The London MCM Expo is growing in size every year, and so its previously poor gaming section is finally becoming at least worth a look. It has a decent line-up this year, including Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Tekken 6, and a lot more: Ubisoft, Capcom, Koei, Rising Star, Ankama, Eidos, and Atari are all supporting the show. I’ll be attending the show, so even if you can’t make it, my impressions will help you to imagine as if you were.

The expo is trying to get a gaming cosplay world record- that’s people in fancy dress as characters from games (they have to be proper games characters, not ones that went from movie to game, etc). If you can make it, see if you can dress up and add to the record. More info is on the expo’s site. That’s May 23-24, London’s ExCel centre.

In related news, a proper gaming event is going to happen soon afterwards. GameOn! is essentially a huge Lan party and gaming event on 20-21 June, £8 a ticket. There are loads of exhibitors going, and it seems like it should be a decent event for gamers. See you there!

It’s 2012.

There’s no point in me building up suspense, only to reveal that you’re going to be waiting at least three more years to play as your favorite superheroes online. In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Marvel president of consumer products, Simon Phillips, revealed the date, along with an explanation.

“It sounds like a long way away, but it’s not,” Philips said. “We’ve got to create, together with [game publisher] Gazillion, that environment that is going to be a totally immersive experience and a perpetual storytelling experience as well.”

Well, truth be told, I’m willing to wait. In the meantime, hit the jump for a list of things that will have occurred in the time before the Marvel MMO comes out.

• Duke Nukem Forever will have been delayed… 7 times.
• GameSpot will go out of business once a suspicious 10/10 review is posted for Imagine: Bloggerz 2.
• Poland will adopt the Euro, and the recession it will ultimately bring.
• The Jonas Brothers will have played at Super Bowl XLIV. In a strange coincidence, suicide rates amongst middle-aged football fans will spike to unparalleled highs on this date.
• President Obama will have lost his life.In Super Mario Bros. I mean. Probably should have said that first.
• Conflict between South and North Korea will cease, once Kim Jong Il and Lee Myung-bak share a broment.
• A famous scientist will find a cure for his cancer- only to die by choking on the medicine.
• Cloverfield 2 will have been released. The monster will be revealed as Trogdor the Burninator.
• Activision will have run out of ideas, and begin selling games via digital distribution. Their first attempt is Guitar Hero: The Best of Oasis. The setlist is empty.
• The National Funk Congress will have finally settled the Get Up/Get Down dilemma.
• Due to the effects of the economic recession, three letters of the alphabet will be cut back. Congress will decide to remove A, I, and G.
• Resident Evil 7 will have come out. You play as a white man, shooting white zombies. But it’s set in Nigeria. Sooooo racist.
• Carrot Top will pass away in late 2010. No one will notice until “society’s worst” are shot into the sun in 2112 and the government can’t find him.
• PSN’s Fat Princess will have recieved three sequels- Fatter Princess, Even Fatter Princess, American Princess.
• SpikeTV will acquire G4 and turn it back into TechTV. (I can dream…)

Source: Destructoid

The funny little comic strip shown above hit my inbox a few minutes ago and I thought it would be worth sharing with you all. It certainly made me chuckle.

The artist’s name is Shaun Boland and you can check out more of his work on Bol’s Eye by visiting his website bolseye.com.

Proposed fees ranged from $4.99 to $9.99 for manga, $5.99 to $19.99 for graphic novels, and $.99 to $2.99 for comics with a reduced bulk rate for a comic subscription in the ballpark of $4.99 to $12.99.

Sony is apparently at the point where they are considering a name for the service, as the article highlights several suggested options made available in the survey as well. Have a glance at them after the jump and let us know which one (if any) you like.

• PlayStation Comics
• PlayStation Villains
• PlayStation Heroes
• Comic Breakout
• Zero Page

As a kid, I read and collected comic books, many of which I still have stored away today. While reading them was a part of the fun, I also believe that the act of collecting them was a large part as well. So, if the option was presented to me 10-15 years ago to download them for a fee I would have had to pass. Going to the comic book store with friends to pick up the latest issues of whatever it was we were all reading was a big part of the experience, and I’m not sure that everything needs to be digitalized.

