In a move that is being called a coincidence, but is totally not a coincidence Marvel is rebooting their Ultimate Universe at around the same time DC is rebooting their entire line of comics. Of course there are some changeups in the world, but the most stupid, lazy and just plain moronic change is that there is a new Ultimate Wolverine. It is Wolverine’s son, he has the same powers but he also has organic metal on his claws and skeleton.

 

This is one of the stupidest moves I have ever seen in a comic book. period. But Michael, you ask, what about the new Spider-Man, he is now a half hispanic/half black kid that has nothing to do with Peter Parker? Yes that is stupid, yes that makes no sense canon wise, but at least I understand why they did it. It is a pathetically obvious ploy to garner media attention by doing something so ‘outrageous’ as to have an ethnic Spider-man. But Marvel, if you want to have a strong ethnic character why not actually pay homage to the dozens you already have? Make Luke Cage a game changing character, or Cloak, or Forge, or Deathlok (love Deathlok), or Bishop, or any of the others you could choose from.

No my nerd rage over the new Spider-Man is different, it is a rage against the stupidity of suits in a company who think up stuff like this simply to garner press. My nerd rage over the new Ultimate Wolverine is due to the fact that the move is pointless and simply lazy. There is no need for a new Wolverine, no one would step into that characters shoes, nor does the world need it.

In the case of other fallen heroes there is a need for a replacement. When Superman died four replacements stepped up to fill his red boots. Superman is an icon, a symbol and a beacon of hope for the world. There was a void when he disappeared that had to be filled. Captain America is much the same. When he quit being Captain America due to differences in policy they needed a replacement because he is a symbol to America and one that is needed for the people. When his replacement did not do the uniform justice they made a deal and Steve Rogers came back. When he died much the same happened, Bucky/Winter Soldier had to step in, the world NEEDS Captain America.

In a same but different way when Batman had his back broken (and when he died) a new Batman needed to take his place. First Azrael took his place during Knightfall and then Dick Grayson when he died. He is not as much a symbol of hope, but a symbol of justice in a place that has none. Gotham city needs Batman and the world needs his realistic approach to crimefighting. There is grey in the world and the Batman recognizes that.

In the case of the Ultimate Wolverine, I am sure he will be back as there is still an arm left from him (and he can regenerate every part of himself) when he was vaporized (long story). But in the meantime we have his son Jimmy Hudson who has Wolverine’s powers of regeneration, has claws but also organic metal that coats then and his bones. makes me think that perhaps Colossus joined in and donated his sperm to this weird kid? Frankly this is just plain infuriating. Wolverine is not an icon, he is not a hero, he tried to kill cyclops for a girl, he betrayed his friends numerous times and is a dick. The world does not need a Wolverine like it needs a Captain America or Superman. This new Wolverine serves no purpose and him assuming his fathers mantle is a lazy and amateurish move by Marvel.

This new ‘Wolverine’ dons his father’s identity, but for what reason? There is no unfinished legacy, there is no iconic purpose, in fact it serves to hinder him. Much like the new Batman’s and Captain Americas people will wonder why he is different. But unlike those replacements of fallen icons he has really no reason for doing it. He doesn’t have Wolverine’s history, his anger, his long years of wisdom. He is just a kid with imitation powers and he is there for no reason, plus he looks like a neutered wolverine (see picture at top again). Please Marvel, kill off this kid, have the real Wolverine regenerate and return quickly and never, ever do this again.

So my son is a big fan of Lego and Transformers right now and he astounded me with his latest creation. He loved Laserbeak in the new Transformers movie and decided to look up the original Transformer to see what it was like:

















He was determined to make his own version, and out of Lego at that. I couldn't believe it as it took form, but he made one that transforms between the retro cassette version:
















And a fully articulating Vulture version. The wings rotate, neck moves up and down, even the legs move. If I recall it is probably more movable then the original G1 Transformer!
















He is also making a Soundwave, can't wait to see how that one goes!!

