All posts by Noob of All Trades

Shawn Lucas is the self identified "Noob of All Trades". He is married and the father of three boys, two of whom help with their own podcast every couple of months. Raised on Atari, Nintendo, and Sega, he enjoys all games and will play all of them to the best of his ability, which is often average at best. Currently, he is most interested in Magic, Heroclix, and other games that he can play with Chris and his sons.
Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Comics Wrap Up: DC

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(Editor’s Note: I know that I have the good, bad, and ugly format for review articles. However, these comics articles are often going to cover several titles and that format might cause the articles to become so long as to be cumbersome to read. I’ll work the good, the bad, and the ugly into the articles somehow, but they won’t be the focal point.)

The title of this article is a bit misleading. Unlike Marvel, which has hooked me into buying multiple new books with their Secret Empire event, I’ve only read Batman and Wonder Woman from the DC Rebirth universe. That may change with the “Metal” event or as I become more adventurous and branch out into other titles. For now, though, enjoy my first edition of comic Wrap Up for Wonder Woman and Batman. Only two titles lets me test out some things and figure out what works and doesn’t.

Wonder Woman

Part of the reason that I haven’t gotten into more DC books is that I have been having trouble figuring out starting points for the books that are unfamiliar. Due to having grown up an unabashed Marvel zombie, most of the DC books are unfamiliar. I’ve always liked Batman, used that to get into Batman/Superman title of the early or mid 2000s, branched out from that into Superman for a very brief time, and not much else.

From the looks of things, Aquaman 25 appears to be a good starting point, so that might be the next DC title that I start collecting.

The new Wonder Woman movie led me to check out the comic book. Luckily, the 2nd volume of the trade came out during one of my visits to the store, so I picked it up. I found it strange that Volume 2 was titled “Year One” because I then had no idea what the story of the first book might be. Having never read any Wonder Woman before, though, I was thankful for the origin story.

After getting the first volume second, which actually made sense in the context of the two books, I did some research. I discovered that the writer was intertwining two stories concurrently during a particular story arc. As an example, the first 12 issues alternate between the year one origin story and another story where Diana is trying to find her way back to Themyscira. The odd issues tell one story and switched to the other for the even issues.

Because I bought the trades, I haven’t been able to experience how they worked together and if it enhanced the narrative at all. However, I’m a huge fan of alternative story telling methods. I recently watched Shimmer Lake and it was told in reverse. Hopefully, he keeps it up and I will be able to see if and how it affects the flow of the stories.

“The Lies” are leading the “The Truth”, which looks similar to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer storyline, but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.

As far as the stories, they are of high quality. Having never read Wonder Woman, I only had the movie to give me any expectations. But the origin story moved quickly, set the scene and established characters. The other did the exact opposite and is serving to undermine the entire mythology. While they are antithetical and you might wonder why he’d immediately work so hard to destroy his creating, the stories oddly fit together. I see now how weaving them together heightens the drama and keeps the reader on edge. It is actually a brilliant strategy.

The Good: The stories are fantastic. They are well paced and complement one another and bring together what is an unorthodox story telling style that could have gone very badly.

The Bad: At least the first 2 arcs that I’ve read will be familiar to Wonder Woman fans. They might have switched some things up to modernize it a bit, but it is an origin story.

The Ugly: Infinite Crisis, The New 52, now Rebirth? Jesus, how many reboots do we need? At least they seem committed to this one for the long haul. Here’s hoping.

Batman

Unlike Wonder Woman, Batman has been a part of my life since I watched the old TV series with my father. I saw several Robins killed. Witnessed the Batman broken by Bane. Lived through watching the Tim Burton franchise lose all credibility when it grew “bat nipples”. Threw out an unenthusiastic “Meh” followed by a slightly less enthusiastic “this is fine” over the announcement and current reign of “Batfleck”. So, there’s little that they can do with the character that would surprise me.

So, even though I joined Batman around issue 23, I don’t have an incentive to fill in the first two dozen or so issues via trades. I will continue forward. If I have some left over some week in my comic budget (not likely), I will grab the trades and see if there’s anything new in the Bat’s history since Rebirth.

Remember when I said that not much could surprise me. Well, more on that in a bit.

As far as the story that I’ve read, I was wrong about there being no surprises. The first issue that I read involved a team up with Swamp Thing. While only a one off, it was so well written that it hooked me. Then, Batman (spoiler alert) proposed to Catwoman. Yeah, it’s a gimmick. But, holy crap, what a gimmick! Plus, the book is so well written with good pacing and dialogue that it doesn’t feel like a gimmick. Currently, they’re setting the stage for a huge arc with Joker and The Riddler. Chris has said a couple of times that this is his favorite book right now. I don’t know if I can say that unequivocally, but there aren’t many, if any books right now that I would put above it on my most anticipated every month.

The Good: Again, just good writing. Great story, characters are familiar.

The Bad: The pacing of the story is a bit odd. It’s a good story, but sometimes there’s a little bit too much talk and not enough action.

The Ugly: Oh man, that Catwoman thing has worked so far, but it could have been a book killer if they didn’t do it right.

Batman is great. Wonder Woman is great. For some reason, none of that has led me to explore other books. I grew up as a Marvel zombie, a Marvel zombie I remain, and some day I will die and rise from the grave as a true Marvel zombie. Secret Empire and the tie in issues have swallowed much of my comic budget. However, I’ve mentioned to Chris that the Trinity series looks intriguing and I might have to read some Justice League before the movie comes out in November.

On the Tabletop

Follow Up: World’s Finest Dicemasters Second Impression

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(Editor’s Note: Apparently, this is our 200th article on the page. If you had told me when we started that we’d make it through these years and 200 articles, I might not have believed it. But, it’s proven to be a fun diversion and here’s to another 200 at least! Huzzah!)

