Since Filipinos in general are quite fond of American culture, it’s no surprise we’ve taken to one of their iconic pop culture icons, Archie Andrews and his merry gang from Riverdale. I, as a young teen, used to collect the single and double digest versions of the comics and read them fervently like, I imagined, every other kid in the world was doing at the time. So imagine my surprise when I learned during my 8 year stay in Sydney, Australia that almost no one there has ever read Archie comics, with some people having never even heard of it in the first place. This got me to thinking, “Why then is the popular title and its characters so endearing to Filipinos?”

So what exactly is it about Archie that we, as Filipinos, relate to? How many of us can associate with living in a ‘Smallville’, USA type town, having milkshakes and burgers at the corner mom n’ pop store on lazy afternoons? How many can identify with having their own car to drive at such a young age? Or playing for the high school football team? Or better yet, having red hair and freckles? None too many I would think.

Going the more character-specific direction, let’s look at the lead character, Archibald “Archie” Andrews. Auburn hair and freckles notwithstanding, the most significant aspect in Archie’s life that I think not many people in the world can relate to is that he has 2 very attractive, young girls (3, if you count Cheryl Blossom) pining for his attention. Now unless your name is Jude Law, this seems an unlikely scenario for you. Maybe it’s because we Filipinos think and like to believe that “gayuma” indeed works! Ah but we all know that it’s because this setup is every man’s fantasy. I liked an observation I read about how Veronica and Betty, aside from the hair color, are virtually identical (looks-wise). So Archie is playing out the fantasy of having twin sisters and then eventually getting them to make out with each other. That is every man’s fantasy, right? Anyone? No?

Next up, we have Forsythe “Jughead” Jones. A total slacker (and hero, in my opinion) who wears a flippin’ crown and detests girls. Personally, I think Jughead is ace. He is a non-conformist who honestly doesn’t give a rats ass about what other people think of him. If he were into the female of the species he’d be a god among men. But then again, if the only girl chasing after you were Ethel Muggs then maybe I’d stay celibate myself. (For those who watched/read To Riverdale And Back Again, you all know that Ethel outgrew her adolescent unattractiveness and turned out to become a supermodel.)

Now for the infamous Reginald “Reggie” Mantle. Reggie is good-looking, athletic, talented, and according to some storylines, he’s also pretty well-off. Sure ol’ Reg can be a bit of a jerk, but you gotta admit, he’s pretty funny too. So why can he never get the girl (we all know girls love assholes, right)? Realistically speaking though, most dudes can lay claim to only about 1 or 2 of those attributes. So Reggie is probably one of the hardest to relate to and is testament to the saying that “looks aren’t everything” (nor is money, talent, or athleticism).

And now for ze ladies. Elizabeth “Betty” Cooper is the quintessential girl-next-door (no, not the Playboy-style girl-next-door).  She is pretty, sweet, smart, down-to-earth, and according to some renditions, has a Bo Derek “10″ figure to boot. So it really is a mystery as to why Betty is single and why none of Riverdale’s boys are after her. Maybe her breath stinks, did ya ever think about that? Hmmm?

Finally we have Veronica Lodge.  Veronica comes from a family of multi-billionaires and… Ok, wait,  let’s stop right there. If you can relate to that last sentence then why are you even reading this blog? Why aren’t you doing lines of coke with Paris Hilton right now? Hmmm now that I think about it, Veronica is Paris Hilton, only brunette, a bit smarter, and hotter. Ok I think I’ve given Paris a little too much credit and you know that’s unheard of.

Suffice to say, there isn’t much that Filipinos can relate to in terms of the characters from the comics. I guess I’ll try and be bold and say that what we Filipinos get out of reading the comics, besides the obvious escapism, is it strengthens our ‘romantic’ view of America. I am no elitist and wholeheartedly include myself in that as a kid, the only other country that mattered besides our own was the U.S. of A. So the Archie comics was nothing more than another link to the oh so greener pastures of the western world.

On an end note: Archie Andrews, why are you marrying Veronica Lodge???

Let’s face it, the Decepticons had way cooler names than the do goody Autobots. I mean, the name Decepticons is great in itself. So to coincide with the release of Revenge Of The Fallen (which I will see and probably not enjoy just like the first movie), here is my Top 5 list of Transformers baddies’ names. I never watched any Transformers cartoons past the 1986 movie so I only included characters that I actually know. [Note: All art taken from deviantart, click on preview for the full version: all credit goes to original artist.]

5. Bonecrusher

- wikipedia entry – Mean name, and a Constructicon to boot. He also gave Optimus a run for his money in the 2007 film albeit in the end, his head got skewered by Prime’s sword(!)

4. Scrourge

- wikipedia entry – Evil sounding name, nuff said.

3. Cyclonus

- wikipedia entry – I love hearing Orson “Unicron” Welles say his name when he was being ‘transformed’ from either Skywarp or Bombshell.

