Reassessing the Prequels

It's funny, because in the world of films, just saying "the Prequels" will probably tell you all you need to know about what a person's talking about. And it immediately conjures up feelings about them, ones that are most often deeply seeded over a very long gestation period, more than ten years now since the release of the third film in the trilogy. Every opinion has been rendered, and I'm not about to open new ground by rendering my own, but I thought now was a good time to voice them in a cavernous void where few if any eyes will ever see them.

The Return of Ghost Roaster, Eons in the Making

In the world of Skylanders, many characters exhibit a wackiness and creativity that isn't matched by a lot of other game franchises. Their uniqueness is part of what makes them memorable, but few characters have made such an indelible mark as Ghost Roaster. To look at, he's certainly cool enough, with his spiky skull head and long pointy teeth, his cartoony over-the-top lapels, and chain mace tail. That's all well and ghould, but it's how he plays that makes him the total package, and why so many have fallen in love with the character.

Skylanders SuperChargers Pt. 2

SuperChargers marks what may be the biggest change to gameplay in the Skylanders series. Vehicles are what's hot, and with that opens up a whole expanse of new gameplay that's obviously very different from what fans are accustomed to. And it's this difference that has some of those fans up in arms. A turn off for veterans, and a possible avenue to a bright new future that revitalizes the Skylanders franchise. There's a lot to talk about, so let's get started.

Skylanders SuperChargers Pt. 1

The last game, Trap Team, sold undeniably well. The game featured 57 characters, 55 trap crystals, and 8 magic and adventure items, not including special editions and variants. The game commanded a massive portion of retail shelves, and an even bigger portion of the toys-to-life market despite heavy competition from Disney. Looking back, it's obvious Trap Team simply offered more than not only its competition, but every past Skylanders game to date as well. But was it perhaps too much?

What I want from Skylanders 5, and more

In my last rambling, I let loose some steam on the state of things in the toys-to-life market. The subject is one of increasing passion for me, as not long ago I was unexpectedly sucked into a Portal of Power and wound up with about 50 Skylander figurines, not including those of my girlfriend's. I've yet to recover, but that doesn't seem to cause me any distress. The series is a fantastic co-op experience, though local only and limited to just a pair of players. As her and I were already enthusiastic about toy collecting, the match was easily made. Others like us have come to know something about this genre of plastic baubles that outsiders just don't understand: There's something intangibly captivating about putting a toy on a pedestal and watching it animate on the screen before you.

image credit: Thelostlighthouse.com

Four Years Later, and Skylanders Still Hasn't Been Matched

Seriously, why is that? It shouldn't be hard to figure out. Create a toy with an NFC chip, make a game around it using a standard adventure formula, save relevant data on said toy and try not to make decisions that screw people over. On the surface, it doesn't seem that difficult. It may be that Skylanders makes it look easy, but in all honesty the series isn't doing anything special.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will bring about the End Of The World -- And it's all that little droid's fault

By now, if you give five shits about Star Wars (and I'd hope so if you're reading this) then you've already seen the latest teaser trailer for Episode VII. If not, what the fuck? There's more epic and awesome in that little trailer than an evening on the lake with Zack Snyder and Michael Bay dueling in samurai gear on C4-powered jet skis. And it's not causing a stir because it's full of action and amazing-looking set pieces. It's making fans old and new foam in the pants because it's a new Star Wars, and it doesn't look like goofy melodramatic shit.