Fanboys Anonymous

Hey, Hey, Hey, Fanboys and FanGirls, it is I, Chris "The Dace Man" Dace bringing you the Top 10 Highest-Grossing Films of 2013. Join me as I break down the list that cracked the box office and read you a brief synopsis/review each movie (and if I didn't see it, you'll just get the synopsis). Away we go!!

10. Star Trek Into The Darkness

J.J. Abrams takes a crack at the twelfth installment of the Star Trek franchise, numero dos for Señor Abrams. We joined Kirk and Spock as they reunited on the big screen to take on the bad boy known as Khan. Being an outsider to the Star Trek franchise—yeah, I'm a Wars boy, not a Trekkie—the film was vastly entertaining, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Once again this is from an outside perspective; I'm sure plenty of Trekkies out there would disagree (and if you disagree, sound off in the Comments section!). This sequel from Bad Robot, released by Paramount, grossed $228,778,661, with an opening weekend of $70,165,559 on May 16, 2013. Its theater run ended September 19, 2013. I am looking forward to the next one but curious as to how it will do, now that J.J. has jumped over to the Wars! 

9. Oz The Great and Powerful

Now, I'm a little biased to this one, because my boy Zach Braff is in it. If you follow The Dace Man Show, you know I'm obsessed with Scrubs. In Oz, featuring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weiss, we visit the land of Oz long before Dorthy and Toto illegally parked their house on a witch. The story follows a young Wizard of Oz as he finds his way and learns morals and life lessons along the (yellow-brick) road. It also shows the origins of many other beloved Wizard of Oz characters and how they became who they are in that film. Released by Buena Vista, Oz The Great and Powerful grossed $234,911,825, with an opening weekend of $79,110,453 on March 8, 2013. Its run closed July 18, 2013.

8. Fast & Furious 6

The crew is back for their sixth installment of their Fast and Furious franchise, proving that movies just about cars aren't good enough. Now it has to be about heists and shit like that. I'll be honest with you: I have not seen this one…yet. I'll catch it on TNT. I know that with the addition of The Rock and the repackaging of the franchise it falls into a category of "junk food for the brain" type film. Michelle Rodriguez returns to the franchise, again, to have Hobbs (The Rock) drag Vin Diesel back into some overthrowing-evil-people-in-an-illegal-way type plot. The film, released by Universal, grossed $238,679,850, with an opening weekend of $97,375,245 on May 24, 2013. Its theatrical run closed September 5, 2013, running the length of the summer. 

7. Gravity 
 
This movie and concept seem stupid to me, so here's the synopsis: Dr. Ryan Stone is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky. On a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone, tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. The only way home may be to go farther out into the terrifying expanse of space. The movie has grossed $255,144,426, opening at $55,785,112 on October 4, 2013, and is still running in theaters at this time. This hurts my heart.

 6. Monsters University


I, for one, was overjoyed to see this film franchise return to the big screen this year because I enjoyed the first one very much. Now, I have not seen this sequel yet, but it makes sense that a Disney/Pixar film release would make the Top 10 list, especially one that had a prior movie received so warmly. This prequel to the popular Monsters Inc. follows Mike and Sully through their college years. Also returning are the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi. Buena Vista distributed Monsters University, and it grossed $268,492,764, with an opening weekend of $82,429,469 on June 21, 2013, finally closing in its last theater on December 19. I am really looking forward to seeing this one in the near future!

5. Frozen

Our next movie didn't have much time to rake in the dough in 2013, but it still made it to number 5 on our list! Disney's Frozen, which was done without Pixar, hit the theaters at a slow start but quickly picked up momentum during the holiday season. I probably won't see this one, I imagine anyone with small children would be hooked by the story and animation wow factor. Starring the voices of Kristen Bell (love her), Jonathan Groff, and a bunch of other people I don't really know, this is a story about a young girl who must team with a bunch of oddballs to stop her Snow Queen sister and endless winter. Also released by Buena Vista, Frozen grossed $277,116,204 in 2013 with a sad opening of only $243,390 on November 22. It is still currently showing in theaters. 

4. Man of Steel

Superman returns to the big screen under the guidance of Batman franchise savior Christopher Nolan. Although there are two main points of the movie that really irritate fans, overall this was a decent Superman movie. For starters, Superman didn't battle a rock, and Lex wasn't his enemy, as in every other incarnation of a Superman movie, although there were subtle references. The Nolan brothers jumped right into the franchise with General Zod as well as a back story for The Man of Steel. Due to the success of Nolan's Superman Warner Bros. is now getting the itchy trigger finger and has announced a Superman vs. Batman film. (Oh dear God, does that make me nervous as hell!) Man of Steel was released by Warner Bros. and grossed $291,045,518, with an opening weekend of $116,619,362 on June 14, 2013 and closing September 19, 2013.

