Star Wars: Simultaneously!

Hey, have you ever wanted to see all six Star Wars films at the exact same time in order to compare them, but lacked the equipment necessary?

...No?...

Well tough. Here it is anyway!

Existential Quandry

(NOT originally written for Jedi News because they would probably never post this, nor would I ask them to)

Should I go see The Force Awakens?

Video Games!!!!!!

Back in May, I made this post about movies. I wanted everyone's Top 15 films in the comments.

Well, now I'd like to do that again, this time with a newer media: Video Games!

In case you don't feel like clicking the link, here are again the rules:

A) Your personal Top 15 Video Games.

B) Full titles and dates.

C) Countdown so that your number 1 is last.

D) If it's a tied franchise (like, let's say you like the Super Mario games fairly equally), pick only your most favorite one for your slot. An exception I will make is if the franchise spans several genres (i.e. Super Mario Brothers, MarioKart, MarioParty, Mario Tennis, etc.). You may also put an asterisk (*) if you'd like to indicate that this is a franchise pick.

Here is my list, to share and as an example:

15. South Park Rally (1999)
14. MarioKart Wii (2008)
13. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
12. Freaky Flyers (2003)
11. Skylanders: Giants (2012)*
10. Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011)
9. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
8. Final Fantasy IX (2000)*
7. Heroes of the Storm (2015)
6. Star Wars Racer Revenge (2002)*
5. Undertale (2015)
4. Star Wars Battlefront II (2005)
3. Pokémon SoulSilver (2009)*
2. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (2009)*
1. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (2010)*

I want comments. I want lists. Top 15. Go!

Trailercraft

Some thoughts on some new trailers from last week...

And Now, Some Sad News...

Okay, I've been putting off long enough...

When You Break the White Light, You See the Many Colors In It

Sorry for being so late, but here's how Halloween turned out:

The Tao of Jinn

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

Any Star Wars fan worth their salt knows that the Force is split into the Light and Dark Sides. However, slightly less well-known is that there is variation along another axis. In the galaxy far, far away, there are two levels of the Force (for now at least – we may or may not see more when it Awakens): The Unifying Force and The Living Force.

Seeing This Post Appear When Advertised...It Fills You With Determination!

"Hey, have you played Undertale?"

A regular at HumanKind Network's Game Day had asked me this as we were setting up some months ago.

Coming Next Week

Next week will have more posts than the last few months combined, likely followed by another dry period!

1. A rundown of Halloween Hijinks!

2. My latest Star Wars article (available now on Jedi News if you want a sneaky peek)!

3. My reactions to the trailers for Warcraft: The Beginning and WoW: Legion!

4. A sad, depressing tale of my personal life detailing why I've been away so long!

5. Reviews of what I've been doing to De-stress from the above instead of writing here!

I hope at least most of you will find most of it worth the wait. Expect the first post on Sunday, and I will ATTEMPT to make sure there's one per day through Saturday.

An Open Comment to Mainstream Media and Mainstream Geekdom

To whom it may concern,

You don't have to like every aspect of a franchise to be a fan of it.

However, if you purposefully refuse to show your Star-Wars-loving children Episodes I-III or even acknowledge their existence until your children are "old enough to properly hate it", then you are not a Star Wars fan.

You're just an asshole.

Sincerely,
A Star Wars fan.

Sneak Peek

Coming October 31st, 2015...

Why I Almost Left the Star Wars Fandom – And Why I Came Back

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

Hey, remember me?

No, I Wasn't Lying

Yes, I am still back. Yes, I've written more. However, life keeps being life-y and Jedi News is still sitting on my latest article (they've also changed web hosts apparently...)

I am aware of some upkeep issues on this blog which will be addressed soon. In the meantime, within the next month or two, keep an eye out for the aforementioned article (which I will probably post this weekend whether JN does it or not), What the hell's been keeping me from writing here, and what I've been doing to keep mellow through all this stress.

On the Road Again...

