Tag / News

by WetheGeek

Ry starts a War

RytheGeek has started a blog. It’s about all of life through a geek’s Eyes. Be sure to check it out. Here is his most recent post.

From: https://lifethroughageekseyes.wordpress.com/

Entry 004

Stardate 96458.13

I’m starting a new crusade.

No I’m not taking back a holy land or murdering thousands of innocent people. But it is a religious war of sorts.

I want to stop subscription services from ripping us off!

Why?

It seems really obvious to me. Each subscription service charges around $10 a month for media. Initially that doesn’t seem like a lot. But it adds up pretty quickly. I have three services currently. I pay for Netflix, Spotify, and Rooster Teeth First (technically I get Hulu for free since my girlfriend has Sprint [not an ad]). All together that’s around $325 per year.

Rooster Teeth is by far the best deal. I pay $35 a year for their services. Rooster Teeth is a YouTube and video company that makes content for people of all demographics. They have multiple channels that produce daily content. I spend less then $3 a month to watch all that content! Do you realize how nice that is?

Netflix alone costs around $11 per month. But I’ll give them credit for how much content (like Marvel’s Defenders) they produce. They make enough binge worthy shows to keep me satisfied.

What you’re hearing is that I’m happy with my current subscriptions? In a word? Yes.

But there is a storm rising.

DC comics has already created a service that is its own subscription service called “DC Universe” (1). Disney has reported that they are not far behind and it should be up and running late 2019 (2). Those are just the biggest giants that irritate me. There are probably others who want to follow in the steps of Netflix and Hulu.

Well stop.

People are not going to pay for these services. I see no reason to give $10 to subscriptions that should be on Netflix. Disney already has a deal with Netflix and it has worked out fine for the viewers.

In 2018 Netflix had a 11% spike in traffic (3). They made millions and continue to make a profit. I understand the desire of Disney and DC to tap into this money machine but it’s going to work. Netflix succeeded because of how few streaming services exist. I can go watch How to make a Murder right after I watch Beauty and the Beast. If I have a straight DC or Disney platform I’m going to miss out on lots of content. Keeping one or two subscriptions is easy. But this isn’t magazine sales, this is digital media.

I’ve been writing this for a week and Disney finally announced Disney+ in that time. Even with the confirmation of two Star Wars live action shows (which definitely shouldn’t happen) and the announcement of a live action Loki show, I’m far from sold.

Everything Disney is trying to do with Disney+ seems like it should be on Netflix. They have had six different live action MCU shows on Netflix (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Defenders, Dare Devil, and Punisher). With the exception of Iron Fist, the shows were amazing.

I’m tired of the corporate cash grabs. That’s all this is. One way for Disney and DC to make an extra buck.

Please don’t continue down this path media industry.

I’ll see you geeks and nerds later!

-RytheGeek

#blog #wethegeek #geek #nerd #netflix #hulu #marvel #DCComics #Disney #Disney+ #rythegeek

————————————————

RytheGeek is a content creator for @wethegeek and writes weekly articles

Sources:

1: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/6/28/17512226/dc-universe-subscription-service-batman-superman-harley-quinn-launch-date

2: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/547220001

3: https://www.investors.com/news/technology/click/netflix-stock-rise-price-targets/

by WetheGeek

Cowboys ride again

The third installment in the ​Red Dead​ series dropped on October 26th and gamers everywhere were freaking out, including me. For those who aren’t familiar with this title, the original ​Red Dead Redemption​ was released in 2010 by Rockstar Games and is the second in the series following ​Red Dead Revolver ​from 2004. This series overall is a Western-themed, open-world, action-adventure with an easy-to-follow story that lets you live your dream of being a cowboy/outlaw in the late 1800s to early 1900s. To be honest, it’s ​Grand Theft Auto​ with horses.

The premise for ​Red Dead Redemption 2​ is similar to the previous titles, in that you play as an outlaw trying to choose between the gang and himself, killing as many (or as few) people as it takes to achieve mental clarity for your character. ​Redemption 2​ plants the protagonist, Arthur Morgan, right in the middle of Dutch Van der Linde’s outlaw gang, which was the same group John Marston left and was tasked with taking down in ​Red Dead Redemption​. Due to the presence of Marston as an active member of Van der Linde’s gang, ​Redemption 2​ is actually a prequel and not a sequel, as the number “2” would imply. Enough about the story, let’s get into the mechanics.