3. Despicable Me 2

That's right, the Minions are back!… Wait, I mean Groo is back with the kids, and this time he's been recruited by the good guys. The Minions also have a dominant role in this film, which looks like it will cause a spinoff movie for them. Way to go yellow guys! This sequel was highly anticipated by children and adults because the first one was received with much praise and laughter. Steve Carell returns to lend his voice to the movie along with Kristen Wig, Ken Jeong, and Russell Brand. Released by Universal, Despicable Me 2 grossed an impressive $367,860,095 over its run from July 3, 2013, and in some places it is still showing in theaters. They recorded an opening weekend that fell behind Man of Steel's opening weekend at $83,517,315. Here's hoping for a third film! 

2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

If this movie had opened earlier in 2013 it would have most likely been number 1 on our list. The hype and media buzz that went into this movie was phenomenal, and judging by its box office numbers, it lived up to the hype. The sequel brought us back to the annual Hunger Games, but this time it featured all-stars and a plot to kill Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss. NOOOOOOO!! The cast of Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland all return this time with the addition of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They broke into the game late but claimed the number 2 spot for the Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies of 2013. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was released by Lionsgate Films and grossed $400,088,390 in 2013, with an opening weekend of $158,074,286 on November 22, 2013. It is still showing in theaters presently.
  
1. Iron Man 3

Let's take a look at what this Iron Man sequel was facing going in: Jon Favreau had turned over the directing reigns to Shane Black, The Avengers had just set a new bar for comic book movies, and The Avengers 2, Thor 2, Captain America 2, and Ant Man are waiting in the wings to follow your lead. No pressure at all, right? Being a huge Iron Man fan myself and having read most of the Iron Man comics, I would be lying if I didn't tell you I was disappointed with the Mandarin. After rewatching the film and seeing all the developments with Sir Ben Kingsley, however, I now realize it was brilliantly done in order for the franchise to stand alone and apart from the comic book itself while still being true to it. Iron Man 3 was action packed and set a firm tone for Phase 2 of Marvel's Initiative. Hell, Thor: The Dark World came in twelfth among the Top Grossing Movies of 2013 and that is still running. Iron Man 3, released by Buena Vista, grossed $409,013,994 and had the highest opening weekend of the year at $174,144,585 on May 3, 2013. Its run closed September 12, 2013. 

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 in this case a seat for 2014 films—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

In what is being coined as one of Marvel's big events of 2014, Deadpool is set to marry… Yeah, we have to wait until April to find out who. Marvel isn't one for being shy when it comes to beloved characters hooking up and tying the knot; remember the big hubbub in Astonishing X-Men #59 when the born and bred Canadian Northstar married his American love Kyle Jinadu in an effort to seal the bond of love and make Kyle a citizen of Canada? Plus we've seen the classic marriages of Peter Parker/Mary Jane, Black Panther/Storm, Cyclops/Crazy Fire Bird lady…but I digress. This one is huge because the Merc with a Mouth is absolutely batshit crazy and not really easy on the eyes once you remove the mask. (It does give me hope, though, that if Deadpool can find love, this shmuck of a nerd can find love too. D'aaaawwww!! Moving on.)

On Thursday, January 2, 2014, Nerdist revealed images of the big day to the interwebs. Writer of the current Deadpool Now! franchise and former ATOS! writer Gerry Duggan (no relation to Hacksaw Jim Duggan—trust me, I researched the hell out of it) had this to say about Deadpool's big day:

"The honest answer is that it was written into a Deadpool story, but more or less as a gag, and Jordan D. White, the editor, was like a dog with a bone. He was like, 'No, no, no—this is going to be a big deal.' You know, we wrote it, so it’s not like we weren’t behind it. The fun thing has been—after his misadventures, I guess you’d call them, in North Korea, in the story arc 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,' he learned a lot about himself and why he is the way he is. He doesn’t really have too much of a life. Yes, this is a knee-jerk reaction from a wounded guy to go out there and sort of do something crazy to sort of jump start a life, but there is a real emotional reason for doing it, so I think that will be the part that will resonate. Then the actual gags of the wedding will be fun too, but there is a real grounding to it, and that’s what will make it fun to explore."

Below is the teaser image released by Nerdist that shows Deadpool in tux next to a lady with fairly large knockers. I'm placing my money on Lady Death.

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 in this case an eye patch—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

For those of you that simply cannot wait for the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier this year, Fanboys Anonymous got its hands on some stills and artwork to help keep the feel-good chemicals flowing!

