Back in 2007, Valve released a little bundle pack called The Orange Box, which held 5 amazing titles. To everyone’s surprise, one of those titles happened to be an amazing (albeit short) experience called Portal. The way Valve marketed the Orange Box, Portal was considered a type of bonus game, and ended up being the talk of the gaming community, thanks to some clever writing and some great puzzle gameplay. It’s now 2011, and Portal 2 is now available, and is also the first time Valve’s Steam support has come to a console, the Playstation 3 in this case. Is it as amazing as the first one? Or will it fizzle out of memory?

The story of the sequel puts you back in the role of silent protagonist Chell, who had defeated the passive-aggressive super computer, GLaDOS in the previous game. You’ll start in a pretty amusing scenario where you practice getting ready for a day of testing, and it is here that we are introduced to one of the new characters of the game, Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant (of the Ricky Gervais show). Immediately, the games witty and clever dialogue becomes apparent, and you get quite a few laughs. The voice acting is performed with such personality that you forget you’re talking to a robot, but are then reminded by the big glowing blue light staring at your face.

After an interesting opening sequence where you are lifted through the underground facility in a small bedroom, you finally get your hands on the Portal gun. This is where the game really begins, as you learn how to use the basic functions of portals. As you continue on, you find out that GLaDOS is “still alive”, and that she is just sleeping, but of course, that is short lived, and you reunite with your sworn enemy, who then tosses you back into the testing facility like the garbage she deems you to be.

I’ll try not to spoil too much of the plot, but if you played the first game and enjoyed the puzzles, there’s a lot more to figure out here, and new puzzle features add to the variety. Walkways or walls made of light, laser reflector cubes, the different types of gels, there’s a lot more in this game aside from your typical blue and orange portals. I for one found the blue repulsion gel and the orange propulsion gel to be some personal favorites. The repulsion gel would basically be a liquid that you could spread around a room using portals, and upon landing or jumping from a surface with this gel, you would bounce up higher than normal. The higher you fall from, the higher you’ll bounce back up. It works well in quite a few puzzles, though there are some tricky areas where portal placement and timing make the difference. The propulsion gel is very similar to the repulsion gel, except that what this gel does is allow you to increase your maximum speed. Large distances and even great heights can be within reach easily if you run across this gel and through well placed portals. Many other obstacles and items are at your disposal in Portal 2, and it definitely extends the experience that seemed so simple in the first game.

The game’s single-player campaign takes about 8 hours to beat, but you may end up taking longer just wanting to hear the dialogue from the characters. There are many moments where characters will speak, and then continue saying things until that awkward moment where you realize you’ve been standing in the same spot for 3 minutes waiting to see if that robotic eye staring back at you has anything else to say. There are even moments where your actions will get them to say something new. The amount of dialogue in this game is astonishing and it definitely helps that it’s humorous and clever. Other great performances come from J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man’s J. Jonah Jameson) and Ellen McLain returns as GLaDOS, both of which give outstanding performances and gives an emotional impact that’s incredibly rare in games these days. The music is also fitting to the game’s soundtrack and is appropriately quiet in the right areas. One nice feature I liked was the music that played when you realize you were doing something correctly, like if you were “flinging” yourself in the right direction, or you were placing a weighted companion cube in the excursion funnels. It adds a really nice touch to the presentation of the game and really rewards you for solving each puzzle.

Sample of J.K. Simmon’s portrayal of Aperture Laboratories founder Cave Johnson

The game’s visuals are not going to blow you away; this isn’t Crysis, though that doesn’t mean they’re bad. It has a very laboratory-like feeling, which is the point. Lots of black and white with different shades of gray and brown, and the occasional use of color that contrast well with the scientific environment. Valve managed to get a lot out of the aging Source engine, and it easily surpasses the original game in visuals. The gels have a very distinctive fluid quality to them, and the environments move and fall apart very naturally. The animation in the game is impressive as well, from the way Wheatley blinks his one eye to the way the robotic arms of the environment move into place when setting up a new testing chamber. The whole environment, despite being mostly inorganic, feels very much alive.

The game’s single-player campaign is worth the price tag alone, but it also has a co-op campaign that is completely different than the single-player. Unfortunately, due to an error on the Playstation Network, I was unable to play the co-op campaign as of this time. I also unfortunately didn’t have someone handy to come over and play split screen, nor did I install my free PC copy that came with the PS3 version in time. I will say this, the single player campaign is jam packed with content. Even if you play it just once, there is still the possibility that you missed some dialogue, or a few hidden Easter eggs. Lots of achievements and trophies to collect and many of them actually add to the experience of the game.

