Sci-Fi Bloggers

Science Celebrities: Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson

Andrew Russo — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:43:57 +0000

Science is in. For years anyone who wanted to be a chemist, doctor, work with computers, use empirical evidence to solve problems, work with the environment- all of that had been pushed aside in favor of more main streamed physical actions. Like football and hand eye coordination. However with the rise in technology that used to be reserved for science fiction in the fifties and how computers and many technologies that were once big budget devices are now household appliances, science is becoming part of the mainstream. And with that they are going to bring celebrities.

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye have become the faces of the internet science community, in addition to just being overtly science guys. Bill Nye gained his stardom based off of his show that was played in classrooms, effectively title “Bill Nye the Science Guy” (BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY, BILL, BILL, BILL, BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY). For a lot of us, he was the stepping stone into learning all about atoms, energy, mass, the environment- and most importantly for young kids and teenagers, he was entertaining. Tyson was a little less nostalgic for the most of the world. Only becoming the consultant for a lot of social commentary type television (The Daily Show, Colbert Report) Tyson is based in the realm of astrophysics and has worked across the country at various universities, but currently holds the title of the Fredrick P. Rose Director at the Hayden Planetarium. Future endeavors include being the narrator to the sequel of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A Personal Voyage series and just being awesome.

However what is surprising is the level of fame that these men are achieving. In a world where Snooki is able to earn more money that those scientists and doctors trying to find a cure for cancer and the family problems of the Jackson’s is somehow worthy of my precious twenty minutes of television watching before work. This of course is not a bad thing- these men should be recognized for their intelligence and their love of science and ability to convey the confusing bits about atoms and particles and what makes the internet work, but it is surprising by how quickly this is happening.

These men have seemed to become, at least among the internet community, celebrities in the blink of an eye. If you browse Reddit, Imgur, watch The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, read Cracked, venture into 4chan, you need to know who these men are. Reddit has already had Tyson do several AMAs (Ask Me Anything), three of which are in the top ten most popular. The two even appeared on an episode of Stargate Atlantis together. God help you if you admit to not even recognizing their names.

The two are the closest thing the science community has to public faces and celebrities and what is great about is the fact that they have a genuine love for these subjects- their fames comes long after their careers have been established and the fact that they know what they are talking about. What makes their fame even great is the idea that the two through a mutual emergence of fame and notoriety amongst their peers and the internet culture have created a bromance. Of which there is nothing but support for by the internet.

Tyson and Nye are two men who have made great accomplishments in their lives, have worked and learned and educated millions of kids in the past few decades. They’ve opened up the world of atoms and bugs and physics and potentially sent thousands of children on their current attempts to be a big old science nerds.

And it seems like they are a real life version of Turk and JD, but smarter and more emotionally mature. And with cooler jobs.

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Raimi’s Oz: Revamping Burton’s Wonderland

Andrew Russo — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:15:13 +0000

The Wizard of Oz is a classic like no other. Both in the original novel and the first film adaptation in 1939 with Judy Garland still remain the most popular incarnations of Baum’s story and there is doubtful a Halloween goes by without some little girl dressing as a lost woman with ruby red slippers as her younger brother trails behind dragging his lion’s tail. However the reason the novel and film remain a classic unlike any other is because of the level of success and notoriety it’s multitude of reinventions and prequels that were born from one story all relating back to how Baum created a fantasy land where seemingly more things remain possible than he had let on in his original novel.

There is of course Wicked, the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West and the rest of the characters from Oz by Gregory Maguire and its musical adaptation. But also, the not do distant television series Tin Man, which took a more steam punk and science fiction fantasy approach to the tale of DG on her quest to return home. And finally the newest one Oz: the Great and Powerful, a film being directed by Sam Raimi and going to be released in 2013.

Raimi’s tale will focus specifically on Oz, the great wizard, who will be played by James Franco. From the trailer we can tell that Oz, like Dorothy, is from Kansas and unlike the rest of Kansas men, he does not just want to be good, he wants to be great. Cue the tornado, spinning hot air balloon and Oz finding himself in a strange and distant land. And strange and distant is what Raimi is setting out for the film to be.

Unlike the original film, Raimi takes Oz into a new territory of weird and fantastical. Modern day CGI allows for this type of thing. And watching the trailer, it feels like we have seen this before. Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, perhaps?

