HeroQuest Still Rocks!

If you've never played Milton Bradley's "HeroQuest", you've missed out. In junior high, my parents probably never imagined what kind of a treasure they gave me one Christmas. It wasn't on my "wish list". I'd never even heard of it. I was in that limbo stage where action figures weren't doing it for me much anymore but hadn't discovered any new hobbies yet.

HeroQuest is an out of print fantasy adventure board game, like an EXTREMELY light version of Dungeons and Dragons. No role-playing involved, just four heroes, controlled by 1-4 players, exploring dungeons, taking out monsters and recovering forgotten treasures. The rules were much simpler than modern equivalents like "Descent" from Fantasy Flight Games, but they all owe something to this gem.

Recently I pulled my old game boxes out again and re-discovered a lost world that I had adventured in for over a decade with my long-time gaming buddy, Mark. We went far beyond any published material and I began writing epic quests of my own. To keep pace with his growing heroes, I created pages and pages of new monster stats, new artifacts to be found and new rules to keep things interesting.

Little did I know I was one of many, and was doing it with far less attention to detail. Now you can find a number of awesome websites online dedicated to HeroQuest, with carefully balanced new character classes and tons of new spells, artifacts, monsters and of course QUESTS!

My reigning favorite and "one stop shop" for all things HeroQuest is Ye Olde Inn, which resurrects a site I used to visit all the time and also adds more material to it.

You can even find software that will run the game for you if you need a game master but don't have one. Never as good as a flesh and blood person to play with, but those are hard to come by, and all this reminiscing might just make me desperate enough...

Descent 2nd Edition!

Over the weekend I went to the Fantasy Flight Games website since I hadn't been there in awhile. And what should I discover but the news that a second edition of my favorite board game, "Descent: Journeys In The Dark", is being released in early 2012!

At first, the news was frustrating, as I've pumped so much money into this game over the years and new editions often seem to be more about milking customers than making a significantly improved product.

But as I looked into the details some more, my hope began to be restored. The rules will reportedly be streamlined for faster play and less player downtime. ("Is it still your turn? Okay, I'm gonna go get some more pepsi and maybe put a pizza in the oven.") It's also designed to have many more easy stopping and starting points, allowing for shorter game sessions when time demands. I haven't done a comparison yet of what you get in the box compared to the first edition, but I know that the map tiles are double sided and rules for campaign play are already included. Very good news! Sounds like they're aiming to give us the most bang possible for our buck!

The only news I'm not as excited about is the "conversion kit" to allow you to adapt all of your old Descent stuff to the new rules system. I like having that ability, but having to buy it separate for 25 bucks is a little lame. That brings the total cost of this "upgrade" to over $100. Yikes.

Hopefully they will put the rulebooks online before the release like they usually do so I can really see what I'm buying. Getting more details will make a big difference in convincing me to put down the money for this.

Saying Goodbye To The Old DC Universe

Although DC has said that past stories matter in the new DCU launching next week, they've been pretty vague about which stories matter enough to be carried into the new continuity. So I'm taking a moment to look back and give a nod to the stories I most enjoyed in DC continuity since the last extensive continuity game-changer, "Crisis On Infinite Earths", in 1985.

In no particular order:


Crisis On Infinite Earths

This was the first major story I collected in back issues when I started my hobby. It was the foundation for the (then) all-new DC Universe continuity and introduced me to a world of characters (nearly every one in DC continuity made an appearance!) that had already been around for years. It was also beyond epic in scope and to this day the stakes have never been as high as they were in this massive, cosmic story.

Cosmic Odyssey

This "event" story featured the DCU heavy hitters and gave me a proper introduction to Darkseid and the horrors of Apokolips, with gritty art by Mike Mignola that I was amazed grew on me so much!

The Spectre

Written by John Ostrander with dark, "smoky" art by Tom Mandrake, this series explored the supernatural world and concepts of justice, vengeance and punishment from a viewpoint that largely paralleled Biblical thinking, and with a storyline that was dark and delightfully disturbing.

JLA (Grant Morrison)

Although I've taken issue with his recent work, Grant Morrison's run on JLA continues to be my all-time favorite. Seeing the "big seven" heroes of the DCU play off each other was amazing and every storyline featured epic opposition worthy of their combined might. And Batman has never been cooler as Morrison used clever writing and Bruce Wayne's mind to easily make him one of the most "powerful" members of the team!

Emerald Dawn

Although I'd known Green Lantern from The Superfriends and already thought he was cool, this revamp of his origin story made me a GL fan for life.

