In retrospect: why we shouldn’t be so hard on Infinite Warfare

In the early 2000’s the now deceased developer Pandemic released two installments of the game Star Wars: Battlefront. The first was a bit rough around the edges but a fun game nonetheless, while its sequel made noticeable improvements and additions. The original Star War: Battlefront II (2005) is still regarded with high praise to this day, not only as a Star Wars game, but also as a sci-fi, space combat game in general.

So naturally when it was announced that EA DICE was rebooting the series, many nerd nipples became hard, so to speak. What we got, however, fell disappointingly short of our expectations. SWB (2015) turned out as simply a promotional tool for The Force Awakens, while its sequel, SWB II (2017), again made some improvements but was practically an online poker site thinly veiled by loot boxes. Essentially, Disney pretty much allowed EA to reduce this much beloved series to a corporate cash grab.

Then something totally unexpected (and some would say uncalled for) happened.  Around the same time, the developer Infinity Ward announced Infinite Warfare, which at the time was the latest installment in their long running Call of Duty franchise.  And the Internet descended upon this title with unimaginable fury.

Skyline Lens has launched its official site!

Skyline Lens Photography has a mission: to capture the Vivid, the Passionate, and the Beautiful. Why did I call it Skyline Lens? Because my name is too damn common to name a company Andrew Williams Photography that’s why. Plus, growing up in the vibrant, skyscraping city of Toronto, “skyline” just seemed to have a nice ring to it.  This was a little pet project I’ve had in development for some time. Photography has always been a passion of mine and was something I decided to take seriously around the time I started university. Since I wanted to focus on my writing and aim for a career in that stream, photography had more or less been a little side hustle of mine. Now it’s time to take it to the next level.

Where I’m at with Star Wars

 

As long as I can remember I’ve been a loyal Star Wars nerd. I’ve seen all the movies multiple times, (minus that Christmas special we all tried to forget), I’ve played many of the video games, and I’d say I’m pretty well versed in the lore. The time of year when they traditionally release Star Wars flicks has recently passed with The Last Jedi being the latest installment, just in time for the holiday season to allow Disney to milk their beloved cash cow as much as possible. And as I expected, reviews were rather… meh.

 

A random creation myth: era of the sunrise

 

Read the Prelude here: A random creation myth. Just for fun.

 

When the World Known was discovered, all was new and untamed.  The massive super continent, Orimalla, was surrounded by the Vast Ocean.  The Mon’Jori knew not what they saw, for both land and water were teaming with all manner of life. Of this were creatures who stood out amongst the rest, for over the course of many generations, they had wrestled their consciousness from the shackles of wild nature, and became intelligent enough to understand.  They were no longer mere creatures, but people, various and diverse. And  with their sapient awareness, they built complex societies, albeit primitive, some barbaric, others peaceful.

7 myths Hollywood still believes

There are no more original stories, that’s a given. It’s a truth we’ve come to accept among films, music, and television shows. Nonetheless, there are tropes that have become rather stale at this point, as we often see movies fall back on these tired old stereotypes. These cinematic myths have become so ingrained in our culture that they’re pretty much expected and ignored. In fact it’s hard to find a movie that doesn’t fall victim to them, especially summer blockbusters. Here are seven of the most common.

So America’s decided.

Well here we are, a day after what was possibly the most sensational presidential campaign in US history. Even though I haven’t posted anything for a while, what happened last night gave me a reason to dust off this old blog and put in my two cents.  In an upset that could make a Raptors game jealous, Donald Trump defied every possible odd and beat Hillary Clinton to the oval office. Despite having no political, legal, or diplomatic experience, allegations of sexual assault, slanderous and bigoted rhetoric, scandals, and not to mention questionable business practices, Trump managed to snatch the keys to the White House away from Clinton’s imminent grasp. And despite all those things I just mentioned, American’s somehow felt he was the better choice.

The Dude’s Handbook

Intro

If you were to ask me if I understand women, I would easily say no. No man truly understands women,  based on the way men think. Naturally, women are a diverse group of individuals, each with her own habits, traits, preferences, and aversions. Nevertheless, there are guidelines, Laws in fact, that could be applied to any and all women (and men). Some are absolutes that should be avoided while others should be encouraged. Some Laws can speak for themselves, while others require some explanation.

It’s all the same damn show!

Back in my not-so-glorious university days I enjoyed following the Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman. So I was rather intrigued to learn that one of the comic book’s spinoff characters was getting his own television series. Lucifer premiered on FOX on January 25 of this year. Mind you, I’m not all that familiar with this DC character’s story line (I know enough of the source material to know that John Constantine should look more like Sting than Keanu Reeves). However, I was disappointed to learn that the show would depart from its unique stories for a more procedural cop formula.

Star Wars vs. Star Trek

Damn, it’s been a while since I posted anything. What was the last thing I ranted about? Something about a girl who could fly? Then again it’s not like I blog on a consistently frequent basis anyways. Life has this pesky tendency of, you know, happening. Anyways, a lot of shit has happened since then. Caitlyn Jenner won “Woman of the Year” some how, we lost David Bowie, it’s now 2016, and Donald Trump is still leading the polls disturbingly enough. Oh, and something else occurred too…

Can’t say I approve of the new Supergirl series

So we all know how DC has been desperately trying to catch up with Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. They’re shoehorning in all sorts of characters in Dawn of Justice and already releasing a Suicide Squad flick, chalk full of even more characters with separate back stories who probably won’t be that well established. Not to mention shows like Arrow and The Flash that are kicking off a universe of their own.