The Arbitrary Nerd

X-Wing Miniatures Buyer's Guide & Purchase Order Part III: The Competitive Imperial

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 04:23:00 +0000

This is the third post in the X-Wing Miniatures Buyer's Guide series.

Part I: Initial purchases a Casual player should make.
Part II: Defining a competitive player, some things to consider, and initial purchases for a Rebel player.

Part III is all about Imperials, my faction of choice. Unlike the other factions, Empire players have three fairly competitive play styles to work with, depending on player preference and how much they want to spend:

Swarm

TIE Swarms have been around since the origin of X-Wing. They've recently come back into favor, thanks to the Crack Shot upgrade. It requires running 6-7 TIE Fighters, which can be found in the Original Core Set and the TIE Fighter Expansion.
I won't be covering this option in this buyers guide, mostly because it's extremely limiting if you're trying to break into playing X-Wing. You'll have a bunch of ties and 1-2 Scum & Villainy ships, because they've got the most expansions with Crack Shot...

Palp Aces

If you've got close to $200 to throw at X-Wing and really want to play competitive Imperial, you can start out running some of the best lists in the game. Almost half of your budget, however, is going towards an expansion that is primarily for the Epic format of X-Wing, and therefore useless to the competitive X-Wing player, besides, mostly, a single upgrade card: Emperor Palpatine.
At the end of this post, I'll list a quick list of pick ups you'll need to run Palp Aces as cheaply as possible, but it isn't my primary recommendation.

Imperial Aces

This style of list is different from above because it has you trading a Palp-toting-shuttle for another hard-hitting (or hard-to-hit) ace in your list.
This is what I'll style my purchase recommendations towards, as it should be the cheapest way to break into Imperial, a good way to learn the variety of ships offered, and leaves you in a good spot to add more via additional expansions in the future.

Imperial Entanglements

Original Core Set (Red Core Set) $29.99

The basic, original TIE Fighters are the cheapest ship in the game. As such, it's always good to have a couple, in case you need to splash them in a list to make them fit. This would also be your first purchase, if you were looking to st art a TIE swarm, as it comes with two TIE Fighters.

TIE/fo Fighter Expansion $11.29

This is one of the very few expansions that is 100% playable out of the box. Taking that a step further, it also includes one of the absolute best pilots in the game - Omega Leader. Omega Leader, paired with the Juke and Comm Relay upgrades, is an absolute nightmare when flown well. Juke is a nominally useful upgrade in general, and the other TIE/fo pilots aren't completely useless... But the Omega Leader build is extremely effective for its cheap cost, and is incredibly easy to splash in most Imperial lists.

Omega Leader in yet another Arbitrary list...

Similar to how I always use Dash when building Rebel lists, I very rarely fly without Omega Leader when under the Imperial Banner.

TIE Defender Expansion $11.29

Defenders are very present in the meta right now. They're a bit expensive, but, thanks to the recent "fixes" that were released via the Imperial Veterans expansion, they have a lot of options, no real weaknesses, and can be splashed into most any list. We'll be focusing on them for this buyers guide. The notable pilot in this pack is Colonel Vessery. The Predator upgrade is also amazing in many lists.

Defenders, the new shiny... And probably staying for a good long time.

Imperial Veterans Expansion $25.49

As mentioned above, this fixed Defenders. It also comes with a really fantastic re-paint on a Defender and TIE Bomber model. For now, the Bomber is just a bonus, you're grabbing this for the pilot Countess Ryad and the new TIE Defender titles (especially the TIE x/7 title).

Total: $78.06

This is a strong start for an Imperial player, and can be easily customized. I'd recommend trying something along these lines, which gives you some experience with both types of Defender titles, and brings my favorite Omega Leader along for the ride...

The Imperial Aces expansion gets you access to the amazing Push the Limit, which would be my next recommendation, but opens up to your preference, more or less, from there on out. I will say that Imperial players strongly benefit from owning 1-2 StarVipers. Yes, they're Scum & Villainy ships, but they are currently the only way to get the Autothrusters upgrade, which makes things like TIE Interceptors or the Inquisitor's TIE major threats.

Emperor on Board

Alright, you want to jump in hard, spend a lot up front but having one of the most competitive lists in the game? I don't recommend this for newbies, but, if you reallllly want to, add the following two purchases to my above recommendations.

The base/pegs are perfect for your Lamda, too...

Imperial Raider Expansion $74.99

You are buying this for one reason: Emperor Palpatine. He's the best upgrade in the game, even if it doesn't initially seem like it when you first read it. Just trust me. "Palp Aces" is a meta unto itself.

You DO get the bonus "fix" for the TIE Advanced ship, and an additional TIE Advanced itself, but they're no longer in the meta, unfortunately, and mostly because they can't take auto-thrusters. Still, you can either sell the upgrades and make some money back, or hang on to them for potential later use.

Oh, and you get a really badass paperweight, in the form of the Raider model, which is only usable in the Epic gameplay format... Which isn't currently something you'll be doing.

Lamda-class Shuttle Expansion $22.49

While this is a fun ship in a couple ways, you're really buying it because it is the cheapest option that can take Emperor Palpatine (which takes up two crew slots). In 99% of "Palp Aces" lists, you'll see the cheapest pilot (Omicron Group Pilot) with the Emperor upgrade... And that's it. More than that, it spends most of the game staying OUT of combat, to preserve the Emperor, who is public enemy number one.

It comes with some decent upgrades, but, honestly, you're buying it to be a Palp-mobile.

With the above two purchases, you can add a variety of ships to make work. Using my previous recommendations, you can make something very close to my current tournament list, which I've done very well with.

My current tournament list.

Alternative Total: $175.54

Its over double my initial recommendations, but you'll get a lot of us out of them. I'd say that MOST Imperial lists start with Omicron Group Pilot w/ Emperor Palpatine, then build up from there.

---

Thoughts, comments, questions? The Empire has a pretty large sandbox to play with, do you have any alternative thoughts on how someone should jump in?

Next up, I'll be writing about the Scum of the galaxy! Until then!

X-Wing Miniatures Buyer's Guide & Purchase Order Part II: The Competitive Rebel

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 18:17:00 +0000

This is the second post in the X-Wing Miniatures Buyer's Guide series, and it focuses on players that want to get into competitive X-Wing while playing for the Rebel faction. The first focused on the initial purchases a Casual Player should make -- read it here!

A Competitive Player is one that intends to bring their ships to tournaments, either local store events, or larger, official events that are recognized by Fantasy Flight Games (the company the puts out X-Wing... And a good number of other things I own/enjoy).

If you're a competitive minded person, OR think your only chance to really play a miniatures game is going to be during events (this is how I started out as a competitive player!), this post is to help you figure out what you need to buy to get started for as low a cost as possible, while still having the ships and cards you'll need to do well.

Things to Consider

Choose one faction to start.

There are the factions in X-Wing: Rebels, Empire, and Scum & Villainy. As you cannot create lists (X-Wing lingo for "teams") using multiple factions, you'll want to start off by buying ships that help you build competitive lists in your preferred faction. This guide will give recommendations for all three.

The cost.

Generally speaking, buying competitively can be a bit cheaper than the casual player -- you're hole intent is to attend events where others own enough ships to build their own lists, you only have to buy enough for you yourself to play.
On the other hand, FFG specifically makes it so some of the most important upgrades (cards you equip to pilots, to give them a variety of benefits) are only found in a specific faction -- when important, I'll address that during this guide.
To help, I'll be including prices for each item I recommend, strictly based off of Miniature Market's prices. Miniature Market is an online retailer for board games, and will almost always have what you're looking for in stock. THAT BEING SAID, as a competitive player, please consider purchasing your X-Wing at your FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Shop), or wherever you'll be playing in X-Wing events -- you're relying on these folks to host events/purchase tournament kits, so show your support!

For the following sections, I'll break down my recommended purchases based on the primary faction you want to play. If you're planning on getting multiple factions, wait to see my Wave by Wave posts, as they'll identify which items are most useful to get first -- this post is specifically targeting people who want to save money and play competitively quickly.

With a Rebel Yell

You've chose to take the side of the Rebellion, and fly alongside some of the greatest heroes the galaxy has ever seen! To best jump into this faction, and take them to tournaments, you'll want to buy the following:

Original Core Set (Red Core Set) $29.99

Honestly, you could go either way for Rebels. From the Force Awakens Core Set, Poe Dameron and BB-8 are solid options. However, there is a newer version of Poe coming out in the Heroes of the Resistance Expansion Pack, and the Original Core set gives you Biggs Darklighter, the staple of many older Rebel lists, and one that's been seeing more play of late. Biggs' ability, honestly, will always be relevant, it's more the list you build to support him that may or may not be effective. The other card of note is the R2-D2 astromech, which is one of the few ways to gain access to shield regeneration. Honestly, though, you're not likely to run either in most of your lists, at least, not starting out.

Dash trying to skirt around some Bounty Hunter scum...

YT-2400 Freighter Expansion $22.49

In my opinion, Dash Rendar, the most expensive pilot in this pack, is the best Rebel pilot in the game. His ability is EXTREMELY nice for newer players, as he allows you to hit obstacles without much concern, and he can be run without owning too many other expansions... Though my suggestions include purchases that fully allow you to kit the ship out. The Heavy Laser Canon and Lone Wolf upgrades are also useful in general.

I'm not much of a Rebel player myself, but, when I do, I always fly a version of Dash. The current build for Dash is:
Dash Rendar (Pilot)

Outrider (Title)

Heavy Laser Canon

Push the Limit (from the A-Wing expansion)

Kanan Jarrus (from the Ghost expansion)

Engine Upgrade (from the Millennium Falcon expansion)

Ghost Expansion $39.99

This is an expensive ship, but you're really getting two for the price of one. And, better yet, the upgrades in this expansion will be useful in a variety of lists. An additional bonus is that the Ghost's model looks fantastic... even if it is a bit cumbersome on the table (you'll notice that mine had to be jury-rigged after the special peg broke, after I used the ship the first time).

Outrider (Dash) & Ghost (Lothal Rebel or Chopper pilots) lists are very prevalent in the current meta, and I don't honestly think you'll see them going anywhere. And you get a bit more tools for your future toolbox, due to grabbing this expansion early.

A-Wing Expansion $11.29

This ship is a fun little ship, though not the most balanced when it was initially released. The only reason you're picking it up now is because it's the cheapest and only in-faction method of getting one of the best upgrades in the game: Push the Limit.

A pair of A-Wings... with Dash.

Millennium Falcon Expansion $22.49

When it hit, it completely changed the game. So much so, that it eventually led to changing how tournament scoring was done. I won't go into that too much, but I will say this particular ship isn't seen terribly often in tournaments at the moment. There are some builds you can make, especially with the other ships I've listed above, but, for the most part, you are buying this expensive upgrade solely to get access to the Engine Upgrade upgrade. Sad, but the only other place to get it would be the Imperial/Scum Firespray Expansion pack.

Total: $126.25 dollars.

Yikes! In my opinion, Rebels are the most expensive group to make meta-viable, and this is mostly because their big lists require so many composite pieces. Most of the Rebel "out of the box" options were victims of ruling nerfs or shifts in the meta.

Check out this recommended list, which utilizes only items found in the above purchases. As you pick up more ships, you will be able to kit out your Ghost differently, or even swap out partners for Dash. The E-Wing Expansion was a staple companion for a long time, though it's lost favor in the current meta.

One of my takes on a Dash & Ghost list.

... And yes, there are Rebel lists that don't feature Dash, but not many considered competitive at the moment. A good player can make anything work, but new players will find it easier to stick with innately stronger lists.

Alternative opinion: If you wanted to break into two factions at once, Rebels and Scum & Villainy are your best bet. The Z-95, Y-Wing, and HWK ships are cross-faction, as long as you've purchased the Most Wanted Expansion. ... Though not as many of those ships are actually competitive in the current environment.

For the upcoming releases, the most exciting expansion will be the Heroes of the Resistance pack, which includes new Millennium Falcon pilots, new skills on the repeat pilots, and a host of new upgrades. It also has a new T-70 X-Wing model, with some pretty interesting pilots and a new Poe Dameron (Pilot Skill of 9, for two more points). Honestly, the only reason I'm not recommending it and the Force Awakens Core set are because you don't need to have two Falcons, and the original comes with Engine Upgrades...

If you have some thoughts on the above recommendations, or want to share some of your own lists, please use the comment section below! Next post will detail your options when utilizing the might of the Empire!

X-Wing Miniatures Buyer's Guide & Purchase Order Part I: The Casual Player

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 06:06:00 +0000

This Buyer's Guide for X-Wing Miniatures is going to be a series of posts. This post will focus on the casual X-Wing player, while the next focuses on someone wanting to get into the competitive scene. After that, I'll do a break down of all of the releases, in the order they released.

Things to Consider

The two Core Sets.