Despite the fact I couldn’t play the co-op, I will save that part of the review for another time and give my verdict on this game’s single-player campaign as it is. Now before I do that, there is one area I would like to note, and that’s the middle section of the game, where you are not in any test chambers, but actually in the corporate areas of Aperture Science. This area was a neat place, but it does move quite slow and is less about puzzles and more about finding where you shoot your portal to continue forward. If there wasn’t any dialogue in this section, it would be considerably boring and feels a bit dragged out, though you do get a nice history about the fictional company. It’s not too long but it is noticeable, and could push players away from a very rewarding finish.

Portal 2 may require more of a commitment in it’s longer campaign, but there is plenty of variety to keep things interesting and the voice acting is entertaining enough to keep you moving. The single-player campaign is fun and inviting and is a definite must play experience that I would deem a bit better than the original. I give Portal 2’s single-player campaign a very well deserved 9.5 out of 10.

“It’s one of my tricks. Get an axe.”

If you are a fan of zombies and/or First Person Views then you should keep tabs on a little known game called DEAD ISLAND.

Set on a tropical island resort, overrun by undead guests, you are one of only a few survivers - four survivers to be exact. Does it sound like LEFT 4 DEAD? Yes. Does it play like it? Can’t say since no gameplay footage is currently available. What is available is a cinematic trailer that shows everything I have just detailed about the game.

From the trailer you can see that unlike LEFT 4 DEAD’s enraged mutants, these are actually zombies. You can also see that the tone is pretty dark and depressing.

What is known for sure about DEAD ISLAND?
-focus on melee combat and customization
-4 player co-op with RPG elements
-set in a beautiful yet gruesome open world

It’s shaping up to be a combination of LEFT 4 DEAD and BORDERLANDS on a vacation getaway. Let’s just hope it turns out to be at least half as good as those awesome titles.

Hello. ray hom here.

I’m an avid reader. When I’m not lost in a movie, drunk out of my mind with my fellow colleagues, or twiddling my thumbs on what to do with my mediocre human existence, I engage in reading a good book. My taste in books are eclectic. My range of reading habits include horror fiction, philosophy, autobiographies, erotica, personal essays, and graphic novel comic books, which allows me an experience of drinking from the vast water well of knowledge with various great minds. But, lugging around books in my arms or backpack can be a physical burden on my back.

Being thankful for living in the digital era, the solution to avoid getting scoliosis would be owning an eBook reader. The Amazon Kindle is currently the most popular eReader. But, I own the Barnes & Noble’s NookColor eBook Reader for the following reasons: It is the only color eReader (discounting tablets like the IPad); can import any epub, PDFs (great for comics), or Microsoft Office documents to view on the device; maintain an image gallery; can play videos and mp3s; includes Android apps like Pandora and basic games including Chess and Soduku; access to B&N’s online bookstore; and has wifi access to the Internet, and if connected to your local Barnes & Noble bookstore’s wifi, you can read any book (even the recently new releases) for FREE up to an hour per day.

And, there is more exciting news to come in about a week or so…

Although, there have already been ways to root into the NookColor’s Android OS to turn it into a tablet, it has been recently announced that some time in mid-April there will be an update to the firmware that will transform the NookColor from an eReader into an Android tablet. These are some of the rumors being touted on what this update to Android OS 2.2 will include:

• Adoble Flash video capbility (Hopefully, YouTube and Netflix are included)
• Access to email
• Increased magazine & newspaper subscription selections which includes “The Economist”, “ESPN: The Magazine”, and “PC Gamer”
• Access to the Nook Store (an Android app store, but Apple has copyrighted the word “app store”. It will only be referred to as the Nook Store.)
• Angry Birds will be one of the games available
• Deal with Nickelodeon which will include children’s content from “Spongebob Squarepants”, “Dora the Explorer” and “Diego”. Also, other favorite children’s characters including Barbie and Mickey Mouse will have new accessible content
• Exclusive: The King’s Speech Digital Book Only Available for NOOK Customers
• More In-Store Only content

Is this enticing? If so, grab your NookColor today! Happy digital reading! It is the future!

The Home Shopping Network recently began selling the NookColor showing off some of these updates. You can find more info here.

