Kylo Ren: A New Step in Star Wars Villainy

Kylo Ren: A New Step in Star Wars Villainy

12/23/2015

*SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS FOLLOW*

Darth Vader is the poster child for Hollywood villains. Since his introduction in A New Hope, he has become a massive staple in pop culture. Regardless of your feelings about Star Wars as a whole, you know his mechanical breathing and intimidating mask. He is the epitome of badass, and a master of the dark side. But it’s for those very reasons that I believe J.J. Abrams may have created a more complex and compelling villain than Darth Vader ever was.

Kylo Ren starts out as your typical movie villain. He shows off his impressive force powers, mercilessly cuts a man down with his special three pronged lightsaber, and has a whole village burned to the ground, all of this done from behind his mask and voice modulator (not unlike Vader himself). But not long after this we begin to see some breaks in his act. He receives bad news and his reaction is to wildly destroy the consoles in front of him with his lightsaber, not unlike a child throwing a temper tantrum. Later his master, Snoke, tells him that his transformation into a true dark lord will only be complete if he is able to kill his father, Han Solo. Ren tries to sound sure of being capable of this, but you can hear the uneasiness in his voice.

Throughout the film he shows a twisted devotion to the idea of Darth Vader. He models his outfit and mask after him, and even talks to Vader’s burned and twisted helmet as if it truly was the dark lord himself. When his mind is opened to Rey, she taunts him about his fear of never being as powerful as Darth Vader and you can visually see the rage and fear building up inside of him.

Then comes his confrontation with his father Han Solo on starkiller base. When Han calls him by his birth name, Ben, he tells Han that the son he knew is dead and that only Kylo Ren remains. Han begs him to come home and Ren begins to show his internal struggle. He tells Han that he is being torn apart by his pull to the light and his devotion to the dark side. He tells his father that he knows what he has to do, but isn’t sure he is strong enough to do it. Han promises to help him, but tragically killing Han and completing his turn to the dark side was Kylo’s choice in the end.

This complex pull between the light and dark are what I think makes Ren such a compelling character to watch. Vader was a jedi who was tricked into becoming a sith by Darth Sidious. Kylo Ren is a confused kid, whose feelings are being exploited by Snoke, even though he is constantly being pulled to the light. In A New Hope Darth Vader is just an enforcer for the Emperor, it isn’t until the end of The Empire Strikes back that he becomes a deeper villain. Kylo Ren is much more than that right from the start. He is a tortured soul on a dark path to become what he has always wanted to be, Darth Vader. But from the looks of it, he will become a villain that even Vader would bow to.

-Rory

Star Wars and Twitch

Similar to the rest of the world, the West Coast Nerd Corps crew has come down with Star Wars fever.  Check out this weeks episode where we discuss our favorite Star Wars memories, give spoiler-free impressions of The Force Awakens, lament the expanded universe, and much more.

Episode 24: Star Wars

On a personal note, I feel that this is one of our best episodes to date, so make sure to tell your friends.

Now, on to our second piece of news.  We have recently set up a Twitch.tv channel.  We're still experimenting with different media formats and want to find what we like best.  Twitch is a website that allows people to stream video games live while viewers can comment and participate with the broadcaster.  We have a small list of games we intend to stream and I think you will be surprised by a few.  Also, we will be taking suggestions (just keep in mind it needs to be a game that can be played on the PS4).  Go to the link below and follow the channel if you want to be notified when we broadcast.  We are also planning on putting the recordings up on YouTube, but still working on the logistics.

http://www.twitch.tv/westcoastnerdcorps

-Big O

Life is Strange Episode 1 Review

For the past couple of months, I've been hearing about how great the game Life is Strange is.  Last week, it was on sale for 50% off ($10) and I decided to take the plunge.  Life is Strange is an episodic game released by Square-Enix.  They recently released their fifth and final episode.  My approach to episodic games has been to wait for them to release all the episodes so I can walk in and experience the full story without needing to wait months in between (the Netflix approach).  

