Atlantica Online

Aside from comic books, one of my interests is playing PC games specifically MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs). Ive tried almost everything from Ragnarok Online to FF to World of Warcraft, etc. I was browsing through comicbookresources.com and saw the advertisement for a new free MMORPG. Now, I usually just ignore the ads whenever I see one for another mmorpg as there are practically tons of them out there right now.

But as they say the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Seeing that it offers a unique take on mmorpgs, being a strategic turn based type in contrast to the standard (beat-em-up style and potions all you want) style out in the market, isactually what made me click that link which eventually directed me to the games website. I browse around the site trying to decide if this game is actually even worth my time. The graphics, based on the screenshots, is top notch and the concept is very much appealing. So I decided to download the installer (the file is quite big >2.0GB) and give it a try.

The game feels very much like a typical console RPG (which is a good thing) where there’s a lot of quests to be done and levelling is not much of task as I was able to level up without even noticing since I was having a lot fun completing the quests. And when I say there are a lot of quests, believe me as there’s really a lot which keeps the game fresh and entertaining. Partying up with other users is also a lot of fun and the battle system (turn based) is actually what makes this game shine. The graphics will definitely invite you to try it but its the gameplay which is going to hook you on. The game publisher (ndoors) is so confident that users will like Atlantica Online that they even have an offer to buy your character (in cash) if you happen to don’t like the game.

The community is very friendly and helpful as well. Different people from different countries playing the game and having fun at the same time. The lag is non-existent which is surprising since the graphics is really good. The game is really fun and there are a lot of events happening round the clock (Betting Arenas, PVP, Treasure hunt, etc.)

In conclusion, I really liked this game and this would probably be keeping me up all night for quite some time. I strongly MMORPG fans to try this game out as not only is it going to be free (forever) but it even boasts a great battle system, full of content, great community and very professional handling by the management. Before I go I’m leaving you with an in game screenshot of my archer (I’m still at level 18 after 2 days) and I hope we can someday have an adventure together in game. Click on the image to enlarge.

Action Comics 869 Recalled?

Last week saw DC pulling out the All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #10 from their shipping list due to printing errors. But that’s actually only one of the three which has been pulled out from their original shipping schedule last week, the other two is Action Comics #869 (part 4 of the much anticipated Brainiac arc) and DCU Decisions.

To those thinking that the reason Action Comics #869 was pulled out was because it contains swearing like All Star Batman #10, couldn’t be more further from the truth. The two covers below, one from the solicitation and the other one the actual cover shows the reason. Click the pictures to enlarge.

To those who can’t see the difference with the two pictures, the first one (the original image) shows Superman drinking beer with his dad while the edited one shows them drinking soda.

Just goes to show how much the publisher cares about Superman’s image (they won’t allow him to look cool, not even in the cover). I think the people in DC Comics would make for good publicists.

As to the reason why DCU Decisions was pulled out, no word on that yet.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is a Skrull

Secret Invasion issue 6 just came out and as I was re-reading issue 5, I noticed something that I didn’t notice when I first read it. There’s one splash page there showing some notable and known figures such as Obama, John Mccain, the pope, Oprah, a southpark character (Kenny?), Paris Hilton, etc. One of those figures is the President of the Philippines saying that “the earth is now part of the skrull empire”.

Now, to those of you who don’t know, Leinil Francis Yu is from the Philippines and he just included the President of the Philippines as one of those people taken over by Skrulls. This can either be a great thing-Leinil showing his admiration for the President by including her in there-or this just shows Leinil’s utter disgust for the current government. Anyways, here’s an explanation from Leinil’s deviantart site regarding this matter. Click the pic below to see who else is a skrull.

All Star Batman and Robin #10 recalled due to cuss words in the comic

We knew this was coming to Frank Miller’s All Star Batman one of these days. It seems that there were problems during printing and some of the cuss words weren’t shaded out properly. Click on the pics for larger versions. Click here for more on the story.

Motion comics

Are motion comics the next big thing in the evolution comic books? Last July, MTV announced that they’re bringing Robert Kirkman’s Invincible series to our mobile devices and even included a trailer in their website. Warner Bros. also did something similar and had the first chapter of Alan Moore’s Watchmen motion comic available for download free on the itunes store. No need to wait for the decision on the lawsuit filed by Twentieth Century Fox against Warner Bros. as you can enjoy the whole series the motion comics way. Now, the question for comic fans is- are motion comics the future of the medium?

The Incredibles Sequel

There will be a sequel but not in the big screen. Boom! Studios has recently partnered-up with Disney/Pixar and will be producing a new line books targetted for the kids (or the kids at heart). Among the list are the Incredibles, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Cars, Monsters, Inc. and Wall-E.  The Incredibles will be written by comics great and Boom! Studios’ Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid with cover arts from Darwyn Cooke. I’m so excited for this! Clicko for the more on this.