From the Butlerniverse

Last week, Playstation Plus subscribers didn’t get anything new through the service, barring seeing some game discounts change when the games were discounted for everyone. Since that type of change winds up resetting itself, I did not bother recounting the changes last week.

This week, new content arrives, but with some disappointing results in some cases.

Free Games

• Mini: Blast Off (normally $2.99)

Free Add-Ons:

• Warhawk: Booster Combo (normally $15.99)
• UFC Undisputed 2010: TUF Fighter Pack (normally $1.99)

Free Game Trial

• Warhawk ($29.99 if you decide to purchase)

Free Videos

• Qore: Episode 28 (normally $2.99)

Free Avatars and/or Themes

• Warhawk Dynamic Theme (normally $2.99)
• Mystical Fractals Theme (exclusive, equivalent to approx. $0.99)

PSN Store Discounts

• Ratchet and Clank Dynamic Theme ($1.50, normally $2.99)

Other

PS+ users received early access to the PSP demo for God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

This month’s Qore content was not much to write home about, and the free DLC with it was laughable: a Subway item for PS Home and a theme of one of the women behind Qore (I think that’s who it was, at least).

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Subscription (15-Month) Totals

Free Games (active subscription required): $87.39 + $2.99 = $90.38

Free DLC: $30.91 + $17.98 = $48.89

Avatars and Themes: $18.36 + $3.98 = $22.34

Video: $5.98 + $2.99 = $8.97

Discounts: $93.46 + $1.49 = $94.95

Other: One-hour trials of InFamous, Red Faction: Guerrilla, and Warhawk; limited trial for some users for Hulu Plus; one week of early demo play for Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, TerRover, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta; option to purchase Super Street Fighter IV 35-avatar bundle; option to purchase PixelJunk Racers: 2nd Lap before regular users.

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Total “Freebies” for Weeks 1 – 11: $170.58

Total Discounts for Weeks 1 – 11: $94.95

Total Value for Weeks 1 – 11: $265.53

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Final Impressions

While this week did lift the total content value up to now over five times the original price of the subscription ($49.99), I found this week both robust . . . and lacking. With almost everything centered around Warhawk, it was a matter of either playing the game or not bothering with the DLC.

I was personally totally turned off to Warhawk when I installed the free trial, only to find that it would not run. However, if you delete a free trial, you cannot download it again, unless you actually purchase the game. Even if I had been interested in Warhawk, this experience turned me off to bothering to try it at all, unless it is someday released as one of the free PS+ games (which would piss a lot of people off if they play the trial, like it, and buy it for $29.99).

Overall, it was an “eh” week. Fortunately, between Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions being released and the second DLC pack for War for Cybertron, I really don’t care that much.

This week, Playstation Plus returns with its first update in two weeks, as per the new policy of bi-weekly updates. However, we have now reached Week 9 overall, and it is only August 24. One has to wonder if, since we have new content this week, we might not have any content next week. That would be odd, though, as every month of new content has begun with major updates on the last Tuesday of the previous calendar month. Hmm . . .

In any event, that conundrum has led me to change the title for these blogs (from here on) to a simple week number, rather than month whatever, week whatever.

Last week had no PS+ content whatsoever, hence there was no update here on the blog. This week, we were met with a new perk that is not technically a Playstation Network Store item, but still a PS+ discount. If you choose to get a two-year PlayStation Protection Plan, which basically extends your one-year warranty by two years, if you’re still within that first year, then PS+ subscribers can get this plan for $44.99, rather than $59.99. That provides us with a new $15.00 discount to add to our tallies.

Also, for those wondering, I do consider the $17.99 worth of three bonus months that you get for buying a year-long subscription (rather than quarterly) to be a worth adding into our tallies, but until there is any other year-long subscription situation, I don’t feel it appropriate to add it into the value of the service just yet. Once people start paying $49.99 and getting something other than 15 months of content, then I’ll consider the extra three months a bonus that should be tallied.

Free Games

• PS3: Mushroom Wars (normally $9.99)
• PS1 Classic: 2Xtreme (normally $5.99)
• Mini: Vempires (normally $2.99)

PSN Store Discounts

This week’s discounted games are:

• Soldner-X2: Final Prototype for $9.09 (normally $12.99)
• Soldner-X and Soldner X-2 bundle for $10.79 (normally $17.99)

Other

In theory, we were given early access to the TerRover demo this week . . . but it was already included with the newest episode of Qore two weeks ago.

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Subscription (15-Month) Totals

Free Games (active subscription required): $68.42 + 18.97 = $87.39

Free DLC: $30.91 + $0 = $30.91

Avatars and Themes: $18.36 + $0 = $18.36

Video: $5.98 + $0 = $5.98

Discounts: $67.36 + $15.00 (service plan discount) + $11.10 = $93.46

(This assumes that we count both discounts for the Soldner-X games, even though one is a bundle that includes both the others. I’m counting it, since I counted the Cuboid add-ons both separately discounted and discounted as a bundle.)

Other: One-hour trials of InFamous and Red Faction: Guerrilla; limited trial for some users for Hulu Plus; one week of early demo play for Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days and TerRover; option to purchase Super Street Fighter IV 35-avatar bundle; option to purchase PixelJunk Racers: 2nd Lap before regular users.

