Thank You, Kevin Conroy

Kevin Conroy recently passed away. He died on November 10th, 2022 at the age of 66. He was an actor. You might have seen him on shows such as the Office, Another World, or Search for Tomorrow. I never saw him in any of his TV or film roles. It would probably be more apt to call Kevin Conroy a voice actor, because, well, let's be real; that's what he was most famous for. In particular, Kevin Conroy was known for his work vocing one of the most iconic ficonal characters of all time: Batman. 

Batman: The Animated Series hit TV screens in 1992 and it was the first time I'd ever heard Kevin's voice and by extension his take on Batman/Bruce Wayne. The voice he gave Bruce was light hearted, sounding almost carefree. It was the complete opposite of his voice for Batman. This was done intentionally to distinguish the two identities. Kevin's voice for Batman was gruff, raspy and every bit as dark as Batman himself. It was the first time in any media that Batman and Bruce Wayan sounded like two completely different people. And this was something that Kevin himself came up with. I'd also like to add that he did that knowing very little about the character.

One of my favorite lines that Kevin has ever spoken is "I am vengeance! I am the night! I AM BATMAN!" from the episode BTAS "Nothing to Fear". The line was also used in promos for the show, which was the first time I'd heard it. It sounded like such a sick line and hyped me up even more to see the show. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Kevin was doing volunteer work, cooking for firefighters and police officers and would recite this very same line to some understanably downtrodden workers, which as it turned out, were big fans of BTAS. Kevin's recital of that line was met with huge applause. Kevin has told that story numerous times and I was never tired of hearing it.

BTAS ended in 1995 but Kevin's voice work for Batman was far from finished. BTAS was just the beginning in what would go on to be known as the DC Animated Universe. A world composed of numerous shows that included BTAS, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyong, Static Shock, Justice League and Justice League Unilimted. DCAU Batman is often cited as being one of the best, if not definitive versions of the character and while a lot of that is owed to great writing, we also have to thank Kevin for breathing so much into this version of Batman.

Voice work is something not everyone truly understands. It isn't just reading lines from a script in a certain tone. There's a lot of nuance and subtlety that goes into the line delivery. I got the impression that Kevin really understood Batman and because of that, he was able to voice the character so well.

Kevin has voiced numerous versions of Batman for nearly 30 years. It's amazing to see how much he improved the role. His voice for Batman in BTAS, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League and the Arkham games all sound so different, if only by the slightest bit in some versions. For a lot of you that read Batman comics, Kevin's voice is what pops in your head. I'm the same way. 

I never got to meet him, but from what I've seen in interviews and footage of him at cons, Kevin had this warmth to him. You couldn't help but smile whenever you saw him or heard him speak. When news reached me of his death, it stung. Still does. He was only 66. I had hoped we'd get to hear him voice Batman for years to come. I'm sure you've heard it from countless others, so you'll have to forgive me for repeating it but, for me, Kevin will always be Batman. No disrespect to anyone that has voiced the character in the past, but Kevin is THE VOICE for Batman. 

Thank you, Kevin Conroy. 

Let's Discuss: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Teaser Trailer

Image: Illumination/Nintendo

There was much anticipation from Nintendo fans for October 6th, in particular, fans of the Big N's mascot, Mario. This afternoon Nintendo graced us with a teaser trailer for the Super Mario Bros. Movie with a short Nintendo Direct. After some words from from some of the folks involved with the movie including Shigeru Miyamoto and voice cast Chris Pratt and Jack Black, the moment we were all waiting for had finally arrived. And it did not disappoint. Mostly.

That opening scene where Bowser rolls up with a whole friggin' island to take a Power Star was AWESOME. That Bowser slow walk, the delivery of "OPEN THE GATES!" to Bowser displaying his fire breath had the perfect blend of action and comedy, topped off with some great facial expressions from Bowser, and the penguins. Say what you want about Illumination but they put in serious work on this flick and it really shows.

I think the biggest criticism people have about this teaser is how Mario sounds. Granted, we heard very little of Chris Pratt Mario but the little we heard was enough to have fans fuming. I think I heard a tiny bit of an accent in the line "Mushroom Kingdom, here we come." I personally wasn't expecting a full on Charles Martines but I was hoping to hear, well more than what we did from him. I'm willing to give this the benefit of the doubt as Mario, the star of the movie, got some of the fewest lines in this teaser. Perhaps Nintendo doesn't want to show too much of Mario speaking just yet.

Can we talk about Toad? Duuuuuuude, I LOVE HIM! Keegan-Michael Key was born to voice Toad. His Toad voice isn't a one-to-one of the Toad we get from the games (that would probably be grating on the ears after two hours) but I am all about the voice he's given us. He had me cracking up and every time I see that scene with Toad in the teaser, I'm laughing out loud. I cannot wait to see more scenes with Toad.