All seems in order for Captain America's second solo outing. Darker tones, check; subplots of espionage, terrorism and human guinea pigs, check. If you don't know the plot already, we don't want to spoil it for you just yet—not while we have new stills of Steve Rogers looking like a boss. Not just any boss, but THE boss—not like in Avengers where he looked like a silly wrestler in a plastic helmet. Just look at the new uniform he's got, taken from the events of Marvel's "Seige" story arc. Now he looks serious, and I can't express how much I appreciate that.

Like a BOSS!

But thinking about how they've so far introduced Cap and other Avengers into the fold so far, I have to wonder how they're going to work this one, since they seem to be jumping back and forth between some half a century's worth of Marvel comic events and mixing and matching to suit. Personally, I'm more a fan of the last decade's main events, and they've certainly been the most exciting in a very long time The last decade has seen the rise of some great characters, Winter Soldier being one of the very best.

Will they take on the work of Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker for this, or are we getting a mixed bag; a literal "Best Of" compilation of Marvel main events?

This time around—from what we know from both film news and comic history—Captain America is thrust into a different kind of danger and adventure when he discovers that the presumed long-dead Bucky Barnes has been resurrected as the Winter Soldier, a bionic assassin brainwashed and programmed by the Russians to kill without question, and who is now encroaching on U.S. turf.

It's not only going to be about Rogers living up to being the First Avenger, but it's also about ex-Soviet spy Black Widow getting a better introduction and becoming embroiled in these events, especially regarding Barnes, as the two have history—her being ex-Russian and all.

Of course, it wouldn't be maddeningly exciting should Disney just decide to stick to the events of a single comic book. Since this is part of the greater picture of "Phase 2," the code name of Marvel's epic film series post-Avengers, it's all about writing new characters into the mix. I just hope that the great origin story we have here isn't going to be the arse end of a huge, layered cake climbing up to Avengers: Age of Ultron. It really would be an insult to how Brubaker not only resurrected a classic character and made him a great standalone character, but also how he made Barnes the perfect dark contrast to the star spangled Avenger. It marked the beginning of an era where Marvel really began to accept that its readers had matured.

Whatever twists they'll throw in to keep fans guessing, this installment will also introduce the Falcon, (who may quickly join the Avengers), played by Anthony Mackie…


…and the mercenary Brock Rumlow, a.k.a. Crossbones (one of Marvel's most prominent non-powered characters) as played by Frank Grillo…


Just like in the Cold War days, international superpowers have found themselves with literal superpowers (only this time it's superheroes and supervillains instead of nuclear weapons) and a war of wits will indubitably explode right underneath Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s noses. And so Captain America: The Winter Soldier is unleashed upon audiences this Spring 2014.


Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls! Me likey. You likey? Comments below and thanks for reading.

Now that Christmas is over, the frenzied campaigning for and trolling against both Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's XBox One has finally died down. Whether based on hyped-up expectations or long-held prejudices, gamers have made their choices and, by now, it's estimated that Santa has probably filled around four million gamers' stockings with a launch edition of the next gen console of their choice.

Picture of the PS4 complete with upright stand. Incomplete without one. You know, just like the actual ones you can buy.

It's something of a truism to say that a console's long-term viability is dependent upon its games, but with any new console the number of AAA-rated games available at launch is pretty limited and - with several of this generation's top titles having been delayed until next year - there's one question that can't be answered by simply comparing sales figures: was it really worth placing a pre-order back in June, just to be sure a shiny new games machine would be nestling under the Christmas tree?

Well, I opted for Sony's stylish little number and, even without those AAA titles, I've fallen in love with it already. Why? Here are the top five things my PS4 and I did together over the Christmas break:

For America's Got Talent, the Scarecrow sang "If I Only Had a Brain", while Batwoman acted out emotes. Here she demonstrates "ROFL".

5.  DC Universe Online

As a comic fan, DCUO is a game which I've been wanting to play for a long time. After all, what fanboy or grrl wouldn't want the chance to save the world alongside Superman or Wonder Woman?

Despite my love of heroes in capes, however, I'm not a huge fan of MMOs (as Sartre might have said if he'd embraced his inner geek: "Hell is other gamers!"), and the prospect of paying a monthly subscription just to be shown up by a bunch of rabid 12 year olds is distinctly unappealing. Like many other MMOs, DCUO converted to a free-to-play model some time ago but, frustratingly, I haven't been able to take advantage of it before now. My laptop just isn't up to the job and my console gaming so far has been exclusively XBox, on which even free-to-play MMOs require an XBL Gold subscription.

