The Gospel: Solid Snake Part 2

This is the Gospel according to Roger, the witness of the greatest story ever told and devout follower of all words spoken by the great Hideo Kojima. This a continuation of those words from Part 1.

In 2005, renegade members of FOXHOUND took hold of Shadow Moses Island, a remote nuclear weapons facility off the Alaskan coastline. The group was led by Liquid Snake and his demands were the remains of Big Boss. The renegade group was comprised of genetically altered soldiers with extensive VR training but little field experience.

Solid Snake returned to the battlefield again with Colonel Campbell once again acting as his commanding officer. Snake’s objective’s were to rescue DARPA Chief Donald Anderson (who used the codename Sigint in Operation: Snake Eater when he was supporting Big Boss) rescue ArmsTech Kenneth Baker and finally to access the ability of the terrorists unit to launch a nuclear strike and prevent it if necessary.

Snake infiltrated the base and met up with the DARPA Chief who told Snake that the terrorists had a new weapon known as Metal Gear REX that was capable of launching a nuclear warhead. The DARPA Chief told snake that two codes were needed to activate REX. One of the codes was his, which the terrorists already had, and the other code was being held by Kenneth Baker. Snake was also told that there were three PAL keys that could be used to deactivate the Metal Gear. Suddenly however, the DARPA Chief died of a heart attack seemingly.

As Snake was continuing his mission he ran into Meryl Silverburgh, who was Colonel Campbell’s niece. Before Snake had a chance to speak with Meryl they were ambushed and Meryl ran into an elevator shooting at Snake along the way. Meryl had been posing as one of the enemy soldiers.

Snake then made his way to basement to find Kenneth Anderson. Snake found him tied to a pillar attached with C4. Snake was confronted by Revolver Ocelot in the basement.

This is the same Major/Revolver Ocelot who worked as a triple agent in the Operation: SnakeEater mission. Ocelot was master of handgun combat and used twin Single Action Army revolvers in a gunfight with Snake. He was also the terrorist unit’s interrogation specialist. The two had a long gunfight with Ocelot using his superior western quick draw skills to ricochet bullets off of nearby objects to shoot Snake. The fight was cut short though by the Cyborg Ninja who intervened and cut off Ocelot’s hand. The Ninja vanished and Ocelot ran off. Snake helps Baker who tells Snake that Meryl should have the PAL override keys that he needs. Baker gave Snake REX’s launch data and told him to find Dr. Hal Emmerich.

On his way to Emmerich, Snake gets a call from someone calling himself “Deepthroat”. He claimed to be one of Snakes fans and warned him of an attacking tank ahead. The tank was piloted by 3 GENOME soldiers and commanded by Vulcan Raven The tank was easily decommissioned by Snake when he threw a grenade down the tank’s hatch. This would not be the last appearance of Vulcan Raven, however.

As Snake entered Dr. Emmerich’s office, he was confronted again by the Cyborg Ninja. The fight confused Snake because the Ninja seemed to know him and his fighting style was familiar to Snake. It wasn’t until after the fight that it was revealed that the Cyborg Ninja was actually Gray Fox whom Snake had fought with and against in his previous two missions. Snake found Emmerich and Emmerich told Snake that he infact developed REX without knowledge of the nuclear platform intention and that if the PAL keys didn’t work then Metal Gear REX had to be physically destroyed.

Snake found Meryl but discovered that she had only one of the PAL keys needed. As Snake and Meryl were making their way to REX’s hanger they were confronted by Psycho Mantis, who took control of Meryl forcing Snake to knock her out so she wouldn’t shoot herself. Mantis was a mind reader and a telekinetic. After one of the most epic fights in history, Snake defeated Mantis. Mantis as he is dying gives Snake vital information and used his powers to open a special pathway for Snake.

As Snake and Meryl made their way to the communication towers, Sniper Wolf shot Meryl in an attempt to use her as bait for Snake. This results in Snake being captured and tortured by Ocelot who also takes the launch data that Baker had given Snake. In between torture sessions, Snake was put in a cell with DARPA Chief Donald Anderson’s corpse. Anderson looked to have been dead for days which was very peculiar because Snake had witnessed him die of a heart attack hours earlier. Snake takes advantage of a novice soldier by faking death in the cell. When the soldier opened the cell Snake immediately knocks him out. After escaping the cell, Snake heads for the communication towers again.


Once atop the tower, Snake is confronted by Liquid in a Hind D helicopter. Liquid shoots down one of the bridges connecting the towers and Snake uses a rope to repel to a lower bridge. While there he met with Otacon who attempted to fix the elevator while Snake went back out to take on Liquid in the chopper. Snake shot down the chopper and continued down the elevator and onto the snow field where he was confronted by Sniper Wolf but this time in a fight to the death. After a battle across a vast snowy battlefield, Sniper Wolf is beaten by Snake in combat and as he approaches her she begins to speak. She tells Snake that she was born and raised on a battlefield and how that Big Boss whom she refers to as “Saladin” had helped and trained her. She then requests Snake to end her suffering which he does.

Snake then continued onto where REX was being held and in the process was met once again by Vulcan Raven. Vulcan Raven was a beast of a man who carried a machine gun that is usually mounted to an F-16 fighter plane. After Snake had defeated Raven, Raven revealed to him that the DARPA Chief Snake had talked to before was actually Decoy Octopus in disguise. Snake was then radioed by Master Miller, who was actually Liquid in disguise, that Naomi Campbell was actually a spy working against Snake.

While making his way into REX’s Hanger, Snake overheard Liquid and Ocelot detailing their plans to turn Shadow Moses into the next Outer Heaven. Otacon then radioed Snake to tell him that the trick to the PAL keys was to heat them or cool them to a certain temperature and mold them. Snake was then spotted by Ocelot who shoots one of the PAL keys out of Snake’s hand. Snake letter found the key had been eaten by a rat .