There is no question that Baum initially drew some inspiration from Alice in Wonderland for his story, but he had created a country and world just different enough to warrant the two novels as being similar, but distinct enough to tell their own stories and have their own characters. While other incarnations have adapted a more fantastical element into the world of Oz, in particular, Tin Man, there again was still enough distinction from Alice in Wonderland and the original itself to merit that particular version. However, having Burton’s Alive in Wonderland only released two years ago, three by the time Raimi’s Oz will hit theaters is going to draw some criticism. Particularly in how similar the visual styles are and a cast laden with household names.

While Baum left a story that could be open to reinterpretation and development of characters outside of Dorothy, the reason it was distinct enough from Alice in Wonderland was because while Dorothy is disoriented when she arrives in Oz, things there follow a certain natural order, whereas through the looking glass, you are meant to feel you are on an acid trip. And from Raimi’s trailer, there is that impression of disorientation- not from something new, but from narcotics. Oz is dumped in this new land and suddenly it is all strange creatures, saturated colors, weird women in hats helping you up. He goes from a dreary world of black and white to one blasted with color and sparkling lights.

While Baum may have created some new creatures, a new world, there was a simplistic and natural feel to them. It appears that Raimi’s might be a bit more forced and shoving the idea of a new and exciting world down our throats as opposed to letting it draw us in more.

And if I wanted that, I would do acid.

Watch the trailer here.

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Iconic Spaceships in a Galaxy Far Far Away

clkgamer — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:41:02 +0000

X-Wing. Tie Fighter. The Millennium freakin Falcon. The space ships in the Star Wars universe are some of the most memorable spacecraft in all of science fiction, often copied, but rarely surpassed. Every ship is a character in its own right, with a distinct look and personality that demands for it to be remembered. Here are some of the greatest ship designs to come out of the galaxy far far away.

B-Wing

One of the strangest looking ships in the Rebel Alliance’s arsenal, the B –Wing starfighter is a sight to behold. While cruising the B-Wing resembles a thin board slicing through space. It’s only when the fighter enters attack mode that things get interesting, with the ship rotating as two wings with cannons extend out to form a cross shape. The ship is known for its difficulty to control, but what it lacks in simplicity it makes up in firepower. Only the best fighter pilots in the galaxy dare fly one of these badboys.

Tie-Fighter

Ah, the cannon fodder of the Empire. Following the Empire’s philosophy of quantity over quality Tie fighters may not be too scary by themselves, but in large numbers can pack a punch. The iconic design of the two vertical wings, with the eyeball like cockpit in the middle sticks with anybody who has ever watched Star Wars.

X-Wing

Flown by rebel heroes Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles, it doesn’t get much more iconic than an X-Wing with its S-foils locked in attack position. Who can forget the attack on the first Death Star, X-wings dueling with Tie-fighters before making the trench run? Sporting an astromech droid, proton torpedoes, deflector shields and four laser cannons, the X-wing is the standard by which all other starfighters are measured.

Slave One

The most iconic bounty hunter in the galaxy, Boba Fett, also sports one of the most iconic ships of the franchise. Just imagine you’re flying through space minding your own business when suddenly in your rear view mirror you see this hulking ship that looks remarkably similar to Fett’s infamous helmet. With a name like Slave One, you know things aren’t going to end well.

The Millennium Falcon

As iconic and memorable as all the other ships on this list are, nothing comes close to the star power of the Millennium Falcon. It’s so iconic that people who have never even seen Star Wars know what it is and who flies it. The flat pancake like look of the craft is still un-conventional to this day, and the less than appealing radar dish on the top makes it hard to wonder why it’s the most iconic ship in the galaxy. Oh wait, because Han Solo flies it that’s why.

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Sneak Peek – New Sci-Fi Film

jcaprelian — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:05:13 +0000

Careful detail to scientific accuracy of plausible physics is given in the soon-to-be-released sci-fi thriller, Singularity Principle.

Condensed matter physicist Dr. David Deranian spearheaded the research for the film which involves the creation of emergent magnetic monopoles from exotic spin ice materials.

Parallel universes have often been used as a literary device, but never before has such attention been given to actual methods involved to find, or create them.

