Tag: Editorial

Too Much Rovio? Angry Birds goes Grand Theft Auto?

Eventually there will come to be a time where the Angry Birds will no longer be popular.

AngryBirdsGOThe Angry Birds is to Rovio much like the Mario Brothers are to Nintendo. Without a flagship product, neither company can be widely successful. Nintendo can survive because it has a huge product line which is not limited to Mario, Zelda or Donkey Kong. They have many other video games and products to carry this company forward but what about Rovio?

With no surprise, Rovio is copying Nintendo. They are taking these flightless birds and making them mobile with Angry Birds Go! (due out on December 11). Last month had this company release a new iteration of Angry Birds Star Wars II which hardly looked all that exciting.

In what looks like a Mario Cart clone, the next iteration will get these pigs and birds racing. In this case, it’s a downhill racing game and a few unique features will keep this concept fresh. Hasbro’s Telepods toys will allow players to “teleport” new karts into the game. But not everyone will be waving the flag in the end.

Some fans want to see Rovio develop new ideas than to see rehashes of old ideas. They should let the birds take flight and develop a brand new idea.

This company does have other properties that they created games for, but those titles may be one hit wonders. The Croods and Amazing Alex are the only two licensed items featured on Rovio’s website, and there is no sign of any other ideas being offered or listed as in development. To have a company bank on only one property to continue its success is dangerous. Eventually there will come to be a time where the Angry Birds will no longer be popular.

Weighing in on Nintendo’s Latest Two Dimensional Offering

At least with the consoles that are out there, Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Zelda and Link show that they can be enjoyed on any gaming device Nintendo is selling.

super_mario__nintendo_1280x960Nintendo enthusiasts now have a menu of portable hardware options to choose from: they can go 2D, 3D or XL. Each unit has their pros and cons, but as for whether or not their newest unit, the 2DS, will fly hinges on the upcoming Christmas shopping season.

The unit is essentially a stripped down version of the 3DS. The third dimension is being tossed out the door since medical experts are saying that can hinder the development of young eyes. But the big question is if the MSRP of $129.99 the right price? Maybe, in a nearly tax-free shopping zone of Alberta (Oregon for American shoppers) or a weekend when sales tax isn’t applied to purchases. Within Canada, the electronics tax may well be a hindrance than a god-send in select regions that have implemented this measure to deal with electronic waste.

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Disney’s Gargoyles Season Two Volume Two is Hot! BUT….

Disney Movie Club is offering to their members the ability to purchase the much desired volume two release of season two of Disney’s Gargoyles!

Gargoyles DVD CoverSome fans of Disney’s Gargoyles can rejoice and others will lament. Disney Movie Club is offering to their members the ability to purchase the much desired volume two release of season two. But only residents of the United States can purchase this three-disc set at $19.99 USD.

The program is similar to Columbia House’s Music Club from a previous era, so let the consumer beware—more items must be purchased to fulfill this contract. While no date has been set for The Goliath Chronicles (Season Three), that may well take just as long, depending on how well sales go.

But if this company is going to limit the accessibility to this current video release by making this set an exclusive, they are only putting the proverbial nail in the coffin. Much like the cartoon about a clan of gargoyles seeking freedom and desiring to find a place to belong, this title is being tightly reigned. Some viewers might see this fine cartoon as an inspired epic in the same vein as many of Shakespeare’s historical and fantastical plays with a touch of Braveheart mixed in.

Show creator Greg Weisman reported back in 2006 that the video release for season two-volume two was cancelled due to lack sufficient sales of volume one. The initial season was short, but it helped establish the mythos that is of this world, where Oberon is the king of a third race–the faerie kind–and the Gargoyles are like Veritas, believers of truth and warriors of justice. The humans, well, they are hard to understand, much less trust.

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Star Trek: (Getting Deeper) Into Darkness, A Movie Review

If only Star Trek: Into Darkness was edited differently, it could have been a tale about Spock’s heroic journey.

Star Trek: Into Darkness PosterSpoiler alert

Star Trek: Into Darkness is a film that will no doubt have many fans wanting to make comparisons once the spoilers are known. By now, nearly everyone knows who the true villain is. This movie’s title card is enough to suggest the tone and direction. It’s to explore what drives men to do what they do. Sometimes that territory needs to be ventured into. And just where should the line be crossed?

The Prime Directive may be more than just a mandate to not interfere with fledgling civilizations, but in how culture gets developed. The intro is very Indiana Jones when Kirk and Bones are running away from some primitive tribe for reasons unexplained. Part of it may well do with causing a distraction so Spock can enter a volcano to save this tribe. But the plan has a few problems, and Kirk has to violate the Prime Directive to save his science officer.

In a plot that develops in one direction, the swing it makes is not necessarily politically driven. Some viewers may well read plenty of left-wing messages into this piece, but the way this film ends speaks for itself. Gone are the colorful suits the Federation that the classic and later TV series defined. When on duty, the standard red, blue and yellow are seen, but as for when they are presenting en masse, for the public to see, some viewers may well wonder what’s with the drab dark grey? Could J.J. Abrams version be a look in the mirror darkly? The first movie established the Spock from the original series universe does in fact exist. He chose to stay out of interfering in this canon’s timeline. As for what that means in this reboot as a whole, even this universe’s Spock is perplexed.

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