Seeing as how this trailer was a teaser, we didn't get to hear wat Donkey Kong, Peach and others will sound like, but in time, more trailers will come. What I've seen was enough to get me excited for this film. Whatever the outcome, it can't be any worse than the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie.

*Shudder*

Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival

An event I've been looking forward to all year is the Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Fest, a live stream orchestral concert. Me being a goof, I let the date of the live stream slip past me and I wasn't able to catch it live. Thankfully, some super kind souls have preserved it on YouTube. At least until Nintendo comes along and axes it. Enjoy it while you can.

You can catch the entire event...

...Or a cut up stream that has only the music.

Make Way for the New King of Best Selling Kirby Games

Image: Nintendo

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Kirby franchise. The first game, Hoshi no Kabi, translated to Kirby of the Stars, released in Japan on April 27th, 1992, which would later be released in other regions under the title known as Kirby's Dream Land. A myriad of Kirby titles have followed since pink puff ball's first outing and while many would agree that much of what came after has far and away surpassed Kirby's Dream Land, the same can not be said for sales. Many a Kirby fan adores Kirby Air Ride, Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby: Planet Robobot but none of those games or any other Kirby game has managed to sell more copies than Kirby's debut Game Boy title, which sits atop the throne at 5.13 million in lifetime sales. Welp, there's a new king coming to town and it goes by the name of Kirby and Forgotten Land.

If you've just escaped Another Dimension, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first mainline 3D Kirby adventure. The game was released worldwide on March 25th, 2022 on the Nintendo Switch and has already sold more than 4.53 million copies. This makes Kirby and the Forgotten Land the fastest selling Kirby title but the fact it has been on store shelves less than six months with such huge numbers means that it will more than likely overtake Kirby's Dream Land as the best selling Kirby game.

Kirby has always been beloved by fans but the series has never had the sales of other Nintendo IPs such as Super Mario or the Legend of Zelda games. To see Kirby's latest game be so successful fills me with joy, especially as a long time fan of the tough cream puff. Those sales are well deserved. I for one cannot wait to see Kirby and the Forgotten Land overtake the sales of Kirby's Dream Land. 

I Caved and Bought Sonic Origins

Back in June, I put SEGA on blast for the way they chose to handle the release of Sonic Origins. You know, the digital only release, extra features like more music, extra character animations and such being tucked underneath a $5 blanket. I still think that sucks. But for all my bravado, I went ahead and bought Sonic Origins on release day. 

So how did SEGA get me? Mission mode. The way they showed it off in trailers really stirred my interest. Mission mode is pretty lit even if some of the challenges do make me a bit salty. This mode is also a great way to earn coins to buy stuff in the museum.

What is becoming one of my favorite features of retro compilations is the archival of artwork that usually comes with them. Yes, we can see a lot of this artwork online but I always love it when developers go that extra mile to include it in game. I was playing Mega Man X Legacy Collection some time ago and I found myself looking through the original artwork from the first Mega Man X. The character designs from that era still look amazing in my book. I ended up spending more time than I thought looking through the old images from Sonic the Screensaver that have been thankfully included in Sonic Origins along with the concept art and a few images I'd never seen before. Being able to look through this artwork with a playlist of Sonic tunes I created from what the game gives you is pretty neat, though I do wish the songs looped twice. An option to have songs play endlessly would be nice. And the music from Sonic Mega Collection such as that ultra soothing Extras Menu music would have been heaven if it was included.

As for the games themselves, I like most of what is here. Sonic 3 & Knuckles in wide screen on the Switch is a dream come true and is without question the best game in here. Sonic 2 is mostly a good game and Sonic CD's crazy, uneven, whacky level design is still a headache for me to slog through, which only serves as proof that the Classic era of Sonic is not all sunshine and Flickies as many fans would like you to believe. The first Sonic game is still one of the best and isn't held back by it's slower paced levels.

You can use coins to buy art and music from the Museum, but coins are also excellent for retrying the Special Stages. Coins, saved my sanity while playing Special Stages in Sonic Origins. I have never gotten all of the Time Sones in Sonic CD due to the limited times you could try for them in past releases of the game. But the coin system in Sonic Origins let's me retry the Special Stages as long as I have coins on me.

Could Origins be better? Of course it could. Filters, which are standard fare for these collections are nowhere to be found. By no means is the absence of them a deal breaker but you'd think they would be included. I get that fans are upset that not all of Sonic 3 & Knuckles original music could be included but the replacement music is not the disaster all the memes and YouTube videos make them seem. Far from it. I found myself humming some of the replacement tracks while at work and that Super Sonic theme for S3&K one-ups the highly repetitive original. 

Oh, I had $6 in coins on my eShop account so that took some of the sting out of paying $40 for a collection of some nice games that I still felt was a bit overpriced.

TMNT: Cowabung Collection FINALLY Gets a Release Date

Image: IGN

Remember when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabung Collection was revealed back in early March of this year? Maaaaan, the hype was REAL. And then we waited for Konami to give us a release date. And waited. And waited. And waited. Freaking Bayonetta 3 got a release date before the Cowabunga Collection. Then, yesterday, out of the blue, Konami gave us a release date for this godlike Turtle compilation. IGN was the first to post the video with the release date, which will be August 30th, 2022. 