Unlike XBox Live, PSN allows access to DCUO without a subscription to its premium service, PS Plus. Much of my Christmas, therefore, was spent playing superhero (and villain), patrolling the streets of Metropolis and Gotham. I fought against Brainiac's robotic minions alongside Superman and Lex Luthor; I freed Zatanna from a bunch of evil cultists, helped Wonder Girl take down Giganta, fought the Teen Titans, and rescued Raven from the clutches of her father. I joined up with Batwoman to defeat the Scarecrow and visited both the Hall of Doom and the JLA's Watchtower. And that was all in just a couple of days' play. There's clearly a lot more to explore in this game, and already I've been rubbing caped shoulders with some of DC's heaviest hitters. What better way is there for a fanboy to spend the run up to Christmas?!

4.  Watchmen

The answer is lots of talcum powder. You know what the question was!

Unlike many fans of Alan Moore's superb graphic novel, I really like Zack Snyder's movie adaptation of Watchmen. When I heard there was going to be an extended Director's Cut, I put off buying the DVD and began mentally putting away pennies in my imaginary penny jar. Sadly, when it was eventually released, the Director's Cut was only available on BluRay. Naturally, I didn't have a BluRay player at the time, and the idea of buying one just for that one movie seemed a tad excessive!

Over the years since then it's become increasingly common for the BluRay editions of major movies to include additional extras not available on the DVD and so it was inevitable that I'd eventually relent and buy something to play them on.  Well, now I have that something and the first thing I played on my PS4 was the Director's Cut of Watchmen. Honestly, I don't think the additional material adds very much but, after four years of waiting, at least I can finally say I've seen it. Score two for the PS4!

3.  A message to Microsoft

I am not a Microsoft hater. I've been a loyal XBox gamer ever since MS released its first chunky black shoe box. Yes, I've missed out on Playstation exclusives like Uncharted and The Last of Us, but I've also enjoyed many happy hours with XBox exclusives like Halo and Fable 2. Before last year's calamitous press conference in the run-up to E3, therefore, there was no way my next gen console purchase was ever going to be anything other than an XBox One.

Like many others, however, that all changed when Microsoft announced its plans to seriously curtail my consumer rights, to force me to buy a peripheral I saw no value in and, in some circumstances, even to deny me access to the games I'd bought. I thought hard about whether I was just being a bit of a Luddite and simply refusing to acknowledge the advantages of the MS proposition. By the end of E3, however, I just couldn't see any significant benefits to the gamer at all; certainly none that would offset the many downsides. And so I placed a pre-order for a PS4: my first Playstation ever.

Voice-activated control now as standard. And by "standard", we mean "compulsory".

That was over six months ago now and, after a series of disastrous surveys and negative pre-order numbers, Microsoft famously reversed most of its draconian policies. Even so, from time to time it still hints at the possibility of reintroducing its original plans at some stage in the future and so, every time I fired up my PS4 over Christmas, I felt like I was doing a little bit more to protest against unprincipled DRM restrictions. Of course, every time I did so, my faithful old 360 glowered sadly at me from the corner!

2.  Netflix

This year the international gurning contest will be held in Norway.

Thanks to UK satellite TV, I already have access to movies and a lot of HBO shows, so I haven't felt any great need to subscribe to yet another Pay-TV service. That was especially true since, for something like Netflix, I'd also have to subscribe to a gatekeeper, such as XBL Gold.

Well, times change. Netflix is currently producing a number of excellent shows which aren't available elsewhere. Breaking Bad, for example, never made it beyond Season 1 on UK TV, while other shows like Orange is the New Black still haven't been shown at all. The allure of Netflix has therefore, been growing slowly in recent years and, with the PS4, I can now access it without paying for a PS Plus premium subscription.

So, when I wasn't soaring over the rooftops of Metropolis or watching the Watchmen on BluRay, I was discovering some great Netflix shows. My favourite so far is probably the Fargo-esque Lilyhammer (you can read the Fanboys Anonymous review here!), a gentle culture-clash comedy starring Steven van Zandt as a New York mobster relocated under the Witness Protection Program to Lillehammer in Norway. With so much snow, it felt more like Christmas than ... well, Christmas!

1.  Contrast

Dawn could make amazing shadows with her hands, but Didi was beginning to think she cheated.

One of the PS4's strengths, at least according to Sony (although a few developers do appear to be corroborating this), is just how user-friendly its architecture and procedures are for small games developers. Of course, that doesn't mean a lot to the average gamer sat in front of his TV. We can only judge the success or otherwise of a supposedly developer-friendly policy, based on the quality of the independent games which eventually make their way onto our consoles.