X-Wing began with the original Core Set, know known as the "Red" Core Set. It features the earliest version of the rules, and, more important, features the original X-Wing, with the most notable pilot being Luke Skywalker.
Right before The Force Awakens came out, Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) released the "Blue" Core Set, which features the newer X-Wing (and TIE Fighters), most notably featuring the X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron.

Which faction?

There are three factions in X-Wing: Rebels, Empire, and Scum and Villainy. As you cannot create lists (X-Wing lingo for "teams") using multiple factions, it's useful to focus on the faction(s) that interest you most, first... With some exceptions.
Some important upgrade cards can only be found in other factions -- I'll take this into consideration, when important.

The cost.

On a purchase-per-purchase cost, X-Wing is actually one of the most reasonably priced miniatures games on the market. That being said, it can feel a little daunting when you're getting started. To help, I'll be including prices for each item I recommend, strictly based off of Miniature Market's, an online store for board gaming, prices.

Long term goals.

Eventually, most X-Wing players tend to buy at least one copy of every release, if not more. This can seem daunting to a new player -- don't let it! Start with this post and we'll identify what you need to get started!

How I store my collection... It's more managable than it looks!

The Casual Player

-This is a player that is more interested in experiencing Star Wars dogfights that feature their favorite characters and put an emphasis on having fun with their game.

As a Casual Player, it's likely that you'll want to have enough ships that you can support a second player. This increases the cost slightly, but is manageable.

Red Core or Blue Core ($29.99)

To start, which movie did you like better, A New Hope, or The Force Awakens? Do you want to fly as Luke Skywalker in his T-65 X-Wing? Red Core. Did you think Poe Dameron was a total badass in his T-70 X-Wing, and want to give that a shot? Blue core.

Poe seems to have run into a bit of trouble here...

Eventually, however, you're going to want to get both. Each Core comes with dice and maneuver templates (and more, of course) -- having two sets of templates will make you much happier than having to constantly pass them back and forth, and you'll find that having access to more dice saves time. But, to start, base your decision on Luke or Poe.

Either Core is currently $29.99 on Miniature Market, though they have been known to go on sale from time to time. Even so, that's a pretty solid price for what you get.

Joining the Rebellion

Whichever Core you wind up with, you'll have two TIEs and one X-Wing. You've started your journey to the Dark Side, or you've taken the first steps towards overthrowing the corrupt Empire.

For now, let's focus on the latter.

A-Wing Expansion Pack ($11.29)

This little ship makes a great addition to the Rebel fleet. It's extremely fast and comes with pilots that have some extremely interesting abilities. Also, the upgrade Push the Limit is one of the most popular upgrades in the game, and the A-Wing is one of the only places its available right now.

My early Rebels... Not quite how I'd do it now.

Millennium Falcon Expansion Pack ($22.49)

It's iconic. It's pretty. It's flown by Han-freaking-Solo.

Also, it happens to have some amazing upgrades that you'll use across all of your lists (Engine Upgrade and Veteran Instincts especially), and you'll be able to cut your teeth on flying a large base ship. Bonus, because the ship has a "turret" for its primary weapon, it doesn't have to be pointed directly at the enemy it wants to shoot.

Warning: There is an upcoming expansion called "Heroes of the Resistance." It features the Falcon, as it appeared in the Force Awakens, and a T-70 painted like Poe's black and orange X-Wing. If you are not interested in particular upgrades, grab this pack at $33.99 instead.

The Might of the Empire

The Imperials have it a bit easier, in terms of getting started with Casual play -- each Core set comes with either two TIE Fighters or two TIE/FO Fighters! From there, you'd do well to grab the following:

TIE Fighter Expansion Pack ($11.29)

Sure maybe you don't need more TIEs right now. I mean, you've already got two, right? Well, consider this -- basic TIE fighters are some of the cheapest ships in the game, so you can easily fit multiple TIEs in a list. Additionally, the pilot Howlrunner, only available through this expansion, allows every allied ship within range 1 to re-roll and attack die! Ok, out of context, that might not mean much. Just trust me, she's a damn good pilot.

Imperial Aces Expansion Pack ($22.49)

While the TIE Interceptor expansion has one of the arguably best pilots in the game, the ship itself needed some help. FFG delivered that help via the Imperial Aces Expansion Pack, which includes two TIE Interceptors with all new pilots, two more copies of Push the Limit, and a unique title to Interceptors that really makes them shine.

Imperial Aces w/ Vader (who'll show up in future posts!)

A Conclusion, For Now...

If you buy the recommended ships above, you'll have spent roughly $97.55. For this money, you will have multiple options for both Rebel and Imperial lists, and will see a variety of play types, which can help influence your future purchases.

Keep an eye out for my wave by wave breakdown of each ship -- I'll give them ratings based on Casual AND Competitive play. Additionally, even if you never intend on playing competitively, the next Buyer's Guide article may still have some valuable information for you, especially if you're willing to spend more than the above on what is truly a fantastic hobby.

If you have any questions, comments, or Jedi Mind Tricks, leave them in the comments below!

New Direction

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 04:46:00 +0000

The current collection... As of a couple weeks ago.

Heyo! You'll notice there's been an extended hiatus on the blog... It was unintentional, but came about due to increased demands on my personal time, and, from there, a shifting of my interests.

I used to be able to write during work, but an increase in responsibilities means I'm mostly swamped and then pretty beat afterwards.

But there's a new area I'd like to explore, and see where it takes me.

Over the past couple years, I've really gotten into hobby board gaming. Games like Dead of Winter, Twilight Imperium, Fury of Dracula, and many more have been added to my collection over time, and I'm always looking for more.

Few games, however, have caught my attention like Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars miniature offerings. I've become a prolific X-Wing collector, have recruited my brother into the fold, and we both attend local and not-so-local tournaments... And we do alright (my brother took 1st and I took 3rd at a recent local-ish event). I'm building up an Armada collection as well, though suspect it will be some time before I find a regular group. I'm also getting ready to launch an Imperial Assault campaign/find some time for the skirmish game.

Coming from all of these, I'm going to re-tool the blog a bit. Eventually, this will bleed into a design change, to make a bit more sense out of things. For now, expect to see X-Wing reports/articles, board game reviews, and maybe a couple of Game Night reports. Who knows.

Assisting me will be another avenue that's surprisingly caught my interest -- Instagram. I'm not popular or anything, but I do enjoy snapping shots of games and other things and throwing them up there. I'll be using these pictures to accompany my new posts... as you may have already noticed!

5 Cures for the Super Summertime Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Lyco I Lie 2) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 23:37:00 +0000

Sure, the colors are prob Photoshopped, but still looks better than Man of Steel

Usually whenever I'm in the ocean or a pool the feeling of weightlessness and ease of movement reminds me of the strange visitor from the planet Krypton. The height of Summer should be spotlight on sweet soul music and the superhero powered by hope and the same sun that will likely give me skin cancer if I don't keep applying the 50 SPF. Hope, I say.

Batman fares better in Gotham like New York "below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November" according to Denny O'Neil. Maybe that's why I heard the Batmobile sucks in the new Arkham game and the identity of the Arkham Knight is gag worthy. No spoilers from me.

So, Superman keep us cool and calm in these days of record breaking heat and political idiots.

1. Watch the doc, The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?

Already jaded by anticipation for Batman V. Superman: Dawn of "Do you bleed?" then I suggest pondering on what may have been with late 90s Cage goodness, as seen in Face Off, Con Air, and the only watchable Michal Bay product, The Rock. Although I don't believe Superman Lives is the greatest thing never made, it sure would have been unique, strange, and definitely worth viewing more than any of the other aborted Superman projects or the two that did get made.

Since even before 9/11 Superman has been reduced to an Emo Jesus, and to be fair I think Tim Burton's vision of an alien outsider would have been a bit on the broody side, but I think Nic Cage could have brought something that has been missing from Superman on film since Christopher Reeve with arms firmly crossed asked, "General, would you care to step outside?" You know, the coolest scene from Superman II. Superman needs to be allowed to be cocky and tough sometimes, and if you're like me and think Sailor from Wild at Heart's monologue about his snakeskin jacket is the definition of a rebel with a cause then you know you don't tug on Nic Cage's cape.

And he so would have killed it as a nerdy Clark Kent!

2. The Death and Life of Superman

As a child reading comics in the 90s The Death of Superman and Batman: Knightfall are my stations of the cross and/or passion play, but unlike the Children's Illustrated Bible I had in Sunday school Metropolis was a little more believable than Jesus' Jerusalem because black people existed and one of them even turned out to be a savior for people in need. Just saying, John Henry Irons... terrible name and Shaq movie, but otherwise well written hero.

3. Best Live Action 90s Superman TV was Roswell

Name me a sexier Lois & Clark!

Remember the douba douba douba WB? Between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roswell with great analogues for Batman as Angel and Superman as Max Evans, we lived in a world where Twilight could have been enjoyable, rather than vomit inducing in it's misogyny and wooden characters.

So Roswell brought the sexy with three aliens hiding from a suspicious small time sheriff and later government agents and scientists trained on religiously viewing The X-Files. Oh and the writers threw in a literal star-crossed romance because The WB and will they/won't they steamy tension. You could substitute the names of characters and the town with the Superman canon and have something superior in every way from 3 seasons than the crap that went unchecked on 10 long and dull seasons of Smallville.

4. Elliot S! Maggin's Super Novels

Guest starring in Miracle Monday... Ray Bradbury... seriously

Now there's an S! that stands for hope!

These tie-in books fail in the best way at being a part of the first two Chris Reeve Superman movies, which I adore, but they bring the true blue Ka-El from the comics into prose, and that's no surprise since they're written by one of the earliest fans turned writers, Elliot S! Maggin. As great as Gene Hackman is as Lex Luthor, "We all have our little faults. Mine's in California", Maggin stays true to LL's mad scientist roots. As for his handle on CK, well, when confronted with an terrifying ultimatum from an actual minion of Hell, Superman simply laughs his ass off and then proceeds to outsmart both the demon and Luthor because there's nothing he can't do, except kill. I guess it must be against Zack Snyder and film company's religious beliefs to observe Miracle Monday, the greatest holiday throughout the Universe.

5. Bruce Springsteen's Superman Shirt Rip at 4:40

Yeah, I'm just little obsessed.

So... I did a thing.

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 04:46:00 +0000

Yeah, ok, my Photoshop skills are a little rusty.

Super hyped for video games in November. Never going to have time to play them, but Fallout 4, Star Wars: Battlefront, and XCOM 2 are three of my favorite franchises gut punching my wallet in another five or so months. And a possible Persona 5 drop somewhere there too...

I'd like to do a nerd-gush on Fallout 4 and all the news that has dropped soon... And I'd also like to commence re-skinning the blog, though now I'm torn between Star Wars or Fallout...

These are good problems to have.

Marvel Universe Ends with a Whimper...

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Wed, 27 May 2015 17:50:00 +0000

Marvel has lost sight of their readers. More than ever. they have become an event driven market, eschewing all else to bring the next big thing down the pipeline, as often as they can, with no more interest in telling a coherent or interesting story than an Expendables film (if you enjoy films like that, you're in luck!).

I've been on the fence about the event setup. On one hand, some of them are actually interesting, and have lasting changes. On the other, there are really terrible stories that arbitrarily change favorite characters to fit some new demographic (usually to fit in with the Cinematic Universe).

Being a Spider-Man guy, the most recent event I read was Spider-Verse. It was The Expendables: Spider-Man edition. It had some good moments, some good characters, some shittily arbitrary character killings, and a fading promise to change things forever for our friendly neighborhood arachnid.

But it didn't. The only "lasting" change was the death of characters outside the 616 universe. And that lasted all of three issues after, because the Marvel Universe has come to an abrupt... And strangely arbitrary, halt.

Marvel is getting it's first official "reboot" to it's continuity. In honor of that, all the current series are going out on a high note -- wait, that's not right. What is this shit? Amazing Spider-Man ended with a completely mis-written Black Cat becoming the BBEG, and everything else just grinding to an unfulfilling halt. The last villain Spidey fights is an abortive story featuring ex-Thunderbolt Ghost.

Ok, maybe that's a fluke -- damn it! Spider-Man 2099, what is this shit? You finally have a semi-interesting arc and some relationship development... And your story just freaking ends? Did... Did no one tell the writers that the universe was ending? Was it a surprise? How can you not even attempt to give serious character resolutions? Beating the bad guy of that particular issue doesn't count!

I don't even see Spidey 2099 here...

... Apparently, if you don't read two specific Avengers series, Secret Wars just kind of happens. These stories you wanted to see fulfilled, the characters you wanted to follow further, well, tough shit. Marvel doesn't care about that, it's time for the NEXT BIG EVENT!

I'm more disgusted than that time Doc Ock was making moves on MJ while in Peter's body. Or that time Peter walked in on Aunt May and Marvel decided to give us a splash page of old people humping. Or that time...

... You know what? As much as I tote myself as a Marvel fan, I'm not impressed with Marvel at all lately. One or two good titles doesn't cut it. Constant events aren't enough. Cut that shit out and go back to writing compelling, character-driven stories that are both super heroic and relateable. Stop... Stop everything else. Just stop.