I've been playing and loving Shredder's Revenge. As a huge Turtles fan, it is a fantastic beat 'em up. But I was going crazy wondering when the Cowabunga Collection was gonna drop. I've had the game on pre-order for months. I've bought more trades of the TMNT Ultimate Collection comics (up to volume 5 now) and I picked up some 1987 inspired Turtle figures for my birthday as well as a Playmates Classic Leonard figure. I got a sick looking Rocksteady figure from BSTANX and The Last Ronin in hardcover. I've been binge watching the show (I'm halfway through season 4). My Turtle Mania fever is running high. I NEED the Cowabunga Collection to help feed my addiction. 

Getting the Cowabunga Collection at the end of August makes me a very happy Turtle fan. I was beginning to wonder if it would be released in November or get pushed back to 2023, but thankfully, that isn't the case. 

A lot of the games in the Cowabunga Collection (the arcade TMNT, TMNT NES, TMNT II: The Arcade Game, TMNT IV: Turtles in Time, the SNES version of Tournament Fighters especially) hold a lot of fond memories for me. I cannot wait to play through these games again and experience them anew with my friends, nieces and nephew. There's an inexpensive arcade stick I've had my eye on for a while now and I just might pick it up in time for the release of this Turtle Anthology. 

I don't think you understand how excited I am for this release. This game has me more excited than a lot of other releases coming down the road this year. Maybe a lot of it is fueled by nostalgia, or my love for the Turtles. Maybe both. This game finally, finally getting a release date was the gaming news for me this week. Like, I'm considering requesting August 30th off work and ordering Pizza Hut. It will make for a pretty gnarly Turtle Tuesday, don'tcha think dudes?

Another Slice of Turtle Mania

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, you couldn't go anywhere without running into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Though the green machines originated in comic book form thanks to creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it was the 1987 animated show that gave rise to a tsunami of turtle fever that would last for years. Movies, video games, TV specials, cereal and of course, toys. Oh, the toys. It was a time of Turtle Mania and I was so happy to experience it.

But like all good things, sadly, it came to an end.

Although the headday of the Turtles may be behind them, they remain firmly ingrained in pop culture. You can still find these ninjas on clothing, buy toys and for the first time in years, we're getting some very, very good Turtle games, with the most recent one, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, being released last week.

I've done three runs through Shredder's Revenge (one with Leo, Mikey and Raph) and it just might be the best TMNT game. Shredder's Revenge reminded me of all the old TMNT games and brought memories of the cartoon it is based on flooding to the surface. So much with this game just clicks. Wonderfully animated sprite graphics, the sounds of Foot Soliders and Mousers getting smacked around. The stages are not too long or too short. And that absolute BANGER of a soundtrack! I've been jamming out to that sucker for more than a week now. Sooooo goooood!

As if Shredder's Revenge weren't enough, sometime this year, we'll be treated to a plethora of games that helped Turtle Mania maintain dominance during the franchise's peak. I am of course talking about the Cowabunga Collection, my dream anthology that I never thought would come true, but sometimes reality isn't disappointing. All the NES, SNES, Arcade, GB and Genesis games in one shell of a collection. Man, just give me a release date for this game already!!! I needed my old-school Turtle beat downs yesterday!!!

I am so freaking excited about all the TMNT love we're getting for games this year. Recently I bought the 1987 TMNT series on DVD. The plan was to finish Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Teen Titans shows I've been binging but Shredder's Revenge has me on such a high that I had to change my plans. I've already breezed through the first two seasons. Rob Paulsen Raphael might be my favorite version of the character.

I've been meaning to start reading TMNT: The Ultimate Collection, which reprints the original Mirrage Studios comics. I've actually read the first issue of TMNT before as well as the Leonard One-Issue Micro-Series, which is one of my favorite comics that replies heavily on panels without words to showcase the action. In fact I own an original copy of that issue. 

I should probably start collecting some of those hardcovers of the IDW TMNT comics. That's a run I've been wanting to check out as I've heard so many good things about it. 

Back to the 1987 Turtles, we just learned that IDW will be printing a four issue mini series based off off the aforementioned incarnation of the Turtles dubbed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures beginning this September. Makes me wish Archie's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventure comics were collected in a format besides a measly four issues perk book because I really want to read those.

Action figures played a huge part of my childhood during the pinnacle of Turtle Mania. While I was poking around on Amazon, I saw some Turtle figures based off the 1987 caroons as well as the first Playmates figures, which were some of my favorite toys to collect. I'm planning on picking those up for my birthday. 

This really is a great time to be a fan of the TMNT. It's like we're getting another slice of Turtle Mania. It may not be a whole pizza that we got back in the day, but I will gladly take that slice and savor it. Party on, dudes.