Fanboys Anonymous

Welcome back to my weekly Breaking Bad reviews! This week we have a "Rabid Dog." And once again, spoiler alert if you haven't watched it yet.

Another week, another excellent episode of one of the best shows on television. My praise probably seems redundant, but can any of you honestly say the praise isn't warranted? Didn't think so.

I love the parallels between different scenes of Walt sitting at a pool.

After last week's excellent and extremely tense "Confessions," it seemed like it would be difficult to keep that momentum going, and at first, I was a bit disappointed with the beginning of the episode. I liked that it picked up immediately (or so I thought) with Walt entering the house, gun drawn, ready to kill Jesse if absolutely necessary. The disappointment mostly came from that scene, as I knew that Jesse wouldn't burn down the house but I wanted to see immediately what stopped him, and I hoped beyond hope it wasn't just a little change of heart since that would've been such a cop out.

Luckily that answer finally came halfway through the episode. That was a very bold and interesting structural choice and in retrospect I think it was a great move on their part. I thought of different scenarios for what could've stopped Jesse, from the kids coming home to Walt doing something to stop him, but I NEVER would've guessed Hank would be the one to step in and then get Jesse out of there right before Walt showed up. From the moment Hank appeared, I felt a mixture of delight, excitement, and dread about where this uneasy partnership would go.

Meanwhile, the White family is now staying in quite a fancy hotel, probably for as long as possible, and I'm just glad that his family is seeing through Walt's lies. The story about the gas pump malfunctioning was pretty sloppy by Heisenberg standards, and even if Junior just thought it was Walt passing out again, supposedly due to the cancer, I loved the fact that no one believed him. Of course Skyler knows not to believe those stories by now, and the great scene between them in the hotel room showed a few interesting things to me. First there's the fact that Walt still genuinely cares about Jesse. We saw that earlier in the episode when he shot down Saul's suggestion to essentially put Jesse down like Old Yeller, but the hotel scene solidified it. Walt told Skyler Jesse was a human being, not some "rabid dog" that had to be put down (hard not to react like this when something like that happens) and got visibly angry at the mere suggestion of doing so. The other interesting thing about that scene is Skyler; she was so adamantly opposed to murder last year in "Fifty-One," yet once her family is potentially threatened she's ready to spring into action and gets things done. She wants Jesse dead to ensure her family's safety, and as she so succinctly puts it, so many people have died because of them, "what's one more?"

Speaking of a desire for murder, it's really ironic to me that Walt, the cold-blooded killer, is the only person who DOESN'T want anyone to be killed anymore, yet his murderous ways have rubbed off on the rest of the family. Skyler wants Jesse dead, and proving that they really are sisters, Marie has murder on her mind as well. In a very chilling scene, she told her therapist she spent hours online looking up untraceable poisons and that even though she would never intend to act on those thoughts, it still felt really good to think about. Then there's Hank, who flat out told Gomez that he hoped his plan led to Walt killing Jesse so the degenerate drug addict would be out of the way and Hank would have some physical evidence against Walt on tape. Here Hank also takes the family connection one step further in proving that he can be just as ruthless as Walt when he's going after something he really wants.



Then there's that final scene. As much as Jesse wants to take Walt down, he's still justifiably terrified of the man. I was so angry when it was revealed that Walt really was in the plaza alone to try to talk to Jesse about everything because he still genuinely cares about the poor guy and that man standing nearby was just some guy there with his daughter. I wasn't angry at Jesse because considering how close to Walt the guy was standing and how he seemed to be staring Jesse down, I'd be just as suspicious if I were him. That anger was more because Jesse's paranoia may be what screws him over, after Jesse's little threatening phone call led to Walt calling Todd and telling him he may have another job for his uncle. Of course Jesse does seem to have something else up his sleeve, and in my mind (as well as my fellow Fanboy Sam Lascio's), it will involve Walt's family since Jesse told Walt he would get him where he really lives. Jesse knows that the most important thing to Walt is his family, so I'm really interested to see where this goes.

Random Thoughts (Thanks again, A.V. Club!)

• Since this show is now so dark, I really appreciate any humor that's worked into these episodes, and the conversation between Walt and Saul was full of it, from Saul's "Deep down, he loves me" to Walt referring to Badger and Skinny Pete as "Beaver and the other one." Hank referring to Walt as Mr. Rogers with a tumor also really made me laugh.
• Another shout out to Breaking Bad story sync (seriously, it's great) this week for highlighting the shellfish poison, called saxitoxin, that Marie mentioned to her therapist. My pharmacy school training helped me understand a lot of what was included there, including the mechanism of action and whatnot. I also love that the chemical structure was included.
• This really is one of the best casts on television, and they're all really on top of their game. Since these episodes will be eligible for the 2014 Emmys, I would not be surprised if all four of the adult family members and Aaron Paul were nominated. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are pretty much guaranteed nominees in my opinion, but Anna Gunn (Skyler), Betsy Brandt (Marie), and Dean Norris (Hank) are all stellar this year.
• Also a big shout out to Dave Porter's phenomenal musical score for the series. I forgot to mention last week how great I thought that music cue in the final scene was, and I loved how this episode started with a variation on a theme called "Disassemble" from the episode "Buyout," when Walt, Mike, and Todd are dissembling the dirt bike and disposing of Drew Sharp, and then the cue turned into something more sinister and intense when Walt was preparing to confront Jesse. Music is used sparingly in this show, but when the score kicks in, it's always extremely effective. I mean seriously, just listen to Crawl Space and tell me it's not an amazing fit for the end of the amazing episode of the same name.

Hello again readers! My name as you may or may not know is Chris Jester I have written a few articles here on Fanboys Anonymous before but this is the first article I will be writing on the Pokemon Trading Card Game!

For those of you who already know how to play the game, this is less for you and more for the people completely oblivious to the rules and its history. Still, I encourage you to read anyway, as I am sure there is something in there you will enjoy.