Since I have the week off from school, last night I decided to sit down and try Episode 1 Chrysalis.  I just want to start by saying this game looks beautiful.  It takes modern high resolution graphics and mixes it with a cell shaded effect that creates gorgeous world inhabited by detailed characters.  The story is engaging and leaves you wanting to find out what happens next.  You play as Maxine Caulfield (Hannah Telle), a self proclaimed outcast with a knack for photography who was just recently admitted to Blackwell Academy.  The beginning of the game is spent learning the social ins and outs of Max's new school and getting to know the other characters.  Not long, Max experiences a traumatic event and realizes she has the ability to rewind time.  This become the central mechanic that the game focuses around.  From there, the rest of episode 1 is an adventure that involves navigating the school and reuniting with an old friend, all while manipulating time to solve puzzles or erase poor dialogue choices.  The voice acting for the title was pretty well done all around.  I think the exceptional stars were Ashly Burch as Chloe Price and Dani Knights as Victoria Chase.  The writing was exceptional with only one minor problem.  The majority of the characters in the story are 18 or 19 year old teenagers, so the writers wanted them to speak with slang that is appropriate for someone of that age.  The only problem with this is there are times it is obvious that the dialogue was written by people in their 30s and 40s.  For the most part it's passable but there are a few cringeworthy moments. 

So far episode 1 introduces a lot of mysteries that have hooked me in and I really want to find out what is going to happen to these characters.  The game also includes a choice system where you decide how to handle certain situations.  I am interested to see how the decisions I've made will impact the story.  I've made a lot of (what I would consider) moral choices, that have also put me in the crosshairs of the staff and faculty of the school.  You might like this game if you've enjoyed, Heavy Rain, Broken Age, or anything by Telltale Games.  With beautiful visuals, interesting story, and intuitive gameplay Life is Strange has made me want to come back for more.  I'll update everyone once I've completed episode 2.  On a side note, I wouldn't be surprised to see this game in a future installment of Platinum Spirit.  

 -Big O

Fan Fest and Game of the Year

This past Sunday, Rory and I went to Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest.  Long time listeners of ours may remember that our first episode was all about Phoenix Comicon.  Fan Fest is a smaller more intimate gathering.  Listen to our adventures in this weeks episode of the podcast.  After that we discuss our game of the year selections and why some games got left off.  Tune in and let us know what you think.

Episode 22: Fan Fest and GOTY

Exterminate... bordom

He looks pretty good considering he works for Sander Cohen

Transform and roll out!

I'm glad to see the Winchesters are prepared

It looks good considering all the trouble it's been through

The hunters are out for blood at Fan Fest

I was just looking to score a little adam

I think this cop got out of Raccoon City just in time

Purchase 1: Art Print of Civil War and MGS Sticker

Purchase 2: MGSV Art Print

-Big O

Reviving the 3D Platformer

Reviving the 3D Platformer

12/4/2015 

"IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!"

With the announcement of Psychonauts 2, the long dormant genre of 3D mascot platformers has a pulse. Trail-blazed by Mario 64, the 3D platformer dominated the very late 90s and the early 2000s. Spearheaded by the likes of Banjo-Kazooie, Jak and Daxter, Rachet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and of course Psychonauts, the powerhouse genre eventually collapsed due to poor gameplay decisions and over-saturation. Developers began hastily shipping these games packed with too many collectibles that lead to nothing, and watered down their brands with too many sequels and bad spinoffs (see Jak X). 

Look how edgy we are, we put "X" in the title!

But hope has returned. At the Video Game Awards last night, Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer announced plans for Psychonauts 2 to be released in 2018. The game has gone to crowdfunding site Fig for investors to get the game made. In 14 hours it has already made 1.1 million of it's 3.3 million dollar goal, so it's looking like a safe bet to reach it's funding. This is good news for gamers. The old team who made Banjo-Kazooie also crowdfunded a spiritual successor to their series earlier this year, called Yooka-Laylee (see what they did there?!). Clearly there is a large group of people who still want these games and will pay to see them returned to our lives.

3D platformers bring back fond memories to those of us who grew up during this genre's renaissance. Their colorful worlds and cartoon protagonists would be a welcomed palate cleanser in a world of hyper realism and violence in most mainstream games. But please, lets go a little easier on the collectibles this time (I'm looking at you, Donkey Kong 64), and not flood the market with trash that is hastily scrapped together for a quick buck. Lately the first person shooter has seemingly been falling into this trap, with Call of Duty sales down overall, and mixed reception for Halo 5. 

