Big Shiny Robot! is giving away two sets of Marvel Anime:  X-Men The Complete Series and Iron Man The Complete Series.  Each winner will receive one of each title, and to be eligible to win simply answer the following:  what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

I kid, I kid.  I just really like asking that question.

Actually, post a comment below telling me who your favorite Marvel character is.  Everyone who posts will have their name entered in a drawing.

Contest ends on April 27 at midnight; winners will be contacted via email shortly thereafter.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Vivid Entertainment and Axel Braun are at it again.

This time, they have released their cover for the new Avengers porn parody. I’m really conflicted about these releases. Their Hulk release was boring as hell… The Batman release was fantastic… The Star Wars release… There’s a lot I’d like to say about how I feel about their Star Wars release (I’ve struggled trying to write something about it because of how conflicted I am about it.)

And they must have, hands down, the best copyright attorney in the galaxy.

I wonder how many other franchises we’ll get. Aliens? Wonder Woman? Terminator?

Who knows. It seems as though the well of their pornographic geek ideas is limitless.

And is it just me or does She Hulk look like a dude in drag? Which, I guess, would be fine, but she’s a pretty sexy character otherwise. What Ultimate Team Up would you like to see in this universe?

Matt McDaniel over at Yahoo.com had the chance to talk with Marc Webb at the Wondercon. The main topic of discussion surrounded Peter Parker, and Webb’s decision to have Andrew Garfield play him.

Matt McDaniel: For you, what was the moment when you just knew that Andrew was the right guy to play Peter Parker?

Marc Webb:   We tested a lot of really talented, wonderful young actors.  And there was a moment when — I mean this sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.  We were doing a scene that’s not in the movie, where he was eating a cheeseburger and telling Gwen to like calm down or to — trying to put her at ease, while he is eating food.  And the way he ate this food — it was such a dumb task — such a dumb independent activity that you give to an actor to do, and he did it. [Laughs] I just felt like we were in a diner.  We were in the back of the soundstage and I felt like there’s something in the way he embodied and committed to that really tiny minutia — I just hadn’t seen before. I can’t explain exactly what I felt like it worked, but that was it.

And then beyond that, I just felt he was a new face.  That people didn’t have a lot of baggage [with him].  He sort of checked all the boxes. And there was this humor that he had and that he can do, and there was this emotional weight that he can do, but there’s also a physical capability that he can do.  I think the moment was just watching that over and over again.  There was something just compelling about his behavior, his physical behaviors that I thought people would really react to.  I think that there’s the language of the script, which is words, often in dialogues.  And then there’s the behavior that those words have to emerge from.  And he’s a master of understanding of what’s going on underneath the surface.

They also touched base on some of the reactions surrounding the darker portrayal of Peter Parker.

MM: What reactions have you gotten from the fans to the trailers and other footage you’ve released that have surprised you?

MW: I think initially there was a little bit of hesitation amongst the community because they didn’t know what we were doing. And when the materials — when we have gone out and showed people the materials, people have really started to warm up to us, and I think that there’s been — recently, especially since the last trailer — there’s been this real groundswell of support. And when they see Andrew and Emma, there’s something that feels new and really special about it that’s fun.

I can’t say it’s totally surprising because when we were shooting it, you could feel that we’re doing something that felt real and different and new and it had its own identity and I think people are coming around to that.

To check out the rest of the interview, head on over to Yahoo. It’s a really great read. To get you in the mood for the upcoming film, check out the International Japanese Trailer below. It has a few more shots of the Lizard as well as a little more story tying Connors to Peter’s parents.

I have been an avid player of Heroclix for about 3 years now and each set that comes out gets better and better. Last year Heroclix added an online version of the game for those wanting to never leave their house, or wanting a wider range of people to play with. This week the newest set, Galactic Guardians, was released. Along-side the physical release the online game is recieving digital versions of the Fast Forces set which is based on the Annihilators team. Those of you that play the game can now get Nova, Silver Surfer, Ronan the Accuser, Gladiator, Quasar, and Beta Ray Bill to use in your online gaming. And for you gamers that prefer the physical game you can pick up the same pack, which comes with a code to redeem in the online game for the same set. As someone that has played the game for a bit this is without a doubt one of the best Fast Forces set that Wizkids have released for the game! Heroclix is available at most gaming and specialty shops.

HEROCLIX ONLINE RELEASES NEW FIGURE SET, ANNOUNCES MARVEL’S GALACTIC GUARDIANS

Hillside, N.J. & Cary, N.C.—April 11, 2012— NECA/Wizkids, the makers of HeroClix Online, today released their latest Marvel HeroClix collection,Galactic Guardians Fast Forces. The figures not only hit retailer shelves in physical form, but are available now in virtual format in HeroClix Online, adding six new figures to the online game.