My backstory in regards to the Pokemon Trading Card Game

I started playing the Pokemon TCG pretty quickly after it came out when I was in about the 4th grade. A classmate of mine noticed I had a Charmeleon notebook and gave me a Base Set Charmander card. My interest was piqued and I had my parents buy me some of the cards. At school, some of the kids would trade cards at recess. An older kid convinced me to trade him one of my first holographic cards (a Victreebel from the Jungle set) in a somewhat lopsided deal. This unfortunately happened frequently to many kids, so after a number of complaints, the school banned Pokemon cards. One day I brought my binder anyway with all of my rare cards and my teacher took it away. I was upset and my parents had to go later and pick it up for me.

My interest in the cards kind of died down a bit, but that is because I always thought they were just for trading! I had no idea there was a game you played with them until I found out my local Toys R Us ran a Pokemon Trading Card Game league. They ran ads for it on TV and in the store since it was a pretty big deal. You could collect badges just like the characters in the show and could even challenge the league gym leader. That went on for a few months and I learned how to play the trading card game from kids there and our league leader. Once she became pregnant and couldn't run the league anymore, it closed down and I stopped playing shortly afterward.

I ended up playing Yu-Gi-Oh! for a couple years and getting really into that. I can thank Yu-Gi-Oh! for sharpening my skills into a competitive card player. I have played numerous strategy games since then and I think if I never got into Yu-Gi-Oh! I probably would have never gotten back into Pokemon. So I quit Yu-Gi-Oh! after a couple years because I grew tired of it.

I didn't do anything strategy game wise for a little while and one day I'm about 21 years old and I'm getting the urge to play Pokemon again. My plan is to just buy a couple theme decks and play with my sister...no big deal. I bought a Steelix/Umbreon deck and a Espeon/Bellossom deck. We played those two decks for weeks. I eventually realized we need more decks to play against and even though I assumed there were no more leagues and the game was dead, one Google search later and it turns out there's a league 20 minutes from my house! This is super exciting and we start going the following Monday. The person who runs the leagues name is Heidi Craig. I find out later her son Orion is a former US National Champion and her other son Eric has gotten top 2 at the World Championships so I guess I was learning from the right family. She helps us with some promo cards of some of the better cards that were legal at the time to help make our decks better because frankly, one of the big problems with people getting into Pokemon is the theme decks are terrible. They don't teach you how to build a tournament competitive deck, you have to almost figure that out on your own. Luckily, I had people at my league to help. One of the days at league I play a guy named Casey, he is playing his Dilagachomp deck, I ask for a game he rolls his eyes smiles and says sure and beats me in like three turns. This motivates me to start building better decks and not get rolled next time.

Why does all of this matter to you?

The reason I am telling you all of this is to show you how great and helpful the Pokemon Community can be to a new player getting into the game and if YOU choose to get into the Pokemon TCG you are surely to run into the same kinds of helpful people. If you want to find a league or tournament near you just go here. Shorten the criteria to what applies to you and check it out. Pokemon events are very friendly to everyone of all ages and I'm sure you will have a great experience no matter what. If you do show up to a league, make sure whatever cards you are playing are legal for the modified format. While you are allowed to play cards from whatever set you like at league, you can not for premier events. Most if not all of the people at the league will be playing modified decks and the game is designed for certain cards to be played with other cards that were out at the time in mind so that one card or combination isn't too overpowered. For example, a deck from today's format would probably dominate any deck from any older format just because the Pokemon have more hp and do more damage than any cards before them. Also if you want to eventually go to tournaments and be competitive (which should of course be your goal) then you need to have a modified legal deck and you need to practice it before hand. There really aren't very many negatives about showing up with at least something at your local league. They'll help you from there.

Finding a competitive deck that fits your play style

You may have been playing an edited theme deck for a bit now and you may think its playable, but tournaments are an entirely different animal. You want to make sure your deck can stand up to whatever tier 1 decks are being played at the time if you want to have a chance at being competitive. You can find out what decks are being played by talking to people at your league and stuff but as well as doing some research of your own. Sites like sixprizes.com, heytrainer.org, thetopcut.net, thedeckout.com and of course here on Fanboys Anonymous are all good resources to learn more about the meta game, get sample decklists, and thoughts from experiences players. You can also connect with alot of people on the forums for some of these sites and that can be great for two reasons. You can connect with new people forging new friendships, and you can make connections so you are a step ahead on that "secret deck" for the next big event. Going to your first event without knowing anyone could potentially be awkward but if you have already made friends online before hand you will have alot more people to hang out with at the tournament and alot more fun when you get there. My first nationals I met quite a few people I had talked to online for the past year and it made the experience alot better. Oh also my friend Justin Sanchez won the National Championships that year as well. Can you imagine the excitement one would feel when you all play this game at such a high level and then a friend wins the US National Championships?! It's an un-real feeling and I was super happy for him. That is a feeling I would have never got to feel if I hadn't started playing this great game.

PTCGO

The Pokemon Trading Card Game Online, or PTCGO for short. Is the best way to play the Pokemon Trading Card Game aside from actually playing with friends in person. The way it works is very simple. You make a Pokemon Trainer Club Account, which you will need if you want to go to league or play in tournaments anyway. The account is free and takes ten minutes to make tops. Then you download PTCGO onto your computer. When it is finished you use your trainer club info to login and are given a starter deck to begin with. Here is where the cool part comes in. Every time you buy a product in real life, whether it is a theme deck or a booster pack it comes with a code for that product on the Online Game. If it's a booster pack you get a pack of the same type as the one you bought with different cards for the online game but nonetheless its two packs for the price of one! So every time you buy a pack of cards for your real life collection you get a pack for your online connection. This is a great way to play Pokemon with those friends you met online through the forums or if you don't have time to meet up with friends in person you can play over PTCGO. It's a really useful tool and it looks great. It also let's you practice the Pokemon Trading Card Game in your free time which is useful as you will need to budget how much time you have for play testing for big events. PTCGO lets things happen on your schedule in case you can't always make it to league or what have you. You can also earn promos for the Online Game from your league as well as earn additional cards and decks by playing through the game's single player mode. There are a ton of things you can do with PTCGO. Soon they are going to implement tournaments. It's definitely the band wagon you want to be jumping on right now.

