First I want to state that this is nothing permanent, I want to create one of the best places on the web to find everything geek, but unfortunately when “real-life” gets in the way it can slow down progress on something such as this. So for now The Start Screen will be on pause until further notice.

I personally want to thank all of the writers (past and present) who have helped to shape TSS and make it a place where people can find informative reviews/previews, learn about interesting music or even give an interesting opinion on something going on in the industry. I wish I could have given all of you more than just the opportunity to place your wonderful work on the site but I know that I will definitely be reading some of your work in major publications (online and print) in the future.

Thank you to the readers who have stuck with us through all the moves and changes we have gone under, the site wouldn’t have been exposed as much as it has if it wasn’t for you.

You will see TSS back up in the future but for now this is farewell.

**Here are some of the authors and links to where you can find them/their work**

Rob “HollywoodRS” Sporer: Nerdiest-Kids.com / WeAreMovieGeeks.com / Twitter

Isaiah “Bboy_Izilla” Taylor: Itbrog.com / Twitter

Kyle “TheRockNRolla” Simcox: Twitter

Nikole Zivalich: NikoleZ.com / TheStream.TV / The Game Show / Twitter

Anthony “Genoboost” Ruybalid: GameMusic4All.com / Twitter

Rob “TheDCD” Workman: RunDLC.com / GamePlayBook.com / Twitter

Brandon “Raven” Tamane: Twitter

Mass Effect 2
Xbox 360 & PC
1 Player
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Price: $59.99 (Xbox 360) $49.00 (PC)

This week the first major release of 2010 hit store shelves and has taken over Xbox and PC gamers everywhere. Continuing the story of Commander Shepard as he tries to save the galaxy from being whipped out by an advanced robotic alien race (The Reapers). However, this time around it seems that Shepard and his crew are going at this alone without the help of the Alliance and the other alien races. The fate of every race in the galaxy now lies in your Cerberus (a not so trusted secret agency) backed hands.

Pros

Story – The story for Mass Effect 2 is in fact MASSIVE. As you progress through you will realize that the folks over at BioWare put a lot time and effort into all of the new characters within this game. I love that they make you earn the respect to the crew by exploring some part of their past. They also did a great job of mixing in elements from the first game and showing them in a new unexpected light.

One of the biggest factors in the way the story plays out from your choices from the first game. This makes for an interesting approach to how you are received on other planets and the way your new conversation choices come about. Now for those of you who don’t know what I am talking about let me give you a quick little idea of how BioWare delivers one hell of a story. Just like the first Mass Effect the player has the ability to choose what Commander Shepard says. Those choices affect how good or bad Shepard comes across all while unlocking new reasoning or intimidation choices. Some of the choices you made in the first game now might come back to haunt you in the second and honestly BioWare has changed the way you game and hopefully other companies will follow suit.

The New Upgrade System – Love it. Finding new weapons and upgrades through out the levels makes you wander around and explore. Yes, you can purchase upgrade your weapons, armor, and biotics at random kiosks, but where is the fun in that? It also helps you aren’t limited to 3-5 specific upgrades that really don’t help you in the end. Now you have the ability to truly customize your character the way you want it, not just facial features and life choices.

Middle Ground

Graphics – As you progress through the game you will realize that it basically looks like first game just a little more polished in some areas. I would say that the cut scenes are where you can really tell that they improved in graphics, however I noticed that characters start to blend in with the background like they are standing in front of a green screen. The more I play through the game the more I feel less impressed by what I am being shown. Both games are basically using Unreal Engine 3 to power them and that hurts Mass Effect 2.

Scanning The Planets – I might be within the selected few here that miss driving around in the Mako searching for points of interest. Also I am spending too many valuable credits on probes when they could be spent on weapon, armor, and biotics upgrades.

Cons

The Cover System – This was one of the main cons from the first game that I was hoping they would fix. I mean come on BioWare someone in your QA department didn’t notice how horrible the cover system was. Through out the game Shepard would break cover while he was firing or trying to biotic throw someone. Also, at random times rocket blasts would push you back from your cover and well you know what that leads to.

