Hmm, this could turn out interesting. Human Target has been picked up by Fox for a January 2010 premiere. It’s produced by McG (Terminator: Salvation and Charlie’s Angels) and Simon West (Con Air and Tomb Raider) and is based on “popular” DC Comics graphic novel (I’ve never heard of it before, have you?).

Human Target stars Mark Valley (Fringe) as Christopher Chance, a unique private eye and bodyguard, who impersonates his clients in order to eliminate any threats (thus becoming a human target). As sidekicks we get Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies) and Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen). The pilot episode guest stars Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galacica).

Here are a couple of clips that Fox has released:

[Watch the videos on MissGeeky]

These clips do nothing to excite me for this new series. While it looks fine, it seems a little boring. I have no idea how the graphic novel is, but Human Target looks a little too procedural for me. I want to like it because of the actors, but it will need that red line to really hook me.

Cristiano and I were able to borrow a Playstation 3 for the weekend, and finally got to try out a couple of games. I mainly wanted to see if our TV could handle the graphics and if it was worth eventually getting a PS3. To be very honest, I would love to get a PS3, but the cost of it just doesn’t seem worth what you get for it in return. My sweet little PS2 takes up way less space and makes less noise, although it of course doesn’t play the newest games. Maybe when the next Final Fantasy is finally released (XIII has a release date for winter in Japan, and XII had almost a full year between Japan and Europe releases), I’ll get around to buying one. For now though the PS2 and Nintendo DS will suit me just fine.

Anyhow, one of the games we tried this weekend was Buzz! Quiz TV. Buzz! Quiz TV is the seventh game of the Buzz! series of quiz games, and is the first to appear on the PS3. It is also the first game to use the new wireless Buzz! controllers. 

I hadn’t played any of the Buzz! games before, but for a time now I’ve been curious to see how the gameplay is. The Buzz! controllers are great; you get much more a sense that you’re playing a quiz game, when you’ve got a big red button at your disposal. Besides the big red button, there are four smaller coloured buttons (blue, orange, yellow, green) for picking answers from the onscreen options. I love the fact that these controllers are wireless; I can’t imagine playing this game with wired ones, especially with our living room setup. 

There are two local options of games: single-player and multiplayer. When playing single player, you get three rounds of Stop The Clock: the faster you answer a question, the more points you get. The multiplayer game consists of seven rounds:

Point Builder: for each correct answer you get 250 points.
Pass The Bomb: answer a question correctly to pass the bomb to another player. If you end up with the bomb when it explodes, you loose 300 points.
Fastest Finger: the player who answers the fastest receives the most points (400). Every subsequent correct answer receives less points.
Pie Fight: if you answer the fastest, you get control of the pie and can throw it at another player. When hit by two pies, you’re kicked out of the round.
Point Stealer: the player who answers the fastest may steal points from another player.
High Stakes: after a brief description of the topic, you have to bet a number of points. If you answer correctly, you win those points. If you answer incorrectly, you loose the points.
Final Countdown: each player is on a raised platform that is slowly moving to the ground. Answering questions correctly slow you from hitting the ground. Answering questions incorrectly speed it up. When your platform hits the ground, you’re kicked out. The player that remains standing wins.

I really liked how this game was setup; the different types of rounds add an interesting aspect to the game. Before each round, the player with the least points is allowed to choose the topic, allowing them to pick other player’s weaknesses (or their own strengths). Some rounds seem a bit unbalanced when only playing with two players (like the Pie round), but it’s still a lot of fun. The topics have a nice range from general knowledge to movies to science and technology. There was the option to play a game within a specific topic (like movies), but I would have loved to seen the opposite: a way to exclude topics. I’m fine with most questions, but I don’t really like sport (and neither does Cristiano), and we would have loved to see a way to leave those questions out of it.

There’s also an option to play online, but I haven’t tried that out yet. The idea is that players are able to create their own quizzes, each containing 8 questions. These can then be shared online with other players. There are also special question packs available in the Playstation store, but these will also be available on the special edition version

I did enjoy this game and I’m looking into getting a PS2 version. It’s a great party game and more addictive than I first imagined it to be. The wireless controllers are a must-have; they make the game so much easier. I’m now curious to see how the specialized versions are, especially the Hollywood one.

