Now I know people really don't read this blog. And my goal with this has never been to earn page views or get any form of recognition. That's why posting here is occasional at best, and I rarely proof reed what I post here. However, there have been a few occasions where it seems possible that people HAVE been coming to this site--rarely at best. And because of that I just wanted to put this out here.
The purpose of this blog is simple: it gives me an opportunity to practice a different form of writing style than what I'm used to. It's also intended to try to practice writing, and practice at being more accurate the first time, so I do limited proof reading. The idea being to make a serious attempt to do things right on the first draft, while still maintaining a reasonable writing speed.
For those one or two people who have read the site at one point or another...feel free to make fun of me.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Fringe S6E7 - The Abducted
After last weeks merely 'good' episode, Fringe returned this week with another great hour of television. I'll have to admit that my anticipation of this episode was pretty damned high, and I wasn't disappointed even if the previews lied a bit about what was going to happen. And, after last week's exposition dump, this episode features a good, creepy, investigation and some great character interaction. And, like ever good episode, it leaves you longing for the next episode...which with the Thanksgiving break we have 2 weeks to wait for. Bastards!
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Fringe S3E6
Another week, and yet another good episode of Fringe. I would like to say 'great', or 'awesome', but unfortunately I cannot. This week's episode was probably the weakest of the entire season.
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because it wasn't great doesn't mean that it wasn't good. And it was good. There were quite a few things I liked about it, including the ever increasing sense of dread about the whole thing. But, 6955 kHz was a bit broader than many of the current episodes. And it's the first one in a while that just seemed to be talking AT the audience instead of showing us. That's a fault of the writers there, and it's what keeps 6955 from being really great.
This episode could really be described as an info dump in many regards. They talk about number stations. They talk about the First People. They talk about secret codes, etc, as if there is some huge mystery about it all. But there is no mystery. Olivia is setting them up. The signals embedded in the numbers were designed to be found by Peter and Walter, to create a 'fringe event' that would draw themselves to something the other side already knew--the location of the other hidden pieces of the 'ancient machine' built by the First People that can create or destroy universes.
In any case, the Fringe Team learn of the First People. They learn about the Numbers. And they can't figure it out. Until, that is, the script needs them too. And suddenly these numbers start leading to points on a calendar which now magically map to coordinates on Earth. And viola, they suddenly have the location for almost two dozen 'sites', the last one happens to match the site where they pulled up the box--part of the ancient device. And, Olivia again has to do something nasty to protect her cover. And that cover is starting to ever so slightly wear thin, even as she's starting to actually question what she's doing (if just a little bit).
So, who were the first people? Why would Walternate want Walter/Peter to figure it out? Why wouldn't he just use agents to collect the pieces for himself, if he already knew how to get them? Just how many bad things is Olivia really willing to do--the cracks, it seems, are finally starting to show. Just what is the end game they are setting up here?
Now, there were no real answers here, but I've been thinking about it a bit. Now, my first thought was First People = Observers. And that is actually be true, but also might also be too easy. But, why the amnesia? The 'Number Stations' are mysterious untraceable sources of random numbers, generated in random languages. I've heard of the phenomenon, actually, there are some that operated for over 20 years in Siberia, for example. But in Fringe World, the Number Stations have existed for a long time. In fact, the first radio invented picked up a number signal--suggesting their origin is a lot older than the current situation. Of course, the amnesia itself is just a red herring...Walternate didn't care if others figured it out; he just needed something to attract Fringe Division's attention.
So we know certain things. We know that Walternate is trying to build this device. That is seems to be spread between multiple worlds. And that the First People died out suddenly in some great disaster. We also know that he couldn't complete the device. And in this season, we learn that parts of the device, or perhaps another version of the device, is located on this side as well. My presumption is that Walternate discovered the truth about these stations, used them to collect the devices on his side; but could not get it to work. So, he needs his counterparts to do the same. Walternate wasn't responsible for these signals; nor was he trying to prevent this information from being found out (as is suggested in the episode)...it's clear he WANTED Fringe Division to find this. And so the amnesia thing was solely to attract Fringe Division to the case itself.
But that begs a different question. Peter responds to the device, which no one else does. That's still interesting, now, isn't it? My assumption has been that Peter is 'special' because he was from the other side--a result of the first rift between worlds. And he is somewhat unique in that he has spent the longest amount of time living on the other side compared to anyone else (save the observers themselves). But, what if Peter is special for another reason? Something that was different on the other side...like Walternate had discovered the truth of these numbers (and the ancient machine) before? I don't know, but I think that's going to be important before this is all done.
And the ending was also kinda cool. So, Olivia no longer needs to show up for the tests? That's a bad sign, for her. They have what they need, and at that point they have no more use for her. In a way, I'm going to be quite happy--next week's episode looks damned awesome--but in another way I'm going to be sad. The Alt-Fringe episodes have been consistently inspired all season and it'll be sad to see her get back home. Alt-Fringe is awesome, Charlie, Lincoln, Broyles, Walternate, are all great characters (too bad alt-Astrid sucks though). It's going to suck going back to a more traditional format.
And another thing. I still have no idea where this show is really going (other than it's been a blast watching them)...By humanizing the other side, it's really going to suck if they become the 'bad guy's' in a more complete way. I would love to see them team up. But, unless some new faction is introduced I just don't see how that would be possible with the way things are going. I am, however, still lending myself to the theory that despite what the show has been showing, Walter is not actually responsible for all of the devastation on the other side. I'm truly beginning to believe that Walternate himself was responsible...that his drive to retrieve his son (which he believed had been kidnapped by his alternate with another universe) drove him to any length to retrieve him--Universe be damned.
At this point, I'm just hoping that there is not a definite 'switch' yet. If Olivia becomes capable of switching sides on a regular basis, then I think that could lead into very new territory. Especially if she can develop some other allies on the other side. And I hope they don't take the easy way out and kill alt-Olivia. It would be cool if they can keep the other side heavily involved in the proceedings; maybe even experience some more alt-fringe investigations. Maybe that will happen with Broyles? That would be the perfect person to become an ally, honestly, or Lincoln?
One other cool thing about it that I liked. I ended up watching this episode with my family last night. They haven't seen the show since the first season, and they were clearly enjoying it quite a bit. And then Olivia walked in on the bad guy, pissed that he'd blown his cover, and the realization that she was actually a bad guy hit them, and it was really fun to see their reaction. Obviously that was not intended by the writers, as by this point everyone knows what's going on, but it was fun to see them react to it, NOT knowing what had happened before. And now I'm pretty sure they are going to start watching it again regularly.
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because it wasn't great doesn't mean that it wasn't good. And it was good. There were quite a few things I liked about it, including the ever increasing sense of dread about the whole thing. But, 6955 kHz was a bit broader than many of the current episodes. And it's the first one in a while that just seemed to be talking AT the audience instead of showing us. That's a fault of the writers there, and it's what keeps 6955 from being really great.
This episode could really be described as an info dump in many regards. They talk about number stations. They talk about the First People. They talk about secret codes, etc, as if there is some huge mystery about it all. But there is no mystery. Olivia is setting them up. The signals embedded in the numbers were designed to be found by Peter and Walter, to create a 'fringe event' that would draw themselves to something the other side already knew--the location of the other hidden pieces of the 'ancient machine' built by the First People that can create or destroy universes.
In any case, the Fringe Team learn of the First People. They learn about the Numbers. And they can't figure it out. Until, that is, the script needs them too. And suddenly these numbers start leading to points on a calendar which now magically map to coordinates on Earth. And viola, they suddenly have the location for almost two dozen 'sites', the last one happens to match the site where they pulled up the box--part of the ancient device. And, Olivia again has to do something nasty to protect her cover. And that cover is starting to ever so slightly wear thin, even as she's starting to actually question what she's doing (if just a little bit).
So, who were the first people? Why would Walternate want Walter/Peter to figure it out? Why wouldn't he just use agents to collect the pieces for himself, if he already knew how to get them? Just how many bad things is Olivia really willing to do--the cracks, it seems, are finally starting to show. Just what is the end game they are setting up here?
Now, there were no real answers here, but I've been thinking about it a bit. Now, my first thought was First People = Observers. And that is actually be true, but also might also be too easy. But, why the amnesia? The 'Number Stations' are mysterious untraceable sources of random numbers, generated in random languages. I've heard of the phenomenon, actually, there are some that operated for over 20 years in Siberia, for example. But in Fringe World, the Number Stations have existed for a long time. In fact, the first radio invented picked up a number signal--suggesting their origin is a lot older than the current situation. Of course, the amnesia itself is just a red herring...Walternate didn't care if others figured it out; he just needed something to attract Fringe Division's attention.
So we know certain things. We know that Walternate is trying to build this device. That is seems to be spread between multiple worlds. And that the First People died out suddenly in some great disaster. We also know that he couldn't complete the device. And in this season, we learn that parts of the device, or perhaps another version of the device, is located on this side as well. My presumption is that Walternate discovered the truth about these stations, used them to collect the devices on his side; but could not get it to work. So, he needs his counterparts to do the same. Walternate wasn't responsible for these signals; nor was he trying to prevent this information from being found out (as is suggested in the episode)...it's clear he WANTED Fringe Division to find this. And so the amnesia thing was solely to attract Fringe Division to the case itself.
But that begs a different question. Peter responds to the device, which no one else does. That's still interesting, now, isn't it? My assumption has been that Peter is 'special' because he was from the other side--a result of the first rift between worlds. And he is somewhat unique in that he has spent the longest amount of time living on the other side compared to anyone else (save the observers themselves). But, what if Peter is special for another reason? Something that was different on the other side...like Walternate had discovered the truth of these numbers (and the ancient machine) before? I don't know, but I think that's going to be important before this is all done.
And the ending was also kinda cool. So, Olivia no longer needs to show up for the tests? That's a bad sign, for her. They have what they need, and at that point they have no more use for her. In a way, I'm going to be quite happy--next week's episode looks damned awesome--but in another way I'm going to be sad. The Alt-Fringe episodes have been consistently inspired all season and it'll be sad to see her get back home. Alt-Fringe is awesome, Charlie, Lincoln, Broyles, Walternate, are all great characters (too bad alt-Astrid sucks though). It's going to suck going back to a more traditional format.
And another thing. I still have no idea where this show is really going (other than it's been a blast watching them)...By humanizing the other side, it's really going to suck if they become the 'bad guy's' in a more complete way. I would love to see them team up. But, unless some new faction is introduced I just don't see how that would be possible with the way things are going. I am, however, still lending myself to the theory that despite what the show has been showing, Walter is not actually responsible for all of the devastation on the other side. I'm truly beginning to believe that Walternate himself was responsible...that his drive to retrieve his son (which he believed had been kidnapped by his alternate with another universe) drove him to any length to retrieve him--Universe be damned.
At this point, I'm just hoping that there is not a definite 'switch' yet. If Olivia becomes capable of switching sides on a regular basis, then I think that could lead into very new territory. Especially if she can develop some other allies on the other side. And I hope they don't take the easy way out and kill alt-Olivia. It would be cool if they can keep the other side heavily involved in the proceedings; maybe even experience some more alt-fringe investigations. Maybe that will happen with Broyles? That would be the perfect person to become an ally, honestly, or Lincoln?
One other cool thing about it that I liked. I ended up watching this episode with my family last night. They haven't seen the show since the first season, and they were clearly enjoying it quite a bit. And then Olivia walked in on the bad guy, pissed that he'd blown his cover, and the realization that she was actually a bad guy hit them, and it was really fun to see their reaction. Obviously that was not intended by the writers, as by this point everyone knows what's going on, but it was fun to see them react to it, NOT knowing what had happened before. And now I'm pretty sure they are going to start watching it again regularly.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Fringe S3E5
There is a time in every TV shows life which represents the very peak of what the show can do. It's a moment, perhaps a string of moments, that really define the show. But not just define it. It sticks with you, makes you want to come back again. And again.
Chuck had it late in the second season. It was always pretty good. Fun. But it wasn't until the latter half of the second season where everything came together and what followed was a blistering string of awesomeness which ended in a kung fu bang. Battlestar Galactica did it in the first part of the second season, where instead of just trying to tie up loose ends from the S1 finally, they really ran with it and let the situation spiral out of control. Hell, even Big Bang Theory had it with it's stellar second season premier, and an inspired string of episodes that had little in common--but were consistently funnier than they'd ever been before or since.
Fringe, I think, has reached that peak. Fringe has always been good. But it's never had such a string of high quality episodes as it's having right now. Crossing seasons, Fringe is on a 8 episode winning streak which started with 'Northwest Passage' and now continues with episode 5. Season 2 was a good season--overall. But, it had a serious problem in that many of the episodes were truly random filler. Not that it is necessarily bad, I guess, some of those episodes were very good in their own right. But Season 1 managed to take to random, and connect it all together in a neat package. People, bad people, were experimenting, leading to hideous death to innocents...and all of those grisly deaths fit the same general them. And then we learned why, and it all started to come together.
Season 2, however, had to get past the why, and go to the what for. And it did just that, but at the same time it meandered. Episodes like Night of Desirable Objects, Dream Logic, Earthling, Snake Head, Johari Window, What Lies Below, The Bishop Revival, all had nothing to do with anything that had come before, and also seem to lead to no connection to anything else. That's 7 episodes out of 22 that had real connection to anything else. Which is actually a good ratio, really, but the first season had, what, 2 episodes that really had no connection to anything (the one with the computer virus killing people, and the one with the chimera, I believe). Everything else had a meaningful connection to ZFT, or to John Scott, or to some other important part of the mythology.
OK, maybe I'm nit picking a little bit here. It's not like stand alone episodes are bad. And some of those were actually quite good episodes in their own right. But, Season 2 really hit its stride when Olivia learned the truth about Peter, and the slow building of dread about what was going to happen when the truth comes out. And from the moment Peter disappeared, through tonight, every single episode of Fringe has been awesome. Not just good...but awesome.
Tonight's episode was 'over there' as they call it. Olivia is having hallucinations about Peter. She's strongly doubting herself. And she's agreed to allow herself to be experimented on. And even from the start, things happen. She crosses over, if only for a few minutes. And suddenly she's even less sure of herself. I've not 100% bought into the whole brainwashing thing, though I'd admit the reasoning Walternate uses does make a weird form of sense. At first I was hoping that she was just going to be playing along. And then last 'over there' episode I figured she had figured out the truth. And she has really, but she's in denial.
But ironically, the 'b' story is the fringe investigation. About a brother breaking his identical twin out of Amber. They are alive, apparently, and in stasis (which makes me wonder...in S1 the ones trapped in Amber were certainly dead...did they forget that or is this something different). Fringe team is investigating because, well if the truth came out there would be anarchy. So they need to find the brothers and shut them out before anyone figures out the truth.
Considering how invested I am with Olivia's story, the investigation was possibly the greatest part of the episode. The interaction with the brothers, the reasons for it, and it's pay off was quite powerful, especially since there wasn't really a lot of time spent with the brothers. Not only was that good writing, but it was good acting as well. And it worked in ways that really fit in with Olivia's situation, elevating both stories in the process. That's tried a lot, I've tried it in stories, but it rarely works so well as it did here.And Olivia let them get away with it because she knows exactly what the brother was going through.
And at the end, Olivia knows the truth. She went to the other side. And wished Ella happy birthday. A major cock tease, to be sure, but now there's no doubt. She may not remember everything, and I suspect that she won't be getting back home soon, but I want next week to come right now... And as a producer of a TV show that's exactly how they want you to feel.
So, how long with this streak continue? I hope for a while at least, but all things come to an end eventually. At this point, I just hope Fringe gets a fourth season. It's just too damned cool to end with just 3 seasons. But I have to wonder just what is going to happen when Olivia does get back? Quite frankly, Alt-Fringe is just too cool to not come back to on a regular basis. And having Charlie back is awesome. And the new character Lincoln is too awesome as well.
I'm also wondering. So far, the show has presented Walter as the bad guy. He first crossed over and started this. And certainly that's true. But, why is the other Universe so fragile compared to the main Universe. I think the presumption has been that it was because it was the one first crossed through. But honestly, I don't think that's the case. My theory is, Walternate realized his son was kidnapped and drove himself to find a way to return his son no matter what the cost. Their Universe is so unstable because Walternate could not let go, would not give up, and did not care about the consequences in his drive to get back his son. That's why the alternate universe is so fragile and failing.
But even with that theory, what is going to happen when Olivia gets back? Will she continue to be able to cross over at will? Fringe has a history of suggesting powers for her that they soon forget about...though it was cool they remembered Olivia's 'super hearing' from S2. What will happen with the other Olivia? She does not have that ability, though obviously the other side has some ability to travel back and forth. Will the show just go back the way it was before? Or will it head off in a new direction once more information about that strange device shows up? Maybe it will lead to more and more cross overs as the show goes on?
Whatever happens, Fringe has really established itself as a major sci-fi show, and it's the best of all of the TV shows I'm watching right now.
Chuck had it late in the second season. It was always pretty good. Fun. But it wasn't until the latter half of the second season where everything came together and what followed was a blistering string of awesomeness which ended in a kung fu bang. Battlestar Galactica did it in the first part of the second season, where instead of just trying to tie up loose ends from the S1 finally, they really ran with it and let the situation spiral out of control. Hell, even Big Bang Theory had it with it's stellar second season premier, and an inspired string of episodes that had little in common--but were consistently funnier than they'd ever been before or since.