I already wrote an article about the Dicemasters rainbow draft that the boys and I did for the World’s Finest set. I stated at the end of the article that I would not allow anything, not even the new Magic set, to distract me from my regained interest in the game. I was right about Magic. Hour of Devastation has barely even registered on my radar. However, I did not anticipate comic books becoming such an integral part of my life again.

It started off innocently enough. Similar to my last extended trips into the Marvel and DC universes, I got sucked in by a gimmick. Two gimmicks, in fact, this time. DC hooked me with a Wonder Woman movie that looked like it might actually give them more than just Batman. (Spoiler Alert: It does.) Marvel’s mega event, which I have recently learned will only serve to lead into their super ultra mega event, has me buying multiple books per week.

Wait, DC rebooted their reboot of a reboot? We gotta get us some of that!

One last story before I continue with my overall impression of the set. Chris went to catch up on recent comics and found several of them sold out. Since hearing that, I”ve been trying to figure out a way to get the books that I missed by taking a week off. Going forward, I’ll be okay because I just need to set up a pull list. But, among those I missed was Secret Empire #5. No!

But, this article isn’t about comics. I actually have two comic wrap up articles and a solo podcast to discuss comics coming this month. It just goes to show how much comics have been consuming my life in the last two months. Therefore, I need to shift my focus away from the books and to the dice long enough to write this article. Let’s do this.

Dammit, Leeroy.

The last time I did a Dicemasters set review as way back during the Age of Ultron days. I wrote up a top 10 in the style of an interview with Ultron. I am not going to do anything of the sort this time. There are several reasons why.

First, I only have limited (zing!) experience with the set. I’m not going to do extensive research on an old set just for a gag. Second, it is an old set. When I reviewed Age of Ultron, it might have even been a preview. Hey, we are sometimes on the ball here at 2 Generations Gaming. Third, and finally, I’ve resurrected a perfectly fine format to do reviews and previews.

The Good

As a noob who gets most of my enjoyment from how much fun I can have with a set, this seems like a very good set overall. In my previous article, I mentioned that I was able to find a couple of different synergies for my time. After a failed attempt at building a “Super” team, I settled on a hybrid Super/Bat Family team that worked very well together. The boys were able to hold their own, too.

Aiden went with the classic Villain archetype. Liam mostly put together a “good stuff” team, and our game was very close and back and forth the whole time. He may have even been able to beat me if we played according to the actual rules. Even Quinn, the youngest at 6, picked Krypto as one of his cards and then proceeded to try to build a “Super” team of his own. I think that he might have been the one who was cutting me. As Chris would say, “freaking ungrateful kids.”

I give you life and this is how you repay me? Pray that I am feeling merciful.

All four of us were able to build a suitably strong deck. That didn’t happen when we did the Pokemon event. That might have had something to do with the quality of the set. It might just be that Pokemon is not as good of a game for limited as Magic or Dicemasters. Who knows? What I do know for sure is that I’d like to test the theory with both games more.

The Bad

There wasn’t much bad that I can attribute to the set. Not only were we able to put together good teams for the event, but we also had fun discovering each card and some of the dice in the set are very cool. Harley Quinn’s die, for instance, is one that I remember being remarkable for the design. However, as Chris said, they’re only dice. While they can play around with both color scheme and hero icon design, it is still limited and the ultimate design is just a 6 sided die.

While that, by itself, isn’t bad, it’s not the greatest when you compare it to other games. Miniature games, most notably the other super hero game of Heroclix, naturally offer a much wider variety of design. The miniatures can take the art from the cards (another aspect of Dicemasters that showcases creativity) and give them life as 3D models. I understand that this is nit picking and somewhat comparing apples to oranges. However, I’d be lying if I said that Dicemasters is in any way comparable to the other games that I like playing.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a fun game. It’s just fun for entirely different reasons and would be a better game if the dice were just miniatures. True, it would be a completely different game. Oh heck, I admit it. This whole section was simply a straw man and I’m terrible at building up terrible arguments.

The Ugly

So, I couldn’t even really make an argument for the bad of this game, so I’m certainly not going to have much to say on the subject of “ugly”. All I will say is that Aiden had almost no mercy for his younger brother. He was a stone cold killer even though it was Quinn’s first time playing Dicemasters. Still, it didn’t sour him on the game because he said that he wants to play again and can’t wait to open the rest of the box.

Mine and Liam’s game was ugly because we didn’t follow the rules completely. Instead of recycling our KO’d dice back into our next roll, we put them back into the pool to be drawn who the heck knows when. Again, I have no idea how it might have affected the game other than he had something that did one damage to each fielded character, so we could have recycled dudes as new dice much quicker than expected. I must have a guilty conscience about that because I keep bringing it up. We are going to have to replay that game soon to clear my guilt.

?Yes! Yes, I killed him. Pull up the boards and you shall see! I killed him. But why does his heart not stop beating?! Why does it not stop!??
Uncategorized

Wunderbar!

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(Editor’s Note: I chose the title for two reasons. First, the obvious is that Germans are the bad guys in this movie. Second, it’s interesting how the 6 year old brain works. Quinn watched the movie, made the connection that the Germans were the bad guys, and came out with “I’m part evil”. When I asked him why, he said, “Well in Wonder Woman, the Germans were evil and I’m part German, so I’m part evil.” Can’t argue with that logic, I suppose. Also, see Der Eier von Satan.)

I’ve been looking forward to the stand alone Wonder Woman movie since I heard the announcements. Unlike many who saw Batman v. Superman, I didn’t think that she was the only good thing about the movie. Sure, she was absolutely the best thing about the movie, but I was much more forgiving of the rest of the movie than others. For instance, I didn’t think that Batfleck’s performance was the end of comic book movies as we know them. Secondly, Mark Zuckerberg’s take on Lex Luthor was refreshingly different. So, while not my favorite comic book movie by any stretch, it was a fun movie and a step in the right direction for the DC movie universe.

This is much more indicative of how I feel about the movie. Batman v. Superman starring Wonder Woman!

