I don’t want the post slug to mislead, but this is a pretty cool phone.
First let’s start with the important stuff:

Specs:

• Resolution: 768 x 1280
• Processor: Quad core 1500 mHz (SnapDragon S4 Pro)
• Memory: 16gb SD included
• RAM: 2 gig
• Camera: 8mp

Impressions:
I think I’m most impressed that LG brought a solid gimmick-free phone. With a quad core processor and 2 gigs of ram you truly do feel the difference. Even in a non LTE area I was downloading and installing larger apps within 3 seconds. The Camera takes gorgeous high resolution photos, the video is sleek and crisp, and believe it or not, the battery lasts a reasonable amount of time.

Even with all the positivity I will admit there were times I wondered where my Galaxy SIII was hiding, but there was no actual reason aside from emotional attachment to my shiny red beauty. The Optimus is definitely thicker than some of it’s competitors but does a phenomenal job in masking that with it’s great design.



The display, while being crisp and clean does not compare to the Galaxy SIII. I feel like I’m making a sort of no-brainer statement as it’s rare that any device does, but it makes a great attempt at the competition.

The launcher that LG provides has unique items built in that you would generally only get through a custom launcher such as Nova or GoLauncher. My favorite example would be the home screen animations. You can choose multiple transition styles as you move from screen to screen right out of the box with no additional software to download. I’ll concede that for some how your screen animates probably isn’t a huge deal. I, however, find the fact that LG is consistently trying to set themselves apart refreshing.

Battery wise I spent four days carrying the phone as my companion, and the 2100 mAh battery held up against my use. Multiple emails, calls, texts and what have you gave me identical time to the other devices in my arsenal. Even starting my day by listening to music for two hours didn’t stop the phone from giving me 8 solid hours of use before giving out. Quite an accomplishment.

If you’re looking for something to stand out against the sea of Samsung’s, iPhones and what-nots, you will not be disappointed by the Optimus. I constantly found myself asking, “when did LG start making great phones?!” The Optimus launches Friday, November 2, and trust me when I say this, quad core is better.

Score

• Processing: 10
• Battery Life: 7
• Display: 7
• Design/Feel: 9
• Features : 10
• Overall: 8.6

It’s Monday and your coffee isn’t quite doing it, I know because mine isn’t either. That’s ok folks, you have nothing to worry about because for a scant $.99 you can team up against other people, in an experience so funky you won’t know what to do with yourselves.

The best way I can describe Funky Smugglers is a skill-based game, similar to Fruit Ninja. You are an airport security scanner, and your “clients” are walking through the x-ray machine with items on their person. Your mission is to avoid the green items, and snag all the reds and throw them out of the machine before the other side is reached. All the while gathering combos and power-ups to keep the game interesting. Best of all, you get to do it to funk music.

Keep the green, ditch the red

Funky Smugglers is great for a quick time waster, and definitely has a challenge tied into it. The first few levels will teach you what you need to know, but the finger movements become much trickier as you progress. Pretty soon you’re dodging and weaving in between scissor storing afros, and suitcases with bombs stashed right next to teddy bears. Touching the teddy bears will of course cost you a life, and missing the bomb will do much the same. No game like this would be complete without power-ups, and Funky Smugglers runs the gammit. You can snag a magnet (which pulls all the red items to you), speed up which makes everyone move quicker and lets you grab higher combos, or slow down which will then let you take your sweet time to gather those massive combos.

Is that a plunger in your hair sir?

The final piece of Funky Smugglers I like is the vs setup. Instead of challenging your friends you choose a side, and your points build up for that team. Today’s choice, Aliens Vs. Predator, and as you can see below the Predators were getting smashed. The first week it was out, you would do Droids vs. Apples, and I’m sure more ideas will come out down the road.

Aliens Vs. Predators, yeah this is happening

Either way this game is a blast, and I recommend dropping the buck whether playing on Android or iOS. Good luck with Monday, and enjoy the game.

Warning: there are spoilers in this review.

This episode gave us the thrilling conclusion of the Onderon arc. It saw plenty of action, suspense, drama, and references to other pop culture franchises. Once again, our patience through the build-up and context of the entire arc paid off. At the beginning I really couldn’t care less about the fate of Onderon or it’s people, but after this fourth episode, I was invested fully.