Fringe, I think, has reached that peak. Fringe has always been good. But it's never had such a string of high quality episodes as it's having right now. Crossing seasons, Fringe is on a 8 episode winning streak which started with 'Northwest Passage' and now continues with episode 5. Season 2 was a good season--overall. But, it had a serious problem in that many of the episodes were truly random filler. Not that it is necessarily bad, I guess, some of those episodes were very good in their own right. But Season 1 managed to take to random, and connect it all together in a neat package. People, bad people, were experimenting, leading to hideous death to innocents...and all of those grisly deaths fit the same general them. And then we learned why, and it all started to come together.
Season 2, however, had to get past the why, and go to the what for. And it did just that, but at the same time it meandered. Episodes like Night of Desirable Objects, Dream Logic, Earthling, Snake Head, Johari Window, What Lies Below, The Bishop Revival, all had nothing to do with anything that had come before, and also seem to lead to no connection to anything else. That's 7 episodes out of 22 that had real connection to anything else. Which is actually a good ratio, really, but the first season had, what, 2 episodes that really had no connection to anything (the one with the computer virus killing people, and the one with the chimera, I believe). Everything else had a meaningful connection to ZFT, or to John Scott, or to some other important part of the mythology.
OK, maybe I'm nit picking a little bit here. It's not like stand alone episodes are bad. And some of those were actually quite good episodes in their own right. But, Season 2 really hit its stride when Olivia learned the truth about Peter, and the slow building of dread about what was going to happen when the truth comes out. And from the moment Peter disappeared, through tonight, every single episode of Fringe has been awesome. Not just good...but awesome.
Tonight's episode was 'over there' as they call it. Olivia is having hallucinations about Peter. She's strongly doubting herself. And she's agreed to allow herself to be experimented on. And even from the start, things happen. She crosses over, if only for a few minutes. And suddenly she's even less sure of herself. I've not 100% bought into the whole brainwashing thing, though I'd admit the reasoning Walternate uses does make a weird form of sense. At first I was hoping that she was just going to be playing along. And then last 'over there' episode I figured she had figured out the truth. And she has really, but she's in denial.
But ironically, the 'b' story is the fringe investigation. About a brother breaking his identical twin out of Amber. They are alive, apparently, and in stasis (which makes me wonder...in S1 the ones trapped in Amber were certainly dead...did they forget that or is this something different). Fringe team is investigating because, well if the truth came out there would be anarchy. So they need to find the brothers and shut them out before anyone figures out the truth.
Considering how invested I am with Olivia's story, the investigation was possibly the greatest part of the episode. The interaction with the brothers, the reasons for it, and it's pay off was quite powerful, especially since there wasn't really a lot of time spent with the brothers. Not only was that good writing, but it was good acting as well. And it worked in ways that really fit in with Olivia's situation, elevating both stories in the process. That's tried a lot, I've tried it in stories, but it rarely works so well as it did here.And Olivia let them get away with it because she knows exactly what the brother was going through.
And at the end, Olivia knows the truth. She went to the other side. And wished Ella happy birthday. A major cock tease, to be sure, but now there's no doubt. She may not remember everything, and I suspect that she won't be getting back home soon, but I want next week to come right now... And as a producer of a TV show that's exactly how they want you to feel.
So, how long with this streak continue? I hope for a while at least, but all things come to an end eventually. At this point, I just hope Fringe gets a fourth season. It's just too damned cool to end with just 3 seasons. But I have to wonder just what is going to happen when Olivia does get back? Quite frankly, Alt-Fringe is just too cool to not come back to on a regular basis. And having Charlie back is awesome. And the new character Lincoln is too awesome as well.
I'm also wondering. So far, the show has presented Walter as the bad guy. He first crossed over and started this. And certainly that's true. But, why is the other Universe so fragile compared to the main Universe. I think the presumption has been that it was because it was the one first crossed through. But honestly, I don't think that's the case. My theory is, Walternate realized his son was kidnapped and drove himself to find a way to return his son no matter what the cost. Their Universe is so unstable because Walternate could not let go, would not give up, and did not care about the consequences in his drive to get back his son. That's why the alternate universe is so fragile and failing.
But even with that theory, what is going to happen when Olivia gets back? Will she continue to be able to cross over at will? Fringe has a history of suggesting powers for her that they soon forget about...though it was cool they remembered Olivia's 'super hearing' from S2. What will happen with the other Olivia? She does not have that ability, though obviously the other side has some ability to travel back and forth. Will the show just go back the way it was before? Or will it head off in a new direction once more information about that strange device shows up? Maybe it will lead to more and more cross overs as the show goes on?
Whatever happens, Fringe has really established itself as a major sci-fi show, and it's the best of all of the TV shows I'm watching right now.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Chuck 10/1/2010
There has been something 'off' with this season of Chuck. It's been hard for me to pin down, but I think last night's episode was a really goo example of it. There was a lot to love about this week's episode. We got to see more of Chuck's mom. There was a considerable amount of action and suspense. We got to see Elle interact with her mother for the first time. And Timothy Dalton as an -awesome- guest star.
There was a lot to like about the episode. And despite my saying that the season feels off, it was a great episode over all. But, it also definitely points out more clearly just what the problems are.
Chuck is a show about delicate balancing acts. Between drama and comedy, romance and action. As a show, Chuck is generally regarded as a straight out comedy. And for most of the time it is. But as a show Chuck has always been willing to go dark, to stop playing for laughs and be serious. Those serious moments have always given the show more weight during it's lighter moments. And I think that is really what has changed here.
Last night is a good example of a show that the show would traditionally play straight in previous seasons. But this season, almost everything is played either as a goofy comedy or a straight action piece. And as good as last night's show was, playing it as a goofy comedy really hurt the emotional ending.
I hate to say this, but the show is simply focusing on two things that are weighing the show down. The first is the Chuck/Sarah relationship struggles...these two work best as a team working together and protecting each other. They do not work nearly as well as squabbling teenagers, which is what they are mostly portrayed as. The second is Morgan Grimes...Morgan's antics are really starting to get on my nerves. He's too goofy to be taken seriously in any way, and I think the writers realize this so they try to overcompensate in ways that are ridiculous. But what is really criminal about this is how much screen time he's getting, and how this is taking away from Sarah and more importantly Casey. It's a shame to, because the character of Morgan is pretty cool...but he's best used in small doses.
On the plus side, the show is definitely experimenting. Chuck's mother is turning into a very compelling character. And while I cannot imagine her truly being 'bad', there is still a chance that she is. And it's becoming more and more interesting to see where this is going (and what her true motives are). And Timothy Dalton was awesome last night. He certainly played against expectations for most of the episode, only to turn things around in the last few moments in a very interesting way. Chuck has always done well with its guest stars, and last night was no exception.
So, we have a 1 week break, so it will be at least two weeks before we find out (perhaps even more). I find it hard to believe that she erased the intersect from Chuck's brain, especially since that was a main plot point from Season 2. And I'm guessing that she's still trying to protect Chuck from Volkov, but, at this point there's not really enough specific information to explain what is going on here exactly. They've done a pretty good job of making Chuck's mother interesting, and it really seems like we are getting to the meat of things now.
Oh, and while we are on the subject of breaks, I know I haven't been keeping up with these reviews. In part because I actually missed the last few episodes, and didn't even see them until last Friday (where I watched them with friends).
There was a lot to like about the episode. And despite my saying that the season feels off, it was a great episode over all. But, it also definitely points out more clearly just what the problems are.
Chuck is a show about delicate balancing acts. Between drama and comedy, romance and action. As a show, Chuck is generally regarded as a straight out comedy. And for most of the time it is. But as a show Chuck has always been willing to go dark, to stop playing for laughs and be serious. Those serious moments have always given the show more weight during it's lighter moments. And I think that is really what has changed here.
Last night is a good example of a show that the show would traditionally play straight in previous seasons. But this season, almost everything is played either as a goofy comedy or a straight action piece. And as good as last night's show was, playing it as a goofy comedy really hurt the emotional ending.
I hate to say this, but the show is simply focusing on two things that are weighing the show down. The first is the Chuck/Sarah relationship struggles...these two work best as a team working together and protecting each other. They do not work nearly as well as squabbling teenagers, which is what they are mostly portrayed as. The second is Morgan Grimes...Morgan's antics are really starting to get on my nerves. He's too goofy to be taken seriously in any way, and I think the writers realize this so they try to overcompensate in ways that are ridiculous. But what is really criminal about this is how much screen time he's getting, and how this is taking away from Sarah and more importantly Casey. It's a shame to, because the character of Morgan is pretty cool...but he's best used in small doses.
On the plus side, the show is definitely experimenting. Chuck's mother is turning into a very compelling character. And while I cannot imagine her truly being 'bad', there is still a chance that she is. And it's becoming more and more interesting to see where this is going (and what her true motives are). And Timothy Dalton was awesome last night. He certainly played against expectations for most of the episode, only to turn things around in the last few moments in a very interesting way. Chuck has always done well with its guest stars, and last night was no exception.
So, we have a 1 week break, so it will be at least two weeks before we find out (perhaps even more). I find it hard to believe that she erased the intersect from Chuck's brain, especially since that was a main plot point from Season 2. And I'm guessing that she's still trying to protect Chuck from Volkov, but, at this point there's not really enough specific information to explain what is going on here exactly. They've done a pretty good job of making Chuck's mother interesting, and it really seems like we are getting to the meat of things now.
Oh, and while we are on the subject of breaks, I know I haven't been keeping up with these reviews. In part because I actually missed the last few episodes, and didn't even see them until last Friday (where I watched them with friends).
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
WOW: The Pre-Patch Jitters
The Cataclysm release date is now December 7th, a full month later than I was originally hoping for. But, considering what I've heard of the beta, another month to fine tune and test the content is probably for the best. I'd rather have a stable Cataclysm release (like Wrath's) rather than the annoying, unstable BC release.
Unfortunately, this means yet another full month of Wrath. I'm still raiding. But it's pointless and I'm only doing it to try to maintain a raid slot. I'm not alone in that. Everyone is feeling it at this point--ICC just isn't that fun and it's been out too long. And there is still a full 2 months to go. Blah. On the plus side, I've completely caught up on gear and DPS. I'm now almost always within the top five overall, and on most bosses. I've been frequently given more responsiblity in raids, and I'm pretty much a full-time member who almost always has a raid spot.
But, now Patch 4.0 is upon us. I think there was a chance that we could have seen it this week. But next week is much more likely. And at that point, who knows what is going to happen. Most everyone in the guild is expecting raiding to take a dive when 4.0 comes out, and I wonder about that. I wouldn't mind if the guild made all 25-man raids optional until Cataclysm comes out. And at this point there are only a few pieces of gear that I'm interested in: Heroic Tier 10 tokens (I STILL have not gotten one...and I HATE that Blizzard made them so rare), a necklace, and a cloak.
As a Mage, I (and probably the vast majority of the mage world) am planning on switching to Fire. The mechanics look very nice, from what I can tell anyway, and genuinely different than before. Arcane has served me well since Uldaur...but honestly Arcane is mind-numbingly boring and I'm sick of all of the spell knockback hurting AM DPS so badly (especially where there is so much raid-wide damage in ICC). The problem is, I haven't really spent any time with it yet. Burn out has really kept me from reading too much about the new changes. I've watched some videos, and it looks cool. But those videos are more 5-man related, and I'm still curious to how well it performs in raids. I'm also wondering if Frostfire will become competitive again. I really liked Frostfire back in the day, but haven't heard much about it in 4.0 and beyond.
Of course, I'm not entirely sure how well my current gear is going to translate into Fire DPS. I'm very heavy in Haste (1350), and while my crit rating is about 40% (higher in raids), I'm still wondering just how well my gear is going to transition there. Especially since I'll have to make up several more points of hit (and gear wise that's not going to be quite so easy now). If my heavy-haste build works, though, I'll be happy. And who knows, I might even try frost! The only mage-spec I'm NOT interested in at this point is Arcane. I don't really like the mechanics they've created for it, so I'm not going to use it unless I'm forced into it just to stay competitive.
One other downside...I was figuring that Blizzard would make it easier to level from 68-80, much like they did with 58-60 when Wrath came out. But from what I read that is NOT on the table at this point. It's still on the table for some point in the future, apparently, but I'm betting at this point they are going to wait long after the Cataclsym release.
Unfortunately, this means yet another full month of Wrath. I'm still raiding. But it's pointless and I'm only doing it to try to maintain a raid slot. I'm not alone in that. Everyone is feeling it at this point--ICC just isn't that fun and it's been out too long. And there is still a full 2 months to go. Blah. On the plus side, I've completely caught up on gear and DPS. I'm now almost always within the top five overall, and on most bosses. I've been frequently given more responsiblity in raids, and I'm pretty much a full-time member who almost always has a raid spot.
But, now Patch 4.0 is upon us. I think there was a chance that we could have seen it this week. But next week is much more likely. And at that point, who knows what is going to happen. Most everyone in the guild is expecting raiding to take a dive when 4.0 comes out, and I wonder about that. I wouldn't mind if the guild made all 25-man raids optional until Cataclysm comes out. And at this point there are only a few pieces of gear that I'm interested in: Heroic Tier 10 tokens (I STILL have not gotten one...and I HATE that Blizzard made them so rare), a necklace, and a cloak.
As a Mage, I (and probably the vast majority of the mage world) am planning on switching to Fire. The mechanics look very nice, from what I can tell anyway, and genuinely different than before. Arcane has served me well since Uldaur...but honestly Arcane is mind-numbingly boring and I'm sick of all of the spell knockback hurting AM DPS so badly (especially where there is so much raid-wide damage in ICC). The problem is, I haven't really spent any time with it yet. Burn out has really kept me from reading too much about the new changes. I've watched some videos, and it looks cool. But those videos are more 5-man related, and I'm still curious to how well it performs in raids. I'm also wondering if Frostfire will become competitive again. I really liked Frostfire back in the day, but haven't heard much about it in 4.0 and beyond.
Of course, I'm not entirely sure how well my current gear is going to translate into Fire DPS. I'm very heavy in Haste (1350), and while my crit rating is about 40% (higher in raids), I'm still wondering just how well my gear is going to transition there. Especially since I'll have to make up several more points of hit (and gear wise that's not going to be quite so easy now). If my heavy-haste build works, though, I'll be happy. And who knows, I might even try frost! The only mage-spec I'm NOT interested in at this point is Arcane. I don't really like the mechanics they've created for it, so I'm not going to use it unless I'm forced into it just to stay competitive.
One other downside...I was figuring that Blizzard would make it easier to level from 68-80, much like they did with 58-60 when Wrath came out. But from what I read that is NOT on the table at this point. It's still on the table for some point in the future, apparently, but I'm betting at this point they are going to wait long after the Cataclsym release.
Chuck 10/04: Chuck vs. the Cubic Z
I wasn’t sure what to expect about Monday’s Chuck. I didn’t get to watch it Monday, since I was at a friend’s house. But I had managed to read a few reviews of the episode online that were less than glowing. So I went into the episode with pretty low expectations. And that is probably why I was so pleasantly surprised with the episode overall. Sure it had its problems, but it was a good fast-paced hour with some cool call-backs to past episodes and, with the return of Big Mike, the full return of the entire cast to the show.
Without going into spoiler territory, two prisoners from Chuck and Sarah’s past get re-routed to the new Buy More when their vehicle breaks down. After they get there, however, it is obvious that Volkov arranged for the transfer there specifically. And when one of the prisoners escapes, all hell breaks loose…all while a ‘riot’ starts in the Buy More when a new game comes out but the store gets only 9 copies.
There seems to be a new theme is emerging in the season. Now that Chuck and Sarah are ‘together’, each episode seems to try to highlight some ‘problem’ of the couple that they must overcome. The first episode had Chuck pining over the fact that Sarah was away so much due to CIA missions. Last episode was Sarah’s fear of placing roots (manifested in her fear of unpacking), while this episode has Sarah freaking out about Chuck’s mention of marriage and a baby as something that might possibly be in their future someday. And for those most parts this sort of ‘romantic’ tension isn’t really adding anything to the show. Last season had some very cool episodes where the two characters were together, and in sync. And that worked VERY well. So I’m not entirely sure I understand why they are messing with the formula here.
Then there is the Buy More plot. It used to be that the Buy More plots had more connection to Chuck’s spy missions. And this week’s episode was something of a return to that. All of the Buy more crowed got more screen time than normal; with the ending neatly allowing Big Mike to take out the main bad guy without anyone realizing who/what he was. Big Mike’s return was welcome. He’s a great character, and while certainly fun has a more serious ‘real’ side to him more than anyone else in the Buy More (save Chuck himself). It’s cool that his off-screen relationship with Morgan’s mother is continuing. And it was fun to see Morgan and Big Mike interact, with Mike taking charge at the end showing that he could manage the store even in a crisis when necessary.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Awesome or Ellie this week (which is a total shame). But at least they look to be returning in full force next week, though, so I’m happy about that. Also, there was a little movement on the Frost/Mother story front, though ‘little’ is the operative word there. With only 13 episodes this season (I’m not betting on a back 9 at all), and three already aired, I’m hoping that they’ll be introducing her as a full character fairly soon. But, so far, the ‘search’ for Chuck’s mom has been something of a dud.