The Good

I will avoid my usual starting line that the best thing I can say about this movie is that it is “Wonder Woman”. First, I don’t want to become too much of a cliche. Secondly, the truth is that I don’t have that much of a history with Wonder Woman. Sure, I’ve seen the Linda Carter series as a kid, but I never read the comic until recently and in no way would call myself a fan of the character. Unlike Power Rangers and Guardians of the Galaxy, my interest in Wonder Woman as a character is a result of seeing a movie, not the other way around. Therefore, it would be intellectually dishonest of me to start off with that statement.

Dang, that means that I actually have to do some work to write this article. I have to research (read comics) the character (a kick butt woman who is quickly becoming a hero to women and little girls again) in order to flesh out an article (on a web page that I run for my own fun and entertainment). Well, it’s a tough job (it’s not a job at all), but someone’s gotta do it. In preparation for the article, I picked up the first two trades for the newest iteration of Wonder Woman from the DC Rebirth event (?) Honestly, I’m not sure what to call it. It’s technically just a reboot, but that doesn’t make sense because they’ve rebooted about a million times over the past few years. Oh well, whatever it is, the stories have been decent from what I’ve read.

Also, from what I’ve read, the Wonder Woman movie was faithful to the comic character as she is interpreted now. Even with my limited interaction with her, I do know that her origin (as far as becoming a character) is a little strange because her creator was into some weird stuff. Being a family friendly page, I’ll keep it at that. Lately, though, and over time, she’s been reclaimed and turned into the female icon that we know and love today. I think, especially, with the weird time we find ourselves living in, she represents much more than maybe she would under less stressful circumstances. Gal Gadot, the actress chosen to play the role, fits that perfectly. I know she’s an actress and she gets paid to play pretend and dress up, but it genuinely seems like she enjoys the character and has fun with it.

Luckily, DC has started to turn the corner when it comes to fun in their movies. They’ve pivoted from the “dark and gritty” hyperrealism of Christopher Nolan’s Batman and embraced that, at their heart, these are characters that spend most of their time as colorful drawings in what some consider to be kid’s entertainment. Now, you and I know that comics are not strictly for kids, but we’ll let everyone else think that and underestimate us. It’s worked for the last 40 years and we have been slowly taking over.

Wait, was that out loud? Ignore that. *ahem*

The Bad

The movie is too long and the final battle drags on seemingly forever. The movie is yet another origin story. However, unlike Spidey and Bats, who have been origined to death in their cinematic history, this is the Amazonians first feature, so I don’t mind them taking the time to introduce her. Plus, the origin is handled well and respectful of the source material, as far as I can tell. Again, I only know the newest Wonder Woman, so take my opinion with that grain of salt. My main complaint lies with the second point. The final battle just feels like it takes forever to reach a conclusion and there’s a bit of an unnecessary M. Night Shamalyan twist before it even begins.

I said earlier that DC seems to have started to turn the corner with their movies. I enjoyed the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, as did many. I despised both of the stand alone Superman movies. I cringed, with my fellow nerds, as more and more information released for Batman vs. Superman and then just sort of fell into a state of numb acceptance and finally even nervous excitement. Zach Snyder is directing? *sigh* Okay, fine. Let’s see what he can do this time. Ben Affleck is staring as Batman? Who is playing Lex Luthor? Um, wait, what? They’re doing the Doomsday and “Death of Superman” story. Well, okay, hopefully they don’t screw it up.

Then, the movie came out and there was honestly no reason for the trepidation. It wasn’t a great movie, but it wasn’t terrible. It was watchable bordering on okay. I’ve watched it twice? Maybe three times? Once with a friend, once with Christine, and then once with the boys. With each successive viewing, I actually found myself enjoying it more. It just wasn’t as Zach Snyder heavy as the Superman movies. I know that some will look to this Wonder Woman movie as the one where DC turned the corner. While that might be true in the long run, Batman vs. Superman is where the movies started to take a turn for the better, in my opinion.

What does this have to do with Wonder Woman? Well, having been trained by Marvel, I sat through the credits for a potential Easter egg. None came, but I did notice that Zack Snyder got producer or story writer credit or something. His hands were all over that last scene. I could just feel it. He’s definitely less than during the Superman fiascos, but there is still a bit too much.

I know he’s a god and integral to the WW mythology, but come on. It’s just too much. Plus, I feel like the better villain from a storytelling angle could have been Dr. Poison.

The Ugly

I already started to discuss this in “The Bad” section, but Zack Snyder. I don’t mean the man himself. I have no idea if he’s actually ugly. But, his storytelling needs quite a bit of work in my humble opinion. How much is that worth seeing that I am a self-published author and he’s writing DC comic book movies? Probably not much. However, I’m one who can usually forgive and forget. I’m also not generally very critical of creativity.

I just can’t get the taste of those Superman movies out of my mouth. Also, I feel like, while he did okay with Batman vs. Superman and is showing some growth, this movie could have been damn near perfect with a more deft handling of the story and especially the finale. Oh well, I’ll take the incremental improvements and hope for the best come the release for Justice League.

Again, he’s got the support of Ben Affleck again and, I just learned, Joss Whedon (due to a terrible family tragedy), so things can only get better.
On the Tabletop

Dice to Meet You

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(Editor’s Note: Yes, it appears that the “bad Dad” joke disease is back for this headline. Hopefully my prescription comes through soon and it is only temporary. Nothing is guaranteed in this current political climate surrounding healthcare, though.)

I don’t remember how Chris and I got involved in Dice Masters. I think that it might have been something that we played in order to have a Marvel tabletop game to discuss on the podcast and we had already talked about Heroclix. I might have it all wrong. I might have picked it up and played it with the boys first. However I became involved with the game, I enjoyed it very much.

I bought all of the starter sets that I could find. I got a booster box of Age of Ultron that I opened with the boys. We recorded it to put on our less than active YouTube page. I organized our dice and cards, joined a online community, did several articles on the game, and then (in my true short attention span style), promptly forgot all about Dice Masters.

