Beware the Ides of March...and donkeys.

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​Guys I...I think I was wrong about the DC Universe streaming service. Well not wrong about the price, currently, or the fact that what it does offer is lacking in content.  The latter part definitely does not warrant its current price.  These are legit concerns for me. Yet after watching and being absolutely amazed and falling in love in just a short time with the characters in the new Doom Patrol series, I understand why DC would feel the need to do this. I understand why DC would bet on the fact that their audience, in multiple mediums, would eventually flock to this. More importantly why in a few years, there’s no way they would not want to stay. This is DC’s full assault against Netflix, and damn if the Doom Patrol is not an impressive third attack. They aren’t going to knock out Netflix any time soon, but if they continue at this pace, even Netflix is gonna have to respect their gangsta.


​****SPOILERS BELOW****

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Doom Patrol, for those who aren’t aware, is one of the more golden era eccentric comic book ideas. The idea of it works in part because of its absurdity and also because of the writers  who have used the series as a mirror of the industry itself. In other words, smart somewhat meta commentary on comic books and the mythology of superheroes. Commentary especially on the various ways powers are seemed to accidentally be bestowed on folks. At its best, the Doom Patrol comics are part the original Watchmen comic book series with a dash of the Fantastic Four, and a cup of the Mad Scientist with some Tales from the Crypt horror pulp stories from the 60’s and 70’s mixed in. The Grant Morrison run of the series is a perfect example of this.

The  main characters that make up the team are Robotman (think the Thing), Elasti-Girl (Susan Storm with Mr. Fantastic’s powers), Negative Man (The Human Torch of the group) and The Chief (Reed Richard, but if he was crippled like Professor X). All of them had terrible, usually life ending, events happen to them leaving them powered but it also immensely scarred them and their team both physically and mentally.  The Chief is usually the doctor, father figure and team leader for this band of misfits. Generally speaking, he isn’t always the nicest but he really does have their best interests at heart.

The TV show keeps with this general line up except with the addition of two characters. One is Crazy Jane who has been on the team many times before in its various interpretations. The other is Cyborg,  famously known for his origins with the Teen Titans and, in recent years, associated with the Justice League. Initially, the addition of Cyborg didn’t make sense to fans, myself included, especially when you had a perfectly good Titan series to place him in.

​Side Note: DC has confirmed for next season in Titans that he will be transitioning from one team/tv show to  another.

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Weirdest college tour ever

However, as I continued to watch Doom Patrol, I realized that the adult tone was necessary to convey the intent of the series. This is ironic because Titans was the first series to give us dark content which audiences weren't expecting. Doom Patrol thooo.. it beats Titans in the gruesome category.  It’s funny as hell at times, but damn do you want to drink and give the characters a hug at the end of each episode.

What you mean " You people?"

​A great example of this is the first episode called “Pilot.” This episode gavel us the origin story of Robotman, voiced amazingly by the internet’s favorite Mummy catcher, Brendan Frasier, and physically performed by Riley Shanahan, as Cliff Steele. In the first episode, we learn about his past before his accident as a drug abusing, serial cheating, aging champion race car driver.  We discover his past intertwined as flashbacks during his transformation into Robotman, in addition to finding out about the loss of his family. As heart wrenching as it was to watch Cliff go through his own tragedies, I found myself laughing at times simply from his depressingly sad sarcasm and way of acting during all this. This is exactly who the character is in most versions of him in the comic books, and it’s a testament to Brendan Frasier as an actor that you see this so clearly in just one episode. Ya’ll most of the time you only see Cliff as Robotman, who has no face to emote with, yet it doesn't even matter with how good Brendan voices him as the tragic  robot man.

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​You also are introduced to the origins of Elasti-Girl Rita Farr, played by April Bowlby, and Negative Man Larry Trainer, played by Matt Bomer and Matthew Zuk. You find out Rita was a 1950’s B film actress with A film diva attitude.  Who during a shoot ends up in an accident causing her to turn into a sentient version of the Blob from the Thing movie if she doesn’t keep her emotional state in check. Larry who seemed to be the nicest most normal one of the trio is a married family man ace fighter pilot. Like a lot of similar origin stories, during an experimental flight finds trouble in the stars that causes him to crash. This leads to him being horribly burned and disfigured, but also now being the host of some alien like parasite inside of him. 