Buzz! Quiz TV – game plus buzzers for £39.99 on Amazon, special edition version plus buzzers for £42.99 on Amazon

I really enjoy the Hide&Seek and Sandpit games and when the Hide&Seek mailing list announced they were helping out with the first London Go Game, I knew I just had to try it out for myself. The Go Game is a running around/treasure hunt type of game with location based puzzles, undercover agents and creative missions. Typically they are set up as team building games for companies or conventions, but once in a while they do community games, inviting anyone along.

I formed a team with Rachel, Kevin and Tom, calling ourselves the Geeks of London (of course). We were later joined by two of the volunteers for Hide&Seek, who had helped with the registration. After taking a group photo, we got our first mission. The Go Game uses a simple website to give each team their missions, meaning at least one team member has to have a web-enabled phone with them. The great thing of this type of setup though is that the “game masters” can control all the teams behind the scenes and make sure no one is doing the same mission at the same time. Each team also got a digital camera from the organizers to take photos and videos for certain missions.

As I said before, there were 3 different types of missions: location-based puzzles, undercover agents, and creative missions. With the location-based puzzles you were told to go to a specific spot and find/solve a puzzle there. Most of them were pretty obvious once you got there. For instance, the first one we had to solve was go a certain intersection and find the building with two names: one in which you could swim and one what you did in a queue. Turned out to be Poole, Waite & co. ltd. We then had to stripe away woolpot and figure out what word you could make from the letters that were left (delicate).

We only got one undercover agent mission: located in a pub was a pirate. We had to go up to him and in Pirate speak we had to figure out in 20 questions what his favourite food was. It was loads of fun and I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get to meet any of the other agents. Apparently there were also a space age air hostess (with funky blue hair), an undercover spy and a psychic.

The creative missions got you the most amount of points and would be judged at the end of the game by all the teams. We did 3 different ones, but found out at the end we were only allowed to enter one. The missions we did were recreate an old video game (we made a Lemmings video), a glam/slam paparazzi photo (I posed as a glamour model with a pretty car for the first photo, and then played drunk hugging a street cone for the second, see above) and recreate a a movie with fingers (we did Indiana Jones). None of our wonderful creations were that great compared to what a lot of the other teams came up with. One team got the mission to “do something they had never done before” and they made a video of four of them naked in a telephone booth. Ehm, yeah, we weren’t as committed to the cause as they were. Here’s one of the videos another team made:

[Watch the video on MissGeeky]

After 2/3 hours (I really don’t remember how long we were playing) all the teams met back at the pub and handed in their cameras. The videos and photos of the creative missions were then shown on screen and (through the website) each team had to vote for their favourites. In the end we finished 19th of the 20 teams. That was a bit disappointing, especially cause we kept getting updates saying we were in the lead. Despite that though it was a lot of fun and I’d definitely do it again.

I just love all the characters Robert Downey Jr has brought us the past year, and I think his incarnation of Sherlock Holmes will join that list of beloved characters. I heard about this casting more than a year ago, and it just sounded brilliant. Looking at this trailer only underlines that:

[Watch the trailer on MissGeeky.com]

While I wonder about the “historical accuracy” and how true it stays to the original story, this trailer looks pretty fun. I like the style that they’re going for and the slightly more humouristic Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes – Release Date: 25/56 December 2009 (USA, UK)

Episode 113: “Carousel”

Clowns creep me out:

[Watch the video on MissGeeky.com]

It’s actually made as an ad for a Philips tv; the cool thing is it’s a loop, so it can play endlessly on.

Via The Great Geek Manual

Living in London, you can’t help but be exposed to the advertisements of West End musicals; every time you take the tube, you’ll be bombarded by the myriad of posters praising the latest musical sensations. Like many, I had seen the posters of Spring Awakening, but couldn’t really make out of it what the show was about. Plus I had never heard anything about that musical before, so why should I waste my time going?

