Posted by
The Dace Man
- Saturday, May 24, 2014
Posted by
Unknown
- Friday, May 23, 2014
Nintendo has gone through many design changes when it comes to its controllers, from the simple rectangle of the NES to N64's odd shape and GameCube's heaping mess of buttons. By the time the company released the Wii and the Wii U, their simplistic remote made it easy for anyone to pick up—and just as fun as all of its predecessors. Although the new innovative advances have always been the forefront of Nintendo, the gaming company has recently partnered with Performance Designed Products (PDP) to release a GameCube-inspired controller for the Wii U.
The leading manufacturer of video game accessories, PDP announced that the new remote—called the Wired Fight Pad—will come just in time for Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U this holiday season. Officially licensed by Nintendo and inspired by GameCube's controller, it's safe to say that it will bring that nostalgic feel of 2001.
Compatible with the Wii and Wii U, the Wired Fight Pad will plug into a Wii Remote the same way the Nunchuk does and will feature classic fan-favorite characters such as Mario, Yoshi, and Princess Peach.
GameCube's controller has been the preferred choice when it comes to Super Smash Bros.—although nothing is like actually punching Princess Peach in the face (at least simulated with the Wii, close enough)—but GameCube's button scheme made gameplay that much better.
No official design has been released by either company, but PDP said the Wired Fight Pad will be available later this year for $25, launching alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Game Informer reported.
Are you excited to brawl on this new controller? Let us know in the comment section below!
Posted by
Unknown
- Thursday, May 22, 2014
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| Wish Charlie Day gave a speech at MY graduation! |
Commencement speeches tend to be filled with cheesy, overly-used inspiring phrases that can leave an anxious graduate more nervous for the real world. I dreaded having to go through the speeches at my own graduation earlier this week, but fortunately they were much better than I anticipated.
After listening to Charlie Day give his speech, I was left awestruck. Blame it on my post-graduation feels, but in my own opinion it was probably one of the best commencement speeches ever given, especially for today's generation of graduates. It was funny and inspiring, and he gave some of the best advice I've heard in years. Charlie talked about his own struggles and how you essentially have to make your own breaks, along with some other quotable stories.
Give it a listen. I promise you that you won't regret it.
Did you like your commencement speaker or do you wish you had someone as cool as Charlie Day? Let us know in the comments section!
Posted by
Unknown
- Wednesday, May 21, 2014
The days of swiping the iconic yellow and blue card at train stations (and then swiping again because it didn't swipe properly the first few attempts, and now there's a line of impatient New Yorkers behind you cursing under their breath) may soon come to an end.
The MTA announced on Monday that it expects the 20-year-old MetroCard (feel old yet?) will be replaced with a touch-friendly system that will be designed by the end of the year and introduced in 2016, phasing out over three years until fully replaced by 2020, according to reports.
Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the MTA, told Gothamist early this year that the electronic system "would be a new fare payment system that is based on a form of technology for payment, which is technically known as the RFID or NFC for near-field communication type of payment."
This type of system is used in Europe and is similar to London's Oyster Card, and will allow straphangers to tap sensors with their smartphones, credit cards, or other RFID or NFC-enabled devices to pass through subway turnstiles.
According to Time Out New York, the cost of producing an estimated 80 million MetroCards for 2014 alone is around $6 million, so this technology may save the MTA a substantial amount of money in the long run—that is if installing the system pays off, since the digital upgrade is reliant on other industries to implement the technology.
While this does away with those flimsy cards that always find themselves tossed on the ground throughout stations (eco-activits rejoice)—not to mention the annoying $1 surcharge for a new one—and the dated and expensive vending machines, could the new system be potential grounds for opportunistic thieves to score iPhones and credit cards from commuters, adding to the spike in smartphone thefts that are already a cause for concern? Moreso, RFID-technology isn't all that secure, as we've seen in last year's wide-spread credit card theft at Target stores.
Another challenge is that the MTA may have failed to realize that not everyone has or can afford a smartphone—especially school-aged commuters that rely on student MetroCards. And according to a study commissioned by the Department of Consumer Affairs' (DCA) Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE), more than 825,000—13 percent—of adults in New York City do not have bank accounts.
Though the change will take a few years, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road commuters are close to being able to buy tickets via their phones and tablets, the New York Post reported.
Lets just hope this doesn't encourage the MTA to raise fairs even more—oh hell, we all know it will.
