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A Warhammer 40k Animated Series? Yes Please.

On the 17th of December Games Workshop announced that it has moved forward on the creation of a Warhammer 40k animated series.

Fucking sweet.

Even better is that they have teamed up with the team which brought us the unofficial Helsreach series on Youtube. Considering how protective GeeDubs is with their franchise, it is great to see that they are teaming up with such a creative, and obviously passionate team. Personally I hope this becomes a trend, with GeeDubs working closely with passionate fans, familiar with the lore, to create new projects.

Soul Drinker Space Marine.

The only problem I have with the series is that it is based around the Blood Angels Chapter of Space Marines rather than a less looked at Chapter. The Blood Angels have not been as spoken about as the Ultramarines, but like the Space Wolves it is one of the more well known Chapters, even receiving their own "Space Marine: Heroes" release in Japan (and probably in American soon, like with the Ultramarines release). I would have preferred to see a less well known chapter, such as the Soul Drinkers, or Minotaurs.  I would even love to watch a series based on a cursed founding chapter dealing with the repercussions of their curses, resulting from the alterations made to their geneseeds.

Regardless, I am looking forward to the release of this new project, with all my hopes being that the producers remain true to the lore. 

Left 4 World War Z

After I wrote the previous blog about the upcoming World War Z game I felt that perhaps I was being too hard on the game. Perhaps I hadn't seen enough of  what they planned to do, to be making judgement on what they planned to create. Perhaps my comparison to Left 4 Dead was unfounded, and perhaps Saber Interactive actually has a new, fresh, and imaginative take on the zombie shooter. Except, that nah, it's basically a refresh of Left 4 Dead while taking advantage of World War Z's fame.....several years too late.

First, the game isn't 100% like Left 4 Dead. World War Z is supposed to allow players to set up defense points with the use of traps, and machine gun placements. Left 4 Dead did have some levels where machine guns emplacements were fixed in place, usually when a scripted hoard was about to occur, but you weren't allowed to set up your own strategic locations. This makes sense in the context of the game, a group of survivors trying to haul ass to the end of the stage.

Second,  Left 4 Dead is first person, while the World War Z game is third point of view.

Is this enough to make World War Z stand out as this ground breaking new game with something to offer? No.

Watch this video from IGN



At about twenty seconds into the video, Oliver Hollis-Leick of Saber talks about how the first thing they watched was the film, and how the hordes in that movie were "iconic". This is the first issue, when dealing with the World War Z franchise the first thing they should have looked at was the novel, not the fucking movie. The problem with the movie is that it deviates too far from the book, to the point where it basically misses everything that made the book great. It focuses entirely on action, as opposed to the whole "nation rebuilding, humanity adapting" aspect of the book. They also seem to miss the fact that the movie got an unimpressive 63% on Metacritic, which may be a mostly favorable score, but is an overall failing grade. He is literally talking about basing this game on the worst iteration of the franchise, and it's going to show.

Hordes were already a thing guys!

Skip to the fifty second mark where Oliver then literally states that the hordes of the "main" features of the game. If the hordes are the main feature then we have a problem. Left 4 Dead had it's fast paced action directed by its AI director that adjusted the difficulty based on your teams progression. If you did too well Left 4 Dead upped it's difficulty, if you started suffering too much, it eased it a little. The AI director was not the only feature of the game, but one of many combined to work together to create an experience. The inclusion of special infected types also opened up the opportunity for extremely competitive versus modes. If the main feature of this game is the "hordes" then I am doubtful about what else the game has to offer. World War Z's hordes look cool, but it hardly sets the game apart from anything have seen in the past.

CTRL ALT DEL

Watching the video it is funny how the developer tries so hard to distinguish this game from Left 4 Dead, but it's funny watching as players go down and seeing their body outlined by a glow just like in Left 4 Dead. In fact, it's funny watching at the four minute mark where Oliver brags about how the game reacts based on the players progression. He talks about this reactive feature as if though it's something new, and although Saber's system may be different in its own right, one can't help but draw a comparison to the AI director of the Left 4 Dead games. Again, we see nothing to set this game apart from the game which it is obviously taking influence from.

It's hard not to see the similarities when there is even a strong resemblance in the settings of the levels shown in the trailers for World War Z to those seen in Left 4 Dead 2.

At the 5:47 mark they begin talking about "special infected" and their roles in zombie games, where Oliver then begins to list the special infected which may be found in the game, from the "Big Heavy", "Sneaky Stealth Zombie" "Toxic Zombies with Stink Cloud" and "Screamer which attracts more zombies". I wonder where we have seen such special infected before? This is Left 4 Dead, down to the special infected types.

What's that about a "super heavy" zombie?

