Forever Will It Dominate Your Destiny

We’re focusing on the Dark Siders, namely Kylo Ren, his Knights and Supreme Leader Snoke. The Force Awakens left several questions around this crew. What are the Knights of Ren all about? What’s next for Kylo? Seriously, who is Snoke?

This is the finale of our three-part speculation series on Star Wars Ep. VII. Part 1 covered a theory of Luke being evil and what kind of Star Wars we’d see from J.J. Abrams. Part 2 focused on Rey’s Lineage and the Expanded Universe. I reference both episodes so it might be worth a look back for context.

Be wary of spoilers in the episode itself, in addition to this write-up.

The Pathos of Kylo Ren

Luke lost Ben Solo to the Dark Side, just as Obi-Wan lost Anakin. I speculate on what we might see from Kylo in the next installments and try to imagine the Solo family dynamics, especially their feelings towards Uncle Luke. Could we see Ben on a redemption arc?

He’s the Supreme Leader, Sure; but Who is Snoke?

Leia believes Snoke was ultimately responsible for Ben’s fall, not Luke’s failing as a teacher. Anakin’s path to the Dark Side played on his love for Padme; what hooked Ben Solo? I get the impression Snoke is somebody we know, perhaps even someone we’ve met already. It feels like he should have strong ties to the main characters, as well.

I take a look at some of the prominent Snoke theories and throw out a crackpot idea of my own.

The Bird’s Nest

The Knights of Ren didn’t do a thing in The Force Awakens. They appeared onscreen for about two minutes. Still, there’s a slew of speculation on these guys. What might they be up to? Where did they come from? Let’s guess!

References

Grand Admiral Thrawn, created by Timothy Zahn in Heir to the Empire

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mitth’raw’nuruodo

Aftermath, a “What Next?” Star Wars novel by Chuck Wendig

https://www.amazon.com/Aftermath-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/1101885920/

Rian Johnson on IMDb

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0426059/

Looper on IMDb

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276104/

The Force Awakens: Part Deux

This is the second part in a multi-part series on Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens. If you missed part 1, catch it here. In this episode I speculate on Rey’s parents and lineage. I also talk about the major de-canonization of the Star Wars Expanded Universe that happened before the release of the movie.

Save This, Jettison That

Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars in 2012 and began production on Episode VII. Soon after they reset the Star Wars Timeline. I talk about what was kept, what was abandoned and possible motivations behind the move. Many fans felt cheated, losing decades worth of lore; maybe content creators felt the same.

I’m optimistic they de-canonized the Expanded Universe for the good of fans. Are we all in it together?

Rey Skywalker? Pshaw. Who are Rey’s Parents?

I rock a tin-foil hat and speculate on Rey’s lineage, starting with the popular theories. None of them float my boat so I go off into crackpot land and assert that Rey is actually a Kenobi.

References

John Williams says, “Luke’s her daddy!”

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/05/13/star-wars-john-williams-rey-theory

J.J. Abrams says, “We haven’t met Rey’s parents yet.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jj-abrams-reys-parents-not-884438

A New Hope for the Dark Side: Luke Skywalker

I was convinced we’d see a Dark Side Luke as the big bad in The Force Awakens. He was arrogant and prideful in his dealings with Jabba. He also tried to murder the Emperor. Had he started down a dark path, forever dominating his destiny?

Citing events from Return of the Jedi, I explore the possibility of Luke Skywalker falling to the Dark Side in addition to what it might mean for the galaxy. I also revisit the theory, now having seen the movie.

A Star Wars Alias, Lost in the Fringes

A million voices cried out when J.J. Abrams took the reigns as writer/director for episode VII. “He’s gonna ruin Star Wars just like Star Trek!” “We’ve lost (pun!) Star Wars to a convoluted story and nonsensical ending!” Pshaw. Awesome!

J.J. Abrams tells stories much more subtly than Star Wars movies of the past. The unanswered questions from the conclusion of Jedi created fertile ground for some Abrams’esque twists. I thought he was a great choice to steer the franchise in a new direction and I couldn’t wait to see what he’d do.

Up Next

This is the first podcast in a multi-part series covering The Force Awakens. We’ll focus on theorycrafting and speculation around what’s to come, tackling such questions as, “Who are Rey’s parents?” and “Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?” Let me know what you think, what I got wrong and what you might like to hear covered.

Hit me up with any feedback via the comments or the voicemail line; thanks for listening!

There and Back Again

Hello. It’s been a while! The last podcast entry was from 2015; it’s now July of 2016. What happened? Are we finally back to podcasting? In this fireside chat-style episode I talk about the hiatus and its root causes. I also air some ideas for major changes to the podcast and YouTube channel.

Souls is a Small World

When the YouTube channel kicked off in 2012 it was dedicated entirely to Dark Souls content. Through its life it’s been almost exclusively Souls content. Dude, honestly … I’m Souls’ed out.

