Space Age

I hate video games.

Then why, oh why, do I play them once in a while?

I don’t know. That’s the furthest answer you’ll get from me. I know from the very bottom of my heart that games are like the dental equivalent in fear of cavity. Only this time the games rot your brains out instead of your teeth. I’m very serious here. They can certainly fill your head with an abyss of garbage.

Yet I find myself drawn to the one type of games which settle in their own niche of the video game library.

I like those with a big enough story to wrap around you several hundred times. And then more. I like a game with many complexities and layers to a story which you can dig through to find another maze of stories. It’s like turning to a different page in a novel and finding something different.

now I like the game Mass Effect 2.

Now, I’m playing this thing right on the heels of another game called Dragon Age: Origins which is provided by the excellent game designer called Bioware. The last game was thick with stories and plot making for seventy-five hours of constant playing… and it’s a marvelous adventure into video games.

So I admit it.

I do like video games.

However, only if they’re done by Bioware. You see I love their take on video games which is like they’re egging on the intellectual mind of gamers… it’s not just your sporty shoot ‘em up types that last about a half hour. It isn’t a sports game either. Nothing like that. There’s real dimension and beauty to the game playing that shoots like a breeze and brings you from one end of the universe to the other. You’ll find yourself in the middle of the intrigue when the second portion of the game continues with epic proportions. And I do mean EPIC.

I love this game. Very much like I adore all the other Bioware video games which hacks its way through simple game playing with a feast of graphics and designs that lifts with greater imagination.

This is the sequel to the already acclaimed original Mass Effect. This game starts off where you left off. However, your hero is killed off at the beginning of the game and resurrected very much like Jesus did in biblical times if you believe that sort of stuff. However, I do take into account the nice biblical touches the game possesses: the revival of a dead hero which brings on a symbol of a messiah. There’s real telling fiction right here. And you are seen as a force to be reckoned with even if the hero Shepherd is a mere human.

But you’re working on the other side now… the bad guys named Cerebus from the original game. So there are many questions being asked here. What is Cerebus’ interest in you? What are their interests in the gathering events of the galaxy? You’ll find that many of your team mates are shady folks… from the rogues to the scoundrels, they make up a hearty center of your game plan. Can you trust your own mates as well?

There are some nice additions to the game. You’ll have some old friends back on the team such as Garrus who is nicely nicknamed the Archangel to Tali who seems more in the gray area than before. Some of the non-playable characters in the game come back for supporting roles such as Liara who is merely an information broker on the planet Illuium.

The one thing I like about this game is the ability to import your character from the very first game. It’s worth the investment. I still find it rather strange to see my own character revived once again to do battle with the swarming Collectors who are ravaging space with their commanding presence… a sort of dictatorship god planting its influences around the galaxy. I’ve created my character making her a soldier from the first game… she isn’t the most beautiful woman, though still rather pretty… however, she has a military presence about her.

This is why I was happy to see my character imported into the second game. Depending on how you played your game the first time around, you’ll find that many people you crossed paths with return… either thanking you for what you’ve done or having a grudge.

The playability in the game is great. I have no problems playing through this thing… though it’s on a casual level. I want to have fun with my games, not have frustration. There are occasional glitches in the game which gets me killed now and then… but these glitches don’t happen often, thankfully. I’m just happy to see that the game is as fun as the first one. Some of the characters you might not think much of before… like Garrus… is much cooler this time around.

However, the romantic aspect of the game is more limiting this time around. Most of the romantic entanglements are straight… so there are no real branching into the bi-sexual or homosexual relationships much like the first game. However, this may be due to the fact that most gamers are probably male. Most likely. So it’s no surprise that the game is designed in this way.

This is a fun game. I’ve played about twenty hours into it and there’s still a lot to explore. It’s a worthy investment which throws you back into familiar grounds. And yet you’ll find much of it not so recognizable. But the threat is still there. And you’re the savior of the universe strung on the thread of good and evil. Dare I say that the background story and the conflict is on the same level of the Star Wars films? You can’t help but feel the sprawling epic of the entire game. It is like you’re getting lost in a space drama.

If you like video games, you’ll like this game.

If you like science fiction, it’s even better.