Identity Crisis

DC is less known for gritty, emotional stories than Marvel is, but this story introduced a new level of seriousness and moral complexity to the DCU through an emotionally involving story, while also making classic villains suddenly much more dangerous.

Superman/Batman

The first 12 issues of this series gave comic fans a much needed reminder of the relationship dynamic between DC's two most iconic characters. The creative overlap of independent inner monologues contrasted Superman and Batman, while giving me a reason to sympathize with both of them. These were stories that clearly defined who these characters are at their core.

Emerald Twilight

Although it meant the corruption of a much loved Green Lantern, this intense story led to more fantastic, morally complex stories and resulted in the introduction of a new Green Lantern that many, including myself, quickly grew to love.

Green Lantern Rebirth

Far more exciting for me than the return of Hal Jordan was the return of the Green Lantern Corps. This series, in addition to masterfully reworking continuity, reminded us what it means to be a Green Lantern and why the concept is so...freakin'...cool!

The Flash (Mark Waid)

Wally West finally came into his own under the guidance of writer Mark Waid, who injected life into this series as he explored the ramifications of superspeed far beyond simply "running really fast". The Speed Force is possibly the greatest gift to The Flash concept since the character was originally created, and Waid's respect for legacy was a foretaste of what future writers would aim to deliver.

The Flash (Geoff Johns)

Although I wasn't sold right away, Geoff Johns won me over as soon as he began focusing on the villains of the Flash rogue's gallery, revamping them into interesting characters who were also more challenging to the Flash than ever before. In the pages of this book, Johns demonstrated his knack for making old things new again while respecting the past.

JSA (Geoff Johns)

Nowhere else has Geoff Johns displayed his love for the history of the DCU more than in his run on JSA. Characters who had fallen on the back burner for years became exciting "new" characters in the DCU. This series made longtime fans of the DCU (like myself) glad they chose to invest in the rich history of DC Comics.

H.E.R.O.

This series last 22 issues and brought the strange, corny "Dial H For Hero" concept into the serious world of the modern DCU. Much of the series focused on a wide variety of new characters as the device that grants super powers fell from one set of hands to the next. What would people REALLY do if they suddenly had super powers? This treasure of a series attempts to answer just that question with both funny and frightening results!

Batman: Year One

Although Frank Miller can be hit or miss in his writing, he was at the top of his game in this revamp of Batman's origins, which served as key source material for the recent Chris Nolan Batman movies. Gotham has rarely been grimier and Batman rarely cooler than in this fantastic look at who Batman is and why Gotham needs him so much.

The Killing Joke

If you've ever wondered why the Joker is such a frightening nemesis for Batman, you haven't read this story by Alan Moore. Both disturbing and fascinating, this story continues to have impact on Joker stories today. I'm happy to say that DC has at LEAST confirmed that this story will still be part of the new history launching next week.


Thanks for some amazing characters and stories, DC! I can't wait to see what comes next!

Out Tubing! See You Friday!

The Death Of My Comic Store, The Birth Of A New Era

In 1989, the year Michael Keaton's "Batman" opened in theaters, "Atomic Comics" opened in Mesa, Arizona with the mission of creating a comic store that appealed to the general public's shopping expectations. In other words, it wouldn't be a scary, cramped hole in the wall with a single hairy guy running the register and giving off the evil eye. For over 20 years, Atomic Comics was a rarity in the comics retail business, spawning three more stores, regularly attracting the biggest creators in the business for signings and other events, and even being featured, with the same logo and employee T-shirts, in the superhero movie "Kick-Ass".

Today, with zero advance notification to its loyal customers and just over 12 hours notice to its employees, Atomic Comics closed its doors forever. I got word about the event on Saturday, before even many employees knew. (I know a guy who knows a guy.) But when it became official today, as evidenced only by the disconnected phones and signs on the doors of all 4 store locations, and one (former) employee's facebook post, it was still a blow. But not as hard hitting as I might have thought.

My comic book hobby has gone through a number of changes over the years. I've always been a big superhero fan and acquired comics here and there growing up. But it wasn't until after high school, when I got my first job and a steady income, that I became a true "collector".

Back then, "Atomic Comics" was "the establishment" comic store. They had employees with name tags and a bright, clean-smelling environment. But over at "Books Comics And Records" (or as I called it "Hairy Chest Man's"), a hole in the wall comic shop, I was elated to buy my weekly comics without paying tax, while also collecting back issues at insanely low prices. And back issues were a big part of my hobby then, since I was "catching up" on about 10 years of DC comics history. Despite the fact that the place smelled like cigar smoke (with maybe just a touch of urine) and was run by a guy who seemed to expose his chest hair through the same half-unbuttoned shirt every time I came calling, I had zero interest in giving my money to Atomic Comics... until about three years later, when "Hairy Chest Man's" closed.

