The Black Emporium

Hello all! I'm Micheal Hollins. This is blog is....well, a mixed bag of sorts. I'll review and give news on video games, movies, iphone apps, and music. I'll also occasionally do how-to videos. All suggestions are welcome. If you have suggestions, please put them in the ask box. If you would like to contribute, send all emails to mhollins@gmail.com. Thank you and enjoy.


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Music review: Watch The Throne On Monday, what was probably the most anticipated hip-hop album of the year, as well as one of the most anticipated overall albums of the year, was released. The album i’m referring to is Watch The Throne, the joint album of music giants Kanye West and Jay-Z. To say the least, this album lived up to its hype. I haven’t stopped listening to it since I got it. It’s very well produced and both Mr. West and Mr. Carter brought their A-game lyrically. I didn’t even skip a single track in my first listen-through. With that being said, I do have a favorite track. That track is Why I Love You featuring British singer Mr. Hudson(Side note: If you haven’t heard of Mr. Hudson, look him up on Youtube or Spotify. You’ll thank me later). Jay-Z gets very emotional lyrically on this track and Mr. Hudson makes the chorus his own. Not to mention that the song is sampled from the Cassius song I Love You So, which on its own is a really good song. I highly recommend this album. I predict it’ll be garnering a lot of accolades and awards in the next year or so. I’m giving it a perfect 10/10.

Music review: Watch The Throne

On Monday, what was probably the most anticipated hip-hop album of the year, as well as one of the most anticipated overall albums of the year, was released. The album i’m referring to is Watch The Throne, the joint album of music giants Kanye West and Jay-Z. To say the least, this album lived up to its hype. I haven’t stopped listening to it since I got it. It’s very well produced and both Mr. West and Mr. Carter brought their A-game lyrically. I didn’t even skip a single track in my first listen-through. With that being said, I do have a favorite track. That track is Why I Love You featuring British singer Mr. Hudson(Side note: If you haven’t heard of Mr. Hudson, look him up on Youtube or Spotify. You’ll thank me later). Jay-Z gets very emotional lyrically on this track and Mr. Hudson makes the chorus his own. Not to mention that the song is sampled from the Cassius song I Love You So, which on its own is a really good song. I highly recommend this album. I predict it’ll be garnering a lot of accolades and awards in the next year or so. I’m giving it a perfect 10/10.

Childish Gambino To Release New Album This September

Childish Gambino, the  rapping stage name of actor/comedian Donald Glover(who also goes by the moniker McDJ when he Deejays) is releasing his new album, entitled Camp, this September. Many fans(including myself) have been waiting for this since he released his EP earlier this year. The video in this post is the trailer for the new album and features an untitled song from the album which he first performed at Comic Con just a couple of days ago. This is the cover art, which was designed by Ibra Ake: 

I can’t wait for this album to be released, and i’m pretty sure Childish Gambino fans everywhere feel the same way,

New Edition To ME Website, New Game Details, and New Interactive Game

Even though Mass Effect 3 doesn’t come out until next March, BioWare is slowly giving us more information. Recently, a new edition to the ME website was added called N7 OPS. In this section, some new information about the game was released. For one, BioWare officially confirmed that Shepard will indeed be traveling to Thessia, the Asari homeworld.

Another new piece of information was about a new assault called the Falcon, which also has a grenade launcher and comes equipped with a field ammunition fabrication kit.

We also get more information on a new enemy, the Cerberus Assault Trooper.

Finally, the new section also gives us a pod training flash game, where the objective is to knock cubes off of a platform. Mass Effect 3 is set to be released March 6, 2012.

At Comic Con today, Capcom released a new gameplay trailer for Street Fighter X Tekken. In it, we see some new characters. On the Capcom side, we have Sagat, Dhalsim, and Poison(Final Fight series). On the Tekken side, we have Steve, Hwoarang, and Yoshimitsu. Street Fighter X Tekken is set to be released March 2012.

Avengers News(Well, kinda)

On the eve of the San Diego Comic Con, Marvel released two things related to The Avengers today. The Marvel site for it has gone live(which you can view here). Also, on the site, the first teaser poster has been released for the film. This is it here:

This makes me wish I was in San Diego with Comic-Con tickets so badly. Maybe next year. The Avengers is scheduled to be released May 4, 2012.

