Cosplayer of the Month: July

It's Cosplayer of the Month time again and this month is someone I've had set for this for a long time.  It's just been deciding the right month in which to pick this lady and I think this is the one.

This months Cosplayer hails from Boston, Massachusetts, has been in the cosplay/costuming world since 2011 and is the "Raptor Queen".  Yes that's right it is the beautiful and extremely talented Nicole Marie Jean, or as most people probably know her; Lady Bane.

Usually I like to write something a bit more detailed or a bit about previous cosplays, however I can't do that this month.  You see Nicole Marie Jean is a cosplayer whose sheer number of cosplays and the amazing and brilliant work that goes into making each of these wonderful costumes, genuinely leaves me speechless and in awe.  There are no words I can string together to emphasize just how great this lady's work is, all I can say is check out the handful of pics I've put below and see for yourselves.

Once you've done that, do the usual and head over to her Facebook and Twitter and go say hello. Links are provided below the pictures.

Lady Bane

Poison Ivy

Sonic the Hedgehog

Lady Thor

The Links

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NicoleMarieJeanPage

Twitter - https://twitter.com/OfficialNMJ

Store - http://nicolemariejean.storenvy.com/

All images sourced from her Facebook page and rights belong to Nicole Marie Jean

What I want to see in Grand Theft Auto V

With the Grand Theft Auto V release date not far around the corner I have recently been replaying number four to get back into the swing of things.  Whilst playing I have noticed there are a few minor things that I'm hoping will be fixed/removed in GTA V.  There are probably a whole tonne of things that I could pick apart about the game because in all honesty it's pretty pants when you get down to it.  Obviously the game was never going to be perfect or match San Andreas because this it was very much a return to the days of GTA 3.  The game world is back in Liberty City, it's the first game on the then new console and Rockstar didn't quite know the full extent of the system and how to work with it.  GTA 3 was an awesome game but as the PS2's life cycle went on Rockstar figured out the full potential of the console and thus after Vice City, San Andreas was born and was subsequently huge in comparison.

I'm rambling now and should get back to point with the post, so without further ado here are 3 things that I would like to see fixed or removed in Grand Theft Auto V.


#1 - Jumping

Now I'm not saying jumping should be removed but the jumping in GTA IV was so slow,  vaulting an object seemed to take ages and hampered some chase sequences in my opinion.  I'm not saying that I want to see Trevor, Michael and Franklin free-running around the place because that would be ridiculous.  All I want to see is a more fluid jumping/vaulting animation to make chase sequences flow a bit more.


#2 - Taxi's

Next up is Taxi's.  When I first played GTA IV I thought the ability to hail a cab and take a ride anywhere was a good idea, I have however since changed my mind.  I understand why a fast travel option was put in the game and I'm not going to lie I use it alot, not just in GTA but in games like Skyrim.  My reason for not liking it is that it takes away from all the details and little bits that you miss when you fast travel.  It's a be lazy option and I'm just as guilty for using it but with the sheer size and scope of the detail in the GTA V world, we could do without it.  As an example in Vice City I knew all the roads, where they went and the quickest routes to almost anything whereas in number IV I know nothing due to being lazy and abusing the Taxi's.


#3 - Vehicle Spawning

This next one is the bane of my Grand Theft Auto life and has plagued me ever since the days of Grand Theft Auto 3 and even though I'd love to see it fixed I have a feeling that it will haunt me forever.  Basically it's when you are driving along and there is nothing in-front of you, you have a quick check behind and suddenly a huge dump-truck, a police car or even a massive queue of traffic has spawned in-front of you.  I don't think I can recall a single thing about a game that has irritated and enraged me more than this over the course of my gaming years.  I'm not even sure if this can be fixed in the confines of how the game engine/spawn system works but I surely hope it can be.  I know some people will be thinking; "don't look behind you and the problem is fixed".  This however is easier said than done because during a chase I will look behind me to see where people are and how close they are, and this is something I have done ever since I started playing racing games.  It serves me well in racing games but in Grand Theft Auto is screws me so badly that I need soothing ointment and a weeks bed-rest.

