I didn't upload a poster last week, because no matter what I did I could not make a good "The Crucifixion of Mary J. Blige" poster, I really-really tried, but it was awful. Sorry. BUT NOW I AM BACK!



This was fun to do though fairly simple, I had a concept from the get-go and finished it before the Podtoid episode was even over I think. The font I used in the logo is the original 2004 FarCry font, I liked the idea of having a nuclear symbol to emphasize how dangerous and horrible the Errors of Diablo III is. I originally wanted the hands of Diablo to come out of the laptop and try to grab DaFoe, but it didn't come out right and became a bit cluttered. The hard poster this week was the second one...



Because it just wouldn't come together, originally it featured Brendan Fraser as The Warrior, Nicolas Cage as The Magician and Chloe G. Moretz as The Ranger. But in the end I dumped Fraser because he sucks and has no good images to use. DaFoe as Diablo was fun to do even if it's hard to see that it's him now that he's bald and has glowing eyes, but hey, shit happens. The poster is a bit empty, but I think it turned out fun in the end, the logo was fun to do since I recreated it from the original Diablo logo (looks much better than the Diablo 3 logo IMO) and had some fun with effects on it.

That's it for this week of Posters of Podtoid, and make sure you listen to the latest Podtoid episode, it's fun and Jonathan Holmes announces a new video-series at the end which I'm heavily involved with.

As always, if you want to see all posters, you can find them here:
http://sirtobbii.deviantart.com/favourites/48941164

Doing a pause in my pre-E3 talk (more is coming) to give you the latest Poster of Podtoid!



Oh boy, this one was A LOT of fun.

I had the concept ready from the get-go, I wanted DaFoe flying out of an arsehole, I later ditched the butt part because a full-body flying DaFoe was just so awesome I had to show all of him. The bum instead ended up the cause of the lensflare for this poster. I liked making the black oily cancer as well, too bad it's not an audible medium so we can hear it scream and moan.

I took some liberties with Nicolas Cage playing the 8 year old kid, rather than drawing a kids smiley face on Cage's head I just took his face and placed it on an actual 8 year old, because unlike Jim I DO have the money for that CGI. Ryan Reynolds as Dracula was the last 'character' I did for the poster.

If you look at the bottom of the poster you can see a silhouette of four marching men, these are Weird Al's men as seen by their pigs-snouts placed on their gas-masks. Speaking of Weird Al, I named him "Yank-A-Dick" in the bottom credits because I thought it was funny while I was tired.

Well, that was all for this week... OR MAYBE NOT!?

Yeah, IF I have some free time for it later tomorrow I might make a poster for Hellraiser 10 based on Jim's Xenobite concept for the trio, but I can not promise that as of yet.

Complete Podtoid Poster Set
Original DeviantArt Link (Higher Quality)

[Tobbii's Pre-E3 Talk is a new series where I will be talking about things that might become relevant during E3, such as new consoles and etc.]

WiiU is coming out this fall/winter, yaaaay and all that jazz. But here's a sad thing... WiiU can not play Gamecube games, it can play Wii games without any hassle, but those pesky Gamecube titles are a no-no. Because of this, a lot of people are hoping that Nintendo will add Gamecube support for Virtual Console, which sounds very possible.

Let's say that doesn't happen.

Let's say Nintendo goes the HD-rerelease route, sort of like they did with New Play Control, we'll call it the HDcube Collection because of reasons. The HDcube Collection is releasing with ten games in its original release-library. This is my fancy way of saying; this is a top 10 list of Gamecube Exclusive games I want in HD on WiiU. Let's go!




10. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

SNAAAAKE! The original Metal Gear Solid is not my favourite of the franchise, but damn is it good. The remake improved a lot of things in my honest opinion and it's sad that there's no way to play it on the HD systems. I guess the reason it's not in the HD Collection is because of it being a Nintendo exclusive title, so releasing it for WiiU would be a brilliant move!




09. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

The best of the Mario RPG games. Yeah I said it! The Thousand Year Door was funny, original and a great example on how to make a proper sequel, keep what's good, add new things and expand rather than try to recreate the same game all over again. Not to mention that the game is very nice-looking, without a doubt it's the best-looking game using sprites on Gamecube, and that's why I would love to see it in higher definitions.




08. StarFox: Assault

I really liked StarFox: Assault. Yeah, it wasn't the same as StarFox 64 and it wasn't as polished as StarFox: Adventures, but it was really fun! The game had some of the best visuals on Gamecube and was mostly overlooked because of the game adding in ground-combat as a main-feature. Here's the thing though, the ground-combat was actually good. Not only would a HD re-release give it another chance that it deserves, it would also show how good a 8 year old game can look with a simple re-touch.




07. Super Mario Sunshine

It's a me, obligatory mention-io! Super Mario Sunshine is my favourite 3D Mario, probably because it didn't try to be Super Mario 64 Part 2 but actually tried some new stuff. The large stages, the great visuals and the amazingly catchy soundtrack are just a few of the reasons this game deserves another go. Okay sure, Bowser's voice-actor was a bad choice, but no game is perfect. Super Mario Sunshine is the only Mario game on this list and damn is it a perfect candidate.




06. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Here's a fun fact on me. As you probably know I collect horror videogames and spend most of my time playing horror videogames, so naturally Eternal Darkness is on this list... Except I don't really like the game that much. Weird huh? I really hate the controls and combat in Eternal Darkness, I could never get a hold of it and it always gets in the way. My sollution? I'll watch my girlfriend play the game instead and then I love it. The story is great, the twists are great, the visuals are... Okay. But it still deserves a HD port. So I can watch it again.




05. Final Fantasy: The Crystal Chronicles

Probably the least expected game on this list. I liked the original Crystal Chronicles a lot, but the main issue was the GBA stuff. With WiiU and the possibility of Wi-Fi, the multiplayer has a chance to actually work! And the game looks pretty damn good, so it should look even better in HD. Seriously, this is one of the most logical WiiU ports of the Gamecube games. Get on it Square-Enix!




04. F-Zero GX

I'm gonna be perfectly honest. The only reason I have this on the list is because I'm stating to doubt we'll ever get a proper F-Zero sequel, so you know what? I at least want a port! F-Zero GX is another one of the very pretty Gamecube games that could easily still look good in modern times if the definitions are fixed and the HUD is redrawn. If this doesn't happen I wonder if we'll ever see another F-Zero game, but I've written an entire post about that so let's move on.




03. StarFox: Adventures

Another StarFox game you say? Fuck yeah. StarFox: Adventures is the most underrated Rare game ever made, it's one of the better Zelda clones and it's so pretty you could stab your eyes out at the details. This was released in the early months of the Gamecube and is possibly one of the prettiest games of the entire generation. And that's not even talking about the actual gameplay that's great as well, it's fun and varied and the story even is a bit original. Truly a masterpiece that people overlook far too often because "STARFOX SHOULD NOT BE ON THE GROUND!!".




02. Luigi's Mansion

Nope, this is not a Mario game, it's a Luigi game. I love Luigi's Mansion, I think I've replayed it as late as this year even. It's smart, it's funny and it's the most underrated Nintendo game of all time. With a sequel (fucking finally) being released on the Nintendo 3DS this year it would make sense for Nintendo to give newcomers a chance to play the original game. Using the WiiU controller as the Gameboy Horror would be pretty cool as well. But please oh please Nintendo, do not make us aim the vacuum cleaner with the gyro, you did for the Luigi's Mansion 2 demo I tried, and it sucks... No pun intended.




01. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

You all knew this was coming. You all know why this was coming. Hell, most of you voted for this game yourself when I asked on twitter for suggestions! The Wind Waker is the best-aged game from last generation when it comes to visuals, even today The Wind Waker looks great and if you've seen any of the emulated HD screenshots you know that it can look even better. Seriously, it should be illegal for a game to look this good. And yes, I realize I picked my #1 entirely on visuals alone, I don't care, it deserves it. It's that pretty. With that said, it's also one of the best Zelda games ever.

--

Now, as I mentioned, these are only exclusive games, so no Metroid Prime or Resident Evil (2003) as they were both released for Wii and will be playable on the WiiU without the HDcube Collection. But hey, you've seen my picks, but I also asked on twitter and got quite a few responses, here they are!

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - 7 Votes
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - 2 Votes
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg - 1 Vote
F-Zero GX - 1 Vote
Star Wars - Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader - 1 Vote

Double Feature this week!

This week I went very artsy, mostly because I was in a artsy mood as soon as I began on the second poster this week (which I started first). So I hope you'll enjoy this weeks posters!


Link http://sirtobbii.deviantart.com/art/The-Taste-of-Crime-Podtoid-299865668?q=favby%3Asirtobbii%2F48941164&qo=1

The Taste of Crime was fun to do, it was meant to be a more standard colourful poster but I liked DaFoe in Black and White so much that I had to keep it as a theme. As you see, we have Gene Simmons as Bin Laden and the Turban-copter present. But hey, that's now what you came for, let's look at ART!'


Link http://sirtobbii.deviantart.com/art/The-Handjob-to-Hell-Podtoid-299866146?q=favby%3Asirtobbii%2F48941164&qo=0

Look at it, look at how the face of the anguished pain-felt man obscures the view of his penis and the females tit, making the possibilities of a viewer to gain any pleasure from the scene just as hard as when Jonathans spear was shaken in that horrible horrible way and WHAT THE HELL AM I WRITING!?

Anyway, special thanks to Medeanor on DeviantArt for suggesting I make a Handjob to Hell poster.

Complete Set: http://sirtobbii.deviantart.com/favourites/48941164

Posting my review of The Avengers here on Dtoid since that's where most people read my stuff, if higher power feels I should not have it here since it's not videogame related I'll take it down and put it up somewhere else. With that said, please enjoy my spoiler-free review of The Avengers and if you want to, please watch my vlog where I'm incredibly tired and rambling on the film (including spoilers towards the end, though I warn before I get to that.).

