Smash Bros: Little Mac Announced

Hey Everyone,

A new challenge is approaching. It is Little Mac from Mike Tyson's Punch Out.

I must admit I was very surprised by this addition to the series. I posted previously about how Sakurai, creator behind Smash Bros, stated there will be no fighters. Previous post can be read HERE. I consider Little Mac a fighter, but oh well. 

He seems like a fun character and a great addition to the series. I am assuming that he will have some type of powered up uppercut as a special. I wonder what other special movies he will have as well as how his recovery jumps will look. 

I really thought they were done with announcing new characters. I wonder how many new characters will we get and how many old characters will we lose?

Post by Vikki 

Twitter: ProfessorWhite

Dos Equis Man vs Chuck Norris?

Hi Everyone,

New Vikki’s musings is here. I know it has been awhile but I am back with a vengeance. I asked the question and stumped one of my friends. Who would win in a match of awesomeness Dos Equis vs Chuck Norris?

First we have Dos Equis Man. Here are some things to consider about this most interesting man.

Famous Dos Equis Quotes:

• Mosquitoes refuse to bite him purely out of respect.
• If he were to punch you in the face, you would have to fight off the urge to thank him.
• Once sailing around the world, he discovered a short cut.
• When it is raining, it is because he is thinking of something sad.
• His beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man’s entire body.
• Even his enemies list him as an emergency contact.
• He’s a lover, not a fighter, but he’s also a fighter, so don’t get any ideas.

Now in this corner we have the infamous Chuck Norris. Here are some details about him to consider.

Famous Chuck Norris Quotes:

• When Chuck Norris is in Rome, the Romans do as Chuck Norris
• There used to be a street named Chuck Norris, but it was changed because no one crosses Chuck Norris and lives
• Fear of spiders is called arachnophobia, fear of tight spaces is called claustrophobia, and fear of Chuck Norris is just plain logic.
• When a zombie apocalypse starts, Chuck Norris doesn't try to survive. The zombies do.
• Death once had a near-Chuck-Norris experience.
• Chuck Norris can hear sign language.
• Chuck Norris beat the sun in a staring contest.

Okay now you have a list of the Dos Equis Man vs Chuck Norris qualities. Who do you think will win? It is hard and I thought about this for some time and I still have no idea.  Take the poll below and lets see who wins. The poll can only be viewed on a PC. Vote! 

Movie Monday: Superman III

Hi Everyone,

Another Random Movie Monday is here. I decided to go way back in the vault and check out a movie that I have childhood nostalgia about but do not really remember the details and have not seen with my adult eyes. I realize there are a lot of movies like this and I might try to target those particular movies for my Movie Mondays. Leave comments if you think this would be a good path for Movie Mondays.

This week's movie is Superman III, released in 1983. It stars Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor. Directed by Richard Lester and written by David Newman and Leslie Newman.

Story line: Wealthy businessman Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) discovers the hidden talents of Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor), a mischievous computer genius. Gus decides to abuse his talents to help Webster with his plans for economic control. When the Man of Steel interferes, Webster decides something must be done about Superman (Christopher Reeve). When Gus' synthetic Kryptonite fails to kill Superman, it turns him into an evil incarnation of his former self. The tar-laced Kryptonite pits man against himself, setting up the Clark vs. Superman battle.

My Thoughts: During this movie Clark takes a trip back to Smallville to do a a story on his class reunion. He is reunited with the lovely Lana Lang who is played by Annette O'Toole. Yes the same actress that will go on to play Mrs. Kent in the hit CW show Smallville. When I realized it was the same actress I was properly grossed out and thought it was incestuous. It reminded me of Back to the Future when McFly meets his mother who tries to make moves on him. 

Another great gem that I did not remember as a kid is that my favorite comedian Richard Pryor was in the movie. He was enjoyable as always. He really added a great comedic element to the movie and in the end helps Superman out so he is not a bad guy. I did giggle when Superman helped Gorman out of a tight spot and then gave him a soul shake to let Gorman know that everything was okay between the two. 

A great moment is when evil Superman has to fight Clark Kent. Superman is so determined to destroy this last good part of himself and attempts in various ways. However Kent is stronger and is able to take back control and overcome the effects of the bad kryptonite. 

The movie was fun and did make me laugh at some of the corny moments but I am sure my kid self enjoyed the movie a lot. I think I might continue to watch the movies from the past and share my thoughts. Check out Superman III and share your thoughts on the comments. I might just go back and watch all the Superman movies again. 

Post by Vikki

Twitter: ProfessorWhite

The Walking Dead S4, Ep. 10 “Inmates” Recap

Important Moments: Episode starts with Beth narrating, recalling how great it was at the prison and the need to find a safe place. Beth is on the run with Daryl. Beth is talking to Daryl and notes that they should do something and they cannot be the only survivors. She is trying to motivate Daryl who appears to be in a weird funk. Daryl helps Beth to track and find others. They come upon some walkers eating some of the survivors at the railroad tracks. 

