I try to read the stories we’re being sold in the cinema before I go see the movies. Partly because I like to read comics, but also to recognize all the hints, nods, references, characters, original stories and set pieces they portray and write in.

The Infinity Saga is basically about taking escalating doses of shrooms, acid, and DMT

So what I did was gather what is known as The Infinity Sagas, which includes: The Thanos Quest, The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, The Infinity Crusade, Infinity Abyss, and The End. It was not as daunting and time consuming as reading the entirety of Civil War, but it was still quite rewarding. Both because it’s a good read, but also because it introduced me to a new set of characters that I had not met before.

The big antagonist wielding The Infinity Stones mounted on The Infinity Gauntlet is the titan Thanos. Also known as the universe’s biggest nihilist. He is a enchantingly interesting character that I had not know outside of shallow trivia before, but he is simply grand to dive into.

But the lessons I’ve learned from reading Infinity Sagas and comparing it to what they’ve done with the MCU so far are as follows

1. The movies, Avengers: Infinity War (part 1 & 2) will have very little to do with the source material. But that was also a lesson we learned from Captain America: Civil War.
2. Omnipotence and Omnipresence according to Marvel does not mean what they mean according to, say, Merriam Webster. Or how do you explain lying to/tricking a being that knows all thoughts and intentions; I don’t care how disciplined Thanos is, something is wrong.
3. The Infinity Saga is basically about taking escalating doses of shrooms, acid, and DMT, and then having to endure overwhelming trips of both good and bad nature; sensations of loneliness while being connected with everything in existence, and knowing that one’s victories and failures are both everything and meaningless at the same time. But it also touches on things such as suicidal depression and what happens after you face and conquer it.

I can’t breathe

Horrible things are going on and happening in the world that shouldn’t. But it’s not my world, it’s not the world I’m living in, because it’s not happening in my space. And like most people, I dismiss it with a “I can’t help or effect that in any way” and escape into another world instead: entertainment.
So I start up my Netflix and head into the last two episodes of Orange is the New Black of the current, fourth season. But there are other people in the world that did not dismiss the world they’re living in, and they decided to do something. And what those people, the people behind OitNB, decided to do was make sure even your escape into entertainment could go by without addressing the matter.

They decided to write the death of a character much like the events surrounding Eric Garner. And it’s followed up by the administrative bullshit that represents the way many people feel the matter was handled in the aftermath. Of course there had been things leading up to these events, but effectively they just fit the entire birth, and explosion,  of the Black Lives Matter-movement within these two episodes. And they did it beautifully, showing motivation and effects on both sides, presenting how fear breeds fear, and that people, no matter how horrible, are still people.

No matter how bad the world gets, it’s still worth spending time in

But the pristine gem that made the season finale shine so brightly is how they contrasted the life of the victim, Poussey Washington, portrayed by Samira Wiley. The show usually shows the story about how the characters ended up in their current situation. Since we’ve seen Washintons past before there was no real reason to revisit this story. So instead we get to see what her last night before getting arrested was like. And it was adventurous and magical in a very improbable, but plausible way. She was very happy and we got a glimpse into her joy and a reminder that no matter how bad the world gets, it’s still worth spending time in and not all people are horrible.

I cried like I stubbed my toe on the leg of the table, then fell over and struck the bridge of my nose on the edge of the same table.

However, the issue I have with it is the same across all platforms.

The ending is really weird and unfulfilling. I commend the game for not requiring you to battle your way through it. In fact, it seems to encourage you to go through it using social skills, stealth, and subterfuge rather than combat. Except for the final boss, which can be beaten in a non-lethal manner, but it still requires you to engage. But before that you’re given a choice between going to the battle, or to warn people. Both choices have negative outcomes in some manner, but if you’re fast enough you can do both.

So I started with the battle, and then rushed to warn people. And that ended really abruptly. There was a tiny cut-scene, without any real urgency, and then the game was over after some dialogue with another character.

Before the credits you get to watch a news broadcast that basically goes through the consequences of your actions throughout the game.

And that’s it. There are a lot of threads left to unravel, there’s no real conclusion to the story, and you’re left with a sense of the ending being rushed together to meet a deadline. But looking at what developers have said, journalists have investigated, the practices of the publisher, and the marketing campaign for the actual game, you can see that there’s most likely something else going on.

