On A Happier Note… Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection Coming Soon!

Source: https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-battlefront-classic-collection

For those who missed out on the original Star Wars Battlefront games… you can get them on Steam or GOG for relatively cheap. And you’re going to want to do it soon because these versions will undoubtably be replaced by the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection, which will include both games, all the bonus content, online multiplayer functionality, and an enhanced Hero Assault mode that lets you fight on all the maps in Battlefront II rather than just the Mos Eisley map.

Though, to be fair, GOG still has the original Tomb Raider trilogy on sale despite also featuring the recently released remastered versions.

Hey, you know what? I’m happy to see these Battlefront games get the spotlight once more. They’re great games, I wish the company that developed them were still around so they could make more of them, and hopefully, there’ll be enough success with this collection that they might consider doing the PSP titles next, even if they are… not quite as good.

There you go… some happy news for a change. Not sure if I’m going Switch version with these or if I’m double-dipping on another PC version. We’ll have to see about that.

It’s Okay To Like A Franchise And Not Like Everything In It

You’re a big fan of a franchise. You like the movies they put out. Some of the TV shows were pretty good. You’ve even dabbled in some of the official novels and comic books.

But then something comes along and it isn’t quite as good… and much to your dismay, you discover that you not only don’t like this new thing, but you might actually hate it. You consider this an affront to the franchise you’ve grown to love over the years.

It doesn’t end there. Something else comes along and it’s even worse than the other thing. You come to realize that these new things are lesser products devised to set aside all the things you loved about that franchise in favor of trying to appeal that wider, casual audience… otherwise known as the “lowest common denominator.”

All of a sudden, the thing you loved ever since you were a young kid is slowly but surely becoming a thing that you don’t like. You get to that point where you’re becoming the old timer who shouts at the clouds about how everything was better back in the day when the franchise was in its infancy and now everything is just crap or worse.

Does that make you less of a fan?

Of course it fucking doesn’t.

Kids… it’s okay to be a fan of something and not like everything that comes out of it. I have enjoyed many franchises over the years – some of which have been a substantial part of my life in some form or fashion – and I can freely admit that some of the stuff coming from those franchises lately have been… let’s just say “less than stellar.” Does that make me less of a fan of this thing or worse, a “fake fan?”

Of course it fucking doesn’t.

First of all, someone not enjoying the thing you enjoy should not prevent you from enjoying the thing you enjoy. Some things I enjoy are not enjoyed by other people. That does not hamper my enjoyment of these things that some people don’t enjoy as much as I do, if at all. Your enjoyment of something should not be gauged by how many other people are or are not enjoying that something. If you like something that everybody else hates, then more power to you. On the other hand, if you don’t like something that is beloved by many others, that doesn’t make you less of a fan and if anyone else tries to convince you otherwise in a non-joking manner, that’s their problem, not yours.

Like what you like and be done with it. If you like the old stuff, just watch the old stuff. If you like the new stuff, watch the new stuff. If you like everything, then have at it. And if you’d rather spent your time doing something else, then that’s cool too.

I’d tell you not to be a dick, but it seems like every time I hear someone tell people not to be a dick, they eventually become one themselves.

I don’t know what compelled me to type out this piece of business, but hey, it’s something, I suppose.

A Disturbance In The Force, You Say?

I see this teaser for a documentary film that supposedly tells us how the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special happened… and other than clips from the cast at various conventions and interviews eluding to its status as a forbidden subject, the only talking heads featured on the show seem to be celebrities and hack frauds who seemingly have nothing to do with the Holiday Special.

Having seen the Holiday Special – yes, the whole damned special – I am somewhat curious about how such a thing came to be and I’ll admit to finding the idea of a documentary covering the origins of this strange piece of Sith blasphemy in Star Wars lore appealing. This teaser trailer – featuring some dude speaking with a Darth Vader voice filter that gives me greater appreciation for the people who voiced Vader in those old PC games from the 90s – does little to sell me on the idea that this is a story worth talking about.

Having a bunch of people talk about how bad the Holiday Special is – no matter who you get for talking heads – that’s old news. It’s been done to death. You can get that sort of thing online for free. But a documentary talking about how this came to be is an idea worth pursuing. Maybe this film actually does do that. I wouldn’t know by watching this, however. At this point, I’d much rather watch the actual Holiday Special again than watch this film.

Regardless, I wish the filmmakers the best of luck. And I hope they do a better job selling this thing than what they have here.

No, I Still Have Not Watched Andor…

So a week or so ago, I re-activated my old Ask.fm account – Ask.fm being a place where people ask questions and you’d supply answers. I’d figure that would be a nice way of inviting more questions for the Q&A segments of the DTM-Cast that I need to start up again. Anyway, almost immediately, I’ve been bombarded with two types of questions. One type involves anything involving sex and relationships – those get tossed almost immediately. Another type involve random questions involving random things; these I will pick and choose to answer while others I will toss.

And then there’s one other person who drops in every day and asks the same question over and over and over again. The question in question: “Have you watched Andor yet? It’s a good show”

I have no idea why I’m being asked this question. The only assumption I could surmise is that someone really wants me to watch that Andor show that’s a prequel to Rogue One – you know, the movie where everyone dies at the end; sorry if I spoiled the movie for everyone. I have not seen the show nor do I have any interest in the show. Asking me to get invested in a character that’s going to die in the end for a whole miniseries seems like a big ask and Rogue One wasn’t a movie where I was big into the characters.

And so for anyone wondering, no, I have not watched Andor. I have no intention of watching Andor any time soon. I’m not going to say that I’m never going to watch it because, you know, some days will leave you with plenty of time to spare, but at the moment, not interested. Maybe next time.

Return Of The Jedi – The Final Star Wars Film… Until It Wasn’t

2022 marked the 20th anniversary of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and… well, I wrote a thing on that a while back, so I will spare you that piece of business here.

However, 2022 also marks the 30th anniversary of the third and final film in the original Star Wars Trilogy: Return Of The Jedi. And for seventeen years, it was exactly that; the last Star Wars film. Once the prequels came out, it merely became the final chapter in the Star Wars saga… until the arrival of The Force Awakens in 2015. Now I’m going to set aside all those other films for a moment – or at least, the majority of this write-up – so I can offer the following thoughts on Return Of The Jedi and why it was a satisfactory conclusion to the saga.

Continue reading “Return Of The Jedi – The Final Star Wars Film… Until It Wasn’t”