So… (cue the shameless segue), speaking of videogames and the aforementioned “caped crusader”, anyone play the new “Batman: Arkham Asylum” game that dropped last month for the 360 & PS3?  If you haven’t, let me tell you why you need to… basically, its DOPE- case closed!  But, rather than just try and leave on a bombastic statement like that, I’ll embellish and try and articulate the game’s “dopeness” as best I can!

First off, I’m no comic book head but like most people, I can name the legends- Superman, The Hulk, Spiderman, the X-men and of course… (in lispy-Christain Bale-voice) BATMAN.  Which is the first thing I noticed in the game, they got the voice actors from the old cartoon, “Batman: The Animated Series”, to reprise their roles- namely Mark Hamill aka “Luke Skywalker” who voices the “Joker”.  He steals the show as do most of the villains who appear and essentially redeem themselves via their depictions in the game after being reduced to corny, cliché slinging characters in Joel Schumacher’s “Batman” movies from the ’90s.

The second thing I noticed was they finally got the combination of “Batman the detective” vs. “Batman the street vigilante” RIGHT!  Half your play-time will be spent scouring Arkham for clues that unfold the game’s great story (which in all is about 8 hours sans finding the 240 hidden Riddles which can take 8 hours themselves to ascertain), while the other half will be spent straight geeking out as you strategically decide which of Batman’s many gadgets and fighting tactics to use in disarming the random thugs that populate the island.  You can be stealthy like the games “Hitman” or “Splinter Cell” OR completely disregard the element of surprise and just get on your “Tony Jaa” with it (see clip below).

And the cool thing is, the fight choreography is so practical and well executed that you will find yourself hyped whenever you encounter an absurd amount of Joker’s henchman, because even if the odds are 20 to 1, that just means more combos to pull off for bigger achievements and trophies.

Honestly, I can’t find many, if any, flaws in this game.  It’s got a great story- I mean its Batman so that’s a strong enough selling point on its own, coupled with amazing graphics, ambience & voice acting, an easy yet intuitive combat system that makes you WANT TO kick ass for hours and enough puzzles to make you explore every nook and cranny of Arkham Island!  And for those who cop the PS3 version, you get to play the bonus challenge rooms as the Joker himself!  Oh yeah, the game autosaves like crazy too, so its no problem to turn it off if you need to unexpectedly get back to the real world and not have to frantically search for a save point (I HATE THAT!).

So again, like I said earlier, basically… this game is DOPE!  I appreciate you all reading this and look forward to sharing more of my nerd-dom with ya!  Feel free to peep my own blog, Neosonic Productions, as well as as my radio show’s site (SUBSONiQ) too!  Peace…

K-Murdock

Wow, I haven’t done this in a while……

Pictures from the Commonwealth x Shop Gentei party at the Geisha Lounge in DC. Damn, I my tired ass fell asleep early that night, and I’m mad, cause Commonwealth brings out some of the flyest women in the District.

Speaking of women, Cassie (along with Lupe and N.E.R.D.) coves Complex this month. I met Cassie last year and thought she was one of the most immature and annoying people I’ve ever seen. But she can work it though.

McCain Pulls the Race Card while accusing Obama of pulling the race card. McCain is getting nasty, and now that he’s leading in the polls it’s going to get even worse. I don’t think Obama is gonna win this one, and I’m seriously thinking of moving to Montreal if he dosen’t.

And by the way, Ludacris, you’re not helping…

RIP DJ Rock Dee. Wow, this was out of the blue. I didn’t know much of Rock Dee, but he was a contributor of the 88Nine Radio Milwaukee blog, which is one of my favorite reads. My blessings go out to his family.

Radiohead In Rainbows > Coldplay’s Vida La Vida. In fact, that Stateless album I blogged about last week is still the knock, and BETTER than that crap that Coldplay put out.

Rock heads: Byron Crawford hits up Lollapalooza. Check his reviews from Day 1 and Day 2 of the show. I need to get back into the rock game hard so I have to check some of these bands out. BV also has a review and photos from Kanye who closed out the event.