…and not so shiny objects, and shiny non objects…let’s face it. I’m easily distracted by, well, easily distracted covers it.

Chris and I have played a few games since. I know because I remember digging through the tackle boxes that I use for storage of the dice. The boys and I have also played one or two games, mostly with the starter packs, but we might have played a pick up game or two during the Christmas break that we also rediscovered Heroclix. However, the interest has not been sustained like it is with Magic, or even the idea of Hordes/Warmachine. I think that might actually change.

As I said, in anticipation of our podcast about all things DC, one of my recent endeavors was to get one of the more recent DC Dice Masters sets. I lucked out and found a gravity feed of the set “World’s Finest” for a really good price. A subsequent text chain with Chris confirms it because he exclaimed, “That’s a really good deal!” The box sat on the floor waiting for the right time to be played and I started to worry that it might continue to be relegated to the back burner like my half of a box of Amonkhet that is sitting in the playroom unopened. However, the boys kept me honest. My youngest, especially, bugged me incessantly until I finally just gave in and we sat down to play a game.

After the “success” of our Pokemon event, I decided to try a rainbow draft. Only fitting that it happened during PRIDE month.

I had only heard about the rainbow draft online and from various gaming stores in the area. Like an MTG draft, I’ve never actually been able to get out to participate in one. However, they sound fun and we had 90 (maybe plus) packs, so this seemed like as good a time as any to test the format. Luckily, I was able to introduce the boys to sealed format during our Pokemon event, so they were used to the idea. We sat down, busted open some packs, organized the dice, and picked some cards.

I have to admit that I have almost no idea when it comes to the strategy of Dice Masters. I know that there are often synergies between cards like there are with Magic, so I looked for them. It’s funny because I was focusing on a Superman type deck, but I actually ended up with a decent Batman deck without even realizing it. Now that I’ve seen what some of the cards can do (especially the Batcave card that I ended up with), I think I might be able to build a better deck. Nevertheless, it was enough to beat Liam in the first game.

Aiden beat Quinn in their first game, but I’m not entirely sure that they played according the the rules. In fact, I’m almost positive that they didn’t. How do I know? Well, I was looking at the play mat that we were using as a reference and Liam and I actually made a huge mistake by putting our KO’d characters in our used pile instead of our prep area. That would have fundamentally changed the outcome of our game in major ways. So, if two players who sort of knew what they were doing screwed things up, what does that say for the 6 year old who never played and the 10 year old who often plays for blood?

I mean, how hard is it? You just follow directions. Psh, we’re men! We don’t ask for directions!

Bedtime prevented us from finishing our matches (as we were rightly going to play best 2 out of 3 to decide the winners of each round), but from the sounds of it, everyone had fun. Liam was a bit grumpy about losing. He might try to deny it or write it off, but he has a similar competitive streak as me. It lies just below the surface for the most part and when it bubbles up, the villagers run for higher ground. Luckily, he kept it in check this time. Because, I discovered our misplay the next day and we might just replay the game. Ultimately it doesn’t make a difference because it’s not like it is an officially sanctioned tournament or anything. Still, if I’m not honorable when playing against my own kids, what kind of person would I be?

Other than that, Quinn has been asking to play again daily. He also wants to crack open the other packs in the gravity feed. Aiden was less enthusiastic, but he’s had a bit of a “too cool” attitude lately regarding life. I had so much fun that I texted Chris to tell him that I’d rediscovered my joie de vivre regarding the game and he said that he wanted to play some more whenever we are able to get together again.

For such a simple concept, the game is so much fun. It is cheap. You get 2 dice and cards for 1 dollar booster pack. I got the gravity feed for 50 bucks, so that’s more or less half off. It might be one of those boxes that was gerrymandered by pulling out the foils or putting together a box without rares or super rares. I don’t know. I wasn’t keeping inventory of the cards as we opened them. The game is easy to learn. Even though he was overwhelmed, my youngest was able to pick up the basic concept and hold his own pretty well for his first time playing. There are hidden strategies in the game. As I’ve said before, the best games are those that are simple on the surface, but complex once you start to learn the intricacies. All of this boils down to one great game that I will try not to get distracted from for over a year again.

Oh, what’s this I see on the horizon? No, no! No more shiny objects.
Digital Playground

Gods in the Palm of your Hand

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(Editor’s Note: 2 Generations Gaming is back with a celebration of all things DC Comics over the next couple of weeks due to our enjoyment of the new Wonder Woman movie. Next month is Spidey and Marvel!)

I believe I’ve mentioned the mobile version of MKX in one of my reviews recently. Even if I haven’t, just know that I’m not overly impressed with the game. Look, I know that it can’t be an exact port from the console versions to mobile, but I just felt that it could be so much more. Against my better judgement, I fell for the advertisement in MKX and downloaded Injustice 2 for the phone. I’ve heard good things about the console version. However, as a cheap old gamer, I don’t have either of the current gen consoles required to play it. Also, Kevin crushed my dreams by telling me that it would not be released on Steam. Therefore, I have to wait until another price drop or two (and Chris told me that one is imminent!) until I’m able to play that version.

As a result, even though I’m deeply disappointed in MKX and Injustice 2 is done by the same studio, I took the chance. Part of the reason is that Wonder Woman released this month and I had plans of doing a DC spectacular on the podcast and I needed some DC games to fill in the gaps on the web page. Just like the movies (more on that Friday), there haven’t been many decent DC related games other than the Arkham series. I remembered the Injustice name from the first game and, as always, hold out hope that things will get better.

Usually, I’m the guy on the left. Every now and then, I’m pretty sure that I’m standing in a puddle of piss.

Let’s start with my primary complaint about MKX. Combat, frankly, is boring. As I mentioned earlier, it is mobile, so it is unrealistic to think that an exact port is possible. However, I feel they could have adjusted the game to take advantage of the unique nature of mobile gaming and make it more strategy based than just tap, tap, tap. On a related note, I’ve found some additional strategy with the block mechanic, but even that is very limited. Injustice improves upon that.