Also maybe less of your terrible family... thanks

But Psychonauts 2 and Yooka-Laylee don't have to pull the weight on their own. The Sly Cooper collection was released last year to critical acclaim. The Jak and Daxter HD collection dropped a few years ago and was met with great reviews. And a Rachet and Clank movie and game remake are on the horizon in 2016, so the future is getting even brighter for this long dimly lit sector of the gaming world. I don't know about you guys, but a future where I'm jumping around with these guys again, is a future I want to live in.

-Rory

WCNC GAME OF THE YEAR: 2015 Edition

WCNC Game of the Year: 2015 Edition

12/2/2015

The nominees are dressed for the occasion

Hello game fans, the end of the year is upon us which means it's time for the first annual WCNC game awards! It's been a fantastic year for games so the competition is very close, but we have a few caveats to get out of the way before we dive in. First, my decisions here don't represent the opinions of all the members at WCNC. Unfortunately due to time constraints I wasn't able to get a full discussion with everybody, but I'll try to represent their views as best I can. Secondly, there's a few huge game of the year candidates I haven't played including Mario Maker, MGSV, and The Witcher 3 so if they fall short of where you would like them, sorry but that's just the way it is. Without further ado, let the games begin...

Honorable Mentions:

Batman Arkham Knight- I really liked this game, but it just hasn't stuck with me the way Asylum or City did.

Destiny: The Taken King- I know it's technically DLC but the Taken King is what finally got me to cave on Destiny.

Evolve- This game gets so many points for creativity. It oozes atmosphere and is full of intense moments. But in the end, it's multiplayer only style just left it without much staying power.

Super Mario Maker- Boy, Big O and Beef are going to string me up for this one....

Now onto our winners:

#3. Metal Gear Solid: V

"Okay everyone, look cool"

This game boasts a huge open world, with endless ways to play its many missions. I personally haven't had a chance to play this one yet, but with the way Big O talks about it, I can't wait to sink my teeth (and time) into this world. 

#2. Fallout 4

Vault Boy is crying behind those lenses

Not giving game of the year to Fallout 4 was easily the hardest decision of this list for me. This is the game that has taken the most time from me this year (about 120 hours and counting) and I've loved every second of it. This is the most hyped up I've been for a game in a long while, and it has delivered in spades. From the improved combat, to the power armor system, to building the perfect bastion for society out of trash picked up around the world, everything is firing on all cylinders here except maybe the frame rate at times. Any other year Fallout 4 would have walked right to the front of my game of the year list, but this year it was stopped in it's tracks by this BLOODY masterpiece...

#1. Bloodborne

"Hello, is it me you're looking for?"

Yes, the fromsoftware hit is taking home the gold this year! I've adored every entry into the "souls" series, but they hit on something special with Bloodborne. It attracted people that have never been into this punishing world of games and turned them into badass hunters capable of battling anything in their path. The macabre streets are Yarnham set a grim tone that seeps throughout all of the bosses and foes. Slaying each hideously malformed beast is a challenge, but man does it feel good when they finally fall. So from all of us, thank you Bloodborne, you big, beautiful, blood soaked bastard.  

-Rory 

Episode 21 The Big O and Beef Show Reunion Special

This week Panda was out of town, so look forward to hearing about her adventures in LA next week.  But this week, you have the glorious return of the Big O and Beef show.  As I'm sure none of you know, Beef and I did a very short lived YouTube show six years ago (Picture and Link below).

Big O and Beef Show

For the podcast this week, we decided to bust out one of our old unused scripts.  Have you ever had a game that everyone loved but you couldn't get behind?  What about a game you loved but you seemed to be the only one?  Join myself and Beef as we discuss the most under and overrated games on our lists.  

Episode 21 Big O and Beef Reunion Show

-Big O

A Walk in My Irradiated Shoes: Chapter 2

A Walk in my Irradiated Shoes: Chapter 2
12/02/2287

Goodneighbor. A suburb of Diamond City filled with ghouls and chem addicts with a serious attitude problem. That's where I find myself on this particularly dark day in the ruins of Boston. After a run-in with a thug at the main gate I find myself conversing with the mayor of Goodneighbor, Hancock. He's a ghoul wearing old colonial attire, and to be fair he is the biggest badass I've had the pleasure to meet since leaving Vault 111. After the pleasantries are out of the way (which involved him stabbing the aforementioned thug to death in the middle of the town), I ask him if he has any extra work for me. He tells me of a place called Pickman Gallery that he needs a status report on, so I gear up and head out.

Hell yes I added him as my companion at first chance!

