Oh, the (In)humanity!

Oh, the (In)humanity!

The Weekly Pull is closing out 2014 with a bang! This is a big one folks, so be warned : if you haven't seen the second season Winter Finale to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which aired on December 9, you're in store for some massive spoilers and a big eye opener surrounding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As Demo Destroyer can attest, I've been spouting my theories regarding the direction Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has been taking this season, and more specifically the implications it will have on Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's no secret that a large portion of this second season has focused on the mystery surrounding Director Coulson's memory mapping and if you've followed my previous posts and have a keen eye, you may have noticed that the symbols Coulson is carving in the image above closely match the pattern seen within the logo of Marvel's Inhuman title ... and that's just the beginning.

If you're not familiar with the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe (pre-Guardians of the Galaxy), the ending scene of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Winter Finale may have had you scratching your head. The Obelisk contained a blue crystal that released an airborne contaminant that turned Reya, Skye and Tripp to stone? What? Let's take a step back ...

At the beginning of the Kree-Skrull War, millions of years ago, the alien Kree race established a station on the planet Uranus, a strategic position between the Kree and Skrull empires. Through their work at this station, they discovered that sentient life on nearby Earth had genetic potential invested in it by the alien Celestials. Intrigued, the Kree began to experiment on Earth's then primitive Homo sapiens to produce the genetically advanced Inhuman race. Their goal was twofold - to investigate possible ways of circumventing their own evolutionary stagnation, and to create a powerful race of soldiers for use against the Skrulls. These test subjects, the Inhumans, went on to form a society of their own, which thrived in seclusion from the rest of humanity and developed advanced technology. Experiments with the mutagenic Terrigen Mist (a process known as Terrigenesis) gave them various powers, but caused lasting genetic damage and deformities. (Source)

So where do the Kree fall into this storyline you ask? Remember the blue alien that Coulson and Bill Paxton's Agent Garrett stumbled upon when searching for the answers to Coulson's survival? Kree.

Now that the puzzle pieces are starting to fit together, let’s recap. We now know that the Obelisk contains a Terrigen Crystal, which released Terrigen Mist on Skye and company. We got a brief flash of Reya’s more mutant-esque transformation (hence the whole conversation between Skye and her father regarding his love for her even if she were to change) as well as the seemingly unaltered Skye. But don’t let that fool you. Not all transformations are physical. Both the leader of the Inhumans, Black Bolt, and his queen, Medusa, have no physical abnormalities. Plus, if you're an avid fan of the Marvel Universe, you may have also discovered the deeper reveal as well during the brief interaction where Skye's father calls her by her birth name, confirming that Agent Skye is actually an established Marvel Universe character, Daisy "Quake" Johnson.

Marvel is really going for the long con here, as the announced cinematic feature featuring the Inhumas isn’t set to arrive in theatres until 2018. Will Skye and company make an appearance? Or will the focus turn more toward the aforementioned Kree-Skrull War? I for one would love to see a massive origin story depicting the war and the impact this genetic testing has had on the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (i.e. Rocket Raccoon) tieing the whole thing together.  With my previously posted theory regarding Vin Diesel’s role also remaining intact, I may just be on the right path …

On a brief side note, it's also extremely important not to confuse Inhumans with Mutants. Partially from a fanboy perspective, but more importantly from the Marvel Cinematic perspective where Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch come into play. In last weeks issue of Axis : The New World Disorder, one of the most talked about moments was the death of Carnage (link), but for me, the real secret was buried in the background. There is a point where, in an inverted rage, the Scarlet Witch casts a Chaos Curse on her bloodline as a means to punish her brother, Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver), for siding with thier father Eric Lensher (aka Magneto) against her. However, the spell has no effect on either target revealing that after all these years, Magneto has been a pawn in someone else's game ... a strongly hinted Inhuman game, which may just hold the cinematic key to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch appearing in both X-Men : Days of Future Past and Avengers : Age of Ultron franchises.