Marvel, stahp.

Going forward, Secret Wars is marginally interesting because the new status quo; whatever emerges from this ugly, mismanaged DC-knockoff of an event, might give me some things I want, and have wanted for years as a reader.

Here are some of the things I'd like to see follow this tepid fading of my favorite characters, and if I don't see some of them, the things that may cause me to lose interest in another goddamn reboot:

1. Peter and MJ back together.

The "breakup" was an all-time low for Spidey comics. The return of single Spidey has not benefited story telling in any way, and instead devalued marriage as an institution in Marvel comics -- something they've done as often as possible.

Bonus if they take the storyline where Spidey is a dad. One of the greater sins of the Clone Saga is the fate of their child, who is stolen and then... Completely forgotten? Wait, what? Seriously?

It would be especially poignant for me, who will be raising a little girl. The possibility of watching a little May Parker (assuming name isn't changed) grow up alongside my daughter would be especially touching.

... 'Course, that would require Marvel to let their characters age. Because storytelling is hard outside of a vacuum.

2. Bring back Ben Reilly.

Ok, I have said this at every turn, and at pretty much every event. My wish was granted for all of three issues in Spider-Verse, sort of. And then they freaking killed him again.

... Uhg. Go to hell, whoever planned that one out. Null points for originality, do not pass go, do not collect your paycheck for ruining this fanboy's dream.

3. Let the MU age.

Tied to one, but letting real time pass in the MU, even at a slower rate, would be something I'd love to see. I have decades worth of Spidey comics, where the hero is 20-something. He used to be in high school, and some of the best stories were about Peter dealing with the things that come with age.

4. Stop with the constant events.

This isn't going to happen, but Marvel is going to find out that their constant money-grubbing strategy of inter-connected titles that criss-cross through events isn't going to work. It failed miserably in the '90s and, while they've definitely learned from it by keeping most events behind a unique, solo-running title book, they have been circling that whole of repeated mistakes for awhile.

5. Don't try to cram the old MU's timeline into 8 months.

DC's NU52 reboot tried to shuffle DC's timeline to fit a very truncated schedule. It was one of the weakest parts of the reboot, and every time they referenced something from "before," it served only to confuse (and annoy) readers.

Marvel has announced the new universe will start eight months after the events of Secret War. Why? Because storytelling is hard, and Marvel has become lazy. Seriously.

I'm worried they are going to try an keep the things they don't want to retell in those eight months. Things to refer to that really happened in the old MU, but the writers don't want to bother with in the new MU.

6. Don't retell old storylines.

If you're going to make us suffer through a half-assed reboot, after a half-assed event, don't offer us half-assed copies of classic stories! They've already been written, you gorram hacks, and we don't need your slight "surprise" twist.

If only...

Do I expect this wish to be met? No. No I do not. We are going to get recycled garbage for years, because why else give us such a lackluster reboot? I'd have more respect for what they were doing if they DID hit a reset button, at this point. Start from square one. New origins, new everything, but keep it new! It worked for the Ultimate Universe... Right up until it became over-inundated with events (which, honestly, had many more interesting ramifications than any of the 616's events).

7. Don't change a damn thing with Spider-Gwen.

Seriously. Just let this infant series pick up where it left off, and ignore all the rest.

... Of course, that won't happen. Which is another slap in the face from Marvel: "Hey, True Beleiver! Here are a bunch of new series! And some of them are good! Bahaha just kidding, they're only around for an arc or two, way to waste more of your money on our connected universe model, jackass. Excelsior, nerd."

Rant done. I'm going to go start Secret Wars and sigh at my stupid addiction and inevitable hypocrisy. See you on the other side, Marvel.

What I want in the Bat Wardrobe for Batman: Arkham Knight

noreply@blogger.com (Lyco I Lie 2) — Tue, 26 May 2015 14:56:00 +0000

Sell More Toys!

The Batman Iron Man look just doesn't do it for me. I understand the developers wanted Batman to match the Batmobile, but that's an awful marriage idea. If I was Alfred I wouldn't have advised Bruce to apply chrome shine to the work clothes. It's very Robocop and maybe that's coming full circle since there's a helluva a lot The Dark Knight Returns in the greatest film of 1987! I wish the cape wasn't so far away from the neck. I wish for once outside of comics and traditional animation and Adam West the cape could fully encircle Batman and be attached to the cowl. Gripes aside, I'm greatly anticipating racing through the streets of Gotham in the Bat Tank in Arkham Knight. But that suit... give me a nomex survival suit any day over the Shining.

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

Love the Bat Shoulder Cape Curls

It could be difficult trying to recreate Dave McKean's rigid, yet atmospheric look of Batman as a playable skin, but since the Arkham gaming series owes quite the debt to Grant Morrison and Mckean's seminal work it wold be worth the effort. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth is getting included into one of the limited releases for the upcoming game so perhaps that hints at this possibility. Mckean's Batman is all shoulders, empty eye sockets, curled back lips, exposed gums and headstone teeth, with gloves so translucent the reader can see Batman's fingernails. That last detail would be very hard to notice in an action game, but one can only hope.

Kelley Jones Bat Ears

Yes, it's everything's excessive 90s, baby! Mile long ears, droopy nose, and a cape that could cover a swimming pool should be cataloged under the excessive label, but Bruce Wayne's a guy who keeps a T-Rex robot and a giant Penny coin on display for decades in the Batcave. Let's pardon the man for his taste of clothes in the 90s.

Batman 666

Around when the internet stopped hating on like Damien Wayne

Move over Sin City and Angel. This is how you do Batman in a trench coat!

Batman of Zur en Arrh

This is Batman's brain/back up personality on Crazy

Not every Bat-suit needs to be dark and dreary. This skin needs to include an always hovering Bat-Mite imp from the 5th Dimension or a crazy figment of Batman's imagination after being doused with Weapons Grade Crystal Meth and Heroin! Is that dark enough for you? Seriously, if they can put this suit in Batman Lego 3 there's no reason why it shouldn't be playable in rated M for (nose in the air" Mature Batman: Arkham Knight.

Zero Year Mad Max Cosplay Batman

Batman says, "I'm tired of Green Arrow ripping me off!"

I wish I had that action figure when I was a boy.

Arkham Origins

Despite some obvious flaws in Arkham Origins dealing with repetition, a grey sandbox world in a Gotham ghost town, and holding back skins until you beat the game, and there were so pluses made in boss fights, storytelling, and Batman's design. Anytime I get squinty Clint Eastwood eyes on Batman I'm going to be mighty pleased. Although I like the rabbit ears on Kelley Jones art, I don't care for long ears on the Bat cowl of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and the same goes for the Bat scallops on the gauntlets.

Second Helpings
It's been announced that the Adam West, 1st Appearence, Batman Beyond, and Dark Knight Returns skins will be playable once again, and having to beat the game first will not be required before the skins can be utilized for game-play. Rejoice! I can slug through hordes of Gotham henchmen on the Easy Setting (I'm not good at button mashing combos) because it should be a piece of cake for Batman to deal with twenty guys at once.

So, Rocksteady, please include , Batman Incorporated, Azrael Batman, and Zebra Batman.

Arrow Season 3 in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lyco I Lie 2) — Fri, 22 May 2015 14:38:00 +0000

Another season of TV's Arrow has come and gone. Despite the mostly flawless Daredevil by Netflix still fresh in the mind, DC made a valiant effort of saturating public TV with their continuing hit Arrow and the debuts of The Flash, Gotham, iZombie, and apparently short lived Constantine. With the future looking even braver and bolder (forgive the ref) for DC on the small screen with Legends of Tomorrow (Can't call it Justice League) and Supergirl (OMG a black Jimmy Olsen, please chill out Klansman), I guess I can be grateful Mad Men is ending because I don't know how I can possibly watch this much TV, but I'm here to account on the archery skill of Arrow: S3. Compared to it's second season, there was quite a bit to be desired, but overall Ollie and company did not "FAIL THIS CITY"!

Raging Bullseye

More Masks- The addition of Arsenal/Red Arrow/Speedy complete with escrima sticks and comic book cool and ludicrous fighting flips should be the mission statement of the show. Later with the Atom, Katana, Wildcat, and Black Canary II (so sad to see Sarah Lance go, but wouldn't be DC without legacy characters) it was a thrill to practically see the Justice League cartoon in live action fill the screen!

MacGyver Arrow- In the 3rd ep, "Corto Maltese", the ever resourceful Oliver could create a makeshift bow and arrows from the mattress frame of a hotel bed. Google MacGyver for those born after 1987
Flash Team-Up- What more needs to be said then the Flash saving Arrow from razor boomerangs thrown by Captain Boomerang?

Add caption
Boxing Glove Arrow- About time, but also worth the wait! May I have some more trick arrows in a lighter in tone fourth season?
Mountaintop Sword Fight- Without artist Neal Adams and writer Denny O'Neil Green Arrow never would have a show, never mind this excellent homage to the best sword fight shirtless desert sword fight in comics

Canary Cry- Although not a superpower as seen in comics, Black Canary's sonic scream elevates her battle prowess, and I hope we've seen the last of Laurel being needlessly beaten down

Bruce Springsteen shout out- Every second to last episode title of the season is taken from a Springsteen song. "Darkness On the Edge of Town", "Streets of Fire", and "This is Your Sword" have made the list. Here's hoping I get "Thunder Road" next year with a drag out race between the Arrowcar and the Reverse-Flash
Katanna- "You come right out of a comic book"-- from Jim Kelly in Enter the Dragon

Make the Katana spin off! No brainer, CW

Missing the Mark

Absence of shirtless training scenes- C'mon, try to top Ollie with a jackhammer vs. tractor trailer tire from Season 2
Ray Palmer the Stalker- The writers really couldn't have shoehorned a relationship with Felicity without the creepy harassment done by Ray (it's okay if you're rich, white, or a virgin vampire to stalk women) in those early episodes of Season 3?
Team Arrow as Riot Police- Hey, remember those 70s comics with Green Arrow as a authoritarian supporter who used tear gas trick arrows to disperse filthy protesters? NEVER HAPPENED! I hope episode 5 didn't give Denny O'Neil a heart attack. I'm not expected the CW to show the adventures of a superhero anarchist on prime time, but it's indefensible to make Ollie a defender of corporate banking and riot squad tactics
Black Canary's Gimp Suit- I get that they want to show Laurel not living under the shadow of her sister, but Sara's costume had all the Black Canary elements going for it without becoming ridiculous cheesecake lingerie. Don't mess with good thing
Deadshot's PTSD back story- I won't launch into American Sniper being propaganda, but given it's success and it being property of Warner Bros, episode 17's "Suicidal Tendencies" came off as a poorly executed cash in. In the comics, although he has different and better developed tragedies in his past, Deadshot is basically an evil Bruce Wayne, and doesn't require a great deal of sympathy to tell good stories. The Arrow version's war time experience and PTSD was so rushed and emotionless it felt like a piss on veterans and that's seriously an injustice
Return of Killer Ollie- Season 2's vow to not kill anymore was what got into enjoying the show, but the writers really don't care if Ollie is a man of his word, do they? Let's ask Ra's Al Ghul... What excuse can there be for needlessly killing Ra's, while allowing Deathstroke, who killed Moria last season, or Merlyn, killer of Sara, to remain alive?

Works in Progress

Laurel Lance- Compared to the cliches burdened on the character last year, involving pill popping, AA meetings, and sibling jealousy, Laurel came a long way from irritable to kinda likeable. The writers still have to make amends for two seasons of abusing one of the strongest and coolest women of DC.

Wildcat RIP?- Well, did Vinnie Jones kill him or not?
Diggle's Concealment- Give that man a mask!

... Anything but actual blog posts...

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Thu, 21 May 2015 17:58:00 +0000

I'm writing a young adult novel set in medieval Japan.

I'm working on developing a boarding with a post-apocalyptic setting that utilized mechs.

I'm going to start casting resin pieces to add nice touches to games I already own (first project: Mount Doom for War of the Ring).

And I'd like to re-skin the blog with a Star Wars theme, to fit what feels to be a tremendous Star Wars year.

... More when I've actually accomplished something!

Seven Sexy Things about 70's Batman

noreply@blogger.com (Lyco I Lie 2) — Thu, 14 May 2015 15:39:00 +0000

Dames, demons, and Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town. That's 1978, baby. Camp is dead. Frank Miller (big fan of Springsteen too) studying under the master sensei, Denny O'Neil. Batman is in his prime thanks to combining Clint Eastwood, James Bond, and Indiana Jones (predating 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark) into the Dark Knight Detective. And here's how O'Neil, Adams, Len Wein, Steve Englehart, Marshal Rogers, Jim Aparo, Bob Haney, and company did it!

1. Love God

Take the Billionaire out of the mansion and put him into a downtown highrise. In direct relation to Dick Grayson going away to college, Bruce got the chance to grow up a bit by finally leaving his parents' ancestral home and moving into a swanky penthouse apartment complete with an underground auxiliary Batcave. In the 70s, no longer 14 miles from Gotham like Adam West, but in the heart of a pulsating urban environment, Batman was closer to "the action" in crass terms of crime and dating.