One of the highlights of my Christmas was discovering Contrast, a short but delightfully innovative, puzzle-solving game in which you play as Dawn, the "imaginary friend" of a little girl called Didi. The main gameplay mechanic is Dawn's ability to turn into a shadow in order to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. I expected that much from the trailers I'd seen. What I didn't expect was the noirish atmosphere, the wonderfully stylish 1920s environments, or the way shadows are also used to tell the story of the on-off relationship between Didi's parents.

There are a few minor elements that could have been expanded upon but the game's endearing sense of charm more than compensates for those. If you take out a PS Plus subscription, Contrast can be downloaded for free. It's a short game but, even without a PS Plus subscription it can be downloaded for a mere £12.79 and, unlike some bigger blockbuster titles, it actually feels like good value right up until the closing credits. There may have been a dearth of next gen AAA blockbuster titles available in time for Christmas but, with indy gems like Contrast to keep us entertained, my PS4 and I hardly noticed!

So, did Santa put a new console in your stocking this year? Tell us whether you went for the XBox One or the PS4, and what's been the best thing about it so far!

Happy New Year, Fanboys and Fangirls, and welcome to 2014. I hope all the Punisher fans among us got plenty of fresh underwear for Christmas, because you're about to soil some!

"Go ahead and poop, it'll be the last thing you smell!"

As the new Punisher series under the Marvel NOW! banner approaches its release date this March, we have some more artwork to tantalize, titillate, and generally make you feel dirty and shameless.

IT'S RAINING DEATH…HALLELUJAH…

The series, starting at issue one all over again after the cancellation of Rucka and Checchetto's great little run, is being brought to life by The Activity writer and artist Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads, and despite these tasty treats lacking any dialogue or monologue so far, ain't they just pretty?

Not many say it publicly—then again, I'm not known for filtering my thoughts—but I have to say it: one thing that's annoyed me as a die-hard fan for so long is the inconsistency of past series' artists, and when I say consistency, I mean the shit-ness.

With the exception of Garth Ennis during the "MAX" years (who will also present a miniseries this year) and Greg Rucka, both of whom were backed up by some great talent from beginning to end, Punisher has often been left short-changed by some pretty garish artwork (which I won't sully these pages with) in the past.

I couldn't draw to save my own life, so there's a tragic sadness to my honesty when I ask why comic book giants such as Marvel aren't kicking in my door to hurl briefcases of money at my face?!

I did this in five minutes. Just for you!

Not to worry. Mitch Gerads, who I think is a phenomenal artist, is not only treating us with some very lush work, but also treating the Punisher and his world to a pretty awesome makeover.


The richness in the aesthetics, the inks, and the colours—I'm gushing here, but LA is such a breath of fresh air compared to New York City, right? Very colourful and not at all dreary.

Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls. Excited much? Comments below and thanks for reading. Punisher #1 is released in March of this year!

The Superman/Batman movie is supposed to be out in theaters in 2015. Like the previous Superman movie, Man of Steel, this movie will also have Zack Snyder as director and David Goyer as screenwriter. The website for movie news, Cinemablend, says:

Warner Bros. has confirmed that cameras will begin rolling in the first half of next year and that the finished product will be hitting theaters on July 17, 2015.

The movie is a sequel to Man of Steel. So it will focus more on Superman and will mainly be about Superman and Batman fighting against each other. More details about the plot of the movie can be found on the websites Warner Bros. has officially registered: BatmanvsSupermanMovie.com and BatmanvsSuperman.com.


Of course, Henry Cavill will play Superman, as he did in Man of Steel. Batman will be played by Ben Affleck. According to Cinemablend and Hollywood Reporter, as of December 9th, other characters we can hope to see in the movie include Wonder Woman, played by Israeli supermodel Gal Godot, and either the villain Doomsday or the ally Martian Manhunter, played by Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa. But nothing is certain yet.

Jason Momoa

What is definite, Cinemablend states, is that the same cast of characters (Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and Diane Lane as Martha Kent) from Man of Steel will be part of the Superman/Batman movie. That may be the case for the Batman side of the movie as well, but it has not yet been confirmed that the same cast of characters (Michael Caine as Alfred, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Blake, and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon) will be used for Batman's side.

The list of actors Warner Bros. is thinking of having play either villain or ally roles is quite interesting. For example, on December 18th, Variety News said that Warner Bros. was thinking about having actor Joaquin Phoenix play the role of the villain Lex Luthor, but nothing was sure at the time.

Joaquin Phoenix

Other than Phoenix, based on an article by Business Insider, Warner Bros is considering the following actors to play Lex Luthor: Denzel Washington, Mark Stron, Bryan Cranston (from Breaking Bad), Madds Mikkelson (from Hannibal), and Kevin Spacey!