What do you think about the coming changes? Do you think we're technically advanced for this yet or should the money be better spent actually improving the train service (really, it should). Let us know in the comment section below!
Posted by
Orion Petitclerc
- Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Hello, Fanboys and Fangirls! Orion here. I'm reviewing the third and final issue of S. Simankowicz's Sage Escape: Mars Gambit in my pal Dan Ashley's stead. I may not be quite as crazy and British as ol' Dan, but I promise to give the comic a fair review from the perspective of a seasoned comic book reader and aspiring creator. I wasn't too familiar with Sage Escape before I took on the responsibility of reviewing its third issue, so I took the time to catch up and familiarize myself with the story before diving into the final issue of the arc.
Let's do a brief recap in case some of you aren't familiar with the story. In the distant future, a mega-corporation known as Friendly Corp is conquering cities on interplanetary colonies with the help of their cybernetic/human hybrid killing machines, the Salesmen Assassins. Friendly Corp, owned by the shadowy Cray family, created a new female Salesman Assassin model named Sage. Kidnapped into the Salesman Assassin program, Sage went rogue after regaining her memories of the massacre of her hometown of Natura.
Sage is on a mission to uncover the truth about the Natura massacre, but she finds herself hounded by two Friendly Corp-hired bounty hunters, one of whom, Raamon, she recruits to her cause. Together they continue Sage's adventure while being pursued by the second bounty hunter. Meanwhile, a mysterious plot unfolds in the Cray family.
In issue #3, Simankowicz starts off with Sage and Raamon dealing with the slaver from whom they commandeered a freight ship full of orphaned children from another massacre. After that brief bump in the road, we learn a little bit more about how Friendly Corp had reprogrammed Sage into a killing machine. During her combat with Elvis Cray (the patriarch of the family), however, her inner monologue becomes clunky as she mentally commands her every movement as indicated by captions. Perhaps instead of telling us her process of fighting, Simankowicz could have shown us with his art in more than just five action panels.
Also, Elvis Cray comes off as a weaker character in his dialogue and mannerisms than he should be. He's the head of Friendly Corp and should act the part, instead of flat-out surrendering to Sage's terms after she kicks his guards' collective ass. Again, there's room for improvement in Simankowicz's character development and storytelling.
Simankowicz's art gets the job done, but not without a few flaws. For one, his characters aren't always drawn to match their ages. Sage is meant to be a teenager, but she clearly has the body and face of a woman in her twenties. The children's faces and bodies are disproportionate and aged, so that they often seem more like small adults than actual children. The range of emotions on each character's face doesn't vary enough to fit the situations they're placed in, and they repeatedly suffer from serious face syndrome.
Despite these flaws, I do see potential in Simankowicz's story. What he needs is an experienced comic book editor who can help him refine his writing and art. Right now, there's no editor credited in any of the three books, and it shows in his work that he's not receiving the constructive feedback that could make this series that much better.
On the same note, he also needs to practice his art by drawing from life and from his influences. No comic artist started from scratch; instead, they emulated what they saw in the real world and in the pages of the comics they read. Right now, I see raw style untempered by skill. In the comic industry, storytelling doesn't rest solely on the writer's shoulders. It's imperative for Simankowicz to hone his craft to the point that his art gives form to the formless text on the page.
I really don't want to come off as panning Simankowicz or his work. I, too, understand the enormity of the task he's set out to accomplish. I'm also a comic book writer trying to make a name for himself, and Simankowicz has beaten me to the punch by getting his work published. Good for him! I just want to see him grow into his own as a writer and artist. He has so much potential with his story and skills; he just needs to take a little more time to hone both and get a second pair of eyes to review his work before he publishes something that could be ten times better.
Gosh, screw me, right? Bring back the Brit! He's so much more fun. Hey, every rose has its prick, and sometimes that prick is there to remind us of reality. This prick just wants good comics from people with the talent and drive to make them, and if that means denying Sage Escape: Mars Gambit a place on the proverbial fridge, so be it. I hope Simankowicz reads my review, takes it into consideration, and improves his craft and art accordingly. Then I can place the next chapter in Sage Escape on the fridge.
Got a different opinion on the matter? Have a beef to settle with me? Or would you like to praise the book? I want to hear it all in the comments below. Also, check out Dan's reviews for both the first and second issues of Sage Escape: Mars Gambit.
