Buyers Remorse Hitting Champions Online Players
I tried to warn you, I really did. When I tore Champions Online a new a-hole for sucking in every conceivable way except character customization (apparently the only aspect of design Cryptic can do successfully any more), you all called me names and insisted it was a stunt to increase traffic. Now, several months after release, players are discovering that I was right, evidenced by this nifty editorial from MMOCrunch titled, quite simply, “Why I Quit Champions Online”.
Plan and simple, Champions Online lost its hold on me. I continued to dive into the game, move around the world, soak up the atmosphere, read about its future and most importantly, evaluate the content beyond my reach. What I definitively learned, and I hope my review hinted at, is that the game lacks legs. The atmosphere has always been incredibly disjointed thanks to the instancing of most zones. Even though all of the settings make sense in the universe, they lack a cohesive flow. And the multitude of characters aren’t employed effectively either. Because of these continued slip-ups through the middle to later levels, Champions Online gets boiled down to its diverse arcade-y combat. In essence, it becomes a soulless experience.
When I tore Star Trek Online a new a-hole for the very same reasons, I was once again called every name in the book and, like Champions Online, it will take a few months before I am once again proven correct. I’m trying to save you people money, I swear. I die a little inside every time I hear someone has foolishly purchased a lifetime subscription.
Neil Gaiman Writes Script for Doctor Who, Airs 2011
If you’re a fan of Doctor Who and have a soft spot in your heart for the writing of Neil Gaiman, then today is your lucky day as Mr. Gaiman has confirmed that he has indeed written a script for the popular British TV series.
The script is titled The House of Nothing and is slated to air in 2011.
During his acceptance speech for best comic at the SFX Awards, Gaiman said: “As anyone who’s read my blog knows, I’m a big fan of a certain long-running British TV series. One that I started watching – from behind the sofa – when I was three.
“And while I know it’s cruel to make you wait for things, in about 14 months from now – which is to say, not in the upcoming season but early in the one after that – it’s quite possible that I might have written an episode.
“And if I had, it would originally have been called ‘The House of Nothing’. But it definitely isn’t called that any more.”
A spokesman for Doctor Who would not confirm Gaiman’s announcement.
The next series of the show, starring Matt Smith as the 11th Time Lord, is due to air in the spring.
The Thing Prequel Movie Gets a Sexy Doctor
For reasons not entirely known or understandable, the classic movie The Thing From Another World, which in turn was remade into The Thing, another classic by John Carpenter, is once again getting the remake treatment, though it’s being billed as a prequel. The cast is coming together now, with Joel Edgerton assuming the lead role and the recently announced Mary Elizabeth Winstead playing a “Ph.D candidate who joins the research team in Antarctica after it discovers a ship in ice.”
While all of this sounds moderately alarming, one can take a little solace in the fact the script was written by Ronald D. Moore, perhaps best known for rebooting Battlestar Galactica for the SyFy network.
If nothing else, Mary Elizabeth Winstead will be bringing the hotness, something missing in the first two version of The Thing…and probably for good reason.
The Joker Makes List of Worst Batman Villains
A compilation of the worst Batman villains has been posted and it is sure to spark debate. The Joker coming in at #5? Mr. Zsasz at #1?
The Joker:
This guy is only #5 out of respect for all the good Joker stories that there have been. Unfortunately, most all of those stories were published before 1988, which is coincidentally around the time The Killing Joke was published. It’s not like the Joker was a harmlessly comical jackanape before the late 80s, but man, turning him into a quasi-genocidal embodiment of mass murder and psychological torture as a way of life really stretches credulity, and that’s saying something in the context of a book predicated on a mentally ill billionaire dressing like a bat in order to beat up criminals with the putative support of local law enforcement. I had even forgotten, until Tucker reminded me, the bit in Joker’s Last Laugh where – having almost destroyed the entire planet by drugging a whole bunch of deadly super-villains with Joker toxin and trying to kill the President of the United States – the Joker is once again saved by the Dark Knight performing CPR after Nightwing almost beats him to death. Seriously: the character has become so perversely demonic that keeping him alive in-story warps and distorts every other character and plot element around him. The Batman – and half-a-dozen other heroes – have saved his life so many times, it’s stupid. And sad. Still: we’ll always have “The Laughing Fish,” and he was good on Batman: The Animated Series.
I mean, seriously, heroes don’t want to kill villains, even the worst villains, because that would prove that “we’re no better than them!” Does that mean a cop who fires his gun is no better than the bank robber firing at the cop? Really? I’d like to see you explain that to the local police union. The answer to this question is simple: don’t turn every villain into a mass-murderer and we can go back to not caring if the Justice League forgets to read Felix Faust his Miranda rights.
