Dr. Rated-R

I really hope that they implement Red Dead Redemption's checkpoint system into this new game. I've had great fun with GTA over the years, but its most frustrating aspect has always been the whole "drive across city to receive mission briefing; watch cutscene in which said debriefing is given; repeat entire process once you fail the mission" rigmarole. It always broke the flow of the game for me and was the main reason that I found it difficult to engage with the storylines.

Wasn't that fixed in IV? If you fail a mission you can redo it by pressing some button on your cellphone.

I'm really excited for this news. The way the stylized roman numeral five looks like US money makes me think they're doing something with a Washington, D.C. motif. That sounds like an awesome setting for a story, but it would make for a radically different GTA game. The city, at least the most famous part of the city, is full of Roman-esque architecture and all of the buildings are very low. A GTA without sweeping skyscrapers would be an interesting change, but I must admit that it would gimp the sandbox gameplay mode.

D.C. also seems like a lightning rod for political correctness controversy, but that might be by design I guess. Either way, if they were pressured into removing airplanes from IV (III I can understand) because of the most ridiculously tenuous connection to 9/11 ever, I can't imagine how the overly-sensitive types would feel about the potential of blowing up some offshoot of the Lincoln Memorial or something.

Anyways, yeah, I wonder what new gameplay mechanics we'll get? I'm hoping for proper environmental damage. It would be so fun to be able to bring down entire buildings and stuff. That and the return of character creation would make me so happy. And, goddamnit, bring back the bicycle, Rockstar.

Yeah, really. He could hang with the best of them.

I'm gonna leave this open another week so we're a bit closer to Halloween when it's finished. We've got enough votes for a decent list so far, but more wouldn't hurt.

Fox has officially renewed the show for a 24th and 25th season, according to The Simpsons' official Facebook page. Can't say I'm surprised.

I like 25. It's a nice, round number for the show to end with. That said, they can keep doing the show for 30 seasons or more and I'll be happy. I know it's not what it used to be, but I've never disliked an episode of The Simpsons--even the "bad" ones. It can go on forever and I'll never complain about it.

I'm gonna go ahead and leave voting open until Monday (the 10th), should anybody else be interested in voting.

I hope it's Tony.

Druid > Tony.

There was lots of speculation re:Lesnar on the NEWZ sites a few months ago. I think it's either him or Savage, though. Honestly, I'm leaning towards Savage.

Not sure were you stand on list editing, but I've edited mine. No idea how I forgot about The Wicker Man.

No worries. Edit as much as you'd like until voting closes.

In the grand traditions of both Halloween and EWB's lust for list-making, let's compile our favorite horror flicks. The usual shtick applies: list your top ten scary movies in reverse order. Your #1 will be worth ten points, your #2 nine points, etc. Feel free to edit your choices until voting closes in a few days. Also, be sure to specify which version of a film you're referring to if it's been remade.

I'll start:

10.) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

09.) Trick 'r Treat

08.) Night of the Living Dead (1990)

07.) Creepshow

06.) Psycho II

05.) Bride of Frankenstein

04.) Evil Dead

03.) The Shining

02.) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

01.) The Exorcist

Home Sweet Home is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.

It features the Body By Jake guy as an evil, drug-addled maniac on escape from a local mental institution and he is, of course, looking for blood. There's a scene where he frog splashes someone to death on the hood of a car. It's glorious.

Not that I know of. We should, though.

I'll do it if nobody else wants dibs.

It's Halloween. You have to watch Trick 'r Treat.

Eddie's model looks fantastic but why, exactly, do top rope finishers no longer pin people? It looks so ridiculous when Bourne, Gabriel, RVD, or either Guerrero nail their finish and then just awkwardly stand up afterwards. I found myself using up custom finisher slots to make versions of their moves that actually pin people last year. It's by no means a game breaker but it's such an annoying little inconvenience. I wish they'd make it so you can elect whether or not to pin like you can with certain impact moves now.

Either way, everything else just keeps looking brilliant. I pre-ordered last week.

I would imagine it's his other finisher. I really like the way the fist drop looks.

I'm reeeeeeally pumped for this game. I tend to pick up the SVR games more often than not, but I'm more excited for this one than I have been for a WWE game in years.

Some comments on the New 52 stuff I've read so far. I'm hoping to sample every new #1. Some light spoilers but nothing too bad.

Action Comics: Meh. I like Superman's new look but I don't think I've ever enjoyed a Grant Morrison book and this one was no exception. It was mostly uninteresting and Superman just didn't feel much like Superman. I'm not even a fan of the character and it was still off-putting. I'll give the next issue a shot because he's Superman and I'm sure he'll be integral to the universe as a whole but I reeeeeeeally didn't care for it.