Without going into spoiler territory, two prisoners from Chuck and Sarah’s past get re-routed to the new Buy More when their vehicle breaks down. After they get there, however, it is obvious that Volkov arranged for the transfer there specifically. And when one of the prisoners escapes, all hell breaks loose…all while a ‘riot’ starts in the Buy More when a new game comes out but the store gets only 9 copies.
There seems to be a new theme is emerging in the season. Now that Chuck and Sarah are ‘together’, each episode seems to try to highlight some ‘problem’ of the couple that they must overcome. The first episode had Chuck pining over the fact that Sarah was away so much due to CIA missions. Last episode was Sarah’s fear of placing roots (manifested in her fear of unpacking), while this episode has Sarah freaking out about Chuck’s mention of marriage and a baby as something that might possibly be in their future someday. And for those most parts this sort of ‘romantic’ tension isn’t really adding anything to the show. Last season had some very cool episodes where the two characters were together, and in sync. And that worked VERY well. So I’m not entirely sure I understand why they are messing with the formula here.
Then there is the Buy More plot. It used to be that the Buy More plots had more connection to Chuck’s spy missions. And this week’s episode was something of a return to that. All of the Buy more crowed got more screen time than normal; with the ending neatly allowing Big Mike to take out the main bad guy without anyone realizing who/what he was. Big Mike’s return was welcome. He’s a great character, and while certainly fun has a more serious ‘real’ side to him more than anyone else in the Buy More (save Chuck himself). It’s cool that his off-screen relationship with Morgan’s mother is continuing. And it was fun to see Morgan and Big Mike interact, with Mike taking charge at the end showing that he could manage the store even in a crisis when necessary.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Awesome or Ellie this week (which is a total shame). But at least they look to be returning in full force next week, though, so I’m happy about that. Also, there was a little movement on the Frost/Mother story front, though ‘little’ is the operative word there. With only 13 episodes this season (I’m not betting on a back 9 at all), and three already aired, I’m hoping that they’ll be introducing her as a full character fairly soon. But, so far, the ‘search’ for Chuck’s mom has been something of a dud.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Fringe 08/30: The Box
Last week Fringe had a great season opener. And last night’s episode was the first chance to really see the prime-side’s new format. I had a bunch of questions going into the episode. Last week’s episode set things in motion, but it wasn’t really clear on how things would be going. Now, however, we have a clearer understanding of where things are and where they will be going in the short term.
In many ways, this episode was a standard ‘weird science of the week’ episode. But it was one that was almost drowning in a sea of mythology. Alt-Olivia’s ruse is in full effect, and as expected there are some definite rough edges though no one really questions it openly. Newton is back, and now taking orders from Olivia (and clearly unhappy with it).
The entire episode deals with a box which has the power to kill people. It gets dug up by men (hired by Newton, or orders from Olivia). They decide to open the box, but this kills everyone save one man who seems completely unaffected. As the Fringe Team comes in to investigate, Alt-Olivia has to step in to foil Water/Peter’s progress, while she remains out to find the box for herself.
The B-Story involves the reading of William Bell’s will. And while this is perhaps not as interesting story wise, it does give us some insights into Walter’s relationship with Bell and his mixed emotions regarding his old friend. Honestly it’s a shame that Bell is ‘dead’ because he is something of a very interesting, almost mythological character and he interacted very well with Bishop. It’s an interesting and complex relationship that rarely got any real screen time and that’s a shame.
The mystery surrounding The Box isn’t really all that big of one. It kills people. One person seems to be immune. And Newton/Alt-Olivia want it. And they stay 1 step ahead of the Fringe Team the whole way (in part due to Alt-Olivia). Alt-Olivia makes a few missteps along the way, but no one really questions it very strongly. In the end, the thief actually just hands the device over to Alt-Olivia (thinking that she was just a cop and he was turning it over). And Newton unleashes it in a subway tunnel, and Peter makes the heroic attempt to save everyone from it. In the end the Fringe ends up with The Box, which is part of the mysterious ‘Device’ that Walternate wants to use to destroy the prime universe. But, this was all part of the plan. Alt-Olivia WANTS Peter to have the device, and to start investigating it. Duh-Duh-DUH!!!
Overall the episode was another strong installment of the series. It wasn’t as mind blowing as the premier; and its mystery seemed a bit weak and contrived, but despite this it was a very good character-oriented episode that definitely sets the tone for what’s going on and leaves me very interested in what is going to happen next.
Some notes about the episode
In many ways, this episode was a standard ‘weird science of the week’ episode. But it was one that was almost drowning in a sea of mythology. Alt-Olivia’s ruse is in full effect, and as expected there are some definite rough edges though no one really questions it openly. Newton is back, and now taking orders from Olivia (and clearly unhappy with it).
The entire episode deals with a box which has the power to kill people. It gets dug up by men (hired by Newton, or orders from Olivia). They decide to open the box, but this kills everyone save one man who seems completely unaffected. As the Fringe Team comes in to investigate, Alt-Olivia has to step in to foil Water/Peter’s progress, while she remains out to find the box for herself.
The B-Story involves the reading of William Bell’s will. And while this is perhaps not as interesting story wise, it does give us some insights into Walter’s relationship with Bell and his mixed emotions regarding his old friend. Honestly it’s a shame that Bell is ‘dead’ because he is something of a very interesting, almost mythological character and he interacted very well with Bishop. It’s an interesting and complex relationship that rarely got any real screen time and that’s a shame.
The mystery surrounding The Box isn’t really all that big of one. It kills people. One person seems to be immune. And Newton/Alt-Olivia want it. And they stay 1 step ahead of the Fringe Team the whole way (in part due to Alt-Olivia). Alt-Olivia makes a few missteps along the way, but no one really questions it very strongly. In the end, the thief actually just hands the device over to Alt-Olivia (thinking that she was just a cop and he was turning it over). And Newton unleashes it in a subway tunnel, and Peter makes the heroic attempt to save everyone from it. In the end the Fringe ends up with The Box, which is part of the mysterious ‘Device’ that Walternate wants to use to destroy the prime universe. But, this was all part of the plan. Alt-Olivia WANTS Peter to have the device, and to start investigating it. Duh-Duh-DUH!!!
Overall the episode was another strong installment of the series. It wasn’t as mind blowing as the premier; and its mystery seemed a bit weak and contrived, but despite this it was a very good character-oriented episode that definitely sets the tone for what’s going on and leaves me very interested in what is going to happen next.
Some notes about the episode
- I was wondering just how long Alt-Olivia’s ruse would work. Honestly, while they did try to address the issues with her faking being the ‘real’ Olivia, I just don’t see how this would work for very long. But it’s clear that no one is going to figure it out immediately.
- Another thing I'm interested in. Just what is the chance that Alt-Olivia will become more sympathetic to the prime-universe and its characters?. Newton really slammed her on it when she showed even mild interest in the differences; but she really didn’t hesitate when forced to do some very unpleasant things (such as murdering the deaf thug who survived the box, when he was just returning it to her b/c he thought it was the right thing to do).
- The other interesting twist in this episode has to do with Walter inheriting Massive Dynamic in full from Bell. That was not expected, and I’m very interested in seeing what they will do with that. And how Nina will respond. Will this make Nina a clear villain? Or is this just a better opportunity to include Nina more into the show’s structure? I have no idea where this is going, but is has some interesting possibilities.
- Also talking about Massive Dynamic…what was that strange particle-accelerator like technology that Walter passed in the room. At the time I just looked over it…but as I started writing about this I began to wonder. They specifically made sure we saw it, and saw Walter’s surprised reaction (like he recognized it)…but neither Walter or anyone else brought it up. But, now that he is so involved with Massive Dynamic…will this be something that comes up as a plot point later?
- And for the box. So Olivia had Newton unbury the thing. They knew where it was obviously. And at the end of the episode it basically indicates that the whole thing was a ploy to get the box into Peter’s hands and get him investigating it. But, if that’s the case, why was she interfering with the investigation the whole time, if the idea was to get it into Fringe Division’s hands anyway? Seems like an unnecessary twist there at the end that really didn’t add anything other than inconsistency.
- But more interesting is why the Box was there in the first place. OK, so this is part of the ‘device’ that Walternate is wanting to use. In the Second Season it’s stated that the design is William Bell’s (they recognize it as such and mention it more than once). Yet this time they say it’s some ‘ancient advanced technology’. Maybe it’s Observer technology? And if so why is it lying about scattered across two universes. And why get the Fringe team to be actively looking into it? Perhaps the device is in two pieces, where one piece has to be in one reality and the other piece on the other side? I’m not sure. But it’s clear that there is a lot more information here to find than we have at this point.
- Oh, and based on the previews from the next Episode…it definitely looks like Olivia the memory wipe actually worked. I was hoping that it didn’t really work, and that Olivia had just basically decided that the best way for her to survive on the other side was to give them what they wanted—if they wanted to replace her memories, let them think they succeeded and play along until something better came along. That seemed kind of like a thematic parallel to Alt-Olivia’s situation (where now both Olivia’s are enemy agents for their alternate Fringe Divisions). Hopefully, though, she’ll start getting her true memories back very quickly because I think it’ll be much better that way in both the short and long term. And it will actually make it much easier for Olivia to fake being her alt—since certainly she will retain a lot of her alt’s memories regardless of what else happens.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Chuck (8/27) Episode 2
See? I promised yesterday that I would try to be more proactive on writing about the shows I want to watch. And for today, at least, I’m going to keep this promise. Last night was the second episode of the season for Chuck. And I barely had time to get done with fixing dinner before the show was on, so I think I missed the first minute or so. But that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the episode.
BTW, 2 lbs of ground sirloin, 1 packet of ranch dressing, 12 crushed saltine crackers, 2 eggs, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic make damned good hamburger patties for grilling. But that’s another story.
Anyway, on to the episode. Chuck is having some relationship issues with Sarah. He’s nervous about the fact that Sarah hasn’t unpacked after being together for 8 months. It makes him feel like Sarah is not as committed to the relationship as he is. And then he becomes even more neurotic after talking to Morgan, who warns him that every relationship has an Achilles Heel. That is, some issue that will ultimately doom the relationship.
In the meantime, Morgan has been noticing that the Buy More seems ‘off’. It’s too perfect, to the point where people will eventually notice that something is not right. Morgan goes to General Beckman to discuss this, and ultimately goes on a ‘recruitment drive’ to fix the problem.
The big mission of the week is to steal smart-bullets from a beautiful ‘super model’, Sophia. She’s also a weapons smuggler who uses her good looks and position to travel the world meeting with the rich and powerful using her model-lifestyle to disguise her true activities. Chuck and Sarah are sent to the fashion show to steal her latest item, ‘smart bullets’.
Chuck often lives or dies on its use of guest stars. And Karolina Kurkova did fairly well with the role they gave her. She was surprisingly menacing in the role. Lou Ferigno was in it too, but he had much less importance and impact to the show.
So Chuck gets himself in the dog house early in the episode, which distracts the couple who seem to treat the job as something simple. However, Sophia is one step ahead of the group the whole time. She immediately sees through Chuck’s theft-attempt; and plants a bomb in her purse and lets them go for it Sarah disarms it, and the two break into her hotel suite later to steal the bullets. However, things don’t go well there either. Sophia catches them (while naked); and while the two do manage to escape with the bullets back in LA they learn that she stayed one step ahead of them. Though they go the actual bullets…the important part of the tech was in the chips which had been replaced with fakes.
The two eventually manage to determine that the chips are likely in Sophia’s dress; and go back to the fashion show to get it. This culminates in a big fight scene between Sophia and Sarah; while Chuck gets surrounded by bad guys (including a very unhappy Lou). The fight is very brutal, and ends up going quite public on the catwalk before Sarah manages to take Sophia down in a fairly close fight. The two return home victorious and a bunch of relationship related things happen. Chuck and Sarah make up. Sarah begins to unpack because ‘Chuck is her home’. The old Buy More crew returns (just in time to protect Chuck’s cover). Awesome and Elly agree to help each other out. And Casey contacts his daughter for the first time in a long time. Oh, and Morgan is now manager of the Buy More.
Like the premier, the episode was good, but not great. The ending was very ‘Chuck like’ with a lot of great character moments that really help sell the characters and humanize them. Sophia was an OK villain, one who was always a step ahead and quite the bull fighter, but we really didn’t get to see much of her. And at the end, we do learn of Chuck and Sarah’s Achilles Heel…when Chuck mentions children Sarah’s eyes bug out completely and the episode ends.
BTW, 2 lbs of ground sirloin, 1 packet of ranch dressing, 12 crushed saltine crackers, 2 eggs, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic make damned good hamburger patties for grilling. But that’s another story.
Anyway, on to the episode. Chuck is having some relationship issues with Sarah. He’s nervous about the fact that Sarah hasn’t unpacked after being together for 8 months. It makes him feel like Sarah is not as committed to the relationship as he is. And then he becomes even more neurotic after talking to Morgan, who warns him that every relationship has an Achilles Heel. That is, some issue that will ultimately doom the relationship.
In the meantime, Morgan has been noticing that the Buy More seems ‘off’. It’s too perfect, to the point where people will eventually notice that something is not right. Morgan goes to General Beckman to discuss this, and ultimately goes on a ‘recruitment drive’ to fix the problem.
The big mission of the week is to steal smart-bullets from a beautiful ‘super model’, Sophia. She’s also a weapons smuggler who uses her good looks and position to travel the world meeting with the rich and powerful using her model-lifestyle to disguise her true activities. Chuck and Sarah are sent to the fashion show to steal her latest item, ‘smart bullets’.
Chuck often lives or dies on its use of guest stars. And Karolina Kurkova did fairly well with the role they gave her. She was surprisingly menacing in the role. Lou Ferigno was in it too, but he had much less importance and impact to the show.
So Chuck gets himself in the dog house early in the episode, which distracts the couple who seem to treat the job as something simple. However, Sophia is one step ahead of the group the whole time. She immediately sees through Chuck’s theft-attempt; and plants a bomb in her purse and lets them go for it Sarah disarms it, and the two break into her hotel suite later to steal the bullets. However, things don’t go well there either. Sophia catches them (while naked); and while the two do manage to escape with the bullets back in LA they learn that she stayed one step ahead of them. Though they go the actual bullets…the important part of the tech was in the chips which had been replaced with fakes.
The two eventually manage to determine that the chips are likely in Sophia’s dress; and go back to the fashion show to get it. This culminates in a big fight scene between Sophia and Sarah; while Chuck gets surrounded by bad guys (including a very unhappy Lou). The fight is very brutal, and ends up going quite public on the catwalk before Sarah manages to take Sophia down in a fairly close fight. The two return home victorious and a bunch of relationship related things happen. Chuck and Sarah make up. Sarah begins to unpack because ‘Chuck is her home’. The old Buy More crew returns (just in time to protect Chuck’s cover). Awesome and Elly agree to help each other out. And Casey contacts his daughter for the first time in a long time. Oh, and Morgan is now manager of the Buy More.
Like the premier, the episode was good, but not great. The ending was very ‘Chuck like’ with a lot of great character moments that really help sell the characters and humanize them. Sophia was an OK villain, one who was always a step ahead and quite the bull fighter, but we really didn’t get to see much of her. And at the end, we do learn of Chuck and Sarah’s Achilles Heel…when Chuck mentions children Sarah’s eyes bug out completely and the episode ends.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Fringe Season 2
As I think I mentioned in my review of the Season 3 premier, last season I made a concerted effort to watch the show when it aired (or more specifically, the night after it aired on Hulu). This didn’t survive past the third episode. And in fact the only episodes I watched of the second season was the first 3 and the last 2. As such I really didn’t know where things were going, other than the fact that the season finale really threw me for a loop by throwing the alternate Universe side of the story front and center. Threw me for a loop in a good way, that is.
So I was pretty psyched for Season 3. I tried to get a hold of the Season 2 disks as soon as I could. I wanted to finish Season 2 before the premier, just so I’d be caught up. However, the disks did not arrive until the day of the premier. But maybe this was a good thing. Because I went into Season 3 knowing that the show really stepped up to the plate and was willing to go somewhere instead of keeping everything hidden and mysterious.
In any case, I really didn’t know too much about Season 2. I’d read a few reviews and articles and knew that the show started off strong, lost most of its steam during the middle, and came back for a strong finish. In hindsight, I’m not entirely sure I agree. The show remained pretty compelling while I watched it from start to finish. But, the show did very much loose its focus in the middle with a bunch of stand-alone episodes that really added nothing to the mythology of the show. For a serialized show, that’s less of a problem watched back to back but it can be a major pain when watching it on the air.
Season 2 did, however, suffer from a major issue that Season 1 mostly avoided. Fringe is a sci-fi show with the trappings of a police-procedural show. However, Fringe has always had a larger mythology in which everything had context. What made the first season so inspired was that most of the Fringe investigations were eventually showed to tie into the mythology as a whole. Each pattern event was related to people and individuals using advanced technology as part a world-wide plot. And each episode served to peel backs some of the people behind it, and their motivations. Though there were some true stand-alone episodes in there too, those were few and far between.
