Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Shields- Echo calls it

Strikeforce and CBS continue to bring MMA to the masses this Saturday and once again prove that just because it’s free doesn’t mean it has to be mediocre. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the main card is made up of three fights any fan of the sport should be able to get behind.

Dan Henderson vs. Jake “Swords and” Shields
Oooh man. This should be a fun one to watch. Henderson is a true legend of the sport and his knockout power is no joke. The dude packs a mean, mean punch. Shields, though, is on a roll, and something has to be said for a young, confident fighter performing well and riding a wave of victories. The trick here is going to be “can Shields avoid Henderson’s hands?” So long as he doesn’t circle left, offering a Bisping-like target for three rounds, I see this one falling in Shields’ favor…Maybe.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal
Lawal is an impressive enough athlete, but I kind of feel like he’s being thrown to the wolves with this one. Mousasi is a top-tier athlete with a skill set a mile long and I don’t really see Lawal stacking up too well. I expect a pretty quick end to this one.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki
Woot! I’m looking forward to Aoki’s debut here in the States, but Melendez isn’t exactly going to be a walk in the park. New fighters often get a tomato can thrown at them to help introduce them to a new audience but I don’t see that being the case here. Melendez should be a solid challenge for Aoki and I hope that equates to a great performance from both athletes. In the end, though, I think Aoki is going to earn the win.

Read it: American Vampire, Nemesis, Shuddertown

There are quite a few new comics hitting the shelves these days. Since many of these titles are quality work, I couldn't be happier to see such a resurgence in the industry.

As a slightly random aside brought on solely by my love for the book, I will say that if you are still not reading Joe the Barbarian, there’s something bad wrong with you. This one is something truly special. Daytripper, too, has remained pretty dang fantastic.

That being said, here’s a batch of newbies (American Vampire, Nemesis and Shuddertown) that might be worth your time...Or not.

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UFC 112: Invincible- Echo calls it

This month's PPV card might have one of my favorite posters of all time. Not a huge feat, considering how terrible most of the posters are, but I really dig this old school look.

But we're not here to talk about promotional material, are we? No. We're here to talk about the actual fights...FIRST, though, I will also mention this is the first subtitle to a card I've been okay with in a long time. Silva and Penn are both defending their belts and, chances are, they will both live up to that catchphrase.

And with that, NOW we'll talk about the fights.

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Review: God of War III

I came to the God of War party a little later than some. When the second game of the series was building up buzz pre-release, I finally decided to pick up the original and see what all the fuss was about.

I distinctly remember my first time playing the game and that speaks louder than any other praise I can give it. GOW was more violent and more visceral than anything I had ever experienced and the polish and fun factor was through the roof.

I smiled with evil glee as I murdered a hydra with a broken ship mast. I was dumbfounded by a plot point that quite literally required me to roast an innocent man trapped in a cage. The puzzles teased my brain and the combat continued to wow me as I watched Kratos evolve from a character controlled by simple button mashing to a precise instrument of destruction guided by a surprisingly deep combo system.

Then came God of War II, pushing everything I loved about the first game even further and tightening up an already well-oiled machine of gameplay. Chains of Olympus for the PSP, too, remains one of the best games on the portable system.

It’s not often that a series manages to maintain such a high level of quality this far into its lifecycle, but still, my expectations for God of War III were set pretty damn high.

While not managing to improve on the formula by as large a margin as the first two games, GOIII is still a big leap forward for the franchise and one of the best reasons to pick up a controller.

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Monday mini-movies: Trololololo cat edition

I have discovered it is basically a physical impossibility for me to watch this and not become overrun with giddiness.

If you have no idea where this song comes from, check out the super-creepy-yet-somehow-cool video right over here.

See...I told you it was creepy. This cat, though, took that song and made it his own. Glorious stuff.

Movies to miss in April

Continuing my quest to steer you clear of craptastic films, I give you April’s list of movies to miss. Enjoy! Well, actually, DON’T enjoy. Stay far, far away.

Why Did I Get Married Too?: For the love of God, Tyler Perry, find a new hobby. As if your usual schlock wasn’t shallow and self-masturbatory enough, you manage to crank out a sequel to one of your lesser known films that didn’t even break 50 percent on a metascore? The fact that the original came out like a year ago just goes to show how much effort must be going into creating your films. Thanks for the effort! Way to totally take advantage of your target audience, a group of people your own films encourage to break away from such terrible practices. “Don’t let The Man take advantage of you…Unless that man is me.” Bravo, ya jerk.