​​These are deeply traumatized individuals who have no idea how to use the “gifts” they have been given. Usually causing more harm than good when they try to step out of the comfort of their home with the Chief to attempt to be heroes. The only one who seems to even remotely know how to use their power is Robotman who can act as the tank of the group, but to the horrible side effect he can’t feel anything at all. They have no business honestly taking matters in their own hands, but the story is woven so well that for them to be able to actually have lives after their incidents, and not just be living, they must go out in the world as Frankenstein’s monsters and learn who they can be..not who they were. 


We haven’t seen the origin story of Crazy Jane yet, who ha 64 personalities each one with a separate super power, but the fact she’s called you CRAZY Jane, I doubt it’s filled with a trip to Disney with puppy dog belly rubs. Just saying. She’s played by Diane Guerrero most commonly known as Maritza from  Orange is the New Black. She gives an absolute mischief in a glass bottle energy to Crazy Jane that makes any moment she is on screen as a possible scene stealer. Between her personalities and the random ways they can approach any situation, she is an absolute joy to watch.
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Freshman year vs Senior year

​The Cyborg character is the most known out of the group so his origin is pretty well known to folks by now. A young school star Vic Stone ends up in some type of accident at his father’s lab, and in the process of having his life saved is turned into Cyborg. The difference in this iteration played by Joivan Wade is he is not in that “Whoa is me!” phase we see in other current iterations. This Cyborg while he remembers all the time what happened to him, he uses it to be a better person, the best hero he can be. It’s even said throughout first meeting him that he's training himself to apply for the Justice League in a few years. This is the Cyborg who can really show what he can do, when not always depressed about his situation, which is a big bag of fresh air after the last few rides through his origin story to be honest.

The three faces of "Nobody"

Yet, what is a dysfunctional team of misfits, without a villain to match, and lordy lordy is Mr. Nobody perfect. Played by the always great to see show up Alan Tudyk, he is menacing in how ludicrous he seems to be. Breaking the 4th wall as the narrator of the story for the first few episodes, his powerset makes him seem like a certain 5th dimensional imp that Superman has a hard time with saying their name. His time shown while not much is used to its fullest potential to where even though he is clearly a big villain baddie, he’s so fun to watch you kind of root for him just to see what lethal hi-jinks comes up next. Keyword: flatulent donkey.
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Episode 3 "Puppet Patrol"

​I can honestly not think of one bad thing about this series currently, and 4 solid episodes in that is saying a lot. By this time in the Titans series while the premise was a lot better than the trailers portrayed, there were gaps in story and decisions that left audiences wanting. With Doom Patrol though...I got nothing. It’s the same type of feeling I had watching the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. There was no reason for any of this to work, but by embracing the camp and absurdity of the story and characters, DC has actually created an emotionally poignant and strong framework. The sky's the limit if they continue on this path, and I am all in for the ride. The next series up is slated to be Swamp Thing (a personal favorite of mine), and if the constant success and critical acclaim that DC Universe has received so far continues , it will herald something new. Not great in any means for the masses in terms of the streaming wars, but for fans who want to see dedication and passion placed in the projects of our favorite characters and pastimes, well, I’ll just say this. This may be the perfect time if your a DC fanboy or girl to put your money, where your mouth is.


Doom Patrol: A+

Greetings, NJLers! Wanting to give a little more shine to some of the interesting games our Twitch team were able to get their hands on, this week, we will highlight Absolver developed by Sloclap and published by Devolver Digital. Absolver is a martial art themed action RPG with online multiplayer. You play as a created  character called a ‘Prospect’ putting your skills to the test all across the world of Adal. Your Goal? See if you're tough enough to become an Absolver! Doing his best to see if he can be the best like no one ever was, Uncle K himself took to these mean Adal streets. Here's his impression on his journey to becoming Number One!

***SPOILERS BELOW***
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Jay: So to give folks a kind of BTS moment for how we pick not just the games we play, but also who plays them. We usually have a conversation before the week begins letting folks pick the games they want to play first when we have new content to share. What made you decide on Absolver for Indie Week?

    Uncle K: I’ve always had a passion for beat ‘em up games, prefer third-person games over first person,  and I love open world concepts. Absolver hits all three of these check marks with a flair that’s hard to describe at the moment. The graphics do something for me too. I don’t know if rustic is the right word for it, but it’s what I’d use...and I like that too lol. No player can be too overpowered in Absolver and I really like that. It’s a deep but simple fighting system with simple abilities that makes it all fair. You get as much as you put in.