Source: Polygamia via: Scrawl

If you, like me, have ever caught yourself thinking that you may prefer eating Doritos and drinking an ice cold Mountain Dew: Code Red to a nicely grilled Fillet Mignon and glass of wine, you need to watch this video.

Not since Triumph The Insult Comic Dog lampooned Star Wars fans for the Conan O’Brien show has anyone so affectionately poked fun at nerds as The Middle Show’s David Price has in this clip. Enjoy!

Before we get to our top pick, we thought it might be nice to share with you all of the asses that were considered for this list. Of course, some of these are pretty fine posteriors that you may think are more deserving of Top 10 status than the ones we actually chose, but let me tell you — it was a difficult process, much more difficult than I expected it to be.

‘Not Safe For Work’ content inbound.

Honorable Mentions – The Mass Effect chicks

Even though they were in armor most of the time, the girls from Mass Effect had some pretty nice asses. Fan favorite Tali was unfortunately not one of your choices when it came down to which chick you want to get it on with, something the Internet has mocked us about (slightly NSFW).

Speaking of getting it on, the sex scene is Mass Effect is actually a bit different depending on which girl you choose. Liara (the blue chick) has a longer, more revealing cutscene, and we’ve provided that for you here:

Yes, that was a nice ass, Liara, and we thank you. Even so, it just wasn’t great enough to make the top 10.

The Soul Calibur chicks

The girls of the Soul Calibur games are always making their way into these lists, usually because of their huge knockers. For this list, however, those knockers do nothing to help them in their ranking. Everyone has their individual preference, and you can argue in the comments if you want.

A lot of dudes think Ivy’s the hottest thing in the gaming world, but just because she has more of it and ain’t afraid to show it doesn’t mean it’s actually all that great. Taki also scores points just because her outfit is painted on, and the innocence of Sophitia’s white undies makes her another favorite. Seriously, how could you choose just one? Simple — you don’t. That’s a life lesson right there. When it comes to asses, however, the Soul Calibur chicks just weren’t tight enough to make the top 10.

The Final Fantasy chicks

Specifically, Yuna and Rikku from Final Fantasy X and X-2, and even better are Fran and Ashe from Final Fantasy XII. I’m actually a pretty big fan of Fran’s booty, but I couldn’t find a decent picture or video of her ass anywhere. It wouldn’t be much of post without all of the awesome pictures to go with it, so I decided to put the one nice pic in with the other Final Fantasy chicks as an honorable mention. Sorry, Fran!

Nova (StarCraft Ghost)

Let’s face it: as great as Nova’s ass looks in this picture, she technically doesn’t exist yet in the world of videogames because StarCraft Ghost has never been released. Being that it’s on-hold “indefinitely”, it would be unfair to put her in the top 10 and have her game never come out or have it release with a less beautiful ass than the one we see here. Sorry, Nova, maybe next year.

Other Considerations

As much as I would like to put a description of every ass considered along with an explanation of why they didn’t make it, I’m sure that in the grand scheme of things you really don’t care. What you want is pictures of hot videogame-related chicks’ asses. Understandable. Here are a bunch of butts that I’ve seen recently that were at one point in the running for the Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames (click to enlarge):

Dishonorable Mentions – Shahdee (Prince of Persia: Warrior Within)

You actually may be somewhat surprised to see such a nice ass as a dishonorable mention, but there’s good reason for it. When Shahdee initially walks out, you are first greeted to this lovely shot of her good side. Unfortunately, this is followed up shortly thereafter by the reveal that she is actually Leon Kennedy circa Resident Evil 2. This is the kind of girl that begs you to cut off her head. What? Oh, alright, you can just put a bag over it.

Video proof:

While she would never make a ‘Hottest Chicks’ list, Shahdee definitely has what it takes to make a list about round rear ends, even though she’s on the bad side of it.

The Dead or Alive chicks

Let’s face it: everyone seems to think that the pretend innocent sluts of the Dead or Alive series of games are hot. I, too, once fell victim to their charms, but careful study has lead me to the truth — they don’t really have nice asses.