It’s been posited that an Einstein-Rosen Bridge can connect parallel universes. Could such a bridge be used to access universes running parallel to our own?

Singularity Principle addresses this question head on!

A singularity, or black hole, is thought to contain the energy required to start a universe. But what if we could find or create a wormhole? An Einstein-Rosen Bridge is theorized to be a bridge that crosses through time and space. The key to finding this bridge may be found, as Dr. Deranian suggests, by creating a synthetic monopole.

Dr. David Deranian and Austin Hines make up the writer-directer team that bring you Singularity Principle, a film that explores the consequences of renegade experimentation into the world of parallel universes.

Dr. Peter Tanning, played by Michael Denis (Fringe, Smallville) has been plagued since childhood by an unexplainable phenomenon.

Certain that the research of his mentor, Professor Jack Brenner, played by John Diehl (Stargate, Jurassic Park 3), holds the answers he seeks, Peter begins a dangerous exploration into singularities and parallel universes.

But Peter has another problem, his interrogator, played by William B. Davis who is known around the world as The Smoking Man from X-Files, is determined to find out about the research Peter is conducting.

Can Peter satisfy his interrogator’s questioning? Will the interrogation force Peter to join the dark side?

A film that’s destined to be a cult classic, Singularity Principle is an entertaining ride that will keep you engaged to the very end.

Like them on Facebook to keep up with the latest news and look for a release at the end of 2013.

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Returning To The Old Republic

clkgamer — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:49:37 +0000

When I first played Star Wars: The Old Republic in beta a month before the games release, I came away less than impressed. After quitting World of Warcraft years ago after suffering from severe boredom, I was hoping that Old Republic would be a breath of fresh air. What I got instead was a fairly standard MMO, with boring combat, terrible race selection and lots of talking. Needless to say I didn’t buy the game at launch, and hadn’t touched it since.

Old Republic enjoyed a ton of out of the gate success, as many MMO’s tend to do. But as time progressed, more and more players began to leave. Many cited poor pvp. Others lack of satisfying end game content. Some just returned to other games, such as WoW, though that game has also seen a decline of millions of players. Then something that is almost becoming expected happened, Bioware announced that Old Republic would be going completely free to play.

Now I’m not sure why this sparked my interest in a game I considered to be done with. Maybe I was just bored. Whatever the reason, I decided to play the free trial up to level 15 and decide whether or not I would continue to play the game when it launches as a full free to play MMO this fall. What I found is while it’s not the best game ever, Old Republic does do many things right and actually helps cure the boredom I found myself suffering from while playing WoW by doing one thing incredibly well – delivering a sense of player importance.

Bioware pushed Old Republic as a story focused game, and in that department it succeeded. Every character in the game has a voice and personality, and the world lives and breathes like few other MMO’s. However, what really hooked me was more than just talking and above average MMO storytelling. I felt important. I felt like a Jedi, and everything I did felt like something a Jedi would do. I wasn’t killing boars for their tusks or helping farmer Joe scare away crows. I wasn’t picking flowers or gathering wood. I was stopping a rogue Jedi from bringing down the Jedi Temple. I was aiding refugees surrounded on all sides by encroaching natives fueled by the dark side. Everything I did felt in character, felt important, and made me want to keep playing.

Perhaps I was too hard on Old Republic the first time around. As a huge Star Wars fanboy, I was upset by the terrible race selection from which I could choose to live out my Star Wars fantasy. You are telling me that in the Star Wars universe, featuring hundreds of great alien races, as a Jedi I can only be a human, a green human, a human with little horns on my head or a blind human? Oh, and Twilieks. So one out of five that is an actual alien race. Sith don’t have it much better, being able to choose from humans, grey humans, red humans and more humans with little spikes. What about Rodians? Wookies? Mon Calamari? All the races are in the game, I meet NPC’s every five feet that are some of the franchises iconic alien species. But for some reason I can’t be any of them. The combat, while still fairly standard, has begun to impress me with its visual style if nothing else. It’s more entertaining to watch my Jedi deflect blaster bolts and pull off visually striking lightsaber flourishes than it is to auto attack boars in WoW.