Jay: So safe to say your expectations of Absolver were well met! It reminds me of Jade Empire in a lot of ways, and watching you play made me want to download it off  Steam myself. I don’t know graphic-wise if it’ll look as good as it did with you on the PS4 compared to my laptop, but I want to try it lol.

    Uncle K:  Yeah, exactly. Very satisfied. I mean I’d love more choices, fighting styles, etc...but only if it’s still balanced. That is key.

Jay: So when you mean more choices…

Uncle K: I really hate when games don’t explain enough or have enough tutorials readily available/easily accessible. I also don’t like games that send you on an adventure lacking a good, well explained story. Which gives the player a lack of choices, when the game makes you feel like you should in an open world like this.

Jay: Gotcha. So final thoughts?

Uncle K: It was an interesting game, really fun to play.  But to be an “A” game for me, it would have to grip me to the point I want to play it, and almost nothing else, for a week plus. So it’s a solid B- but I think with updates and some of my suggestions from earlier it could reach A status easy.



To watch the rest of Uncle K's Absolver stream, and more of the NJL shenanigans follow us on Twitch here!

​Last week was Indie Games Week for the NJL on our Twitch channel. One of the unique games we had fun playing and hope our viewers enjoyed to watch was RIOT - Civil Unrest. Developed by Leonard Menchiari and published by Merge Games, it is described as a “Riot simulator based on real events that have been influencing the Western civilization in the past few years.” With campaigns based all over the world like Italy, Greece, Spain etc., each area and scenario has its own background, history, and story to tell. Who better to play this game than the NJL’s own anarchist to all things timely and respectable Mr. Mike is Fired! After giving us some of his time and a few “Aaaaaaaahaaaaaaaas!” Mike was kind enough to discuss his initial feelings about RIOT - Civil Unrest, and why this may just be the Indie game to keep an eye on.


Spoilers below​

Jay:  So usually I’d start off with what you like from the game first, but after watching your stream let's go with what you didn’t like off rip lol.

Mike is fired: As far as dislikes go I don’t have too many. I felt like the graphics could have definitely been better, but that is mostly because I don’t care for the 8 bit genre in today’s games. That’s more of a personal thing so I won't knock the game for it too much haha. Also to be real, what I would like to see the developer add is more riots from America. The only riot I remember seeing was the LA riots from the 90’s, and we all know America has a much darker pass. So I would like to see them touch on some of those things in our past in the future.

J: It’s funny with you saying that I only was able to think of the LA Riots, but in truth over the last few years we definitely had some important riot situations in America. The Dakota Access Pipeline, Fayetteville, The Occupy movement even. Maybe not as big as the riots overseas, but big time major for America’s history with the type of situations that can lead to riots.

​MIF: Right! RIOT is way more interesting than I originally expected it to be. I liked how they took some of the worlds biggest riots, and put you right in the middle. They allow you to play as either the cops or the rioters, and personally I enjoyed playing with the civilians the most. The rush of taking on the law while trying to rally the troops, and keep all four groups of rioters in line is definitely something that will keep you engaged.

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J: What were some highlights for you then Mr. “N.W.A.” lol?

​MIF: There are a few things that I enjoyed from the game, like how well equipped, and resourceful the rioters were. One of the levels allowed you to shoot rockets at police generators and throw bombs all over the place! I didn’t spend too much time on the police side of things so I can’t say much about them, but I will say that the tear gas they have is no joke. I played one level as the police and cleared so fast because the crowd could not get pass the gas.

​J: Yeah for an 8 bit design, which I’m not too big a fan of either, it was surprising how layered and detailed it was. Even watching how the two forces would oppose each other was crazy.  This definitely took me by surprise watching you play. Any final thoughts? Grades?

MIF: Seeing as this was the first time I’ve played a game like this it was much better than I originally thought it was going to be. Keeping it 100, for me it isn’t something that I would pick up and play on the regular, but I can see this game being appealing to a lot of people. I’d have to give the game a C+ for what I like, but it definitely is heading in the right direction and am interested to see what it can become in the future.

On January 25, 2019, something millions of fans all over the world have been waiting for finally happened. After fifty-eleven million years, (Ok, more like over a decade which is forever to millenials) Kingdom Hearts 3 was released. “Magic Stick of Vigor” Sora, “I am a damn DOG, not a cow” Goofy and “Get da strap!” Donald jumped into a new adventure against evil  chock full of as many heroes, villains and in betweens Square Enix and Disney could muster. Of course, here at the NJL, we have been awaiting this very day; some of us more than others. And by some of us, we mean Chesterfield, NJL’s Chief Technology Officer. Our residential IT guy was not only preparing himself for this new release, he’s even been preparing all our fans and friends on Twitch by playing the remix OG editions of Kingdom Hearts. Check that out  here !

