Unless you're a whovian that lives under a rock, you are probably aware that BBC announced the identity of the Doctor's next incarnation. The actress tapped is Jodie Whittaker, who will carry the honor of being the first ever female Doctor. As always with Doctor Who, there has been some backlash, some praise, and some idiocy from fans across the globe.
Personally, I think it's a great idea, and here is the reasoning behind my thoughts:
1. Whittaker worked on Broadchurch with incoming show runner Chris Chibnall. He is obviously aware of her talent and wouldn't have cast her if he didn't think she could bring something fresh to the character.
2. She actually is bringing something fresh to the character, just by being female. I'm interested to see how a female doctor traveling with male companions plays out, in addition to the change in the way aliens/monsters react to the Doctor's presence.
3. Two other Time-Lord characters underwent regeneration related gender changes under Steven Moffet's tenure, the first of which was obviously the Master. The other was the General who first appeared in 2013s "Day of The Doctor", and again in 2015s "Hell Bent" in which the General's regeneration took place. At the time those episodes aired, I was convinced it was foreshadowing for what was to come (Guess What!)
4. Ginger Hair! Okay, so the 13th Doctor is blonde in the photos we've seen so far, however that could change. How? The answer is simple. The Doctor wishing to be Ginger has been a recurring gag since 2005s "The Christmas Invasion", in which David Tennant's newly regenerated 10th makes a random quip. Maybe the 12th Doctor will finally just give in and dye her hair ginger. We'll just have to wait and see.
Those are my 4 reasons! I'm looking forward to what "Doctor Who: Season 37" will bring our way! But until it airs...try not to get sucked into the time vortex.
August 22, 2017
February 20, 2017
The Speceisism of Blade Runner | VGTR Essays
Ahead of the Blu-Ray release of Blade Runner in 2007, Mosaic published an article by Dr. Sherryl Vint titled Speciesism and Species-Being in “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.” The 1968 novel by Philip Dick was the basis for the dystopic future shown in Ridley Scott’s 1982 thriller. The story follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter in the year 2021 as he attempts to retire six escaped androids. The article deals primarily with the relationship between the treatment of animals and androids in Electric Sheep. There are themes within the novel that primarily deal with the evolution of life and the question, what makes a lifeform alive? Dr. Vint suggests that these underlying elements are best understood through analyzing their relationship to the philosophical ideologies of Karl Marx.
Dr. Vint immediately establishes credibility by showcasing her extensive knowledge on Electric Sheep. She uses many passages from the novel to demonstrate her main points, often unveiling subliminal messages that usually go unnoticed. In addition, she received her doctorate from the University of Alberta, and is on faculty at the University of California at Riverside. Her research has primarily focused on the effects of science fiction on the technological development of the human race.
The intended audience of this article, are those who are already familiar with Electric Sheep and are looking to dive deeper into the novels messages. Regardless, the article does a terrific job of explaining the elements of the novel for those new to the world of Blade Runner. This article opens the door for discourse on biopolitics within the literature community. This is likely due to Dr. Vint’s large body of published works which are focused on the topic of biopolitics.
The article spends the bulk of it’s time comparing Marx’s species-being to the situations within the novel. This focus is stated early on:
I want to focus attention on an aspect of the original text neglected in both the film adaption and criticism: the importance of animals, both electric and real. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? develops it ideas about being human through two comparisons: animals and androids (Vint 1).
The pathos of Dr. Vint’s article is seen in two places. First, she points out that the animals still alive in the story are no more than a commodity being traded. Despite the supposed reverence shown towards the animals, humans are seemingly unable to connect to them emotionally. Rather, they take in animals because of the commodity fetishism in their society (2). This appeals to the reader on an emotional level, as our culture generally does not see animals as a mere token of wealth, but as something to love and care for.
Secondly, the androids are being hunted and seen as a lower form of life by humanity. In the story, androids take the place historically occupied the animal kingdom (Vint 3). During one particular scene in the novel, Deckard begins to develop an emotional attachment to an android he is about to retire. This is far from the social norm, as androids have been outlawed on earth for years. However, when he sees her talent, he begins to doubt himself, not only as a bounty hunter, but as a human, due to his newfound empathy for something that is not real. According to Dr. Vint this event helps Deckard grow closer to “getting his faith back, when he chose a social, rather than commodity relationship with Luba, and until he . . . interact[s] with animals as something other than commodities, [they] will not be able to heal him”(8).
To understand Dr. Vint’s logos, a clear understanding of species-being is needed. In The German Ideology, Marx explains the species-being concept: “Because [man] is a conscious being, [he] makes his life activity, his essential being, a mere means for his existence.” Essentially, species-being is the mindset of man being one with nature, as opposed to its master. Dr. Vint reasons that the former mindset is healthier: “humanity loses something when it relates to nature in this abstract way, as, in reality, nature is part of us, not something separate”(6).
Speciesism and Species-Being in “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” was an in depth look at the classic sci-fi prose by Philip K. Dick. Reading it brings enlightenment to many undertones present within the novel. In the climax of the novel, Deckard finds a toad in the wilderness outside of San Francisco. Ecstatic about his discovery of the thought to be extinct species, Deckard races home. When he arrives, he immediately shows the creature to his wife. Within seconds however, she points out the tiny control panel, revealing it to be an electric animal. Despite this disappointing knowledge, Deckard decides to care for the electric toad as though it were real, effectively breaking the bonds of his society's commodity fetishism.
Dr. Vint believes the main theme of the novel to be Deckard’s reconnection with his species-being. In a strange paradox, the religion he practices reveres life, but not the artificial lifeforms created by the humans. In the end, Deckard moves on from this trivial societal mindset, finally connecting to nature on an emotional level. In doing so, he is able to regard life as being life, regardless of the form it takes. “Just as the novel warns us of the risk of becoming android like, it also points to the risk of becoming only animal-like in our in our existence”(Vint 10).
August 18, 2016
Star Wars: The Asteroid Field
This is a video game I programmed using scratch when I was 11. The original version lacked a health bar, points and sound effects. 6 years later, I've finally made a playable version. #Goals
CONTROLS:
Up Arrow-Move Up
Down Arrow-Move Down
Space-Shoot
CONTROLS:
Up Arrow-Move Up
Down Arrow-Move Down
Space-Shoot
May 6, 2016
Captain America: Civil War (2016) *Spoiler Free*
Superheroes fighting? A world in danger? 2.5 hour runtime? I feel like I already saw this movie (kind of).
