The Revenant DVD Review

The Revenant opens with a young soldier, Bart Gregory (David Anders, Once Upon a Time), getting killed in the line of duty. One month later, shortly after being buried, he awakens as a mysterious vampire/zombie hybrid. It's not long before Bart realizes that, in order to stay alive, he must drink human blood. With the help of his old friend, Joey (Chris Wylde, Joe Dirt), Bart becomes a sort of nighttime vigilante, offing thugs and other bad guys in order to quench his undying thirst.

Despite being built around a few worn out genre cliches, The Revenant actually manages to offer quite a bit of slick originality and character. The film moves at a somewhat lax pace, allowing audiences to get to know our two leads, who often walk the line between being completely morally corrupt and often goofy and likable. And the picture injects just enough offbeat humor to keep things light and amusing, even when the film is treading dark territory. There's also a brooding undercurrent of tragic drama that perfectly complements the film's moody tone.

Much of this is thanks to writer/director Kerry Prior's sharp script which keeps you on your toes, dodging the more obvious story routes and rarely taking the easy way out. That said, the film does get a little too dark toward the finale. It also drags just a bit, especially after one particular twist involving Joey.

The film's principal leads (Anders and Wylde) also inject quite a bit of lively humor, emotion and realism into the characters. Their chemistry together drives the picture, often playing a lot like a warped variation of Bonnie & Clyde, by way of The Boondock Saints, An American Werewolf in London and Return of the Living Dead Part III (the one where the guy resurrects his dead girlfriend).

The film also adds a sly dash of social commentary, a bit of playfully nasty gore, plenty of brutal mayhem and surprisingly decent effects. While some might not have a taste for the twists and turns The Revenant makes, the ride is quite fascinating, fun, a little tragic and almost always refreshing.

The Revenant finally comes to DVD in the U.S. courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, mixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital. Sadly, Lionsgate opted against a Blu-ray release.

To say that the transfer is awful really doesn't put into words how genuinely shoddy it is. Right off the bat the image shows signs of heavy ghosting on text, snow and noise during low light scenes and a genuinely distracting amount of artifacting. And it doesn't get better from there. Depth is virtually nonexistent, as are textures and details. And color is a mess of flat, ugly browns and muted yellows. In fact, the transfer is so bad that it very nearly ruins the impact of the whole movie! It almost looks like a bootleg.

I'd point the finger at the low-budget production, but The Revenant was shot on Red One cameras, a traditionally very reliable shooting medium. Unfortunately, despite a few other regions getting a Blu-ray, The Revenant isn't getting a U.S. Blu-ray release anytime soon. Perhaps the HD streaming release is the way to go with this one, because the DVD transfer is certainly not praise-worthy in the slightest.

Audio, thankfully, is quite a bit better. Surrounds are fairly aggressive, giving life to virtually every scene. Dialogue sounds good, with no crackles or distortions, though there is quite a bit of hiss at times and also some echo in certain scenes. Bass is also a little subdued, but does chime in to punctuate a few key moments. The transfer might be nearly unwatchable, but at least the film sounds decent.

Extras consist of two commentary tracks (one from director Kerry Prior, the other from the cast), a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, a photo gallery and trailers. The commentaries are quite fun and informative. If you like party tracks, stick with the cast track. But the more rounded of the two is easily the director track. The candid 13-minute featurette is also well made and interesting and the 13 minutes of deleted scenes are well worth watching.

The Verdict

The Revenant is a clever, refreshing and fun horror-comedy destined for cult status. If only the transfer weren't one of the worst of the year. Seek this one out, but try to track down a high-def copy.

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Comic Book Reviews for 9/26/12

The final week of zero month is upon us as DC heads back to the last days of Krypton and even that dire evening in Gotham's Crime Alley. At Marvel, Spider-Man's plight with his new sidekick continues and the amazing run of Greg Rucka on The Punisher reaches its conclusion (kind of). Also, obscure X-Man Doop gets some time in the spotlight to astounding (and hilarious) results.