This game is not unfinished, it is cut up. And the unfinished parts are to be sold to you at a later date, either as DLC or a sequel.

It’s not the first time we’re faced with a game where the overarching story is left unfinished after a game concludes. Mass Effect for instance is cut into three parts, but each game has a definitive, climactic ending.

I had a great time with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and I’m most likely going to purchase the next game as well (although I won’t pre-order. Never pre-order, kids). But a great adventure need a great ending to feel like a complete, satisfactory experience. And in that aspect, it has failed.

Stranger Things is a love-child of E.T., Silent Hill and 80’s nostalgia, all presented in a beautiful package on your Netflix-viewing device of choice. The look and feel of mystery-movies from days gone by (the good ones, where the monster isn’t revealed in the first 15 minutes) where the unknown creates the suspense that you want with a drip-feed of supernatural and conspiracy  tells you the history of how we got to where we are right now in the story.

The show follows a group of kids that enjoy their time in the basement playing Dungeons & Dragons until it’s time to bike home. No video games, no smartphones, no Internet; this is the time before the digital revolution. Then one of them goes missing, without a trace, followed by the appearance of a strange young girl that joins them on their adventure to find their friend. But my favorite character is portrayed by David Harbour as Chief Hopper, the police officer that looks into the kids disappearance and soon discovers that not everything is what it might seem in his sleepy little town.

The heritage of the show is captured magnificently in the music and intro, using sounds and instruments that scream 80’s, combined with a title screen that anyone that read/played those old choose-your-own-adventure books will just love.

Stranger Things has a complete season available for streaming on Netflix, but definitely leaves things open for that (as of yet, unconfirmed) second season. Just like the good ol’ horror movies.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80057281

This trailer has gotten a lot of people up in arms over how bad it is. Especially how it ridicules an aspect that is prevalent in their target demographic with the reference to the stereotype that nerds are lonely losers without a social life.

Cry like an anime fan on prom night

It’s a great example on how the people that do the marketing for games have no clue about how their customers work, what they like, or what will make them buy products. What gamers seem to forget is what their role, and the role of this particular trailer, is.

Ignore the actual game and whether or not it’s any good for a while and let’s talk about marketing. The whole point of marketing is creating awareness; hopefully to sell a product, but mainly to create awareness and implant the knowledge that the product exists in the first place.

What gamers did was spread the word over how bad this commercial was. And as it spread, more and more people became aware that the game exists. No matter how bad the trailer is, the information got out there. And there might have been some people that thought “That is really dumb… but the game looks like it actually could be fun”.

Gamers seem to forget is that that trailer wasn’t for them

The second part that gamers seem to forget is that that trailer wasn’t for them. Gamers that are in the loop and try to keep current already knew that Mighty No.9 existed. They knew the pedigree of the product. And the decision of whether or not they were going to play it had already been made. And that makes them useless to the marketing department in this instance.

And there already were other trailers that showed the people in the loop what they wanted. But those trailers didn’t go viral, because they weren’t controversial. They didn’t ridicule an aspect of geek culture, and so there wasn’t any particular attention drawn to it. The theme was the same, but the target wasn’t the same. It wasn’t meant for the “dudebros” and the rest of the world that didn’t know about Mighty No.9 already.

There was an even earlier trailer for the purists.

But gamers will be watching a game, waiting for news and trailers about it, thinking that they’re owed something by the developer and publisher. They forget that it is a business and that in the end they’re being sold a product, just like any toothpaste trying to be THE toothpaste that you use. And then they will pre-order and buy season passes, hoping for the industry to change.

Of course there are exceptions and good marketing for video games out there. But even those are just using a different approach to reach you as a consumer.

DOOM is all about mechanics

While many FPS, first person shooters, these days go for some sort of realism by using cover and having to deal with magazine-sizes, DOOM is all about mechanics and flow. Instead of tactics that involve sneaking from cover to cover and going for a precise headshoot to  minimize the usage of ammo, DOOM has both corridors and open areas that work both horizontally and vertically, and lets you charge straight in, dodge incoming fireballs and rockets, and with the weapon of you choice, shoot until you run out of ammo. And the mechanics are build around the old school feel of DOOM and Quake from yesteryear, as by executing you low-health enemy with a gory glory kill you’re awarded with health pickups. And when you run out of ammo for your guns, if you have enough fuel, you can cut your enemy down with your trusty chainsaw to be awarded with ammo instead.