Decades of hearing "millionaire playboy" associated with the character suddenly got a payoff when Talia and Silver St. Cloud hit the scene. Grant Morrison's on record as stating his favorite incarnation of the character is as "the hairy-chested globetrotting love god of the '70s stories" which is evident in Batman RIP's Jezebel Jet and Catwoman in Batman Incorporated.

The idea of Batman as a 30 year old virgin sounds ridiculous, but despite being the basis for Joe Casey's main character, the Saint, in the audacious comic Sex, it was apparently a mandate in the Bat offices of DC Comics back in the early 2000s according to Ed Brubaker in a recent interview...

All these girls he’d dated over the years as this playboy, he’d never slept with any of them, because having sex would somehow prevent him from being Batman. Apparently if all these women got together, they’d find out that he always had a headache, like they always thought they were the only one and it was their secret shame. “God, I couldn’t even get Bruce Wayne to sleep with me!” It was like Bruce Wayne was some quarterback ordered by his coach not to have sex the night before a big game, but the big game was his entire life. That totally cracked me up.

Read More: The Ed Brubaker Batman Interview, Part One | http://comicsalliance.com/ed-brubaker-batman-interview-part-one/?trackback=tsmclip

"All these girls he’d dated over the years as this playboy, he’d never slept with any of them, because having sex would somehow prevent him from being Batman. Apparently if all these women got together, they’d find out that he always had a headache, like they always thought they were the only one and it was their secret shame. 'God, I couldn’t even get Bruce Wayne to sleep with me!' It was like Bruce Wayne was some quarterback ordered by his coach not to have sex the night before a big game, but the big game was his entire life. That totally cracked me up"

That's a great example for why we shouldn't take comic characters too seriously. For argument's sake I remember a Grant Morrison interview stating how as a yoga master Bruce would realize the mental and physical benefits of a healthy sex life, which explains the discreet relations he has had over the years with multiple socialites.

2. "The Greatest Trickster Character in Fiction"--Denny O'Neil

Jumping the Shark

If you take a gander through The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told the 70s lay claim to three of the best battles between Batman and his arch nemesis. The above image comes from "The Joker's Five Way Revenge" and it's hard to argue it being anything other than the greatest single issue comic featuring Batman. Personally, any story involving Batman fighting a shark is gold (see Shark Repellent Bat-Spray for further convincing), but there isn't a trace of 60s' camp in 70s' Joker. Just as I imagine Adam West's Batman waking up one day and noticing a bit of a paunch belly and realizing he should study up on this Bruce Lee guy Dick Grayson keeps raving about, I like to think Cesar Romero's Joker shaves off his painted mustache after hearing the New York Dolls' "Personality Crisis" in 1973 and goes back to killing people.

Less than a year after the Joker returns to his darker roots (always one step behind Batman in keeping up with the times) Bob Haney and Jim Aparo on "Death has the Last Laugh" have the Caped Crusader at the scene of a murdered suburban family vow to "DESTROY YOU LIKE THE MAD DOG YOU ARE!!" This is in a Bob Haney The Brave and the Bold, the zany book that partners Batman up with the likes of the Metal Men, Plastic Man, and Sgt. Rock usually.

As dark and formidable the Clown Prince of Crime is in both comics they both end with Batman apprehending and laughing at the Joker. There can be one sweeter victory over the Joker than laughing at that fool's expense.

3. Solar Plexus Mega Punch

So there was another Bruce in the 70s that captivated the international stage with his intense physical performances, and for once I'm not talking about The Boss. Bruce Lee was huge. He projected such confidence and bravado on screen which probably best exemplified the decade of the tough guy.

Martial art exploitation films and comics saturated the market, but O'Neil and Adams actually paid attention to the "emotional content". Batman stopped punching people like John Wayne and transitioned to a graceful fighter.

Grace is something that is rarely continued in a post Frank Miller's muscles on muscles Batman approach that has been the norm. Neal Adams molded the first plausible Dark Knight that was tall, lean, and mean, but Jim Aparo was a worthy successor and put decades into the character. Aparo's renderings are what I see when I visualize how Batman and Bruce Wayne should move and posture.

4. The Supernatural

Ghosts, werewolves, Man-Bat, the Lazarus Pit, and a villain know as "Head of the Demon" are the 70s adventures I think of immediately when fans complain for realistic Batman stories. Batman and realism don't go well together. Who wants to read about the Batmobile stuck in traffic in Gotham City?

A hero that dresses like Dracula plays very well in a supernatural setting. Bill Finger knew that back in 1939 when he had Batman slay a vampire monk. I don't want to see Batman as The Wire. I want a time machine to take me back to 1999 and convince Joss Whedon to put David Boreanaz in the cape and cowl while filming Angel fighting demons with a broadsword. How awesome a Joker would Spike have been?

5. International Man of Mystery

If one needed proof that there is goodness in this world then look no further than Batman and Aquaman beating up Nazi Scuba divers! And Tom Jones goes full Thunderball. There's always been a bit of give and take with James Bond and Batman. Skyfall was practically The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan has admitted Bond's influence all over his Bat trilogy, and I was quite happy to see the travelogue world outside of Gotham City in those films.

In Denny O'Neil's first Batman issue with Neal Adams, "The Secret of the Waiting Graves", the story is set in Mexico. It was the debut of a jet set Bruce Wayne up against ghosts and relying on his detective skills.

Over in the Bob Haney scripted The Brave and the Bold Batman was constantly up against drug smugglers, gangsters, war lords, and of course Nazis, despite being teamed up with Metamorpho, Green Lantern, or others previously mentioned.

You'd be forgiven by mistaking the Bob Haney books to be lighter in tone to the O'Neil/ Adams dark romantic adventures if you were going by who appears on the covers with Batman, but Haney might as well be channeling Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry in half his stories. Jim Aparo's wonderful art sells it so well. No one could draw a grimacing Batman backhanding people like Aparo. Maybe that's the biggest difference between Adams and Aparo. The former is tops at showing awe and shock through facial expressions, but the latter like The Clash, I think, "let fury have the hour, anger can be power".

6. Cycle of Violence

To paraphrase O'Neil from Batman: Knightfall, the scribe describes Batman's use of violence as a tool, although crude and blunt, it is necessary for the mission. From what I've gleaned from his activist roots in the 60s, other works, and interviews of O'Neil I believe a lot of the writer's beliefs can be read in Green Arrow obviously, but also the pacifist Leslie Thompkins, who debuted in "There is No Hope in Crime Alley".

Throw a stick and you're likely to hit one of handful of substitute dads that Bruce Wayne has surrounded himself with. From Alfred to Gordon, Lucius Fox, occasionally Ra's Al Ghul, Bruce had a lot of male influences growing up and he lived in the shadow of his dead and perfect patriarchal doctor by day, philanthropist charity donator Thomas Wayne. Martha is a great blank and ripe for interesting back stories, but Leslie Thompkins is the equal of Alfred as a parent. And if Alf is the indulgent one, Leslie doesn't let anything slide. She's not the stereotype of a demanding ethnic mom.

Since the night of the Wayne murders she was there to comfort a grieving child, but she feels guilty that she did not do enough to prevent Bruce from growing up and smacking criminals around. The bitter twist in the relationship is that Bruce is aware that it breaks her heart for her to see him in his working clothes.

My introduction to her was through the great 90s' cartoon. It's a shame Leslie isn't written in enough stories nowadays, and although a version of her appears on Gotham, the beautiful and talented Morena Baccarin has no scenes with Bruce Wayne! Why cast an actress of her caliber on that tonal mess of show and not attempt to do the character justice?

7. "69 Chevy with a 396, Fuelie Heads and a Hurst on the floor"-- Bruce Springsteen

Muscle cars are pure Americana. Yeah, they're big, bloated, and bad on gas mileage, but it's called escapism, not therapy. It's in the DNA of our myths and folk tales. The cowboy, James Dean in a Mercury 49, Mad Max, and Bruce Springsteen's Caddilacs and "burned out Chevrolets" on "Thunder Road.

I love the low tech, subtle look of the 70s muscle car Batmobile, although I don't know how I can say subtle when there's a spray painted Bat head on the hood.

The car is usually touted as Batman or Bond's greatest gadget. The utility belt sort of fell by the wayside since it was exploited to death by the 60s show and later writers knew of its overuse as a Deus Ex Machina. Since Tim Burton's Batman and the 90s' animated series, the grappling hook has been the default escape from death device.

Here are the best of That 70s Batman:

Batman: Tales of the Demon
Batman in the Seventies
Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 1-3
Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol 3
Batman: Strange Apparitions

Avengers AND Free Comic Book Day? Nerd Weekend Achieved

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 15:00:00 +0000

In case you live in a cave (sans box of scraps), this is your friendly reminder that Avengers: Age of Ultron drops May 1st. And, on a lesser known front, Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is on May 2nd!

Think you're ready for this nerd-ified weekend? Just to make sure, here are some pointers to get the best use out of your time (time travelers need not continue reading).

1. Check movie theaters for early releases.

It seems midnight releases are growing less popular. Apparently, folks are realizing that older audiences, the most likely to be paying for a midnight release, don't actually like going to work on Friday feeling like their hungover, even if they didn't drink anything.

The new fad, if you would, is to have "Midnight Releases" start as early as 7:00pm in some places. That's right, you can see Avengers: Age of Ultron, in its entirety, on April 30th. And still make it home for a reasonable bedtime.

I'll personally being seeing a 10:00pm showing in Randolph, MA, and am pretty damn excited about it!

2. Catch up on Agents of SHIELD.

I've been avoiding Avengers spoilers as much as humanly possible, but some of the brief comments that have made it past my defenses mention that the movie starts rather abruptly.

It is my belief that tomorrow night's (4/28) Agents of SHIELD will have a minimal tie-in to the Avenger's opening. It won't be much, but even a bit of a setup will make the universe feel connected, which is nice. Already, there are some names bouncing back and forth on SHIELD that should be seen in Avengers.

In general, Agents of SHIELD has been fairly interesting this season, with some greater Marvel Tie-Ins that I'm looking forward to in future films.

3. For FCBD, know your local shop's rules.

Last year, I wrote a post explaining FCBD. One important take away is that not all shops treat the day the same. Some have restrictions to how many comics you can get. Others have additional events or sales. Figure out your local shop's deal by asking an owner/associate, and then determine if you should be making a longer trip for a more ideal setup.

I'll be at my local show, Rubber Chicken Comics, because they don't restrict free comics AND have decent sales.

4. Know what issues are free!

This one isn't a major issue, because most shops will keep all the free issues in a centralized location, but that doesn't mean you can't get a sneak peak at what you can grab the day of. Here is the link to freecomicbookday.com's list of all the free comics that will be available. I'm definitely looking forward to Fight Club, Secret Wars, and 2000 AD.

Daredevil, Marvel TV Done Right

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 12:55:00 +0000

The casting for this show was perfect, especially Charlie Cox in the titular role.

This post is going to devolve into spoilers really quick, because I want to talk about elements of the show I liked, the few I did not, and my thoughts on the future.

For the spoiler free stuff:

The Good: I loved the show. Not a single episode left me feeling unhappy, though there were certainly some notable highlights.

The Bad: I didn't feel that Wilson Fisk was ever, truly, the Kingpin of Crime, as his comic counterpart is hailed. This is partially because the series felt like an origin story for Fisk, almost more so than for Daredevil. Even so, I struggled with the Fisk character for some moments, though the actor is a damn imposing man and there were some definitely stellar moments for the character.

The Ugly: I don't care for Netflix's publishing schedule -- everything available at once. For one, it caused me to really, really want to binge, simply because it was so good. I know this doesn't sound like a bad thing, but I wanted time to do other things, but couldn't with the rest of the amazing first season right there, waiting for me. Also, the all-at-once schedule means that the conversations about the show won't last -- there won't be a week-to-week discussion, as everyone anticipates what's coming next. They can just watch the next episode. And, post binge, we now have a MUCH longer wait for what comes next!

Well, I labeled that ugly because it's hard to deny how awesome the show is, so being able to watch it at my own pace wasn't awful. But there's something to be said for anticipation and the enjoyment of something over a longer period of time. As an American, I can't do that when you put everything on the plate in front of me.

With the announcment of Daredevil getting a season 2 in 2016 (YES!), I'm very excited for the future of Marvel's Netflix enterprises. The format allows them to quickly judge what works well and what doesn't, and promises to give us more of what we love. Out of the listed shows, I was previously only interested in Iron Fist. Now that Daredevil surprisingly wowed me, I'm hopeful for AKA Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

Alright, that's you're spoiler free bit. Go away, those who could control their urges/don't have Netflix/don't realize Daredevil is one of the absolute best things on Netflix right now. You've been warned.