After Naomi Campbell was arrested, she radioed Snake to explain why she did what she did. She explained that Grey Fox, or Frank Jaeger, was actually her adoptive father. Snake had presumably killed Grey Fox while in Zanzibar Land. She explained that she joined FOXHOUND to get revenge on Snake. Naomi had created an artificial virus which she named FOXDIE. The virus is set to attack people of a specific genetic code and make their hearts “commit suicide.” The genetics which this virus had been programed to attack were Snake’s along with the FOXHOUND rebels, though only Decoy Octopus and one other member of FOXHOUND were infected.

Snake got all of the PAL keys and molded them to fit into REX’s keyholes. After inserting the last key Snake is horrified to learn that he had in fact activated REX, and not shut it down. Liquid subsequently reveals himself to Snake and thanks him for activating REX. Liquid had used Snake to get the PAL keys. Liquid traps Snake in the control room but Otacon is able to help Snake get out. After escaping the room, Snake goes to confront Liquid.

After Liquid explains how Snake is being used by Pentagon to spread the virus that will kill himself, he climbs into REX’s cockpit. This leaves destroying REX as the only option available to Snake. After fighting for some time and gaining little ground the Cyborg Ninja, Grey Fox, appears and destroys REX’s radome, which forces Liquid to open the cockpit to see, thus exposing himself. Grey Fox then explains to Snake that he adopted Naomi because he had killed there parents and had felt guilty about it. Grey Fox then goes about taking on REX himself but is crushed. Snake then begins to shoot stinger missiles at the exposed cockpit of REX which cause the bipedal tank to explode. The explosion knocks Snake out as well.

Snake then wakes up to find himself on top of REX with Liquid. Liquid shares with Snake his plans about turning the world into a battlefield where soldiers would always be needed. Liquid reveals that they are brothers and everything about Les Enfants Terribles. Campbell then radioed Snake to inform that a nuclear airstrike was on the way and that would try to delay it. Snake and Liquid then engaged in hand-to-hand combat on top of REX with Snake coming out on top.

Snake then ran to get Meryl and the two commandeered Jeep. As they were escaping in the tunnel, Liquid appeared and chased them. After a gunfight on the speeding Jeeps the two vehicles crashed. Snake and Meryl were trapped underneath their Jeep with Liquid walking slowly towards them. just as Liquid was about to reach them he suffered a heart attack from FOXDIE. Snake would remain unaffected by FOXDIE.

After all the events had transpired it is revealed that Ocelot was actually a double agent working for the President of the United States. It is also revealed that Solid Snake and not Liquid was the inferior clone of Big Boss. The President is revealed to be the third clone of Big Boss and is named Solidus. Unlike Solid and Liquid, Solidus is an exact copy of Big Boss and possesses a perfect balance of dominant and recessive genes. This sequence of events would be remembered as “The Shadow Moses Incident.”

In the next two years, Snake and Otacon would form the anti-Metal Gear group known as Philanthropy. Their tactic was to find information about the development of Metal Gears and then put a stop the development by whatever means. On August 8th, 2007, Snake boarded a tanker in New York Harbor with the information that the Marines were developing a new Metal Gear known as RAY.

Once aboard the tanker, Snake saw the tanker being overtaken by Russian mercenaries. He made his way into the area where the new Metal Gear was being stored. While still inside the hanger, Snake was shocked to see the appearance of Revolver Ocelot. Ocelot has attached Liquid Snake’s arm to himself as he had lost his right hand in the Shadow Moses Incident. Ocelot then detonated SEMTEX which he had planted around the tanker, Just as Ocelot was about to board RAY and escape, his right arm began to twitch and he turned to Snake and spoke to him with Liquid Snake’s voice. Ocelot then tore open the side of the tanker with RAY and escaped in his new Metal Gear. Snake vanished for two years and was believed to have been killed.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 9 December Permalink

The Gospel Part 1: Big Boss

This is the first in a series of articles entitled, The Gospel, that center around the Metal Gear Solid game franchise. This is Gospel according to Roger, the witness of the greatest story ever told and devout follower of all words spoken by the great Hideo Kojima.

The Greatest Warrior of the 20th Century. Saladin. Naked Snake. Big Boss. No matter what you call him, he is without a doubt the greatest character ever created in interactive entertainment. No one person has changed the course of history more than this man. Multiple generations would be influenced by his life. If you have no idea what I’m talking about then get ready for some knowledge.

Big Boss, who’s real name is John, was born sometime in the 1930’s and started his military career in the 1950’s. He saw his first combat in the Korean War which is where he also became the Boss’s apprentice. In 1954, John was involved in the nuclear test at Bikini Atoll and as a result lost his ability to reproduce. The Boss was the head of the Cobra Unit of WWII that won victory for the Allied Forces. After the war, she became the mother of U.S. Special Forces. During John’s time with the Boss, she taught him combat, weapons, espionage, foreign languages and survival tactics. With their time together they also developed Close Quarters Combat. On June 12, 1959 the Boss left John to carry out other missions.

In 1961 Jack, which is the name he went by at the time, joined the Green Berets where he participated in black ops in Vietnam. During this time his closest ally was Python but while on a mission together Python was shot and thought to have been killed. Then in 1964 John Doe would become Big Boss.

On August 24th, 1964, John Doe was sent on top secret mission into the heart of Soviet Union to rescue Nikolai Sokolov. Sokolov was a defecting scientist who was in charge of a prototype weapon capable of delivering a nuclear strike from almost anywhere on earth. On this mission, Jack was given the codename Naked Snake and was being assisted by a team consisting of Major Zero, Para-Medic the teams medical officer, Sigint the weapons specialist and special support by the Boss. As Snake and Sokolov were making their escape, they were intercepted by the Boss who was supposedly defecting to the Soviet Union. During their confrontation Colonel Volgin, a Russian Colonel who was revolting Nikita Khrushchev, fired an American made nuclear warhead at Sokolov’s research facility. Because of this action, Khrushchev demanded that United States eliminate the Boss to prove its innocence in the ordeal. One week later, Operation: Snake Eater was put into motion.