Some new changes this year

Some big changes were made to the Pokemon Trading Card Game Tournament structure this year and I am going to go over them for you since you are new and may not understand what some of this means.

1) League Challenges: For those of you who did not play before this season this isn't too important but it is in a way. Before this season the entry level premier events were called Battle Roads. They still mattered to the competitive player because championship points were on the line, championship points are what every player needs to compete in the World Championships, if you hit 400 by the end of Nationals you are invited back to the World Championships. League Challenges will still have championship points but they are replacing Battle Roads, the difference is they will be held at League Locations Nationwide. Active Pokemon Leagues with a Tournament Organizer on Staff will be given the option to run a League Challenge at the end of each league season. League Challenges feature Swiss rounds and no top cut. It is up to the tournament organizer if they want to run single game Swiss rounds or best 2 out of 3. The main reason for doing this I believe is to draw more people into the local leagues to play and get more people interested in Competitive play so if you see one of these in your area. Check them out! You can find out where a league challenge near you is by using that link I provided earlier on in the article.

2) Swiss Match Play and Single Elimination Changes: For this next season of Pokemon and for every season following it for the foreseeable future States, Regional, National, and the World Championships will have Best 2/3 Swiss rounds with a 50 minute time limit. Also due to the changes in Swiss rounds all events will have a Top 8 cutoff. Larger premier events will have a two day split. Players who make it into the second day of play will play additional Swiss rounds the following day to determine if they make the top 8 cut.

3) Tournament Entry Fees: Beginning this season as well Entry Fees will be implemented to any player in the Masters division. Masters division players are 15 and above. Fees will be determined by the tournament organizer running the event and will be posted with enough time prior to the event for the attendees to prepare. All entry fees go to prizes for the tournament and travel rewards later on so don't worry this is a very good thing! Younger players will not have to pay entry fees but will most likely not be open to the same prize payouts.

4) Travel Stipends: Those Championship Points I mentioned earlier? Yeah they are good for more than just an invite to Worlds this year. Finishers in the top 100 of Championship Points after Spring Regionals will be given travel stipends for their trips to Worlds. Payouts are as follows.

1st–16th: Travel Award and a $300 Travel Stipend
17th–30th: $750 Travel Stipend
31st–60th: $500 Travel Stipend
61st–100th: $300 Travel Stipend

These are all very exciting changes for those of us currently playing and has sparked some more fire under alot of the players I know as well. Of course not everyone is happy by the decisions naturally but the majority seem to be and as the saying goes you can't please everyone. This is definetly a very exciting time to get into the Pokemon TCG and I encourage everyone to do so!

But how do I play?

I've given you loads of information about the competitive scene of Pokemon but you still don't know how to play do you? No worries I'll give you the basic rundown and then you can start practicing on PTCGO, they have loads of tutorials and you should pick the game up pretty quickly after that. A game of Pokemon starts with each player drawing 7 cards from their 60 card deck. Then you look through your hand and check to see if you have a basic Pokemon. It will say Basic in the top left corner. If you do place it face down on the field this is your active Pokemon. Your opponent will do the same. If you don't you show your hand to your opponent and shuffle it back into your deck. You repeat this process until you have a basic Pokemon to

place on the field. Then he or she gets to draw a card for each mulligan you had but only after you lay out prize cards. Which is the next thing you do. After choosing your active Pokemon you and your opponent lay down six prize cards, these represent the six Pokemon you carry with you in the video games. When you take six prize cards you win the game. So to recap you draw 7 cards, each of you chooses an active Pokemon, you each place six prize cards, you then resolve all mulligans, and then bench any other basic Pokemon onto the "bench" that you wish. Each Pokemon that gets knocked out gives up one prize card. Unless they are a special powerful kind of Pokemon called a Pokemon EX that gives up two prizes. A game of Pokemon ends when one of three conditions are met.

1.) You take all your prize cards.

2.) You knock out all of your opponents Pokemon on the field.

3.) Your opponent can't draw a card to start their turn. This means they have "decked out"

What's a basic Pokemon?

Conclusion

I would like to thank each and every person who has taken the time to read my backstory and my experiences in the Pokemon Trading Card game as well as all of the information at hand here for how YOU can get into this great game. I urge anyone who has never played the game to at least give it a chance! Make a Pokemon Trainer Club account download the game and play it for a bit. It can be really addictive and you can meet alot of great people if you take the next step to go out to events and meet people. Sign up for forums, follow my articles here as I will have tons more Pokemon TCG related stuff for you guys and if you have any questions please leave a comment below or tweet at me @chrisjester89. Please like the article and share it with your friends and check out all of the other great articles we have here on the site. There is something for everyone. Also if you ever wanna play a game on PTCGO with me again tweet at me. I'm always up for a game of Pokemon. Thanks again for reading!

More proof in which Mega Man is "Mega Dead."

As a fan of Mega Man, I have to say I am just as angry as most fans of the Blue Bomber who feel in which Capcom has completely abandoned a gaming icon in favor of "survival-horror" and non-stop updates to popular arcade-style fighting games. Fans have been begging and pleading with Capcom to revive Mega Man and bring him back to his former glory. Apart from licensing the character to appear in Nintendo's upcoming entry in the Super Smash Brothers franchise, they have no intention in doing so.

With this in mind, I give you Mighty No. 9!



Courtesy of Comcept

The announcement of this game was made by Keiji Inafune during PAX this weekend and the Kickstarter page is currently active.