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Total “Freebies” for Weeks 1 – 9: $142.64

Total Discounts for Weeks 1 – 9: $93.46

Total Value for Weeks 1 – 9: $236.10

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Final Impressions

Well, the PS1 Classic this week is not only crappy but also “broken” in the sense that I can’t just quit to the main menu but have to exit the entire game and go back into it. Thank goodness I didn’t like it anyway.

Mushroom Wars might get me to start caring about Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, but not likely. It’s cute, though. Vempire is yet another Minis puzzle game with various blocks and groups of the same color vanishing. Overall, it was an “eh” update, but at least it was an update with heavy new game content. : shrug :

Ten years after the events of Transformers: Armada, the Unicron Trilogy continues with Transformers: Energon, known as Super Link in Japan. (The time span of 10 years is important to note, given that the translation to English includes an error in the very first line of the series, which claims that 20, not 10, years have passed. This echoes an error in the first line of Armada, which refers to “lightyears ago” as if a “lightyear” was a measure of time, not distance. Jeez!)

In the interim between Armada and Energon, the united Autobots and Decepticons (from the “Armada” in the previous series) are now working under Optimus Prime, cooperating with humans to search for the powerful energy source of Transformer life, Energon. Humans can use it as a clean source of energy, while the substances makes Transformers more powerful. To this end, Rad, Carlos, and Alexis (the kids from Armada) are part of a group of humans in various cities around the Solar System (on Earth, on Mars, in the asteroid belt, etc.). That group also includes the scientist Dr. Jones and his son, “Kicker,” who can sense pure Energon.

Also in the interim, many of our major characters from Energon have exited the storyline (Blurr, Side Swipe, etc.), while others have undergone minor changes in color scheme (Demolisher, Cyclonus) and a handful have undergone major changes to their design (usually in robot mode, but sometimes in both), including Optimus Prime, Jetfire, and Hot Shot. We also have a slew of new characters allied with them, including Omnicons that can process pure Energon into a form suitable for other Transformers, Inferno, and the rookie Ironhide.

As the series opens, we quickly discover that a Quintesson named “Alpha Q” is aboard the remains of Unicron’s head, intending to gather a vast quantity of Energon to bring Unicron back to life. To this end, they use Terrorcons, mostly mass-produced Transformers that can eat pure Energon and bring it back to  Unicron. The Terrorcons are led by Scorponok (not a Headmaster this time), whom Alpha Q resurrected with Energon.

Speaking of Energon resurrections, Alpha Q’s machinations lead to the resurrection of Megatron in a new jet form that features two cannons on his shoulders that resemble green versions of Galvatron’s old purple cannon. Starscream also makes a return, having been killed off in Armada, initially as a brainwashed mercenary ghostlike character, working for Alpha Q.

As for the Mini-Cons, they’re still around, but they play a negligible role in the story. Their most notable appearance is with a new trio of Mini-Cons who can form the Energon Saber, which is much like the Star Saber but far less powerful. Speaking of swords, a blade is created by Alpha Q from part of Megatron’s spark. That blade comes to be called the Star Saber (wrongly), Megratron’s Sword (which may be true if he had used a similar sword before, but that isn’t explained), or the Energon Sword (easily confused with the Energon Saber). That sword is then scanned and “cloned” by the Autobots for mass use.

The humans are used much better this time around, as they are all older than the seventh grade characters in Armada. Kicker’s unique ability to sense Energon (and the Terrorcons) is used well, and he is given a kind of Autobot battle armor (though he does not transform, as this isn’t a G1 exosuit). One should note, though, that while Rad, Alexis, and Carlos return, Billy and Fred are nowhere to be found.

The new gimmick this time around is more powerlinking, though it is often referred to as “Powerlinx” this time around. The general gist is that the Transformers can merge with each other, just like the Mini-Cons linked up with them in the previous series. Early on, we see mergers of Ironhide with Jetfire and Hot Shot with Inferno. (In each of those cases, one Autobot forms the bottom half of the combined form, while the other forms the top half. Which is which does not matter, as it can alternate.) Optimus Prime, meanwhile, has augmented his trailer to now house four smaller vehicles (a fire engine, a helicopter, a drilling vehicle, and a submarine), which link up with him by forming new, more powerful arms and legs for a new “Super Mode” Optimus.

The Omnicons and Terrorcons can also create “Energon stars,” which are refined Energon in somewhat disc-shaped form, which can be linked up with Transformers to increase their power. When they draw upon the Energon stars, they receive a power boost for a limited time, which sometimes coincides with being able to use a new weapon that is only available when using an Energon star.

Eventually, the story turns into a battle on Cybertron and in an alternate dimension that ties into the overall dark powers of Unicron and the power of Primus within Cybertron, though it is an odd tale that somewhat drags on. It does feel more connected episode-to-episode than some of Armada’s episodes, but in doing so, it drags a while.

As far as the presentation is concerned, the audio is on par with Armada, which is consistent, though not excellent. Visually, the series combines traditional animation with CGI so that the backgrounds and shading of Transformers are traditional animation, while the Transformers themselves are CG. What you get is more consistent animation overall than in Armada, but the characters are somewhat stiff, especially when walking or talking with faces that tend to only include simplistically-animated mouths.

