Down, Right, Fierce is a weekly column about the video games, television shows, movies, and books that geeks care about. But mostly it’s a soapbox for Chris Holzworth to stand on and bark out his unwarranted, unwanted, and unwelcome opinions.

Like a lot of gamers, I decided it was time to buy a PS3 when Sony (officially) announced the PS3 Slim and the $100 price-drop during Gamecom. But, like a lot of writers, I’m pretty poor. Honestly, I only make enough money to pay my rent, cell phone bill, and GameFly account, so I decided to take on some side-work in order to earn the cash for a PS3 Slim. Fortunately for me, my father’s house, purchased three years ago, was still in disarray so I volunteered to do some manual labor for him. Specifically, I agreed to tear down the metal siding on his house. It was my naïve assumption that this task would take no longer than a week to complete. Unfortunately, thanks to New Jersey’s persistent rain this season, it took me a few weeks before I finally finished.

What I learned from this experience is that it’s easier to just go out, apply for a job, and earn a paycheck. This is the wisdom I impart to anyone reading this column. (more…)

I am not a fan of Halo. Not so much because it’s a bad game — as a First Person Shooter it’s rock solid –but because I was mislead about Halo‘s supposedly deep and engaging storyline. Halo is a lot of things, but strong plot-wise? I don’t think so – far from it.

And while the latest push against the Covenant, Halo 3: ODST, is rife with military shooter tropes, Bungie has finally infused Halo with something largely missing from the franchise: personality, character. Namely, they injected Halo with a healthy dose of Nathan Fillion, who lends his voice and likeness as Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck. If Nathan Fillion was something found on a spice rack, creative types would add a dash of him to everything. Said everything would then pop with smarmy charm and wit. And sex appeal.

This is the power of Nathan Fillion. He turns unbelievers into believers. He feeds the poor and he clothes the naked. And steals hearts while narrating Halo 3: ODST trailers.

Now I’ll be first in line to pick up Halo 3: ODST on September 22, in lieu of my “blah” attitude towards Halo. And it’s all thanks to Nathan Fillion. If, after watching this trailer, you aren’t sold on ODST, well, then you have no soul and I must say Good Day, Sir. Good Day, Sir!

Or Madam. ‘Cause we here at Geekadelphia ain’t sexist.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, a remake of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) film may be in the works, one that Joss Whedon would not be involved with. Put down your wooden stakes (why do you even have those things?) — it’s not because Whedon’s unrivaled bad luck has struck again. This time, it’s by choice. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch blog, he mentioned that the project is “something better left untouched by me.” And unless the new script involves some sort of demon time warp, the likelihood that Sarah Michelle Geller will reprise the role of Buffy is low, low, low. Like, nonexistent.

Rumor has it this new slayer flick would be a complete reboot. It would have a darker storyline, no connections to established characters such as Angel, Spike, Xander, or Willow, and feature a more modern slayer. You know, one with a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and an iPhone. Can’t expect a girl to slay some vampires without Google Maps, right? This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. JJ Abrams proved with Star Trek that, in the right hands, it is possible to successfully reboot iconic television shows and movies.

What I want to know is: What’s the deal with vampire fads and mainstream media? They come and go like tidal forces, often times flooding the market whenever they return. Considering the popularity of Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse/Breaking Dawn and True Blood, it’s not surprising that Hollywood producers want to get their hands on more vampire properties. I would honestly much prefer Buffy be resurrected in some capacity than lost to time.

Via io9.

The phenomenon known as E3 came and went last week, and what a phenomenon it was. The Big Three had a terrific presence, and this year marked a return to form for E3. I couldn’t have asked for more. Something has felt “off” ever since the ESA lobotomized the show in 2007. But this year, things felt right again, and even though I couldn’t attend E3, I was able to experience the event vicariously through G4. Let me tell you, I could still feel the energy and excitement even from almost 2,800 miles away.

I’ve gathered some of the best trailers from E3 and posted them below, so ride the (more…) wave, scope ‘em out, and let me know what you’re excited for in the comments section. (more…)

Someone over at BioWare must have really dug the Terminator: Salvation trailer that used Nine Inch Nails’ “The Day the World Went Away,” because the new Mass Effect 2 trailer from E3 is torn from the very same page. It proves that ambient rock music and science fiction footage make a great combination, and caused my nerd heart swoon.

Granted, I’m a huge fan of the first Mass Effect, even with all its imperfections. I couldn’t stand how plain jane the characters were, and piloting the Mako is seriously one of the worst video game experiences I’ve ever had. But despite these flaws, Mass Effect remains one of my favorite Role Playing Games, and I’ve been jonesin’ for more adventures with Commander Shepard.

If BioWare takes care of the aforementioned issues, then Mass Effect 2 will be brain-meltingly awesome. No doubt. In the meanwhile, I’ll just go ahead and watch this trailer again and again. And again.

