Mongo Nation

Are there changes in store for your favorite heroes?

By Ted Hucklebuck

So my friend Pete Pelmo told me that a guy he knows is dating a chick who’s best friend’s sister knows a guy that delivers pizzas to Stan Lee. And he says that despite numerous statements to the contrary, the recent acquisition of Marvel Comics by Disney is going to have some pretty far-reaching implications!

In fact, nearly the entire Marvel Universe is expected to go through some pretty significant changes to better fit in with the Disney worldview. Following is an exclusive look at some of the classified new character designs that we can expect to see rolling out in 2010…

Wolverine

Wolverine will be the first superhero to undergo a Disney “Re-Imagineering” to make him more palatable for family audiences. For starters, his adamantium claws will be replaced with flowers that spring from his fists, gently reminding his enemies about the beauty of nature and the importance of recycling. While Wolverine will retain his healing power, it will henceforth work in the reverse. Wolverine will now be able to heal those around him rather than himself, with the power of love. Glorious, hairy, mutant love.

Rogue

Instead of absorbing other people’s powers, she absorbs other people’s companies. Zing!

Spider-Man

Spider-Man remains largely unchanged, except for a few minor adjustments. Most noticeably, his alter ego Peter “Parker” Tran now works as a Disney animator instead of a photographer. And he loves his job so much that he rarely dons his Spider-Man outfit. Most issues will follow Peter’s adventures working twelve-hour days at an animation sweatshop in North Korea without complaint, for the greater good of all the children and Academy Award judges that just have to have another new Pixar movie every six months.
Read the rest of this entry →

We go on location to the filming of the Friends porno! Hijinx ensue!

Lee Roy Meyer and New Sensations have a good thing going for them with all of these great spoofs they’ve been doing: Scrubs, 30 Rock (!), Seinfeld, The X-Files… They’ve all received the porno parody treatment. However, the one that really got our foxy field reporter Laryn Michael all excited (not like that, you pervert, I mean like actually excited) was the Friends XXX Parody, such that she’s such a huge fan of the show and all.

That and the fact that we didn’t tell her it was an adult Friends movie.

Ass, grass or gas… Nobody rides for free!

Have you ever been driving along in the middle of the desert, bored out of your mind, when all of the sudden a hot, scantily clad hitchhiker babe appears out the haze and flags you down?

Yeah that’s never happened to me before, either.

But what if it did?

Once again, we have the Suicide Girls to thanks for providing us a glimpse of what it’s like to be on a road trip with a sexy rockabilly chick who comes dressed for the heat and knows how to handle a stick shift (so you can keep your hands free for… other stuff!)

Movie that this makes me think of: Double Indemnity
Associated pervy quote: I hope you took out that insurance policy… On your upholstery!

Movie that this makes me think of: Planet Terror
Associated pervy quote: When you’re done with that shotgun, I’ve got something else for you to “pump”! Giggity!
Read the rest of this entry →

We talk to David Sobolov about being the Arbiter, Brutal Legend, and his new iPhone App!

By Jeremy Azeved

Voice acting in video games is an under-appreciated art that adds a tremendous amount of value to most of the games that we play these days. David Sobolov is a veteran of the craft that has appeared in over 40 games, often times playing the villain. You may not even realize it, but you’ve probably killed David Sobolov more times than you’ve had hot meals in your life!

We talked to David about what it’s like working in the industry and how the business of voice acting works. We also talked about his new iPhone app, “iMEvil“, and his roles in high profile titles like Halo Wars and Brutal Legend. What follows is a fascinating glimpse into a world that provides a human voice to the multi-billion dollar industry that we all enjoy on a daily basis.

CraveOnline: So you’re sort of like a video game celebrity. How did you get started in that?

David Sobolov: I’ve been doing voiceovers since about 1995. I started out doing cartoons. Some people that lived through the 90s would remember (Transformers) Beast Wars… I was Depth Charge in Beast Wars and I was Spooky Jar in Sabrina the Animated Series, I did Robocop, Spider-Man Unlimited…

Around 1999 the technology got to the point that you could have a lot of voice in games. And I did a game called Homeworld, and that kind of started it off. I’ve been doing video games ever since.

CraveOnline: The game industry has grown to a point at which sales have been outpacing movies and music in just a few short years. Have you noticed as much of a change working from the inside as we’ve seen from the outside?

David Sobolov: Yeah, especially with the content of the games. It’s a lot more like a theatrical motion picture. I mean, of course you’ve got cut scenes in the middle of everything. But even the gameplay, it isn’t just about screaming “Die!” like it maybe used to be. And there’s a lot more nuance to the characters, a lot more nuance to the story. So you need real actors. You can’t just have someone from accounting go in and do the voice. It just doesn’t work. The gamers aren’t going to buy it.

CraveOnline: Do you think gamers are responding positively to that shift for the most part? Or does much of the talking take away from the concept of being a “game” (like in Metal Gear 4, for instance)?

David Sobolov: Well, it depends on what kind of game you’re looking for. I think if you want just straight action, the more traditional types are still out there. You remember years ago, of course, people would turn off the voices? And they wouldn’t even be listening to the sound. But I think now, people are looking for more story and they want to get involved in the characters. So they’re going to be interested in the acting part. I think there are games for both types of people.

CraveOnline: Do people ever recognize you by your voice alone?

David Sobolov: Yeah, sometime it happens. Especially at game conventions. I’ll speak in a deep voice at the booth and they’ll go, “You sound like the Arbiter…” And I say, “Yeah. I was the Arbiter.” And they’re like, “Oh! No Way!”

CraveOnline: You’ve done some mighty popular characters in a few titles. What was it like to play Arbiter in Halo Wars?

David Sobolov: For me it was a really great, what I call a “delicious villain”. I like the fact that he was a religious zealot. That added an extra level to it as well. He was a fun character to play because he didn’t just stand there and say “Watch out! Wait!” And he was actually involved in the story line. A storyline that I could really get into. Read the rest of this entry →

We talk with the punk icon about his latest musical endeavors and GH5

We were lucky enough to meet with Face To Face frontman Trever Keith at a Guitar Hero 5 preview party recently. For those who aren’t familiar, Face To Face was one of the leaders of the early 90s punk revival that included Green Day, Rancid, The Vandals, etc. Because the guys at Guitar Hero know what they are doing, Face To Face’s classic song “Disconnected” will be included in this year’s edition of the franchise.

We spoke with Trevor about having his song in the game, as well as some of the various new features he’s had the opportunity to see during development. While we were at it, we also caught up with the latest Face To Face news, his electronic mash-up group “The Legion of Doom”, and whether or that group will be having any involvement with the upcoming DJ Hero.