Team Ninja seem to be a bunch of boob men, or maybe they think that most other men are boob men. Either way, the DOA chicks all have huge floppy racks and a decent set of hips, but take a nice, hard look at those asses and what you’ll see is a boxy, flat, boring hunk of booty. Need visual proof?

Sorry I had to do that to you. It’s a difficult truth, I know.

The Rumble Roses chicks (Rumble Roses XX)

Okay, the Rumble Roses chicks have big fat asses. There are lots of people that like big fat asses, but I’m not one of them. Sorry, Rumble Roses girls, but your asses are too fat for this list. I’ll put up one more pic for the people that are into it, just to be a good sport.

Wow, after all of that, who’s left? What ass could possibly be at the number one spot? I know you’re curious, so check back tomorrow for the best booty of them all as we finish off our countdown of the Nicest Asses in Videogames.

All the Asses: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Special Mentions | 1

We continue our countdown today with a succulent ass from a somewhat under-appreciated game. Most people may recognize this rear quite quickly if they happen to consider themselves fans of both videogames and hot chicks. Our number 3 pick appeared in Playboy, after all. Once again, please be aware that there may be some content in this article that would be considered ‘Not Safe For Work’.

Click images for a larger view.

#3 – Rayne (BloodRayne)

Rayne was the main character in BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2. As a Dhampir, she goes around killing and sucking on lots of Nazis, vampires, and Nazi vampires, and she does it all while wearing a sexy little outfit. Whoever thought it was a good idea to have a v-taper in the butt of those pants is a genius.

Oh yeah, and Rayne is so legitimately hot that she actually posed for Playboy magazine as part of a special feature about hot chicks in videogames. It’s totally NSFW and you’ve likely seen it before, but either way, here it is.

Not only is Rayne a sexy goth chick, but she gets added points for the simple fact that she is a certified ass-kicker. Never before has someone looked so fine while chopping some fools into little bits. Add to that the erotic blood sucking and Rayne is definitely intriguing me… in my pants.

Rayne also has something that a lot of other videogame chicks don’t have: some legitimately good cosplayers.

Back at E3 2006, the BloodRayne movie was being promoted, and I found a video of the casting process for a Rayne booth babe. While it essentially is just a bunch of girls in bikinis with their hair dyed red and generally poor acting skills, it may be worth a look.

Even though a majority of these girls weren’t that great, any one of them would likely have been a better choice for the actual shitfest that was the BloodRayne movie. I mean seriously, after looking at all these pics, does this look like Rayne to you?

At the very least, the sequel had a hotter chick as Rayne, though it still managed to be just as horrible of a movie.

Even though BloodRayne’s good name (and ass) were tarnished by a couple of really shitty movies, Rayne endures and manages to claw her way to number 3 on our countdown. There’s still hope that a new BloodRayne movie will get closer to capturing the hotness since there doesn’t seem to be a new game in the works, but either way, Rayne’s ass legacy remains strong in our hearts.

Itching to find out the top 2 picks? Check back tomorrow as we continue our countdown of the Nicest Asses in Videogames.

All the Asses: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Special Mentions | 1

Recognize that rear? You should. One of the most famous behinds in all of gaming makes its way to the number 8 spot of our Top 10 Nicest Asses countdown . Of course you aren’t satisfied with that little picture and need more visual proof, and we humbly oblige. Again, please note that there may be some NSFW content included.

Click images to enlarge.

#8 – Lara Croft (Tomb Raider series)

Seriously, is this a surprise to anyone? Maybe the fact that the most famous female in all of videogames is way down at number 8 is a surprise, but I think everyone kinda expected to see her on this list.

So what’s so great about Lara’s lower lumps? Well, for one thing she’s gone through a slight change with every iteration of the Tomb Raider games. At some point, there has likely been a Lara Croft model that you would totally bone. Even if her ass hasn’t met your standards yet, there’s hope that it will get bigger/smaller/rounder/flatter in the future.

Even if the “official” Lara Croft doesn’t do it for you, there are downloadable skins for the PC version like the infamous Nude Patch. Even further than that, however, you have fan art and the very, very, very NSFW content of sites like LaraCroftNude. It’s bound to happen with any pop culture icon, but Lara Croft has an entire pay site dedicated to Tomb Raider porn. That’s big time.