------------SPOILERS, YO---------------

Easter Eggs - Daredevil was full of hints and nods to the greater Marvel universe. Much of this was specific to Daredevil comics, but I LOVED the early nod to Iron Fist, in arguably the most visible "egg," the drug packets feature a nod to Iron Fist (though this will be more of a plot point than an actual egg, but I'm allowing it because not many people seem to have realized and Iron Fist isn't out yet).

Darker Tone - Marvel has been dying for a darker tone. This has been apparent since The Winter Soldier, the darkest-in-tone film to date. Daredevil picks it up a notch and really gives me hope for the future of the Marvel Netflix shows -- they really are willing to do things that they can't do on the big screen (because, in the US of A, and R rating would be a death sentence for them).

Possibly an Iron Fist enemy? And the imposing Kingpin of Crime.

The Kingpin of Crime - Wilson Fisk does not feel like the Kingpin in this season. He was a badass villain, and some of his scenes remain my favorite in the series (that Daredevil beat down in 9! Damn!), but he wasn't the smooth, controlled criminal the comics paint him out to be. It feels almost like part of an origin story, because his relationship with Vanessa (who I thought was perfectly cast) is clearly changing him. And SHE is the more level-headed one. I'm glad Kingpin feels unique in this series, I was honestly expecting a carbon copy from most Kingpin portrayals.

Stick's Agenda - What is Stick trying to get Daredevil ready for? The only Daredevil arc I've ever read was the "Shadowland" event a few years back. Daredevil took control of The Hand (Japanese ninjas -- Nobu was almost definitely a member of The Hand), erected a massive, Japanese-style fortress in Hell's Kitchen, and took the law into his own hands (and, of course, had to be stopped by all the other street-level heroes.). Is the show jumping to as recent a storyline as that? If so, I doubt they'd go the full dark side route, but I'd still like to see something like Shadowland come to fruition.

Nobu, a member of The Hand? The costume fits!

Spider-Man Vs Ayn Rand... and Why the Greatest Spidey Movie Will Never Get Made

noreply@blogger.com (Lyco I Lie 2) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:42:00 +0000

The Color of Money isn't just a Tom Cruise and Newman salad dressing film about the secret origin of Mark Millar and Grant Morrison's bromance breakup, but also a permanent shade in the wardrobe of Spider-Man's rogues. The Sinister Six could change their names to 6 Shades of blah if NuMarvel ever wanted to experiment with topical humor...

Odd man out Kraven missed dress rehearsal

Sweet Mountain Dew green was the choice for Doctor Octopus, the Lizard, Green Goblin, Scorpion, Vulture, Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, and those are just the ones created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.

In recent years Steve Ditko's great contributions to Peter Parker and his web-slinging world have been recognized and celebrated more due to researched studies like Marvel Comics: The Untold Story and Jonathon Ross's documentary In Search for Steve Ditko. Ross's interrogation of Stan Lee paints the Cameo King of Marvel out to be a villain of Bob Kane proportions, which is hardly comparable.

Now Smiley Stan is hardly an angel with a spotless record >cough< Jack Kirby, but Spider-Man never would have been the amazing, spectacular, adjective filled sensation without him and Ditko for thirty some issues of the greatest comics ever. If you took Lee out of the equation Spider-Man might have ended up more like an Ayn Randian, hippie protest hating, A is A, Rorschach's Journal: DoG CaRcaSS In aLLey, Objectivist billionaire instead of a hero who believes with great power comes great EXCELSIOR TRUE BELIEVER NUFF SAID MORE CATCHPHRASES THAN OL' CANUCKLEHEAD WOLVERINE COULD SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER IN CLAW CITY ON THE ADIMANTIUM EXPRESS!

So Steve Ditko is an unabashed Objectivist. I came to terms with that from the start, and while I pity his outlook on society, it doesn't get in the way of me being floored by his art. As to what an objectivist actually is you can read Atlas Shrugged or if you want to avoid an brain aneurism I suggest Ditko's Mr. A.

Just how would Mr. A play Fallout: New Vegas?

After Ditko left Marvel for work at Charlton Comics where he was allowed greater creative freedom, which is when the Randian influence on heroes and villain is about as subtle as an episode of Gotham. His post Spider-Man heroes are the elite few who pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps and "don't need no handouts", yet naturally gifted, so how much struggle did you have in life being an upper class white male nostalgic porn of yesteryear. Blue Beetle is a wealthy inventor and big business owner, The Question's alter ego predates Fox News, and The Creeper is in his own category altogether.

Gee, some of these characteristics seem familiar. Is your Spider Sense tingling yet? Evil scientists and corrupt businessmen who use the the press to spread lies and panic. Don't tell Jolly J. Johan Jameson or he'll have the Daily Bugle label me a public menace.

Did Ditko get tired of having working class high school geek Pete go up against titans of industry like Vulture, JJJ, Green Goblin, or hard working Jekyll scientists turn Mr. Hyde like Doc Ock and Lizard? Well, one of the deciding factors rumored as to why Ditko left concerned the Green Goblin's identity. Stan Lee apparently wanted it to be the hero's friend's father because that's good soap opera, while Ditko thought it wasn't realistic since it's a comic book about a kid who got bitten by a radioactive spider. Oh, silly realism.

Amazing Fantasy #15, not Amazing Realistic Graffiti

As a child reading a reprint of Spider-Man's origin from Amazing Fantasy #15 I was shocked to see how the early 60s didn't resemble an episode of Happy Days all that well. Sure, there were the varsity jackets, hot rods, and soda shops, but the anger, bitterness, and neurotic atmosphere around Puny Parker belonged to something out of David Lynch's Blue Velvet or Bruce Springsteen's Darkness On the Edge of Town. Later in college I got my hands on all the Ditko Marvel Masterworks collections, which I'm sorry to say to all the creative talent that has worked on the character since has not been surpassed.

Ditko's run is the purest distillation of the character with the greatest arc. Peter Parker starts off as a 15 year old smug loner (why I could relate to the guy so easily) thinking he's superior to his peers because he can't see past his own suffering, who tries repetitively to cash in on his powers and fame in ways that would put the Reality TV generation to shame. Pete does everything from selling photos of himself to starring in a Hollywood movie that goes bust, and to expecting the Fantastic Four to pay him a salary to join their team. Lee and Ditko take an everyman and transform into a proper and selfless hero over the course of years on the title.

It's a slow burn, but just look at the payoff!

Atlas shrugged, but not Spidey

Past movies hardly had the patience or guts for that. Despite my affection for Spider-Man 2 Toby Maguire's Peter Parker seemed too fragile without a self-righteous or angry bone in his body which the early character requires. Andrew Garfield would have been better off playing jock Flash Thompson or an extra in Twilight, but that's just one of many critiques with the recent films and I don't need to beat a dead or in Sony's case dying franchise.

For there to be a great Spider-Man movie it would have to be or start off as a horror film in the Alfred Hitchcock sense of tension building and suspense of knowing a bomb is under a table, but not being aware of when it will explode rather than splatter shock or torture porn. The Marvel Age of Wonder followed closely behind horror and monster mags, which both Jack Kirby and Ditko excelled at. The Hulk and the Fantastic Four's The Thing were monsters as a way for Lee and company to hedge their bets because despite the success of DC's revival of The Flash, Green Lantern, and Justice League of America Marvel wasn't sure if their readers would take to brand new heroes infused with distinct personalities. Amazing Fantasy #15's O. Henry ironic conclusion of the mugger responsible for the death of our hero's uncle was someone Spider-Man could have caught earlier ends in tears and oppressive shadows.

I can't pick a favorite Spidey villain because they work so well conceptually as a collective. It's Peter Parker versus the world or himself. Put him up against the brainwashed army of Ayn Rand's selfish worshiping Sinister Six and we can call it a day.

Persona 5, the Return of Spider-Man, and Underwhelming Comics

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 18:50:00 +0000

Almost back to back, I got two bits of wonderful news that has me very excited for things coming up. Which is good, because I've needed something to look forward to!

Persona 5

First, a gameplay trailer for Persona 5 launched. IT WAS AMAZING. This is already my GOTY (game of the year), and I won't be playing until at least 2016 (Japanese release date is sometime 2015, so I'm HOPING we're sometime 2016). I love the red colors, the cat burgler-esque themes, the grittier characters, the more dynamic dungeons, persona enemies instead of shadows, etc etc... The only thing I'm not seeing in the trailer is a cast that exceeds for playable characters. It's not determined by the trailer, obviously, but I wouldn't even be mad if that was the case.

Oh, and it's coming to PS4 (and PS3), which 100% justifies my purchase of the system. Perfection. Watch it below, the Elder Gods know I have...

Spidey's Return

Next up, we have the "return" of Spider-Man to Marvel, in regards to film rights. Marvel has brokered a deal that allows them to use a new (not Andrew Garfield/ASM series) Spider-Man in their films (which is already impacting upcoming releases -- like May's Captain America: Civil War!). Sony will choose the actor and have final say in regards to character development, but I'm hoping they see reason and more or less follow Marvel's lead.

Doubt they'll go this route, but an important Civil War moment...

Then Sony will continue to produce solo Spider-Man films, which may now see inclusion of MCU characters. While I no longer trust Sony with anything related to my favorite super hero, I'm hoping the cross-pollination with Marvel will produce quality results. And having two studios pumping out related MCU films sounds like a perfect setup to me (though I would prefer Marvel having ownership of all rights back, just to allay the shakes and mental anguish ASM2 still causes).

Apparently the agreement was reached without Marvel actually paying anything, either -- they won't be getting any money from Sony Spidey-films, and Sony won't be getting any money from MCU group films. Honestly, it sounds like Sony got the lesser half of this deal, unless they're expecting the MCU marketing to be worthwhile... Or maybe there's something else there going on.

Now, on to actual comics...

Guardians of the Galaxy

Because... Venom.

I was excited that Guardians of the Galaxy was finally going to the home planet of the symbiotes. We've seen a "Planet of the Symbiotes" in a 90's crossover, featuring Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, and Venom titles, but never the actual point of origin for the species.

Guardians promised to take us there, and they did... but they didn't exactly deliver anything worthwhile. The arc is mostly taken up by the Venom symbiote jumping from Guardian to Guardian (as if we EVER expected anything else), eventually taking over the ship and directing the group to its home. Upon arrival... well, there's a very short, very anti-climactic stay. I won't even bother spoiling things for you, but the reveal of the species as a whole is unfortunate, white-washes a potentially interesting story, and retcons information offered in the "Planet of the Symbiotes" arc (Planet of the Big Fat Liars is more like it).

All in all, after reading decades of Venom, Carnage, and their extended family, it comes as a real let down that this is the direction Marvel went. I wanted a potential inter-galactic threat, or something menacing in some way that explains all the bullshit abilities and costs the symbiotes seem to offer or impose. Instead... blah. Going back to NOT reading GotG.

Spider-verse

As a whole, Spider-verse hasn't been as inclusive or as interesting as I hoped. "Every Spider-Man ever" isn't actually pulled off, and it's a giant chase scene between an arbitrarily super-powered family hunting Spiders, with limited-to-no logic applied. The Spiders could just as easily get help from the other super powers in their multitude of dimensions, but instead they wait and allow some of my favorite Spiders to get killed off.

GUESS WHO'S AT THE END?!

On that note, I won't even start on how annoyed I am with the "Scarlet Spiders" run ended. The bastards did it again. They. Did. It. Again.

For now... Well, wish me luck in netting a Majora's Mask Edition New 3DS XL. I, like anyone who wasn't a filthy scalper, missed the tiny pre-order window (less than 20 minutes, I believe), and have had to resort to sending The Wife out to flirt with associates of certain stores, in an effort to secure us a copy come Friday. The Wife seems confidant of her success... You'll be seeing a review of the system next week, if she's correct!

Marvel's Star Wars: Off to a Bad Start?

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:56:00 +0000

Props for the Skottie Young variant!

A post in which I am over critical of a universe, medium, and company I love:

Star Wars #1 by Marvel Comics.

This comic embodies everything I hate in a movie based comic series, and something that is especially glaring, coming from a universe we've had expansive experience with in the medium.

1. The setting. This series takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Uhg. This has been Donne to death. Yes, all of the previous material has been branded "Legends," aka non-canon, but the first comic from Marvel's newly acquired license should NOT be such an overdone time frame that the most recent Dark Horse run ALSO used! Especially if the writing is going to be WORSE!

2. The characters. This is a more serious offense. We have the characters as we left them in A New Hope and how they'll be in The Empire Strikes Back. They should not vary from those points, at least not much. This issue has the following discrepancies:

Han Solo: why does he talk like a country hick? Why are they making him a bumbling romantic, when he's usually shown as a bit aloof? Yes, there is some room to play with the romance, but stay in character, people!

Princess Leia: we witness her punch an Imperial Officer into unconsciousness, with one blow. Yes, she has every right to be mad at the Empire, but she probably didn't take up martial arts and then forget martial arts between the two movies -- she's not shown as having any physical strength in A New Hope, and she very ineffectively attempts to overcome Han Solo's embrace in The Empire Strikes Back (yes, there is obviously romantic attraction there, but she at no point shows any hint of strength or combat training). Leia is a badass, don't get me wrong, but she's not Chuck Norris. Giver her a blaster and she'll cut down folks in cold blood (he said STUN, damn it!), but she really shouldn't be handing out knuckle-sandwiches (that is unintentionally sexist, but I'm leaving it).