Season 2, however, still had the group investigating strange and gross things. But in a lot of cases, they were ‘just’ strange and gross and rarely had any additional meaning to them. While most of them were fine to watch, they really didn’t add anything to the show. Another thing that was unfortunately missing was some of the groups from the first season. While the new villains, the shapeshifters, were interesting they only showed up occasionally. And honestly they weren’t used all that effectively. Though I will admit that I liked their leader, Newton, who had quite a lot of charisma for as little as we saw him.
Once the truth about Peter came out, the writers really started playing with the format of the show and experimented with things. For the most part that worked pretty well, with the notable exception of the ‘musical’ episode…if there is one show where a musical episode doesn’t work it is this one. And, of course, the two-part season finally really ended the season with a bang.
Overall, Fringe Season 2 suffered only from a minor sophomore slump which lasted a mercifully short period of time. And unlike Chuck Season 3…Fringe Season 3 starts with a bang, not with a whimper. So, now I think I’m going to go back and re-watch the first season as well and maybe compare the two a bit more closely. I’m looking forward to it.
So I was pretty psyched for Season 3. I tried to get a hold of the Season 2 disks as soon as I could. I wanted to finish Season 2 before the premier, just so I’d be caught up. However, the disks did not arrive until the day of the premier. But maybe this was a good thing. Because I went into Season 3 knowing that the show really stepped up to the plate and was willing to go somewhere instead of keeping everything hidden and mysterious.
In any case, I really didn’t know too much about Season 2. I’d read a few reviews and articles and knew that the show started off strong, lost most of its steam during the middle, and came back for a strong finish. In hindsight, I’m not entirely sure I agree. The show remained pretty compelling while I watched it from start to finish. But, the show did very much loose its focus in the middle with a bunch of stand-alone episodes that really added nothing to the mythology of the show. For a serialized show, that’s less of a problem watched back to back but it can be a major pain when watching it on the air.
Season 2 did, however, suffer from a major issue that Season 1 mostly avoided. Fringe is a sci-fi show with the trappings of a police-procedural show. However, Fringe has always had a larger mythology in which everything had context. What made the first season so inspired was that most of the Fringe investigations were eventually showed to tie into the mythology as a whole. Each pattern event was related to people and individuals using advanced technology as part a world-wide plot. And each episode served to peel backs some of the people behind it, and their motivations. Though there were some true stand-alone episodes in there too, those were few and far between.
Season 2, however, still had the group investigating strange and gross things. But in a lot of cases, they were ‘just’ strange and gross and rarely had any additional meaning to them. While most of them were fine to watch, they really didn’t add anything to the show. Another thing that was unfortunately missing was some of the groups from the first season. While the new villains, the shapeshifters, were interesting they only showed up occasionally. And honestly they weren’t used all that effectively. Though I will admit that I liked their leader, Newton, who had quite a lot of charisma for as little as we saw him.
Once the truth about Peter came out, the writers really started playing with the format of the show and experimented with things. For the most part that worked pretty well, with the notable exception of the ‘musical’ episode…if there is one show where a musical episode doesn’t work it is this one. And, of course, the two-part season finally really ended the season with a bang.
Overall, Fringe Season 2 suffered only from a minor sophomore slump which lasted a mercifully short period of time. And unlike Chuck Season 3…Fringe Season 3 starts with a bang, not with a whimper. So, now I think I’m going to go back and re-watch the first season as well and maybe compare the two a bit more closely. I’m looking forward to it.
Civilization 5 is out!
OK, I’ve had a lot of stuff to post that I’ve had for a while. But this will pretty much catch me up. As everyone who reads this blog knows (i.e. nobody lol), I went and purchased RUSE. I fully intended to finish the single player game there first before starting Civ 5. But this weekend I decided to try Civ 5 out and quickly got sucked in. In fact, I didn’t play RUSE at all this weekend and am no farther along than I had been before.
Civilization 5 is the latest installment in a tent-pole PC franchise. And it’s a doozy. Beautiful graphics and presentation, a very slick interface, and a compelling gameplay quickly make this version of the game really stand out. It’s not perfect by any means, and I’ve read some people who have complained about the game simplifying certain aspects of the game too much. But so far I’m digging it and the changes.
I LOVE the new hex-grid layout (they should have done this a LONG time ago). I like the introduction of city-states (an inspired, if ultimately BADLY flawed concept). The game is more user-friendly and brilliantly designed. And combat, once a rather annoying part of the series, becomes much more interesting with the removal of army-stacks and the emphasis on ranged combat and positioning. I especially love how the new game really makes holding defensible terrain important; enough so that it can really affect city location.
The game does suffer from some problems. I think that the pacing options are a little ‘off’. Standard IMO seems just a bit slow; while fast is too fast. I think there needs to be an intermediate option there somewhere. I think the tech tree seems a little thin too, though that might just be my memory thinking the older trees were more complex. Also, city states, while a great idea, really seem to suck. City States are hard and expensive to keep happy for long periods of time; and don’t seem to give you a huge advantage either. In fact, the game really seems to want to goad you into just conquering them outright.
Another problem is that the game has some performance issues (especially on large maps). I love large-maps, but after a while things really do slow down. Hopefully they’ll fix that with a patch. I also experienced a few crashes too. My father bought the game, and he’s having major problems playing it in Direct X 10 (even though he has a compatible card). That tells me there are some bugs to work out still.
And while some of the game systems (culture, religion) are much simplified, I don’t think it’s in a particularly bad way. Happiness, however, is the reverse…the generalized nature of happiness in the game is something I don’t like. Either your whole civilization is unhappy, or happy; there is no in between. And that is a bad thing. It’s not a deal breaker, certainly, but it is an example of a simplified game system being a little TOO simplified. And I think they completely took out pollution too, which is also a bad thing.
On the plus side, I believe that Civ 5 is designed to be just as (if not more) mod-friendly than past versions. Apparently there are going to be mod tools that will be released fairly soon, though they didn’t ship with the game unfortunately I’ll probably look at that whenever they get released.
So overall the game great and another win for Firaxis. And I’m looking forward to playing Civ 5 a lot over the next few months.
Civilization 5 is the latest installment in a tent-pole PC franchise. And it’s a doozy. Beautiful graphics and presentation, a very slick interface, and a compelling gameplay quickly make this version of the game really stand out. It’s not perfect by any means, and I’ve read some people who have complained about the game simplifying certain aspects of the game too much. But so far I’m digging it and the changes.
I LOVE the new hex-grid layout (they should have done this a LONG time ago). I like the introduction of city-states (an inspired, if ultimately BADLY flawed concept). The game is more user-friendly and brilliantly designed. And combat, once a rather annoying part of the series, becomes much more interesting with the removal of army-stacks and the emphasis on ranged combat and positioning. I especially love how the new game really makes holding defensible terrain important; enough so that it can really affect city location.
The game does suffer from some problems. I think that the pacing options are a little ‘off’. Standard IMO seems just a bit slow; while fast is too fast. I think there needs to be an intermediate option there somewhere. I think the tech tree seems a little thin too, though that might just be my memory thinking the older trees were more complex. Also, city states, while a great idea, really seem to suck. City States are hard and expensive to keep happy for long periods of time; and don’t seem to give you a huge advantage either. In fact, the game really seems to want to goad you into just conquering them outright.
Another problem is that the game has some performance issues (especially on large maps). I love large-maps, but after a while things really do slow down. Hopefully they’ll fix that with a patch. I also experienced a few crashes too. My father bought the game, and he’s having major problems playing it in Direct X 10 (even though he has a compatible card). That tells me there are some bugs to work out still.
And while some of the game systems (culture, religion) are much simplified, I don’t think it’s in a particularly bad way. Happiness, however, is the reverse…the generalized nature of happiness in the game is something I don’t like. Either your whole civilization is unhappy, or happy; there is no in between. And that is a bad thing. It’s not a deal breaker, certainly, but it is an example of a simplified game system being a little TOO simplified. And I think they completely took out pollution too, which is also a bad thing.
On the plus side, I believe that Civ 5 is designed to be just as (if not more) mod-friendly than past versions. Apparently there are going to be mod tools that will be released fairly soon, though they didn’t ship with the game unfortunately I’ll probably look at that whenever they get released.
So overall the game great and another win for Firaxis. And I’m looking forward to playing Civ 5 a lot over the next few months.
Fringe (8/23) Season 3 Premier
Fringe is one of those TV shows that I really like, but rarely watch. Everyone has those shows, for whatever reason, and Fringe is mine. I meant to watch the first season when it came out, but only caught 1 or 2 episodes. So my first real experience with the show was when the first season came out on Blu-Ray. That is both a blessing and a curse. Serialized shows like Fringe work MUCH better on disk than watched when aired. But, that does not help its ratings…which if I’m not mistaken were relatively mediocre.
For Season 2, I fully intended on watching it every week. Fringe was available on Hulu so while I couldn’t really watch it live I could watch it there the next day (I don’t generally torrent TV shows). But, for reasons I can’t remember I watched the first 2-3 episodes; then missed a couple and never really got back to it. And when I did finally get back to it, it was during the season finale which blew my mind but really left me wondering…wtf was going on here?
Season 3 starts in a manner very similar structurally to Season 2. It’s designed to introduce its premise to new viewers; and keeps the show’s tradition of including very compelling secondary characters (the cab driver was awesome). As a premier this works very well and it certainly helped me transition and keep up with things. Ironically, Fringe’s premise is inherently more complex and easier to misunderstand that, say Chuck’s, but this episode handles the re-introduction quite elegantly.
As a show about parallel universes, Fringe really succeeds is making the alternate universe very compelling. It’s not too fantastical—it’s similar enough to be recognizable and relatable, while at the same time being different enough to make it interesting. And the season premier is set almost entirely in the alternate-universe. So that helps quite a bit.
So, Season 3 starts with the Fringe-Team making an expedition to the alternate-universe to ‘rescue’ Peter. Peter had discovered that he was actually from the alternate-universe. Walter had, in fact, kidnapped him from that alternate universe when he was a young man. Peter had understandably freaked out about this, and when given the opportunity to return to his ‘real’ home and family he understandably takes it.
However, the Observers had warned Walter that Peter could never return home. And that if he did so Bad Things would happen. So Fringe risks a mission to the alternate Universe using several cortexaphan (sp)? children (Olivia being one of them). Their mission succeeds, but leaves Olivia trapped on the other side and Alt-Olivia now assuming her identity as an agent infiltrating the Fringe team. Peter is safe, for the moment, but is now aware that his real father wants to use him with technology that will allow him to destroy their Universe.
So the premier happens almost entirely on the alt-universe. Olivia is now a prisoner. She’s being subjected to psychological torture, and creepy experiments which we learn are designed to overwrite her own memories in favor of Alt-Olivia’s. Walternate is aware that Olivia has the inherent ability to travel between universes safely; and he wants to not only take advantage of that but learn how to do that. Now, I’m not entirely sure how rewriting her mind will accomplish this, but while the treatments don’t seem to be working at first it becomes quite apparent as the episode goes on that it is actually working.
So Olivia escapes and managed to flee into the city. She takes a cab driver hostage; and trying to work her way back home by returning to the same location that she originally arrived at (a ‘soft spot’ I guess). However, that location is quarantined in amber, leaving it off-limits. William Bell is nowhere to be found (and Massive Dynamic never existed there). Leaving her with no real options to get back, but as she continues searching, her efforts continue to lead the Alt-Fringe team to her location. They have not in turn been told that Olivia is from the ‘other side’…they’ve only been told that she suffered some form of psychotic break. So instead of seeking to harm her, Charlie and the others are trying to bring her in safely (and have no idea of Walternate’s dark plans).
As Olivia’s situation slowly grows worse, her grasp on her own mind is also slowly slipping. Her memories are being overwritten by another woman’s identify and as her situation grows worse she loses more and more of herself. Everything culminates at Olivia’s mother’s house; where the shock of seeing her mother alive eventually causes her to loose herself completely. The episode ends with Olivia’s mind seemingly overwritten; and Alt-Olivia making her move on Peter.
So there is a lot of like about this episode. Unlike a lot of TV shows, Fringe doesn’t pull its punches here. It doesn’t make any attempt to return to the status quo by putting Olivia in a seemingly impossible situation only to have it resolved by the end of the episode. Instead, Olivia remains trapped; Alt-Olivia still remains embedded. And a new status-quo emerges that only resembles the old one on the surface.
At this point it’s impossible to tell where the show is going. In some ways, it seems like the episodes will return to a more normal format. But in reality, this changes everything. Each new episode in alt-Fringe will continue to not only reveal their situation but their history and culture. And Olivia’s presence on the Alt-Fringe team is tempered with the fact that Broyles, and Walternate know exactly what she is. And if anything else, Charlie is back in some form (and that is a good thing).
We’ll get a better idea of what is happening on Fringe-Prime on this week’s episode. Maybe it will stick with a more normal format. But maybe they’ll turn that concept around as well. Now every episode is going to be more serialized…even the standalone episodes will be more heavily based on the larger overarching story. That is also a good thing.
The only downside is that it is two weeks before we’ll see the ramifications for Olivia’s memory-wipe.
For Season 2, I fully intended on watching it every week. Fringe was available on Hulu so while I couldn’t really watch it live I could watch it there the next day (I don’t generally torrent TV shows). But, for reasons I can’t remember I watched the first 2-3 episodes; then missed a couple and never really got back to it. And when I did finally get back to it, it was during the season finale which blew my mind but really left me wondering…wtf was going on here?
Season 3 starts in a manner very similar structurally to Season 2. It’s designed to introduce its premise to new viewers; and keeps the show’s tradition of including very compelling secondary characters (the cab driver was awesome). As a premier this works very well and it certainly helped me transition and keep up with things. Ironically, Fringe’s premise is inherently more complex and easier to misunderstand that, say Chuck’s, but this episode handles the re-introduction quite elegantly.
As a show about parallel universes, Fringe really succeeds is making the alternate universe very compelling. It’s not too fantastical—it’s similar enough to be recognizable and relatable, while at the same time being different enough to make it interesting. And the season premier is set almost entirely in the alternate-universe. So that helps quite a bit.
So, Season 3 starts with the Fringe-Team making an expedition to the alternate-universe to ‘rescue’ Peter. Peter had discovered that he was actually from the alternate-universe. Walter had, in fact, kidnapped him from that alternate universe when he was a young man. Peter had understandably freaked out about this, and when given the opportunity to return to his ‘real’ home and family he understandably takes it.
However, the Observers had warned Walter that Peter could never return home. And that if he did so Bad Things would happen. So Fringe risks a mission to the alternate Universe using several cortexaphan (sp)? children (Olivia being one of them). Their mission succeeds, but leaves Olivia trapped on the other side and Alt-Olivia now assuming her identity as an agent infiltrating the Fringe team. Peter is safe, for the moment, but is now aware that his real father wants to use him with technology that will allow him to destroy their Universe.
So the premier happens almost entirely on the alt-universe. Olivia is now a prisoner. She’s being subjected to psychological torture, and creepy experiments which we learn are designed to overwrite her own memories in favor of Alt-Olivia’s. Walternate is aware that Olivia has the inherent ability to travel between universes safely; and he wants to not only take advantage of that but learn how to do that. Now, I’m not entirely sure how rewriting her mind will accomplish this, but while the treatments don’t seem to be working at first it becomes quite apparent as the episode goes on that it is actually working.
So Olivia escapes and managed to flee into the city. She takes a cab driver hostage; and trying to work her way back home by returning to the same location that she originally arrived at (a ‘soft spot’ I guess). However, that location is quarantined in amber, leaving it off-limits. William Bell is nowhere to be found (and Massive Dynamic never existed there). Leaving her with no real options to get back, but as she continues searching, her efforts continue to lead the Alt-Fringe team to her location. They have not in turn been told that Olivia is from the ‘other side’…they’ve only been told that she suffered some form of psychotic break. So instead of seeking to harm her, Charlie and the others are trying to bring her in safely (and have no idea of Walternate’s dark plans).
As Olivia’s situation slowly grows worse, her grasp on her own mind is also slowly slipping. Her memories are being overwritten by another woman’s identify and as her situation grows worse she loses more and more of herself. Everything culminates at Olivia’s mother’s house; where the shock of seeing her mother alive eventually causes her to loose herself completely. The episode ends with Olivia’s mind seemingly overwritten; and Alt-Olivia making her move on Peter.
So there is a lot of like about this episode. Unlike a lot of TV shows, Fringe doesn’t pull its punches here. It doesn’t make any attempt to return to the status quo by putting Olivia in a seemingly impossible situation only to have it resolved by the end of the episode. Instead, Olivia remains trapped; Alt-Olivia still remains embedded. And a new status-quo emerges that only resembles the old one on the surface.
At this point it’s impossible to tell where the show is going. In some ways, it seems like the episodes will return to a more normal format. But in reality, this changes everything. Each new episode in alt-Fringe will continue to not only reveal their situation but their history and culture. And Olivia’s presence on the Alt-Fringe team is tempered with the fact that Broyles, and Walternate know exactly what she is. And if anything else, Charlie is back in some form (and that is a good thing).
We’ll get a better idea of what is happening on Fringe-Prime on this week’s episode. Maybe it will stick with a more normal format. But maybe they’ll turn that concept around as well. Now every episode is going to be more serialized…even the standalone episodes will be more heavily based on the larger overarching story. That is also a good thing.
The only downside is that it is two weeks before we’ll see the ramifications for Olivia’s memory-wipe.