A buddy of mine was kind enough to add my name to his "box" at Atomic Comics. (Or simply "Atomic" as most regulars abbreviate.) A box was a then-coveted spot in the store where they set aside comics from a list created by you based on what you regularly buy each month. You had to purchase a certain number each month to qualify, but the pay-off was being assured that the treasures you wait each month for will never slip out of your hands because someone else got to the store first. I wasn't buying enough on my own to qualify for a box, so I gratefully accepted my friend's help.

From here my hobby began to change again. After "Hairy Chest Man's" closing sale, I had pretty much every back issue I wanted, so I was just getting the new stuff now. As time passed, the extra money no longer spent on back issues began to leak into new book purchases. And a year or two later, as my friend and I began to fall out of touch, I took the plunge and requested my own box, which I have had at the original Atomic store in Mesa for over a decade.

Atomic changed locations once, and remodeled another time two years ago after a drunk driver plowed through their front glass wall. But their service remained the same. This was always the real reason I came back every week. Atomic employees made it a priority to know each of their regulars by name, on sight. Thinking about that store often mysteriously caused me to hum the theme from "Cheers". ("Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name...") The employees often knew their comics better than you did, and always enjoyed talking about their favorites as well as ranting, or letting you rant on the stuff you hated.

My life changed more than Atomic did. Four years ago my wife and I had our first child, and last year we added our second. Little boys this age are many things. What they are not is "easy to take out with you". And with time to myself at a premium, the most economical option has been for me to take one or both boys with me on my "Atomic runs". And while a new policy at Atomic recently started saving me 20% on all of my comics, the company of my boys on each trip still didn't allow me to appreciate the browsing or social experiences of going to Atomic, which were a large part of the appeal. Soon my weekly trek became a chore.

Add to this the fact that Atomic seems to attract young employees who don't stay very long. A trend that became more dramatic and noticeable with each passing year. In the last 3-5 years, it seemed only ONE person knew my name when I came to visit. And that person wasn't always working on Wednesdays. In the last 6 months, the "Wednesday Crew" changed once again, meaning I was suddenly yet again just a box number until the new guys learned my name. But this latest crew didn't seem interested in learning my name. Maybe it was a sign of the end.

As I've considered my options, I've decided to enter the world of mail order comic subscription. With the company I'm planning to go with, there's no long term commitment (as there is if you order direct from DC Comics), you just have to place your order two months in advance. I will also save over 30% on comics, with no tax added on. And although shipping does add some to the final cost, I will still get my comics twice a month without investing that total of 40 minutes in driving each week. And after all the number crunching I'll actually save over $10 a month! But that only helps with the comics I start getting in October, and September is no ordinary month this year.

DC Comics is relaunching all of their main titles to number 1's and rebooting their entire continuity. A massive, almost unprecedented event. The issues selling in September will go extremely fast if DC's strategy is successful. Fast enough that "walk in" customers are far from guaranteed to get the issues they want. With Atomic I was sitting in security. But with Atomic closing without notice, I'm suddenly outside the inner circle and among the ranks of "walk in" customers!

Thankfully, after some quick research and a couple of phone calls, I was able to secure a "box" with a "hole in the wall" comic store just five minutes further from me than Atomic. I explained my situation and the owner was kind enough to hook me up, even knowing he would not retain me as a regular customer after the end of August. I could still save 20% a month with him, but the extra drive time just can't be overlooked in my stage of life. Hopefully he'll still be around when my boys are both in elementary school.

So my collecting habit is safe and should proceed without any serious bumps from here. But what about the "Cheers" factor? Can chat rooms ever replace talking to a real fan face to face, sharing excitement or despair over what has happened or what is rumored to come? I don't think so. I think the death of the comic book store is easily as significant to hardcore fans as the death of arcades once was for regular weekend quarter-pushers. But as with video games, the hobby of comic books has been evolving, and I'm stepping into a relatively new way of approaching it that many have already entered into. Counter-side conversations with whispered "spoiler-filled" highlights will be replaced by comic news websites and newsletters, and possibly a forum (if I can find some nice enough people). Scanning the "new release wall" will change to scrolling on a monitor. And yapping my rants and raves on the latest comics news will have to be directed toward a podcast. (Good thing I host one of those!)

I've been amazed that the death of my comic store has not been a bigger deal to me than it is. I look forward to the future of my hobby with a sense of renewed expectation. With DC comics offering all of their titles in both print and digital form on the same release day(starting in September), we could be looking at the rebirth of the industry as new fans who wouldn't brave those scary comic shops before now safely enter this amazing visual world on their mobile devices.

