With Iron Man 3 fast approaching, everyone’s getting into an Iron Man craze. New toys are on the shelves, Marvel’s putting ads for it on every other page in their comics and an anime movie starring the armored hero went on sale entitled Iron Man: Rise of Technovore.
The movie is a continuation of Marvel Anime, a joint project between Marvel Comics and Japanese animation studio, Madhouse, responsible for beloved animes such as Death Note, Trigun and Ninja Scroll amongst others. They even did two of the segments in Batman: Gotham Knight (specifically, my two favorites, the Scarecrow and Deadshot segments).
In this project, they did four short anime series based on Marvel characters: Iron Man, Wolverine, Blade, and X-Men. The reaction has been sort of…mixed, to say the least, to all of them. But sales were apparently good enough to warrant a full-length anime movie starring Iron Man.
Iron Man A.K.A. Tony Stark has just built a new satellite named “HOWARD”, after his father, which will be able to connect with any satellite and computer system in the world making an effective anti-terror monitoring system. However, before the launch, the site is attacked by a new villain called the Technovore. He also wears a suit of armor but unlike Tony’s, his is a liquid metal that he can control with his thoughts. Unfortunately, Tony’s long time friend, James Rhodes A.K.A. War Machine is presumed dead in the aftermath.
S.H.I.E.L.D., specifically its director, Nick Fury, is suspicious of Tony’s involvement in the attack and brings him in for questioning. When Tony refuses and escapes, he sends S.H.I.E.L.D.’s best agents, Black Widow and Hawkeye, to bring him in.
Along the way, Tony seeks out the Punisher, who happens to be in the area and has extensive knowledge of the criminal underworld, on who the Technovore is and how to stop him.
While the movie is beautifully animated, hand-drawn this time unlike the earlier Iron Man anime which had a CGI Iron Man suit, the story’s kind of confusing, particularly the villain’s motives. At one point, he wants to “liberate humanity”, then later on, he wants to destroy humanity. While I don’t want to reveal who the villain really is, he’s actually a very prominent bad guy in Iron Man’s rouges gallery. But his appearance and characterization are so utterly different, he might as well be a brand new bad guy.
I only heard the English voice cast, but only a few actors really stood out for me. While Matthew Mercer was all right as Iron Man, my favorites were Norman Reedus as the Punisher and Clare Grant as Black Widow. Grant actually sounded very close to Scarlet Johansson who played Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. While Reedus, who most people know as Daryl from AMC’s The Walking Dead but I know him best as Scud from Blade 2 and Murphy McManus from The Boondock Saints, does a surprisingly good job as Punisher. I was afraid he would sound too teenager-ish, but his voice was just right for the brooding anti-hero.
Also, the one thing that really bugged me was that they never really explained what was the deal with Technovore’s suit. (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD!) While Tony ponders that it might be some form of nanotechnology, he dismisses it as seeing that it’s “too simple” of an explanation. But it’s clear from a few scenes that the suit has a mind of its own either from a very advanced A.I. or, my personal theory, some sort of alien technology. Either way, they never explain why it lashes out at its owner from time to time.
My reaction to this movie is, well, “meh”. It’s not horrible, the fights scenes are cool to watch, plus the idea of Iron Man teaming up with Punisher was an interesting idea I’d never seen before but the way the story flows is weird. It’ll be intense action at one scene then weird somber reflections of humanity the next. You know you’re watching an anime when there’s those long moments of no dialogue or action and all you hear is just ambiance in the background.
Also, I’m still upset this movie and the Iron Man anime were not THIS.
This was the teaser when they made the announcement that Marvel had teamed up with Madhouse and were going to create an Iron Man anime. I don’t even know what’s going on in this scene but nothing of that epicness happens in either Iron Man features.
Iron Man: Rise of Technovore’s definitely worth a watch but buy it only if you really love seeing Iron Man in action. (I do :P)
Hey, sorry about the lack of updates. Work’s been keeping me busy since last week and I was under the weather the week before that. But now, I return and have brought back a bounty of new beers with me from World Market!
Onwards, Lads and Lasses! To inebriety!
Tona - This beer from Nicaragua hast the typical “cerveza” smell and taste like Corona or Modelo with a slightly more darker taste akin to an English dark ale. Pretty good since I’m a fan of beers south of the border.
Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA - It has a spicy hop smell when opened. Very strong hoppy taste at first but seems to lessen when left sitting. It has a bitter aftertaste, though.