STORY
The Avengers Fight.
CONTENT
Too much
THOUGHTS
None
SUMMARY
The only great things about this movie are Ant-Man and Spider-Man.
8.5 out of 10
Spoiler Review coming soon.
The Avengers Fight.
CONTENT
Too much
THOUGHTS
None
SUMMARY
The only great things about this movie are Ant-Man and Spider-Man.
8.5 out of 10
Spoiler Review coming soon.
May 4, 2016
Happy May 4th!
In 1977, George Lucas created a media franchise that would take the would by storm. 39 years later it's still going strong. Last December "Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens" was released to cinemas, and next Decemeber the first anthology film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" will be released.
Video Games are the specialty here at VGTR, and thankfully Star Wars has been successfully transferred to the gaming world. EA's game "Star Wars: Battlefront", received a huge update today, including many game balancing tweaks and bug fixes. Also, a new star card has launched through the Hutt contracts, and any user that logs in will receive 4,444 credits, and well as 2x XPs in every match. For some reason, if you haven't picked Battlefront up, it's 50% off today on the PlayStation Store, Steam and Xbox Marketplace. And in case your wondering, my PSN username is bigbj12, look me up!
Additionally, if your feeling down, today is a great day to watch any episode in the saga and wear your Jedi robe (I'm in mine :). If your a fan of Star Wars that wants to go shopping, most major retailers have some kind of Star Wars related sale happening, so be sure to check your local listings.
Thanks for coming to VGTR, please subscribe for more awesome updates and to save yourself from the impending zombie apocalypse. May the fourth be with you...ALWAYS!
May 3, 2016
Broforce
It's been a really long time since I last wrote a review, here goes nothing.
STORY
The video game known as 'Broforce' has a loose overarching narrative similar to "The Expendables." There's a group of elite operatives called the "Bros" who are bent on ridding the world of terrorism. During their crusade, the Xenomorph species from the movie "Alien" begin to invade earth, leading the "Bros" to mount a final offensive to save the planet, and make America great again.
I'm not joking.^^^
GAMEPLAY
The only way to describe this game is Super Mario meets Metroid meets Terraria meets 80's Action Movies. You play as one of the aforementioned "Bros", which include Brommando, Mr. Anderbro, Rambro, DoubleBro Seven and other action film parodies. Levels are 100% destructible, and have a ton of enemies, obstacles and POW's to rescue. When a POW is rescued, a life is gained and the current "Bro" changes. This game has a lot of action and shooting, but is a 2D sidescrollers, akin to Super Mario. A lot of Platforming happens throughout the game, and is difficult even for the more seasoned platform gamer.
My favorite thing about this game is you finish a level. The Devil awaits at the top of a hill, you reach the summit guns ablaze, blow him to smitherines, raise an American flag, and escape hanging from a helicopter ladder while the ground around you explodes.
This is the stuff of legend.
GRAPHICS
'Broforce' utilizes a pixel based 2D world. It looks very similar to an early 90s game for the Super Nintendo, and is supprisingly bright and colorful. Red is the most common on screen color. ;)
CONTENT
This is where the article gets entertaining. Broforce, even though it has the asthstetic of a game from the 80s, is rated M. Like M, for Mature 17+. Why? You might ask. 2 words, Blood and Gore. Even though Broforce utilizes pixel based graphics, it takes full use of the processor inside the PS4 to animate the exploding, decapitation and dismemberment of enemies. Even though it looks like a cartoon, it still has accompanying sound effects, which can be quite gross. There is no spoken dialogue but at certain times, profanity may appear in text on the screen.
SUMMARY
PlayStation Plus is a wonderful thing, it lets you play online, and gives you games you never would have ever thought to try. Broforce was one of these for me, I downloaded it not knowing what was in store. It's ended up becoming one of my favorite games, and has changed my perspective on gaming in general. You don't need the fanciest graphics or deep story to make a game great, you need fun gameplay. That's exactly what 'Broforce' has, and a lot of it. If you missed it on PS Plus, it's a quite inexpensive game, and I recommend it to anyone looking for fun.
8.7 out of 10
November 5, 2015
The Wakers | Chapter 01
Vackson heard a sound, he turned quickly. He scanned the area, all around him was the dense forest, lush with wildlife. Being unfamiliar with the environment, he continued slowly, cautious to what would come next. His mission was simple, get in, free the prisoners and get out. His mind was tense with thoughts of what was to come ahead. The trees were thick and the moonlight was not visible...if there even was moonlight. He had been in the forest for days, making the trek towards his destination, the thoughts of open fields and blue sky's were almost foreign to him by now. SNAP! A piece of wood broke in half beneath his foot. He got very still, the forest became silent to him, except for gentle footsteps ahead. He unbuckled his holster, retrieving the plasma discharger. As the steps came closer, he crawled to a nearby log. Taking a deep breath, Vackson peered over the log. His fears came true, a Diginori solider was approaching. "Could this get any worse?" he thought. "TO MA SO KA BE LO KO!"
