Spread the Word: Truequest

Kickstarter projects have changed the way the internet works. Now, projects can start from nothing and be made into a reality through crowd funding. In the premiere of this new segment, Spread the Word, MaristPlayBoy discovers a card game that fell through Kickstarter's cracks, but is more than worth your time attention.

Curse Theory? Food for thought

Want a fresh and interesting look at a culture-changing series? Find out what Junior Varsity thinks about Harry Potter, after the break.

(I picked Luna because A: she's awesome, and B: she's the one with the fresh and funky perspective)

My Backlog and Me, Part 2: The Other Side of the Coin

The following is the second part of a three-part series reflecting on some of my ([WittySciFiPun]'s) gaming tastes and habits. 

Review: The Cabin in the Woods

Joss Whedon has a troperiffic romp over every horror movie staple he can pack into one film. Warning: Spoilers.

GameRx: Sid Meier's Gettysburg!

Minimum Specs
CPU Type: Pentium
CPU Speed: 90 MHz
RAM Required: 16 MB
Graphics Type: SVGA
Resolution: 800x600
Depth: 256 Colors

One thing that has always really bothered me about modern RTS is that games are no longer based on tactical skill, but rather knowledge of the game engine and mechanics. In such games, knowledge of the game always comes before knowledge of tactics, where even a wonderfully planned assault can completely backfire if you haven’t bought the right upgrades or powerups for your troops. To me, this is pretty apparent in games like Starcraft -- any game where you measure prowess with “clicks per minute” seems like an exercise in tedium to me rather than a demonstration of strategic genius. Where modern RTS’s largely fail to meet standard big-picture criteria, Sid Meier’s Gettysburg more than delivers.

Based on the engine used in the games Waterloo and Sid Meier’s Antietam, gameplay is reminiscent of games from the likes of Creative Assembly. One controls regiments rather than individual soldiers and moves them in formation across the battlefield, making an understanding of fronts, flanking, and the other essential parts of pre-twentieth-century strategy key elements in formulating your plans. Time passes more slowly, giving both players time to observe the field and react to each other’s movements, much like many battles of that era. Granted, this style of gameplay isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this is definitely a refreshing take on RTS for anyone with background in traditional wargaming.

Zombies and Plants, mortal enemies since 2009

The bloody war between Plants and Zombies has been waged on computer after computer since the creation of this game back in 2009. Its popularity has even allowed it to reach across platforms. This week, for my confession, I will be discussing what I like and don't like about Plants Vs. Zombies

Hogwarts Region: Day Five

Voldemort vs. Pikachu! Magneto vs. Captain America! Only one of these four fighters will be able to make the Final Four of the Tournament of Champions. Who will represent the Hogwarts Region? MaristPlayBoy is here to break down the action.

Smash your boredom

Looking for some musical drama? Look no further. Junior Varsity has the scoop on TV musical series, Smash.

The Joy of MUDs, MUSHes, MOOs, and other M*s

Though an ancient, basic format, text-based online games provide a unique joy all their own.

Hogwarts Region: Day Four

Optimus Prime vs. King Peter of Narnia! The Terminator vs. Cole Train! Captain America vs. Hyde! Frieza vs. Ulysses! Who will be the last fighter in the Hogwarts region to enter the Sweet Sixteen? MaristPlayBoy breaks down the action once again

Prognosis: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

I remember going to see this movie in theatres, cautiously optimistic. I figured, hey, this could be great. The original, made in 1951, was a great little movie that I thought had the potential to make a solid reboot, giving a modern reinterpretation of the actions that take place in the film. While the posters and trailers of the older movie advertised the robot-attack as the feature of the movie, most of the film was a commentary that discussed peculiarities of human society from the perspective of an alien, such as family dynamics, societal norms, and war. In the end, it left us with a hopeful message of global reform to encourage a unified planet. A reboot would be an excellent opportunity to reinforce this message while reiterating more relevant modern societal issues.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Hogwarts Region: Day Three

Magneto vs. Shane Walsh! Snake vs. Rorschach! Darth Sidious vs. Marth! Link vs. Catwoman! It's Day Three of the Hogwarts region. Who will join Voldemort and Pikachu in the sweet sixteen? MaristPlayBoy is there to break down all the match-ups.

