Geek Syndicate – Episode 175 (including Merlin interview with Julian Jones Pt 2)

In this end of year special the guys talk about the cancellation of Stargate Universe, thank the awesome Mondo Comico for coming to Barry’s rescue and then take some listener questions.

Direct Download: Episode 175

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North East Geek Feast – Episode 7

After two episodes in October and none in November, the North East accents, squabbles and over-the-top jingles return with North East Geek Feast episode 7!
Direct Download: Episode 7
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True Blood Season 3 UK Premiere

If you are one of the UK Trubies who hasn’t already seen season three through ‘some other method’, then you will be happy to know that FX have released the date for the airing of True Blood’s third season. January 14th at 10pm on the FX channel.

I promise, this season is brilliant and you’d be a fool to miss it! And even if you have seen it…what is wrong with watching it some more?!

 

 

And now for the weather…Tiffany?!

Tolkien Gestures Book 20: The Lies of Locke Lamora

Tolkien Gestures is one Sci-Fi nerds adventure into the strange mystical worlds of Fantasy Literature. Over the course of a year I’m reading 20 Fantasy Novels spaced over the life of the genre. This week, the final book in the year-long reading list is finally reached!

U.S. Postal Service to Release PIXAR Stamps

“Who uses stamps these days?” you say. Believe it or not even in this digital age, people still send physical mail! And for those that do, the United States Postal Service has been coming out with loads of cool and unique stamps every year. For instance, I have some of the 2006 DC Comics stamps featuring Superman, Batman and the Hulk among others.

2011 will continue the partnership with Disney for their “Send a Hello” stamps, which go on sale August 19, 2011. Originally a series of three annual issuances depicting friendship, celebration, and romance, they were so popular that it was expanded to celebrate imagination and magic.

The sheet of 20 stamps includes five different designs featuring Pixar characters: Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars (2006); Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille (2007); Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story (1995); Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up (2009); and the robot WALL*E from WALL*E (2008). Check out the stamps below and visit the official website or your local post office to order if you’re Stateside!

Source: United States Postal Service
GS Reporter: Sharlene

BBC America’s Doctor Who Series 6 Promo

Here we have the Promo the Americans got for the next series (season?) of Doctor Who. i wonder if they got the Trailer we got as well? can any of our American Whovians let us know if you saw this after the Christmas Special?

GS Reporter: Matt

Find me on twitter @matpease

 

Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth Review (NDS)

Evacuation Earth on DS

What’s it about?

Arriving on Earth only hours before a Solar Storm is due to wipe out all life on the planet, the Doctor and his companion discover the last group of humans preparing to evacuate. No sooner have they arrived then the TARDIS disappears and they embark on a mission to recover it …

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol Review

What’s It About?

The Doctor has left Amy and Rory on honeymoon in a luxury cruise liner. Unfortunately it’s about to crash on a planet in the middle of it’s Festive period. Only Kazran Sardick can save the 4003 people in the ship, but he’s no sense of compassion. Can The Doctor change Kazran’s character in time? …

Doctor Who series 6 Trailer!

I know most of you will have seen this already but it’s so good you should all watch it again!

Looks like we are in for a frustrating wait until the new series starts!

GS Reporter: Matt

Find me on twitter @matpease

 

The Naked Geek ep5: (an alternative Christmas Speech)

Welcome to Episode 5 of The Naked Geek hosted by David Monteith

 

For the 2nd year running, The Naked Geek delivers an alternative Christmas speech.

Today’s inspiration comes from The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks andDr Fate from DC Comics by J M DeMatteis & Shawn McManus

For those who have bought the Geek Syndicate iPhone app I have included the first chapter of Sword of Shannara

Music: Here Comes Santa Claus by the Ramsey Lewis Trio

Drink: Well it’s not whiskey

Direct download:  The Naked Geek Ep5: The Fundamental Weapons ( an alternative Christmas speech)

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Review

I first heard about Enslaved about a year ago when I watched a preview trailer for it and at the time remember thinking this looks interesting, especially the fact is based on the old Chinese story Journey to the West that that the classic and fantastic 70’s/80’s TV series Monkey is based on. Monkey was a childhood must watch for me so a game based on this with Monkey, Pigsy and Trpitaka got on my watch list

Enslaved is a platforming third person action-adventure game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Namco Bandai and was released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 on 8th October. The game’s story was written by Alex Garland who wrote a script for the fabled Halo film and is currently working on the new Judge Dredd film script. Andy Serkis voices Monkey and did the motion capture for the character.

The game is set in 150 years time in a future post-apocalyptic world following a global war, with few humans left and cities populated with active war robots (Mec’s) left over from the war that attack humans on sight.  Trip a teenage girl escapes from a slave ship and the salvers who’ve captured her. Knowing she’ll need help to get home, she enslaves fellow escapee Monkey with a headband that ties his life to hers, promising to release him after he helps her get back safely to her village and family. This starts a journey through different environments that involves plat-forming, solving puzzles and battling Mec’s while Monkey has to keep trip alive so he doesn’t die.