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier - Although it looks like I smashed my fingers on the keyboard, this beer (and long name) is from Germany. Has a smoky kind of smell to it. I’m not sure why but its taste reminds me of BBQ at first. Taste becomes smoother and less “BBQ-y” as it sits. (Fun Fact: According to the bottle and website, Weihenstephaner is the world’s oldest brewery, founded in 1040 A.D.)
Shiner Premium Beer - A wheat-y smell to it when first opened, very pleasant. Very smooth taste with no aftertaste. Though to be truthful, it doesn’t taste particularly different from a regular Shiner Bock. (After some research, I've found out that this is merely the new name for Shiner Blonde. Deceived again!)
Milk Stout Nitro - It has a rich mocha scent, very much like coffee. Smooth at first but the coffee taste kicks in strongly after. While it does have a bit of a bitter aftertaste, it’s not too overpowering. I’m not sure if it was letting it sit or my mouth got used to the taste but it tasted more smoother and less bitter after a while. (Another milestone, this is the 190th beer I’ve tried!)
Shock Top Honeycrisp Apple Wheat - Very sweet apple scent when opened, probably one of the more pleasant smelling beers I’ve encountered. Tastes very similar to a hard cider and smooth all the way down with nearly no aftertaste at all.
Jacob’s Best O’ the Bunch! - I’ll admit I was a bit biased with this lot but it’ll have to go to the Shock Top Honeycrisp Apple Wheat. I had been looking forward to this one ever since I first saw it and, boy, it didn’t disappoint. It had exactly the right amount of sweetness I was expecting with this flavor. Even if one isn’t a beer drinker, I’d imagine you could pick this beer up without any trouble to your taste buds.
Hey, I just wanted to give a quick little shout out to all my Irish and "Irish-on-St. Patty's Day " peeps. Hope every one has a fun and safe time. In the meantime, I'll be doing my usual traditions after work: Watch The Boondock Saints, eat pizza and drink Irish beer.
Here's some Irish or Irish inspired ditties for the holiday. Enjoy!
The Blood of Cu Chulainn by Jeff and Mychael Danna
(Finally, here's Part 2 of my Werewolf posts. I suggest reading them both back to back so you can better compare them. Here's the link for the last Werewolf post.)
While Werewolf: The Apocalypse ended along with the original World of Darkness (or Classic depending on who you ask) line, the monsters wouldn’t be down for long as in 2004, White Wolf Games came back with a new, rebooted version of the World of Darkness.
Gone is the “Gothic-Punk atmosphere, settling with a world more closer to ours albeit with monsters lurking in the shadows. One of the biggest changes between gamelines is that all games share the same rules and mechanics. In the Old World of Darkness, every game had their own rules and style of playing. Not so in the New World of Darkness. All you need to play is the WoD corebook and whatever game (i.e. supernatural beings) you want to play as.
Overall, the gamelines so far are:
The World of Darkness (This is the book you need to play the others)
Vampire: The Requiem
Werewolf: The Forsaken
Mage: The Awakening
Promethean: The Created
Changeling: The Lost
Hunter: The Vigil
Geist: The Sin-Eaters
Mummy: The Curse
(An untitled Demon game has been announced)
Another key difference between the Old and New WoD is that humans are much more playable in the New. In the OWoD (except for Hunters who still have supernatural powers to combat monsters), humans were pretty much cannon fodder and wouldn’t have stood a chance against the other more powerful beings. The World of Darkness, however, lets you play as an average human who slowly discovers the mysterious world around him or her. The game also supplies ways to fight back such as magical objects for example.
As with all the gamelines, Werewolf: The Apocalypse was rebooted into Werewolf: The Forsaken. Here, you play as a werewolf called a Uratha, one of the half-human, half-wolf spirit offspring of Father Wolf, formerly the most powerful hunter spirit and Luna, Spirit of the Moon.
Their backstory was that the world was once Pangaea, when the Spirit World and the Mortal World were one and the same. Father Wolf was the spirit in charge of maintaining the peace between spirits and humans. After a time, the Uratha, seeing that Father Wolf was growing old and weak, attacked and killed their father. After his death, a barrier called the Gauntlet rose between the worlds, making it near impossible for humans to travel to the Spirit World and vise versa. In maddened anguish, Luna curse her children so her sacred metal, Silver, would kill them. Having fallen from grace, Father wolf’s killers were called by the denizens of the Spirit World “he Forsaken“. Ever since then, the Forsaken have taken their father’s place in protecting the mortal world from malevolent spirits that manage to break through the barrier.
