Fanboys Anonymous

I promised in my first post to talk about games that were easy to learn, teach, and play. This selection is mostly meant for the gamer who hasn't done board gaming, or for the geek who wants to let his friends sample the hobby. Even if you're more deep into the hobby, there's a lot to enjoy from this selection, and you might find some good filler to play between your meatier selections. So no matter who are, if you've got some friends, some snacks, and maybe some beers, you'll find something compelling.

For this post, I've also included prices, primarily because a lot of the people I encounter aren't familiar with the price of gaming. I'd suggest using Amazon.com for purchasing, which is what I do, as they're the cheapest there are often come with free shipping. I also frequent a FLGS (or Friendly Local Game Store to the uninitiated) when I want a game right-now-right-away, but they're always more expensive.

1. King of Tokyo

All ready to wallop somebody.

I'd also like to heartily recommend the expansion, King of Tokyo: Power Up! It is the best example of what an expansion should be, mostly because it's cheap, and also because it adds a lot of options to the game while adding almost no rules at all. It introduces some new special abilities, called Evolutions, which give each monster its own flavor, which is something I feel was missing from the base game. Expect to shell out about $30 for the base game, $15 for the expansion, and be playing a single game for up to—but usually less than—45 minutes. Great with four or five players, but it slows down if you add a sixth, and is fairly boring with only two.

2. 7 Wonders

I "wonder" how they fit the rest of it on the table.

Another short and sweet game is 7 Wonders, this time a card game rather than a dice game. You're given a board featuring one
of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, and you play your cards for resources, points, science, and military might, utilizing your wonder's unique ability while trying to complete it. The catch to the game is that each turn you pass your hand of unplayed cards to another player, so the cards you have in one turn aren't the cards you'll have to choose from in the next turn. It keeps you guessing, and good players quickly learn to get rid of the cards their opponents need. Admittedly, some of the mechanics are a little hard to grasp during your first game, but the second game always runs more smoothly. The other great thing about 7 Wonders is that the game plays exactly the same with three players as it does with seven, making it ideal for either a large or small group. It has a play time of 45 minutes once you're familiar with the game, and I find it usually takes an hour to play the first time around. Expect to pay about $35 for this title.

3. San Juan

Great game with such a boring box.

Building up San Juan during the colonial period sounds boring, but I guarantee you that it is not. Each turn sees players choosing a role, such as "builder" or "carpenter" from a small selection, and then playing or gaining cards. Each card is a useful building that may give you a new ability, but each card is also the game's currency: to play one you need to discard other cards from your hand. It makes each decision an important one, because you need to prioritize what needs to go to the table and what needs to get discarded. Furthermore, you can only perform the actions that you and the other players choose. If you really want to play cards, you'll need to choose the appropriate role, but doing so may help the other players too much. In order to get ahead in San Juan, you'll need to anticipate what other players are doing and plan your role choice accordingly.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that there is a much more refined version of this game, called Race for the Galaxy. I chose to mention San Juan first because Race is a much harder game to learn, even though it is a far more rewarding and re-playable game. Both games will take about 45 minutes to play, play well with two to four people, and cost around $30.

4. Love Letter

I want to know how that dress stays up.

5. Hanabi

"Hanabi" apparently means "fireworks" or some such.

I don't know if I'd call this a "microgame," but it certainly isn't a big one. In this game, you and the other players are cooperating to play cards to the table in order and by suit. The catch? You can't talk, and you can only see other players' cards instead of your own! To learn about your cards, you have to spend a communal set of tokens to give information to the other players. Make three mistakes and your game is over. I found myself surprised by how much fun Hanabi actually turned out to be. It is a very simple game, but the twist that you can't view your own cards is wonderful and kind of stressful. Set aside $15 and 30 minutes--this is a superb game.

6. Suburbia

Suburbia's a fun game if you're a fan of SimCity. The longest game I've recommended so far, at about an hour and a half, this is still an easy one to teach and learn. The basic idea is that you're purchasing tiles and placing them in your city, adjacent to other tiles. Each tile is a building that may affect the tiles it's placed next to. For example, you'll hurt your score if you place an airport next to a residential area, but placing a Restaurant in the same city as a Slaughter House will give you extra money every turn. The tiles you grab can also affect the other players' cities, and each player has goals they're trying to achieve in order to gain an influx of people. At the end of the game, it is the player with the highest population wins. This one will cost somewhere around $45. Lots of neat tiles and things to look at, though, and well worth it.

7. 1775: The American Revolution

I can't decide if this seems more or less boring than San Juan

Don't let the historical theme fool you, this is a really engaging, fast-paced, and fun game. It is also the newest on this list. Like Suburbia, this takes around an hour and a half to play, but is probably easier to teach. If you liked anything about Risk, this game is an absolute must. Essentially there are four players, and each of you play on a team: either as the Loyalists and the British Regulars, or as the Patriot Militia and the Continental Army. There are also Hessians, the French, and the Indians, but they're all allies you get through the course of play rather than playable factions. On your turn you'll play a movement card, which allows you to move a mess of cubes (which represent your armies) the number of spaces shown on the card. There's lots of discussion and pointing and anger because you're on a team and, most importantly, because you can choose any number of cubes in a region to move as long as one of your cubes is present. That means that you can move your ally's cubes and, in fact, you want to as you'll fight better because of it! Then you have battles and get to chuck dice around, and the dice are a lot of fun, too. Each faction gets their own, and each side of each die does its own thing. The British Regulars do a lot of killing, the Patriots and Loyalists run away an awful lot, the Continental Army does a lot of killing and running, and the Indians rarely do anything, but it is a pleasant surprise when they do. In short, this is a hectic, crazy game, and you'd be doing yourself a service by trying it out. Because it is so new, you may have to wait a bit to pick it up, but it should be in stores shortly.

