Writer and Podcaster
February 21, 2019
CCR, Podcast, Uncategorized CCR, Chrononaut Cinema Reviews, hugh, Jurd, Lee Majors, Opopinax, Rich The T T, The 60's Leave a comment
Tonight your hosts, Hugh, Rich the Time Traveler, Opopanax, and Jurd, are exposed to some made-for-TV Vietnam War trauma
Click HERE to listen to the podcast
And click HERE to watch the movie on Youtube!
Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and http://hughjodonnell.com, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
This podcast originally appeared at Skinner.FM on Tuesday, February 19, 2019.
Thanks for listening!
February 20, 2019
Hugh Likes Video Games, Review, Uncategorized HLV, Hugh Likes Video Games, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Smash Bros Leave a comment
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Published by Nintendo
Played on Nintendo Switch
The Skinny: The venerable nostalgia-fighter returns with a massive entry on the Switch
It’s no secret that I love me some Smash Bros. My first Hugh Likes Video Games review was for the last iteration of the series, specifically the 3DS version. And this version has, well just more of everything I love about the concept, with a giant roster of returning characters and stages, and lots of brand-new content as well. I actually hesitated getting this version, but I think Ultimate might actually live up to its title.
Ultimate does a lot of things right. The roster is particularly large, and the new additions, from Castlevania protagonist Simon Belmont to Animal Crossing’s helpful assistant Isabelle are a delight to play. While there aren’t a whole lot of brand-new stages, we get nearly all of the returning stages, with multiple layouts, so there is sure to be someplace to pick. Smash mode is easy to get into, and takes full advantage of the Switch’s joycon pairing capabilities to get a large group of players in quickly.
Classic mode returns with a twist. Each character has their own finely tuned campaign to maximize their nostalgic hit. For example, Ryu fights in a series Street Fighter-like stamina battles, while Richter only fights other Echo Fighters.
As clever and nostalgic as Classic Mode is, Spirits is where the game really stretches. Building on modes in previous versions of the game, Spirits turns Smash Bros into a giant nostalgia-fueled Action RPG. Traveling around a huge map, the player fights ‘spirits,’ essentially Nintendo characters that didn’t make the cut, in the guise of tweaked battles with specialized conditions. Winning the battle nets you that character’s ‘spirit,’ which you can equip and level up in a bunch of different ways in order to take on more powerful fights. These take the place of collecting trophies or stickers in past games, and they’re neat, but the game doesn’t give you as much information about these collectables as in past installments, which is a shame.
Overall, Super Smash Bros Ultimate is another entry in the series that won’t change the minds of non-fans, but is full to the brim with attention to detail and affection for the source material. I haven’t ventured into the dark woods of online multiplayer yet, but so far couch battles have been chaotic but a heck of a lot of fun.
You can download the game yourself from the Nintendo eshop, or find a physical copy at the usual suspects of video game retailers.
February 19, 2019
Nostalgia Pilots, Podcast, Uncategorized Gundam Wing, hugh, Jason, Jurd, Nostalgia Pilots, Podcast, Spence, We must conquer luxembourg at all costs! Leave a comment
Welcome to Nostalgia Pilots! Tonight, Jason, Jurd, Hugh and Spence discuss Gundam Wing episode 33: The Lonely Battlefield!
Click HERE to download the podcast or listen online!
This week: Heero just wants to read his book, Zechs is over-levelled, and Howard wears his sunglasses in space, where it’s always night! Plus, Relena wins at diplomacy on a technicality and the Romefeller Org chart is all over the place.
This episode’s promo is for Nutty Bites!
Thanks for listening!
February 18, 2019
Hugh Likes Comics, Review, Uncategorized DC Comics, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Mark Russell, Stephen Byrne, Thunderlust, Wonder Twins Leave a comment
Wonder Twins #1
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Stephen Byrne
Published by DC Comics
The Skinny: DC revives two Saturday Morning Cartoon c-listers for a funny and heartwarming YA series.
High School is difficult. Especially when you’re a transfer student from another planet. DC has revived 70’s and 80’s cartoon sidekicks the Wonder Twins in a lighthearted new monthly book as a part of their Wonder Comics imprint, and the first issue is utterly delightful.