Additionally, Lara Croft has been portrayed by a slew of real life hot chicks. This alone makes “Lara Croft” a far-fetched yet possible sexual encounter — there are dudes out there that have actually boned Lara Croft. Think about that.

Looking at this picture, you may be drawn (as I was) to the Lara on the far right. This is model Karima Adebibe, and she has by far been the best Lara Croft to date. Need more pics?

Alison Carroll has recently taken on the role of Lara Croft. While she may actually have the gymnastics skill to pull off Lara’s fancy acrobatics, I still don’t think she beats Karima where it really counts: hotness. Alison Carroll is still pretty hot, though, and you can check out her gallery here.

And just for added eye candy, here’s a video of Lara hopping around in a white dress:

…and here’s a video of her in a bunch of different bathing suits:

I think we’ve proven why Lara deserves on this list (as if there was much doubt). Don’t forget to check back in tomorrow to see our number 7 pick for the Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames.

Oh, and here’s one more pic for good measure:

All the Asses: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Special Mentions | 1

Far too often we’ve seen top ten lists about boobies, yet nobody seems to have taken the time to appreciate what’s really important about women — their hearts. Of course by hearts, I’m talking about the shape of their sweet, sweet asses. What, you thought I was actually going to be a gentleman and care about anything other than looks? Get real (that’s a joke, kids — respect your mother).

Anyhow, the point is that there are plenty of men (and women) in this world who would consider themselves fans of the bottom half. Men are actually very evenly divided between boob lovers and ass lovers, and we need to try to counterbalance all these titty lists with a list about butts.

We will be counting down the best heinies over the next several days, some of which may surprise you, but all of them are sure to please. So without further ado, I give you Ripten’s Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames! No, wait — here’s some more ado: many of these images are NSFW, so make sure you know who’s around before you start fapping.

Click images to enlarge.

#10 – Cortana (Halo 2 and 3)

Okay, let’s get a few things out of the way first. Some of you will argue that Cortana shouldn’t really count because she’s not real, she’s just a hologram. While that may be true, none of the videogame babes on this list are “real” so it’s almost hypocritical to exclude her for that reason. Within the context of the game, though, Cortana is actually modeled after her creator, Dr. Halsey, so maybe we should put her name up there instead of Cortana’s.

You also may have noticed that only Halo 2 and 3 are listed next to her name. Before any fanboys get all uppity, we are well aware that Cortana was in the original Halo. Maybe you should go back and check her out and then you’ll realize why we didn’t include it. Hint: she’s kinda ugly.

So what’s so great about Cortana’s booty? Well, for one thing she’s pretty much attached to the Master Chief so he can just pop her out any time he wants to have a gander at that rear or, you know, talk to her. Additionally, she’s a hologram and semi-transparent, so you can stare at her ass even when you’re in front of her. How great is that!  She also appears to be filled with some kind of fizzy, delicious raspberry soda, so that’s a plus.

The major downfall here is, obviously, that you can’t ever touch her (not that you could really touch any of these girls, but you know what I mean). This isn’t like a sexual harassment or work appropriate kind of thing, it’s because she’s a freaking hologram. No matter how hot she may get or how many digital squats she does to perk up that posterior, it ultimately just makes her that much more of a tease. For this reason alone, we can’t justify having her any higher on the list than number 10.

And now, let’s look at the evidence (click to enlarge):

I believe we’ve made our point.

Tune in tomorrow for our 9th best booty as we count down the Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames.

All the Asses: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Special Mentions | 1

Warning: The Watercooler is the best thing you will see on the Internet today, mainly because it is the best thing I saw on the Internet yesterday. Be advised that these Watercooler stories are not necessarily videogame related (they usually won’t be), and are often silly, controversial, and/or not safe for work (NSFW). If this type of content frequently offends you, please be aware that I just warned you — if you still click through and get offended, it will be your own stupid fault. Otherwise, please continue…

Today’s Watercooler features a new trailer for the upcoming Watchmen movie, based on the somewhat controversial graphic novel (or comic, if you prefer) of the same name. If you haven’t read it, do that. If you don’t like reading, just watch this trailer. If you don’t like trailers, then… well, you suck. Watchmen is what Batman would be like if he gave even less of a fuck than he already does.