8. Agricola

This is easily the most popular game on the list, but it is also the most difficult to teach and learn (I would recommend doing the family version of the rules for your first game or two). Still, it is definitely worth the effort, and it is a very easy, intuitive game to play once you've learned it. And though it seems like the game is easy once you've learned the rules, it is a game full of tension and difficult decisions, fraught with frustration that then turns to joy when you manage to achieve something. Admittedly, the theme is kind of a hard sell. You're a 17th-century farmer trying to scrape a meagre existence off the land. Sounds boring, but it isn't. You'll try to gather resources in order to build fences to house animals, and you'll plow, plant, and harvest your fields. Each of your family members will give you an action on every turn, but they also need to eat. So to win you'll need to expand your family, but to expand you'll need to find a way to get more food. It all becomes a wonderful, harried mess as you try to expand your farm, feed your family, and try to gain new members. Your first game may take up to 2 hours, but after that you'll get a game in within an hour to an hour and a half. Engages two to five players equally well. About $50.

A Two-fer, for easy comparison!

9. Agricola: All Creatures Big & Small

I thought I'd go with a two-player game for this one. All Creatures Big & Small is everything cool about Agricola, but less of it. Fewer rules, no cards, no family growth, and no feeding your people—this is nothing but the basics. The focus in this game is building up the number of animals in your farm, rather than growing crops. It plays in about 30 minutes and is a very simple, very fun game for two. It can also be found on the cheap, and if you get bored with this, there's a delightful expansion that really increases the re-playability of the title for less than the cost of a dinner out.

10. Pandemic

Play this game and become terrified of every sneeze.

I grew tired of Pandemic long ago, but it is worth mentioning because it is popular, exceptionally easy to find (you can find a copy at Target), and, of course, it is a lot of fun. The basic premise is that you and one to three others are helping one another to eradicate a virus as it pops up in cities around the globe and spreads. Each of you has a special ability that will aid in your quest to stop the spread of the killer virus. This is a tough game to win, but it is easy to learn and plays well with two to four people. Definitely not my favorite on the list, but if you're looking for something where you can cooperate with your friends that has a little more meat on it than Hanabi, this is your box. Might cost around $30.

Honorable Mention: Powergrid

I won't say much, just that Powergrid is an incredible game. If you liked anything about Monopoly, you should definitely give this one a go. I'm not writing more about it because a longer co-op, Pandemic, definitely deserved a spot. Curse you, Pandemic! Two hours, six players, and about $40.

So there you have it. Ten--technically eleven--games, and each presents a little bit of a different look into most of the major genres and mechanics in board gaming today. Pick one up and give it a go. If you've played one of these or purchased one, let me know what you think of it in the comments.

There’s no doubt that Rob Venditti had big shoes to fill following the end of Geoff Johns’ character-redefining tenure on Green Lantern. Johns blew the doors open on the Lantern mythos and took the character from dead in the water (literally) to one of DC’s biggest heroes. Much of Johns’ success can be attributed to his constant expansion of the Lantern Universe, accomplished via numerous in-world “events” that eventually spiraled into the DCU encompassing Blackest Night. This makes Lights Out Rob Venditti’s first real test as the new resident GL Writer.

The issue opens with Salaak investigating problems with the central power battery while Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Kilowog debate possible causes. This is a pretty efficient way to catch everyone up and make a nice jumping on point between the varying GL books. Just to ensure those unacquainted with New Guardians get their due, the conversation ends moments after New Guardians #23 did as Kyle Rayner teleports the few survivors of Odym to Oa. White Lantern Kyle arrives, Carol Ferris and a battered Saint Walker in tow, just moments before Relic’s ship makes its ominous arrival to get things underway.

Relic approaches Jordan and argues his side of the story Kyle just told; he is from a universe that was destroyed by an explosion triggered from a depleted emotional spectrum. This depletion was the result of various “light wielders” running the spectrum dry, causing a big bang and our universe to be formed. This makes for a very Johnsian story arc set up. Like Johns often did with GL (exploring the weakness to yellow, the emotional spectrum, the insides of the power battery and Oa etc) Venditti takes a mostly undefined aspect of the universe, aka where the light actually comes from, and builds upon it. This could ultimately make for an exciting event as it targets the blaring inherent weakness of all the Green Lanterns—their necessity of a green ring to be super powered.

The story gets off to a rickety start, however, when the situation immediately escalates to violence. This can't help but seem illogical or aggressive as everything Hal Jordan knows has been reshaped in the last few years. Much of Johns’ work remains canon despite the relaunch. If this truly is the case, then you can’t help but assume these the Lanterns, especially the more veteran members, would be accustomed to shocking revelations and open to indulging them. Sadly, willpower can also be manifested via bullheadedness and so the battle begins.

After Relic easily deflects the attacks of the veteran Green Lanterns, the team decides its time for a tactics change. Swarms of small metal insects are “eating” the light within the Central Power Battery and all the power batteries stored on Oa. The team quickly races to protect what few charged batteries they can. This really ups the ante of the attack and proves what a vulnerability the dependency on light is. It also is somewhat aided by the flexible meaning of a “charged” ring. The lanterns are all burning through their batteries like a 90’s kid on a Game Boy, but perhaps this is telltale of things to come as Relic reveals that the Central Power Battery is so easily drained due to their universe's emotional spectrum being significantly depleted. The compromised structure then gives the book an explosive finale as the Central Power Battery does what any important thing does when compromised: it blows up. The devastated GL corps is subsequently faced with the harsh reality that Oa is now condemned to death because of the chain reaction caused by the battery's demise.