Diary of a Mad DC Cabbie blogs about a Black people not being able to pick up cabs. It’s 2008, sheesh.

Solange – F#$k the Industry. I’m diggin’ Solange and her style and I’m sad to see that the industry is still railroading Black ladies who think outside the box. Maybe she just needs to drop her album as UK-only like Kelis and Amerie did.

SoulBounce is campaigning to be in the Black Weblog Awards. Show Butta and company some love.

Man busted for growing weed in Rock Creek Park….by a turtle. Apparently terrapins are the snitches of the wildlife kingdom.

So most of y’ll know I really can’t stand a lot of women in DC. I don’t want to generalize, but a lot of women in DC have serious attitude problems and entitlement issues. Just because you got an advanced degree from Howard doesn’t mean that the world owes you any favors.

Me and my homie Sofi pondered this whole lack of down to earth DC women atop the roof of the Palms Las Vegas last year, and the only thing we could attribute it to is the higher than average lead content in our water. I’ve traveled all over the country and I find DC women to be the most stuck up women I’ve ever met, next to LA and Miami.

So yeah, DC is home to some of the meanest women possible. There is a severe lack of down to earth females around here, except for around three months out of the year in what I like to call intern season.

I don’t want to come off as one of those “I get older they all stay the same dudes,” cause it’s not like that. I just like to be around women who are cool, chill, and down to earth, and the interns give me that experience. How many times are you going to have 5 girls from California cook you a full dinner at 4 in the morning? Seriously?

Personally, I’m getting too old for that ish (most of the “interns” I date now are in grad school), but its still one of the many perks of living in the metro area.

So for all you interns…..WELCOME TO DC!!

Well, more like the first Hip-Hop nominee, cause I don’t think he’ll ever get elected, but this is a good look. (from Ian)

Speaking of the presidential race, please don’t fall for Hillary’s “experience” line that she’s using against Obama. Unless experience means leading Easter egg hunts.

Oh, and the girl from Hillary’s 3AM ad is voting for Obama.

Spitzer…..yeah, I would hit that too. But for $5500 an hour plus travel from New York? Hells no.

So no, I didn’t go to SXSW this year due to the new condo, family, and budget issues, even though I got invited to a number of parties. It’s all good. I’m hitting it hard next year so don’t fret. If you’re down in Austin right now, how is it? And a whole slew of DC acts made the trip down there, including Wale, Doujah Raze, and YahZarah. There was even a DC Does Texas party down there as well. Nice.

And sorry, I’m not gonna call the DC Area, the DMV. Am I trying to party or renew my drivers license? Don’t get me started on the term bamma.

And since my the site was in limbo, I actually lost a draft post that I was writing about The Wire. So in summary: Yes, it was the best show on TV. And yes, it was better than The Sopranos.

Do educated Black people like moving to Atlanta? Yes. It’s so bad that my sister was at a club in Atlanta and ran into my entire 8th grade class. And most everyone I know in ATL looks down on me for moving to DC. (props to Lady Glock for the email)

The Roots – Birthday Girl. Are you serious? Is this supposed to be the first single from Rising Down. This sounds like something that Gym Class Heroes would do.

Wale – Back Into Go-Go (feat Bun B and Pusha T) – Wow. This is probably the hottest Wale track that I’ve heard so far. Seriously, he shouldn’t release this ish for free. He’s going to be at 9:30 club this Saturday.

Update: Wale Record Deal Announcement Soon? It’s about time.

And finally: Dizzee Rascal interview at Status Aint’ Hood. Yes, I know that most of y’all can’t stand this dude, but he has a passion for his art that can’t be denied.

Remember, (most) all Random Ish links can be found at our Link Blog. And before I forget Merry Christmas Happy Holidays to everyone…

Puma and WaxPoetics have developed a nice stocking stuffer for your hipster on your list. Cover Story: Album Cover Art is a compilation of over 240 old skool album covers and looks like a cool read.

Prince of Petworth has a good interview with the owners of Wonderland, who just bought Temperance Hall in Petworth. Non-dancing wannabe hipsters aside, Wonderland is one of my favorite spots in DC (and even more favorite since I’ll be living 5 minutes away), and I’m glad the whole dive bar mentality is still alive and kickin’ in the District. Especially since they closed Common Share.

Hipsters rejoice! There is a new video for MIA’s Paper Planes (of course with some drama cause the MTV version is censored). The video itself is pretty bland, but the song is a banger.

NYC based Palms Out Sounds has a really dope interview with Dave Nada before a gig in Brooklyn and Nada reps DC hard. Check it out.

Nice Kid Sister “Pro Nails” remix on RCRD LBL from Bag Raider. I still don’t understand why this song gets so much hate.

NYC Burlesque Pole Dancer Video…..again, why I love New York. If this happened on the DC Metro these chicks would be arrested and sent to Guantanamo.

RIP Ike Turner. Wow. Seems like Black Popular culture has lost yet another icon, even though most of us know Ike from that Tina Turner movie from back in the day. (Had to link to Crunk and Disorderly for that picture!)

So the government spent over 60 million dollars just to prove that Baseball players take steroids. WTF? It is funny to hear all of the Barry Bonds haters try and defend Roger Clemens. Cosellout talks about how Clemens is getting the white glove treatment from the the media from the whole ordeal.

Oh, and what is going on for New Years Eve? I have zero plans right now.

Question is….how exactly do you go about finding information regarding “the cool sh-t”? When I say “the cool sh-t” I refer to parties, art events, and music that no one knows about. Is it blogs, email lists, word of mouth? I ask because I have a dope Halloween party coming up, 3 mixes/mixtapes, and 3 opporutinites to start new parties in DC. Holla@ the comments people, good lookin.

p.s. Why is it that they don’t play dance music @ black clubs?

More pictures here.

bty gets it in…

LA HIPSTERS ARE ARGUING ABOUT WHO GOT WITH THE COBRA SNAKE, WHO SUCKS TAKING PHOTOS, THE WAR IN IRAQ, AND A FAT 12 YEAR OLD ASIAN KID…..jeez people.

At the same time though THE YAY AREA IS POPPIN….all that in one weekend? Come on DC we must do better….

…and only better we have gotten!!! PICTURES FROM THE GET DOWN! (the weekly party I DJ w/my man Stereo Faith) are here for your enjoyment. Of couse I’m not on there, but you see what it is (actually I’m posted on the couch w/my bestest of homegirls in the world, besides Dream, in the last picture. I have the Vans on and gray sweater.).

ESPN catches up w/Elton Brand and finds out what the Clippers star has been doing since he last got hurt and how he is doing on his road to recovery.

The (Shawn) Marion Paradox [first spotted @ True Hoop]

Mega Montana aka Cormege speaks w/URB magazine regarding his new album, Queens heritage, and a song featuring nothing but 40 + year old rappers.

Mike Carroll Appreciation

Cassette Tapes are given life as iPOD holders? Excellent idea that lets you reminisce as well as enjoy new music at the same time.

So if you’ve noticed, I haven’t been posting much on this blog, and personally I’m at the point where I was about the turn the lights off this thing for good, (a la shut down the studio, “Puffy Style”). It’s not that I don’t like the site, because I love The Couch Sessions but a lot of things have to be fixed before I move forward.

First off my job has taken up all of allowable free time. I’m occupied every day with the legal hustle, while most people I know in “the industry” are still in bed. And maybe this is a sign of me getting old, but after work I would rather come home and watch ESPN HD with a cold beer then try to venture out to U Street to catch a show. Not saying that your show sucks, but getting out there on a weeknight and then trying to make it to work at 8:30 AM just isn’t hittin’ it anymore. Come up to NYC or Philly on a Tuesday? Naw man, can’t do it. And I know a bunch of people have told me to quit my job and focus on the music thing, but seriously that ish is downright impossible considering my financial sitation. How else can I live the “rock star” lifestyle?