Vlog Link: http://blip.tv/sirtobbii/the-avengers-vlog-review-6115236
Original Blogspot Post: http://sirtobbii.blogspot.se/2012/04/avengers-vlog-review.html

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I've seen The Avengers (in 3D... Woohoo...) and I have a opinion on it! The first half of this Vlog is spoiler-free for those of you who haven't seen it, so don't worry about watching it, I give a warning before I switch to full-on spoiler + discussion mode. With that said, I go into details and stuff in the video, but you can also simply keep on reading here if you want to get a gist of my opinion on Joss Whedon's attempt at this superhero team-up film.

The film picks up shortly after Captain America: The First Avenger and the end-credits stinger to Thor. Without going into too much story details, let's just say that you need to have seen at least these two films to understand the plot going on here. Watching it without having seen Iron Man is not recommended, but doable, most of the things set up by the two Iron Man films are quickly explained within dialogue. However, there's no reason to have watched The Incredible Hulk unless you don't know who Bruce Banner / The Incredible Hulk is to begin with. Nothing from that film is followed up on in this story, which is a shame, but understandable with this being forced to be a sequel to four different franchises at once. You just can't keep everything.

The script is very clearly written by Joss Whedon, his signature quips and 'clever' one-liners are constantly popping in about every five minutes or so. Thankfully most of them work, but there are a few ones that were cringe-worthy and a few that just shouldn't have been there as they ruined to mood of the scene. With that said, for the slight flaws in his writing, Whedon makes up for in direction. This is a very pretty film from every standpoint, the action is clear and fluid, the settings are varied and fun and even the use of lens-flares isn't overdone (as it was in Thor for example) but kept to when it helps the mood rather than obscures to view.

However, a problem with The Avengers is that the action scenes, while well-shot, are not exciting. This is because of one factor and one factor alone, the soundtrack. This film has one of the most dull and bland soundtracks I've heard in a modern big-budget superhero film. There's nothing memorable in it and it keeps the otherwise great set-pieces from reaching the heights they deserve. I'm not sure who composed this, but whoever it was, I'm very disappointed in him/her. And speaking of bland, that's another problem when it comes to the big baddies of the film as led by Loki. Without revealing what/who they are, let's just say they made sure that there was nothing memorable about their appearances.

I saw the film in 3D. Don't do that, I repeat, do NOT see The Avengers in 3D. Why? Because it's not worth it. Sure, the 3D is there and it works, but it doesn't help the film in any way, it's unnecessary and there's rarely any good use of it as most of the time things are flying to the side of the camera, not towards the camera. And it doesn't help that about 85% of the film is shot in the dark which doesn't work for 3D at all. I can honestly say that while watching the first scene I had to take off my 3D glasses to make sure that I saw what I saw since it was so dark I had to double-check. That should never be an issue when I'm forced to pay almost double-price from what I would have had to pay had this come out 5 years ago before the resurgence 3D.

In the end, The Avengers is a fun film with a good pacing and some unfortunate scoring. There's high-class action mixed with the best contemporary actors of the genre and anyone who have been waiting for this since Marvel Studios started making these films in 2007 should not be disappointed. It's not the best of the Marvel films, but it certainly isn't the worst either. It's solid and I suggest you go see it, now I have a desperate feeling to go play Galaga and I shall do so. Thanks for reading and thanks for watching.

Final Score: 7/10 - A Solid Film

P.S: If you wondered what [url=https://twitter.com/#!/SirTobbii/status/195970395373961216]this tweet[/url] was about, well it's the first thing I get into in the spoiler part of the Vlog, so maybe it's worth watching if you really need to know. It almost had me walk out the theatre in anger.

Since people liked the first posters of podtoid post, I figured it's only fair of me to tell you about new ones. So here's my take on World War Fun!



I knew immediately that I wanted the colour-scheme I used. For once I actually began with the logo, after the logo was done I moved on to the finding a good picture of a happy but still creep DaFoe... Was not that hard. The nazi eating a sausage (that symbolizes a penis, duh) is based on a stock-photo that I quickly edited because I could not make the poster without that imagery.

The biggest problem was the background which is a mashup of a weat-field, a playground and a World War One battlefield... Yeah, if I'm doing this I'm gonna do it right. I put the playground on top of the soldiers to not have too much death in there (it's a fun film after all, no death and guns and that crap) and started removing the environment around the playground.

Finally came the extra text, the top bit (playground of death) is something I'm not that happy with, but without it the poster was too empty and I had no funny left in me at that point, the bottom tagline was a given. As for the crew info, people who have listened to the episode should know why I picked the director.

I hope you like this poster as I liked making it, as always, here's a full gallery of my Podtoid posters:
http://sirtobbii.deviantart.com/favourites/48941164