According to Kickstarter, "You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk. Run, jump, blast, and transform your way through six stages (or more, via stretch goals). You can tackle in any order you choose, using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and confront the final evil that threatens the planet!"



Courtesy of Comcept

Inafune and his team at Comcept (see what they did there?) are asking for $900,000 for a PC release and the game is slated to come out Spring of 2015. Of course, what is a Kickstarter campaign without stretch goals?

If they raise $1.35 million, the game will be ported to Mac and Linux. However, if they receive $2.5 million in pledges, then the game will be ported to PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.

Just to give you all an idea of what we can expect, here is a promotional video about Mighty No. 9:


Pledges will be accepted until Oct. 1. What do you say, kids? Can we do it?!

UPDATE: As of Sept. 2, 11:18 a.m. Eastern Time, No. 9 has been fully funded. In less than forty-eight hours from the announcement from PAX this past weekend, the Mega Man spiritual successor has reached its goal for a Spring 2015 release on PC and is still climbing.



Screen capture courtesy of Travis Goss

UPDATE 2: As of 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the Kickstarter reached just over $1,000,000. The story will constantly have updates as they develop.

Screen capture courtesy of Travis Goss

UPDATE 3: As of Sept. 3 at 5:42 p.m. Eastern Time, Mac and Linux users will have an opportunity to play the game. With just over $1 million to go which would make No. 9 available to consoles, the pledges are coming in quickly.


Screen capture courtesy of Travis Goss

UPDAATE 4: According to a recent article on Joystiq, Inafune has dropped the stretch goals by $300,000. With this said, it appears it will be a little easier for No. 9 to reach consoles quicker.

did you heer the nooz? LOL

Kathleen Turner has officially joined the much-anticipated by some sequel "Dumb & Dumber To". She turned a comedy performance on "Friends" as Chandler Bing's father and I think we all remember her from Roger Rabbit (as the voice we muted while watching that first showgirl scene over and over).

Jessica Rabbit has aged.

Many are a little wary of this upcoming follow-up to the popular antics of Harry and Lloyd but most agree that's because they had no idea that "When Harry Met Lloyd" (the first, ill-conceived prequel) was not produced by the Farrelly Brothers in any way, shape or form. After years of back-and-forth with Jim Carrey and a quick "yeah I'd love to" from Jeff Daniels, the film sounds like it's going to be up to the snuff of the original.

Personal history with the film: when part one came out I was oblivious to movies at the time (1994) as I was engulfed in school events (because I was just soooo popular). My friend and I who usually go see a movie a week at the time, dragged me to this "new comedy film of some kind with that guy from In Living Color". The point being, I knew nothing about the movie going in and that's maybe happened two times in my life. I have a big soft spot in my heart for part one because that night, in a packed house, I laughed my ass off. When Harry threw that snowball in Mary Swanson's face, I almost threw up I was laughing so hard.

I can't wait for part two to come out but will keep my expectations in check, I mean, it's supposed to be dumb, right? Hopefully it is.

Big gulps, huh?…….well!……..seeya later!

What up F.A.N.!!! The Dace Man here with the new single from the White boy from Detroit Eminem. Release on iTunes on August 27th Eminem has hit the airwaves again with his first single off the highly anticipated Marshall Manthers LP 2 album set to hit stores in the upcoming future. The rapper taps in to old school hip/hop rap by sampling The Beastie Boys' Fight for Your Right and going old school rock by sampling Billy Squier's 1981 hit The Stroke . Taking jabs at some of the top tabloid icons these days and paying respect to the history of Hip/Hop and Rap. This new single is fresh on the market and I can tell you this FanBoy has listened to the song at least a hundred times from the Tuesday release to the writing of this article. In fact....I'm listening to it right now. So here's Eminem's newest single, sound off on what you think. In the year of returning stars does Marshall Mathers still have it and will the other tracks on the album live up to this first release?

Hey Hey Hey F.A.N.!! Chris "The Dace Man" Dace here telling you to book your memorial day weekend for 2015 to be at the Moives. Just announced the beloved gaming franchise Assassins Creed will be making it's big screen debut with lead actor Michael Fassbender. As of the 25th Scott Frank was brought on to re-write the movie. He’s penned the movies Get Shorty, Minority Report and Flight of the Phoenix. With Fassbender being the front runner and currently rumored Desmond, fan boys around the world rejoice for the movie looks like its coming as reported by many of our geeky news outlets. Assasin Creed follows the blood line of a main character that puts him in the situational past of his ancestors allowing the gamer to play through revolutions, medieval times and soon the open sea. So one has to ask....Will the game transition well to the big screen? Will we get another Resident Evil Movie Franchise? Will the series go as far as the games? And lastly when the hell are they going to bring back Crash Bandicoot?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no not just porn) as well as all other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. So for The Few, The Proud, and of course The Dacetacular, grab a beer—or hidden knife, and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

As I'm sitting here watching a video made by a very good friend and fellow writer, I am in nothing but agreement with him about Anita Sarkeesian. Now, this woman is the epitome of feminism. She has made a video, here:

She talks about how women are misrepresented in video games and that there is an extreme sexist view of both women and gaming in general. Now, I agree that in some video games women are made out to be a very sexually oriented, or very ill willed, lower character. For example Dead or Alive, Rumble Roses, and many Japanese based games, but not all games put women in such light.

Some such examples as Portal 2, Metroid, Mirror's Edge, and Claire from Resident Evil 2 who was just a normal college student who also loved motorcycles and also drops everything when her brother, an elite soldier trained for combat, goes missing, she was quick to jump into action to locate him, despite having no formal training.