Lights Out, for better or for worse, kicks off with a distinctly familiar situation. It wasn’t a bad issue, but universe-spanning events and monthly procedural stores should be looked at differently. Still, the book manages to assault a weakness of the previously ever more powerful Green Lanterns and finds a plausible way to put them in real danger. What do you think the destruction of the Central Power Battery means for the corps? Summon all the hope you can muster, since the Blue Lanterns are space dust we’re gonna need it, and stay tuned for complete coverage of the Lights Out event.

With the political stand offs going on in Washington, everlasting hunger throughout the world and global warming slowly heating the planet to an unbearable temperature, we find ourselves inevitably asking the question... Who would win in an Epic Rap Battle Between some of the greatest minds in the history of science anyway? Ok, Maybe not, but since you have no government, people are starving anyway and you are going to be broiled like a brisket soon enough, you may as well stick around and find out. These Epic Rap Battles of scientific History promise to be bloody battles, fit for the coliseums. Find out who won and why.

Thomas Edison was a classic inventor and is the fourth most prolific one in history. He was not an inventor of insane ideas, but rather the inventor of everyday ideas, things we still use today, including the creator of modern home power. His most talked about invention, which was the nearly modern incandescent light bulb, is the most credited and discredited accomplishment of his life. He, in fact, did not invent the light bulb, but he perfected it…within reason. He invented the first practical incandescent with a marketable bulb life. This little stone thrown into the turbines of truth is really no issue; The Wizard of Menlo Park has 1,092 other patents to fall back on, including pioneering in the recording devices we use today for sound and video. The very car you drive today is initially powered by a concept Edison invented, the car battery. Edison, as smart as he was, was sort of an everyday man, taking what jobs he could, before he became the inventor he is known as to this day.



Nikola Tesla, one of my favorite scientists, on the other hand, was the model for many science fiction mad-scientist books and movies today. His whole persona was unique, and he was the epitome of a scientist ahead of his time. The interesting thing is that he was able to brainstorm and build concepts that are beyond most of us. His Tesla Coil is the invention most known by ordinary people, although it is not the most used. This high-frequency, high-power extraordinaire is responsible for building a resonator (only 7 inches long) that was said to be able to shake building foundations, and he was able to transmit electricity through radio and to light unlit light bulbs in homes that were not connected to power. His X-ray is still used medically all the time. The funny thing about Tesla—which perhaps isn't so funny, is that he was so convinced of his ideas, and for good reason, that he would throw his own funds behind them. As a result, even though his many inventions had fetched him a pretty penny, as he neared the end of his life Nikola Tesla was still living the lifestyle of an average middle-class man. The daunting task of making worldwide communication a possibility and delivering electricity to every home was at first spat upon by the media and eventually by the people, then demolished by the government, moves that inspired years and years of conspiracy theories that are still argued today. Ultimately, his Wardenclyffe Tower drained him. It—and we—had taken everything.

What makes the square-off between Edison and Tesla interesting is that, at one time, they knew each other quite well. Actually, Edison was Tesla's boss…quite literally. Tesla began working for Edison in France as an electrical engineer and was quickly put in charge of handling the most difficult issues in the company. Eventually, Tesla claimed that he could redesign Edison's inefficient motor and generators, delivering much better service for less. Edison, jokingly or not, responded "There's $50,000 in it for you, if you can do it." It was later discovered that Edison's company did not have that sort of money to give away just willy nilly. Surprised by the fact that Tesla actually did do it, Edison claimed that he was only joking, saying, "Tesla, you don't understand our American humor." Edison offered him US$10 a week raise over Tesla's US$18 per week salary, but Tesla refused the offer, immediately resigning.


Keeping in mind that Tesla very well may be my favorite scientist, for a couple reasons, I still felt that Edison won the battle. Although it portrayed him as somewhat of a miser, I suspect that he probably was a kidder, and I know he also was sort of a "smarter than the average man" average man. Tesla more than likely did misunderstand, but the battle portrays him as only giving two s**ts about money, a correlation made from his shrewd business practices, and that portrayal puts Tesla on defense. It was because of this that Tesla, as true as his statements were, finds himself being dragged around a bit. Let me know what you thought.



Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking represent contending ideas concerning matter. Einstein's theory doesn't argue against the idea of multiple universes being consistent in makeup from blast to freeze, but it doesn't argue a connection either. In fact, it doesn't even talk about it. There could be an infinite number of universes exactly like ours from start finish, and there could even be potential for travel from one to the other via the wormhole, which was a topic of which Einstein was a fan, however, simply because they share everything alike does not mean they are connected. Each and every universe is born with a certain amount of mass. That's not to say they can't have differing masses, unless they are literally the same, but that mass, whether converted to energy or not, remains forever. As universes expand (a concept currently being argued against), combine, tear apart, or any scenario you can imagine, his theory states that the original matter will always remain no matter where it ever appears in the infinite unknown. Most of the friction between this theory and Stephen Hawking's original black hole theory is created by the "fact" that matter cannot be changed and should therefore be forever identifiable by its wave function.

Stephen Hawking, however, one of today's most renowned theoretical physicists and cosmologists, argued in his Black Hole Theory that state is just another stone we're stepping on, that wave function information can be lost and, in consideration of the The No Hair Theorem, must be. Stephen Hawking discovered by equation that black holes omit a form of radiation—Hawking Radiation—the only known energy that does, in fact, escape the hellish gape of the monstrosities. This should be an impossibility, because no force, including light, can escape its grasp, but he argued that information can be and is lost. The problem was that there was so much paradoxical friction with Liouville's Theorem, which states that the density of system points, in the vicinity of a given system point traveling through phase-space, is constant with time. Hawking's was not a popular opinion; however those that did decide it was worth looking into found ways to justify the theory.

