Gree-Mor: The inbred Jedi

Friend of the show Tim Jennings provides the voice for Luke Skywalker in this very funny cartoon. Check it out!

You think you can cry? You're wrong...

This video has been making it's rounds around the interwubs.


Of course since Revenge of the Sith ruined everything, this is what my mind saw....


Thanks George Lucas...

Red Letter Media's Attack of the Clones review

If you saw the Phantom Menace review from Red Letter Media, you'll know exactly why I am excited to share this. I collected the entire 90+ minutes of awesome for you here in one single playlist. Enjoy!

Star Trek Alternate Ending.

Berries and cream!!!!!

Star Wars Episode Y: Rise of Little Lad - watch more funny videos

Critical Analysis of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Like I mentioned in Episode 51, I found one of the funniest and most insightful looks at a Star Wars movie ever. Don't let the goofy voice and murder jokes fool you, this guy knows what he is talking about. I was so impressed with this, that I took a few minutes to make a playlist and bundle them all together so you can enjoy them with minimal effort! So without further ado, here's Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Review.



Just to be clear, Kneel Before Pod did not produce these videos. We're just so smitten with them, that we are sharing them through our site.

Just a thought...

I'm watching The Clone Wars DVD with the audio commentary right now, and I noticed something.

When the tanks are climbing the cliff on Teth, and Ahsoka rides one to the top, she's standing on the viewport. An underage female wearing skintight leggings and a skirt standing on top of a tank's windshield while the clones driving have no choice but to stare straight ahead...at her naughty bits (assuming her physiology is similar to humans).

Seriously?

Star Wars: The Old Republic fan update and some thoughts about the Latest WoW Xpack

So... It's no secret that I plan MMOs from time to time and one that I have been really excited about is the new Bioware Star Wars game. Just the other day, this video was sent out to fans that signed up for email updates.



Not a whole lot of really new info here, but some videos of some early pre-production was shown. I have to say, for a pre-production stuff, it looks pretty good. The details aren't really there yet and the armor looks like plastic, but this isn't even close to being finished. There was some discussion about the companion characters and what they plan to do with those. Overall, an interesting watch.

Now... As I said on the previous episode, I finally broke down and bought the latest WoW expansion. I really, really thought that I had it beat and wasn't going to buy it. Unfortunately, when I am bored, all bets are off.

The two things I will take away from this expansion are a wider variety of gameplay and a more in depth storytelling. With the new class, you start off in a new area and there are lots of new things. Firstly, this starting area changes as you go through the story. So every time you teleport to the starter area, things will be a little different. So, you'll see towns in ruins after you helped destroy them and things of that nature. This is a great step towards what Ryan and I have talked about in previous episodes about cause and effect, and there being consequences for your actions in game. It's not very big and I have only seen it put into play in the new starting area, but it's cool to see them take this step. I am not shocked to see that it was Blizzard were the people to push this out there first.

You will also find yourself doing things that aren't just you playing your character and grinding out your level. You steal horses, you shoot cannons and you even fly a dragon into battle shooting fireballs at the armies below you. It's nice to see this variety starting to pop up in the game. I hope they continue to add stuff like this. The mini-game feel to it all really helps break up what can really be a boring and repetitive game.

So, overall, I have to say the Lich King is a great expansion. New Profession, New Class, New lands and a new experience. Good job Blizzard.

Episode 13: Villainous Favorites -or- Why do girls love the Bad Guys?

New episode kids! In this one we tackle our favourite comic book villains (spoiler, my #1 is spelling). We share some listener feedback, some news and talk briefly about a new Bioware game.



Direct Download: Right Click and Save
Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055
RSS Subscription: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml
or just look us up on iTunes!

It's coming...

So as we spoke about on previous episodes, Bioware is poised to make a huge announcement this Tuesday. Apparently, it's about something that has been rumoured about for years and is what we have all been waiting for. My money is on Shattered Steel Online, but for some reason a bunch of people think it's going to be a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMORPG. So, with these people in mind, here are some things that I really hope to see if it does pan out to be KotOR online.