If DC Comics is ready to go out on a limb and risk approaching production in a brand new way, it seems somehow fitting that at the same time I re-imagine what my favorite hobby could look like and enter into a new era of comic book collecting. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Conan The Barbarian (Movie Review)

I've never read a word written by Robert E. Howard (Creator of "Conan") and I barely made it through the Schwarzenegger "Conan" movies, but I love dark, brutal fantasy and have been waiting for Hollywood to make one to scratch my itch. Today, that itch was scratched!

In a legendary time of humanity's past, a barbarian child named Conan is the only survivor of a raid that wiped out his entire village. Growing into manhood his greatest wish is to kill the men responsible for the murder of his people. As it happens, the man responsible is also trying to awake an ancient evil and plunge the world into darkness, death and chaos, so if Conan succeeds, everybody else wins too.

The action is bloody and brutal and the portions are generous. The fight choreography is cool, but not too fancy and in favor of the dark mood.

The story isn't original by any stretch, but feels like a return to a classic framework in this movie, rather than a tired cliche. Jason Momoa (Stargate: Atlantis, Game Of Thrones) is perfectly cast as the title character. The trailers made me feel like he was trying too hard to sound tough, but the movie itself is a different story. He fits the part like a glove. Not much depth or subtext in his performance, but the character of Conan isn't about either of those things.

That said, the movie had some welcome and unexpected heart in the first 20 minutes as we see Conan's relationship with his father, played both firmly and tenderly by Ron Pearlman. This plot point also has a nice payoff at the end. If they had found ways to insert more of this kind of emotional depth into the rest of the film, it would have made it a truly unique experience. But as it is, it still offers more opportunities for emotional investment than most fantasy movies.

The rest of the cast does a fine job with what they are given to work with. These aren't Oscar-worthy performances, but the sum is a far cry from the horrible acting you'll find in most fantasy movies of the 70's and 80's.

One of the biggest stars of this movie is the visual design. Ancient temples and crumbling cities of dark design create a world that seems to jump right off the cover of the best dark fantasy novels of former decades. Costumes and props all fit perfectly in a barbaric world I would love to spend more time in. This is where the CGI effects are put to best use.

By contrast, CGI is put to mediocre effect in a scene late in the movie in which Conan squares off against a "sea monster" of some kind. I'm still waiting for Hollywood to raise the bar for CGI. CGI creatures have largely held the same amount of "realism" since the first Jurassic Park movie. I was wowed back then, but the technology hasn't moved forward much. This flick was another ho-hum example of the status quo, though still not "bad" by that measure.

I could have done without a few instances of "peripheral nudity", in which women appear topless, though not as the main focus of the camera and usually in the background. These instances can be narrowed down to about two brief scenes and were more an annoyance to my sensitivities than a problem. But they could have conveyed what they wanted to about these women and this culture without actual nudity. All of the above is also true of a relatively brief "sex scene" later in the film that is mostly covered in shadow.

I highly doubt that any meaningful conversation will spring from watching this movie. Although technically the movie is said to take place on our planet in the distant past, the mention of Atlantis in the opening narration and the rest of the film's story removed it so far from reality for me that I thought of this as a completely fantastical realm with no supposed relation to human history. This movie isn't presenting or suggesting any historical truth claims.

Conan is far from a pinnacle of virtue. He does what he wants, when he wants to, yet he still holds to a few moral absolutes. His brutality can't be commended, but is also satisfying in some ways for those of us who crave justice for wrongdoers.

Fans of dark, brutal fantasy simply can't miss this movie. It's what we've been waiting for Hollywood to make for years. And though it doesn't leave you with anything of value to ponder, its a fantastical adventure in a barbaric fantasy world that I hope the filmmakers will return us to very soon!


Rated R for strong bloody violence, some sexuality and nudity

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 4.0/10


For more information about my scoring system, visit- spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at- spiritblade.net/podcast

Two Worlds 2 (First Impressions)

Recently I posted about "Two Worlds", a seriously flawed yet underrated RPG on the Xbox 360. Just a few days ago I finished that game (which I can still say I really enjoyed!) and immediately started playing the sequel, Two Worlds 2. I'm currently just over five hours in. (Though I'm not writing this as a "First Five Review".)

The story picks up after the events of the first game, but omitting some key details that connect the two games. This may be because there are two very different endings to the first game. But while the beginning of this game could potentially work with either ending from the first game, it also doesn't quite work smoothly with either. A bit odd, but I didn't play the first one for the story. I should mention, though, that the dialogue is MUCH better, without the forced Olde English. (No more "mayhap" or "methinks")

The two main things I noticed immediately were the improved visual and audio presentation and the significantly different interface.