I stood at a crossroads recently.

Metaphorically, or course. I didn't actually walk to a four-way intersection.

The roads were all a tangled mess. Work and family. Creation and Contribution. Fun and Input.

And I evaluated. I evaluated my time. I evaluated my energy. I evaluated my resources.

I evaluated my opportunities.

With the added stress at work, and the added stress at home, and the added stress of actually caring about anything these days, I came the closest I've ever come to giving up this ghost.

Wow, that sounds worse than I meant. Naturally, I am still 100% invested in love and life and my job.

It's the little extra things that were teetering.

But no longer.

I'm back.

Maybe not in the same capacity as before. Things might still go a while between updates. But...

But I like having this blog to voice my opinions.

But I have a responsibility to keep writing for Jedi News, that I keep a positive voice in the Star Wars fandom no matter how much I want to just not even bother sometimes - because if I give up, then the haters win.

But I want to keep that built-in audience, however small, to start doing some new things - perhaps podcasting, perhaps YouTube, perhaps I'll even start working on my abandoned novel again.

Of course, all of this will take time, energy, and resources that I may not have right away. But the difference is that I think I'm going to start really banging out the logistics and actually go for something.

And I hope you'll all continue to take that journey with me.

We are Legion

Good news: Content!

Bad news: Nothing to do with Star Wars - I'm on a sabbatical from the galaxy far, far away in case people are wondering but I hope to come back to my Jedi News column this September.

In the meantime, I just watched my first YouTube Livestream. Guess what it was about!

Quick Update

Well, life events have once again made a liar out of me. The unscheduled time off which I had planned to use to catch up on this blog was instead needed to recharge my batteries for another week of complete upheavals.

Basically, due to circumstances beyond our control, our three-person team at work is now currently a two-person team. This means I have no reserves and can barely spare a coherent thought by the end of the day.

I will not let this blog languish anymore, but getting my thoughts on here for your reading pleasure is going to take far more finagling then ever before. But rest assured I am working on it.

Thank you all for being patient in this weird time.

Down for the Count

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

This article is dedicated to the memory of Christopher Lee, a true legend of our era.

"We salute you"

There Will Be Posts.

"Life...ahh...finds a way" - Ian Malcolm

It's been a hellish...let me count...um, MONTH really, and I'm sorry I've let this stagnate without at least an update post.

This afternoon WILL see my glorious return to Jedi News, and I will be posting a few other things next week. Not 100% sure what, BUT IT WILL BE SOMETHING!

I also plan on doing something with Polls between Geekdom Madnesses, but I haven't quite figured that part out yet either, so stay tuned.

Geekdom Madness 2015 Victor

We are ready to announce the Victor for Geekdom Madness 2015. Unlike the other Victor postings which are right on the front page, I'm going to add a page break because SUSPENSE!

Asset Out of Containment

Have you tried not cloning Dinosaurs?

Spoilers Ahead

Geekdom Madness 2015: The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

And only one will survive. I wonder who it will be?

What Time Do You Think We Have?

I first saw Christopher Lee in "Gremlins 2: The New Batch." He played the comically serious mad scientist Dr. Catheter, who ran the genetics laboratory Splice-O'-Life in the mall-like Clamp Center office building. I was about 10 years old. When I saw his name in the credits, I was thinking perhaps that it was another relative of Bruce Lee. That was quickly put to rest.

My father showed me clips of some of the old Hammer Horror films of which he had been a fan growing up. I had a harder time getting into them, but I was still captivated by Lee.

That started the next few years of watching various thing, none of which I remember clearly, but saying "Oh look, it's Christopher Lee again."

By the time I saw his turn as Saruman in "Lord of the Rings," he had become one of my favorite performers of all time.

When I found out he was cast in Star Wars, I was over the moon.

He always gave a commanding performance in everything I've seen him in. Looking at his life, he became someone to look up to.