Do you have a comic, graphic novel, comic event or storyline you’re itching to read or learn more about? Sound off in the comments below, find me on Twitter or let us know on the New Geek Protocol Facebook page!

Until next time True Believers,

-ArchangelEZE

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The Weekly Pull : Spider-Man & The X-Men

The Weekly Pull : Spider-Man & The X-Men #1

After a lengthy holiday season hiatus, the Weekly Pull is back in full swing this week as we take a look into Emmy Award winning writer, Elliot Kalan from The Daily Show and artist Marco Failla’s first venture into the team-up we’ll most likely never see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe : Spider-Man and The X-Men #1.

Prior to the Death of Wolverine this past September, this book was originally marketed as Wolverine and The X-Men for two complete volumes. Stemming from the events of Schism and AvX, the X-franchise was changed forever as a line was drawn pitting X-man vs. X-man with Wolverine taking the stance that the students of Westchester should remain students and not soldiers, while Cyclops believed that training students to be soldiers was crucial to the survival of the mutant race.

For years, the relationship between Wolverine and Spider-Man has been depicted as classic "odd couple," the quiet killer and the boisterous savior, if you will. As Avengers team-mates under the tenure of Brian Michael Bendis, the deep roots in honor and responsibility brought the pair closer than ever before, making the choice to have Spider-Man carry the torch a welcome twist. Kalan does an exceptional job nailing the wit and classic Parker banter right off the bat, while impressively managing to land clever cinematic references in the dialogue. Deep cuts and Easter eggs for early Uncanny X-Men and Amazing Spider-Man fans are also present in the opening act, ranging from 1960s villains to fan favorite locales including Unus the Untouchable and The Savage Land.

There are a lot of great twists in this first issue alone, generating a huge step in the right direction for Marvel, mixing the best of classic team-ups with the story arcs and scenarios taking place in current continuum. In my opinion, this one has everything a great comic book should, and is a must buy for any Spider-Man or X-Men fan. You won't be disappointed.

Do you have a comic, graphic novel, comic event or storyline you’re itching to read or learn more about? Sound off in the comments below, find me on Twitter or let us know on the New Geek Protocol Facebook page!

Until next time True Believers,

-ArchangelEZE

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Top Ten Books For Geeks

Top Ten Books For Geeks
It seems as if every successful literary franchise recently has been getting its own movie or TV adaptation. While a lot of these adaptations are amazing in their own right I'm going to go out on a limb and defend reading as the purest and most captivating forms of media. Watching TV or movies tends to be a very one sided event but reading on the other hand is twice as engaging. You read the words and they spark your imagination into creating a world that is truly unique to you. This is a big factor in "The book was way better than the movie!" conundrum. Everyone evaluates literature differently so it is impossible for some else's interpretation to mirror your own and thus the disappointment. I put together a list of the Top Ten Books For Geeks all of which merit you full nerd attention.

10.) Cinder by Marissa Meyer (2013)

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. (Source)

9.) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? by Philip K. Dick (1968)

A final, apocalyptic, world war has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending the majority of mankind off-planet. Those who remain, venerate all remaining examples of life, and owning an animal of your own is both a symbol of status and a necessity. For those who can't afford an authentic animal, companies build incredibly realistic simulacrae: horses, birds, cats, sheep . . . even humans. (Source)

8.) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)

 A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation. (Source)

7.) A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (1988)

Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries? These are just some of the questions considered in an internationally acclaimed masterpiece by one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders. (Source)

6.) Wool by Hugh Howey (2011)

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside. (Source)

5.) Old Man's War by John Scalzi (2005)

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-and aliens willing to fight for them are common. The universe, it turns out, is a hostile place.

So: we fight. To defend Earth (a target for our new enemies, should we let them get close enough) and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has gone on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. 