If you’re a developer who wants to program apps for the NookColor, you can read more info here.

Shop for the NookColor on Amazon.

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YouTube has been the place to go for video content, garnering over 2 billion views a day.  Arguably the most popular video streaming site to watch and share originally created videos, the company has launched a new service: Live Streaming.  As a beta version, content is limited, but YouTube plans to slowly allow its partners to stream live content on the site.  That means not everyone will be able to stream live through YouTube, but the limiting factor will mean more refined live broadcasts than the ones offered in other live-streaming sites where you’ll often find people talking random giberish.

Journey through the site yourself at http://www.youtube.com/live.

You can find the official announcement at YouTube’s official blog right here: http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2011/04/youtube-is-going-live.html

It seems too soon for a reboot on the man of steel considering his last appearance was only five years ago in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns.  But it was a disappointing performance for the last son of Krypton.  Now its Zack Snyder’s chance to reintroduce the world to the iconic hero.  The director of Watchmen and 300, Snyder has described the reboot as a modern take on the loved character.  Often defined as the epitome of a hero, Snyder aims to make Superman much more real and relevant to today’s audience.  Snyder has a daunting task ahead of him, to make the perfect superhero relatable.

But he seems to be heading in the right direction.  The story was co-written by David Goyer and Christopher Nolan, who worked together in creating the storylines for the successful Batman reboot.  They seem perfect for the challenge, considering they took the same strategy with Batman as Snyder is taking with Superman.  Goyer and Nolan were able to make the Dark Knight a more real character that the audience could understand and relate to, despite not being a millionaire whose parents were murdered in front of them.  In terms of storyline, Superman: Man of Steel is in good hands.

But it takes more than a good story to make a good film.  Snyder has been busy casting the roles that will carry the story and has recently announced his choice for the spunky journalist of the Daily Planet and Superman’s love interest.  Beating out stars like Rachel McAdams, Dianna Agron and Jessica Biel, the role of Lois Lane has gone to the talented Amy Adams.  A three time oscar nominee, this will be Adams first role in a major studio franchise.

Adams will be sharing the screen with Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent.  Diane Lane and Kevin Costner will also be present as Martha and Jonathon Kent.  It is yet to be revealed which villain Superman will be facing in this installment, but we eagerly await the announcement of who this foe may be.

In a world full of choices, people may or may not be so decisive.  What external hard drive should I get?  Which restaurant should I try?  What’s a video game I should check out?  During times like these, a recommendation would really help.  Thankfully, there’s Hunch.

Hunch.com is a recommendation site that eliminates the need of going around the web and putting in time-consuming research.  The site aims to personalize the internet by getting to know you and making smart and concrete recommendations about what you might like.  There are thousands of topics to get suggestions on from email service providers to bucket list ideas.

Begin by signing in with your facebook or twitter account and answering 20 (or more, if you’re into that) questions about yourself.  Hunch then creates a taste profile that maps your unique preferences based on the collective knowledge of people similar to you.  The company’s mission, taken straight from their website, is to “build a taste graph connecting every person on the web with their affinity for every entitiy (camera, car, book, anything!) on the web.”

Of course Hunch doesn’t gaurantee the acuracy of the recomendations. And it seems doubtful that reliable suggestions can be generated for some of the topics through a few seemingly random questions.  It’s almost akin to those Facebook quizzes people love to use, but much more accurate.  If anything, its fun to see how wrong, or very right, Hunch is in their knowledge of you.  There’s also fun in comparing your recommendations with a friend.  Remember they’re only suggestions.  Don’t believe that these recommendations define you in anyway, but you should check it out for yourself to decide if these hunches are helpful enough.

Are your photos looking a little bland? Want to sweeten your pictures to be better eye candy? There are plenty of ways to make a good photo better, but editing software like photoshop can get complicated and time consuming. For the quickest and easiest means to improve a picture, effects are a great way to go. There are free online photo-editing sites like Picnik and Pixlr that come with basic filters, but if fast and simple is your preference, try out Rollip.

Rollip.com is a quick and easy website that allows you to tweak your photos with some attractive effects while retaining the photo’s original size. The site doesn’t look like anything special at first glance, but Rollip has some great filters that will make a photo look professional. It’s as easy as 1, 2 3. Simply pick an effect, upload the picture, then download it. The site provides 40 different high quality photo effects, such as their vintage and stylized lense filters. It’s as minimal as photo-editing goes, but a simple effect can affect a photo incredibly.