Who watches the Watchmen? Hopefully, I do. Trailers like this always seem to give me a huge boner.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

Some of you may be familiar with the Family Guy episode pictured above. Oh, that Peter Griffin! What a wacky fellow! Well, it turns out that he’s not quite the wackiest. That title would go to Mr. George Garatt from Glastonbury, England. Hit the jump to find out why.

Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine The Hulk and The Flash Combined.

That is what Garratt, a 19-year-old music student, had his name legally changed to through the Legal Deed Poll Service. How did he come up with the name? Turns out he didn’t copy Family Guy, but his friends may have.

He said: “I decided on a superheroes theme and whenever my friends offered up suggestions to me, I added them.”

A spokesman from the website said that crazy name change requests barely faze them, due to the sheer number they get, but there was something special about this one.

I know there certainly is something special about this Captain Fantastic kid, and I don’t necessarily mean the good kind of special.

BBC News

Some of you may remember the Donkey Kong rap we featured approximately 91 days ago, most likely because the song has been stuck in your head ever since. If not, watch it now. Go ahead, it’ll make you more cultured.

Anyway, one of the dudes behind its creation was Todd Michael Rogers. He’s what you would call a ‘writer’. He may also be considered a genius since he is part of Team Genius, and I would assume you have to meet some kind of criteria to get accepted, right?

We got in touch with Todd (not physically) to see what he’s been up to since creating the best videogame-family-of-apes-and-the-inherent-difficulty-surrounding-thorny-vines song ever.  Interview follows (read it or P. Diddy will shoot you).

Dan: So, Todd, can I call you Todd?

Todd: I’ve been called worse.

You were the creative force behind the web series Boy Friends. Is that over or are you making more of those?

Its over. Although, I DID just move in with Matt Elam and the rest of the former Team Genius, so I guess the antics will continue, camera or not…

How hard was it for people to understand that you and Matt in Boy Friends weren’t gay, or do you just consider those people to be immature and move on?

Well, there is that space between the word “Boy” and “Friends”, which I think was mostly Robin and Joey’s doing. So yea, it’s a grammar joke. We’re not really gay. Though, again, I DID just move in with Matt, so we’ll see if any magic happens.

The episode that caught my attention and ended up featured on Ripten was the one with your Donkey Kong song. I’m assuming the inspiration for the song was Donkey Kong Country 2, but I’ll ask anyway: What was the inspiration for the song?

Oddly enough, Wave Race 64. No, one day in Summer of ‘07, I was sitting in the Team Genius living room, trying to find the track from Bramble Scramble, because, like so many other video game compositions, its one you just need to hear sometimes. I played it and begged Matt to write a rap to it. Eventually, like in January, we did it.

As of now, have you still not beaten the game or have you finally overcome that life hurdle?

I did beat it. I threw controllers, made up curse words (murderfocker) and sold parts of my soul to a thing called Jeru’nezob. But I beat it. That being said, a pirate? and he shoots blobs? that reverse your controls? Really? ….Fuck you Rareware.

For reals. Did you actually sing in the song or did you just help write it? Matt did the main rap part, correct?

Matt is what you would call, uh, a horrifically good rapper. He spits out weird lines and catchy phrases, even his jokes are haunting. (I guess what I’m trying to say is he’s evil).

He did all the hard work, all the writing, but I tried to make sure the song felt like a weird feeling between life never getting easier, whether you’re an adult or a child with a ‘game over’ screen. Also, no gangster rap. Thats too easy to ridicule (please don’t kill me gangsters).

At what point did you realize that you had created the best song in music history?

Pretty much as soon as I traveled back in time and said “Hey, Rick Springfield. Jessie’s got a girl….and your jealous. Write that shit.”

You obviously love the classics, so let me ask you this: What is your favorite game of all time?

Final Fantasy 7. Easily. EASILY. A close second is Final Fantasy 8. I want to be Squall so bad it hurts.