New figures from the collection include Nova, Silver Surfer, Gladiator, Quasar, Beta Ray Bill and Ronan the Accuser and can be used with all other Marvel figures and maps currently in game.

For more information on HeroClixOnline, visit http://hco.heroclix.com/.

For news updates and announcements, follow HeroClix Online on Facebook and Twitter.

About WIZKIDS/NECA, INC.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Entertainment Collectibles Association Inc. (NECA), WizKids/NECA is a New Jersey-based game developer and publisher dedicated to creating games driven by imagination. The HeroClix brand is the most successful collectible miniatures games on the market today, with over 250 million miniature game figures sold worldwide. For additional information, visit www.wizkidsgames.com.

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years.  Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.  For more information visit www.marvel.com.

The Avengers is less than a month away, and I don’t think there is one person that isn’t excited for it. If you do happen to be that person then you just flat out hate fun! Anyway, I stumbled across 2 clips from the movie that spotlight two of the female leads. The first shows a very bad ass Scarlet Johansson as the Black Widow. The second is a clip that was shown when Cobie Smulders, who plays Maria Hill,  was on The Late Show with David Letterman. So for your viewing pleasure, enjoy these snippits from The Avengers!

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Marvel sent out a new teaser image that simply says Gambit.

Announcements will be made at C2E2:

From their release:

Find out more Sunday, April 15 at the Next Big Thing panel, 11am Central during C2E2 2012.

 

Can’t make it to the convention? Follow along on the Marvel Events App & events.marvel.com, the best way to get exclusive videos, real-time announcements from the convention floor and up-to-the-minute panel, in-booth, and signing schedules of all your favorite Marvel creators!

The ominous black background and the way the title reads makes it look like they’re going to do a big event with Gambit. And really, the only event I’d care to see is his death. Could we be getting what we’ve all been wishing for? A Death of Gambit miniseries?

That’s pretty much the only way I’d buy a book starring the worst character in the Marvel U.

We’ll find out Sunday if our hopes and dreams come true.

Available on DVD tomorrow is Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous from Marvel Knights Animation.  This is an animated version of the comic of the same name, written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassaday, and it’s the second story arc of Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men.  Whedon should be a familiar name to you (Buffy, Angel, Firefly), but if those shows don’t ring a bell, then hopefully you know that he is also the guy bringing The Avengers to theaters this summer.  When I saw his name attached to this DVD, I knew I had to seize the opportunity to review it.  Plus, I like X-Men, but while watching this I immediately realized how woefully ignorant I am of what’s been happening in the comic books.

That aside though, I was able to appreciate this as a casual fan.  I generally find Cyclops to be annoying, but he wasn’t the least bit irritating. Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) was definitely the stand-out in this series, though.  She was both pouty and assertive, childish and strong.  And I felt like more energy was put into drawing her, since the close-ups of her face were rendered so well.

I’m also a complete newbie to the world of motion comics, but I think I will watch more from this point forward.  It was really exciting to see the pages of a comic come to life with sounds and music, even though the animation is a bit jerky.  That took some getting used to, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me.

The storyline is:  “The tragic death of a student at the Xavier Institute reveals that a powerful enemy is working from inside the mansion to destroy the X-Men.  It’s an enemy who knows all their weaknesses and can predict their every move.  This new foe doesn’t want wealth, power or world domination – it only wants them dead.  As the X-Men fight for their lives, they learn they’ve been deceived by one of their own.  Even if they survive, the team will never be the same.”

While the storyline at times felt a bit generic, I enjoyed the series overall (except for the cameos from  members of the Fantastic Four.  That just didn’t make any sense to me).  I think the best line of this arc was when Emma Frost said, “I turn into a diamond sometimes.  Are we really going to discuss impossibility?” A blunt remark, but she has a point.

To say too much more would reveal the true foe of the X-Men, and I’d rather keep that under wraps for those who don’t wish to be spoiled, but the epic battle at the end kept me wondering how the team would get themselves out of this mess.  And in addition to the outside forces bent on destroying them, the X-Men also must confront more personal issues. Loyalties will be tested, and lovers will be torn apart.

I’d recommend this to an X-Men fan, particularly to casual fans like myself.  In short, it was fun to watch.  (I just hope the next X-Men story I read or watch has Mr. Sinister in it.  I think he has great fashion sense).

You can check out some of the videos in Swank-mo-tron’s preview of the DVD here.

With each new television spot, my excitement for the Avengers grows that much more. It’s like pain making the Hulk stronger.

This whole spot just made me happy across the board. I really do feel like Joss Whedon most likely knocked this film out of the park. Each of the Avengers was on base with their own films and Whedon is stepping in to hit a grand slam.

This spot features Captain America giving Hulk some orders and I squeed in delight.

The Avengers hits movie theatres in just under a month.