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine-and what he will become is far stranger. (Source)

4.) Stardust by Neil Gaiman (1999)

In the tranquil fields and meadows of long-ago England, there is a small hamlet that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 years. Just to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here, in the hamlet of Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. And here, one crisp October eve, Tristran makes his love a promise -- an impetuous vow that will send him through the only breach in the wall, across the pasture... and into the most exhilarating adventure of his life. (Source)

3.) Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979)

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years. (Source)

2.) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (2007)

Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard. (Source)

1.) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)

The year is 2044 and the world is in near-ruins. The Great Recession has taken its toll on the world's economy, and resources are scarce. The Internet and gaming culture have evolved into a creation known as OASIS, a massive multiplayer online simulation game created by James Halliday and Ogden Morrow of Gregarious Simulation Systems (GSS), formerly known as Gregarious Games. Halliday, with no heirs or other living family, dies suddenly and leaves a video will to those in OASIS and a book that was dubbed Anorak's Almanac, which purports to be a volume written by James Halliday's avatar Anorak in OASIS. The video says that whoever can collect three keys (Copper, Jade, and Crystal) that are hidden throughout the universe of OASIS and pass through the matching gates will receive his fortune and controlling stake in GSS. This becomes known as the Hunt and people immediately begin the search for Halliday's Easter Egg. Those searching for the Egg are referred to as "gunters," a truncation of "egg hunters." Gunters devote an enormous amount of time to studying 1980s pop culture, the decade Halliday grew up in and was perpetually obsessed with, in the hope it will assist them with locating and solving the puzzles involved with the Egg. (Source)

Happy reading!
-Demo

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The Reset Button - My Favorite Christmas Game of All Time.

My Favorite Christmas Game of All Time

Deck the Halls, folks. After a long hiatus, mostly due to work and Thanksgiving, the Reset Button finally makes it's triumphant return to New Geek Protocol. I'm back, pumped, and ready to get some bloggin' done.

Buckle up. Strap in. Let's talk gaming.

When you think of Christmas, video games probably come to mind occasionally. Especially when you're giving gifts to friends or family. We all have someone who games in our lives, or at least I'd like to think we do. But one thing you don't really think about is Christmas-themed video games. Sure, there are a handful of them out there in the wild. But most of them aren't very good.

Today, I'm going to fill you in on my personal favorite all-time Christmas game. It's not a very GOOD game, so to speak, but I love it. Every year, I fire it up in hopes of conquering it, but never do. It's not an easy game, to tell you the truth. It has eluded me since childhood, with me always coming back in my adult years in hopes of besting Marv and Harry.

I haven't yet. But this might be my year. That's right. The game I love to play around Christmas is none other than HOME ALONE on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.

While the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo releases had better graphics, sound, gameplay, and controls, the NES version had a stupid charm I couldn't escape. The premise of this game is simple. As an 8-bit Kevin McCallister, you have 20 minutes to stop the Wet Bandits from robbing your house. Using a bunch of traps like Christmas ornaments, paint cans, Micro Machines, and the Tarantula, you booby trap your house in hopes of vanquishing those wacky bandits. If you manage to hold out for the 20 minutes, the police arrive and take Marv and Harry to the slammer. Fail and the Bandits win, looting your house for all it's worth and leaving Kevin's fate to your imagination.

Ohhhh noooooo...

Simple premise and simple gameplay, but dammit is it fun. The music is corny as all get out, but I love it. Your typical Nintendo music. A bunch of random sounds, but it just works for the theme of the game. The treehouse, main house, and basement all had different soundtracks, which was a nice touch.

 Since Home Alone is one of the best Christmas movies ever made, I had such high hopes that the game would be one of the best Christmas games ever made. Long story short, it wasn't. But it holds a special place in my heart during the Yuletide season. I remember playing this as a kid and running out of traps to set, only to find myself hiding Kevin in the Christmas tree for 3 minutes while the moronic Bandits searched for me. Eventually, Kevin was discover and it was game over, but the thrill of hiding that long while they ran around the house was both epic and hilarious.