Chuck 8/27 (Season 4 Premier)
I have a confession to make. I have a hard time believing that Chuck actually managed to get a 4th Season pickup. While I love the show Season 2 especially, Chuck saw a distinctive dip in quality during the 3rd Season which it was just starting to recover from by the time the season ended. This wasn’t just me. The ratings for the show quite clearly reflected the growing viewer discontent. In virtually every way Season 3 was a failure. It drove away die-hard fans and new viewers alike.
Fortunately, by the end of the season Chuck had recovered from much of its missteps from the early and midseason. And Chuck managed to squeak by and get a 4th season pick up, despite its drop in viewership. To be honest the fact that Chuck survived had everything to do with NBC’s desperate schedule and the Jay Leno fiasco. Chuck is a relatively cheap show to produce and its ratings, even at their lower level, still made the show a viable choice for NBC.
Season 4 was not a certainty, and despite the uptick in quality at the end of Season 3 the show still has some fundamental issues. Structural issues that the writers have clearly struggled to overcome. In reality these are pretty obvious. The Intersect 2.0 helped Chuck become a better spy, but also caused Chuck to muscle into territory earlier owned by Casey and Sarah (and due to relationship issues, Sarah was almost sidelined). Also, as Chuck became a spy, his family and workplace became less and less important. And as they became less important, the writers typically overcompensated so when those other characters were onscreen they were so over-the-top that their charm almost completely disappeared.
The fundamental problem is that as a spy show Chuck is only average. Chuck really shines in its relationships, and as the show became more spy-centric that focus shifted. Now this isn’t necessarily a problem. But at the same time the writers are also clearly unable or unwilling to move on. This is why as a spy show Chuck fails…the writers still try to ground the show in what Chuck was originally…a lovable nice person who falls into trouble. He is a character who started with potential that was being completely squandered in a loveless-existence as a faceless computer-tech at a faceless retail outlet until the Intersect gave him a purpose and a meaning. As a character Chuck had to evolve from that state. And he did. Yet, for the most part the rest of the show has not. And that’s the problem.
Season 4, though, seems to be taking a stab at resolving those issues. Chuck and Sarah are now a couple, and they work surprisingly well as one as a spy-team. If anything, that romance has always been the emotional center of the show; and as a couple that’s even more obvious. Morgan has now been brought him…which somewhat saves his character for uselessness (though I think they have made Morgan too bumbling). Casey has a daughter (which will hopefully factor into Season 4). And everyone of importance now knows Chuck’s secret. The Buy More is No More, having been destroyed. And Chuck now has a new ‘mission’ to find his mother, though has promised Elly to leave the spy game.
So, much like the Season 3 premier, this episode is a bit of a step backwards. Though it’s not as jarring as Season 3, and has more of a ‘yeah, but’ twist to things that makes it more palatable. Chuck and Morgan have spent the summer (and a huge amount of money) spanning the globe trying to find Mom…only to find their first real clue back in LA. Sarah and Casey have continued on as spies, both missing out on Chuck’s presence. Chuck’s back to keeping secrets…but in some ways that makes more sense here (until he has something to tell, it’s better to keep it secret).
So Chuck has no luck finding Mom (though he gets closer than he realizes). He’s out of money, so he decides to find himself a ‘real job’…and in an amusing sequence finds each potential employer acting very strange towards him. The Buy More has been rebuilt, and is now a full-fledged CIA operation—and General Beckman wants Chuck back. The Ring has been replaced by an entirely new organization of Bad Guys (who are already more interesting than either Fulcrum or the Ring ever were…though time will tell if that is true or not). Linda Hamilton was great as Chuck’s mom (an inspired choice) and so was guest star Dolph Lungren…who would have made a great recurring villain IMO.
By the end of the episode, Sarah and Casey know the truth about Chuck’s secret activities. He’s now back on the team (along with Morgan). General Beckman is now permanently stationed in LA…which should be cool as it’s always fun when she’s directly interacting with the cast. And it’s somewhat expected, and frustrating, that Chuck still keeps the truth from Elly (although I admit I wouldn’t have told her at that moment anyway).
But the episode was not the shot out of the park that the show needed. As a pure spy show Chuck is somewhat lacking (and typically falters in spy-centric episodes like this one, although admittedly this one was better than most). Jeff, Lester, Big Mike, and Awesome were not even present in any way (and while I can do without Jeff and Lester, no Awesome is criminal). Even Elly was only in for a short scene (where she dropped the b-bomb) and that is a real shame. The episode definitely suffered from trying to jam in too much plot in too little time and the faster the show gets the more desperate it seems.
So while the premier was not a home run it still did well enough. The stuff with Chuck's mother, while brief, was compelling. And those final moments definitely showed that Chuck’s mom is going to be different than their father. I’m still quite interested in where the show is going, and I do hope that the uptick in quality continues. Tonight’s a new episode, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
Fortunately, by the end of the season Chuck had recovered from much of its missteps from the early and midseason. And Chuck managed to squeak by and get a 4th season pick up, despite its drop in viewership. To be honest the fact that Chuck survived had everything to do with NBC’s desperate schedule and the Jay Leno fiasco. Chuck is a relatively cheap show to produce and its ratings, even at their lower level, still made the show a viable choice for NBC.
Season 4 was not a certainty, and despite the uptick in quality at the end of Season 3 the show still has some fundamental issues. Structural issues that the writers have clearly struggled to overcome. In reality these are pretty obvious. The Intersect 2.0 helped Chuck become a better spy, but also caused Chuck to muscle into territory earlier owned by Casey and Sarah (and due to relationship issues, Sarah was almost sidelined). Also, as Chuck became a spy, his family and workplace became less and less important. And as they became less important, the writers typically overcompensated so when those other characters were onscreen they were so over-the-top that their charm almost completely disappeared.
The fundamental problem is that as a spy show Chuck is only average. Chuck really shines in its relationships, and as the show became more spy-centric that focus shifted. Now this isn’t necessarily a problem. But at the same time the writers are also clearly unable or unwilling to move on. This is why as a spy show Chuck fails…the writers still try to ground the show in what Chuck was originally…a lovable nice person who falls into trouble. He is a character who started with potential that was being completely squandered in a loveless-existence as a faceless computer-tech at a faceless retail outlet until the Intersect gave him a purpose and a meaning. As a character Chuck had to evolve from that state. And he did. Yet, for the most part the rest of the show has not. And that’s the problem.
Season 4, though, seems to be taking a stab at resolving those issues. Chuck and Sarah are now a couple, and they work surprisingly well as one as a spy-team. If anything, that romance has always been the emotional center of the show; and as a couple that’s even more obvious. Morgan has now been brought him…which somewhat saves his character for uselessness (though I think they have made Morgan too bumbling). Casey has a daughter (which will hopefully factor into Season 4). And everyone of importance now knows Chuck’s secret. The Buy More is No More, having been destroyed. And Chuck now has a new ‘mission’ to find his mother, though has promised Elly to leave the spy game.
So, much like the Season 3 premier, this episode is a bit of a step backwards. Though it’s not as jarring as Season 3, and has more of a ‘yeah, but’ twist to things that makes it more palatable. Chuck and Morgan have spent the summer (and a huge amount of money) spanning the globe trying to find Mom…only to find their first real clue back in LA. Sarah and Casey have continued on as spies, both missing out on Chuck’s presence. Chuck’s back to keeping secrets…but in some ways that makes more sense here (until he has something to tell, it’s better to keep it secret).
So Chuck has no luck finding Mom (though he gets closer than he realizes). He’s out of money, so he decides to find himself a ‘real job’…and in an amusing sequence finds each potential employer acting very strange towards him. The Buy More has been rebuilt, and is now a full-fledged CIA operation—and General Beckman wants Chuck back. The Ring has been replaced by an entirely new organization of Bad Guys (who are already more interesting than either Fulcrum or the Ring ever were…though time will tell if that is true or not). Linda Hamilton was great as Chuck’s mom (an inspired choice) and so was guest star Dolph Lungren…who would have made a great recurring villain IMO.
By the end of the episode, Sarah and Casey know the truth about Chuck’s secret activities. He’s now back on the team (along with Morgan). General Beckman is now permanently stationed in LA…which should be cool as it’s always fun when she’s directly interacting with the cast. And it’s somewhat expected, and frustrating, that Chuck still keeps the truth from Elly (although I admit I wouldn’t have told her at that moment anyway).
But the episode was not the shot out of the park that the show needed. As a pure spy show Chuck is somewhat lacking (and typically falters in spy-centric episodes like this one, although admittedly this one was better than most). Jeff, Lester, Big Mike, and Awesome were not even present in any way (and while I can do without Jeff and Lester, no Awesome is criminal). Even Elly was only in for a short scene (where she dropped the b-bomb) and that is a real shame. The episode definitely suffered from trying to jam in too much plot in too little time and the faster the show gets the more desperate it seems.
So while the premier was not a home run it still did well enough. The stuff with Chuck's mother, while brief, was compelling. And those final moments definitely showed that Chuck’s mom is going to be different than their father. I’m still quite interested in where the show is going, and I do hope that the uptick in quality continues. Tonight’s a new episode, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
The 2010 Fall TV Season
I realize that my posting to this blog is sporadic at best. And my interests are varied. I tried to do something of a regular write on True Blood during its Season 3 run, but for the most part failed in that. But, while I promise nothing I do intend to spend some time writing about the fall TV schedule, and some of the shows that I’m most interested in. This is just a heads up about this, but otherwise we’ll see how committed I am to it.
Right now I’m looking at Chuck and Fringe. There are a few other TV shows that I’m interested in checking out. The Event is one I’m interested in (and from what I’ve read had a pretty lack-luster premier). How I Met Your Mother, and the Big Bang Theory are two others. There might be something else I’ll check out (depending on what catches my eye). But no promises.
Right now I’m looking at Chuck and Fringe. There are a few other TV shows that I’m interested in checking out. The Event is one I’m interested in (and from what I’ve read had a pretty lack-luster premier). How I Met Your Mother, and the Big Bang Theory are two others. There might be something else I’ll check out (depending on what catches my eye). But no promises.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
RUSE...part 2
Well, I've had a few days to spend with RUSE. I've clocked in about 6 hours over the last 4 days or so...not a huge amount of time but not bad either. I'm pretty far into the single player campaign, which has some cool missions with it but a terrible story. It's bad enough to actually affect enjoyment of the game, in fact, and it's one of the first games where the inability to bypass most of the talking is actually painful.
As for the game itself, like many RTS games it is basically a complex game of rock-paper-scissors. Various units are very powerful against other units, but stupidly weak against others. One of the key aspects of the game relates to using this more effectively than your opponent. The use of combined arms, surprise attacks, and smart placement of units to take advantage of line-of-sight and surprise is critical to success and leads to a fairly metholodical strategy. It's not perfect, but the large size of the maps and unforgiving nature of the action does create a game that requires quite a lot of strategy and understanding of the units.
I think the game will really begin to shine in multiplayer. I haven't gotten a chance to try it yet, but I will soon enough I'm sure. I have at least 1 friend who has purchased it, and he is willing to give it a try. For now though I'm all about trying to finish the campaign. Which I may or may not do this weekend.
As for the game itself, like many RTS games it is basically a complex game of rock-paper-scissors. Various units are very powerful against other units, but stupidly weak against others. One of the key aspects of the game relates to using this more effectively than your opponent. The use of combined arms, surprise attacks, and smart placement of units to take advantage of line-of-sight and surprise is critical to success and leads to a fairly metholodical strategy. It's not perfect, but the large size of the maps and unforgiving nature of the action does create a game that requires quite a lot of strategy and understanding of the units.
I think the game will really begin to shine in multiplayer. I haven't gotten a chance to try it yet, but I will soon enough I'm sure. I have at least 1 friend who has purchased it, and he is willing to give it a try. For now though I'm all about trying to finish the campaign. Which I may or may not do this weekend.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
R.U.S.E
After seeing some interesting videos on the game R.U.S.E I have decided to go ahead and purchase the game. It is available for PC, 360, and PS3. But after thinking about it a bit I decided to buy the PC version. It is 10$ cheaper for one thing, my PC can handle it, and a few friends are thinking about buying it as well for the PC. This way, I will at least be able to play with them in multiplayer. The game itself looks very nice.
For those who know nothing about it (and this game completely snuck up on my so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people don't know about it) RUSE is an RTS that is more of an actual strategy game than most RTSes. IMO most RTS games are actually more RTT games which heavy favor tactics over strategy (but that's another debate for a completely different post).
Reviews have been a bit mixed. But, having watched the game I think it's slower pace and emphasis on planning strategy, and diversions is right up my alley. The game itself looks great, and I'm interested to see where it goes.
Of course, the PC version seems to be available only through digital downloads. So it doesn't seem like you can just go into a store and buy it. This is probably the wave of the future for PC games. And that sucks IMO. But, I guess I can't bitch too much considering that I put down 49$ bucks for the game. I'll have a post about actual impressions for the game once I get a chance to play it. Which may not be today considering how slow the 4.5GB download is going. Here's hopeing the game lives up to my expectations!
For those who know nothing about it (and this game completely snuck up on my so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people don't know about it) RUSE is an RTS that is more of an actual strategy game than most RTSes. IMO most RTS games are actually more RTT games which heavy favor tactics over strategy (but that's another debate for a completely different post).
Reviews have been a bit mixed. But, having watched the game I think it's slower pace and emphasis on planning strategy, and diversions is right up my alley. The game itself looks great, and I'm interested to see where it goes.
Of course, the PC version seems to be available only through digital downloads. So it doesn't seem like you can just go into a store and buy it. This is probably the wave of the future for PC games. And that sucks IMO. But, I guess I can't bitch too much considering that I put down 49$ bucks for the game. I'll have a post about actual impressions for the game once I get a chance to play it. Which may not be today considering how slow the 4.5GB download is going. Here's hopeing the game lives up to my expectations!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
It's September...er...8th
It's been a very busy month for me. At work, at home, and pretty much everywhere else to. About the only place that has really slowed down is WOW. I'm not in the beta and there really is nothing to do in the game now. Hopefully Cataclysm will hit in November. I was pretty leary of that, but I've heard that the beta is getting much father along. I'm sure there is still tons of work to do (there's apparently a LOT of unfinished stuff in the game still) but November might not be so unrealistic of a drop date. That means we might see the major 4.0 content patch as early as late October or early November. 2 months.
So, with WOW winding down I've been playing some Elemental. The game was virtually unplayable at launch, but two patches have helped the game quite a bit. It's not quite so terribly slow and it doesn't crash constantly anymore...at least until you reach the end game where you see constant 'out of memory' crashes. sigh. The game is a lot of fun though, I'll give it that (when it works).
And, I've joined the FFXIV open beta. Now that's a disaster of epic proportions. I've heard nothing but bad things about beta and even worse things about open beta. The torrent client SE has is terrible. I started the download last night and by tonight it was at least 15% complete. Oh, sure I was uploading tons but virtually 0 kps on downloads. After watching it for about 30 minutes; I went ahead and extracted the beta torrent file and started downloading it with uTorrent. 2 hours later I've got the patch files downloaded and installing even as I type this. And I thought the WOW patcher was bad...
I'm also getting psyched about the new TV season which is rapidly approaching (and in some cases already here). Lots of Blue Ray sets to check out (especially Fringe, Chuck, How I met your Mother, and Big Bang Theory). There are some shows I'm kinda interested in starting as well...The Event (hope it's good, looks good, but NBC can fuck up a show like none other. Nikita...female action star porn > me. That will get me started at least, and I'll see how other new shows fair. Some of them might be good, but who knows.
This summer has really been a dull and boring one. So I'm really hoping there is a good reversal and the fall really turns things around. It's going to be an interesting fall regardless though, what with work going crazy and all of the things going on at home.
Oh, one other thing. Last Friday another of my close friends took another job. I was pretty bumbed out by the first one to leave; and now I'm really starting to feel a bit lonely at my work place. I used to have friends to talk to, go to lunch with, and it helped me feel like I was part of something. With them gone, it's now just...well...it's now just the bad stuff that drove me nuts in the first place. It just sucks all around. But, until something better comes along I'll have to make do. I've done it before and I'll do it again.
So, with WOW winding down I've been playing some Elemental. The game was virtually unplayable at launch, but two patches have helped the game quite a bit. It's not quite so terribly slow and it doesn't crash constantly anymore...at least until you reach the end game where you see constant 'out of memory' crashes. sigh. The game is a lot of fun though, I'll give it that (when it works).
And, I've joined the FFXIV open beta. Now that's a disaster of epic proportions. I've heard nothing but bad things about beta and even worse things about open beta. The torrent client SE has is terrible. I started the download last night and by tonight it was at least 15% complete. Oh, sure I was uploading tons but virtually 0 kps on downloads. After watching it for about 30 minutes; I went ahead and extracted the beta torrent file and started downloading it with uTorrent. 2 hours later I've got the patch files downloaded and installing even as I type this. And I thought the WOW patcher was bad...
I'm also getting psyched about the new TV season which is rapidly approaching (and in some cases already here). Lots of Blue Ray sets to check out (especially Fringe, Chuck, How I met your Mother, and Big Bang Theory). There are some shows I'm kinda interested in starting as well...The Event (hope it's good, looks good, but NBC can fuck up a show like none other. Nikita...female action star porn > me. That will get me started at least, and I'll see how other new shows fair. Some of them might be good, but who knows.