Lets face it; computers as we know them are moving toward mobility. More and more “every-day” things are becoming web browser based.

Firstly, I’d like to credit Google as the front runner (not fact, just my personal opinion.) They’re developing the ever so lovely Chrome Operating System, that can be viewed here:

Aside from that, those of us who are not on Chrome OS, can still get the benefit’s of google with their mail, maps, docs, calendar, etc. The list goes on… Pretty much anything you’d need in Microsoft Office, all online, all free.

Secondly, for those who like to edit photos, there are a bunch of online apps to choose from:
- photoshop.com offers “Photoshop Express”, that is a lot like Adobe Lightroom
- pixlr.com offers a online editor thats a lot like Photoshop (more so than Photoshop Express haha), and an express editor thats like Photoshop Express (lol, meaning its like Lightroom)
- picnik.com is another online photo editor (although I’ve never used it)

For those of you who are actual artists, and strongly feel that Photoshop (and its clones) are not for artists, Deviant Art offers its Muro app. It even supports drivers for those Wacom Tablets.

Fourthly, there are some online browser based games, not going to list all of them, but QuakeLive is my fav’s! In a nutshell, its an online Quake 3, kind of re-done.

The other following sites aren’t exactly apps, but are still web-based versions of every-day life.

Want to watch TV/Movies?
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Hulu
- Netflix

Listen to streaming music?
- Slacker Radio (my fav.)
- Pandrora
- Last.fm
- Digitally Imported

Need I go on to the social networks? I think not, you know those already.

Hope you all enjoy this!

Peace out!
-gabe

P.S.
If you are interested in web based apps, or Chrome OS, Google is offering an application to test their OS, and is offering laptops to people who’s application gets accepted.

Go ahead. Tell me you wouldn’t eat that.

Probably the most fanatically misguided group since the folks at Jonestown drank the Kool-Aid, PeTA (”People for the ethical Treatment of Animals”)’s antics have always been good for a chuckle, or at the very least a spine-chilling shiver.

Now, the same folks who squandered their hapless followers’ donations on the mouth-watering parody “Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals,” have cooked up another one.

This time the “Protestors of everything Truly Appetizing” have set their sights on the XBLA insta-classic “Super Meat Boy” because well, as we all know, putting the word “Meat” in the title of a video game is a lot like torturing and murdering helpless kittens.

“I know Tofu.” _________________ “Show me.”

I’d like you to meet (<-see what I did there?) the "Plant eating Terrorists with Attitudes” latest creation: “Super Tofu Boy.” …Original!

“Super Tofu Boy” is the star of a Flash-based platform game concocted by PeTA’s mad scientists to rival the success of Super Meat Boy. You can check the game out here. To be fair, it’s not bad… as web games go.

Uh oh… I wonder what those fly-swatting, cow-tipping, ivory poachers over at Team Meat have to say about this? They must be ’shaking in their custom baby seal leather boots!’ (<-Movie Quote Trivia Time!)

Here’s a statement from Team Meat’s official website:

So as many of you know, the famed Peta organization took time out of their schedule to make a parody of Super Meat Boy, Super Tofu Boy. Honestly this is a major high point for me personally.

Putting all my cards on the table right now, I actually repeatedly made fake user names in Peta’s forum pushing the game at them in hopes something like this would happen, but gave up realizing that Peta wouldn’t ever put effort into something “meat related” that was so small and unknown, that’s exactly why this parody is so important and eye opening for us.

Peta is 1000 times more well known then Super Meat Boy and the fact that they went out of their way to make a parody like this is beyond flattering and amazingly helpful.

First off I want to thank Peta for helping us turn Super Meat Boy into a house hold name and of course for making themselves look quite foolish in the process… see (as mentioned in countless interviews) Meat Boy isn’t made of animal meat, he’s simply a boy without skin whose name is Meat Boy.. but sshh don’t tell them that.

Now dont get me wrong, i have NOTHING against Vegans or Vegetarians. I was Vegetarian for many years, and was an animal control officer who saved animals for a living for a long time, i empathize, understand and accept why people choose to eat, and live as they wish, and obviously i believe everyone should have the freedom to express themselves in anyway as long as it doesn’t hurt others.

But.

I dont support an organization who is 100% against all animal testing, because that would mean my best friend in the world would be dead, not to mention his mother and many of my family members and friends who also are diabetic (animal testing is important).

But you came here to read about video games and flame wars via twitter so ill leave you with this.

