This week, DC announced the pricing and bonuses for pre-ordering DC Universe Online Collector’s Edition. There are some great perks like a statue of Batman (Jim Lee), a copy of the new comic book DC is releasing and exclusive in-game items.

Now, I think these are very cool things to give buyers as a bonus but at what cost?

I don’t think I’ve ever paid $100 for a game on any platform. Let’s not forget that DCUO is an MMORPG that takes place in the DC Universe and hosted by none other than Sony Online Entertainment. Now, I’ve been a dedicated Everquest and Everquest II player for years but even then, those games were $29 new because SOE understood they are charging $15 a month to play this game.

So let’s consider that to play DCUO for a year you are going to spend $280 the first year. Would you pay this much for any other game? Batman: Arkham Asylum really made you feel like you were the Batman! It was my favorite game of last year and it certainly didn’t cost me $280.

We’re not comparing apples to oranges here, more like oranges to tangerines.

But can game publishers keep upping the price of these so-called “collector editions” and still bring in the real fans? Comics, and the DC Universe for that matter are a niche market. My in-laws and my wife certainly aren’t going to be playing this game. That leaves only fanboys, DC comic book readers and perhaps a few PS3, XBOX, and PC gamers that want to try something new and are willing to pay up for that privilege. Again, are they going to pay the price for this privilege?

I know as a parent, if my kid wanted to play this game I would have to find a way for him to earn the money, especially if I’m going to play it with him in which case I’ll be spending twice as much for us both to play.

I understand why developers do this. They want to recoup as much development cost as possible right away because they don’t know if a game is going to fail or not. Still, there has to be a line. I just don’t think this business model is sustainable when you charge $100 for the game and tack on a monthly fee. How many gamers are going to play multiple MMOs if this is the case? Not many. What do you think?

I need to ask a favor though. I know we have at least a half dozen listeners and as of yet we have ZERO reviews on iTunes. I would appreciate it if you could take just a few moments of your time, write a short review of the podcast and rate it on iTunes. You’ll help get the word out there and help the podcast become more visible in iTunes (Which currently can’t be found unless searched for).

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on the new episode, so feel free to comment on the post of the episode you listen to as well as giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down.

To listen to the episode, you can subscribe through iTunes by searching for “The Dimensional Divide”. We’ll be having Doug on the show as soon as we can work out the logistics. Check out their podcast and head over to their site http://www.primedimensionstudios.com to see their first comic, “Sunset” which I picked up at WonderCon this year.

I would also like to address the issue of spoilers. Sometimes we reveal spoilers for movies which may or may not include the endings. I understand people listen to this podcast for reviews of movies. I spoiled the ending of wrongfully Oscar nominated “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” but let’s be honest, you knew the ending when you saw the trailer. Even my wife who hasn’t seen the film knows how it ends and not because I told her, it’s because of the nature of the film and the very idea it is based on. So, sorry If you didn’t see the ending coming, but I didn’t really spoil the true ending of the movie if you think about it as there is really more going on in the background of the entire film that is revealed at the very end.

Anyway, back to WonderCon. Eric wasn’t able to get away from his studies so I had to go it alone. Dressed as Commander William Riker of the USS Enterprise, I trekked up to San Francisco for the annual gathering of geeks, comic book nerds and movie buffs and braved the more than 10,000 person zoo that is WonderCon.

There were some great panels with people like JJ Abrams and the cast of Star Trek. Wendy Pini of Elfquest fame was there to sign autographs and discuss her work. The cast of Chuck was on hand Sunday to talk about the show. I saw a sneak preview of the new Terminator Salvation which looks amazing. Pixar was there to show some footage of “Up” which comes out soon. All in all it was great.

On the show floor I met some cool people like Richard Kiel who played Jaws in Moonraker as well as the construction boss in Happy Gilmore. I also had a nice conversation with Barry Jenner who played Admiral Ross on Star Trek: DS9. He had some great stories about working on the show and attending previous cons.

Last but not least, out on the show floor in one of the small press booths were these 4 guys from Colorado. They have been hard at work on an independent comic titled “Sunset”. Prime Dimension Studios is their name and I bought a copy of the comic which they all signed. I really like the art and writing and I think it’s going to get better and better. I got meet all the guys and found out they also do a podcast called The Digital Dimension which is the official podcast for the studio and the Sunset comic. It’s a great listen and I should also say I won a poster that they all signed. Head over to their site and check them out if you like comics. Sometime in the future we’ll be doing some kind of collaboration with them so stay tuned for that.

This summer has some great movies coming out and it all starts with Watchmen. First of all, go see it before you listen to the Watchmen episode of our podcast so we don’t spoil anything for you. I’m hoping to be able to make it to Comic Con this year but I can’t say for sure, it just depends how things are going and how busy I am. Eric will be in town this weekend and we’re going to record another show while he’s here. It will be the first non-skyped show in a while so I’m looking forward to it.

Stay tuned for Episode 21 – WonderContastic!

I am sure we will have a baker’s dozen of movies to talk about next time so stay tuned! Subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up to date with what is happening and subscribe to the podcast through iTunes to get the latest episodes.

It’s our new “On Notice” board, curtousy of ShipBrook.com where you can make your own board on the fly.

Why this board? Because it isn’t enough that we mention those who do harm to the gaming and film community on the podcast, we needed a place to permanently showcase these people on a wall of shame. So There it is, the On Notice Board.

We’ll update this as we see fit.

The software uses idle cpu time to process the data and there is a cool screensaver you can activate to watch the data being analyzed. I’ve set up a team for EWP that you can join after you download and install the software.

Help us discover new life and join the team!

Despite the reviews on the internet, this is a good movie. I heard one detractor say it was a good way to get out of the heat for 2 hours but it wasn’t a good Indiana Jones movie. His main complaint was that there was too much CGI. MOST of the stunts were practical and without giving away what is CGI…it’s done well and will put you on the edge of your seat.

I think what I hate about critics is they are always jaded especially when it comes to sequels. I think there’s too much focus on how sequels compare to the first movies. First of all, sequels are rarely as good or better than the first film. Rush Hour 3, Shrek 3, Major League 3: Back To The Minors. All those films reek of bad writing and money being the only motivation.

That being said, I totally disagree this isn’t a good Indy movie. This is a great Indy movie. It has all the elements the first film had without being formulaic. There are references to the first film in a lot of places and I love the ideas about Mayan culture (which many people believe were influenced by outside sources) because of how advanced they were for their time. I really don’t have anything bad to say about the movie. All the acting is good and the set designs are incredible. Definitely a must see.

I’ve been watching a lot of stuff on DVD and a few advanced screeners i got. So next time I’ll be talking about Speed Racer, Indy 4, What Happens In Vegas, War Inc., My Mom’s New Boyfriend, and probably a few others.

You see that ticket stub? I went the the first official show at 8pm tonight cuz I’m awesome! yeah! That’s right, I saw the first show.

Ok, but seriously, it’s really good. I’m so glad I bought a bunch of Marvel (NYSE: MVL) stock yesterday because this movie is a savior for the company and is launching a new franchise. Where Spider Man failed, Iron Man succeeds and I have to say it is because of Jon Favreau at the helm. He and Robert Downey Jr. hold this film together so tight. Jeff Bridges is great as the antagonist and I didn’t feel at all underwhelmed by the lack of a real villain because they do such a good job of making the film about Tony and his struggles. Instead of focusing on a super villain, they focus on the origin story here and it totally works.

It’s funny, Gwenneth Paltrow is great as the assistant/almost love interest and the writing is smart enough not to take itself too seriously.

Great movie. Get out there and see it in the theaters!