This summer has really been a dull and boring one. So I'm really hoping there is a good reversal and the fall really turns things around. It's going to be an interesting fall regardless though, what with work going crazy and all of the things going on at home.
Oh, one other thing. Last Friday another of my close friends took another job. I was pretty bumbed out by the first one to leave; and now I'm really starting to feel a bit lonely at my work place. I used to have friends to talk to, go to lunch with, and it helped me feel like I was part of something. With them gone, it's now just...well...it's now just the bad stuff that drove me nuts in the first place. It just sucks all around. But, until something better comes along I'll have to make do. I've done it before and I'll do it again.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Elemental: War of Magic
Well I purchased Elemental: War of Magic yesterday and got some time to mess with the game today for a few hours. This is a game I've been waiting for a while. It was originally going to be called Master of Magic 2, but Stardock, the creators of the game, couldn't get the license cheap enough so they decided to create their own property. And I believe this caused them to rethink making a full remake, and allowed them to deviate a bit more from the old Master of Magic forumla.
I have a confession to make. I LOVED the original Master of Magic. And I was very much interested in the game. Even though Civ 5 is around the corner and the two games fill something of the same niche. Fortunately, it looks like Elemental does a good job of seperating itself from similar games of the same type. It's very Civ like; but with technology (fantastical) and magic to research. Lots of city improvements. Lots of spells (both tactical, overland, and conjuring). And it has a lot of customization.
I can already tell, this game has got a lot going for it. But, after just a few hours with the game I've definitely decided that it is way too buggy to be very fun right now. It is, in fact, very hard to get very far into the game without some major bug forcing you to restart (or even loose the entire campaign). Tabbing out is a serious danger...it usually crashes the client. In fact, this is the very sort of thing that gives PC games such a bad rep. These are the types of bugs that should have prevented the game from being released--and I'm guessing it will be a month, if not more, before the game is stable enough to be fun. That's a major flaw and one that is completely unnecessary.
The only other problems really relate to graphics. The game itself is pretty nice looking (at times), but the character models and effects are pretty damned bad. Trying to dress your character or unit is a very painful excersise. For this type of game, it's hardly a deal killer...but I prefer games where the characters don't all look like subhumans at best. There are also in-game graphic errors relating to the Raise Land and Lower Land spells...especially along coastlines. Again, not a deal killer but still a problem.
Hopefully Stardock will be pretty fast about fixing most of the major problems. If they do, I think the game is going to be pretty kick ass and stay on my hard drive for quite a long time.
I have a confession to make. I LOVED the original Master of Magic. And I was very much interested in the game. Even though Civ 5 is around the corner and the two games fill something of the same niche. Fortunately, it looks like Elemental does a good job of seperating itself from similar games of the same type. It's very Civ like; but with technology (fantastical) and magic to research. Lots of city improvements. Lots of spells (both tactical, overland, and conjuring). And it has a lot of customization.
I can already tell, this game has got a lot going for it. But, after just a few hours with the game I've definitely decided that it is way too buggy to be very fun right now. It is, in fact, very hard to get very far into the game without some major bug forcing you to restart (or even loose the entire campaign). Tabbing out is a serious danger...it usually crashes the client. In fact, this is the very sort of thing that gives PC games such a bad rep. These are the types of bugs that should have prevented the game from being released--and I'm guessing it will be a month, if not more, before the game is stable enough to be fun. That's a major flaw and one that is completely unnecessary.
The only other problems really relate to graphics. The game itself is pretty nice looking (at times), but the character models and effects are pretty damned bad. Trying to dress your character or unit is a very painful excersise. For this type of game, it's hardly a deal killer...but I prefer games where the characters don't all look like subhumans at best. There are also in-game graphic errors relating to the Raise Land and Lower Land spells...especially along coastlines. Again, not a deal killer but still a problem.
Hopefully Stardock will be pretty fast about fixing most of the major problems. If they do, I think the game is going to be pretty kick ass and stay on my hard drive for quite a long time.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
True Blood 8/15
Season 3 started off strong, but cluttered. It then just got bogged down with all of the new characters and story lines to the point where there was a lot of stuff happening on screen...but very little forward momentum with the plot of the season.
Now that we're entering the last stages of the season, things have reversed. And there has been a definite progression as the season's story lines have begun to converge and the pace increased. And now I can say with more optimism that Season 3 has a good chance of being the best yet for True Blood. Certainly better than Season 2 in any case. Though, there are still a few lingering doubts I have to a few of the story lines that just have not gone anywhere yet. Sam/Tommy, Crystal, etc, just suck all of the momentum out of every scene they are in.
Without recapping the episode (I got to this way too late to try to do that), several developments happened. Eddington freaked out after the death of his husband. Eric, preparing for war with the King, gets hijacked by The Authority to answer for the missing Magister. Bill and Sookie continue to have mad makeup sex. And Bill still proves to be by far the worst vampire father of all time. Jesus and Lafayette continue their gay romance, more mystical implications are dropped that still don't go anywhere. Hayley drops more hints to Sookie about what she is (but doesn't really say anything). Mott meets a inglorious end (cry). Tommy remains an ass with little value. And Sam goes overboard beating the crap out of Crystal's father...why? who knows? Bill figured out 'the truth' by visiting 'faery paradise'. And the King of Mississippi makes his move, hijacking a TV show to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that the Vampire Rights Amendment will never pass. 'And, now for the weather!'
Overall, a very good fast paced episode that moved the plot along. And the episode had probably the best ending that the show has ever had. Though the pacing still has some problems, and the end-game isn't really all that apparent yet. But, the show is back to being consistently entertaining (if still over-the-top cheesy) and I'm really looking forward to next week and beyond.
Now that we're entering the last stages of the season, things have reversed. And there has been a definite progression as the season's story lines have begun to converge and the pace increased. And now I can say with more optimism that Season 3 has a good chance of being the best yet for True Blood. Certainly better than Season 2 in any case. Though, there are still a few lingering doubts I have to a few of the story lines that just have not gone anywhere yet. Sam/Tommy, Crystal, etc, just suck all of the momentum out of every scene they are in.
Without recapping the episode (I got to this way too late to try to do that), several developments happened. Eddington freaked out after the death of his husband. Eric, preparing for war with the King, gets hijacked by The Authority to answer for the missing Magister. Bill and Sookie continue to have mad makeup sex. And Bill still proves to be by far the worst vampire father of all time. Jesus and Lafayette continue their gay romance, more mystical implications are dropped that still don't go anywhere. Hayley drops more hints to Sookie about what she is (but doesn't really say anything). Mott meets a inglorious end (cry). Tommy remains an ass with little value. And Sam goes overboard beating the crap out of Crystal's father...why? who knows? Bill figured out 'the truth' by visiting 'faery paradise'. And the King of Mississippi makes his move, hijacking a TV show to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that the Vampire Rights Amendment will never pass. 'And, now for the weather!'
Overall, a very good fast paced episode that moved the plot along. And the episode had probably the best ending that the show has ever had. Though the pacing still has some problems, and the end-game isn't really all that apparent yet. But, the show is back to being consistently entertaining (if still over-the-top cheesy) and I'm really looking forward to next week and beyond.
Final Fantasy XIV
I have a big confession to make. My first MMORPG was Final Fantasy 11, and I was originally dead set against the whole genre. My experience with FF11 was a very positive one, even though I was on dial up at the time (FF11 was very forgiving about that). By the time I finally quit the game and switched to WOW, many of my in-game friends that I'd played with since the US launch had long-since quit, or moved on to other linkshells. And, considering most end-game content was beyond boring (it basically all involved camping, with various linkshells vying for the spawn and the difficult being tagging the mob and not actually fighting it), I left at a good time. But I've always had a soft-spot for the game, and have been looking forward to its spiritual sequel ever since.
But, why is it the only things I hear about the game is how damned terrible it is? Now, there has never really been a lot of information about the game out there (not that I could find anyway). It's certainly not been marketed as heavily over in the US, and I don't really see evidence of a thriving gaming community like you did with, say, Warhammer Online, or the upcoming The Old Republic. While the beta has been out for a while, there hasn't been a lot of information about the game overall. Just some impressions and the lingering sense that the game world is completely sparse, barren, and empty. With a rather retarded control scheme, clunky combat controls, and a questing system which is backward and difficult to understand.
In fact, considering how scathing the impressions of the game are, I'm actually getting hesitant to try it. From what I understand, the original FF11 had some very bad teething problems...in the beginning. But most of those had been worked out by the time the first expansion shipped (which coincided with the US release). So US players started the game with a lot of new, and changed game mechanics which made the game much more playable than before that. FF14 sounds like its having a lot of the same issues--but are people going to be willing to put up with that and just hope it's fixed with the next expansion? I just don't know about that.
Another thing that's actually starting to put me off is just HOW similar it looks to 14. Instead of being nostalgic, it's starting to actually looking boring, uninspired, and creatively lacking. Sure it looks good...I've seen some outside screen shots that are really great. But the style is lacking. Considering the artistic style is important to every FF game...the bland, derivative nature of 14's graphics seems to point to other, even deeper issues.
Hopefully better impressions will come out as the game approaches release. The limited edition ships Sept 22, I believe, with general release following on the 30th. That gives a full week or so from the time the game hits production and people start talking about it to make my mind up on whether it is worthwhile purchasing or not. If not, the WOW will remain the MMO game of choice through Cataclysm's release...at least until The Old Republic ships.
But, why is it the only things I hear about the game is how damned terrible it is? Now, there has never really been a lot of information about the game out there (not that I could find anyway). It's certainly not been marketed as heavily over in the US, and I don't really see evidence of a thriving gaming community like you did with, say, Warhammer Online, or the upcoming The Old Republic. While the beta has been out for a while, there hasn't been a lot of information about the game overall. Just some impressions and the lingering sense that the game world is completely sparse, barren, and empty. With a rather retarded control scheme, clunky combat controls, and a questing system which is backward and difficult to understand.
In fact, considering how scathing the impressions of the game are, I'm actually getting hesitant to try it. From what I understand, the original FF11 had some very bad teething problems...in the beginning. But most of those had been worked out by the time the first expansion shipped (which coincided with the US release). So US players started the game with a lot of new, and changed game mechanics which made the game much more playable than before that. FF14 sounds like its having a lot of the same issues--but are people going to be willing to put up with that and just hope it's fixed with the next expansion? I just don't know about that.
Another thing that's actually starting to put me off is just HOW similar it looks to 14. Instead of being nostalgic, it's starting to actually looking boring, uninspired, and creatively lacking. Sure it looks good...I've seen some outside screen shots that are really great. But the style is lacking. Considering the artistic style is important to every FF game...the bland, derivative nature of 14's graphics seems to point to other, even deeper issues.
Hopefully better impressions will come out as the game approaches release. The limited edition ships Sept 22, I believe, with general release following on the 30th. That gives a full week or so from the time the game hits production and people start talking about it to make my mind up on whether it is worthwhile purchasing or not. If not, the WOW will remain the MMO game of choice through Cataclysm's release...at least until The Old Republic ships.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
StarCraft 2
I'm not going to post a long review of StarCraft 2. I finished the campaign this weekend, and overall I'm very happy with the game, and the campaign itself. Game play was top-notch across the bored. Though the graphics aren't quite as top-notch, it's style and design--it's speed and fluidity more than makes up with the lack of photo-realistic visuals. The game itself is beautiful, and well animated. And the core game play is surprisingly good--it doesn't really reinvent the game, but the refinements are seemingly well thought out and provide a lot of new opportunities.
But, I have to say that the story and campaign itself bring everything down a bit. Starcraft 2 plays a lot like an RTS version of Wing Commander. You have your missions; your cut-scenes, and a central hub where you can talk to characters. It's all very good. But the Raynor-as-mercenary style of the campaign really kinda brings the whole thing down a bit. Essentially you have 6 or so ongoing story-arcs. You have Raynor helping a group of random settlers try to flee the Zerg. You have Tosh, trying to save his Specter buddies from a Dominion Prison. You have an artifact hunt, where you keep running across Kerrigan whose after the same artifacts. You have a Raynor-centric attempt to discredit the Dominion by exposing what actually happened on Tarsonis. And you have Zeratul asking you to relive his memories so you can understand why Raynor must save Kerrigan instead of destroy her. After those missions are complete, you can jump to Char and take on Kerrigan directly.
The structure of the campaign really prevents a single flowing narrative, and that's a shame. Each mini-plot has it's own build-up; but each plot line can be completed in any order. Dialog choices and options change depending on where you are at during each mission; and the flow is such that each new mission grants you new units, and more money/research to buy upgrades. It's a good setup for a game, but as a story, it falters as you never really get a good sense of the war; or why Raynor would be trouncing about like he is when billions are dying around him.
Another issue I had was the structure of many of the missions. Now, don't get me wrong there is a lot of variety here. But, at the same time almost every mission imposes an artificial time limit of some form; and most of them have some form of gimmick that is fun the first time but will certainly grate with later play through. There are very few, if any, more traditional mission objectives here. And the scale simply seems smaller as a result. In Starcraft, a loft of the Terran missions lacked scale as well--but things really opened up by the later Zerg and Protoss missions. By the time things do start opening up on Char near the end, it's too little, too late. There is only 4 Char missions, and you can only do 3 of them. And the last one has a pretty strict time-limit imposed on it.
I think the nature missions means that in the long run the campaign will be less interesting to play through. And the game itself never reached the epic-levels I was expecting (at least from a story perspective). But, having just played SC recently, the game is certainly more fun and more interesting, with more choices to make than the original or Brood War. It's still certainly a game worth playing, even for those who normally avoid RTS games. But, it's just doesn't have the level of pure awesomeness that I was expecting going in. I guess my my expectations could not have been met anyway. But it would have been nice!
But, I have to say that the story and campaign itself bring everything down a bit. Starcraft 2 plays a lot like an RTS version of Wing Commander. You have your missions; your cut-scenes, and a central hub where you can talk to characters. It's all very good. But the Raynor-as-mercenary style of the campaign really kinda brings the whole thing down a bit. Essentially you have 6 or so ongoing story-arcs. You have Raynor helping a group of random settlers try to flee the Zerg. You have Tosh, trying to save his Specter buddies from a Dominion Prison. You have an artifact hunt, where you keep running across Kerrigan whose after the same artifacts. You have a Raynor-centric attempt to discredit the Dominion by exposing what actually happened on Tarsonis. And you have Zeratul asking you to relive his memories so you can understand why Raynor must save Kerrigan instead of destroy her. After those missions are complete, you can jump to Char and take on Kerrigan directly.
The structure of the campaign really prevents a single flowing narrative, and that's a shame. Each mini-plot has it's own build-up; but each plot line can be completed in any order. Dialog choices and options change depending on where you are at during each mission; and the flow is such that each new mission grants you new units, and more money/research to buy upgrades. It's a good setup for a game, but as a story, it falters as you never really get a good sense of the war; or why Raynor would be trouncing about like he is when billions are dying around him.
Another issue I had was the structure of many of the missions. Now, don't get me wrong there is a lot of variety here. But, at the same time almost every mission imposes an artificial time limit of some form; and most of them have some form of gimmick that is fun the first time but will certainly grate with later play through. There are very few, if any, more traditional mission objectives here. And the scale simply seems smaller as a result. In Starcraft, a loft of the Terran missions lacked scale as well--but things really opened up by the later Zerg and Protoss missions. By the time things do start opening up on Char near the end, it's too little, too late. There is only 4 Char missions, and you can only do 3 of them. And the last one has a pretty strict time-limit imposed on it.
I think the nature missions means that in the long run the campaign will be less interesting to play through. And the game itself never reached the epic-levels I was expecting (at least from a story perspective). But, having just played SC recently, the game is certainly more fun and more interesting, with more choices to make than the original or Brood War. It's still certainly a game worth playing, even for those who normally avoid RTS games. But, it's just doesn't have the level of pure awesomeness that I was expecting going in. I guess my my expectations could not have been met anyway. But it would have been nice!
True Blood 8/8
Sunday's True Blood episode was something of a transitional episode. Most of the episode dealt with the ramifications of the previous week's activities. Sookie was saved, but now admittedly scare of Bill. Tara was free too...but still tormented by Mott at some level. Sam now has Tommy, with all of the good and bad behind that. Bill was sad. Everyone was now back at Bon Temps. And Eric moved forward with his plans against the King. Despite being a transitional episode, however, the ending closed with a bang and a large 3-way fight and an ending which had serious consequences for all concerned.
Overall it was another strong episode. And as plot lines finally start to merge, the whole show is picking up speed as a result. It's still not completely obvious where things are going here, and at this point in the show they seem to be following S1 & S2's not-so-subtle setup for Season 4. Also there are still a few plot-lines that don't seem to be going anywhere useful (Sam & Tommy). Though the Jason/Crystal plot line seems to be getting more interesting, finally. Though, I'm not convinced. I like the hint that Lafayette might be a magic-user of some form...this will give his character something more to do. And it suggests that, perhaps, Jesus may have more to him than meets the eye--in fact, you have to wonder...why is he there watching Mom?
By the end of the episode, the attack on Sookie's house is pretty cool. The Sookie/Debbie girl fight was pretty cool. The King/Bill fight was suitably one sided. And Jessica got to let out some frustration. But the implications of that fight are going to be big, and the stakes are getting raised even higher now. Lets just hope that as the season enters it's third act, that the show can avoid the some of it's past 3rd-act shortfalls.