Adding to the basic/combo attacks and block maneuver, each character has a jumping attack, a crouching attack, a rush attack, and even a ranged attack. Each of them is activated using a unique motion. The variety of moves makes it feel so much more like an actual fighting game than MKX. I will be investing much more time into Injustice 2. I’ve already weaved it into my regular rotation as I wait for cooldowns to expire in MTG:PQ and Sim City.

They’re not lying. In addition to the fact that there is an actual moves list, the characters have unique animations for their different moves. It is quite an impressive improvement on MKX.

So, the move set is more complete. Big deal. Hey, as far as I’m concerned, it is a big deal. That alone makes it work the price of admission. By the way, that price is free for both games. It’s a metaphor, okay?! However, that’s not all. There are several other reasons that Injustice 2 is a vastly superior game to MKX. Let’s explore them.

There are more and a wider variety of game modes. Alongside the campaign mode, arena (which is similar to faction wars), and resource missions (sort of a ladder style mode that is somewhat analogous to Shao Khan’s tower), there is also a robust story mode, operations, and something called challenges. As of this writing, I’ve played all of the modes at least once.

I’ve only played through part of the story, but the cut scene that I watched was entertaining enough to keep me interested and I will probably play through more eventually. Right now, I’d much rather play the other modes as they offer much better loot. Area pits you against random teams put together by other players with the computer as your actual opponent. Operations are a completely different way to play the game. You choose one (so far the only ones I have unlocked are one) of your characters to go on a “mission” which awards various prizes depending on the mission. It is not terribly interactive, but I appreciate the attempt at doing something different. Plus, they’re part of the daily objectives that award you hero shards to unlock a new Wonder Woman.

For some reason, I’m all about Wonder Woman right now.

The last improvement that I will discuss is the concept of class advantage. This may exist in MKX. If it does, though, I’m not aware of it. Injustice 2 makes it abundantly clear that even a noob like me can not only know about it but also have a basic understanding of the Rochambeau nature of the mechanic.

I probably could go on, but I’m blanking on other specific parts of the game that have impressed me. It’s just overall a vastly improved game over MKX and very much what I expected a mobile fighting game would be without having any actual expectations the first time that I played MKX. Does that make sense? Probably not, so let me try to unpack it.

As we’ve seen, unpacking issues usually becomes a trip into dark and scary places.

I hoped that MKX would at least be a decent emulation of the console version. In the graphics, animation, and sound departments, it was. For everything else, it was hopelessly not. I played the game because it kept me entertained for about 5 or 10 minutes (my usual attention span when it comes to mobile games), but I wished for more. Having my expectations somewhat diminished by the disappointment of MKX, I went into Injustice 2 figuring that it might just be the same and I’d end up deleting it from my phone in a month or two to make room.

Obviously, that hasn’t happened. I’m playing Injustice on a regular basis and it has now moved past Sim City as my second most played game after MTG:PQ. I don’t see it surpassing that game as, no matter how much it frustrates me, I really enjoy that one. I’m not sure what a game would need to do to become my favorite over MTG:PQ. It is just a solid mobile game with that MTG flavor that I enjoy so much.

In closing, I really, really like the Injustice 2 mobile app. There are a wide variety of characters with a complete move set. Several game modes keep the game feeling fresh even if mobile isn’t exactly the best way to experience a fighting game. It’s free and the virtual currencies are easy enough to obtain that I haven’t found myself considering a purchase at all. We all know that I will usually make my 10 or 20 dollar purchase to support the developers, but I haven’t figured out what that will look like for this one yet. So, download it and give it a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Marvel’s Secret

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(Editor’s Note: This secret is nothing like Victoria’s. Although, it wouldn’t surprise me at this point if Marvel did a series where it was revealed that a major male character wore ladies underwear.)

I’m not a huge presence on social media. Imagine my surprise then, when my feeds blew up a few months ago with the news that Captain America was a Nazi. First, if that seems incongruous, you are not alone. Along with many others, I took to Twitter (something I almost never do), to express my dismay at this development.

I also texted Chris about the news. We had our usual “old man” conversation about the state of comics. The stories aren’t as good! It’s a dying medium! They’ve run out of ideas and are just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks! This is a dumb idea to sell more comics and it will probably backfire!

And, yes, you damn kids better stay off my lawn!

Our old man sensibilities might have been right on for some of that, but we were dead wrong on the point that it might backfire. After reading the main comics, I went to the store to pick up some of the tie in issues. Well, during that trip, I discovered that a few of them were sold out. So, yeah, Marvel’s money making scheme has worked on more than just me. Know that I’m not the only sucker still out there made me feel a bit better.

Obligatory spoiler warning: Look, I don’t give 2 craps about spoilers, so this article will probably contain a buttload (an actual measurement by the way) of then. Let this be your lone warning.

I’m pretty sure that issue #0 is a reprint of a previous comic. Even if it is not, as a guy jumping in after almost 2 decades away, I was glad for the recap. Plus, it is well written and the art is by Steve McNiven, so it is top notch. It absolutely added to my enjoyment of the book. Some artists distract from the story by going over the top and others are just bad, but not him. I’ve always liked his work and I’m glad they put him on another major even book. I’m a bit bummed that they don’t have him working with Millar to recreate the Civil War magic, but Nick Spencer is doing well so far as writer.

No snarky comment. Just admiration of his talent.

So, what is this great story that made even you jump on board with the Captain America, Hydra Supreme angle? First, let’s all admit that we know that this isn’t going to last. There will be some conclusion to bring Cap back to his Nazi hating self. Sure, the even might finish with him in custody after Hydra surrenders or is otherwise defeated. However, it’s only a matter of time before ol’ Steve Rogers returns. In fact, it may have already happened.

