We Look At ‘Batman – Return to Arkham’

The Arkham series, hands down the best series of superhero games ever created. This series first began in 2011 with Arkham Asylum and then was followed in 2013 by Arkham City with Arkham Knight being its swan song. This game is certainly a game that all Batman fans should delve into.

Now Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are last gen games and they needed a little work. But the re release of these games as Return to Arkham is spectacular. They really have gone all out to make the games look beautiful.

Having all of these games on on one system is definitely a good thing. Plus the fact that this is a remaster means they actually went through the work of upgrading the game and making it as crisp as can be. Honestly I remember showing my mother Arkham City and her asking if it was a movie, so it proves that remaking the game with Unreal 4 will highly advance an already beautiful game. Looking at these images, it is clear that this new engine has done wonders for a game that already looked so realistic.

The added bonus is of course the DLC which did cost a pretty penny when the game was released.You get all of the DLC for these two awesome games in one package without any downloading. I actually don’t know if I picked up the DLC  If you loved the games earlier it will definitely be something worth picking up.

If you have for some reason passed this game up before I highly recommend picking it up! It is truly a game worth playing simply because it is the definitive Batman video game series. The series really does get better as you continue to play the games and delve deeper into the world that is so artfully created. Plus, Mark Hamill’s portrayal of the Joker is sublime and even though he is crazy, you end up feeling for him. His energy flows through the game and really affects Batman in interesting ways.

I honestly think that this is a good way to introduce to a newer fan to the world of Batman, as it really is a fantastic open world game. As the crew grew more bold, they made more and more explorable areas and besides who doesn’t want to be Batman!

Return to Arkham comes out on July 26, for the Xbox One and PS4. Get ready to come back to the Asylum and the City. The Joker is waiting. You can check out the trailer below.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow SN1 EP16 – ‘Legendary’

If you have not yet seen the season finale, due to channels not airing it when they were supposed to (that happened to me), be warned that this article contains major spoilers.

The Time-Master’s most powerful tool is destroyed, the Timeline is unclear, Rips’ family cannot be saved and Savage has escaped, with Kendra and Carter as prisoners, in a time ship gifted to him by the now defunct Time Masters. With all of that in mind, Rip returns the team to 2016, but having a little foreknowledge, returns them to a point months later than when he recruited them. They land in Star City, May 2016. The team is less than happy with Rip leaving them while the mission is unfinished. Rip’s next action will be to go to the Last Refuge, and return their younger selves back to the time line. The team discover that Rip never got off the ship with them as the Waverider pulls away. Rory mutters that he never did like that guy anyway.

Sara finds her dad (Paul Blackthorne) in Arrow HQ, babysitting the monitors. He breaks the bad news. While she was gone, Damien Darhk has caused them problems, not the least of which is that he killed Laurel during his prison break.

Over in Central City, Rory has wasted no time in finding a new partner, and we find him at the tail end of a successful bank robbery. This new partner, wielding the cold gun, shoots an unfortunate guard. As Rory sees it, this was unnecessary, as they were just about at their getaway Charger, and the guard was on foot. He heatwaves the idjit, collects the cold gun and hops back into the Charger, to find that his driver is now Ray Palmer. Ray wants to talk to Rory. In a parking lot away from the scene of the crime, Ray tries to apologise again for Snart’s death. Rory knows that it was all Snart’s doing, as he never did anything without a plan. Ray wonders if Snart’s plan was for the two of them to be partners, to look out for each other. Rory kinda looks like he might have puked a little in his mouth, until Ray explains that he wants to finish the mission.

At Martin’s house, he and Clarissa (Isabella Hofmann) are playing Trivial Pursuit. Martin won’t talk to Clarissa about what happened during the time he was gone, but he does say that he has left some very important work unfinished. The next morning, Martin and Jax return to the landing site with a Quantum Entangler, and meet Ray and Rory who have arrived with Ray’s radio beacon. A visibly upset Sara also comes back to the site and wants to know how they can get the WaveRider back.

