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Vrian Sinth
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Posts by Vrian Sinth
Star Trek MMORPG Dead In Space?
Jan 13th
Captain, she gave us all she had! Many people are wondering the same thing. Is the Star Trek MMORPG still going to become a reality? The game “expected to launch in 2007″ is still not a reality. Now 2008, it sounds like the developer, Perpetual Entertainment is having its own share of problems. Apparently too many of the developers were wearing red shirts and have been pronounced DOA.
Now I can’t say for sure if things are really looking that bad, but the former Perpetual Entertainment recently had its assets liquidated and has been acquired by the newly developed Perpetual LLC. The new company claims it is taking the Star Trek MMORPG in a more casual direction. Is that code for “we don’t know what we’re doing?”
Perpetual recently canceled development of Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising to focus more time on Star Trek. This could be good if they really are trying to get the game done, hopefully with quality in mind. It could also be bad being that they are canceling projects. Could Star Trek be next on the chopping block?
The icing on the cake so far is that Perpetual is now being sued for unpaid bills by the PR Firm Kohkne for work done on Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.
Articles on the lawsuite (Kohnke v. Perpetual):
Kohnke v. Perpetual – The Opening Round
In closing I would like to say that I am a huge fan of Star Trek. I have played MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and enjoy them. A Star Trek MMORPG is a guaranteed sell for me. Although I am still hopeful the game will turn out well, my gut feeling is that the game will either never materialize or will suck like the majority of all the other Star Trek video games. Here’s to hoping! 
**UPDATE**
It looks like our dreams for a Star Trek MMORPG are dead for now. Perpetual Entertainment, also known as P2 Entertainment, seems to have closed its doors for good. You can read more here.
Mass Effect – The Best Sci-Fi Game of 2007
Jan 10th
Welcome back everyone! I’m sorry I haven’t written for some time. The holidays have taken a lot of my time, not to mention a couple of new video games I got from Santa.
I got both Mass Effect and Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360. I really wanted Mass Effect. Call of Duty was more of a bonus game. I had heard good things about Mass Effect for a few months leading up to my acquisition.
I unwrapped the game and put it in the 360, flipped it on and got ready for another “good” video game. I was in for a surprise.
Initially I began to create my own character. It was fairly customizable, although not as much as Oblivion. I tried to create my character to look somewhat like me. He turned out pretty good. It is funny…now that I see commercials for Mass effect I think to myself “that’s not what shepherd looks like!” You also get to pick the history of your character, which affects the way dialog is played throughout the game.
The game started out with a great story line. It was amazing how answering questions so dramatically effected the way the game played out. Often times I would save the game, re-load an older version and see what would happen if I picked a different choice. Often times the game offered upwards of six different choices.
One great aspect of the game is how much control you have during play. Not only is there a “choose your own adventure” aspect, but there is some great in-game action, shooting, control and play. The music is even good. Not soon into the game I felt the “Normandy,” the focal spaceship, was my own hangout.
You end up with the ability to pick two from a pool of six characters to attend you on missions. You get to become good friends with them and earn experience as you develop relationships. This also changes the play of the game.
You can upgrade weapons, armor and abilities. You also have the option to play the main quest or play dozens of side quests. You take on a renegade or paragon personality throughout the game based on decisions. Because the game changes so much based on your decisions, it really does become a new game each time you play it. I am already playing the game a second time and am enjoying it just as much. This really extends the shelf life and value of the game.
The acting talent is amazing. You can tell they hired voice actors who knew what they were doing. They even got Marina Sirtis to play one of the main characters.
Like I previously said, the music is good. I even picked up the soundtrack. The visuals are stunning, the story telling is wonderful. Can you tell I liked the game? I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but if you have an Xbox 360 and like Sci-Fi, this is a must-have game! Trust me.
I still love Halo 3 as a first-person shooter, and the storyline isn’t half bad, but I still have to pick Mass Effect as my favorite video game of 2007. Halo 3 comes in at a close second, especially for multiplayer capability. I give Mass Effect a 9.5 out of ten!