The combat system is still largely the same, but with a few re-assigned buttons. The unusual "dodge" mechanic has been removed in favor of blocking, which I think I like better.

There's a great new stealth/assassination mechanic that is a LOT of fun to use, and you don't have to pump XP into it. So I get to build my guy as a brawler, but enjoy a cool "thief" ability for free!

I miss the ability to quickly and easily "stack" items of the same kind to upgrade them. Looting is also handled automatically, assuming you want to pick up everything a vanquished enemy has. This results in more trips to town than I'd like (or having to periodically open my inventory just to drop things), but hasn't bothered me otherwise.

The horse controls have been completely re-invented... and I don't ride horses any more. The controls are TERRIBLE! It's easier to ride a REAL horse! (And I've only done that twice in my life!) To keep your horse moving you have to constantly, repeatedly, press the left trigger, as though your constant "kicking" is the only thing that keeps this dumb animal moving. The rest of the horse controls are just as clunky. It's such a mess that I opted to just pump as much into my endurance as possible so that I can simply run from place to place when not using teleporters.

There may be an option to turn the voice acting off, but I haven't felt the need to look for it, since the voice acting is much improved. Nothing compared to a Bioware game, but much improved. (They actually used actors this time.) The storytelling also uses more cut-scenes with cool, cinematic camera movement and...have I mentioned the graphics are much better?

All in all, a stronger game than the first, with new bugs/flaws to get used to, but that aren't requiring as much patience on my part this time. Still worth every penny (I paid 22 bucks) until Elder Scrolls 5 or, if we're lucky, Deus Ex!

Western Weekend

For whatever reason, this weekend I got an itch to see some westerns. I'm not a fan of "classic" westerns, like those starring John Wayne. But the more modern westerns such as those from the 90's and onward have caught my interest in recent years.

On Saturday my wife and I watched "Unforgiven". Her first time and my second. And on Sunday I watched "A Fistful Of Dollars", Clint Eastwood's first western flick, for the first time! (I may have to watch his others now, too!)

I think some of the appeal must be from my love of dark fantasy. In westerns they've got very little technology, ride around on horses, and themes of justice or vengeance are front and center. (And the guns are a little bit like "magic", especially the way Hollywood uses them.)

Although it doesn't perfectly fit the genre, I think my favorite western is "The Last Man Standing", with Bruce Willis, based on "A Fistful Of Dollars" (which in turn was based on a Japanese film called "Yojimbo"). "Last Man" is possibly the coolest gun fighting movie I've ever seen. It may be time to pull it off my shelf for another viewing soon!

Hacked!!

PS3 owners may have had to deal with a major hacking issue lately, but us 360 owners aren't immune!

A few days ago I noticed that all of my Xbox Live menus were in Russian, and yesterday I received three e-mail notifications from Xbox Live Marketplace, notifying me that I had successfully purchased 10,000 microsoft points and changed my account to Russia instead of the US. Yikes!

So we're getting new credit cards and my Xbox Live account has been frozen until they sort out the details.

I have always been somewhat against consoles going online. It leaves room for incomplete, buggy games to be released ("Whatever. We'll just release a patch later."), encourages companies to require internet connection for their games to be played (Lookin' at you, Bioware!) and also leaves gamers open to attack from hackers.

For me, playing video games is a solo experience. The rare times I play with others is limited to couch co-op. But my preference is still mostly to go it alone in a dark corner of my house. So online consoles have been more of a nuisance to me than a benefit.

I'm not troubled by my account being frozen. The game I'm playing now doesn't require an internet connection. But it's pretty annoying to have to change our credit card information with all the various places we have registered our credit card.

Super (Movie Review)

I wasn't going to review this movie, since most people have never heard of it and wouldn't be expecting a review of it from me. It would have been a great chance to free up my time a little this week. But after watching this highly unusual film on Blu-ray this week, I felt compelled to express some thoughts about it.

"Super" is a low-budget, independent film (that uses it's money to GREAT effect!) with some very familiar faces and names. The story follows Frank D'Arbo, a socially awkward short order cook (played by Rain Wilson, The Office) whose wife, a recovering drug addict, leaves him for her dealer. Desperate to reclaim his wife and furious over the injustice of life, Frank creates a superhero persona that he believes is inspired by God, and hits the streets to fight crime and save his wife. Joining him in his odd quest is comic book store employee, Libby, who is even more socially inept and seems to live almost completely in a fantasy world the more she involves herself with Frank.