Faith Connors from Mirror's Edge

She also goes on to state that women, or girls, are at most time the target of most online "cyber mobs". Now, in my personal experience as a female gamer, I have been the target of online bullying and misogynist comments via online multiplayer gaming. Maybe at first it was extremely hurtful, and alarming, but I grew up. I realized that I gamed because I loved it. I gamed because I loved that I had a passion that would stick with me for life, and by realizing that fact, I've earned the respect of my fellow gamers for being a female gamer, and playing because I love it. Not because I have something to prove. Anita, on the other hand, has painted women as damsels in distress and it sickens me, because I am not one of them. I know many women who game, and have so much respect in the industry and among their peers that they don't have nasty things said about them, and I know real women who can outplay most men in what she calls a "Male dominated space". Granted, more men do play video games, but from the trends I have seen over the years, women are becoming more outspoken and aware of gaming that eventually these sexist views won't even exist.

So, to end my little rant and pet peeve of ignorance, I'm going to say this (with help from a friend): I play because I love it I play because I'm good at it. I do not play because I'm a woman, but I play because I am a gamer. I see no gender, no colour, I just see something that is fun and that is my life's passion.

Gaming journalism and pop culture criticism have become commonplace in this day and age with the plethora of YouTube critics, blogs and internet articles such as this one. However, there are differences. Most gaming critics such as James Rolf (Angry Video Game Nerd) and Doug Walker (Nostalgia Critic) who give criticism with a more entertaining format still manage to research their core subjects.

Anita Sarkeesian, the individual behind the Damsel in Distress videos, was backed with a whopping $150,000 dollars to produce these videos and merely half-assed her job. Stealing footage from other YouTube videos and depending upon Wikipedia research, she waffles on about her own beliefs. Anita uses feminine buzzwords in order put her point of view across and edits these videos for an overt emphasis on women being used as tools for men.

"In Damsel in Distress Part 2 Anita suggest that The Damsel in Distress is not just a synonym for weak, instead it works by ripping away the power from the female characters even helpful or seemingly capable ones, no matter what we're told about their magical abilities skills or strengths they're still ultimately capture or otherwise incapacitated and then must wait for rescue"

"Distilled down to it's essence the plot device works by trading the disempowerment of female characters for the empowerment of male characters"

Anita tends to look at these trends in a way to identify gaming as a male dominated world and that women are only a piece of the puzzle. She refers to her opinions as fact instead of actually identifying the whole game including characters, story and premise, Anita even attempts to identify Zelda as a damsel in distress while Link is given power. In a sense, she grasps at straws, demystifying characters in an attempt to get herself noticed and become more of an internet celebrity than she already is.



Anita then attempts to bring more fame to her own cause by going on CNN, depicting herself AS the damsel, stating that she has been targeted by male gamers who don't want women in gaming. In hindsight, Anita is everything that is wrong with today's society. She uses feminism and gaming in order to feed her own ego and increase her fan base by identifying women as damsels in distress. The worst part? She has amassed $150,000 dollars by attempting to identify male gamers as villains that trivialize women and exploit them in gaming. This creates a problem, as its women like Anita who are attempting to destroy gaming as a whole and use it as a way to strengthen her own cause and create a business portfolio and expand her own resume whilst holding the flag of feminism up high so that she has a built in audience.

The following video is my rebuttal on Anita's point of view in order to put across the male perspective and the fact that discrimination based on gender is happening on both sides. Men are suffering by having their children taken away and having mothers deemed as carers whilst the male paradigm is considered the aggressor.


As always guys leave your comments and let me know what you think of all of this and make sure you check out this weeks episode of I Got Gameplay live at 8pm exclusively on Mega Powers Radio!

Many of us here at FBA also double as wrestling marks, myself not the least of which. So for my Wipeout of the Week this week I dug into the wrestling archives to find one of the most hilarious spills I could.

YES!!! Defying the laws of physics is no odd thing for wrestlers. But I've never seen someone ignore gravity in such a manner. The pain that this poor man must have felt. What did his face look like after the slide? Heck, what did his face look like DURING the slide??

Also... MIDGETS!!! THEY'RE MIDGETS!!!

Actor James Spader will be portraying Ultron in the upcoming Avengers sequel The Avengers: Age of Ultron coming to theatres May 1, 2015.

Spader, who has starred in various roles over the years including Boston Legal and Stargate is typically a comedic performer (though he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Lincoln last year) who just happens to be a friend of Robert Downey Jr's.

Needless to say, it's expected that he will be voicing the character more so than being the physical representation.

Curiosity speaks to one factor about that, though: if the rumors and speculation all ends up being true, that J.A.R.V.I.S. is the source of Ultron for this film, why is Paul Bettany not voicing Ultron?

What do you think of this casting choice? Are you more excited about the film or more worried now?

Check out episode 10 of The Dace Man Show with regulars Mike Paden Michael Burhan and Brian Gibson! Also call-in guests The insatiable Nikki Mills, The charismatic first timer Ashley Kotter, and a Troll!

Join The Dace Man and Crew this week as they tackles:

Sports News:

• Matt Harvey of the New York Mets goes down with an elbow tear.
• Tim Tebow is trying out for Tom Brady's spot on The New England Patriots.
• Philadelphia Eagles Security train to take down the deadly STREAKER!
• GOLF
• Brian Wilson's Beard is safe....breathe a sigh of relief.

Weird News with Gibby

Celeb News:

• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers turn 20 yrs old....let that sink in
• Lamar Odom runs away from The Ugly Kardashian
• Brian Cranston rumored for Lex Luther and BatFleck
• The VMA's....introduce a little anarchy....

Also the fan favorite segments The High Five presented by Michael Burhan and The Douchebag of the Week


Step into the Crazy Train with Chris "The Dace Man" Dace this week on The Dace Man show....queue the Final Countdown!!!

Check out The Dace Man Show live every Wednesday at 8pm EST on Mega Powers Radio. As well as all archived episodes!

Along with everything else Nintendo has pulled out of their sleeve this past month, they've also decided to announce something many Nintendo fans have been waiting for; release dates.