Until they, they’ve given an outlandish, though not entirely implausible explanation for the transformation. Bear in mind that when I say “implausible”, we are talking about a universe in which Hulk ripped Wolverine into two pieces and the top half had to crawl to the top of a mountain to retrieve the bottom half. So, with that in mind, Red Skull apparently altered or recreated reality so that Captain America was raised from a young age as a Hydra agent. He was destined t become the Hydra Supreme and did so through a takeover of SHIELD and eventually the entire country.

His plan included isolating a group of heroes in space against a neverending attack from Chitauri drones. Another phase trapped a portion of Manhattan in a dark dimension. By the end of issue #1, he had moved into DC to capture the White House. I will say this about Hydra. They probably keep the trains running on time.

Okay, I admit. That was in poor taste. I’m sorry.

Issue #1 explored the resistance a bit by introducing a character that gets “saved” by them. There is also some development of the Cap character in that he is shown as little more than a figurehead as leader of Hydra. I will keep this part in suspense because it involves a death, but Steve isn’t able to “pull the trigger” so to speak.

While the resistance story is expected and predictable, I’m intrigued by the Captain America angle. In the past, Steve Rogers has been nothing if not committed to his values. Even during Civil War, he was willing to play the villain and split the super hero community over his opposition of the Registration Act. To see him conflicted to such a degree is both surprising and encouraging that some of the old Cap might be shining through the darkness.

This thread is tugged a bit harder in Issue #2. We see that, in fact, Captain America ultimately did not make the fateful decisions in issue #1. That fact weighs heavily on him and he feels a bit out of his element. Black Widow does what she does and attempts to set off on her own, but she is quickly joined by others and they set up a new team to fight against Hydra and take down Cap.

Surely, you know me well enough to know that was all just an excuse to show Scarlett Johansson.

The issue ends with a moment that literally had me say, “Oh ****” out loud and cement my interest in the story. I went from openly antagonistic to mildly interested in the main title to needing to buy all of the tie ins and read them, too. They aren’t crucal to your understanding, but they do fill in nicely. Plus, there aren’t a ton of them and the event is fairly short, so I don’t mind keeping up with them.

Look, I admit that I’m an easy mark. I can usually find some redeeming quality about most creative projects. But, this one is genuinely good. I can’t nor won’t necessarily recommend the tie ins unless you have the extra money. However, if you’re looking for a new series, getting back in after an extended break like me, or any other reason you might have, I say absolutely get the main series. You won’t be disappointed.

On the Tabletop

Dice, Dice, Baby!

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(Editor’s Note: I avoided making the obvious inappropriate joke title for this article because we are trying to cultivate a family image here. Plus, nothing brings in the youth audience like a 30 year old white guy rap reference!)

A couple of months ago, I was feeling the loneliness of the gamer who lost his usual gaming buddies. I went through the usual stages of grief before Chris and I finally just said “Eff it” and got together a few times. Kevin and I have talked about a gaming night here and there, but still haven’t been able to actually make it happen. Part of it is that I’m not sure if the new computer can handle some of the games we play and I can’t yet afford a new laptop. Oh well, it’s only a matter of time.

During my lonliness, I started researching games that I could play solitaire. I tried to do a D&D campaign solo. It was fun, but the real magic of RPGs is the interaction between different personalities. However, during my search, I found an entire page dedicated to dice games that can be played solitaire. Apparently, I’m not the only gamer who gets the shakes when I haven’t been able to meet with my buddies regularly.

I went to Amazon to buy another “pound o’ dice” since I only had about an eighth of a pound or so left from the original that I got a couple of years ago. I downloaded a few of the game boards. Yes, all of them were free to download! I took a day or two to familiarize myself with the rules. Then, I got to playing a few of them.

I typed “rolling dice” into Google and got this picture because, apparently, the only dice that exist are d6.

The Long Road to Reno

The Long Road to Reno (even though you’ll probably not make it!)

Okay, so this one uses only d6s, but I promise that they aren’t the only types of dice out there. In fact, I have all manner of dice in my pound of dice. There are d10s that I can use to play Marvel Super Heroes RPG. There are d20s that I can roll initiative, saving throws, or THAC0! There are d4s that I can use to stab you with my trust dagger in D&D if you don’t watch your mouth! Wait, no, come back, I’m sorry. I’m just trying to justify an insane purchase of a “pound o’ dice” and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.

This game is tough! I mean, I understand that games are supposed to offer a challenge, but I have played this game 3 or 4 times, and I rarely make it to that second green square. I don’t know if I have the instructions wrong, I’m just unlucky on my rolls, or it is intentionally demoralizing, but my party gets gunned down, dies of starvation or heat stroke, or just wanders off into the desert in seeming record time.

For the record, I also played the sequel and lost badly in that one, too. I mean, I like the games, and I have fun with the various scenarios presented by the die rolls. However, I have yet to approach anything even remotely resembling a victory. Perhaps I will try again when I got through another dry spell.

Dice of Arkham

The madness of the old gods beckons. Do you have what it takes to resist?

I’ll admit it. If there were actually old gods who whispered sweet crazies into our ears, I’d probably eventually succumb to their madness. I’m already pretty crazy as it is, so it wouldn’t take many “your family will abandon you” or “your toaster is plotting your demise” before I threw out the toaster and started walking around with an emergency blanket like Chuck from “Better Call Saul”.

In all seriousness, though, this game seems a bit more balanced than the d6 Shooters games. I felt much more comfortable playing the game, that I actually had a chance to win, and that added to my enjoyment of the game. I think that, between the three games that I got to play, this one was my favorite. Maybe it was also due to the fact that it was a setting that I preferred. I like cowboys, but I’ll always go for the fantasy/horror game.

Random Zombie Related Dice Names

There were a few games that revolved around killing and/or becoming zombies, depending on your preference, but I didn’t get around to playing them. I will say that they all looked very entertaining and I will probably give them a chance in the future. I’m a bit burned out on zombie stuff recently. However, in the comic book store, I was trying to find where I left off on The Walking Dead comic. I thought that I had sworn that one off for good. But, it appears as if the bitey folk virus is infecting my brain yet again.