A lot of good that did. Hawking had done the math incorrectly, later admitting that the information is in fact preserved, but his theory still set a new standard for thought. In 2004, Stephen Hawking's new emerging theory on black holes tipped the world on end. Surely one of the great minds of our time has a solution to his own black hole information paradox. His answer? The information is preserved, it just goes elsewhere, or even to another time in the universe's infinite life, which means that the sooner we create vessels and some way to reach the center of a black hole without turning to mush, the sooner we will be able to discover the vast and unending other universes or go back and stop ourselves from doing something we regret. Of course, that all has its own paradoxes to be kept in check. After several more years of equations and headache, Stephen stumbled upon a new truth—that information never left the universe, that there was no time machine or universe gateway and that black holes simply evaporate away material, crushing and melding it until the code is unidentifiable and releasing it back into the universe when it dies.


Wow! Who might have known that Einstein was such a terrible person? From what I've heard, read, and gathered from other media, Einstein was exactly the opposite, but he sure was a mean and terrible person when he ran into Stephen Hawking at his local rap battle club. Stephen was set up to lose this one, just as he was forced to concede in his science. My opinion is based in the fact that more thought was put into Einstein's bombs, as they used his theories, coupled with the meanest name calling I've ever heard. Hawking ended on a good note, but he spent his first verses simply name calling and bragging inexplicably. Either way, it's important to note that Stephen Hawking has made so many more contributions to science than just his black hole blunder, which, incidentally, in itself, did a lot to help explain black holes. It's also important to note that, with infinite potential, such groundbreaking minds as Hawking's and Einstein's can only solve so many equations in a lifetime. I consider their contributions equal. After all, it's difficult to improve upon good ideas. Ask anyone who's ever written a book/movie sequel.

Drop an opinion and let me know what you think.

Check out Episode 16 of The Dace Man Show with regulars Gibby, Nikki Mills, Frank Ward, and Michael Burhan! The return of DAN RAUP!!! As well as call-in guest Jeff Croop!!

Join The Dace Man this week as he breaks down the following:

::SPORTS NEWS::

• Flyers say farewell to head coach Peter Laviolette.
• Joe Girardi signs a 4 year deal with the devil…er…we mean the New York Yankees.
• Dan Snyder sticking to his racists guns and will keep the Washington Redskins name.
• NFL Week 5 is in the books.
• MLB postseason is underway, and the division series are wrapping up.

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY::

• The man doesn't understand the concept of weird and just gives us more news.

::CELEB NEWS::

• Kris and Bruce Jenner goes splitsville like the Ugly Kardashinan and Lamar.
• New Mexico newspaper says R.I.P. to Walter White.
• Lauren Hill freed from prison time to go tour to pay back debt.
• Miley Cyrus hosts SNL.
• Who's gonna die Sunday, October 13th on the all new The Simpsons?

Also The DaceMan's High Five: Top 5 SNL Hosts and the Douchebag of the Week. All that and more, only on The Dace Man Show!

Step onto the crazy train with Chris "The Dace Man" Dace this week on The Dace Man Show…cue the Final Countdown!!!

Follow The Dace Man on Twitter: @TheDaceMan

Catch The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8pm EST on Mega Powers Radio.

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The late 1990s were a magical time for video games. We started 1995 coming out of the 16-bit golden age of gaming and ended 1999 with the start of the next generation of gaming. From the SNES to the Playstation and all the way to the Sega Dreamcast, never before has the industry moved along so quickly  in such as short space of time. Video games grew out of the "kid stuff" of the early 90s and into an industry that engulfed all age groups. We morphed from 2D side scrolling sprites all the way to fully realized 3D landscapes. Everything was bigger and better.

So here I am today, about to whittle down a time spanning three console generations (including PC) into 16 of what I consider to be the best of the best. There's a lot to choose from, and a lot of favorites are off this list right from jump street. I am basing this on my own gaming habits and knowledge; I can't in all fairness put a game on this list that I didn't play, and others just did nothing for me. This list might divide people, but I come to back up my thoughts over the next 4 weeks. So without further ado, here are my top 16 greatest games of the late 90s.

16. Diddy Kong Racing: Nothing brings people closer together like a kart racer. Since the arrival of Super Mario Kart on the SNES, kart racers have become one of the quintessentials for any party (right up there with a good fighting game and good music peripheral game). In the late 90s everyone was seemingly dipping their toes into the kart racing pool. I could have gone with Mario Kart 64, the grand-daddy of the modern kart racer, or I could have chosen the more graphically polished and tighter-controlled Crash Team Racing, but I chose the middle of the two, 1997's Diddy Kong Racing (DKR). Developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64, this game took the gameplay of Mario Kart 64 and evolved as much of it as it could. The biggest evolution was having a story mode in which you are guided by a Middle Eastern elephant genie to save a small island of creatures from the wrath of an evil space pig. Seems legit. From there, you travel across different themed areas (from prehistoric times to a snowy mountain land to a small medieval village), race other characters new to the Donkey Kong universe (two of them getting their own games in Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad fur Day), and battle a quartet of mini bosses. Meanwhile you're unlocking trophies in order to gain the right to race against the evil space pig, Wizpig, for the fate of your friends and their island. New to the mechanics were different vehicles, including hovercrafts for racing over water and planes. Also new were the weapons, which take the standard missiles, boosters, and invulnerability and upscale them, turning a simple missile into a barrage of ten missiles or a simple oil slick into a momentum-killing bubble. What makes DKR a more well-rounded party game over other games such as Crash Team Racing, however, is its multiplayer mode. Not only did it take the battle mode from Mario Kart 64, but it also added variations of scavenger hunts. Where Crash Team Racing just copied DKR for the PlayStation 1, DKR took the gameplay of Mario Kart 64 and evolved it every step of the way. It's a game that is essential for not just any party but also for anyone who has a Nintendo 64.