On the WaveRider, Rip is reviewing recordings of his wife and son. And he is wallowing in his grief, no doubt about it. Gideon interrupts his pity party with the news that they have picked up a transmission from Star City 2016. When Rip gets off the ship this time, Rory pushes him, just to make sure. The team tells Rip they want to finish the job. Rip admits to having had no success in tracking Savage, but he also has not been involved in any bar fights, or put dwarf star tech into the hands of terrorists, or been turned into a scary angry bird monster. Rory interrupts “We got your point. Now get ours. That ship’s not taking off without us. You got that?”.

In Sainte-Lo, France 1944, Kendra has escaped from Savage’s ship, and runs into a young Sargeant who is hunting Nazis. She realizes that she has seen his helmet on the WaveRider, begs the soldier for paper and a pencil, scribbles a quick note and puts it inside the soldiers’ helmet. Although his name is never mentioned, hard core DC fans will no doubt recognize this young soldier as Sgt. Rock (Blair Penner). I had to look him up, lol, having come to my superhero geekery later in life. Savage uses him for knife target practice, and recaptures Kendra.

Once on board, a very pissed off Sara sucker punches Rip because he knew about Laurel. She wants to go back and save Laurel, but Rip insists that they can’t. Sara is subdued, and taken to her room. Jax knocks a soldier’s helmet down. Rip realizes it was in a different spot from where it was originally kept, due to chronometric repositioning. He examines the helmet closely, and finds Kendra’s note. They plot course for Sainte-Lo, 1944.

Carter has come out of stasis, but is disoriented, knowing only that he is going to kill Savage. Savage takes a vial of blood from each Hawk, while chortling about his plan, which involves the three meteorites that hit the Earth in ancient Egypt. He plans to activate the Thanagarian technology in the meteorites using their blood, to erase time and reboot it at 1700 BC. Only this time, he will be in control. He will be a God.

On the WaveRider, Rip goes to Sara’s quarters to explain himself. He knew that if he returned them to when they first met, not only would Darhk have killed Laurel, he would also have killed Quentin and Sara herself. This is a point in history that cannot change, so no matter how many times they go back, the outcome will always be the same. She is undone by this, telling Rip that she can’t do it without Laurel. Rip disagrees. “You are one of the strongest people I have ever met. Laurel may be beyond your help, but Kendra and Carter might not be.” She wipes her tears, straightens her shoulders and determines to help rescue the Hawks.

Gideon locates Savage busily trying to hijack a meteorite from the Nazis. Heatwave, Atom and White Canary keep Savage and the Nazis busy while Firestorm rescues the Hawks. Firestorm accidentally discovers his ability to transmute things when he grasps a rifle, and it crumbles to dust. As the team makes their way back to the WaveRider, Kendra is hit and recaptured by Savage. They have rescued Carter, but have lost Kendra. For the time being.
Carter is still confused, but as they are a little short on time, they need to know what Savage wants. He tells them about Savage’s plan to activate three Thangarian meteorites with vials of blood from himself, Kendra and Carter. Carter tells them that Savage plans to reset time back to ancient Egypt. Gideon provides some relevant surveillance video. The team realizes that they have seen one of these meteorites in 1958. While Jax is trying to figure out how he transmuted the rifle because that would be a handy tool, Stein realizes that Savage will need to activate the three meteorites in three different time periods to accomplish his goal. Jax thinks this is the craziest bad guy plan in the history of bad guy plans. Stein’s math shows that the three time periods will be 1958, 1975 and 2021, each one a year in which Thanagar and Earth align.

In 1958, Savage meets himself and gives himself a vial of blood. He explains what he wants himself to do with the meteorite and how.

The question of the day is how to stop Savage. Stein says they have to kill him when he is triply exposed to the meteorite radiation during the activation. At that point, Savage will become mortal, briefly, so that anyone will be able to kill him. They must split up into teams of two, one team per time period. All three teams must strike simultaneously.
Savage has taken the 1944 meteorite to a rooftop in 2021, and has Kendra tied up out of the way, but where she can see it all. Rip and Hawkman are in hiding, waiting for the right time to strike.