At this point in time this game doesn't seem to offer anything new, instead it offers old features and play styles with new coats of paint. That's not enough to make me want to buy it, and it shouldn't be enough to make you want to buy it either. It's not new, it's not refreshing, it's lazy. On top of being lazy, it capitalizes off the success of a great novel, while the same time missing everything that made the novel great in the first place, like the movie it is just another bastardization of the World War Z series, this time in the form of a Left 4 Dead clone. We'll see how it goes when the game is finally released though.

World War Z - The Movie Sucked, Will The Game?

 Back around 2007 or 2008 I came across an action packed image of U.S Military soldiers engaged in a combat with a large horde of zombies. This was around the start of the huge "Zombie-Kick" where suddenly every game, book, comic, and movie had something to do with zombies. I was intrigued by the overall hopelessness of the image. Soldiers fighting fiercely, against an ever advancing army of decay, filled with warriors of rot which were unaffected by the soldier's "shock-and-awe" tactics.

Look at all those fucking Zombies tho.

This image was an illustration of the so-called "Battle of Yonkers" from the book World War Z by Max Brooks. The book was creatively written as a collection of people's oral histories as they survived the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse. The book progresses from the beginning of a zombie outbreak, through to the rebuilding of society. It shows how people must adapt from their  regular everyday way of being, into a more survivalistic society, where individuals must begin considering the betterment of the whole over the individual. The book also mentions how societal roles began to shift towards a population set on not just fighting the zombie threat, but also rebuilding humanty's now shattered nations. It shows how these societal shifts could lead to situations where people like plumbers, carpenters or others with the skills needed to rebuild a nation, might rise to become more valuable than former CEOs or celebrities. The book was all about how humanity had to drastically adapt in order to overcome a threat that could potentially lead to its extinction.

Whack ass movie really.

The movie? The movie was an action packed blockbuster, with nothing in common to the book other than there were zombies, and they shared the same name. Starring Brad Pitt, the film focuses on Pitt's character scouring the world in search of the source of the zombie outbreak, as the origin of the virus is instrumental towards the development of a vaccine. They then discover that the zombies wont attack injured or sick people, because these individuals would not be suitable hosts for the zombie virus, or some stupid shit like that. Basically the movie dealt with non of the survivalist, society-rebuilding, individual stories which we get to see in the books. Essentially the movie lacked everything that made the book interesting and unique, and is easily forgotten. I might as well have been watching I am Legend or some other zombie flick as the World War Z movie really had nothing to set it apart from other zombie films.

This brings me to the game. Based off of the trailers, and teasers which can be found on YouTube, I can honestly say that I am not too excited about the potential release of the game. Many of the footage, and trailers which have been released seem to focus a lot of the combat, but there has not been much mention on the story, the characters, etc. They brag about the "Dynamic Horde Mechanics" or whatever, as the zombies tumble over each other, or over the corpses of downed zombies. It just seems that like the movie, this game misses out on a lot of the themes which made the book so interesting and unique in the first place. It has been said that this game will be a coop zombie shooter game, and that is fine, but why even call it World War Z when it doesn't seem to share much with the book? I mean, we already know why, money. I also don't see why I should be excited over a coop zombie shooter, when I have already paid for, and played two games exactly like this in the past in the form of Left 4 Dead, and Left 4 Dead 2. Hell if you are just interested in capping a few undead, why not just pop in one of the many zombie gimmicks already attached to several of the Call of Duty titles.

I'm sorry if I seem like I'm just being a pessimist, but honestly... this game doesn't seem to have any of the things that made the book unique, it's just another zombie shooter, so what do we really have to be excited about?

Monster Hunter - Another Video Game Movie

Let's be honest here, video game movies are usually pretty fucking terrible.

Since the Super Mario Bros. movie back in 1993, almost every single video game related movie to be released has been incredibly sub-par when compared to the source material. In fact, many films went ahead and simply took incredible liberties with the source materials, creating films which were only related to the source material in name. In fact, when looking up a list of video-game related live action movies, the highest rated movie only rates at a 53%, a straight-up fail. If the film is in anyway involved with Uwe Boll, then it's pretty much 100% guaranteed to be a piece of shit.

Given the history of failure with video game movies, is it any surprise that I am not even a little excited about the Monster Hunter movie? I mean sure, the first time I heard about it I was a little excited, but let's talk about it. Recently articles have been popping up around the web which talk about ten or twelve things which fans should be excited about, such as how the armor design is straight out of the game, or how the weapons are true to the source material in design, and even how the grind of "hunt, kill, craft" will be included in the movie.