David Tennant Leaving Doctor Who?
Dec 22nd
In a recent interview with Radio 2′s Jonathan Ross, Catherine Tate said that she does not believe David Tennant will come back for another season of Doctor Who. Her exact words were “I think it’s maybe David’s last series.” As you can imagine, the rumor mill is now churning out all kinds of crazy thoughts and ideas as to the future of the show and possible replacements. The BBC has remained silent regarding Tate’s comments.
Those of you who do not remember Catherine Tate, she made an appearance on the December 2006 Christmas special. She played a runaway bride. I thought it was a pretty good episode. According to the BBC, that episode brought in 9.4 million users in Britain. With a population of 60 million people, that is a pretty dang good market share. I can’t imagine a Sci-Fi show in the United States ever getting that high a market share.
Apparently she is a comedian. Being an American, I am not familiar with her at all. Perhaps some of you Brits can fill me in on her past comedic works. She is going to be playing Dr. Who’s new assistant. Apparently this will also be Tate’s last TV series.
On a similar note, Dr. Who fans have voted David Tennant as the best Doctor Who ever. The number of votes accumulated even surpassed the previous favorite Tom Baker.
The Top Five Doctors:
1. David Tennant – 28.2%
2. Tom Baker – 26.5%
3. Christopher Eccleston – 11.4%
4. Jon Pertwee – 9.6%
5. Patrick Troughton – 8.8%
I’ll try and keep you all updated as I find more news. I sure hope David Tennant is staying with the series. I think he has turned out to be a great Doctor.
In Need Of Last-Minute Sci-Fi Gifts?
Dec 21st
For those of you who celebrate Christmas, there are only a few days left. Have you gotten your friend or loved one a Sci-Fi gift yet? If not, here are some great TV, Movie, Video Game and Book suggestions.
Recommended Sci-Fi TV Seasons:
1. Star Trek the Next Generation (TNG)
2. Star Trek the Original Series (TOS)
3. Firefly
4. Stargate SG1
5. Stargate Atlantas
6. Futurama
7. Babylon 5
8. Doctor Who
9. The X-Files
10. Battlestar Galactica
Recommended Sci-Fi Movies:
1. Star Wars Movies
2. Galaxy Quest
3. Chronicles of Riddick
4. Star Trek Movies
5. Planet of the Apes
6. Dune
7. Blade Runner
8. Terminator Movies
9. Alien Movies
10. The Matrix Trilogy
Recommended Sci-Fi Video Games (For Current Generation Systems):
1. Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
2. Unreal Tournament 3 (PS3)
3. Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
4. Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360)
5. BioShock (Xbox 360)
6. Gears of War (Xbox 360)
7. Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
8. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
9. Crysis (PC)
10. Galactic Civilization II: Dark Avatar (PC)
Recommended Sci-Fi Books:
1. Dune
2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
3. The Time Machine
4. 2001 – A Space Odyssey
5. Fahrenheit 451
6. Ender’s Game
7. 1984
8. Foundation Trilogy
9. Starship Troopers
10. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
Good luck! I’m sure any true Sci-Fi fan would be happy with any of the above listed movies, TV shows, games and books. The games may be a little more difficult as you need a specific console to play them. The books, movies and TV shows are a pretty safe bet. Merry Christmas!
Blade Runner Now In HD – Today!
Dec 18th
It’s dark, a little dreary and one of the most enjoyable Sci-Fi movies made in the 80′s. Blade Runner was released today in all its glory in high definition on Blue Ray and HD DVD. You can pick up a couple different versions of this movie today. You can choose from the five-disk Complete Collector’s Edition or the five-disk Ultimate Collectors Edition.
The Ultimate Edition comes in a replica of Rick Deckard’s briefcase. Also included is a lenticular motion film clip from the original feature, miniature origami unicorn figurine, miniature replica spinner car, and collector’s photographs, as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley Scott.