The episode was absolutely gorgeous, and the look Onderon has echoes of movies like Casablanca or Raiders of the Lost Ark in the market scenes, but also the look of an exotic western through the battle scenes. There were also hints of classic Star Wars in there, too, with lines like “Yeah, but what good will that do us if (s)he gets (her)himself killed.”

And how could we not discuss the new Cylon Raider-like warships the Separatists are marching out in the war to smash the rebels of Onderon? They even say, “By your command.” I couldn’t have been more giddy as a pop-culture loving geek. And you all noticed the Empire Strikes Back like shot, right? Where Lux and Steela are kissing in the foreground with Ahsoka, the real point of the scene, looking on in the background. It was just like the Carbon freezing chamber with Vader and Fett in the background and Han and Leia staring sadly and sweetly at each other in the foreground.

But this episode certainly has a dark side, and it’s that dark side that makes this, perhaps, my favorite episode of the season so far.

You see, this is Filoni and team toying with us.

In this episode, Steela Gerrera meets her fate, sacrificing herself as a martyr, but there is a significant effort to save her that will have an emotional cost for all of her comrades, especially her brother, Saw. You see, Saw fired the shot that took down the Separatist ship that crashed into Steela’s perch, dangling her precariously over a chasm. Lux Bonteri (the object of Ahsoka’s secret desire) tries to pull her to safety but slips, only to be saved at the last minute by Ahsoka and her mastery of the force. She then sets her sights to Steela herself, but is shot in the back by the barely functioning, crashed ship.

Ahsoka goes down and Steela goes down.

It’s a tragic moment that instantly flooded my tear ducts with concern. Had Ahsoka and Steela both perished?

I forgot entirely that Ahsoka is already slated for more episodes and I thought she might have just been gone. When she got up, baring a wound on a shoulder I realized what had happened, but there was still that split second where I couldn’t be sure. This is what Filoni and team is going to do to us, as often as possible between now and the eventual time her fate is decided.

Will it be death? A turn to the dark side? Leaving the Jedi order?

We have no idea and Filoni and team are going to put pressure on those expectations until the thing we expect least is what’s going to happen.

Seriously, this episode packed a wallop and I couldn’t be more happy with how it ended up. This episode was balanced with the right mixture of angst, drama, and action. More like this, please.

Released in 1987, Lost Boys is the crossbreed of a teen flick and horror film that reveals a bloodsucking biker gang and their rampage of Santa Clara – a city filled with gothic teens, mullets and missing person’s fliers. Single-mom Lucy (Dianne Wiest) and her two sons Sam (Corey Haim) and Michael (Jason Patric) move to the city to live with their grandfather (Barnard Hughes): The Old Fart who uses Windex as an aftershave.

Lucy gets a job from video-store owner Max (Edward Herrmann) and starts to date him while her boys learn more about he vampire-infested city. Sam meets Edward & Allan Frog (Corey Feldman & Jamison Newlander) who are, “Fighters for truth, justice and the American way.” The two boys are obsessed with vampire hunting, a trait that turns out to be very useful.

While Sam learns basic defenses against vampires, Michael becomes the local vampire biker gang pet by falling for one of their victims: Star (Jami Gertz). Vampire leader David (Kiefer Sutherland) tries to seduce Star as he uses peer pressure to trick Michael into becoming a vampire. Soon it’s up to Sam and the Frog brothers to save Michael and destroy the vampires.

Lost Boys features a healthy dose of gore from the slaughtering of vamps while boasting a hip attitude; the tagline to the film says it all, “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.” These vampires sleep upside down like a bat in a cave, light on fire when introduced to the sun, have no reflection and have their flesh burned with holy water. Some of the gory ends to vampires come with stakes through the heart while more comedic ends see death by stereo. The ‘80s teenage vamp flick is far from frightening but it is a classic and entertaining movie.

I read a lot of comics every week. So much that it can be hard to peg down a review for each one. Then I realized we live in a world where people can express their thoughts in 140 characters or less, so why can’t I (give or take a few letters)?  These reviews may or may not be a bit spoilery. You’ve been warned! Welcome to the first installment of… Gut Reactions!

Kamen Rider Manga #1: No other book this week has their main character fight and kill both Spider-Man AND Batman! (no relation) Legal digital manga is cool.

Bravest Warriors #1: Pendleton Ward could spit a concept onto a napkin and I’d probably enjoy it. Now we have another great all-ages book in the vein of Adventure Time.