But then we were the winners of a scavenger hunt, and we got tickets to see Spring Awakening. I wasn’t expecting that much at all, but it turned out to be great: catchy tunes, sing-along-able lyrics, and an interesting tale unraveling on the stage. And now, I’m kind of depressed by the news though that they’re closing early. Due to lack of response, they’ll be shutting down this month, with their last performance on Saturday 30th May.

I can understand why it’s not doing so well though. This isn’t exactly the type of musical you’ll take your grandma or mum to. Spring Awakening is based on the controversial 1891 German play Frühlings Erwachen by Frank Wedekind. Set in the late nineteenth century in Germany, it’s about teenagers discovering their sexuality against a backdrop of religious and parental repression. The original play was banned in Germany due to its portrayal of masturbation, incest and rape (and other things I can’t mention otherwise I’ll spoil the plot) and the West End musical version doesn’t shy away from any of these issues.

After seeing Spring Awakening, I left the theatre feeling somewhat disturbed. This is not your usual musical and it goes places most other productions will steer away from. Combining that with the catchy alt-rock music leaves you with a weird juxtaposition of emotions. It’s unsettling to hear a beautiful duet between two girls about how they’re molested by their fathers. It’s not the type of song you can later sing-along to, without being reminded of what it actually is about.

Not all songs are like that though; there are a couple of great numbers, each sung perfectly by the cast. Each of the members of the cast have their shining moments and I was surprised to find out how young they all are (16-24). I just wish there was a recording of the London cast; I’ve got the Broadway version, but I prefer the voices of the London cast. The musical opens with Mama Who Bore Me (90210 viewers might recognize it), first as an enchanting ballad, after which it turns into a upbeat number. Two other favourite of mine were The Bitch of Living and Totally Fucked, both catchy and easy to sing along to. I guess I’m not the only ones who find those three the best numbers, cause during Tony Awards 2 years ago those 3 were performed as a medley:

[Watch the video on MissGeeky.com]

(Btw, Spring Awakening got 11 nomination that year at the Tony Awards, of which it won 8, including best musical and best score)

The set that you see in the video above is practically 100% the same as the London one. It’s a pretty small stage, but that makes the performances only more prominent. Like with We Will Rock You, you almost have a feeling that you’re at a concert. 

If you want to see Spring Awakening, you only still have two weeks to do so. While the story is disturbing, the production itself is pretty amazing: the songs are catchy, the choreography is cool, and the performances are outstanding. If you’ve got the time, I can’t recommend it more. Catch it while you still can!

Two movies in 2009 both called “nine”: 9 and Nine. We didn’t have a something like this in 2008, did we? Anyhow, the two films couldn’t be further apart. While 9 is a sci-fi futuristic animation, Nine is a musical based on the Broadway production NINE, which was inspired by Federico Fellini‘s autobiographical film 8½.

Here’s the description from Apple.com:

“NINE” is a vibrant and provocative musical that follows the life of world famous film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he reaches a creative and personal crisis of epic proportion, while balancing the numerous women in his life including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his film star muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the whore from his youth (Fergie) and his mother (Sophia Loren). The film is directed by Rob Marshall (CHICAGO). The original 1982 Broadway production of “NINE,” with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, won five Tony Awards including Best Musical.

And of course the trailer:

[Watch the trailer on MissGeeky.com]

I really like how this looks like, but I’m not too sure I’ll actually like the end product. It’s from the same director as Chicago, and I didn’t exactly like that (although that might be cause I don’t like the music). 

Nine – Release Date: 25 November 2009 (USA, UK)

Back at my student house in Delft, we used to play this game a lot. I never got around to getting the game myself, cause the rules said it was only for 3-4 players. We recently found out though that it is playable with 2 if you adapt some of the rules. It’s a great game and one of must-haves for a true boardgame geek.

