest of task forces for anyone to complete, and Battlerock Babe should know! Over on the Villains side, the Silver Mantis Task Force will be available for ALL villains, not just for supergroups.

Plus, new emotes, new TAIL emotes (for those of you with tails), new badges, new Mission Architect options, in-game emails to other players (or other characters), and much, much more.

And that is SOON! The pre-load means the countdown is on!

Get ready for DARK MIRROR!

CCC & Guardians news

2010-03-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Fellow CCC artist Sin Stalker has released the latest issue of "The Justice-Knights".

Take note at what is on page 2... a full-page ad for the Guardians of the Dawn. But there is also an ad for the CCC itself featuring PNN host Garry Becker. He'll be showing back up in a few comic issues soon... even a few for the Guardians.

By the way, Issue 10 of the Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight series will be finished shortly, and this one will have PLENTY of twists. Here's the preview cover...

Fun stuff ahead!

Best Superhero MMO of 2009!

2010-03-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, congratulations go to City of Heroes for being picked BEST SCI-Fi/SUPERHERO MMO of 2009 by the readers of Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine!!

New rival "Champions Online" didn't even rate in this category, with a distant second going to "Star Wars Galaxies".

Sister MMO Aion also was the clear winner in the category of Best New MMO of 2009.

Be warned, Warcraft. Between Aion and the forthcoming Going Rogue release, we're coming for your "Best MMO" title next!

Issue 9 is now online!

2010-03-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

Issue 9 of the "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" comic is now online!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…

Issue 8 is now online

2010-02-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

"Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" Issue #8 is now online at the Guardians website.

This issue is Part 2 of the "Limelight" story involving Midnight Arachnia, now a wanted fugitive and about to be tried for treason. But that's the least of her worries now, because in order to piece together what happened, she's had to flee to the City of Villains!

This is action and drama and plenty of co-stars from start to finish!

Spring Fling Is Back!

2010-02-04T04:27:00.000-08:00

It may be February, but Spring Fever is in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles!

The annual Spring Fling Celebration will begin starting February 9th, and will last until March 2nd (barring, of course, Rikti Monkey meddling as with previous events).

The party begins, as usual, with DJ Zero in the Pocket D nightclub, where Heroes and Villains are encouraged to work together to resolve a series of challenges that only heroes and villains can do together.

You complete the preliminary tasks and DJ Zero will have you go out on a special mission to thwart Snaptooth, who is STILL carrying a grudge after the whole "Baby New Year" thing. (Although if you read "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" #6 you'd find Snaptooth being just a little TOO eager to get his butt kicked.)

Defeat him and you get the usual party items... Greek clothes, medium inspirations, heart-shaped costume pieces, some extra goodies. It's a great way to work with both heroes and villains, especially since you'll probably be seeing more of them in your neck of the woods when Going Rogue comes out!

Update on free character transfers

2010-01-30T07:12:00.000-08:00

Due to overwhelming demand and use of the free server transfers for all characters, the program has been extended until February 28th.

Click here to read the details from the developers as well as the conditions for the transfers.

Guardians Update

2010-01-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

Just to let you know, Issue #7 of the Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight series is now online at the Guardians website.

This is a 2-part story dealing with Midnight Arachnia. Is she a hero? A spy? Or a traitor? And what is her connection to the City of Villains? The answer may surprise you.

GotD Issue 6 is online

2010-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

Issue #6 of the Guardians of the Dawn is now officially online over at the Guardians website.

We have the Winter Event, mutated reindeer, snow creatures, Baby New Year, Father Time, gang members, fire, ice, comedy, political intrigue, and action! And all in one issue!

So what are you waiting for? Click on the cover and make sure your PDF reader is up-to-date!

Captain Catastrophe in the City of rejeX

2009-12-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

Captain Catastrophe makes a brief cameo appearance in SupaNerd's "City of rejeX" series.

Will the team-killer be able to help SupaStar? You'll just have to find out!

Samuraiko Strikes Again!

2009-12-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Michelle/Dark Respite/Samuraiko has done another great music video, proving once again that City of Heroes RULES over the hero competition!

Kudos to the Guardians

2009-12-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

Kudos goes to the Guardians of the Dawn for being featured on the main page of the City of Comic Creators Wikipedia.

If you haven't gotten a chance yet, be sure to visit the CCC website to visit the various other artists and check out the Compendium issues.

Happy Holidays from the Chronicles

2009-12-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

This time around it's the Guardians of the Dawn that get to give the Seasons Greetings.
(Click on the link and you'll be able to view the full-sized version - it makes for a nice wallpaper.)

May you get everything that you desire or deserve.

Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #5

2009-12-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

Guardians of the Dawn Issue #5 is now online.

(Clicking on the image will download the file - PDF format only)

And for more on this issue, along with access to the special Wiki entry, visit the official Guardians of the Dawn website.

Rikti Monkeys Cause Winter Chaos

2009-12-20T04:57:00.000-08:00

The Rikti Monkeys, known scourges to the various City of Heroes universes, have decided to give a seasonal BAH HUMBUG by causing still more chaos to the universes designated "Justice", "Guardian", and "Virtue".

Although the all-mighty Developers have said they have fixed it, the Rikti troublemakers will no doubt try again. Simply because... they can.