Art is in the eye of the beholder...I guess.

I arrive at the Gallery to be greeted by a small band of raiders at the door. I switch out my sniper for my silenced 10mm pistol and clear them out quickly and quietly. I enter the building to more raiders who are arguing about finding the aforementioned Pickman. After picking off the raider scum, I start to realize just how freaky this house really is. Creepy paintings cover the walls. People are beheaded and impaled on spikes. Bodies are chained to tables. All the corpses have calling cards on them with the words "Find Me- Pickman" signed in blood. I see a hole in the wall and follow it under the house.

"I love what you've done with the place!"

How many raiders does it take to change a lightbulb?

The tunnels are filled with radiation and raiders. It's tight quarters down here so it's time for my trusty combat shotgun. After blowing through several bands of raiders, and navigating many twists and turns, I come upon a scene of three raiders surrounding a man in a classy suit. They tell him this is the end of the line, but the man doesn't seem concerned. The raiders open fire. In a split second I decide to help the man in the classy suit. Two of the raiders go down with easy headshots, but the leader is a tough S.O.B. After a few shotgun blasts to his ugly mug, the raider is on his last legs. Out of the corner of my eye I see the man in the suit run behind the raider and finish him off with a clean stab to the back.

As the smoke cleared, the man in the suit turns to me. He thanks me for the help although he's kind of a creep. Looking over at his name it all becomes clear, I just helped the serial killer Pickman get a fresh kill. He explains that although his methods are brutal, he only kills raiders. Since the only good raider is a dead raider, I decide to let him leave to continue his bloody streak across the wasteland. I find a lockpicking bobblehead on the floor of the room and head for the door. But something on the table catches my eye...

"Ohhhh comic!"

"IN SOVIET RUSS... Oh nevermind."

-Rory

Jessica Jones AKA The Spoiler-Free Review

Over the weekend, between sessions of writing my paper for school, I binge watched Marvel and Netflix's newest super hero drama Jessica Jones.  I have to point out that I wasn't going into the series blind due to the fact that I have some experience with the comics.  Since I'm a fan I was really excited for this show.  So, what did I think?

First, a brief explanation of plot.  Jessica Jones is a private investigator in New York city with super powers and a troubled past.  She's hard drinking, hard fighting, and doesn't take crap from anyone.  After finding her old nemesis/tormentor is back in town, Jessica has to decide what lengths she is willing to go to in order to settle the score.  Yes, that explanation was purposely as vague as possible.  Let's get into the meat of this show, the writing and acting.  

To start off, I just need to say whomever is in charge of casting for Marvel movie and TV projects deserves more money.  The actors cast to play these characters are always on point and Jessica Jones is no exception.  

Krysten Ritter who is most famous for her role in Breaking Bad does an amazing job of bringing the title character to life.  I must confess, I haven't seen her in many of her other roles so I'm not sure if this tougher than nails part is par for the course for her but in any case she captured the spirit of a person who is torn between duty and revenge.  She shows the pain that Jessica Jones has endured and the psychological scars she has because of it.  I really can't praise Ritter enough so I should probably just move on.

Rachael Taylor plays Trish Walker, the childhood best friend and for lack of better term side-kick.  Walker is also a big character in the Marvel comics but I won't get into that.  If you want to know you can look it up.  Taylor plays this part well and I never had a hard time believing that she cared about Jones.  She did a good job in her role, I don't really think she added anything above and beyond but the part didn't really call for it either.  

 I just want to start off by saying how happy I am to finally see Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic (TV Show) universe.  I've been a fan of this character for a long time and I wasn't sure if we were ever going to see him.  Again, casting was spot on with Mike Colter knocking it out of the park.  We don't see much of Luke in the season but something tells me that will be changing somewhere down the line.

Now, my Doctor Who fanboy is going to be showing a little bit, but I feel that David Tennant stole the show as the villain Killgrave.  Killgrave has the ability to control the minds of others.  All he has to do is tell you to do something, and you will.  One word and you're his.  Honestly, he's one of my favorite Marvel villains simply because he has the power of a god and he's rotten to the core.  My only really complaint about this portrayal in the show is that they try to make him a sympathetic villain when in the comics he's evil and he friggin loves it.  I will admit, it was a little hard to dissociate Tennant from the Doctor and I was a little uncomfortable at first.  Now, I can't imagine Killgrave being played by anyone else.  