In Harmony Falls 1958, Heatwave asks Atom when he can kill Savage. Atom tells him that they have to wait for the meteorite to go critical.

In Norway 1975, Martin, Jax and White Canary are in place, watching their past selves find the nuclear warhead and take it to detonate harmlessly underwater. They wait for the third meteorite to be delivered to Savage, and for Savage to start the ritual.

Savage starts the ritual in each time period. Each year has its’ title bout, and each Savage has his ass handed to him. In 1958 it is Rory and Savage while Atom keeps the crazy angry birdmen minions busy; in 1975 it is Sara and Savage while Firestorm keeps the thug minions busy; and in 2021, Kendra has broken loose and hawked out, so she and Hawkman take Savage on while Rip keeps the trooper minions busy. In 1975, Savage breaks free of Sara, grabs a rocket launcher and fires at her. She doesn’t even flinch as Firestorm swoops in and destroys it. Savage tells her she is too late, but she retorts that “a Time -Master is never late.” She engages, gets behind him and breaks his neck. In 1958, Savage gasps “You can’t kill me, I’m immortal” Rory says “Guess you haven’t heard the news” and turns Savage into a crispy critter. In 2021, Carter is holding Savage for Kendra, she stabs him once, says “Goodbye….. my love” and stabs him again. Rip grabs the dying Savage. “Ah, you can feel it can’t you? Things are different this time. You’re mortal.” He twists the knife, but Savage sneers “and yet my death does not save the lives of your family. I may die, but you will live knowing that you failed to save them.” Rip throws him into a building transformer for good measure.

In 1975, Firestorm transmutes the meteorite into water. In 1958, the Atom shrinks the meteorite out of existence. The two teams rejoin the rest in 2021, where both Firestorm and the Atom try a repeat performance with the third meteorite. Unsuccessfully. Rip takes the meteorite on board the WaveRider with the intent to fly into the sun. There is a conversation via comms between Rip and the team, during which Rory admits “I don’t want to lose another friend”. Rip tells them it has been an honour to serve as their Captain, and the comms cut out.

While Rip is heading towards the sun, he closes his eyes and has a poignant vision of himself hugging his wife and son. My eyes got just a lil wet. He wakes out of his vision to say goodbye to Gideon, but the AI informs him that she is not ready to die. Having said a proper goodbye to his family, Rip decides that he isn’t either. They do some fast power rerouting, dump the meteorite into the sun, and time jump out of there to when the team realized he was gone. As they realize the meteorite and the WaveRider are both gone, the ship reappears. They enter the badly beaten up ship and Rip tells them what has occurred. Another notable moment happens as Jax notes that Rip could have been killed, and Rory says “you should have been. You’re a moron.” Kendra can’t believe it is really over. Rip says “for some of you, yes. But my journey, it seems is just beginning. The Time-Masters are no longer a going concern due to the destruction of the Oculus. Someone needs to be responsible for protecting the time line. Who better than a former Time Master and any of you who would like to join me.”.

The team are taken once again to 2016. Sara visits Laurels’ grave with Quentin. Lance tells her she needs to go with Rip because justice for Laurel will happen with or without her. Sara agrees that this time she will do it for Laurel.

Martin and Clarissa are playing Trivial Pursuit again. Martin tells her that he is going to decline the offer this time. Jax enters the house, and Clarissa and he convince Martin that Firestorm is meant to have a dynamic role in history. Clarissa seals the deal by telling him that she will always be there, waiting.

In a bar in Central City, Rory has asked Snart to meet with him, just to talk. Rory tells Snart that he just wanted to say something important that shouldn’t be left unsaid. He is obviously struggling, so Snart responds with “Mick, I don’t do touchy feely. You got something to say, say it.”. Rory manages. “You’re the best guy I ever knew. You may not think you’re a hero, but you’re a hero to me. Ya got that?”. Snart says “Yeah, I got it”, and watches Rory walk away with an odd expression on his face, not the cold Snart expression it should have been for that time. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part, lol.
Outside, Rip tells Rory that he can always bring him back to this time and place whenever he wants. So it seems that some times and places can be visited repeatedly.