A quick note: with Joey heading on vacation and New York Comic-Con impending, the next couple of review round-ups will be a little thinner around the edges.

You also might notice that IGN as a whole has moved back to the 100-point scale. Love it; embrace it.

DC COMICS

All-Star Western #0

Written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti | Art by Moritat

"All-Star Western #1 dropped us into the action with little explanation of who Jonah Hex is and where he came from. For those who first encountered Hex in that issue, All-Star Western #0 will serve as a bare-bones but helpful reference concerning Hex’s origin story. Readers who have been following him since the beginning are likely to be a bit more frustrated by the recapitulation." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.6

Aquaman #0

Written by Geoff Johns | Art by Ivan Reis

"In terms of most of DC's books, the Zero Month event was timed well, arriving just after most books had wrapped up their second major story arcs. Aquaman is one of the notable exceptions. Issue #13 promised a climactic showdown between Arthur and Black Manta. But now we have to wait an extra month for the wrap-up to that storyline. In its place is a flashback issue that details Arthur Curry's transition from quiet teenager to king of Atlantis. Issue #0 has its definite strengths, but it really does read like a placeholder for more interesting stories down the road." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.5

Batman Incorporated #0

Written by Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham | Art by Frazier Irving

"These DC zero issues can really kill the momentum of a series. They jump back in time to the origin of a character or team and supposedly provide a nice jumping on point for new readers. For Batman Inc. it's especially strange, since the series is not that old. Even before the whole New 52, there were only a handful of issues out. It seems a bit odd to be going over all this again. Fortunately, Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham and Frazer Irving still produce a fun and interesting issue, even if it kinda of feels unnecessary." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.5

Batman: The Dark Knight #0

Written by Gregg Hurwitz | Art by Mico Suayan & Juan Jose Ryp

"Move along, nothing new to see here. You like Batman? You've seen the Batman movies and read some Batman comic books? Then you know this story. Sure, this little take is well written and has a nice flow, but come on. Joe Chill? We know this DC. Everyone knows this. Let's get back to that Scarecrow story; it wasn't great but at least it wasn't the story of Crime Alley all over again." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.0

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #3

Written by Len Wein | Art by Jae Lee

"In terms of its story, Ozymandias ranks as possibly the least interesting and innovative of the Before Watchmen books. This series tells us absolutely nothing about the character we didn't learn from the original series. It's fortunate, then, that this book has the sublime visuals of Jae Lee to fall back on." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

The Flash #0

Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato | Art by Francis Manapul

"I’ll say this much: you won’t find a poorly drawn issue of The Flash. Francis Manapul never ceases to deliver impressive layouts to tell his and Brian Buccellato’s story. The page showing how Flash designed his costume looks incredible with the way the panels seem to spring from his costume-springing ring. It looks great, but the lack of a compelling narrative that matches the quality of the art continues to leave this series in the dust." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.6

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0

Written by Joe Harris | Art by Yildiray Cinar

"It’s fairly common to hear about those thrust into the spotlight wishing for nothing more than to go back to their old lives. In comics, they usually get that chance for just long enough to taste relief before being thrown back into turmoil. The Fury of Firestorm spends Zero Month proving this corollary, and the style uses to do so makes it worth the trip." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

I, Vampire #0

Written by Josh Fialkov | Art by Andrea Sorrentino

"Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino have been showing up a majority of DC’s New 52 since its debut one year ago, and they’ve done it again by using the zero issue in the best way I’ve yet to see. Not only do they tell how Andrew Bennett became a vampire, but they infuse the telling with details small and large that answer burning questions any reader might have. Chief among them, how did Andrew get that sexy white stripe in his hair?" -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