15. Tony Hawk Pro Skater (THPS): Released in 1999, THPS redefined its own genre. Up until that point, even in the heyday of the mid-90s extreme sports fad, you didn't have many games that brought that extreme sports feel to video games in a big way. Sure, you had the Cool Boarders series, but that was more a downhill racing title with very little (and from what I remember, clumsy) emphasis on tricks. THPS was one of the first modern titles (I say that because I do remember 720 and Skate or Die from the NES days) to put the emphasis on the tricks themselves. However, tricks would be nothing without good controls and good level design, and those hallmarks are what made THPS live on and dominate its field for as long as it did. It had a perfect arcade "pick up and play" feel to it. Within a few runs, you were grinding, flipping, and grabbing your way to gold, linking up combo after combo. Another memorable facet was the soundtrack: THPS was a franchise that could take pride in having one of the best-made soundtracks in all of gaming, and part 1 was no exception, having a well-rounded list of memorable 90s skate punk classics. Yet what I think really put the game over the top and was most unlike other games before it was that you actually got to play as the skate legends themselves. From Bob Burnquist to Bucky Lasek to the man himself, Mr. Tony Hawk, you got to actually play as them in game. You got to pull off the legendary 900 as the man himself! At the time, that was a big selling point. As the series went on there were many copycats from other companies such as THQ (MTV Sports Skateboarding) to Acclaim (Dave Mirra Pro BMX) and even Konami (Evolution Skateboarding), but none could keep up with the series until 2007's Skate. By then, however, the series had hit a wall, having evolving as much as it could with its previous incarnations before delving into unnecessary bloating (remember Ride?). The series then laid dormant until 2012 when Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD was released for the PlayStation Network/Xbox Live, which was not only a revisit to the past mechanics of the series but also garnered positive fanfare and criticism from the press. The future of the series might still be shaky at best, but no one can take away the impact that the first game had on video gaming in the late 1990s.

14. Earthbound: I'm just gonna come out and say it: I am not the biggest fan of all role playing games (RPGs). Over the years I have tried to get into certain franchises, but usually the only ones that have stuck with me are more action-based RPGs such as Elder Scrolls, Champions of Norrath, and Diablo. The ones that I find hardest to get into are what you would consider the atypical Japanese RPGs such as Final Fantasy. This presents an issue, because a lot of people would consider the mid- to late 90s as a golden period for these games. In my research I gave many of them the chance to allure me, but out of all the main contenders, only one really stood out for me: 1995's Earthbound.

What is it about this cult gem, developed by HAL Labs and produced by Nintendo, that stands out to me over the likes of Chrono Trigger and the long-fabled Final Fantasy 7? What really stood out to me, besides being a pretty solid RPG in its own right, is the fact that it's so different. Your main protagonist is not some orphaned boy seeking revenge or some loner with a troubled past. He's a young boy with a loving family who is called upon by a mysterious young girl to save the world. The whole game has an offbeat sense of humor to it that sets it apart from the standard melodrama of RPGs of that time. Very rarely does the game get too heady in its themes, even toward the end (which if you know the back story, is pretty disturbing). Yet what really sets it apart are the in-jokes and references. There are countless nods to classic poetry, artists and their works, and even multiple references to the works of The Beatles. Heck, the game even breaks the fourth wall multiple times, most notably with having a talking dog who is actually inhabited by the spirit of the game's lead developer. It's this kind of offbeat mood that really sets Earthbound apart from the standard sword and sorcery RPGs like Chrono Trigger or cyberpunk outings such as Phantasy Star. The game is really hard to find, and expensive to boot, but if you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it.

13. Shenmue: Released in 1999 at the launch of the Sega Dreamcast by Sega AM2, Shenmue is a game that many modern titles owe a lot to in terms of trailblazing. Before Grand Theft Auto started the frenzy of open world exploration, before Resident Evil opened up the idea of interactive quick time events, before games such as LA Noire and Heavy Rain opened up gamers to the idea of story-driven adventure games, Shenmue was doing all of those things and more. Shenmue was an interactive detective story set in 1986 in which you play Ryo Hazuki, a young man attempting to solve the mystery behind the death of his father. You do this by going around towns talking to patrons and collecting info along the way to help your discovery. This isn't the only thing you're able to do, as Shenmue also boasts a level of world interactivity that was years ahead of its time. You could go into arcade shops and play full-length Sega arcade titles, interact with prize machines and collect little knickknacks, or even play games like pool. There are fights in it as well, complemented by the fighting engine, which borrows heavily from AM2's previous franchise, Virtua Fighter. Also mentioned are quick timed events that play out during cut scenes and can affect how the story plays out. Shenmue was truly a groundbreaking game, and although its production cost was more than it could even make back (at a then record-breaking 40 million), it has amassed many accolades and has a rabid fan base that is clamoring for a conclusion to the cliffhanger ending left by the game developers with Shenmue 2. For being a title that could truly call itself a trailblazer, Shenmue gets on this list of the greatest games of the late 90s.

With that, we end the first part of the countdown. Next time we will see which games break into the top 10. A hint: The dead will rise, and the only two heroes who can stop them are a muscle-bound ass-kicker in sunglasses and the Prince of Darkness.

First of all, let me just say that Archer is definitely one of the best, most consistently hilarious animated shows—and just comedies in general—on TV right now. If you've never seen an episode, open a new tab on your browser right now, go to Netflix, and binge. Go ahead. I'll wait.

"DAAAANGER ZONEEEE!"