Seriously Goofy...what are you doing?

With new bosses to beat, awesomely heroic team ups and old friends to save from the heartless, Chesterfield dove into KH3 like Uncle Scrooge into his money bin right here on our Twitch. So we thought to share his thoughts and feelings about playing the first few dozen hours or so with you guys here. Make sure to check back with us later and subscribe to our Facebook for our actual review of it on our new gaming podcast “NJL Presents: The Gamer’s Club.”

Jay: So after this long wait and the day finally arriving, what do you think about KH3? What are you like/loving about it so far?

Chesterfield: There’s so many things I already really like about the game! From the new selfie side quest which is fun, the level of detail in the art, even the nostalgia from the control layout. Plus, finally getting to wrap up a story that I've waited well over a decade for. Also, just for those who care,playing this on a 4k TV with surround sound definitely beats playing it on a regular HDTV. Oh! Also, a major highlight for me is relearning how to travel in the Gummi ship. As frustrating as it can be, I truly appreciate the revamping and essentially turning it into its own adventure!

Jay: So is there anything you could even dislike about this game, considering your love of the series already?

Chesterfield: My guy, definitely. It’s disappointing that a lot of the original voices weren't in the game at all. Jim Hanks as Woody? Wow. Phil was a mute, Mickey was “off”, etc.

Zero to Hero, just like that....

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Jay: Yeah Danny Devito has definitely been getting that Always Sunny money since the last game came out, so I guess he wasn't stressed on joining back up as Phill lol.

Chesterfield: *Sigh* I guess. Also, the attraction rides. They were cute the first couple of times and necessary, but after a while they just got in the way. I wish they had saved them for boss and mini-boss battles honestly. Another issue is the situational commands. At first, I thought we had no control over it, but apparently, we can cycle through them, but I definitely don't remember seeing instructions on this.
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Jay: Yeah, watching the first few hours of you streaming KH3, I don’t remember seeing any tutorial or anything like that for them till they just started happening in game. Which I guess in a game taking this long to develop small things like that can happen. Do you hope for any DLC for this game considering it could very well be the last?

Chesterfield: I haven't beaten the game yet, but I'd love to see an arena if there isn’t one already. Also Verum Rex, but I won't say anything else about that lol.

Jay: Any final thoughts on what you’ve experienced so far? Are you satisfied with what KH3 has been providing you as the end game of this series you hold so near and dear to your heart?

Chesterfield: I’m pretty happy with what I’ve experienced so far. It feels like they took a little bit of everything from the previous entries of the series and brought them all together to end the story in grand style. I can't give this an A until I beat the game and get my closure though, so a B+ until then. ​

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​This is the part 1 of a 3 part series discussing the history of the show Young Justice, its critical acclaim amid cancellation, and its new life provided by DC’s new streaming service DC Universe.  Part 1 this week will discuss the moves that lead to the series creation, and its fan base growing love before cancellation. Next week part 2 will discuss its cancellation, and the move to DC’s streaming service DC Universe. Finally, part 3 we give a review of season 3 and our hopes for Young Justice’s future.

After the work was done, NJL members headed to Universal Studios and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure for a day of fun, team building and fellowship.
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This trip proved to be an excellent bonding experience and laid the foundation for an exciting future.​

Hey guys, it's your boy Jay with this weeks continuation of  "The Emissary of Veritas" story! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday, and ate like the fat kids I know you are lol. I originally started this as part of the #NaNoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month)  challenge to write either a novel, or a 50,000 words equivalent. I have always had the major plot points and certain characters in mind, but was too afraid to ever start. So thanks to the challenge, and sharing my weird imagination with you guys I finally took the plunge keeping myself honest to try it lol. I also really want to thank all the NJLers who allowed me to superimpose some of their funnier traits or ideas to my characters, which made writing this even more fun to share with them. Also special shout out and thank you so much to Jaslyn, Chichi, and Jen who have helped me edit this just enough to share with you guys. Pray for them having to deal with my writing style ya'll, cuz whoooo child lol.

So to thank you all, this week will be  chapters 4 and 5! Click here, here, or  here to catch up if your new to the story. Like always, please like, share, and comment and let us know if you want more of "The Emissary of Veritas" story!  Strong language and and mature situations below.