Nintendo has confirmed the release date for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Mario Party: Island Tour, two highly anticipated games for the Nintendo 3DS. With very two popular titles at hand, Nintendo has gotten nothing more than praise this past month,including the feedback on the announcement of the price drop for the Wii U bundle and the announcement of the 2DS.

Announced in November of 2011 by Eiji Aonuma, and revealed in April of 2013, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Betwwen Worlds is a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, and is set in the same world, featuring new gameplay, new dungeons, a new storyline, but still the same amazing adventure and experience. It's been confirmed that it will not be a direct sequel to any of the Zelda games for the Nintendo DS, and will take place centuries after A Link to the Past. It's said to take place in Hyrule and in another world, not yet released.



Mario Party: Island Tour basically has the same wacky, competitive and enraging setup with the traditional multiplayer gameplay, featuring the same playable characters such are Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, and so on, with 81 confirmed mini-games, new gameboards, and new features added to each board including new options for spaces, new gameboard tactics, etc. Not much new is to be said about this new game, but it will still bring exciting entertainment for all ages.



These two games are to hit stores on November 22nd, for 39.99 each. Other third-party titles are also to be released this fall such as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril, Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate, and Sonic Lost World.

My name's Nikki Mills, and I am a Fangirl.

With the recent announcements of upcoming games for both the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS, the Big N dropped a few interesting bombshells onto the gaming community. Personally, I am simply awestruck after reading the Nintendo press release.

All comments I have will be detailed toward the end.

Let us start with the announcement of the 2DS. The latest handheld will play both 3DS and DS games in strikingly amazing 2D; hence the name of the announced handheld. The 2DS will have the same functions as the current 3DS and 3DS XL units, including wireless connectivity and access to the Nintendo eShop. The unit will retail for $129.99 on Oct. 12, the same day Pokémon X and Pokémon Y drop.



Courtesy of Nintendo

However, the biggest announcement is Nintendo will drop the price of the Wii U Deluxe down to $299.99 starting Sept. 20.

According to the press release, "The new price makes Wii U an even greater value, particularly with the strong lineup of Wii U games available and on the way for the system in 2013."

In addition to this announcement, there will be a limited edition The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Wii U bundle with the new system price.

Courtesy of Nintendo

As noted in the press release, "The bundle includes a black Deluxe Wii U console; a GamePad controller adorned with gold lettering, a gold Hyrule crest and gold symbols from the game; a download code for the digital version of Hyrule Historia, a book that details the chronology, history and artwork of The Legend of Zelda series; and a code that can be used to download The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD from the Nintendo eShop immediately at no additional cost."

You can read the full press release right here.

I fully support everything Nintendo is attempting to do to get more systems into more households; including the Wii U. A price drop is much needed and even though Iwata will not come out and say it, the system is not selling because of the price point and the lack of games. Check out The Dace Man's article showcasing the upcoming gaming releases. This would explain why Wii U Basic systems were "recalled" by Nintendo earlier this year.

As for the 2DS, this has to be a very interesting idea. As you can see, the system will not fold in half just like the 3DS and DS systems. However, why would anyone want to play 3D games on a two-dimensional system? Could this mean Nintendo may be shifting its focus away from 3D games for good?

My biggest concern is how this might confuse consumers. Give the following some thought: say you go to a very major video gaming conglomerate where you get crummy deals with trade-in games and purchase "new" games where the wrapping has been removed and is passed off as new. In this store, someone walks in and sees Nintendo's new handheld, the 2DS. The person gets incredibly excited, goes up to the con artist store clerk and says, "I would like to by a 2DS. Tell me what games this thing plays."

Mr. Big The store clerk replies, "Oh, it plays 3DS games and regular DS games, too."

So, a system which plays 3DS games which were developed for a 3D system can only be played in two-dimensions. I will laugh my backside off if I ever hear someone ask in one of these places if they sell 2DS games.

But, I do understand there are some gamers who prefer playing the games in 2D because either they have sight issues or it may cause some to have seizures. However, the name of the system is weird considering the DS was a two-dimensional system. On the bright side, it is a very nice price. This would definitely boost more sales for 3DS games. With the 2DS being released with a very attractive price could give Nintendo a further edge in the handheld market and give them a bigger boost in sales; which helped the company out when the 3DS first launched to less than exciting sales figures and had to announce a price drop six months after its initial debut.

The announcements for both systems tells me Nintendo is playing a strange game. I support price drops because it will help them get more units into consumers' homes and hands. But, the "Nintendo 2DS?" Really? There was not a different name they could have chosen? And, they are NOW announcing a price drop for the Wii U Deluxe? Apparently, they should have had just one SKU and had it available at $299.99 from the beginning.

Tell me what you think. Do you think Nintendo is starting to lose their minds or are they trying to be clever?

Hey Hey Hey There F.A.N (Fanboys Anonymous Nation, got tired of typing it out so this will be the last time.). Chris "The Dace Man Dace" here with some Nintendo news! So I don't know if you own a Wii U like me but  I have ran into an issue where there really sin't shit out for the console...I have a total of 3 games for a $300 system. Useless right? Well Nintendo has confirmed, and in some instances, reconfirmed the release dates for some games between now and the end of the year. So her'es the run down for all you Fanboys out there stuck with an expensive paper weight...at least mine came in a slick black..

• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - September 20 (Digital)
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - October 4 (Physical)
• Wii Party U - October 25 (with Wii Remote Plus for $49.99)
• Super Mario 3D World - November 22 ($59.99)
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - December 6 ($49.99)
• Wii Fit U - Holiday 2013
• Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games - Holiday 2013
• Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure - September 24
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - Fall
• Skylanders SWAP Force - October 13
• Call of Duty: Ghosts - November 5
• Sonic Lost World - October 22
• Rayman Legends - September 3
• Just Dance 2014 - October 8
• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag - October 29
• Watch Dogs - November 19

So I don't know about you F.A.N. but I'm looking forward to a few of these games....ok probably just Donkey Kong, Sonic and Rayman.... because lets face it the cross platform releases are so much better on the Playstation and X-box consoles. So there you have it. Games to look forward to in the near future until they finally release the new Smash Brothers.

