Mattel has been hard at work lately trying to meet the concerns of fans of the DC Universe Classics line. One of the initiatives to try and better meet demand is to offer “open stock” to online retailers. This is basically a solid case of a single figure. So if Shazam is doing really well, but Killer Moth isn’t getting any orders, the online retailers can adjust their orders and order a few more cases of Shazam without worrying about getting Killer Moths that there is not demand for. Unfortunately the Wave 6 and 7 chases will not be offered in open stock due to an error or some sort, but it is the intention of Mattel to offer the Wave 8 variants in open stock. This is really great news for fans who order online.

In addition to this news, Mattel also announced that they were able to redirect all remaining stock of the KB Exclusive Maskless Batman Beyond and Sonic Arm Cyborg to online retailers. The status of these figures was in question since KB Toys has gone into liquidation and the exclusives were difficult to come by in the first place.

Great news all around and its good to see Mattel trying to address the concerns of fans and correct some early mistakes in the line’s life.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Academy, for your consideration of Best Actor In a Motion Picture and In a Wrestling Ring, I reccomend Mickey Rourke.

After a command performance as over-the-hill wrestler Randy The Ram in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, he’s apparently going to keep the act up. Vince McMahon has invited Rourke to compete in Wrestlemania 25 on April 5. He announced such on the red carpet at the SAG awards Sunday night, see video here.

I really loved The Wrestler and thought Mickey was great inhabiting that character, so flawed but immediately likable. The very fact that he’ll be taking The Ram into the ring against Chris Jericho proves he deserves that Oscar more than anyone else in the category. Is Sean Penn going to keep doing speeches in character as Harvey Milk? Is Frank Langella going to keep talking like Nixon? Is Brad Pitt going to get progressively younger? NO! Mickey Rourke runs this.

Talk more in our forum about the Oscar Nominations

Squaresoft (these days known as Square-Enix) sure diversified itself after first leaving Nintendo. Even though their name is associated with some of the finest RPGs ever made, they set out to prove that they were anything but a one trick pony. During the Playstation 1 years alone, they released a modern-day themed RPG, a survival horror game (which was a sequel to said modern-day themed RPG), and no less than 5 fighting games (with only 4 of them making it to U.S. shores). The early years of the PS2 era saw them release everything from beat-em-ups, to racing games, and even a pro-wrestling game. If anything could demonstrate how far off the beaten path Square had gone, it’s this side-scrolling PS1 shooter. Other than a few key flaws, it isn’t a bad first effort, considering this came from the guys who made Secret of Mana and Romancing Saga.
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The FANtastic Exclusive is an annual event that I promote every year.
Here’s the rundown.
Four Horsemen Studios runs a series of polls that anyone and everyone is allowed to vote in.
The voting determines different aspects of an action figure.
After all the voting has completed, the Four Horsemen create an action figure based on the results of all of the polls.
They then offer this figure as their SDCC Exclusive for the year.
Traditionally several variants have been made as well and are sold as retailer exclusives on specific toy-related websites.

The rounds of voting determine everything from the actual character to its articulation and even the accessories that are included.

In this first round of voting we have a battle royale of 28 character designs from various original Four Horsemen properties. Some new and some old. All amazing! The top 6 left standing at the end of this round move on to the next winner-take-all vote.

Go here to vote!

The second of my twin reviews on the recent Castlevania games released, this one about the Wii game Castlevania Judgment, this one being not quite as lenient as it’s brother. Be sure to check out that review also if you haven’t already.

Ending Music: Dracula’s Castle Remix (Alucard’s Theme)
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In 2007, Valve wrapped up three of its newest and top FPS games into one package. Along with Half-Life 2, its first two episodes, and the multplayer classic Team Fortress 2, FPS fans also got Portal, which was a puzzle game in FPS form. Playing as a woman named Chell, and taunted by a computer AI named GLaDOS, it’s your job to test out the Apeture Science Handheld Portal Device. You move through a series of rooms, and you’ll have to make use of the portal gun to make it through each room and avoid tha hazards. Many of the rooms will involve a cube which you’ll have to make use of. It’s hard not to get attached to the cube. Even though it’s a short game, the darkly humorous story and crazy physics make it fun to play. Portal: Still Alive, an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive version of the game contains the original game and several new challenge rooms. There isn’t much of an incentive for anyone who already played through the original version, but at 1200 MS points ($15) this is perfect for those who have yet to play it.

Note: The standalone version of Portal is also available on PC for $20, as is the Xbox 360 version of the Orange Box.

Within the past decade or so, we Americans have seen a trend of comic book-based movies and adaptations from books all over the silver screen. In fact, it’s become so commonplace that we expect it now. If there not a summer blockbuster that isn’t based on a comic or a book, good or bad, then it hasn’t been a fulfilling year, has it? Even the success of Transformers has proven that other venues can be tapped for potential in the film industry.

So it’s only fitting that anime become the next big thing to be converted by Hollywood. And that’s got potential in and of itself, right?

Perhaps not as much as you’d think.

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