On the plus side, episodes feel more fast-paced. When viewing Armada at 1.5x speed on my Playstation 3, I found that it felt like the episodes were the right speed, rather than sped up. Here, the pacing is fine for individual episodes at regular speed, and 1.5x actually does seem a tad faster than desired. The lack of tweeting Mini-Cons also helps to make the overall tale feel like it moves along a bit better, as we can focus again on this multi-sided conflict. (Last time you had Decepticons, Autobots, Mini-Cons, and Unicron’s forces, and here you have Decepticons, Autobots, a mysterious faction of Autobots led by Rodimus – no, not “Prime” – and Alpha Q’s forces, while the Mini-Cons remain mostly sidelined.) It also certainly helps the feel of the series to have, as I mentioned above, adult human characters that are better handled than the kids in Armada.

That is not to say that it does not have its annoying points. For example, Cyclonus is eventually reformatted into a new character (much like Megatron into Galavatron in multiple series). He becomes “Snow Cat,” who literally has skis and ski poles. He also yodels. No, I’m not joking. Furthermore, Demolisher finds himself rebuilt with a new body, which he frequently bashes about the chest in King Kong fashion. Again, I’m not joking.

And, yes, from time to time, we see character names reversed (most notably with Cliffjumper and Downshift, the latter of whom is designed like G1 Wheeljack).

The biggest complaint often made in terms of continuity tends to be stunted character development. Several characters have their memories erased, amnesia induced, or similar effects during the series, generally resetting their character development. I’m not sure this is “stunted development,” as that reboot to their development is, in and of itself, development, even if it’s not the kind of development most fans would have preferred.

Throughout the series, we see a bit more of a revolving arc structure than we did in Armada. The previous series could be seen as several smaller arcs that all build within one larger arc, leading to the battle with Unicron at the series’ end. In Energon, the first major arc revolves around both Alpha Q (aboard Unicron’s severed head) and the resurrected Megatron (aboard Unicron’s body) trying to revive Unicron for their own purposes, while the Autobots (at least initially) try to stop them. Unicron is then defeated and taken offline, leading to a second story arc in which Alpha Q and Megatron again seek to resurrect Unicron. They later engage in a battle over Cybertron and its “Super Energon,” with the powers of Unicron and Primus at play as well.

The Verdict

Overall, this series felt different from Armada, though I’m not sure if it is better or worse. If this series were shorter, a bit less drawn out, it would stand above Armada in its more mature focus and lack of a bunch of annoying children and R2-D2 chirping Mini-Cons. On the other hand, the errors still abound and character name swaps for major characters (not just Mini-Cons this time) is rather idiotic for the dub team.

All in all, it makes a decent successor to Armada, but neither has yet to live up to the standard set by the original Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye cartoon, either Beast series, or even Robots in Disguise. I daresay that even Revenge of the Fallen may top this series, though my disgust with its sheer crudeness probably keeps that particular live action film just shy of the level of interest I found in Energon. Still, though, the final sacrifice that ends the series will surprise you.

I now move on to Cybertron, the final series in the Unicron Trilogy . . . assuming that my ordered replacement disc arrives that is not missing the first 1/3 of one of the episodes. (Thanks to TVShowsOnDVD for the info on getting that dealt with.)

I have previously been reviewing new Transformers video games and providing retrospective thoughts on previous Transformers cartoon series, beginning with the Unicron Trilogy. At this point, my attention turns to a brief review of the novel that tries to link the newest game with an upcoming cartoon series . . .

Transformers: Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron (by Alex Irvine)

Later this year, a new cartoon, Transformers: Prime, will premiere. That series is supposed to tie into the continuity and events of Transformers: War for Cybertron and Cybertron Adventures, the new video games for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. In order to create a broader continuity for these materials, two works of written fiction have emerged in the last few months, consisting of a novel and a comic. (Technically, there’s also a short story, but it is already deemed non-canon in this continuity.) The novel is known as Transformers: Exodus and purports to be the “official history of the war for Cybertron.” It also purports to be, in a sense, the novelization of the video game.

Yeah, not so much.

Exodus begins in an era where Cybertron is divided up into an unshakable caste system that has existed since the end of the era of the Thirteen Primes, the last of whom is Sentinel Prime. (This last Prime was supposed to be Zeta Prime from the game, but Irvine named him “Sentinel Prime,” prompting an immediate retcon that the character’s name is really “Sentinel Zeta Prime.” Riiiiiight. We’re off to a great continuity start!)

During this era, a nameless (literally) lower-caste worker rises to fame in illegal gladiatorial combat arenas, eventually taking the original name of the Prime who became known as the Fallen . . . Megatronus. After the crowd chants a shorter version, “Megatron,” the name sticks. Megatron then begins to rally others to the cause of breaking the caste system and rising up against the High Council for equal rights. This draws in the impressionable but honorable librarian Orion Pax, who is working under the guidance of another ancient Prime (who refuses to be recognized as such), Alpha Trion.

The story proceeds to bring Orion Pax and Megatron together in their cause, though Orion is seeking a peaceful, legal means of changing Cybertron, while Megatron is more pro-active and violent in his methods. Eventually, it is Orion Pax that the High Council chooses to be the next Prime, who can seek out the Matrix of Leadership, rather than Megatron. Megatron essentially declares war on his “brother,” Orion Pax, now known as Optimus Prime.

