Titan Quest: Hits Android (Google Play) July 7th!!!

     DotEmu has revealed that Titan Quest will be hitting Android devices on July 7th!  It's been a hard wait for all of us non-iOS users.  The iOS version itself has had some issues with the UI and framerate drops, but recent patches have fixed them.

The Gods have answered our prayers... #TitanQuest #Androidhttps://t.co/JqQnAgLfWs

— DotEmu (@DotEmu) June 20, 2016

    I look forward to playing this on the go for somewhere around a thousand hours, it's been years since I last played, and I can now enjoy it all again.

Sony E3 2016: NEW Open World God of War!

[ UPDATE ] Sony Santa Monica creative director Cory Barlog has stated the game is, "It's open, but it's not an open world."

     I've had a long running qualm about the God of War series, and it looks like they've fixed it- this new E3 show makes it look like a true open world for Kratos and company to explore and probably completely wreak ultimate destruction upon.  He is a God of War, not God of Hugs and Happy Shit.

     This time it appears Kratos is wandering the Norse mythology, and I hope we get to see some other cultures like a trip to Egypt or Japan or something, but as it is, it looks amazing.  I'll have to wait and see how the story progresses- to see if they can avoid repeating the God of Cliches story that Kratos' emo self has wallowed in for the last decade.

Titan Quest Mobile: Available NOW! (For iOS)

     Mythological-based hack'n slash classic Titan Quest is now available for iOS devices!  Nordic Games and DotEmu have done a tremendous job if this launch trailer is to be believed.

     DotEmu has been adapting the computer game's controls specifically for mobile touch screens and it looks amazing.  Alongside an HD graphical enhancement, they've added tons of extra features:

A huge, open world to explore

Full day/night cycle

80 different mythological creatures

1200+ items to discover

30 different character classes 

150 different character skills

Colossal playtime of more than 60 hours 

Scale-able difficulty modes: weapons and enemies match your skill level 

Dozens of unlockable achievements to discover

Cloud saving: start a game on your phone and continue on your iPad

No ads, no in-app purchases. Full Premium experience - Enjoy the full content for one price!

     This is one of the few games I'd instantly recommend to pretty much anyone.  It's been a decade since it first came out, and it still looks amazing.  So, go forth champions, and reclaim the ancient world from the escaped titans.

     Titan Quest is available now for [ iOS ] and "coming soon" for Android.

Titan Quest: 2nd Developer Diary Released

   As we near the release of DotEmu's (and Nordic Games) mobile version of the 2006 classic mythologically based hack n' slash Titan Quest the developers have released their 2nd developer diary.  We get some great information on the new controls and gameplay, as well as a neat new feature for the loot system.

     Titan Quest arrives on iOS on May 19th (and Android "shortly thereafter")

     Previous Titan Quest dev diary [ Here ]

Titan Quest Mobile Edition: Release Date & Developer Diary

     Back in 2013 Nordic Games bought the IPs for some of THQ's old games, and in 2015 it was announced that DotEmu was porting the amazing cult classic Titan Quest to mobile devices.  After a long stint of no news, we get a developer diary and a release date.

     The developer diary shows that the graphics have indeed gotten a nice overhaul and the controls and menus have been updated to be much more touchscreen friendly.  The completely new interfaces and button layouts should make playing a lot more intuitive.

     It's wonderful to see how much effort and thought DotEmu have put in to this port.  They've been quite thorough, and by the looks of it, I'll be spending many hours hack n' slashing Harpies in ancient Greece again.

     Titan Quest arrives on iOS on May 19th (and Android "shortly thereafter")

Titan Quest: Making Its Way to Android and iOS Devices

     Back in 2006 Iron Lore Entertainment did something I thought impossible- they made a hack 'n' slash game like Diablo, but somehow, much more appealing to me.  They did that with Greek Mythology.  Simple and wonderous- they took the fantastic elements of ancient mythology and let us play in the role of a hero of those times in places such as Greece and Egypt.

     Last week it was announced that I'll soon be able to play it again, aside from the original disc copies I still have, of both Titan Quest and its expansion pack Immortal Throne, but now it'll be on mobile.  Both Android and iOS devices are slated to be brought Titan Quest by developer DotEmu in partnership with Nordic Games (who purchased the game from former publisher THQ a few years ago).
     They'll be cleaning up the graphics and keeping the game in 3D, and they will be including virtual controls and buttons for easy adapting to the mobile touch screens.  DotEmu has ported other classics such as the Metal Slug games to phones and have quite a high standard, so I'm extremely exited for this update of Titan Quest.
     Now to see if it'll include the Immortal Throne expansion as well...

     Titan Quest is due in late 2015.

