OK, we admit it, our YouTube channel is a little lacking when it comes to content. We’d rather play the games then edit video. But that is changing. Slickster Magazine also has a Twitch channel as well, and some of our staff use it to bring you their favorite games.
Like Tanner Banks, and his stream of Hyper Light Drifter. Before you go all crazy on us, yes there a few a frame drops here and there on this video. That has since been corrected… Let he who has not lagged, throw the first controller. But this game from director Alex Preston and his team over at Heart Media is awesome. Older gamers will immediately feel the The Legend of Zelda influence. But.. Link gets a freakin’ hand cannon in this game! Yes, imagine blasting an Octarock with a 357 magnum for a second. Pretty satisfying, right? Well, in Hyper Light Drifter you get to do that.
Slickster staff graphic designer and part time writer, Victor Sanchez, also did a review on Hyper Light Drifter. Here’s what he had to say about the game:
“The environment tells this story as well as you traverse ruins and witness the aftermath of an alien devastation. The game is unrestricted in its color palette, which delivers a unique visual experience. While the colors are certainly unique, there a more than a few instances where the overuse of color can make scenery appear confusing and sometimes unpleasant to look at. Despite this, the game world feels lived in and gives you a great sense of exploration.Back tracking is cut down by allowing players to teleport any time to warp pads.
“The game runs at a constant 30 FPS, only serving to aggravate the effect of the sometimes confusing scenery. This may not matter to some, but avid PC action game players will notice the lack of frames. However, the combat remains virtually unaffected by the lack of frames, which can devastate other fast-paced action games. Encounters with enemies are fast paced and difficult with simple controls as to rely more on reaction time rather than proper item usage.”
More live gaming and YouTube content to come soon.
Title:Alien Director: Ridley Scott Writer: Dan O’Bannon Release Date: May 25, 1979 Cast: Sigourney Weaver; Tom Skerritt; Yaphet Kotto; Ian Holm
Alien Cliff’s Notes
A team of space truckers heading back to Earth are ordered to stop and investigate a transmission of unknown origin. Before they know it, a high powered alien parasite is along for the ride. Then all hell breaks loose.
Lecture
Alien is one of those “have to” flicks. You just have to see it. It’s the grandfather of the mix of Sci-fi and horror and is the high water mark that all others will be compared to. Early on, the flick grabs you with a fantastic blend of Sci-Fi and blue collar, something that had really only been hinted at before, and then winds up for punch after punch of horror goodness. Special mention goes to the Chestburster scene. Partially improvised and not fully explained to the actors ahead of time, the dinner scene is the stuff right out of nightmares. And that’s followed by one pissed off beasty that isn’t taking no for an answer.
The claustrophobia drips all over this flick and every ounce of it is awesome. By the time the second act kicks into gear, there’s not much we can do but grab on and enjoy the ride. While the films inspired by, and following, Alien will go into all kinds of depth trying to explain the why, Alien is focused on the right then and there. Sometimes, that kind of a choice can be super alienating, but here, it works wonders. There’s a beasty heading right for you, why is just going to get in the way.
Non of that would work without grade A actors, and Alien sports them in spades. Even if things are a little flat on paper, the actors at hand elevate the shenanigans at hand to a masterful level. Add to that a genre changing design and you’ve got one heck of a groovy flick that looks like a million bucks and stands head and shoulder above the competition. What’s more, Alien really hits the metaphors hard and serves as a comment on sexuality, gender roles, and even the world of business. Part of what really brings Alien to the higher level is how it embraces multiple levels of engagement and for those who are willing, Alien delivers.
Acting
We’ve got a hell of a talented cast with this one. Sure, they may not be the most likable folks, but the blue collar characters are fully realized, making the flick hit that much harder. Weaver handles her part like a champ, going from rules-focused boss lady to action hero in 117 minutes flat. Skerritt and Kotto both handle their parts well and Ian Holm still gives me the willies. Grade A!
Directing
Scott manages to hit all the right notes here. Whether it’s the alien landscape of LV-426 or the claustrophobic inner workings of the Nostromo, Scott’s visual style pulls him through in spades. Ridley Scott also manages to show off his incredibly impressive scenic design, using those slow pans to linger on all of that beautiful work. Likewise, there’s no lack of tension for this ride, the scares are hardcore, the pace effortless, and the little touches of humor were very appreciated.
Script
O’Bannon’s script hits most of the right notes. The events seem fluid, except for Ripley heading off to save that damn cat but more on that later, and each of the characters is realistic enough to keep the viewer engaged.
Effects
The entire design of this flick, from the cycle of the Alien to the set, to the awesome LV-426, is top notch. There’s a reason this puppy won an Oscar and was nominated for another.
Highlights
The Chestburster scene. Sure, it’s been copied and referenced hundreds of times, but that’s because it is one of the most shocking, horrific events on film.
Lowlights
Ripley heading off to save the cat. Really, folks? We nearly made it through the entire film without some iffy, unmotivated character action and then that piece of cheese hits. Sure, maybe I’m being a little nit-picky, and this really is the only thing that I have to complain about, but come on! Couldn’t find way to get her out there?
Final Thoughts
It’s a great one! This is one of the true horror classics and should be required viewing for any self-respecting horror fan.
Slickster: You’ve just released your third album, what has that process felt like for you? And to follow up, how long of a process did you go through to get Unsaved Progress released?
Tinsley: In so many words, our last album was a lot of really great ideas that we recorded, whereas our new album was a lot of really great songs that we recorded. Technically, the process only took about a month and a half of writing and two weeks of recording throughout October and November.
But as the album title suggests, the process started before we wrote the new songs, before our last album was even released and we were still auditioning drummers. We were always working towards this album, and we wanted people who support the band to know that they might not see every challenge we overcame, but we were making progress the entire time.
You obviously take a lot of inspiration from nerd culture, can you elaborate on what that means for you? For instance, what was it like writing a song about Godzilla?
Our whole band was raised on video games, we all visit comic conventions to add to our collections and meet our heroes and so on. The way we see it, a well-designed game is the modern day Rembrandt painting. Humans have always rallied around something that combines technical prowess and creativity because it inspires them to contribute to life in their own way.
Writing songs about the art-form of video games or graphic novels and anything else has helped us prove that rock music has been stuck in a rut for years. Lately, “Rock” could just as easily describe Nickelback as it does The Black Keys or Blue Oyster Cult. By the way, Blue Oyster Cult get full credit for “Godzilla.”
Maybe it was our way to remind people that this isn’t some nerd culture bandwagon we’re taking for a joyride, these are topics that have been focal points on rock music for years but these songs never get a fair shake because they weren’t about banging groupies or getting wasted.
Would you consider yourselves nerds? Tell us a little about that, what are your more geeky interests?
Well, speaking on behalf of the guys, I know Ian is really into Star Trek and the Lord of the Rings novels. Daf is more into classic video games like Pokémon or any game you’d find at a local arcade. I enjoy all of those, but I’m really into horror movies the most.
You guys have a UK tour coming up, what is the most exciting thing about going overseas to play music?
It used to be because we wanted to build a global profile to make Canadians pay attention to us, but now we’ve actually dug our roots so deep in the UK that it’s now become a reliable, annual visit that allows us to keep touring or creating music. The support shown to live music culture in the UK is far more impressive than Canada, as sad as that is to say.
Speaking of live shows, are there any memories from past live shows you’d like to share with Slickster’s readers? One ridiculous night, or perhaps one crazy fan?
We were playing a festival in the Alps last year and we had to follow a four piece local DJ act who dress up in Teletubbies costumes and essentially wreak havoc onstage. They obviously perform incredibly inebriated and for this festival in particular they showed up minutes before their set on bicycles and pretty much rode directly onstage, plugged in their laptop and started their show.
The crowd loved them, but the novelty wore off once they began throwing the bicycles into the audience, making out with each other on stage, doing cartwheels and feeding each other hotdogs. Leave it to the Canadian band to bring the peace after that spectacle!
Favorite pizza toppings?
Ian likes Chicken and BBQ sauce, Daf likes Meat, and I like extra cheese or jalapenos.
What would be your dream tour lineup? Assuming you were the headliners, who would you want to open for you and why?
This might be a boring answer, but unless the other musical act was eager to collaborate on a show or some other wow-factor for the specific tour, I’d sooner tour with a comedian like Brian Posehn than another musical act.
One of my favorite bands, Queens of the Stone Age, recently did a Halloween show where you had to go through a haunted maze to make it inside the venue, where a micro festival of bands and a freak show awaited them. It’s up to bands to start treating shows as more than 60 minutes of their music and move towards events or spectacles.
Are there any bands you’ve played with or look forward to playing with that you’d like to recommend to Slickster readers?
We’re going to be playing with Lionize soon. They’re like a reggae Clutch, who are also one of my favorite bands. And a friend recently showed me Dirty Loops, who almost sound like soul video game music. Their compositions are really dense but it’s actually a breath of fresh air compared to what else is out there.
What are your favorite movies? And to follow up, how have those movies influenced your music?
Well, I can’t speak for the others aside from their love of Star Wars, but I personally collect original memorabilia from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from autographs, VHS, posters and so on. Even the same model of chainsaw from the film sits at my place, which always makes guests hilariously uncomfortable on their first visit.
As for our music, one of our songs, “Horror Beyond Imagination,” was directly about people who watch movies to the point they are convinced they really happened. The biggest example I can think of was a study I read about Avatar, where people became depressed and even suicidal when they realized they would never be able visit the utopian planet.
How about your favorite video games? Any strong influence from there?
Again, Daf and I are huge fans of the Pokémon games, whereas Ian and I play Destiny and Diablo together. If a song isn’t overtly about one game like “The Glimmer Shot” is about Destiny, then we’ll try and sneak references into other songs as a passing nod.
“AAA,” for example, is about a guy trying to hit on the best arcade player in the world, and there are tons of references to old pinball titles all the way up to Super Smash Bros in that song.
Conclusion
Stay updated on the band here and pick up a copy of Unsaved Progress if you like your rock and roll by way of full-frontal nerdity.
Last week I wrote a column and finally weighed in on the Batman vs. Superman movie. I am not going to make excuses, but in a work-induced, insomniac daze, I cut some corners. I did not fact check my comic book storyline details. This resulted in the mistake of stating that Hawkeye shot Superman with the Kryptonite arrow, and not Green Arrow.
Holy Bat-shit, Batman! Fanboys and other nerd ragers lit my ass up. (…And I thank them for keeping me honest, BTW.) It got me thinking though, nerd rage is a very powerful thing. It has the power to sway executives to make decisions based on popular opinion. Just think about Johnny Blaze being a black guy in Fantastic Four or was it Fan-Four-Stick….? I can’t remember. Or Venus Di Milo, the female ninja turtle.
But let’s suppose for just a moment that nerd rage could actually could be a physical power. What would it be? Would it be the power to do good are to be evil? I am positive a lot of the classic destructive super powers would be among them. We are talking about rage, after all.
So things such as pyrokinesis would probably be pretty high up on the list. The power to teleport to whichever manufacturer’s house of the his favorite gaming peripheral that just broke on them in the middle of a boss battle would also be up there. And if you were going to go pick a fist fight after all, I guess you’re going to need the nerd rage power of Jeet Kune Do badassery.
But obviously, nerd rage wouldn’t be that cool. These are nerds! And they are raging, so what would a more practical example of how powerful nerd rage could be maybe look like? Maybe something like this…
Nerd rage would be so powerful, that it could instantly increase the speed of your crappy internet connection. Buffering be gone, so that NOOB wanna-be lag is GTFO. HD porn, anyone?
Nerd rage would be so powerful, it would give you the creativity to instantly write something funny on a chat room crawl. Congratulations you are now the envy of all eight people on the same Twitch stream as you. Knocked ’em dead with your copy and paste r/Jokes post. Great job. (That’s sarcasm. See Family Guy.)
Nerd rage would be so powerful, that you could instantly learn to speak Korean when that 12-year-old K-Pop kid schools you in League of Legends.
Nerd rage would be so powerful, that you could punch through for empty pizza boxes and three Alienware monitors at the same time. Double XP.
Nerd rage would be so powerful, that you could ban any admin that pissed you off to The Phantom Zone by merely thinking the words, “I am Dork-El, leader of the planet Plimpton, and I hereby ban this admin to The Phantom Zone.” Then a magic mirror, not the dick shaped one man space rockets from Man of Steel, would wish away that pesky admin. Or maybe it would be the dick shaped rockets. Come on, they clearly looked like dicks, am I right?
Tell me these don’t look like dick shaped rockets to the Phantom Zone.
Nerd rage would be so powerful, that you could go back to the past. And play the shitty games that sucked ass, or summon a giant diarrhea dump in someone’s ear when you want it to. This has nice rhythm to it… sounds like a song or something…
Nerd rage will be so powerful, that you could win. Anything. Anytime. Period.
Nerd rage would be so powerful, that you could have the courage to stand up to your boss, who is a bully, when you come to work five minutes late.
Let’s not leave the ladies out of this. Nerd rage would be so powerful, that you would instantly be able to make your boyfriend listen to your monotonous, boring, never get to the point stories, for hours and hours on end. Just kidding girls, don’t be all butt hurt. Now please get out of the way, I’m playing Witcher 3. Thank you.
Nerd rage would be so powerful that you could will the Detroit Lions to win the Superbowl in 2017. Who am I kidding? That ain’t never going to happen.
Nerd rage would burn with the power of a thousand suns.
With the power of nerd rage you could tear a Wookie’s arms out of his sockets.
Or perhaps the most powerful of all powerful nerd rages would be the power of… Love. We love our games. We live and die with our favorite characters. When that shitty Time Warner or Cox Communications internet goes down right in the middle of your Protoss melee rush, you have the right to be upset. A little nerd rage never hurt anyone and for all you ragers out there… We salute you.
Written by Derek Moody, April 15, 2016, at 5:56 p.m. Tweet to: @DerekMoody619
One Championship Global Rivals
Tonight at 7 p.m., at the Mall of Asia Arena, Ben “Funky” Askren (14-0, 1 no contest) will defend his One Championship Welterweight Title against Nikolay Aleksakhin (17-3). Unknown to most fight fans, Aleksakhin is far from a novice. This fight could pose to be interesting if Aleksakhin can avoid majority of the takedowns that will be headed his way.
Anyone unfamiliar with a Ben Askren fight, there’s not much to it, he throws a few strikes shoots for the takedown, over and over until successful, then ends the fight with ground and pound if a limb isn’t available. Sounds pretty basic. It is, but for some reason his opponents have yet to alter that scenario, which is why he has no problem telling them he’s going to do exactly that before the fight.
Completely dominating the Bellator cage for three years, Askren also told his opponents his game plan before those fights to see how they’d hinder it as well, but it never happened. Askren never showed a tremendous amount of athleticism or technique but he did display hard work and determination. His will to succeed far outweighed the talent of his opponents.
Free agency has shown to pay off well for ex UFC fighters, bringing them more financial stability. More pay per fights plus regaining their previously lost endorsements. I doubt there’s a fighter out there who would say the Reebok payout holds a higher value than the money gained via endorsements. This is something Askren predicted years back stating the free agent market was going to rise and it certainly has, many UFC Stars are more than willing to seek other organizations to get what they feel is owed to them.
Ben Askren is guaranteed six figures a fight at One Championship not including his endorsements which would make majority of fighters livelihood absolutely comfortable. For a fighter in the UFC to get six figures that isn’t someone fighting for a title or ranked in the top five, they’d most likely have to get a post fight performance bonus.
By no means am I saying the UFC is cheap, I just think certain fighters have been underpaid for some time now (Rory MacDonald, Nate Diaz before UFC196, Meisha Tate, the list goes on). Meisha Tate, who just won the Women’s Bantamweight title only pulled in $92k, not including a post-fight bonus. She was well underpaid compared to the $500k Holly Holm received in a losing effort.
There comes a point in every fighter’s career where they have to think about retirement. What’s more beneficial? Knowing you fought the top talent for less money, potentially destroying your body along the way, or fighting no names to most of the world and receiving big paydays, not having taken in much damage at all?
Option One will definitely earn you a legacy Option Two will help build a life outside of the sport. I truly believe Askren wants Option One to have that legacy in MMA but he’s more structured for Option Two and it’s hard to blame him for currently going that route.
When Ben Askren’s contract with Bellator expired, a move to the UFC made sense, but the likelihood of it happening was doomed from day one and has never progressed. There’s certainly been a disconnect between Dana White and Ben Askren, always seeming to be on different pages the only agreement between the two sides is that don’t like each other.
Askren has no intentions of ever apologizing for his negative comments toward Dana White feeling he’s owed an apology but he did present a parody video at the MMA Awards jokingly apologizing to Dana. There feud has gone on for quite some time with neither side pulling punches. Dana believes Askren is just out for money, which may be true but he’s easily walking over the competition so he should get paid.
Ben Askren aspired to be the greatest welterweight that MMA has seen but understands he would need to fight on the grandest stage to prove so. Bellator and One FC helped increase his legacy but the competition isn’t exactly elite. Any of the top 15 welterweights in the UFC could easily become a champion at either promotion, Askren is the only roadblock from deterring that.
Will Askren ever fight for the UFC? The odds are similar to Fedor Emelianenko fighting for the UFC. There is an ounce of hope seeing that Cyborg just recently signed and I doubt anyone saw that actually happening. With six fights left on his contract, retirement is a more viable conclusion to this story.
Would fight fans care to see Askren fight for the UFC? Absolutely, there’s a huge amount of curiosity in wondering if his wrestling would dominate the division and gain him a title. I’m sure he’d like a rematch against Johny Hendricks from their wrestling days only this time in the octagon.
My final thoughts on this are that Ben Askren and Dana White will never see to eye to eye and the UFC would never pay him the type of money he’s seeking based on his entertainment level.
Ben Askren vs Nikolay Aleksakhin Aleksakhin Prediction
The UFC returns to Florida this weekend with a card that has changed significantly since it was announced. Khabib Nurmagomedov was supposed to face Tony Ferguson in the headliner. However, an injury forced “El Cucuy” to pull out and Nurmagomedov will now face new-comer Darrell Horcher.
Yesterday it was announced that Lyoto Machida admitted to taking a banned substance during a pre-fight drug test. His fight with Dan Henderson was taken off the card completely as a result. There seem to be numerous questions heading into this weekend, luckily for us we will get the answers on Saturday. Here is what to look for in Tampa.
Ten Questions about UFC on Fox 19
1. How long will Cezar Ferreira last before getting knocked out?
Ferreira has lost his last two fights by first round knockout. He has dropped three of his last four fights after starting off his UFC career at 3-0. Unfortunately for him his opponent on Saturday is Oluwale Bambgose, who has recorded a knockout in all six of his career victories… and all of them have been in the first round.
The UFC appears to be throwing Bamgbose a softball here in an attempt to increase his stock and name value by adding another quick knockout to his resume. That’s most likely what will happen. If Ferreira gets out of the first round it would be a moral victory.
2. Will Randy Brown live up to his promise to “bring the heat”?
Randy Brown is looking to put on a show.
Randy Brown’s debuted in the UFC in his last fight with a little more hype than was competition. In his octagon debut, Brown looked a little timid in the first round before turning it up in the second and third to win a unanimous decision.
In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Brown said to the fans, “I feel like it wasn’t my best performance tonight but I promise you, I promise you, I’m bringing the heat. Stay tuned.”
Expectations are high for the young man as he draws another undefeated prospect in Michael Graves (who has finished 4 of his 5 professional victories). This is a potential fight of the night candidate and maybe we should all take Brown’s advice and tune in.
3. How will John Dodson Look at 135lbs?
Dodson knocked out former champ TJ Dillashaw in his last bantamweight fight.
After winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 as a Bantamweight, John Dodson elected to immediately drop down to flyweight where he thought his chances of holding a UFC belt would be better.
Coming off the heels of an un-competitive second loss to current Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson, Dodson has decided to move up a weight class.
This is the first time since the TUF 14 finale in 2011 in which Dodson will fight at 135lbs. He has proved that he can be successful at this weight (he knocked out former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw to win TUF 14).
In his first fight back in the division, Dodson draws Manny Gamburyan. Dodson’s speed should be on full display against the man who is affectionately called “The Anvil”. It remains to be seen just how good (or bad) Dodson will look at the heavier weight. Saturday should provide us with some answers.
4. Which welterweight will earn a shot at a top 15 opponent?
Court McGee will fight Santiago Ponzinibbio in a bout of developing welterweights. McGee looked to be a potential title challenger after winning his first three fights in the UFC but a couple of losses and one career threatening injury later and McGee is back to where he started five years ago.
Ponzinibbio has won three of his last four fights and has the makings of a potential contender in the division. The winner of this fight should draw a top 15 opponent in their next fight as a reward. The question is, who will it be?
5. Is Bethe Correia even good?
We all know how Correia’s last fight went. After a lot of trash talk and self promoting, Correia was knocked completely unconscious by a Ronda Rousey punch that left her face first on the canvas. It is true that Correia was undefeated before the loss, but her UFC opponents up to that point are a combined 1-7 in the organization.
Correia wasn’t exactly fighting against elite competition. She will fight her first real competition other than Rousey when she squares of against Raquel Pennington. The Altitude MMA fighter has won two of her last three, with the lone loss being a split-decision to Holly Holm. This should be a good litmus test for Correia as Pennington is good, but beatable. We will soon find out if Correia is a contender or pretender.
6. Which lightweight prospect will emerge as a potential future champion?
In what should be a very competitive and entertaining fight, lightweight prospects Michael Chiesa and Beneil Dariush will duke it out to determine who will be the future of the division. Chiesa is 6-2 in the UFC, with one of his losses coming by a questionable doctor-stoppage for a cut Chiesa sustained against Joe Lauzon in a fight that he was arguably winning. Dariush has strung together five straight impressive wins including a split-decision victory over Michael Johnson in his last outing. The winner of this fight should cement themselves as a forced to be reckoned with in the lightweight division.
Michael Chiesa celebrates after a victory.
7. Can Cub Swanson make a comeback?
At only 32 years old, it seems ridiculous to be asking this question about Cub Swanson but after two straight ugly submission losses the question should be posed. Swanson had won six straight fights and was a win away from getting a title shot before running into Frankie Edgar.
Twenty-four minutes and 56 seconds later, Swanson was tapping out to save himself from a potential broken jaw. He followed that up with another submission loss, this time to Max Holloway. Swanson draws another submission artist this weekend when he’ll fight Hacran Dias with a chance to prove that he has a lot left in the tank.
An impressive victory would put Swanson only three or four wins away from a title shot, while a loss would make a comeback that much harder. Swanson might even have to consider switching weight classes with a loss. Here’s to hoping that Swanson puts on a show this Saturday on his way back to potential title contention.
8. How bad will Khabib’s injuries affect his fighting?
The Khabib who beat current champion Rafael Dos Anjos in 2014 was arguably the best lightweight in the world. He dominated RDA en-route to a unanimous decision victory. Then the injuries came. “The Eagle” has been sidelined for nearly two years after two knee injuries as well as a rib injury. Finally healthy, it was his opponent who pulled out of this fight with an injury. Instead of taking a fight at a later date, Khabib has elected to fight short notice replacement Darrell Horcher in what should be an easy victory. However, if the Dagestani’s injuries are more serious than many of us think, he could be in for a long night. Horcher is no chump, but he should be nothing more than an easy win for a healthy Khabib. My bet is that Khabib shakes off some early ring rust then proceeds to throw Horcher to the ground any way he likes. A title shot will then be in sight.
Khabib wants a strong showing in his first fight back from injury.
9. Who will get the next shot at the UFC Straw-weight title?
Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas fought back in 2013, with Torres taking a
“Thug” Rose dominated Paige Vanzant in her last fight.
unanimous decision victory. Both fighters have grown leaps and bounds since then. Namajunas has won her last two fights by submission (including a domination of Paige Vanzant). Torres meanwhile, remains unbeaten at 7-0 and has been able to use her speed advantage effectively against most opponents. Currently, Namajunas has arguably the best jiu-jitsu in the division and has added a pretty stand up game to go with it. Torres is not a finisher and has won all of her fights by darting in and out with short punches while dipping her head out of the way when her opponents try to counter. This is my pick for fight of the night and we should know who is fighting for the strap afterwards?
10. Which “old man” has enough left for one more run at a title?
Rashad Evans is looking to regain his championship form.
Rashad Evans’ return from injury was less than stellar as the former champion dropped a decision to the division’s most boring fighter in Ryan Bader. It was his first fight in two years and you could almost see the ring rust falling off Evans’ body every time he got hit. Evans was supposed to be fighting Mauricio Rua here, but Rua had to pull out due to injury. That’s where Glover Teixera came into the picture. After losing a title bid against Jon Jones and then losing again to Phil Davis, Teixera has rebounded nicely with two dominant wins over mid-tier opponents. The winner of this fight will show that they have what it takes for one last run at UFC gold, while the loser will most likely be relegated to gatekeeper for the remainder of their fighting days.
Written by Victor Sanchez, April 15, 2016, at 10:30 a.m.
Dark Souls 3 was recently released as a triumphant albeit rocky return for the Souls series. The PC version of the game opened with severe bugs for a fair few of the players. However, after the PS4 exclusive Bloodborne and the less well received Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3 is a welcome return to form for the series bringing back a lot of the feeling of the older games in the franchise.
The World
The game is set in the dying world of Lothric. Immediately you start getting nostalgia for Demon’s Souls. The world is far gloomier this time around. With the earlier stages adopting a far more grey and ashen color palette that really meshes well with the theme of this dying world.
Throughout the game you see more evidence that the world is trashed or corrupted with torture equipment and signs of general human shittiness all over the place. The main hub in which you find all NPCs you’ve met and shop keepers is a new, updated Firelink Shrine, which feels tons more like the nexus from Demon’s.
Cavernous halls and twisting corridors make exploring Lothric a tense experience.
The sound design really helps set the theme of the world as well. Monsters chatter, scream, and make noises that can be heard from far away making you paranoid for oncoming encounters. This really adds to the feeling of dread in the setting. Outside of boss fights, the game is completely music free, allowing all of the terrifying noises to be heard loud and clear.
The levels are large, featuring locales such as corrupted swamps to sprawling frozen cityscapes and feature many branching paths that really reward exploration. Coming back to one of the first areas after hours into the game, I found a whole new area to explore and found more items. I also unlocked a shopkeeper that I would have completely missed otherwise.
Branching paths will loop back into the main area of a stage without you even realizing it or take you far away to have you look back on where you’ve been. Going through an area thoroughly or multiple times is rewarding in the amount of items/characters you can find.
With the new complexity of the levels, enemy ambushes are far more common. But pay close attention and you’ll be prepared. They almost always come from somewhere that makes sense, as opposed to hanging on a ceiling at an impossible height or appearing from thin air (though a larger enemy does do that later).
While each area is complex and huge, the game is mostly linear when it comes to progression, you will following a similar route through the world on every playthrough. The larger levels reward exploration even further. Taking the extra time to look for a shortcut back to the bonfire will save tons of time clearing the level if you die, and you will die.
Most NPC and shopkeepers have some kind of story behind them and depending on how their questlines are done they can come or go from Firelink Shrine at various points in your journey. Finding NPCs in different parts of the world at different times will net you items and more information about why they came to the dying land of Lothric.
Lothric is called a crossroads and the NPCs very much mirror that, with most of them being references to other characters or plotlines from the previous two games. So at times the “side quests” may be a little too familiar.
Combat
Combat has stayed mostly the same, but the enemies offer a greater challenge.
If you’re a fan of Souls, not a whole lot of explanation here. Roll to dodge, git gud, all the standard stuff is here. Except for a major change, the addition of weapon skills and the FP (Focus Point) bar.
Spells no longer work on “uses,” and now use up FP, which effectively works as a mana bar, with a new Estus Flask that refills. This build can be more easily customized to use spells more often without having to buy consumable items. If you prefer using melee weapons, a special weapon skill also uses this bar, which can range from special attacks to temporary stat boosts.
Most enemy design are bizarre. Oftentimes, an enemy will grow and change as you fight them.
This as a new level of variability to weapon choice. These additions add customization but don’t do anything to detract from the rewarding combat system fans of the series have come to love. Dark Souls 3 strikes a strong balance keeping the good while adding a few much needed improvements.
Enemies in this game each fit their areas well and offer unique challenges. The undead humanoids will use items and call on the aid of close by, sleeping enemies. Some levels are built around a singular challenging enemy, which, when killed, makes exploration easier. Boss fights are difficult, unique, and satisfying, which is hardly a surprise at this point.
Dark Souls 3 is a grim challenging experience that is a natural evolution of the series. Fans of the series who haven’t already purchased it should definitely grab while those who haven’t liked it should expect more of the same.
Dark Souls 3 PC buyers beware
As mentioned before, the PC version still has the potential to have game breaking crashes. This is clearly not the case for everyone, but it has happened to a good chunk of the PC community. If this is something you don’t want to deal with maybe you should wait until the game gets patched properly or it goes on sale.
April 14, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. – Truer words have never been spoken by any man. When this mass of muscle and sinew steps into an arena, be it ring or cage, you know that is exactly what he brings; a beautiful spectacle of unadulterated destruction. If he were an animal, he would be a great white shark, a silent predator that smells blood and then strikes, leaving few if any survivors in his wake.
He is Wanderlei Silva, the “Axe Murderer.” His stare downs are legendary, his battles always epic. No fighter past or present has ever been able to intimidate the way he does. No fighter has been able to capture the rabid fan’s attention as easily as he does. His fighting style is an MMA promoter’s dream. He comes to bang, he doesn’t care with whom. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt be damned, Silva fears no man on the feet. The fight ring is his block of stone, fists, hands and vicious knees are his carving tools.
I have followed Wanderlei’s entire career. I am one of the biggest Wandy homers you will ever meet. To prove this, I have put together a top ten list of what I feel are “Cachorro Louco’s” greatest fights. While his place in MMA history is already set by these and other great battles, I have little doubt he will give us many more memorable moments, win or lose, before it’s all said and done.
Top 10 Wanderlei Silva Fights
10. VS Tony Petarra at UFC 20
This fight is significant for the simple fact than it was Silva’s first victory inside the octagon. Silva had come off of a horrendous highlight reel knockout at the hands of Vitor Belfort just a few months earlier, and hoped to make a better showing in this one.
From the outset, it was obvious that Petarra wanted no part of Silva’s standup, and spent the majority of the fight crowding him up against the cage. Silva finally found an opening just before the three-minute mark, unleashing a devastating knee that buckled Petarra to the canvas. A second knee knocked Petarra completely unconsciousness at 2:53 of the first round.
9. VS Mark Hunt at PRIDE Shockwave 2004
This fight proved to the world, more than any other fight, that Wanderlei Silva was a warrior. Despite being outweighed by more than 70 pounds, Silva took everything the former K-1 Grand Prix Champion had, and dished out plenty of offense of his own.
Silva took Hunt down several times, attempted several submissions, unleashed some decent ground and pound, and even landed some solid shots to Hunt on the feet. When the final verdict was announced, everyone (including Hunt) was surprised that Silva was not the winner.
It should be noted that Hunt took the fight on three days notice. Even so, I am not alone in believing that a world class striker outweighing his opponent (also a striker) by over 70 pounds should have had a little more impact on the judge’s decision.
The copyright of this photograph belongs to Susumu Nagao.
I could write an entire article on the man that is Mezger (and I will). Truly one of the most underrated (and unfortunately unlucky) fighters of all time, Mezger is the Patrick Ewing of MMA. Always good, always a threat, and yet things always seemed to go against him at the worst possible moment.
This fight was an example of that. Mezger started out extremely impressive. He utilized his height and reach advantage to keep Silva at bay. His striking was much crisper than Silva’s and he even opened a cut over Silva’s right eye. Mezger seemed to be cruising towards either a cut stoppage, or an easy points victory.
Then, around 2:48, Mezger ate a Silva right hook. Although he would survive the initial barrage that followed, he seemed to be a bit shook up. Several more exchanges would follow, culminating with a vicious flurry of punches (and a headbutt) that would leave Mezger a slumped heap in the corner of the ring at 3:45 of the first round.
7. VS Keith Jardine at UFC 84
Coming in with a three-fight losing streak, many MMA pundits were saying Silva’s career was over. Despite being only 32, it was being said that he had been in too many brutal wars to continue to fight at a high level. Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine was coming into this fight having just defeated former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell, and was looking to do the same to the former PRIDE Champion.
Indeed, a victory against Silva would not only cement Jardine’s legacy as “Legend Killer,” it would secure him a title shot. Alas, it was not meant to be, as a surprisingly quick and explosive Axe Murderer needed just 36 seconds to overwhelm and destroy The Dean.
While I never really bought into the washed up rhetoric being thrown around, even I was surprised at the ease in which the Silva dismantled Jardine. Silva looked every bit the beast he had been back in his PRIDE days.
6. VS Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE Total Elimination 2003
Having already bested Sakuraba twice before, this fight didn’t have the luster the previous two fights had. Indeed, Sakuraba had gone just 2-3 in his previous five fights, with one of the losses being from Silva. Despite this, the Japanese fans wanted another fight between these two, so it happened at the 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Tournament.
This fight is mostly memorable for the way in which Silva finished Sakuraba. While Sakuraba fought surprisingly well on his feet for the first 4:59 of the fight, Silva leveled the IQ Wrestler with a brutal 1-2 combination, leaving the Japanese legend snoring on the canvas. Sakuraba had never been knocked unconscious before, and many fans feel this should have been the final fight of Saku’s storied career.
5. VS Dan Henderson at PRIDE 12
When “Dangerous” Dan Henderson climbed into the PRIDE ring with Wanderlei Silva on December 9, 2000, many had already dubbed him the best fighter in the world. His resume was extremely impressive, having already claimed the RINGS: King of Kings title, as well as winning the UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament. He had defeated a who’s who of Mixed Martial Artists, with names such as Carlos Newton, Allan Goes, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Gilbert Yvel, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to all fall at the hands of “Hollywood.”
Sitting at 9-0, most people expected the decorated wrestler to grind down the Brazilian dynamo en route to another victory. This fight was an absolute war. Silva dropped Henderson to the canvas early on, only to be sent there himself from a big right hand.
Silva, bleeding out of an extremely swollen right eye, would battle back though, rocking Henderson with solid striking, and then finishing the round with some nasty stomps and pugnacious ground and pound. Henderson looked like a beaten man as he headed back to his corner, and yet, when the second round started he rocked Silva early with another big right hand.
Henderson then exploded on Silva landing a flurry that had him backpedaling across the ring. The fight ended with Wanderlei Silva pounding away at an exhausted Henderson from top position. Silva took a hard fought but well deserved Unanimous Decision victory over who at that point was arguably his toughest opponent.
When this fight happened, both Silva and Rampage were coming off tough fights in their semi-final matches. Silva had won a hard fought unanimous decision against Hidehiko Yoshida, and Rampage had just come off a second round TKO of Chuck Liddell.
Rampage wasted no time, immediately going for the takedown. Wanderlei attempted a guillotine choke, but was ultimately taken down by Jackson who put on a good display of ground and pound, including a nice knee to Silva’s head. Wanderlei stalled on the ground, and Jackson’s attacks became slower and slower causing a stand-up and a Silva Yellow Card.
This would prove to be Jackson’s undoing, as following the next exchange, he caught a hard knee and a couple of hard punches that began what is now one of the most insane beat downs ever captured in the sport. The onslaught culminated in Rampage eating nearly 20 unanswered knees, a pair of vicious soccer kicks, and a smiling right hook that led to the ref saving him at 6:28 of the first round. While he was obviously out on his feet, how Rampage survived as long as he did is simply amazing.
3. VS Brian Stann on UFC on Fuel TV 8: Silva vs Stann
For what would become Wanderlei Silva’s final appearance in the Octagon, he went out with a bang! The fact that he was in an absolute war with former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion, Brian Stann, gave the fans everything they had come to see.
Stann struck first, blitzing the Axe Murderer by instantaneously trapping him against the fence, but, just as quickly, fell to a Silva counter hook. Stann was immediately dropped, but returned the favor dropping Silva with a vicious overhand right. Just near the midway point, Stann buckled Silva with another hard strike, but an errant kick to Silva’s groin briefly stopped the contest and allowed the Axe Murderer the time to recover.
The wild round continued with the two trading strikes before Silva floored Stann again with another hook but the Silver Star Honored Hero came back, taking Silva down and unleashing hard ground and pound that lasted to the end of the round. The second round picked up right where the first left off, but, unfortunately, for Brian Stann, Silva’s power was too much and the former Marine fell victim to another huge Silva hook; he was knocked unconscious by the subsequent ground strikes as he lay dazed on the canvas.
This is one of those fights that is just so much fun to watch, and a fitting end to the UFC career of one of the greatest strikers to ever put on the four ounce gloves.
2. VS Quinton Jackson at PRIDE 28
Despite being beaten by the Axe Murder at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003, Rampage wanted this fight more than anything else. Determined to prove that his loss the first time was a combination of fatigue and what he felt was a premature stand-up, Rampage repeatedly asked for a rematch with the PRIDE Middleweight Champion.
His request was granted if he could beat Ricardo Arona in a number 1 contender’s match, which he did with a highlight reel knockout via body slam. This time around, Rampage made a much better showing, highlighted by a hard shot that knocked Silva to the canvas. Rampage than unleashed some devastating ground and pound, and looked to have Silva in deep trouble.
Unfortunately for Jackson, the bell would intervene, and he would have to start the second round on his feet. The second round continued where the first left off, but the tide turned on a jaw-crunching right hook that staggered Rampage. Silva, arguably the best finisher in the business swarmed on Jackson, unleashing a torrent of knees that would leave Rampage hanging unconscious out the ropes at 3:26 of the second round. Silva showed the heart of a lion and the ferociousness of a grizzly bear in this fight, which is truly one of the greatest fights in the history of PRIDE FC.
1. VS Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE 13
This fight is the greatest victory on Silva’s ledger. It’s his “Thrilla in Manilla,” his Hagler vs Hearns. The two top fighters on the planet going toe to toe. Believe it or not Sakuraba was the favorite in this fight, as silly as it seems in retrospect. Silva was bigger, stronger, and younger, but Sakuraba was coming in at 12-2-2, with his only loss in the previous 10 fights being to a much larger Igor Vovchanchyn. Saku was known for his unorthodox fighting style, solid wrestling and very high fighting IQ, as well as possessing perhaps the best single-leg takedown MMA has ever seen.
Despite being a much better fighter on the ground, Sakuraba instead attempted to stand and trade with Silva. While he was able to taste success early by knocking Silva down, Silva took control and laid a ferocious pounding to Sakuraba, leaving him bloodied, dazed and defeated at 1:38 of the first round. Sakuraba’s career would never be the same after that. Wanderlei Silva, however, had become the PRIDE Middleweight Champion. He would then begin a reign of terror that would see him go undefeated for nearly four years and 14 straight fights.
Conclusion
Silva recently signed a contract with Bellator Fighting Championships, and will be competing in a tag team grappling match against old rival Kazushi Sakuraba later this month for Rizin Fighting Federation. Someday the dust will settle on this combatant’s illustrious career, and when it does, Wanderlei Silva will be remembered as a great fighter who always brought his best, fought his hardest and left everything in the ring/cage. He is the true embodiment of the term warrior, and deserving of his seat in the Pantheon of MMA greats.
By William G Chandler Jr, April 14, 2016, at 6:30 p.m.
Lost Reavers, by Bandai Namco, offers a special surprise for its Nintendo Wii U owners. First, it is beta software until April 26, 2016, at exactly 9 a.m. Second, it is free. The full release comes on April 28, 2016.
You can come together with three other players to loot various dungeons, and fight off zombies, and other creatures, in order to win. The game is completely online. As found on Wikipedia, play as Sayuri, Dwayne, Victoria, and Shadowstalker in order to recover a treasure known as Relics. Players can use either a first-person or a third-person view, in order to complete their tasks. Each character has their melee attacks and long-range assaults.
However, Shadowstalker, a fiercer hands-on player requires melee more than Dwayne, who is slower and operates long-range weapons. The first play through offers a tutorial. You repair controls to enter rooms, take down the undead, collect treasure, and recover Relics. It is just that easy. The actual gameplay uses a team system in order to get everyone to the Relic and back to home base with the item. The catch is everyone should come. At times, it is necessary to revive a fallen comrade.
This seems like a solid game. Every gun pops, sounds good, and takes down enemies, as it should, at their specific levels. Melee attacks beat back foes. The graphics are decent. The game’s sound resonates. Player controls are quick and accurate. The levels available require some thought in order to get the Relic off the level.
The fact is this kind of game from Bandai Namco on Nintendo Wii U is good. I expected a game similar to Powerstone, by Capcom. This is just not that kind of game. One character, Shadowstalker, seems like a wild man. He races around the levels with gun and machete to take down enemies. Victoria offers an alternate gun style and takes down enemies. Sayuri uses just melee attacks and speed to destroy all her foes. Dwayne is the big man of the crew.
The interest lies in collecting the Relics and character differences. A four-player crew of only Victorias creates a different challenge than only a group of Dwaynes. It creates an interesting dynamic. The balance of all four stock players always covers any challenge the game provides. The true issue with this game is finding a room and other players. This is the smallest issue with this free game. Once the fun starts, it is all about survival and the team. I have managed to play two games with supportive, online connectivity on Nintendo Wii U.
Trine Two offers a fun, cooperative, online experience. Dungeons and Dragons creates a fun environment, and experience, however, it makes me long for Double Dragon. Lost Reavers represents fun with very little expectation. The final game may offer different challenges than currently available with the beta. Imagine if you do not have to operate as a team and players can undermine one another. The levels, solely, ignite creative juices.
Andrew-David Jahchan is the Director & Lead Developer MADSOFT Games, inc. On April 12th, they launched their Kickstarter for the indie game, Me and My Dinosaur. The game focuses on puzzles as much as the nostalgic side scrollers that came before it. Slcikster Magazine caught up with Jahchan for a few questions about the development, Easter eggs, and his all time favorite games.
Interview with Me and My Dinosaur dev, Andrew-David Jahchan
Slickster: Why is the 2D side-scroller genre so popular?
Jahchan: There is a certain satisfaction to playing a side-scrolling platforming game. You live and die in an instant; every choice you make has immediate consequences. I think that the quick feedback system and the more challenging aspects of some of the precise, Twitch platformers help fuel the genre’s popularity. Not to mention that many platformers churn up feelings of nostalgia for many adult gamers.
Me And My Dinosaur itself falls a bit closer to the “puzzle” side of puzzle-platformers, as precision jumping is less important than managing your characters and using logic to tackle obstacles.
Me And My Dinosaur is a “sidekick” game. How do you balance the power of the sidekick with the main character?
Me And My Dinosaur’s puzzle dynamics were designed around the differences between Hunter and Rex, so “balancing the power” hasn’t ever really been an issue. Each character has their own strengths and their own limitations. For instance, Hunter is more mobile than Rex, being able to jump and swim. Rex cannot jump at all, but he is invulnerable to damage.
By playing around with those two essential differences, we can create all sorts of interesting puzzles. Add in some more restrictions to the environment and a few unique power-ups, and you’ve got a game.
The dinosaur, Rex, seems to be inspired by Pokemon. Is that correct?
While I can see that stylistically the game does share some of its cartoony aesthetics of Pokemon, any similarities in art design are purely coincidental.
A game like this seems to lend itself well to hiding some Easter eggs. Will you be adding many Easter eggs to the game?
While Me And My Dinosaur does have its share of Easter eggs, we wouldn’t want to point them out. No spoilers, you know? But we can talk about the game’s literal eggs. In each level, there is a Dino Egg you can discover and carry to the Delivery Outpost. Once you successful deliver the egg, you can go to the Dino Daycare to hatch and raise the Baby Dino inside.
We have over 25 different Baby Dinos to find and raise. You’ll need to feed them Dino Chow, which you’ll find by playing one the Daycare’s three minigames. Level up a Baby Dino to its maximum level and you’ll unlock a special hat for your Baby Dinos to wear.
When can fans expect the game to be finished?
Me And My Dinosaur is on track to release in Fall of 2016 on Playstation 4, and in the first quarter of 2017 on PC/Mac.
How can they donate to the game’s Kickstarter?
People can contribute to the Kickstarter by visiting our project page and selecting a tier they’d like to purchase. We’ve got all sorts of interesting rewards to give out to our backers, including physical boxed copies of the game, soundtracks, and artbooks. Plus, as a backer, you’ll gain access to exclusive behind-the-scenes backer updates during the campaign and as we continue development.
After you’ve backed us on Kickstarter, you can also swing by our Steam Greenlight and give us “Yes” vote on the page. We appreciate all of the support people are willing to give us!
And finally, name your top three favorite games of all time.
That’s probably the toughest question of the bunch. I love so many games, but since I can only pick three, I’d have to say Metal Gear Solid 4, Shovel Knight, and Disgaea.
Written by Tanner Banks, April 13, 2016, at 8:10 p.m.
If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m more hyped up for Indy PopCon than Macho Man Randy Savage after splitting a rail with Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. Part of it is because I get to fanboy over all the awesome voice actors, gamers, and general nerdy things that are involved with going to a convention.
But there is another reason. Game developers. If it wasn’t for independent game devs, I wouldn’t have a job here at Slickster. My Steam account would also be wayyyyyy smaller than it is now. Hell, my favorite series to write about is about indie crowdfunding campaigns for games. And that is where the two meet. This year’s Indy PopCon includes plenty of awesome game developers who are showcasing their talent and hard work at the convention.
Big Seat Studios is a two man team of students out of Greencastle, Indiana, who are currently working on the game Chicken Hero. This puzzle platforming game is a very solid demo as is. As the main protagonist, Chicken Phil, you have the task of getting back all your eggs that have been scattered about the land. The game has a charm to it that I can only describe as… happy. It feels like, while they were making the game, Justin and Dalton (the developers) had fun while making it. Made in the GameMaker engine this pixel platformer is made with one goal in mind. Have fun.
I don’t know what it is about this game that makes me so happy. Maybe it’s the way that any time that Phil jumps he looks into the sky with a little smile on his face. Maybe it’s the fact that I can get a Phil with an afro and gold chain on him. Maybe it’s the little legs the eggs have on them that look oh so adorable.
No matter how difficult certain portions of the map were (to be fair, I suck at platforming games) I never really got angry. The controls by the way are nice and light, which any chicken should be. But the gliding feature in the game is one of those things in a game that are just really satisfying to pull off. Every time I got a big glide it felt like a real accomplishment.
Now this game is by no means complicated, nor is it groundbreaking. But what it is, is solid. On a fundamental level it does everything well. There are no weak spots for a game like this. The design is solid. The sound is solid. The game play is solid. These two say that this is their first game together, and I think they’ve done a bang-up job so far.
The Kickstarter is really modest itself. They’re asking for $800 to help finish up the game and to help pay for the booth they’ve got at Indy PopCon. They’ve also promised the game to release for absolutely no cost what so ever. This team is trying to get exposure for their game, and for themselves as well. The great thing is that conventions are a great place to get exposure and feedback on what they can do better. This is a great example of bright young developers trying to improve their craft. The future of gaming looks bright, but you need to help them grow by supporting their Kickstarter.
If you want to check it out click here for the Kickstarter.
Let’s get one thing out of the way quickly. When I say ‘”remade” that includes “reboot” as well. While I’m sure some people can argue that that is two very different things, I think the similarities are intertwined too much to be separated. For example, in the horror movie genre, the new Nightmare on Elm Street was a remake. Not a reboot. Whereas Dredd 3D, had nothing to do with the Sylvester Stallone film in the 90s. Therefore that is a reboot. In that particular case the reboot or remake was absolutely needed. Stallone’s take on Judge Dredd was so far off the mark it was a tragedy. However, most remakes or reboots never quite live up to the original.
The remake of Robocop (2014) is a classic example of someone shitting all over the original. The gory sci-fi future flick from the 1980s directed by Paul Verhoeven needed not to be redone. They missed the humor and satire of the original by a long shot. I won’t buy that for a dollar.
It’s also not just limited to movies. Video games are also remade from time to time. It’s a little bit more obscure example, but there were the Sierra adventure games from the 80s. The most well-known could be considered King’s Quest. The original sprites and graphic looked terrible, and there was serious game play flaws, like “dead ends” in the game. It was remade a few years later with improved graphics, but the overall game was not improved upon. There was something missing. Some magic from the original wasn’t there. It didn’t feel like a King’s Quest game.
In music they call me remaking a song a ‘cover’. I’m not even going to go there, because 99% of the time covers never live up to the original. If you think Sheryl Crow’s version of Sweet Child of Mine is better than Guns and Roses you are on the wrong website. Close your browser now and go buy Lilith Fair tickets.
But I digress. We were talking about movies here, weren’t we? So, why are movies even rebooted in the first place? The first answer is, simply, commercialism. If you remade the BMX movie Rad today, you would have parents who would want to take their kids to see it.
This is is the theory at least, and it isn’t fool proof. A case in point is the new Point Break remake. It did not come close to capturing that lightning in a bottle that the original Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, and Gary Busey movie had. Although we loved the stunts in the new movie.
Another reason movies get remade or rebooted is a profound love of the original and of the nostalgia that surrounds it. In the hands of a talented director this can be a good thing. The best example I can think of in recent times is Zack Snyder‘s remake of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Fast zombies vs. slow zombies controversy aside, Zack Snyder’s remake may even outshine the original zombie sequel. (I’m going to catch some shit for that one.)
The key to this being a success is the talent of the director. For example, Steven Spielberg has expressed interest in redoing the Last Starfighter. Every fanboy’s wet dream to see what modern technology could do with the video game meets alien starfighter. He, obviously, has the talent and experience to pull this off. I would buy that for a dollar!
So you ask, if some movies should not be remade, which ones are they? Starting with Mr. Spielberg, let’s go with Jaws. All the stunts and the shark, AKA Bruce, were done with practical effects. Roy Schneider Richard Dreyfuss and the other guy, put in Academy award-winning performances. It is a master of suspense and no amount of CGI could ever replace the line, “I think we’re going to need a bigger boat.” Anyone who attempted to recreate this monumentally special picture would fail.
Steven Spielberg in Jaws, aka Bruce, mouth during the filming of the classic film.
Sports movies do not need to be remade. Rudy, Chariots of Fire, Hoosiers, The Natural… Just leave it alone. We don’t want it, and no one asked for it. Besides, they all have the same underdog story arc anyway. Simply change the characters, sport, setting, and you have a new sports movie.
The next grouping of films that don’t need to be remade, are unfortunately likely to be. There’s just too much money to be made at the box office. I referring to major action blockbuster franchises. Die Hard, Terminator, Rambo (First Blood), Dirty Harry Magnum Force, or Lethal Weapon (see below). If you thought the remake of Conan the Barbarian during an era political correctness was awful, imagine how bad some of the other Schwarzenegger films will come across. Come with me… if you want to see a crappy remake.
This list could go on forever, so we’ll give you one more type of movie that does not need to be remade and then we’ll move on. Buddy comedy movies, like Riggs and Murtough from Lethal Weapon. Planes, Trains and Automobiles, any Chris Farley and David Spade schlock, and even go back in time to see your grandparents favorite comedic duos. Movie producers will never capture that perfect mixture again. Sometimes, even the two original comedians in the first film can’t recapture it. Ahem… Dumb and Dumber, we’re looking at you.
Maybe you think we hate reboots, but that’s not the case. Like the early examples in the now way too long rant, there are some good remakes out there. The JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot has been fantastic. Here are a few films we think would make awesome remake material.
Weird Science
Two junior high nerds use the power of their home computer to magically Frankenstein up an uber hot cyber babe. Classic 80s hilarity ensues. Major happy ending at the end. Even though there was short lived television series, starring Vanessa Angel, a remake of this could do really well.
Bridge over the River Kwai
A classic war film with the whistled theme song that will never leave your head once you hear it. Given the “Fury” treatment ala Brad Pitt, with some updated special effects, this could potentially be a huge hit. New generations of movie fans probably aren’t familiar with the classic, and could be exposed to how badass the “Greatest Generation” was sometimes.
Which movie remakes would you add? We want to hear from you in the comments below. Tell us which of your favorite movies would do well with a remake, or your thoughts on the worst movie remakes of all time.
Don’t say Red Dawn, we already know… Thanks for reading and come back daily for new content.
Written by Tanner Banks, April 12, 2016, at 9:28 p.m.
The hype train is heading towards Indianapolis, and it is full steam ahead, people! This former Kickstarter campaign has become one of the places to go for all your nerdy needs. Whether it’s anime, gaming, film, or WRESTLING(!), Indy PopCon has you covered. The Slickster team is excited to cover the event this year and as I count down the days (actually the seconds), here are the top ten reasons I’m excited about Indy PopCon 2016.
1. Indianapolis
Indy is a really nice city that really exemplifies the Midwest. The people in Indy are nice (except for my ex), the city is beautiful, a decent nightlife, and the food is great! Seriously, I might have been raised on Cincy Chili, but I’ll be spending each night after the convention in a coma after having a dozen slices of Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza. I mean, take a look at this pizza! Papa John can suck it.
2. The Game Developers
It’s no secret that I love game developers. It’s almost like I write about small development teams on a regular basis… Indy PopCon looks to have a great lineup of dev teams ready to showcase their stuff for the world to see. Whether it’s two high schoolers telling the pixelated story of a chicken rescuing its eggs, a puzzling painted game of a colorful thief, or a twin stick shooter about ASTRONAUT CATS IN SPACE, there’s plenty to see from developers at this year’s IPC.
3. Big Bad Bosses
He who hates music hates life itself. These musical maestros managed to master multiple media by manipulating mainstream music. This music parody group has some really great music to go along with their shtick of playing classic video game villains. If you haven’t had the chance to check out their album Power Overwhelming change the part about your life.
4. Tara Strong, Nolan North, and Kyle Hebert
The reason I grouped these three together is because they all played major roles in my childhood. Nolan North, the voice for Deadpool and Nathan Drake is also doing a panel for IPC as well.
As for Tara Strong, I’m pretty sure she’s done voice work for everything. Voicing everyone from Hello Kitty and Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls to Harley Quinn and Li Mei in Mortal Kombat X, Tara is considered the gold standard in female voice acting.
And who is Kyle Hebert, you ask? Oh nobody special, just the voice of RYU IN STREETFIGHTER AND THE NARRATOR IN DRAGON BALL Z. Who else will be at Indy PopCon? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
5. Ninja Sex Party
I feel like the duo randomly thought of three awesome nouns and threw them together for the name, but regardless NSP is a lot of fun. This year they released their fourth album Under the Covers, which hit the Billboard 200 topping out at 55. Their cover of “Take on Me” by A-Ha is a personal favorite of mine, which I’ll provide a link for here. Also, believe it or not, Brian Wecht is a tenured professor in theoretical physics at Queen Mary, University of London after holding research positions at MIT and Harvard. Dude is wicked smaht.
6. Sweet Cosplays
Costume play has gotten more and more popular as time goes on. Whether it’s big names like Meg Turney, the local Star Wars squadron 501st Legion’s Bloodfin Garrison, a group of battle rapping Disney Princesses, or the guests coming in handmade costumes, Indy PopCon is sure to show why cosplay is so popular at conventions.
7. Nostalgia Critic
This guy will shit on everything you ever loved about your childhood. For the Nostalgia Critic, nothing is sacred, and there will be no survivors. Whether he’s ripping the latest blockbusters or explaining why your favorite cartoon from childhood sucks ass. However, he knows what makes a series good and is able to mix comedy with thoughtful commentary at ease. Also he has a sweet hat.
8. Bob, Wade, and Molly
Bob and Wade might have gotten their start with their crimson friend Markiplier, but this trio are not riding anybody’s coattails. Bob “Muyskerm” Muyskens, a law student and unabashed lover of the beverage Kickapoo always has a deriding comment ready for his friends when not working as a law student. Wade “LordMinion777” Barnes and his girlfriend, Molly “Foxtrot44,” are a pair of YouTubers and Twitch streamers who are a blast to watch play games like Minecraft, GMod, or, in Wade’s case, Settlers of Cattan.
9. Elspeth Eastman
I’ll be honest, I don’t play League of Legends, one of Eastman’s most well-known voice acting roles. However, the reason why I have her so high is because of what she represents. She is the epitome of self-made. Having been there since the first Indy PopCon, she has built her career from the ground up thanks to conventions like Indy PopCon. As a guest of honor, Eastman is a shining example about how you can achieve anything by chasing your dreams through hard work.
10. Conventions Are a Blast!
I’m still a rookie when it comes to cons, but Indy PopCon has more than just a little bit of everything for everyone. Whether it’s comics, anime, movies, the internet, or gaming, Indy PopCon has grown year in and year out. This convention is a far cry from its first convention after its successful Kickstarter campaign. Indy PopCon is a great time for any kind of nerd, so we hope to see you there.
It can’t always be Friday the 13th, and in the interest of fairness, it was a slower day here at the Slickster headquarters. That doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun by showing you Slickster’s favorite Friday the 13th GIFs! Let us know in the comments below if we missed any, or if you have some that should be included!
Lecture
Effects
Let’s not leave the ladies out of this. Nerd rage would be so powerful, that you would instantly be able to make your boyfriend listen to your monotonous, boring, never get to the point stories, for hours and hours on end. Just kidding girls, don’t be all butt hurt. Now please get out of the way, I’m playing Witcher 3. Thank you.