In Star City, the team assembles, to Rip’s delight. But Kendra breaks the news that she and Carter will not be going. Carter adds that they want to start fresh. Kendra thanks them all. She wants specially to say something to Ray, but he stops her, saying that “this was meant to be. I wish you both nothing but the best.”. The Hawks take to the sky. As the team walks towards the WaveRider, they are halted by the sight of another WaveRider careening out of the sky. It lands hard and an unknown man steps out. This man approaches them, demanding to know if this is May 2016. When he is told that it is, he tells them that they are exactly where they told him they would be. And to not get on that ship. If they do, they will all be dead. Rory, immediately suspicious, wants to know who sent him. The man tells him, “You, Mr. Rory. You sent me.” WTF? Rip asks him who he is exactly, and the man introduces himself as Rex Tyler (Patrick J Adams), a member of the Justice Society of America.

Whiteout.

And so we have the shape of things to come. The Legends will take on the responsibility for protecting the timeline against those who would manipulate it for evil. And somewhere along the way, they will meet up with the Justice Society of America. Look for more DC heroes old and new, from Earth and Earth-2 to join our team in their adventures. Some will be just passing through, but I am sure that one or two will stay on.

Who would you like to see join the team on a permanent basis? Will Hourman be one of them? (Yes I had to look him and the JSA up too, lol). How about Sgt. Rock? Yes I know he died, but we are dealing with time travel here. I personally am rooting for Jonah Hex. I would love to see Leonard return, and he will, but he will only be passing through. The question there is, will there be a Captain Cold-Canary relationship again? I hope so. That was just getting interesting. And be sure to set your PVR’s for the big Crossover event next season – Supergirl, Arrow, Flash and the Legends!

Thanks for reading my ramblings! I hope you enjoyed my style, and I hope to see you all back here for the second season of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow! Meanwhile, check out the rest of the gang at Skatronixxx.com, and if you are also a Dreadful, be sure to take a look at my Penny Dreadful reviews.

A Review Of Tom Bale’s Book ‘See How They Run’

What would you do to keep your family safe?

Bale doesn’t waste time with unnecessary beautifications. With the first passages, the reader fully starts into the scary situation of husband and father Harry French, who sees himself face to face with psychopathic intruders. The masked men are searching for a particular man, called Edward Renshaw.

They are guessing Harry and his wife Alice stay in contact with him and threaten her and their new-born daughter Evie, to get information’s about him.

A mysterious parcel should have been send to their home, but none of them knowing anything about it. So the intruders left them alive, but now the true nightmare begins.

What does other readers say about ‘See how they run’?

‘See how they run’ was published on May 6^th 2016 by Bookouture and earned a lot of good reviews. Fascinated readers say, it’s a thrilling story which jumps from horrifying scenes to scenes and left them totally breathless.

My Résumé of the book

I’m not kidding – Tom Bale has created a gripping story that will definitely blow your mind. The way he described the scenes and the changes of the characters really got me good. When I first read the reviews of readers, I knew this book is going to be good, but not this good! I don’t want to spoil you that much, but from the first passage, Bale took me on a roller coaster of feelings. From the beginning, I felt in love with the characters and somehow I wanted to help them because they were so real. Their conversations and their actions were so real, so human.

Both of them, Harry and Alice were on their own run of trying to stay alive and protect their helpless little baby Evie from the psychopaths.

Harry is a family man who loves his wife and baby so much, that he would do anything for them to stay safe. Harry and Alice made huge changes during the story. At the beginning they were pretty anxious and vulnerable when they first met the intruders, but later they gained so much courage and strength.

“We will be watching you.” – Intruders to Harry and Alice

The antagonists, two men with horrifying mask are so well written. With Bales excellent style of writing and well thought-out character trait, he build believable and frightening antagonists that go to the core.

The plot is full of turns and twist, which makes this thriller a real nail biter and not for the faint-hearted. You never know which character you can trust and which not, because so many unexpected twists are happening during the story.

So, now it’s your turn to make your own opinion about this book.

Who is Tom Bale?

