Tale Over Adventure

As I had stated in my introduction post, I love playing video games.  I used to play them quite frequently, but now I've found myself playing less and less.  I still have a subscription of Gameinformer and skim through the articles, but I do not excite myself as easily as I used to.  The only game series that has been able to peak my interest at this time is the Legend of Zelda series.  I was able to purchase the series' latest release, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, before Christmas and played through.  While it took me a while longer than I thought it would, I finally completed it today.  My overall opinion on the game is that I loved it.  The adventure was fun, the artwork was stunning, and the puzzles were challenging.  Playing the game was a wonderful and fresh experience from the basic Zelda formula.  Now, not everything is perfect, and this game certainly wasn't in my eyes.  There was something that irked me about this game, and that was the story. 

Now before I continue with this I have to say that I have not played every Zelda game.  In fact, I have only played a fraction of them, and I've completed even less than that.  Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Majora's Mask, and Minish Cap are the only installments that I have actually cut a chunk out of.  I have tried playing the original NES game, but I did not have the patience to continue through it.  Call me a "fake Zelda fan" or whichever, but I just couldn't continue it.  Maybe it's because I am used to the newer games and just don't have the patience that older gamers grew up with.  Still, I would say I have had a share of my Zelda games to know the stories and a lot of the references.  Some of these stories were so strong that it was not that I wanted to continue the game experience per say, but that I just wanted to find out what happened. 

I think I can say that this story was not as powerful to me as previous titles were.  Skyward Sword was released for the 25th anniversary of Nintendo's Zelda series.  This game is also very important because in a series that is notorious for having a nearly nonexistent timeline, this marked itself as the first in the entire series' timeline.  Not only that, but Nintendo had released the canon timeline around the same time.  Finally the fans had an actual timeline to look at and not continue to brawl online over whether the timeline was split or linear thanks to the events of Ocarina of Time.  As the first in the timeline and an anniversary special, this game's story was perfect.  It sets up the origins of the Master Sword, the 'blade of evil's bane' and frequent weapon/mcguffin of the series, and even the establishment of the three title characters.  The "Hero of Legend" that has been frequently mentioned in the series was establish here (though I'm still convinced they are referring to Ocarina of Time Link here) along with the evil that would later be known as Ganon.  Even Zelda herself is explained more, as Princess Zelda has always had special and sacred abilities that are somewhat explained within this installment.  This game had several shout-outs to the fanbase and was successful in exciting us every time.

With all this in mind, it is a wonder to how I would have problems with this game's story.  Well, it was just...dull.  There was a major disappointment in this game, and that was the character Fi.  Now before I go into Fi, I need to talk about the game that I had played before this one.  It was this game that got me so enthralled into the Zelda series and motivated me to play other games.  Without it, I would not have even considered picking this title up.

In 2006, the much awaited Twilight Princess was released on the Nintendo Gamecube and Wii.  I was not excited for it because of bad experiences with Ocarina of Time, but my dad insisted that I get it anyway, as it had good reviews.  I played it at first and could not catch that damn fish, but after finally passing that grueling task, the story finally began.  I was then introduced to one of my fictional characters of all time, Midna.

Midna was so PERFECT in Twilight Princess.  She was your assistant character, but she didn't need to tell you the most obvious of facts.  She had personality, an great character style, and, most importantly, A CHARACTER.  Midna had her own back story and problems.  She developed over time.  She moved the plot in a story telling manner, not just a list of objectives that needed to be done.  Unlike assists such as Navi, Midna was actually crucial to the game's plot.  She is a character that really pulled my heart strings and set up my high expectations for the next game.

Awhile after Twilight Princess's release, some official art for the next game was leaked online.  In this image was Link, drawn in the same style as he was depicted in Twilight Princess.  He stood with his back to the viewer and shield in hand.  His other hand, usually gripping his sword, is empty.  In the foreground is the figure of a young girl.  Upon close inspection, the girl resembles the Master Sword itself. 