1. The Jedi Trap- In short, don't fall into it.  This game would have the benefit of being set in a time where Jedi haven't been hunted to nigh extinction.  So, unlike other games where you can't walk a foot without tripping over a lightsaber in world said devoid of Jedi (You know who you are), you will have a world that still has a Jedi Council and an active training/recruiting program for Jedi.  This doesn't mean that being a Jedi should be easy though.  I think a Jedi should be the hardest class to level in game.  Maybe have a completely different leveling system for them.  Make their leveling more of a quest based, task completion sort of leveling system.  So instead of grinding out XP, you have to complete a very long series of quests and tasks that have been given to you by the Jedi council.  So you can grind on a nest of Womp Rats all you want, but you won't get anywhere.  In an ideal world, I would love to see you be required to group with a "Master" until you're no longer a padawan, but that is kind of a hard thing to balance and make actually work in game.  Basically, a Jedi's life is completely different than anyone else's in the Galaxy, the gamplay experience should reflect that.


2. Jedi Trap Pt.2- There is more to the Star Wars Universe than Jedi. It is important not to forget this when designing a game. Galaxies had some great idea for classes, but it never really worked out in my opinion. As a Smuggler, I never smuggled. I want to actually get to smuggle goods and make money. I want to be a shadow character in this otherwise rube filled world. I want bounty hunters that actually hunt down players. I want a lot, but I know Bioware has a lot to offer. I hope that they, like Blizzard, can redefine the MMO industry. The thing that I hope the redefine the most is issue #3.


3. Story- KotOR left us with a lot of unanswered questions. I want a grand epic story that sucks me in and makes me want to continue playing the game. I want story updates through patching of the game, not just expansion sets. I want a clearly living world that changes and isn't static. I want over the top epic NPCs leading battles again each other for the fate of the universe. I know as a fact I won't get the experience that I want from this game. I don't think the technology and game design in general has reached what I personally want out of an MMORPG, but I think Bioware has the ability to push it in the direction that I want to see.


4. Skywalkers- I don't want to see a single fucking character named Skywalker.


5. Dialogue- I want Bioware's standard branching dialogue system. I don't want to have a one track conversation like you get in most other MMORPGs.


6. Mandalorians- I want a lot of Mandalorians. Nothing else. They play a part in both games before and a huge part of the comic book. I want them. No excuses.


7. Jedi Council- I want to see a lot of the Jedi Council. I honestly just want to see a lot of politics at work. I want each planet to have it's own police and local government. I want to do tasks for them. I want to become a folk hero on some backwater planet. I want to be faceless on Courescant (did I mention, I want to be able to go to Courescant?).

So there you have it kids, a short list of things I want to see (or don't want to see) in a KotORO. Check back Wednesday, I'm sure I will have a post about whatever was announced and I'm sure we will dedicate a chunk of the show this week to whatever they announce.

Reaction: TheClone Wars TV Show, are these the Clones you're looking for?

From Kneel Before Pod

It's no secret how we felt about The Clone Wars movie. It was horrible and I felt shit on. If I was a child, I would hope that I felt offended by the blatant pandering and just plan down right insulting writing.

Luckily, this little post is not about the movie. This post is about the TV series. Sure, the movie was actually the first few episodes duct taped together and shoe horned onto a movie reel, but I still had hope. There was a chance that those first few episodes were just crap. Maybe they would be able to tune up the final project between the release of the movie and the premiere of the show. I am nothing if not a hopeless romantic and optimist when dealing with my favourite franchises, so why would Star Wars be any different. So I hope and I pine. Was my hoping in vain?

Short answer, no. The show that I am watching is a better experience than what I had with the movie. Notice I said experience and not product. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm not paying $10 to see this, or it works better on the TV, or maybe it's actually of better quality. Of course, it might be like hitting yourself in the head with a brick over and over. After awhile you stop feeling the pain and you get used to the blood running into your eyes. Thankfully, unlike the brick to the skull, The Clone Wars cartoon will not kill me so I will continue to bludgeon myself in the head with it. So you might be wanting some details at this point since I have been painting with broad strokes and bricks.

