Pads & Panels

Title: 24: Season 8: The Complete Final Season

Format: Six-Disc DVD Set

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Cherry Jones, Anil Kapoor, Annie Wersching, Katee Sackhoff, Mykelti Williamson, Freddie Prinze Jr.

Season Rating:

DVD Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Season

The final season of 24 was ultimately a letdown. Seeing Jack Bauer on the streets of New York City was a good choice, and the arc even had its moments, but ultimately when fans were looking for some sort of big payoff in the series finale, Fox instead refused to let its franchise go, pining hopes on a movie release down the road. While from a business end that makes sense, from a creative standpoint, it left Season 8 feeling like just another season in the scheme of what Bauer has been though. (more…)

Title: TLC 2010

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

TLC — Tables, Ladders, Chairs — yet another specialty match turned pay-per-view event for World Wrestling Entertainment. But only one match on the card is a true TLC Match, while the rest break down the concept, pitting The Miz and Randy Orton in a Tables Match, John Cena and Wade Barrett in a Chairs Match, and John Morrison and Sheamus in a Ladder Match. It’s a Triple Threat Ladder Match between Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger that takes the cake at this show though, with the four-way main event having its moments, but ultimately disappointing. That speaks to most of the matches on the card — some fantastic big moments under the catalyst of the special stipulations, but the matches overall aren’t memorable. (more…)

Title: Splatterhouse

Platform: 360 (PS3)

ESRB: M

Publisher: Nacmo Bandai Games

Developer: BottleRocket, Namco Bandai

Rating:

Review by: Peter David

The name “Splatterhouse” may conjure a B-movie marathon, or an adrenalin-pumping hard-boiled death trap with no escape. The word takes me back to my childhood. I remember playing the original title on a friend’s console. It was one of the few times when you could play an almost-villain. Yeah, the player had to save a girl, but in the meantime relish pounding the living crap out of everything. It also helped that I had a “Friday the 13th” fetish, so when the protagonist put on a glowing hockey mask, I played him like Jason Vorhees.

That was many moons ago, and with my dark childhood aside, I grew and changed with the industry. But it was with great interest that “Splatterhouse 2010” arrived on my doorstep. After placing the disc inside my beloved 360, I came to the immediate conclusion that…this game is not for children. I cannot emphasize this enough. No one who cannot legally enter an “R” rated film should be allowed to even view this. (more…)

Title: WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time

Format: Three-Disc DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

World Wrestling Entertainment has maintained popularity (albeit at different levels) for several decades, as other promotions have started and disappeared in the same timeframe. And it is mostly credited to the company’s captivating superstars. Sure, we all know that the outcomes of the “sport” are predetermined and South Park has already run them through the ringer for the soap opera-esque storylines. But movies aren’t real, and sometimes they’re cheesy as well, but that doesn’t stop us from finding entertainment in them. (more…)

Title: What I Did

Publisher: Fantagraphics

Writer: Jason

Artist: Jason

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Readers simply glancing at the latest hardcover compilation of Jason’s work from Fantagraphics may think they’re getting ripped off this time around, with only three stories in the collection, rather than the four seen in previous releases. But at the center of What I Did is “Sshhhh!” – a rather lengthy tale of the entire life of a (bird-)man, told in pictures, without the use of any words other than the section numberings. It’s an ambitious piece by Jason, but for this reviewer’s money, it is the tales that bookend it that make this collection worth purchasing. “Hey, Wait” is a touching tale about childhood tragedy that sticks with someone for his entire life. “The Iron Wagon” is the only tale of the three where the original isn’t currently available, because it’s out of print. The book replicates the beautiful red tone of the original, and it’s a fantastic mystery, expertly told by Jason, in contrast to “Sshhhh!” with plenty of words. (more…)