     Source [ Pocket Gamer ]

PS4 Getting Greek-Themed Apotheon

     My love of Greek Mythology and the Playstation are being combined into one 2D Platformer action-RPG called Apotheon.  It's a game that takes the ancient Greek amphoras, and brings it to life.

     It will be much in the manner of "Metroidvania" and will not follow in the mere button-masher games of old.  This will be a game that you unlock skills as you progress and can use the new abilities to open up new avenues of combat.  Shield bashes, feigned attacks to lure, and spear tossing will all add to the interesting and diverse methods of slaying your enemies.  Sounds a lot like the wonderful game Guacamelee.
     They'll be using light RPG elements to avoid grinding for levelling stats and there won't be skill trees to use.  There will however be plenty of sneaking around and looting for a crafting system which includes potions that can summon skeleton warriors.

     Apotheon has no release date yet, and I can only hope they'll bring it to the PS Vita as well.

     Source [ Playstation Blog ]

J.R.R. Tolkien's Beowulf Translation and Commentary Being Published

     For years I've read about Tolkien's take on the old epic poem Beowulf and now we'll finally get the commentary and his own translation on it.  In addition we'll be getting a series of lectures Tolkien gave at Oxford about the poem.

     Tolkien said the story was, "laden with history, leading back into the dark heathen ages beyond the memory of song, but not beyond the reach of imagination."  I am quite eager to read more of his thoughts on the epic.

     It was evident in both The Hobbit and his Lord of the Rings trilogy that he was heavily influenced by old stories, and being a Professor of Old English- Beowulf undoubtedly left a mark on his own work.

     The book will be available on May 22.

     The image is a screen cap from the excellent Neil Gaiman penned, Zemeckis Beowulf film.

     Source [ The Guardian ]

The Legend of Hercules: A Failed Combination of Hollywood, History, and Mythology

     Since the Legend of Hercules is released in theaters today, I figure there might be a few things to be said about it.  As a mythology buff and movie fanatic I know some of these things need to be said.  From the first trailer anyone could tell that instead of giving us a mythologically accurate story, Hollywood would rather shoe horn in a bunch of action-packed scenes into a movie held together by the barest thread of plot- without even a hint of similarity to the great stories from ancient Greece, outside of their names.



     As for the inaccuracies- I can tolerate a fair amount- suspension of disbelief and all, but only so much.  There has to be limits about this kinds of thing.  Why do Hercules and these warriors all appear like the Spartan armies that were supposed descended from him centuries later?  Gladiatorial arenas- from the Roman era?  A lightening whip-sword?  Who keeps thinking these will do well?  They might as well make a sandwich shop where the "sandwiches" are made from other shop's used bread and a piece of meat sliced thinly enough to see through.

     Here's what the trailer shows-
          Awful acting?  Check.
          Bad dialogue?  Check.
          Terrible special effects?  Check.
          Super strength but struggling?  Check.
          Preposterous fighting manoeuvres?  Check.
          Abusing slow mo/speed up moments?  Quadruple check.

Flexing my acting chops is WAY harder than flexing my abs!!!

     The Problem

     Hollywood is trying to capitalize on films such as Thor and 300 by creating a trend of making quick buck with pitiful films, but at least the two mentioned had good stories.  The Hollywood machine is too concerned with churning out giant theatrical spectacles without the driving force of thoughtful or even reasonable narrative.  There's far too much reliance on cheap CGI, and not enough common sense.  You can add to that the notion of doubling ticket prices for suckers that buy 3D.  I'm sure there'll be the quite a few moments where arrows or spears swung towards the viewer just to make use of the forced perspective, but nothing worthwhile.
     It is sad that we can even say what scenes were lifted from video game and other movies- the stones on chains look awfully reminiscent of Kratos' blades from the God of War series.  (Remember the film Immortals?  They have a scene that is damn near an exact copy from God of War 2 with Poseidon diving off of Olympus into the ocean.)

     Just from the commercial it looks like we have clips stolen directly from 300, Ben-Hur, Conan the Barbarian, Spartacus, and Gladiator.  Simply seeing the trailer is enough to tell me this film is more than likely comprised solely of ripped-off segments of other films.
     Honestly- this looks to be worse than Clash/Wrath of the Titans.  It takes truly heroic effort to make things worse than that.  It appears they've created a commercialized demigod.  One made of a blank face and giant pecs.  How can so many sword & sandal movies nowadays copy so much from predecessors and then completely fail to capture the magic of any of them?  Movies cannot be carried on two hours of flexing and swords.