Performances are wonderful across the board. Though not quite Oscar worthy, Wilson shows some wonderful emotional depth and portrays Frank with a vulnerability that at times nearly made me well up with tears. Ellen Page is startling in her psychosis and provides some of the best moments of dark humor. Liv Tyler is both sweet and sadly damaged as Frank's wife. And Kevin Bacon is an interesting focal point for each scene he is in as the drug dealer and villain of the story.

The tone of the movie is a bit scattered, starting out slow and uncertain, but ramping up into gear once "The Crimson Bolt" chooses his crime fighting weapon of choice. (A Pipe Wrench.) Much of the time, the movie aims for either seriousness or dark humor, but occasionally wanders into spoof or moments that distract from, rather than serve, the story. Chief among these are the religious spoofs featuring Frank's "visions" or the over the top "Bible Man" tv show spoof that Frank watches. Moments like these take away the sense of realism that otherwise grounds the movie so well. There is also a seduction sequence that, while lacking any nudity and initially serving the story and character development, goes on for too long and seems exploitative after the first 30-45 seconds.

Despite some of it's awkwardly "off" moments, Super also has moments of (often dark) comedic brilliance, touching vulnerability and incredible "heroics" that rival the best moments of either "Kick Ass" or "Defendor", two other films that also deconstruct super heroics with relative realism.

The small budget (just a few million dollars) is used wonderfully, and the movie still has some extremely satisfying action and one very weird, but great-looking, digital special effects sequence.

Super may also trigger some worthwhile conversation or at least personal reflection. Christians like myself will likely be frustrated by the moments that grossly spoof either Christian beliefs or Christian culture. But it's worthwhile to look beyond these to see the themes of absolute morality and justice that the script grapples with. Frank is a character who mourns the injustice he has experienced in life. He has a childlike innocence about him as he expresses his longing for a better world. And though his actions can obviously not be supported by the Bible, they are still cathartic for anyone who is tired of the bad guys always winning in life.

I don't think I've ever seen a movie that had such a wide contrast of lousy and incredible moments, though I do think that the good moments of storytelling significantly outweigh the bad and make this movie worth watching, especially for superhero genre fans. The experience is likely to stay with you and provide some food for thought.

Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, sexual content and drug use. (I would add "brief nudity" to the MPAA's description)


Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 8.0/10


For information on my scoring system, visit spiritblade.net/reviewscores

Or listen to this review this weekend at spiritblade.net/podcast

Can Truth Be "Turned On"?

Last night I recorded a three hour block of programming on the Discovery channel about the origin of the world/universe and whether or not God was responsible.

I haven't watched it yet and will probably hack away at it during my lunch breaks this week and next. But I'm very curious about how they handle the topic, which experts they select to interview and what kind of material surfaces after the editing process.

I was telling my wife yesterday that it's a little scary how much stock we put into the stuff we see on Discovery, National Geographic or The History Channel. I sometimes have to remind myself that no matter how boring the documentary or how serious and smart-sounding the narrator is, I am not getting an unfiltered look at the issue being covered. There are journalists picking the experts they think are best (or sometimes that they just think will fit their vision for the final product), editors choosing which words will be heard and which will not and producers and network execs trying to sell sponsorship slots with interesting content. And since controversy is entertaining and therefore equals ratings, we get a healthy dose of opinions mixed in smoothly with facts.

I'm convinced that, even though channels and documentaries like these can be helpful in stimulating conversation or initiating a search for truth, the actual hard work of fact-checking and investigation must be left to the individual. Especially in controversial matters. TV, Wikipedia, chat rooms and message boards might play a role in stimulating our interest or passion, but they are poor substitutes for genuinely seeking out truth.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (Movie Review)

This weekend Fox Studios rebooted (again) their Planet Of The Apes franchise with "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes", starring James Franco as a scientist developing a cure for Alzheimer's who gets more than he bargained for.

Before I get into the meat of this review, I should admit some bias and baggage I took into the theater with me, which you should keep in mind when applying my review.

First, I don't like what I call "horse movies", in which an animal is the focus of the plot (and usually has the movie named after it) and audiences are expected to emotionally invest in the fate of this animal in the same way we would for human characters. I like animals (a dog person myself, my wife prefers cats) and believe that part of our role as stewards of God's creation is to safeguard and care for them when possible and reasonable, given our other responsibilities as humans. But I do believe that animals do not have value or rights equal to humans and that humans are much more than simply the most intelligent creatures on the planet. So I become a little annoyed when I feel as though a movie is asking me to accept a different view of animals and humans in order to suspend my disbelief and enjoy a movie.

