Vorahk1Panrahk2

1. I really like real time strategy games, first person shooters, and puzzle games. No real personal favorite- the only requirement I have to answer the question "is this game good" is "am I having fun?" 2. For strategy games, Age of Empires 2. In addition to being (somewhat) educational I think the series offers enough diversity amongst it's entries, maps, and armies to keep things interesting. For the second, Battlefield 1942. Games are simple, to the point, and don't take too long. Having so many adjustment controls makes it easy to tweak the game per your liking as well. 3. PONG. A better game has never been made. 4. The Age of Empires expansion. I don't remember what it's called but it added Aztecs so it wins automatically. 5. NA. Never played games with DLC (downloadable content, right?) 6. I really did not like the 2004 BIONICLE game for Gameboy. 7. None, unless we get another Age of Empires or Battlefield 1942 expansion... neither of which is happening, I assume. 8. Okoto Online Game or don't even bother. 9. Another shout out to Age of Empires 2 here... not that I've really played anything else with more memorable music. 10. The fact that I get more SPAM calls than anything else. I'd almost rather not even have a phone.

Tahu wouldn't even need his fire. He'd just use his foot.

Smaug must have been sick the day they shot the climax for Desolation, so they hired this guy as a stand in. At least, that's the best explanation I can come up with for that awkward dwarf chasing.

Pretty much this. The dialogue is just too out of place. : / I haven't played any of the TT games since LEGO Star Wars 2 so I imagine I won't be giving this one a spin either, but either way I hope it's enjoyable for those who will.

For what it's worth, "in line with your recent interest in clowns" was not meant to be a name suggestion. I mean, unless you want it to be.

In line with your recent interest in clowns: Crazy Clown College

Probably Adventures. They weren't among my first sets, but they are probably the first group of sets that I consider some of my favorites. I hope that LEGO gives us a return to an Adventure based theme... and that it lasts longer than Pharaoh's Quest.

Well if we're being honest here the date is actually 3-14-2015... we're 2000 years late for proper year matching. Not that it matters though because I'll take any excuse to celebrate pi by eating pie.

We're clowns We don't frown And we like to run around We get down Go to town And we make an awesome sound We're clowns And we're gonna come unwound You're welcome.

Oh cool- where was that mentioned? I don't recall seeing it on any of the spider bios on bionicle.com.

I'm still wondering who/what the Lord of the Skull Spiders were, as well as the regular Skull Spiders. Rahi? Creation from Makuta? I hope we get an answer eventually. I realize that sounds a little off topic, but with you talking about Okoto Rahi it got me realizing that the island's non Protector wildlife hasn't really been discussed... and wondering if the Skull Spiders are native fauna or not.

I almost devoted this entry to the news that Frozen 2 was announced and my thoughts on it... but Tomorrowland is coning out soon and it looks awesome. And I've had this in my 'blog drafts' document for a while now and it should have been posted weeks ago. Anyway, Tomorrowland. Movie trailers have always had issues, but the one that nags at me most is the one where trailers show way too much. Even teasers can have an obnoxious tendency to tell you the whole movie (see: Prometheus). What I love about the trailer for Tomorrowland, and what makes it look really exciting, is that it barely shows you anything. From the teaser we know we have a (probably troubled) female protagonist who is able to be whisked away to a unique setting where “nothing is impossible” and people “have the power to actually change the world.” That’s it. There’s no real plot or story revealed. We don’t even see this fabled ‘Tomorrowland’ beyond a one second glimpse at the end. It’s rare to go into a movie knowing so little about it, and that’s the whole reason I’m excited for it. Now the first trailer for the film is simply a teaser, and the trailers that have been released since have probably spilled more story. But I haven't watched them. For once I want to go into a movie knowing almost nothing. The intriguing mystery isn't the only good thing Tomorrowland has going for it, it's also directed by Brad Bird. This guy gave us The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille so he’s proven that he knows how to craft a story with great characters and a lot of heart. He also directed Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol so he knows his way around live action spectacle as well. I have no idea whether this will lean more toward his Pixar work or MI 4, but I’m hoping it will end up being a combination of the two. And while his writer Damon Lindelof has a slightly, uh, lesser reputation, I’ve enjoyed enough his work (including the aforementioned Prometheus) enough that I won’t write the project off simply because he’s attached to it. And if that wasn’t enough, it stars George Clooney and Hugh Laurie. I mean come on.

As first I thought you made it blue because the only Collectible Minifig mermaid I knew was this one. And then I found this one. I mean, I can dig the blue look. Not sure that's Emma's thing, though.

And we all know what comes next: The Oscar nomination. No, seriously, congratulations! I look forward to seeing it one day!

I have no idea why but the figure on the far right (Emma) reminds me of Leslie from Parks and Recreation. Maybe it's the hair color. Also, on your last point...you say that like people getting trapped in hats isn't something that happens here. In fact, just the other day I had to drag my idiotic friend out of a fedora he trapped himself in. Used ram's blood and everything. Do your research!