While the Uratha don’t have much mortal oppostion, the Spirit World provides plenty of enemies out for the werewolves’ blood. One of the three major enemy groups is actually other werewolves. Of the eight first children of Father Wolf, only five actually rose up and killed him. Vowing vengeance against their father’s death, the other three and their descendents called themselves the Pure, plotting against and slaying any forsaken they come across.
Another group of rouge werewolves, neither with the Forsaken or the Pure, called the Bale Hounds also terrorize all in their way as they serve spirits of pure evil whose agenda is unknown other than to spread chaos and corruption.
While the Forsaken have to be on the watch for any spirit that breaches the Gauntlet (as they could possess an unassuming human similar to Werewolf: The Apocalypse’s fomori), there are two groups of spirits named the Hosts that are a particular pain in the ass.
Once they were two of Father Wolf’s foes, the Spinner-Hag and the Plague King. Rather than die at Father Wolf’s fangs, they both escaped by breaking down into thousands of pieces, embedding themselves into the bodies of spiders and rats in the Mortal World.
The Azlu, the spider pieces of Spinner-Hag and the Beshilu, the rat pieces of the Plauge King both grow bigger and stronger by devouring others of their kind. When they get big enough, they kill a human, skin them, and wear the skin like a suit so they can blend into human society kinda like Edgar in Men in Black.
However, despite their similar origins, the Azlu and Beshilu have very different goals. The Azlu spin webs near the Gauntlet, making it stronger and harder to get to the Spirit World. Meanwhile, the Beshilu gnaw away at the Gauntlet making it easier for spirits to slip through.
So as, you can see, the Forsaken have their work cut out for them. And that’s just their own enemies. There’s also all the other denizens of the World of Darkness to worry about.
As for the stars of the game, the Forsaken are very similar to the Garou of Werewolf: The Apocalypse. They still have the same five forms to transform to and the same auspice positions. The names are different though. Like the word “Uratha”, they’re in the First Tongue, the ancient language of Pangaea.
For reference, here’s the forms and auspices side by side:
Ragabash Irraka
Theruge Ithaeur
Philodox Elodoth
Galliard Cahalith
Ahroun Rahu
There are differences though between the Garou and Uratha. Namely, their relationship with the Spirit World. While the Garou were friendly with most spirits (except Wyrm-spirits), the Uratha’s relationship, at best, would be called hostile. Due to killing Father Wolf, most spirits fear or outright hate the Forsaken. While they can still have powers from spirit-gifts, the Forsaken really have to cajole a spirit to teach him or her a gift.
Also, all Uratha start out as humans and there’s no longer any wolf-born werewolves or deformed Metis offspring. Taking the Metis’s place, though, is the Unihar or “Ghost-Child”. Because of their spiritual nature, when Uratha mate, they give birth to a spirit that retreats into the Spirit World. However, what makes them particularly scary is that none of the Uratha powers work on them.
Now, like the last post, we move onto my favorite part: the Tribes. The big difference between the Tribes in both games is the number. While Werewolf: The Apocalypse had 13 tribes, Werewolf: The Forsaken only has 5, plus one grouping of werewolves I’ll talk about in a bit. Another minor difference is that none of the Forsaken Tribes are of any ethnic group or nationality like the Garou tribes so you can find any tribe member anywhere in the world. Plus, you can join any tribe you please, no longer restricted by bloodline.
Rather than a random spirit as a totem, the Forsaken follow one of the Firstborn, Father Wolf’s first children before the Uratha and powerful Wolf Spirits in their own rights.
The Five tribes are:
Blood Talons - The fierce warriors of the Uratha, they take pride in their combat skills and only accept the strongest and toughest werewolves amongst their ranks. Their totem is Destroyer Wolf, the most aggressive of the Firstborn and might have been the inspiration for Fenris, the giant wolf from Norse mythology.
Bone Shadows - Mysterious and curious, the Bone Shadows dedicate themselves to finding out the secrets of both the Mortal World and the Spirit World, passing them on to their brothers and sisters. The Bone Shadows follow Death Wolf, the Firstborn that has been to the realm of the dead and returned with its secrets.
Hunters in Darkness - In tune with nature, the Hunters in Darkness feel more comfortable in the wild with wolves. Most rejecting human society, these werewolves take upon themselves to stop humans from despoiling nature. Black Wolf is their totem, the most primal of the firstborn and protector of wolves.