I guess I knew in my mind that he wouldn't be around forever, and his overall health had been declining for some time, but to have someone as active and accomplished in life as him simply pass so suddenly (well, as suddenly as one can at 93) brings home the inevitability of mortality.

But as sad as I am that Sir Christopher's life and career has come to an abrupt end, the best thing I can do is revel in his impressive body of work and strive to be even a fraction as professional, gentlemanly, and achieved as our stalwart star of the silver screen.

Sir Christopher Lee, I salute you:

For another fan's perspective, read Lazy-Padawan's tribute.

Many people he has worked with, of whom I am also fans, have given quite an outpouring, but for me the one that sums it up best is Peter Jackson's Facebook Post

Finally, for more trivia and info on the man himself, there's really no better place than his TVTropes entry.

Jar Jar Lives!

(Originally Written for Jedi News, and thanks to my editor Mark Newbold for choosing 90% of the pictures when I didn't have to time)

I tried. I really did. I’ve tried talking about other things. Giving the Saga as a whole and equal share of the time. I figured “Hey, everyone already knows who my favorite character is. Let’s leave that be for a while.” I even managed to get through an article about the Gungans while barely mentioning him.

Then J.J. Abrams has to go and “joke” with Vanity Fair last month about how tempted he is to put Jar Jar Binks’ bleached skeleton in the desert in “The Force Awakens.”

Ha. Very funny. Wait, no it’s not. 

"THIS is funny. That...not so much."

GM15: The Semi-Final Victors

Both matches gained some of the most votes we've had over this current competition. 11 Total votes each, both matches having an 8/3 split (73%/27%). You have spoken. These are your champions.

The Victors for the Geekdom Madness Semi-Final are...

The Powerpuff Girls

"And once again, the day...is saved"

They've beaten The Bride. They have what it takes.

and...

Hermione Granger

"I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled."

She's abolished Abby. She has what it takes.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow for the Geekdom Madness 2015 final match!

Hmm, about five months early this year.

Plethora of Posts

Only time today for a quick update on what you all should expect from me over the weekend:

1. My Jedi News article.
2. The official results of the Geekdom Madness Semi-Final.
3. A tribute to a legend.
4. A review of a film I shall be seeing tomorrow.
5. The Geekdom Madness 2015 final match.

Geekdom Madness 2015: The Semi-Final

Here it is. Just two more weeks to go. This week the Elite Four square off to see who makes it into the final match.

GM15 - QF: Teeth and Swords/Meticulous Planning Victors

Answer to the question posed in the original post: At least one more!

The Victors for the second round of the Quarter-Final, both winning their 7-vote matches 4/3 (57%/43%), and the last two Elite Four are...

The Bride

"You and I have unfinished business..."

and...

Hermione Granger

"I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled."

I had been so sure Smaug would have made it into the Elite Four, but The Bride managed an early lead. Actually, it was Scar who almost beat Hermione, but a few votes managed to turn things around.

So now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Elite Four of Geekdom Madness 2015

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS

ABBY SCIUTO

THE BRIDE

HERMIONE GRANGER

Tomorrow, this Final Four will be whittled down to the Final Two, and after that, There Can Be Only One! 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

So, which is better for society: drawing attention to the fact that it's an all-women Elite Four, or just treating it like the everyday occurrence it really should be?

Geekdom Madness 2015 - Quarter-Final: Teeth and Swords/Meticulous Planning

How many more upsets can there be?

GM15 - QF: Super Showdown/Back in Black Victors

Alright folks. We're doing things a little differently. We're giving you the vote tallies BEFORE we announce the victors.

Both matches had a total of 8 votes. Match 1 was a runaway 6/2 (75%/25%). The other was again, surprise surprise, a dead tie (4/4, 50%/50%, etc).

I pulled out my dice again. At first I decided to do best two out of three, but then decided that wasn't fair - I had never done that with the other ties. Therefore, in the end, I have to go with my original rolls: 17 to 2.

The Victors for the first round of the Quarter Final, and the first of 2015's Elite Four are...