And how about the new generation, what are your feelings there? You at least have a Wii since it’s in the video, right?

Alas, I’m too busy writing things for your future. I miss World of WarCraft. Oh, and it’s Joey’s Wii, though it hasn’t seen much play since Robin bought The Force Unleashed. Shout out to Kevin Daily, who couldn’t bring down a Star Destroyer if he was Yoda and someone threw him a toy vehicle from across the room.

Are you planning on creating any other game-inspired songs anytime soon?

Well, we had an idea for a Transformers-inspired rap, sort of a spiritual sequel, Matt is still up for it, so who knows… I will say this: I hope The Duck Hunt sketch I wrote somehow sees the light of day…

So then what are you working on now?

So much. I have a really cool comic book being readied for a pitch, my friend Weshoyot is just finishing inks on the first few pages. Um, I spent the Summer writing three screenplays, which I hope to sell to a few production companies, that way Sarah (my girlfriend) and I can go Paris and etc. Sarah and I are working on our next big comedy thing. It’s a website that’ll hopefully work like a sketch comedy live action web comic, so we’ll see. Oh, and we’re shooting a short film this month with my pal Denver. I wrote it just a few months ago on a whim, so I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Other then that? I have a few short stories I’m messing around with, and a novel (or two)… and uhm, oh! I have a comedy blog I update weekly at: thoughtsthatihavehad.com

Other than that, I’m gonna finish this here apple cider Sarah just made me.

Wow, that sounds like some… wait, your girlfriend actually made apple cider?

Well, it was instant. But she DID make it. Especially for me.

Well, that’s cool of her. Is there anything on your site thoughtsthatihavehad that are actually thoughts that you personally didn’t have?

Well, there are some thoughts that are never personal. Thoughts we all share, as one society. For example, I’m pretty sure we’ve all had thought of this.

Oh yeah, totally. What the fuck is up with manta rays? And what about this comic book, what is it about?

It’s the best thing I’ve ever written. It’s a six issue fantasy with magic revolvers, a sombrero, devils, a magical library, and a pocket watch of doom. I’m hoping desperately to get it published in the next few months. I’m so tired of no one else knowing the story.

If you were to create a mascot for Ripten, what would it be?

A Buster Sword stuck in stone. Only, the stone is a Goldeneye 64 Game Cartridge.

Does any of the stuff that you are working on feature someone hopping on goombas?

Not yet. But seriously, I wrote like the best Duck Hunt gag ever. EVER. Hopefully someday soon it’ll see the light of day. As of right now, though, I’m so busy with the upcoming secret comedy site… and the short film… and as of today I’m now actively writing two different books… So no, no goombas.

But, fun fact, when I was a child I decided to dress up as a Goomba for Halloween (which was a holiday we didn’t celebrate) and was shot down because (obviously) “Goombas are evil.”

Which, you know… it’s things like that which fuck you up for life.

Wow.  Sorry, Zungre, nobody gets to hop on any goombas.  Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to talk with me today, and we look forward to seeing your new stuff whenever you release it.

Thanks for doing this Dan, it’s been awesome!

Photos courtesy of Sarah Kachevas & The Olive Library

The Watercooler, as always, is the best thing you will see on the Internet today, mainly because it is the best thing I saw yesterday, or since the last Watercooler at least. There is, however, the possibility that you will see tomorrow’s Watercooler today, in which case the best thing you saw today is not today’s Watercooler but a future Watercooler. You may think you read that yesterday, but that was actually your future self trying to warn your present-day self that you would be reading this.

Anyhow, today’s Watercooler is a blast from the past. This may be the silliest of questions, but does anyone here remember He-Man? Yes, of course you do. Do you remember him battling Skeletor in a jet-skate competition? No probably not.

He-Man comes to life for some family entertainment! Seriously, check it.

The Masters of the Universe Power Tour? Did that seriously ever happen for reals? Wow… You know, the one thing about He-Man that always irked me was that Prince Adam lived in Castle Greyskull while Skeletor lived in Snake Mountain. Shouldn’t Skeletor, the dude with a skull face, live in the giant castle shaped like a skull face?