On August 30th, 1964, Snake again deployed into the Soviet Union with the mission of eliminating the Boss and her Cobra Unit. Once again with radio support from Major Zero, Para-Medic and Sigint, he began his trek into the Soviet wilderness to meet with Adam. Adam along with Eva were NSA code breakers who defected to the Soviet Union several years prior to these events. Eva then arrives to save Snake from an ambush and tells him that Adam couldn’t make it. Eva however, is unable to deliver the recite the password.

During his mission, he encounters a young Soviet Major named Ocelot. Ocelot is the commander of Colonel Volgin’s most elite soldiers and an excellent gunman. Snake refuses to kill Ocelot because “he’s still young.” After another encounter with Ocelot which is cut short by swarm of hornets, Snake is forced to dive into a cave below. Snake navigates the tunnel and as he is about to leave, he is confronted by the Pain.

The Pain is a member of the Cobra Unit that is headed by the Boss. He is badly disfigured from the stings of the hornets which he controls. The Pain will use hornets to shield himself from attacks and also to attack enemies. Snake would be the first to defeat the Pain and because of it, he learned the pain of battle.

Snake continued his mission into Graniny Gorki. Snake was once again looking for Sokolov but instead found a man named Granin. Granin was working on another secret weapon for the Soviets that he called a sort of “Metal Gear”. He scoffed at Sokolov’s weapon and was very bitter that the Soviets chose it over his. Because of this, Granin was sending his blueprints to his colleague in America. When Snake examines the prints, he sees prototype for Metal Gear REX and Metal Gear TX-55. Snake can also see models of Metal Gears REX and RAY on a shelf behind Granin. As Snake is about to leave, Granin gives him information about where to go next and a keycard. Snake follows these directions and on his way is confronted by the Fear.

The Fear is the second member of the Cobra Unit to confront Snake. He is extremely agile and quick with double jointed elbows. The Fear employs the use of a new stealth camouflage, booby traps and two crossbows. The arrows from the bows are either poisonous or carry a frag grenade. Because of this very quick movements and the stealth camo, the Fear must constantly eat to replenish his stamina. Snake is able to beat the Fear and is the first man to do. Upon defeating the Fear, Snake learns the fear of battle.

Snake then made his way farther into the wilderness and on his way to meet EVA when he is encountered by The End. The End is the father of sniping. He is over 100 years old and is somehow able to communicate with forest that surrounds him. The End uses a sniper rifle equipped with tranquilizer darts and stun grenades. He also employs the use of a Parrot that acts as his spotter. After one of the most epic fights in history, Snake is able to out track and out snipe The End.

Snake then meets with Eva who informs him how to sneak into the fortress where Sokolov is being held. When descending into the tunnels below, Snake is confronted by the third member of the Boss’s Cobra Unit, the Fury.

The Fury is a former Cosmonaut who during a re-entry into earth became engulfed in flames. He was burned severely and thus was no longer capable of feeling pain. He wears a space suit and carrys a flame thrower. During a fight in total darkness, Snake defeats the Fury and as a result is subject to the fury of battle. In his dying words, he tells the Boss that she is the last one and that he has gone to join the Sorrow.

Snake ascended from the tunnels where he fought the Fury into the Groznyj Grad fortress where Sokolov was being held. Using the disguise of Volgin’s gay lover, Major Raikov, he made his way to Sokolov only to recognized by Volgin himself. After an intense torture session in which Snake gets his eye shot out by Ocelot, he ends up in a jail cell. During the torture scene, the Boss shoots Snake in the leg with a fake death pill which he pries out of his leg with a fork. The Boss has also given Snake an unloaded Single Action Army. After using the fake death pill to escape the cell, he escapes into the sewer system below the fortress while being chased by Ocelot and his unit. After jumping from a drainage waterfall Snake is near death and is confronted by the Sorrow

The Sorrow is the final member of the Cobra Unit and was the Boss’s closest companion and lover. After a scene where Snake is confronted by every person he kills in battle he touches the Sorrow, he seemingly falls dead. However, this is just a trick and Snake can use the revival pill in his tooth to bring himself back. During his revival, Snake hears the voice of the Boss and the Sorrow on a mission where the Boss is assigned to kill him. Upon awakening, Snake radios his team who tells him that the Sorrow has been dead for some time now. Snake learns of the sorrow of battle from this encounter.

Snake then meets with Eva who gives him a new explosive known as C3. They plan to use the C3 on the fuel tanks surrounding Sokolov’s weapon known as the Shagohod. Snake successfully plants all of the C3 but Snake was caught and was confronted by Volgin with a beaten up Eva laying behind him. Eva was discovered trying to steal the Philosopher’s Legacy which is a vast sum of money amassed together the most powerful men from Russia, China, and the Soviet Union after WWII. Volgin assumed that this is what Snake was after the entire time. Volgin had inherited the Legacy from his father. Volgin then challenged Snake.

Volgin has an almost superhuman strength and has the ability to manipulate electricity. He uses this to shock Snake and uses his electricity to fire bullets at him. Snake defeats Volgin and escapes the base with Eva on a motorcycle.

After escaping the soldiers, they are confronted once more by Volgin this time piloting the Shagohod. After an intense fight, Snake and Eva defeat Volgin and destroy the Shagohod. Though they must quickly flee the area because they are still being pursued by enemy soldiers. After a long chase, Eva crashes her motorcycle and is severely wounded. Snake heals her and leads her through the jungle to a plane which they had planned to escape in. The Boss is waiting to challenge one last time before they escape.