These actors are still rumored to be cast for these roles. If we look at the IMDB website, however, it shows Jason Momoa and Joaquin Phoenix as "rumored" actors. When was IMDB ever wrong?

So no one should be surprised to see Phoenix as Lex Luthor and Momoa as Doomsday or Martian Manhunter. Who would you want to see play Lex Luthor?

In the waning weeks of 2013, Disney made a surprising announcement: they had reached a deal with Paramount to release new installments of the celebrated Indiana Jones franchise, and to handle the multimedia that goes along with it (because this is Disney, folks).

Gonna see a lot more of these on the shelves.

Obviously, the Indiana Jones franchise was one of a few high-power franchises under the Lucasfilm banner when Disney bought the company a year ago, but the priority at the time seemed to be the announcement and early development of a new Star Wars trilogy. At the time of the deal, Disney CEO Bob Iger reported that while the Mouse House had plans for the Indy franchise, some roadblocks remained before anything new could be done with the character. The first four Indiana Jones films were released by Paramount, and that studio will continue to profit from those first four films and retain some percentage of future Indiana Jones films, as they have with several Marvel properties. With the announcement of this deal, more Indy is all but sure to come. It's even rumored that part of what brought Harrison Ford back for more Star Wars is a provision in his contract for more Indiana Jones.

The question now is what Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and perhaps most importantly, Ford feel like they can do with the character. Of particular concern, sad enough to say, is Ford's age. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy's last adventure from 2008, maintained the real-world time between itself and the prior film, 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade—nineteen years. Harrison Ford was sixty-four at the time of production on Crystal Skull. Alongside Disney's news that they would churn out one Star Wars sequel or spinoff every year beginning in 2015, reportedly bumping Indy 5 back two or three more years, we could be looking at a 72-or-73-year-old Dr. Jones.

"It's not the years, honey…"

Admittedly, Harrison Ford keeps himself in good shape, and some news was made about the fitness regimen the actor maintained while filming Crystal Skull. Ford still did the majority of his own stunts. But with possibly another decade away from the character, could he bring the same physicality we've come to know and love from Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford both? It could mean the studio is preparing for a reboot of the franchise. Or perhaps it could eye the prequel route, using an older Ford to anchor the series, as in Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. It could be that younger versions of both Han Solo and Indiana Jones are on their way in the next several years—but one way or another, more Indy, at least, is on the way.

Dear people who make decisions on online improvements for Ultra Street Fighter 4,

Playing video games online is about incentives and social interaction, as you well know. The online components of the Street Fighter 4 series have done an exceptional job of addressing the desires of players across the board by providing eight player lobbies with voice chat and an ability to spectate, multiple gameplay modes, and replay channels.

Unfortunately, players do not take full advantage of all gameplay modes, particularly Tournament and Team Battle. It is extremely rare to find a lobby for either, and it's hard to convince friends to play them even if you have known them all of your life. Why are players reluctant to play these modes? It's because there is nothing on the line.

A lot of players claim they do not care about battle points (BP) or player points (PP) earned through ranked matches, but these points are an indicator of player proficiency and consistency against unfamiliar competition. A very solid player can lose to an unorthodox style at any time, as we have seen on several occasions.


Traversing the salty online road like Ryu to achieve BP and PP "does not matter," but it is respected. A player's numbers speak for themselves before round one begins. One might play above or below one's numbers, but everyone takes notice of these so-called arbitrary stats.

The Tournament and Team Battle modes do not have built-in incentives for players. Sometimes, video game players just need a foundation that provides incentives and social interaction beyond bragging rights. Here's my suggestion to alleviate the problem: create "dojos," the fighting game genre's equivalent of clans.

Dojos compete with each other to earn "belts" that represent achievements the dojos have attained in Tournament, Team Battle, and the new Elimination mode. Competing dojos can challenge one another to earn belts that must be defended to retain ownership. Special belts that can never be taken away from a dojo are earned by participating in monthly regional events.

Each dojo has to attain a grade in order to challenge others, similar to Challenge mode in the original Street Fighter 4. For example, dojos in the rookie class are only allowed to challenge dojos in the rookie class. Once the dojo earns the next rank, it is allowed to challenge dojos of that same class.

Ryu supports saving the way of the dojo.