At a time when DC’s books feel like they are at their darkest and most complicated, this feels like a breath of fresh air. Russell delivers a fast moving and engaging script that gives readers that weren’t alive during the Raegan administration everything they need to know. These new versions of Zan and Jayna are well realized and interesting. The humor is always rooted in their characters and never relies on them being z-list sidekicks from the silver age. And they actually land quite well. Skilled but self-conscious Jayna dresses like a young Clark Kent, and awkward but overconfident Zan gets into all kinds of trouble. I won’t spoil any of the really good gags in the issue, but we also learn Batman and Superman’s most embarrassing high school moments, and that Diana is the mean girl of the Super Friends.
Byrne’s art is colorful and engaging, and makes the issue a joy to read. The whole package feels like DC finally has an answer to Marvel’s Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, a charming, comedic book that dusts off some young, goofy characters for light-hearted superheroic hi-jinx. This book isn’t going to reshape the multiverse, but it’s a welcome relief from DC’s latest crisis. You can find it online through Comixology, or in print at your local comics shop!
February 17, 2019
Free Fiction, Uncategorized Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Free Fiction Leave a comment
“You buried him with the keys?” Susan asked, stunned.
“It was his dying wish,” Frank said. “He started the store, and it seemed right to bury him with the keys in his pocket.” She just stared at him, her tear-stained face hardened into something cold rage. After a moment, she excused herself and stomped out of the room.
“You have the spares, right?” Naomi asked. Frank grinned sheepishly at her. “Jesus Christ, Frank.”
Susan returned, a phone in one hand and a shovel in the other.
“We’re reopening on Monday. You can either call a locksmith, or get digging.
This story originally appeared in Everyday Drabbles, a daily fiction project on Wattpad. Click the link for more free hundred-word short stories. And if you enjoyed it, why not buy me a coffee?
February 15, 2019
Hugh Likes Fiction, Uncategorized HLF, Hugh Likes Fiction, Martha Wells, Murderbot, Sci-Fi Leave a comment
“All Systems Red”
“Artificial Condition”
“Rogue Protocol”
“Exit Strategy”
Written by Martha Wells
Read by Kevin R. Free
Published by tor.com
The Skinny: A coming of age story told from the killer robots point of view.
In a corporation controlled far future, planetary exploration is considered so dangerous that terminator-like cyborgs called Sec Units are contracted to keep teams safe. Murderbot is one such sec unit, and they’ve recently hacked their own system to give themselves free will. They aren’t finding it as great as they had hoped they would, so they’ve decided to watch TV instead.
The Murderbot Diaries are a collection of four darkly funny novellas about what it means to be human. No, what it actually means to be human. After deactivating the module that demands compliance, Murderbot is free, but in order to not get scrapped, that mostly means they’re able to download endless hours of soap operas to their internal feed. Murderbot doesn’t want to be human, but as they investigate an incident involving an attack on his most recent clients, and their own redacted memory, they may find that they don’t have a choice.
The Murderbot Diaries are a very modern sort of robot story. It’s everything that Star Trek isn’t, with a dangerous, corporate-controlled life amongst the stars and a robotic protagonist that not only doesn’t want to be more human, but actively wants to be left alone. It delves into issues of neuro-diversity and the ubiquity of social media from interesting directions. Prickly, sarcastic Murderbot isn’t ‘likable,’ but they are certainly entertaining.
I listened to these books as a series of audiobooks read by Kevin R. Free. Free’s performance is outstanding, and he brings Murderbot and the other characters to life in a completely engaging way. These are short audiobooks, but this production makes them worth every credit.
February 11, 2019
Hugh Likes Comics, Review, Uncategorized Chip Zdarsky, Daredevil, HLC, Hugh Likes Comics, Marvel Comics Leave a comment
Daredevil #1
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Drawn by Marco Checchetto
Colored by Sunny Gho
Published by Marvel Comics
The Skinny: After recovering from dying (again,) Matt Murdock returns to crime-fighting, but things aren’t so easy anymore.
Matt Murdock is tired. After having come back to life, although in a bit more medically plausible fashion this time, he is hitting the rooftops as Daredevil, but finding that things aren’t as easy as they used to be. With Wilson Fisk the elected mayor of New York, NYPD has standing orders to stop vigilantes, with Daredevil being a major target.
Plus, Matt is rushing things. He’s impatient, and isn’t back to his old self. Like an old boxer, he is wondering if her ever will be, and how long he can rebound before physical injury and infirmity catch up to him.