And what exactly are they fighting about? I think Skeletor’s just pissed that He-Man is biting his style with the whole skull thing.

Anyway, you’re welcome.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

Hello, it’s time for The Watercooler again. This happens every day at the same time, so you shouldn’t really be surprised. This is the best thing you will see on the Internet today, mainly because it is the best thing I saw on the Internet yesterday. Share and bullshit with your friends. That’s cool, right?

Today’s Watercooler moment comes from College Humor. This really is the best thing I saw on the Internet today, so congrats to those dicks at College Humor for making me laugh. This little cartoon showcases what would happen if Batman and his little town were confronted with actual super powers. Hilarity ensues.

Be warned, however: this video will strike terror in your heart and make you fear the night. For serious.

You’re welcome.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

The trailer for the Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe collector’s edition comic, to be packaged with the release of the collector’s edition version of the game itself on November 16th, may offer a glimpse at four yet to be announced characters.

During the clip, John Tobias, illustrator and Mortal Kombat co-creator, talks about Midway’s request to get every character in the game into the 16 page comic.

“For this particular comic, the MK guys were interested in seeing all of the characters represented in some way in the book, and so it took a lot of back and forth to try to squeeze everybody in there.”

Taking his statement into consideration, it would lead one to believe that the characters shown in comic panel above (from left to right: Johnny Cage, Goro, Aquaman, The Boy Wonder) were “squeezed” into the book for a reason.

What do you think? Are you ready to summon flipper to finish off your opponent? I sure am. Check out the trailer for yourself after the jump.

Source: comicbookresources.com [Thanks Steve]

The same new issue of Famitsu that included footage of Bayonetta also contains another Mad World video. The MW offering doesn’t show much in the way of graphic content and was a tad bit disappointing considering there are a ton of videos floating around the web that better illustrate the games violent content.

If anything, this video is a watered down version of the game designed to be presentable to the masses. Have at it after the jump.

Source: Gamekyo

It appears that Venom fans will get their fill in the latest installment of Spider-Man branded videogame action. I have been impressed by what I’ve seen from this game, and it just keeps getting better.

The latest clip reveals a little more information about the symbiote New York city takeover (think EA merging with Take-Two only with lots of black ink) and explains Venom’s role in it all.

Check out the clip after the jump.

Outside of video games, I have one other geek fetish, and that is comic books. Joe Haywood over at Aeropause stumbled upon this gem from 1996 while checking out Shawn Elliott’s Twitter feed.

I haven’t purchased a comic book in a few years now, but looking at the page by page break down of this beauty at bamkapow.com makes me want to run over to my local comic book store right now.

Speaking of comics, we got some Halo figures in the mail today that were made by a company named after a very popular comic book artist in the 1990s. Stay tuned for a chance to win them as soon as we devise a worthy contest.

The 2008 Pokémon World Championships took place this past weekend, along with the first-ever Video Game Showdown. Over 400 players from nearly 30 countries qualified for and competed in the Championships, but the United States swept first place in all three divisions of the Trading Card Game (TCG) finals. Additionally, the U.S. won the Junior Video Game Showdown title, while a kid from Hiroshima, Japan, won the Senior division (though I’m not sure if it was revenge-driven or if his mutated genes gave him an edge).

The top TCG dork of each division (Junior, Senior, and Masters) received a $7,500 scholarship, which really makes me wonder why 62-year-old people are even competing in this (the youngest was 6, if you were wondering). I also don’t understand exactly how the divisions are broken up. I assumed it was by age, but unless their is some crossover, it doesn’t make sense. Check out the results:

2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions – Junior Division

First Place: Tristan Robinson (11) from Denver, CO USA

Second Place: Takuto Itagaki (11) from Japan

Third Place: Simone Zucchelli (10) from Italy

2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions – Senior Division

First Place: Dylan Lefavour (14) from New England USA

Second Place: Paul Atanassov (11) from Canada

Third Place: Nicholas Kolibas (14) from Boston, MA USA

2008 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions – Masters Division

First Place: Jason Klaczynski (22) from Chicago, IL USA

Second Place: Khan Le (15) from Norway

Third Place: Gino Lombardi (18) from Johnston, RI USA

I suppose it’s possible that some of these kids had a birthday between the time they signed up and the time they competed in the finals, right? Yeah, that’s gotta be what it is. I know you probably don’t care about my thought process there, but some people may have had a similar confusion of the divisions, so shut your face.