In Defense of Eragon

In his RSC debut, the Metaphysical Physicist hopes to defend Christopher Paolini's Eragon.

Hogwarts Region: Day Two

Iron Man vs. Venusaur! Ozymandias vs. Wendigo! Samus vs. Leonardo! Ganondorf vs. Pikachu! It's Day Two of the Hogwarts Region in the Tournament of Champions, and MaristPlayBoy is here to analyze all the action.

My Backlog and Me, Part 1: The Confession

The following is the beginning of a three-part series reflecting on some of my ([WittySciFiPun]'s) gaming tastes and habits. 

Hogwarts Region: Day One (Edited)

Voldemort vs. Captain Barbossa! Joker vs. The White Witch of Narnia! Dr. Doom vs. Ike! Majin Buu vs. Ness! It's the start of a new region in the Tournament of Champions, and MaristPlayBoy is here to break down all the action.

White Noise: Why Nobody is Reading This

Did you hear that?  That's the sound of your blog post dying a sad death.  Not sad as in tragic—sad as in uninteresting.

One article posted in 2009 estimated that there are about one million blog posts made every day.  That was three years ago, before the real advent of macroblogging platforms that are causing "blogging" as we know it to become obsolete.

Nevertheless, you are a writer, and as a writer, you want to be read.  Here are some tricks up your sleeve that you're going to need if you're as egotistical as I am, in order of decreasing difficulty.

In Defense of Movie/TV Adaptations

The book is better than the movie. That's a phrase we all know and love to use. And, usually, in a lot of ways, it is the case. However, to dismiss the movie or tv show as a poor adaptation of the book downplays the merits the movie has on its own standing. And that's not entirely fair to do. This week, I'm going to talk a little bit about why we should all try to judge movie adaptations of books on their own merits.

Read, Think, and Enjoy!: Scott McCloud

Read the a brief history of Scott McCloud; Think about the relevance of comics and manga; Enjoy the brilliance of the champion of comics theory!

In case you've been wanting some nuclear action...

Today Junior Varsity talks about a show that, like Firefly, met an untimely demise. Why should Jericho have earned more screentime? Find out after the break.

Tatooine Region: Day 5

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Carnage! Piccolo vs. Darth Vader! We’re down to our last four fighters in the Tatooine Region! Who will join Mewtwo in the Final Four of the Tournament of Champions? MaristPlayBoy is here to break down all the action.

The Fightstick: Skullgirls

SuperJew takes a moment out of his busy day to start up a new column about the wonderful world of fighting games, his experiences with them and breaking into the competitive scene, and in the fighting game community in general. Today's post is about the brand-spankity-new fighting game Skullgirls, available RIGHT NOW on your PS3 or 360.

Tatooine Region: Day Four

Darth Vader vs. Mario! Han Solo vs. Marcus Fenix! Darth Maul vs. Gimli! Bane vs. Nathan Drake! It’s Day Four of the Tatooine Region of the Tournament of Champions, and MaristPlayBoy is here once again to break it down.

I Used to Dislike all Foreign Films...

Thekeynote discusses the original Swedish movie adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". How does it compare with its American counterpart? Check it out here.

Tatooine Region: Day Three

Wolverine vs. Wario! Donatello vs. a Griffin! Piccolo vs. Nite Owl! Alien vs. Ray Lewis! It's...a weird day of match-ups, honestly, but somebody's got to break it down, and MaristPlayBoy is here once again.