  Since I was so excited about Midna, surely this new character would be just as amazing, if not more?  I had fallen in love with her design and the possibility that this character could be the Master Sword.  I wondered WHO she was.  What was her personality?  Was she stoic and sarcastic?  Was she tragic?  She's the MASTER SWORD, destined to fight with the Hero's incarnation for hundreds of years to come, would her character be tragic?  Her name was finally revealed to be Fi.  While I don't quite understand why it was Fi, it was still a nice name.  After the release of the game's art style, now going for a Wind Waker/Twiligh Princess mashup, I was still incredibly excited for the game's plot and for Fi.  After Midna, the next assist had to be just as good, if not better.

This is where the problem comes in.  Fi was a disappointment overall.  Yes, she moved the plot, but only as a check list.  She was always alerting you when you were low on hearts, though we all know that when that happens that INFURIATING beeping noise alerts you anyway, but then Fi of course has to come in and that makes ANOTHER beeping noise.  So you better hope you don't lose too much health in this game or this will happen a lot.  Fi had no personality.  None  At all.  She was a robot.  That is EXACTLY what she was, a robot.  She had no personality and stated that she was "calibrating" and "calculating".  Not only that, but she would go out of her way to state the obvious.  Such as if you hit a switch and there was a huge cut scene of a wall breaking and water gushing through, Fi would go out of her way to pop up and tell you "Master, there is an 80% chance that the water has come through."  After two or three times I was done with this character.  She was not needed at all.  Yes, he is the sword, but the sword did not need to have a voice if it was going to sound like this.  Since there was no personality to her, there was no character development. 

This really became evident in the end of the game.  I guess I could call this a SPOILER ALERT and all, but anybody who's at least familiar with the Zelda franchise can pretty much figure that Fi leaves Link by the end of the game.  The music, while emotional, didn't do shit for me because I literally had no care for Fi.  When she left I just shrugged it off and watched the credits roll.  Now when Midna left Link in the end of Twilight Princess?  I nearly cried.  I CARED about Midna, I LOVED Midna.  The fact that she leaves Link like that to never return is so depressing. 

In other words, Twilight Princess gave me a feel.  It gave me a lot of feels.  I just wanted to give Link a hug and tell him everything would be okay.  Then I realized I actually wanted to shove my foot up his ass for not going after Midna.  Twilight Princess had a lot of characters that were fun and the whole situation felt more...hectic than in Skyward Sword.  I really felt like it WAS my job to save the world and all of these people are helping me out along the way.

With Skyward Sword I felt more like an errand boy.  Ironic since Midna treats you like an errand boy in the beginning of the game.  While there was a point to trying to find Zelda and get the Sacred Flames, I knew the reason for it.  When Midna was making me run around trying to find the pieces of the Fused Shadows, I had no idea what they were and what she needed them for.  Midna had motivation to her own personal quest that tied in Link's.  Fi just grabs your ass and tells you that this is what you're doing because it's the "mission." 

There were very few interesting side characters in Skyward Sword.  Groose made up for character development, he did become useful and grew over time.  Other than Groose and the Old Lady, there were few side characters that moved the plot.  Yeah there are the dragons and Levias, but they only help you with one or two things.  There are the other creatures in the game, but they have no back stories that make me sympathize.  Well, except for the Sandship, that was a cool back story.  Other than this, Skyward Sword felt like I was getting dragged all over place instead of progressing through a story.

At this point in time I realize that it is the story I am more interested in than the gameplay.  Skyward Sword is a good legend, something not difficult and leads to great stories of old, but it didn't feel like a story for me to fall in love with.  Ocarina of Time drags Link around, too, but there were a lot of side characters that moved the plot along, the same thing can be said for Wind Waker as well.  Majora's Mask has a more complex story in my eyes, but I would have to say that Twilight Princess is a better narrative. 

My hope for the next major console installment is that we can have more interesting characters and an interesting assist again.  Midna should have a good legacy of assists to remember.  I want characters that I enjoy and that I want to spend more time playing with rather than just ignoring them the whole time.  Because that is what I did the whole time with Fi, ignored her.

And when you're on the front cover of the game box, you shouldn't be ignored.

What Was the Plan, Megatron?