From there, the story chronicles the epic war on Cybertron between the Decepticons and Autobots for “tetracycles” (whatever the hell those are), presumably for millions of years. When Megatron gains Dark Energon (Energon corrupted by the essence of Unicron, just as regular Energon has the essence of Primus), the planet is corrupted, forcing the Autobots to consider the unthinkable: leaving their planet to heal and setting off into space to follow the AllSpark to, unbeknownst to them, Earth.

It is a story that dips into numerous different Transformers continuities to create a backstory that feels like Transformers, yet still feels at least somewhat fresh, especially in its portrayal of the relationship between Megatronus/Megatron and Orion Pax/Optimus Prime.

Unfortunately, it fails in two respects that significantly detracted from my enjoyment of the book, given that I am a big fan of War for Cybertron.

First, the novel frequently contradicts itself and its own continuity, as if Irvine and his editor did not spend adequate time looking over the manuscript. Starscream is a scientist . . . but later isn’t. Orion Pax is with Megatron in the first half of a scene . . . then away . . . then back again somehow. There are numerous “Seekers” who defected to the Autobots . . . then there’s only one (Jetfire) in a matter of sentences. More importantly, Trypticon’s sentience is given at least two (actually probably three) contradictory origins in the novel.

Second, copy editing errors aside, the novel greatly contradicts War for Cybertron, which it was supposed to be adapting. Starscream’s role in the story and various elements of the story of Sentinel (er, Zeta?) Prime are quite different. Irvine, who has admitted that he did not play the game at all in writing the novel, has inadvertently (or through carelessness, take your pick) created a separate continuity for the novel and the game, and it is unclear which will “win out” in relation to Transformers: Prime (which already seems to feature a very different Bumblebee more akin to the live action movies than to the War for Cybertron version of the character).

It’s really frustrating if you are a fan of the game.

The Verdict

Transformers: Exodus is a decent novel with a few noticeable errors within its pages, but it is not in-continuity with War for Cybertron, as it was intended to be. Those who have not played the game will be able to read and enjoy it, assuming they can ignore some continuity problems within the novel itself. Those who have played the game will find the experience interesting but probably cringe quite a bit at the departure the novel takes from the game it was purported to adapt. It may be worth picking up in paperback or on sale, but it is not at all worth the $27.00 hardback price tag.

Each time a new episode of The EU Review is released, I am hoping that I will find time to provide a few added notes to supplement comments in each episode.

The EU Review: Episode 8

• The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance (novel, Sean Williams)
• Legacy: Volumes 1 and 2 (comics, John Ostrander)
  
• 2010 Star Wars Hyperspace Fan Club Membership Kit (various, various)
• Listener Feedback (Andrew Halliday)

I should kick off this set of show notes with a couple of general impressions.

First, this ended up being a very Nathan-centric episode. It wasn’t planned that way, but it seems as though my continuity “mini-rant,” the fact that I pre-recorded the letters in the listener feedback portion, and my pre-recorded review of that rather large Fan Club Kit created a general overload of content from me instead of Andrew. I don’t know if Andrew felt this imbalance, but I certainly noticed it after the fact.

Second, we did record this prior to Celebration V, hence Andrew’s very general comments about C5 at the beginning (pretending that it already happened) and my own slip later when I seem to keep switching tenses when referring to the trivia contest for charity held by Arnie Carvalho, which had also not happened yet as of the time we were recording. (For what it’s worth, I recorded the questions and answers independently, so Andrew never even heard them until after Celebration 5 had ended, so that he could not have been given an unfair advantage if he had chosen to attend the trivia contest.)

Within our introductory comments, I mentioned the new release of The Star Wars Timeline Gold, which can be found here. Andrew then mentions Celebration 5, and I would be remiss if I did not mention that I had been stressing over being able to get Tales from the Clone Wars and Knight Errant #0 from C5 this year. Fortunately, even though both Andrew and Arnie were willing to help me get them, I was able to get Tales from the Clone Wars from StarWarsShop.com right as C5 was gearing up, and fellow Republic Force Radio Network personality Dan “The Rockstar” Beasley was kind enough to snag me a copy of Knight Errant #0 on the very first morning of C5.

Regarding the trivia: I truly did know each of those off the top of my head, hence feeling like they were all fair game. The aforementioned Dan Beasley actually texted me during the trivia contest to say “ARGH!” to some questions and note that the wording definitely sounded like me (whatever that means!).

Regarding Fatal Alliance: The whole issue of when it takes place became a major concern for me when it came out. I ended up going around in circles yet again about certain fact-screening policies with Wookieepedia at the time, as I was able to get significant information from Leland Chee to help clarify that the 3,650 BBY date was incorrect, yet those over at “the Wook” were unwilling to accept that new information without some kind of publicly-posted statement from Leland or me showing them the original emails (which Leland does not want done) as proof. Fortunately, after all the turmoil, Leland popped up on the forums at StarWars.com and confirmed that the novel is “some years” after the Treaty of Coruscant.

For those curious, yes, I did contact Leland directly about the “Rahm Kota saying cloning a Jedi isn’t possible” issue in relation to Elite Squadron before making any tweaks to the timing of Elite Squadron on the Star Wars Timeline Gold release for August 2010. You should consider that placement accurate, though he could not confirm whether Kota was telling the truth or lying to Starkiller in that scene.