     An Answer

     When will we get a Greek Myth film with all the complex psychology and meaningful depth that are inherent in the old mythic stories?  They have lasted so long for good reason- and that reason isn't special effects- it's the infinitely layered symbolism.  There is always another layer of meaning.  Another interpretation.  Where is the Hercules (Heracles) that willingly accepts dangerous quests of penance for slaying his family in a fit of madness?  The servitude under King Eurystheus- bearing the guilt and striving to do good?  We don't want the brawn over brain meat slab that can't act Hercules, we want the emotive champion- the greatest hero in the Olympian pantheon Hercules.  He needs range and charisma.
     There is a vast wealth of mythological lore to draw from, and if properly tapped- there could be an unmatched blockbuster on par with the likes of Gladiator.  We can't have that until we have a meaningful story.  Give us an adaptation that is written by people that know and care about the legends.


     A side note:  The biggest threat this movie has towards Brett Ratner's Hercules (starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) is that this'll probably be available to rent when that hits theaters in July.  I'm genuinely surprised this didn't go straight to DVD.

BBC One's Atlantis: First FULL Trailer and Thoughts



     My worst fears for this show are already coming true.  A Greek Mythology laden show titled Atlantis, for no reason I can tell, starring three heavy weights of History/Mythology cast with actors seemingly NOTHING like the legends about them.  Jack Donnelly as Jason, Robert Emms as Pythagoras, and Mark Addy as...     ...Hercules?  Sure I loved Addy in Still Standing, but after Game of Thrones, one would guess he'd be up for slightly better roles than a campy sword and sorcery show.

     I know I liked Misfits, which was done by the same creator Howard Overman- so what in Hades name is going on here!  Seriously.  Can anybody tell me how Overman goes from a show that's decently well thought out, fairly well written, and has good directors can churn out something that looks as sloppy as this Atlantis trailer?

     It's true- in my last post about BBC One's Atlantis I said I wouldn't judge until I saw an episode, but the full trailer makes the show look like a complete joke.  My remaining hopes for Atlantis are dwindling swiftly.

2012: A Lesson in Stupidity

First- I would like to say this is not just about the movie.  Although I'll get those comments out first since the commercials are what prompted this post.

From what the trailer looks like, the movie appears to be hours of John Cusack escaping from a killer crack in the ground.  It follows their car.  Then waits for them at the airport and continues following their airplane.  I can't guarantee it, but the crack could might actually follow them through water at some point.  Then possibly in space as well.

Since time immemorial groups of people have been spouting off worldly doom.  Hellfire and brimstone in a global catastrophe causing the deaths of most the worldly populous.  Well, I would like to say the odds of it happening are roughly zero.  I have an obsessive nature when it comes to studying religions, mythologies, and the like, and all the old tales don't tell of apocalyptic destruction.  A perfect case would be the Revelation of John the Beloved.  The book itself is a key to the internal war that comes to each individual.  It is NOT mass human extinction, where believers of such and such are magically brought to an eternal party in the clouds with a giant bearded man.  No, not that at all.  It is the path of spiritual birth and growth every person must make.

The Mayan calendar points to the end of an age, the end of an era. (Besides the fact that the calender had to end some time, hell, ours end once a year and we celebrate the birth of a new year)  Cyclical change on a massive scale.  Mind you, it obviously is not an instantaneous change, but the long, slow birth of a new way of life.  A gradual tipping towards mankind's maturing nature.  A growth towards worldly illumination.   Hopefully mankind will stray from it's current focus on base wants, and more towards a love of the higher internal selves we can become.

People need to stop believing that the ancient civilizations were inferior.  They were NOT FOOLS.  It seems to be an unstoppable misconception that the cultures of antiquity couldn't have been smarter or wiser than us, but that is a foolish mistake in itself.  The reason all their creations, be it their myths or architectural marvels, have such endurance is because they MEAN so much.  The great power behind such symbols gives them strength, an everlasting meaning to those people with the capacity to see behind the veil of sterile material translation.  A recognition or resonance in ourselves.  Reflection of the eternal in the everyday self.

I don't understand how people in general can put so much credence in an ancient culture's calender, but have absolutely no faith in the same culture's other beliefs.  Sure some groups can't have ALL the answers, but if they could produce astronomical calculations that are as good as ours, why wouldn't  they be right about the other things?  It drives me crazy talking about things like this to people.  We should not be expecting Ragnarok, or Armageddon (which, by the way, is a LOCATION, not an occurance- look it up Rev. 16:16 "Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon").  No, we should not expect Earth splitting upheavals, or fantastic events (apart from the typical large storms/earthquakes/etc. that happen anyway), no blazing infernos scorching the land from stars falling, none of that.  We need to understand all the old writings point to internal changes.

Any culture that could make pyramids had to have a knowledge beyond the common, not to mention they had the means to build them, which we would struggle with today.   That culture's wisdom should be heeded, their thoughts immortal in truth.  The Mayan's didn't proclaim the end of everything in 2012 is part of a natural cycle, a very long continuing progression of life, and should not be feared.  Nor used for monetary gain, as is the case for the movie coming out tomorrow.