What I expect though, is that we are gonna see happen, what we saw in movies like Dead or Alive, Street Fighter, or Mortal Kombat where they try to cram as much of the video game content into two hours. This usually happens as the filmmakers try to introduce new viewers to the lore, and universe of a world which they may have never heard of prior to watching their film. I am also not excited about the fact that one of the main actors in this film is Milla Jovovich due to her involvement in the dreadful adaptation of the Resident Evil franchise into a shitty, over-extended film series.

Given the synopsis which was released along with IGN's exclusive first look, I can only say that it already looks like they will be taking some liberty with the source material. As we have seen with other films though, this just confirms my pessimism about the project. Even the things that appear to remain loyal to the project, such as the armor, doesn't really look realistic enough to create the sense of immersion that helps to really get me invested into a film. The great sword is cosplay quality at best, meanwhile, Milla's armor doesn't even meet Party City Halloween costume quality.

Sorry, but I am not excited about this film, and will most likely not be watching this on launch day. No Thank You.

The Future of The Blog

Hey!

I really haven't posted in a long ass time, truth is that I was actually posting to a different website known as The Game of Nerds. I posted there up until I was asked to write about Comic Con events which I had no interest in, and thus no motivation to write about. At the same time I lost my job at a pretty high paying 3D printing lab, and thus focused my time and energy on doing other things, like looking for a new job, and doing Doordash.

Since I stopped writing I began to focus my energies on other things I have always wanted to do. For One I began to stream more often, while also creating more videos for my youtube channel. While I began the channel with the purpose of creating run through videos, I found myself getting bored, and often deviating from the main missions, in order to do side missions. I grew bored with this format, and so I began to focus more on Kill comps for Titanfall 2, PUBG, and now Black Ops 4. I understand though, that I will not grow my viewership through mere kill comps, but that I also need to find ways to engage my viewers, and create new content. I am still not sure what direction I want to take my channel in, so for the meantime I will continue my streams, and short videos of game play.

I have continued to post on my Instagram, but just as before, I am focusing mostly on my miniatures for the Instagram account. Although my primary focus was never to make everything about the minis, no, my focus was to focus on gaming as a whole, with some what more of a focus on traditional table top board games, but in the end it became mostly about the minis. As I grow my brand I want to change that, and I want to focus on gaming as a whole. What I would like to do more than anything is make a community.


So what's the future of this blog?

Well I just purchased a domain name!

The plan is to continue to work on the brand, to continue trying to grow the brand, and create a community of Gamers, from all genres and mediums related to gaming. I want to create a community to encourage people to post their clips, their works, their stories. So I hope you all join me in trying to grow this project.

Thank you.

Standing Out - Converting and Kit Bashing to Create a Unique Army.

About two years ago while working at Tesla, my Supervisor turned to me and said "Dude, we should play Dungeons and Dragons". I was excited with the idea of bringing a tabletop game to work, but I decided to reply "NO, let's play Warhammer 40,000!" Since then I have been deeply obsessed with Warhammer, and miniatures in general, specially because of the creative freedom granted by the grey plastic which invites players to create their own legions and lore. The thing is that no matter what army you play as, you have the same selection of troops at your finger tips as everyone else. a unique paint scheme is not always enough to make your army feel like "your guys", and that is when kit bashing and conversion is required. Kit bashing is the art of taking bits from various kits and combining them in such a way that you make something new, something to fit your image, something which makes this miniature yours.

 Source - Instagram @Kyle.Haydon

Primaris Space Marine Conversion Source - Instagram @Will_Paints

Conversion is similar, but usually involves the use of tools to modify bits, and figures as well as the use of sculpting putty (green stuff). Conversion also usually completely changes the role, character, or overall function and appearance of the miniature being converted. For instance, I usually swap out Space Marine Scout heads for some Anvil Industries head sets, I also usually add pauldrons to my scouts - this is kit bashing. On the flip, there are people out there who have taken Primaris Space Marines and added their own features to create a gritty, grim dark version of Buzz Lightyear. While some may say that both kit bashing and conversion are the same thing, I believe the difference is in the end result of the model, and the extent of work it took to get there.

Some people alter their figures for the sole purpose of having miniatures which are unique to their army. Other people convert to bring characters into their game for which no actual model exists. Others do it for both reasons. Whatever your reason may be for wanting to alter your miniatures, the next step is sourcing bits and kits for the conversions. Here are a few of the sources I use for my own miniatures.

