Annnd I'm back at work. Did a little Sen's Fortress in Dark Souls last night and got killed by a dart trap after avenging myself by incinerating a mimic.

I hate mimics. I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE them! It's a Kefka kind of hate. I hate them more than the monster-in-a-box because they are the box! A box of lies that seldom has treasure and often death.

I saved my Chaos fireballs just for him.



After that I saved Quincy Sharp from Zsasz in Arkham Asylum. At least you can predict Zsasz. Well, aside from his debut as a criminal mastermind in Shadow of the Bat all those years ago. I guess he's gotten a bit dim since then, but then, so is anyone but The Joker in the hands of Paul Dini.

Even Ra's, Hush and Bane can become bit players in Dini's hands, but he always writes Batman like its the Animated Series which is the fan service angle they're going for here.



But then it has years of stuff from the comic thrown in, stuff like The Killing Joke which didn't happen in the cartoons. I get the merger, but knowing the cartoon throwbacks are the main hook here, it leaves some fans out of the loop, I'd suspect.

The S&M art direction just don't mesh well with it, though. It's like they let a Top Cow artist loose on Gotham City here. May as well have the Witchblade chick in this game and give all the women balloon-sized breasts, too.

It's just an odd juxtaposition of things I would get, but at least Joel Schumacher didn't direct it or design costumes.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm entertained enough - especially with the combat and Metroidesque toolset - it's just anyone but Dini and this lead artist I would have preferred. 

Plus if they go and do another non-game movie it's just weird to see Harley ditch the leather bustier and go back to the red and black tights.

These Batman games are like an Elseworlds comic that thinks its continuity and kind of is but really isn't. The only thing it would need to drive it over a cliff is Grant Morrison writing it and if you had a hard time keeping up with Metal Gear Solid or Kingdom Hearts, well, let's just say Morrison could teach Nomura and Kojima a thing or two about the mindfuck.  Reading his stuff is probably why I find those games palpable at all.

But if you want a taste of Morrison at the best he can be while reeled in and contained, get the graphic novel, JLA: Rock of Ages or JLA: Earth 2.

Better yet, if you want it even more simple rent or stream Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. 

Dini just likes his version of things so much he'll fly in the face of continuity to do it in the middle of a Morrison comic book story arch, which is something I don't like about him.. Denny or Grant could have Joker all post-Killing Joke/The Dark Knight  with knives, scars and cracking  jokes about beating Robin with a crowbar, but Dini is all chattering teeth and Joker Gas with Joker pre and post-Killing Joke.



I love Dini's cartoon Joker but his comic book one is a bit dated and wildly inconsistent with other writers.  His Joker is the only one that wouldn't try to kill the rest of Batman's gallery of rogues, though, and in that respect he works for the game.

Other Jokers would at least kill one guy off. 

Blah blah, comics are serious business. Why so serious?

Because you're the best.

I'm the best at serious.

I just realized I talked about Joker and Kefka in the same post. They kind of are the same guy in a way.  I have to wonder if they met, who would kill who first.

Eh, but why steal all the fun? Just remember they both achieved godhood once - Joker had a little stint where he was a New God in Superman/Batman - so we'll consider them evenly matched.



So nerd time! 

Kefka or Joker?

Also, mimic or monster-in-a-box?