Title: RAW: The Best of 2010

Format: Three-Disc DVD Set

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The first third of 2010 for Monday Night Raw, or what is covered on the first-disc of the new three-disc Best of 2010 DVD from WWE Home Video, proves that 2010 was an extremely front-loaded year for WWE. In the opening months, we see Bret “The Hit Man” Hart make his return to the squared circle, some great DX tag team bouts, and Shawn Michaels bidding the WWE Universe farewell after his Mania loss to The Undertaker. The rest of the set highlights The Nexus invasion and feud with John Cena, the “rise” of Randy Orton, The Miz launching his championship reign, and more than 20 matches. The best moments though may be CM Punk’s look back at 900 episodes of Raw, and Santino’s tea party with Sheamus. (more…)

Top Staff Music Picks for 2010

All right, so with music, I believe more than video games or film, different genres and sounds relate to different people in so many different ways that it would be absolutely ridiculous, with the general entertainment offerings we provide (i.e. we’re not just a “punk” or “metal” or “pop” site), to create a numbered “Best of” list for music for the year. Instead, with our varied tastes, I challenged our writers to pick one album apiece that stood out to them more than anything else last year, and then explain why and describe it a bit so readers would know where they are coming from in terms of taste. Several answered the call, and these are our recommendations, depending on your tastes, for the album’s that caught our attention in 2010. We hope you enjoy it, and give a few of them a try.

–Bill

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My Chemical Romance

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is My Chem’s follow up to 2006’s widely popular The Black Parade. The theme of this album focuses on the band’s fictional alter egos, the Killjoys, and their exploits in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The songs are decidedly more energetic than with the previous effort, and both vocals and the guitars seem much more confident when compared to past albums. Once I started Danger Days, I immediately noticed it sounds more like an honest-to-goodness rock album. The album’s first single “Na Na Na […]” is a prime example of this, and the fun, up-tempo anthem starts the album off with a bang. While it is true that songs like “Bulletproof Heart” and “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back” sound like evolutions of the music fans came to love with albums like Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade, tracks like “Scarecrow” sound far different than anything the band has done before. This track in particular evokes a sound reminiscent of the Beatles, with frontman Gerard Way layering softer and more subdued vocals over the slower-paced track. Although MCR has defiantly changed the feel of its sound, Danger Days is great album that gets better and better with repeated plays, and deserves a spot in any collection. (more…)

Game of the Year 2010 – Red Dead Redemption (360/PS3)

Publisher: Rockstar – Developer: Rockstar San Diego

Our Review

I didn’t want to buy into the hype for Red Dead Redemption. Its precursor, Red Dead Revolver, was a decent rental, but forgettable – a go-to title when trying to think of games that time forgot. To associate Red Dead Redemption with it should be a sin. Rockstar could have easily slapped a cowboy-themed skin on Liberty City and called it Grand Theft Horsey, but Rockstar San Deigo did so much more. The studio made a Wild West that was fun to explore on horseback – a desert that was desolate, yet not deserted. (more…)

#2 God of War 3 (PS3)

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment – Developer: Sony Santa Monica

Our Review

Is there any real question why God of War 3 is on our list? The game proved to be a truly epic finale to one of Sony’s biggest and most popular franchises. From the moment I started the game and up until the credits rolled, I was amazed by the sheer scope and breathtaking graphical prowess on display. The game’s first encounter had me questioning if subsequent levels could possibly top it, but those fears were quickly put to rest as God of War 3 delivered consistently. (more…)

#3 Heavy Rain (PS3)

Publisher: Sony – Developer: Quantric Dream

Our Review

Heavy Rain is daring. It’s inventive. It takes the ideals gamers have grown accustomed to for years and spins them to the game’s advantage. It is an experimental form of storytelling, and it all works so very well. Heavy Rain may have its faults, but it’s easier to overlook them when the results are so often pushing gaming’s boundaries. In an era when the industry is as sequel-riddled as with film, with titles generally fitting nicely into a short list of genres, Heavy Rain is refreshingly and hauntingly something unique. (more…)