The Transformers franchise is very dear to me, as I have met some of my closest and best friends through the fandom and started taking an interest to story writing in the process.  I had watched the animated series on Cartoon Network's program, Toonami, and fell in love with it.  While Transformers Armada is not one of the best introductions to the franchise, it is what drew me into the movie in the summer of 2007.  
I loved this movie and still do, so I of course had to see the sequels.  When I first saw trailers for Revenge of the Fallen, my expectations were high.  As time went on they were soaring to impossible heights.  Once summer arrived and school had ended, I was off to see the midnight premier of the sequel.

As many of you may have guessed, Revenge of the Fallen did not reach my expectations.  It was so disappointing that even when I saw it the first time around I had my doubts.  I am one of those movie goers that is usually so excited about the film I'm watching that I don't even register the mistakes.  When I saw this, I knew it was not good.
The only hope for this franchise, as least I thought at the time, was the third movie, Dark of the Moon.  While this one was much better than its predecessor (probably from the lack of Megan Fox), there were still problems plot wise.  While the major issue I had from this movie came from Sentinel Prime, especially one specific line of dialogue that I will talk about later, the major issue was Megatron's plan.
The "master plan" for this installment was fine.  As a stand alone, it makes for a great "Oh shit the world is going to end" plot.  The final scenes of Chicago's destruction sent chills down my spine, as I live about an hour from the city and have gone there quite a few times.  The only problem with the Decepticon plan is when you realize that this is the THIRD film.  

Now in order to get my point across I am going to have to talk about successful trilogies.  And by successful I mean plots.
There are different types of series.  There are series that hold one linear plot that continues over the installments, and then there are series that each installment is a different story with the same central plot.  Take, for instance, Indiana Jones.

The Indiana Jones central plot is about an archeologist that travels around the world looking for treasures and, occasionally, fighting bad guys.  The trilogy (as I am forever ignoring the fourth installment) has three separate stories.  Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade were three different stories that revolved around the same central plot of Indy adventuring around the world.  This is a successful anthology trilogy.  The plot is simple enough to have three different stories rather than continuing one linear story. 

 The Lord of the Rings trilogy is, while an epic plot, still a reasonably simple one of a quest to destroy the ring.  All three movies intertwine into one story.  The same thing can be said for the Back to the Future trilogy, even more so because all three movies take place back to back from each other. These are linear stories that work.  Now Lord of the Rings works so well because it was already a written trilogy.  Back to the Future works because the first movie set it up for sequels.  

