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