Tatooine Region: Day 2

Carnage vs. Davy Jones! Altair vs. Dean Winchester! Goku vs. Kirby! Zelda vs. Meta Knight! Which of these fighters will join Obi-Wan in the Sweet Sixteen? MaristPlayBoy is here to analyze the match-ups.

Tatooine Region: Day 1

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Oddjob! Raphael vs. Doc Ock! Harry Potter vs. Nosferatu! Cyclops vs. Jaws! Eight fighters enter, but only one will emerge victorious as we shift our focus in the Tournament of Champions to the Tatooine Region. As always, MaristPlayBoy is here to break down all the action!

Trailer for Season 2: And That's Shakespeare

Get excited, ya'll.

Wasteland 2

Brian Fargo is back with Wasteland 2! Here are my thoughts on the awesome!

Welcome to the Magical World of......magic worlds.....take one: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

So, last week I gave a little background history on magic, and started to talk about why it’s pretty awesome. Before I get to that eventual part 2, where I go into even more details about why magic is truly awesome, I’m going to take a few weeks to discuss some very popular series that feature magic very heavily.

Wake up and watch the awesome TV

Feeling like network TV is letting you down? Looking for something to help ease your TV-pain? Check out the new NBC show Awake. You will not be disappointed. And here's why.

Kanto Region: Day 5

Mewtwo vs. Dumbledore! Master Chief vs. Mace Windu! Four fighters enter, but only one will represent the Kanto Region in the Final Four of the Tournament of Champions. MaristPlayBoy returns once more to finish his analysis of the region.

Kanto Region: Day 4

Master Chief vs. Bowser! Perseus vs. Michelangelo! The Arbiter vs. Indiana Jones! Deadpool vs. Abraham van Helsing! It's the final day of first round action in the Kanto Region of the Tournament of Champions. Who will advance? Who will fall? MaristPlayBoy breaks down the action.

Kanto Region: Day 3

Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Luigi! Scorpion vs. Lucas! Mace Windu vs. Captain Jack Sparrow! Predator vs. Gravemind! It’s Day 3 of the tournament of Champions: Kanto Region. Which challenger will rise above the competition? MaristPlayBoy analyzes the match-ups.

Kanto Region: Day 2

Dumbledore vs. Charizard! Frozone vs. Ezio Auditore! Lizard vs. Blastoise! Hydra vs. Cyrax! It's Day Two of the Tournament of Champions: Kanto Region. Who will join Mewtwo in the Sweet Sixteen? MaristPlayBoy breaks it down.

Prognosis: Stay Alive (2006 film)

To say the least, Stay Alive is quite a... curious film.

For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, it’s a fairly formulaic horror flick with the now memetic tagline “If you die in the game, you die for real.” Essentially, a group of teens and twenty-somethings play a survival-horror multiplayer game together. As each character dies in the game, they die in an almost identical fashion in the next hour. It’s a neat idea with no big surprises here. What’s so disappointing about this movie is that it should have been pretty good. The premise was original, the late-movie twists were good, and there was lots of fairly creative direction. When you watch the film you can see that most of the pieces of a quality film are there. All things considered, this should have been a B- movie. Sadly, the final cut feels sadly more like a struggling D+ by the time you get to the credits.

So where did Stay Alive go wrong?

Kanto Region Day 1

Mewtwo vs. Jacob Black! Hagrid vs. A Chimera! Kratos vs. Dr. No! And a Dragon vs. Pit! It's the first round of match-ups in the Kanto Region of the Tournament of Champions.

Tournament of Champions Introduction

For most sports fans, March is the month of crazy, intense bracket-making. I might not be a bracketologist when it comes to college basketball, but this month, I'm going to break down what promises to be the perfect tournament for a blog like this: The Tournament of Champions!

Battle Royale 2 Review

It's Hunger Games Weekend here, so [wittyscifipun] and I decided we'd'd look at a movie that was obviously influential to the series: Battle Royale...2. How'd it go? Well, how does every other movie I look at nowadays go? You can watch our suffering here: