Blogga's Wall - June-July '13

Wow it's been a long time since I did one of these, and the last one was a catchup too! Anyway here's what I was into over the summer break.

1) Man of Steel

I really enjoyed the Superman reboot. Not having read any Superman comics I didn't have any hangups going in and I thought the artifical birth/ trying to create Krypton on Earth was a good valid reason for Zod to fight Superman rather than simply wanting to conquer. The fights were suitably epic and the story held together well.

2) Gone

 

A teen Sci-Fi series, I was attracted by the plot of all adults (in fact everyone over 15) disappearing, which reminded me of The Tribe TV series, but the book stands on it's own. Some of the kids develop superpowers, some of the animals mutate and something worse is hidden in the darkness, not to mention the struggle for control. A force field traps all the kids in, similar to Under the Dome, but Stephen King endorses these books so I don't think the similarity is a problem for him!!

SF at the Movies - June '13

Back to normal - thios one's late, but only just - here;s what went up on the silver screen in June.

After Earth

Man of Steel

World War Z

Despicable Me 2

More than the usual handful!!

Next Up: Doctor Who!!

Blogga's Wall - June/ July '12

 

Here's what went up on my wall in the months of June and July. 

1) Kinect Star Wars

 

I bought this game with some trepidation but it has proved to be quite fun. The Kinect control isn't the best and it doesn't always follow what actions I'm doing but the various modes offer plenty of fun. The campaign is actually pretty decent and the other modews likes podracing, rancor rampage and dancing are a good laugh too.

2) Knight Errant: Escape #1

 A new series of Knight Errant is underway from Dark Horse with Kerra now infiltrating the ranks of Odion's Sith troops on a mission of her own to save her parents. Very exciting but the downside was that the issue lacks the encounter with the beastie shown on the cover, hopefully it will show up later in the series though.

3) The Amazing Spider-man

I really enjoyed this re-boot of the Spider-Man series with Andrew Garfield managing to create a very convincing Peter Parker who is both the wisecracking hero and awkward teenager in one. The tension with the mystery concerning his father's death is a key part of this movie and future ones in the series. Rhys Ifans (who went to the same school as me!!) was fantastic in the role of the Lizard.

4) The Dark Knight Rises

 
  A Nolan Batman film is of course going to be nothing less than spectacular and with Tom Hardy playing a marvelous interpretation of Bane and Anne Hathaway playing a very convincing Catwoman it delivered on all fronts. I can't say much without giving away the storyline, but if you read this blog I'm almost certain you will have seen this movie by now anyway!!

Next: More Mass Effect!!

Blogga's Video Game Diary - 20/7/12

Another video for you, covering the Harley Quinn DLC for Arkham City that I recently(ish) finished playing on Xbox 360.

One thing I missed out was that there were a ton of negative pregnancy test results in Harley's office, indicating that Harley may not be pregnant as she once believed and maybe this is what prompted her to behave so rashly in Arkham City

More soon!

SF at the Movies - June/July '12

This blog is turning into one long apology, so without any further word here are the movies you MIGHT have watched in June!


Prometheus Storage 24 And now here's what you COULD watch in July!! The Amazing Spiderman Seeking a friend for the end of the world The Dark Knight Rises Happy watching!!

Blogga's Video Game Diary - 27/1/12

I'm sorry for the lack of content - things are hectic in the real world right now so I may be sporadic in posting for a while I'm sorry. Anyway here's some more of what I've been up to Video Game wise.

Diary

I'm still collecting Riddler Trophies and I've got the confrontation with Riddler to come as well, then I will have completed the full Campaign (except the stupid AR challenges!!). One secret I managed to find by myself (though I already knew about it from online!) was Crime Alley where you can see the spot where Wayne's parents died as well as hearing a taunting message from Hugo Strange. In other news I've started Assassin's Creed: Revelations and also played the first act of Gears of War 3. I play that with a friend and we have a tradition of only playing in the dark which makes it more fun!!

New Stuff

Right I'm gonna write about the new characters who pop up in the game. I'd kinda hoped to go through the story as I did it, but that might get complicated. We'll see anyway.

The game starts with Bruce Wayne leading a public protest against Arkham City a walled-off ghetto inside which all criminals are thrown together. The billionaire is captured by TYGER guards working fore the head of Arkham.