The Back-Up Plan: It’s a movie about a woman who, fed up with falling for losers and desperate for motherhood, decides to go the solo route and get’s knocked up in a lab. At this point, I’m game. A strong woman is unwilling to just settle with some undeserving slob and proves you don’t need a man to be a mommy. Great. Fantastic. Waitaminute! She then falls for the perfect guy and decides to hide her little secret long enough for their love to kindle and then expects him to be cool with the whole thing because, you know, they’re in love now and she’s really super sorry and all. You lying, manipulative…Next!

Furry Vengeance: At this point, Brendan Fraser, I think you’re more or less doing this to yourself. I’m sure your role as a real estate developer moving into a new house only to be attacked by the wildlife whose homes you are destroying is cute and all but, really? I mean…Really? What’s next? Encino Man 2? (For the record, I would actually be all for that one so long as it’s a full cast reunion. I’m serious. Make it happen.)

ecstaticgeckos.com

staticEchoes.com is proud to announce its sister site, ecstaticgeckos.com, is finally live.

I’ve been a gecko enthusiast my whole life and now my love for our lizardy friends has a home on the interwebs.

From care tips to aquarium design, activities to a frequent update on the lives of my two current geckos, Starsky and Hutch (both of the European leaf-toed variety), ecstaticgeckos.com will be your one-stop-shop for all things gecko!

Be sure to check it out at ecstaticgeckos.com.

Games to get in April

Hallelujah! After half a year of months jam-packed with big titles, we’re finally starting to see a little slowdown in April. Wallets everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief.

Don’t get me wrong, though. This month is still seeing quite a few offerings likely well worth your time and money. For those who still (somehow) have a little extra cash to spend on games, here’s this month’s lineup.

April
13th- GTA: Episodes from Liberty City (PS3)
13th- Splinter Cell: Conviction (360)
20th- Monster Hunter Tri (Wii)
27th- Super Street Fighter IV (PS3, 360)
27th- Nier (360, PS3)
27th- Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake (PSP)

Not the longest list, but still a nice variety of games to keep everyone busy. The big title this month is the long awaited, grittier take on the Splinter Cell franchise, Conviction.

Those who enjoyed Grand Theft Auto IV on the PS3 can finally get their hands on The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony chapters as either a standalone disc or downloaded individually off PSN.

Monster Hunter fans everywhere can rejoice as the third title in the series proper drops later in the month, just before Square Enix’s latest dark fantasy RPG, Nier, prepares to (likely) confuse the hell out of everybody with its bizarre storyline and oddball cast of characters.

The enhanced version of Street Fighter IV is sure to make fighting fans happy while players on the go have the PSP version of Fat Princess to whet their appetite.

Review: The Looking Glass Wars

This is a catch-all review for the three novels making up the Looking Glass Wars series, by Frank Beddor. These books include The Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd and Arch Enemy, the last of which came out late 2009.

A fan of reimagined worlds, I first heard about this “true” history of Wonderland through the Hatter M comic books. (A good read if you’re into those funny books.) The idea is simple- Charles Dodgeson (A.K.A. Lewis Caroll) got it all wrong.

While on the run from her murderous aunt Redd, Alyss (because even her name was spelled wrong) winds up on earth where she tells her life story to Charles Dodgeson. Thinking her tales fancy, Dodgeson records them as two novels telling a story that barely resembles the “facts.”

Alyss was, in fact, heir to Wonderland's throne, a position her evil aunt aims to claim. Hatter Madigan is a blade-wielding military genius, the Cheshire cat is a shape-shifting assassin and the white rabbit is actually an albino tutor by the name of Bibwit Harte.

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UFC 111: St-Pierre vs Hardy- Echo calls it

Is it just me or does Hardy look less like he wants to punch someone and more like he wants you to try to pluck a pebble from his hand? I'm no big-time photographer, but I'm pretty sure a reshoot was in order on this one.

This card is interesting because we've got three fights in a row pitting less experienced up-and-comers against some fairly seasoned veterans. I'm fond of these match-ups because the more experienced fighter never wants to get beaten by the young buck and said whipper-snapper knows toppling a big dog is a great way to garner attention. Did I use enough silly nicknames there? Good. On to the predictions...

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