Mass Effect is one of the best game series out there with Mass Effect 2 being one of the best games I have ever played (3 times). The game boasts stellar visuals, amazing gameplay, engaging characters and a main protagonist that is very nearly perfect. Especially because you can make that character your own by customizing the look with a robust creation editor within the games.

The main character is named Commander Shepard and in all of my playthroughs I create a female Shepard or FemShep as the internet has called it lately. In my mind (as a man who likes looking at attractive women) I wanted to look at a female for my 30-40 hour experiences with the character. She is a phenomenal character because she is battle hardened, reacts in amazing ways to adversity and the voice acting by Jennifer Hale is spot on. My Commander Shepard kept her scars from the rebuild process in Mass Effect 2, had a fairly angular face and shoulder length dark red hair. She also wore understated lipstick and some eye makeup. My thought was that, yes she is a tough as nails commander, fights giant aliens with her bare fists (seriously), but she is also a passionate person. She pursues relationships because she has no fear of death, embraces life and wants to look and feel attractive when she can because she chooses to.

Take me for example, I am a male who takes care of himself. I try to stay in shape, wear nice clothes have well groomed hair and goatee, that is me. I will take the time to make sure I look OK before I leave for work, who is to say Commander Shepard doesn’t as well? Many people seem to have a different opinion based on the backlash after Bioware decided to have a vote for the ‘official’ look of the female Commander Shepard. See for Mass Effect 3 Bioware has decided that the Female Shepard will finally be officially promoted in commercials and on the collector’s edition box. And like any business minded company they wanted media attention so they had a vote for the look of Female Shepard. Frankly I wasn’t Keen on any of them (because they don’t look like mine!), but if I had to choose it would be these two:

















Instead the unwashed Masses (harhar), chose FemShep 5 who is blonde, pretty and hated by many in the gaming world:

















While I would not have chosen this model as it is not my visual ideal for Commander Shepard (where are her scars dammit!) I certainly don’t despise it for some of the reasons the internet does. ‘She looks more like someone who would do her nails instead of saving the galaxy’ ‘Being blonde there is no way she could command a team’ ‘it looks like a wind can blow her over, she looks stupid’ and many other similar thoughts echo around this decision.

Hey Internet! Just because a woman is blonde doesn’t make her stupid, Just because a woman is attractive do not assume she is not capable, and for God’s sakes assuming a female Shepard is dumb because women couldn’t save the galaxy just makes you a waste of air. The character of Commander Shepard will not change because she is represented by a pretty blonde, her voice and actions will remain the same and she will kick ass just like Ellen Ripley did many times, in fact I would place my Commander Shepard above any female heroine out there any day...case in point see the fist fight at 5:20 and later in this video:



It is pretty fantastic that Bioware is going to feature an official Female Shepard in the media for Mass Effect 3. They tried to do it in a way that the public chooses the face of the FemShep and the Internet chose FemShep 5. Maybe it was non Mass Effect fans, maybe it was and they wanted a blonde, either way I think it is great that there will be a female line of ads. And to all the outraged kids out there who are furious that their beloved franchise will be tainted by this ‘blonde bimbo’ Shepard I have to ask why you are angry? It must be the ingrained superiority complex that the anonymity of the Internet gives to certain people because at the end of the day I am sure you will do one of three things:

1 – Import your Commander Shepard from the past two games (I will)
2 – Create your own Commander Shepard variant
3 – Use the male version of Shepard (as apparently 87% of players did) and it is a moot point cause you like generic looking male soldier characters.

So stop whining, get over it and when the kick ass ads with a possibly blond but still very determined, deadly and dangerous FemShep appear be prepared to eat your complaints.

Watching this made me cry from delight and happiness, I truly love Harrison Ford again. 'Daniel Craig is my Wookie bitch now'

Wow, I haven't posted an update to this blog since May? For shame! Today's long overdue post is about the band Metric, specifically lead singer Emily Haines.

I am a huge fan of Metric and actually found them in a very weird way, through a Crystal Method album. On their last major release, Divided by Night, one of the standout songs was called 'Come Back Clean' the music was by Crystal Method but the haunting vocals were performed by Emily Haines. I was floored by her voice and wanted to find out more about her.