Hugo Strange
Real Name: Hugo Strange
Occupation: Psychiatrist, Head of Arkham City












Strange has a great deal of power, not only is he head of the new super-prison he also commands his own private army of soldiers and through his manipulations has the Mayor of Gotham in his pocket. More than this he also has deduced the true identity of Batman and is keen to have Bruce Wayne inside his walls. He is very interested in the super-criminals of Gotham, keen to study them and psych-analyse them. But his truen intentions are...well I'll get to that!

Wayne is thrown into the supermax prison and makes his way through, passing a number of dangerous criminals who asre out for his blood.

Black Mask
Real Name: Roman Sionis
Occupation: Mob Boss










Similar to Wayne in that he lost both his parents Sionis instead turned to a life of crime, carving a wooden mask and becoming feared mob boss Black Mask. Inside Arkham city he ran operations from his family's Sionis steel mill until he was muscled out by Joker. When Wayne encountered him he was being beaten mercilessly by TYGER guards.

And I've run out of time - more soon!

Smallville - From strip to screen, part 4

Long overdue, but it's finally here - let's look at who popped up in the final few episodes of Smallville before Clark took up his destiny as the superhero we all know and love.

Booster Gold











Booster show up in an episode where Clark is about to reveal his powers to the world. Just as he does this guy rocks up and manages to be at every crash, kidnapping and disaster to save the day ahead of the 'Blur'. After investigation it turns out Booster is a former sports star who travelled back in time to escape his gambling debts, using his companion Skeets, an AI with extensive knowledge of the 21st century he is able to be at every scene with a dramatic save, aiming to replace Clark as the hero of the 21st century. Despite his ignoble plan he still wants to be a hero and agrees to work with Clark and train his new friend Blue Beetle. In the comics Booster has a similar story, travelling back in time to escape his mistakes he revels in the opportunity to join the heroes of his past.

Jamie Reyes/ Blue Beetle












Jamie is a high school loser who inadvertantly picks up an alien weapon known as a scarab. Inspired by Booster Gold he wants to learn how to be a hero, but the alien weapkn takes over and forces him to attack his idol. Timely intervention by Clark allows Booster the opportunity to help Jamie fight the weapon and control it himself. Jamie elects to keep the technology and train under Booster to learn the path of the hero. Again Jamie has a similar story in the comics, aquiring the technology by accident, and being recruited by Superman, Batman and partnering with Booster Gold in many adventures.

And that's it - we saw Clark defeat Darkseid (a little too easily if you ask me) and finally take on the red and blue suit he's famous for. So that's it, we wave goodbye to Smallville. There will be a spot missing in my heart as well as my TV schedule for this show.

Blogga's Video Game Diary - 20/12/11

Yes, it's finally time for another game!! I promised myself that this one would actually be a diary, where I posted updates as I got through the game - well, typically, I've finished the main campaign, though there are a few side quests to keep me occupied for a while longer. I'll try not to spoil too much, but if you want to be completely spoiler free then don't read on.

Diary

Well I've just told you where I'm up to, but one thing I've been doing is hunting down Easter Eggs and I thought I'd share those with you because they're easily missed in game.

1) Scarecrow

More Batman: Arkham City Videos

You don't see the villain in game, but you do find his base (confirming he is alive after Asylum) filled with insects for him to use in his experiments of fear along with one hapless Joker goon.

2) Killer Croc

More Batman: Arkham City Videos

I missed this guy so make sure you listen our for when to find him, you can only find Croc at a specific point. Apparently Croc is living happily in the sewers under Arkham City.

anyway, on with some...

New Stuff

Catwoman
Real Name: Selina Kyle
Occupation: Proffessional Thief












Catwoman is a great addition to the game as DLC that comes free with every new copy of the game. She has her own storyline that complements the story but isn't essential to it. She has her own set of gadgets, which I'll discuss later, and her own moves. She can also use her whip for travelling around the city, and her claws for crawling upside down on ceilings, which adds a nice bit of variety to the game. She has a run-in with Poison Ivy is locked in her own battle with our next new character...