The Diginori language was foreign to him. Pressing the controls on his forearm, Vackson turned on his translation chip. As the chip kicked in, the translation started coming through. "Captain, the distortion in the energy field seems to be nothing, I'm heading back," said the solider. This was good news, Vackson began to follow the strange creature, and put his weapon back in it's holster. "If this thing is out here, then the camp mustn't be far," he thought. It's armor was a slate gray color, with emerald ranks, this meant it was a sergeant, or at least that's what Vackson had learned back during training at the counsels headquarters. The helmet it was wearing was quite large, and appeared to have a projection display in the visor, similar to the one in Jackson own helmet. Just then, the soldier turned. Quickly, Vackson ducked. In the small portion of the creatures face he could see, it's skin was slimy with a dark blue tint. Abruptly, it turned back walking on the narrow forest path towards the camp. After several minutes of tailing the Diginori, Vackson saw the light of the base. The creature walked up to the gate. As it was standing there, a beam of light scanned it. After several seconds, when the beam turned from white to green, the gate opened. "It must be a biological scanner," said Vackson. BEEP BEEP BEEP. Vackson turned, there was a sound sensor beside him inside the tree trunk. His eyes scanning his immediate area, he drew his weapon, and set it for max power. Hearing a squad of Diginori soldiers heading for the now alarm clad gate, he looked up. "The branches," he thought. Reaching above, he hoisted himself on to the first branch, then another and another. Soon Vackson could see the immediate area with clarity, and had the element of surprise to pull of an attack on the approaching commanders. "Two plain uniforms, the officer I followed and...a Captain, piece of creambread". Vackson was lying to himself to conceal the anxiousness. No counsel soldier had ever escaped a Diginori attack before, even worse, the ones who survived were taken to camps such as these, where questions about counsel security, were tortured out of the POW's until death. If he was to complete his mission, this would be the first raid ever to be successful. He wondered why they sent him, but quickly, he remembered how they told him he was a special warrior, because where he came from. The Diginori were within 15 yards of his hiding place. Steadying his dischargers aim, his crosshairs came into contact with the first Diginori. BOOM! it dropped to it's death, a massive burn it's chest. Silently, he watched as the captain turned and said "keep your eyes open, he is near." Aiming again, the seargent he had followed earlier crept into his sights. Firing the discharger again, the sergeants body flew backwards, his head vaporized by the shot. "Nice knowing ya," was the words that came out of Vackson's mouth, but the sound of these words reached farther than he had anticipated, to the ears of the Captain. "The nemesis is there young one," the Captain said to his subordinate pointing directly at Vackson. Still reaching at the limb, the Captain began to pull back towards himself. Vackson was abruptly lifted and was being pulled quickly towards the Diginori. In midair, he fired a shot at the other foot soldier, and killed him. As soon as he did this this, the Captain used his other hand to revoke the weapon from Vackson's hand. Roughly, the Captain set him down, and with a booming voice, said "What brings you to the planet Diginoria?" Carefully thinking about his response, Vackson responded "orders." "What are your orders humanoid?" "That's classified," responded Vackson. "Put your hands up," said the Captain, motioning at Vackson's hands, situated perfectly at his side. Raising them up, slowly and carefully, Vackson flipped a small switch on the side if his helmet. This was the emergency evac switch. He had approximately 90 seconds till a teleport beam could lock on to him. possibly he could take out the Captain in that time, and find a couple of the prisoners. "What did you just do?", the Captain starred at him with a look of hatred and evil across his slimy blue face. Vackson remained silent, his hands raised. The Captain sent a small order into his com, and began to walk towards his new prisoner. Vackson took a deep breath, and with drew a deep calm from within. As the captain touched his arm, Vackson flipped him over the side. All Council soldiers are practioners of Ju Jitsu. but it was barley a match for the alien fighting style. Dodging, and trying to land a hit proved to be to much for Vackson, and he took a massive blow to the stomach. The display in his visor started counting down "10, 9..." The ship must have gotten a positive lock on him. He tried to deactivate the beaken on his helmet, he still had a mission to finish. But his attempt was in vain, the captain jumped in front him, grabbing his arm at the last second. Together they were teleported to the Counsel ship that Vackson had been dispatched from. Still engaged in combat, the two soldiers landed in the hanger bay. Looking through the large opening, the could see the planet below. A group of Counsel soldiers rushed toward the scene, surrounding the battle. "Your surrounded," said the voice on the shipwide com system. The fight ceased, Vackson stepped back in to the ring of soliders, and said "It's over sir, give the order to release the prisoners". Fiendishly smirking, the Captain stepped back, grabbed his Comm, depressed the button, and said "This is Captain Ofgorm, I have a special order for you all...Kill the prisoners. Laughing hysterically, the Captain looked at Vackson, and said in his deep, booming, evil voice..."your welcome". The Soldiers around fired their dischargers at the Captain, and in that second Vackson let out a very long "Nooooo".
To be continued.....
The Diginori language was foreign to him. Pressing the controls on his forearm, Vackson turned on his translation chip. As the chip kicked in, the translation started coming through. "Captain, the distortion in the energy field seems to be nothing, I'm heading back," said the solider. This was good news, Vackson began to follow the strange creature, and put his weapon back in it's holster. "If this thing is out here, then the camp mustn't be far," he thought. It's armor was a slate gray color, with emerald ranks, this meant it was a sergeant, or at least that's what Vackson had learned back during training at the counsels headquarters. The helmet it was wearing was quite large, and appeared to have a projection display in the visor, similar to the one in Jackson own helmet. Just then, the soldier turned. Quickly, Vackson ducked. In the small portion of the creatures face he could see, it's skin was slimy with a dark blue tint. Abruptly, it turned back walking on the narrow forest path towards the camp. After several minutes of tailing the Diginori, Vackson saw the light of the base. The creature walked up to the gate. As it was standing there, a beam of light scanned it. After several seconds, when the beam turned from white to green, the gate opened. "It must be a biological scanner," said Vackson. BEEP BEEP BEEP. Vackson turned, there was a sound sensor beside him inside the tree trunk. His eyes scanning his immediate area, he drew his weapon, and set it for max power. Hearing a squad of Diginori soldiers heading for the now alarm clad gate, he looked up. "The branches," he thought. Reaching above, he hoisted himself on to the first branch, then another and another. Soon Vackson could see the immediate area with clarity, and had the element of surprise to pull of an attack on the approaching commanders. "Two plain uniforms, the officer I followed and...a Captain, piece of