I'm also not a fan of CGI characters getting equal or greater screen time in live action movies compared to flesh and blood actors. For whatever reason, I'm cursed with a good eye for CGI characters (such as Clu/Flynn in Tron: Legacy, or the blue aliens in Avatar) and they take me out of a movie pretty easily, distracting me with thoughts of actors staring at ping-pong balls.

This movie had some of both issues working against it for me, but I can still say that I enjoyed it and many others may enjoy it even more.

Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist whose father is suffering from Alzheimer's, which Will hopes to cure with an engineered virus that repairs brain functions. During testing on apes, however, the treatment actually enhances existing brain function enormously, giving one ape an intellect that far surpasses the average human of the same age. Due to complications, human testing is prohibited, but Rodman continues to do research with, and secretly keeps, the intelligent ape, whom his father names Caesar.

As time passes, Caesar gains awareness of his status: More than a pet yet held in captivity, subject to human rule. And though Rodman treats him well, others are abusive and cruel. Caesar naturally wishes to be free, which propels the rest of the movie forward.

Performances by the flesh and blood cast are great. Franco is sympathetic, and the storyline with his father, played with fragility by John Lithgow, gives much appreciated emotional depth to the story. The CGI characters (the apes) are admittedly some of the best looking I've ever seen. Hair is extremely challenging to pull off, but the texture mapping on these effects is many times indistinguishable from the real thing. As usual, the flaws show up in facial movements. A flaw that might have been hidden had the filmmakers not decided to give Caesar so many uniquely human expressions, subtle though they were.

Although this is definitely a sci-fi flick, don't go expecting much action. While it does have some intense action sequences, this is more of a sci-fi drama, depending on the emotional plight of characters to move the story forward, rather than a series of life-threatening obstacles. As a drama, it works best when focusing on the human characters, and slows down just a little too much in the second half as the focus turns to the Apes.

I think sci-fi movies dealing with "hyper-evolution" or artificial intelligence that becomes "self-aware" are potentially ripe for meaningful discussion afterward, and this movie is a great example of that.

What makes us human, or "people"? Is it our level of intelligence? Are we simply biological machines with enough processing power to attain the self-described status of "person"? Could apes become "people" simply by making them more intelligent?

I can't be sure where the writers of this movie fall, but I would guess they might say "yes", as would those adhering to a purely naturalistic worldview. Whatever the writers' stance, I would argue for "no" and would also love to see fiction deal with this issue in a less predictable way.

It's common in fiction for "self-aware" machines to be devoid of morality and simply use their superior intelligence to survive and take over the world. (The Terminator franchise being one example.) But I'd love to see a super-intelligent animal who is not also given the traits of philosophical introspection and moral awareness that this script gives to Caesar.(Implying these traits naturally come along with intelligence, which I don't believe is the case.) I think the result would be much more imaginative and lead to far less predictable places than this movie did.

Despite having some predictable plot points and a few slower moments, this was still an enjoyable, though-provoking movie. And I suspect a sequel, if made, will be twice as good!


Rated PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 8.0/10


For more information on my scoring system, visit- www.spiritblade.net/reviewscores
Or listen to this review this weekend at- www.spiritblade.net/podcast

Cool Free "Sci-fi" Web Series!

The Booth At The End

My thanks to Mike L. for pointing me to this Hulu original web series starring Xander Berkeley(Nikita,24) as a mysterious man who takes meetings in a diner, offering clients whatever they wish in exchange for a "task". The task is always challenging and often criminal, but sometimes it's also a challenging act of goodness. The Man's motives, power and origins are a mystery that may or may not be revealed. (I've only seen the first episode so far.) What's more revealing is the lengths people are prepared to go to get what they want, or what they think they want.

It's anyone's guess what kinds of philosophical claims the script will make as the series continues (one client wants to feel closer to God and The Man claims he can deliver on that as well!), but the series looks to be very compelling from a character standpoint, intriguing from a sci-fi/fantasy standpoint, and worth talking about from a philosophical standpoint. I for one am already hooked!

You can check out "The Booth At The End" at- http://www.hulu.com/the-booth-at-the-end

Why You Should Try "Two Worlds"

Recently I was looking for a new Xbox 360 RPG to play and picked up "Two Worlds" to try out (with a seven day return option). This game came out about a year after "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" and shamelessly rips off of it in a number of ways. Before Two Worlds came out, it was being hyped as an "Oblivion killer" and had so much anticipation attached to it that when it came out and ended up being a seriously mediocre knock off instead of all it promised, fans were angry. (As evidenced by the extremely bitter reviews of the game on Youtube.) Most reputable reviewers, who were a bit more objective, gave the game lukewarm reviews, but few considered it a truly bad game. Personally, I'd recommend it to anyone in the same boat with me. First, let me describe that "boat" a little bit more, and then I'll tell you why I think this one is worth trying.