The first teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, what will be the final film in the trilogy of Christopher Nolan-directed Batman films, was first released alongside other trailers with Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 last friday. It was released today on the internet. The Dark Knight Rises is slated for release on July 20, 2012.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 dated For American Release January 2012

Good news for fans of the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy XIII-2 has been dated for American release sometime in January 2012. Even better, that release date is only one month after the Japanese release date of December 2011. So you won’t have to wait very long after it is released in Japan in order to get your hands on it.

New “The Amazing Spider-Man” News

In this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, new photos from the Spider-Man reboot were released, including pictures of Andrew Garfield in a new Spider-Man costume. We also learned that the web-slinger will be going back to the web shooter devices rather than naturally producing webbing from his body. The first trailer will be released next week along with Captain America. The article also confirmed that Rhys Ifans(Who plays Xenophillus Lovegood in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2) will be playig The Lizard. You can find the pictures here. I’m not the biggest fan of the new costume, but I am a big fan of going back to the classic wrist shooters seen here:

 The new Spider-Man reboot will be released some time in 2012.

The first trailer to Shelock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, sequel to 2009’s Sherlock Holmes, was released yesterday. In this installment, Holmes(Robert Downey Jr.) is on the trail of Prof. Moriarty(played by Jarred Harris), who is seen in the literature as Holmes’ biggest Archenemy. The film also stars Jude Law and Swedish actress Noomi Rapace and will be released December 16, 2011.

This is the Trailer for the Dragon Age 2 DLC entitled Legacy. The description of the storyline of the DLC on the Dragon Age website is as follows:

Targeted by a vicious criminal cartel that are hunting “the blood of the Hawke,” you must put an end to their relentless attacks. Leave Kirkwall, and journey to an ancient Grey Warden prison in order to find the source of the aggression and uncover the harsh truth about the Hawke lineage. Playable from any point in the DAII campaign, face all new darkspawn, forge a powerful new weapon and come face to face with an ancient horror.

You’ll also be able to wield a class-specific weapon that can be customized with upgrades as well as be able to explore several new locations, including a Grey Warden prison.  I’ll have more information as it becomes available.

Finally Famous: The Album Review

The time that Big Sean fans have waited for has finally arrived. Big Sean has finally released his debut studio album, Finally Famous: The Album. To say the least, he did not disappoint. he’s got something for everyone here. He’s got some cub bangers, some “chill out and ride” music, a love song, and even a sing I would consider the perfect break-up song(Don’t Tell Me You Love Me). I could how much determination this man has. Basically, this is a must-buy. 5 out of 5.

RUMOR: Mass Effect 3 To Offer Four-Player Co-op

Yes, the rumor mill is back. Although BioWare has stricken down rumors of Multiplayer in Mass Effect 3, Eurogamer and CVG are both saying that anonymous sources have said to them that Mass Effect 3 will indeed include some form of Four-Player co-op. I don’t know about you, but i’m not taking what EG and CVG or anyone else says about the multiplayer with truth until BioWare releases a statement. Personally, I wouldn’t  mind being able to kick the shit out of some Reapers with three of my buddies or even with three complete strangers online. I’d even venture to say that I wouldn’t mind being able to get into some competitive multiplayer and show others online how my Shepards(I have multiple ones) are better and more badass than everyone elses. What do you guys think?

Trailer for Hitman: Absolution

Agent 47 is finally back for the first time since 2006’s Hitman: Blood Money. Not much is known about this title. There isn’t even a release window for it yet. More details will be posted as they’re revealed.

Mass Effect 3 Squadmate Screens Revealed

Today, among all of the E3 coverage going on, I stumbled across screenshots of the squadmate screens for both Liara and Garrus. 

From the looks of things, you will be able to focus on increasing individual stats for your powers to customize them to your play style. I like the sound of that. And everyone on the internet thought that BioWare forgot about the RPG elements of the game. Can’t wait for it’s release(or at least a demo).