Chip Zdarsky is hitting it out of the park with another more serious book at Marvel. I’ve already reviewed his writing on The Invaders, and this is a similarly thoughtful take on a character who has seen horrors and how they have internalized them. My favorite line of the issue is when he tells the woman he takes home from a bar not to fetishize his disability. There is a bone-tiredness there that speaks volumes about Matt’s experiences both in and out of his superhero identity.
Marco Checchetto’s art and Sunny Gho’s coloring both serve the story well. I liked Checchetto’s cramped, overlapping page layouts and Gho’s dark and gritty colors both do a great job of establishing an atmosphere and pace to the issue that would be a little unclear without them.
The issue also has a four-page backup story by Zdarsky that is a nearly-wordless short about Matt saving a kidnapping victim that does a great job of showing the events first from an outside point of view, then from Matt’s, using a great visualization of his sensory powers.
Daredevil #1feels very reminiscent of the Netflix series, but this is a very strong return for the character, and I can’t wait to see where this team goes with this direction. You can pick up a copy from your Local Comics Shop, or get the digital version from Comixology.
February 10, 2019
Free Fiction, Uncategorized Drabble, Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction Leave a comment
The conclave of the realm’s greatest heroes was well into their cups when they began to argue of who was the strongest. After many boasts and claims, Jeroboam the Holy Wizard claimed he could summon angels.
He was pressed to prove it, and one slurring conjuration later, a tall, winged being hovered before them, dripping and nude.
“This’d better be good, Jerry,” She said. “I was in the bath.” It might’ve ended there, had someone in the back not whistled. The ensuing smiting broke up the party, and the group reluctantly admitted that maybe they weren’t so great after all.
This story originally appeared in Everyday Drabbles, a daily free fiction project on Wattpad. For more free hundred-word stories, click the link. And if you enjoyed the story, why not buy me a coffee?
February 5, 2019
CCR, Podcast, Uncategorized CCR, Chrononaut Cinema Reviews, Greek/Roman Myth, hugh, Jurd, Opopinax, Podcast, Rich The T T, The Avenger Leave a comment
Tonight your hosts, Hugh, Rich the Time Traveler, Opopanax, and Jurd, take on some ripe 1960s Italian sword and sandalery.
Click HERE to listen to the podcast!
And HERE to watch the movie on Youtube!
Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and http://hughjodonnell.com, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
This podcast originally appeared at Skinner.FM on Sunday, February 3, 2019.
February 4, 2019
Hugh Likes Video Games, Review, Uncategorized HLV, Hugh Likes Video Games, Indie Game, Nintendo Switch Leave a comment
Moonlighter
Published by 11 bit studios
Developed by Digital Sun
Played on Nintendo Switch
http://moonlighterthegame.com/
The Skinny: The Daily Grind, in day job and dungeon flavors!
Moonlighter is an old-school dungeon crawler with a twist. The dungeons are randomly generated, with each room comprising a single screen, much like the original Legend of Zelda. Enemies don’t drop money or experience, but rather items tied to the visual theme of each dungeon. During the day, players can sell their findings in a shop simulator, setting their own prices, decorating their shop, and keeping an eye out for shoplifters.
Profits from the shop can be sunk into upgrading your equipment, inviting other shopkeepers who sell things like potions or decor, or expanding the shop itself. The gameplay loop has a nice rhythm, and I constantly found myself deciding to play just one more in-game day to reach a milestone I’d set for myself. The combat is quick and fairly challenging, but doesn’t vary too greatly from dungeon to dungeon. While enemies all have very different looks, they tend to do the same sorts of things. The turrets you face in the golem dungeon have the same sorts of attacks as the seed-spitting plants from the forrest dungeon, for example.
Moonlighter’s gameplay loop can get repetitive, but fortunately, it looks and sounds gorgeous. The high-res pixelated art is charming, and the soundtrack boasts a variety of catchy and evocative tunes as you make your way through the floors of each dungeon and stock your shelves. There isn’t much of a story here though, so if that isn’t enough to keep your interest, this may not be the game for you.
I enjoyed my time in Moonlighter’s tiny village, but I wish the game had given me a few more options in how I arranged and decorated my shop. The items were nice, but I’d have like to have been able to give the place a bit more personality.
Moonlighter is an old school dungeon crawling action game mixed with a sedate but engaging shopkeeping sim. The gameplay loop makes for a perfectly tuned combo in a charming world. You can pick it up for PC or through all the major console eshops.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 