Iron Masters - Opposite of the Hunters in Darkness, the Iron Masters are more comfortable in the cities, blending in the hustle and bustle of the urban environment. They make sure to keep up with Man’s progress lest they fall prey to more and more advance technology. They follow Red Wolf, the Firstborn with the best adaptation skills, capable of blending in any environment or situation.
Storm Lords - With the best leadership skills, the Storm Lords try their best to guide all Uratha. Restoring Pangaea is their ultimate goal as they feel that the Uratha need to return to their place as the apex predators they once were. The Storm Lords follow Winter Wolf, a harsh but strong Firstborn who despises weakness either in combat or politics.
If none of these Tribes appeal to you, there is one group of werewolves that don’t belong to any tribe, both Forsaken or Pure.
Ghost Wolves - Kicked out of a Tribe, leaving a Tribe or not choosing to be with a Tribe at all, the Ghost Wolves are the true lone wolves of the Uratha. They follow no tribal totem as a result. That being said, the other Forsaken will gladly take them as allies, better they be with them rather than the Pure or Bale Hounds.
If the Tribes don’t seem diverse enough for you, there are always Lodges to join. Lodges are subgroups of the Forsaken Tribes, following a particular ideal or goal, whether it be preserving a local culture or studying a type of spirit. There are too many Lodges from the gameline to list here but you are free to create your own Lodge if you don‘t find one that interests you.
Now onto my thoughts in general about this game. I read the book for Werewolf: The Forsaken not long after I finished the book for Werewolf: The Apocalypse and the one thing I noticed right off the bat that really set these two apart was the tone. Gone was the environmental message and righteous fury of the old game and was replaced with a game that focused more on being a predator, more in tune with the wolf aspect of being a werewolf, rather than maintaining a balance between the two (although that’s still important). Rather, W:tF wants you to play as a wolf in human’s clothing rather than the other way around.
Another big difference between the games is that it’s not so black and white as W:tA. In W:tA, it’s clear that the Garou are the good guys (albeit violent ones) and the forces of the Wyrm are clearly evil. Here, the antagonists aren’t quite that bad. The Pure are acting out of revenge for Father Wolf’s death and are trying to restore the world back to Pangaea much like the Storm Lords. Hell, even the Hosts are acting more out of instinct rather than any real malevolent goal. Not the Bale Hounds, though. They’re just assholes.
Now that I think about it, you could sum up the relations between all these factions with this inspiring little speech from Team America: World Police with the Forsaken and Pure being dicks, Hosts and spirits being pussies and the Bale Hounds and evil spirits being assholes.
One thing I hadn’t mentioned is an aspect of the game, even the New World of Darkness in general I particularly enjoy: the customization. See all the info I just dumped on you about Werewolf: The Forsaken? You’re more encouraged to pick and alter any element of the game as you see fit. While in Werewolf: The Apocalypse, you can alter some rules but they wanted you to more or less to follow what was written down. But in this game? Feeling too surrounded and want to take an enemy group out of the game? You got it! Want to limit how and when the werewolves transform? Go ahead! Feeling really ambitious and want to change the origin of the Uratha? Go for it! That last one alone really blew my mind as even suggesting that the Garou might have a different creation story would have gotten you exiled, if not outright killed.
In conclusion, Both Werewolf: The Forsaken and Werewolf: The Apocalypse have been a source of inspiration and fun reading for me these past few years. Seeing my favorite monster getting the spotlight has been a great source of joy for me. If you feel like getting these books, especially since getting them outside of Gaming stores is quite hard as of late, you can get them all at DriveThruRPG.com in both PDF and physical copies. I’m also pleased to announced that White Wolf Games with help from Onyx Path have just released a special 20th anniversary edition of Werewolf: The Apocalypse. You can be sure I’ll be trying to get my hands on that. When I do, I’ll let you know what I think.
But enough from me, reading these two posts back to back, which Werewolf game do you prefer? Also, what type of werewolf would you be, with your choices of tribe, auspice and other selections?
Sorry for the lack of updates but I've been readjusting to my new job. I'm a new camera operator/footage editor for KRIS and KZTV. (NBC and CBS respectively)
I have to say I'm really enjoying it so far. Sure, it was a bit of a shock from five years of physical labor at Home Depot to a far more relaxed atmosphere inside a television studio, but I'm definitely not complaining. Plus. it's kind of cool to get to see a news story long before it comes to your TV screen and get a behind-the-scene look at how it all gets done. And, despite what Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy tells us, all of the anchors and reporters I've met seem pretty well-adjusted and mellow.