Title: Settlers of Catan (Kolonisten van Catan)
Type: Boardgame
#Players: 3-4 (or 2 with adapted rules, 5-6 with extensions)
Cost: £20-25

Settlers of Catan is a played on a board of hexagonal tiles, that represent the island of Catan. At the start of the game the tiles are placed randomly or in a specific predetermined manner (but always with sea tiles surrounding it all). The island tiles represent the different resources: grain, wood, brick, ore and sheep (there aren’t any set names for the resources, we keep using other words like wheat, stone and clay too). Numbered tokens are then placed on each of the tiles, except for the resourceless “desert” tile. 

The idea of Settlers is to build settlements and roads at the corners and on the edges of the hexes. Every player starts the game with two settlements and two adjoining road segments, and has to collect resources to be able to build more. You’re only allowed to build settlements at the end of one of your roads, and no two settlements may be built on adjacent corners. During each players turn, a roll of two dice determines which resources are allowed to be collected: every person with a settlement on the tiles with the number that was thrown is allowed to collect that resource. For instance, in the game in the picture above: if the number 5 is thrown, both the white player and the blue player may collect a brick, while the orange player is allowed to collect a grain.

During a players turn that player may spend their resource cards to build more. A brick and a wood builds a road. A brick, a wood, a sheep and a grain builds a settlement. And two grain and three ore builds a city. A city is an upgrade of a settlement, allowing a player to pick up double the resources for the adjacent tiles. Besides the building of the above, you can also use resources to buy a development card; these cards can do various useful things (I won’t explain all the different types of cards here).

The winner is the player who first reaches 10 victory points. You receive a victory point for each settlement you have on the board, and two victory points for every city you have (so no points for roads). Various other achievements, like building the longest road, can give you extra victory points.

The most interesting aspect of Settlers is the trading. Players are allowed to trade the resources they have in their hand, with other players or “off-island”. During your turn, you can initiate trades with any of the other players (if they are willing). This can be particularly handy if you’re not on a certain resource, while others are. With the “off-island” trade, you can exchange 4 of the same cards into any card you want (with the “bank”). Furthermore, there are special sea ports on the map that allow people with settlements on them better trading prices (like exchanging 2 sheep for anything you want).

As I said at the beginning of this post, Settlers of Catan is meant to be played with 3-4 people. From my own experiences 3 is the best number to play with. When you’re with 4 it’s still possible, but the map is slightly more full, leaving less space to maneuver. There are various adapted rules for 2 players floating around on the internet, and I’ve tried a couple of them. I’m still not completely happy with that game play though, and still trying to refine it.

Like Carcasonne, Settlers of Catan is a “friendly” game. All players are in play until the end of the game (unlike Risk) and there are no ways to destroy points from people. There are ways to annoy people though like by refusing to trade, cutting off road routes, taking the longest road (by creating a road longer) and using special development cards. The placement of your settlements at the start of game can be crucial to the rest of your game; you have to give yourself enough space to build more roads and settlements (without getting boxed in), while trying to receive the best possible resources.

Settlers of Catan is a fun board game, which requires logical thinking, smooth talking and scheming. There are a couple of different expansions available, but I haven’t tried them out yet. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with a couple of friends, and (like I said before) a must-have for every boardgame geek.

Settlers of Catan is available for £29.99 at The Orc’s Nest (near Cambridge Circus), £33 on Amazon.co.uk, and $33 on Amazon.com.

Episode 112: “We all know time goes this way, but what if it also goes this way?”

Weird 13 minute movie about time travel:

Hirsute from A.J. Bond on Vimeo.

Via Geeks Are Sexy

While my definition is somewhat different than that of the Society For Geek Advancement (I don’t think you have to have an interest in technology: for instance, what about movie geeks?), I do like the idea:

[Watch the video on MissGeeky.com]

The Society For Geek Advancement was founded upon the principles that everyone should embrace their inner and outer geek and have fun while doing it. As individuals who love learning, innovating and believe in possibility as well as change, the second step of responsibility is to be the geek that keeps on giving. The Society is connected with a Room to Read, a charity which builds libraries and schools in developing countries. If you buy an I Am A Geek T-shirt via the Geek Advancement site, part of the proceeds will go to that charity.

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