9.5

Justice League Dark #0

Written by Jeff Lemire | Art by Lee Garbett

"It always strikes me as odd seeing a John Constantine that isn’t as sure of himself as we typically see him. It’s so engrained in his character to be cocky, that it’s strikingly uncomfortable to see him as anything but. Using that notion to full effect in JLD #0, Jeff Lemire paints a pretty stunning portrait of the DCU’s Constantine and just what the hell the nature of his relationship with Zatanna is. Though it’s a quick 20 pages, Lemire effectively transforms Constantine from a magic novice to the cocksure pirate that we know and love, all the while planting the foundations for the Justice League Dark story at large." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.6

Red Lanterns #0

Written by Peter Milligan | Art by Ardian Syaf

"Red Lanterns #0 does not dare to do anything creative with its origin issue, and that proves to be its undoing. If you were wondering what foul deeds Atrocitus had to commit to gain his powers of blood prophecy -- and I’m talking foul -- then brace yourself for what Peter Milligan has in store. This issue reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman with its monsters and magic, but it has none of that story’s grace or ingenuity." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.9

The Savage Hawkman #0

Written by Rob Liefeld & Mark Poulton | Art by Joe Bennett

"The Savage Hawkman has generally distanced itself from the Thanagarian portion of Hawkman's mythology, focusing instead on simpler, more horror and action-based storylines. Considering that Hawkman has one of the more convoluted character histories in comics, that may have been for the best. The Savage Hawkman #0 is notable both in that it marks Rob Liefeld's final issue on the series and that it finally delves into Hawkman's connection to Thanagar. Though rough around the edges in some ways, this issue makes for a surprisingly enjoyable read." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

Superman #0

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Kenneth Rocafort

"Just as there was a return to Crime Alley over in Batman: The Dark Knight #0 this week, Superman #0 returns us to the well-documented last days of Krypton. Luckily, writer Scott Lobdell is able to find some new ground to cover and adds a wealth of new elements (and some odd twists) to the tale. The best thing I can say about this issue is that Lobdell finds a nice emotional hook for Jor-El’s discovery of Krypton’s eventual destruction: he makes the discovery the same day Lara tells him she’s pregnant. It’s a poignant moment that, unfortunately, is derailed by far less interesting notions of conspiracy theories and politics." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.9

Talon #0

Written by James Tynion IV | Art by Guillem March

"The idea of Talon as a series is certainly sound; following a man that was able to break free of the Court of Owls’ clutches and try to redeem himself is a concept with plenty to offer. We could see him try and right the many wrongs he’d done as a Talon while trying to avoid assassination by the Court he betrayed. However, with Calvin Rose being a brand new character introduced in issue #0 – after we’ve seen the kinds of motivations that lead one to becoming a Talon – he’s got a long way to go to proving his worth as not only a hero of Gotham, but as the anchor of one of DC’s New 52." -Joey

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

Teen Titans #0

Written by Scott Lobdell | Art by Tyler Kirkham

"One of the best ways to draw out different aspects of Batman’s personality is to pair him with a new Robin. Tim Drake, a character with a personality distinct from both Robins who preceded him, entered Batman’s life at a very interesting time. Whether this retelling of Tim Drake’s path to the Bat-family is interesting as well is another question entirely." -Poet

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

5.2

Voodoo #0

Written by Josh Williamson | Art by Sami Basri

"Like Resurrection Man #0, Voodoo #0 is one of those Zero Month issues that simultaneously serves as a flashback tale and a series finale. One thing Voodoo has going for it that Resurrection Man didn't is that the ongoing plot threads will be continued in the pages of Grifter, meaning Josh Williamson isn't forced to tie up all the loose ends in the span of 20 pages. The result is a very straightforward but competently executed finale that offers readers no real surprises." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.5

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Voodoo #0 Review

Like Resurrection Man #0, Voodoo #0 is one of those Zero Month issues that simultaneously serves as a flashback tale and a series finale. One thing Voodoo has going for it that Resurrection Man didn't is that the ongoing plot threads will be continued in the pages of Grifter, meaning Josh Williamson isn't forced to tie up all the loose ends in the span of 20 pages. The result is a very straightforward but competently executed finale that offers readers no real surprises.

