Michael Keaton talks why he didn't do "Batman Forever"

Despite long being past the shadow of his former tenure as the Caped Crusader of the big screen, many fans still see Michael Keaton as one of the definite actors to have portrayed Batman in film. With his career revitalized thanks to his brilliant performance in "Birdman" and then "Spotlight", the actor is now set to tackle the Marvel Cinematic Universe by playing the villainous Vulture in "Spider-Man Homecoming" this July.

However, one question that has finally been answered is why Keaton decided to hang the cape and cowl and not return as Batman for Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever". In an interview with THR (and reported by Comic Book.com), the actor revealed he knew he had to leave before things turned ugly as the director had a different outlook at how to do the next Batman film after Tim Burton's two films that came before it.

"It sucked. I knew it was in trouble when he said, 'Why does everything have to be so dark?'"

As it is, Batman Forever went on to cast Val Kilmer as the new Bats, while the sequel Batman and Robin saw George Clooney in the role when Kilmer didn't return. Well, we all know how the Schumacher films turned out... We can all move on and put that to rest now.

Spotlight: Left 4 Dead

I know Left 4 Dead 2's out and about, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to go on a trip to memory lane and remember what made the first game so damn special in my heart. I've been a zombie movie fan since watching George A. Romero's movies, and the only game that simulated that kind of experience was the original Resident Evil for the Playstation. I played that years ago, and since then, Zombie games and movies have become such a norm that it's a fad waiting to get overdone. Fortunately, this First Person Shooter came along, and it changed my perception and gave me hope for better games where shooting the undead was cool and wicked.



For the life of me, I never thought Left 4 Dead would make an impression when it first came out for the PC and Xbox 360 about a year ago. It was the kind of game that left a sickening "BANG" sound etched with bloody, gory images on your head whenever somebody mentioned it or you happened to come across the real deal being played right in front of you.



Since their success with Half-Life and Counterstrike, Valve has been on a roll with FPS shooter releases, and their adventures have taken on several forms thanks to updates, expansion packs, and even mods based their game's existing engines. The addition of Left 4 Dead added a little more mess to the frying pan, and fans like me have embraced this new gift. Unlike its bretheren, L4D prides itself in being a 4 versus 4 zombie shooter. Players take on the roles of 4 survivors by default - an old Veteran Soldier named Bill, a biker redneck named Francis, an African American business guy named Lewis, and a lovely and feisty girl named Zoey. These four unlikely allies rally together to shoot down and escape the zombie epidemic, and through a number of scenarios and clever A.I, each adventure played is a totally new experience. I say this because the latter fact is true - a system called "The Director" randomly places object and monster locations through each play, so there's never a pattern to memorize or a recognizable place where a zombie may hide. It's that kind of fear and unpredictability that has you coming back for more.

As for the zombies? They're not just your dumb schmuck stoolies running at you to feast on your sorry hide ala Dawn Of The Dead. No, there are several types of zombies that want to get a piece of you. Besides the grunts, there are 5 classes of enhanced walking dead stalking the survivors throughout the game. First off, there's the Hunter - a jacket wearing zombie that pounces on you like a tiger and starts ripping you to shreds if nobody comes to help you. Next is the Smoker - a smoke belching and coughing prone undead that has a snake like tongue to catch and drag victims away by the neck to certain doom. The fat and bloated slob is known as the Boomer - an obese and snail paced undead that can vomit a stench so powerful it attracts a mob of zombies straight at you! Then comes the big guy... the Tank. Imagine the Incredible Hulk and Resident Evil's Tyrant monster combined, and you get this beast of a fellow tearing sidewalks and buildings just to pound you out of your misery. Lastly, we have the most dangerous zombie yet - the Witch. She's a seemingly harmless undead who starts wailing and crying like a victim to draw your attention. Once you flash your lights or pump her full of lead, she'll come straight at you like a Banshee, and it only takes one hit to down you to certain doom unless an ally is present. That rounds up the list of monster personalities in L4D, and you can play as these terrors in a 4 versus 4 co-op tourney against your friends playing the Survivors!

