Five Games To Revisit As We Celebrate Forty Years Of Star Wars!

When Star Wars episode IV: A New Hope released in 1977 it's doubtful that even the Emperor himself could have foreseen what would come next - the birth of a fandom that has now endured 40 years.

From movies, books and comics to t-shirts, jewelry and toys there's something out there for every fan, regardless of their age.   And lets not forget about the video games which have given us the ability to travel to a galaxy far, far away and fight as or alongside our favorite heroes. 

Over the years I've played many different Star Wars inspired games,  some really good and some not so great, and today I'm going to share with you five of my favorite titles.

1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 

Anytime I'm talking video games this one always makes my list!

Originally released in September of 2008 on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360, this game bridges the gap in time between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

You play as Starkiller, once the child of a Jedi whom Vader murdered, you are now the dark lords secret apprentice - a weapon he intends to use in an attempt to overthrow the emperor and take control of the empire for himself.  As you carry out the missions that Vader sends you on, you will begin to regain your humanity and will ultimately light the fire that sparks the birth of a rebellion.  

This game was released four years prior to Disney's purchase of the Star Wars IP and as such is no longer cannon, but you can only imagine where this story might have taken us as fans had things played out differently.

2. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

The only thing better then living out the Star Wars story of someone else is creating your own!

Developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts, Knights Of The Old Republic was released for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows based machines in 2003, and it still holds as one of the greatest role-playing experiences to this day.

Set almost 4000 years before the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Sith lord known as Darth Malak has unleashed his armada on the republic.  Players assume the role of a Jedi who has been charged with destroying Malak's military resources.

Players are able to customize their character and  choose between three classes as the game begins, and through turn based combat, character interactions, and plot based decisions the games allignment system will determine your affinity towards the light or dark side of the force.

3. Star Wars Battlefront II

Like so many people I know I was excited for the release of Star Wars: Battlefront in 2015, and although the game was visually stunning it was also sadly underwhelming - with Star Wars the story is everything.

Fortunately we always have Star Wars Battlefront II to fall back on.  Unlike the new Battlefront offering which was published by Electronic Arts, the original Battlefront was developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox and Microsoft Windows machines.

Players assume the role of a veteran stormtrooper as he recounts his experiences in service of both the Republic and the Galactic Empire, experiences which are intertwined within the core Star Wars Story. And with game modes including hero assault and objective based space battles Star Wars Battlefront II was far superior to its more recent counterpart.

4. Lego Star Wars:

When you take one of my favorite childhood toys and combine it with one of my favorite fandoms it spells nothing but trouble for me - I've owned every Lego Star Wars game.

I couldn't hope to pick just one Lego Star Wars game, each of them has brought something new to the table and holds a special place in my heart.  For example it was Lego Star Wars II on the PlayStation 2 that first sparked my eldest son's love of Star Wars.

Where other games have had a level of violence that slightly alienated them from the younger gamer audience, Travelers Tales games has done an exceptional job of capturing the feelings involved by a Star Wars game while creating an environment were parents don't have to fear for the content their children are being exposed too.

I love my Lego Star Wars games.

5. The Empire Strikes Back (Atari 2600)

Published by Parker Brothers in 1982, The Empire Strikes Back found players in control of Luke Skywalker's snowspeeder during the battle of Hoth.  With a total of five snowspeeders (lives) it was the players objective to hold off the advance of the Imperial Walkers least they reach the rebel base and destroy the power generator

Although the game included several difficulty levels such as the speed of the walkers advancement, if the walkers were solid, and if the walkers were equipped with "Smart bombs", it was at its core a grind to see how long you could hold out before the walkers finally completed their objective.

These are the five Star Wars games that I think are worth revisiting as we celebrate the forty year anniversary of A New Hope,  Do you agree with this list, what games would you recommend?  Let us know and remember to follow us at cangeek.com 

Into The Badlands: Another Guilty Pleasure!

Guilty pleasures we all have them, that thing you just can't seem to do without. Into The Badlands which airs on AMC Sunday nights at 10:00PM would be one such guilty pleasure for me. 

When the series first aired on November 15, 2015 we were introduced to a post-apocalyptic future approximately 500 years after the last great war. In this future a feudal society has risen up were the ruling class known as The Barons have outlawed the use of firearms and have trained their armies of Clippers in the art of hand to hand combat. It is then the clippers responsibility to do their barons bidding and secure their interests by any means necessary. 

The first season of the series introduced viewers to Sunny played by actor and director Daniel Wu. Sunny is Regent to the badlands most powerful baron, Quinn played by Marton Csokas. With his proficient skill in multiple forms of combat Sunny is believed to be the deadliest clipper in the badlands.

Clippers are forbidden to have any romantic attachments, this is to ensure their complete loyalty to their baron. Sunny however is romantically involved in a secret relationship with Veil, a local doctor played by Madeleine Mantock. When their relationship leads to Veil becoming pregnant, Sunny begins formulating a plan for his new family to escape beyond the walls of the badlands.

COGS are the slave workforce of the barons and the responsibility of the clippers. Sunny becomes involved with one such COG, M.K played by Aramis Knight. M.K is a seemingly innocent looking teenager, but is anything but innocent as there is a dark power lurking inside him that is unleashed anytime someone draws his blood. 

