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Going digital for Avengers Age of Ultron

13/9/2015

 
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Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron..Ultron (voiced by James Spader)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2015
As I've aged I have become increasingly disenfranchised from the cinema. The generally overpriced sweets (£3 for a share bag of M&M's, come on that's a 200% mark-up from retail), the noise from other cinema goers and the excessive base that seems to be prevalent in all sound systems. These are just a few of the old man moans that I can now level at an activity I used to love.

Anyway earlier this year I ignored my usual displeasure and together with a host of other BC team members popped to Bluewater on opening day to see Avengers Age of Ultron. Honestly after the film I was underwhelmed but decided that I would buy the film, one to keep my Marvel film collection up to date and two so I could reassess the film in the more comfortable surroundings of my house. 

Now though there is the choice of which format to choose. In recent times I have opted for digital purchases due to a lack of discs and the convenience of digital titles. The fact I can watch on phone, pc, tablet or Chromecast makes buying from Google Play a no brainer in my opinion. I'm sure if I was an iOS user iTunes would be my preferred option but as I'm not it isn't. 
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Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron..L to R: Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2015
The great thing about getting a digital product was the fact the film was released a week early. The price of £9.99 for SD and £13.99 for HD was acceptable. I plugged for the HD version and got to watching. I watched the film on all my devices but the syncing was first class and jumping between 3 devices during one viewing left me with no issues. There is also the nice touch of pausing a scene and getting the actors names on screen. This almost eliminates the where is she from? Conversation that generally goes on after nearly every film.

There is of course a downside to digital; you don't actually ever have the product in your hand. What would happen if Google went bust? Would this copy of the film be mine or would my money would be wasted. These are questions I do not know the answers to but I'm sure if Google collapsed I would be worried about more than just my film collection. You can always download your purchases but that eliminates the multiple device flexibility. The other issue is the lack of features, there is no obligatory blooper roll, deleted scenes or audio commentary that will appear in the physical versions. This to me is not a worry but I'm sure some film fans will set this as a major reason to avoid this version.

All in all I'm very happy with the purchase, I will happily go to the cinema to see the occasional film but I have become accustomed to my choice of digital viewing. Now it's just time to watch it again and start my review.

Sizing up the Ant-Man Table from @zen_studios

15/7/2015

 
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A year or two ago most people would have looked at this table and "thought who is that?" 
Admittedly the vast majority will still think in this way, but after this week with the new addition to the Marvel Cinematic universe those questions should be answered. This gives this table a very handy increase in public awareness and shows that synchronous releases are a ingenious step fro Zen.

So far I have put a decent amount of time into the table (though this number will rise considerably in the coming weeks) and its fair to say it is a fun ride as you would expect. It feels very reminiscent of the Darth Vader table in terms of aesthetic though it plays faster and has some great bonus missions. My particular favourite is the Particle Ball that acts like a pendulum to give you bonus points every time you hit, the real joy of it hough is when it releases to start a multiball. The trick with it is to make sure you return it home for a nice score bonus when you are done. 
My one concern is the underfoot bonus mission, as is common now you get to play a smaller secondary table but with my table perspective (view 4) it feels unplayable. Now maybe this is just my ineptitude but I will keep playing to find out.

Overall this is a nice addition to the Zen Pinball Roster and should be getting some rather high scores in the coming weeks I'm sure.

Screenshots.

Release details

Zen Studios
Digital Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam, Mac, iOS, Google Play, Amazon
Release: July 14 – 16, 2015

The Backwards Compatible Random Chat Podcast; Episode 17; Marvel Unlimited Reading List, Deadpool Killustrated and Magneto

5/3/2015

 
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In the vast comic filled chasm that is Marvel Unlimited it can be easy to miss out on reading a few gems. In these shows Paul will pick out a few of his favourites at the time in the hopes you can gain some extra value from your subscription.

This week we look at two Cullen Bunn stories Magneto and Deadpool Killustrated.

As always thank you for listening and speak to you next week.

Download the Podcast here

Paul's Top Four Rick Remender Reads of 2014

29/12/2014

 
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Low

If there is a book in this list that I wish I had spent more time with it's Low. Coming out from Image at a time that was packed full of great books I let it slip in my to read pile after the first issue. With the trade due in early 2015 my plan is to hold fire and then get caught up properly at that time.The reason it still makes the list is the intriguing pre apocalypse storyline mixed with some wonderful art (by Greg Tocchini). 
The underwater setting was extremely well crafted and I am looking forward to doing my toe back in when the trade drops.