If you want to check out any of the games yourself, you can download them atDice Game Depot(a good starting page) orBoard Game Geek(a good resource overall for table top games).

On the Tabletop

Revisiting Amonkhet

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(Editor’s Note: When we last left Noob of All Trades in Amonkhet, he was losing multiple limited events in new and interesting ways. Has that trend continued? Tune in now to find out!)

Like the zombies that have become so revalent in the wake of the set, I rise from teh dead of my 0-2 draft and 1-2 sealed against Chris to find success in Amonkhet limited. Writing my previous article inspired me to log back into MtGO and try my luck at another draft. I’m glad that I did. Having actually seen and played with and against the cards, I had a much better idea of what worked and what didn’t and why.

First, zombies are good. Standard and limited events on the PT have shown that. Because of that success, everyone knows and seems to draft accordingly. Secondly, exert is probably the second easiest strategy to put together behind zombies. -1/-1 counters can be good, but tough to make happen. Then again, I did play against a guy earlier in a sealed event who both got the nut -1/-1 pool and then the appropriate hand to make it all happen in game 1, so it is possible. I’m not entirely sure what the other color combinations might offer, so I’m no help there.

Apparently cycling is a thing? But, exercise and nerds just seems like a bad combination.

Still, armed with my little bit (you didn’t think I’d use the limited pun again, did you?) of knowledge, I put together a solid GW exert deck. There were no bombs that I saw, so it was just the type of draft where you have to find the value cards. Luckily, I found it in abundance in this draft. I don’t remember how it started. I think maybe GB or RB?

Pretty quickly, I pivoted and by pack 2, I was solidly in GW with a focus on exert. That allowed me to keep a lazy eye on any possible zombies. However, like I mentioned, there weren’t many to be found in the draft. So, I just went with Plan A and it worked. I blew my first opponent out of the water and beat the other in pretty convincing fashion, too.

I guess you could call the Sandworms or Angel bombs?

Buoyed by that success, I jumped into xMage for another draft. I didn’t want to follow up my good mojo with potential bad mojo and actually spend “money” (new player points) to do it, so xMage seemed like the logical choice. However, there was no bad mojo to be found that night. I was so happy about this draft that I texted Chris about it. “Damn, just drafted a sweet GR deck on xMage, but the game got corrupted. Think I finally have the hang of this format.”

It’s too bad that the game did get corrupted because this deck was seriously insane. I also texted to Chris that I had no idea what anyone else was drafting because there several packs where I had a tough decision to make and the card that I didn’t pick wheeled back around to me. In this draft, after pack 2, I could have easily pivoted and started grabbing black value and put together any combination of green, red, or black and most likely gone 3-0 with the deck. It truly was an embarrassment of riches.

I mean, just beautiful, isn’t it? *single tear of joy*

As I said, I really think I’m starting to get the hang of the format. I still agree that it is a great set for drafting or sealed. I will most likely use the rest of my new player points on two more drafts and I might even spring the cash for a sealed event. I’ve enjoyed it that much. If you’re not doing Amonkhet limited, you are missing out!

Digital Playground

Noob’s History with Zelda

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(Editor’s Note: We did several of these last year with Mario. However, while we dedicated an entire month to Mario, we’re only giving Zelda a single article.)

Only one article for Zelda, perhaps one of the most iconic video game franchises ever? Look, this isn’t meant to insult Link and company. I simply don’t have as extensive a history with Zelda. Unlike Mario, which has gameplay simple enough that they made it into a mobile game, Zelda requires much more of a time commitment. I’m no longer at a point in my life when I can devote weeks of my life playing a game for hours a day.

Oh, Skyrim. You were there for me when I was an unemployed stay at home day. Now that I’m working, I let you sit on the shelf and collect dust. Oh, cruel fates for us both.

I remember certain things vividly from childhood. While that probably isn’t abnormal, some of my formative memories are strange. For instance, I remember one Christmas trip to my maternal grandmother’s house. Well, who wouldn’t want to remember holidays with family? It’s not that. Keep reading. Overall, these trips weren’t terribly memorable. Most of them, along with similar trips to visit my father’s family, are part of that amalgam of “holiday” memories that occupy space and occasionally bubble up into my consciousness. Not this memory, though.

So, what’s so special about this Christmas trip and what does it have to do with Zelda? Stick with me just a bit more. I promise a pay off soon. This isn’t just therapy time with Noob. During this visit, I did what I often do during a big get together. I searched for a quiet place to recharge. That search led me to a room with a Nintendo (original NES) and I think a projector and pull down movie screen. I may be making up that last part. Either way, the game being played was the original Legend of Zelda.

I only know this screen from memes. Just another in my long line of nerd shame.

This nerd shame stems from the fact that, unlike Mario, I never actually played the NES Zelda game. The first one that I played was the SNES classic “A Link to the Past”. That’s when my actual “lifelong” obsession with The Legend of Zelda began. The graphics are the SNES sprite based of my childhood. The story rivaled that of Final Fantasy III, one of my favorites from that system. I was hooked.

While I loved that game, it isn’t my favorite in the series. That honor goes to Ocarina of Time. I know that many people say that its sister N64 title, Majora’s Mask, is the superior title. However, I’ve never played that one. I know what you’re thinking. How can you have a comprehensive history without one of the best games? Well, first I never promised the complete history. Just my history.

And, I’ve never been much of a historian.

Similar to the Mario title for the N64, it took everything great about the game and added a third dimension. You had to worry about depth and height when fighting against bosses. Dungeons, a multilayered affair in previous games, now gave the developer free reign and they took full advantage. Also considered one of the most frustrating levels, the water temple is one of the most unique and innovative designs ever.