"HA-HA! We have struck again!"
"So what do we do now?"
"Hey, how about some holiday Rikti songs?"
"I wanna do the BOOM-DE-YADA song!"
"Dude, Boom De Yada is not a holiday Rikti song."
"Yeah, but we were in the video!"
"No we weren't! Those were those normal monkeys. We're ENHANCED!"
"Yeah! We smell worse!"
"Dude, don't go there again..."
"Too late, dude!"
"Hey, you know something? It just occurred to me... Rikti don't celebrate the Holidays!"
"That's right! We don't!"
"What? You mean we don't get Santa or the presents or... anything?"
"No, dude, we just get your stinky Rikti chili farts!"
"Dude, I told you don't go there again."
"That's not fair! We want a Holiday too!"
"Yeah, this must be a Nemesis Plot!"
"Dude, everything is a Nemesis Plot."
"Hey, can we make 'Boom De Yada' our Holiday song since we don't have one?"
"Boom de Yada, Boom de Yada..."
"That's it, I'm getting some more Rikti chili!"
*PPPPPPTTTTHHH*
"Dude, that one's gonna leave a trail..."

Winter Event 2009 AND FREE Character Transfers!

2009-12-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from the City of Heroes!

And for once the Heroes and Villains have something to crow about this time of the year!

For starters the 2009 Winter Event has begun, and it starts with a couple of presents. Badges, fuzzy earmuffs, a present to give and a present for yourself. All the usual niceties from Winters not-long ago. The candy canes, the mystery gifts scattered all over Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, the Ski Chalet in Pocket D, saving Baby New Year from the red caps, the optional Halo package (only for those who can use auras, though), you can even chuck snowballs during this time!

This time around, though, you get someone different. Yes, the Winter Lord - the Giant Snow-Monster - will be back, but did you know he had a boss? Yes, if you defeat the Winter Lord, you and everyone in your group will then get to take on LORD WINTER!

Sound fun? Well enjoy it while you can because this festive event goes from December 15th 2009 to January 5th, 2010.

The second seasonal surprise from the all-mighty gods of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles is just as good.

FREE CHARACTER TRANSFERS!

No, this isn't a joke.

Let's suppose you have a hero in one server universe that you want to move to another one. Normally that would cost you some real-time money. But now for the rest of December and all through January of 2010, you can move that hero or villain to any other server FOR FREE.

There ARE some limitations to this. There is a cap to the number of times you can transfer a character, and they will lose access to all supergroup allegiances, so be very careful about this process.

This offer only lasts from December 15th, 2009 until January 31st, 2010, and then after that it will once again cost you some real-time monies.

So what are you waiting for?

Last one down the slopes is a melted Frostling!

CCC #4 is online

2009-12-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

The City of Comic Creators (of which I am a recent member of) has just released its fourth Compendium issue.

Although none of my creations are in this issue, I did have some input in the cover design, so I hope you enjoy the material from my fellow creators.

New "Boom De Yada" Video

2009-12-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Discovery Channel discovered that people liked the "Boom De Yada" song, so they made a new one.

The guy who came up with the original CoH version of "Boom De Yada" video then created a new one to go with the new song.

Take THAT Champions!

Battlerock X’s Omega Team Letter

2009-12-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

On November 27^th, 2009, the Omega Team Time Capsule was opened. Inside were letters and mementos left behind by the fifty heroes that volunteered to give their lives to end the Rikti invasion once and for all. Most were letters. Some left heirlooms and keepsakes. One left an insurance policy for his goldfish.

Of the fifty, so far only four survived. Ajax was left in a coma by the Rikti before he could make it through the portal. Glacia and Infernia survived and made back through a Rikti transport. Another was Battlerock X, also known as Colonel John Helix Battlerock, who was badly damaged in the attack and suffered from amnesia for five years before the shock of the 2007 Invasion restored some of his memories.

The following is the letter he wrote for the Time Capsule.

To my beautiful daughter Joan,
I’m sorry that I may have to break the promise I made to you. I know I promised to come back, that I wouldn’t be going through with the others, but sometimes things don’t work out the way we want to.
I know that even as I go into battle for what may be my last time, our family will go on. The spirits of our ancestors live on through me and through you. When I fight, I fight with the spirits of all that came before us, and should you choose to follow the same path, you will fight with my spirit.
I have been proud of the daughter you have been and I will continue to be proud of you as you grow, even if that pride will only be in spirit.

To my darling wife Brittany,
I would love to be there with you as you read this letter. To stand there with our daughter as we remember those who could not be there with you. But I fear that I may not be there with you after all.
We both know that this day could come. Your Longbow training and my years in the service tried to prepare us for this possibility, but I don’t know if any amount of training can prepare you for the actual loss.
I face my enemy knowing that you and our daughter will be safe. I go to war knowing that you will raise our daughter to follow us in the way you know best. You know what to do if I am not here for that time when Joan chooses to follow in my path. I have always known you are not comfortable with the path of the Battlerock Warrior, but once she becomes an adult it will be her choice to make, just like it was for me and for my father and all those before us. I just hope that you will be there for her when she needs it in whatever choice she makes just as you were for me when I needed it.
Even if I am not there with you in body, I will be there in spirit, watching over you both. You are my anchor, B. You always have been and I love you for it, and I hope you will keep our daughter anchored as well.

Love always,
John Battlerock

A Mirror Dimly - Going Rogue Preview

2009-11-24T05:38:00.000-08:00

Long before a certain Alaska governor decided to use it as her book title, "Going Rogue" was the name of the next major evolutionary step for the City of Heroes MMO.

Now there is a new teaser video...

Thanks as always to my friend Michelle/Samuraiko for taking the time to do this. Please visit her site to download the high-def version and see some of the other work she has done.

Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #4

2009-11-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

The latest issue of "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" is online.

This issue deals with Captain Paragonna, the founder and leader of the Guardians, and it includes several changes not only in Paragon City but also in the comic series itself.

And don't forget you can check out the REST of the Comic series at the official Guardians of the Dawn website.

New site for Guardians!

2009-11-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

The Guardians of the Dawn now have their official website.

This is where you can find information regarding the group, their active roster AND view all of their issues.