You’ll find yourself in the mists of battles and making greater choices that can lead you down the path of destruction or another road to the good side. Such choices can effect the rest of the story. I’m a goody two shoes so I play a good person. But even then, not all your choices turn out the way you want to.

And the action? It’s dynamite. You’ll feel like you’re right in a science fiction movie. Don’t miss this one if you’ve played the first one before. Others, beware. Make sure you got a lot of time on your hands. It’s a real doozy.

A Planet to Call His Own

There was a long history of animation being based on comic books for many years. For some time, since the early 1990s, DC comics dominated the animated field thanks to the well thought out stories produced by Bruce Timm.

Marvel Comics was lagging behind.

However, much of it changed when the Hulk Vs. titles began appearing under a different direction which set Marvel into profitable doorways never before explored. With the recognized form of the green giant, and his merry ways of anger, the cartoons became very popular with audiences. Marvel Comics is finally catching up in the animation field.

Their latest release called “Planet Hulk” which hit the shelves in the first week of this month changes the direction of the comic books once again.

With surprise hits like “The Avengers” films and “Doctor Strange,” each film seem to be opening up to greater possibilities. Now they're taking off the ground with the Hulk stories which are brought to life in animation.

“Planet Hulk” is a different kind of story about the Hulk in which the audience could identify with the loneliness of the sour beasts who knows only how to speak with his mighty fists. His paths of destruction left behind too many wounded. So four other major players led by Iron Man decided to get rid of the Hulk in the most humane way possible. They sent him away on a ship where he would no longer harm others with his unimaginable brutality.

By destroying the spacecraft with his anger, the Hulk finds himself on collision course with a strange alien planet Sakaar. With the ship flying through a worm hole, the ship is now in an unexplored region of space where the limitless possibilities of stories was in reach. The Hulk was now in a world determined by gladiator fights in the coliseum. This world was built on the strengths and rage.

The Hulk was feeling right at home.

So he works his way through tearing up a storm in this new world... Hulk's world. The more he fights, the more finesse he gathers, growing stronger in strength, redefining his savagery to stretch his fighting skills. This was a world he could turn to without being called a monster.

This world is ruled by a Red King who uses people as his puppets, and forces slaves to pit against each other in bloody battles. Very soon, the conflict becomes a personal one between the Hulk and the Red King. The Hulk only wishing to have his freedom. While the Red King wants to command everything without anyone standing in his way. He ruled with an iron fist.

The Hulk grudgingly becomes friends with a few other gladiators who help to earn his freedom. And theirs. However, it is Caiera, the Emperor's Lieutenant, who is a soldier who eventually learns more about the Hulk and his origins. It is because of her that the Hulk stays on this world where he is accepted.

So this becomes something of a love story on a cosmic scale. No other film concentrates so heavily on the character of the Hulk. Not once do you see him transform into his human counterpart Bruce Banner... in fact, there is only a passing reference to his name. For the most part, the story revolves around the Hulk and his incredible strength which is something to be admired on a world filled with savages.

This blooming romance works its way very well into the story. No one jumps into the romance. It simply happens between two people who understands each other at a gut level. And Caiera does fight against the Hulk in a mortal battle. So this woman is able to hold her own against the Hulk showing remarkable strength and craftsmanship of the warrior ways. There are few people who are able to fight the Hulk and survive on their own. Caiera is one of those few.

And the Hulk is only happy to accept her grace and beauty, taking her hand in marriage when he resolves the world of its savage lord Red King. In many ways, the Hulk steps into the center role of the prophecy of Sakaarson, the one who would be savior of the world. It's nice to see different sides of the Hulk portrayed here differently.

I was never very enamored with the character of the Hulk. Not at all. This growling, savage beast only gets angrier and becomes a tidal force of hateful nature filled with violence. That was all he ever was. I never relished his appearances in the comics. I was on anyone's side who fought against the Hulk just to shut him up. I always preferred the rocky giant the Thing from the Fantastic four and his jolly line, “It's clobberin' time.”

But “Plant Hulk” is much more than just fistcuffs and fights. There's a story to it. And this one explores a side of Hulk never before, his romantic nature. Perhaps, deep down inside, there is a soul beneath the ugly interior. And maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all.

There is a nice appearance by Beta Ray Bill in the film... a brother like Thor, a god of the storm and weather, though he has the appearance of a horse face. However, he is powerful and held his own against the Hulk as well. And a very noble creature indeed.

There are a lot of risks taken when doing the stories of the Hulk. There have been so much done already in films and television. But this time, the story is a different one. And we find ourselves looking to the Hulk with a different perspective one. It's an interesting one.

Marvel Animated Features is finally hitting its mark with the Hulk features and it would be a good idea for them to continue the saga of the green monster. There is a huge amount of Hulk comic books yet to be covered.

This film only covers about thirty percent of the Planet Hulk comics. They have yet to chronicle the other half of the story where the Hulk finally returns to Earth to polish off his grudge against Iron Man and the others who put him in this personal hell in the first place.

Would the Hulk thank them for sending him to this world by accident? Or would he just get angry? And most people wouldn't like him if he got angry.

Nemo in a Dream Land...

There's a little unknown film most people don't know about. If you strike gold while searching through the retail video store shelves, you might find a copy of it for $6.99. Otherwise, best of luck to you in finding it.

The film is called Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. It is certainly a beautiful looking animated piece which could be seen as a counterpart to a Disney film. The people are drawn in a realistic fashion and the endowed language of details is very articulate. There are tons of details in which makes the film very lively.

Many Japanese animators brought attention to great details, and lovely beauty, when bringing life into the drawings. Released in 1989 by Hemdale Film Corporation, it is a marvel of animation to be showcased on theaters. There are also many Americans and British creators who are involved in the making of the film including Robert Towne who was the story consultant and Ray Bradbury who brought the concept for the screen.

The idea is simple enough.

It is about a boy and his dreams.

More than that, the dreams are about his responsibility of growing older and recognizing his own self worth in a circle of friends. Even if it is in a strange place called Slumberland.

The story wraps around the boy named Nemo and his best friend Icarus who is a flying squirrel. They switch back and forth between the land of dreams to his own real world. Most problems beset him when Nemo befriends a murky figure drowned in poverty named Flip. He has a penchant for smoking cigars which is an unforgiving habit to many people who live in Slumberland.

Now Flip is a troublemaker who gives the Golden Key to Nemo which unlocks a darker side to this place... a Nightmare world led by a Nightmare king. However, Nemo does not agree at first to open the door for him. But the temptation is too strong when Flips says, “One little peek... eh?”

Nemo makes friends with many people including King Morphius of Slumberland, Professor Genuis... and the princess who is around Nemo's age, lonely, looking for a friend. They do manage to get along with each other despite their differences. It is such qualities that help to overcome the hypocritical rule of the Nightmare King, a bringer of darkness, his illusion filled with shambling clouds.

The Nightmare world isn't a friendly place.

Now many people may not like this movie. It is, by all definition, a kid's movie. It is made for kids. There is a genuine feel of light entertainment which may draw the younger children. However, the older adults may have to suspend their disbelief enough to enjoy this
It is based off the comic strip by Winsor McCay which is a beautiful set of stories which ran in the Sunday's papers for the longest time. The flashes of colors scattered across the paper which gives a heartbeat of comics. It is easy to see how well the life of the comic was instantly transferred to the film.

In many ways, the film or comics are much like the Wizard of Oz which caters to the younger people with a fresh imagination. There is a simple story with the forces of good and evil struggling together.

If you were to let yourself go for this film, and not worry about the story itself, you would enjoy the film. Little Nemo is told through the point of view of a young boy. So, naturally, there a child-like quality in the film that some might find off-putting. But I liked the film for its warmth and integrity. The small messages of being kind and considerate to others comes across very well here. Nemo does learn the full responsibilities of being a man by taking care of the Nightmares by himself. On his own. In fact, he shares a small kiss with the princess in the end. Just like any hero would in films like Sleeping Beauty.

It's hard to say whether dreams were real or not at the very end. Much of it is left to the imagination of the viewers as young Nemo is taken to the circus by his parents when the film draws to a close. Did the dreams really happen t him? Or was it just a part of his imagination that was working in his own head?

Little Nemo does make you feel like a kid again. After seeing this, you remember the things you have done as a child that may seem irresponsible. However, growing up, you feel like you could have a laugh over it. And this is what the film does for you... give you a few lost moments of childhood once again.