Xbox One Reveal: Thoughts

Today saw the the new Xbox revealed to the world after months of speculation, "leaked" information and shady pictures.  We now know what it looks like (unlike the PlayStation 4, aye Sony), a general release time (later this year), a look at some of the features of the console and the hardware specifications.

Firstly I would like to make something very clear; I don't fully understand all the Hardware Specification mumbo-jumbo. I know how to use a computer and I have a basic level knowledge of what everything means in a computer. HOWEVER when it comes to gaming consoles I couldn't care less if you had tiny little miniaturized people running the thing or hardware in your console that so powerful it could break a hole in the time-space continuum. All I care about is these simple things:

• Does it look better
• Are the loading screens either gone or quicker
• Is there room for bigger and better games in general.
• Is there enough space for my game saves, demos and updates.

That is more or less all I care about when it comes to a new console, and all your technical words, processors and RAM means jackshit to me.  Obviously I'm drifting off topic so I will get back on track and say that all the video of games that I saw on the reveal looked awesome and loads better than the current gen, minus the EA section where people looked a little rubbery to me.

As we are on the games section there were a few games shown at the reveal; Call of Duty Ghosts, Forza 5, the usual yearly EA suspects of FIFA, NFL etc, and new game Quantum Break to name all the games shown.  Seriously for a big huge hyped reveal that had 4 games if you include the EA collection as one.

So there was a fair amount of the time of the reveal spent on explaining how Xbox One can work with your TV, how it is a complete entertainment unit and not just a games console. How you can talk to it and it recognizes your face and voice thanks to the new Kinect. Talking about how you will have a relationship with your Xbox, cue all the loons and the episode of the talk show: "My partner left me to marry his Xbox".
There was a lot of chat about the new partnerships with the NFL and how your 

be totally up to date, by the minute, with your fantasy teams across multiple sports (all American of course).

Essentially there were just talking bollocks for most of it, telling you that your games console is no longer a games console and is so much more now.  It's a TV box, it's a Blu-ray and DVD player, it's a music player, it can browse the internet and it can cook Bacon faster than a grilling machine. OK I made that last bit up.
I really couldn't give a flying monkeys left nut if it has all those features because I like most people have a computer that can do all those things. Admittedly having Netflix or BBC iPlayer on their is handy but it's not the end of the world or a selling point to me. Because do you know what I really want??

A GAMES CONSOLE!!!

I want something to play games on that maybe has some cool features within the gaming section. I want awesome games that will whittle away the hours of my exceedingly boring and wasted life.  I want to play games with a controller, the way it's always been and not by doing movements or talking to the big huge box sat on my living room unit.  I want something that can play games of amazing quality and that is what sells a new console to me.

I surely can't be the only one out there who feels this way?

Doctor Who: Series 7 Finale Thoughts

If any of you know me well enough then you will already know that I am a massive Doctor Who fan, so much so that I would consider myself a 'Whovian'.  I will sit there some evenings reading through the Facebook comments getting angry at how some of the people who comment, as "fans", clearly have no clue what they are talking about.  This angers me and just shows to those of you do not know me the level of love I have for The Doctor and his adventures.  Anyway on with the blog.

Series 7 has been split into two parts; the first half saying goodbye to Rory and Amy and the second half being the introduction of Clara and the mystery surrounding this 'impossible girl'.  On a personal note I believe that Jenna-Louise Coleman has been a brilliant companion to the Doctor.  She is smart, funny, feisty and more than a match for The Doctor which is what he needs in one of his companions.  She has died twice  in two different periods of history and is back again for a third run at it and this being the mystery of how a seemingly normal human girl can be around in different periods of time and space.  For a while now I've had the thought train that she was a ploy set up by the Great Intelligence to lure the Doctor to Trenzalore and his foretold death.  This however has been thrown out of the window by the trailer for the finale where Clara says:

"I'm Clara Oswald and I was born to save the Doctor."

Now I don't believe that she is a Timelord because in both previous incarnations she has not regenerated when dying, nor do I believe she is any relation to Captain Jack Harkness because if you've watched Torchwood you'll know that he has a daughter who does not have his regeneration from death ability.  If Clara was indeed born to save the Doctor then I now no longer believe that she is the doing of the Great Intelligence, but instead the creation of someone/something that we do not yet know.  Obviously this whole story has been created by the disturb, mental and downright brilliant mind of Steven Moffat so the likelihood of anyone guessing correctly is next to none.  I will say that this story-line and the enigma behind it has captured me so much more than any of the past curiosity filled story-lines.

Now we come to The Doctor, his name and his downfall at Trenzalore.  There is a wildfire of debate raging around the internet regarding the revealing of his name and that it would ruin everything that Doctor Who is.  I feel that revealing his name would make the title of the show obsolete, and that the name will never live up to the expectations of the fans.  It will certainly turn away some fans with some maybe even going so far as to boycotting the show as long as Moffat is in charge.  On the other hand is probably the longest running mystery in Television and fills me with a level of curiosity that make a considerable part of me want to know the answer.  I hope that if Moffat is definitely going to reveal the name that it won't be something completely boring and that maybe it is something that will shock beyond a level we have yet to feel.

Obviously all the theories, thoughts and discussions will be redundant in two weeks time when the 2nd part of the finale has aired and we then know the answers to all the things we have been thinking about and debating for the past few months.  But remember this is Steven Moffat and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't answer one important piece of the puzzle and teased us with more questions.

Check out the prequel and the trailers for the upcoming finale at: BBC Doctor Who Homepage

And on a final note when are Strax, Vastra and Jenny going to get their own show?

Cosplayer of the Month: May

So it's a new month which means that I have to announce a new Cosplayer of the Month.  There have been quite a few cosplayers on my list this month and I have gradually whittled it down to one.  So without further ado May's cosplayer of the month is (drum roll please);

Casey Anne
*whoop whoop* *cheers and applause* 

Casey Anne is a cosplayer from either Boston or New England, Facebook tells me New England while Twitter says the former.  I don't think I can describe her in any better way than her own Facebook biography states:

"Casey Anne is a Zelda obsessed gamer and costumer who loves Batman, dogs, Disney movies, and leopard print."


Casey has done a few awesome cosplays over the past year including Berserker Yuna (Final Fantasy X-2), Juliet Starling (Lollipop Chainsaw) and Morrigan (Darkstalkers).  I know a fair few cosplayers have done a Juliet but few have gone that extra mile and made sure that they have a Nick by their side.  I am personally looking forward to seeing future work from a cosplayer who I hope will reach a wider audience over the next year.

Below is a few pictures of her work so far and her Twitter and Facebook links below those.  Do go and give her a follow and show her the love.

Juliet Starling

Berserker Yuna

Morrigan

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/xLadieLuck

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xladieluck

Photo's taken from Facebook, all images belong to Casey Anne.