Big column today so let’s jump right in:

If you’ve seen the cartoon at all, or the shadowed promo image, the main playable characters in Young Justice: Legacy should come as no surprise. [By the way, if you haven’t seen the show, what’s wrong with you? It’s awesome!] The upcoming action-RPG from Little Orbit will feature the whole regular cast of Kid Flash, Artemis, Superboy, Robin, Miss Martian, and Aqualad. Six additional characters will be rounding out your upgradeable squad when the game launches in February 2013 (PS3, 360, Wii, DS). Before you start guessing though, remember that the game i set to take place between seasons one and two. You may have to think back and try to remember when Zatanna and Captain Marvel first started hanging with the team. Red Arrow (Speedy) is probably a safe bet regardless. The developers have also announced the first six villains you’ll be facing. This is a pretty heavy duty line up for the youngsters, including Lex Luthor, Sportsmaster, Cheshire, Icicle Jr., Killer Frost, and Black Manta. Six more baddies are also on the way.

Codemasters isn’t exactly a developer at the top of watch list, but they do have a pretty solid record for racing games (like DiRT and F1). Not being as flashy or sexy as some of the iterative FPS or franchise tie-ins it’s easy to write them off. Which I almost did since their only story right now is the expansion of two more facilities Warwickshire and Birmingham, creating 125 more jobs in the UK. Then I remembered how many sudio closures and job losses I’ve written up lately. In light of so many studios having financial troubles, it’s nice to be able to mention a good story as well. So congratulations to Codemasters for succeeding in a business that tends to only favor the Activisions and EAs of the world.

Did you just look at your calendar and realize you forgot to pre-order the special edition of Max Payne 3 by the April 2nd deadline? Whoops, now what? Pay a fortune to a reseller on eBay? Nah. Rockstar has extended the special edition orders until the May 15th release date. What changed their mind? It apparently comes from “unfortunate recent retail issues in the UK and elsewhere in Europe which have affected preorder availability.” They aren’t calling out GAME, a high-profile UK retailer that recently came under administration (British for bankruptcy), but it’s pretty clearly related. Those still seeking the special edition are encouraged to order from the Rockstar Warehouse, though it’s also available at GameStop.

Did you think the music gaming fad was dead? You’re probably right, but not totally. Harmonix has got a new game in the pipe for PSN and XBLA, Rock Band Blitz. Despite the name, this won’t feature a full plastic instrument band. It’s actually played with a standard controller and is more of a throwback to Harmonix’s original rhythm games, Amplitude and Frequency. Comparisons to Rock Band Unplugged on PSP are also reasonable. The game will come with 25 songs, but could have a library of nearly 3,700 (over that byt the time the game launches this summer) depending on how much DLC you’ve bought for the Rock Band franchise. Not only will all of your previously downloaded content work in the new game, the 25 it includes will also be playable in Rock Band 3. The first five of the 25 songs have been announced:

Grasshopper Manufacture has had some great, if not completely successful, games over the years. This is mostly due to Suda51’s brilliant concepts, that sometimes just don’t make enough sense. Still Killer 7 was one of the games that really put Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture on the map and it’s a little odd for the industry that it’s been idle so long. Their newest game announced, Killer is Dead – 2013, may make you think that’s changing. But, despite the similarity in the title, the new game is an all new IP. The player is a prisoner, sentenced to death, who must kill his own assassin before the execution takes place. Suda 51 promises this will be in the spirit of Killer 7 and No More Heroes, a “dark side 007” with sexy ladies. The No More Heroes style swordplay also returns with some new elements in the mix. As always with Grasshopper, I’m looking forward to seeing more, even though I’ll never understand what I’m seeing.

The Sony version of Super Smash Bros. looks to finally have an official name. Previously going by the temporary moniker Title Fight, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale will get its official reveal and preview at E3 in June. wow, that name is a mouthful! Title Fight is a little too generic, but friendlier. While we still have to wait until June for official announcements, there are a few tidbits already known about the game. For instance, Kratos, Sweet Tooth, Sly Cooper, Nathan Drake, Colonel Radec, Fat Princess, and PaRappa are al expected in the melee. Expect to be brawling in levels based on Buzz!, LittleBigPlanet, Hot Shots Golf, and Sandstorm Village. BSR! will have a few ‘bots on the ground at E3, so expect to see more about this one the first week of June.

Still playing Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning? Want to be playing it, but you’ve done it all? Good news, more DLC is dropping this month. “Teeth of Naros” will feature an all new city, new enemies, new dungeons, new etc. Expect plenty of additional armor, weapons, and cards. The floating city, Idylla, is named for an ancient Troll god. The add-on will be available April 17th for 800 points ($10).