The Powerpuff Girls

"And once again the day...is saved!"

and...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abby Sciuto

"Never forget: I am one of the few people in this world who can murder you and leave no forensic evidence."

That means that Abby has tied with, and luckily broken a tie against, two VERY widely recognized geek icons in The Penguin and Charizard. One must wonder if this streak will continue.


Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Can't believe there are just three more weeks

Thought Experiment: The Phantom Menace 1977

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

One question that gets brought up every once in a while when debating the merits of I-III verses IV-VI, usually by people claiming the later films to be inferior: Would Star Wars be as successful if I-III had been released first?

Geekdom Madness 2015 - Quarter Final: Super Showdown/Back in Black

Welcome to the Geekdom Madness 2015 Quarter Final! Y'know, doing the two polls per week has really expedited this process - at this point last year, we weren't even done with the preliminaries! So, without further ado, bring on the Quarter Finals!

GM15 - TRG: Big Mouths/Big Words Victors

Let's not even bother to pretend I wasn't right.

The Victors for the fourth and final round of The Real Game are...

Smaug

"Come, help yourself again. There's plenty and to spare..."

Match 1 was a landslide, where out of 8 votes Smaug beat Audrey II 6/2 (75%/25%)

 

and...

 

 

 

Hermione Granger

"I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled."

Match 2 was another landslide. Out of 6 votes, Hermione beat Dinobot 5/1 (84%/16%). Interestingly, you'll notice that two more people voted in Match 1...why ignore?

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

 

If Hermione keeps winning, she'll have to go by first name only

You Underestimate My Power

2005 was a whirlwind year for me. The end of High School and the beginning of college.

And, after years of waiting, Revenge of the Sith.

2005 was the Year of Star Wars. Burger King had their saga collection toys (of which I still have quite a bit, including the much sought after Vader with Anakin inside). I started collecting the action figures again after the disappointingly posed AotC lines. I got Racer Revenge and the game of the film with the lightsaber fight minigame.

As for the film itself? I saw it three times in the theatres.

The first was with my father and grandfather. We were all blown away, and they both came out of the theatre feeling like they were back in 1977 they said.

The second was with my mother, though I have no specific memory of that.

The third was on my senior trip to the Poconos. I remember vividly spending most of my time unlocking racers in Racer Revenge because I had forgotten my memory card and wanted everyone to have full options - unaware that nobody else cared. Everyone saw movies the next day, and I had to see Sith again. I was the last one out and so psyched I bought a General Grievous figure at the next Wal-Mart we stopped for supplies in.

It wasn't until the year ended that my Dark Period began, when I finally saw the full extent of the hatred and couldn't really argue much against it. But the summer of 2005 was the closest repeat to the summer of 1999 for me.

Oh, and the germ for my current love of Hayden Christensen's performance as a whole may have started with being pleasantly surprised by his character turns during Sith.

Check out the SWPAS for more memories of 2005

Geekdom Madness 2015 - The Real Game: Big Mouths/Big Words

In the final round of The Real Game, well, the titles say it all!

GM15 - TRG: Noses/Multicide Victors

What a bloody battle!

The victors for the third round of The Real Game are...

The Bride

"You and I have unfinished business..."

Match 1 was tied for quite a while, until The Bride got an extra vote at the last second, leaving her with 5 votes (55%) to Gonzo's 4 (45%) out of 9 votes total.

and...

Scar

"Long...live...the king!"

Match 2 was far more of a runaway. Out of 8 votes, Scar beat Nny 6/2 (75%/25%).

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

At this rate, we'll finish before July.

The Phantom of Menace

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

I had mentioned in earlier articles how I had seen Shakespearean adaptations of Episodes IV-VI and was appalled that the author would start there as opposed to I-III, which by themselves are truly Shakespearean epics in their own right.

"Verily, I have a Bad Feeling about this."

