New Companion: Jenna-Louise Coleman

It has finally been revealled that the new companion on Doctor Who will be played by to be twenty five year old Jenna-Louise Coleman, who played Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale between 2005 and 2009.

Ok, she's not a redhead, but I guess she'll do.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I've never watched Emmerdale, so I have no idea what her acting is like. I guess I'll have to watch ITV's upcoming Titanic series to find out. Personally, I was hoping we'd get an older companion, like Donna Noble or Wilfred Mott, but that's no fault of Jenna's.

Still, I always enjoy the speculation that goes on whenever a new companion or Doctor is announced. We have no idea what the new companion's name is, what her occupation is, or where she comes from . We've got plenty of time to ponder before her first appearance in the 2012 Christmas Special

Sadly, this news does make Amy and Rory's departure seem even more tangible than before. While I was never entirely fond of Amy and Rory as characters, Karen Gillian and Arthur Darvill always gave a great performance, and they will be missed.

As for this new co-star, I remain cautiously optimistic.

Random Thoughts for March 2012

A couple of weeks ago I managed to see a production of Midsummer Nights Dream production by the Globe. It was interesting seeing the way school children reacted to the show. Some seemed bored, but most engaged with it. A co-worker of mine pointed out that these childrens loud reactions are closer to those of the rowdy audience of Shakespeare's own time. I'm not sure if I entirely agree with that, but I did enjoy the production.

Retro Gaming - Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

I used to play Abe's Oddysee a lot when I was a kid. Last month, I was feeling a little nostalgic, so I decided to replay it and see whether it stood up well today. Although game design has improved rapidly since this 2D platformer was released, back in 1997, it's still a great deal of fun.

You play as Abe, one of the many blue skinned Mudokon slaves working at a meat plant called Rupturefarms. Abe is working late one night when he overhears his boss, Molluck the Glukkon, planning to turn the Mudokons into a new meat product to make up for falling profits.  Abe runs away, determined to escape from Rupturefarms, unaware that he has a destiny. It's a fairly straightforward story, albeit with an interesting anti-McDonalds message.

Oddworld is full of fascinating creatures and enemies, including the Sligs, yellow slugs with mechanical legs who carry guns. Enemies are strong enough to kill Abe with just one attack, and Since Abe doesn't carry a gun, the player must find ingenious ways to avoid direct confrontations.

Abe's main ability is to use "Gamespeak" to communicate with fellow Mudokons and lead them to freedom. Abe can also "chant" to possess enemy Sligs and use the Slig GameSpeak to solve certain puzzles. It's always good to have games where you don't just mindlessly shoot every enemy on sight.

The number of Mudokons that you rescue will determine the ending of the game. If you killed or left behind too many Mudokons then you'll get the bad ending. The more you rescue, the better the chance of getting the good ending. A lot of the replay value in this game will come for trying to rescue all 99 Mudokons in the game.

The graphics for the full motion video sequences still look fantastic. The in-game Pre-rendered backgrounds are beautiful, from the grimy, industrial feel of Rupturefarms, to pine forests and dry desert land, give a good impression of vast distance. Only the character sprites themselves look a little rough and blocky, although the sprite movement is as fluid as possible with 90s graphics.

There are no catchy themes or songs in Oddworld as the music is primarily about creating atmosphere. Whether it is reflecting the harsh industry of Rupturefarms or the nature of the Oddworld wilderness, the music succeeds in this goal well.

So, all in all, I enjoyed the experience of replaying this game. I might even try replaying the sequel, Abe's Exoddus.
4/5

Random Thoughts for February 2012

Since I've been busy working at Shakespeare's Globe and keeping an eye out for other positions, I haven't had much time to update the blog. For the sake of keeping it going, I've decided to post a few random things that spring to mind.

Series Seven of Doctor Who began filming today. Hooray! Filming took place at Church Road, Penarth, with Karen Gillian, Arthur Darvill and guest star Mark Williams, who is better known for playing Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. Over the next few months there's going to be many more leaks and it'll be a challenge not to spoil myself. Back in 2004 I did my best to avoid any spoilers from the Series One filming, but I've been pretty rubbish since then. It'll be a long while before Series Seven is broadcast, and I don't want to be bored of the experience before it has begun!

I've also got around to seeing the latest trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man and I must say I'm more optimistic about it than I was before. It still looks like standard superhero film fare, with the obligatory origin story, but I like the fact that Spider-Man is wisecracking with the criminals he faces. It's an aspect of the character that I always enjoyed in the comics and the 1994 animated series, but found strangely lacking in Sam Raimi's films. Andrew Garfield looks like he'll be a good Peter Parker.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully my next post will be a lot more interesting than this.