Overall it was another strong episode. And as plot lines finally start to merge, the whole show is picking up speed as a result. It's still not completely obvious where things are going here, and at this point in the show they seem to be following S1 & S2's not-so-subtle setup for Season 4. Also there are still a few plot-lines that don't seem to be going anywhere useful (Sam & Tommy). Though the Jason/Crystal plot line seems to be getting more interesting, finally. Though, I'm not convinced. I like the hint that Lafayette might be a magic-user of some form...this will give his character something more to do. And it suggests that, perhaps, Jesus may have more to him than meets the eye--in fact, you have to wonder...why is he there watching Mom?
By the end of the episode, the attack on Sookie's house is pretty cool. The Sookie/Debbie girl fight was pretty cool. The King/Bill fight was suitably one sided. And Jessica got to let out some frustration. But the implications of that fight are going to be big, and the stakes are getting raised even higher now. Lets just hope that as the season enters it's third act, that the show can avoid the some of it's past 3rd-act shortfalls.
Monday, July 26, 2010
True Blood 07/25
Sunday's episode of True Blood continues to pick up the pace from last week. And for the first time since the season started, things are really starting to go somewhere. But, the number of sub plots and characters continues to bring everything down a notch. There is just too much screen time spent with Jason, Sam, and Lafayette right now that is badly needed elsewhere.
So, Sookie has been kidnapped and brought to King's place. Eric is playing gay-man to earn favor (so he can get close enough to kill the King). Vampire Bill is in deep trouble, having betrayed his new King to help Sookie. Lafayette goes on a date that goes wrong. Jason is dumb, and a complete dick for no reason. Jessica is hungry. Tara is still trapped, but finds it easy to manipulate her 'future vampire husband'. Sam connects to his brother, and figures out long after the audience what is up with his family. And the Queen is forced to agree to a political marriage with the King of Mississippi.
Even with all of that, the episode was definitely better than last weeks. The scenes between Lorena and Bill were very well done. And I even liked the scenes between Sam and Tommy--Tommy is acting less of a pure dick now, which makes him a more interesting character. Eric is playing his game...though the actor is seriously over-acting in a bad way. They are definitely starting to explore more of Sookie's nature...I'm interested to see where that goes exactly (I wonder if she's going to be more supernatural in nature than she seems to be at first glance).
Though True Blood often ends on a cliffhanger, the one for this week was more effective than most. Even if it was telegraphed well in advance. And the preview for next week's episode was very cool. And it looks like certain plots are starting to merge, which hopefully will help with the pacing as well.
Other notes...
- Is it just me, or is Jason just not very cool this season. Jason works because he is dumb, yet likable. This season he's been dumb, and very unlikable. His dickishness in this episode was a good example of that.
- Why aren't we seeing more of Jessica? She's a cool character, but is always left completely behind by everyone. The mash up of Jessica and Arlene is very cool though, I have to admit that.
- Obviously Crystal is a shape shifter. That was pretty much confirmed when Jason commented on just how hot she was (and he wasn't referring to her looks). If I remember correctly, Jason married a woman named Crystal in the books...or was that someone else? She also obviously connected with the drug-dealing group that have been screwing with Lafayette. So I'm guessing that Jason and Lafayette's stories will start coming together at some point.
- Sam spent most of last season in his own little show until near the end. This one is pretty much the same. It's too bad really, since he's the most charismatic male actor on the cast IMO. Sam's problems with his white-trash family are just annoying though. But fortunately Tommy is becoming a more interesting character, slowly but surely.
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So, Sookie has been kidnapped and brought to King's place. Eric is playing gay-man to earn favor (so he can get close enough to kill the King). Vampire Bill is in deep trouble, having betrayed his new King to help Sookie. Lafayette goes on a date that goes wrong. Jason is dumb, and a complete dick for no reason. Jessica is hungry. Tara is still trapped, but finds it easy to manipulate her 'future vampire husband'. Sam connects to his brother, and figures out long after the audience what is up with his family. And the Queen is forced to agree to a political marriage with the King of Mississippi.
Even with all of that, the episode was definitely better than last weeks. The scenes between Lorena and Bill were very well done. And I even liked the scenes between Sam and Tommy--Tommy is acting less of a pure dick now, which makes him a more interesting character. Eric is playing his game...though the actor is seriously over-acting in a bad way. They are definitely starting to explore more of Sookie's nature...I'm interested to see where that goes exactly (I wonder if she's going to be more supernatural in nature than she seems to be at first glance).
Though True Blood often ends on a cliffhanger, the one for this week was more effective than most. Even if it was telegraphed well in advance. And the preview for next week's episode was very cool. And it looks like certain plots are starting to merge, which hopefully will help with the pacing as well.
Other notes...
- Is it just me, or is Jason just not very cool this season. Jason works because he is dumb, yet likable. This season he's been dumb, and very unlikable. His dickishness in this episode was a good example of that.
- Why aren't we seeing more of Jessica? She's a cool character, but is always left completely behind by everyone. The mash up of Jessica and Arlene is very cool though, I have to admit that.
- Obviously Crystal is a shape shifter. That was pretty much confirmed when Jason commented on just how hot she was (and he wasn't referring to her looks). If I remember correctly, Jason married a woman named Crystal in the books...or was that someone else? She also obviously connected with the drug-dealing group that have been screwing with Lafayette. So I'm guessing that Jason and Lafayette's stories will start coming together at some point.
- Sam spent most of last season in his own little show until near the end. This one is pretty much the same. It's too bad really, since he's the most charismatic male actor on the cast IMO. Sam's problems with his white-trash family are just annoying though. But fortunately Tommy is becoming a more interesting character, slowly but surely.
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Thursday, July 22, 2010
Impatience! The obsession of a gamer.
I have a confession to make. When I was young I was a very impatient person. Of course this wasn't just limited to games, but to all aspects of my life. I'm not sure if I ever really got over that, but I'm certainly a lot more patient and tolerant of long waits than I used to be.
Take Starcraft 2 for example. It used to be, when a new game coming out that I wanted I would be dying to get a hold of it. Even if it would be months in the future, I couldn't wait. I'd obsess over it. I'd read magazines (back when before the Internet became the main source of gaming news). I'd have dreams about. I would even make up elaborate stories in my head about the game, just so I could experience it in my mind before it was actually released. I'd do the same for TV and movies too. And oftentimes this would lead to disappointment when the game actually came out. The fun in my head was often a lot better than anything a game could really deliver. This is perhaps why I've ways been so interested in story-based games. I love a good story. Put it into an RPG, and Adventure game, hell, even an RTS, and I'll love it (even if the game play sucks).
But days are different now. I knew Starcraft 2 was coming, for example. But until this week (and that beta invite) I had no idea that it was about to come out. I haven't read up on much of the game. I haven't seen many trailers. I haven't seen much in the way of artwork. I haven't been reading blogs, or IGN articles, or anything else either. I haven't seen a single spoiler yet. So when SC2 comes out next week it will be mostly virgin to my eyes. I think the only thing I know is that I read a vague thing yesterday that the campaign model in SC2 is going to be 'different'...maybe more like a dynamic campaign with fixed missions instead of the old SC mission model. And the second SC2 game (the Zerg one), will be much more RPG like. That news actually sort of shocked me. Though I'm sure a lot of people are aware of that.
So now it's one week out and I'm still not obsessing over the release. I did buy the SC Anthology. I wanted to revisit the old game before the new one came out. But if I'm not done with it by next Tuesday...I won't be starting SC2. I'll wait until I finish the Anthology first. And since my WOW guild raids Tuesday through Thursday, my first real opportunity to play it might not be until next Friday. And I usually go out Friday night, and will be busy Saturday. So, in reality, the game might come out on Tuesday but the first chance I'll get to play it is on Sunday of next week! And I'm OK with that.
But when I was 15, I think I'd be about to have a heart attack just thinking about it.
Take Starcraft 2 for example. It used to be, when a new game coming out that I wanted I would be dying to get a hold of it. Even if it would be months in the future, I couldn't wait. I'd obsess over it. I'd read magazines (back when before the Internet became the main source of gaming news). I'd have dreams about. I would even make up elaborate stories in my head about the game, just so I could experience it in my mind before it was actually released. I'd do the same for TV and movies too. And oftentimes this would lead to disappointment when the game actually came out. The fun in my head was often a lot better than anything a game could really deliver. This is perhaps why I've ways been so interested in story-based games. I love a good story. Put it into an RPG, and Adventure game, hell, even an RTS, and I'll love it (even if the game play sucks).
But days are different now. I knew Starcraft 2 was coming, for example. But until this week (and that beta invite) I had no idea that it was about to come out. I haven't read up on much of the game. I haven't seen many trailers. I haven't seen much in the way of artwork. I haven't been reading blogs, or IGN articles, or anything else either. I haven't seen a single spoiler yet. So when SC2 comes out next week it will be mostly virgin to my eyes. I think the only thing I know is that I read a vague thing yesterday that the campaign model in SC2 is going to be 'different'...maybe more like a dynamic campaign with fixed missions instead of the old SC mission model. And the second SC2 game (the Zerg one), will be much more RPG like. That news actually sort of shocked me. Though I'm sure a lot of people are aware of that.
So now it's one week out and I'm still not obsessing over the release. I did buy the SC Anthology. I wanted to revisit the old game before the new one came out. But if I'm not done with it by next Tuesday...I won't be starting SC2. I'll wait until I finish the Anthology first. And since my WOW guild raids Tuesday through Thursday, my first real opportunity to play it might not be until next Friday. And I usually go out Friday night, and will be busy Saturday. So, in reality, the game might come out on Tuesday but the first chance I'll get to play it is on Sunday of next week! And I'm OK with that.
But when I was 15, I think I'd be about to have a heart attack just thinking about it.
Summer Blues
My current guild is really starting to suffer from the summer blues. Attendance is down. Several people have quit. And they've been having a harder time fielding raids. And while they have recruited new people, none of them seem to be sticking around.
Of course, a part of this is the fact that an expansion is coming. And there's little incentive to keep playing right now. We're not likely to progress much farther, so it's just farming to hold the guild together for 3, 4, maybe even 5 months. Considering the state of the beta, I get the impression that we are a bit farther out than we were at this point with the Wrath expansion. By all reports, the Cataclysm beta is far more buggy and incomplete compared to the Wrath Beta at the same point.
For me, I've been having a harder time making runs than ever before. With my younger sister and her family moving in while their house is being built; and with my older sister here with her family from Brazil, and with all of the after-hours work I've been having to do...my attendance has been down. I'm expecting things to start to calm down in a week or so, but it's times like this where I really feel guilty no matter what I do. Miss a raid to spend time with family, and feel guilty about contributing to the attendance problem. Or raid, and feel guilty about missing time with my nieces and nephews, some of whom I won't really see for a whole year.
Actually, when I put it that way it's easy to pick between the two. But that doesn't help with the guild's attendance issue.
Of course, a part of this is the fact that an expansion is coming. And there's little incentive to keep playing right now. We're not likely to progress much farther, so it's just farming to hold the guild together for 3, 4, maybe even 5 months. Considering the state of the beta, I get the impression that we are a bit farther out than we were at this point with the Wrath expansion. By all reports, the Cataclysm beta is far more buggy and incomplete compared to the Wrath Beta at the same point.
For me, I've been having a harder time making runs than ever before. With my younger sister and her family moving in while their house is being built; and with my older sister here with her family from Brazil, and with all of the after-hours work I've been having to do...my attendance has been down. I'm expecting things to start to calm down in a week or so, but it's times like this where I really feel guilty no matter what I do. Miss a raid to spend time with family, and feel guilty about contributing to the attendance problem. Or raid, and feel guilty about missing time with my nieces and nephews, some of whom I won't really see for a whole year.
Actually, when I put it that way it's easy to pick between the two. But that doesn't help with the guild's attendance issue.
The Human Campaign!
Nostalgia can be a powerful thing. Take the original Starcraft for an example. I seem to recall that fabled RTS to have a very deep, complex story which started out with a bang. I remember the human campaign being filled with tons of cool characters, political maneuvering, and general bad-assery. And, compared to many games at the time, maybe it was complex and deep.
Today, though, not so much.
The human campaign is very basic. You have Jim Raynor, who is basically a law-man. Sarah Kerrigan, a kick-ass girl. Mensk, a corrupt, even revolutionary. And Duke, a confederate general. There is also some type of android chick with pipes in her face, is there for exposition only and she is never named.
Of these characters, only Duke is not an iconic character for the series. Jim Raynor is a deeply tragic character, and perhaps the most interesting character in the series besides (perhaps) Tassadar later. Jim is a character that really doesn't get any brakes, and looses everything that is important to him. Especially Kerrigan. Yet, while I remember there being a deep abiding romance between the two, in practice their 'romance' happens almost completely off screen. They go from not knowing each other, to working together, to strong flirtation in just 3 missions. And you never really get the sense that Raynor really cared about Kerrigan until AFTER she's betrayed and he walks away from Mensk in disgust. It's also interesting that both characters, especially Raynor, the heroic one, go along with Mensk's plans. The plan to lure the Zerg to Tarsonis in a bid to destroy the Confederate capital is monstrous.
Based on the human campaign, both of these characters would be completely forgettable. Kerrigan becomes an icon character later, of course, and is a prominent feature of the Zerg campaign. And Raynor is an important part of the Protoss campaign. And both are quite important in Brood War later on.
Mensk is actually more interesting here. In hindsight Mensk seems like a character with a plan. He uses people, and is very good at taking advantage of the situation to complete his objective. Even his lies are at least plausible, though honestly his rise to power here seems a bit too staged. And Duke, well, he's just there. His turn from asshole confederate military commander, to revolutionary is laughable. But I guess could really signify a knack for seeing which way the wind is blowing and shifting alliances accordingly.
But the other thing missing is that the game really doesn't show the depth of the devastation. The humans in Starcraft are not really the big players after all. The humans are really just caught in the middle of a much larger war between the Protoss and the Zerg. The Zerg's interest in humanity is not really clear (at this point); while the Protoss simply are willing to kill everyone who gets in the way with little regard for the innocents caught in the middle.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Zerg campaign, where hopefully my memories will begin meshing more with the actual game.
Today, though, not so much.
The human campaign is very basic. You have Jim Raynor, who is basically a law-man. Sarah Kerrigan, a kick-ass girl. Mensk, a corrupt, even revolutionary. And Duke, a confederate general. There is also some type of android chick with pipes in her face, is there for exposition only and she is never named.
Of these characters, only Duke is not an iconic character for the series. Jim Raynor is a deeply tragic character, and perhaps the most interesting character in the series besides (perhaps) Tassadar later. Jim is a character that really doesn't get any brakes, and looses everything that is important to him. Especially Kerrigan. Yet, while I remember there being a deep abiding romance between the two, in practice their 'romance' happens almost completely off screen. They go from not knowing each other, to working together, to strong flirtation in just 3 missions. And you never really get the sense that Raynor really cared about Kerrigan until AFTER she's betrayed and he walks away from Mensk in disgust. It's also interesting that both characters, especially Raynor, the heroic one, go along with Mensk's plans. The plan to lure the Zerg to Tarsonis in a bid to destroy the Confederate capital is monstrous.
Based on the human campaign, both of these characters would be completely forgettable. Kerrigan becomes an icon character later, of course, and is a prominent feature of the Zerg campaign. And Raynor is an important part of the Protoss campaign. And both are quite important in Brood War later on.
Mensk is actually more interesting here. In hindsight Mensk seems like a character with a plan. He uses people, and is very good at taking advantage of the situation to complete his objective. Even his lies are at least plausible, though honestly his rise to power here seems a bit too staged. And Duke, well, he's just there. His turn from asshole confederate military commander, to revolutionary is laughable. But I guess could really signify a knack for seeing which way the wind is blowing and shifting alliances accordingly.
But the other thing missing is that the game really doesn't show the depth of the devastation. The humans in Starcraft are not really the big players after all. The humans are really just caught in the middle of a much larger war between the Protoss and the Zerg. The Zerg's interest in humanity is not really clear (at this point); while the Protoss simply are willing to kill everyone who gets in the way with little regard for the innocents caught in the middle.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Zerg campaign, where hopefully my memories will begin meshing more with the actual game.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Current State of World of Warcraft
I started re-reading some of my first (rather bad) posts when I opened this blog. It was during a time of transition, right before Wrath was about to come out and change the game. My previous guild, Nerfed, had disbanded, crushed by the lack of defined leadership and the inability to recruit new members at the same caliber of the first ones.
And you know what I learned? My writing was bad back then. And isn't much better now! :)
But today World of Warcraft is yet again in transition. A new expansion is looming. There is no more Wrath Content pending (Ruby Sanctum is a joke, at least BC was smart enough to include an actual post-Illidan raid). But Cataclysm is still months out (I'm guessing November). And the summer months have brought on the MMO blues. ICC has been out for quite a while now. Blizzard is quite fond with tinkering with it's game, but this too has stopped--all efforts are focused on the next expansion at the detriment of everything else. And Wrath's post LK content, Ruby Sanctum, is a joke. 1 Boss, with way too much trash does not equal Sunwell.