This movie also features the actress Sean Young, who many of you may remember as Chani from the 1984 classic Dune. Sean plays the lovely replicant Rachael. Can you believe this movie takes place in 2019, just 11 years away? We have a lot of catching up to do if we are to have replicants in time for 2019! I really enjoy seeing writers’ and directors’ visions of the future, even if it is often now in our past or in the not too distant future.
Ultimate Battle: U.S.S. Enterprise vs. A Star Destroyer – Battle Of The Ships
Dec 15th
You really can’t get much geekier than an argument on who would win between Star Trek’s Enterprise D or E and a Star Wars Star Destroyer. I know this is all Sci-Fi and a ridiculous never-ending argument. I am a huge fan of both genres, so when I got into a friendly argument with my friend at work I reluctantly picked the side of Star Trek.
As this argument ensued at work, people around us started laughing, thinking we had both truly lost our minds. Perhaps we did a little. The argument then turned to Star Wars vs. Star Trek. These were our main arguments in a condensed and far smaller format:
Friend: Star Destroyer big, Enterprise small.
Me: Enterprise faster, more maneuverable.
Friend: Thousands of lasers.
Me: Lasers dude?! You’re kidding me. Phasers kick Lasers in any match.
Friend: Super Star Destroyer and Death Star kill the Enterprise.
Me: Agreed. I don’t think the Enterprise D or C would win those two. So I throw in the Borg.
Friend: <Pure silence ensues.>
Me: Nuff said.
I have found in my own observations that there are a lot more casual Star Wars fans than casual Star Trek fans. I have also found, again in my own observations, that there are a lot more die-hard Star Trek fans than there are die-hard Star Wars fans. This means in most “forum” based arguments on this topic, Star Wars will almost always win by sheer numbers.
Many people try to throw The Force into the mixture. I used to think this was a big deal as well, especially when watching the classic trilogy of Star Wars (ANH, ESB, ROTJ). The Force kicks trash in those movies. Then the prequel Star Wars movies came out. TPM, AOTC & ROTS have changed my mind on this. I now think The Force would be a minuscule influence in any such fight.
In The Phantom Menace we discover that Midichlorians actually dictate one’s power with the force. It’s not something you can get stronger with (except training), unless there are synthetic Midichlorians being produced and injected into the blood stream. You will also discover in Revenge of the Sith that a bunch of clone troopers can EASILY wipe out the Jedi. I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I was watching the Jedi get seemingly killed in seconds by a blaster!
A lot of the argumentative stats in this epic battle are taken from non-canon books, video games and other non-canon sources. This includes both sides of the argument. And let’s not throw in the Expanded Universe from Star Wars into the argument. The Expanded Universe of Star Wars books contradict themselves on every level.
I have done my own research and have found the following sites to be useful when determining who would win a U.S.S. Enterprise D/E vs. Star Wars Star Destroyer battle.
List of Ultimate Star Wars vs. Star Trek Sites:
ST-V-SW.net (Great arguments in favor of Star Trek <when looking at sheer firepower and defense capabilities>. Well researched data with sources to back it up.)
StarDestroyer.net (Great arguments in favor of Star Wars. Seems to utilize a lot of non-canon data.)
Answers.com also has a nice article on the subject that you can read here.
There are a lot of awesome ships in the Sci-Fi universe not limited to just Star Wars or Star Trek. Let’s throw an Asgard or Replicator ship into the mixture, or perhaps a Battlestar from Battlestar Galactica. The Battlestars look awesome!
TheForce.net has some great Star Trek, Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica specs, although who knows if the sources are accurate. You can find them here.
Again, I realize this argument will never come to an end, but it sure is fun!