AI System – Just like in the first game the AI system within Mass Effect 2 is still pretty bad. Your team members still just walk around in the middle of a firefight causing them to die or for you to waste med gel on them. It also bugs out occasionally and your team members will wind up standing atop a 10 foot platform with no plausible way of getting up there.

No Jump – This is something that I didn’t like the first game lacked. Now I’m not saying I want the ability to jump so I can bunny hope across the level. I mean come on this isn’t Counter-Strike 1.2 here. However, I would like the ability to gain some high vantage points while in the middle of a firefight.

Overall, Mass Effect 2 is a great game for what it is worth. The story has so much depth to it that it carry’s A LOT for the game while other departments lack and fall short. If you played the first game then you know how addicting this game can be. Would I run out to buy it if I didn’t play the first or stopped because I lost interest? No, I would rent it or borrow it from a friend once they have gotten their fix. BUT if you are one of those people who love a well thought out Sci-Fi story or a great story in general then I suggest you buy it. Just remember that ALL of your choices carry some sort of burden.

3.75 out of 5 Stars

After MONTHS and MONTHS of people speculating about when Apple was going to announce their long awaited tablet, they finally delivered in a BIG way today.

The iPad weighs in at 1.5 pounds and will be 0.5 inches thick. Your eyes and fingers will enjoy the 9.7-inch IPS capacitive multitouch display that is powered by a 1GHz processor (don’t expect TOO much computing power, but enough to go multitouch crazy). Some other features include 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. The iPad will be available in 16, 32, or 64GB flash storage capacities with a battery life of 10 hours.

Just like the iPhone, the iPad will have full access to the iTunes music store so music, video, and apps will be available for purchase along with eBooks. A mobile Safari web browser, an e-book reader app called iBooks, a two-pane calendar app, two-pane email app, contacts, notes, Google Maps, media player, and photo viewer will all come pre-loaded on all iPads. Apple is also going to introduce a version of iWork that will work with the iPad allowing you to work on your personal or business projects on the go.

However, the biggest surprise wasn’t the announcement of the tablet itself. No, my friends. I think Apple might actually realize they need to work on their pricing because the iPad is around the same price the original iPhone was when it was first announced. Starting at $499 for the 16GB each model goes up $100 bucks and if you want the 3G version, you will need to add on an extra $130 dollars to the price.

16GB – No 3G = $499
16GB – With 3G = $629
32GB – No 3G = $599
32GB – With 3G – $729
64GB – No 3G = $699
64GB – With 3G = $829

AND if that wasn’t enough to make you think Apple is smarting up then this might. If you don’t feel like using AT&T, who is offering two affordable monthly planes at $15 for 250MB or $30 unlimited, you can basically put in ANY sim card from another company and get online. That’s right the iPad will work with other companies sim cards. Kudos to you Apple for thinking outside the box and thinking of a way to bring more people to your tablet.

So will the Apple iPad be a game changer in the eReader/tablet game…I would say yes and no. Yes, because it will allow you to do more then browse the internet and read books. Now you have the ability to carry your laptop and eReader in the same device. Companies will now scramble to compete with Apple, which isn’t something new.

The reason I said no is because it is basically a giant iPhone with word processing ability. However, you can download word processing apps on your iPhone. Also, it is lacking a camera.

Overall, Apple has delivered another amazing product that will lure more people to their brand and change the game. To some, this announcement might have come as a total shock due to the capabilities of the iPad and the price. To others they were either let down because it isn’t running a mobile version of Snow Leopard or that it seems just like a giant iPhone. Will I be running out to buy an iPad right away? No, because I need a new MacBook first, but if I have the money I will probably get one.

Oh, and I just want to say iPad….REALLY!?! Come on Apple that’s the best you could do?

[Photo Credit: GDGT]

Assassins are some of the most badass characters, here are the Top 7!

7. Assassin from Assassin

The assassin from Assassin is just known as “assassin.” Simple enough. He starts out in the original game which came out for the Amiga system. In the game “assassin” has to kill “Midian”. He is armed with a weapon I think is a bit odd for his job requirements, a boomerang.

6. Violette from Velvet Assassin

Velvet Assassin came out this year and missed my radar completely. The game stars Violette Summer. Her story is that after a happy childhood and after war broke out in London, she took a job in the weapon industry and was quickly assigned to MI6 where she takes on the Nazis.