New group. Tyese has baby Judith and the girls (Mika and Lizzie) with him. They are on a constant move. They stop to change Judith’s diary. Tyrese leaves the girls to go help someone who is in distress. He comes upon the group of people at the railroad that Daryl and Beth will later find. Carol shows up and finds the girls. Carol spins a nice story on what happened to her, good thing Rick never got around to telling Tyrese what happened. They find a sign claiming sanctuary called Terminus.

New group. Sacha is with the alcoholic guy, Bob. Maggie is there and claims she will look for the bus and find Glenn. They come upon the bus that appears to be broken down and filled with walkers. They work together to find out if Glenn is on the bus. After killing the Walkers, Maggie searches the bus but does not find Glenn. 

New group. We find Glenn passed out on top of a walkway at the prison with a gun. There are walkers all around. Glen is wandering around the prison trying to find if anyone is left. Glenn lays down in his old cell and finds a picture of Maggie. He begins ransacking the other cells for necessary items of survival. He puts on the combat gear and makes a run for it. 

As he is leaving he finds a survivor and motivates her to get a move on. Tara lets it slip about how The Governor killed Hershel. Glenn admits he doesn't like Tara but he has to find Maggie and she will help him find her. They take on a few walkers and Glenn passes out. A truck rolls up and we are introduced to Abraham. Woohoo!!! 

My Thoughts: Apparently there will be four episodes focusing on small groups as we saw with Carl. I knew they would not kill the baby like they did in the comic. Television is too soft  and people would be all upset. Also look at Carol showing up and kicking butt. I am sure we all cheered when Carol showed up. However I am concerned at Lizzie’s attempt to kill Judith. We all need to keep our eyes on that little girl.

Spoiler alert – in the comic Carl kills one of the other kids because the kid is a serial killer. Looks like Lizzie might have those makings and I guess we shall see if they are honest and let Carl kill her. 

Okay we see Maggie is alive and well but she is acting foolish on this quest to find Glenn. Whatever! 

Abraham!!! All comic readers are I am sure excited for this character and it looks like he has his side kicks with him. I cannot wait to see how they continue with this character! Technically Tyrese was supposed to be the one beheaded but instead they killed Hershel so I wonder how long Tyrese will live and if Abraham will live longer as well. 

RoboCop Movie Review

Hi Everyone,

The new reboot of Robocop is out and I had a chance to check it out. Remember the original movie was released in 1987 so I have childhood nostalgia about this movie and I remember some parts but honestly do not remember all the little details so I think this gave me a chance to watch the reboot without disdain for the remake but instead open to what the new installment has to offer.

The movie was directed by Jose Padilha, written by Joshua Zetumer and Edward Neumeier. It stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Keaton and is rated PG13.

Story Line: In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years - and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp ran by Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) - a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit - is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp with the help of Dr. Norton (Gary Oldman) sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. While television personality Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson) attempts to sway public opinion. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

My thoughts: This installment did not offend me and I enjoyed the movie. I had to get that out of the way so if you thought the movie was horrible you can move on from this post. Michael Keaton truly sold me on his portrayal of Raymond Sellars who is money first, people later. He added a nice edge and knew how to maneuver Dr. Norton (Oldman) into the right mindset to essentially abuse Murphy into making him more robot and less of a man. 

The action in the movie was the appropriate level. I did not find myself thinking that it was over the top or that they needed to dial back. The proper amount of shooting and explosions occurred. The one thing that I did not like is that it dragged a little bit in the beginning as they were getting to the Robocop moment. I understand we needed to understand Murphy and his process of becoming Robocop but they started to lose my interest in the movie. 

Kinnaman did the role justice. I tried to look up movies that the actor was in previously and it appeared he played small roles until this one. I think he was a great pick as he was not a big name that would have been more concerned about his name than the role. He showed the proper amount of emotion with Clara Murphy (Abbie Cornish) and David Murphy (John Paul Rutton) so we were able to see the man under the robot. 

RoboCop was given a nice black finish as requested by Sellars. He did look sleek and again I was not offended by it. The suit was still shaped like the previous installment and you knew what you were looking at unlike the leaked pictures of Shredder who is extra beefed up with metal. I did like when Norton took apart Murphy to show him how much of his body is left and how much is robotic. It freaked me out but it did drive home the point that he needs the suit to survive. 

Samuel L. Jackson as Novak was a great addition to the movie. He added a necessary element that the movie needed to show how media can have its own agenda and that their information needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Maybe I am reading too much into his role but hopefully it will help others think when listening to media reports. 

Overall I recommend the movie. I do want to go back and watch the original RoboCop to compare the differences but for now I am content with appreciating this movie. Check it out and share your thoughts in the comments. 

Post by Vikki

Twitter: ProfessorWhite

Gamer Corner: Edward

Welcome to this week's installment of Gamer Corner, where Fangirl Review interviews a gamer and gets his thoughts on the gaming world and learning what he is enjoying at the moment.

Tell me a little bit about yourself? What rig do you currently game on? What kind of gamer do you classify yourself to be? ie. PC, Console, Tabletop, LARP as well as Hardcore, RPG, etc.