Like any zombie movie, L4D's places primary emphasis on cooperation and team work. If all of the above were to be discarded or ignored, chances of survival drop from slim to zero. It's a shooter with lots of weapons and heavy firepower, but all of that comes secondary to the coordination needed to get the hell out of a precarious situation. Friendly fire is also present, so don't go blasting out like crazy and hitting a friend in front of you. Every situation needs a plan, and the best way to get out of a rat hole is to use your brain as much as your brawn. This is the kind of game that gives credit to where credit is due in the Zombie genre, and I'm hell of a lot pleased that a sequel is out with new survivors to explore and play through. Still, the first game won't bore me anytime soon, and there's loads of DLC content available and still being planned for the loyal fanbase. Zoey, you'll still be a hottie zombie slayer, hehehe.XD

Spotlight: The King Of Fighters Saga Part I

The arrival of the newest King Of Fighters game, KOF XII, is upon us. Before that, I'd like to look back and reflect on the series' history and what made it so damn appealing to the public eye.

I grew up worshiping Street Fighter II. Back in the days of the SNES and Genesis, it was THE fighting game to have. Sure, American kids can lay claim to the violence and grotesque gorefest that was Mortal Kombat, but it hardly compares to the excitement and pure adrenaline one feels while playing CAPCOM'S signature brawler. This definitely ignited the fighter in me, and as I explored more titles along the years, my cravings eventually exposed me to other games that I can call epic franchises. One of these happens to come from SNK, another videogame developing company and a big competitor of CAPCOM back in the 2D days. They are better known as the brains behind arcade classics such as Fatal Fury and Samurai Showdown, but arguably their most well known franchise would have to be The King Of Fighters series, also abbreviated as "K.O.F".



The KOF series is technically a spin-off of the Fatal Fury and Art Of Fighting games, yet it includes characters from other well known SNK games, such as Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier. Much like Street Fighter, it was a one-on-one close combat game wherein special moves and supers are performed through a series of commands in order to play the game effectively.


Starting with The King Of Fighters '94 - the game served as an "All Star" assemble fighting game, wherein players would be given the option of selecting teams based from different countries around the world to compete in a series of matches. While established fan favorites like Terry Bogard and Ryo Sakazaki were involved, the lead was an original fighter made for the game - Kyo Kusanagi. He was a young fire-wielding martial artist who sought to defeat the tournament's sponsor - a man named Rugal Bernstein, whose plans involved world domination and the lot. While it wasn't as widely known as SFII, KOF became an eventual hit, and its success spawned more sequels, each bearing a significant makeover over the last.


The next game, The King Of Fighters '95, took things to the next level by allowing players to edit their three man teams with anybody in the selectable roster. This also happened to be the first game of the series that I played, and since then, I got hooked with every installment. This game also introduced new characters, featuring the first appearance of Kyo's eternal rival, Iori Yagami. Their destinies would be intertwined from this point forward, and what began as a simple tournament now turned into a fight against the forces of darkness. Dubbed "The Orochi Saga", Rugal's return and eventual defeat in '95 only marked the beginning of a long storyline that persisted for the next few installments. Eventually, The King Of Fighters '96 was released, and even more combatants entered the tournament, seeking fortune, glory, or a measure of revenge against some rival who they hated the most. Sponsoring the competition was a nobleman named Goenitz, who sought to revive the legendary demon, Orochi. His plans were thwarted by Kyo, Iori, and the mysterious priestess Chizuru Kagura, but his will was executed by others in the next game.


The King Of Fighters '97, probably my favorite entry in the series, changed everything and turned KOF into a combo rallying sensation. More gameplay changes were made, and more moves and specials were included to give the game more dynamic appeal. It also concluded the Orochi Saga, where Kyo and his allies finally confronted the demon itself and sealed it away. However, the story was left open ended for a sequel, and things wouldn't fully be resolved until KOF '99 breezed through arcades two years later.


What about The King Of Fighters '98, you say? Well, that game was more of a filler, and it served as a Dream Match to have everybody playing it more involved with the fighting and less of the story. It was still a major success, and some people also consider this the best among the bunch. All of these games were eventually compiled and released in a titanic package: The King Of Fighters - The Orochi Saga. It's readily available for the PS2 and PSP, so gamers itching for fighting game goodness can grab it right away.


1994-1998 was just the start of things. On the next installment of Spotlight, I'll be tackling what many hoped to be "the next generation of KOF" and see how that panned out...