creambread". Vackson was lying to himself to conceal the anxiousness. No counsel soldier had ever escaped a Diginori attack before, even worse, the ones who survived were taken to camps such as these, where questions about counsel security, were tortured out of the POW's until death. If he was to complete his mission, this would be the first raid ever to be successful. He wondered why they sent him, but quickly, he remembered how they told him he was a special warrior, because where he came from. The Diginori were within 15 yards of his hiding place. Steadying his dischargers aim, his crosshairs came into contact with the first Diginori. BOOM! it dropped to it's death, a massive burn it's chest. Silently, he watched as the captain turned and said "keep your eyes open, he is near." Aiming again, the seargent he had followed earlier crept into his sights. Firing the discharger again, the sergeants body flew backwards, his head vaporized by the shot. "Nice knowing ya," was the words that came out of Vackson's mouth, but the sound of these words reached farther than he had anticipated, to the ears of the Captain. "The nemesis is there young one," the Captain said to his subordinate pointing directly at Vackson. Still reaching at the limb, the Captain began to pull back towards himself. Vackson was abruptly lifted and was being pulled quickly towards the Diginori. In midair, he fired a shot at the other foot soldier, and killed him. As soon as he did this this, the Captain used his other hand to revoke the weapon from Vackson's hand. Roughly, the Captain set him down, and with a booming voice, said "What brings you to the planet Diginoria?" Carefully thinking about his response, Vackson responded "orders." "What are your orders humanoid?" "That's classified," responded Vackson. "Put your hands up," said the Captain, motioning at Vackson's hands, situated perfectly at his side. Raising them up, slowly and carefully, Vackson flipped a small switch on the side if his helmet. This was the emergency evac switch. He had approximately 90 seconds till a teleport beam could lock on to him. possibly he could take out the Captain in that time, and find a couple of the prisoners. "What did you just do?", the Captain starred at him with a look of hatred and evil across his slimy blue face. Vackson remained silent, his hands raised. The Captain sent a small order into his com, and began to walk towards his new prisoner. Vackson took a deep breath, and with drew a deep calm from within. As the captain touched his arm, Vackson flipped him over the side. All Council soldiers are practioners of Ju Jitsu. but it was barley a match for the alien fighting style. Dodging, and trying to land a hit proved to be to much for Vackson, and he took a massive blow to the stomach. The display in his visor started counting down "10, 9..." The ship must have gotten a positive lock on him. He tried to deactivate the beaken on his helmet, he still had a mission to finish. But his attempt was in vain, the captain jumped in front him, grabbing his arm at the last second. Together they were teleported to the Counsel ship that Vackson had been dispatched from. Still engaged in combat, the two soldiers landed in the hanger bay. Looking through the large opening, the could see the planet below. A group of Counsel soldiers rushed toward the scene, surrounding the battle. "Your surrounded," said the voice on the shipwide com system. The fight ceased, Vackson stepped back in to the ring of soliders, and said "It's over sir, give the order to release the prisoners". Fiendishly smirking, the Captain stepped back, grabbed his Comm, depressed the button, and said "This is Captain Ofgorm, I have a special order for you all...Kill the prisoners. Laughing hysterically, the Captain looked at Vackson, and said in his deep, booming, evil voice..."your welcome". The Soldiers around fired their dischargers at the Captain, and in that second Vackson let out a very long "Nooooo".
To be continued.....
September 23, 2015
September 18, 2015
September 15, 2015
May 2, 2015
Comic Books and Long Lines
Today is FCBD 2015, and last week was Winston-Salem Comic Con.
Winston-Salem Comic Con
In case your wondering...yes I cosplayed. This time I went as Nacho from the cult classic "Nacho Libre". As soon as I got in the door, I was split up from my group to take pictures with some other atendees. All together, I think I posed as Nacho for a photo-op 4 times. The big issues I was planning on buying were all the issues of " Darth Vader", "Star Wars" and "Amazing Spider-Man" I had missed(I haven't picked up my subs since January). After no succes of finding Star Wars #2, I finally found it at one of the smaller booths, but quickly learned since my last visit to the comic shop, that the 1st and 2nd printings of #2 had sold out, making it way more valuble than issue #1. When I aksed how much it was the man said $20...my response was okay, and I walked away. Eventually I found a 1st print #2 without a bag and board for cover price, I snagged it fast. Also I bought the remainder of Spider-Verse, which I have now finished...it was 100% amazing. I continued walking around with my friends, bought some Doctor Who issues, and some 50c Todd McFarlane Spider-Man books. Eventually we left, and walked over to the Earth Day fair, which was also happening on the fairgrounds. While there we got a group photo with Dora and Tigger. We finished out the day with some mexican food, and hung out for a while.
For the full list of comics, stay tuned for "VGTR Live #005", coming soon to the VGTR YouTube channel.
Free Comic Book Day
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| The group...and our new friends |
Free Comic Book Day
Now, I'm currrently out of town, so I missed the FCBD event at Burke Street Comics. I ended up going to a store here in North Myrtle Beach called Apocolypse Comics. They had alot of stuff going on, including a cosplay contest a Super Smash Bros. gaming tournament. I stayed true and stood in line, and was subjected to hearing plot spoilers for Age of Ultron. Also while in line I heard a couple of Dudes complaining about the existance of a Jane Foster action figure(Thor's Girlfriend), " Who'd want her in thier collection? she doesn't fit in with the rest of these figures.". My solution(which I didn't share) is: A die hard Star Wars fan would buy it, and redress it as Padme Amidala. Makes sense, right? Once inside I picked up all the FCBD issues I wanted, and some Indies I've never heard of. It wasn't the best store I've ever been in, but I was able to get my books, and that's what counts.
| Doctor Who and FCBD, can't go wrong! |
Thanks for stopping by!!!
LLAP
May 1, 2015
Where Have I Been???
All over the world is the answer...not really.
I haven't posted to the blog here in 4 months now, I hit another one of those streaks where I forgot to post to the actual blog. Since our last meeting I've started up the VGTR Facebook Page, and updated the YouTube semi-regularly. I've even watched 2001: A Space Odessy at the suggestion of a few Google+ user.
The landscape of all things geeky has changed over the
last few months, Star Wars: TFA had another trailer, The Marvel comics multiverse is coming to an end, and the new 52 became 49. What sparked me to come and tweak some things here today, is the release of Age of Ultron(which I will see soon). It's a reminder that I do have more thoughts to share, and more on the way soon. Initially when I began this blog, it was to share my thoughts on the PS2 games I had been playing, and eventually movies and comics too. It was all reviews...no more...no less. I'm going to change that from now on. Reviews are inevitable, and I will continue to write them, BUT, other content will be popping through the VGTR blog as well.