Tom Bale is a British writer which was born in 1966 in Sussex, as David Harrison. He grew up in Peacehaven and started writing when he was just seven years old. He finished his first novel at age fifteen. After several rejections and twenty years, he published his debut novel “Sins of the father” under his real name. His actual novel, a thriller and crime story called “See how they run”, was published by Bookouture in May 2016.

Michael Keaton Back In Talks To Star In ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

After initial talks didn’t get past the offer stage, Michael Keaton is now in final negotiations to take on a villain role in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Whilst the role hasn’t been confirmed, and Sony and Marvel are keeping their usual tight lid on these things, there’s a lot of speculation that he’ll be staring as the Vulture, one of Spider-Man’s most popular and recurring villains.

Spiderman: Homecoming is a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise – however, this time Sony will be partnering with Marvel to produce it. Amy Pascal and Marvel’s Kevin Feige will be producing, and Jon Watts will be sitting in the directors chair.

Tom Holland will be starring at Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He made his debut in the role during Captain America: Civil War, which has had an amazingly positive reception, and has just passed $1m at the global box office.

Other cast members include Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, and Zendaya has been cast as the main female lead. Tony Revolori and Laura Harrier are also on board.

Robert Downey Jr. is also confirmed for an appearance as Iron Man/Tony Stark.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is currently scheduled for release on July 7th, 2017.

 

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Casting Confirmed By Marvel Studios

Marvel Studio’s have confirmed their incredible cast for Thor: Ragnarok, and it looks incredible.

Cate Blanchett, two time Oscar Winner, will be joining the movie as the new villain Hela, along with Jeff Goldblum who has been cast as accentric Grandmaster.

Also joining in on the third Thor movie is Tessa Thompson, who has been cast as the hero Valkyrie, and Karl Urban who will be adding his talents as Skurge.

Returning cast for the new members to play alongside will be Chris Hemsworth, reprising his role as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as the trickster demi-God brother Loki, and Idris Elba as Heimdall, the Asgardian sentry.

And, in incredibly exciting news for returning Marvel cast members, Mark Ruffalo will be reprising his role of Bruce Banner/the Hulk – that’s excellent news, especially after his sudden departure at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Overall, the cast for Thor: Ragnarok looks incredibly solid, and it’ll be fascinating to see what the realm of Asgard holds for viewers this time.

Thor: Ragnarok is currently scheduled for release on July 28th 2017.

 

‘Preacher’ TV Series Starts This Sunday

And you thought Game of Thrones was the only thing you had to look forward to on Sundays…

Preacher, an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name, is the story of Jesse Custer, a preacher from a small town of Texas. He has taken over as preacher for his deceased father’s church – however, he’s torn between his desire to be a good man and to commit to his faith, and between his dark and violent past.

Playing the main role of Jesse Custer will be Dominic Cooper, also known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a young Howard Stark. Other cast members include Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare, Joe Gilgun as Cassidy, an Irish Vampire and Custer’s best friend and Ian Colletti as Eugene Root, the sheriff’s deformed son – also know as Arseface.

The show is scheduled for a 10 episode order, and has received mostly positive reviews from critics. It’s certainly an incredibly interest premise, especially when you look into the original comics stories and lore.

Preacher – Episode 1 airs May 22nd, 2016.

 

The CW’S Big Crossover: Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl

It’s time for the biggest crossover in CW history! Since Supergirl was moved from the CBS network to The CW, The CW now has four superhero shows. Arrow on Wednesdays, The Flash on Tuesdays, Legends of Tomorrow on Thursdays, and now Supergirl to be aired on Mondays.

Mark Pedowitz, President of The CW

During The CW’s upfront presentation on May 19th, CW president Mark Pedowitz officially disclosed that next season an epic four-show crossover is set to take place. “Next season, Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and now Supergirl will join forces in our annual crossover event, our biggest ever.” A round of applause please, for the words that will make our universe explode come that episode.

We already know that this is definitely an attainable possibility, having seen annual crossovers, starting with Arrow and The Flash. Both shows later crossed over with select members of Legends of Tomorrow ahead of its premier, and most recently The Flash crossed over with Supergirl.