Sherlock 2x3: The Reichenbach Fall

Although I was excited that Sherlock Holmes would once again be facing off against Moriaty in this episde, I was a little worried when I heard it had been written by Stephen Thompson. Stephen's previous episode, The Blind Banker, was the least interesting of Series One, as it dealt with a fairly straightforward and somewhat dated tale of Chinese smuggler gangs.  Either Stephen has improved as a writer, or Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss were more closely involved in developing this script as The Reichenbach Fall is one of the strongest episodes of Sherlock to date.

It came as no surprise to Sherlock Holmes fans that this episode would be based on the story of The Final Problem, a fairly straightforward tale of the battle of wits between Holmes and Moriaty which leads to both of their deaths. What's brilliant about this episode is that it takes one small line about Moriaty's family trying to discredit Holmes after death, and expands on  it to create a tale about media image and manipulation. When Sherlock Holmes' ability as a detective is called into question, he is not only risking his life, but the reputation he has built up since becoming famous. In the end, he sacrifices his reputation to save his friends.

Andrew Scott's interpretation of Moriaty had already made quite an impression  in The Great Game, and he was just as fascinating here. Scott is brilliant as the slightly effeminate and bizarre Moriaty, alternating between camp and psychotic. However, if there is ever another series of Sherlock, I really hope they don't bring Moriaty back. He's a great villain, but he shouldn't be diminished by constantly returning and failing to win. He's left such an impression already, and that shouldn't be spoiled.

Benedict Cumberbatch was, as always, brilliant. Series Two has been about showing the cracks in Sherlock's armour as he reveals more of his carefully guarded emotions. He was particularly great when he finally admitted to Molly that he needed her. For a second, I seriously thought that he was asking her to help him lose his virginity.

In spite of the two intellectual giants on display, it's important not to lose sight  of how crucial Martin Freeman's ordinary John Watson is to procedings. I loved the fact that it's Watson who feels the most worried about Sherlock's reputation, since he has built his entire recovery from Afghanistan on trusting this man, only to find it ready to shatter. Freeman is also excellant at selling us the death of Sherlock Holmes. His silence in the psychiatrist's office speaks more than words ever could.

It's hard to see where the series could go after this. Three of Sherlock Holmes' best stories have been retold this year and it's difficult to think of anything left to tell. Sherlock's "return from the dead" to deal with Colonel Moran is an obvious one, and I'm personally hoping we get to see John Watson getting engaged to Mary Morstan. If Series 3 ever does come around, then I for one, I will be certain to watch it.

Big Finish Preview: The Foe From The Future

This month's issue of Doctor Who Magazine was full of gushing praise of Tom Baker. This is because he is finally doing the Big Finish Audios. This news would be more impressive if he hadn't already done audio work on Hornet's Nest. 
Still, every cloud has a silver lining, and this months DWM came with a free download of Part One of The Foe From the Future, giving me the chance to listen. It doesn't sound too bad.

It's big news at the moment that Tom Baker is doing the Big Finish audios. Since he's already done
Tom Baker sounds as though he never stopped playing the Doctor. He and Louse Jameson perfectly recreate the feel of their characters. The rest of the cast don't seem that prmising, and The Reverend is a caricature rather than a character.

I'm still slightly wary of the others. A story set on Nerva Beacon and another one featuring the Master and the Kraals sounds suspiciously like fanwank. Still, I may give them a go some time.

"Honesty" as it pertains to Internet Forum Chat

Like many geeks, I've browsed a good few fan forums over the years. Some of what people say is insightful, some of it is hilarious, but you do start to notice recurring point scoring techniques used in debates. I am particularly amused by the use of the word "honesty" in relation to criticism. According to certain sections of fandom, saying that you like something means that you're "sucking up" to the creators of that particular thing. On the other hand, if you say you don't like something, then you are being "honest". How is that supposed to work? What on earth makes negative criticism more "honest" than positive criticism?

In this case "honesty" translates as "agreeing with that other poster". I guess it stems from that negative poster's frustration that not everyone agrees with his or her own viewpoint. There's probably a psychological condition to explain this.

If I happen to like something, I'll say so. If I happen to dislike something, I'll say so. Just don't try telling me that I'm being "honest" or "sucking up". My thoughts are my own. Not anyone elses. I rarely come across any piece of fiction or art that I completely dislike, but if I do, I will say so.

A note to forum posters: No-one is ever going to completely agree with you on anything, ever. You just have to learn to live with it. Trying to convince yourself that the other person is a hypocrite for not agreeing with you just isn't going to work. I'm afraid that's life.