And, yes, the “mini-rant” was actually scripted out ahead of time so I could keep it all straight and pithy.

Regarding Legacy: It really is my favorite Star Wars comic of all time, with Tales of the Jedi (at least the 4,000 BBY era stuff) comes in a close second. I made a note about how it is odd for them to end the series at #50, only to have to use a six-issue mini-series (War) to wrap it all up. Sue Rostoni confirmed to me via the StarWars.com forums that, yes, she believes that the reason War is a mini-series instead of just issues #51 – 56 is because of this new trend in Star Wars comics to return to numbered story arcs, rather than numbering for the full series. Another example of this is Invasion: Rescues starting with #1, when it is actually Invasion #6. An oddity, however, is The Old Republic, which recently launched. That series features Threat of Peace in #1 – 3, but its first issue of Blood of the Empire is #4, not BOTE #1.

Regarding the Membership Kit: I actually recorded this segment three times. The third time was the most pithy and efficient, if you can believe it. It still ended up being about half an hour long. I have, by the way, been a member of Hyperspace (minus that brief lapse when I didn’t realize I’d lost the subscription for about a month that I mention) since the first day it was available.

Regarding the letter(s) from Andrew Halliday: The issue of chemical/biological weapons is, in fact, something I teach, though not until near the end of the school year in World History.

I partly feel as though I should apologize for not wanting to include “just released,” “just announced,” or “coming this month” listings in episodes of the show, even though my reasons for not wanting to include them are sound. I suppose I should just allow my comments in the episode to speak for themselves.

I was tempted to include the letter mentioned very early in the show that prompted me to mention the SWT-G, but it made more sense only to refer to it, rather than to include it.

As for the next episode, we can only currently confirm that we’ll be covering the third and fourth volumes of Legacy. Beyond that, we have not yet discussed what we intend to cover for September. You can expect us to do some major coverage of The Force Unleashed II in the coming months, but I’m betting on November for that one, since we’ll need time to play through multiple versions of the game, while also reading the comic and novel adaptations thereof.

Thanks for listening to the 10th regular episode (and 14th overall episode) of The EU Review. We look forward to releasing our next few episodes, which include episodes of The Obscure Side and our next regular episode in September.

Let us know what you think of the episode: You can email the show at eureview@solosound.net or leave us a voicemail at (530) EUT-K421. Get it? “EU . . . TK-421?” Yeah, clever on the other guys’ part, not mine. Credit where due. The number otherwise is (530) 388-5421. We welcome your feedback and your iTunes reviews if so inclined.

Last week marked the release of the third episode of The EU Review’s side series, The Obscure Side.

The goal with this series is to focus on short reviews, which cover obscure Star Wars items that we might not otherwise cover in regular episodes of the show.  Since the release of the first episode, we have tweaked the concept a little bit. Rather than swapping hosts with each episode, The Obscure Side will be hosted entirely by Nathan (me), while Andrew is considering a different possible side series for the future.

The series continues this time with . . .

The EU Review: The Obscure Side #3

• Ewoks (comic series, Marvel Comics, Star Comics imprint)
  

I have little else to note other than what I said in the episode.  If you supplemented listening to the second episode of The Obscure Side, which featured the Droids comics from Marvel, by listening to my thoughts on the Droids cartoon on Republic Forces Radio Network, then I’d suggest keeping an eye out next summer. We are considering (though it may end up with out brains oozing out of our ears) creating a similar review series next summer to cover Ewoks, though its larger number of episodes makes that a bit up in the air right now.

This episode marks the second part of a three-part “cycle” within The Obscure Side. Having already looked at the Marvel (Star) Comics’ Droids series, we now check out the Ewoks series. The next episode will feature other Marvel reprints (particularly the original black and white, prestige format Classic Star Wars: A Long Time Ago). As previously mentioned (in the last show notes), the one after that is also already recorded, and it also attacks a topic with a three-part approach (though just in the one episode). In that case, the topic will be Star Wars manga reprints (cinemanga AKA photo comics, the manga film adaptations, and Tokyopop’s Star Wars Manga Black and Silver). Look for those in the coming months.

I would note that collecting the Ewoks comics is a lot more difficult than collecting the Droids comics. Droids had only eight issues, which you can often find in lots on Ebay, while Ewoks had fourteen issues, and it appears that the later issues in the series are much harder to find than the earlier ones. It is probably actually easier to collect the entire regular Marvel series (#1 – 107, Annual #1 – 3, and ROTJ #1 – 4) than it is to collect the fourteen issues of Ewoks. Expect to find yourself buying lots at least once or twice that have more comics than you actually need, as many issues only rarely show up on Ebay as single issues.

Let us know what you think of the episode: You can email the show at eureview@solosound.net or leave us a voicemail at (530) EUT-K421 (530-388-5421). We welcome your feedback and your iTunes reviews if so inclined.

As a kid, I loved The Transformers. Heck, I still do, at least in some of its many continuity forms. I have begun a retrospective viewing of most (though not all) of the Transformers cartoon series. We begin with the Unicron Trilogy.