Visit the official Guardians of the Dawn website here.

Don't worry, this is STILL the home for all "City of" news, but this page is more for the comic book series.

Super Booster 4 sneaks in like a ninja

2009-11-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

In like a thief and fresh from the Halloween Event and the advent of WALKING, City of Heroes and Paragon Studios have released Super Booster IV: Martial Arts, the latest add-on to City of Heroes.

This Super Booster contains several costume pieces designed around the martial arts theme. Robes, shoulder pieces, belts, pants, gloves, boots, helmets, masks, and even hairstyles for both men (topknots) and women (braids).

There are also two new animations... one for a Bruce Lee-style "Bring It On" animation, and one for pushups! Yes you can show how good you are by spending your time doing pushups.

Oh, and let's not forget the ninja costume emotes for those who need to change outfits on the fly. We have the smoke bomb and the Ninja Leap.

In addition, the goodie treat for this Super Booster is a special travel poser called "Ninja Run".

Okay, it looks a little silly, but you can run FASTER and leap HIGHER than normal (not power-pool) travel powers. And having used the animation on several "Guardians of the Dawn" characters, I can vouch for its effectiveness.

Not to bad for $9.95, but you HAVE to have "City of Heroes"/"City of Villains" to use it and you can only order it online through NCSoft like all of the other Super Booster programs.

Tactical File: Dealing with Sorcerers Solo

2009-11-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

Tsoo Sorcerer

Group: Tsoo
Rank: Lieutenant

Powers:
Self-Teleport
Hurricane
Chill of the Night
Petrifying Gaze
Brawl
O2 Boost (heal)

Can be seen in:
Steel Canyon
Independence Port
Talos Island

If there is any one annoying criminal for a hero in Paragon City to fight in a solo situation, it has to be the Tsoo Sorcerer.

For starters, they’re cowards. They like to run when the focus is on them. We’re not talking running away like the Trolls run away, which means they give brave words and then run in the opposite direction. No, Sorcerers are teleporters. They don’t RUN, they teleport. And they will teleport repeatedly anytime they feel threatened. If you put yourself in chase mode to follow them, then you better have some kind of flight power active as well, because they will take you everywhere they can teleport to. Rooftops, trees, ledges, power lines… if they can land their feet on it, they’ll get there.

Second, Sorcerers usually work in groups. So if you focus all your attention on them, their friends will just wear you down. Or the Sorcerer will teleport away and coax you into another group of criminals, so now you’ve just aggravated them as well.

Third, Sorcerers are healers. That means that if you decide to ignore the gutless coward and focus on the ones that WILL fight, then the Sorcerer will teleport back in and begin healing his friends, and they will repeat the process until you turn your attention back on him and then he’ll teleport away, and now you’re facing newly-recharged enemies.

Obviously that’s not all that a Sorcerer has in his arsenal. There’s “Chill of the Night” and “Petrifying Gaze” and his Hurricane powers, which are all designed to immobilize you and wear you down, but those are really adding insult to injury. Teleportation and healing that are the two major powers that make the Sorcerer the pain in the cape that he is.

Okay, so presuming you’re not on a team, you’re asked to take down a group of Tsoo and you inevitably encounter a Sorcerer amidst the bunch. What’s the best way to deal with him without getting yourself killed?

The Sorcerer has a few flaws. While he may be able to heal everyone else in the group, he can’t heal himself. Any damage he gets will only be healed the old-fashioned way… unless there’s another Sorcerer in the group that can heal him.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a blaster or a tanker or anyplace in between, attack the Sorcerer first. If you can’t bring him down in one or two shots, then you probably will see him teleport away. Let him leave. He won’t stay away for very long. Focus your attentions on the rest of the gang. Start attacking the other gang members.

Once the Sorcerer knows you’re not attacking him, then he will teleport back to heal the others. As soon as he does come back, take your attention off the others and put it right back on the Sorcerer, and keep pounding on him until he either teleports away again or else is defeated. Repeat this process for as long as is necessary until the Sorcerer goes down for the count.

If you defeat the other gang members, then the Sorcerer will decide to confront you one-on-one. In those situations, he won’t teleport in. He will instead come at you on foot. Your best bet if you’re a melee fighter (scrapper/tanker/brute) is to hit him with powers that will knock him off his feet and/or disorient him first. That will cut down on the chances he’ll be able to engage his close-quarters defensive powers. Just keep pressing forward and you’ll take him down.

There is a flaw with the Sorcerer’s teleportation that also works to your advantage. If you are attacking him while he is in the process of teleporting, you stand the chance of your blows still affecting him while he’s in transit. Plus his teleportation could fail, and instead of teleporting away from the area, he would instead end up either a few inches away from where he left or even knocked out on the ground.

Sorcerers are a pain to battle solo, but they can be managed as long as you remember that their strength rests in being the support member of the group. Take away that support capacity and you take away their advantage.

Rikti Monkeys Strike AGAIN!

2009-11-10T18:41:00.001-08:00

What the code gods giveth, the code gods have had to take away...

It seems the patch that gave us the WALK power has been causing more instability with the system, therefore the game has been rolled back YET AGAIN to the previous build.

In addition, because of the instability of the servers, especially those on the West Coast, the Halloween Event has been extended ONE MORE DAY.

Daylight will return to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles after Wednesday, November 11th 11:59 PM Pacific Time (2:59 AM Eastern Time on Novbember 12th).

Sorry guys, you should blame the Rikti Monkeys for this. They're really more dangerous than you know.

Update 11/12/09: Well I'm proud to inform you that the sun has returned to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, and people can once again WALK.

So get back out there and start STRUTTING!

Holiday Treats come early!

2009-11-10T08:39:00.001-08:00

The Halloween Event is finally over with, and there's something new added to the mix...