2. Starscream

- wikipedia entry – Love him or hate him, Starscream was a great name and an even more interesting character.

1. Devastator

- wikipedia entry – Most awesome name ever. Practically the only Decepticon the Autobots ran away from. I sure hope he’s meaner than he looks in the new movie. Click here to see what he OUGHT TO really look like in the movies.

Boredom has gotten the better of me yet again. I recently decided to get my hands on MAME roms once again and renew my collection. So this time I give you the Street Fighter game sprites themselves starting with everyone’s favorite US Air Force Emo, Guile. (photo by yours truly)

note: the sprites for Street Fighter II Championship Edition are essentially the same as with World Warrior’s except that Guile’s abs are bursting in CE. Also the Loss sprite from Super Street Fighter is the exact same as with CE. I’d add the other games Guile has appeared in but well, these are the only ones I have. So, tough.

The Street Fighter cast from SNK Vs. Capcom SVC Chaos

cover edits by yours truly

The new Batman: Arkham Asylum game is going to be out soon and after seeing the gameplay videos I have to say I’m looking forward to this one. It seems to have gotten right most of what makes Batman cool for me. Stealth, hand-to-hand combat, high-tech gadgets, and nice atmosphere. The only gripe I have as of now with this title is that it is set in just one location, Arkham Asylum. Nothing wrong with that but imagine being able explore the whole of Gotham City, jumping from rooftop to roopftop, racing down the streets in the Batmobile. It would be a batgeek’s wet dream come true

So as the blog title suggests, I think the best game design idea for a Batman title is to have what basically boils down to a Grand Theft Auto/Batman game. Other games like Saint’s Row & Godfather have tried to rip-off GTA and that’s because if you are going to copy any game design, why not copy one of the best?

Ok now just like GTA IV’s protagonist Niko Bellic, Bruce Wayne/Batman will have a central storyline to follow and play through but at the same time the side missions will be present. I would imagine the main story will have something to do with the Joker since he is everyone’s favorite villain or maybe even Ras Al Ghul. The side missions on the other hand could range from anything as mundane as preventing a mugging to going after the other less stellar villains such as Scarface or The Riddler. Of course the police will come into play and Commissioner Gordon will give you Batman the heads up on the different missions and crimes going around the city. I do like the idea that not the whole police force supports The Batman and so you as the Dark Knight cannot loiter around crime scenes when the boys in blue are around or else they will try to apprehend you.

Another idea I had was that you also have missions where you play as Bruce Wayne. Maybe you have to attend a charity ball or a meeting with Wayne Corp clients and these missions will act as infiltration type gigs. You know, go to the party, mingle, chit-chat, quietly slip away and plant bugs or eavesdrop on secret conversations? 

The GTA game formula is almost too perfect for the world of Batman. I would even allow the inclusion of Robin and Nightwing since this would allow for team-play of sorts. The only room for improvement would be the hand-to-hand combat system which is quite important but not superbly implemented in the GTA series. 

I am sure this is not the first time anyone has come up with this game idea but it’s so obvious that I’m surprised no one has implemented it. I am also aware the this is the formula that the Spider-Man games went for but that never worked to its full potential so I’m guessing it might have to be Rockstar themselves who will have to develop this Batman title in order for it to work. Fingers crossed. (I recently discovered a full Batman mod for GTA: San Andreas which just further strengthens my resolve that a GTA type game is the best direction for a Batman title – in fact any superhero will benefit from this game brand of game design.)

Actual scene from Bioshock developers 2K Boston’s offices after heavy rain forces their office ceilings to cave in.

OK I just saw Watchmen last night. Hmmmm. Well, there are some things that just don’t translate well to the big screen and Watchmen, I have to say, is one of them. It’s a shame as it was a really good read originally. I do have an opinion though as to why the movie didn’t do it for me. Watchmen, the graphic novel, is quite heavy in exposition and back stories, see? The movie pretty much translated the book in sequential order. The film makers did not condense that many parts (the movie runs for almost 3 hours!) and it really bogged down the pace of the film. I watched it with my female cousin who does not read comic books but loved the X-Men and Batman movies and she thought Watchmen was a very boring movie.

I think what makes the comic book ‘better’ is that with comics or any printed literature for that matter, if you sort of miss a bit of the plot, all you have to do is turn back a few pages and re-read. While watching the movie, I was always thinking, “Man, if I hadn’t read the book I’d be totally lost right now.”

So yes, the Watchmen movie is not great and is just ok. In fact I would say it’s a disappointment.  It’s stylish, violent, with some very good performances but do yourself a favour and read the book instead .

A few nights ago, I unbelievably experienced for the third time a ride in a taxi where the driver would fall asleep behind the wheel an uncountable number of times. To give a rough idea of what I mean let me recall the first time such an incident happened to me. It was in a cab ride home that took us through the busy, speedy roads of C-5. The taxi would jerk back n’ forth as the driver fell asleep and his foot would slip off the accelerator pedal. Sometimes we’d come to an almost complete stop much to the disapproval of the queue of cars behind us. Then once in a while when we had picked up speed again, Mr. Narcoleptic would nod off and then the taxi would proceed to swerve into another lane again much to the chagrin of the other motorists. I of course did my best to keep the driver awake and entertained by chatting to him but this hardly helped.