Winter Soldier; The Bitter March

I picked this up in trade (it's also on Marvel Unlimited) earlier in the year. It's a classic spy story set in 1966 (sadly it has no football references). The story follows Shields Agent Shen who is tagged with the recovery of two scientists who are attempting to escape to the US. Suffice to say craziness soon ensues and this feels like a James Bondesque romp compete with the infamous Winter Soldier for some added spice to the Goulash. 
Be warned though if you read this series the identity of the Winter Soldier is revealed and will spoil the twist of the second Captain America Film. I know this because this is how I found out.
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Deadly Class

This is probably one of the most personal series out there. At the end of the first issue Remender literally pours his soul in to an essay explaining the background to which the story is set. 
Reading this did give the story an extra level of depth but even without it this is a great series. 
The hook of the series comes from Marcus with his rather traumatic past and his integration in to rather a unique teaching establishment. The real keeper though is the extended cast of students who are seemingly giving this series the legs it needs to be a long running read.

Black Science

Not to spoil too much but this book will be appearing in more than one run down this year. 
There is quite rightly a huge amount of noise being made about Matteo Scalera's art but the art is only one part in my opinion with the charges that Remender has created this series around. The Anarchic League of Scientists are an outstandingly quirky bunch and there inter relationships make for essential reading. Of course the far flung world's are tonnes of fun but this book shows again Remender is a master creator of compelling characters.
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For more of my top lists of 2014 click here
& for the rest of the teams musings click here

Paul's Top Guardians of the Galaxy

27/12/2014

 
For many movie goers this year one film stood head and shoulders above the rest, Guardians of the Galaxy was a fun filled roller coaster of an experience with a great deal of charm and more laugh out loud moments then the majority of comedies out there.

Below though is my list of my favourite characters in order starting with....
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Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy..L to R: Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2014

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Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy..Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2014

5. Drax

Although played wonderfully well by Dave Bautista, the literal destroyer felt somewhat underused in this first outing. 
When called upon his timing seemed spot on and there is no doubting he brings a physical presence to the team but I really wish he had more screen time to flex his muscles.

Gamora

Although Zoe Saldana played the beautiful assassin brilliantly I had issues with the choreography of her fight scenes. They felt a little sped up at times, this could be just because it is very hard to portray a enhanced killer. Unfortunately these did bug me but her acting was great and so she steals ahead of Drax by a nose.
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Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy..Gamora (Zoe Saldana)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2014
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Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy..Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2014

Star-Lord

Chris Pratt did such a great job in portraying Peter Quill that he is now seemingly influencing the comic portrayal of Star Lord. This is obviously a lot to do with the writers/ Wardrobe designers/directors and many more people but the way Pratt sells the character was the icing on the cake. Unfortunately for him he came up against two of the best digitised characters in movie history and so places third.

Rocket

Before watching the film I was sure Rocket would be number 1 on the list. The trailer which showed him all guns blazing in the Kyln, along with what I had heard of Bradley Cooper's voice made me fall in love with the wise cracking Raccoon.
In the end though he was beaten by the better man/tree.
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Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy..Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2014
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Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy..Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel 2014

Groot


I AM GROOT


For more of my top lists of 2014 click here
& for the rest of the teams musings click here

Why a Ms. Marvel TV show is something that needs to happen.

19/10/2014

0 Comments

 
By Paul Fiander
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Cover Artist: Sara Pichelli
Marvel have a host of TV shows in the works but most of these are aimed at a older audience this is balanced with the Disney XD cartons that are able to appeal to the younger watcher (as well as the young at heart). There does however seem an opportunity for a TV show based around Kamala Khan. For those not in the know she is a teenage girl from Brooklyn with a love of all things superheroic and even likes to write fan fiction, she is also Marvel’s first Muslim character to headline their own book. This mix would seemingly make her an appealing character to a teenage market who are beginning to find their own way in the world, her difficulties are exaggerated but ultimately relatable.

Now thanks to Disney’s acquisition of Marvel there is even a perfect channel format for the show to go out on. The Disney channel is well known for its live shows and a teenage superhero should be able to fit in nicely with their programming. Using Kamala this way instead of keeping her for the movies would hopefully give those too young to see the movies something of their own to follow. It would feel like a stronger message if the show is based within the teenager’s life with the adults being the outsiders a reverse of the usual roles within adult focused movies.

From a business standpoint the introduction of a character to an underrepresented teenage market would hopefully widen the appeal of Marvel and open up the opportunity to bring new readers in. At the same time it will also show the diversity of comics and hopefully give the medium a much needed shot in the arm.

Opinions above are my own and may not represent the views of the site as a whole.

0 Comments
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    What this is

    The random chat is changing a little to be just as the title says. This is going to function as my place to chat about things that can come from anywhere, from TV to films to Sport to gaming. Most things are up for discussion even though I will avoid the key no no's like Religion, Politics and Macro Economics (Micro economics of the gaming/comics world though is still fair game) and of course the biggie whether the Spice Girls were the greatest musical group of all time or not. I hope to bring a taste of something different in these posts and please feel free to comment where you see fit.

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