Its hard to make a come back to a company that is high brow enough to compare concentration camps to chicken coops.. but ill try and close this with a joke that’s a bit more light hearted.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “See (as mentioned in countless interviews) Meat Boy isn’t made of animal meat, he’s simply a boy without skin whose name is Meat Boy.. but sshh don’t tell them that.”

Seems they’re taking PeTA’s attacks with a grain of salt - ironically the same way most people have to take their tofu.

Quick to make the best of a bad situation (one might say ‘life gave them lemons so they made lemonade’ but then they’d have the ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Citrus Fruits’ chasing after them), Team Meat were quick to release their own parody of PeTA’s parody: “Tofu Boy” has been officially announced as a future unlockable character in “Super Meat Boy!”

Our hero!

UPDATE:
Tofu Boy is officially playable in the latest update on Steam!
To play as Tofu Boy type in ” petaphile ” on the character select, if you’ve done it you’ll hear an unlock sound, select meat boy and you’ll now be Tofu Boy!.

Here’s an action-packed highlight reel of Tofu Boy’s adventures (he’s so cute!):

Well, I dunno about you, but all this talk of meat, naked ladies and humans without skin has got me a hankerin’ for a hamburger. Until next time…

DJ Sonic in tha Mix

Hot on the white-striped heels of SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4, a couple of independent, die-hard hedgehogs have done what so many big-name producers have failed to: They’ve made a playable, dare I say “fun?” Sonic the Hedgehog game! Of course, to be fair, this game is a “remix” of SEGA’s classic Sonic so Kings of the Crash are due some credit. Still, one must wonder why they seem unable to make something like this now?

Sonic Fan Remix is free to play, right now, and you should.

After that, you might like to come back here n’ read Game Informer’s interview with the blue-souled bandits who are responsible for all that fun you just had:

Game Informer’s Dan Ryckert vs. Pelikan (artist) and Mercury (programmer)

One of the most striking elements of Sonic Fan Remix is the fact that it’s visually superior to the Sega-made Sonic 4. How was a team of two able to make a better-looking game than a major game studio?
Pelikan: In the past, game engines like Unity and UDK have not been available to the public for free, and those engines can produce high quality results and they are really easy to use. Sonic 4 and SFR have very different art styles and many people have complained about SFR’s “busy” look, so comparing them is not simple.
Mercury: I think that SFR succeeds where Sonic 4 fails because it’s more surprising. There are so many details that you’re just not expecting to see, and that’s what makes it so exciting.

Did you start development on Sonic Fan Remix before or after the announcement of Sonic 4?
Pelikan: I started working on the game around 10 days prior to Sega’s announcement. When I heard they were working on a 2D Sonic I felt both excited as a Sonic fan and a bit disappointed. I did consider stopping work on SFR at that point as I felt there might be no place for it.

Has Sega contacted you in any way in regards to the game (praise, legal threats, etc.)?
Pelikan: No.

What’s the plan going forward? Are you going to release a full version at some point, and will it remain freeware?
Pelikan: Yes, it can only be freeware as it’s a fan game, and I will release each zone as soon as it’s done, along with updates to the previous zones.

Do you guys have aspirations of breaking into the industry full-time, or is this something you just enjoy doing as a hobby?
Pelikan: I have been working in games for the past few years as a freelance artist, but my big goal would be to make my own games.
Mercury: For me it’s purely a hobby. I wouldn’t want to work in the industry, mainly because the type of project I like to work on isn’t something that’s commercially viable.

What is the team’s favorite Sonic title?
Pelikan: Sonic 2.
Mercury: Sonic CD.

When do you think Sega started to lose its way with the Sonic series?
Mercury: Sonic Adventure. It took pretty much everything I loved about the series and threw it out.
Pelikan: I have to agree with Mercury, although I really enjoyed the game at the time. Sega made some choices for Sonic from gameplay to visuals to voice acting that never clicked with me and seem to have stayed with Sonic ever since.

Sonic’s movement physics have changed over the years. What do you think about some of those changes?
Mercury: Keeping strictly to the 2D games, I think some changes make sense. Sonic Advance - being on a hand-held system with a small screen - reduced Sonic’s jump height so that the player wouldn’t lose sight of the ground when he jumps. In Sonic Rush, the rolling physics were changed to make rolling up less useful, because they wanted to emphasize the boost move. Other changes like Sonic’s newfound ability to destroy breakable walls by just walking through them at any speed, I find to be outrageous. They seem more like mistakes or lazy design than intentional modifications.