And they take good care of the heritage, in a nod to all people that are nostalgic about the old id Software games. The game is full of throwbacks in the form of key cards to unlock doors, and secret areas. Some of which actually are segments and graphics of the old DOOM games. But the cutest are still the Doomguy dolls that are hidden across the levels that play the original soundtrack when picked up.

DOOM is a great change of pace from the majority of modern shooters that are out there today. The feel of the controls and mechanics are fantastic for those of us that grew up on the old games and franchises that id Software gave us. Just make sure you’re playing with a mouse and keyboard; while the game might work with a controller, it’s not meant for it.

There once was an idea to take the Preacher comic book series and turn each issue into a TV-show episode, shot-for-shot. First thing that all Preacher fans needs to get out of their heads is that this show is not that.

But there is no reason to worry, what you’re getting is still Preacher. The story and characters does seem to have been somewhat changed, but the main beats are still there. Tulip is still a capable woman, Arseface is still a sweet kid, Cassidy is still a vampire, and by the end of the first episode (as if anyone would have guessed otherwise) Jesse still possesses the word of God.

I recently re-read the whole comic, to refresh it in my mind. And while it was still a great read, it is really a product of its time and some of the material, tones and characterizations does not hold up today. What’s been changed is the whole thing has been update to fit the world of today.

Some of the major changes are there for the cinematic effect and re-branding of the characters.

Tulip was always a strong, capable woman that did not fear getting into altercations. This time around she’s a full-blown commando and has by the first episode killed several people and taken down a helicopter with a home-made bazooka. She’s taken the role of the wise-cracking, untouchable Mary Sue. Hopefully we’ll get to see her new backstory and motivation soon, because being raised as a boy and hunter does not account for this.

To make the shows action scenes more interesting, and quite frankly beautiful

Cassidy was never really that good at fighting. He relied on his strength and abilities, but never skill, aside from having been in quite a few scraps in his days. But to make the shows action scenes more interesting, and quite frankly beautiful, he now seems to be a very proficient fighter. And he also seem to have moved from the gutter to now share his vices with a higher class of society.

Jesse is the one that so far stays most true to source. Although, just as a nod to his portrayal in the comics I would have liked to see the white pants. A detail they changed to his backstory, which I believe is so that they can reveal all the players at the right time for the show, but is still a pretty major change to the character is the reason he doesn’t cry. The effect may still be the same, but the motivation changes dramatically from defiance to honor. It’s a small thing, but I feel its a major change in to the character. Which may also be why this Custer seems more modern in his ways and not such a machismo set in old ways of thinking that may have fit the time when the comic was written.

In short I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the show and it’s going to be intriguing to see how they handle and show some aspects of the source material.

I basically played The Division as a single-player game, going through the story mission alone and didn’t really play anything else until I had gathered all the collectibles and completed all the entries in the quest log. After that there was basically only player-versus-player content left to do, aside from redoing missions on a higher difficulty (which is basically impossible when playing solo). But the PvP aspect of the game didn’t give me any fun, so I just left the game and awaited the next update.

When it arrived it brought new missions and a rework of how the equipment system works. All weapons and gear now carries with it a level. And to be eligible to play the new missions you have to meet the required level and gear level, even though I had already reached the highest character-level possible at the time. So to be able to access the new content one had to grind for loot so as to raise ones gear score. As a solo player this is extremely tedious, and would mean visits to areas where either enemies or other hostile players are more than likely to destroy you without much of a challenge. And so they lost me as a player for The Division, because their new content was too tedious to access for someone that just wants to play the game a little casually. I’m sure they’ll manage without me.

Leading up to the release of Whispers of the Old Gods for Hearthstone it was announced that some previous content, the Naxxramas adventure and Goblins & Gnomes expansion, would have their availability for purchase removed. The cards would still be available for crafting, but you would no longer be able to buy the adventure or booster packs. Having already bought all the adventures and using all my gold to purchase booster packs of card, I started playing more diligently in an effort to gather as much gold as possible to exchange for packs of the disappearing cards.