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no not just porn) as well as all other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. So for The Few, The Proud, and of course The Dacetacular, grab a beer—or a Wii U Pad, and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.

MOVIES

Joss Whedon spoke on what he dislikes about The Empire Strikes Back, saying: "Empire committed the cardinal sin of not actually ending, which at the time I was appalled by and I still think it was a terrible idea." He claims he wants a full experience with an actual end and not something that feels like it's telling you to "come back next week, or in three years".

My take: Makes sense, and it's tough to argue against it. While cliffhanger endings do serve a good purpose, people shouldn't do them without making the film feel like it has a true ending on top of it. Look at what they're able to do now with post-credit or mid-credit teasers. It's the same effect, but after the film has already completed.

Daniel Mindel, the cinematographer for Star Trek, will team back up with J.J. Abrams for Star Wars: Episode VII.

My take: Here come the lens flare jokes. Hopefully, they don't actually do that. They need to keep that in Star Trek. This is good, though, as Mindel has proven himself with the Star Trek films to understand how to go for a realistic look rather than an abundantly obvious CGI-effect like the prequel trilogy ended up having at times.

The fifth Pirates of the Caribbean will be titled "Dead Men Tell No Tales".

My take: I'm on the fence....not bad....kind of bland.

A new X-Files film, a Spawn reboot, and a new Scooby Doo movie in the works?

My take: I won't be seeing them, but if you are interested, what are your thoughts?.

VIDEO GAMES

The Final Fantasy XIV early access period was plagued by congestion issues, making gameplay extremely difficult if not impossible.

My take: Fanboy Sean Mitchell dealt with this firsthand and was justifiably frustrated.

Fanboy Zach Roth stumbled upon SaltyBet.com, a website that lets you bet virtual money on live video game situations (primarily fighting contests and competitive games).

My take: Fanboy Sean Mitchell dealt with this firsthand and was justifiably frustrated.

Nintendo has a new battery for the Wii U which boasts a 5-8 hour use time.

My take: Every improvement that Nintendo can make, and any other company for that matter, is for the better.

Microsoft has switched the Microsoft Points concept into real currency for Xbox Live.

My take: Sounds good to me.

TELEVISION

NewMediaMetrics has a new study predicting which TV shows that are new will end up being a sure-success, based on their Emotional Attachment algorithms (blah blah blah). They've identified The Crazy Ones, The Michael J. Fox Show, Sleepy Hollow, Ironside, Hostages, Almost Human, The Blacklist, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and Reign.

My take: Very interesting. I love reading things like this and trying to predict them myself.

Rambo TV series, coming soon and not starring Sylvester Stallone?

My take: Hey, why not give it a shot? Rambo could work as a TV series, particularly on something like NBC, and you'd need to recast a younger actor in the role. Stallone can work on it as an executive producer or something.

COMIC BOOKS

The new Cyborg Superman is no longer Hank Henshaw. Instead, he's Kara Zor-El's father and will be a Supergirl villain, primarily.

My take: Stupid. Supergirl needs to stop being crammed down everyone's throats just like Cyborg is, and there are too many Superman spinoff characters. Why can't Supergirl fight with her father and have him not be Cyborg Superman, also? Poor Hank Henshaw.

HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES

Hugh Jackman, after wrapping production on X-Men: Days of Future Past, donated $10,000 on behalf of the cast and crew to the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation, then treated everyone to a screening of The Butler as well as a bunch of TA Pies (a local Montreal pie shop).

My take: Jackman continues to prove that he's a nice guy. It's always great to see a celebrity use their fame and fortune to help others.

CYBERCULTURE

YouTube sensation "Fred" has come out and stated that he's gay.

My take: Congrats. I think his character is stupid and his videos are dumb, but that's good to hear that he felt comfortable enough to say that. That's who he is (rather than him actually being a high-pitched spaz) and he should be able to live his life the way he chooses.

Put in place to support industrious small development teams and secure console-exclusives, OUYA's Free the Games fund is a great opportunity just waiting to be seized. All a game developer has to do is create a Kickstarter branded with #FreeTheGames, secure at least $50,000 in funding, and OUYA will double the earnings in exchange for six months of exclusivity. Most attempts have fizzled out before the 20% mark, but recently two Kickstarters, Gridiron Thunder and Elementary My Dear Holmes, hit their funding goals-- and hit them fast. Once independent investigators started following the money, however, things just weren't adding up.

A concept screen from Gridiron Thunder

So we waited, both for mainstream gaming journalism outlets to expose the shady Kickstarters and for OUYA themselves to decide whether they would double the funding of these spurious developers. In a barebones announcement, Joystiq didn't acknowledge the funny figures. And OUYA's response was clear:

"Supportive community."

One Joystiq user decided to take the investigative journalism into his own hands.

Some people really want to pay over $4,000 for a free to play game that isn't Madden.

And what does user louiedog mean, exactly? As of the time this article was written, Gridiron Thunder's Kickstarter has raised $78,000 from 127 backers. However, if we add up the number of backers purchasing tier rewards, even the nine backers at the $300 level, the single backer at $500, we see that 110 backers raised just $5,068. This of course leaves 17 mystery backers having contributed about $72,000-- a cool $4,235 per head. For a free to play football game on a console that still hasn't gotten out all of its own tier rewards to its backers.

MogoTXT, the team behind Gridiron Thunder have included a lengthy combined resume that includes ports of the Sam & Max adventure games and an... 'adult' feature. It's absolutely likely that they already had enough money and simply backed their own Kickstarter to claim what is essentially free money from OUYA. But the people behind the self-proclaimed "console-killer" seem less than concerned-- loathe to investigate this despite the clear evidence.