This issue opens as Priscilla finds herself a Daemonite captive and doesn't stray far from there. There are the obligatory scenes of confusion and Pris coming to grips with her newfound powers. Williamson does little more than elaborate on details that were already reasonably well developed earlier in the series. The dialogue is sort of a mixed bag. While Williamson relies heavily on Priscilla's internal narration, there's really no other way to convey her jumble of thoughts and emotions in such a sparsely populated comic. The stilted Daemonite dialogue is more of a chore, though at least one of the characters pokes fun at them at one point.

One area this series deserves ample praise for is the art. Sami Basri holds the distinction of being one of the very few artists to remain on the same New 52 title for these past 13 months. Through it all, Basri has delivered consistently clean, attractive work with a strong sci-fi flair. I can only hope DC has future plans for Basri that will result in an equally long stint. Maybe an ongoing WildCATs series?

On that note, though Williamson has few surprises to offer here, he does effectively pave the way for the Grifter/Voodoo partnership and helps transition readers into that series. All signs seem to be pointing to a full WildCATs reunion down the road. It may be that Voodoo functions better as part of a team than on her own.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following Jesse on Twitter, or on IGN.

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Republican Rep. Akin rebuilding Senate bid in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. –  Written off by many in his own party a mere month ago, Republican Rep. Todd Akin has been slowly rebuilding his Senate campaign after apologizing for inflammatory remarks about pregnancy and rape.

Now Akin is approaching a critical week that could determine whether his re-emerging campaign can gain enough momentum to put Missouri back in the battleground column as Republicans attempt to win control of the Senate from Democrats.

Tuesday is the deadline for Akin to get a court order to drop his challenge of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. But Akin says he won't do so. Instead, Akin plans to ramp up his campaign. He's holding a fundraiser Monday with former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. He's addressing a potentially influential group of pastors Tuesday morning. Then as the drop-out clock ticks down, he's kicking off a statewide bus tour for his Senate bid that will include venerable conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.

"I believe the state of the campaign is looking better and better," Akin said Friday after engaging McCaskill in their first debate and then rallying on the Missouri Capitol lawn with supporters of a newly formed women-for-Akin coalition.

Akin has apologized repeatedly since a TV interview aired Aug. 19 in which he suggested that women's bodies have a natural defense against pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." He has repeatedly rejected calls of top national Republicans -- including presidential candidate Mitt Romney -- to quit the race so the state GOP committee can appoint a replacement candidate. Yet some have doubted Akin's resolve.

"There are a lot of donors who have sat on the sidelines and are waiting" for Tuesday's drop-out deadline to pass, said Rick Tyler, a former Gingrich aide who joined Akin's campaign as part of the re-building effort. "We are tilling that hard soil now -- that is, reaching out to people who could potentially give significant amounts of dollars."

Come Tuesday, "those donors are going to see that Todd's going to be on the ballot," Tyler adds.

Whether that triggers an avalanche of money for Akin remains one of the most important questions facing his campaign.

Akin already was starting from behind against McCaskill financially after spending all but a few hundred thousand dollars to win a contentious Aug. 7 Republican primary. After his rape remark, Akin lost the financial support of the Republican National Committee, the Republican senators' political committee and the deep-pocketed Crossroads group affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove. That zapped millions of dollars of planned TV advertising.

Since then, Akin has raised nearly $600,000 through a small-dollar, online appeal that has cast his candidacy as an anti-establishment crusade against both Republican Party bosses and President Barack Obama's administration. Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has aided the Internet fundraising drive. But Gingrich's event Monday -- at $500 a person or $750 per couple -- will be Akin's first prominent headliner for a traditional fundraiser in at least five weeks.