Getting close to the release I realized that I had no intention of purchasing packs of the new expansion, which made any future endeavor frivolous. There was no point in continuing as I would have to spend too much time just to get a few initial cards of the new expansion, which would leave me too far behind to have any chance in the new meta of the game. So I stopped playing that as well.

Hearthstone card: C’Thun

Then there was a new announcement. Upon logging in to the game after the release you would automatically receive three packs of cards from the new expansion, along with two subsequent quest that awarded five packs each. Meaning that you could easily collect thirteen packs of the new cards with a little effort. And you were also given a few key cards to the new system, such as the main character of the Whispers of the Old Gods expansion: C’Thun.

This little gesture was enough to change my mind about quitting the game. Making the barrier to entry into the new content lower just by handing out a few samples to get players going is enough motivation to engage me and retain me as a customer. Compared to making me work for the possibility to even access the new content. The outcome is that I’m back into playing Hearthstone with enthusiasm, while I’ve put The Division aside and don’t see myself going back to it.

The battle between Superman and Batman on the big screen is inspired by the comics The Dark Knight Returns, written and penciled by Frank Miller. Which isn’t at all surprising when you consider that Zack Snyder, the director of the film, also directed the movie-adaptations for Watchmen and 300; two comics that were both written by Miller. But there are synergies between the two that are a bit too powerful to stay within the established boundaries of the main characters.

I think it must have started with Christopher Nolan’s version of The Caped Crusader in his movies Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises. These movies were very dark and took the characters and villains to a place we had not seen in the movies before. Most iconical being the portrayal of the anarchistic Joker, by Heath Ledger. This was a fresh take on the well-established superheroes and foes, as most interpretations before had been very colorful and somewhat campy. And it works for Batman, because he is a dark character and he resides in a dark world. But the executives at Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment, the companies that own the cinematic rights to the DC Universe, must have seen the success of these three movies as a sign that people want dark movies about superheroes. Which isn’t really true, as we’ve seen with Marvel and the MCU, that are very adventurous and mostly true to source. But be it out of spite to differ themselves from Marvel, or just misinterpretation of the audience, DC decided to keep the dark tone as they started their own venture to build a cinematic universe.

A pivotal moment that purposely separated the DCEU from the comics

So Zack Snyder got the job to direct the first movie to kick off what is to be called DCEU, DC Extended Universe, the new version of Superman in Man of Steel. And in his first go, in the mov he takes some of the basics of the character’s origin story and gallery of characters and brings it into the modern world. But in the third act he does something that utterly destroys what the character has previously been built up to represent over the last sixty years.
Superman kills.
More than ever before the collateral damage of Superman’s engagement with his foe is presented and In a pivotal moment that may have been purposely meant to separate the DCEU from everything that the comics had forged into the very core if its being, Kal-El breaks the neck of General Zod to save the future of his adoptive planet. He then proceeds to tell the government that he will operate entirely on his own. A big leap from the Captain America-esque, boy-scout version that we’ve seen previously.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice start with a different view from the third act of Man of Steel, with buildings collapsing and the consequences of a battle of that magnitude and a spaceship crashing being presented again and Bruce Wayne in the middle of the crumbling city. Since the movie only has so many minutes to develop characters and relationships, this is used as motivation that shoulders Batman with many characteristics that have previously been carried by Lex Luthor in the comics; the anxiety that Superman is powerful enough to destroy the entire planet and needs to be stopped. Lex. portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, on the other hand is transformed from a charming, calculating, power-hungry sociopath to a more clearly villainous psychopath that is a closer approximation of The Joker than Luthor from the comics. But that doesn’t forgive the next sin against the source-material, as Batman not only seem to kill his opponents, he actually does so with guns; a weapon that goes against every fiber of the character as proposed by his origin story.

When the headliners finally collide we get treated to a great homage to what took place in The Dark Knight Returns, which previously pitted the two combatants against each other in a battle of superhuman powers versus human will, ingenuity and martial arts. But where the comics feature the “death” of Bruce Wayne, the movie instead goes on to the two joining forces and the franchise spends one of Superman’s deadliest foes in a spectacle-filled third act that duct tapes the titular heroes together with Wonder Woman, whom could have gotten a better presence in the movie, as they essentially play out the ending of Death of Superman. Doomsday makes an appearance, to give our heroes an enemy of some actual magnitude, and Kal-El goes under while taking the monster down. Bruce and Diana attend their new-found friend’s funeral and in a last second shot we get a glimpse that Superman may not actually be gone forever; also evidenced by his casting in the upcoming Justice League movies. But the scene itself is a reminiscent mix of scenes from The Dark Knight Returns and Death of Superman.

