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.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
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.
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