There are all sorts of tactics you can try to defeat the bandits. I repeatedly tried to set up shop in Kevin's treehouse, but for this to come close to working there needs to be a large stockpile of traps in close proximity to you. Note: it never once worked for me. What's worse is if you are venturing back to the house for more traps from the treehouse via the rope and run into Marv or Harry, it's curtains. Game over. Each attempt to fortify the treehouse, master bedroom, or basement failed miserably, with the Bandits torching my defenses and robbing the McCallisters blind. I sure hope Harry didn't bite off every one of Kevin's little fingers one at a time.

I like to think the Old Man with the Shovel saves him when I lose instead of Kevin being drowned his basement.

The McCallister House - In NES form

As time continues to tick away, Marv and Harry seem to gain an increase in speed, as they come out of nowhere like the Flash to stop you in your tracks. Nothing worse than being on a good run, working your way towards justice, only to walk into the living room right into one of the bandits. Whoops.

One of the cooler things about Home Alone on the NES is when you pause the game or are caught by the Bandits, a display appears showing trap locations, time remaining, and score. I'd find myself pausing the game every 25 seconds to see how much time remained. It never seemed to go fast enough. And there's nothing worse than seeing no traps available on the screen. You know you're living on borrowed time at that point.

If you're looking for a fun little challenge this holiday and have an emulator, download Home Alone and see if you can do the impossible. Those Wet Bandits are some sticky bastards (see what I did there?). I just tried again this morning to best this game and was captured with less than 4 minutes left. Think I'm over-exaggerating? Check out the gameplay video below and judge it for yourself.

You guys give up or are you thirsty for more?

Do you have a favorite game to play during the holidays, with or without a Christmas theme? Let me know what it is and why.

Merry Christmas to all our readers. We appreciate you spending the past year with us and look forward to 2015.

Until next time...

Game On.

-ML

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Best Puzzle Game this Holiday Season

Best Puzzle Game this Holiday Season

By now, you are probably deducing that Pop and I are a fan of Nintendo with all the Wii U games we have posted about; however, Nintendo has had a lot to offer this year and we have to highlight that! This week we delighted ourselves in the Super Mario 3D World spin-off game: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

A puzzle game at heart, this cute game offers up a quick yet somewhat perplexing adventure. It basically follows the same level structure as the Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World, but isn't nearly as simple. On top of that, each level has a side quest which until you finish the level once, you have no idea what it is. Completionists will find themselves running through the levels a couple times to get everything.

I personally love games like this, and if it weren't for every other game that has released this season, plus a somewhat steep price point of $40, I might pick it up. If it goes on sale for $30 (highly doubtable anytime soon) then I may have to get it.

Watch Pop and I as we go through this fun game together and connect with us via Facebook! If you have any requests feel free to inbox us on our Facebook page or tweet us! Pop just started the Nuzlocke challenge with Pokemon Alpha Ruby. Are there any games you want me (Mom) to play? I enjoy RPG's, specifically JRPGS, so give me a shout!

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The Best Way to Play Pokemon

The Best Way to Play Pokemon

So another year goes by and yet another Pokemon releases into the grubby hands of children worldwide. By children, I mean fully-grown adults such as you and I. Now after Pokemon X & Y introduced a new generation of graphics and Pokemon, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire may not hold the same appeal.

Let's face it, these games are literally all the same, but we love them, right?

Yet, we crave a sense of excitement that won't leave us falling asleep in the midst of in-bed-power-leveling, only to wake up from the clunk of our 3DS crashing on our face. It happens to me, Mom, constantly because the only time I have to play my DS is when I'm in bed exhausted from being the busiest mother in the world.

Anyway...