In 2003, Cartoon Network premiered Transformers: Armada. Little did we know at the time that this was the first of three different cartoons that would technically (though not always easily) link together to form the so-called Unicron Trilogy. At the time, I only saw about half of Armada, but I have recently picked up both DVD sets for Armada (which are oddly called Season One, Part One and Season One, Part Two, as if there were ever a Season Two, technically). Having watched them all in a very short time, I thought I’d share my opinion on this series and the others I’ll eventually be rewatching.

Transformers: Armada (Actas, Inc.)

Originally produced for Japan as Micron Legend, the story of Transformers: Armada centers around a new continuity, where war between the Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron was exacerbated by the emergence of a third faction, the Mini-Cons, small Transformers (think “Micromasters”) who harness incredible power. The Mini-Cons can “power link” with other Transformers to increase their powers and abilities. Moreover, several Mini-Cons are able to combine with each other to create extremely powerful weapons: the Star Saber; the Skyboom Shield; and the Requiem Blaster. Eventually, the story coalesces into a battle with Unicron, during which the Transformers from all factions must either join together (into the “Armada” that the series is named after) or perish.

The series starts off rather slow, as early episodes often revolve around the activities of the Autobots three (later five) human allies (Rad, Alexis, and Carlos, and later Fred and Billy as well) or are episodes that simply focus on the first core group of characters (Optimus Prime, Hot Shot, and Red Alert for the Autobots and Megatron, Starscream, Demolisher, and Cyclonus for the Decepticons) each gaining a Mini-Con partner during their long search for the Mini-Cons scattered on Earth.

Eventually, the tale starts to shift focus from single Mini-Cons to the search for the trios that make up the Star Saber, Skyboom Shield, and Requiem Blaster, along with an arc following Starscream’s doubts about being a Decepticon. The latter arcs follow the death and return of Optimus Prime (much like in the original series), the return to Cybertron, and the battle against Unicron. In this way, it is much like a comic book series: small arcs create larger arcs. However, it is hard to tell at first.

Interestingly, this series has one of the smallest overall casts in terms of the number of Autobots and Decepticons featured. By the time the series ends, the Autobots include Optimus Prime (who can merge with his trailer to become Super Optimus), Hot Shot, Red Alert, Smokescreen (who becomes Hoist), Scavenger, Laserbeak, Jetfire (who can combine with Optimus into Jet Optimus), Side Swipe, Blurr, and the mindless (literally) combiner Overload (who combines with Optimus as well). The Decepticons include (overall) Megatron (who becomes Galvatron with a color scheme change), Starscream, Cyclonus, Demolisher, Thrust, Wheeljack, Tidal Wave, and Sideways. (Another character, Nemesis Prime, briefly appears.) There are also plenty of Mini-Cons, but most never speak other than R2-D2-esque beeps, and few are given much in the way of personality in the series, since they’re more the objects to be found and exploited or guarded, rather than characters given their own due.

While this small line-up may seem paltry compared to the series I grew up with (the original series), it is made a bit more interesting with certain characters having hidden allegiances to Unicron, one being a spy within the other side’s ranks when we first meet him, and two switching sides (one permanently, and one temporarily). Most interesting overall is probably Starscream’s arc.

From the standpoint of action and visuals, the series has a different feel from the original. Aside from being more obviously Japanese in visual style, the Transformers have a real sense of weight. It makes them much less nimble in battle, sometimes resorting to Sumo-esque grappling moves and simply standing amid a torrent of laser fire, trying to withstand it instead of dodging.

In terms of audio, the transformation sound is often somewhat similar to the classic sound, but the voices are hit or miss. Sometimes, they sound fitting (such as Optimus Prime, played by Garry Chalk, not Peter Cullen), but others are way too goofy-sounding at times (such as Cyclonus and Side Swipe). Carlos, one of the kids helping the Autobots, also speaks so stereotypically Latino that you have to wonder if it’s an accurate portrayal of such a character or an overblown stereotype fit for disdain.

The series also has some anime tropes that take some getting used to. There’s a lot of repetitive dialogue, staredowns with challenging dialogue, and scenes where characters, without anything else to say, express surprise (or agreement or anger or whatever) with phrases like “ah,” “oh,” “ungh,” and such. Again, that’s all stereotypical anime.

The biggest complaint I have with the series is its frequent continuity gaffes, mostly in terms of naming. When the series was localized for American audiences (and toy consumers), many character names were changed. For example, Optimus Prime was Convoy in Japan (as usual), Tidal Wave was Shockwave, Hot Shot was Hot Rod, etc. Unfortunately, the series often screws up and refers to characters by their Japanese names. Also, several Mini-Cons are referred to by incorrect names repeatedly, such as Sparkplug (Optimus Prime’s Mini-Con), who is often referred to as Leader 1 (Megatron’s Mini-Con). Of the three Mini-Cons who form Perceptor that are assigned to Rad, Alexis, and Carlos, two of them (Grindor and Sureshock) switch names partway through the series and keep their incorrect names in almost every appearance. It’s just plain sloppy.

The Verdict

Despite sloppy handling of character names, I have enjoyed watching all of Armada. I’m not sure if I will ever watch it all over again, and it helped that I was watching at 1.5 speed on my Playstation 3, so that the often somewhat slower portions of episodes weren’t quite as daunting. I’m also impressed that the entire series actually had one long storyline, even if it wasn’t obvious until about the last quarter of the 52-episode series.

Overall, I’m looking forward to seeing how the series continues after a ten year gap (referred to as twenty years in a flub in the very first episode) in the second of the Unicron Trilogy series, Transformers: Energon.