Batman Incorporated #4: Maybe this iteration of Jason Todd will stick? At least he’s kinda sorta part of the Bat Family again. New 52 screwed this series, though.

Amazing Spider-Man #696: Hobgoblin vs. Hobgoblin to the death… until they realize they can kill others together!  I enjoy this book more than I should, I think.

Talon #1: Talon gets his own Alfred (albeit with much more of an edge), a costume, and a purpose. This is definitely a book to watch.

Ghost #1:  I really like Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Captain Marvel, but this doesn’t do it for me. Ah well. Not bad, just not for me.

The Shadow #6: Not especially thrilled with the WWII/Enola Gay comeuppance. I wish I enjoyed this book more than I do. I dig The Shadow, but not here. Awesome cover, tho.

Teen Titans #13: The origin of Wonder Girl in this issue is something I’d feature in one of my Secret Origins columns, but only to make fun of it.

Flash #13: I am intrigued by the portrayal of the Rogues here. Grodd is a bit too vicious for mehere, but hey, he is a humongous super-intelligent gorilla. He can do what he wants.

Firestorm #13: This read like an old-school comic in a good way. I hated this book when it started. That opinion has changed for the better.

A-Babies Vs. X-Babies: A fun little parody of the whole A Vs. X brouhaha. This book is worth it for the double-page splash alone. Loved all of the visual gags.

National Comics Madame X: I love these one-shots DC is doing, they all rule so far. I hate that they are one-shots. This issue would make for a good TV show. Get on it, DC/WB/CW/random letters!

FF #23: I’m really, REALLY going to miss Hickman on FF/Fantastic Four. This very fitting ending makes me want to re-read the entire run again.

Superman #13: Hey, remember Clark Kent? He’s in this issue! And he quits the Daily Planet to become a bum or something! Exciting!

Star Trek TNG/Doctor Who #6: I like this series, but it’s taken this long to get to any semblance of action. You can only geek out so much before you need the plot to actually move.

Invincible #96: A terrible jumping on point, but long time fans like, get a lot of interesting developments this issue. I seriously wonder what the heck #100 will bring, though.

And there you have it for this week. Agree? Disagree? Too brief? Let us know what you want out of this column!

I’m going to start a drinking game based on “American Horror Story: Asylum.” It’s called Scarred for Life, and you drink every time you see something . . . yeah, you get it. Tonight’s chug moment: James Cromwell caressing his be-boxered junk. And, yes, I yelled “THAT’LL DO, PIG” to no one.

We got a lot of character backstory tonight, as is typical with the show’s modus operandi. Shelley gave a bizarre monologue detailing her reasons for internment, and I’m not sure if it was the writing or the retro-melodramatic delivery that resulted in me not caring about the character more. Dr. Arden’s disgust at Shelley was later contradicted, because of course he likes hookers, and of course he likes them to dress as nuns. Right? Dr. Arden’s date for this episode discovered a box of pictures that included hogtied women in habits (drink) and what I think was probably severed body parts.

Dr. Thresden joined us tonight, and it is apparent he will be the show’s moral barometer. I know the term is normally “compass,” but I feel that this character will be manipulated by the atmosphere rather than set the standard for good or evil while remaining well intentioned. He assisted in an exorcism tonight, which not only set a forward motion plot for the show as a whole when a demon jumped into Sister Mary Eunice, but showed us that Sister Jude used to be a red dressed harlot who killed a child while driving drunk one night (the shot of that kid? Drink).

I don’t watch AHS for social commentary or deep thinking. I watch this show because it’s just so damn pretty. The cinematography and lighting continue to be breathtaking. The introductory shots of Dr. Thresden were staged and lit as if to be filmed in black and white, and had they not had the muted tones of the asylum I would have been transported back to a 1960 propaganda film. A shot of Jude in prayer showed Jessica Lange as young and glowing. The overcasts in the asylum sets are glowing and saturated, and as contrast the shots of Dr. Arden in his home are mossy and muted. The show has style in spades.

Our present day honeymooners were only shown at the beginning of the episode, and poor Leo met a grizzly fate at the hands of Bloody Face. I’m still not seeing a tie in here, and I hope that by episode three it has more purpose. If the series ends with a character from season one as present day Bloody Face I will literally eat a shoe and also not watch season three.

The fourth episode of this season takes a giant stylistic detour from what we know of Supernatural, but perhaps gets a little too zealous with its ambition to be relevant. Sam and Dean are minor characters in this episode, which will undoubtedly upset many fans, and the hand held filming will absolutely push away the rest.