As well as reviews, I'm also going to write about geek news when I feel like it, but the gem of the blog is going to be the YouTube channel. I'm in the process of reformating "VGTR Live" to make a fun, entertaining, and informative show. The first 3 episodes are actually all different formats, but none of those worked. The next format(and the one I'm going to stick with), is similar to that of nighttime talk shows, just condensed to a 10-15 minute run time.
I hope you stick around to see all the fun things I have planned for VGTR soon.
LLAP
January 9, 2015
JUST DANCE 4
YOU SHOULD BE...DANCING!!!
JUST DANCE 4
GAMEPLAY
In Just Dance, the TV screen is your mirror, where it goes you go. You follow the avatar dancing on the screen as best as possible, either hand free or with the remote depending on the version. Unlike the similar Dance Dance Revolution, Just Dance tracks your hand movements, meaing there's less to think about. Also, instead of weird obscure songs, Just Dance has popular current songs and some classics, everything from Call Me Mabye to Jail House Rock.
CONTENT
Some songs can have suggestive lyrics, but they're never too bad.
GRAPHICS
The avatars you follow are always animated in bright colors, and pop out from the colorful backgrounds. This really isn't the type of game where graphics matter.
CONCLUSION
Just Dance 4 is a easy game to pick up on, even for chubby gamers as my self. It's not especially fun to play alone, but it's one of the best multiplayer games...ever. I own the Wii version, and I've played the kinect version, but personally prefer the wii version. This is due to the fact that in tighter spaces kinect can't fully track movement, while the wiimote can. Now as far as tracking goes, even on kinect it's still only looking for your right hand. Overall both versions are the same, except for the music video that kinect makes. My favorite dances have been "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Superstition". Again this is a great party game, and anyone can pickup on it.
9.5 out of 10
Did i mention the workout mode, Just Sweat? Nuff Said!
DETAILS
Developed by Ubisoft
Published by Ubisoft
Rated E10 by the ESRB
Released in 2012
For Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U
JUST DANCE 4
GAMEPLAY
In Just Dance, the TV screen is your mirror, where it goes you go. You follow the avatar dancing on the screen as best as possible, either hand free or with the remote depending on the version. Unlike the similar Dance Dance Revolution, Just Dance tracks your hand movements, meaing there's less to think about. Also, instead of weird obscure songs, Just Dance has popular current songs and some classics, everything from Call Me Mabye to Jail House Rock.
CONTENT
Some songs can have suggestive lyrics, but they're never too bad.
GRAPHICS
The avatars you follow are always animated in bright colors, and pop out from the colorful backgrounds. This really isn't the type of game where graphics matter.
CONCLUSION
Just Dance 4 is a easy game to pick up on, even for chubby gamers as my self. It's not especially fun to play alone, but it's one of the best multiplayer games...ever. I own the Wii version, and I've played the kinect version, but personally prefer the wii version. This is due to the fact that in tighter spaces kinect can't fully track movement, while the wiimote can. Now as far as tracking goes, even on kinect it's still only looking for your right hand. Overall both versions are the same, except for the music video that kinect makes. My favorite dances have been "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Superstition". Again this is a great party game, and anyone can pickup on it.
9.5 out of 10
Did i mention the workout mode, Just Sweat? Nuff Said!
DETAILS
Developed by Ubisoft
Published by Ubisoft
Rated E10 by the ESRB
Released in 2012
For Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U
December 1, 2014
Interstellar (2014)
Science Fiction is the genre that majority of the movies I watch are grouped in. So naturally, after seeing a trailer before The Desolation of Smaug for a new film called "Interstellar", I was somewhat interested. The real hook came when I saw it was from director Christopher Nolan. I knew from that point that this was a movie to definitely go see...and yes, I'm very glad I did.
STORY
Sometime in the near future, the world is experiencing famine, and the government can't feed the population. Everyman farmer " Cooper", who previously was a NASA pilot/engineer, struggles to hold his family together during the hard time they're facing. When a mysterious "ghost" leaves a morse code message in Murphy's bedroom (Cooper's Daughter), he decodes the message to find coordinates. After arriving at the location, he finds a secretly still operating NASA planning to launch a group of Humans through a wormhole, to star system, with three planets, one of which they know is habitable, because in 50 years, earth will no longer be able to support life. Dr. Brand, who is in charge, says that 12 humans, were sent to 12 separate worlds to collect data 10 years ago, and they're sending a crew of 4 to set the landing lights for humanities exodus if possible. He then reveals to Cooper that despite him not knowing of this mission, he's the only person on earth capable of leading such a mission, due to his background in engineering. Cooper reluctantly agrees, knowing it's the only way to save his kids Tom and Murphy. He, and his team of scientist's then leave, an route to the singularity, in to the uncharted reaches of space.
CONTENT
The language in the film is not frequent, and it apparently had really strong language , but I didn't hear it. It's not that violent either, a couple of characters die in explosions and such, but besides fist fight between Matthew McCaughnahey and Matt Damon, there really no violence. I think that its more so rated PG-13 for the (no pun intended) Gravity of the situation. I mean the world is ending, and this group is probably a Mole of light years away with no help, and nothing outside the capsule except for the void of space. As with any distopian/apocalyptic future story, it could be too intense for some viewers, due to what it leaves you thinking afterwords.
THOUGHTS
Many movies I've been to, but there's never been one I've seen that was like Interstellar. The plot was original, and mind blowing...like really mind blowing. It's becoming very rare that a movie be this original these days, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be as great as it was. In terms of how great it seriously was, It's up there with the likes of "Gone With The Wind", "West Side Story", and "The Empire Strikes Back". I love movies that leave you speechless at the end, and this is one of those, that not a word could be spoken, because the church bells were all broken. Whenever they entered the wormhole, the craft began to violently shake, and the speakers got so loud, the cinema was shaking at several points, which really added to the effect of you being there in the story. I saw it on a smaller screen, but if you can, I would recommend seeing it in IMAX, it's one of those movies that was born for an IMAX screen. Even though the price is higher, the movie was almost unjustified on the screen I saw it on, and I can't imagine seeing it on a TV the first time you watch it (it just wouldn't be the same). Really where this film shines is it's interpretation on relativity, and the imagery used for the Wormhole, blackwholes, and planets. The Score was also moving, and is being added to my collection soon, and yes as alway's it was composed by Hans Zimmer.