Turns out she was in a band called Metric as well as having released a solo album called Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton. I bought all the Metric albums I could find, watched videos and fell head over heels fanboy infatuated with Emily Haines.





I have seen them live now twice. My first time was last year at Bluesfest, saw them again yesterday and despite it being a short show and off to a rough start it was a great show. By chance the final act of the night (My Morning jacket) were not terribly good so we left early and saw a crowd gathered at the stage where Metric had played. Rushing over we saw Emily and Band were signing autographs. I was able to get my ticket signed, get some nice closeup pictures of my Emily Haines and have a quick conversation with her about her performance and last years better timeslot. I was in fanboy heaven, very nice surprise at Bluesfest this year:

It’s always interesting writing a Kijiji ad for anything. I finally got a new Xbox 360 after my last one RROD 6 or so months ago, the newish 4GB slim was on a 70 dollar off sale and I figured what the hell. The big benefit is that the new model has built in wireless which meant I no longer needed the wireless adaptor I had for my original x360. So off I went and created the ad to sell this still viable piece of hardware:



That is when all the amazing responses start coming in, responses like:

‘can u deliver’
‘i have 35 dollar firm you call negotiate’

Then a decent response that went nowhere:

‘I am interested in buying this from you. Thank you please email me back.’

Then more idiocy:
‘is price firm’ (Jesus fuck, the ad says FIRM moron)
‘interested but need it drooped off’

Normally I ignore the stupid questions, but this last one finally got my goat:

‘do you want trade your adaptor for my ps3 game’

Graaaahhhhhhhhhh! I had no choise I had to reply:

'Hi there, normally I don't reply to silly questions like this, but I just can't help it:

Did no one teach you proper etiquette when communicating with people? Start with "Hi there, I have a question", or "I saw your ad and have a question" You come off as rude and immature in this reply. As far as I know they teach grammar and punctuation in elementary school. Remember, capital letters and periods are your friends. Oh and if you read it the ad is offering an Xbox 360 component for $40 firm and you offer a PS3 game? One that you don't even give me the title of?

The answer is a firm no, and I hope you read this reply and realize that you need to read before answering and answer with at least a little courtesy and knowledge. Being 13 (I am guessing your age based on your e-mail address) is no excuse for asking for something without using proper tone and language.

I am sure this note will make you want to reply in anger, but I hope you don't and think about what it means to properly communicate with people. Look at the ad, it is clear, concise and friendly, your reply is none of these things.'

Bottom line, people are idiots, oh and I know my reply is far from perfect, there are grammatical, tone and placement mistakes, but that is not the point.

An open letter to Sony that I sent to Sony Media, Jack Tretton and Patrick Seybold:

Hello, I hope that you will read my e-mail and comment back or at least forward it to a group that can address my concerns.

First off I do appreciate that Sony is giving something away as an apology for the severe outage sustained last month. What I do not appreciate is that the welcome back program is obviously targeted to casual PlayStation users instead of the loyal or hardcore fans like myself.

People like me who buy all cross Platform games on the PS3 even though I have an Xbox 360
People like me who buy all exclusives day one, games like infamous, LittleBigPlanet, Wipeout, Dead Nation and SuperStardust
People like me who can show you a games list that is over 80 strong
People like me who get absolutely nothing from your Welcome Back package.

I can plainly see that Sony felt it was better to please it’s casual fan base then the diehard Sony fans like myself. Once again I naively felt Sony would look at rewarding it’s most loyal fans. I was naively hoping for an open reward program, not a program that means nothing to people who truly believed in the PlayStation brand and supported it with their hard earned money like I did. I naively hoped that we could choose our own reward, receive PSN credits, choose DLC, anything except a closed list.

I would greatly appreciate hearing back from someone letting me know how the hardcore fans of the PlayStation family are being welcomed back, because this list only gives my own leftovers back to me.

Regards,

Michael Prince