Beyond M.K's dark gift, Sunny sees M.K has his ticket out of the badlands.  M.K seems to be aware of a land beyond the reach of the barons, a mystical place known as Azra. While Sunny plans to use M.K as his ticket to freedom, another baron known as The Widow plots to use his dark powers to reshape the badlands in her image.  

Played by Emily Beecham, The widow is the newest baron in the badlands and is intent on taking control by deposing her biggest rival - the baron known as Quinn! To accomplish this she will use the single greatest weapon she has in her arsenal, Quinn's son Ryder who has a special hatred for his father.

Played by Oliver Stark, Ryder is in love with Jade who is played by Sarah Bolger, but when Quinn decides to take Jade as his second wife it is the final push Ryder needs to end his fathers reign and take power for himself.

In the badlands no one is innocent and allies can become adversaries with the snap of a neck or the quick stroke of a swords blade. And although it sounds like a weekday afternoon soap opera it is anything but that.  

This series has done an outstanding job of creating a rich and complicated universe where you find yourself identifying with each characters plight, both the good and the bad, just a little. Combine that with some exceptional martial arts and wire work as well as supporting characters who add even more depth to the series and Into The Badlands is just what you need to get the adrenaline running before the beginning of a new work week. 

So don't feel the least bit guilty for taking pleasure in what has become another hit for the folks over at AMC, if your not all ready doing so then I'd recommend binge watching season one and two of Into The Badlands this week before the season two final next Sunday night.

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Passengers: a CanGeek picture review.

Against my better judgement and after weeks of pressure from my wife I finally caved in and suffered through Passangers last Saturday night, however once the film had ended I realized I had just watched Titanic in space!

Let me show you what I mean.....

Meet Jack and Rose.....

I mean Jim and Aurora, two strangers whose lives will become permanently intertwined as they take a journey to a far off destination on a really big ship. 

Like most journeys Jim and Auroras will be plagued by the possibilities of life threatening disasters.

Such as an asteroid strike waking Jim up 90 years early and ultimately putting everyone's life at risk.

Lucky for Jim and Aurora there are people who know the ship from stem to stern, people who are willing to lay down their lives to do the right thing.

And in the end even though Jim was lonely and selfishly woke up Aurora almost one hundred years early, thereby cheating her out of a new life, Aurora will come to realize that Jim is what she has been searching for all along.

Passengers was directed by Morten Tyldum and was released in December 2016 by Columbia Pictures, the movie stars Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence and Laurence Fishburne.  The approximate running time of this film is one hour and fifty-six minutes which is roughly one hour and fifty-one minutes longer then it should have taken you to read this blog.

The IMDB score for the film is roughly 3 1/2 stars but I'm fairly sure given that this movie was released during the holidays someone was felling generous when scoring this film. 

The only major difference between Passengers and Titanic is that the in Titanic almost everyone dies and in Passengers almost everyone survives, beyond that they are at their core the same film.

So save yourselves the disappointment that is Passengers and maybe put on a good action film instead, have you seen Kingsman yet? 

Thanks for reading, be sure to follow us at CanGeek.com.

May The Fourth - Celebrating On A budget

If your at all like me then today is a time of celebration, not only do we celebrate the phenomenon that is Star Wars but this year we also celebrate the fortieth anniversary release of A New Hope.

But once again if your like me then your currently a little short on cash and as a result your looking to celebrate Star Wars day in an economically responsible manner because Being an adult sucks!  Well fear not my Jedi and Sith friends, CanGeek.com has you covered with a few suggestions that will help you travel to a galaxy far, far away without relieving you of your republic credits in the process.

The Mega Movie Marathon: 

Who needs Sleep right?  If you start early and watch all eight films in chronological order than you've just spent your Star Wars day in front of the television for a total of 1062 minutes or 17.7 hours. Now if your feeling really adventurous and you include the Star Wars Holiday Special and the multiple Ewok films then you've just spent 1350 minutes or 22.5 hours in front of your television.

Time well spent.

Roll It Out!

Get the family and friends together and play one of the many Star Wars themed board games out there. Some of my personal favorites have been published by Fantasy Flight Games and include Star Wars X-Wing, Star Wars Empire vs Rebellion, Star Wars Imperial Assault and the Star Wars Edge Of the Empire role playing game.

Control Your Destiny:

If your not a people person and prefer going it solo then pick up a controller and play any one of the many outstanding video games that have been released over the years.  Some suggestions would include Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic, Star Wars The Force Unleashed, Star Wars Battlefront II, Star Wars X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, Star Wars Tie fighter, and any Lego Star Wars games because lets be honest, who doesn't like Lego?

Give The Neighbors Something To Talk About:

If your looking to do something physically active with your Jedi younglings or those Jedi who are young at heart then grab a lightsaber, head outside and have at it!  Either your neighbors will write you off as having had one to many Holiday Specials or they might grab their lightsaber and join in on the action!

Either way its a win/win scenario.

Seek Out the Rebellion:

Be you Jedi, Sith or Bounty Hunter everyone is a rebel at heart!  A quick search of Google will lead you to many events taking place in and around your area as part of the May 2017 celebrations.  Some of the events taking place in our area include a free screening of The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars Day Toronto at the Hard Rock Cafe.

The party doesn't have to be costly to be memorable and fun, so get out there and celebrate as if your the one that fired the Proton Torpedo into the Death Stars main reactor, May The Fourth Be With You!

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