"This is an act of conscience on my part -- I didn't like seeking a guy getting beaten up by the power structure," Gingrich said.

But Gingrich also is pragmatic.

"If the Republicans are going to win control of the Senate, they need Missouri," said Gingrich, who led the Republican takeover of the U.S. House in 1994.

Others also are considering coming to Akin's aid, including Sen. Jim DeMint, of South Carolina, who has built the Senate Conservatives Fund into a formidable fundraising organization for its favored candidates.

Republicans need a net gain of four seats in the November elections to take control of the Senate. But Republican-held seats in Maine and Massachusetts are jeopardy, and losses there would increase the number of seats the GOP must wrest away from Democrats. Missouri had been considered one of the Republicans' best chances for a pick-up until Akin's rape remark undercut his campaign.

Regardless, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus flatly reiterated on Sunday he would be sending no resources to aid Akin's campaign.

"We're not going to play in Missouri with Todd Akin, I can tell you that. So it'll be yet to be seen whether he stays in or not," Priebus told ABC's "This Week."

Republican consultant John Hancock, who worked for one of Akin's opponents in the primary, said outside groups had been expected to spend about $15 million to support a Republican Senate candidate in Missouri. Even then, a Republican candidate likely needed to chip in $6 million or $7 million from his own campaign to offset the money from McCaskill and Democratic-aligned groups, Hancock said.

Under that model, a typical candidate would need to be holding about two, $500-a-plate fundraisers a week and as many as five, $2,500-a-plate fundraisers a month, including some out of state, Hancock said.

Gingrich's fundraiser is just one of many that Akin will need in the coming weeks. But if he remains close in the polls to McCaskill, those dollars could start coming a little easier.

"If you get to the first week or second week of October and the Missouri race is still unquestionably part of the equation for getting to 51 senators, then I would be shocked if outside money didn't come in," Hancock said, of the Republican strategy to win control of the Senate.

Akin doesn't expect to recoup all of the financial support he lost. That's why his campaign is focusing heavily on organizing grass-roots coalitions. Akin likely can expect a strong effort from his traditional base of anti-abortion activists and Christian conservatives, but he also needs the support of gun enthusiasts and business owners, some of whom backed Akin's rivals in the Republican primary, Tyler said.

This past week, the inaugural event by a new group of female Akin supporters drew about 300 people in the St. Louis area. A few days later, around 100 turned out for a similar event in Jefferson City, though they were countered by protesters who chanted "rape is rape" while Akin spoke to the crowd.

Julie Thomas, a mother of three from the Lake of Ozarks, said she took it upon herself to organize the women-for-Akin rally. She described herself as strongly "pro-life" and praised Akin as "a man with unparalleled character."

"Whenever he got thrown under the bus by his own party, I just said, `uh, uh.' That was a tipping point for me," Thomas said.

Even as top Republicans abandoned Akin after his remarks, McCaskill insisted that she still expected a close Senate race. At their first debate Friday, McCaskill took on the role of a challenger -- striking first and furiously with accusations that Akin's positions are too extreme on contraception, Medicare, student loans and other issues.

"Our campaign is working hard and taking nothing for granted," said McCaskill spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki. "You can expect Claire to continue working as if she's running from behind."

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Pastors pledge to defy IRS, preach politics from pulpit ahead of election

More than 1,000 pastors are planning to challenge the IRS next month by deliberately preaching politics ahead of the presidential election despite a federal ban on endorsements from the pulpit.

The defiant move, they hope, will prompt the IRS to enforce a 1954 tax code amendment that prohibits tax-exempt organizations, such as churches, from making political endorsements. Alliance Defending Freedom, which is holding the October summit, said it wants the IRS to press the matter so it can be decided in court. The group believes the law violates the First Amendment by “muzzling” preachers.

“The purpose is to make sure that the pastor -- and not the IRS -- decides what is said from the pulpit."