5. Shadow from Final Fantasy 6

Shadow is a paid assassin and mercenary. But more importantly, he’s a dog person. His dog follows him around from job to job. Shadow’s real name is Clyde. After life as a thief didn’t pan out, he takes on a new identity as a ninja assassin.

4. Nina Williams

Nina is known as a cold blooded assassin. She made her debut in the original Tekken game and has appeared in every game since. Nina and her sister Ana were both trained at a young age to fight. Nina is a recovering assassin and despite trying to quit, she always ends up killing people.

3. Desmond Miles

Desmond is a bartender who is kidnapped in the first Assassin’s Creed. With the Animus he takes the roll of his ancestor Altair- as an assassin during the Holy War. In Assassin’s Creed 2 Desmond takes the roll of another ancestor, Ezio; an assassin during the Italian renaissance.

2. Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes

Travis is a 27- year-old American assassin. He enjoys manga, anime and oh yeah, killing people. Travis becomes a killer for hire after he runs out of money to buy videogames. His first job is to kill Helter Skelter and quickly climbs the assassin ranks.

1. Agent 47

Aka Tobias Rieper, aka Hitman. 47 is a genetically enhanced clone trained to assassinate enemies. His DNA has been created from several criminal masterminds who have volunteered their DNA. He works for the International Contract Agency. 47 has starred in 4 games and 1 movie.

I don’t claim to know what it takes to maintain a billion dollar technology company. I will never understand the ins-and-outs of how to get consumers to buy high, and possibly overpriced goods. However, this will not stop me from telling Sony, “You had a great year, now don’t screw this up with oblique commercials and overpriced products!” Let’s be real, Sony still isn’t making money off of the PS3, but the gaming division of Sony is in a much better position than they were last year. Well, that is until I look at how well the PSP Go is selling. If this message makes it in front of the eyes of Kaz Hirai or Jack Tretton then feel free to pay me for this tidbit of advice. While I am at it, you know that Arc or Wand or whatever the hell you’re calling your latest attempt to grab the Wii audience, its okay if you didn’t. What I mean to say is, this isn’t your fight. Stick to charging us users a dollar or two more on just about anything available on the Playstation Network, like you have been doing for the past couple years.

Is that a new hentai downloadable background? Why not pay five dollars for that?

What room do we have to complain? The online network you shoddily supply is free. Free for now at least.

As users, we get it. We know that your televisions and phones haven’t been flying off of the shelves. Most of the home & tech power you wielded in the 90’s has all but left your old brittle hands. Your focus should be on movies and games. On the software front, Sony has had an amazing year. Critically, your games steal most journalists heart. So you will be forgiven for Haze and Resistance 2 trite and completely forgettable plots. Graphically we still have issues, but hey didn’t Killzone 2 look sweet? Its no secret that game developers are looking to use the Playstation 3 as the lead developing console in the future. Unfortunately, this could be because developing for PC & Xbox 360 is so much easier. Multi-platform games still have a ways to go on the PS3, but improvements have been made and I tip my hat to the B. We don’t need to look at Ghostbusters and Bayonetta is quite fresh in our minds, but hey…Burnout: Paradise is still awesome.

Multiplayer worked out great for Uncharted 2 and Infamous did great things for both Naughty Dog and your console as brands. Sure this letter is filled with snark and anger, but you need to hear this: Stop selling the PSP Go. You can either drop the price like you should have prior to December ‘09, or you can watch pirating and the general gaming public turn up their nose when you introduce that PSP2 with UMD capabilities later this year. I thought you liked making money Sony? I thought last year would have taught you a thing or two, but then you hit me with that controller tech-demo at E3. I mailed a letter to Jack Tretton to smack all of his friends in the head, because clearly they like pulling nasty and very expensive pranks on him.

Let Nintendo have their shine, they innovated with a device that makes the average person look quite silly jumping up and down in their living room. Let Microsoft experiment with Project Natal this year, it could either succeed or fail based on its line-up and you, honestly, don’t have an answer for a device of that caliber. Oh wait you do? 3D gaming? That’s so cute. Don’t let the success of Avatar cloud your judgment. People still hate most products in 3D. Chances are, they will probably hate yours too. No matter how good it is, alienating people who have epilepsy is one thing, but to further divide the market by introducing the concept of: “Do like you games? Do you like crappy 3D? Well buy another television that’s more expensive and play our games the way they were meant to be played! Be the envy of all your friends when you show up to school with soon-to-be broken 3D glasses.”

I will give the lovely minds at Sony all the credit in the world. Your advertising campaign no longer sucks and the price of your console is making you more broke than the consumer. The games you have slated for release this year are pretty heavy, granted ‘if’ they actually come out when you say. Gran Turismo comes out when? I mean, I could have sworn it was supposed to come out in January correct? Last year also marked the swan song of the PS2, which thankfully the PSP is finally outpacing [a win over your own product is still a win damn it]. Sony, you’re doing it, not real big, but you are doing something.

As a PS3 owner, I am pretty psyched for this year and the plans that could either result in an amazing corporate comeback or a hilarious ‘Iggy Shuffle’ into obscurity. Its no secret that Wii’s sales have slipped and the Xbox 360’s exclusive line up for 2010 is still questionable. However, according to that bar graph that I didn’t make, those companies need not do anything of worth and could still hold their ground thanks to Sony’s ability to trip over their own products in the handheld market. I love technological creativity. I also understand the ‘need to be first’ and barring Blu-Ray, Sony has been playing catch up with the casual community for the past couple of years. Sony lackeys, I am a fanboy of all systems and none at the same time. I got high hopes for the independent games market on PSN and though I am baffled by the people who spend money in Home, I am glad you found a base that seem to be blindly supplying that project. This generation has a ways to go and mistakes are unavoidable in the tech business, you have to be able to predict what the people want years in advance. Sony, if you think people want magic wands and 3D glasses playing on televisions more expensive than their cars, then I beg of you to prove me wrong.



Every 6 months they start a new “semester” which allows 12 new girls to be chosen and given the opportunity to take part in something that the FragDolls have the joy of calling their job.

Well it is now that time again and the FragDolls are looking to pick 12 new girls for their Spring 2010 Cadette Semester! So for any female gamers out there who have been interested in learning what it takes to become a FragDoll as well as gain experience in the professional gaming industry then head over to the Rhoulettes Blog on the FragDoll website and apply!

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus follows Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) as he and his traveling theater troupe, which includes Anton (Andrew Garfield), a dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer), and Parnassus’ daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), as they try to show people the enlightenment within life. However, it seems that a someone, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), is also in the imaginarium and will allow people to get that quick gratification they desire.

As the story progresses we learn more about Doctor Parnassus’s relationship with Mr. Nick and something from their past history that causes Parnassus to accept a little bet for the race to five souls.

With the race on and Doctor Parnassus looking for a sign to help him win, the troupe rescues a man hanging under a bridge named Tony (Heath Ledger). Tony has no memory of who he is, but agrees to help Parnassus out in exchange for help to regain his memory. From there, we are introduced into a world filled with jealousy, love, Tony’s past, and what truly happens in our imaginations.

With that aside, I truly believe Terry Gilliam is a genius. The way he goes about telling a story is absolutely amazing and leaves you asking very little questions. Not only is his way of telling a story amazing, but this movie is an inside view of Mr. Gilliam’s imagination its self. After seeing this movie, I really wish he had the chance to direct the Harry Potter series because he would have done a fantastic job at brings that world to life.

Of course, this film wouldn’t have been what it was without the cast of this film. Every now and then, you will come across a film that features the perfect cast and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is one of them. Each actor played their role to perfection and can not imagine anyone else in this movie. That goes with even Johnny Deep, Jude Law, and Colin Farell taking over for Heath Ledger after his untimely death. Those three actors payed homage to Ledger the greatest way ever by continuing his character and keeping his personality and spirit within the role. Let alone the fact that the way that Terry Gilliam worked them into the role was perfect.

Overall, I enjoyed The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus thoroughly. As much as it will be remembered as Heath Ledgers last movie, it should also be remembered as one of Terry Gilliam’s finest works. Everything about it was top notch and you will leave the theater entertained and loving every minute of it.