SF-Great Kim Stanley Robinson Discusses Science, Religion and Ideology at Duke University
Kim Stanley Robinson, one of the greats in contemporary science-fiction writing, notable for his Red Mars trilogy, recently gave a talk at Duke University about Science, Religion and Ideology….you know, light topics. It’s a fascinating lecture by a cunning mind, full of insight and portent..and now it’s is available for those of us who don’t attend Duke University:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Shackelton’s Antarctic Whisky and Brandy Trove Finally Located, Unearthed
The long-rumored, long-sought cases of brandy and whisky buried by the famous explorer Ernest Shackelton in Antarctica has finally been located and unearthed. Buried over 100 years ago by the polar explorer, researchers finally brought the crates up from its icy grave and discovered several broken bottles, but the sound of swishing liquid in other crates indicates several bottles will remain intact once the lid is lifted.
It was anticipated that no more than two creates would be found, but researchers managed to locate five crates.
“The unexpected find of the brandy crates, one labelled Chas. Mackinlay & Co and the other labelled The Hunter Valley Distillery Limited Allandale (Australia) are a real bonus,” said team leader Al Fastier.
The crates were originally found under the hut’s floorboards in 2006, but they were too deeply embedded in ice to be dislodged.
The New Zealanders agreed to drill the ice to try to retrieve some bottles, although the rest must stay under conservation guidelines agreed to by 12 Antarctic Treaty nations.
Whyte & Mackay, which owns the McKinlay brand and supplied the whisky for Shackleton, launched the bid to recover the bottles for samples to test and decide whether to relaunch the defunct spirit.
Sonic the Hedgehog Seeks Redemption in July, Includes iPhone Appearance
SEGA has inadvertently let the proverbial cat-out-of-the-bag about Sonic the Hedgehog’s future game appearances, evidenced by the graphic above that was located on the official Sonic 4 website. The image reveals two important elements, including a release date (July 2010) and available platforms, which include the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and the long-rumored and now confirmed, iPhone (and iPad).
Proof can be found here, though the image has apparently been removed by undoubtedly embarrassed representatives of SEGA.
Science Explains Why Avatar Fills You With Awe
Now that Avatar has shattered every record in the book and has become a global phenomena, the time has come for research and studies! Why is it people are feeling depressed and/or suicidal when leaving the theater? Actually, according to research about “Awe”, a movie like Avatar should find the majority of viewers feeling creatively juiced, socially connected and perhaps even a little spiritual.
Elicitors of awe include mountain ranges, cathedrals, powerful leaders, music, scientific theories, encounters with God, natural disasters, and James Cameron films. For me, Avatar induced awe in response to both the exhilarating fictional world but also the artistic and technical achievements I knew were required to create that world.
In a 2007 paper, Michelle Shiota, along with Keltner and Amanda Mossman, reported experimental findings on the effects of awe. In one study, people described recent experiences of either awe or happiness. Reliving an awe-inspiring event was more likely to make people to go outside for a hike after the experiment, or to do something creative like play an instrument or write. Further, subjects instructed to recall a recent encounter with beauty in nature said they felt the presence of something greater than themselves and felt connected with the world around them. Another group of subjects, after staring at a 25-foot Tyrannosaurus skeleton for one minute were more likely than people who stared at an empty hallway to use universal terms such as “a person” or “an inhabitant of the Earth” to describe themselves; they saw themselves as members of a larger group.
In regards to the sadness subjects reported in that study, the authors write, “It is not impossible that the discovery of the limits of the self during a self-transcendent emotional experience may produce some negative emotions.” Hence post-Avatar suicide-watch? If watching acrobatic cat people uplink their ponytails and fight giant exoskeletons in 3-D for two and a half hours doesn’t make you want to run outside and play or at least write some erotic Na’vi fan fic, I think you have bigger problems back here on Earth than just not having a tree house and a hot blue girlfriend.
Man Saves Pet Dogs from Mandated Death, is Thanked by Being Mauled to Death
With Man’s Best Friend’s like these, who needs enemies? Some poor bastard in Slovenia spent the past three years fighting a legal war with the government in regards to his three dogs who had been ordered “put down” because they had seriously injured a pedestrian. He finally won his battle and was able to retrieve his pets, only to be mauled to death by the very same dogs in his garden.
That’s some thanks.
Hence, one more reason I’m a cat person.
Indianapolis School District Delays Classes For…Superbowl?
I’ve heard of Snow Days, but Superbowl Days are a new one on me. Students within the Indianapolis school district won’t have to show up for classes next Monday until two hours after normal school hours. Why a two hour delay? Back in 2007 when the Indianapolis Colts were int he Superbowl, 50% of the bus drivers for the school district called in sick! Hence, administrators are pushing classes up by two hours in the hopes the bus drivers will actually show up for work, which is probably overly optimistic.
“We have to start on time and cross our fingers that people show up. We have a two-hour delay, which hopefully means people get it together, or we have closed schools. That’s not an option,” said Mary Louise Bewley, IPS. “We’re hoping this compromise, really, will make it possible to have the best of both worlds. The ability to celebrate the Colts and have a day of education.”
The delay acknowledges that some staff may not arrive at work at their scheduled 5:30 a.m. start time because of the late start of the game on Sunday, Feb. 7.
“A two-hour delay provides a compromise that ensures our children will arrive at school safely,” said Superintendent Eugene White. “Children need to be in school. But this is a unique situation that doesn’t happen every year. The delay will allow our families and staff to cheer on our home team and focus on the business of education.”