- Erik Stanley, Alliance Defending Freedom

“The purpose is to make sure that the pastor -- and not the IRS -- decides what is said from the pulpit,” Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the group, told FoxNews.com. “It is a head-on constitutional challenge.”

Stanley said pastors attending the Oct. 7 “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” will “preach sermons that will talk about the candidates running for office” and then “make a specific recommendation.” The sermons will be recorded and sent to the IRS.  

“We’re hoping the IRS will respond by doing what they have threatened,” he said. “We have to wait for it to be applied to a particular church or pastor so that we can challenge it in court. We don’t think it’s going to take long for a judge to strike this down as unconstitutional.”

An amendment was made to the IRS tax code in 1954, stating that tax-exempt organizations are “absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”

“Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise tax,” the IRS says in its online guide for churches and religious organizations seeking tax exemption.

Stanley and others, like San Diego pastor Jim Garlow, say the IRS regularly threatens churches that they will lose their tax-exempt status if they preach politics. But Stanley and Garlow claim the government never acts on the threat because it wants to avoid a court battle.

“It is blatantly unconstitutional,” said Stanley. “They just prefer to put out these vague statements and regulations and enforce it through a system of intimidation … Pastors are afraid to address anything political from the pulpit.”

“The IRS will send out notices from time to time and say you crossed the line,” added Garlow, a senior pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego. “But when it’s time to go to court, they close the case.”

A spokeswoman for the IRS did not comment on the matter and instead referred all inquiries to the government’s online handbook.

Garlow and other pastors say their concerns over the code extend well beyond the law.

“I’m very concerned about the spiritual side of this,” Garlow told FoxNews.com. “There’s a phenomenon occurring in America and that’s a loss of religious liberty.”

“If I would have said 50 years that ‘Tearing up a baby in the womb is a bad thing,’ people would have said ‘Of course it is,’” Garlow said. “But If I said that today, people would say ‘Pastor, you’re being too political.”

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IGN Assemble! #55 - Reality Punches and Stuff

Zero month trucks on, and this week we talk up some of the great successes -- like Justice League, Batwoman, and Wonder Woman -- and the not-so-successful like Red Hood and the Outlaws and, god help us, Catwoman.

We also talk about a surprising dark turn for Daredevil, the conclusions of Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison and Spider-Men, and the big news of the week courtesy of Ultimate Comics: Ultimates, Captain America becoming president.

There's also depressing talk about the Swamps of Sadness.

There are spoilers within for everything we talk about, so beware.

In the interest of self-promotion:

Check out the IGN Assemble! Facebook Group!

Check out the IGN Assemble! Wiki Page!

If you've got a question, comment, or art, feel free to drop us a line at ignassemble@ign.com.

IGN Assemble! Podcast: Episode #55
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Follow us on Twitter:

Joey Esposito
Erik Norris

Enjoy!

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.

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IGN Assemble! #54 - Dinosaurs with Jetpacks

We're back for another glorious week of comic book discussion and questionable sidebars. This week we continue to discuss zero month, the greatest evil plan of all time, and of course, the big events that occurred in Avengers vs. X-Men #11.

We also talk Uncanny X-Force, Wolverine and the X-Men, Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, and the many, many zero issues that hit: Batman, Batman and Robin, Team 7, Batgirl, Suicide Squad, Demon Knights, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Green Lantern Corps, and more.

There's also a boatload of news this week, including the new Thunderbolts series and the Justice League/Aquaman crossover.

There are spoilers within for everything we talk about, so beware.

In the interest of self-promotion:

Check out the IGN Assemble! Facebook Group!

Check out the IGN Assemble! Wiki Page!

If you've got a question, comment, or art, feel free to drop us a line at ignassemble@ign.com.

IGN Assemble! Podcast: Episode #54
(right click to save)

Subscribe to IGN Assemble! on iTunes

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Follow us on Twitter:

Joey Esposito
Erik Norris

Enjoy!

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.