So, long story short, the job's cool and I'm going to try to maintain my "update once a week" policy. In the meantime, here's one of my favorite songs from Anchorman.
Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. I haven’t mentioned here but I recently was hired for a new job at KRIS (NBC,CBS) to be a camera operator. I’m both crazily excited but nervous as hell as well.
However, there is a price to pay for my new circumstances.
Thanks to the new schedule, I will be no longer able to attend Beer School at the House of Rock anymore (or at least, for the foreseeable future).
So, it was with heavy heart that I attended my final Beer School last night. However, I did have fun as I invited some friends on Facebook to mark the occasion. So, I wasn’t crying into my beer like someone who lost his woman in a freak cockfight accident. In all, I’ll miss you, Beer School. You’ve allowed me to experience new types of beer I’ve probably wouldn’t have heard of. So thanks for the memories (and free swag) and I hope our paths cross soon.
But enough of that maudlin stuff, this is BEER DAMMIT. It must be consumed lest it consume you first. (I think Nietzsche said that, I could be wrong though.)
All the beers that were consumed came fromSixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. They have a peculiar way of selling it as they only come in a four-pack and they come in a box rather than the open carrying case you usually see for most beers. We only tried five out of the six core beers from Sixpoint but I found out later from the website, we only scratched the surface of the beers they created. Some brews are only made for special events or are “randomly available”.
Crisp - I didn’t notice a particular smell. Taste a bit hoppy but not too much for me to dislike.
Sweet Action - Lives up to its name with a sweet smell. Very light and smooth with a slight hoppy aftertaste to it.
Brownstone - Has a coffee-like smell and taste, reminds me of a stout or a Hobgoblin dark ale. Plus, its name reminds me of the song by Guns N’ Roses.
Bengali Tiger - A kind of fruity smell. While it is hoppy, I can add it to the small list of IPA’s I like.
Resin - Smells and tastes like a stronger version of the Bengali Tiger but somehow is not too overpowering for me.
Jacob’s Best O’ the Bunch! - This round’s going to the Brownstone. If it didn’t have that aftertaste, Sweet Action would’ve made it for sure. But, the taste and smell of Brownstone stayed with me longer and were, overall, a bit more enjoyable. To celebrate its victory, I offer this song.
This will be a short post as I’m only trying 3 beers and 1 cider this time around. These beers were purchased at World Market. Like HEB, they also have a “make your own six-pack” stand. While the HEB will happily offer more hard-working ’Murican domestics, World Market offers the shady-looking immigrants as well. You’re not quite sure what they’re like until you get close enough to one and they start stabbing you in the back of your throat or they give your mouth a sensual massage and show you how to find the “womens” and yeyo.
Magic Hat Heart of Darkness Stout - Has a strong coffee-like smell to it when opened. Has a nice smooth chocolately taste to it, not as strong as I thought it would have. I don’t know why I expect every stout to taste like a Guinness, but I guess when you get burned once… Magic Hat beers has always been hit-or-miss with me but this is definitely one of the hits. (Note: This is the 170th beer I’ve tasted! Huzzah! )
Ska Brewing Pinstripe Red Ale - Has a bit of a skunky smell to it like a Corona. It does taste a bit like a cerveza, but it’s much smoother with a pleasant taste. After letting it sit for awhile, it reminded me of another red ale, the Newcastle Werewolf, My Autumn Seasonal Beer of 2012. Not quite as strong though. Altogether, it’s a beer I’ll be keeping my eye on.
Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen - The smell, to me, doesn’t have any particular scent that stands out. In fact, it reminds me a lot of other domestic beers in its taste and overall appearance (Miller Lite, Bud Light, etc.). That being said, it is a good smooth beer, perfect for watching the skies for real UFO’s
Woodchuck Winter Cider - Now this is a cider that I’ve been waiting to try for a while especially since I fell in love with the Woodchuck Fall Cider. Like most ciders, it has a sweet apple smell, very pleasant to the nostrils. It has a very sweet vanilla taste to it. I can hardly taste the alcohol at all, tasting more like apple juice. While it’s not quite as awesome as the Fall Cider was, it’s still a good and sweet cider on its own.
Jacob’s Best O’ the Bunch! - I’m gonna have to give it up for the Magic Hat Heart of Darkness Stout. I think out of all of them, the taste of the stout really stayed with me and, despite my doubts, was an excellent beer.