I’ve been playing every day since the release, and I can safely say that this game is outstanding. The graphics are phenomenal and the environment is beautiful. Not many games can pull off different climates and weather fronts well, but wow, these developers put forth some intense time and effort to perfect the environment. Not only is the setting majestic, it is more than deadly. Your character and horse will take damage if you get caught in extreme weather which makes it even more immersive. It takes the ease of traversing an open world and makes the player have to think about how they proceed in the environment, which increases the challenge. The weapon wheel, inventory menu, and pause menus are easy to navigate and separate every aspect of your character’s needs appropriately. Another mechanic Rockstar does well in all their games is assisted targeting. I will admit that I am terrible at aiming in-game weapons with my console controller, so I rely heavily on assisted targeting when provided to me. ​Redemption 2​ delivers four assisted targeting options for a wide spectrum of gameplay options.

All in all, ​Red Dead Redemption 2​ has lived up to the majority of the hype. It was a long-awaited addition to the ​Red Dead​ franchise that will become a classic, as did the previous two titles. I give this title an 8 out of 10 rating, taking the lack of fast travel into account. Unfortunately, this is as close as we will come to Westworld…for now.

-KatTheLadyNerd

#wethegeek #reddeadredemption2 #reddeadredemption #reddeadrevolver #geek #nerd #game #videogame #gamer #gamergirl #rockstargames #grandtheftauto #western #adventure #action #reddead #openworld #shooter #wildwest #westworld #hbo #kattheladynerd #videogames #gamernerd #gamergeek #casualgamer

by WetheGeek

Block by Block

So today we break old ground. Not new ground, that would be out of character. No, today we discuss a game that most are quite familiar with: Minecraft.

The result of me saying the name of the independently made voxel-based crafting and survival game will elicit either a quiet smile, or a shaken head. Or, as normal people put it, you either hated that name, or loved it.

Either way, Minecraft is still a game that should be talked about. Many feel like it needs to disappear, the game having been released in “full” in 2011. However, the game grew year after year, and very much is still thriving with an astounding 74 million estimated active players (1). This is especially true since the Microsoft purchase of the game. The purchase itself was even hotly contested, encouraging Microsoft to simply let the team there do what they needed to, and just providing funding (at least as far as we can tell). Since then, there have been many updates to the game, and multiple console releases. Playstation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and Mobile devices now all have a version of the game, and in PC’s case, 2 (3 if you count the raspberry pi edition). With the move to consoles, Mojang, the developers of Minecraft pushed an idea: true cross-platform. Now, one of the first (if not THE first) games to be truly cross-platform with all current consoles and similar devices stands tall (if quietly), at the second-best selling game of all time (1), right behind Tetris.

Alongside the main game, there were many mods, modpack launchers, YouTubers, and spinoff games that pushed it to new popularity, and still do to this day.

Recently announced was a Minecraft dungeon-crawler, which looks to take inspiration from the community, and from games like Diablo, and promises to be interesting at the very least. I await it’s release, and will definitely talk more about it once it comes out.

Until then, as a longtime fan of the game, this is Incensum saying: “Thanks Mojang, for the [redacted] hours of pure entertainment.” And thank you, for reading.

-Incensum

#Incensum #WeTheGeek #Minecraft

(1) according to Wikipedia and PCGamer (2018) https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-had-74-million-active-players-in-december-a-new-record-for-the-game/

by WetheGeek

Streaming Wars

With the announcement that Marvel (and Disney) have pulled Luke Cage from Netflix one has to ask, what are they thinking? Iron Fist was canceled because it was pretty bad. Luke Cage on the other hand was well received by fans and critics. What could Disney’s motivation be for doing this?

Money.

It’s not because they are broke or having problems by any means. No. They want to join the streaming wars. There has been rumors floating around that Disney is making its own streaming app. The biggest scare came out last year when Disney dropped its app that had every Disney movie, to buy. But that was quickly abandoned by fans because Netflix still carries most movies.