The episode centers around three college kids – Michael, Brian, and Kate. Brian and Kate are film nuts, while Michael is the easy going friend. Kate, unfortunately, is in love with Michael and Brian’s love of her remains unrequited. Werewolvian hijinks ensue in an easily decipherable plot, and the characters play out in a contrived “Lord of the Flies” analogy. At one point, Brian tells his good looking friend that he’s tired of being the “Piggy,” and had the statement not been repeated, or perhaps if the analogy hadn’t actually been introduced as part of the plot, the scene would have been touching. These actors were far above par when it comes to Supernatural guest stars, however, and they made enough “secret lover” jokes at Sam and Dean’s expense to indicate that the episode wasn’t taking itself too seriously.

The final act was a great redeemer, in that the theme of duality that has been rampant in the Winchesters’ relationship seems to be resolving. Dean, always the brother who sees a monster in black and white, agrees with a typical Sam view; the Big Bad didn’t choose to be that way, and didn’t hurt a human. The hunt will cease this time.

The camera work on the show was a deal breaker. It felt heavily contrived to bandwagon on the current “Paranormal Activity” trend of reality filmmaking. Supernatural doesn’t have to do that. Stand-alone episodes are fine, but this one felt that it was written for a trend more than a story. There was of course a pseudonym in-joke (Agents “Rose and Hudson” are perhaps my favorite of the show, if only because it makes it OK that I might be the only Supernatural fan old enough to get the joke), but the brothers’ feature scenes in acts two and three only focused on fan pandering. The fan in me liked that, but the writer in me knows that is lazy creativity.

I’m a little bit sad that the first review I do for this site is for the episode I will without a doubt skip when I buy the season eight blu ray. I am a huge fan of the show, but this episode was a proportional disappointment.

The armor that started it all. Iron Man Mark I. This particular Hot Toy is the second release of this armor. Most notably it has an improved head sculpt. Standing at just over 12 inches, this bad boy makes a statement on your shelf. Over the past few years I have collected quite a few Hot Toys. The first I had ever seen was the original version of this figure, and I had always regreted not picking him up. Lucky for me, Hot Toys did this new release.

First and foremost, the details on the Mark I are incredible. Underneath it all is Tony with denim pants and his leather welding jacket. Tony’s new head sculpt is the best I have seen thus far. Shielding him from the bad guys using Stark weapons is a layer of very detailed metal (plastic) plates. Plenty of tiny little details, springs and wires. Lots of extras for interaction. The Mark I’s chest and a red LED on his forearm light up. Hidden missles and a brand new base.

All in all this is an amazing figure. Definitely in my top three. 10 outta 10 and all that jazz. If you are looking for a way to show your love to Iron Man. I recommend you pick this one up. They are a little hard to find, I recommend trying out the Secret Compass before they sell out.

How about a little more inspiration to buy one:

Thanks to Team 17 and Evolve PR for the review copy

I remember spending hours side-by-side with my friends trying to master the ninja rope, while blowing them up in the most creative ways I can discover. Seeing a remake of this for Xbox live seemed like a no-brainer purchase. I love worms, and they love me, or at least they say they do in between games, and sometimes while I dream…

Brass tacks, this game is a touch on the expensive side, but phenomenal to play. It has a sharp sense of humor, great arsenal of weapons, plenty of replay value, and solid multi-player. For those that haven’t played any games in the Worms franchise, I’ll try to describe it for you. You have a team of 4-8 worms, that you use to battle in a specific order. The goal is to kill your opponents worms with whatever pieces of the environment, or weapons at your disposal. The game play is similar to scorched earth (if you played that pc game 20ish years ago) meets a side-scrolling plat-former. That is a rough description, but truthfully for a unique title like worms, that’s about the best I have.

Basics:

This is not a hardcore action packed shooter. Worms is a zany game of chess, where your character placement is just as important as your weapon selection, and environment use. On the outside you can simply play worms for zany explosions and laughs, and if you choose to go deeper, there is plenty of depth for strategy, puzzles, and online practice.

Ledges leave you vulnerable to air-strikes, or water bombs

Soundtrack:

It’s a basic soundtrack with goofy worm voices (which you can change as you progress through the game), light music, and great explosions. Overbearing music would have ruined the point of Worms so the light music fits perfectly.