The Boss explains to him how she was twice exposed to radiation and how she and her comrades were betrayed by United States at the Bay of Pigs. And how she and the Sorrow had a child in 1944, which was immediately taken away from her by the Philosophers. She said that all she ever wanted was to make the world whole again. The Boss tells Snake that if he can beat her in a certain allotted time, he will have time to escape before MiGs bomb the entire area. After a long and emotional battle Snake is able to defeat the Boss using weapons, camouflage and CQC. After he defeated the Boss, she gives him the microfilm which contains the Philosopher’s Legacy and her gun known as the Patriot. Snake then shoots her completing his mission. The Boss was also known as The Joy so upon defeating her, Snake knows all the emotions of battle making him the most complete soldier who ever lived.

Upon escaping the area, he is confronted one last time by Ocelot who boards the plane that Snake is piloting along with Eva. Ocelot gives Snake an SAA and they have a Western style duel but no one is killed because Ocelot loaded the guns with blanks. Ocelot reveals his name to be Adamska. Ocelot jumps out of the plane into the water as Snake and Eva escape.

After landing in Alaska, Snake and Eva spend one last night together in which they make love. The next morning, Snake awakens to find Eva gone and an audio recording she left him. She explains that she is actually a Chinese spy sent to steal the Legacy for her country and the true nature of the Boss’s mission. Her entire defection was a ruse set up by the United States Government to steal the Philosopher’s legacy from Russia. And that the only reason she didn’t succeed is because of Volgin’s launching of American made nuclear warhead at Sokolov’s research facility. The Boss’s final mission was to die at the hands of Snake so as to absolve the U.S. of any wrong doing. She accepted her mission and carried it out to perfection.

Snake is then awarded the title of Big Boss by President Lyndon Johnson but immediately leaves the room knowing what they had done to the Boss. He visits the Boss’s grave at Arlington which reads “In Memory of a Patriot, Who Saved the World”. He salutes her grave and sheds a tear. Big Boss would never be the same following Operation: Snake Eater and killing his mentor. The mission would influence his decisions far along down the road.

Following the mission a conversation between Ocelot and the director of the CIA takes place in which Ocelot reveals that he is actually Adam and that the film that Eva stole is a fake and the Legacy is now safe with America. It is implied that Ocelot is actually the son of the Boss and the Sorrow.


Big Boss retired from FOX Unit after Operation: Snake Eater and worked alongside various special forces units during the Vietnam War. During this time, he encountered a child soldier named Frank Jaeger. Then in 1970, 6 years after Operation: Snake Eater, he was once again called upon to save the world.

On November 2, 1970, Big Boss was captured by members of FOX after the unit had turned rogue. Big Boss was tortured by a man named Lieutenant Cunningham who informed him that half of the Philosopher’s Legacy was missing and that Big Boss was believed to have stolen the other half. When left alone in his cell, Big Boss is contacted from another cell by Roy Campbell, who is the last surviving member of a Green Beret unit that was sent to investigate the base where he and Big Boss were being held. Campbell explains that they are at a Soviet missile base that had been taken over by FOX. Big Boss also tells Campbell that he still prefers to be called Snake.

Snake escapes the cell and heads to a communications base where he attempts to contact his former commander, Major Zero. Snake is instead greeted by Sigint and Para-Medic who inform that Zero has been taken into custody on suspicion of inciting the FOX revolt and stealing a secret weapon from the U.S. military.

Snake is once again able to defeat the various FOX members and the weapon which is code named Metal Gear RAXA. Among the FOX members, he fights Python whom was originally though to have been killed many years earlier. Python informed Snake that his sole purpose for being kept alive was to defeat Snake if he ever betrayed the U.S. Snake was able to defeat Python and the leader of the rebellion known as Gene.

Gene is the product of the Successor Project. Which was designed to create the perfect battlefield commander. He was modeled after the Boss and thus considered himself and Snake to be brothers. Snake defeats Gene and Gene gives Snake the funds which he had planned to use to build him army. Big Boss then joined The Patriots with Zero and Ocelot and two years later in 1972, the Les Enfants Terribles project was executed.

Little is known at this point about Big Boss’s next endeavor in 1974 in Costa Rica. What is known is that he founded his Militaires Sans Frontieres or Military Without Borders. And during this time, he finally accepts the title of Big Boss. The Militaires Sans Frontieres would later become Outer Heaven.

In the 1980’s, Big Boss would create Outer Heaven in Africa which was his idea of a soldier’s paradise. Though this was unknown to everyone except members of Outer Heaven, so the U.S. thought that Big Boss was still totally loyal to them and to his commanding of FOXHOUND. FOXHOUND was created to replace FOX after the incident with GENE in Central America.

In 1995, Big Boss commanded Solid Snake, FOXHOUND’s most inexperienced soldier on a mission to Outer Heaven to rescue Gray Fox and to find out about Metal Gear. Big Boss sent Snake in because he expected him to be no match for Outer Heaven’s army and placed many traps for Snake. Solid Snake is later revealed to be one of 3 clones made of Big Boss during the Les Enfants Terribles project and beats the odds that Big Boss stacks against him every time. After realizing that Snake has ruined his plans, Big Boss confronts him in the Metal Gear hanger. Snake defeats Big Boss but does not die and vows that they will meet again.

Big Boss fulfills this promise 4 years later in Zanzibar Land and tries once again to create his Outer Heaven. This time, he was joined by Gray Fox aka Frank Jaeger. Snake is once again able to defeat Big Boss and is presumed to be dead.

The next few decades would be centered around those trying to fulfill Big Boss’s dream and Snake fighting to save the world from them. And in 2014, it is revealed that Big Boss did not die after the events of Zanzibar Land and was being kept in a coma. There is a fight for Big Boss between a faction who want to use his genetic coding to destroy the Patriots and Solid Snake who wishes to stop it. Snake is able to defeat his enemies and just as he is about to commit suicide on the supposed grave of Big Boss, he is stopped. After a speech where Big Boss explains everything to Snake that has happened, they make their peace and Big Boss finally dies.