My name is Edward Polack. I’m 38 years old and I’m in the U.S. Navy. I currently game on the PS4. I consider myself a console gamer, however, I was previously a PC gamer for a short time.

What is your first memory of gaming?

My first memory of gaming was back when I was about 6 or 7 years old. My Dad brought home an Atari 2600. I played a lot of Pac-Man and Pitfall. Pitfall was by far my favorite game on that console. Trying to jump over those crocodiles was hard!

What game are you currently playing right now? Do you enjoy that game, why? How’s the overall game play and graphics?

I’m currently playing Assassin’s Creed 4! I really love this game! It’s by far the best out of the Assassin's Creed line. What I love most about this game is the ability to drive your ship anywhere in the Caribbean! There is always something to do in this game from plundering ships, modifying your own pirate ship, and building your own town on an island! This game will keep you busy! The game play is very smooth and the graphics are awesome at 1080p! The developers have gone overboard in terms of design and game play. They definitely ensured this game was ready for next generation!

Would you recommend it, why?

I recommend this game to people who want to try something different besides the typical Battelfield or Call of Duty games. I find it refreshing to be able to immerse myself into a game and make it feel that I’m the lead character and that everything I do has a consequence for my actions. This is truly an open world game where you get to decide when and how you want to complete the game.

Are there any games coming out that you are looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to Planetside 2. My buddy just told me about this game coming to Playstation 4 sometime this year. This game is not just a first person shooter where you go into a map, play for a few minutes, and then bounce out until the new map starts.  Planetside 2 is an ever evolving war between three factions fighting for resources on three different continents. This game will be free to play and will have up to 2000 players on each continent at one time. Truly a Massive Online Gaming First Person Shooter!

If you could design your own game what would it be like?

I like games that require you to have a character for you to build, develop, and use with other players.  I was a huge World of Warcraft player but in reality I don’t have time for those kind of games anymore.  But if I did, I would develop an MMORPG with a modern day Battelfield experience. This is why I’m looking foward to Planetside.  The difference with my game is that I would make it so you could only choose one class and that’s it.  You would develop that class as you level by unlocking items similar to Planetside 2 but each option has a cost and of course multiple options that will leave you wondering if you chose the right options for your class!

Thoughts on this new generation of consoles – Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One?

I was an Xbox 360 gamer prior to getting a PS4. To be honest I was really looking foward to the next Xbox. When Microsoft had their press conference introducing the Xbox One, I left work on my lunch break to go home and watch it. But for me, it was just depressing to hear “TV,” “Kinect Required,” “Requries an internet connection,” and “no disc trading!” I know now that Microsoft reversed some of these policies, but at the time I was watching this video I was just silent. It wasn’t what I was looking for from a company that I had grown to love through the Xbox 360.

So of course once Sony did their PS4 reveal, I went to GameStop later that day and pre-ordered my PS4 and the rest is history.

What are your thoughts on the gaming industry?

I think we are at a good time in the gaming industry. Both the PS4 and Xbox One are really trying to get the attention of Indy Gamers and bringing them to the next generation of consoles.  I’ve played more Indy Games since getting the PS4 than any other time in my past gaming history.  This is the future for gaming. Bringing in newly developed games from independent developers is going to start getting bigger during the rest of 2014.  When you see company’s like EA exploiting current developers to get games to release early *cough* Battelfield, it really hurts game developers because they can’t release a good product. Luckily we’ve seen developers step up and hold back games from release because they know their titles are not ready for release.

10 years from now, where do you see the industry? Are you happy with that direction? If you had the power, what direction would you have the gaming industry go?

I think the WiiU was developed too soon. We were not ready for a machine that interacted like a Nintendo DS wrapped into a console. Right now people are slowly grasping the concept of being able to take their Vita’s or using their Tablet’s and interacting with their games.  However, Nintendo went beyond that with the WiiU but its something that gamer’s don’t want right now.  I think Nintendo is on the right path.  The Next Generation of consoles won’t be boxes sitting on a desk or under a TV. It’s going to be a tablet but we will be wearing smart gear where the tablet is just the interface to download games. From there we will be using the smart gear to interact with our games. Everything will be digital. I still think we will have a controller though. I can’t imagine not being able to use a controller!

Favorite Game (can include tabletop) of all time and why?  

My favorite game was World of Warcraft. I played that game continuously from 2004-2010. I made a lot of online friends and generally speaking I had a great time playing with everyone I met. We did some crazy things in the game. Some people find it weird that you go online to a game everyday to play with people you don’t know. But you know what? Those people were the ones I’d trust the most. I had a common bond with them through World of Warcraft. We had the same interests. This is what I liked most about this game and why it was my favorite game.

Additional Thoughts and Comments?

Don’t ever be ashamed to call yourself a gamer as you get older! I have some great co-workers at my job, but sometimes they look at me all weird because I’ll bring up something awesome that happened to me in a game that I had played the night before. I really like gaming and I plan on gaming for another 20+ years!

Thank you to Edward for a fantastic interview. If you would like to be interviewed for Gamer Corner please contact me at fangirlcontact@gmail.com.