The Verdict
It's one of the greatest Sci-Fi films every made, and a definite must watch. Despite the hefty 2:55 run time, it actually seemed to go by too fast. Nolan has created probably the best film I've ever been in a cinema to see. The groundbreaking genius of the plot will have my mind reeling for days, and definitely telling people what they missed. The cool thing about Interstellar, is that it's a movie Sci-Fi geeks like me enjoy, and it's scientifically accurate, so that physics officals won't start complaining about it. If you haven't yet, go catch Interstellar before it leaves cinemas, I can attest that it's a definitely more worth it ticket than Mockingjay and Big Hero Six (Yeah, it's because of the run time).
10 out of 10
This is this first time in the history of VGTR, that a movie has gotten a perfect score, and hopefully won't be the last☺
live long and watch this movie
November 23, 2014
Arrow Plot Speculations *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Malcolm Merlyn, the Black Archer, the Antagonist, Tommy's Dad, insane madman.
All of these atribbutes apply to Malcolm, played by John Barrowman. Mr. Barrowman is famous for not only being the villain on Arrow, but also Capt. Jack Harkness on the Sci-Fi favorite "Doctor Who". I was fortunate enough to listen to him speak along with his sister Carole during a Q&A panel at NC Comicon. One question asked by a fan was along the lines of "Do you find it strange that in real life, the actor who plays Malcolm's som Tommy (Colin Donnell), is only 15 years apart from you in age?". John replied, "in theory, Malcolm could have had Tommy, right before he graduated High School" (their age is different in real life). He then went on to say " But then again, I know the story, and you don't". That is where this whole idea came from. OK, so how did Malcolm survive being killed by Arrow? How does he look so young, if he's probably almost 60? Why is Ra's Al Ghul after him? In the show, they think he payed off the M.E. office, uses special skin cream (not), and that he broke the leagues honor code. But could their be more to this? In the Comic Books, not the Dark Knight Trilogy, Ra's Al Ghul was immortal, and is suspected to be centuries old by the worlds greatest detective (Batman). He accomplishes this by using a substance called Lazarus, which heals him, makes him young again, and has even been shown to bring him back to life. You see where I'm going? Now the likelyhood of me thinking they would incorporate something so sci-fi would have easily been debunked, but now we have The Flash, sci-fi in the Arrowverse. If Malcolm stole something like...Lazarus, he could have used it to bring himself back to life, to keep himself young, and it would be a better reason for Ra's to be hunting him down.
So what do you guys, the Arrow fans think of this random theory?
Leave your thoughts below in the comments!
All of these atribbutes apply to Malcolm, played by John Barrowman. Mr. Barrowman is famous for not only being the villain on Arrow, but also Capt. Jack Harkness on the Sci-Fi favorite "Doctor Who". I was fortunate enough to listen to him speak along with his sister Carole during a Q&A panel at NC Comicon. One question asked by a fan was along the lines of "Do you find it strange that in real life, the actor who plays Malcolm's som Tommy (Colin Donnell), is only 15 years apart from you in age?". John replied, "in theory, Malcolm could have had Tommy, right before he graduated High School" (their age is different in real life). He then went on to say " But then again, I know the story, and you don't". That is where this whole idea came from. OK, so how did Malcolm survive being killed by Arrow? How does he look so young, if he's probably almost 60? Why is Ra's Al Ghul after him? In the show, they think he payed off the M.E. office, uses special skin cream (not), and that he broke the leagues honor code. But could their be more to this? In the Comic Books, not the Dark Knight Trilogy, Ra's Al Ghul was immortal, and is suspected to be centuries old by the worlds greatest detective (Batman). He accomplishes this by using a substance called Lazarus, which heals him, makes him young again, and has even been shown to bring him back to life. You see where I'm going? Now the likelyhood of me thinking they would incorporate something so sci-fi would have easily been debunked, but now we have The Flash, sci-fi in the Arrowverse. If Malcolm stole something like...Lazarus, he could have used it to bring himself back to life, to keep himself young, and it would be a better reason for Ra's to be hunting him down.
So what do you guys, the Arrow fans think of this random theory?
Leave your thoughts below in the comments!
November 10, 2014
Thoughts On Doctor Who Series 8 *Spoilers*
The way Death in Heaven concluded the 8th series was dumb.
It has to be the most disappointing hour of television I have ever sat through.
I like Capaldi as The Doctor, but the story's weren't that great (with the exception of Listen). The Lack-Luster end to Danny was, well, Lacking. A
nd why leave Clara in such a state? I mean, even Santa is criticizing The Doctor (Seriously). The Master was okay, but not needed, leave the Master dead for once!!! Steven Moffat is a great writer, and some of his episodes have been the best in the series. But, I think that like Actors, writers need to quit while they're ahead, not after they've lost traction. If Series 8 is a hint at how episode's will be in the future, I might quit watching. I want very, very, very good stories, instead of explosions.
Is anyone else with me on this?
Comment below!!!
It has to be the most disappointing hour of television I have ever sat through.
I like Capaldi as The Doctor, but the story's weren't that great (with the exception of Listen). The Lack-Luster end to Danny was, well, Lacking. A
nd why leave Clara in such a state? I mean, even Santa is criticizing The Doctor (Seriously). The Master was okay, but not needed, leave the Master dead for once!!! Steven Moffat is a great writer, and some of his episodes have been the best in the series. But, I think that like Actors, writers need to quit while they're ahead, not after they've lost traction. If Series 8 is a hint at how episode's will be in the future, I might quit watching. I want very, very, very good stories, instead of explosions.
Is anyone else with me on this?
Comment below!!!
October 8, 2014
The Flash, Season 1, Episode 1
So for those of you that tuned in to The CW, The Flash was the Best Comic Book show I've seen since Spectacular Spider-Man. Barry Allen is a character I only recently knew anything about, and what I do know is from The New 52. The show used the New 52 origin instead of the classic origin, so I knew what what was going on.