What's worse, the second sham Kickstarter that hopes to help free the games executes its subterfuge even more poorly. With 710 backers, Elementary My Dear Holmes' Kickstarter reached its $50,000 goal. While this initially seems more legitimate than Gridiron Thunder, a quick perusal of their list of backers reveals dozens upon dozens of clearly fraudulent backers. It appears Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, the Mona Lisa, and the city of Adelaide all backed this prestigious Ouya title.

Also among the backers are a number of celebrities such as Iron Chef Cat Cora, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and, most heinously, a woman who has been reported as missing since 2011.

I wish I was making the last part up.

Potentially, Elementary My Dear Holmes are doing exactly what Gridiron Thunder did: backing their own Kickstarter to secure Free the Games money, only with smaller parcels of money and a remarkably pronounced lack of effort and scruples. Surely, Ouya will at least investigate this Kickstarter, with its hundreds of obviously fake accounts?

It's not clear who is most at fault here: the game developers who perpetrated the scams and are claiming money more legitimate efforts desperately need, or Ouya, who are in essence allowing themselves to get scammed by two incredibly transparent schemes. But, this is the same company who are forced to backpedal on a regular basis, be it an ill-advised commercial or any of their various Twitter gaffes. The same company who secured over 8 times their own Kickstarter funding goal, who still required $15 million more, who still haven't gotten all of their backer rewards out, and who are now giving away over $100,000 to a couple of scams. Either way, gamers lose.

Hey Hey Hey Fanboy Anonymous Nation!!!  It is the mechageek known as Chris "The Dace Man" Dace here with another article and hopefully a new reoccurring feature spotlighting a YouTube sensation each week. To kick of the inaugural YouTube spotlight I travel up the NJ Turnpike to find a young aspiring voice actress Anna Brisbin or as many of us among the geeky internet community know her as BrizzyVoices.  This beautiful young YouTuber has over 360,000 subscribers and well over 25 million views for her videos. Her videos span from impressions of The Simpsons to South Park and to my personal favorite Pokemon. On top of her fantastic impressions she has a quirky Vlog where she express her opinions and shows off some of the enat stuff she owns and does in her spare time. Handling two channels on YouTube, Brizzy Voices and BrizzyVlogs, the young actress from New York, New York has taken the Internet by storm. Here's looking to a future where I'm watching Saturday Morning Cartoons and her name scrolls by on the credits as a voice actor. So this wraps up our first YouTube Spot light so make sure all you nerds out there to enjoy the clip and do the following:


Follow her on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brizzyvoices
Like her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brizzyv
Do whatever you do on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/brizzygrams
Catch her Voice Impressions: http://www.youtube.com/brizzyvoices
And make sure you catch her Vlogs:  http://www.youtube.com/brizzyvlogs

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no not just porn) as well as all other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. So for The Few, The Proud, and of course The Dacetacular, grab a beer—a seat in front of your computer, and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

While you're at it....Follow me on Twitter : https://twitter.com/TheDaceMan

I am sure by now, some of you have watched this year's MTV Video Music Awards and witnessed one of the craziest, most disturbing things to happen in the channel's 32-year history: Justin Timberlake winning the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw it happen.

Yeah, you know I am full of crap.

Obviously, I am referring to the infamous performance by the former Hannah Montana actress, Miley Cyrus. During her stage presence with Robin Thicke, Cyrus (who was scantly clad to begin with) stripped down to what appears to be a gold-colored bikini and performs dance moves which were good enough to be performed in a gentlemen's club.



"I wonder what he's packin'" said a curious Miley.

Many people have taken to the Internet and social media to exclaim their disdain over her performance; saying things like it was "too much for a family-friendly show." After reading such a thing, I immediately asked myself, "When has the VMA's ever been family-friendly?"

I think what has gotten everyone's knickers in a twist (no pun intended) is the fact in which many of Cyrus's fans were blind-sided by her coming out on stage and looking like a stripper. Gone are the days of the little girl who wanted to be a pop star and had her country star father, Billy Ray, help her get into the industry and become one of Disney Channel's most popular television stars ever. The little girl grew up to be a woman. And, she made the fact publicly known.

This article was not written to defend what Cyrus did. The point I want to make is how viewers were shocked by what they have seen and deeming it not "family-friendly." Throughout VMA history, MTV has always done something to capture our attention. While we could not believe what we have watched on television, we should keep this in mind: the executives approved it.

If you would like to see proof on how "shocking" the VMA's have been through the years, then please allow me to show you some classic moments. Afterward, you can see for yourself why Cyrus's performance does not shock me at all.

First up, Madonna performing "Like A Virgin" at the 1984 VMA's.



Next up, the late Michael Jackson kissing Lisa Marie Presley at the 1993 VMA's.



How about the time when Madonna kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 VMA's?



And, who can forget this from the 1991 VMA's? Fresh from his indecent exposure charge, it's Pee-Wee Herman!



MTV has always pushed the entertainment boundaries and this will never stop. The media works like this: if you can capture the viewer's attention with images which are either pleasant or distasteful, then they have succeeded. It is like how the old saying goes, "There is no such thing as bad publicity." And, Cyrus's performance definitely exemplifies just that. It does not matter what anyone thinks. If she has you and the media (and new media) talking, then she has got you; and, she got a lot of us.

So, for anyone who felt this past Sunday's performance shocking, you need to look at the examples I have presented with another glance. MTV will always be there to surprise its viewers and has no intentions on stopping anytime soon. My advice? If you have children who are under the age of 13, they should not be watching this stuff. But, they will whether you tell them or not.

But, here is one more thing to look at to help drill in my point.



Cyrus and Thicke performing "Blurred Lines" at the VMA's.

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In this episode of Rose Colored Reviews, I discuss why we all should give Ben Affleck a chance when he dons the Bat Suit for the new Batman vs. Superman movie coming to cinemas in 2015. I also talk about the four Batman movies I grew up with: Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman and Robin (1997).

I also get a little "angry" in the video.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment