Off the Cuff: the completist
I’m a completist. And as the name implies, I like to complete things. Those “things” don’t really matter. It can be completing video games, reading the whole run of a comic book, or watching all the episodes of a TV show.
The only thing I don’t like to complete is eating all my vegetables.
But this can be a problem. For example, what happens when something is horrible? That’s when the completist is in trouble. Suddenly he or she finds an internal struggle brewing. Do I finish the <insert name of current obsession>? Or do I cut my losses and run? It’s a tough position for a completist to be in.
Collecting comic books, despite an awful story, is probably the most commonly discussed example. However I have one that’s much worse – I have an almost compulsive need to finish watching the entire run of a TV show. This is especially true of anime.
I tell myself, “I can stop anytime I want.” But I can’t. I’m stuck between wanting to turn off the TV and being committed to the end.
For instance, I wasn’t a fan of Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Death Note, or Blood +, and yet, I kept watching. In some cases I’m still watching.
Part of the issue is that by the time I realize I don’t like a show, I’ve already invested 20 or 30 hours into it. That’s a lot of time to simply say, “yeah I don’t care about what happens.” But I know I’m lying to myself. I want to know how it ends. What’s the good of starting a story if you’re not going to finish it?
The other part is a total lack of options. If I want to watch anime on TV I can either watch Cartoon Network…or buy my own. So at the moment I am subject to the Cartoon Network programming overlords. Which means watching anime that under my own powers, I wouldn’t be watching.
I suppose this is just the completist dilemma.
So how about you? What do you have trouble giving up even though you know you should?
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April 28, 2008
SOTS Grown-Up Gamer Review: Super Mario Galaxy
I figured it was time to actually name this feature – and this seemed appropriate. As much as I enjoy gaming, I don’t have nearly the same amount of time for it that I once had. I rarely, if ever, buy games on their release dates, and no longer can I spend an entire weekend playing through that brand new hot game that just came out. Darned relationships and jobs and responsibilities! Perhaps if I approach these reviews from that perspective, it will give my own reviews a little more of a unique appeal?
 |
| PLATFORM |
| Nintendo Wii |
| DEVELOPER |
| Nintendo EAD Tokyo |
| PUBLISHER |
| Nintendo |
| GENRE |
| Platform |
| # OF PLAYERS |
| 1 |
| Rating |
| E |
| U.S. RELEASE DATE |
| November 12th, 2007 |
| MSRP |
| $49.99 |
Super Mario Galaxy
OVERVIEW
During the centenary Star Festival, Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser, and taken to the center of the universe. It is up to Mario to save her!
REVIEW
Boy, it has been a long time between reviews. What happened? Super Mario Galaxy happened!
Believe it or not, it had actually gotten to the point where I thought I was getting too old for some of these games. I didn’t have nearly the attention span I used to. When once I could play a game for an entire day – even go without sleep sometimes to get through a game, these days I barely muster the interest to play for an hour, maybe two. And too often I will play about halfway through a game and just get bored of it, and move on. Portal seemed to fly in the face of that, but that was only a couple hour game, hardly a fair measure.
Then came Super Mario Galaxy. When I first started playing this game, I feared the worst. Right out of the gate the game sent you into levels that made full use of the 3-D environment. Would the entire game be running around these tiny planets, sending you through an increasingly dizzy series of levels?
Super Mario Galaxy is a spiritual sequel to the groundbreaking Super Mario 64, and like that game, it is essential that you master moving through that extra dimension if you want to be successful in this game. Essential – but the game doesn’t beat it into the ground. There are plenty of levels where you aren’t expected to go upside-down and side-ways at all. And while one or two really challenge your virtual sense of direction, as long as you have a basic grasp of the controls needed when going around and beneath the mini-planets, you will be able to get through the game.
Of course, Super Mario 64 is the giant elephant in the room, so might as well get into that now. Super Mario 64 was a revolutionary game that put the Nintendo 64 on the map, and redefined platform games for another generation, and effectively killed the sidescroller. Super Mario Galaxy has been referred to as a true sequel to that game (ignoring Sunshine completely), and the buzz was that this game would do for the Wii what SM64 did for the 64. In some ways, it succeeded.
One of the most revolutionary aspects of Super Mario 64 was the camera control. You could spin the camera all around you, deciding for yourself which angle you wanted to see a particular challenge play-out. The system was not without its faults, but it was the one thing that really made the “fish bowl” style of play possible.
Super Mario Galaxy is a lot more restrictive with the camerawork. There are many cases where you can rotate the camera around – but you eventually learn to not even bother trying. So rarely is it actually useful that you eventually stop bothering. Most of the time, you just get an error that tells you the camera can’t be moved where you are standing. Overall, this isn’t a terrible problem though – the game camera generally does just fine with the exception of swimming – the camera motion there is atrocious. If there were more swimming in the game, that would be a real drawback.
Clearly, there is a added dimension in this game, which is something very comparable to Super Mario 64. But it is far from groundbreaking – it seemed a lot more gimmicky. I can’t imaging seeing the entire genre of platform games switch to this style – it would get annoying very quickly. Sure – it is a testament to technology that they were able to pull it off as smoothly as they did, but it is far from the groundbreaking advance that Super Mario 64 was.
Of course, there is the controls. You can’t talk about a Wii game without mentioning the controls. Like most first-party Nintendo games, Super Mario Galaxy makes effective use of the control style. This one naturally requires the nunchuck – which you use for your movement and crouching, while the A button on the Wii remote itself is your jump, shaking the Wii Remote is your spin attack, and pressing the B button fires a “star bit” (of which you collect thousands of during the game) at friend and foe alike. The controls are smooth and well laid out, but hardly revolutionary. At least, not when it comes to Super Mario Galaxy. There is nothing in this game we haven’t seen done equally well in Metroid or Wii Sports.
In short – there was nothing truly groundbreaking in Super Mario Galaxy, at least, nothing even comparable to Super Mario 64. But the thing is – it doesn’t need to be. It is a solid game that was remarkably fun to play.
The format is very similar to Super Mario 64, but with a little more story behind why you need to collect the stars. It would seem that comet that passes overhead every 100 years (the reason for the Star Festival) is in fact a star-powered mobile observatory operated by Rosalina. Bowser has stolen all of the stars from the comet, and it is no longer able to travel. In order to reach the center of the Universe and rescue Peach, Mario must quest for more and more stars, until the Comet Observatory has enough power to reach Bowser.
The striking similarities to Super Mario 64 aside, Super Mario Galaxy also includes aspects of other Mario games that have been absent. In what seems to be a superfluous addition, you now have lives, much like in previous games. You don’t die much – well, you do, but not nearly enough to make up for the easy 1Up Mushrooms you can find all over the place, but there is the occasional level where you find yourself dying, a lot. Along with that is the “death” music, that you find all the way back in the original Mario Brothers. As it was in that game, hearing that bar over and over as you struggle with a difficult section of a level is strangely motivating and flat out annoying. You dread to hear it again, and clench in frustration every time you know it is coming. It is rare, but occasionally you will have to back out of a level and get a few more lives before continuing on the difficult task.
The return of the Power Suits. This game features a Bee Suit and a Boo Suit, which are both fun to use. It also has a Springo Suit which was absolutely horrible to use – of course, it is part of the challenge of the game, but all of the other power suits were fun (even in previous games), and the Springo Suit was the first one I can recall ditching at the earliest opportunity. The Invincible Star is there as well, as well as the Fire Flower – the latter of which operating on a timer this time around like the Invincible Star. You can also pick up turtle shells once again and use them for various tasks, going back to Super Mario Brothers 2 for that one. A lot of old characters from previous games are back as well – even the Cheep-Cheep flying fish make an appearance. Overall, the inclusion of game elements from the whole range of previous Mario Games really adds a sense of completeness to Super Mario Galaxy, and makes it a much more complete game.
The graphics – well, as usual, they are simply gorgeous. Super Mario Galaxy seems to make full use of the Wii’s graphic potential, and like Metroid Prime – it will leave some gamers wishing that the Wii’s graphic capabilities were more on par with its other major competitors. There aren’t any shortcomings though – everything is well rendered and the game flows smoothly – any load time is so well hidden that you don’t even think about it. High marks all around there.
One of the best parts about this game is that it can be played in short bursts. You can play for an hour or so, gather a bunch of stars and put it away for a while, coming back later and not feeling lost at all. As someone without a lot of time on their hand, that is really refreshing. You can also beat the game with a preset number of stars, but if you are more the completist, there is a ton to do to complete everything in the game – and for a “Grown-up Gamer,” that is where the game really shines.
There are 120 stars in the standard game that you can get. Suprisingly, I was able to get them all without referring to a strategy guide once. Some are challenging to find – but they are far from impossible, and the game gives you plenty of clues as to where to find them. After you have beaten Bowser twice and collected all 120 stars, you can play through the game once again with Luigi. A few of the challenges are more difficult with Mario’s brother, but all of the stars are in the same place. The game seems a little more tricky with Luigi – he is a little clumsier than his brother (Mario stops on a dime – Luigi stumbles a bit and doesn’t recover from jumps quite as easily), a tiny added bit of difficulty that allows the game to retain a level of challenge the second time through. After gaining all 120 stars a second time, you unlock the “Grand Finale Galaxy” – which gives you access to a total of 242 Stars to collect. Even after all that, I am not sick of the game, and can imagine playing it again someday.
There is a slight multiplayer element – not enough for two serious people who want to dig into the game, but if you have a friend who isn’t too “game-saavy” who might want to play (girlfriends come to mind), they can pick up another Wii Remote and help you gather Star Bits. Star Bits are all over the place – and you can use the ones you collect to fire at enemies to stun them, and also to unlock a few extra galaxies. You gather Star Bits by running over them with Mario, or simply by pointing your Wii Remote at them. Your second player can help you along by gathering Star Bits for you with their Wii Remote, and can also fire those same Bits at enemies – essentially watching your back. They can also make you jump – in case of emergencies – and if timed right, both players can execute a super high jump. The latter isn’t really useful, but it is a fun addition if you want to play around with the game a bit.
BOTTOM LINE
This game is a blast – and well worth getting. It may not “make” the Wii as a viable console in the long-term on its own, but it definitely adds another outstanding title to a growing library of great first party games. This game is highly recommended.
Rating(out of 5):
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On The Shelf This Week – 04.30.08
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!
BLUE BEETLE #26, $3.50, 40 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Jai Nitz; Art by Mike Norton and Trevor Scott; Cover by Zach Howard
This is the first post-Rogers issue of Blue Beetle, and DC is trying something fairly different. It involves a Reyes family reunion, where everyone speaks Spanish. Traci 13 is likely going to be the focus of this issue, as the outsider who really doesn’t know what is going on, since she doesn’t speak the language. If the story is done right, you won’t even need the English script pages in the back, but they will be there if you are dying to know what is said.
Yeah, it isn’t the first time something like this has been tried, but it isn’t used very often, and is out there enough to soften the blow of losing John Rogers.
DC UNIVERSE ZERO, $0.50, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns; Art by George Pérez, Tony Daniel, J.G. Jones, Aaron Lopresti, Ivan Reis, Philip Tan and Carlos Pacheco; Cover by various
This is the transition issue between Countdown and Final Crisis – of course, at the fifty-cent price, this issue is meant to lure you into the story if you haven’t been following Countdown, and hopefully give you everything you might need to know going into next month’s Final Crisis #1.
Event fatigue is naturally a factor here, but not as much as you might think. They still haven’t gotten to the point where people will abandon this latest “Crisis,” readers will still pick up the series just to see how it pans out (we aren’t that far gone, yet). There are a few out there, though, who might be leaning in that direction though. It is hard to beat a fifty cent comic, and that is a good way to see if Final Crisis is worth your money if you are still on the fence about it.
GIANT SIZE AVENGERS INVADERS #1, $3.99, 96 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Roy Thomas, Art by Sal Buscema, Frank Robbins, Alex Schomburg, Don Rico, Lee Elias, and Lee Weeks
Seems to be the norm with Marvel these days, but before any major mini, they release some kind of Giant-Size issue that reprints old stories featuring the characters involved in the upcoming event. Avengers/Invaders will be no different – this week will see the release of the whopping 96 page Giant-Size Avengers/Invaders, showcasing a few old Invaders stories, and rounding things off with a few preview pages of the upcoming Avengers/Invaders.
Yeah, if you have read these stories, it might not seem worth it, but it is a good bet that most of you out there haven’t. And these stories are often difficult to find in trade format. Under $4 for this much story is a decent price, and will give you a good introduction to the Invaders, beyond what you might have read in the not-too-distant All-New Invaders series. A decent buy if you are eagerly anticipating the new series.
GREEN LANTERN #30, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert
Gotta say that thus far, this “retelling” of Hal Jordan’s origin isn’t half bad. It seemed like a weird story choice, with the “Blackest Night” story looming on the horizon, but perhaps you could look at it as a much needed rest. Green Lantern has been wall-to-wall action, and we have had little time for character development. Of course, a trip through history doesn’t necessarily make for the best vehicle for character development, but you can bet that somewhere in this story, some seeds will be planted that will come to light again in the upcoming Final Crisis, as the Blackest Night story that will shortly follow.
Yeah, the pace slowed a bit from the explosive story we have gotten thus-far, but that isn’t always a bad thing. If the story is worth telling, I can’t see how this diversion could be considered a bad thing.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Tonci Zonjic, Clay Mann, Stephano Gaudiano, Kano, and Matt Hollingsworth
Well, the bad news is that David Aja is nowhere to be seen this issue. The solicits still show David Aja as the artist, but if you dig around and find the preview pages, the credits page is available, and his name is nowhere to be found. The penciling duties look like they will be divided up once again with Zonjic, Mann, and Kano dividing the duties. Bad news? You betcha. Despite Fraction’s outstanding story (and despite the art, the story quality will still be there), one of the best things about this title was Aja’s brilliant style.
It’s a blow to be sure – but as they say – the show must go on. Marvel did the right thing going ahead with this book, even without Aja. Yeah, the art shoft is jarring, made even moreso by the artistic rotation during the issues themselves – but art isn’t the only aspect of a comic. It is far more important that the issue suffers a little bit than to have months and months of delays. It’s a real shame – but ultimately, it was the right move. Despite the art, this final issue of The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven story will no doubt be explosive. Let’s hope the art team is up to the challenge.
JSA CLASSIFIED #37, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by B. Clay Moore; Art by Ramon Perez ; Cover by Sean Chen and Sandu Florea
Wow, talk about out of the blue. DC’s website still lists 2 more issues after this one, and there has yet to be an announcement of any kind, but all of the latest solicits for this week’s titles list this as the final issue. Of course, the next 2 part arc is slated to be another Wildcat story, so who knows.
Maybe this is the final issue, maybe not. Hopefully not – JSA Classified continues to be a great avenue for some solo character development for the JSA (Most of which do not have their own ongoing titles). Even if it is only another two issues, a little more is better than none at all. This title is probably going to eventually make way for the Power Girl ongoing, even if it isn’t over this issue. So things aren’t all bad…
MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #8, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Marc Guggenheim, Ivan Brandon, Andy Schmidt, and Rich Koslowski, Art by Dave Wilkins, Niko Henrichon, Marco Turin, Andrea DiVito, and Tony Washington
This one has the making of a pretty decent issue. New this month is the first part of a new 5 part Machine Man story, and what looks to be a one-shot Cyclops and Wolverine issue. Of course, the Weapon Omega and Vanguard stories are still ongoing, going into their 8th parts.
In all, 8 issues into it, this remains a solid purchase. Like most anthologies, not all of the stories are sure bets, but the bulk of each issue has been highly enjoyable and well worth reading. Looking forward to issue #10, which promises a Deadpool story, which is reason enough to buy the title.
Thus-far, Marvel’s experiment in bringing back the anthology seems to be a success. Hopefully, this keeps up!
ORDER #10, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Barry Kitson, Mark Morales, and Chris Sotomayor
Did this title ever really have a chance? Granted, it had the worst possible start with all of the title confusion before the first issue ever hit the stands. But it was decent – a little slow starting, but otherwise an ok read. This really highlights the perils of the decompressed storytelling style – Fraction set this one up for the slow build, and unfortunately, ten issues really isn’t enough for him to have brought all of his ideas to fruition.
Of course, from Matt Fraction’s own lips, the Order wasn’t “cancelled” so much, as he chose to end it. Hopefully that isn’t entirely true – else it makes that slow build even less worth it. Either way – hopefully we will be seeing some of the better characters from this team pop up sometime again somewhere else. Curse of the Challengers of Los Angeles?
TEEN TITANS #58, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics
Written by Sean McKeever; Art by Eddy Barrows and Jimmy Palmiotti; Cover by Barrows
There isn’t really any other way to put it – Sean McKeever is on his game here. Maybe it is unfairly pigeon-holing him by pointing out his obvious writing strengths, but really, there isn’t anyone else out there right now who can write teenaged characters the way he can. A lot of writers get stuck on stereotypes – McKeever uses them when appropriate, but doesn’t let them define all of his characters the way others might. If you wanted to get a teenager into comics, all you would need do is hand them one of the titles he writes, and you can bet they would find something they could identify with. It is a rare talent these days. It is safe to say that Teen Titans will be in good hands as long as he is on the title.
ULTIMATE X-MEN #93, $2.99, 32 pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Salvador Larroca and Stephane Peru
Finally, with what might be good news to some readers is this – the final issue of Kirkman’s decidedly rocky run on Ultimate X-Men. There is no denying that this title had its ups and downs under Kirkman’s pen – perhaps Kirkman himself is to blame, but this is one of those cases where it seems like Editorial interference might have been an even bigger problem. Once of the good things about the Ultimate line was its slimmer character set, but Marvel wasted no time in adding Ultimate version after Ultimate version of all sorts of mutant heroes and villains. Soon, this title started to experience the very same problems that the 616 mutant titles have gone through – too many mutants.
To follow on this title is another Heroes scribe – this time in the form of Aron Coleite. Good news? Tough to say. TV writers, like hit novelists, are hit and miss in comics, and there is no way to tell if Coleite will really know what to do with this title. Hopefully the story gets a little smaller though – a simpler approach will do this title a world of good.
SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK
DAREDEVIL BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Ed Brubaker and Ande Parks, Art by Chris Samnee
Kind of a fun idea for a one-shot. The Black Tarantula’s recent appearance in Daredevil was entertaining, and there was a lot of interesting room there for a further story. Naturally, Brubaker’s Matt Murdock being who he is, there were a lot of other critical issues in the way of giving this story the kind of justice it would deserve. So why not a one-shot? Might have made a decent annual too, but it is a little bit soon for that.
This issue finds Black Tarantula where we left him – in his old stomping grounds trying to clean out the very gangs he used to run. Of course, Daredevil is in the title of this one, so you can bet that he will be making an appearance somewhere here. If told right, though, this will be mostly LaMuerto’s show. Should be a good read.
DARK HORSE
STAR WARS REBELLION #13 SMALL VICTORIES PART 3 (OF 4) $2.99 Now: $2.59
DC COMICS
ACTION COMICS #864 $2.99 Now: $2.69
BLUE BEETLE #26 $3.50 Now: $2.99
DC UNIVERSE ZERO $0.50 Now: $0.49
GREEN LANTERN #30 $2.99 Now: $2.69
JSA CLASSIFIED #37 $2.99 Now: $2.59
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #41 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SHOWCASE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN TP VOL 02 $16.99 Now: $13.99
TEEN TITANS #58 $2.99 Now: $2.69
TEEN TITANS GO #54 $2.25 Now: $1.99
TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE #4 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.69
UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #8 (OF 8) $2.99 Now: $2.59
IMAGE COMICS
NOBLE CAUSES #33 $3.50 Now: $2.99
MARVEL COMICS
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #12 $2.99 Now: $2.69
BLACK PANTHER TP LITTLE GREEN MEN $10.99 Now: $8.99
DAREDEVIL BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA $3.99 Now: $3.49
FANTASTIC FOUR TP BEGINNING OF THE END $12.99 Now: $11.99
GIANT SIZE AVENGERS INVADERS #1 $3.99 Now: $3.49
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14 $3.99 Now: $3.49
MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #12 $2.99 Now: $2.59
MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #8 $3.99 Now: $3.49
MARVEL ILLUSTRATED MOBY DICK #3 (OF 6) $2.99 Now: $2.59
NEW AVENGERS #40 $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW WARRIORS #11 $2.99 Now: $2.69
ORDER #10 $2.99 Now: $2.69
SECRET INVASION #1 (OF 8) 2ND PTG YU VAR $3.99 Now: $3.59
ULTIMATE HUMAN #4 (OF 4) $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE X-MEN #93 $2.99 Now: $2.69
X-MEN LEGACY #210 $2.99 Now: $2.69
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Well, it is that time of year again – Free Comic Book Day! The one Saturday a year when comic fans in droves will make the pilgrimage to their local comic shop (as opposed to a Wednesday) to get a few free books and share in the festivities.
This year’s event will be on this Saturday, May 5th. For more information, you can visit the official website, or ask your local shop for details on the events and titles they will have on hand. Behave yourselves, and remember to bring a friend! And as every year, I would urge each of you to go against your collector’s instincts, and keep these titles out of those oh-so-safe bags and boards. Read them, and then pass them on to a friend who doesn’t already enjoy comics (do make sure it will be something they might enjoy though). As much as this day is for the comic reader – it is even more for the future comic reader. This industry needs new readers to survive – and if it means parting with an issue that will continue to be worth absolutely nothing in the coming years, then so be it! Give that comic away! Share with others the very thing you have enjoyed for so many years? More readers means it is more likely your favorite titles will escape the cancellation axe. Do it for the cause!
NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or its staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.
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April 25, 2008
The Gamer’s Quagmire #67: And Internet Justice For All
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less
by Jamison DeLorenzo
Pay attention to enough news stories and you can see pattern with the media extolling the negative qualities of the Internet and what they refer to as the gaming subculture. It’s not that I am any different – I do what I can to provide negative comments every week for parts of the industry that are negative influences. Today, however, things are going to be different. Oh yes, they will be different.
Within the past month there was a proud owner of an Xbox 360, laptop, and a few other possessions, who had his house broken into and items stolen. In what feels like nothing more than a transparent attempt to land a spot on America’s Dumbest Criminals, the thief messaged a thread through Xbox Live a ransom demand for the stolen 360. Anyone who has ever watched even one episode of any crime drama, or has an ounce of common sense, can probably guess what happened next.
Only, you probably can’t. The police involved in the case worked more slowly than people on the Internet. After the person who had his possessions stolen was not receiving the desired help from the police he posted his grievance up on the Internet. Many members of the networked gaming community sprung into action, found detailed information on the person who was connected to the account from with the ransom demand was initiated, and soon afterwards property was recovered. The police finally helped out after this happened.
From this there were several interesting responses. Let’s start with the fact that Fox News managed to squeeze in a story covering this saga. I found the timing of this amusing because the first thought that popped into my head was that they felt guilty about their Mass Effect story and thought this was a great opportunity to endear themselves to the gaming community. Sorry, you didn’t sucker me in! In the story the kid who had his stuff stolen was mention to be an aspiring Guitar Hero legend, or something to that effect. I’m saying this kid is going to grow up to be a rocket scientist, but it picking that header for him was funny. It’s almost like a smack in the face. Was that the most notable thing in his life so far? Guitar Hero is the pinnacle achievement to date? Really?
(I do not mean to imply that I have any better things to do than write about or play video games – that would just be insane)
Another miss in this situation was the fact that Microsoft missed this message completely. In my paranoid little world where all digital communication is monitored I seriously expected there to be some built-in monitoring of all communication, or at least the text-based communication, so that when something criminal were sent over the wires, say, for example, a ransom note about stolen property made by Microsoft, that the monitoring software would see it and disable any offending party’s account. I want this to be bad news, but maybe the fact that this did not happen is good news.
While the Big Brother justice system is not quite in place yet on Live, this does make me wonder a little more about the technical proficiency in the standard Law and Order segments of our society. In modern times a controlled Internet account handle is just as good as a mailing address. You would think that if the police were notified of an address in a ransom situation that the case would be solved in a matter of hours. Technically you could throw the term “vigilante justice” around here. How can you just skip over using inflammatory comments in topics related to gaming? The news outlets missed an opportunity here.
Seriously though, this ties in to my main point – that there has been a steady stream of negative stories about video games for a long time. Video games cause obesity in kids, they make people shoot each other, they’re killing simulators, they are too sexually explicit, they have no redeeming qualities, and so on. We’ve been seeing these stories for years. We now have a story about how a community rallied around a theft that was largely being ignored by the police (or, at least, ineptly handled) and the community was able to get the person most, if not all, of his belongings back.
We praise the neighborhood watch for their efforts, do we not? Look, I can’t sit here and claim that perhaps some of this information should not have been obtainable by average citizens (i.e. Xbox Live account info), but this information was used to get stolen property back. I am never one to ignore exceptions to rules. In the scenario dealing with the what the road to hell is paved with, I have no issues with whatever non-physically threatening tactics were used to get the property back (keeping in mind that I am not someone who’s opinion regarding moral tactics you should necessarily listen to).
The lesson in all this, aside from needing to be a smarter individual when attempting to extort money from someone, is that we are still living in a world that predominantly is incapable of understanding technology. Things that seem simple to many people simply do not translate to people in an older demographic. Naturally, this isn’t a new trend. It’s going to happen to us too. A lesson that I took from this, which I feel may benefit many people, is that until a changing of the guard occurs in the media, we are going to have to continue dealing with gaming stories in the media being constantly mishandled. Anyone who is unable to grasp this will eventually go insane when the next Mass Effect controversy hits front and center on the 6 o’clock news.
Post your comments in the Forum!
April 24, 2008
Ti’Hat and the Vulcan: Chapter Fourteen
“Amazing!” Yavitz exclaimed, as she was lead into the holodeck. For the reception, Janeway programmed the holodeck for a view of Niagara Falls, back on Earth. The sky was spectacular blue, with the occasional white cloud drifting by in the wind. All of the various buildings and viewing areas that cluttered the actual falls back on Earth were removed, so that the visitors as well as the crew could enjoy the scene in its natural state.
A long table was set in front of the holodeck arch atop a platform, floating in the air, completely surrounded by the falling water. It took the group a moment to get over the vertigo of hovering several hundred feet over the bottom of the falls, but the wait was worthwhile. The usual loud rumble of the crashing water was muted for the ease of conversation, it was set at a level that simulated the sound of the falls from a great distance. Even the Khamish Colonel and Lieutenant, who came in order to open negotiations with the Bint’Ari for their war effort, were impressed with the view, as well as the technology it took to produce such a scene.
“What is this place?” Yavitz wondered aloud, as she entered.
“It is Niagara Falls, on our home planet, Earth,” Janeway explained.
“Incredible! But how is it that this can be on your ship? And what has happened to the door we entered by?” Yavitz was amazed and confused at the same time.
“This is the holodeck,” Janeway continued. “Here we can recreate any environment, using holographic technology.”
“Simply amazing,” the Colonel said. “The kinds of training exercises we could do with technology like this!”
People gathered around the table, which was covered in various foodstuffs provided, of course, by Neelix. He attempted an approximation of the nectar that the Captain had tasted on Kham, but the results were mixed. The Khamish found the flavor quite dull compared to what they had on their world, while everyone else, who had never tasted the delicacy before, found it to be quite delicious.
“Captain,” Ira began, not wanting to waste any more time. “We owe your crewmates a debt of gratitude. If they had not been on our world when the Borg come, there is a very good chance that we would be a conquered people now. But what of the future? We can’t possibly repel another Borg attack as we are now. We need to focus on rebuilding.”
“I understand your concern,” replied Janeway. “That is why I have invited the Colonel to this reception. I was hoping that your two worlds might be able to work together so that you can cooperate in your efforts against the Borg.”
“What can we possibly offer them?” Oro asked. “They have technology decades beyond anything we are capable of. And from what I have been told of their encounters with the Borg, they certainly don’t need our small, sub-light ships for anything.”
“True that there is no way you can help us in fighting the Borg vessels,” the Commander replied. “But your men, as hard as it for me to believe, can effectively fight the Borg soldiers on the surface of the planet, whereas we have little experience in actual ground battles. We could learn, but our species is ill-suited for direct combat. Your people are already trained and have the weaponry for the task. If we are to defeat the Borg, we need to attack not only their ships, but the planets they occupy as well. And quite frankly, we don’t have the personnel to do it alone.”
“Why not just destroy the planets themselves?” Oro asked. I am certain that you could do tremendous damage to a planet’s surface, or at least contaminate the atmosphere to a lethal point from space. The Borg could all be eliminated from orbit.”
“That sounds good, in theory,” Janeway replied. “But if you are going to fight an extended campaign against the Borg, you are going to have to expand yourselves. You need resources, and colonies so the Borg can’t destroy your entire population in a single attack. Worlds that the Borg have already assimilated are perfect for that purpose. They tend to be inhabitable planets anyway, so your people could live there. They have a great deal of equipment that you could use to build ships and weapons. And if you plant colonies on conquered Borg worlds, you might be able to preserve some of the culture that the Borg destroyed when it assimilated the people that lived on that planet in the first place.”
“I am not sure,” Ira said. “Our world has been torn apart. We can’t afford to send our people away to die fighting the Borg on worlds we have never seen before!”
“We can help you rebuild,” the Colonel offered. “Admittedly, it will be difficult, as our workers tend to see all drones as incapable of intelligent thought. But I am certain that some could be found that could put aside their preconceptions in order to help you rebuild. I have examined the reports of the damage to your world, and with our help, your world could be rebuilt within one of your seasons.”
“A season? You must be mistaken. Our best estimates, so far, have put the time for rebuilding at ten. How is it that you could do it in only one?”
“Our people are very different,” the Commander explained. “Your people have lives to lead, and the rebuilding of your planet would take second place to the raising of a family, or making a living. Our workers live to work. My people do not raise families, the nurses handle the upbringing of our young. I, myself have fifteen children, and have not met a single one of them. The workers among my people thrive upon this sort of challenge. In addition, we have technology that could speed up the rebuilding process considerably.
“In exchange, you will help us fight the Borg. We will attack Borg outposts and invade Borg worlds, which our two peoples will colonize together. We will help your people build ships that can travel faster than light. We will teach you to build the ships to fight the Borg, and how to fly them.
“The Captain has told me a lot about her people, about their Federation. How many different cultures have come together for the common good of all of them. Perhaps that is an answer for us. We are both threatened by the Borg, and undoubtedly we will meet other races in a similar situation. We can join together, as those in the Captain’s Federation, and work together for our own common good.”
“This is not something we can decide now,” Yavitz explained. “There would have to be a vote among our people. We would have to work out various treaty stipulations, and endless claims that each of our people will undoubtedly have. There will be a lot of things to work out before we could make such an alliance. Our own government is bound to be in chaos soon. Most of Bint’Ari’s governmental structure was completely disrupted during the invasion. It will take some time to see to it that our own planetary affairs are in order before we worry about an interplanetary alliance.”
“You are right,” the Colonel replied. “But unfortunately, that will have to wait. According to our intelligence, there is a Borg world nearby that is bolstering its offensive capacity, and could be used as a staging point for the assimilation of both of our worlds. Right now, my world is virtually defenseless. We could repel one cube with the amount of fighters we left behind, but no more. Your world could not even stand up to that much. We must go together, and attack the Borg before they can mount their offensive. Together we can deal a serious blow to the Borg, enough that our worlds will be safe long enough to rebuild, and become strong so that the Borg won’t be so much of a threat in the future.”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice, my beloved,” Ira said. “The Colonel is right. The Borg will be back, and with the help of the Khamish, we can make our world safe.”
“Ira, the Guard is in shambles,” Yavitz protested. “Yipu is dead, and most of the Guard is scattered among the various resistance groups. We are going to rebuild the entire military from scratch. Who will organize it? You and I will both be busy rebuilding other area of government, and organizing the rebuilding of the major cities.”
“You are right, as always,” Ira replied. “So, we will need a new Minister of the Guard. Oro? Are you prepared to continue to serve your people?”
“Me? But I’m bound! I can’t be in the military!” Oro protested.
“Normally, you would be correct,” Ira said. “But, it would seem that you have been in the military now for the last several weeks anyway. And, at present, I can’t see keeping to old customs that will hold back our people. And you of all our people have the most experience with these aliens. I think that you would be the ideal person to work with the Khamish and Voyager.”
“Where are Tuvok and B’Elanna?” Oro asked. “I thought that they would be here.”
“The Doctor insisted that they not be allowed to leave sickbay for a while. It seems that B’Elanna is in fairly bad shape. She has two cracked ribs, along with the dehydration and malnutrition that they both share. It seems they didn’t take very good care of themselves while they were on the planet.”
“Food was rare,” Oro grimly replied. “There were several days when no one ate.”
“They also require different nutrients than your bodies do,” the Captain replied. “What is healthy to you is lacking in their species. But there was no way to avoid it, I am happy they are still alive.”
“Not to sound impatient, but time is short,” the Colonel interrupted. “You undoubtedly have a lot of work to do in order to put together an army for the attack. The sooner we start, the better. I need to get back to my ship and contact our Queen, and inform her of our status, as well as having a diplomat dispatched to your world. We may not have a lot of time left. An attack cube has already been detected in orbit of the Kalat star, and it is bound to be dispatched sometime in the near future to at least one of our worlds. I would like to have the fleet on its way before that happens.”
“You are right. We should return to the surface,” Yavitz replied. “Could we be directed to your transporter room, Captain?”
“I will escort you there myself,” Janeway replied, as she gave the ‘exit’ command to the computer. The Khamish and Bint’Ari leaders followed behind her, each still a bit nervous about transporting again.
——————————————————————————–
“Mr. Tuvok, you may go now,” The Doctor said. Tuvok rose to his feet, and walked out of sickbay. He heard Torres complaining to another of the Doctors before the doors close that she was ready to go as well, but he would not allow it.
“Your body has been through a severe trauma. You don’t need to be off doing whatever it is that you think is so important! If you do not stop your complaining, I will sedate you.”
As the door to sickbay opened, Tuvok found Seven of Nine, who was about to enter sickbay. She stepped back, and allowed the Vulcan to exit. He turned down the hall with a greeting, and she followed.
“Mr. Tuvok,” she greeted, handing him a PADD. “I have analyzed the data you retrieved from the Borg database. It is fully decoded and the information is downloaded onto that PADD.”
“Excellent,” Tuvok replied. “Was there any information that would prove useful to the Khamish, that we could give to them before we depart?”
“Yes,” Seven replied, as the two entered a turbolift. “There is a Borg fleet massing around Planet 0495, which orbits the star the Khamish call Kalat. The Khamish do not have sufficient force to overcome this fleet. The eventual objective of these cubes is to hunt down Voyager, and then proceed to the Alpha Quadrant and begin the assimilation of the Federation. I believe that it would be best if Voyager accompanied their fleet.”
“Bridge,” Tuvok ordered the turbolift. “I was on my way to see the Captain. We should discuss this with her before we make any further conclusions concerning what would be best for Voyager.”
“Agreed,” Seven replied.
Tuvok tucked the PADD containing the analysis of the Borg data he had downloaded from their computer under his arm, and the two made their way to see the Captain.
“Come in,” Janeway replied to the chime. She smiled when she saw Tuvok and Seven enter the ready room, and offered them a seat. Seven, as usual, remained standing. Tuvok accepted the offer.
“It is good to see you on your feet, Tuvok,” Janeway smiled. “What can I do for you?”
“I have been analyzing some of the data I retrieved from the Borg network, and I believe that it would be in our best interests to accompany the Khamish in their attack on the first Borg world in this cluster,” Seven replied.
“We can’t get involved in a Borg war out here,” Janeway said. “The Borg are a dire threat to the Federation, yes, but we are in no position to stop an invasion. We would do better to gather as much information about the Borg as possible, and return safely to the Federation with it. They could use it to develop an effective defense strategy.”
“Normally, I would agree with you,” Tuvok replied. “But the information Seven has found in the Borg download convinces me of the contrary. It would seem that there is a world, designated by the Borg as 0495, that is in orbit around the star the Khamish call Kalat. It is the assigned rendezvous point of six full attack cubes, the first of which was destroyed above Bint’Ari a short time ago. The others are to first intercept and destroy Voyager, then move on to the Federation itself.”
“But why?” Janeway asked. “Why would they mobilize such a force to eliminate us? Surely the Borg could ignore us, a single ship, and move on to the Federation if they so chose.”
“It would seem that the Borg consider Voyager to be the deciding factor in both the failed assimilation of Kham and Bint’Ari. They believe that elimination of Voyager will allow for easy assimilation of both of those worlds.”
“The Collective is also disturbed by the inconsistencies in the data they have on Federation technology,” Seven added. “The appearance of the Enterprise at system J-25 and Voyager’s presence this far from Federation space has the Borg confused. The information they have on this ship is accurate, they know of its speed limitations, but they do not understand how you could have gotten here while operation within those limitations.”
“It is not like we have been operating outside those limits,” Janeway argued. “The Caretaker brought us here, and Q brought the Enterprise to J-25.”
“True, but the Borg are unaware of these facts. They believe that you are too unpredictable to be ignored. It would seem that they believe that the Federation could transport another vessel close enough to their home-system, and cause serious damage to the collective. They mean to prevent that occurrence. My presence here is also a factor. They do not know what information you have obtained from me that might be damaging to the collective. The Borg mean to eliminate or re-assimilate me in order to prevent any potentially damaging information to make it back to the Federation.”
“So they are going to get rid of us, then move on to overwhelm the Federation with five cubes? We had hard enough time dealing with one at Wolf-359. Five would be unstoppable.”
“Agreed. If we continue on with the Khamish fleet, however, we could eliminate the Borg armada, and prevent such an invasion.”
“But if Voyager were involved in the destruction of the Armada, wouldn’t the collective view Voyager as a greater threat, and put more resources towards our destruction?”
“Possibly, but I believe that the Borg will find that they have also underestimated the Khamish,” Seven replied. “If the Borg lose a world that they have successfully assimilated, I believe that they will assign this cluster a higher priority than Voyager, and we will be able to safely go on our way.”
“Meanwhile, the Khamish and Bint’Ari are condemned to constant war.”
“Both worlds would have faced that eventuality,” Tuvok reasoned. “Our presence here, now, is increasing their chances of surviving future invasions.”
“Were you able to discover any weaknesses that we could take advantage of in the data you obtained?” Janeway asked.
“The Borg consider their ships to be indestructible – the pinnacle of available technology. They do not analyze the design structure of the ships for improvement. A ship that is lost in battle is considered defective as a whole, and forgotten about. As a result, data about ships design is probably hard to come by. My preliminary scans of the data found no references to design or production of cubes at all.”
“There are several points on a Borg cube that are more susceptible to heavy damage than others,” Seven added. “I will enter those points into the ship’s computer, to be recalled later during targeting.”
“What about the collective network itself? Could you modify Voyager’s computers to interface with it? Perhaps we could plant some sort of command into the consciousness, like Commander Data did during the Borg attack on Earth.”
“That would not be advisable,” Seven replied. “Once Voyager’s computers are linked with the Collective, your ship would instantly be under the control of the Borg.”
“So Voyager would be assimilated from the inside out,” Janeway concluded. “But Data managed it, and for all intents and purposes, he is a computer.”
“A computer that has awareness of it self,” Tuvok corrected. “Commander Data is not simply a machine waiting to accept commands, like our ship’s computer is. Data could protect himself from the onslaught of a Borg consciousness for an indefinite amount of time. As far as Voyager is concerned, the Borg would simply have to realize that it was linked to it, and they would instantly have control.”
“In addition, the Borg radically restructured its internal security after that incident,” Seven added, “Such sabotage could not happen again.”
“That makes sense,” Janeway concluded. “So we are faced with a fight. We need to do some modifications on our weapons and shields, set them to automatically rotate frequencies so that the Borg will have a hard time adapting.”
“Agreed. Lieutenant Torres is scheduled to be released from sickbay in less than three hours. I believe that she might be able to suggest a few more possible improvements to Voyager’s systems that might work to our advantage.”
Janeway smiled. “Certainly. If anything, Maquis were used to fighting ships that were far superior to their own. We should start on the modifications to the shields immediately, and get that automation program up as soon as we can. The Colonel is eager to get underway, but I think I’ll be able to talk her into delaying her departure long enough to make the modifications. After all, having Voyager along certainly won’t reduce their chances of success.” Tuvok nodded in agreement.
“Tuvok, I want you to have Ensign Nikolayevich beam over to the Khamish Command Mother, and have her see about adapting their shields to a similar frequency modulation program. I know they have a fairly basic shield design that might not be sophisticated enough to handle such a program, but it is worth a try. If a cube does attack one of the Motherships, I would like to have it as safe as possible. Not only is there a lot of soldiers on each of those ships, the other Motherships couldn’t carry any more fighters. There would be a lot of those fighters stranded if a Mothership were destroyed, and the Bint’Ari failed to take the planet.”
Tuvok rose to his feet. “Agreed. I will do so immediately. Also, I will be holding two security drills before we depart, in case the Borg should beam on board Voyager.”
“Good idea, Tuvok. Have B’Elanna give me an estimate of when we’ll be ready to go as soon as she has one.” Tuvok nodded and left the room.
“Seven, how do you think you will handle another direct confrontation with the Borg?” Janeway asked.