Some of you might be thinking, “Why the heck didn’t you just ask him to stop and then look for another cab?” To my defense, we were on C-5 and the chances of getting another cab there were quite slim. On the other hand I probably should’ve been asking myself “Would I rather wait an eternity for another taxi on the side of the road? Or would I rather stay in this coffin on wheels and die a horrible death?”

The next time I had such an experience wasn’t as bad, as this taxi driver only started nodding off a couple of times which some would say is a couple of times too many. The third on the other hand is where I drew the line. But for the first few minutes of my giving him directions to take me home, Mr. Rip Van Winkle, was pretty much falling asleep the whole trip! It got to the point where I really actually did ask him to pull over and let me out as I felt a real fear of getting into an accident albeit a very low-speed one. To top off the merry trip home he had the audacity to remark  ”Hey at the speed I drive, at least you know you’re safe!”

I do feel kind of sorry for these drivers as some do have 24-hr shifts which they take on out of necessity. But I reckon as a general rule, taxi driver or not, if you’re feeling drowsy behind the wheel you should pull over & take a 5 minute break to recharge yourself. If you don’t want to do this then at the very least, don’t take on passengers and just keep the number of lives endangered to a minimum, preferably just yourself.

Native 1080p (1920×1080) at 60fps!!!

Ok so I stole that byline from Gamespot but it’s too damn funny. So as most might not know, as I am also one to recently discover, The Golden Raspberry Awards, better known as The Razzies, is the counterpart to the prestigious Oscars. These awards honor the worst the movie business had to offer for the year. When I hear the words “worst” and “movie” in one sentence I always think Uwe Boll. For those not in the know the German director, Boll, is responsible for making some of the worst video-game movies ever. Now that’s saying something considering Mortal Kombat is regarded as one of the best in this genre! Some have said that Mr. Boll is our generation’s Ed Wood but that would be giving the Ed Wood, ‘Worst Film Director Ever’, major discourtesy. Anyway I’m happy to report that Uwe Boll is being given the Worst Career Achievement Award at this year’s Razzies, to be held on Feb 21. And now the nominees…

2008 Nominees for Worst Picture

• Disaster Movie & Meet The Spartans
• The Happening
• The Hottie & The Nottie
• In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege
• The Love Guru

MY PICK: The Happening (shockingly bad even by M. Night Shyamalan standards – he should’ve quite after The Sixth Sense.)

2008 Nominees for Worst Actor

• Larry The Cable Guy (Witless Protection)
• Eddie Murphy (Meet Dave)
• Mike Myers (The Love Guru)
• Al Pacino (88 Minutes & Righteous Kill)
• Mark Wahlberg (The Happening)

MY PICK: Mark Wahlberg (I didn’t get to see Meet Dave so I can’t vouch for Eddie. Mark though was atrocious in The Happening and I am kind of a fan so he must’ve been some kind of terrible for me to say that.)

2008 Nominees for Worst Actress

• Jessica Alba (The Eye & The Love Guru)
• Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Meg Ryan (The Women)
• Cameron Diaz (What Happens In Vegas)
• Paris Hilton (The Hottie & The Nottie)
• Kate Hudson (Fool’s Gold & My Best Friend’s Girl)

MY PICK: None (The only movie here that I’ve seen is The Love Guru & What Happens In Vegas. But between those two I would have to go with Jessica Alba. She’s never impressed me in anything she’s been in except for a bikini.)

2008 Nominees for Worst Director

• Uwe Boll (1968: Tunnel Rats, In The Name Of The King, Postal)
• Jason Friedberg & Jason Seltzer (Disaster Movie & Meet The Spartans)
• Tom Putnam (The Hottie & The Nottie)
• Marco Schnabel (The Love Guru)
• M. Night Shyamalan (The Happening)

MY PICK: Duh!

I actually disagree with a lot of these nominees especially in the Worst Actor/Actress categories. These unfortunate souls had to work with bad material, bad directing and worst (and in my humble opinion, most important) of all, bad editing. No matter what kind of talent you have or the gravity of your performance, ultimately it is the director and editor who decides which of your takes makes it into the final film. I also believe these nominations are decided by mere “Oh I find him/her like soooo annoying!” factor rather than the performance itself. Unfair methinks.

The rest of the nominees and categories can be found at the official website.

Here is a glitchy Electro House track I finished a few months ago. Heavily influenced by Zimbardo. I played this out for the first time at the last Deep Fried (Dec 13) and it went down really well considering Electro House isn’t the genre of choice at the event. Some final tweaks are in order but here she is anyway.

If the stream doesn’t work then download or stream it here