Galoob’s Star Trek Toys – My Favorites
Dec 11th
I know I may be a little old for toys, but was recently thinking about my favorite Star Trek toys as a kid, which were made by Galoob. Do you remember Galoob? They were around until 1998 when they were bought out by Hasbro. They made some of my favorite Star Trek The Next Generation action figures. Some of them are even considered to be collector’s items now. I also remember sending in some Cheerios UPC codes to get a classic Star Trek NCC1701D poster with it in front of a starry background. It was a slightly smaller version of the poster seen in Captain Picard’s ready room.
I still have that poster, but it has since bent and ripped over the years. I was lucky enough a couple of years ago to get a hold of a new, still in the plastic wrap, poster off the Internet. Isn’t the Internet wonderful? On the back of the poster were listed all the Galoob Star Trek TNG action figures. I still have the poster in the plastic, but plan on framing it and proudly hanging it on the wall. What can I say? I am proud to be a Star Trek geek.
Once I had the poster, I of course had to get some of the toys listed on the back. Somehow Santa Clause caught wind of this and I got a Commander Riker and a die cast NCC1701D Star Trek Enterprise for Christmas. The saucer section even separated. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. These toys, unfortunately, are now long gone.
Front of Die Cast Enterprise:
Back of Die Cast Enterprise
So what did I do later on as an adult? I got on e-bay and purchased a bunch of these toys for my own personal collection. I probably have 15 action figures and the die cast NCC1701D all in the box with the blister and card still in good condition. E-bay has tons of Galoob Star Trek toys available, with many of them still in good condition. You can find these Galoob toys here.
Some of the action figures were produced differently, making some of them collector’s items. The first release of these toys, in 1988, had a flat blister. The second release of toys had face paint variations and an indented blister. Data went through the most variations.
The first Data released had an almost blue colored face. This is considered to be the most collectible Commander Data. The face was changed by Galoob to make it look more human. The face turned out very dark. Data was later created with lighter skin and yellow lips, like an android. Quality control was a little lax and some of the Datas produced had a speckled-face look. I actually own one of those. You will also notice that some of the Commander Rikers and Captain Picards ended up with yellow lips. Oops!
I hope you have learned a little about Galoob’s Star Trek line of action figures. This site has some great pictures of the different Galoob Star Trek TNG toy variations.
Is The Gears Of War Movie To Become A Reality?
Dec 8th
Gears Of War is considered to by many to be one of the best video games ever produced. Released in 2006, its stunning graphics on the Xbox 360 make it a high-def must for any hardcore gamer. The storyline is great and the cinematic are awesome. It’s no surprise that New Line Cinema purchased the rights to produce a movie based on this hit game.
So what is the status of this movie? It appears to be scheduled for a 2009 release, according to the IMDB, but many rumors are circulating around the Internet that Gears of War the movie may be going the way of the Halo movie. Enormous budgets, fears of lost money and other issues seem to be plaguing the movie. I’m happy to say that I think the movie will still become a reality, and here’s why.
It all started with the announced back on March 10, 2007 that New Line Cinema had purchased the rights to the movie. Stuart Beattie, one of the best writers in current cinema, was hired to write the movie script. Stuart Beattie has written scripts for movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, 30 Days of Night and more. I should also mention that he is currently writing the script for Spy Hunter and G.I. Joe. You can read a lot about what Stuart Beattie has to say about Gears of War here.
Watch what Cliffy B has to say about the movie:
Len Wiseman was to direct the movie, but this appears to still be in limbo. He is a genius, directing Underworld, Underworld: Evolution and Live Free or Die Hard. All three are great movies and are highly recommended. He was going to also direct the remake of Escape from New York, but was recently replaced by Brett Ratner. Perhaps this will free up more time for Gears of War.
LatinoReview managed to get their hands on a 22-page draft of the movie written by Stuart Beattie. They have since leaked the draft and have posted it on their Web site. Be aware that there are spoilers. The ultimate draft will more than likely change quite a bit. You can read the draft here.