Through nearly 80 years, Big Boss has influenced the course of World History. He is a deeply conflicted character who both saved the world and brought it to the brink of destruction. This is why he is greatest character in the history of video games. He was the catalyst of probably the most in-depth and complex story ever told in any type of media.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 7 October Permalink

Joe Madureira Chats with NK and NFamousgamers.com

I don’t exactly remember if it was a call or IM from Flitz that day of E3 but I do remember what was said. I could have sworn Flitz had just changed his pants three times as he got the chance to interview one of his favorite comic creators, Joe Madureira. Those unfamiliar with the name have to be born with half a brain or have been beaten to half a brain. Joe “Mad” Madureira is known for his work during the 90’s on Uncanny X-Men and Age of Apocalypse. The comic creator turned game developer has taken his art skills and applied them to the upcoming action title Darksiders.

Darksiders is loosely based off the Book of Revelation and the events surrounding the apocalypse. As one of the four horsemen, War, you travel the wrecked Earth as you find out that you are on the losing side of the end all be all battle of Good versus Evil. As War you are not on either side fighting for Heaven or Hell but instead much like the comic character Spawn you are stuck in the middle of the conflict bringing your own sense of cosmic judgment on both angels and demons. The game is enjoyable from hands on playing at Comic Con. If Kratos got Zelda pregnant, the child would be this game. Mixing the brutal combat elements that would be familiar to fans of God of War and the puzzle solving nature of the Zelda series Darksiders mixes together a concoction that would satisfy any gamer.

Flitz with the help of Zach Starr of NFamousgamers talk to “Joe Mad” about the differences between comics and games, his role throughout development, and his work on Marvel Comics’ The Ultimates 3. Want to see more from Joe Madureira? Run down to your local comic shop and pick up The Ultimates 3. The art alone makes it a pick up!

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 7 September Permalink

Mystery Team Review

These days the internet is giving birth to some of the biggest names in just about everything. Every other day it seems like we find the next “big thing” on YouTube or any other forum you can upload your video or song. However, every so often there is one group that can make an ever lasting impression.

The folk’s over at Derrick Comedy were able to make that impression on me from the second my friend Matt showed me some of their sketches. Ever since then I have constantly checked their site to see what they are up to. Then about a year ago I heard that they were going to film a movie and honestly couldn’t wait to see it. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of Mystery Team during our visit to San Diego Comic Con and all I have to say is WOW.

Mystery Team follows childhood friends Jason (Donald Glover) teams master of disguise, Duncan (D.C. Pierson) the “boy genius”, and Charlie (Dominic Dierkes) the strongest kid in town, as they take on the biggest case of their young careers as neighborhood detectives. From murder, battles with strippers, gun fights with a drug dealer, and a final showdown with the master mind of the sinister plot, there is not second within this film you are not entertained and or laughing.

Now you should know that before being asked by a young girl to figure out who murdered her parents, the biggest cases the Mystery Team has to solve were things like who stuck their finger in Mrs. Kimmel pie. So you can guess that the Mystery Team wasn’t taken that seriously with their peers especially since they are seniors in High School and still playing detective. However, this one young girl has a feeling that they can solve the case and bring closer to her and her older sister.

As the film progresses we witness the team goes through all their “leads” on the playground, which leads them to nothing. Finally it seems like the Mystery Team catches lucky break after lucky break as they work their way to solving this mystery once and for all. Of course, those breaks wouldn’t come without hysterical circumstances and life treating danger.

You can tell that the guys and girl over at Derrick Comedy put their heart, souls, and hard earned money into making this film (they literally did).

Mystery Team is well crafted and in its self sketch comedy gold. You don’t get the feeling that this is one long sketch, even though you feel like this film could be broken up into sketches. If that were the case it wouldn’t have worked and probably not have been as funny as it was. Some people might get the feeling that it is a cheap comedy, but if you pay attention to the dialog you well see just how well crafted it is and how each character is worked into the script.

As I sit here trying to figure out my favorite part of the movie I can’t because it was just that great.

If you have the chance to catch Mystery Team at one of its mean upcoming screenings I suggest you do so because your cheeks will hurt from laughing so much. Or you can wait until Mystery Team hits theaters nation wide this October.

4 out of 5 poop and pee filled stripper toilets

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 4 September Permalink

‘9’ Movie Review

When watching the trailer for the film ‘9‘, the average gaming nerd would say something along the lines of  “WTF, The Sackboys from Little Big Planet are getting a movie!”. That statement couldn’t be any more wrong. Little big planet is cute and fun, ‘9’ is scary and can be at times quite disturbing; not saying that’s a bad thing. Yes, they both consist of the ‘stitchpunk’ style characters, but they couldn’t be more different. ‘9‘, takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. As many fear to this day, man has been the cause of his own demise by way of his own titanic inventions.


The average movie go’er needs to keep in mind that this stuffed potato sack adventure has a PG-13 rating attached to it. With the screen play by Pamela Pettler (Monster House); the mind of Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas); and director of the original 11-minute short film [‘9‘] Shane Aker at the reins, viewers needs to be prepared for a dark mind bending ride.


‘9’ is a dangerously imaginative action adventure that will grab you by the throat and refuse to let go until you appreciate what it’s world has to offer. Very creative yet menacing entities wander this existence. Accompanying the larger creatures are smaller more human-like beings. The beings harbor a series of numbers instead of names. Through their clever utilization of items and tools around them, they survive. From the awakening of “#9”, the film sets a slow burn. He is innocent, knowing so much and not understanding any of it. Within a short amount of time he encounters “#2” (Martin Landau), a very inspired and venturesome soul, and so the adventure begins. Every character has some sort of redeeming value which makes them relatable or lovable -  some more than others. The Fabrication Machine (the main antagonist), has no voice at all, it is through it’s frightening creations that it gets it’s point across; The red-eyed crafter’s essence isn’t just limited to just that of it’s conceptions, there are moments where the mute machine can almost seem human as well. The personality of a very evil human, but a human none the less.