Well, apparently enough people agreed with me in order to change the author’s mind on the subject. After doubting he would address them, Ian Doescher announced that he was indeed working on them – partially due to fan demand and partially due to his kids’ love of the entire saga. While I was happy, I was also worried about how they would be handled by someone who had been admittedly less than thrilled with I-III.

Geekdom Madness 2015 - The Real Game: Noses/Multicide

Things continue to heat up in The Real Game, as this week brings steel vs pelt, and claws vs knives.

GM15 - TRG: UnstoppableForces/Firey Personalities Victors

Another tiebreaker that I won't bother to be dramatic with this time.

The Victors for the second round of The Real Game are...

The Powerpuff Girls

"And once again the day...is saved!"

and...

Abby Sciuto

"Never forget: I am one of the few people in this world who can murder you and leave no forensic evidence."

Out of 9 votes, The Powerpuff Girls squeaked by the Xenomorphs at the last second after spending most of the week tied, with the final vote being 5/4 (55%/45%). Out of 10 votes, Abby and Charizard were dead even with 5 votes each. Once again, I rolled a d20 for each of them, and Abby rolled 18 to Charizard's 11. 

I do have to say that these were some of the closest matches outside of last year's final, and this kind of makes me excited as to where this year's contest will lead.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Girls just wanna have fun.

Geekdom Madness 2015 - The Real Game: UnstoppableForces/Firey Personalities

The weirdness quotient rises this week as we bring you Damsels vs Dragons

GM15 TRG: Rhapsody in Purple/Umbrellas Victors

How comical.

The Victors for the first round of The Real Game are...

Nightcrawler

"*BAMF!*"

and...

The Penguin

"But what it all comes down to is: who's holding the umbrella?"

Two close matches with uneven numbers of votes. Match 1 had 9 votes with Nightcrawler beating Donatello 5/4 (55%/45%). Match 2 had 8 votes, with Penguin beating Lexington 5/3 (62%/38%). The comics win.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

So Pengers has made it at least as far as Catwoman.

Judge Them Not Equally

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

Describe Gungans here.

"Keep smiling. Maybe they'll take pity."

Geekdom Madness 2015: The Real Game: Rhapsody in Purple/Umbrellas

Welcome to Geekdom Madness 2015: The Real Game. Our first matches: Bo vs Bamf and Wings vs Waddle.

GM15: Miscellaneous Victors

You little @#$&ers....

The Victors for the eighth and final round of the preliminaries are...

Audrey II

"FEED ME!"

 and...

 

????????

Out of ten votes, Audrey got 7 (70%) to Austin's 3 (30%).

Now as for the second Victor, out of 10 votes, Rose and Dinobot got 5 each (50%). Leaving me to break the tie. Now, the last time this happened was during last year's final, so I used the same method to determine this outcome (no vids or pics this time because it's only the preliminaries).

So, the dice are cast. The winner of the roll and subsequently the second Victor today is...

Dinobot

"Maximize!"

Dinobot rolled a 6 on a d20, and poor Rose rolled a 1 - a Critical Failure in D&D terms. Damn...I was actually starting to root for her too. 

Here's the breakdown. Tomorrow, the Real Game begins!

Freaking Dinobot, man...

Geekdom Madness 2015: Miscellaneous

This week: The Mean Green Mother from Outer Space vs The International Man of Mystery, and The Bad Wolf vs The Deceptive Dromeasaur!

GM15: Why the Long Face?/Insufferable Know-It-Alls Victors

My goodness, that was close!

The Victors for the seventh round of the preliminaries are...

Smaug

"Come, help yourself again. There's plenty and to spare..."

and...

Hermione Granger

"I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled."

Match 2 was an absolute landslide. Out of 11 votes, Hermione's 8 (72%) crushed Data's 3 (28%). 

Match 1 was more interesting. Smaug had an early lead but Sebulba, racer that he is, actually scored a plethora of votes in the final 24 hours putting them neck and neck. Unfortunately for Sebulba, Smaug pulled one vote ahead in the last 15 minutes, ending the match 6/7 (46%/54% out of 13 votes).