So far, these stages are remade versions of existing Sonic levels. Have you ever considered making an entirely original Sonic game?
Pelikan: For the time being, the only Sonic game I plan to work on is SFR. I intend to create original zones for it though.
Mercury: I have. In fact, after SFR, that’s exactly what I’m going to be working on.

Have you considered remaking any non-Sonic games?
Pelikan: Well, I have some original game ideas that I would love to create. As far as remakes go, I would love to see Streets of Rage make a comeback.
Mercury: Yes, actually. My other favorite game series besides Sonic is Phantasy Star, and I’d love to remake Phantasy Star I and II in the future.

Personally, I look forward to whatever these guys come up with next - be it a remix, or one of Pelikan’s originals.

Lastly, I hope SEGA’s watching and learning.

Everybody’s favorite real life video game villain, Billy Mitchell, is once again crowned the King of Kong.

Coincidentally, no less, on the day Mitchell was inducted into The International Video Games Hall of Fame in Ottumwa, Iowa he bested the previous Donkey Kong record score of 1,061,700 held by Hank Chien. Mitchell, again, leaped to the top spot with a score of 1,062,800, but he could have scored more… Word is Mitchell quit his game immediately after stepping past Chien’s mark.

“Some say I’m being cocky. Some say I’m being lazy. I say, I’m being Billy Mitchell.”

The fierce competition between Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe was documented in the fascinating 2007 feature The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

While shopping at guitar center over the weekend, I was sadly informed that the guys who make Technics turntables (Panasonic) will no longer be making turntables.

WHAT!? NO MORE TECHNICS!? WTF!?

After doing some digging around online, I found this:

A spokesperson for Panasonic said:

“It is a sad day today but due to low sales globally in analogue turntables a decision to stop production has been made on Technics Turntables.”

Truly a sad time in history… However, their web-site fails to mention the news at all:
HERE
(at least at the time of this posting)

Luckily, I already own a pair of Technics 1200 MKII’s. I’ve been told that the price of these bad boy’s will go up due to a new demand that has been created. Now the question is, to sell or not to sell?

-gabe

I’d stick ‘em, and shoot ‘em… if ya know what I mean.

Hot, lingerie-clad chicks with swords and guns fighting dragons and bunny-faced robots. If you don’t want to see this I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Watch this trailer only once. I dare you:

A few more pics, for your viewing pleasure:

Character: “Amber”
Played By: Jamie Chung
Known For: She was in Sorority Row, then went on to play one of Rob Schneider’s sexy daughters from Grown Ups - but best of all she’s gonna be in Dragon Ball 2! Um… Awesome!..? (Please shoot me.)

Character: “Blondie”
Played By: Vanessa Hudgens
Known For: She was in High School Musical but her real claim to fame was the teen nudie pic scandal, a few years back…

Character: “Madam Gorski”
Played By: Carla Gugino
Known For: She played a tough lesbian who was forced to watch as Elijah Wood ate her fingers in Sin City, then she was a tough lesbian who got raped by The Comedian in The Watchmen. Not sure what the deal is with Madam Gorski but if history and that poster are any indication, I’d say odds are pretty good she’ll turn out to be a tough lesbian who will probably suffer some terrible fate.

Character: “Rocket”
Played By: Jena Malone
Known For: Most notably, she was Gretchen Ross, love interest to Donnie Darko.

Character: “Sweet Pea”
Played By: Abbie Cornish
Known For: I haven’t personally seen this chick in anything. Diggin’ the naughty elf costume, though.

Inception’s complicated, but enjoyable dream while dreaming in dream story was truly another incredible and smart Nolan masterpiece. The movie mesmerized from start to finish, with its superb ensemble cast and visual effects. Long after the credits roll, the audience will be left pondering the film’s many questions. Inception may very well be the best film of the summer, if not the year.

While watching Inception, I couldn’t help but think about Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Beyond the similar cast and amazing, haunting score, a few other similarities struck me. Early in the film, Ken Watanabe’s character is crushed to death by a collapsing ceiling, much the same way his character in Batman Begins comes to his demise. In another scene, Cillian Murphy’s character, in a suit, has a burlap sack placed over his head, eerily similar to his Scarecrow character in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. These slight references may be intentional or coincidental, but can not be ignored.

Also, these two posters speak for themselves…