The Transformers film could have worked as a stand alone with its plot, to retrieve the Allspark.  The thing is, even this film had set itself up for a sequel.  With Starscream's escape and the remaining shard of the Allspark, there was more than enough potential for a sequel.  Fans flocked to the internet and began writing their own fanfiction.  I myself have done this, dipping into the fan base in the process.  With so many potential stories, obviously a sequel should not have been that difficult?  
A Decepticon return was imminent, as was the return of Megatron using the remaining Allspark shard.  The entire second movie could have been that plot, but this did not happen.  While Megatron was resurrected, as expected, this only happened within less than 15 minutes of screen time.  Megatron immediately flies into space and we are introduced to the Fallen.
And this is when the problem beings.  Megatron's original plan was to use the Allspark to create a new army and take over pretty much everything.  Now Revenge of the Fallen is saying that the plan was that he was working under the FALLEN and that now they had to basically blow up the sun.  Okay, so they need to "harvest the sun's energy", but he makes NO mention of this in the previous movie.  One would think that Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and one of the two rulers of Cybertron would have known SOMETHING about this Fallen guy.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is called pulling a plot out of your ass. 
Now in Dark of the Moon it's even worse.  The Fallen has been defeated, Megatron has gone into hiding, time has passed. 
Now we are introduced to Sentinel Prime.  Now we are introduced to the REAL plan of teaming up with Megatron.
Wait.
So now they're saying that Megatron had made a deal DURING the war on Cybertron?  Long before the events leading up to the first movie?
Okay, I can buy an Autobot ship landing on the moon and the human government finding and hiding it.  I can buy a secret sun drinking machine in the pyramids.  
What I CAN'T buy is that all of this was apparently going on AT THE SAME TIME with NO mention of a back up plan.
If Megatron had said something about a "master" in the first movie, or even a very subtle mention of a back up plan, I wouldn't mind.  But this didn't happen.  We went from getting the Allspark to create a new army to telling our "master" that we failed and now we need to go on with our plan to blow up the sun.  NOW we're saying that we planned to use the space bridge the entire time?
I'm confused.  I mean lets look at these "master plans" chronologically.  If Megatron DID succeed in retrieving the Allspark, what was he going to do with the Fallen?  Team up with him again?  Betray him?  And let's not forget his Sentinel deal.  He had made a deal with him early on to use the space bridge.  They were going to rebuild Cybertron and use the humans as slaves, correct?  So if that was the plan WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE FALLEN!?
Megatron would have had to team up with Sentinel before the Allspark was sent to Earth, and it never specified where and when the Fallen came in, so how does he fit?  Did Sentinel know about the Fallen?  Was the Fallen in on the whole Autobot/Decepticon team up?
So now that we've covered that, we can ask the question:  What was the plan, Megatron?
The sequels to Transformers did not follow the loose ends the first one left.  Yes, the Autobots were still used, as were the same humans, but Megatron's plan became what I would call a clusterfuck.  The writers pulled these plots out of their asses and ruined the Decepticon plan.
One option would be that the Fallen was the one that convinced Megatron to betray Cybertron in the first place and then planned to use the Allspark, but the Fallen has already been to Earth and set the sun bomb up in the first place.  Megatron had been frozen in the ice before humans formed civilization.  This means that in the time the Fallen had set up the machine, Megatron was frozen.  It was also established that the Primes were gone by the time the war was going on.  So either the Fallen transforms into a TARDIS, or the plan was never formed.
Now with the Allspark and the Fall plots it was bad, but somewhat redeemable, but with this time of events occurring it wouldn't even be possible for this to happen.  If the first plot and the Sentinel plot were only taken into consideration it would be possible, except that Sentinel and Megatron had planned form the BEGINNING to use the pillars and bring Cybertron to Earth.  So, again, what about the Allspark plot?  Megatron was going to create a new army with the Allspark and take over Earth, but then in Dark of the Moon the plan was to use Earth's resources to bring back Cybertron.  There was no further mentioning of Cybertron or of Sentinel in this plan.  
SO we went from taking over Earth to harvesting the sun and destroying Earth, and finally to bringing Cybertron to Earth and using Earth's resources and enslaving the human race.  These are three completely different plans of the same trilogy.  Now if Megatron had formed these as new plans it would have been fine, but it was established that the Fallen and Sentinel plans were made BEFORE the first film.
So, again, what was the plan?
At this point time, I don't think there WAS a plan.  The trilogy failed in its continuity that fans of the franchise easily used to make much more interesting stories.  I am excited that there will be a new trilogy, I hope that mistakes were learned and that continuity will be used more effectively.
Now I will go into what pissed me off about Sentinel.  The fact that he was voiced by Leonard NeMoy excited me.  When he betrayed the Autobots I was surprised, but I continued otherwise.  What pissed me off was the line that he used when talking about enslaving the human race.  What did he say?
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
Sound familiar?
Here.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, aka The One Where Spock Dies.  When Spock said this line, he was referring to the fact that he just SACRIFICED HIS LIFE TO SAVE THE CREW.  When Sentinel said it, he was talking about committing GENOCIDE.
So that is all I have to say about Megatron's horrible planning and Sentinel's ruination of one of the most beloved quotes of all time.
Seriously, Hollywood, fix your shit.

Hello

Hello, Internet!  This is my first blog post, but it has nothing to do with my blog "theme" as I would refer to it, but this is just a way to introduce myself to those who may read this, how ever few that may be.

My name is Alie, short for Aleksandra, and I am a 19 year old geek.  Over the course of my short life I have watched many a film, played some videogames, and watched hours and hours of television.  While I have complained online, as millions of others have done, I never had a proper archive to voice my opinions.  After some contemplation, I've decided to write a blog.

Now this blog will be on a whim, nothing really professional.  I may complain about films that are older,talk about videogames, or even vent my excitement or rage at an episode of one of my favorite television shows.

This is for my own amusement.  There are much more entertaining blogs out on the internet, but if you take the time to read this then I shall appreciate it.