Luckily for all you Poke-peeps, Pop has decided to up the excitement by taking on Omega Ruby as a Nuzlocke challenge. Now, if you haven't heard of this, it is okay, because I didn't know anything about it until Pop told me. Basically, there are a set of rules you have to follow and these are the ones Pop is specifically using:

• Any Pokémon that faints is considered dead, and must be released.
• The player may only catch the first Pokémon encountered in each new route. If the first Pokémon encountered faints or flees, there are no second chances.
• Duplicate Clause - Player is not allowed to catch the same Pokemon. 
• Player must nickname all of their Pokémon.
• Black out/white out is considered to be "game over".
• Traded Pokémon, mystery gifts, etc., are prohibited.
• Battle style switched to "set", leaving the player unable to switch out.
• Exp. Share set to OFF (unless told otherwise in comments)

There are a bunch of implied and optional rules and feel free to read them here.

Without further ado, check out Pop playing Pokemon Omega Ruby Nuzlocke style. Don't forget to hook up with us via our other social media pages. 

We, I mean Pop (but I was offering support) also finished Castlevania X so click here to check out the finale.

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Top Five Movie Trailers of All Time

Top Five Movie Trailers of All Time

A massive amount of trailers have come out in recent months showing us what we will see on the big screen this upcoming summer and beyond. Most of them are big budget titles (Star Wars The Force Awakens being the biggest yet) as well as being highly anticipated or just incredibly hyped titles. Trailers have started to become a bigger and bigger part of a movie's production with a massive amount of its marketing budget going into creating trailers. In some cases, like what we saw recently with Terminator Genisys, trailers are even getting their own trailers. A few days before the full length trailer came out there was a thirty second teaser trailer that preceded it as well as an announcement for the full trailer. With trailers becoming bigger, flashier, and bolder let's take a look at what I consider the best movie trailers of all time.

5.) Watchmen (2009)

  

This trailer has everything you could want out of a modern superhero movie. It has action, epic music (The Smashing Pumpkins "The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning"), and chilling one liners. "The world will look up and shout 'Save us!' and I'll whisper 'No.'"

4.) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001)



"One does not simply walk into Mordor." This trailer announced the beginning of what would become one of the biggest movie franchises in existence. The trailer shows some of the most beautiful landscapes married with epic music composed by Howard Shore that would become the staple for all of the LotR movies to come.

3.) Pulp Fiction (1994)



With a cast list that was second to none at the time of its release the trailer for Pulp Fiction was far and beyond any trailer of its time. It didn't hurt that it got a lot of help from the epic soundtrack that this movie would become known for and also for the tease at what would be an amazing story told by Quentin Tarantino.

2.) The Shining (1980)



Music is a 1theme that has been flowing through this list and the reason why is because it is the single most important aspect of a trailer. Nowhere is that more evident than the trailer for one of the most tense and scary movies of all time, The Shining. There is not a single word spoken but the picture painted by the eerie music and the shocking imagery makes this one of the best movie trailers of all time.

1.) Alien (1979)


Holy sh#&! If you tell me that this is a bad trailer I will fight you out in the street. Give me your address and I will come to your house, you bring your crew and I will bring mine and we will have a rumble, Gangs of New York style.

So that is my list, what does yours look like? Fight it out in the comments and remember knives and clubs only, no guns!

-Demo

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Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Teaser

So by now everyone has seen the teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, if not here it is in all of its awesomeness.

Everything looks great so far, but what’s up with that lightsaber? I think that this is the biggest complaint that the fanboys (and girls) have. There has definitely been a lot of spoofs for this clip, here are a few of my favorites:

And for some holiday spirit...

There was even a guy who got a tattoo of the little soccer ball droid within 10 hours of seeing the trailer, I'm not sure if that's dedication or stupidity.

Not bad...

At least it's better than this.

I cannot wait for the next trailer which has been said will be previewing with Avengers: Age of Ultron in the spring. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens comes out December 18, 2015 and let me say that it can’t come fast enough. I will be taking that day off of work and I’m hoping our local theater will do an all day event showing all previous six movies and ending it with TFA. Sorry I don’t have much for today, what I would like to see in the comments below is what you think the two spikes that come out of the villain’s lightsaber are?

As always May the Force Be With You!

- Da_Fettman

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