Two Face
Real Name: Harvey Dent
Occupation: Former DA, now proffessional criminal










It was great to see a wider cast of villains in the new game. Dent is the first villain to appear, locked in a battle of wits with Catwoman, who starts the game breaking into his vault to steal a memory card containing vital data. She is captured by Two Face and tried and about to be executed when Batman arrives on the scene and defeats him. He is a powerful figure in Arkham City, having claimed territory from Calendar Man and other villains. His gang wear suits and masks that have been burned on one side to match him. He escapes Batman later on and sets a trap for Catwoman, bombing her apartment and stealing all her possessions. Though she defeated him he left one final insult, instead of keeping her loot he dispersed it among his goons, forcing Catwoman to scour the city to get it back.

New Gadgets

Well I'll stick with Catwoman's gadgets for this post, but of course Batman has plenty of new toys in this game.

Whip

It wouldn't be Catwoman if it wasn't for her trademark whip. She can use it in a number of ways, tripping enemies up, sweeping around to stun all nearby enemies or disarming an individual guard. She also uses it as an equivalent to the batclaw for swinging between buildings and pulling guards off ledges etc.

Bolas

These high speed throwing weapons can be used to knock down enemies at range as well as being used in close combat.

Caltrops

These spiky little gadgets are dropped on the floor causing goons to injure their feet and fall down, very handy in close quarters combat as it can incapacitate a number of goons, reducing the number of enemies you have to fight at once.


And that's it, if you haven't gotten this game yet, I'd really recommend it, it's still keeping me occupied and it hasn't gotten the slightest bit boring!

Smallville - From strip to screen, part 3

OK so I'm continuing my run through of existing DC characters who have popped up in this series of Smallville.

Conner Kent/ Superboy











Conner Kent shows up in Series 10 as one of a number of clones created by Lex Luthor to replace him in the event of his death. One of the few successful clones, he was also created from Clark's DNA, giving him some Kyrptonian abilities. He had a chequered story in the series, first beingf rescued by Tess, then running away when Lex's memories took hold of him, being corrupted by Lionel who manipulated him using red kryptonite and finally choosing to side with Clark and accept his guidance. In the comics superboy is also a clone of a very-much living Lex, who created him as a weapon against Superman, also rebelling against Lex he reluctantly accepted the name Superboy and trained with Clark, joining the Teen Titans.

Amos Fortune












Amos Fortune is the unfortunate owner of a club where Clark had his bachelor party, made more interesting by the gift of enchanted champagne donated by Zatanna. The group stole one of his trucks which was involved in a crime then battled him to get Lois's ring back, which she had lost. In the comics Fortune is also a club owner and crime lord that has frequent run-ins with the heroes.

And that's it folks - one more part to go!!!

SF at the Movies - November '11

I had a good time down in Cardiff recently at a Doctor Who party hosted by my good friend Caleb of the Impossible Podcast team, we enjoyed watching Who (obviously!!) wearing masks and eyepatches and a Fez sent by the promoters 'Come Around' (the party is to promote the release of the latest series if Who. We also played Doctor Who top trumps and we even tried fish fingers and custard which wasn't too bad actually!!!

Anyway let's look at what's showing this month.

In Time




There's a fan film Superman: Requiem - I don't know if that will make it to your local theatre but it looks good!



And that's it as far as I can tell - though apparently there's some vampire movie out too...

Smallville - from strip to screen, part 2

Ok so I'm continuing to go through the DC Characters that are showing up across Clark's final journey as 'The Blur' before becoming the hero we all know and love. Here's part 2 covering episodes 5-10

The Suicide Squad













The squad made a few early appearances with Deadshot marking various members of Watchtower with the squad's symbol. It was later revealled that they were acting to stop the Vigilante Registration act and wanted to defend the heroes like Clark and Oliver from being rounded up by the authorities, of course Clark and the others don't agree with their methods - which include targeting Clark's soon-to-be father in law General Sam Lane.
In the comic the Suicide Squad is a government-assembled group of vigilantes who are sent on missions deemed suicidal and high risk. They have captured many notorious villains but also rubbed up against superman and batman and many others.

