Director: Lauren Montgomery

Writers: Jeph Loeb (original story), Tab Murphy (screenplay)

Release Date: September 28th, 2010

Genre: Animation, DC Comics, Superpowers, Action

Rating: PG-13

Production Company: DC Entertainment, Warner Premiere

Media Type: DVD/Blu-Ray

Introduction:

Fans ages 13 and over take a bite out of this fantastic piece of the DC Universe in Superman Batman Apocalypse. A story of friendship, betrayal, deceit, power struggles, and vicious clashes in battle. Absolutely not a film worth overlooking so today I am going to give you the kick’s, punches, and Batarangs that make this Red, Blue, and Black feature tick.

Story:

This animated feature film covers the story of Superman and Batman and how they encounter a strange Kyrptonian girl who seems to share a little bite of heritage with our man in red and blue. As far as DC animated films go this one definitely takes the cake when it comes to story development and mashing it all into an hour and twenty minute film.

As the story progresses through the twists and turns of the DC world featuring Superman and Batman along with some other familiar faces whom I dare not spoil for all of you. The story is definitely directed at the fans though; it directs attention to the viewers while also still holding the wild card classic DC heartfelt flare between enemies.

One of the most important things about this film is definitely the action though. I did not want to stop watching to even get a drink because frankly the action was phenomenal. There are so many fantastic clashes between classic foe’s and even allies, which alone should make you wonder what is in store for you.

Character focus:

Now I know I said that I wouldn’t reveal any of the characters to you but the all-star cast is large enough that I can spoil just a little bit. We obviously have Superman and Batman to thank for putting together this heroic ensemble of vixens and even more vixens. The majority of the film takes place on Wonder Woman’s Home Island where we of course get to see a plethora of Amazonian wonder babes. But this film is not Limited to just Princess Diana we of course have Superman’s cousin and the focus of our story Supergirl better known as Kara. The ever so famous Darkside and his elite force of devilish vixens of course learn of Kara and not so long after her arrival Darkside takes an interest in her. Along with Darkside we get to see a few other famous DC villains from the planet Apocalypse and the Superman Universe but I may have spoiled too much already.

Animation:

This is what you all want to hear ANIMATION yes it is animated in that amazing Warner Bros style that we all know and love. Your everyday reporter Clark Kent is ever so ripped and our Gotham Knights abs show right through his Kevlar. Don’t even get me started on the women because I just might have to rethink whether or not I prefer real life or not. But in all seriousness the animation is well thought out when it comes down to it, the action is by far some of the best I have seen in American animation in a very long time. The animation actually gets better in combat where in some previous American classics it would get less detailed, but this film stays crisp and very colorful. Characters always stay fully formed and don’t lose any limps in the animation process if you know what I mean, while still managing to keep you looking at the intense environments.

Overall:

In the rundown this film exceeds expectations of past DC animated features and even takes the cake over some of their more recent live actions films. Some minor gaps in story shouldn’t keep you from watching this spectacularly Animated film, whether your pick it up on Blu-ray or DVD (although I suggest Blu-Ray for the awesome special features) it is worth BUYING for sure fan or not.

Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box
Genre: Hidden Object/Point ‘n’ click
Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch
Developer: GO!Games
Publisher: Alawar Entertainment
Released: 12 August
Price: (US)$2.99

In Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box, you start out as Tye, who receives an unnerving phone call from his Grandfather in which his Grandfather admits he’s killed someone. The mysterious phone call worries Tye, who sensing his Grandfather is in trouble, immediately rushes to his aid. And so begins this hidden object, point ’n’ click adventure. It all sounds very fun and exciting, doesn’t it? Well, believe me, it’s not. With no voice acting and a small cast of characters, the aforementioned story is about as dramatic as a phone call from telemarketers. In an attempt to build tension, your character enters a monologue at regular intervals. Although the action of talking to yourself in-game can provide useful hints and subsequently, help you move onto the next stage, it’s overly dramatic, and instead of heightening tension and adding to the story, it just turns it into a joke. The story is almost a case of ‘so bad it’s good’, as the monologues are so over-dramatised, it’s amusing.

However, we can’t blame all the problems of the item equipping sections on the visuals. Part of the problem is the manner in which you are thrown into the game with no tutorial; you are simply expected to pick up the controls instinctively. This, in turn, leads to other problems on other puzzles, such as when you have to pick the lock to Granddad’s house. Thoughtfully, the developers have included a ‘skip’ function, a feature owners of the game will be very thankful for when meeting these irritatingly impossible puzzles.

Once you’ve made it into the house, the game does start to pick up. Suddenly, the game starts to link together and you start gathering items to solve the corresponding problems, clearly and easily. When you talk to Granddad, it gets even more interesting; you are teleported to a ship full of mysteries in a flashback-esque manner. From here on, you play as Granddad but a great deal younger, unravelling the secrets of Pandora’s Box, and discovering the events the transpired in the past, which have led to the occurrences of the present. This part of the game provides more enjoyment than the previous section; the puzzles get better and events clearly lead on to one and other in a smooth transition. That said, the title still suffers from serious pacing issues, and is frustratingly slowed down by frequent hidden object gathering sections.

Overall, Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box for the iPhone is a bit of a disappointment. From the screenshots it looks graphically impressive, and, with it’s hand-drawn art-style, it is. That is until you delve deeper into the game and are suddenly expected to find objects amongst the cluttered mess. Also, with little or no animation throughout, the gameplay is about as static as the screenshots. There is some decent hidden object/point ‘n’ click gameplay to be found, although it requires near-inhuman levels of patience, and the ability to persist through the numerous frustrating sections, in order to get to the good bits. There is some enjoyment to be found, as demonstrated by some of the well-transitioned puzzle-solving aspects, but having to grind through so much irritation is a tall ask for a medium that’s supposed to be entertaining.

Pros

• Some good mystery solving to be found
• Visuals are impressive…

Cons

• …until you start zooming in and trying to find objects
• Requires a lot of patience (all that frustration can’t be good for your health)
• Repetitive
• Poorly executed story