CYaN Podcast Episode 5: New DC 52 Special
This week we talk about the DCnU. We talk about our must-reads and our favorites of those. We also talk about a few of the 2nd Wave books.
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Adam Savage’s Why We Make Speech
Last weekend, Adam Savage (best known from Mythbusters) gave a speech from Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. The great people over at Tested posted it online for those not able to make it. Let’s listen in…
I have heard Adam Savage give speeches a few times, each time it is a real treat. In this speech, he talks about how he began building things and why we should be more inclined to make things as well. I hope you listened and enjoyed, because that is what I am personally aiming to do with Call Yourself A Nerd; creating content and ideas that will hopefully change the world for myself and maybe others. And just maybe eventually I can find the gem that allows me to produce something original for the world.
Cheap Date: May 23rd
This is Cheap Date, where I will tell you my opinion on how to spend under $30 for your week’s geek entertainment.
Another light week, but I was able to salvage it and find you some entertainment. Hopefully you can enjoy this week just the same.
Games – $15
ArmA II: Combined Operations is on sale from Amazon for $15 until the 28th. It contains Arma II as well as the expansion Operation Arrowhead. While the game itself is mediocre, there had been a mod that is going around that everyone is talking about called Day Z. What is Day Z? Down to its bare bones, it is a zombie shooter. While that is simple enough, the game is so much more than that. Everything in the game is as realistic as possible (granted there is a zombie apocalypse). You need food, you can bleed out and you can not trust anyone for shit. Other players sometimes play the role of bandits, as players can kill each other. Instead of venturing into a zombie infested town, you can scavenge resources from other players. Like other great zombie fiction, the zombies are just dressing. How people interact with each other is the best part of the game. I am beyond fascinated in playing this game.
Be warned though that this is a PC game and it is very intensive, some hardware may not be up to the challenge. If you past that hurdle, the game is a challenge itself as average life time for players runs about four hours.
Comics – $11
For comics, this week I have three books to recommend.
The first one isBatman Incorporated #1from DC Comics. it is written by Grant Morrison with art by Chris Burnham. This will be the first time Batman, Inc. will be showcased in the new DC 52. While I have not always been a fan of Morrison’s writing, I cannot deny that his run before the DC relaunch was one of the better books out there. Plus, it is fun learning about all the different “Batmen” from around the world.
Dan Slott’s run onAmazing Spider-Mancontinues in issued #686 from Marvel Comics. The “Ends of the Earth” story line is rising to a climax soon, so you should hop on board now. All you need to know is the Earth is in peril and only Spider-Man can save the day. Not to mention Slott has promised some seismic changes to the Spider-Man universe by issue #700.
Finally, there’s Cobra #13 from IDW. Seriously, if you are even remotely a fan of G.I. Joe as a kid then you should read the three series that IDW puts out and Cobra is by far the best one of the group. The next chapter of the G.I. Joe story line starts here as the Joes are being backed into a corner. Now we get to see who will get their hands truly dirty.
That will do it for this week’s Cheap Date and hopefully you enjoyed yourself.
Episode 4: Do It
Hello! In this week’s episode we talk about George Lucas’ retaliation for the Grady Ranch, emo haircuts, Community, comic book news and much more. Hope you are still enjoying us a month in!
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Return of the Toonami
Toonami is back, bitches!
Honestly, that is all I really have to say. Next Saturday on May 26 Cartoon Network will bring back one of the most beloved blocks of programming, Toonami. Apparently it will be a part of the Adult Swim programming block which I do not know if it will be a good thing or bad thing.
Nothing else has been announced, so we do not know what the programming will be. But it should be filled with anime, which may include already airing episodes of Bleach, Ghost in the Shell and others.
What we do know from the promotional teaser is that TOM will be brought back to a form which we are familiar with and not the 4.0 version that was introduced in the downfall of Toonami.