Yes, characters can now WALK!

I know that doesn't seem like a big thing for many people, but you have to understand that for those who engage in creative projects... movies and comic books... everyone runs around. They don't WALK. They couldn't walk!

Now they can.

That's big for someone like myself.

Of course now I have to re-shoot some of the scenes in Issue 4, but it'll be worth it.

A TASTE of Issue 4

2009-11-10T08:15:00.001-08:00

This is the cover of Issue 4, which is still being worked on. You can see the LARGE version by clicking on the picture, complete with a butt-ugly watermark in the middle of it (sorry, have to protect it since it is part of my project).

You probably notice the CCC logo... I'm now a member of the City of Comic Creators, a group of Comic Book creators who are considered the best in fan-based comic books. If you go to their website you'll see various links to their comics... hopefully mine will be included shortly. But that also allows me to use the CCC logo with my works (plus have access to some really good fake ads).

Remember, this is just a preview. Wait until you see what's inside!

"Guardians" Prequel story

2009-11-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

In Issue #1 of "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight", I made reference to the text story called "The Guardian Exiles", which served as the basis for the three characters I focus on in the first three issues.

Well now that story has been completed and you can read how Galatea Powers, Ryder Lightning, and MidKnight X all found out their origins, and how a fourth Exile played a key role in it.

Read "The Guardian Exiles" here. (PDF format only.)

Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #3

2009-11-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

Issue #3 of the "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" comic book is now online.

(Clicking on the link will open the file. Sorry, PDF format only.)

This issue focuses on MidKnight X, the dark protector of Kings Row. Who is he? What drives him to do what he does? You'll find out here.

Plus, the much-anticipated meeting of the Powers is finally here! What happens when Lyon Powers meets up with Galatea Powers? Some choice words will certainly be said!

Captain Catastrophe Changes The View!

2009-10-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

When the editor of the "Ask Captain Catastrophe" series says that changes are afoot, then changes ARE afoot!

Tonight... and it IS night because this was done in the middle of the Halloween Event... Captain Catastrophe answers a very special email question, and does so with a very special trick that was only made available for heroes!

Plus, something smells funny. What is it? Well, you can probably guess what it is. Maybe it all of that Hamidon Goo he's had to clean up, but someone needs to introduce the Captain to a little invention called SOAP.

"Going Rogue" Preview

2009-10-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering when "City of Heroes: Going Rogue" would be out and what it would be like, we finally have some answers.

And more information (the boring details) are here.

New comic book - part 2

2009-10-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

You didn't think I was going to stop at just ONE comic book, did you?

"Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" Issue #2 is now online.

(Clicking on the image will take you to the comic itself. Sorry, it's in PDF format only.)

This issue focuses on Ryder Lightning, the second member of the so-called "Guardian Exiles". If you think you know who he is supposed to be, you might be in for a bit of a surprise.

Also the adventures of Lyon Powers continue as talks with Back Alley Brawler as well as deal with a group of untimely intruders.

Oh, and in case you missed it, check out the first issue.

When Catastrophes Debate

2009-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

So the attempt is made to come to some sort of understanding between Captain Catastrophe and Major Catastrophe. Unfortunately the intermediaries have a few issues that they have to square away themselves.

So what is that "last card" that the Major has left to play? You'll find out here!

Oh and don't worry, the game tips WILL be back in Episode 14.

New Comic Book

2009-10-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk about heroes from the Justice Paraverse. Battlerock X and his associates, as well as the folks at LexieTech are all in the Justice Universe.

You've seen some videos from the Champion Universe featuring Captain Catastrophe and his brother and the folks in the "Noble Champions" supergroup. (The same Paraverse where the Paragon Pundit hails from.)

Well now there is a comic book for the heroes in the Guardian Paraverse.

"Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" is a new game-based comic book that deals with members of the supergroup known as the Guardians of the Dawn.

Each issue will focus on specific members of the Guardians, starting with the one that stands out the most... Galatea Powers.

Issue 2 will focus on Ryder Lightning and will explain how he and the rest of the "Guardian Exiles" arrived in the Guardian Paraverse. That should be available shortly.

There is a second story as well focusing on one of the newer members named Lyon Powers and why she has a beef with the busty blond bombshell from another world.

Halloween Event Extended

2009-10-23T04:55:00.000-07:00

Something strange has happened to the Deadly Apocalypse that has been having some serious consequences to life in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. As a result the Halloween Event has been extended an extra week.

Blame it on the Rikti Monkeys, folks.

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review #18

2009-10-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

Paragon Pundit Hero Movie Review

#18: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

"Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” was released by Warner Brothers as a direct-to-video movie in 2009. It is the latest in a string of direct-to-video movies based on previous comic storylines. In this case, the first six issues of the “Superman/Batman” series, which was created in homage to the old “World’s Finest” series.

“Public Enemies” was adapted from Jeph Loeb’s six-part series by Stan Berkowitz, and directed by longtime DC Universe animator Bruce Timm. The movie reunites some of the DCU Animated’s best voice actors, as well as brings in a connection to the CW series “Smallville”, and the long-overdue animated debut of a certain fan-favorite character.

We start with a quick glimpse into a possible future. The United States is in a full-blown financial meltdown, even worse than it has been recently. Misery leads to anger, anger leads to rioting, rioting leads to martial law. And in the turmoil and talk of revolt, one man steps forward offering hope and change… and that man is…

LEX LUTHOR!