But Disney and DC Comics are hoping to change that. They are just the latest in a long line trying to make a streaming service. Netflix continues to make a profit and this hasn’t gone unnoticed. Other media companies are considering what DC and Disney are trying.

This is all going to fail. For a while before Netflix and Hulu people would pirate all the shows they wanted. Then things started getting carried by the two streamers. For a while piracy rates went down. But not for long. With the rise of “premium content” that you have to pay for fans are going to find other ways to watch the content. Illegally.

Disney and DC need to rethink their ideas before it’s too late.

-RytheGeek

#Disney #DCComics #Netflix #Hulu #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

Aquaman worth all the waves?

Aquaman

…I guess I should finally talk about the newest trailer. I mean it did happen…

If you can’t tell I’m not terribly excited for this movie. I have about as much hope for it as I did for Venom, which wasn’t a whole lot. DC has been disappointing me a lot lately. They have issues with the comics, poor management of their new shows, misuse of current properties, not to mention the 80% failure rate of the DCEU movies.

I’ve tried to like the DCEU. I really have. Granted I though Man of Steel was at best a 5/10. But Batman v Superman was a 6/10 and Suicide Squad was another 6/10. Wonder Woman was fantastic. I bought it immediately when it came out. It’s an easy 9-9.5/10. But when I walked out of Justice League I had to apologize to my girlfriend. That was the first superhero movie she had ever seen and it was maybe a 6.5-7.

You can always say I’m just a Marvel fanboy who doesn’t know anything. That’s one excuse you can tell yourself. But you’re wrong. I do enjoy Marvel yes. But it’s also incredibly hard to argue against the quality and success of Thor Ragnorok, Black Panther, and Infinity War. Those three hit the MCU out of the park. I admit Marvel has had some bombs like Iron Man 2 and 3, Thor 1 and 2, Age of Ultron and a few others. But Marvel also made giants that put all others to shame.

I should stop myself. This isn’t why the MCU makes better movies. It’s Aquaman.

I mostly ranted because Mark Millar (wrote comics for both DC and Marvel) posted on Twitter “Aquaman trailer just made modern Marvel look like 70s TV Marvel, chums,” Millar wrote in a tweet. “The green gauntlet has been slapped down and DC back in the game. A 5 min trailer so damn audacious, [James Wan], you damn genius!”

I don’t agree.

The DCEU has time and time again shown trailers and cut anything the fans were excited about. Both Justice League and Suicide Squad suffered that fate.

But putting all that aside let’s talk about the trailer. I do think it spoiled too much being five minutes. Here is my plot prediction:

**Spoilers?**

Mera comes to Aquaman needing help. Orm, Aquas half brother is planning to take the throne of Atlantis. But to be king Orm needs the kings trident. So the married couple to be go in search of it. Along the way they are tracked by Black Manta and almost killed. Black Manta was hired by Orm to kill the duo and steal the trident. Manta fails and Aqua gets the trident. He is proven the “true heir”, dons the King Armor, and leads the armies of Atlantis against Orm and his dark demons. Orm turns out to be being controlled by some dark force Aqua has to fight. The final boss fight is poorly lit and the villain is grayish black making him hard to see. Aquaman wins and the movie is over.

Even with all the predictability there are some distinct moments worth mentioning.

Black Manta. He is the sole reason I want to see this movie. He looks absolutely amazing. I’m so ready for him to be on the big screen. As a villain I’ve always found him fascinating.

The King Armor. It’s a call back to the classic orange and green suit. It looks fantastic.

Summary? DC better be bringing something new because I’m very bored with them.

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

DC you’re a disappointment

I’m going to continue the DC news.

I’m disappointed. DC you’ve done it again! Messed something up cause you’re a bunch of corporate twits that suck and have no decency to make decent content.

They are releasing the Teen Titans live action show on Netflix everywhere

…except the US…

I can’t express my anger at this. Now I’m officially not buying their service strictly because they are doing this. I may have to find… other ways… of watching the show.