My Boat:

Play only RPGs or action RPGs because my hand-eye coordination sucks and I can "level grind" my way out of trouble if I need to in RPGs. Burned out on Mass Effect 1&2, Dragon Age 1&2, Oblivion, Torchlight and Fallout 3. (Fallout New Vegas won't load my saves.) Not into Fable 2 or 3 that much. Grew up playing and loving RPGs with no voice acting, where you had to read all the dialogue. (Some of which was translated poorly.) Think nice graphics are nice, but not necessary for a great gaming experience. Found a used copy of "Two Worlds" at my local Gamestop for $6.99, with a seven day return/refund policy if I don't like it. Didn't ever have my hopes dashed by Two Worlds when it came out and went into the playing experience with low expectations compared to other games I've played.

If you're riding in a different boat, read no further. But if that's your boat too, I'd HIGHLY recommend giving this game a shot. Here's why:

Two Worlds has a visual design that is serious in tone. If you like the semi-dark "D&D" tone of Oblivion or Dragon Age, the tone here is similar. (No spunky youths, purposefully comical moments or cute monsters.) The graphics are 360 quality, but not by much. There are also a number of stutters in frame-rate performance, even including some quick pauses now and then in combat with multiple opponents or while exploring the countryside. But if you can get used to this (which I have) the hack-n-slash combat is very satisfying. (Though I'd recommend the "easy" difficulty.)

The controls in general are not intuitive, but not prohibitive either. It wasn't long (a couple of hours) before I stopped experiencing frequent missteps in button pushing and have now settled into comfort with almost every aspect of the controls. The Horseback riding is also less intuitive than in Oblivion, but not terrible. In fact, I can almost say the developers succeeded in their aim to create a sense of accomplishment and skill when learning to control the horse, which has a mind of its own and must be "guided" with the controls. It sounds more complex than it is. The difference for me is that in Oblivion, the horse is the fastest way from A to B when not using the fast travel feature, and that's about it. In Two Worlds, riding the horse is like a mini-game in itself that I've come to enjoy and take satisfaction from! (You also don't have to ride it if you don't want to, and there are numerous teleport points.)

It can't be avoided. The dialogue is poorly written/translated (Polish developers) and also badly performed (by the development staff instead of actors!). I found it especially rough at the beginning. But thankfully, the game allows you to lower or completely mute the volume of dialogue in the game, which I have done. Since then, I've been able to make the dialogue sound/work better in my head, a skill developed from playing RPGs questionably translated from Japanese for most of my life. And I've found that the story, while not great, is still interesting and more than the sum of the dialogue.

The music has been a surprising point of pleasure for me. It has an interesting blend of orchestral and synth sounds that give it a unique flavor. The gentle exploration theme has a dissonant chord in one progression that grabs me every time I hear it. What it lacks in polish may even contribute to its original sound.

Looting...is...a BLAST in this game! Not only do you have an alchemy pot with you at all times for item creation experiments, but you can "stack" equipment of the same type to instantly increase its stats. You'll likely leave no chest unopened, no plant unpicked or body clothed as you explore and hack your way through this world.

And the world is HUGE! There is so much to do in this world and so many quests to undertake. There aren't near as many random dungeons as Oblivion has, but the number of quests to do easily makes up for it. The magic system, which I've barely tapped into, is also very original, involving spell creation mechanics that are easy and fun.

There are also competing social groups that you can choose to align yourself with. The kingdom is almost up for grabs and you can choose your side or play the middle ground, working both sides (at least for awhile). I'm not usually taken in by political stories, but being part of the struggle for power and making choices that significantly effect the game world has been a lot of fun.

There are more ways than I can count in which this game attempts to mimic Oblivion (despite being 3rd instead of 1st person). But if something works, it works, and the game feels different enough in a number of ways that it is still a very different experience from Oblivion. If you played Oblivion for its open world exploration, questing and looting (as opposed to the story/character interaction, like you may have played Dragon Age/Mass Effect for), then you'll find that itch scratched with Two Worlds. I'd even go so far as to say that I'd pay more than twice what I did for this game and when I'm done with it, I'd be willing to pay full price for the second one if I had to. (Though luckily I really doubt that will be the case, given the price of Two Worlds 2 at Gamestop right now.) RPG nerds, check this one out!