Each voice actor fit perfectly with their number named counter part. As sexy as Jennifer Connelly is, there was nothing sexy or sensual about her animated persona, #7. It is actually fairly easy to forget that character is supposed to be female in the first place.  #5, voiced by John C. Reilly, is a fair conveyance of another angle of innocence. Lately, more commonly seen in more comedic roles, John’s presence here is softer and a more human side all of us could use more of in our everyday lives. #1, is the old fashioned fuddy-duddy driven by fear, played by Christopher Plummer. He is what we very often see in the world today. He means the best for those younger than him, and he may even have a point; But at times what people think is best, is just slowing the inevitable. Then there is Elijah Wood as the voice of #9. To be honest there isn’t much to Elijah’s performance, at the same time the role didn’t call for much. With each character filling a very unique state of being, #9’s was conveyed more through his actions than his words. Only briefly did #9 have to go through the motions of explaining why he must embark on his life threatening adventure - but any of us could have figured out that he made the poo, and it was his job to scoop it into the doggy bag. Taking away nothing from Elijah as an actor, his attachment to the role of nine could possibly be thought of as nothing more than a name.



All in all, ‘9’ is a griping film. It can hold you to a point where it can be emotionally draining. It slows down when necessary, but not for so long that you are anticipating the next big move. Some of the more clever disheartening foes, like the Seemstress, will make a lesser man shit bricks. You will come to appreciate the level of detail that has gone into all the creations of the film. For you older individuals, who have forgotten what it meant to be a child and have an active imagination, ‘9’ just might re-spark that section of your jaded-by-life experienced brain. By the middle of the movie you may notice you can’t take your eyes off of the screen. You start to care about the stitchpunk characters. They begin to have souls and stand-out individual personalities, while existing in an era that is all too believable. There are plenty humanistic undertones, with a tinge of political ones that are relevant to this day. The soundtrack is seamless and very fitting, as the themes were done by Danny Elfman, and the score by Deborah Lurie.  There are aspects of the film that feel slightly forced, and horror film cliché, but those are easy to look past. It will be very easy for a nerd to watch the film and say, “I could totally see this a 3D-platformer video game”. This film is by no means a feel good movie, and nothing about that is a bad thing. By then end some may even feel the urge to cry, whether is be out of joy or sadness; some may feel excited and driven, while others may leave confused and wanting more. Like the films pace, the impact of ‘9’ is a slow burn, imprinted on to your frontal lobe. it has very many aspects a cult classic is made of. Some of you might want to get your numbered zip-up potato sack costumes ready for Halloween, because ‘9’ could be sticking around for a while.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 4 September Permalink

The Level Cap: Interview with Sean Becker

With The Guild Season 3 premiering exclusively on Xbox Live today, I thought it would be cool to give the community a little treat! Exclusively on Xbox Live, you can download episode one here. Those who are waiting for MSN Video have to wait until September. Last night on Twitter, I asked Sean Becker for a quick little text interview. He accepted my quest for him and gave some great answers. Below in a quick and easy format, you can read through the interview. Thanks for all the questions sent in by the community on short notice and I hope you guys enjoy reading what Sean had to say.

1. When and how did you first hear about The Guild?

-I first knew of the Guild from my friend Kim Evey, who is a producer on “The Guild” and Greg Benson, Director of Season 1. I had previously worked with Greg and Kim on Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show and Comedy Gumbo, which were two shows for Sony’s online division, Crackle.com.

2. Other than The Guild, what have been your favorite projects that you have worked previously

-Comedy Gumbo, which is a web show that I co-created with my producing partner, Payman Benz through our company, Awkward Pictures. It’s a sketch show for those who don’t have time to watch a sketch show. Season one is now available online and we just finished shooting Season 2, which will be released this December.

[caption id=”” align=”aligncenter” width=”500” caption=”Part of the cast with @AndrewSeely and @AlexandraMokh”][/caption]

3. Do you have any other things you are working that don’t deal with The Guild currently?

-See reply to answer to question two. I’ve also done some recent freelance editing work with Second City Entertainment.

4. If you have one, what would you consider your gateway to nerdom if you consider yourself a nerd?

-Being a part of the “The Guild” definitely helps. I am an avid comic-book collector and am now starting to get back into console gaming. I don’t play any MMO games, but just installed World of Warcraft onto my laptop. I’ve been too busy working on “The Guild” and “Comedy Gumbo” to pursue that any further yet.

5. Back to talking about The Guild: Season Two of The Guild had different sponsors, are there any new ones this year? If so, who?

-Its the same sponsors as last year with the main sponsor being Microsoft.

6. From Season One to Season Two, the production equipment increased not only by volume but by quality as well. Is there going to be any increase with equipment moving into Season Three?

-We’re working with basically the same equipment as season 2 so the show will stay consistent. We do get to work with plenty of new locations to keep things interesting.

7. With the success of different YouTubers, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog and The Guild; do you think the future of the film industry could have a large impact online?

-I think its a possibility, but it’s still a far way off. With the popularity of websites like Hulu, it seems that online audiences are expanding their attention span for longer form content. The online format for original content seem most effective because the creators keep the episodes short.

[caption id=”” align=”aligncenter” width=”500” caption=”@SeanBecker with Robert Welkner (@pennyman)”][/caption]

8. The end of Season Two was very unexpected, but with new characters coming into the story I have been wondering: will Riley and Wade return to Season Three?

-Riley will be there while Wade is off playing Henchman #2 in another movie.

9. How soon will we see Wil Wheaton and his guild during Season Three, if you can answer?

-Soon!

10. Out of curiosity, is there anything that you have not teased yet that you want to get out there? Anything that won’t spoil the story, but something that fans of the series will know what you are talking about.

-Everyone dies in the end. I guess that’s a pretty big spoiler. Forget I said anything!