Clyde Mardon was an under-par villain, but it's the first episode, so I expect to see the villains become better later in the show, similar to what happened in Arrow (Season 2). Now moving onto the DC universe at large. At one point we see an Airfield, labeled "Ferris Air", for those of you who don't know that's where Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) works in the comics. Near the room the particle accelerator is in, there's a cage with a sign on it, that reads " Grodd", as in Guerilla Grodd, one of the villains in the Flash mythology. The we come to that Final scene in the futuristic room with Dr. Wells, where A newspaper from 2024 has a Crisis on Infinite Earths reference, (that's were Barry Allen died) and a smaller headline reads WayneTech/Queen Consolidated merger is finished. This raises the question of whether like Batman, or other heroes will appear in the "ArrowVerse". Of course integrating a Sci-Fi theme like time travel into the TVerse, would help with connecting the 2 series with Man of Steel. However as of now, the TV, and Cinematic Universes are planned to be separate, which is dumb, I think that combining TV and Film is the way to go, if they're trying to compete with the MCU. Also the Flash is a essential character to the JLA in my opinion, and it wouldn't make sense to have a version of him on TV and another in the movies.
I give the first episode of the Flash...
8 out of 10
So what do you people think? Should DC combine TV and movies to make an epic story? Or should they leave them separate? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!!
Clyde Mardon was an under-par villain, but it's the first episode, so I expect to see the villains become better later in the show, similar to what happened in Arrow (Season 2). Now moving onto the DC universe at large. At one point we see an Airfield, labeled "Ferris Air", for those of you who don't know that's where Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) works in the comics. Near the room the particle accelerator is in, there's a cage with a sign on it, that reads " Grodd", as in Guerilla Grodd, one of the villains in the Flash mythology. The we come to that Final scene in the futuristic room with Dr. Wells, where A newspaper from 2024 has a Crisis on Infinite Earths reference, (that's were Barry Allen died) and a smaller headline reads WayneTech/Queen Consolidated merger is finished. This raises the question of whether like Batman, or other heroes will appear in the "ArrowVerse". Of course integrating a Sci-Fi theme like time travel into the TVerse, would help with connecting the 2 series with Man of Steel. However as of now, the TV, and Cinematic Universes are planned to be separate, which is dumb, I think that combining TV and Film is the way to go, if they're trying to compete with the MCU. Also the Flash is a essential character to the JLA in my opinion, and it wouldn't make sense to have a version of him on TV and another in the movies.
I give the first episode of the Flash...
8 out of 10
So what do you people think? Should DC combine TV and movies to make an epic story? Or should they leave them separate? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!!
September 27, 2014
Virtua Racing (Genesis)
The Best 3D game for Genesis, maybe one of the only good ones
The original Forza...
VIRTUA RACING
GAMEPLAY
Virtua is a racing simulator, akin to Gran Turismo or Forza. It's realistic, it's hard to control, it's plain awesome. OK, so by today's standards Virtua is laughable, But it does include crashes.
Step 1. Pick a Course-Beginner, Medium, Hard.
Step. 2 Race, it's that simple.
After the pit crew gives you gas and back's off. You take off and essentially begin a check-point race. The # place your in when time run's out is where you'll finish at. If your like me, and you stink at 90s games, then you probably won't make it past here the first few times.
GRAPHICS
Again pretty laughable by 2014 standards (which are too high in my opinion). While the 3D polygons look pretty bad, you can still tell what's going on. Another thing to realize, is that when this came out, the tech to make polygons was expensive...Really expensive. This game may look cheap...but the cartridge retailed at $100 US Dollars, $50 over the standard price. The arcade version is better (I've heard, haven't ever played), but we're talking about the Sega Genesis version.
CONCLUSION
Like racers? Like Retro? Love the Genesis? Then Virtua Racing is for you!!!
What I really love about this game, is that it is a great example of what the Genesis can do. The graphics, and game play might not hold up well when compared to newer games 20 years later. But it's still a ton of fun.
8.5 out of 10
DETAILS
Released 1994 (1992 in the Arcade)
Rated E by the ESRB
Developed by Sega AM R&D #2
Published by Sega
For Genesis, Saturn, 32x, Arcade, and PS2
This review is for the Genesis Version ONLY
The original Forza...
VIRTUA RACING
GAMEPLAY
Virtua is a racing simulator, akin to Gran Turismo or Forza. It's realistic, it's hard to control, it's plain awesome. OK, so by today's standards Virtua is laughable, But it does include crashes.
Step 1. Pick a Course-Beginner, Medium, Hard.
Step. 2 Race, it's that simple.
After the pit crew gives you gas and back's off. You take off and essentially begin a check-point race. The # place your in when time run's out is where you'll finish at. If your like me, and you stink at 90s games, then you probably won't make it past here the first few times.
GRAPHICS
Again pretty laughable by 2014 standards (which are too high in my opinion). While the 3D polygons look pretty bad, you can still tell what's going on. Another thing to realize, is that when this came out, the tech to make polygons was expensive...Really expensive. This game may look cheap...but the cartridge retailed at $100 US Dollars, $50 over the standard price. The arcade version is better (I've heard, haven't ever played), but we're talking about the Sega Genesis version.
CONCLUSION
Like racers? Like Retro? Love the Genesis? Then Virtua Racing is for you!!!
What I really love about this game, is that it is a great example of what the Genesis can do. The graphics, and game play might not hold up well when compared to newer games 20 years later. But it's still a ton of fun.
8.5 out of 10
DETAILS
Released 1994 (1992 in the Arcade)
Rated E by the ESRB
Developed by Sega AM R&D #2
Published by Sega
For Genesis, Saturn, 32x, Arcade, and PS2
This review is for the Genesis Version ONLY
P.S. Don't take advice on how to play V.R. from me
August 27, 2014
Arrow (Season 1)
My Name, is not Oliver Queen...
But Arrow's is...
PLOT
Arrow is the story of Millionare Playboy Oliver Queen, who was stranded for five years on an island, with one goal...survive. While on that island, he bumps into a group of mercenaries, who torture him, escaping, he joins forces with Slade Wilson with the goal of getting of the island.
5 year's later...
Oliver is rescued by a fishing boat. He returns to Starling City, with a Bow, a Hood, and a mission to take down the cities corrupt.