Ok, lets start off with what they do wrong. Why? Because I want to and honestly, it's a pretty short list. I honestly don't like how they are writing the villains for the most part. Both Ventress and Grievous come off as little whiny bitches at times. Especially Grievous with him complaining about the speed of his ship and what not. They really feel like token cartoon villains and not too threatening most the time. I know that outside of books and comics, these characters haven't been explored much, but I would think they would be a little cooler and darker.

To the defense of the writers, they do get some things right with these characters. In the same episode that Grievous is complaining like Anakin, they hit a couple really cool character nuggets. They really illustrate his complete disregard for both living and droid lives. At one point, to the disapproval of Dooku, he punches the head off a battle droid for opening it's stupid mouth and admitting how incompetent it is. Which is great, because he's doing exactly what I want to do. What do I want to do you may ask? Well let me tell you.

DESTROY EVERY FUCKING BATTLE
DROID IN THIS CARTOON.

The biggest carry over complaint I have about the movie into this show is the battle droids. They really, really, really need to talk less. I hope that the writers don't think that they are writing a laugh out moment when they write most of these jokes. I will admit, in the latest episode there was a good one about their aim, but it was still just so out of character in my mind that I couldn't enjoy it. On the other hand, they are writing these cute little throw away lines for Anakin and the other human characters which aren't that bad. The dialogue between living characters, especially Anakin and Ahsoka, has been pretty good. Yoda talking to clones, A&A having banter, the clones ribbing each other and Master Plo trying to keep all the kids in line is fine. It's not going to win any awards, but I can accept it because of the large demographic of the audience. They seem to have found a way to keep everything simple, but not insultingly so.

So, bottom line. I would not recommend this to any of my adult, non-Star Wars watching friends. This will not be the project that wins them over. I would suggest it as viewing for their children though. It's starting to shape up as a decent kids show with some good morale lessons in it. As far as Star Wars fans, I wouldn't dare venture a guess if they will like this or not. I will personally continue to watch it and I am sure I will enjoy a lot of it and maybe even cringe at times, but it's still better than the movie.

Episode 10 hath come.

Like mentioned before, we're back to our same old tricks. In this episode we get our first fan submission. Then we talk The Force Unleashed, what strides video games have made over the years and what we want to see from video games in the future. Then to top it all off, we have a little bit of talking about video game news and video games in general.



Due to Captain Tim's fan feedback, and surely not because of my foul mouth, we have set our podcast to explicit. So you will no longer be able to visit our Talkshoe profile without logging into their website. You can still download the show directly from the link below or through your normal rss feed services.

This week's music is from Hotel Lights.

Direct Download: Right Click and Save
Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055
RSS Subscription: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml
or just look us up on iTunes!

Episode 9 - The Star Wars Wrap up

In this episode we just have a general star Wars discussion. The topics range from Toys, to Video Games, to Live Action TV shows and what actually is canon? This is the end of Star Wars theme episodes... for now.



Tune in next week as we talk video games. We're going to discuss what they have given us so far and what we want from them in the future. Also, there will be a big heaping portion of the typical bullshit as well.

Direct Download: Right Click and Save
Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055
RSS Subscription: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml
or just look us up on iTunes!

Episode 8: Super Oversized Star Wars Blowout Spectacular Part deux!

A wise man once said that all good things must come to an end. In the Original Star Wars Trilogy, they do. Only it's actually the beginning. A New Hope is not so much the end of the beginning, but more the beginning of the end.... but it still came first. errr.... Fuck it. Who wants cake?

Anyways, in this episode we watch the Original Trilogy and then discuss. Kind of like the last show, only with different movies. Enjoy!



Be sure to tune in next week when we do our wrap up show. We swear it will be under two hours in length. Pinky swear.

Direct Download: Right Click and Save
Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055
RSS Subscription: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml
or just look us up on iTunes!

Episode 7: Super Oversized Star Wars Blowout Spectacular Part 1!

Here it is. This is the first of three special episodes dedicated to Star Wars. We decided to just let it all go and throw ourselves into Star Wars. In this episode we watch the Prequels and take time between each viewing to talk about the movie we viewed. I swear that we are not drunk during the Phantom Menace discussion...