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Guild Wars 2 Sales Reopen Today

Having suspended sales of Guild Wars 2 right at the end of last month because servers were creaking under the sheer weight of players, ArenaNet has reopened them this morning. So if you missed the boat on release weekend and have since lost all of your friends to Tyria, at least you can now join them.

ArenaNet originally suspended sales on August 30th, just two days after launch, because the server infrastructure was having problems keeping up with demand. Since then, the company had deployed new European and North American servers and prepared the Trading Post for a new influx of players.

ArenaNet's president Mike O'Brien had this to day: “Preserving the customer experience has always been our top priority. We’re supporting  Guild Wars 2 for the long run. We’ll always do what it takes to deliver the best online gaming experience for our customers, even when that means throttling sales.”

To celebrate, the developer released a bizarre and rather arresting new live-action trailer. Enjoy it below:

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IPTL Premier - MVP look to be favorites, but will they meet their potential?

MVP Clan came to life in October 2010, but December 2010 was the month when Korea StarCraft 2 Association finally recognized them as a professional team; however, it was May 2011 that put them on the Korean map for good when they took second place during GSTL 2011 May finals losing to SlayerS after very close games and five months later when they won GSTL Season 1 defeating Prime.

Yet, it is 2012 that brought them vast number of titles both for the players and the team as a whole; more GSTL medals,  third place at IPL Team Arena Challenge 1, KSL Opening Ceremonies and Asia StarCraft II Invitational Tournament. Now it’s time for the IPTL Season 1 and they are more than ready to become the ultimate champions of another team league again.

Normally this paragraph would be the beginning of “bad picks” chapter, but in case of MVP it cannot be done, since there is no bad player on the team at the moment. Even if some of them haven’t qualified for the GSL Season 4 they still have a strong or at least decent presence on the international or Korean scene. Great examples are Noblesse and finale; they haven’t won anything big in 2012 yet, but are consistently on top and in a tournament full of foreigners like IPTL Season 1 we might see them crushing bones and eating flesh of their enemies. You cannot underestimate Korean players.

Team captain and one of the best Starcraft 2 zergs in the world is DongRaeGu. Despite being a part of the scene since 2010, he made a name for himself in the second half of 2011 after winning LG Cinema 3D Special League over sC, 2011 DreamHack Valencia Invitational over ThorZaIN and taking second place during Arena of Legends 1 after losing to MarineKingPrime.

Just like any other player DRG had his slump during spring 2012 when he stopped performing as well as he used to, but currently he’s back on track. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that out of every GSTL player it is Park Soo Ho who constantly outperforms his colleagues. He almost single-handedly carried MVP in the 2011 GSTL May event and even outperformed his own track record during 2011 GSTL Season 1 with a 13-2 record. There is no other player who came close to DRG’s score.

Besides GSL and IEM championship titles there is also MLG, which was the curse of MVP’s captain until June 2012 when he finally won his first Major League Gaming title during 2012 MLG Spring Championship after crushing Alicia 3:1. Back in 2011 he won MLG Spring Arena 1, but it was a much smaller event, hence we count his latest gold medal as the first big one. Still, many other players have won MLG events before him, but it is DRG who currently has 2 of each medals in MLG events.

Another huge name for MVP is KeeN who just recently placed third in TeamLiquid StarLeague 4 taking out Sting in a very one-sided match. At the moment, together with Vampire and finale KeeN represents MVP in GSL Code A.

Sniper as a Code S player cannot be overlooked. He always gives his best and is visible on the international scene participating in number of online qualifiers.There is also Monster who proved his worth all-killing Evil Geniuses during IPL Team Arena Challenge 3 three months ago and winning GIGABYTE ESPORTS LAN Invitational.

MVP doesn't have an all-star line-up, but every single one of their players is more than capable of taking down the best in the world. Their strength lies in cooperation during team events and steadily growing skill of every member on the current roster. In IPTL Season 1 they should advance to the playoffs.

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