About Those New Uniforms for Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman

So DC is introducing some new uniforms for what many fans refer to as the big three: Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman. It's clear from looking at these new designs that DC is going for a completely different feel not only to the characters but for the entirety of DC.

So here's Superman who looks like a more like he belongs in the old Valiant Comics with their "gritty" look that always made their characters seem indistinguishable to me. That said, intellectually the idea that Superman wouldn't run around with a secret identity really isn't all that farfetched. I mean no one could possibly hurt him without kryptonite so why should he fear if anyone knows who he is? I mean except for the fact that any loved ones he might have could be held ransom, killed, raped, and put in constant danger to manipulate him like a puppet.

By far the best redesign out of the group is Wonder Woman. It's just a great look minus the needless Wolverine-esque spikes jutting out from her wrists. Still looks like a Valiant reject, but it's better than Batman.

At this point I don't even know why they're still calling him Batman. He's a giant, robotic, rabbit with a gun. Fuck he'd be more at home in Savage Dragon or the TICK than he would as Batman!

I totally get that at this point DC is trying to go for a grittier feel with the books - all the redesigns, from Batman's smoking gun to Superman's fists dripping blood, reinforce this -  but making the DC universe into a new version of WildStorm isn't the way to go. Look Lee and DiDio are steering this ship and it's clear that they want to go down this way but I'm just not looking for these changes to be long term. If anything I expect them to be in retroconned into an alternative DC Universe at the end of the run when they reintroduce the classic uniforms like Old Coke coming back after New Coke pissed everyone off. 

What do you all think?

Star Citizen, the World's Largest and Most Boring Game.

Let me begin this with a confession: I love space games. I love the feel of weightlessness that comes along with a really good space simulator and the way that combat can be taken to a whole different level. The trailer promises a game that will deliver an experience that will make the whole industry take notice.

Just looking at that trailer you can tell that this game is going to be beefy and require a lot of your computer just to run. Rumors have been swirling for a while that it could be fifty gigabytes or more when all is said and done. Which is huge, in and of itself, but it was reported yesterday by PC Gamer that the game will actually be closer to 100 gigabytes with updates running nearly 20 gigabytes! So if you're like me and living on a limited bandwidth (because there are no other options than bullshit, satellite internet) then this game is one you won't be playing based on those two factors alone. However there are bigger for this game than just its size and system requirements.

The above video features a little over fifteen minutes of the game's actual play footage and if you made it past the first two minutes than I applaud you. If you watched it to the end as I did then I pity you because this game play is the most boring thing I've watched in years. It's worse than the early Mech games that often consisted of plodding along for thirty minutes trying to find that last enemy unit that was on the other side of the zone while you hoped that your tape wouldn't reach the end of its side. The combat appears sluggish; there is no music; and even the person playing the game appears too bored to do more than suffer through the game. In short, it's terrible.

I realize that the game isn't fully realized yet and that to judge it so early in its life is a bit unfair - but in this case I feel its warranted. According to everything that's been released around this game the core of it is supposed to be the space combat, and that looked boring as hell. From the trailer I had high hopes for it and was actually considering upgrading my graphics card so that I could handle it at its max settings, but the game play killed any such thoughts. 

Unless something dramatically changes before the game's full launch I will not be buying it. What about you?

Hard Times for Radio Shack, Best Buy, and Toys R Us.

Things are continuing to look grim for retailers this spring as reports are coming on the future of Toys 'R' Us, Radio Shack, and Best Buy. Sadly, these companies that once represented retail bastions for gamers, geeks, and collectors of all stripes are seeing continued sale reductions and a crowded marketplace that they simply cannot compete in any longer.

Toys 'R' Us: Unable to Compete and Crushed Under Debt

This morning it was reported by ICv2 that Toys 'R' Us will be cutting stores and employees after a hard and disappointing holiday season (see Chains Cutting for more).  This comes at the tail end of a hard couple of years as Toys 'R' Us as sales have continued to decline in the face of stiff competition from on-line retailers such as Amazon. According to a recent SEC filing (see report 2/26/2014, Report of unscheduled material events or corporate event) the company's domestic sales were down 4.1% compared to last year's holiday season - which was also down from the previous year at a rate of 4.5%. As a result of such negative sales a series of drastic response measures are rumored to be announced in the coming days. 

According to reports the company will announce the lay-offs of 200 employees in the corporate offices in Wayne, New Jersey (see Ailing Toys 'R' Us to lay off nearly 200 employees for more), and the closing of nearly a 100 stores (see Toys 'R' Us says it will cut 200 jobs at headquarters for more) in the coming days; a move that represents reducing the overall Toys 'R' Us workforce by over 10%. In real terms that means that the Toys 'R' Us workforce will be reduced from 41,700 to roughly 37,530 and the company will have 730 stores rather than the 830 it currently operates.

Among the many problems affecting the company is its crushing debt. Currently the company has an outstanding debt of $5.7 billion which has increasingly led to rumors that the company would be filing for bankruptcy - a rumor the company is desperately trying to convince toy makers will not be happening. 

Best Buy: Cutting Out the Middle Man.

According to the New York Post Best Buy is continuing its cost cutting efforts begun in 2012 when the chain closed 50 stores (see Best Buy Store Closingsfor the complete list) and continued in 2013 with a reduction in staff and additional store closings. This latest round of efforts has seen the termination of 950 employees in Canada (see Best Buy Canada to Lay off 950 stafffor more) and the dismissal of 2,000 middle managers within the company (see Best Buy Cutting 2000 Managers for more). 

 

The laying off of so many middle managers, many of whom are making six figures, is seen as part of a larger restructuring plan orchestrated by Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly to make the retailer viable in the future. However, with sales continuing to decline (down 2.3% this holiday season) it is being reported that this is but the first round of lay-offs for the company this year (see Massive Layoffs at Best Buy, Huge Management Restructuring for more).  

 

For its part, Best Buy has claimed that the fierce competition on price matching was the leading cause for its drop in sales.

Radio Shack: Looking at the End?

For the last four years sales at Radio Shack have been in free fall (see Radio Shack closing 1,100 stores after sales tumble 20 pct for more), and today the company announced plans to close 1,100 stores. In a recent SEC filing (see 3/4/2014 Annual Report for more) the company had a net loss of $191.4 million.

The situation is as dire for the company as you can imagine and reading the SEC filing it is clear that they recognize the overwhelming challenge facing them. No word yet on how many of 27,500 currently employed associates will be let go by this move.