“I am uncertain what you mean, Captain.”
“I still don’t know exactly what happened to you on that shuttle when you and Harry encountered that Borg scout, but this situation is very similar. In fact, I would classify it as much more dangerous to you. How will such a large part of the Collective so close to you affect you?”
“My initial detection of the Borg made me feel, hopeful. Returning to the Borg was something I thought I always wanted. But at the moment I could have made such a return a reality, I became afraid. It seems I have grown to value this individuality you imposed upon me. So I lashed out in anger. I am not entirely sure why I became so angry, but it resulted in the destruction of the Scout.
“I do not believe I have any further desire to return to the Collective. I don’t think my proximity to the Collective will alter that belief.”
Janeway smiled. “Please assist B’Elanna with the modifications.”
Seven of Nine nodded, and left the ready room.
——————————————————————————–
Tom walked into sickbay and had no trouble finding B’Elanna, being the only patient there at the time. After assuring two of the Doctors that his visit was purely personal and that he wouldn’t cause any trouble, he was allowed to see the bedridden Klingon, alone.
B’Elanna’s face lit up as soon as she saw him. She sat up and greeted his embrace with one of her own.
“Miss me?” she asked, half jokingly.
“Not really,” Tom replied, after a moment of thought. B’Elanna replied by shoving him away, playfully.
“Well I certainly didn’t miss you at all,” she teased.
“OK, I admit it. I was worried sick about you. I was almost certain that you had been either killed or assimilated, and I haven’t been able to sleep almost the entire time. And I am relieved to have you back.”
“That’s better,” B’Elanna replied. She reached up, pulled his head gently forward, and kissed him.
After a few seconds, Tom sat down on the medical bed beside her, and grabbed her hand.
“I thought I would keep you company, in your last hour of exile,” Tom smiled. “I just got off duty, and I’m not due back on the bridge for another nine hours.”
“Oh, no your not,” B’Elanna replied. “Your going to your quarters and getting some sleep. I’m not going to fight the Borg with a pilot falling asleep at the helm.”
Tom stood up, mockingly offended. “Over a week apart, and you don’t even want to spend an hour with me?”
B’Elanna smiled. “I know six Doctors that would love to throw you out of here, mister.”
“Fine,” Tom relented. He leaned down and kissed B’Elanna goodbye. “I suppose I’m going to get some sleep.”
“Sweet dreams,” B’Elanna replied. “Come and see me before you come on duty. I am sure I’ll need a break by then.”
“It’s a date,” Tom replied.
——————————————————————————–
As Natasha re-materialized, it suddenly occurred to her how much had changed in the last several days. Not too long ago she was dreading her job, being the handyman for the lesser departments onboard the ship. In the last few days, though, she had spent more time on away missions than she had in the rest of her career. When Lieutenant Torres had returned to duty, she had expected everything to return to the way it was. Yet here she was, beaming over to the Khamish Mothership, in order to modify their shields. She smiled at the thought of never having to fix another fried incubator or broken replicator.
She was greeted in the engine room of the Command Mother by the Major in charge of engineering. She, as well as the rest of the engineering officers, were a four-armed variety of Khamish. Natasha though it made sense, as she could remember hundreds of times she wished she had another set of arms.
“The Colonel says that you have a way to make our shields better,” the Engineer said. “The main console is this way.”
Natasha followed the Engineer towards the far side of the circular room, and marveled at how similar it was to the engine room on Voyager. Everything in the room was black, with the exception of the console screens. They glowed a bright blue, with the various keypad next to each screen were either red or white. The lighting in the room was a dull florescent, and Natasha could see the strips of red along the walls that undoubtedly flashed during an alert. In the center was a tall, cylindrical pillar that housed a nuclear reaction chamber, rather than a matter/antimatter reaction chamber like Voyager.
The console the Engineer directed Natasha to was identical to the rest in the room. In front of it sat a medium sized stool. The screen was inclined down so that one could sit while working. On the screen was a diagram of the ship, and lights flashed where each of the ship’s shield generators were located. Across the bottom read the shield frequency, 224.8 mH.
“How do you modify the shield frequency?” Nikolayevich asked.
The Engineer reached over and moved the screen through a series of menus, and stopped at one that read ‘Shield Frequency Control.’
“What good will changing the frequency of our shields do?” the Engineer asked.
“A Borg cube uses a different strategy than the Scouts this ship fought earlier. It will attempt to lock on a tractor beam, then it will use a cutter to strip away pieces of the hull in addition to conventional attacks. If you keep your shields at the same frequency, the Borg will adapt to them, and they will be useless. Setting your computer to rotate the shields frequency randomly will give the ship the extra time it needs to divert the cube’s attack.”
The Engineer rubbed an antennae, then turned and barked some orders to a nearby officer. She then turned her attention back to Natasha.
“What you are suggesting is going to take a lot of work. We did not design the shields to switch frequencies, we never thought that the need would arise. But I think we might be able to do it. We will have to run another link to the Shield Control mechanism to the main computer, and then write the program that will allow the shields to rotate frequencies automatically.” The Engineer leaned over and punched a few figures into the computer. “It will take several seconds for the shields to change frequencies, but it is better than nothing.”
“How long do you think it will take to do the work?” Natasha asked.
“Probably another ten of your hours, but the Colonel will want to do this on all five Mothers. Each of the Chief Engineers will have to come over here so that they can be instructed on what to do. That will take another hour, at least. You are welcome to stay, if you like.”
“No, I’m afraid I need to be getting back to my ship. We still have some work to do to ready ourselves for the attack.”
“I was pleased when I heard that Voyager would be accompanying us. Now I know we will be victorious!” The Engineer was beaming.
“Don’t be so certain,” Natasha replied. “We are bound to be in for one hell of a fight.”
“If your going to have an Armageddon,” The Engineer replied, “You might as well make it interesting.”
Natasha couldn’t argue, but she would rather live to tell stories about it.
“If you need any assistance, contact Voyager. Someone will answer any questions you might have.
Star Trek, Voyager, and related properties are © Paramount Studio, and the author makes no claim towards them.
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