For those that do not know, Toonami was a programming block that began airing on the Cartoon Network back in 1997. They featured basically unknown animated shows, mostly anime which included Dragon Ball Z. A lot of Japanese shows were first introduced to the U.S. by way of Toonami. If it were not for Toonami, a lot of people may not be into anime today. The block was hosted by a CGI robot known as TOM. Sometimes he was given a story, and at other times, he was just an animation of someone pushing a button. Either way, Toonami was the birthing place for a lot of Japanese animation in the U.S. as well as a few original favorites like Samurai Jack.
I hope they continue bringing in new anime and more original shows. My only concern is how well Toonami will do in a world where most fans now torrent the latest anime episodes a day after its initial Japanese airing instead of waiting the months for a dubbed version to come to the U.S. Still, I am glad that something that helped shaped my nerdiness can now be shared with younger audiences.
#ToonamiisBackBitches
Falling for Shows
A lot of great TV seems to coming down the pipeline for this Fall. There are two shows that with their trailers I have become very excited about. It is really amazing how great work can be done for network TV, meaning it is all for free!
Elementary coming to CBS stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as current day Holmes and Watson. Instead of being from London as in the original story or even the BBC version Sherlock, this version is from New York City. But from the trailer, the show seems to keep the charm and abrasiveness that we have all come to love from the great detective. It is funny though that they cast someone with an English accent even though they place it in New York. The sex change for Watson seems a little forced, but I have liked some of Lucy Liu’s work so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. This will be one show that I have on my DVR from the very first episode.
The Following from FOX starts Kevin Bacon as an FBI agent after James Purefoy who plays a serial killer. FBI agent after a serial killer, sounds familiar? Well, this will be FOX’s answer to NBC’s Hannibal series that is coming out as well. While I may enjoy the Hannibal TV show, this show has promise. Kevin Bacon looks in great form and Purefoy looks to be a force all his own in the role. Add to that the fact that it will not be just Purefoy every week as the villain, he will have an army of followers that Bacon must stop. My only concern truly is how FOX seems to mismanage its TV series that do not revolve around a megalomaniacal doctor.
Those are two great shows that I am looking forward to this fall. I can not wait to see what else is slated and hope that these shows really do interest me when I watch.
To close out for a bit of fun, in tomorrow’s season finale for Community there seems to be a little fun being had. According to the AV Club the episode will have the cast being depicted as video game characters. Not just any version, but retro versions of themselves. Should be a nice send off for the season.
Cheap Date: May 16th
Every Wednesday, I help you decide how to best spend $30 or less on entertainment for our very nerdy Cheap Date.
You have two choices that you can follow this week. The first choice is to go over the usual $30 budget and grab Diablo III for twice that amount. Most people are choosing Diablo III this week. It is a game that many people have waited over a decade for. Then there is the second choice which will consist of just comics and a game, but you do get more bang for your buck.
Let us assume that you do not have sixty dollars and want to stay within the thirty dollar budget.
Comics – $10
This week, we have three comics that are looking to thrill you recklessly.
Locke & Key Clockworks #6 from IDW by Joe Hill with art by Gabriel Rodriguez continues to impress. This issue ends the fifth Locke & Keymini-series. We finally learn what ultimately happened to the “Keepers of the Keys” when they face off against a former friend. Stephen King should be proud of his son’s fantasy-horror series that keeps this reader wanting more.
Wonder Woman #9from DC Comics shows us Diana’s continued journey into the realm of Hades. When Brian Azzarello said he was turning the rebootedWonder Womanseries into a horror story most of the audiences were confused. But going into the ninth issue, this series keeps getting better and scarier. Also Cliff Chiang’s art has a lot to do with the book’s success.
Hardcore #1 from Image Comics combines the ideas of Image greats Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri. This new series has an interesting science fiction take on assassins. Imagine if assassins could jack in and take over the body of anyone to complete their assignment. Now imagine if one of those assassins is using those methods to take on all the other assassins. Very interesting cyber-punk feel to the story that I am very interested in reading.