The Video Game Showdown featured the top 64 players of the videogames Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl from the United States and Japan, which were all flown to Orlando to compete in the finals. The top geek in each division won a “six-day vacation package for four to New York City, Honolulu or Tokyo” and a customized Nintendo DS. The winners include:

Pokémon Video Game Showdown Junior Champion

Knight Silvayne (11) from Chicago, IL USA

Pokémon Video Game Showdown Senior Champion

Izuru Yoshimura (21) from Hiroshima City, Hirsoshima Pre. Japan

I don’t know why there wasn’t a Masters division in the Video Game Showdown, but that conundrum won’t be in my head by the time I finish writing this sentence… yup, it’s gone. Speaking of conundrums, the popularity of Pokémon itself is a real mystery. Want to read some crazy Pokémon facts?

• The Pokémon comic book outsells every other comic book on the shelf.
• After the original Pokémon was released, sales of Nintendo’s GameBoy system jumped 249%
• The Pokémon animated series is broadcast in more than 30 countries in over 25 languages.
• Pokémon episode number 35, “The Ledgendary Dratini”, got banned in the U.S. because too many guns were shown in the episode.
• Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl sold more than 1 million copies in the first five days and more than 14 million copies since their launch.
• Total Pokémon videogame sales of 175 million copies are second only to the Mario series.
• The Pokémon Trading Card Game is the number one collectible trading card game in the world.
• Pokémon is blamed for youngsters becoming materialistic and developing gambling problems.
• Pokémon is banned in Saudi Arabia.
• There are Pokémon commercial airplanes that are painted with a Pokémon motif and the insides are plastered with Pokémon — Pokémon headrests, Pokémon cups, the flight attendants wear Pokémon outfits, etc.

Pokémon scares me.

SoulCalibur IV’s character creation system is, to say the least, pretty potent. It allows for the production of some pretty diverse personalities, though all of the chicks have huge tits and the dudes are all ripped. Regardless, here’s a video of some classic videogame characters and a few comic icons that were recreated using the in-game tools. Some of them are pretty awesome — some look dead-on, and some are cool re-imaginings. Be warned, however — Superman looks like shit. And the music… yeah.

Dead Space is easily one of the highest anticipated games to be released this fall, and definitely the most anticipated horror game. The game’s atmosphere and premise brings chills to my spine, and the beautifully-made trailers don’t help in lowering my anticipation for EA’s latest.

However, not being content with a bone-quaking horror game itself, EA is planning to release an animated film based on the game titled Dead Space: Downfall.

Watch the teaser and continue reading after the jump.

While the trailer above totally reeks of a Batman: Gotham Knight style (which is not necessarily a bad thing) it has a story that predates the events of Dead Space, which is also the storyline for the Dead Space comic series. The film is in production by Dark Horse Comics, whom you might know from the Hellboy Animated films, and is currently scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray shortly before the game releases on October 20th.

To me, this film looks outstanding in both its style and execution, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it. What do you think about the film?

In an effort to explore the background of the world in Mirror’s Edge, one of EA’s impressive looking new titles, the software giant has teamed up with a giant in the world of comics to bring you four of the first five letters of the alphabet. And a comic book.

The first issue will be debuted at the San Diego Comic Con, and will feature an original story written by the game’s author Rhianna Pratchett with artist Matthew Dow Smith. The first of a planned six-part series, Mirror’s edge will help set up the world in which Faith, the game’s main character, lives.

“This partnership with DC Comics sets the stage as readers explore Faith’s world in Mirror’s Edge,” said Owen O’Brien, Senior Producer at DICE, the EA studio producing the game. “The unique graphic style offered by the comic book genre is perfect for taking fans through her back-story. Frame by frame, page by page, we’ll learn more about the events that shaped both her and the city.”

The game will also be on display at the Comic Con, so if you’re fiending for new info on the game, looks like San Diego is the place to be.