All done? Good! Now you see what I mean. With all the references to Top Gun and "Danger Zone" on the show, it was only a matter of time until someone created a mash-up with that song, but I wouldn't have expected that someone to be FX. Sure enough, earlier today they uploaded the mash-up on the official Archer YouTube Page. Not surprisingly, it's just plain awesome and definitely a fantastic way to get us pumped up for the season 5 premiere in January. Without further ado (and if you didn't already click that link), here you go!

With Villains Month finally drawing to a close, comic shelves are now fully stocked with the worst villains the DCU has to offer. After the wonderful surprise that was Aquaman 23.2: Ocean Master, I decided to go back and give a couple titles a try. Although the infamous likes of General Zod and Brainiac were tempting, I decided to stay on the second tier and check out Flash 23.3: The Rogues.

The Rogues have always made for great character stories. I can respect that DC can't start much in what is essentially a one-shot issue and decided that The Rogues may then be the perfect candidates for a Villains Month solo joint. The piece opens with a flash forward as The Rogues break into Iron Heights to free The Trickster. This scene is a perfect introduction to the team and really nails what makes them great. Sure, they may have campy names like Captain Cold and The Weather Wizard, but these aren't your traditional villains. Guys like The Joker and Darkseid are pure evil. They don't suffer complicated emotional strife that leads them to conquer planets and sabotage monkey bars on public playgrounds. They just do it because they are evil. While this can be plenty of fun, it allows for characters like The Rogues to really shine in comparison. They have a moral code that makes them something of anti-villains.

The issue jumps from the breakout back to a break-in attempt on a bank. The heist ultimately fails, because the structural integrity of the old mine they tried to use becomes compromised. Again, the piece does a nice job of using plot elements to expunge character details. The Rogues are crooks, not butchers. Ultimately they decide "the price isn't always worth the score" and turn back when they realize their robbery attempt will collapse the building.

The troupe elects to blow off their frustration in true Rogue fashion, inside a saloon. Here things get a bit dialogue heavy, but tactfully so. It catches readers up with the ramifications the recent Flash stories have had on the Rogues and further explains the various team dynamics. After most of the team blacks out, The Glider makes a decision that really sets this issue apart from many of the other villain issues I've read so far, she opts to risk her life to free Mirror Master from his mirror prison.

I know DC can't start much in these books; however, Flash 23.3: The Rogues found a way to have some significance despite the lack of a story arch. Mirror Master's successful release, and Glider's subsequent stumble into a coma, are real plot events that progress the Flash universe. Although watching The Riddler's heist was fun, this feels like a real issue with real consequences that really merit my readership. Following all of this, Captain Cold awakes, has a breakdown, and tries to rob a bank himself. Fortunately, he's rescued from the police and, with a little help from his friends, makes peace with the guilt he has over the misfortunes that befell the team during his tenure as leader. The reconfigured Rogues then go to free Trickster, bringing things full circle and setting the stage for the issue's second major defining moment.

Whereas many issues may have ended simply with the reuniting of the Rogues, this one goes on to show the team emerging from jail to find the villains in charge and Central City destroyed. In another great character moment, the team doesn't do the classic villain thing and rub their hands together as they scheme diabolically. No, the Rogues are a different brand of villain. That was their city that just got destroyed, and they are pissed. It's a great lead-in to a new mini series and a great way to end an issue.

September is over, but their are loads of villains left to cover. Who are you enjoying? Let us know with a comment below and check back for more DC Villains Month Spotlight.

It’s a great time to be a Whovian. With the 50th anniversary and a regeneration just around the corner 2013 began as an exciting year for fans of BBC series Doctor Who. After rumors began circulating of missing episodes being recovered, however, the dreams, and speculations, of Who fans everywhere exploded. It has now been officially reported that NINE EPISODES have been found.

While the number is lower than originally speculated, fans of the late Patrick Troughton have plenty of cause to celebrate as all nine episodes follow the adventures of the Second Doctor. With these new additions, The Web of Fear story is now complete and The Enemy of the World is only missing one episode. The BBC will soon announce that all nine episodes will be available on iTunes as of tomorrow.

This comes as joyous news to Who fans who previously grieved the loss of 106 classic episodes that the BBC destroyed in the 70s to make room for storage. While episodes have been slowly recovered in an increasingly bizarre list of locals, this find is particularly special as it boasts the largest number of episodes found at a single time. This means Who fans should continue to search the globe because you’ll never know where in space and time they’ll find lost episodes next. Did anyone check Djibouti? We should check Djibouti.

The classic kids' 90s shows such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and Captain Planet are forever etched in the minds of those who watched them. These memorable titles ring bells to this day, and plenty of YouTube retro junkies post them still. Perhaps they forever will. Among these never-forgotten titles is a name that we don't hear so often unless we happen upon him on a news channel or are lucky enough to grab a few words from an interview in a magazine. He dazzled us with science and a quirky childish persona from 1993 to 1998 through 100 fascinating episodes. Guess who?

Encore or no? Drop some lines and let me know.

Gail Simone's run on the relaunched Batgirl series has been pretty well received by both fans and critics alike and, for my money, is easily the best written of all DC's New 52 titles. With the second TPB (Knightfall Descends) due for its UK release next month, this is perhaps a good time to revisit the first volume (The Darkest Reflection) to see just what it is that's had Batfans all aflutter.

Batgirl never could get the hang of that 'Live long and prosper' thing.

We don't need another hero

I must admit I've always had mixed feelings about Batgirl. On the one hand, I tend to subscribe to the idea of Batman as a loner and I find it difficult to buy into the number of second-tier vigilantes who tend to make up the extended Bat-family infesting the rooftops of Gotham.

Batwoman? A glossy gimmick best left back in the Silver Age. Azrael? There is no way the Bat would tolerate his psychotic activities. Damian? Ugh. A Bat-son? Really? The Spoiler? A joke. Anarky? Just ... why?