No, seriously. Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown) not only becomes a serious contender for the White House, but he wins. And as soon as he gets sworn in, he fixes the economy. Times are easier. The sun is shining brighter. And he also has a plan to deal with some of the other loose ends in society… namely the superheroes. To that end, he has recruited his own super-team consisting of Captain Atom (Xander Berkley from “24”), Katanna (Chiara Zanni), Black Lightning (LeVar Burton from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), Major Force (Ricardo Chavira from “Desperate Housewives”), Starfire (Jennifer Hale), and… Power Girl (Allison Mack from “Smallville”).

Wait, you thought I would say “Supergirl”, right? I’ll get back to that one.

What’s missing from this group, though, are the “big guns”. Namely Superman (Tim Daly) and Batman (Kevin Conroy). Despite Captain Atom’s rather condescending recruiting effort, the Man of Steel isn’t buying the idea that Lex has either changed or that he’s really done some good as President. But soon President Luthor has a reason to reach out to Superman… in the form of a giant chunk of Kryptonite making its way to Earth. An asteroid so large it would destroy all life on the planet if it hits, and full of so much Kryptonite radiation that Superman would not be able to get near it much less try to divert or stop it, even if he wore lead armor.

Luthor has a plan to launch high-powered nuclear missiles at the asteroid, which he says would work because HE did all the calculations. But his experts, including his advisor Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder), want Superman involved “just in case”.

Superman agrees to meet with Luthor, and Luthor demands complete accommodation. He wants Superman to work FOR him, not just WITH him. And then Superman begins to weaken. He discovers that Luthor’s Secret Service bodyguard is really John Corben, a.k.a. Metallo (John C. McGinley), the cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. This leads to a battle in a graveyard, with Batman joining in. Metallo uses a sliver of Kryptonite broken off in the fight to create a bullet which he shoots into Superman’s chest. Batman tries to extract it, but not before Metallo buries them both in an open grave.

I won’t say what happens next, but sufficient to say they escape their shared grave and make their way to the Batcave. We are treated to a great conversation between the two about shared villains before arriving at the cave and being treated by Alfred (Alan Openheimer). Luthor then addresses the nation, declaring Superman unstable and a threat to the country because of the approaching Kryptonite. He puts a bounty of one billion dollars on Superman’s head. (Yes, that’s BILLION with a “B”.)

As you can imagine, just about every villain in the DC Universe big and small come out of the woodwork to claim that bounty, so we are treated to plenty of fighting before Captain Atom’s team comes in, and then we have still more fighting. And our “most wanted” get an ally, which leads to still MORE fighting; including bringing in two more iconic figures that can match Superman and Batman in brains and brawn.

Meanwhile Lex’s plan was a big failure… no big surprise there. But what is surprising is that he doesn’t seem to CARE that it failed. There’s a reason why, but I won’t spoil it for you. You can probably guess what it is.

Sadly, without giving away the ending, this is where the story starts to break down. Stopping the Kryptonite follows the story set in the comic series with a few twists. Dealing with President Luthor also TRIES to follow that story, but obviously fails, partly because the reasons in the comic series were a little more complicated. But even without the extraneous circumstances there was room to better resolve that subject without making it overly cheesy, which it was.

The vocal casting was OUTSTANDING. Bringing in Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, and Clancy Brown together for the first time in nine years was a great feat because it really made the banter between the characters stand out. Then you throw in Allison Mack, CCH Pounder, John C. McGinley, Ricardo Chavira, and LeVar Burton, and you end up with an incredible talent pool to work with.

And unfortunately, some of that talent is badly under-utilized. LeVar Burton has only ONE cognitive line in the whole movie outside of the usual fight-scene grunts. In the comics, Black Lightning is not only a superhero, but in his civilian guise as a schoolteacher he served as the Secretary of Education! I was hoping to catch some of that personality in the movie, even if for a minute, and there were opportunities to bring it in. Amanda Waller was the most formidable woman behind-the-scenes even before Luthor was President, but in the comics she wasn’t just an “advisor”, she was a member of Luthor’s cabinet. This is a woman that knows where all the closet skeletons are and she doesn’t play games! In the comics, the “unnamed general” would have been General Sam Lane, Secretary of Defense and father-in-law to Clark Kent. These are all elements that WOULD have fleshed out the story much better if the folks at DC gave them more time to use them.

The penultimate battle involving Superman, Batman, and their two “adversaries” was FAR shorter than it should have been, with far less banter. There is reference to a certain maneuver, but in the comics there was an explanation as to WHAT it is and to WHO reportedly invented it. That too could have been mentioned to flesh out the action and it wasn’t.

Sadly it appears that this video, like many others before it, have succumbed to the unseen requirement that EVERY made-for-video production for the DC Universe fit into Cartoon Network’s broadcast schedule, even though the Time Warner-owned cable channel has decided to go with live action and still more recycled anime. It is this requirement that has slashed otherwise potentially great stories into pieces. DCU people should just make the movie and let Cartoon Network decide for themselves how many of their shows they would have to pre-empt if they wish to air it.

The BIGGEST plus to this movie is the inclusion of Power Girl. For those who do not know, Power Girl was an alternate world’s version of Supergirl, only she never wore the colors and she was always more WOMAN than GIRL. (That’s why she is also very much a fan favorite as well as one of my favorites.) It was always hard to explain her in the DC Universe outside of the comics, especially since they needed to differentiate her from Supergirl. The writers got around this by just not saying who she is. They just put her in the movie and showed that she had SOME sort of connection to Superman, but that it was never explained. Casting Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan from “Smallville”) made the character sound mature and naïve without sounding like a ditz. The only downside was they made her face look TOO much like an anime character, which didn’t fit when you look at how they showed villainesses like Giganta, Shiva, and Silver Banshee. Other than that, she was essentially the fourth star of the film, and she rightly deserved to be there.