The writing and story lines in the Marvel films and television shows have been superb and Jessica Jones does not disappoint.  While the Marvel films such as Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy showcase the bright vibrant areas of the Marvel Universe, the Netflix shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones highlight the dark underworld.  This can be seen in the darker tone of the shows and grittier settings.  Marvel and Netflix have already announced a Defenders (the super hero team of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Iron Fist) show for the future and it's gearing up to be pretty amazing.  I'm still disappointed about the Iron Fist show being cancelled due to the fact that Netflix believed there would not be enough interest in the character.  However, we should get to see the character show up in a future episode of Jessica Jones, Daredevil, or the Luke Cage show that got approved.  I am very interested to see where the future takes Jessica Jones and what story lines they choose to tackle.  I can't recommend this series enough, which probably shouldn't be a surprise considering I watched the whole first season in a day.  You gotta love binge watching.

-Big O

Episode 20: The Future is Here, Today!

As far back as I can remember movies, video games, and television shows have told us what the future was going to be like.  Generally, they involved flying cars, robots, and zero gravity sports.  But the future is here and we don't have any of that stuff.  What went wrong and what can be done to fix it?

Episode 20: The Future is Here, Today!

-Big O

A Walk in My Irradiated Shoes

A Walk in my Irradiated Shoes

11/27/2287

I wake up in my house in Sanctuary Hills, ready to greet the wasteland. Well rested bonus in hand, I head outside to see what’s in store for me next. I trade a few things with Trashcan Carla, then head over to Preston Garvey to see who needs help from the Minutemen today. He tells me of a settlement named Greygarden that is requesting assistance as soon as possible. I scrap a few things, mod my sniper rife for more damage, then I’m on my way.

What do robots need with all this fruit?

Having not been to Greygarden before, I fast travel to the Corvega Assembly Plant just a few minutes away. It’s a pretty smooth walk there, other than some Mole Rats that I quickly dispose of. Cresting over a hill, Greygarden comes into full view and I’m taken aback by what I see. The whole place is run by Mr. Handy’s, under the watchful mechanical eye of Supervisor White. The robot leader tells me that the facility was finished being built mere days before the bombs dropped 200 years ago. But it isn’t all idol chitchat, White gets down to business and tells me of a water treatment plant down the hill that is needed to keep the garden alive. Only one problem, the place is crawling with super mutants. Of course it is.

"I have ALL of my eyes on you."

It looks so innocent from here

After climbing down the hill to the plant, I post up a good distance away to figure out my plan of attack. Through my sniper scope I count around ten mutants, with a mirelurk a safe distance away from them. I line up my first shot on a super mutant brute’s cranium. Bang. Watching their leader go down in one shot clearly pissed them off, because they all start charging and shooting my direction. My explosive indicator pops up pointing to my left. I narrowly avoid becoming charred bits flying around the wasteland, then enter V.A.T.S. to find the culprit. The targeting system lands on a super mutant wearing a tire on his head, who is aiming a missile launcher in my direction. I think we have our guy. So I line up a shot with a 54% chance of hitting. I use my critical strike to change that to a 100% chance. Better save than sorry. Bang.

After thinning a few more out of the herd of monsters, there are just a couple of stragglers left. I get charged by a mutant using a 2x4 as a weapon. It’s too close for the sniper, so I switch to the shotgun. Bang. He SPLINTERS into a million pieces thanks to the Bloody Mess perk. A horrible sound cuts through the chaos, and I quickly change to my sniper. It’s the beeping sound from a mini-nuke being held by a super mutant suicider. He begins his death charge at me. I pull up V.A.T.S to aim for his explosive, but the mirelurk has decided that now is a good time to come attack me. Not cool. I can’t aim at the bomb through the mirelurk, so I use V.A.T.S. to quickly drop him. Bang. Having no AP left, I realize I’m going to have to shoot this bomb unassisted. I look down my scope as the beast closes in. Take aim at the mini-nuke. BOOM. He’s gone in a dark mushroom cloud. That was too close.

They won't be needing this stuff anymore.

Now that the mutant problem is dealt with, time to steal all their stuff. Desk fans, guns, armor, ammo, it’s all up for grabs. I spot a tool case in a shack across the yard. As I cross the threshold of the building, I hear the sound of a wire snap. My explosive indicator points straight down.

Bang.

-Rory