Also, there is a lot of stuff going on with the site on the back end that I can’t really talk about, but is surely taking its toll on how I run things around here. It’s not beef or anything like that, just technical stuff with my hosting company, Google, WordPress, and all of the above that is constraining this site from reaching the maximum amount of viewers. And no, the podcasts aren’t up yet. In turn, I’ve had to put all of my other ideas on hold (record company, the documentary thing, etc) until I get these issues with the site fixed.

And lastly, I can’t get down with this so-called hip-hop music these days. I’m listening to the new UGK album for review and although its a decent album, I just can’t get down with the cliched bitch talk, gun talk, pimp talk, etc. Granted, I’m reviewing Common’s Finding Forever, and I find it cliched for different reasons. All I’m trying to say is that there is a highly probable chance that I don’t like your favorite rapper (cough, Lil ‘Wayne) or your favorite hipster starlet (cough, M.I.A., cough) but the most popular blogs dry hump both. And since I much rather write about artists that most people never heard of, I will never the the shine that most bloggers get even though I’ve been in this game for almost 4 years. No disrespect to any other blogger, because trust me I read most every hip-hop blog you can name on a regular basis, but I’m trying to survive as a Black music blogger who tries to blog outside the realm of what is considered popular Black culture, and its not an easy thing.

So right now, I’m not going the shut anything down and I don’t know if I really want to go on a true hiatus. I’m still going to post, and I know Rome will hold things down. Basically, I see this site as Season 6 of 24: a venerable and popular show gets stale in its 6th season, and the producers have to go back to the drawing board to get things back on track for season 7. And that’s what I”m doing. Going back to the drawing board so I can ensure people that I’m putting out a quality product, on my terms and hopefully making money in the process.

Sorry for the rant, but let me assure you that big things are coming.

-Stone

Dupont Menage – Holy Cow

DJ SOUL HAS A BLOG. All the blogs from those downtown NYC DJs (DJ Eli, Roctakon, Lloydski, Stretch Armstrong, etc.) are ill, and this one sits right there with them.

Lets Talk About It….my favorite non music blog on the internet right now.

Classic House Music for your enjoyment. I grabbed all of those.

Kid Sister & DJ A-Trak – Pro Nails (Live In SF) (youtube video)

RIP Tammy Faye. Ok, not really but my family forced me to watch that televangelist ish when I was growing up and I’m still recovering.

DC brought the star power last week? Kim Kardashian, Dave Chappelle and Michael Jackson were in town last week?? Where was I??

The Getdown party at Cafe Napeloen was sick. (Pictures Here) Jerome and Sterofaith brought it as usual, and you must respect any DJ that includes Kris Kross’ “Jump” in their playlist. And boo to the chick who wanted to fight me cause I stepped on her foot. People need to chill when they go out.

I’m not going to convict Michael Vick like the press is doing right now (some of which I think is racially motivated), because we all need to give the dude the benefit of the doubt. And for the record, I think that dogfighting is disgusting and vile and if guilty, the dude needs to get whats coming to him. Does the dude need help? Yes. If Roger Godell had any sense he would assign older NFL players like Emmitt Smith as mentors to Vick, Tank Johnson, and Pacman Jones because these dudes need serious mental therapy.

Is the NBA run by the Mafia? If these allegations are true then this will have serious repercussions for American sports. This ref is going to sing, and might bring other people down with him. Not only that, but he called the most technical fouls of any ref in the league.

Oh yeah, and David Beckham played in America. I’m not the biggest football soccer fan, so I’m not jumping for joy or anything. I think everybody knows that its a marketing ploy more than anything.

The sample for Common’s Drivin’ Me Wild

Trent brings back the Bakers Dozen!

BYT previews what’s hot in the area’s streetwear stores.

Although her music is still da bomb, I can’t support Amy Winehouse anymore. Spitting on fans? I used to be first in line to see an Amy concert, but not anymore. Of course, that concert would’ve been canceled anyway. Related: How Amy Winehouse Gets Away With It.

Ja Rule and Lil’ Wayne were arrested on the same day. Hmm….don’t they have a single coming out? I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist but damn, this just a little bit too coincidental.