QUALITY
The acting can be extremeley wobbly at times, which makes some characters feel...flat or 2D. The special effects are great...for TV, but aren't bad (don't think the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie", they're better than that for sure). It took me a while to warm up to Oliver played by Steven Amell, but after the first...6 episode's he became awesome. The female characters are limited to His mom(a lying jerkface), his sister Thea(an jerk druggy for 10 episodes), his freind Felicity(a funny, yet blonde stereotype), and his former girlfriend Laural that he cheated on(she's to forgiving). Male Characters include Diggle(his security agent, who become's partner in stopping crime), Det. Lance(Laural's dad who hate's him), his best friend Tommy(clueless), and Mr. Merlyn...Tommy's Dad(The Villain).
An interesting line-up, eh?
CONTENT
Arrow has it all...
*Frequent Language
*Violence....Arrow is one of the few Heroes that kills people
*Occasional Sensual Scene....Oliver has a relationship with 3 women over the course of 8 months\23 episodes
*Frightning\Intense Scenes...People aren't who we thought they were, sucide is shown, mild torture, and the "undertaking* that happen's in the final episode is on par with The Dark Knight Rises level of destruction\chaos.
CONCLUSION
It's....ENJOYABLE, that's something most TV show's aren't. I'm reviewing this because...It's a great comic book film, in it's own right. If you haven't been watching it, go watch, be happy. It has it's flaw's, but they're outweighed by pure awesomeness. With the upcoming Flash TV series...I wonder if this contnuity, will in fact be a part of the 2017 Justice League movie, I know I want it to be. It doesn't seem like connecting this to the Man of Steel Universe would be that hard, I mean Marvel is doing it with Agent's of S.H.E.I.L.D./Agent Carter, right? The series really begins to pick up around halfway through the season, so persevere through.
7 out of 10
This is not the rating for the show as a whole, just the first season. After I finish Season 2, I'll also review it. Please share your thought's with me below!!!
August 15, 2014
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Hey you said it yourself jerkface...we're the "Guardians of the Galaxy"
STORY
Child of the 80s Peter Quill is abducted from earth after his mother dies. He grow's up and becomes the legendary Star Lord...who no one knows about. After he steals an orb with an ancient power, the assassin Gamora tries to take it from him, but right before she's going to kill him, The bounty hunter's named Rocket and Groot, try and stop her so they can get the money on Quill's head. All four of them get arrested and taken to a Space prison, where they meet Drax, who want's to get revenge on the man who killed his family, who just happens to be the one who want's the orb. The five conspire to escape together, with Star Lord, Gamora, Rocket and Groot conspiring to sell the Orb, with Drax escaping to go on his hunt for Vengence. But against all odd's, in empty space, the 5 misfit's set out to save the GALAXY.
CONTENT
Well let's see, it's Rated PG-13, as with every other Marvel film, there is violence. The Guardians kill their, wiether it be by sword, guns or tree roots. I would have to say there's more violence featured in the film than I was expecting, but none of it's chalk full of gore. Language is the biggest issue in this movie for me. Lot's profane word's, including slang terms for anatomy, which in turn make's it even less appropriate for young viewers. And as the other the entries in the M.C.U. series, there's plenty of banter, which sometime's can be sexually suggestive.
THOUGHTS
I did enjoy the movie, so much I checked out the Rocket Raccoon comic series (BTW it's a fantastic comedy), Although Rocket's really the only Guardian I absolutley love, I still liked the other four. The whole premise was fun, the soundtrack was phenomenal (look up the Awesome Mix Vol. 1), and the comedy was entertaining, but at the end of the day, do the Guardian's actually know what being a hero is? None of them seem to be humble at all. In the movie, they do eventually decide to do the right thing, but only after doing the wrong thing's. And like Iron Man, at the end of the movie they're character's don't even seem to change much. As much as the comedy Superhero movies in the M.C.U. are entertaining, they just don't seem to seem to have character development, like the X-Men or Batman films.
CONCLUSION
Enjoyable, Funny, Action Filled, summer block buster, hat is becoming a standard these days. As much as the negative elements in Guardians of the Galaxy anoyed me, I still enjoyed the movie. On a positive note, it is the most innovative film in phase 2 and is sure to be quoted for years to come.
Looking for the perfect way to forget about the hot sun outside? Go see GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.
8.5 out of 10
Although not without it's flaws...like everything else in the world...this was a great addition to the Marvel film franchise. For Details please see IMDB, as this movie was a whopper with cast and crew and stuff...
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER...wrong movie oh well.
CONTENT
Well let's see, it's Rated PG-13, as with every other Marvel film, there is violence. The Guardians kill their, wiether it be by sword, guns or tree roots. I would have to say there's more violence featured in the film than I was expecting, but none of it's chalk full of gore. Language is the biggest issue in this movie for me. Lot's profane word's, including slang terms for anatomy, which in turn make's it even less appropriate for young viewers. And as the other the entries in the M.C.U. series, there's plenty of banter, which sometime's can be sexually suggestive.
THOUGHTS
I did enjoy the movie, so much I checked out the Rocket Raccoon comic series (BTW it's a fantastic comedy), Although Rocket's really the only Guardian I absolutley love, I still liked the other four. The whole premise was fun, the soundtrack was phenomenal (look up the Awesome Mix Vol. 1), and the comedy was entertaining, but at the end of the day, do the Guardian's actually know what being a hero is? None of them seem to be humble at all. In the movie, they do eventually decide to do the right thing, but only after doing the wrong thing's. And like Iron Man, at the end of the movie they're character's don't even seem to change much. As much as the comedy Superhero movies in the M.C.U. are entertaining, they just don't seem to seem to have character development, like the X-Men or Batman films.
CONCLUSION
Enjoyable, Funny, Action Filled, summer block buster, hat is becoming a standard these days. As much as the negative elements in Guardians of the Galaxy anoyed me, I still enjoyed the movie. On a positive note, it is the most innovative film in phase 2 and is sure to be quoted for years to come.
Looking for the perfect way to forget about the hot sun outside? Go see GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.
8.5 out of 10
Although not without it's flaws...like everything else in the world...this was a great addition to the Marvel film franchise. For Details please see IMDB, as this movie was a whopper with cast and crew and stuff...
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER...wrong movie oh well.
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