When talking about Len Wiseman being replaced as director, IESB.net had this to say about the future of the Gears of War movie and Len Wiseman:
Does this mean Len Wiseman will now be moving forward with the highly anticipated Gear of War film? Nope, the IESB has been informed Wiseman is off Gears as well*** and that New Line Cinema will most likely not move forward with the film at all. Our source is saying that the studio has concerns with ballooning budget of the film.
Video game adaptations are not proven blockbusters the way comic book films have become in the last 10 years. Studios have a hard time gambling $100 million dollars plus to a genre that has not been able to break out of the “Uwe Boll” stereotypes.
The best hope that future video game films may have, and this is totally IMO, is to have Michael Bay make Prince of Persia after he is done with Transformers 2 and prove that a video game movie can make $300-400 million in worldwide box office receipts.
Until then be prepared for less than mediocre video game films with hacks as directors.”
I’m not entirely sure where these guys are getting the idea that video game adaptations are not proven blockbusters. I don’t believe there have been enough video game adaptations to warrant this view. It is also false that Wiseman is “off Gears as well.” Although his position as director appears to be in limbo, it looks like he may still with the project.
According to Cineplex.com, Cliffy B seems to still be optimistic that the Gears of War movie will become a reality. He says in an interview posted on the site:
Slamming the lid on the rumours to the contrary, Clifford Bleszinski (alias ‘CliffyB’) wants fans to know that the ‘Gears of War’ movie is still alive and well. It is in the development phase and moving ahead on all fronts.
“We are currently at the point where we have had a couple drafts of the script and now we are talking to different directors and trying to feel out who would be the best fit for it,” Bleszinski told Cineplex Entertainment while he was in Toronto promoting the Windows PC release of ‘Gears of War’.
I certainly hope this movie becomes I reality. I will try to keep you all posted on the status of this movie as information becomes available.
Starship Troopers: Marauder – A Third Starship Troopers Movie!
Dec 4th
Starship Troopers (Special Edition) is easily in my top 20 Sci-Fi movies of all time. I know the plot is fairly simple and parts of it are just plain stupid, yet it’s awesome! I love watching the troopers in training, the battle with the bugs and the great action shots. I really appreciated Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico and Denise Richards wasn’t too hard on the eyes either.
Not soon after the movie came out I discovered Roughnecks – The Starship Troopers Chronicles – The Complete Campaigns. I ordered a copy of it on Amazon and now have in my Sci-Fi DVD collection. For the time, the CGI was pretty good. All the episodes were pretty fun to watch, if not for anything else it gave more background on the Starship Troopers world.
Soon thereafter, in 2004, came Starship Troopers 2 – Hero of the Federation. What a huge disappointment. That piece of junk wouldn’t even qualify as a bad horror movie. I have seen some pretty bad Sci-Fi movies and this is right at the top. If you haven’t seen it already, don’t even bother. You’ll thank me. Johnny Rico and the others aren’t in it and the acting is atrocious.
Brenda Strong, who played Captain Deladier in the first Starship Troopers, was the only original cast member to come back. The only thing is that she came back as a completely different character.
After ST2 I was pretty bummed out. I have since discovered that a Starship Troopers 3 is being produced. At first I was afraid this would be another direct to DVD piece of garbage, but Casper Van Dien is coming back! This means I will be seeing it regardless of how bad it may be.
Jolene Blalock, known as Sub-Commander T’Pol to my fellow Star Trek buddies, will be co-starring with Van Dien as Captain Lola Beck.
I’m not aware of an official release date, but I have heard that filming has been going on in South Africa. According to the IMDB it is in pos-production. It will be released direct to DVD.
Casper Van Dien hasn’t had anything too big on his plate lately, except some so-so “Made for Sci-Fi” channel movies. This is probably a pretty good career move for him.
The new Starship Troopers 3 movie, known as Starship Troopers: Marauder, is about Johnny Rico who is now colonel. There will supposedly be a new villain bug, similar to the brain bug from the first movie.
You can read some informational interviews over at StarshipTroopers3.net.
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