Until Fall, I’ll leave you with this juicy, action-pumped trailer of the CW heroes.

What are your hopes for the upcoming season crossover? Did you like anything in particular during previous crossovers? Comment, share or like below. And as always, “Run Barry, run!”

My Love Story & Wedding Update!

It’s time for a special video update from our vlogger Aly ‘The Little Librarian’ as she provides us with an update on her wedding WOOOOOOOOOOO!!! You go Aly 🙂

Wolverine 3 Cast Adds Elizabeth Rodriguez

So it has been announced that Elizabeth Rodriguez (Fear of the Walking Dead/ Orange Is The New Black) to the cast they have not yet released what character Rodriguez will play but we do know it will be a “small but key role”.

 

But if the rumors that are coming out about the film are true about it being linked to the old man Logan story line we could see Rodriguez take up one of two roles either as Laura Kinney (X-23) this being linked to my article about Bryan Singer pitching a female Wolverine or we could see her play Maureen Logan’s wife from the comic books these are all rumors of course and we could see her play another part in the film.

Rodriguez is only another member added to an already growing cast which includes the likes of Stephen Merchant, Eriq La Salle and Elise Neal in as yet unknown roles. We also know that Boyd Holbrook (Narcos) is set to play the films main antagonist and that Richard E. Grant (Jekyll & Hyde) has been signed up as an unspecified mad scientist and Patrick Stewart as Professor X.

I for one am extremely excited to see this film when it is released in 2017 as I am a huge Wolverine fan and will also sorely miss Jackman’s portrayal of one of my favorite Marvel characters.

As always Bub for all your feral clawed mutant needs stick with @Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com.

Valiant Kick Starts Summer With 4001 A.D.

Publisher: Valiant Comics @ValiantComics

Story By: Matt Kindt

Art By: Clayton Crain  & David Mack

Lettered By: Dave Lanphear

Covers By: Clayton Crain, Tula Lotay, Ryan Bodenheim, Clayton Henry, Ryan Lee, Ryan Sook

Release Date: May 4th, 2016

Cover Price: $3.99 USD

Reboots, abrupt cancellations, and controversial turmoil is status quo for Marvel and DC at the moment. But much like famous sports teams that suffer rough periods, it is difficult to imagine they will remain that way. However, during this period of upheaval for the big two, independent publishers are offering up some of their best work. Valiant Comics is currently producing absolute gems. 4001 A.D. is their current summer hit crossover.

Primarily encompassing their science fiction success Rai, this event  ushers in the future for Valiant Entertainment. Their universe is easily accessible with little canon in which to be lost. In fact, I often suggest Valiant books for new readers and collectors. Harbinger and Bloodshot, two of the publisher’s flagship series will see their motion picture debuts beginning in 2017 via Sony Pictures.

All star writer Matt Kindt and artists Clayton Crain and David Mack bring the 41st Century character Rai to life. He was a government-like enforcer for “Father” an artificial intelligence that had laid waste to the Earth and lifted a utopian society New Japan into orbit. “Father” may be compared to an advanced Skynet from James Cameron’s Terminator. Rai has resisted his iron fist methods, and he finds himself cast to the dangerous and primitive lands of the Earth. In an ironic twist, the Earth is similar to the world of Mad Max filled with dinosaurs. With the help of other heroes like the immortal Eternal Warrior, he fights his way back to New Japan to face the ultimate tyrant.

In 4001 A.D. Kindt’s pacing is on point. The art by Clayton Crain can only be described as breath taking. The art could be a sole reason for the purchase. The lettering is by Dave Lanphear; it took some adjustment. Not because I didn’t like it, but it is much different from what I am accustomed. The issue overall is excellent.

If you are looking for an entrapping read with amazing art, 4001 A.D. does not disappoint. I admit that I am a huge fan of great stories, and I believe that Snyder and Capullo’s Batman was perhaps the best run of the past decade, but Valiant much like the aforementioned masters is producing tales in which you can easily find yourself captivated.

4001 A.D. art by Clayton Crain