4 out of 5 stars.

In recent gaming years, it’s not too uncommon for the controversies associated with a game to overshadow the actual game. There are some cases where it happens by chance and others that are clever marketing moves to get us talking about the games. So if you want to make your game the talk of the town, here are seven ways to make your game controversial.

7. Stealing likeness.

No Doubt(Band Hero). Nirvana(Guitar Hero)

Big name celebrities definitely add star power to your game. But what if you can’t afford them, or they just don’t want to be in your game? Well you put them in anyway and await the lawsuits. Or you can go the Kurt Cobain – Guitar Hero 5 route and just piss people off. Either way, it’s a sure fire way to get people talking about you, and suing you.

6. Censor it

What if your game is already controversial but you’re greedy and want more buzz? Censor it. Australia is doing it right now with the Left 4 Dead 2 and Alien vs. Predator- they are too violent for the folks down under. Nintendo has been censoring games since the dawn of time. They censor things like the expected nudity but also weird things like blood color. Example: Vodka Drunkinski!

5. Hitting close too home.

One of the hot topics right now is the ‘No Russian’ mission in Modern Warfare 2. Sometimes games do something that’s controversial for the sake of being controversial. ‘No Russian’ is a level where you shoot up an airport, killing hundreds of civilians. There is very little context to the mission and while it does affect the game, you can’t help but wonder how much of it was it put in for that “WOW” factor.

4. Addiction

Just because you don’t want to stop doesn’t mean you’re addicted to it. Or does it? Gamers are often accused of being addicted to gaming, none more so than frequent players of MMORPG’s. Nothing makes a game clinically hotter than giving it a disease. Sick days are usually paid, right?

3. Violence

It’s been a long standing belief that video games are making America’s youth violent killing machines; I believe the words murder simulator come to mind. Big weapons, violent deaths, blood on the screen are all ways to get noticed. However, this can backfire too. Games like Manhunt and Postal have been banned for their excessive violence.

2. Racism

Video games haven’t always been the most responsible when it comes to representing minorities. Characters are often over-the-top and some people find them offensive. The Cole Train baby would be an example. Games like RE:5 have been accused of being racist because the majority of the zombies are African.

1. Sex

Let’s face it, Sex scares us. Not us as gamers, but as the American media. Nothing and I repeat nothing can get coverage like a good ole’ fashioned sex scene in a video game. Mass Effect was persecuted for having an optional sex scene. And GTA caught some heat for their hot coffee mod. Sex sells though and while yes it is controversial, it’s also gonna sell your game.

William Defoe The Vampire Hunter, I’m thinking the Spierig Brothers should have gone with that title; has a better ring to it than Daybreakers. Daybreakers is fairly unique. This is a film noir science fiction movie set in the future. A future that has only five percent of the human race left and a more-than-capable vampire race currently struggling with the loss of their most valuable resource; blood. Did I mention William Defoe is in it? Defoe is probably one of the best characters in the movie seeing as he was cast as the white/black comic relief [if that makes any sense]. Look I like Daybreakers, really and truly. The style and cinematography won my heart, but I can not recommend this movie to a lot of movie buffs. The plot has more holes than Swiss cheese. And whether this is a fault of bad writing or in combination with bland acting, star Ethan Hawke was surprisingly sub-par. At the very least Daybreakers is worth a watch, but not with too-serious of an eye. Its a 98-minute movie which could stand to be a touch longer for development purposes.

In the year 2019 vampires finally overcome the human race in every way possible. Necks were bitten and job markets were outsourced to the 3rd shift bloodsuckers. Things are looking up for the vampiric race. With a crack team of engineers and doctors, the upper-class vampires have established a corporation of civilized blood farming. Really, they wrangled up a bunch of humans and sat them in a cold sterile room and juiced them like we do our bovine stock. Genius! Not only are Michael and Peter Spierig the directors of Daybreakers, they are also the writers. If there is anything I hate more, its directors who write their own movies. Its a special craft that very few director-writers can pull off and even then, few within that category pull it off well. What you will notice from the opening couple of scenes of Daybreakers is the attention to design and wardrobe. This could be a vampire noir set in 1959 and I would not know, well the uber-tinted window cars and wireless human blood farm is a bit of a giveaway, but aside from that; pitch perfect! The second impressive element you will notice during the narrative ‘recap’ is how society is divided. I have my qualms with Daybreakers later events, but I could watch the first thirty minutes of this movie over and over. Some vampires beg for blood from the upper-echelon of society, where others have resorted to attacking fellow vampires. Hollywood is funny, even in our science fiction fantasies there’s still a recession.