C-3PO: Threepio is and always shall be a pessimist. And yet, we have him being awkwardly hopeful for a high-tension mission that should normally have him telling the odds of invading a high-importance Imperial base, especially without the help of any trained professionals. And, might I add, completely reasonably.

[Millennium] Falcon PUNCH!

Vader: we have never before seen Vader using Stormtroopers as living shields. It seems to be an almost petty level of evil for a once-honorable man to do so (though it was pretty badass). Yes, he's murdered children. But that was after direct orders that served a practical purpose. Otherwise, he only seems to eliminate Imperials when they've been incompetent {again, practical). There's no reason why he couldn't use his saber to block those blasts.

And, honestly, we don't need to see Darth Vader in every freaking comic. Give him a break. And stop reducing the impact of when characters meet him in the films (if done well, this last complaint is nil).

The Empire: they've apparently removed any sense of being a functional, somewhat professional governing body. Now, they follow every given order with a threat of "obliteration." Because that's not excessive. None of the Imperials act like this in the films, but I guess they need to act like complete dicks in case we forgot they're the bad guys.

3. The plot. Why exactly are Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, Threepio, and R2 acting as a strike team? Without any Rebel support at all? If the mission is so important, they'd have backup, or be the backup of a commando group. But no, they'll do it all because they have plot armor, I guess. That's one of the worst things movie comics flail around. They throw our heroes at impossible odds because they cannot die. And, for some reason, they insist on mortally wounding them at one point (has t happened in the comic, yet), as if it will have any emotional impact for us at all.

There are a couple of good things to say, such as Chewie being a badass, Artoo using some of his prequel abilities, and the overall art, but, all in all, I really disliked this comic and will probably not be adding it to my pull list. Even if the new lightsaber motion scenes are pretty neat. Maybe I'll give it a another issue before I pass final judgement...

Some of this is partially coming from the fact that a lot of good Star Wars storylines were killed off due to the company switch. Dark Horse had a lot of good titles running, even if they'd now be considered "Legends." To trade them for this offends me (though it now makes my collection of the Legacy series 100% complete...).

And I thought there was a team to make sure ALL new Star Wars media, across all mediums, would create one coherent canon. It's already looking to me that the comics are going to suffer from "Super Hero Mag" syndrome.

And I was so hopeful, too.

Firefly: The Game Review (Expansions Included!)

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:44:00 +0000

Hi all! Finally coming back with the review of Firefly: The Game, now that I've actually gotten to play it with all the current expansions available (promo material not included)!

Base Game

The base game does a lot right. The Firefly theme is felt in every element of the game, and there are a ton of references for fans of the show to enjoy. When you're working jobs and upgrading your ship, it can really feel like you're a ship captain working your way through the 'Verse. Especially when things go wrong -- Reavers, ship malfunctions, running out of fuel, and other unfortunate elements.
Every time you take an extended trip through the big black, you take the risk of random things happening. Sometimes their good... but that's pretty rare.

The Reavers aren't actually much of a threat in this version. There's one ship that may get moved around a couple spaces, but there's really only one card that forces them upon you and, even then, it's easy enough to prepare for. The Alliance Cruiser, being centrally located and opposed to some of the best characters in the game, poses much more of a threat... if you're not keeping things strictly on the up and up. And it's MUCH more lucrative to play on the other side of the law.

Other players... well, they really don't matter. Very minimal interactions, you're just hoping they don't accomplish the goals, which are variable based on the chosen setup card, before you. Even then... that can take PLENTY of time.

My first game was with two other players and we were at it for about six hours. And we really, really enjoyed it.

Breakin' Atmo'

This was just a booster pack of cards for the various decks, It added a couple of interesting items/characters, but didn't in any way impact game mechanics.

Pirates and Bounty Hunters

This was an awesome expansion!
-It added two new, very unique ships. They offer substantially different play styles than the Fireflys, and they play to different styles -- one a super fast ship with little storage place but offering plenty of opportunity for hunting the galaxy's most wanted or maybe even engaging in a bit of piracy. The other is a slow, lumbering cargo hauler that... well, is really damn awesome at hauling cargo.
-It also added bounties -- using the characters that already have Warrants on their cards, now they may randomly become open season for all aspiring bounty hunters. Some huge payoffs, but taking these bounties aren't always safe... especially if they're on another player's ship!
-Piracy added an element of PVP, and some more tension between players. Is he coming by because he needs to get some shopping done at the Space Bazaar, or does he have a mission that allows him to board my ship and steal my goods? ... Better mosey...
-The new items and characters were also solid additions.

For the new ships alone, this expansion was awesome -- now six players can traverse the 'verse at once... though this WILL create MUCH longer games. Strongly recommend ONLY playing this many with an experienced group. The PVP was a nice touch, too!

The slow cargo hauler.

Blue Sun

This expansions expands the board, adds a new shopping destination and two new contacts, AND makes the Reavers (which are now three in total!) MUCH more of a threat. Seriously, I got munched on twice, and didn't have time to collect the Mechanic/Pilot combo needed to get out of the way :/

No real new mechanics, other than those that relate to the Reavers, but the additional space, items, locations, and faces were very welcome. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they add next, considering they've already used a lot of fairly minor elements from the show and movie...

The new board and the Reaver threat!

On another note, the base box kind of sucks. Its beautiful, but it just doesn't keep things organized or have enough room for the expansions. I actually decided to do some crafting for the first time ever, and made a custom box insert. It... well, it's rough, and I miscalculated all of my measurements by a half centimeter, but it is currently functional, fits everything from all the expansions, and makes setup/clean up MUCH faster. Seeing a show version 1.1 is a little rough (1.0 already had to have a couple modifications), I'll be waiting for version 2.0 before I do a write about about customizing the box... but this has been a project I enjoyed doing and would really like to look into for my other games... and it may make for an interesting series of posts. More on this later!

P.S. If you're on Instagram, you can always follow my progress there! You'll also see images from our game sessions, pictures of the work I've been doing on the Nerd-Cave, and maybe some pictures of a really cute baby. Who knows.

The Nerd Reviews EVERYTHING!

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 19:01:00 +0000

Ok, that's a bit over dramatic. But there was a lot I wanted to talk about, and I don't ever seem to be able to set aside them time. Or, when I do, I fall asleep.

... 4 months of fatherhood will do that to you.

So I'm going to give a quick comment on things I've been meaning to touch base on, with the promise of a longer review for the super mysterious last item, that I won't reveal until... well, you've scrolled down the bottom of the page, I guess.

Saga #24

This issue was full of win. It's a story about making The Will better. We learn some things about him, his sister meets up with Lying Cat and Co., and the final panel, featuring Marko and Prince Robot IV, is freaking perfect.

Spider-Verse Event

The event has been going strong. I'm liking it, for the most part. I dislike the villains being stupid strong for no apparent reason, and there are a lot of deus ex machina moments, but the writing is decent and some of the alternate Spiders are really interesting. They have killed off some Spiders that I'd rather they didn't, the pacing in general is so-so, and the fights really inconsistent, but it's entertaining enough on the surface. All the artists have been solid as well, and I'm getting a Ben Reilly kicking around for awhile.

Until they invariably kill him, too :/

New Star Wars Trailer

I dislike the name of the movie, the new lightsaber is dumb, everything else looks pretty damn good. Really hoping Finn's story (the guy in stormtrooper armor in the opening shot) is awesome and actually stormtrooper related -- I'd like to see one of the movies follow characters on both sides of the fence.

TV

I don't have time to watch TV, what is this?

But I have rewatched Firefly... twice... in the past week. Dammit Fox.

Speaking of Firefly...

Firefly the Game

I picked this up and was able to play a solo game and a three player game. I've picked up a couple expansions and am looking forward to playing again. When I do, I'll do a full review on the game, with it's own post and everything. Shiny.

Review preview: I'm loving it!

The Nerd isn't Dead, Only Dreaming

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:17:00 +0000

I suspect I've used that title before. Oh well.

I'm not dead. Just super busy at work and pretty exhausted afterwards. And there's this little monster at home that is against things like sleep or sanity (I knew we should have named her Cthulhu).

I want to write review on the most recent issue of Saga and how the Spiderverse event is going. So keep an eye out for that.

I picked up the new Call of Duty. It's enjoyable, but I find the novelty fades fairly quickly, and the weapons aren't balanced enough to promote switching things up.

Dragon Age: Inquisition comes out tonight. Assuming I don't fall sleep beforehand, I'm planning on picking it up at midnight and playing for a bit. I'll be surprised if I make it past the character creation...

This weekend I'll be attending a gathering of friends celebrating the release of the new Smash Bros... but playing the crap out of it all day. I might write a few thoughts afterwards.

TableTop Season 3 started. Check that out, the first episode is a solid one and they made me really want to get Tokaido :/

And I hate the announced title for the Star Wars film. But whatever, I'll avoid the rant on that one.e

Back to work. Or sleep. See which one wins...

5 Fixes for your Gundam Mania

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 12:55:00 +0000

Sometimes, I just get the urge to binge on things. As a nerd, this generally relates to periods of time where I binge on a certain title or genre.

This month's binge is brought to you buy giant mecha, specifically in the form of the Gundam franchise. Unfortunately for me, America doesn't love Gundam. Which means that Gundam rarely comes out to play and, instead, stays home, all the way in Japan. There have been countless games, books, and movies/shows that have never hit US shores... and it's pretty depressing.

In case you've got the same affliction I've got now, I'm going to share how I scratch that Gundam-mania itch, in 5 relatively easy steps!

1. Watch the Original Series

Ah, Mobile Suit Gundam. Dated visuals, inconsistent plot, and sometimes terrible writing. Old school anime at its best. But wait, there's more! The original series, as it aired, was truly a mess. The creator realized that and, for your benefit, reconstructed the series into three, feature length films. The art doesn't take any leaps forward, but the plot is restructured and improved, and certain story elements are made clearer. If you're really jonesing for Gunam, but not interested in the dozens of meh quality episodes, these three movies are just for you!

2. Play MS Saga: A New Dawn

MS Saga is a PS2 game. It is a JRPG with traditional, turn-based JRPG elements. The kicker is that your team takes giant mechs from many of the Gundam series into battle.

The story is rubbish. The character designs are the worst, and further dragged down by painful voice acting, and the mobile suits follow the SD (Super Deformed) style. That being said, the gameplay is respectfully challenging, the diversity in enemies is perfect, and it features great customization and collectible options. Every time you acquire a new mobile suit, it feels like Christmas (or whatever holiday you choose, I suppose, but it has to include getting awesome shit). You've never been so happy to see a Gouf in your life! And, when you finally get to see the Gundam in action, it will give you butterflies.

The traditional gameplay is actually a solid example of how RPGs can be turn-based and still awesome, too -- you can have up to six party members at a time, three active and three that can be swapped in on a whim. It gives you a lot of options on how to approach combat.

Customization example. Yes, you can also change part colors!

Despite all the negatives I mention, I give this game an 8/10 on the Arbitrary Scale. If you can, I'd also recommend emulating it -- I was MUCH happier being able to A) save anywhere and B) speed up the game at certain points.

3. Search #Gunpla on Instagram

After playing MS Saga, you'll think you've have seen a large variety of suits. Well, it's time to expand your mind. Bandai has been released Gunpla (Gundam Plastic Models), regardless if they match up with any ongoing show or not. What this means is that there are some truly awesome, never-before-seen models out there. And, since they're WAY too expensive a hobby for me to pursue, Instagram lets me enjoy the hard work of others (truly, the American Dream).

#Winning

When I need a quick fix, Instagram and Gunpla are where it's at. Unfortunately, this remedy has led to some additional side effects, such as seeing if Gunpla models are really THAT expensive, and how difficult could it be, putting them together...

4. Play Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front

Crap, gotta distract myself from Gunpla. Alright, back to the PS2, which is the definitive console for Gundam in the US. Zeonic Front is a third-person strategy/action game. You're playing as a Zeon soldier during the ground-wars of the One Year War. Before each mission, you equip your troops (up to three squads) and set the paths your squads should take on the battle map. This leads to a lot of different strategic options, and it's an awesome, realistic feeling mech sim in that regards.

Of course, that's not to say it doesn't have issues. Controls are not intuitive or responsive, combat is quick and usually dirty, and there are especially difficult/cheap missions (I'm looking at you, mission #6!).

This game gets a 7/10 for me. I really do love it, but it can frustrate the shit outta me.

5. Watch an Alternative Gundam series

The Gundam series has several universes. The original follows the UC timelines and is comprised of the main titles "Mobile Suit Gundam," "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam," and "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ." There are related side stories (0083: Stardust Memories has some awesome art, and bridges the gap between the original series and Zeta), and follow up movies, but I recommend jumping off the UC timeline for a bit.