By not only giving your character the ability to swim, but also making it integral to the level design, Ocarina of Time achieved full 3D motion and showcased what the big deal was about 3D gaming. I think I’ve made this point before, but it bears repeating. Even though 3D is the obvious current standard in video games now, there was a time when people argued against it. One of their main arguments was that the camera angle and controls would go wonky every now and then. Unfortunately, they usually had a point with N64 games.

After revolutionizing video games with the game pad, Nintendo started down the path of crazy controls with that console.

I’m pretty sure that I never beat that game. I can’t say for certain because it was a while ago, but that was during a time in my life when I worked a ton, so it probably never got finished. As an aside, now that I think about it, there’s not been a time in my life since I started working that I haven’t worked a bunch. Okay, not exactly relevant. Just had to get that off my chest.

The fact that I didn’t finish the game is not that big of a tragedy, either. With the power of computers now at the level to allow for reliable N64 emulation, I can play the game any time that I want. And, now, just writing about it, I actually want to play the game again. Heck, I even have my USB N64 controllers! Okay, I know what I’m doing over the next few days.

I can say that I’m going to do a video comparing the two and then not actually do the video.

My last stop on the Zelda train was Wind Waker. No, I didn’t hate the game so much that I stopped playing them. I know that the graphics were a huge controversy at the time, but I loved them. I enjoy that Nintendo sometimes takes big risks with the title because familiarity can breed contempt. I’m also glad that they didn’t make those graphics the standard because I’m enjoying the more realistic graphics of Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild as their systems get more powerful. However for Wind Waker, the graphics fit in with the theme of the game perfectly.

Even though I never played Twilight Princess or Breath of the Wild, I’ve been keeping up with the series through those games. Being a Nintenerd, I really want the Switch, but couldn’t justify the price tag right now. However, they have announced a new 2D Street Fighter game for it. Along with Breath of the Wild, a new Mario game, and the possibility of a new Metroid game, I suppose it is only a matter of time before I end up getting one.

On the Tabletop

Amon”Khetting Off on the Right Foot”

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(Editor’s Note: Okay, I fully admit that it might be time to retire this terrible dad joke headline gag that I’ve been milking for the past few articles. This one really does go too far and I almost want to apologize for it.)

Chris already gave you his impression of Amonkhet, the new Magic the Gathering set, via his recap of the prerelease he attended. Yes, you read that right. We had 2 Guys Gaming! We almost had another episode of that podcast in the can, too, but I wasn’t able to go over there because I wasn’t feeling well. But, we will take any positives and who knows? The podcast may be back soon enough.

I was not able to make it to this prerelease because it was Liam’s big weekend as Eugene in the local high school production of Grease. But, no regrets and I got to live vicariously through Chris. He kept me updated about his exploits via text. you can read about ithere. Spoiler Alert! He split the pot, but would have won.

While I wasn’t able to make it to the prerelease I was still very excited about this set. As a filthy casual, I didn’t care much about cards, so I didn’t keep up at all on spoilers. However, the lore based on ancient Egyptian civilization intrigued me. I’m a sucker for ancient civilizations and their stories. Therefore, I wanted to experience the set one way or another.

Then again, there are stories of Zeus dating his daughter, or some nonsense like that, so maybe those stories need to stay in the past.

Unfortunately, another obstacle stood in my way. Spring semester has ended. Summer hasn’t started yet. So, I’m in between checks and can’t afford to join events either in real life or on Magic Online right now. Luckily, I am practiced in the arts of cheap ass gaming. I created a “new” account on MTGO, which gives new player points that can be used to join phantom drafts. I don’t get to keep the cards, but I do get to play with them.

I did one draft this way. Without having looked at spoilers much, I went into the draft mostly blind. Armed with the limited (get it?!) knowledge, I went with the little bit that I did know. Zombies are decent this block. I forced BW embalm even after P1P1 a Glorybringer. Yeah, I know. Hear me out.

First, I find it humorous that both Chris and I pulled the dragon in our limited events. He’s lucky to have an actual card in hand (well, deck, actually), while I only have memories of an 0-2 performance. Should have done more research, I guess.

Draft is a cruel mistress.

So, how did I end up BW after drafting one of the great limited bombs of this set first? Well, it’s a tale s old as time. As old as people have been drafting, at least. Red just dried the eff up. I don’t know if there were to red bombs in the draft and the other guy just bullied me off. When I say dried up, I am talking Sahara desert dry. Sure, there was the oasis of the occasional good red card, but by that time I had switched gears to the zombies.

Don’t get me wrong. The deck was decent. Sure, I went 0-2, but the games and matches were all close. Ever since I started taking Magic a bit more seriously, I can hold my own in most games. But, it just wasn’t the “draft a bomb and win” that I thought it might be after the dragon. It’s never that easy, is it?

More recently, I got to experience the prerelease life (sort of) by doing a sealed with Chris. I bought my usual box and bundle. So, instead of doing our Winchester draft as we had been doing recently, Chris suggested the sealed. Neither of us opened a Glorybringer this time, but I got to finally see actual cards in action.

He went Naya exert for his deck. I probably tried to do too much with BG counters/cycle, but it worked out for me game 1. I flooded big time in game 2 and then saw a major threat pacified in game 3. but, and let’s say it all together now. “All three games were close.”

You know what losing makes you, right?

I had considered rebuilding or swapping pools, but Chris asked to play some modern, so I obliged. Again, he beat me 2-1 with a Boros aggro against a “Fun Police” deck. Apparently, it just wasn’t my night. That’s okay, though. I’ll get him the next time. That’s how our matches seem to go. Back and forth like that.

Also, I had fun. The set is a good limited set. There are a wide variety of viable archetypes in draft and sealed. Heck, I think this is the first time that I was able to pivot from a bomb and put together a decent secondary plan. Maybe that’s a result of me improving as a player? Perhaps, but I do think that this is a great limited set. I do have new player points for 3 more drafts. We’ll see if I still think that after them.