There is something seldom discussed in most vampire fiction. How well does a vampire culture assimilate to technology and class structure? If Daybreakers spent an extra ten or twenty minutes on this topic it would have made for a better movie than what we are ultimately subjected to; a predictable ‘human-saves-the-day’ plot. Enter Ethan Hawke. Vampire scientist, Edward Dalton [Hawke], by this I mean he is a vampire who dabbles in science. Eddie has the painstaking job of finding a proper blood substitute for a soon-to-be-ravenous vampire population. Him and his buddy scientist played by Vincent Colosimo, work for blood farming mogul Charles Bromley. Bromley is a part of that upper-vampire class I mentioned early, too good for hunting down humans on the street and nipping their necks so he became a billionaire off of turning humans into juiceboxes. The story is pretty light and fluffy, Eddie tries and fails to find a substitute and eventually stumbles onto freedom-fighting humans by accident. Because of his ‘all-around nice guy’ character [I mean he doesn't even drink human blood, wait shouldn't he be dead?] he helps them and this is where the William Defoe-bot comes in!

Daybreakers jumps ship as soon as the focus is shifted from the city and the tension of society. Moreover, the tension between the ‘underdwellers’ [vampires who go too long without blood begin mutating and turn on fellow vampires] and the urban society became more and more interesting only to be left on the drawing board for a lame fight between, what? You guessed it. A fight between the humans and vampires. It would have been interesting to see this concept followed through. A sophisticated society of vampires and their daily problems only not in a sexy-lame way like Underworld and Blade 3. Daybreakers really has something for you to watch within the short length of the movie. The CG is somewhat inconsistent which brings me to my largest point.

I hate it when a meager-sized budget movie, shows me its cheapness. There are a handful of movies that are made for, what Hollywood considers, ‘pennies’; but successfully tell stories in a way where the budget is such a non-factor. Daybreakers had the power of WETA Studios [King Kong, District 9, Lord Of The Rings] behind them, but I suspect the reason you see so many cheap ‘bat scares’ are because the producers had about eight dollars and fifty cents to their name. Its really unfortunate, Daybreakers is not that bad, just really rough around the edges … also the ending is both hilarious and nonsensical. William Defoe is your savior in this movie, but he serves as Daybreakers biggest plot drawback. When Lionel ‘Elvis’ Cormac [Defoe] tells you how he got the cure [I won't spoil it] you’ll think, “Wow, that was cool.” Then immediately think, “Wait. Vampires drive around all the time, you mean to tell me only one person was able to find this cure?” Not only that, Defoe’s character [because I refuse to call him Elvis...he's much to cool for that] is really the only character worth caring about. I cared little for Eddie once his character arch was revealed. His brother has those darn puppy dog eyes, but their story was better served debating civilian vs soldier life. The blood boss’ storyline between his daughter were interesting but not enough for me to care about who lived or died. Really, the movie is too short to care about anyone that much, but its long enough to not hate the movies leap-in-logic plot. There is no explaination as to why the cure works, how the cure works. You have to buy into it or see a whole bunch of yellow-eyed people biting each other and then subsequently freaking out.

Daybreakers leaves a wide variety of social commentary on the table, but ultimately lets the audience down on a character-by-character basis. Go for William Defoe and stay for the cinematography. Also, there is an epic bloodbath at the end of the film which is in slow motion. I’m guessing after the Spierig brothers Undead movie [which I liked] made Roger Eberts ‘Worst Movie Of 2005′ list this may have been a grandiose shout out to him. I liked Daybreakers, but chances are few people will.

I Give Daybreakers…

A “Nicolas Cage Vampire Kiss” Award