I still love those games but I’m hungry for new topics of conversation. I started the podcast as an excuse to talk about other cool things: movies, music, TV shows, books, comics, etc.

Is being “a Souls channel” in the rearview mirror?

Getting Back to Podcasting

In January of this year I had a kid. She’s amazing. I love being a dad. The time constraints hit harder than expected, however, and both the YouTube channel and the site came to a halt. I’ve got a better handle on things now, though, and am ready to kick things off again.

I apologize for the delay. Quite literally, life happens.

More than ever, feedback and comments are appreciated as we take a bold step in a new direction.

Apples are Better Than Oranges

This is an episode of faux-philosophy (fauxlosophy?) and explores the nature of “better.” It’s associated with gaming as we apply this fauxlosophy to the console wars. Can one platform really be better than another? I don’t believe so.

One console can be more powerful than another. It can have a faster GPU and more games. Speed and a variety of content aren’t the only ingredients to cooking up a great console, though.

Applied to the Console Wars

The console wars have been raging since the second-ever platform launched. I think out loud about the futility of asserting that one platform is better than another, using classic examples like, “PC is better than console!” and “Xbox is better than Playstation!”

I extend the critique of X-is-better-than-Y statements beyond consoles and in to games, as well. It’s especially prickly in comparing sequels.

Shout-outs to Dark Souls I and II, Super Mario Brothers VS. The Legend of Zelda, and non-specific JRPGs VS. first person shooters.

On Using Strategy Guides

Over Thanksgiving I took the opportunity to catch up on a couple titles from my gaming backlog. I’m not a fan of using strategy guides. Given the time constraints, though, I made use of various guides and walk-throughs to ensure I could tear through things unhindered.

This was a significant deviation from my normal approach of purity and struggle. In this episode I’m reflecting on the experience and take a look some pros and cons of using them. I’m also taking a look at the role of guides when power-gaming VS. doing casual runs.

Tangent Hopscotch

Over the course of talking strategy I take a few detours. How did the pre-internet kids trade tips and tricks with each other? I share a couple stories from the playground. I’m also left wondering if the gamers of yesteryear were better than the gamers of today. Are today’s achievement-based, guide-heavy players worse off because answers are so widely available?

Showered With Praise

I adore Pillars of Eternity. I think you should, too. In this episode I talk about the game’s fresh approach to stats, races and classes and how it plays with expectations in novel ways. I also give props to Pillars of Eternity’s well crafted story and voice acting. Don’t stop there! It also has some mechanical improvements to speed up the flow of the game when compared to other titles in the genre.

Naturally, I also give nods to the fantastic Infinity Engine games PoE pays homage to. It’s an enhanced love song to the Dungeons & Dragons CRPGs from the late 90s/early 2000s. Any fan of the Baldur’s Gates and Planescape: Torment ought to give this game a look. There’s some Dragon Age love sprinkled throughout, in addition.

A Bit About Pillars of Eternity

The game itself has a cool origin story. It was a Kickstarter project by the guys at Obsidian Entertainment that raised over $4 million. Despite looking like an Infinity Engine game from back in the day it was built on Unity. Nostalgia meets modern.

Obsidian Knows How to Make RPGs

PoE comes from the studio that also brought us Knights of the Old Republic II, Neverwinter Nights II, Fallout: New Vegas and South Park: The Stick of Truth. Before that, the core creative team at Obsidian was part of Black Isle.

They were responsible for Icewind Dale, Fallout 2 and Planescape: Torment. They also published the Baldur’s Gates. They know a lil’ something about making juggernaut role playing games is all I’m sayin’ …

Back in the Day …

I share origin stories of how I got into video gaming as a kid during the NES era, talk of training hijinks at my local arcade and reflect on those definitive moments when games became a huge part of life. It’s an episode celebrating game nostalgia and memories of “the good ol’ days” gaming as a young child.

Shout-outs to Super Mario Brothers, Qbert, Crystalis, Battletoads, Street Fighter 2 and Dark Souls 3!

Some Souls are Bright

I have a small YouTube channel. It focuses on the Souls series of games by From Software. This includes Demons Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, Dark Souls III and Bloodborne. I love these games madly and will likely be playing them forever. But dude … there’s life beyond Dark Souls.

In this first – er, inaugural – episode I talk about branching out from the YouTube channel, aspirations for what kind of content the podcast will deliver and why you might be interested in listening.

Real Talk

I’ve been pining to start posting audio-only/podcast entries as a supplement to the YouTube videos for a while and finally took the plunge. I set up the site, set up the mic and just started talking.

Life Beyond Dark Souls: Content Diversity

The YouTube channel was born April 7, 2012. It’s been over four years (!) of almost exclusively Souls content – PvP commentaries, PvE tutorials and even some original music. Souls represents a tiny slice of my interests, however. I’m bursting with love for these games, but the topic started feeling small.

This podcast represents the “everything else worth talking about.” Take a listen and let me know what you think; I’m stoked for the new direction!