Tag: Editorial

There’s Zelda Gold in Them Thar Hills

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Nintendo 3DS XL Tri-Force Limited Edition Package

No Legend of Zelda fan can do without lusting after the “gold” limited edition version of Nintendo’s 3DS XL. It is very nice to look at and it can make for a great centrepiece for any fans collection.

Ever since I heard about this release, I have been thinking that yes, it is time to upgrade. When The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia book is not enough to sate my appetite, this novelty release will certainly make my slowly growing collection worth displaying.

But is owning it worth the price? When considering that this package comes with a digital download of the game (or preinstalled, according to some advertisements) and nothing else, that’s hard to say.

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Monty Python Reunion to hit the UK in a Stage Show!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Monty Python Reunion Announcement - Press Conference
Photograph: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Hold on to your hats! The surviving members of Monty Python are reuniting and they are going to put on a show at the O2 Arena in London on July 1, 2014. The show will contain some of their greatest hits “with a modern, topical, Pythonesque twist” and feature some new material. But for a fan like me, I’m looking forward to wondering what kind of wonderful animation Terry Gilliam is going have play during this stage production. The big question is if I should plan a vacation to go see them, or hold out in hopes the Pythons will tour.

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Sony’s PS4. On The Bard vs Next Generation Gaming

Sony’s PS4 has some impressive specs and interesting features like using an iPad for a second screen, but that’s not enough to convince me to own a unit yet.

William Shakespeare
“To PS4 or not to Xbox, that is the question:
Whether ’tis better, another console in mind —
Nay a Nintendo. Forsooth a PC?
All be it in gravitas for what
Divine Janus may offer in the New Year.”

— Ed “The Vintage Tempest” Sum

Sony’s PS4 has some impressive specs and interesting features like using an iPad for a second screen, but that’s not enough to convince me to own a unit. Even as they’re planning yet another unit–which is years away–I’m not entirely convinced to buy any new gaming device the first year of its release. When looking at Microsoft’s, Xbox One–which has an improved Kinect–I’m not convinced.

The videos of various games demos for both look great in high-def, but the list of games available during launch week are scant. They are not as wide and varied as I hoped.

The current line of exclusives are not all that interesting, and there will no doubt be some hardware and software kinks that need to be ironed out. There were reports over the weekend about the PS4’s ‘blue light of death,’ an analogy that brings to mind Microsoft’s infamous ‘red ring of death’ back when the Xbox 360 released. At least .4% of the people who bought the system were affected. I suspect the figure is larger but when considering the number of units that flew off the shelves in stores on launch day. That is not a good start.

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“The Night of the Doctor” Release by BBC Fills in the Gaps

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

DoctorwhoDoctor Who fans may not want all the answers now, but today BBC has released a short mini-episode, “The Night of the Doctor” which answers one huge question concerning The Doctor’s 8th incarnation — Paul McGann — role in the grand scheme of things. He’s part of the canon despite having only one movie made featuring him and many audio radio plays created by Big Finish. But there’s more to him than the meets the eye. His importance comes into play in this short.

As for how he fits between the “Americanization” of the product to its eventual “reboot” with Christopher Eccleston leading the way, or rather always on the run — that needs to be addressed.

I’ve always followed the principle of Occam’s razor and since this video’s release is official, all I can really say is that I knew it. I even wrote about it, by saying ‘All those dark impulses that makes up the Doctor’s psyche will have to resurface at some point.’

And it makes for anticipation of “The Day of the Doctor” all the more exciting. Fans can check this Doctor Who mini-episode out:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U3jrS-uhuo&w=560&h=315]

 

Note: Readers can also review James’ article “John Hurt Is the Eighth Doctor?” and see that his prediction was also correct.

Is Temple Run “Doomed?”

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Geek)

images

Yes, the inevitable had to happen. Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Warner Bros is in negotiations to bring the video game, Temple Run by Imangi Studios to the big screen with David Heymen, the producer of the Harry Potter series, on board. He can no doubt churn a fun product, but a better question is why this game?

Are audiences starving for some kind of Indiana Jones style action that will wash away memories of the fourth film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? As fans will recall, the first ten or so minutes in Raiders of the Lost Ark made for one great introduction of the world’s luckiest archaeologist, Indiana Jones. He grabs a golden idol from some forgotten tribe and before he knows it, he triggers a trap. Poisonous darts spring from out of nowhere as he races away. Indy has to leap a chasm and dodge a spear trap. But much to his chagrin, can he escape the massive ball of stone that’s tumbling in his direction?

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Evaluating The Yoda Chronicles Trilogy, DVD Review & More

lego-star-wars-yoda-chronicles-dvdWhen news of Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles (TYC) was first announced, some fans of this licensed property were particularly excited. Details were scant about whether or not this will become a TV series or a series of original video animations. After the release of “The Phantom Clone,” its direction has become all too clear. Only a handful of episodes will get made.

Sadly, after the airing of “Menace of the Sith,” the studios dispassionately released the DVDYoda Chronicles on October 15 and did not take into account when the final episode would get aired. Only two of the three videos are included and that can leave fans disappointed, hoping for a compilation release. The third episode, “Attack of the Jedi” aired on October 7th on Cartoon Network. Hopefully the next video release will include “The Padawan Menace” (TPM) and “The Empire Strikes Out” (TESO) to restore fans’ faith in the Force (i.e. studio planning). These shorts were far more brilliant and witty than TYC. Even the cut scenes from TT Games products had a beautiful tongue in cheek attitude that more or less started this craze.

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