There are some canonical references that go unexplained in the movie, such as Superman’s funeral, Superman married to Lois Lane, the conversation about a villain named Magpie, which each do a great job fleshing out the friendship that Batman and Superman have. If they had spent as much time with the ending as they did with these little details during the first half of the movie, it would be an OUTSTANDING production.

In terms of heroes, you can’t find a better definition than with Superman and Batman. They do what is right, not just what is “expected” of them, and their inner-strength helps sway others to the cause.

If you read the comics, be prepared to do a LOT of face-planting, especially at the end. If you watched the Justice League animated series, you’ll be a little confused by some of the differences. But if you’re neither of these, you’ll probably enjoy ninety-percent of the movie and grit-and-grimace over the ending.

Capes:	It earned all five capes easily.
Cheese:	It starts out with little cheese but unfortunately went into sharp cheddar (3) by the end.
Books:	SOLID storyline at first, but how it wraps up brings it down from four books to two.

2009 Halloween Event

2009-10-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Get ready, good-guys and bad, because the Halloween Event is soon upon us, and the Chronicles has the goods on the goodies.

First and foremost, expect the usual trick-or-treating to go on. Knock on any door you normally wouldn't be able to go into and you could either get a treat, or you can get a trick by Croatoa's nasties of witches, pumpkin monsters, vampires, or werewolves.

Now in addition to the infamous Zombie Apocalypse good-guys and bad will also have to deal with a brand NEW threat: THE DEADLY APOCALYPSE!

Here's what will happen: Just like the Zombie Apocalypse, the Deadly Apocalypse will have Haunted Sigils that will appear in random places in the city/isle zone. (Don't worry, Vanguard will make sure your map will have the precise location as well as give you adequate warnings.) Each of the Haunted Sigils will be guarded by specific demonic forces. Take out the guards and the sigils and you'll get some SERIOUS rewards. You better work fast, though, and work in teams, because just like the Zombie Apocalypse, the creatures in the Deadly Apocalypse will continue to multiply the longer you have to deal with them.

Oh, and joining the ranks of the monsters this time around... THE ALL-MIGHTY KRAKEN!

But wait! There's more! Did I forget to mention that all of the usual goodies are back? Yes, the temporary costumes, the badges, and the toy costume pieces... which means if you get all four of the costume pieces you can find a certain witch and redeem them for an EXTRA COSTUME SLOT!

Oh, fair warning... the extra costume slot is apparently a one-time-only event per character. If your character has already used it previously, they will not be able to use it again!

Children of the night rejoice! You can kiss the sun good-bye on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 8:59 a.m. PST (11:59 a.m. EST) and not see it come up again until Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PST (2:59 a.m. EST).

Double XP Extended!

2009-10-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

Good news! The great cosmic event known as "Double XP Weekend" coinciding with the Reactivation Event has been extended an extra day.

The period will now end on Monday, October 12, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (2:59 a.m. Eastern Tuesday).

Enjoy the extra day!

Another Intermission

2009-10-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

So how does Major Catastrophe deal with failure?

Find out...

Double XP AND Account Reactivation Weekend

2009-09-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a Chronicle reader asked if there would be an Account Reactivation weekend for City of Heroes following the release of Issue 16.

Well now I can say... YES!

City of Heroes has announced their Double XP/Account Reactivation Weekend set from Thursday, October 8th (8:59 a.m. Pacific Time) to Sunday, October 11th (11:59 p.m. Pacific Time). All heroes and villains active during that time will receive DOUBLE their experience and influence/infamy than normal when going through missions or just dishing out comeuppances.

PLUS, any inactive accounts in good standing will ALSO have access to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles during that time. If you haven't been in the Paraverse in a while... maybe trudging in some OTHER cartoonish universe that shall go unmentioned... now is the time to see the changes made, including the power customization and super-sidekicking features. (Just remember to take the time needed to install the updated software.)

i16 The REAL Video

2009-09-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Michelle/Dark Respite/Samuraiko is back in the video business just in time to show off Issue 16!

SHE KNOWS how to promote an Issue release!

Now let's compare that to the "official" video...

It's splashy, but a little vague. Michelle still wins hands-down!

And now ISSUE 16!

2009-09-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Issue 16: Power Spectrum is now LIVE.

On the onset, the changes made may seem to be minor, but Issue 16 gives the heroes and villains something that they have been wanting for YEARS now... the ability to customize the look of their powers!

Previously the only kind of customization was through invention enhancements, which only modified the attributes of the powers you had, not the power itself. But you were still locked into whatever kind of animation and colors were provided.

Issue 16 now gives players the ability to customize the look of the powers, not just in terms of color tinting but also (to some extent) the animation used in using those powers. You can customize EACH power individually, giving a unique look using shades and textures, or simply leave everything in default and tweak it all later. Plus some of the physical powers (super-strength, martial arts) have alternate animations, so you're not always kicking or punching.

This is possible thanks to the NEW Character Creator engine which not only includes the customization feature, but also the ability to skip through each stage of a creation set instead of having to progress from one stage to the next and then backtrack to change something.

Want to change a power? Just click back to the tab you want to change without losing any information. (Note: the tabs look different now than in the screen image above.)

The important thing to note here, though, is this customization is not just per character, but also PER COSTUME. That means that those with more than one costume slot can now modify EACH power and customize them as per their abilities.

For those of you who have been saving up those costume tokens, now's the time to use them!

Yes, you will be able to modify the look of your powers on the fly by visiting any tailor/facemaker, but it will still cost you.

That's not the ONLY thing that has changed here.

Powerset Proliferation

The cross-proliferation between hero and villain archetypes continues with the following new powers added to each archetype.