Animal Man: This was my first exposure to Animal Man. The opening page--a magazine interview with Buddy--was an awesome way to get inside the character's head. The comic that followed was a bit jarring at first--the art style is sort of atypical--but it hooks you really quickly. The relationship between Buddy and his family felt really real and it was awesome seeing the juxtaposition of super hero and functional family man. Most comics I've read go the opposite way with personal relationships. There's not a lot going on until the last few pages, but the big reveal at the end was done excellently. I had zero expectations going into this book beyond an irrational dislike for the name "Animal Man" and I left thinking it was one of the most enjoyable of the titles I've read so far. I'm really looking forward to the next issue.

Batgirl: It felt like a love letter to the Killing Joke. Barbara's new back story, keeping Killing Joke in-continuity, was done really well. It was also just really well-written. Her narration had personality, as did her interactions with her roommate. She felt like a real person. Is The Mirror new? I'm not terribly well-versed in the extended DCU. I like the character well enough so far, for what it's worth. It was delving into Barbara's personality that made the book work, though. Definitely checking out next month's. In terms of quality it was probably second only to Animal Man.

Batwing: A bit dull. Nothing overly offensive but nothing interesting either. I'll probably check it out next month to see the fallout from the last panel. I just hope the rest of the book is less boring next time.

Detective Comics: Fun stuff. Batman's new costume is somewhere between Dark Knight and Arkham Asylum and I love it. The interactions with Batman and Joker were fun and, once again, the final panel really has me interested in where things are going. Definitely checking it out again next month--but I would've anyways because it's Batman.

Justice League: Nothing earth-shattering or anything, but it set the stage for the entire relaunch. Not the deepest book, but it's not really supposed to be I guess. The bickering between Batman and Green Lantern was fun. I'm on board. Nothing bad about it at all; it just felt a bit paint-by-numbers.

Swamp Thing: Loved it. I'd put it just below Batgirl (and Animal Man) amongst the ones I've read so far. There isn't a lot that really happens, which is the biggest "problem" with the bulk of the ones I've sampled so far, but it's a fantastic introduction to Alec's character. I've only really read the Alan Moore Swamp Thing stuff and this seems pretty in-line with that. Another great final panel to really kick off the story. Superman plays a small part in this and I liked him a lot better here than in Morrison's portrayal. I'll totally keep up with this one. Really looking forward to the eventual interaction between Swamp Thing and Animal Man.

Overall, it's looking pretty promising. I'm hoping to finish up last week's releases tonight and then take care of this week's tomorrow. Really looking forward to it. It's nice to be able to comfortably slip into being a comics fan for once.

I'm so glad the belts don't look like child-sized replicas anymore.

Yes.

So, question.

Is Sin Cara in or is he DLC?

He's in. They showed his entrance during the roster reveal. The trampoline flip looked awesome.

Okay, so we can have Jerry Lawler against Michael Cole in a match with commentary by Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole?

Amazing.

Lesnar rumors were floating around a few days ago. Aside from him, Savage is the only person I could see them touting so heavily.

Either one would be wonderful.

I don't know what it is, but the gameplay looks.... odd. I can't put my finger on it, but I think the animations and whatnot they've had for the past however many years looked better than this. It's not robotic, it's just... stiff looking, I guess. Like I said, odd. I was hoping it would be looking better after the E3 showing, but I guess this is what the final game will look and play like, barring a few changes here and there.

Weird. I've been itching for a wrestling game, since WWE All Stars just ISN'T what I want, even though it's fun as fuck and a different spin on your typical wrestling game. I'll play the demo when it comes out and judge from there. Any announcement on a release date for a demo on the 360?

Vader being in the game is fucking awesome. Is it Kevin Nash in the game, or Diesel? AND, finally, the Create An Arena looks amazing. That's so cool.

If memory serves, he was called Kevin Nash but dressed in black Diesel gear. Bit odd, really.

I kind of feel the opposite way about the game play, though. I thought it looked a lot more fluid than usual. It made me a lot more interested in checking out the game this year.

I will concede that I miss Khali, though. He was such a monster in SVR2007. I rather liked killing people with him.

Also, I just realized how wonderfully meta it will be to use Jerry Lawler in matches that feature commentary by Jerry Lawler.

No Uso's, Khali, Reks, Hwkins, Primo, JTG, Brodus or Barreta.

Why bother making King when you can't play as any of the above?

Because King is wonderful and most of those people aren't.

Orton just called himself a big Kelly Kelly fan.

Awkward moment is awkward.

Kevin Nash is in. Lovely.