Anvil Industry

Anvil Industry is a manufacturer from the UK which makes their own range of miniatures as well as their tabletop game. Their Exo-lords line of miniatures is plentiful in Space Marine compatible bits from pauldrons, weapons, and accessories. Their Regiments line has an abundant selection of Imperial Guard compatible bits with such a wide product range that Imperial Guard players are sure to find something to fit their specific army. My favorite thing about Anvil industry is their wide selection of heads, in fact this is where I get ALL of my head replacements from. I specifically use Anvil Industry to source replacement heads for my Space Marine scouts, as the stock heads make them look a little too silly for the grim dark universe of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
The quality of Anvil Industries kits is top-notch, very close in quality with Games-Workshop miniatures, making their bits incredibly useful for kit bashing and conversion. The only downside is that the scale is slightly off, not enough to make it immediately noticeable on first sight, but experienced hobbyist will notice. Experienced hobbyist should have no problem getting around this minor imperfection through the use of green stuff, or through the strategic posing, and placement of the miniature in question. If you are a Space Marine or Imperial Guard player this supplier is a must.

Kromlech

Kromlech's bits are top-notch in quality, easily rivaling Anvil Industry and Games-Workshop, but they too suffer from a scaling issue. Where Anvil Industry bits are slightly too small, Kromlech's bits are slightly larger. Again experienced hobbyist should have no problem working through this minor issues, and even with little modification the size difference is not noticeable at first glance. I will say though that I am not sure this is a problem across all product ranges, but it was one of the first things I noticed with their range of Ork bits.


Like Anvil Industry, Kromlech has a wide range of products, but their range covers more than human factions. Kromlech offers bits compatible with Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, and other miniatures. Despite their large selection, when visiting their site, and when looking at their front page, it is clear that their specialization is Ork related kits. Their Ork line offers a wide range of variation from World War II Germany inspired Orks, to Pirate Orks. They also offer a wide range of vehicle conversions, something which Anvil Industry does not readily have.

Wargaming Exclusive

A great source for Warhammer 40,000 compatible proxies, as well as bits. However one look at their product line and it is easy to see that their lines are 100% created for the sole purpose being used for Warhammer 40,000. The logos, design, art style, and even names are so close to the 40k factions and heroes they represent that this company is basically walking the line of copyright infringement. Despite the blatant rip-ff of some of the model designs, this source is perfect for bits for almost every army. Specifically I like to use this supplier for anything related to Chaos Space Marines, specifically their vehicle conversion kits.

Hoard O' Bits

If you are building a Space Marine army, or Tau army, but want to make sure that all the bits being used are 100% Games-Workshop bits, then this is your go to place. This source does not manufacture their own bits, but rather creates a market where players can buy loose bits, by model, make, and army. You are almost 100% guaranteed that the products you buy here are 100% authentic, and original. Pieces come unpainted and unassembled. The range of bits available here is incredibly wide, offering more than just bits from standalone unit sets, but also those found in core sets such as "Assault on Black Reach" and "Space Hulk". Aside from Anvil Industry, this is my second most used supplier.

Puppet's War (Kinda)

I have a love/hate relationship with this supplier. On one hand their designs are exceptional and beautifully sculpted. On the other hand, their scaling is way off, and their quality is overall inconsistent. One example is the fact that their helmeted heads are the exact same size as their unhelmeted heads. Normally when someone puts on a helmet their head will look bigger, due to the addition of a whole layer of protection, but with Puppet's War product this is not the case. The pauldrons they make are too thin giving them an overall flimsy feel, given their price point is no different from products offered by Anvil Industry, Kromlech, and Games-Workshop you end up feeling like you are paying the same amount, for less quality. 

 A pro for this supplier is that they have a wide range of products to choose from. Their environments, vehicles, and vehicle weapons kits, for example, are top-notch, in that they are very detailed, and scaling does not appear to be too off the center. My only advice when using this supplier is that you tread with caution, and don't rely on them for EVERY part of your conversion.

Steer Clear of Heresy

Buying brand name bits, kits, and sets can get pricey. The internet has made it incredibly easy to access bits from various sources across the globe, and it is during these searches that we often encounter the temptation of buying counterfeit kits. After all why pay the $60.00 for Reboute Guilliman when you can head over to a Chinese recaster and buy him for $25? The issue with doing this is that such actions hurt the community as a whole. The amount of time and resources that goes into the creation these products is astounding. As with music, and cinema, piracy does nothing but hurt the industry by diverting revenue to the counterfeiters and away from the creators. It's also important to note that you get what you pay for, the reason that most miniatures do tend to be a bit pricey is because of all of the work that goes into creating these products including quality control. Steer clear of Heresy, and remain in the Emperor's favor by supporting official products, made and distributed by their creators. One thing to remember before committing to a conversion or other form of alteration is that some stores, such as Games-Workshop, may not allow you to play with altered versions of their products. Most local hobby shops may not be a problem, but brand specific stores such as Games-Workshop may be more strict about your alterations. The same goes for some Tournaments, even if not hosted by the brand's manufacturer/publisher. With that in mind, pick a fandom, pick a faction, and let your imagination run wild.