11. Ever since the first episode was released to the Internet, people have been speculating what MMO the characters have been playing throughout the episodes. With Blizz-Con wrapping up over the weekend, The Guild had its own panel. Is it perhaps that The Guild is based off of World of Warcraft?

-The game is never actually addressed in the show. All we know for now is that it is a WoW-like game that they play.

-BONUS JOKE ANSWER - It’s actually based on Q-bert!

12. During productions, there are always random things that happen that ends in a funny moment. Is there anything that has popped up during film that was most memorable for Season Three?

-Killer scarab. that’s all I’ll say for now. You’ll have to refer to the gag reel which will be released in a few weeks.

13. Felicia Day has been writing the scripts for The Guild since the beginning of the series. With this being your second season on the series, is there anything that you want to apply or write into The Guild that you have yet to do?

-Not really, that’s all up to Felicia. Being a huge fan of these characters, I’m always excited to get the new scripts from her and see we’re the show is going. I’m along for the ride.

14. In Season One, Zaboo and Clara had family members that they interacted with. In Season Two, all the Guildies talked to each other and meet new people that they were surrounded around. Is there a possibility that friends that have been talked about in season two will become a part of the cast? Is there?

-Is there? I’ll have to look back at the script.

15. With The Guild getting more popular, has there been any discussions about extending the length of the episodes? If so, what time spawn were you thinking of each episode?

-The beauty of having a show online is that you have full control on how long it needs to be on an episode to episode basis. For us we write, shoot, and edit depending on what fits the story best. Right now, our episodes range from five to nine minutes. It seems like a fitting episode length for this show and its audience. I do not know of any plans to extend the episode length in future seasons.

Check out The Guild website to check out even more fun stuff from the show.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 25 August Permalink

District 9 Review

District 9 hits theaters just a week after the popcorn fest G.I. Joe and offers something totally different. The sci-fi film takes the concept of aliens, turns it on its head, and presents us with a realistic and xenophobic take on the idea.



“D9” presents itself as a collection of documentary interviews, news reports, security tapings, and traditional storytelling to show a progressive character study of an unassuming, weak paper pusher Wikus van der Merwe, who works for a private security firm that deals with the aliens that have taken refuge in Johannesburg, South Africa. Wikus becomes an unlikely protagonist transforms from a man for personal survival due to his own ignorance to turn and exemplify the best of human nature in the face of failure. Throughout the film, Wikus is a pawn in the bigger social structure and he challenges his own identity and structure. MNU, the private security firm, plays the stereotypical role of an evil government organization, but within human reason. Still the villain, MNU exemplifies the xenophobic fear, thirst for power, and human survival that was common amongst explorers during the age of discovery. The film starts off slow and revs up towards the end. Exchanging character development for full on action may seem like typical Hollywood crap, but for District 9 the only logical resolution and climax for the film is the action.


The “Prawns” are alien but not exactly how we picture alien. Horrific stereotypes are out the window. Only in appearance are the Prawn alien, but even then the super jumbo shrimp are human. Survival of life coupled with the pressure of not being wanted and wanting to go home creates an internal struggle that should resonate with audiences. Humanity’s ignorance and fear makes the Prawns actions justifiable and completely reactionary. Only through the Prawn named Christopher and his child you will come to understand the struggle as well as being a social outcast.



Should you go watch this? Yes, then buy the DVD when it comes out. This movie will be a classic and don’t be surprised if other films start to mimic it. District 9 blends a thinking man’s sci-fi with enough action to satisfy fans of simple popcorn flicks. For those that want to know more about D9, check out the short film which the film is based on, titled Alive In Joburg, below.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 15 August Permalink

Motion Comics: An Oxymoronic Term

Motion Comics are defined as a hybrid between animation and comics. Adapted motion comics take the panels from the adapted text and animate certain sections or sequences. Motion Comics us a variety of techniques to combine the effects of these two mediums and in the end they create absolute crap. Motion Comics, besides being an oxymoronic term, are just bad. This article is dedicated to showing examples of comics and motion comics to show you what I specifically mean.

Lets start with what exactly these terms mean. As recounted by Scott McCloud in Understanding Comics, comics are juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence. A comic is different from animation and film in the sense that its sequential in time, but not spatially side by side for the viewer. While a motion comic takes those sequences and arranges them in time instead of space. While this might seem like metaphysical nonsense, there is a huge difference.

When one reads a book, that is maximum viewer involvement. In a book, you must supply a lot, your imagination must really be a worked muscle for books to be enjoyable. While words are in fact given to you, how it comes together in your mind is what makes it such an immersive experience. Art, static art in museums, is about what the intrepretation is. While the image is given to you, there is no context for that image. Again your imagination MUST supply a lot of what is going on. On the most immersive form of fictional enteratainment is a movie. For those wondering, a videogame does not allow you to be a passive observer. A movie allows you to sit and have words and images thrown at you, and your mind processes it. While your imagination is not overtaxed, your brain DOES process things intellcutally. What the meaning of something is, your imagination at work but not so much as in a novel.

Which comes to comics and motion comics. Comics give you an image and the words to a story, so it would seem that it would be closer to a movie then a novel in terms of imagination. A casual observer, even an experienced person would think that. You have to look closer at the true art of sequential telling. The space between the panels, called the gutter, is where the magic of comics happens. In that space, is our imagination as we, the audience, connect the dots of the story.

In motion comics, that sense of closure is completely erased. Our imagination is now being handled by a director. Unlike a movie where the camera is used to great effect to bring a reader in, the static images of motion comics keep the reader at a distance. In their own embarressment of the word balloon and sound FX, motion comics have turned comic books into 19th century puppet theater. The images dance around like marionettes, teasing the audience into caring about the performance, but never giving any substance to their flash.