Additional parameters to consider for dojos:

• Dojos are allowed to have a maximum of 20 players.
• Each gamertag is allowed to join a maximum of three dojos.
• Any belt that a dojo wishes to retain must be defended at least once every three weeks.
• Players can follow up to five dojos, which allows them to view each dojo's public profile (including overall record and record breakdowns for each mode) and replays.
• Double elimination should be an option for Tournament mode. Two of three sets would also be a viable option for Team Battle and Elimination.
• Dojos can tag others as rivals to track their progress as they attempt to match their feats.
• Dojos can utilize Online Training mode with spectators to prepare for fights.

The dojo system would provide organization and structure for players' desire to test themselves against one another. Dojos would extend the life of Ultra Street Fighter 4 and take advantage of players' innate, burning desire to defeat opponents. Fostering online communities for dojos in UItra Street Fighter 4 is the next step for taking the fighting game genre to new heights as a can't miss gaming experience and a budding business. I hope that the people who make decisions on online improvements for Ultra Street Fighter 4 agree with this assessment.

Best Regards,
Aaron Lanton

P.S. I encourage all readers to add their two cents in the comments. Capcom has asked for the feedback of the players. Let's keep the conversation going and continue to voice our opinions to ensure we are getting the best experience possible.

Check out Episode 28 of The Dace Man Show with regulars Gibby, Frank Ward, Dan Raup and many many others as they bring you into the new year the only way the know how...pure chaos!!

 ::SPORTS NEWS::

• The final week in NFL regular Season
• Current NHL Leaders! We were able to google it!

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY::

• He made up one story and we cut him off.

::FRANK'S CORNER::

• Frank's told us the obvious facts of life...er...Dace Man Show Life.

::CELEB NEWS::

• We talked about who died.

Plus the High Five: Top 5 Dace Man Show Moments of 2013 plus the Douche bag of the Week! All that and more, only on The Dace Man Show!





Step onto the crazy train with Chris "The Dace Man" Dace, for the final time in 2013 and the First time in 2014, on The Dace Man Show… cue the Final Countdown!!!

Follow The Dace Man on Twitter:


Fundraising Websites - Crowdrise

One of the perks of being a member of the Fanboys team is posting the various videos I have made. Unfortunately, because of the things going on in my busy life (working, going to school, recently got engaged and dealing with family), I have not only failed to post my videos to this site, but I also haven't been able to keep up the volume of videos I would like to have had produced for both of my channels on YouTube. I do apologize for not posting them to our wonderful site.

With that being said, here are all of the recent videos I have made. I hope you enjoy them, and I thank you for understanding.

RCLP is playing catch-up!

First up, the first four episodes of "Skullmonkeys" for the PlayStation.





And, here are some of my "one-off" videos where I play some games which are not being turned into full-fledged series. These videos are just for fun.

Episode 56 of the I Got Gameplay podcast is now online. In this episode, Michael Burhan, Zack Latour, Travis Goss, and special guest Booch talk Super Smash, from the game's simple start on the Nintendo 64 to the controversy surrounding its current incarnation on both the Wii U and the 3DS. The team also go through the list of new characters and discuss who they would like to see in the fourth installment of the series.

You can check out the episode by clicking on the following links:

Libsyn: http://smarkoutmoment.libsyn.com/rss

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/igotgameplay/id570120518

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nerdgenious/igotgameplay?amp;refid=stpr

You can subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/IGotGameplay


You can join the discussion by going to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/igotgameplay

Join the IGG army in style by purchasing an I Got Gameplay T-shirt from our store. To order yours, just click on the appropriate link below!

(UK and EU) http://nerdgenious.spreadshirt.co.uk/i-got-gameplay-retro-t-A25715613/customize/color/348

(US) http://nerdgenioususa.spreadshirt.com/

The T-shirt comes in eight different colors and six different sizes, including Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and 3XL. Shirts are £16.50 UK and $19.90 US. Grab yours today!

On again and off again, I've alluded to the oddball rock trio Nirvana in my articles. I haven't provided too much analysis on the band or their music because back in the day, from afar, it was all surrounded by hype and MTV. As we dig deeper into the core (which is the true subject—the band and Kurt Cobain), we sift through the grinding gears of a machine called "the media" and its refined soullessness and inhumanity. To really understand what happened to the Aberdeen nerd and his bandmates in the early '90s, we must adventure through the rubble and ruins of the past, filled with cobwebs and skeletons adorned in plaid. Your iPhone is no good here.

Seattle, Washington, 1990. Little of note—apart from the Space Needle, Starbucks, and Boeing—was associated with the northwestern city. Bill Gates is from Seattle, but Microsoft was merely a reputable company in that period, so truly to the outside world, there wasn't much to say about the city. Perhaps pro sports made the tranquil metropolis a recognizable name, but one NBA championship wasn't enough to transform it into a cultural haven as its music soon would.