I have a very strong feeling that we'll be seeing a lot more of these two as the competition goes on.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

All in all, I'm glad I didn't have to break THAT tie.

Late Article

I submitted my Jedi News article at literally the last minute, and with Celebration Anaheim well underway I doubt my editor even got it. So it might show up here a bit late. Fear not!

In other news, I saw the new Episode VII trailer. At first I thought it was a poorly-done fake until I actually saw new footage of the actual people. Honestly, it didn't feel like Star Wars to me - it felt a little too Expanded Universe which gets me quaking in my boots as to the direction. Every piece makes it harder and harder for me to remain neutral and judge the film on its own merits. But I am determined, and I am trying my absolute damnedest.

And I'll admit, the Han and Chewie reuniting at the end would have gotten me extremely excited if it didn't just look like Harrison Ford on a parody set.

No, no, bad Adam, think positive. No judging until you see the final film. Trailers always lie.

I'm going to go insane, aren't I?

Geekdom Madness 2015: Why the Long Face?/Insufferable Know-It-Alls

This week: Smug Snakes and Information Overload!

GM15: Weird Whatevers/Monochrome Violence Victors

Landslides!

The Victors for the sixth round of the preliminaries are...

The Great Gonzo

"Maybe we should add more special effects, like exploding socks."

and...

Johnny C.

"I've been talking to dead rabbits and feeding bloody walls. I've done horrifying things with salad tongs. It's really eaten into my social life."

Complete and utter domination. 9 votes each total, Gonzo beat Rumplestiltzkin 6/3 (67%/33%), and Nny beat Marv 7/2 (78%/22%)

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Witty Caption

Hey, Anakin Won Kind Of?

Like, technically? Right? I'm not deluding myself?

Geekdom Madness 2015: Weird Whatevers/Monochrome Violence

This Week: Magic vs Technology and Strength vs Agility!

....kind of....maybe....ish?

GM15: Preferred Nomenclature/House of Villains Victors

Sliced and Diced!


The Victors for the fifth round of the preliminaries are...

The Bride

"You and I have unfinished business..."

and...

Scar

"Long...live...the king!"

This is another week where one match gets more votes than the other. Out of 9 votes, the Bride gained a single vote advantage over the Dude, 5 (55%)/4(44%). Out of 10 votes, Scar was the landslide winner - very much his MO - with 7 votes (70%) to Maleficent's 3 (30%).

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Yes, I was traumatized by the Stampede sequence too, and I STILL made all those references!

 

Continuing Call

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

After my previous “Call to Arms”, you can imagine my surprise and elation when Jar Jar actually seemed to have a substantial lead when his turn came up. And yet, for nearly a week after the match’s conclusion, the final results had yet to be posted on the official website in spite of the competition’s continuation. Only on April Fool’s day was Jar Jar declared the winner, and only when there needed to be a contestant to go against Captain Rex (as of this writing, they’re switching off leads, though by the time this sees print a winner will have been decided)

Something is rotten on the site of Star Wars.

"It sure is stinkowiff..."

Early Poll Closing

This week's polls will be closing early - in just a few minutes in fact. The reason is that I will not have any other time to calculate the results and have them posted unless I set it up now. I thank you for your understanding.

Geekdom Madness 2015: Preferred Nomenclature/House of Villains

This week: A Disney Drag-Out and a couple of titles.

GM15: Zerg Rush/Lab Rats Victors

You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should.


The Victors for the fourth round of the preliminaries are...

Xenomorphs

"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

and...

Abby Sciuto

"Never forget: I am one of the few people in this world who can murder you and leave no forensic evidence."

Another week where match 1 got more total votes than match 2. Xenomorphs received 7 votes out of 12 (58%) to the Gremlins' 5 votes (42%). The second match had 11 votes total with Abby winning with 6 votes (55%) to Brundlefly's 5 (45%).

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Halfway down the Preliminaries list