1UP posted this video on Game Videos several days ago, yet somehow it wasn’t until this morning, while watching the latest episode of CoOp, that I came across it. Maybe that’s because I don’t own a PlayStation 3 — and not because I don’t want to, but because like most writers I am dirt poor. But I am a huge fan of Naughty Dog Studios, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is the easily the game I am most excited to play when I finally do pick up a PS3. So it’s no surprise that the recent string of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves media is of particular interest to me. I’ve been gobbling up all I can, and after watching this trailer let me tell you:

This game looks amazing.

Uncharted is probably the closest I’ll ever come to playing as Malcolm Reynolds in a video game, mostly due to how much the protagonist, Nathan Drake (voiced by Nolan North), manages to channel the essence of Nathan Fillion as Malcolm Reynolds. What’s more, Greg Edmonson — the man responsible for the music from Firefly — scored Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, which really helps complete the whole Firefly vibe. All that’s missing is an insect/bird-shaped spaceship and Summer Glau going “monkey shit at the wrong word.”

My unhealthy love for Firefly/Serenity aside, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves boasts slick animation, great voice acting, and diverse gameplay — all of which are evident in this trailer. In less than six minutes, we see Nathan Drake engage in bone-shattering hand-to-hand combat, explosive firefights, and acrophobia-inducing exploration.

Yeah, I’ll be splurging for a PlayStation 3 in time to play this game.

BigBadToyStore.com is taking preorders for three remote-controlled toy replicas of UNSC vehicles from Halo 3: the Mongoose (pictured above), the Warthog, and the Hornet. The toys are being manufactured by N K O K, and are priced at $23.99 for the Mongoose and Warthog, while the Hornet costs $38.99. According to BigBadToyStore’s product description, the remote-controlled Hornet actually flies, which may explain its heftier price tag. It also seems to be the most popular of the three vehicles, as it’s already sold out.

If you ask me, there’s a ton of fun to be had with these vehicles. Halo 3 fans who own Covenant dolls action figures can play “Covenant Bowling,” a little game I just came up with while writing this post. Just set up a handful of Covenant warriors at the bottom of a staircase, place the remote-controlled Halo 3 vehicle of your choice at the top of the stairs, rev up the engine for show, then punch it.

When “Covenant Bowling” grows old, use these vehicles to terrorize cats, small dogs, or other diminutive household pets. Just be sure to equip your pet with that Master Chief “Cat Helmet” that came with the Halo 3 Legendary Edition. I’m not advocating the mistreatment of animals — I don’t need PETA coming down on me.

Via Kotaku.

Snow from Square Enix’s upcoming RPG epic, Final Fantasy XIII, that is. Even though E3 is still a week away, and the game itself won’t hit shelves until 2010 (at least, according to Snow’s giant ad), Square Enix has wasted no time getting the inevitable E3 hype train in motion through literally the biggest means available to them. According to the Square Enix Members Blog, these three teaser images stand 124-ft tall on the corner of Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard in Downtown L.A. Each building showcases a hero from Final Fantasy XIII. From left to right: Vanille, Snow, and the game’s protagonist Lightning.

As much as I love Philadelphia, the sight of giant Lightning further compels me to relocate to California. Hopefully their showing at E3 will be just as impressive as their building-sized teasers.

The Square Enix Members blog posted three photos in all. Check out the rest after the jump. (more…)

Paramount’s enormous marketing push for Star Trek continues with two — count ‘em, two — new clips released yesterday on the interwebs. The clip above, an exclusive from the MTV Movies Blog, gives us an extended look at Kirk’s bar brawl against some of Starfleet’s finest. In the process, Chris Pine exudes the essence of James T. Kirk as a brash youth.

The second clip, which can be seen over at Yahoo! Movies, shows how perfectly Karl Urban pulls off DeForest Kelley’s Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. His performance is seriously uncanny. When I showed this scene to my father, a die-hard fan of The Original Series, a big dumb grin spread across his face and he said matter-of-factly, “That is McCoy.”

All-in-all, these clips (plus repeated abuse of the most recent Star Trek trailer) have left me with a raging nerdon. Both videos give us a glimpse at how much more believably human Kirk and the Enterprise crew are being portrayed, and it’s quite awesome. Of course, that’s just my opinion. What do you think?

New Star Trek clips via TrekMovie.

New York Comic Con, veritably the nerd mecca, runs from February 6-8. Will any Geekadelphians be attending? Damn right! Not so much because we’re huge comic fans but because of the impressive gaming exhibit — the game industry presence at the NYCC is 50% larger this year! Furthermore, Garnett Lee and Tina Sanchez of 1Up.com, announced plans for a meetup!

Head over to the Stitch Bar & Lounge on Saturday, February 7th, from 7 ’til 10PM. You can read up on all the details over on Tina’s blog, here.

Also, let us know if any of you other Geekadelphians plan to show up so we can toss one back and high-five like only The Todd can.

Some killer icons in the are set to appear at NYCC, including Joss Whedon, the cast of Fringe, Adam and Andy Kubert, Bruce Timm, Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade, N’Gai Croal, Stephen Totilo… the list goes on. And on. And on. Check out the full guest list for yourself. Hope to see some of you there!