Gameplay:

I cover this lightly in the basics section, but it plays like a side-scroller meets scorched earth. Teams take turns worm by worm, selecting a weapon and firing at one another attempting to destroy the opponents team members. Of course it wouldn’t be any fun if you were simply playing on a flat surface, so you have weapons like the ninja-rope, blow-torch, gurders, and teleporters to help you navigate the landscape efficiently, or manipulate it to your advantage. Environmental hazards such as water barrels, acid containers and land mines, give another angle to attack by trying to push your opponents into the hazards. I spent one game trying to get my worm out of a pool of water, while he slowly drowned. Poor fella. You’d think that’d be all to the game play spectacle, but you’re wrong. Unlike previous games in the series, Revolution introduced classes. Now you can have 4 different types of worms that you unlock as you progress through the story. The Scout is fast and wiry, but has much less life (he can also jump farther, and get away from timed weapons better than his comrades). The Heavy is slower, but has a ton of HP and can’t be poked and prodded around as easily as his counterparts. The Scientist provides a health bonus to his team, and can produce better weapons for combat. Last but not least, the Solid is your general all around worm, decent HP, decent movement, and utilizes weapons well. This is the biggest addition to the worms series, and truthfully gives it the depth it needs. Not only do gamers get to utilize their skills with different weapons, and manipulation of the landscape to win, they now can build a team with different class set ups and use them to their advantage. This is an excellent change.

The new classes left to right: Soldier, Scientist, Heavy, Scout

Replay:

Worms is all replay value, the single player is pretty decent, and the puzzles are fun. But the real joy in this game is sitting down with friends and talking trash while you destroy them with the vast array of weapons. The entire drive for Revolution is the multi-player either on console, or on XBox Live. If you’re an unlockitall style junkie have no fear. As you progress through the various game modes you unlock costumes for your team, and of course new weapons of worm destruction. Worms is purely replay value.

Price:

It’s tough to balance the gamer and the cheap skate on this one. I love the game, but the price hurts a little bit. Coming in at 1200 Microsoft points or $14.99, I feel the game would be better suited at 800 points. Since I can’t change the price, it’s still worth picking up for anyone that needs a great competitive game to let off steam.

Summary:

Worms is a well put together fun filled strategy party. Adding online integration and a puzzle mode is simply the icing on the cake for a quality arcade title. I can only hope to see this hit mobile devices next to give me some Worms on the go. If you want a strategy game to demolish your friends online this is the game you should purchase. You won’t regret the zany combat.

Score:

• Graphics : 8
• Story : 8
• Replay : 10
• Controls : 9
• Sound: 9
• Overall:8.75

Our third episodic trip to Onderon brings us closer to the political conflict and sees something like a retelling of Robin Hood. A massive public execution is planned for the deposed king and Saw Gerrera (caught during a mission to rescue the former king) and the rest of the rebels, led by Saw’s sister Steela, hide in the assembled crowd, waiting to stop the proceedings.

After three episodes, we’re finally entrenched deep enough into Onderonian politics to give the episode a core of invested emotion that I haven’t felt before now. The scenes of Saw being tortured and interrogated were particularly well written and apt. I think everyone needs to be reminded that resistance can be patriotic.

We’re also shown Ahsoka’s side of the conflict, with her being forced into inaction by the Jedi code and council. It’s a wonderful microcosm of the internal conflicts Anakin has been forced to go through during his time as a Jedi on his path to Darth Vader.

To be honest, it makes me wonder if we’ll see Ahsoka falling to the dark side as opposed to meeting a mortal demise.

Watching this episode in HD, it’s a stunning reminder how far this show has come. There are beasts and pack animals in the backgrounds, and the backgrounds don’t fade in their detail. The costumes and new models for what are, in the grand scheme of things, disposable characters (like the new king or his general) are stunning. The coloring is fantastic and the lighting is incredible.

For me, my favorite moment of the episode was Ahsoka going off her orders and interfering in the rebels’ plight. It was one of those kickass moments that Star Wars does best.

But everything has gone for the rebels so far, and it seems like we’ve got one episode left, meaning we’re going to be in for a major sacrifice on the part of our primary cast. And if they aren’t laying down their lives, will they be laying down their ideals?

We’ll see next week.

I think this might have been the best of the Onderon arc so, far. It’s good, but I can’t wait until we can move on to the next arc.