Motion Comics are seen as the future to comic books. We have seen classic stories told in motion format to a variety of reactions. You dont say something is the future of the medium„ when it eradicates what makes that medium work best. Motion Comics take the soul out of the comic book and put it into some cold, unfeeling homoculi that stumbles around and tries to pretend its a new thing. Motion Comics needs a name for itself, and it needs to become its own medium. If they could somehow do that and stop using old comics and raping them of their gravitas, maybe I could accept them. Until then, they are an abobmination to comic books, comic bok creators and comic book fans. All flash and non substance.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 11 August Permalink

Are Social Networking Sites the Death or Rebirth of Journalism

Over the last few weeks, social networking sites have been featured in the news frequently due to their impact on the culture. It first became apparent to the news media with reports from the Mumbai terrorist attacks, but the real boom has been with Iran. But its not just political news that is affecting us, but any kind of news. Gamers just had their big convention event with E3 this year, and twitter and facebook were a big part of it. Now with San Diego Comic Con, we are probably going to be seeing even more people using social networking sites to get their news rather than the traditional online sites. The question that arised from the events in Iran, or the deaths of popular entertainment icons, is whether social networks are a good thing or a bad thing for journalism and for the people that read and absorb news.

The events in Iran, which I am using as an example due to the high amount of publicity it garnered, showed that perhaps the so called “traditional journalists” were falling behind in the times. Due to the fact that media has been banned in Iran, it was only through the efforts of the citizenry that any news other then from the government was allowed to break through. It wasnt until much later, after Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and others social networking sites broke the news, that traditional media started reporting. They started reporting with the disclaimer that these were not journalistic reports, but reports from the ground and from the citizens.

So what is considered journalism? According to The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel there are ten elements. The first is that Journalism is the obligation to the truth, that its first loyality is to the citizens, the essence of journalism is the dicipline of verification, its practitioners must maintain an independence from the stories they cover, it must serve as an independent monitor of power, must provide a forum for public criticism and comprimise, it must stive to make the significant interesting and relevent, it must keep the news comprehensive and proportional, its practitioners must be allowed to excercise their personal conscience and lastly added was it has the rights and responsibility of citizens.


Why do I bring up these elements? Because the news we received has only some of these elements. I can understand traditional journalists becoming aggravated due to the fact that these news stories are missing probably the most important job of a journalist next to actually reporting what they see. Independence from the topic at hand and the idea of verification. Now, with Iran there is no way to verify what is going on with the citizen journalists, anymore then at comic con when a fan has a chat with a comic creator and posts on his blog the “interview”.

But these sort of reporters are not unheard of, they are the new eyewitnesses to the news world. They are the deputy newsman that we turn to when there is no other outlet. The fact that major news networks have a disclaimer that these news reports are from the citizens both serves as a warning that there is some sort of bias by them, but also shows that they have their journalistic heart in the right place. Putting things up for public criticism, making the significant interesting, and most importantly: they are getting the news out there to the people that need to hear it.

Traditional Journalists have always used eyewitnesses and deputy journalists. There is no reason this tradition can no longer continue into theWeb 2.0 phase of our existence. Rather then just sending photographs, we send videos. Rather then interviews we see tweets. What is missing from the deputies is the ability to analyze and fact check. This is why the deputy journalists must work together with the traditional sheriff to both get the information out there quickly, accurately, and most of all with the heart of the people, but the restraint of an observer.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 1 July Permalink

What is an Industry Analyst?

If you have been to any gaming website over the last few weeks, you will have noticed a veritable ton of articles about one gaming industry analyst Micheal Pachter. While it would be easy to focus on one industry analyst, no matter how prolific, it would be like kicking a gamer after he lost the final battle. What exactly IS an industry analyst and why do so many sites try and cover them as actual news resources?

An industry analyst performs research on whatever his particular field of interest is. In terms of Michael, that would be gaming, but he is far from the only gaming analyst, or for that matter nerdy analyst. An Analysts primary job is to determine the state of the market that they are specializing in and recognizing trends within that market. If the Wii is selling well to casual gamers, or if Green Lantern is doing well with post-adolescents, that is a trend in their respective industries. They focus on the “big picture” of the industry, which means the big news items. For gaming, it would be price drops for consoles, for comics it would be iconic characters getting a reboot, and for tech it would be the latest in cell phone technology. So an analyst captures the marketing trends, interprets the latest business models and forecasts what this means to the person they are representing. Essentially giving their various customers the inside scoop on whatever specialty they have.

This is a relatively beneficial idea. Basically, they are trying to get their customers an edge. Another function of an analyst is to analyze what is going on in their respective industry, and advise the actual industry on how well they are doing. If Supersquad action figures is selling well and its targeting a younger audience, an analyst might advise Marvel to target more people in that demographic. Hence we get a large number of new things focusing on THAT perspective. Which is why we see Marvel’s Superhero Squad online game and cartoon series aiming at the same sort of audience.

Everyone has analysts, because an analyst is someone who communicates your vision to a broader base of people. Its similar to a presidential campaign where you see polls showing how the candidate is trending with the public on a variety of issues. The problem that analysts face in terms of the mainstream public is akin to a presidential scandal with lobbyists. Analysts work for companies and show how that company can take the current trends and make money off of them, but this also gives analysts a bias for that company. There is a matter of trust on whether an analyst is trying to subtly push a customer to a certain direction with their analysis. Its essentially a persuasive essay without telling you that they are trying to persuade you. Because of the co-dependent relationship between industry analysts and product vendors, we might never know who is sleeping with whom.

An Industry Analyst is a resource we all use, and they have a place in our society. The issues arise when we are not sure exactly WHO the analyst is servicing. Are they offering their latest opinion, and trying to guide the customer to the right direction, or are they trying to railroad the customer into going with the company they represent? IBM, for example, does not disclose how much they invest in industry analysts. The thing to remember is to do your research when buying or reading the news, and don’t blindly trust analysts without researching who they represent.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 1 July Permalink