This week, Playstation Plus returns with its first update in two weeks with any major content, as per the new policy of bi-weekly updates.

First, let’s make sure to re-correct last week’s total. As part of a summer sale, Wakeboarding HD had been reduced in price from $14.99 to $7.49 temporarily. The game was already discounted for PS+ users to $11.99 for a $4.00 discount, but, in keeping with the new sale, it was then temporarily reduced to $5.99 (from $7.49, not $14.99 this time). That changed its discount from $4.00 to only $1.50, meaning we needed to briefly remove $2.50 from our running total of discounts and PS+ value. Now, the game has returned to its original pricing, so we can add that $2.50 back into the value of the discounts for PS+.

This week bring us . . .

Free Games

• Mini: Aero Racing (normally $2.99)

PSN Store Discounts

This week’s discounted games are:

• PixelJunk Racers: 2nd Lap for $5.24 (normally $6.99)
• High Velocity Bowling for $5.00 (normally $9.99)
• Uncharted: The Eye of Indra motion comic bundle for $1.25 (normally $2.49)

This week’s discounted add-on is:

• WipEout HD: Fury for $7.99 (normally $9.99)

One should note that users from the first month of PS+ likely have WipEout HD for free, so this would be an add-on that you would keep even without a subscription, but for a game that you might have already free yet that you would have to purchase separately if you still wanted to play after your subscription ends.

Themes and Avatars

This week features only one free theme and no avatars. The theme is:

• Nebula Tunnels (normally $1.49)

Video

The new video content this week includes:

• Qore: Episode 27 (normally $2.99)

Free Game Trial

This month’s 60 minute game trial is:

• Red Faction: Guerrilla ($19.99 if you choose to purchase after the trail ends)

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Subscription (15-Month) Totals

Free Games (active subscription required): $65.43 + $2.99 = $68.42

Free DLC: $30.91 + $0 = $30.91

Avatars and Themes: $16.87 + $1.49 = $18.36

Video: $2.99 + $2.99 = $5.98

Discounts: $54.88 + $2.50 (from sale end) + 9.98 = $67.36

Other: One-hour trials of InFamous and Red Faction: Guerrilla; limited trial for some users for Hulu Plus; one week of early demo play for Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days; option to purchase Super Street Fighter IV 35-avatar bundle.

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Total “Freebies” for Months 1 – 2: $123.67

Total Discounts for Months 1 – 2: $67.36

Total Value for Months 1 – 2: $191.03

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Final Impressions

This week added a bit more content, and it feels like waiting an extra week paid off in terms of the amount of content in this third (sorta second) week for this month. Honestly, Red Faction: Guerrilla is a rather odd choice for a free game trial, as just about anyone interested would have already played the demo released long ago or purchased the game for an amazingly low price just about anywhere. On the other hand, it was probably a good call to add WipEout HD: Fury to the discount list this time around, and I would have jumped on Uncharted: The Eye of Indra if I didn’t already have it. As it stands, I’m downloading the new episode of Qore and Aero Racers (to try it out).

A few days ago, I posted my retrospective thoughts on the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon series that was comprised of two seasons by Sunbow, two seasons by DiC, and G.I. Joe: The Movie (also by Sunbow) linking the two.

While I have not (and will not) bother with the two “only somewhat G.I. Joe” cartoon series (G.I. Joe Extreme and Sigma 6) in my retrospective viewing, I have taken the time to check out the three animated features that were produced in 2003, 2004, and 2009.

Spy Troops (Reel FX Creative Studios)

G.I. Joe returned with Spy Troops in 2003, twelve years after the end of the original series under its second production company, DiC. Two animated films, Spy Troops and Valor Versus Venom, were produced by Real FX Creative Studios in 2003 and 2004 to continue (albeit not all that obviously) the continuity of that original Sunbow/DiC series.

Both of these films are CG animation, rather than cel animation, and they have the definite feel of that era’s CG animated films. Character movements are over-exaggerated and textures are hit-or-miss. However, enough characters are masked in this tale that the “iffy” facial animations often found in animated films of this era do not distract from the presentation.

The story features mostly early Joes (Duke, Shipwreck, Scarlet, Snake-Eyes, Wild Bill, etc.) and Sunbow era Cobras (Cobra Commander, silver Destro, Dr. Mindbender, Baroness, etc.). Curiously, Storm Shadow is once again a Cobra in this series, having been with Cobra in the Sunbow series, then swapping to join the Joes as part of Ninja Force in the DiC series. The film is perhaps most notable for an extended battle between Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow, whereas Storm Shadow usually faced Quick Kick or Spirit in the Sunbow era of the original series and was later an ally of Snake-Eyes during the DiC era. It also helps the story’s credibility that it was written by Larry Hama, the man behind the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Marvel Comics series and its revival with IDW this year.

Obviously, this is yet another direct-to-video “let’s sell some toys” film, but it isn’t a bad tale. Granted, the new CG look takes some getting used to, but no more so than the rather large difference in animation quality between the Sunbow and DiC seasons of the original series. Story-wise, it is a far cry better than most of the DiC episodes, which is a nice change of pace.