Now I don’t know how the full game is, having only played up to level 15, but if it is like the first 15 levels I will be signing up when the game goes fully free to play. Sadly, once you hit level 50 and your characters story is over, I feel like I will lose interest once again. But I guess that’s just when you make a new character and experience a whole new story. If you’re looking for an MMO to get into, or find yourself to be more of a single player gamer, give Old Republic a shot. You might just enjoy being the most important character in the Star Wars universe.

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Being a Vampire Sucks

Underprussia — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:09:14 +0000

Who wouldn’t want to be a vampire? You never age, never die unless you piss off van Helsing, and can spend eternity living the good life with other immortal beautiful people. Sounds good right? Wrong! Let’s look beneath the surface pleasures of being a creature of the night and look at why it sucks, pun extremely intended, to be a vampire. Also for the sake of consistency, we’re going to look at only one type of vampire for this argument, the kind from the one and only Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Have fun looking like this when you’re hungry.

First off the never aging thing only works if you drink blood regularly. Dracula appeared as an old man until he had consumed enough blood to make himself appear youthful. So if you want to be one of those veggie vamps or a blood teetotaler, you better get used to anti-wrinkle creams and walkers.

Next is the immortality. Never dying does seem pretty good. You’ll be able to collect on long term investments, amass a fortune, perfect your golf swing, and see history speed before you. Sure you’ll lose your friends and loved ones, but you’ll make new ones and besides you always have your fellow vampires to hang out with. This may have worked in the age before social media however. Back in the middle ages, you could fake your death and get a new identity pretty easily. Nothing like the days before written records. Try pulling that off today with facial recognition software, social media, and increasingly tight security. It can be done, but it’ll cost you. Good thing you amassed that fortune I was talking about earlier. And if you’re not so lucky, well, the dissection in a government lab shouldn’t do any lasting damage.

This guy’ll be tailing you wherever you go, stake in hand.

Third is being either hated by most of the public or seen as some weird deity by the minority. Think about it, vampires have never been the good guys in our species’ folklore. The whole vampire good guy thing is relatively new. Most people upon discovering you that you are a blood sucker would try to stake you on the spot. The others who would try to get you to turn them are, for the lack of a better word, a little off. People don’t even like each other let alone some super powerful predator who feeds on them. They’d start a mass hunt against you and you kind until they are certain all vampires are dead. So you either have to hide out of fear of being hunted, or the idol of some weird teen.

I’m not going to talk about sunlight. Dracula rules remember? In this argument you can be in the sunlight, you just don’t like it and it weakens you.

Try getting the girls when you look like this.

Next we have the whole undead, Satan-spawn thing. Don’t forget vampires are undead. Technically as a vampire you’d be considered an affront to nature and most religions. If you can live with being an abomination whose soul is doomed for eternal damnation, or some other punishment depending on your religious views, good for you. If you’re atheist, disregard this paragraph.

Finally we have the fact that you feed on people. Since you’re no longer human, it’s not cannibalism, but it’s close. It’s like eating a monkey, it’s just wrong. Think about it, do you really want to imagine eating people and feeling good about it? That’s one reason vampires creep us out. They eat us! Just remember eating people is wrong.

So that’s pretty much why it would be bad to be a vampire. They just don’t fit with today’s world. Granted older vampires would be better off, they’ve had decades of experience avoiding angry mobs and working their way into society. But for you wannabe vamps, don’t bother. It’s not worth the trouble.

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Arkham Horror: Maddeningly Fun and Difficult

Underprussia — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:31:44 +0000

Arkham Horror is a board game that H.P. Lovecraft would be proud to have his name on. Why? Well because its rules are so complex and numerous that it would drive even the staunchest of players into insane gibbering inmates at their local asylum. Well that’s an exaggeration, it’s not that complicated. It’s close though. Arkham Horror is a great board game for fans of H.P. Lovecraft and fans of intricate, difficult, and really fun games.

It’s deceptively simple looking. Alright that’s a lie, it’s not that simple looking.

Arkham Horror is set in the mysterious town of Arkham during the roaring twenties. Odd things are going on in town, with gates to other worlds opening and monsters roaming the streets. It’s up to the players to stop the Ancient One from awakening and destroying the world. The players play as characters included in the game. They range from professors, to mobsters, to average salesmen. Each one has their strengths and weaknesses. The players then in turn go around the board finding clues, fighting monsters, closing gates and having adventures, pretty straight forward concept and goals.