DC you screwed up

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

The Disney Takeover

The Disney Takeover…⠀
⠀
I haven’t really talked about the Disney Fox merger. In all honesty I’ve kinda avoided it. I have extremely mixed feelings about the take over. Most of you probably don’t even care. It doesn’t really mess with your life so why worry? Well you should. ⠀
⠀
Let’s take a look to see what Disney just acquired from Fox. ⠀
⠀
1. Disney now has the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool ⠀
2. Disney gets distribution rights to Star Wars Episode IV⠀
3. Disney now owns Planet if the Apes, Avatar (Blue people), I’ve Age, Home Alone, Doctor Doolittle, and Alvin and the Chipmunks ⠀
4. Disney now owns all Fox Sports networks. That includes everything from hockey to Nascar⠀
5. Disney now owns Sky which is a large European media company ⠀
6. National Geographic. Yeah. That too. ⠀
⠀
That’s… that’s a lot of properties. It was more then just a movie deal. It was the rights to a huge chunk of entertainment world wide. ⠀
⠀
So why does this matter?⠀
⠀
Disney has always been a giant. They own ABC and ESPN. Not to mention Pixar and all the parks they have around the world. In some ways this is great. The MCU can expand and I can go watch all my favorite heroes for the next twenty years. On the other hand this is a catastrophe because Disney is dancing the line between monopoly and normal business. Only time will tell the repercussions that will happen. ⠀
⠀
-RytheGeek ⠀
⠀
Sources: https://buff.ly/2NHaeqG ⠀

by WetheGeek

The Wizarding World Returns

So we’re slightly late to the party but that final trailer for the next fantastic beasts movie was full on amazing. ⠀
We got some stuff confirmed to us (like the woman from the original photo being Nagini is official). In retrospect we should have pretty much all just assumed the fact that snakes in the Harry Potter cannon are solely associated with at least the slytherin house, if not are totally evil. ⠀
What was probably the best part of the trailer for me was the fact that Jude Law made my little Harry Potter heart pitter patter. It was so cool to see the traits and quotes of the wizard we looked up to in the series be portrayed in this film as well. He has really mastered the Dumbledore charm and mystery and it is clear that he did his homework. For no other reason than him and my lovely newt will I see this film. ⠀
⠀
I know for me at least it’s going to be one talked about for awhile. ⠀
⠀
—Luna ⠀

by WetheGeek

Dark Phoenix just another bomb?

Dark Phoenix is here. ⠀
⠀
In a surprising turn of events Dark Phoenix is being released next year and we get the first trailer drop today. In all honesty I’m shocked the movie is still coming out. ⠀
⠀
Dark Phoenix is the next in a long line of mediocre X-men films. The first was released in 2000 simply titled X-Men. X2 was released in 2003, X-Men Last Stand in 2006, X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, X-Men First Class in 2011, X-Men Days of Futures Past in 2014 and X-Men Apocalypse in 2016. All of those being said I’m not listing the other two X-Men franchises Wolverine and Deadpool because they aren’t actually half bad. ⠀
⠀
But I digress, without getting stuck in the most messed up timeline in a movie franchise (even including Fast and Furious) this is the fourth part in a series following a bunch of superhuman teens who all go to the same school. It’s super complicated but you get the idea. ⠀
⠀
As I said before I’m surprised this is happening. It shocks me that Fox can still put this out. Fox has recently sold a lot of its movie rights to Disney. There is an article coming out tomorrow if you want to know more about the merger. But it seems this movie is coming out. Now we wait to see if this will be an amazing Marvel film or another X-Men joke. ⠀
⠀
-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

Suing Telltale

After our report yesterday on Telltale Games a new report has come out saying there is a lawsuit underway. Polygon.com reported on Reddit that a former employee, Vernie Roberts, is suing his former employer in a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit says that Telltale broke California state law by not giving employees advance notice of the closing and firing of some 250 people. To make matters worse rumors are coming out that Telltale did not give any severance and their medical insurance will only last the rest of September. ⠀
⠀
It seems that Telltale is in deeper trouble then just closing its doors. The staff here at WetheGeek will keep you updated as news arrives. ⠀
⠀
-RytheGeek ⠀