Archetype	Primary	Secondary
Blaster	Radiation Blast	None
Controller	None	Cold Domination
Defender	Traps	Assault Rifle
Scrapper	Electric Melee	Electric Armor
Tanker	Electric Armor	Electric Melee
Brute	Claws	None
Corruptor	Archery	Trick Arrow
Dominator	None	Earth Assault
Mastermind	None	Thermal Radiation
Stalker	Broadsword	None

Plus the Power Pools (hero AND villain) have been balanced out, so those missing a fifth power now have one.

Sadly, the Epic archetypes get no love... again. Somewhere in the Paraverse a Kheldian hybrid and an Arachnos operative are both screaming in frustration.

Enhanced Difficulty Options

Now you can fine-tune how difficult you want your challenges to be. Want to take on a challenge for 8 all by yourself? Now you can.

Pet Persistence

If you have a "pet", they will now zone with you. This has been an annoying concept for masterminds as their lackeys kept on disappearing every time they changed zones. Now they WILL follow you to the gates of Hell.

Super-Sidekicking

Probably one of the better changes. No more mission level restrictions, no more restrictions on side-kicking or exemplars, and ALL members of a team are now at the level of the mission owner. Also, no more level restriction on hazard zones... EXCEPT for the PvP and Hamidon areas. Low-level heroes can now wander into the Hollows or Perez Park and get themselves killed quickly.

And finally...

E-Mail Options

Finally you can end the RMT Spam messages once and for all! You can adjust your message settings in the Options to only receive messages from friends and supergroup members, or to NOT accept emails at all. You can finally OPT OUT of emails!

Bear in mind that this is still PER-CHARACTER, so if you are an altaholic you will have to make this adjustment for every character you have.

The trick is to create a saved options file. Make the necessary adjustments in the options and then click "Save to file". This will create a text-based file that can be readily accessed. (Note: This will NOT include modifications to the window settings. Those are still individually modified.) Then when you log in with another character, just go to the options menu again and select "Load from file". The settings from that text file will then be applied to that character. Then click APPLY NOW to lock it in.

Quick Thoughts on Issue 16

On the onset, Issue 16 provides some much-needed Quality of Life changes to the game. Power customization is something that will take some getting used to. Fortunately, unlike the powersets themselves, you will NOT be locked into them, so you can change what you don't like. But they DO take some time to go through. Don't be in a rush to get everything you want. You CAN go back later on and tweak things.

You will find that the customization is limited. Some animations are included, but not all of them, and some color options are limited. I would really love to have a more of a "build-up" phase when it comes to the "sniper" powers. Also, I wish we could have made some changes to the mastermind pets. I would love to have an all-female mercenary team, or to change the robots used, or even to change the colors. Hopefully that kind customization will be in line for a future issue. I can see why they waited until they finished the creator engine to get this added in the first place.

The super-sidekicking mode is a great feature and really would be great given some of the unique teams my characters get involved in. Also kudos to the e-mail tweak. That should have been implemented a long time ago.

Sadly, no epic love, no 50's love, and no supergroup love. And that's really sad, because supergroup bases have really stagnated since they changed the prestige system and how base inventions are created. I would love to see A LOT more flexibility with base creation, including being able to subdivide room into multiple floors instead of having to artificially create them. I am getting tired of hearing from forum posters saying "dude, I talked with the developers as Blah-Blah-Blah-Con and they said that it just doesn't work that way"... well guess what? Power customization, email options, and super-sidekicking ALL once fell under the category of "it just doesn't work that way". If you can code it, IT CAN WORK THAT WAY!

Meantime, congrats to the developers for taking care of some of our serious wishlist items, and hopefully they will fix the bugs quickly so they can get to work on Issue 17.

i16: SOON!

2009-09-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

The following message came yesterday from Nivine, one of the administrators in the forum:

Greetings Players,

Issue 16 is getting very close, and with issue 16 you will be getting a free respec! I know many of you like to save your free respec's in case you need them so please keep in mind that they do not stack.

If you are holding onto a free respec, use it or lose it!

This usually means that the release of the next issue is imminent. Pre-loading has already taken place, and Issue 16 has been in open beta since Mid-August.

Important things to note:

Issue 16 IS NOT "GOING ROGUE"!!! CoHGR is a separate game expansion and will not be released for a few more months. (It is speculated to be mid-November.)
The free respec given will not change your costume, body type, origin, archetype, or primary/secondary powers. It will only allow you to shuffle your designated primary/secondary powers. A fire melee powerset will still be a fire melee powerset. You still need to see a special "surgeon" or "body specialist" to change your costume and/or body type.
As with previous releases, no doubt there will be some bug fixes and some instability. Don't be in a rush to play with everything.

Stay tuned to the Chronicles as more information becomes available.

Episode 12: Aftermath

2009-09-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Did Major Catastrophe win? Did Captain Catastrophe do the unthinkable?

Once again, Episode 12 is too big to put on YouTube intact, so it has been broken up into two parts...

Episode 12a
Episode 12b

Episode Intermission

2009-09-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

Funny thing happened on the way to Episode 12...

Actually it's not so funny. It's called writer's block. You get caught in a rut over how to end something and you can't get out without taking a step back, which is what I did.

And it occured to me that some of the people that were really enjoying my YouTube videos were SILENT about the cliffhanger of Episode 11! So I wanted to get them to watch Epsiode 11 if they hadn't yet so when they get to Episode 12 (and I was committed to putting that on YouTube one way or another) they would understand what was going on.

That led me to this little Intermission...

Did Major Catastrophe REALLY win? Find out in Episode 12!

Episode 11 - YouTube version is BACK!

2009-09-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know I have found a way to get Episode 11: Supergroup Bases onto YouTube.

Obviously since I have the FULL version still on MySpace, I won't copy it over here, but I will put links up. Also, if you have annotations, I do have a link button between the two parts of Episode 11 that connect them, so once you get to the end of the first part you can click to see the rest of it.