If Rockstar can change/fix one thing then I hope it's the vehicle spawns because as much as I'd like to see the others changed I could live with them if it meant that everytime I checked my rear-view mirror I wasn't greeted by a massive car pile-up or my head through the windscreen when I look back in-front.

The future for Microsoft

It's been a busy past few weeks for the folks over there at Microsoft, what with E3 conference, the huge backlash, getting wiped all over the floor by Sony and big U-turn on their used game and online check-in policies.

There has been lots of talk on the interwebs about the whole situation but I'm not going to go into detail because I'll be here forever and I've seen that a few people have changed their minds about what console they are going to pre-order now. I personally am still pre-ordering the PlayStation 4 because I've lost trust in Microsoft and a company that were so actively looking to shaft consumers to begin with.  I understand that money is needed to survive when you release a product but there is a difference between making money and rinsing consumers for every possible penny.  To me it seems that Microsoft only care about the money and not what the gamers want; a games console.

I've also seen some people defending the used game policy of Xbox One by comparing it to Steam, and the fact that you can't trade-in the games you purchase off there.  I don't think you can compare the two because Steam is PC gaming and downloads only.  If you download a digital version of a game off of Steam with the expectation that you can trade it in then you sir are a moron.  Needless to say I'm getting off point and must get back to the original reason of this post.

All this talk and the U-turn has left me wondering what the future holds for Microsoft, not so much the next few years but beyond that and the time after Xbox One.

I don't see Microsoft giving up the potential money making opportunities of putting the used game market out of business.  I can see that something similar will return in the distant future and have a very strong gut feeling that the next console they work on will be download only (like Steam).  It is the only sure fire way to get rid of trade-ins altogether in one big swoop and I feel that this will happen at some point.  Whether or not the generation after the Xbox One and PS4 will be consoles as we know them now is something I'm unsure of, but I am confident that the next few years at Microsoft's research/development team will be based primarily on new ways to bypass the used game market and other ways to make more money without seeming like a complete bunch of money hungry arseholes.

I know that this is very, very early days to be talking about things like this when the Xbox One isn't even out yet but it's something that has been rumbling around in my head for the past few days and I felt that I needed to share it.  Let me know what you think either in the comments below or via the Twitter button in the top right.

Cosplayer of the Month: June

So here we are again, another month has past so it's high time for another Cosplayer of the Month.  This month however is a kind of special one, because this month also marks my birthday and another "Level Up" (this sounds somewhat cooler than a year older).

So without further ado lets get on with the post.  I have been following this months choice for quite awhile on twitter and have admired her work from her Deadpool cosplay to others of Lara Croft, Skyrim and Catwoman.  Of course she has done many more cosplays and you should definitely check them out because they are all of the same amazing quality.

So I'm sure you are probably wondering who it is and if you have come here via Twitter than you should already know.  If you don't know then let's see if you can figure it out. She is a Canadian cosplayer originating from Lindsay, Ontario.  She has just over 1,700 followers on Twitter and over 3,500 likes on her Facebook page. She's also supports 'Cosplay for a Cause' which you should all check out also and I will link them in with the usual links at the end of the post.

Have you got it yet? No, well it is of course the one and only Zombie Bit Me!!

Zombie Bit Me, or Shantel to use her real name is an amazing cosplayer who consistently makes brilliant outfits, talks to her fans and has a general aura of kick-ass about her.  If you don't know her or are not following her already then shame on you! Now go and sit in the corner with a bag on your head.  In all seriousness you should all go and check her work out, say hello and buy a print or two from her store. Because every time you buy, you are personally help fund the next amazing costume.

As usual links to Twitter, Facebook and her store are at the bottom of the post and in the meantime check out some of her work below.

Skyrim

Catwoman

Deadpool

Felicia

The Links

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie-Bit-Me/107522249310892

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ZombieBitMe

Store - http://zombiebitme.storenvy.com/

Cosplay for a Cure Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CosplayForACure

I would link her website but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, but that might just be for me.

All pictures sourced from her Facebook page and rights belong to Zombie Bit Me

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.