Check out next week when we tackle the Original Trilogy!

Direct Download: Right Click and Save
Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055
RSS Subscription: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml

Star Wars Delay

Due to a technical issue, this week's episode will be delayed till the weekend. Sorry kids.

Super Oversized Star Wars Blowout Special!

So, we mentioned it on this weeks show, but I thought I would flesh it out exactly what we're doing. Multiple times over the past month or so, George Lucas or Star Wars has come up and we would completely avoid talking about it. Sometimes we would even mention that we'll save it for our Star Wars episode. From day one we knew that there was going to be a Star Wars episode, just as we knew that we would do a Batman episode. These things are very important to Ryan and I. Both Batman and Star Wars have helped shape the people we are. They have influenced our tastes and have been a source of entertainment (and sometimes frustrations) since we can both remember.

Personally, I had grown away from Star Wars a bit. I still had a place in my heart reserved for Star Wars, but it was far from the spotlight in my consciousness. With the Clone Wars Movie coming out, my interested was slightly revived. After it's release, I was dis-enchanted with my franchise yet again. Fear not though listener/reader, with the help of Voice of the Republic podcast (a must listen for any Star Wars fan) and a little bit of novel reading, I have actually grown into a fireball of excitement towards the Star Wars universe again. I have what some call "The Clone Fever."

But I digress. Let me lay out this bag of snakes nice and straight for you. The plan is that we will record three episodes. Two will be dedicated to the discuss of the movies. We will watch each one of the live action movies, take notes and then discuss them promptly before moving on to the next movie. Week one will be the prequels and week two will dedicated to the Original Trilogy. The third week will be dedicated to all things Star Wars and George Lucas.

We are very excited to present this, we hope that you enjoy this special and we hope that if the feedback is positive that we might do more like it in the future.

As always, we can be reached at kneelbeforepod at gmail dot com.

EPISODE 5: Top 5 Cartoons -or- Random thoughts by a couple of hobos.

So we're officially professional internet personalities! This information plus a bunch more about our podcast is revealed! We talk about our top 5 favourite animated shows, upcoming comic book movies, Star Wars Clone Wars and much more! Buckle in, because this one goes off road.



Tune in next week as we discuss our top 5 favourite directors!

Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055
RSS Subscription: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml

First Impressions: Star Wars Force Unleashed Demo

So leading up to the show we recorded this week, Ryan and myself were frantically checking Xbox live for the new Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo. Unfortunately, the demo didn't go live in time for us to play it before we recorded. I have since downloaded the demo and played through it multiple times. First off, I have one large complaint with the demo... It's too short. I know it's only a demo, but I still would have liked just a little more. Maybe give us at the very least two levels so we can explore the powers and how they grow during the length of the game. It actually took me two play throughs to finally get the idea of combining the powers and get the hang of the force grip.


So now that I brought it up, lets talk about the force grip. Force Grip is basically your Force telekinesis. It allows you to pick up crates, grenades that are thrown at you or even whole people then manipulate them in space and eventually just throw them. This results into some fun little ragdoll effects with Stormtroopers flying about and flailing their arms as they take their last flight. The thrill of this might fade and this segment of the gameplay might grow into feeling a little bit like a gimmick, but as of yet it has not. I feel also as that power increases and the combinations that are possible with other force powers in the game will keep the Force Grip fresh.


Overall, the action is rather fast but never to the point that it is a frenzied blur that leaves you wondering what just happened or at least in a bad way. One nice thing about the physics of this game is that you can often times just throw one barrel and trigger a chain reaction of near Rube Goldberg proportions. The Lightsaber action isn't too shabby, but I think you will find yourself fiddling with The Force more than anything else in this title.

Overall, I think I have to say I am looking forward to this game. I'm not sure if it will be a buy on day one, but it might be something I pick up before Christmas. It will be hard for me justify it though with games like Rock Band 2, Fallout 3 and Fable 2 all coming out this year though.


----------------
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed releases multi-platform on September 16th, 2008 in North America
All pictures are Property of LucasArts