With the future of media consumption in constant flux, Netflix has had one solid advantage over Amazon Instant Video, availability on gaming consoles. That’s all changed this week with the service now available on PlayStation 3. It’s currently the only console running this service but I wouldn’t expect that exclusivity to last. Installing the app is simple to do directly from the XMB under “TV/Video Services.” The service currently boasts over 120,000 movies and TV episodes for rental or purchase. The real boon, of course, comes from Amazon Prime membership, allowing free access to over 17,000 videos. Prime membership is $79 per year and comes with a free 30 day trial. Signing up for Prime, full year or trial, can also be done directly from your PS3. One of may favorite parts of Amazon’s service is that buying many of their DVDs and Blu-Rays gives you temporary access to stream that same content immediately. So if you buy a new release, you can usually watch it streaming while you wait for your disc to arrive.

In addition to Epic Mickey: The Power of Two making its way to home consoles, the franchise is also going portable with Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion for Nintendo’s 3DS. Zombietron’s got full coverage with the press release. While the game does take place in Wasteland, it also harkens back to Mickey’s Genesis days as he’ll be squaring once more with Mizrabel in the Castle of Illusion (which has fallen into Wasteland). Gameplay seems to be equal parts sidescrolling platform (a la Castle of Illusion), paint and thinner mechanics (a la Epic Mickey), and incorporating player drawings (a la Drawn to Life?). Is it weird that I might be more excited for this one than its console brother?

Few things can make an old fart like me grin as much as this one. It probably doesn’t hurt that I’m listening to The Muppets Soundtrack as I’m doing this column. Anyway, Wayforward Technologies and Majesco have announced a reboot of their Double Dragon franchise from 1980’s. Thankfully the reboot isn’t an update in the same way GRIN attempted with Bionic Commando. Instead, Double Dragon: Neon is an old school, side-scrolling, beat ’em up. Just how retro are they going to go? Neon health bars with synth and guitar solos for the soundtrack. Billy and Jimmy Lee will be brawling down Adobos on PSN and XBLA this July. Pricing is not yet announced. I guess we’ll find out at the end if you still have to fight your brother or not.

It’s no secret that the ‘bots around here have been huge fans of Marvel [Zen] Pinball. We’ve been eating up every table on release day since the game launched. The next table to hit is going to be no different. World War Hulk will be the first table released in the Avengers Chronicles set. When the Gamma Giant returns from involuntary exile, it’s a bad time to be Illuminati, X-Men, or the Fantastic Four. This table will be dropping sometime this spring, with the remaining tables in the set (The Avengers, Infinity Gauntlet, and Fear Itself) soon to follow.

Amidst the uproar about the ending, Ray Muzyka (Bioware, co-founder) has unveiled the plans for their tweaks to the ending of Mass Effect 3. The Extended Cut DLC will be free and releasing this summer. In what seems to be a case of severely missing the point, it appears the only extension will be additional epilogue scenes, rather than addressing the most vocal concern: that the choices that supposedly mattered really didn’t. According to Muzyka, “Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans and we are responding. With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team’s artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe.” I still haven’t decided exactly how I feel about the whole controversy, but I’m already inclined to think this won’t actually satisfy (or silence) the critics. I’ll still wait and give it a fair shake this summer, which is probably about the time I’ll be finishing my Insanity run, if I can even make it that far. Arse-bot has covered this a little more extensively. I think we disagree on a few key points, but I can’t really explain why.

The media releases for Aliens: Colonial Marines have been releasing at a steady clip. It’s about time too. Hasn’t this game been in development for at least a decade? Then again, who cares when it looks this aweseome? Check out the videos Zombietron’s posted.

Are you still having trouble with glitches in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? Bethesda is rolling out patch 1.5 to help. There’s the obvious glut of fixes for stability and abnormalities that, generally, have seemed to improve the way the game runs. But, for those that haven’t actually had any problems, there adding a few things for you as well. For the full list of bug fixes, check out Bethesda’s blog. For the short list of other tweaks:

As revealed a few issues ago, four new maps for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception are coming soon. Two of the four, Graveyard and Old Quarter, were revealed at that time. The other two are London Streets and Oasis. London Streets is a bar brawl at the Pelican Inn. Oasis is a Bedouin camp. All four maps will have dynamic events that Naughty Dog is keeping under wraps for now. The pack will be available for $9.99 on April 11th. It does come free with the Fortune Hunter’s Club. Speaking of which, if you want to join that club you’ll need to do so by April 17th. If you’re still planning to get all of the DLC for this one, you’ll want to join the club by that date in order to get the best deal.

Finally, that seems to be it for the week. Check back Tuesday for all of the weekend’s updates.

In anticipation of the April 10th release of ASTONISHING X-MEN: DANGEROUS on DVD, we got these previews of the next installment of this disc.

I think this looks great and I’ll be back with a review this week.

You can order this on Amazon here.