GAME REVIEW: Western Heroes

WESTERN HEROES
LIGHT GUN SHOOTER WITH RIFLE PERIPHERAL SET FOR NOVEMBER RELEASE
London, UK – 6th October, 2010 – International publisher Bigben Interactive has today invited younger gamers to saddle up and ride out for the fastest light gun duel to end them all, Western Heroes. Released exclusively for Nintendo Wii, Western Heroes will be bundled with a unique Wii Remote and Nunchuck compatible rifle peripheral – based on the famous Winchester rifle – when it is published this November.

In a setting inspired by the great Spaghetti Westerns of the 20th century, Western Heroes tells the story of four seasoned compadres on a mission to foil the devious plans of the sinister Molina, who threatens to turn the rugged prairies into an industrial wasteland. Up to four players at a time will blast their way through classic ‘Wild West’ scenarios including a steam train, a cattle ranch, an old mine and many more. Completing story mode chapters will unlock additional challenges and survival mode levels for extended play to test players’ accuracy and reactions.

I thought Western Heroes was going to be a lame attempt to cash in on the old notion of having  a cool peripheral and people will line up to buy this game regardless of whether the game is good or not. In this case the peripheral is a Winchester style light gun which snugly houses the wiimote and nunchuck fit snugly into. If that isn’t cool enough rather than have the usual ‘point the gun of the screen to reload’ method the makers have made it so you can use the Winchester to reload the same way it does in all those western flicks. You simply pull down on the reload lever on the gun and hey presto instant reload. After playing with it for five minutes it became my fave peripheral on the Wii ever. Out of the box the gun works really well and if it doesn’t work as well you can easily recalibrate the gun on screen. I think my next move will be to make my own holster so I can slide the gun into evil dead style…it ha to be done. I have seen some version of the gun which aren’t white but have been painted to look like a real Winchester and it’s a same those ones aren’t being sold in this country. I’ve  also yet to try the add on to see how well they work with other games (House of the Dead anyone?)

The gun maybe great but is the game any good you ask? I’m happy to say that not only is the peripheral a lot of fun but the game is as well. Think of the old school arcade classic Virtual Cop but given a Western style make over and that pretty much describes Western Heroes. Like Virtual Cop the game is an on the rails shooter with bad guys popping up from roofs, on horseback and many other hiding places. You a giving a certain amount of time (show by the target changing from yellow to red before your enemy will fire back.  You can also change up your wespon to a machin gun style effect (works better than it sounds) and shoot other icons to give you extra health and bullet times special moves. It’s a simple but addictive shooter.

Even though the game is on rails the developers have played with the concept a little moving you from stagecoach riding, horseback to rafts. The level design is fun but isn’t going to win any awards for originality but when the game is so dammed fun who cares?

The game also allows four players to play and you can play with just the wiimote/nunchuck combo but seriously anyone playing this game needs to get the Winchester add on if they want to get the most fun out of it.

As you play you can unlock different modes including a survival mode and a few levels that test your skill by throwing plates and barrels to the air for you to shoot over a set time limit.  These additional mini games help give some marks in the re-playability side of things. However even without these extra modes I could see myself coming back to this game every so often to relive a little stress and have a laugh. It would be cool if in the future the makes could add maybe a colt .45 peripheral to go with the game ( I may have to go hunting on Amazon). They could then perhaps add in a quick draw showdown against an online opponent (something for Western Heroes 2 maybe?).

The visuals are nothing to shout home about but they are pretty decent for the Wii and  I was enjoying the game so much that like most Wii gaes how good the   graphics are became a of little consequence

In short if you have a Wii, love westerns, loved games like Virtual cop or Time Crisis back in the day and can get hold of this with the Winchester rifle peripheral then do it pardner…do it today.

GS Reporter: Nuge

Scott Pilgrim VS the World: Blu – Ray Review

Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). A bass guitarist for garage band Sex Bob-omb, the 22 year old has just met the girl of his dreams…literally. The only catch to winning the elusive, mysterious Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead; Die Hard 4.0, Grindhouse: Death Proof)? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him.

Scott Pilgrim has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It’s getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart’s ass – and now is back in town – to the teenage distraction he’s trying to shake when Ramona rollerblades into his world, love hasn’t been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes control her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor.

As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues’ gallery from her past—from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsome identical twins. And if he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all before it really is game over.

Get the hot girl. Defeat her evil exes. Hit love where it hurts.

So let’s see  we have a film directed by Edgar Wright of Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead and Spaced fame, a comic book adaptation with computer game trappings and flaming katanas. What’s not to like?

Projected Ramblings – Episode 3

Episode 3. Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time! Here it is, the long awaited (by some) episode 3. See what Rich and Ben have in their festive sack for all you lucky people!

Any feedback/recommendations can be sent toprojected.ramblings@gmail.com or to twitter.com/Richnerd

Direct Download: Episode 3

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The Next Level – Episode 22

Join the guys in their final show of 2010. This episode, we discuss some of the big news – including a look at Drake’s Deception and Amaechi previews Dead Space 2.

Our main this week is a look back at the games of 2010, we pick our favourite games from a variety of categories before settling on The Next Level Game of the Year.

The review this month is Tron Evolution – find out what Barry and Ant thought of the game.

Hope you all have a great Christmas and an even better New Year. See you next year.

Direct Download:Episode 22

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