On the other hand, having grown up with the original Batman TV series in the 1960s, Batgirl - specifically the Barbara Gordon incarnation of Batgirl - has always been an integral part of the Bat-universe for me. I know I should find her bright and perky disposition completely at odds with the grime and gloom that pervades every other aspect of Gotham but, somehow, the city just isn't the same without her!

So, when I first heard that DC intended to allow Barbara Gordon to strap on her utility belt once more, my mixed feelings became positively scrambled! Whatever you might think about Alan Moore's decision to let the Joker shoot poor Babs through the spine, without that life-altering event, she'd never have reinvented herself as Oracle: computer genius, master hacker and all-round information broker to Batman and, indeed, the entire Justice League. And now she was going to leave all that behind?

Bang! Luckily for Barbara, the Joker only ever uses those guns with the silly flags inside!

History can be rewritten

For those of us who don't hang on every word in DC's press releases and rely on the comics themselves to tell us what we need to know, Batgirl's history in the New 52 universe is more than a little confusing. The fact that Barbara Gordon was shot and crippled by the Joker is still canon. Whether or not she ever operated as Oracle is not entirely clear but, based purely on the issues collected in The Darkest Reflection (Batgirl issues 1-6), it seems not. Whether or not Stephanie Brown or Cassie Cain ever donned the Batgirl mantle is also a little grey but, again, it's probably safe to assume not.

It's the car, right? Chicks love the car!

As with many other of the New 52 titles, this rewriting of recent history presents a serious hurdle for the book to overcome. Comic fans can be rabidly loyal to their favourite characters and many devotees of Cassie and Steph, therefore, were quick to voice their dismay at the idea of Barbara supplanting their she-bat of choice.

Similarly, fans of Oracle quickly made it clear that they were unhappy to be losing the only disabled heroine in the DCU and one of DC's few strong female characters who didn't dress in spandex or flash her cleavage. For Barbara to leave her wheelchair behind and successfully resume swinging from Gotham's gargoyles, she wouldn't only need a great surgeon, she was also going to need a damn good writer.

It's not who you are underneath ...

And that's where Gail Simone comes in. Simone, of course, has a huge reputation - firstly as an ardent critic of DC's treatment of female characters, and secondly as an award winning writer on the Birds of Prey title. But, approaching this book for the first time, none of that mattered to me. I'd never read Birds of Prey and the only work of Simone's I had read were a few issues of her frankly unimpressive run on Wonder Woman.

Everybody wants to be a bat!

In The Darkest Reflection, however, she proves to be superbly suited to the task of bringing Barbara Gordon to life. She clearly feels very close to this character and both Barbara's dialogue and her frequent internal monologues sound natural and convincing. I tend to be highly critical of the writing in comics but here Simone shines. She writes in a voice which successfully squares the cheery optimism of Barbara's 1960s TV persona with the determined mental toughness of the survivor shot and paralysed by the Joker in the 1980s.

Sometimes the original really is the best!

In Simone's hands, we have no trouble believing that Barbara Gordon is a character who, having regained the use of her legs, would brush herself down and confront her fears and self-doubt head on.

As she pits herself once again against super-powered criminals and costumed psychopaths, we can understand why. Unlike her dark, brooding mentor, she isn't driven by a deep-seated need for justice or revenge. Simone convinces us that Babs is out there because she loves it; she was born to be Batgirl. Her "Barbara Gordon" identity is never just a convenient mask as Bruce Wayne's is so often described, but when she's flinging herself from rooftop to rooftop at the end of a Bat-rope, you just know that's where she belongs.

Whether soaring across the Gotham skyline or patrolling the streets on her trusty Bat-cycle, Barbara's joy and enthusiasm at being back in the cape is genuinely infectious!

... it's what you do that defines you

As for the story itself, there's a lot to like in this first volume. There are superheroic fisticuffs aplenty, and we're introduced to two new villains: a serial killer named Mirror and a super-powered assassin called Gretel. Gretel comes across as a fairly generic super-villain (psychic powers) but, just as the best Bat-villains throw some aspect of Batman's own psyche into relief, Mirror is clearly a vehicle to highlight Barbara's own sense of survivor's guilt. It's not exactly subtle, but it's a nice touch all the same.

Characters from Barabara's past also make a brief appearance. Batman (or rather Bruce Wayne) and her former lover Dick Grayson (as Nightwing) both cross her path in this volume. As is so often the case when superheroes meet, she and Nightwing quickly fall to fighting each other rather than criminals, but again Simone comes up trumps, taking this hackneyed scenario and giving it a new and poignant twist (sorry - no spoilers!).

In her day job, Barbara is a librarian. Best not to let your books get overdue.

While these cameos provide a link to Batgirl's past, however, the book also has an eye on the future. At a time when it seems to be increasingly unfashionable to show heroes "off the clock", Simone takes a particular delight in sharing Barbara's personal life with us. In this volume we meet two new characters who enter her domestic life: her new housemate Alysia and, without giving too much away, someone who seems destined to provide an overarching plot line which could run for some time.

'Knightfall Descends'. Presumably the villain will becalled Tautology.

Rise!

In summary, Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection is a mainstream superhero book of the highest quality. It relaunches Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, successfully weaving together her tragic past with her action-fuelled present, while setting in motion some interesting sub-plots for the future. It strikes a fine balance between keeping us entertained with her costumed crime-fighting activities, and giving us an insight into the thoughts, feelings and motivation of a very human character; a character we can (and do!) actually care about.

The second volume of Simone's relaunch, Knightfall Descends, is released in the UK in paperback on 5 November and I pre-ordered my copy as soon as I'd finished reading Volume 1. Have you ordered yours yet? Or do you still see Barbara's return as a Bat out of Hell?