That’s all the expansions. All of them.

Arkham Horror is made by Fantasy Flight so that means a few things. Huge board, lots and lots of tokens/cards, and a rule book whose page numbers go into the mid-twenties. It’s a cooperative game where the players don’t compete against each other, but against the board and events in game. These can range from the harmless to the sadistic. Let me make this clear: The game hates you. It hates your family. It hates your dog. It wants to hurt you in a myriad number of ways. Once you get past that, the game gets really fun. As for the rules as I mentioned they’re pretty complex and players not used to RPGs can have some difficulty getting used to them. Once you and your players get a firm understanding, the game becomes a lot more fun. Hopefully you won’t be looking at the rule book every other turn like I usually have to.

Yeah, it gets even harder.

The game also has several expansion packs that introduce new mechanics and challenges. They come in two sizes, big and small. Big expansions, like The Dunwich Horror, include a new board, characters, and locations. Essentially they add more breadth to the game, giving the players not only more places to go but also introducing new ways of playing through different characters. Small expansions tend to add a slightly new mechanic or change an old one. The Lurker at the Threshold for instance makes gates more difficult to close and increases their importance in the game. I would recommend starting with small expansion packs because a) they’re cheaper, and b) they’re better for newer players. They keep the game a little more manageable.

Overall I love this game and I enjoy playing it with other people. It’s a lot fun, and once you get everyone up to speed on the rules, they’ll enjoy it too. Arkham Horror is a great game night choice and great for introducing people to the world of Lovecraft.

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Top 5 Worst Sci-Fi Films

Underprussia — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:43:44 +0000

Sci-Fi gives both gems and flops. Here in no particular order are my top 5 worst sci-fi films of all time.

This is the Platonic Form of bad science fiction.

Let’s start of strong here with what is without a doubt not only one of the worst sci-fi films of all time, but one of the worst films period of all time. It’s Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space. Plan 9 is one of those rare films that not only has a bad concept, but is also poorly executed. It tells the tale of a duo of aliens whose plan to make the governments of the world recognize them is to reanimate three dead bodies in some small town in southern California. Yeah it makes you wonder what plans 1 through 8 were. This is a horrible, horrible film, but also incredibly fun to watch. It’s actually really funny. The space ships are literally hubcaps on wires. It sucks, but is still good for a laugh.

Yeah, the less said about this the better.

We move out of the realm of the so bad it’s good and into the realm of just plain awful. Here we have Battlefield Earth. Battlefield Earth is an example of when the film gets a little too personal. John Travolta really wanted to make a good film from the founder of his religion, (names withheld on advice of counsel). Instead it turned into a flop of major proportions. From hammy acting, to odd cinematic effects, to a just plain out odd storyline the film just couldn’t capture what Travolta intended. But who knows, in twenty years maybe smartasses will be watching midnight screenings of it.

Damn it Lucas, just damn it.

Next we have another flop, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Yeah the prequels suck, we know. But Attack was so much more. It represented everything wrong with the prequels. Whereas Episodes I and III had some redeeming moments, Episode II has no such scenes. The writing is crap, the action is dull, and the acting is horrendous. The only good parts are the scenes with Christopher Lee and Samuel L. Jackson. Episode II almost broke Star Wars for a lot of fans and to me will always be the weakest film. In that sense, it’s a mirror of Empire, which despite being the middle film is considered one of the stronger ones. Regardless, I won’t be changing the channel to Episode II when I see that it’s on.

Yes this exists and it is glorious.

Let’s move back into the world of camp and see probably one of the odder films made. Fans of MST3K will recognize Santa Clause Conquers the Martians. The film’s plot is basic. Martians kidnap Santa. Yeah, that’s it. Martians think that their kids need a Santa like figure and kidnap him. This film has all the hallmarks of bad sci-fi: silly plot and dialogue; bad science; bad acting; and bad overall execution. This is not a good film, but it is really funny. It’s like Plan 9, you can’t help but sort of like it. It’s much better with the cast of MST3K riffing on it, but trust me you’ll get some laughs on your own.

Hate! All of my Hate!