So, Blizzard is coming off what is certainly the worst expansion WOW has made. While Wrath is very refined, that very refinement is part of the problem. Blizzard played it safe with Wrath. Too safe. And over the course of the two years it has broken many of the things that originally made this game so much fun.
Now, part of Blizzard's main goal has nothing to do with high level characters. Their primary goal seems to be to rework the old world to make it more fun for lower level characters in order to increase player retention rates and update the game to a more modern standard. This is a good idea, and worth a topic of it's own, but for now I'm going to talk about what Blizzard needs to to retain old players.
1. Improve class balance and slow down game play. Class Balance is always a harsh thing, but Wrath has been dominated by various classes (first DK, then Druid and Paladin) to the exclusion to everything else. Mages, my pet class, haven't received much love. And Shadow Priests are even worse off (priests in general often seem to get the shaft). Part of the problem is that some classes just aren't designed around the twitchy game play mechanics that the game now requires. This is true in both PVP and PVE...a Mage simply can't keep up in a lot of fights because of all of the movement (as an example). Slowing down fights across the bored will help make fights more meaningful, and also give some far more interesting options in regards to PVE design. This one Blizzard is tackling directly...so we'll see how well they do.
2. Improve social interactivity. The LFG Tool, while cool, has actually hurt the community and has led to random social experiences being much less pleasant. At best, a good run ends up being completely dead, with no talking or communication at all--people there know everything and just want to get through it as-fast-as-humanly-possible. This is something that I do not believe Blizzard is addressing at all at this point. Honestly, what I would like to see happen is an implementation of Guild Alliances, with a GA-chat. And a direct tie in with the LFG tool. If Blizzard wanted to get real cool, then allow those alliances to form between servers even! That way, a member could start a party in the LFG tool, and fill it with Guild and Alliance members from any server in that alliance. And alliances could help avoid the complete anonymous nature of the current LFG system (of course, the current LFG should also remain as well).
3. Fix the raiding game. Wrath Raiding tended to swing between mind-numbingly boring to frustrating. With each new raid boss, the mechanics became more hectic and more frantic, more twitching. And less fun. Blizzard needs to get rid of enrage timers. And include more dynamic elements to the fights.
4. Making leveling more fun. Blizzard quests are a joke. Sure they may have been liked at the time, but things have evolved. And this is one area that only FFXI has gotten right. OK, so leveling quests don't necessarily need to be super-interesting or dynamic...they exist only for grinding anyway. But more story would help there too. The biggest thing Blizzard needs to learn, though, is that quests don't HAVE to just be about leveling. Quests can be about story too, and this is something that can really add a new element to the game that has really been missing. Long quest lines, with interesting cut scenes and stuff to do can really provide an entirely new element to the game.
5. Introduce a new way to play the game. Or get creative and add several. Right now WOW comes down to PVP, 5-Mans, and Raiding (10 and 25s). This is pretty much the staple. But it doesn't have to be. WOW could consider adding some RVR elements (more complex than, say, wintergrasp). They could add a story-mode (much like FFXI had). They could add things like trials and tests...specific trails which reward epic gear for completing certain trials (as long as they aren't just stupid rep grinds or massive money sinks). WOW is getting old enough that Blizzard really needs to start thinking about adding new KINDS of content...not just updated versions.
Of these things, I do not see Blizzard really tackling many of these things. And while Cataclysm MAY be their most successful expansion in the business sense. Retention of new players is very important, and concentrating on that at this point in the game is probably a good idea. It will certainly help Blizzard retain a large player base in the long run and help them to remain a dominate force in the marketplace. But, will this strategy help retain old players? That, I'm not so sure of. My prediction is that Cataclysm will be wildly successful at first...but will fall off faster than either BC or Wrath.
And you know what I learned? My writing was bad back then. And isn't much better now! :)
But today World of Warcraft is yet again in transition. A new expansion is looming. There is no more Wrath Content pending (Ruby Sanctum is a joke, at least BC was smart enough to include an actual post-Illidan raid). But Cataclysm is still months out (I'm guessing November). And the summer months have brought on the MMO blues. ICC has been out for quite a while now. Blizzard is quite fond with tinkering with it's game, but this too has stopped--all efforts are focused on the next expansion at the detriment of everything else. And Wrath's post LK content, Ruby Sanctum, is a joke. 1 Boss, with way too much trash does not equal Sunwell.
So, Blizzard is coming off what is certainly the worst expansion WOW has made. While Wrath is very refined, that very refinement is part of the problem. Blizzard played it safe with Wrath. Too safe. And over the course of the two years it has broken many of the things that originally made this game so much fun.
Now, part of Blizzard's main goal has nothing to do with high level characters. Their primary goal seems to be to rework the old world to make it more fun for lower level characters in order to increase player retention rates and update the game to a more modern standard. This is a good idea, and worth a topic of it's own, but for now I'm going to talk about what Blizzard needs to to retain old players.
1. Improve class balance and slow down game play. Class Balance is always a harsh thing, but Wrath has been dominated by various classes (first DK, then Druid and Paladin) to the exclusion to everything else. Mages, my pet class, haven't received much love. And Shadow Priests are even worse off (priests in general often seem to get the shaft). Part of the problem is that some classes just aren't designed around the twitchy game play mechanics that the game now requires. This is true in both PVP and PVE...a Mage simply can't keep up in a lot of fights because of all of the movement (as an example). Slowing down fights across the bored will help make fights more meaningful, and also give some far more interesting options in regards to PVE design. This one Blizzard is tackling directly...so we'll see how well they do.
2. Improve social interactivity. The LFG Tool, while cool, has actually hurt the community and has led to random social experiences being much less pleasant. At best, a good run ends up being completely dead, with no talking or communication at all--people there know everything and just want to get through it as-fast-as-humanly-possible. This is something that I do not believe Blizzard is addressing at all at this point. Honestly, what I would like to see happen is an implementation of Guild Alliances, with a GA-chat. And a direct tie in with the LFG tool. If Blizzard wanted to get real cool, then allow those alliances to form between servers even! That way, a member could start a party in the LFG tool, and fill it with Guild and Alliance members from any server in that alliance. And alliances could help avoid the complete anonymous nature of the current LFG system (of course, the current LFG should also remain as well).
3. Fix the raiding game. Wrath Raiding tended to swing between mind-numbingly boring to frustrating. With each new raid boss, the mechanics became more hectic and more frantic, more twitching. And less fun. Blizzard needs to get rid of enrage timers. And include more dynamic elements to the fights.
4. Making leveling more fun. Blizzard quests are a joke. Sure they may have been liked at the time, but things have evolved. And this is one area that only FFXI has gotten right. OK, so leveling quests don't necessarily need to be super-interesting or dynamic...they exist only for grinding anyway. But more story would help there too. The biggest thing Blizzard needs to learn, though, is that quests don't HAVE to just be about leveling. Quests can be about story too, and this is something that can really add a new element to the game that has really been missing. Long quest lines, with interesting cut scenes and stuff to do can really provide an entirely new element to the game.
5. Introduce a new way to play the game. Or get creative and add several. Right now WOW comes down to PVP, 5-Mans, and Raiding (10 and 25s). This is pretty much the staple. But it doesn't have to be. WOW could consider adding some RVR elements (more complex than, say, wintergrasp). They could add a story-mode (much like FFXI had). They could add things like trials and tests...specific trails which reward epic gear for completing certain trials (as long as they aren't just stupid rep grinds or massive money sinks). WOW is getting old enough that Blizzard really needs to start thinking about adding new KINDS of content...not just updated versions.
Of these things, I do not see Blizzard really tackling many of these things. And while Cataclysm MAY be their most successful expansion in the business sense. Retention of new players is very important, and concentrating on that at this point in the game is probably a good idea. It will certainly help Blizzard retain a large player base in the long run and help them to remain a dominate force in the marketplace. But, will this strategy help retain old players? That, I'm not so sure of. My prediction is that Cataclysm will be wildly successful at first...but will fall off faster than either BC or Wrath.
Star Craft 2 Beta! Um, FALSE ALARM!
I was pretty psyched to get a chance to look at SC2. I mean, I just got an invite Sunday! So, I got everything installed on Sunday night. Left it running to do updates when I went to bed. And I planned on playing it all last night. Except, of course, the beta ended at sometime yesterday afternoon while I was at work. What a cock tease.
So anyway, I was now in the Starcraft mood. So I went ahead and installed the SC Anthology instead and began playing through the series. It's been a long time since I played SC and Broodwar. So starting from the beginning to catch me up on the plot and story of the game seemed like a good idea. And I'm seriously needing to spend some time outside of WOW anyway. I didn't get to play it very long, but I did make it through roughly 5 missions.
Not surprisingly, my memories of the game aren't quite matching up to the reality of it. Now, Star Craft is one of the best and most distinctive of all RTS games. It's pure sci-fi setting is only part of what makes this game unique. More importantly, the game system itself, and the three main factions and their distinctive play styles which set Star Craft apart. All three races, Terran, Zerg, and Protoss play in fundamentally different ways, yet tend to be very balanced against one another (when played well). The mechanics for the races seem to take inspiration from fighting games...sure it's still a fighting game, and your still pushing buttons, but a good fighting game makes each fighter distinct. Not just variations of one another. Other games have attempted this, to some degree of success but SC managed it and did so while still maintaining balance. It's pretty impressive actually. Even today and hundreds of games later.
The first mission is pretty simple. Probably too simple for this sort of game. Especially considering that the game includes a set of tutorial missions. This is a problem that I've noticed with lots of similar RTS games...the first campaign gets shafted by having to include all of the 'ease the player into the game' mentality. Don't get me wrong. Stuff like this is important. But it also tends to leave the first campaign feeling shallow, and short. As I recall, the missions from the Zerg and Protoss campaigns start more complex, and end up being much grander in scope than anything in the Terran campaign.
There was something else I noticed, though. I seem to recall there being much more mysterious surrounding the aliens at the start of the human campaign. But, that is not the case. The protoss, and the zerg, are mentioned very early in the campaign and there is very little mystery involved. There is much more mystery later in why the factions are fighting; but no 'first contact' scenarios here. Which, I feel, actually detracts a bit from the campaign in general.
The second mission is a bit more dynamic. You have an old base to expand, and you actually take on a Zerg infestation head on. Most units aren't available, of course, but unlike the first mission this one is at least an RTS mission. This probably should have been the first mission from the start.
Now, the third mission is a bit infamous to me. I seem to recall having a bear of a time with the third mission. The third mission is simple. After the events of Mission 2, the Zerg are on the offensive and everyone is about to die. You have made an alliance with Acturus Mensk to get your people to safety, though you'll certainly get branded a traitor in the process. The goal of the mission is to 'survive 30 minutes. Now, when I originally played this mission I kept dying. A lot. To the point that I gave up on the game and put it away. Now, about a month later I came back to it and finally beat the mission. But I still remember feeling frustrated about it.
A similar thing happened with me and the original Command and Conquer. And today I've come to the inescapable conclusion that...back then I sucked at the games. Hard. Today the hardest part of 'surviving' 30 minutes is staying awake through the whole thing. Now, back then I think the difference was...I foolishly believed that buying extra SCVs was a waste of money. And while this does allow you to build a bit more in the beginning...during the middle you just start falling behind in resources and have no chance to keep up. It's the kind of tactic that is a staple in RTS games, but to newcomers it takes a while to learn. Much like building lots of extra sunflowers in plants vs. zombies. Rule Number 1. Make sure to spend resources on resource gathering.
Now the fourth mission is a puzzle/dungeon crawl through a Confederate base. Looking for data disks. Now I'm not sure if SC was the game that introduced these sorts of levels into RTS games (it might have been Red Alert, but honestly I don't remember and since no one reads this blog anyway I can't be bothered to find out). These things are pretty annoying and bland in SC. The trick with them is almost always to try to find the correct path which gets your your objective before you run out of units. These sorts of missions were implemented in much better ways in WC3, but here they are a bit out of place and rather bland.
After that, the game introduces Kerrigan in the first mission. She is not as hot as I remember her being, but she's still a pretty cool character overall (and probably the most ironic character from the whole series...and her parallel's with the Lich King in Warcraft are inescapable). Ghosts are some of the coolest units of any faction in this game, and Kerrigan is a very cool unit to play with. Not as overpowered as, say, a Commando in Command and Conquer, but that just makes her more awesome because you actually have to think using her. In the fifth mission, you use Kerrigan to kill an enemy officer and take over a base (helping the locals rebel). It's on a new planet, with a quick transition. And once you take the base, you have to then use it to take out the Confederate base. Fifth mission in, and only 2 have had any major Zerg involvement and no Protoss (except oblique references).
See what I mean about the first campaign in these games? All of the cool stuff comes later. Half way through and very little has actually happened. And it's too simple to really be 'fun' yet. But that's OK, because I know it gets better later on.
So anyway, I was now in the Starcraft mood. So I went ahead and installed the SC Anthology instead and began playing through the series. It's been a long time since I played SC and Broodwar. So starting from the beginning to catch me up on the plot and story of the game seemed like a good idea. And I'm seriously needing to spend some time outside of WOW anyway. I didn't get to play it very long, but I did make it through roughly 5 missions.
Not surprisingly, my memories of the game aren't quite matching up to the reality of it. Now, Star Craft is one of the best and most distinctive of all RTS games. It's pure sci-fi setting is only part of what makes this game unique. More importantly, the game system itself, and the three main factions and their distinctive play styles which set Star Craft apart. All three races, Terran, Zerg, and Protoss play in fundamentally different ways, yet tend to be very balanced against one another (when played well). The mechanics for the races seem to take inspiration from fighting games...sure it's still a fighting game, and your still pushing buttons, but a good fighting game makes each fighter distinct. Not just variations of one another. Other games have attempted this, to some degree of success but SC managed it and did so while still maintaining balance. It's pretty impressive actually. Even today and hundreds of games later.
The first mission is pretty simple. Probably too simple for this sort of game. Especially considering that the game includes a set of tutorial missions. This is a problem that I've noticed with lots of similar RTS games...the first campaign gets shafted by having to include all of the 'ease the player into the game' mentality. Don't get me wrong. Stuff like this is important. But it also tends to leave the first campaign feeling shallow, and short. As I recall, the missions from the Zerg and Protoss campaigns start more complex, and end up being much grander in scope than anything in the Terran campaign.
There was something else I noticed, though. I seem to recall there being much more mysterious surrounding the aliens at the start of the human campaign. But, that is not the case. The protoss, and the zerg, are mentioned very early in the campaign and there is very little mystery involved. There is much more mystery later in why the factions are fighting; but no 'first contact' scenarios here. Which, I feel, actually detracts a bit from the campaign in general.
The second mission is a bit more dynamic. You have an old base to expand, and you actually take on a Zerg infestation head on. Most units aren't available, of course, but unlike the first mission this one is at least an RTS mission. This probably should have been the first mission from the start.
Now, the third mission is a bit infamous to me. I seem to recall having a bear of a time with the third mission. The third mission is simple. After the events of Mission 2, the Zerg are on the offensive and everyone is about to die. You have made an alliance with Acturus Mensk to get your people to safety, though you'll certainly get branded a traitor in the process. The goal of the mission is to 'survive 30 minutes. Now, when I originally played this mission I kept dying. A lot. To the point that I gave up on the game and put it away. Now, about a month later I came back to it and finally beat the mission. But I still remember feeling frustrated about it.
A similar thing happened with me and the original Command and Conquer. And today I've come to the inescapable conclusion that...back then I sucked at the games. Hard. Today the hardest part of 'surviving' 30 minutes is staying awake through the whole thing. Now, back then I think the difference was...I foolishly believed that buying extra SCVs was a waste of money. And while this does allow you to build a bit more in the beginning...during the middle you just start falling behind in resources and have no chance to keep up. It's the kind of tactic that is a staple in RTS games, but to newcomers it takes a while to learn. Much like building lots of extra sunflowers in plants vs. zombies. Rule Number 1. Make sure to spend resources on resource gathering.
Now the fourth mission is a puzzle/dungeon crawl through a Confederate base. Looking for data disks. Now I'm not sure if SC was the game that introduced these sorts of levels into RTS games (it might have been Red Alert, but honestly I don't remember and since no one reads this blog anyway I can't be bothered to find out). These things are pretty annoying and bland in SC. The trick with them is almost always to try to find the correct path which gets your your objective before you run out of units. These sorts of missions were implemented in much better ways in WC3, but here they are a bit out of place and rather bland.
After that, the game introduces Kerrigan in the first mission. She is not as hot as I remember her being, but she's still a pretty cool character overall (and probably the most ironic character from the whole series...and her parallel's with the Lich King in Warcraft are inescapable). Ghosts are some of the coolest units of any faction in this game, and Kerrigan is a very cool unit to play with. Not as overpowered as, say, a Commando in Command and Conquer, but that just makes her more awesome because you actually have to think using her. In the fifth mission, you use Kerrigan to kill an enemy officer and take over a base (helping the locals rebel). It's on a new planet, with a quick transition. And once you take the base, you have to then use it to take out the Confederate base. Fifth mission in, and only 2 have had any major Zerg involvement and no Protoss (except oblique references).
See what I mean about the first campaign in these games? All of the cool stuff comes later. Half way through and very little has actually happened. And it's too simple to really be 'fun' yet. But that's OK, because I know it gets better later on.
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