Episode 11a

Episode 11b

More i16 goodness

2009-08-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

How about a low-level character in the Rikti War Zone? Impossible? Not in the Testing Paraverse for Issue 16 beta!

Again, note the color changes. Illusion/Radiation have different colors, but here everything is purple to match the character.

Power Customization demo

2009-08-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Someone was very helpful in doing a quick demo video of the color changes in the power customization feature of the forthcoming Issue 16, which is right now in Open Beta.

Watch more videos of CoH & CoV

Now if you could get your eyes off the sexy Mohawk girl's butt for a moment... I should point out that currently a Radiation/Energy combination would have much different colors. Blasts are normally blue-white. Radiation is green. Punches are yellow-white, with a glow, not with ringed auras.

Now here's the ACTUAL in-game demo of the creation process...

And on the villain side..

i16 in action against the 5th Column..

And that's all coming!

Thanks goes to KitsuneKnight for the customization videos and Zloth for the wegame demo.

Catastrophe Versus Catastrophe!

2009-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

The latest episode in the "Ask Captain Catastrophe" series is up... and it's bigger than YouTube could handle!!!

Ask Captain Catastrophe - Episode 11: Bases

Can Captain Catastrophe save the day? Wait... that doesn't sound right, does it?

Instability Ahead! BLAME THE MONKEYS! (Updated)

2009-08-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

(Update listed below)

Heads up heroes and villains!

There were some serious issues with two of the servers during this past weekend's Double XP activity. We're talking two universes in the Paraverse that are normally NOT heavily occupied.

So first the great gods of Paragon Studios cranked out a new patch that was so urgent they even shut down half the whole Paraverse EARLY.

Now they're making the unprecedented step of ROLLING IT BACK!

Why? Because the patches created new fatal flaws that are crashing the Paraverse.

Blame the Rikti Monkeys, folks. That's what the fatal error messages say. Seriously. It can't find Rikti Monkeys, so it's crashing everything.

"It's working! They will finally do our bidding! Bwahahahahahahaha!!"
"Dude, you need a shower."
"Shut up! That's the sweet smell of VICTORY you're getting a whiff of!"
"Smells more like Rikti Chili."
"Aren't we supposed to be ADVANCED?"
"The only thing that is advanced about him is his STENCH!"
"SHUT UP!"

Stay tuned for updates.

UPDATE 08/05: Paragon Studios have announced they have fixed the patch (and neutered the monkeys) and will try to re-employ the build at 8AM EST on 04/06.

UPDATE 08/09: The rebuilt patch has been installed. There will be two more fixes being put on on Monday (08/10) and Tuesday (08/11).

Captain Catastrophe retakes the show!

2009-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

Paragon City's legendary team-killer tries to make up for lost time with this new episode in the "Ask Captain Catastrophe" series.

But once again, the handiwork of his brother can be seen.

Special guest appearances by Major Catastrophe, DATA director Rick Davies, Freedom Corps Field Agent Kim, and MangaBlader! Oh, and a quick word from Crey Industries as well.

MAJOR Catastrophe Takes Over!

2009-07-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

In the previous episode of "Ask Captain Catastrophe", we find out that the Captain has an older brother who is a resident of the Rogue Isles, the so-called "City of Villains".

Well MAJOR Catastrophe has officially taken over his brother's community service program with an introduction to life in the Rogue Isles and how it differs from Paragon City.

Plus, HOW DID the Major take over the program? You'll find out, as well as his connection to the Captain's punishment.

Issue 16 news

2009-07-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, Issue 15 just came out, but there's already hype over Issue 16, especially after two teaser pictures were released.

Well wait no more because this is the next issue:

And yes, color customization is just PART of the overall changes being made to the "City of" experience. The whole Character Creator engine is getting an overhaul, making it easier to modify elements without having to going back and losing everything you had.

That won't be the ONLY thing out there, but that will pretty much be the big one.

She Blinded Me With SUPERSCIENCE!

2009-07-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

"Nnnnn... I don't believe it!"

"There she goes again!"

"She tidied up and now I can't FIND anything!"

Thomas Dolby may be best known for that little 1980's musical ditty, but you don't have to live in the Home For Deranged Scientists to get funky with the latest in SUPERSCIENCE!

Paragon Studios has just released the third in the Super Booster expansion series. This one is all themed on SUPERSCIENCE!

Now you too can do all the things that super-geniuses and mad scientists do, or even be their mad creations, with all of the costume pieces that any good super-smart tinkerer of nature would wear. This includes things like masks, goggles, lab coats, gloves, galoshes, and yes for the Frank N. Stein in you, neck bolts.

Here are a few previews:

But wait! That's not all!

Then add to that some really neat SUPERSCIENCE emotes such as mixing chemicals and calculating equations. And there's also a few new Costume Change emotes to where you can change through drinking a serum, or shooting in chemicals.

Oh, so I know what you're thinking... you're wondering what is the USE of doing SUPERSCIENCE if you're stuck in the same bodytype all the time. Sure you can bulk up and bulk down, but size, height, and even gender are still locked in. Right?

Not any more!

As with all of the SuperBooster packs, there is always that ONE element that makes it worth the purchase price, and this is it. With SuperBooster III, you now have access to a whole new breed of Icon/Facemaker agents called Cosmetic Surgeons. These specialists will allow SB3 users to change their WHOLE body type, including height, body type, AND gender! Now you CAN have Dr. Jeckyl and Ms Hyde! You CAN be Banner and the Green Raging Supertroll! You CAN be Frank N. Stein AND his monster!

Have I sold you on it yet? Well if so, then what are you waiting for? Get your mad scientist butt over to the NCSoft store and BUY this expansion pack!