Valor Versus Venom (Reel FX Creative Studios)

The second film from Reel FX Creative Studios, Valor Versus Venom, vaguely ties into Spy Troops and the original G.I. Joe cartoon continuity, while, some argue, setting the stage for Sigma 6. The film was written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, whom Star Wars fans may remember as the team behind the tales of the droid EV-9D9 and the duo of Lak Sivrak and Dice Ibegon in Tales from Jabba’s Palace and Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina.

The animation here feels a bit more refined than in Spy Troops, but it definitely screams Small Soldiers meets Toy Story, not G.I. Joe, per se. As it stands, everyone in the film needs some serious skin cream or something. They have the complexion of Viktor in Underworld most of the time.

Most of the characters from Spy Troops return, supplemented by Flint, more of Zartan, General Hawk, and a few others. As with some other series (but in contrast with the original cartoon that this supposedly ties into), G.I. Joe is considered a secret organization (or at least somewhat secret), rather than something publicly-acknowledged. (Remember: the President of the United States – a woman, by the way – held a public ceremony for G.I. Joe in the DiC series, and G.I. Joe often did outreach programs with kids in the DiC era.) I must also note that the story tries to drag in elements of the Devil’s Due G.I. Joe stories (now known as Disavowed) that were meant to continue from Marvel’s comic series . . . which in and of itself varied greatly from the cartoon, which makes inclusion of these elements even more odd.

As was the case repeatedly in the DiC seasons of the original series, General Hawk is once again target for kidnapping. Much like Cesspool’s sludge or the power of Dragonfire in the DiC stories, Cobra has a new powerful weapon (”Venomization”) that can create beastly warriors out of animals and/or humans.

From a design standpoint, while the animation feels more refined, the design, as I mentioned, seems odd in terms of skin textures and character models. While the Spy Troops design for Cobra Commander worked very well, given his hood, Valor Versus Venom returns Cobra Commander to his metal faceplate (as used alternatively with the hood in the Sunbow era). Destro also looked more menacing and true to the “metal faceplate” of his animated appearance in Spy Troops, whereas he just looks like he has metal skin in this incarnation, much more akin to a smoother version of how he appears at the end of the live-action Rise of Cobra.

From a story execution standpoint, even though this one is twice as long as Spy Troops, it did not feel like it benefited from that length. It almost felt as though Spy Troops and Valor Versus Venom were repeating the pattern of Sunbow and DiC seasons of the original series, with the better product coming first, then the worse product wrapping things up. That is not to say that it is bad, but I personally preferred the more bite-sized Spy Troops story.

Resolute (Adult Swim)

This 11-part series premiered in the U.S. on Adult Swim and was, appropriately, a more mature take on G.I. Joe, written by noted scribe Warren Ellis.

Oh, what a breath of fresh air this non-CG series turned out to be. The story is a reboot of G.I. Joe, which gives it the same sense of familiarity mixed with the unknown that IDW’s relatively new comic series maintains. It does tie a bit into the comics and cartoons, but it’s a mixed bag of references, meant to foster that sense of “unfamiliar familiarity.”

The presentation is much more mature here. The art is anime style, though not overly-stylized. The story is no-holds-barred action and drama. There’s nothing “cute” or “cartoony” here. This works both for and against it. It does give us a hardcore G.I. Joe story, but it also changes some of our most familiar characters into dark, growling versions of their former selves, especially Cobra Commander, who is deadly efficient (i.e. to make a point he wipes Moscow off the map in the first few minutes, and he threatens to gut traitors like fish). This also means that just about every voice sounds like every other voice to the point where it is almost impossible to distinguish between them. It is visually excellent but the audio is severely lacking in variety.

Overall, the characterizations are done well for an adult approach to the franchise, and this would have made a nice start to a new series, but a few refinements would have needed to be made to really make the vocal cast shine. (Oh, and the body count would have to have been lower, heh.) I would still say, though, that this is the best of these three video productions.

Today marks the release of the second episode of The EU Review’s side series, The Obscure Side.

The goal with this series is to focus on short reviews, which cover obscure Star Wars items that we might not otherwise cover in regular episodes of the show.  Since the release of the first episode, we have tweaked the concept a little bit. Rather than swapping hosts with each episode, The Obscure Side will be hosted entirely by Nathan (me), while Andrew is considering a different possible side series for the future.

The series continues this time with . . .

The EU Review: The Obscure Side #2

• Droids (comic series, Marvel Comics, Star Comics imprint)
  

I have little else to note other than what I said in the episode.  I would simply add that if you want to hear my thoughts on the Droids cartoon series, rather than the comics, you should check out the summer programming at Republic Forces Radio Network.

Also, this episode marks the beginning of a three-part “cycle” within The Obscure Side. The next episode will feature Marvel (Star) Comics’ Ewoks series, then the following episode will feature other Marvel reprints (particularly the original black and white, prestige format Classic Star Wars: A Long Time Ago). The one after that is also already recorded, and it also attacks a topic with a three-part approach (though just in the one episode). In that case, the topic will be Star Wars manga reprints (cinemanga AKA photo comics, the manga film adaptations, and Tokyopop’s Star Wars Manga Black and Silver). Look for those in the coming months.

Let us know what you think of the episode: You can email the show at eureview@solosound.net or leave us a voicemail at (530) EUT-K421 (530-388-5421). We welcome your feedback and your iTunes reviews if so inclined.