Taurus is Tuma? I'd prefer if it were the Mukau, but okay. (I'm a Taurus Mukau Tuma.)

Yeah this doesn't bother me. You bring up Ying/Yang, which is cool, but isn't a philosophy BIONICLE ever tried to adhere to (or at least I can't recall any instances) so it's moot. It's also a toyline meant for kids, and having distinct good and evil is easier to understand than morally ambiguous characters. And since darkness is strange and scary and light is warm and comforting, it seemed like the obvious thing to do. Star Wars does this as well, where bringing balance to the force means wiping out all Sith. It's not a wrong convention, just a different way of thinking about it.

I actually do not have any knowledge of the movement to make kinetics an element. Personally I was always most fond of just the original six elements. Add ons like gravity and electricity are fine because they're still easy to understand, but throw in plasma and psionics and you have at least one very confused kid. Light and shadow are fine. Earth and stone are pretty redundant to me, though I suppose Onua, as a Toa of Earth, could have control over earth movements like earthquakes, control landslides, make volcanoes erupt, etc., while Pohatu as a Toa of stone can control rocks, and the things that come from rocks like sand and some soils.

Well there's your problem! Unless you mean negative reviews rather than poorly written ones. In which case... just ignore them. Not everyone is going to have the same tastes, but most importantly you don't need anyone's validation in order to enjoy your movie. Once you realize that, it actaully becomes kind of interesting to read negative reviews of films you like. If you can read those criticisms and argue against them (mentally or with an actual person) then it just enhances your appreciation for the movie. Also, every movie is flawed, and it's better to understand those flaws rather than pretend they don't exist. I even wrote a whole blog post detailing the issues I have with one of my favorite movies, though I never ended up posting it. And so this post ends up being on topic, I rewatched Big Hero 6 the other day and found that I enjoyed it much more. I still stand by some of my criticisms, mainly the one that the supporting characters could have been utilized more. I know the focus was supposed to be on Hiro and Baymax, but I don't think the film would have lost anything by giving the other four more screen time and dialogue. I did see, however, that the film's themes of dealing with grief ran a little deeper than I thought, and it did feel slightly different than some comic book adaptions. Even so, the film blatantly embracing now tired comic book tropes did it no favors, and the fact that Fred called out those tropes at least twice only made it more grating. But despite that I liked it. I'd happily watch it again.

I tried to download the app, but given that my phone is a few years outdated most modern apps require newer software I can't install on my phone. This one was no exception. Doesn't sound like I'm missing much, though, assuming the "extra info" is just stuff that's already found on the website or in any of the promotional materials.

I never really liked applying stickers, and generally haven't applied any since about 2002. Although there have been a few exceptions: the T1-Typhoon, the 2005 Droid Tri-fighter, 7623 Temple Escape, and (some of) 7627 Temple of the Crystal Skull. Why I applied those stickers I have absolutely no idea. But you know, I do think they look better with them, even if the Typhoon's '!' sticker on the green round 2x2 keeps peeling. So basically I have a whole container filled with sticker sheets that have gone unapplied. I primarily display my sets rather than build my own creations, so really there's no reason why I shouldn't. I guess I'm just really scared that I'll put them on crooked and they'll forever look weird, even though that has only yet happened to one piece in Temple Escape. I'm not really the best at applying sticky things...

No arguments there! Incidentally, there's been a minor update to the LEGO Elves site. The "Meet the Characters" and "Explore Elvendale" features on the front page are now working (previously, the headers were there, but not the content). There are some very interesting pictures and info to be seen there! Also, who else has played the mobile app? It's not very story-intensive, but I definitely found it fun (nice to have a less action-oriented LEGO game), and it's got beautiful graphics. Both of those were working for me at the initial launch, but only intermittently. Anyone think we'll be seeing more of the desert lands next year, assuming the line continues? Judging from what clips we've seen so far (and set designs) it doesn't seem like any deserts feature this year, so it seems like a strange thing to add.

In fairness, they scene was added after the story was split into three movies. It didn't allow Jackson to do anything except give his film a climax. Or maybe that's what you meant but the wording was strange. But that's neither here nor there- I'm not sure if film accuracy is something that licensed sets should be judged by. Still it's good that it was reviewed positively in spite of some initial negative reaction from the first pictures. I don't own the set personally, but it looks like it has a lot of nice display value and play functions... which seems like a win-win to me. If it wasn't for that price.

The Sagrada Familia may be an ugly building, but it has nothing on the big box of a warehouse they put up in my area a few years ago. Stupid thing looks boring and completely blocks the view of the hills.

I always thought it was red. But it might depend on how one's monitor is calibrated. It could also be influence from your red avatar that is making me percieve it as red. If I look closer I can kind of see the orange, but yeah... looks red to me.