Eye of the hurricane: before the big band status

I have already portrayed the big Seattle bands and how their trip to the "upstairs" of modern music turned a few knobs in the media no one even knew existed. What's interesting is all that followed which is not music related. Movies, fashion, "grunge-speak" (I cannot wait to reach that paragraph), the alternative teen movement—it was all in the headlines with a Northwest flavor to it by 1993.

Never mind the constant stream of press material on Time, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, The New York Times, and other outlets in America and eventually the world; when something hit the TV, by all means, it had to be bought. 
Once Smells Like Teen Spirit reached the tube, the avalanche began. It started with innocent appearances on Saturday Night Live on behalf of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, touring, and the MTV phenomenon that drew the attention of so many young teens and adults to "grunge," a term so loosely coined that even Seattleites had trouble grasping it. Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and the stories of the bands we all know followed.

Weird Al and his tasteful parody

What was interesting is that it suddenly became standard practice to copy whatever the average Joe was doing in Seattle. How did they dress? What was living in Seattle like? There was a very strange, surreal romantic story being told to the masses when in fact, Seattle was a dull, boring, cold, and rainy city to the young. As hard as it may be to be sure of what I write, I've come across too many interviews with the people who partook in that period of events that alluded to depression, drug use, and suicides to doubt myself.

While Seattle was just a city, with all the perks and flaws of any other city with similar demographics, it was a strange time and place to be growing up. Either you were one of the jocks or upscale rich kids, or you were a geek bound to work in a record store, K-Mart, or someplace similar. There wasn't an appreciated culture of cosplay (otaku or gamer) where you could geek out all you want and still get the girl; these were loser's havens back then. In Seattle, it happened to be bands. The music underground was already respected by other underground scenes from various places in the U.S. thanks to the Sub Pop label, but once it all switched over to mainstream, it comically became super important to know what type of snack was a favorite among the Seattle fans.

Cast of Singles

The phones wouldn't stop ringing from journalists demanding the latest trend, and not just for band info. Anyone who had anything to do with the music scene there was interviewed. It reached a point where The New York Times called up Sub Pop and the receptionist, Megan Jasper, answered. Fed up with the bothersome attention from the press, she created "grunge speak" on the spot, inventing terms such as "lamestain" and "swingin' on the flippity-flop." only to see it published shortly thereafter on November 15, 1992. (The article is currently online!) And the city laughed at the media hounds.

Perry Ellis also cashed in (or rather, struck out) on the grunge thing. There was a Spring/Summer '93 collection designed by Marc Jacobs, which was a fiasco. The opposite must be said for the genuine style: Torn jeans were a religion for me as a kid, and plaid was the uniform of choice in school.


Let's not forget that the media is a beast of many heads. One of them is Hollywood. There was a genuine movie that was coincidentally released before the hype, called Singles (1992), a romantic comedy by director Cameron Crowe depicting Seattle's music scene and the young adults involved. After its warm reception, Warner Bros. contacted Crowe to create a sitcom whose tone resembled the movie's. When Crowe declined, it's an educated guess—and probably true—that Warner proceeded to create Friends in 1994 based on this up-and-coming Generation X, though they opted to set it in New York given the exhaustion of the whole "Seattle thing."

Cast of Frasier

The milking continued. The long-lived show Frasier, which premiered in 1993, took place in Seattle. Why? No reason. Just fashionable. I don't recall a mention of Frasier's hometown being Seattle in Cheers. There was also the movie The Crush (1993), which starred Alicia Silverstone in her breakthrough role (apart from the Aerosmith videos). Where did it take place? Seattle. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)—Seattle.

Beavis and Butthead defined what rocked and what sucked—grunge ruled!

Seattle, Seattle. Even Beavis and Butthead said Seattle rules—and by God, if they said so, it must have been true. 
If it wasn't true, then it sure turned out that way. Things seemed at least more genuine and real-world in comparison to Manhattan, London, L.A., and other glittering places. After the money came knocking, the city thrived in a way none of the punk rock enthusiasts would have ever dreamed of.

It is highly recommended that you seek out the documentary Hype! (1996), where this is all portrayed. The film interviews many bands of the grunge scene, and they describe the "before-and-after" in ways that I will never be able to credibly document here. No matter how cynical and ridiculous the constant craving for the next big thing was, the truth is Seattle enjoyed the courtship, albeit in a timid fashion.

I know several people who lived in Seattle in recent years, and they claim it is a great city. Does anyone share that view? Did things change drastically for the better since the '80s? Or was it nice all along, only bleak to a few? The more you comment, the better the closing article on Nirvana will be. Don't be a lamestain!