Your Gundam Beat-'Em-Up Anime

I'm going to split this recommendation in twain, only because the correct 5th treatment is based on your preference:

If you enjoy a lot of action with relatively limited story (which can be refreshing after Mobile Suit Gundam), watch "Mobile Fighter G Gundam." This series is all about fist-fighting mechs that participate in an overly dramatic martial arts tournament. This may sounds kind of stupid, but it's actually pretty awesome, and it features the most unique mobile suits in the franchise (mostly because they don't all go pew pew, bang bang). The cast isn't large, so you're less likely to get annoyed by them (I personally find all the main protagonists from the UC timeline really, really annoying).

If you're looking for a deeper, character driven story, watch the always-classic "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing." You're not sure if the Gundam are the good guys or the bad guys, or even friends or enemies, but it makes for an awesome ride. Probably one of my favorite story-oriented shows in the franchise, and the suits are all iconic (it's amazing when you start picking them up in MS Saga).

Angst and Explosions, the Anime

Alright, those are my five steps. You can expand the first point, as I'm doing, by watching all of the UC timeline in order. I don't necessarily recommend that, but you could. And there are other (mostly PS2) Gundam video games, but the most common entry in that vein lately has been Dynasty Warriors Gundam *sigh*. Let me know if you find anything else that helps you with your Gundam Mania, because I'm afraid mine might flare up again...

Two Blonde Dudes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Oct 2014 08:40:00 +0000

I might have said something about finishing my dark heart of the soul analysis of Twin Peaks as a reworking of Peter Pan, but that shit be dark and depressing, and I got a little weekend getaway in Kyoto planned, so I felt more emotionally comfortable blogging about two white bread characters. Just be grateful I didn't have the time to include other blondes like Barry Allen (now a brunet on the CW), John Constantine (dyed thanks to NBC), or Animal Man

The Brave, the Bold, and the Blonde gender bender await after the jump!

Green Arrow

Before I joined the Church of Morrison comics, Denny O’Neil was my patron saint. His novelization of Batman: Knightfall became my bible from then onwards one sophomore day I covertly purchased it from a bookshop. Repeatedly reading that and later seeing Batman Begins motivated me enough to fall down the comics’ rabbit hole after about a 7 year absence. Knightfall’s intro or afterword, I forget, by Greg Rucka (No slouch when it comes to writing great comics, Gotham Central, Wonder Woman, Wolverine, to name a few) helped point me in the right direction towards some guys named Frank Miller, Neal Adams, and of course Denny O’Neil’s seminal run not just on Batman, but Green Arrow. Rucka described how O’Neil reworked what for decades was an unapologetic Batman knockoff, complete with ward sidekick, Arrow Car/Plane/whateva, millionaire alter ego, and striped the character of his wealth, housed him in a poverty stricken tenement, and made the once square jaw WASP a vocal opponent of racism, pollution, government corruption, and anything else a 90s Captain Planet might encounter. With my Bruce Springsteen fanaticism and Joe Strummer Punk leanings, of course I was going to fall in love with Green Arrow. I could have been Marty’s mom in Back to the Future and GA suddenly swoops in with the pick up line,“I’m your density…”

Down with Fat Cats, Daddy O

It wasn’t until College that I got to read O’Neil reshaping of Green Arrow, which began in Justice League of America and carried over as the anarchistic counter to the more straight laced Green Lantern in Hard Traveling Heroes. I’ve talked about “The Killing of an Archer” before when GA accidentally causes the death of a criminal, then tears up his costume and bow, crashes his Arrow Plane into a mountain in Northern Cali, and seeks forgiveness from a monastery of Zen monk archers.

By now we’re so familiar with the hero who gets beaten down and has everything stripped away, just so he can rise up stronger than before. It’s an archetypical tale older than comics, yet it wasn’t commonplace in comics until O’Neil, and of course Neal Adam’s (responsible for so many amazing stories, but deserves a unique prize for Green Arrow’s Van Dyke beard) retooling of GA. Frank Miller, an admitted student of O’Neil and Adams, during his run on Daredevil and hitting it’s peak in Daredevil: Born Again had the hero being put through a very similar ringer and deconstruction.

Pain. Miller eats pain in the morning with a side of cornflakes, Jack

With Arrow in its 3^rd season and Ollie’s billionaire company drying up, I’m hoping the writers give the character the liberal bleeding heart his counterpart in the comics, as well as myself share.

Aquaman

I have solved DC’s Aquaman problem.

Besides being an intense comic book fan (is there any other), I consider myself to be quite the pretentious film buff. I’m talking Kubrick, Spielberg, 40s film noir, Eastwood, Coppalla, Hitchcock, James Bond counts, Lynch, Scorsese, Carpenter, but the one who I consider the greatest… Kurosawa. The reason I’ve been in Japan for the past four years. The director’s masterpiece, Seven Samurai, should be ripped off entirely for a blockbuster Justice League film, which could be the greatest single achievement in superhero cinema… and maybe salvage any respect I could possibly have for Zack Snyder.

If you’re not familiar with the basic plot of the aforementioned film or it’s cool Western remake The Magnificent Seven they both involve a poor small village being forced to hire sword/gunmen for protection against a group of 40 horsed bandits. The farmers can only offer food and board for protection so that only invites the truly honorable, thrill seeking, or experience lacking individuals to fight off impossible odds. There’s no better way to spend 3 hours and 40 minutes with a Criterion Collection Edition on a rainy Rashomon day!

Obviously you’d substitute a rural village for a distant planet or parallel dimension, but here’s how the character archetypes breakdown;

The Leader, who although physically skilled, can provoke respect or intimidation with only a glance

Superman

The Zen Warrior, who seeks only to perfect one’s craft, yet chooses violence as the last course of action

Wonder Woman

The Right Hand Confidant, who having just met the leader, takes an immediate liking and interest in his actions

J’onn J’onzz (Martian Manhunter)= Steve McQueen

The Jester, who brightens the group morale in dark times

Plastic Man

The Student, who is under the tutelage of the Leader, and involved in a tragic romance that comments on social prejudice

Could throw in Jon Stewart or Kyle Ryner GL, but Black Canary won’t let WW be the only chick in this fan fictional pipe dream

The Mysterious Man with No Name, who I’m drafting in from Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, which spawned Clint Eastwood’s stardom and prompted Frank Miller to write Dirty Harry Batman in TDKR

I don't care what they say, I love you All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder

The Rebel Outsider, who although an enthusiastic and adept fighter, can never do enough to be fully accepted by the group

Aquaman! Two Toshiro Mifunes for the price of one Justice League movie. The Mifune performance in Seven Samurai steals the show, which has much to do with the actor’s manic acting approach, and sympathetic back-story makes him the most accessible stand in for the audience. Just imagine Aquaman meeting up with the JLA for the first time and puffing his chest, going on about being the descendent to the throne of Atlantis. Of course Aquaman is fit for comedy, but he needs to have some sense of redemption in a story, which wasn’t the case when Geoff Johns made the king of the seven seas a MadTV inspired whipping boy with the constant barrage of lame fish jokes at the start of the New52. Seriously… fish jokes, daddy issues(added to the list along with Green Lantern, Flash, Capt. Cold, Cyborg, Earth One Batman of Johns resume), and a murdering back-story

"I don't talk to fish" actual Geoff Johns dialogue. Not actual Ivan Reis art

Peter Pan: Twin Peaks for Kids Part 1 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 14:43:00 +0000

“Peter Pan flew with children, Lois...in a fairy tale.” So spoke Christopher Reeve, who made us believe a man (not an actress portraying a male youth) could fly. That poignant scene between two consenting adults is why I got problems with Steven Spielberg's Hook.

Robin V Superman

Sure, Robin Williams was a brilliant actor working alongside one of cinema’s most talented, the director of Jaws, E.T., Indian Jones and The Shia LaBeouf Abortion that Never Happened. No one’s perfect. Hook’s insurmountable hurdle was having a cinematic adult Peter Pan in a time after 1938. Superman isn’t Peter Pan for adults. Superman is almost the Anti-Pan. The character’s story is mostly about growing up, not with reluctance, but on a cosmic folk tale level of adventure, which Smallville failed at showing for 10 long years. From a baby on Krypton to stumbling awkward blue collar young man in a big city, to romance with Lois, Superman reflects the experience of becoming and steadily continuing life in the daily grind of adulthood with super heroics as set dressing, much in the same way how those great early Spider-Man comics dealt with adolescence. Superman is an aspiration, not in regards to biceps, but for morality, humility, and conduct. The only documented case I’m aware of a grown man who wished he was Peter Pan was a so called king of Pop. I’m sure he was never associated with accusations of child abuse, right?

Just saying, Peter Pan is messed up!

So what does Peter Pan have to do with incest and Twin Peaks? If you type in a search for TP and PP together you’ll mostly just get links about Johnny Thorne’s favorite book. Johnny was a mentally handicapped man tutored by Laura Palmer. It seems to be Lynch showing his hand, but being very coy about doing a modern reinterpretation of the children’s classic tale. One could argue that is a little too vague for the director when compared to Wild at Heart’s strong connection to The Wizard of Oz, but does Marilyn Monroe’s life immediately jump to mind after watching Mulholland Drive? Regardless, let us strap on our Alan Moore goggles and slit the tender throat of innocence.

Bored on a Sunday and needing to escape blazing sun I sought shelter in a library and picked up Peter Pan and became horrified by some very familiar beats seen in Twin Peaks, such as upper middle class Dads as the main villains or tragic heroes, moms willingly ignoring incest, appearances of the unbelievable well into the beginning chapters or episodes, magical wild beings sneaking into children’s bedrooms, and when is a thimble is a kiss and when a kiss is a ring that will seal your soul in the Black Lodge or Never Land.

Daddy Issues

Where Leland Palmer begins and Bob begins is highly debatable and ambiguous. The same goes for George Darling, father to Wendy Angela Darling, and Captain Hook and Peter. Most adaptations of Peter Pan have the same actor playing George Darling and Capt. Hook. One doesn’t need a strong subtext prescription to see the Freudian battle going on for a maturing schoolgirl clinging to childhood fantasies when faced with the authoritarian world of adulthood represented by her father, a banker (Pirate). Leland Palmer was a lawyer (Pirate).

Damn Fine TV

If Hook is the manifestation of adulthood corruption, then Peter Pan is perhaps the lost boyhood innocence of George Darling. Wendy first meets Peter because she wakes up from his crying and inability to reattach his shadow. I don’t think I’m reading into it too much to assume George Darling is having a conflict of conscience given J.M Barrie’s own biography.

David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is as much Leland Palmer’s story of tragic failures as it is Laura’s demise. As much as I prefer to think that all rapists are soulless inhuman monsters that should for rest of their days be punished severely, I don’t have enough medical or psychological knowledge to say for certain that 100% of rape criminals are irredeemable or unrepentant. Peter Pan and Twin Peaks remain ambiguous for good reason. Not even the great Zen detective, Dale Cooper can say for certain how much control Bob had for Leland when states, “Is it anymore easier to believe a man would rape and murder his own daughter?” The demonic possession of Bob could translate to simply "the evil that men do" or mental disorders, but in the world of TP, and with the prospect of more episodes from Lynch, it is still doubtful that Cooper's question can ever be truly answered.

Bob’s ex partner in murder, Mike (another possible side of Leland) tried to repent by cutting off an arm, which connects to Capt Hook’s obvious loss in a battle with Peter. Mike who spends most of his screen time chasing after and harassing Leland to the point of a nervous breakdown is also similar to the Crocodile that stalks Hook. Both examples are past events continuing to haunt the fathers', and perhaps highlighting that sacrificial bribery of self mutational are not enough to appease their guilty consciences. Fear of being exposed is only a matter of time in regards to the fates of Hook and Leland at least. Time is relentless, which Barrie hits us over the head with the Tick Tock Croc. Lynch uses another common household object to remind Bob's hosts of aging; mirrors. "How's Annie?"

Spooky stuff for October. Next time I'll be harping on the Mom/Tinkerbell jealously and something about a horse in relation to the dog that is a nanny.

"Don't tempt me, Frodo!"

8 Elements of the Nerd's Perfect Video Game

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 12:35:00 +0000

In this post, I'm going to attempt to distill my favorite features of video games and break them down to components I would love to see make up a single game that would, for The Nerd, be the end all of video games.

Until the sequel comes out, with improved graphics and smell-o-vision.

1. Turn-Based Strategy

This is a must for me. Real-Time Strategy games require too much in regards to practice and memorization. I don't argue that they are fun, but my method of thinking is more analytically, given to examining a situation to make the best decision, without feeling rushed. The strategy aspect highlights this as well -- sure, a turn-based RPG is acceptable, but adding unit location and map variation to conflict scenarios really draws out the strategy-enthusiest in me. And it also highlights the ability to solve a scenario via multiple methods (direct approach, bait and switch, opposed strength/weakness, etc...). I have seen games that use turn-based strategy for an overworld and then something more action-oriented to resolve conflicts... I'd be ok with that as well.

X-COM: Enemy Unknown's Turn-Based, Strategic Combat.

Examples: X-COM: Enemy Unknown had a beautiful system with varied maps, and the fog of war was a nice touch. Banner Saga was another great looking example, which focused on each unit being different, while the maps were not so exciting. A classic example would be Final Fantasy Tactics, though that system is a bit dated and runs too slow compared to recent ventures.

2. Team Building

Being able to grow your team by collecting and grooming new units adds another reason to play the game, aside from the story and combat/conflict. However, these units should be unique or extremely varied, should have different strengths and weakness, and must have different recruitment methods and rarity.

Yeah, 108 characters will work, Suikoden 3.

Examples: The Suikoden series has a roster of 108 characters, which are different across all the games. I've only finished the 3rd game in the series, but it was awesome recruiting such a large cast of characters that had individual stories, unique appearances, and different ways to get them on your team. Pokemon is a better known series that features a collectible, team-building style, and it worked as well. Shin Megami Tensei games have one of the most interest versions of this, with large cast of recruitable monsters, many of which can only be acquired through fusing others... Collectible card games are also appealing in this manner.

3. 'Town' Building

Building a town or location up as you advance in the game is an easy way to make a player invested. It can be a negligible aspect of the game that provides non-mandatory benefits for those who like the simulation-like aspect. Visiting a location you've help 'build' from the ground up is refreshing. Even better if you have to defend it or interact with it during missions. It can also offer an avenue of interacting with the large cast you've recruited above, if they end up relocating to this new location.

One method of "town" building, with X-COM's base screen.

Examples: Suikoden, again, uses this pretty heavily, and it was my absolute favorite part of the third game. I cared less about the main story and more about gathering the "108 Stars of Destiny" in Thomas' castle... XCOM: Enemy Unknown also features a base-building aspect that, while a touch bland, did introduce a puzzle-like aspect and some additional strategy to the overall game. A classic example would be Dragon Quest/Warrior III, which had a town that grew as your progressed the story.

4. Character Evolution

Characters should change throughout the game. Most commonly, this will occur via the story, but that's not the only way to do it. Characters that can unlock abilities that alter the game to a decent degree would work, or characters that undergo a physical change after a certain threshold is met allow the player to set goals based on their characters. Stagnant characters can kill a game fairly easily.

Pokemon Conquest's monsters and 'trainers' could evolve.

Examples: X-COM: Enemy Unknown had your soldiers gaining game-changing abilities as time went on, and their physical appearance changed drastically based on their equipment (and, after the expansion, certain abilities). Pokemon is an obvious choice here, with almost every monster being able to evolve. A less obvious example would be the main character of Knights of the Old Republic, who has a major revelation that is surprising and changes the way the player looks at the character. Similar again to the protagonist in the first Bioshock.

5. The Antagonist's Story

This one is probably the easiest to dispute from this list, but it is absolutely a requirement to be the perfect game for me. Having an opportunity to see the antagonist's story is a minimum. Even better if you can, in some fashion, play through their story. Either as post-game content, or recruiting them to your team, or maybe just given control of them for a couple of sequences.

Magneto was clutch in the final battle of X-Men 2: Clone Wars.

Examples: Chrono Trigger allows you to recruit on of the villains on your team. I'm fairly certain you could play as the antagonists in Suikoden 3, after finishing the main game, but I don't recall. Fallout: New Vegas allowed you to be a villain, and never required you to "save the world" or "fight the bigger evil." Golden Sun: The Lost Ages actually gives you control of some of the main antagonists from the first game, which was awesome. A classic example would be X-Men 2: Clone Wars, where Magneto became a powerful player character after you defeat him in a later level of the game.

6. Variety of Game 'Modes'

Cutscenes separating similar combat scenarios/styles gets boring, eventually. Sure, some games can come to a close before this happens, but I personally love longer titles. My favorite way to break this up is to work in an 'large battle' system or an 'territory conquest view.' These would have different gameplay elements that still required strategy.

Budokai 2 had a board game campaign within a fighting game!

Examples: Suikoden, again, featured this, in the form of large scale battles that gave you control of larger forces that followed different rules when being controlled. X-COM: Enemy Unknown's base building and global management definitely broke up the monotony of repeated turn-based battles. A classic example would be Ogre Battle 64, which had to methods of play - a map view, where you moved your forces around, and a combat mode that played like a typical RPG. The Devil Survivor series also mixed turn-based strategy with traditional RPG elements. Even Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 had a "campaign mode" that worked in a boardgame element. When pieces on the gameboard met, the combat would take place via traditional fighting game combat -- the losing player lost their piece.

7. An In-Depth, Variable Story

Several of the strategy games I play don't bother with a continuous, in-depth story. And the story should present you with options or opportunities that change the way the game plays, so that there is still a motivation to replay the game.

Mass Effect's Decision Tree. Notice how 3 goes off on its own...

Examples: On the negative side, neither Pokemon Conquest nor X-COM: Enemy Unknown have in-depth, persistent stories. They focus on generic or minor stories, with a focus on replayability. This works for them, but I'd prefer something continuous, and with a variety of meaningful choices. The Fallout games have always featured this. Something like the Mass Effect or Dragon Age series, however, where the choices made persist through multiple games, would be even better. Though Mass Effect specifically missed many good opportunities...

8. Appealing Setting/Theme

For me, an appealing setting or theme could pull from an existing universe (Marvel, Star Wars, etc...) or feature elements I enjoy (post-apocalypse, space travel, etc...). Generic fantasy would be hard to feel original, though it could be done. I'd love to see something in this format that includes giant mechs...

A turn-based RPG that uses Gundams? Oh, yes please, MS Saga: A New Dawn

Examples: The Front Mission series features giant mechs, which I love. Fallout has the post-apocalyptic angle covered, and Knights of the Old Republic was awesome for its innovative storytelling AND the fact that it was set in the Star Wars universe.

Games that blur the lines.

There have been some titles that have blurred the lines and mixed some of my favorite elements, though I know of none to get them all:

Pokemon Conquest - Combines Team Building, Variety of Game Modes, Character Growth, Variety of Game Modes, Appealing Setting/Theme. Technically it also hits The Antagonist's Story, though that's because there isn't a true antagonist. I love how it mixes Pokemon with Nobunaga's Ambition for the setting/theme. The strategy aspect is a bit too basic and easy, and there is no 'true' consecutive story, but this game comes pretty damn close.

Suikoden Series - Team Building, Town Building, The Antagonist's Story, Variety of Game Modes. And there are two titles in the series that feature Turn-Based Strategy. These games are pretty awesome, though each suffers from a variety of issues. I would love to see a new, next-gen entry into the series.

Fallout Series - Turn-Based Strategy (in 1, 2, and Tactics), Team Building, Town Building, Character Evolution, An In-Depth, Variable Story, Appealing Setting/Theme. The post-apocalyptic setting gets me every time...

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (Conquest Mode) - Turn-Based Strategy (via galactic map), Team Building (you had to unlock different units as time progressed), Town Building (you collected planets as you won battles), The Antagonists Story (you could be the Empire!), Multiple Game Modes (board game-like galactic map and then combat as a 3rd Person Shooter), Appealing Setting/Theme (Star Wars!). This game had a lot to love. With some polished combat and maybe a story-driven conquest mode, it could have been damn near perfect for me!

If you have any games that hit multiple points here, let me know in the comments! Also, if there are different elements you'd need for your perfect game, I'd love to read about them! Right now I'm playing MS Saga: A New Dawn and... Well, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which doesn't mix any of my favorite elements, really, but is still pretty damn awesome!

September's 'Galactic' Loot Crate Review

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:32:00 +0000

I like things. I like collectible things especially. Subscription services, such as Loot Crate, offer a chance to get random things for a set price.

I... well, I don't much like surprises. So these subscription services generally go unnoticed by me, with the minor pang of regret when I see something I missed (dat Groot POP! figure!). But mostly I ignore them.

This month, they done advertised right. The theme was "Galactic," and they said it'd include loot related to Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, and Alien. And more. But I don't need more, they had me at St--.

So I signed up. Used a coupon code. Total cost was about $16 for the month.

It came this weekend.

I'm happy with the loot included, but I also don't think Loot Crate is for me.

The Good:

1. The total value of the included items surpasses what I paid.
2. The packaging/presentation is spot on.
3. They had interesting things that I would not have purchased on my own.
4. The box included:

Even if they're not super interesting pieces, I do love me some Firefly, so the mini-Mal and the credit stack are fun. And the Han Solo poster looks pretty boss on my wall (featured in the most recent Never Split the Party Podcast episode...). The Tribble, surprisingly, was my favorite item in the box, however.

The Bad:

1. It kind of felt like someone got a discount at Newbury Comics, bought some random (related-ish) items, and threw 'em in a box. That's actually not an awful idea... but I'd rather just have the discount myself (or preferred things I COULDN'T find easily on my own).
2. There were several items I just didn't care about, and will create clutter (or trash):

To be fair, the "Galactic" book was interesting, but it isn't something I'm normally interested in keeping. And, as much as I love the Alien series, I don't care for this style of figure (I personally get the Alien, which was a small plus). As for the digital comic, meh. I dislike both Halo... and digital comics!

The Ugly:

1. There is no easy way to sign up for a one-month deal. You sign up for a subscription that bills you each month until you cancel, then have to send a written request through their website to cancel your subscription. This isn't unexpected, but I think they'd go a long way with offering a one-time purchase offer. That would entice me to try more. Now, knowing it's a bit more of a hassle to cancel, I'm less likely to try again, even if they advertise a theme that interests me.
2. Not every month is created equal. Some months have much rarer, more collectible items (that end up having more value in the long run). Last month's Groot figure is an example of this. This month offered nothing on that level of rare-ness. Not saying I don't love my mini-fig Captain Mal, there's just a clear discrepancy.

Honestly, I have similar issues with anything that includes a random element. Booster packs for card games or miniature games are the bane of my existence. But I know what I can possibly get in those, so I don't mind going back for more. Here, I really have no clue what I'm in store for, and it's entirely likely that a decent percent of the items simply don't interest me.

I'm happy with my loot crate, but this will probably be my last one. Unless they do a special "Maximum Carnage" themed one. Or maybe a Cthulhu theme...

Nerds Rule TV: 5 Killer Incoming Shows

noreply@blogger.com (The Arbitrary Nerd) — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 17:40:00 +0000

Woohoo! Nerds are taking over TV! Comicbook shows are finally taking off and Star Wars is coming back to TV!

And this isn't even including the long running shows, such as Supernatural! It's a good time to be a Nerd. And/or a couch potato. Possibly an awful time to be married to a nerd (sorry Wife).

Here are the dates for the upcoming releases:

GOTHAM

We'll see, Gotham, we'll see.

Airing on FOX, the premiere is on Monday, September 22nd at 8:00pm.

I'm not sure just how excited I am for this show. DC isn't creating a large, connected universe, so this will be to the Batman series kind of what Smallville was to Superman. Kind of. It looks much darker and grittier, and the cast looks fantastic, just not sure how interested I am in a Batman setting sans Batman.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D (Season 2)

Airing on ABC, the premiere is on Tuesday, September 23rd at 9:00pm.

The first season of this was pretty decent. It will be interesting to see where the show plans on going from here, and who they'll be able to rope in from the comics. So far, there have been some interesting mentions of Mockingbird and the Absorbing Man, both of which could have an interesting impact on the great Marvel Cinematic Universe. Or not. Marvel plays it safe with their connected universe. Either way, it will be interesting to see how they tie into any upcoming feature films...

Well, nailed the look at least.

STAR WARS: REBELS

This one is a bit interesting. First, it will be airing a special, 1 hour film, "Spark of Rebllion" on Friday, October 3rd at 9:00pm. It will be on the Disney Channel.

Meh on adding Sith...

Then the show itself will air on Disney XD on Monday, October 13th at 9:00pm.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Clone Wars cartoon, and chose not to watch it. Partially the animation didn't interest me, but mostly I didn't care for what they were doing with the characters or any they introduced. Towards the end I got interested, but still haven't made the jump to watching it (though I do have a "watching order" list on hand for when I eventually do...). THIS show takes place during a time I'm more interested in, and is introducing new characters. I'm totally down.

THE FLASH

Airing on the CW, the premiere is on Tuesday, October 7th at 8:00pm.

I don't care for the Flash (I'm not a DC fan), but I'm looking forward to this show, especially if it is the same quality as Arrow. So far, it looks very interesting, and I'm excited that the show takes place in the same universe as Arrow!

ARROW (Season 3)

Airing on the CW, the premiere is on Wednesday, October 8th at 8:00pm.

I loved season one. I enjoyed season two. My body is ready for season three.

Yay for crossovers!

This is all great, but what am I supposed to watch on Thursday and Friday!? ... Coming from the guy who hasn't caught an on-air TV show in ages...

What TV show has you the most excited? Or is there something I didn't list that you can't wait for?