Granny Goodness












Granny Goodness has been playing a long game for Darkseid her master taking orphaned girls and raising them to be her Female Furies, then placing them in positions of power across the world. One of her orphans was Tess abandoned by her true father Lionel Luthor but who escaped her clutches. Granny tried to reclaim Tess but was unsuccessful but is still working towards Darkseid's ultimate rule.
In the Comics Granny is based on Apokolips, Darkseid's world and raises an army of super-soldiers to work for the dark one. She raised character's like Scott Free a hero who is one of the only ones to truly escape from her clutches. She also has her army of superpowered Female Furies.

Desaad













Desaad is another of Darkseid's minions, influencing the people through his underground clubs and other vices. He is significant in that he fought Oliver and in that fight Oliver revealed the darkness in himself, enabling Dasaad to brand him with the Omega symbol, placing him within his master's clutches.
In the comics Desaad is one of Darkseid's key henchmen never far from his master's side, with a muxh less down-to-earth look.

Slade Wilson/ Deathstroke













Slade Wilson is a U.S. Army General who is determined to stop the vigilantes like Watchtower and bring them under Government control. He is the driving force behind the Vigilante Registration Act, which calls for heroes to reveal their identities and join the Government, while secretly building prisons to contain them. During a conflict with the heroes he lost his eye and it was also revealed that he wears the Omega symbol on his skull, making him a servant of Darkseid, unwittinggly perhaps. During another conflict he killed Hawkman and Clark banished him to the Phantom Zone.
In the Comics Slade Wilson, or Deathstroke applied for an experimental army project which boosted his strength and durability. Taking up the life of a mercenary he has fought a number of hero groups, most notably the Teen Titans.

Mera













Mera is an Atlantean like Aquaman, capable of breathing underwater and controlling water and joined him in his quest to keep earth's oceans safe, they fell in love and were married. When they discovered that Slade Wilson was building prisons for heroes in secret oil rigs they teamed up to fight back.
Mera's origins are a little unclear in the comics, with various stories. She is Atlantean, was once an enemy of Aquaman but they fell in love and married and now she is the queen of Atlantis.

Clark Luthor/ Ultraman















Clark Luthor is from a parallel universe where things turned out quite differently. Instead of being found by the Kents he was found by Lionel and raised as his personal soldier, taking the persona of Ultraman and gaining more and more power for the Luthor name. When Clark activates a Kryptonian artifact called a mirror-box he is transported to this universe and Clark Luthor takes his place. Clark Luthor later returns in a following episode as everyone in his universe knows his weakness for kryptonite and Oliver made sure it was readily available - Clark forced him to return and begin a new the life of a hero.
In the comics Ultraman comes from a not-destroyed Krypton to Earth to rule it and test his powers against it's heroes, ultimately defeated by the Justice League he is still a threat to many on Earth.

And that's it - more soon!!

Blogga's Wall - August '11

It's that time again! I had hoped to be using Avatar Kinect for this, but it's playing up at the moment and it's a bit of a faff to fit around my work schedule so I'll stick with good ol' text for now.

1) Knight Errant: Deluge #1












I've really enjoyed the return of this series, which had an explosive start when, as always, Kerra arrives to the rescue just as an invasion force arrives to take the system. With Hutts flying starfighters and superweapons that control the weather on a water planet this series is off to a great start already when a starfighter force from the Republic shows up to help Kerra! We also got a glimpse of Arkadia, one of the Sith from the novel so I am totally buzzed about this issue and can't wait for more!

2) Planetary, Volume 3













I am really loving this series. It's amazingly well written with classic Sci-Fi adventures and an over-arcing plot that really drives it forward, we got more of the origins of characters like Elijah Snow and Jakita Wagner and the whole thing picks up the pace as the group finally take the fight to 'The Four' their adversaries. Along the way we meet vampires, a sci-fi city in the middle of the amazon, a space programme from the 1800s and aboriginal myths come true. It just gets better and better!

3) Captain America: The First Avenger












I really love this movie!! The Avengers series just gets better and better - I thought Hugo Weaving was amazing as Red Skull and Tommy Lee Jones was hilarious as the Army General behind it 'I ain't gonna kiss ya!' was brilliantly delivered! I liked how they took the time to really develop the character of Steve Rogers before throwing him into the action against the Hydra division. Bring on the Avengers!!!

That's it - there won't be a Blogga's Wall for September as I haven't had much time for Sci-Fi stuff to my shame, normal service will resume soon I promise!!