Even if I really enjoyed the movie and the universe that they’re establishing I had to remind myself continuously of one thing. And whether you place the blame on WB, DC, Snyder, or David Goyer, the guy that actually wrote these first installments, you may need to teach yourself the same thing: This is not the DC you grew up with. This is Snyder’s Batman v Superman.

Keep in mind that I still believe this may very well be a good movie

Civil War, and the Superhuman Registration Act, was Marvel’s way of facing, handling, and commenting on events that took place in New York on September 11 of 2001 and The Patriot Act that came to be following those events. It affects the whole Marvel Universe and we get to witness how everyone from the big names to the smallest are forced to take a stand on the issue. But the key word for what made the events of Civil War so enormous is “Marvel Universe”. When you have an established roster of hundreds of characters you get to show how these events resonate over a huge population of superheroes.

This is where the movie will differ. Keep in mind that I still believe this may very well be a good movie and a very entertaining chapter in the Captain America movie-franchise. But the roster of the MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, isn’t that large yet. And while in the comics Cap takes a stand for the safety and rights of all superheroes and their families of the MU, in the MCU, while the point is principally the same, (in the trailer) he comes off as just choosing a friend over the other, and much of the great impact is missing. Let’s take a look at the second cinematic trailer before we move on.

A scene where half of the Avengers in the MCU clash with the other half is an epic event on the screen. But a 5v5 doesn’t really have the same impact as the great battles that took place in the comic books. But the premise is different as well, as the universe isn’t the same when it comes to events leading up to it and the players are different.For instance, Peter Parker has had a long relationship with Tony Stark as his mentor, due to his interest in science, and Spider-Man plays a big part in the events of Civil War. But in the movie-world, since Sony owns the rights to the cinematic version of the character, things aren’t as simple as Marvel Studios postponing the events of Civil War while they produce movies depicting their version of Spider-Man and how he came to befriend Tony Stark. We’ll have to wait and see how large of a role he actually plays in the movie, but we’ve already seen some big differences in the character just in the quick glance we get.

His moral being stops him from even touching it, afraid that he is not worthy

We can start by the costume he’s wearing, which is very reminiscent of the old school Spider-Man; a touch of fan-service perhaps. But that means he’s not sporting the Iron-Spider suit that he’s given by Tony Stark, which removes all those aspects from the story. And Peter Parker is also one of the characters that is depicted in the comics as being greatly affected by the SHRA. But the movie will not have time for the audience to get to know the character and his family, and how heavy he carries the burden of other peoples safety, especially that of his family, and how all those aspects make his unmasking resonated throughout the whole MU, But what is perhaps more important is what he does in the (very short) clip: He swipes the shield of Captain America out of the hands of Steve Rogers and wields it in his superhero landing. In the comics his moral being stops him from even touching it, afraid that he is not worthy and will taint the pure symbolism of it by placing his hand on it.

These are heavy scenes in the comics that grants the gravity of the whole situation a great sense of magnitude. In the clip we’ve seen it’s been condensed into a joke and a character reveal.

It’s understandable that a movie that is supposed to have a run-time of between 90 and 180 minutes to not be able to cover all the issues, storylines, moral battles, deceptions, social impacts, and characters that an epic sprawling over a hundred comics offers. And the world of copyrights, legal issues, ownership, and everything else that makes a cinematic endeavor hard enough to navigate can not contain all the characters that such events would require to stay true to its source. There’s actually no questioning why this movie will have its own take on the events of Civil War. And while it may be a great addition to the MCU, I fear it will do the canonical events of its inspiration unjust by appearing so early.

So imagine, instead, a world where there Marvel Studios owned all the cinematic rights to all their characters. And that Marvel had continued its march with movies and series that introduce more characters and minor events. Eventually it would all culminate in a gigantic series, featuring all of the characters, as they play out a storyline more along the events of Civil War from the comic books. That would perhaps do the whole arc justice.

But with the MCU version we may be spared one of the hardest moments to come out of a comic frame.