Geek Speak LIVE! is a weekly radio show with an explosion of nerd conversation. Join hosts Craig Kellerman, Travis Goss, and Michael Burhan as they rant on movies, TV, video games, comics, cartoons, technology, and whatever else is sparking our attention.

:: This week we discuss ::

South Park - One of the funniest and most controversial TV shows of all time. What are some of our favourite episodes? We also discuss the upcoming "Stick of Truth" video game as well as the past games.

Actor of the Week: Kevin Smith - We review Kevin Smith's entire filmography including Jersey Girl, Mall Rats, Clerks, and Dogma.

Before I get on with the review, I want to make something clear to you, the reader. I have never read a single issue of "Green Arrow" or have seen any of the previous episodes from season one of the television program, "Arrow." I have dived in with no knowledge of the world this show depicts.


Arrow HD Wallpaper

However, this is a review of the season premiere episode, "City of Heroes." We could call this my first impressions review.

Continuing where season one left off, Starling City is still recovering from a mechanically engineered earthquake which has killed hundreds of people. As a result, Queen's mother was placed in prison for her involvement. Additionally, a band of thugs, calling themselves "The Hood" (a gang who were inspired by the city's vigilante), blame the Queen family for what has happened to the city and want to avenge those who have died.

Knowing Starling City is in dire need, Diggle and Felicity go searching for Oliver, who retreated to the jungle. While searching for him, they were saved by him from an explosive trap. Then, there is a flashback to five years previous on the island where Queen, Slade Wilson and Shado were living together after the cruise ship Queen was on with his father was sabotaged.
Since I did not know the full backstory, I asked a colleague to fill in the blanks for me.

"Oliver was on a cruise with his dad and Laurel's sister and it crashed via sabotage; so, he was stranded and the island's filled with mercenaries and all sorts of other horrors since it's used as a bit of a prison dead-zone," said Anthony Mango, founder of Fanboys Anonymous.

After some convincing, Oliver agrees to return to the city and finds it in disarray. His sister, Thea, now owns his club and has taken up a relationship with Roy. If this is not enough, he also learns his family's company is on the brink of a financial takeover.

Now, I could go on about the entire episode, but I do not believe in spoilers. However, as an outsider giving his perspective on a show I have no prior knowledge of, I will say this was one of the most intriguing shows I have seen. I have watched other shows based on classic comic books, although, not too many of them would I consider to be memorable (then, again, I did enjoy The Flash when it aired in the early 1990s).

After watching this episode, I am convinced I should go back and watch the entire first series of this show.


Since Travis gave you a rundown of the episode from his perspective, I figured I'd throw in my two cents as well. Frankly, I loved it. Arrow's first season took a while for me to get into, but I was able to mostly because of the character of Tommy. With his death at the end of the season, I figured the show would drop down in quality, but it seems like they've figured out the tone and pacing much better this time around. Although I still miss Tommy on the show, and I still think that Laurel is nothing but a pain in the ass, Roy is stepping it up and becoming my favorite character. Thea's also handled a bit better so far as well. I'm not sure I'm going to miss Summer Glau's character once she makes her exit from the show (despite how I like Summer Glau herself), but who knows…maybe she'll end up being worthwhile. The implementation of the knockoff "Hoods" gang, albeit a total ripoff of the Dark Knight trilogy (which shouldn't be a surprise, considering how much of this show has been patterned off that series), was a nice way to get the name change for Green Arrow and justify his return to the city. All in all, very entertaining, and if this episode is any indication of what is coming for this season, I'm excited to see what's next.

What are your thoughts on season 2's premiere? Are you excited about The Flash and all the other characters that will be introduced this season? Give us a comment below!

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.

VIDEO GAMES

The International Committee of the Red Cross wants there to be consequences from your actions in video games that violate the Geneva Convention.

My take: Give me a break. It's a video game. Let people fantasize and do things that you don't want them to do in real life. What's next, punishing people for not following traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto?

Mad Catz has a console coming out similar to the Ouya called the M.O.J.O. which will cost $250.

My take: I know I won't be getting one. Will you?


COMIC BOOKS

Villains Month apparently did very well for DC Comics, topping the charts and selling over 4.3 million copies.

My take: Good job, DC! If you're interested in reading up on this, check out Ryan Little's latest posts on the subject..

HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES

Author Tom Clancy passed away at the age of 66.

My take: Our condolences to his friends and family.

TECHNOLOGY

Apple will be having an invite-only conference on October 22nd, which is the same day that Microsoft will launch the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets.

Paden's take: Could this involve an unveil of the new model of iPad?

MISCELLANEOUS

Alice Cooper could be playing the Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark?

My take: .....weird....

IGN reports that there are even more plans for Disneyland to feature Star Wars in the amusement park.

My take: I've only been to Disney World, but more Star Wars is always better. Disney just keeps upgrading with the likes of Star Wars and Marvel in their ranks.

Hey Hey Hey Fanboy Nation, It is I, Chris "The Dace Man" Dace returning with another YouTube Spotlight segment. This week we dive into the world of sports. We find four young lads to review Sunday football for you, the crazy NFL fans, but with one twist—they're hammered. Featuring the 1214 Crew Reviews Team (Brian, Pat,  Justin, and Anthony), the four yellow and hammer soldiers of Sunday Night Football review the current week of football. Kicking it off at the beginning of the regular season, the Review Crew attempts to break down top plays and games…well, to the best of their ability. Clearly, when you mix alcohol and football you get a kickass result, and this web series is that. You can catch weekly uploads on Brian Johnson's YouTube channel by clicking here. These guys post up a video each week recapping the NFL, so grab a beer and drink along. Here is NFL Week 5 reviewed by the 1214 Crew.



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 of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer and a seat in front of your computer and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!