Video Games – $20 or 1600 MSP
The XBLA version of Minecraft was released last week. Within a day, it had already broken sales records and continues to do so a week later. Yes; there are cheaper ways to play this game but there is one thing that sets this version apart, Xbox Live. Xbox Live and its friends lists make the game so much easier to work with other people. When you boot the game up, it shows who is playing and allows you to hop right in to that person’s game. That is the reason many people pay the $60 a year for Live and will pay $20 for this game. No other service now does friends lists as well as Xbox Live.
Minecraft also eats away at time. You have to mine and collect materials to build whatever your mind can imagine, all of which takes time. Last night it took me two hours to clear an area and collect the materials to build an infinity pool that will serve my future castle. I do not even want to imagine how much time it will take to build my future castle without help. Oh well, in the meantime I can hop into other people’s games and leave my mark.
Even if you are unsure about playing Minecraft, you can always download the trial version.
Gaming Without Electronics
Gaming comes in two forms nowadays, electronic and traditional board. Today, I will be taking about three board games that the Call Yourself A Nerd staff plays on a semi-regular basis when we get together. These board games are not what would be considered traditional board games, basically not your mother’s Monopoly.
Zombies!!
Zombies!! is a game where you create the map as you go along, while killing/escaping from zombies. You are a survivor that must either kill twenty-five zombies or escape to the center of a helipad while clearing it for a rescue.
The great thing about this game is the board pieces and the cards. Cards can be drawn to either help or hinder players, such as placing zombies in certain areas. Then there is the board pieces that help create the city that you are trapped in. The board pieces are drawn randomly, but you can definitely use it to maneuver players into dead-ends.
Zombies!! is a fun and easy game to pick up. No knowledge of other games required, just your wits.
Risk Legacy
If we are to talk about non-traditional board games, then we should talk about a non-traditional Risk game. Risk Legacy is a very different form of the Riskgames rules. First off, during play of the game the board may change forever; which will affect future games. That aspect is what makes this game a must for anyone with a gaming group.
Legacy follows most of the current rules for the updated rulebook. You can either win by completely annihilating all other players or you can win by collecting four red stars which can be obtained in different goals, the easiest would be conquering another player’s HQ. There are five factions to play, each with their bonuses and weaknesses (all of which are chosen by the group before the first game begins). From there that is where it becomes interesting as you can create and destroy landmarks, and each time you do so it affects future games so it may just end up biting you in your own ass.
I would recommend anyone wanting to play should have a basic knowledge of Risk, but that should be easy enough. Also I would recommend that you have something more friendly to do afterwards for the truces you may have broken.
Pandemic
When I was talking about doing something a little more friendly after a game of Risk Legacy, I meant a completely cooperative game like Pandemic. The goal of Pandemic is to work together to cure four different viruses. You work on a world map, much like Risk, collecting cards that are different colors. When you have a five of the same color you can cure the virus. Sounds simple enough.
Where the challenge lies is at the end of each turn you have to infect cities around the world. Infect a city enough times and that city in turn infects surrounding cities. Players have to travel to cities and cure the viruses one infection at a time until a cure is found.
Pandemic is a simple and easy game to learn. The hard part is to keep track of your players and the viruses as they spread. Currently, our group is sitting on about a thirty percent survival rate for the game. It is a game that we have a hard time winning, but at least we are losing together.
Those are three games that the CYaN staff plays together. We have a few more that we trot out every so often, but I will leave that for another post. I enjoy these non-traditional board games and will always keep a look out for more.
Ka-Pow 101: Avengers’ Next Villian
Avengers is almost a week old. While I can write a glowing review on the awesome move that is the Avengers, but instead I want to explain to the audience about a guest appearance in the movie. Before I move on, anyone that has yet to watch this amazing movie should know that there will be spoilers.
WARNING SPOILERS FOR END CREDITS OF AVENGERS!!
Call Yourself A Nerd 