Finally we have a bad film that is neither near nor dear to my heart. This time it’s personal with the flop of Green Lantern. Why is it here? Because of my need for vengeance against this movie, that’s why! Green Lantern is my favorite superhero and I looked forward to this film with eager anticipation. What I got was crap. They got every part of the mythos wrong. Except Ryan Reynold’s portrayal of Hal Jordan, that was alright. Everything else was pretty bad, they couldn’t even get the effect done well. I hate this movie and what it represents: Lazy film making done for a quick buck. At least the other films on the list had some heart. This one didn’t and that’s why it’s here.

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Top 5 Alan Moore Comics

Underprussia — Thu, 16 May 2013 06:38:47 +0000

Here in no particular order are my top 5 Alan Moore comics!

The book that launched the 90s.

Comics today probably would not exist without Moore’s groundbreaking hit Watchmen. This comic single handily set off the whole idea of deconstruction for comic characters and sadly the 90s anti-heroes. Watchmen is a benchmark comic with other similar works being held up to it. Not only was it popular with comic fans, it broke into the mainstream and is considered by Time magazine as one of the greatest novels of all time. Watchmen is dark, gritty, and a great read for any comic fan. If you haven’t read it yet, get on that.

What makes English Majors go Squeee!

Next we have what could best be described as porn for English Majors. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is what happens when fanfiction gets published. In this case, it’s Victorian literature and cultural fanfiction. Basically taking the heavy hitters of British literature, Allan Quartermaine, Nina Harker, Captain Nemo, and Dr. Jekyll to name a few, and sticking them on a team to defend England against other literary threats. Trust me, it’s good. League takes a very interesting view of the characters that we all know and love. It’s like the Watchmen of literature, deconstructing it and showing what these characters would be like in a more realistic setting. Moore essentially uses League as a deconstruction of pop culture from the late 19^th century to the modern day. It’s a great series for literary and pop culture fans.

Warning: Not for the Squeamish!

Continuing with that Victorian England feel, let’s move onto a lesser known work, From Hell. From Hell is Moore’s fictitious portrayal of the Jack the Ripper murders. In it, he combines just about every major theory on who the killer was, from a royal physician, to a soft spoken man about town. It is extremely intricate with multiple storylines running simultaneously. The book requires a bit of history background and the collected editions’ endnotes go on for quite a while. The artwork is beautiful and disturbingly gory. It’s a great book for fans of violence, intrigue and history. But seriously, if you’re squeamish, I wouldn’t recommend reading this while eating.

Like the film, but better!

Next we have a very English graphic novel, V for Vendetta. No, it’s not like the movie. Well, it is a little bit. Basically the novel is about a fascist England and one man’s attempt to bring the system down. V in this story is not the charismatic freedom fighter and revolutionary. He’s portrayed pretty bluntly as a terrorist whose only goals are anarchy and revenge on the party that tortured him. He has no real super powers besides his cunning and understanding of the human mind. I wouldn’t say that it’s better than the movie, but it’s comparable. It just has a different theme and message. If you liked the movie, you’ll like the comic.

Best Batman comic. Ever.

Finally we move into something a little more mainstream. For those not in the know, Moore used to write for DC back in the day. One of his greatest works from them was The Killing Joke. This is one of the greatest Batman stories of all time. It tells Moore’s take on the Joker’s origins while also telling the story of one of the Joker’s rampages. This is where the Joker shoots and paralyzes Barbara Gordon, the then and now current Batgirl. It also served as an inspiration for the smash hit film, The Dark Knight. It’s a great dark novel and really explores Batman’s most recognizable foes. If you love Batman, this is a must read.

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SoulCalibur V Character Tips: Ezio Auditore

Vulcon — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:56:11 +0000

SoulCalibur V is the latest release in the popular fighting series. It came out in early 2012. The game can be bit difficult for newcomers since it is a 3D fighting game. This means that along with moving forward and backward, you can move side to side, strafing your opponent, which allows for a lot of new strategies and things to consider. For instance, vertical attacks can now be dodged by strafing. This strafing is called the 8 way run.

So you want to play SoulCalibur V. However, you don’t know how. All you know how to do is mash buttons, which never ends up working out well against anyone who has even a basic knowledge of a character. The following is going to teach you how to effectively play with Ezio Auditore, who is the latest special character in a SoulCalibur game. He comes from the Assassin’s Creed games and plays much like he does in that series.

(Note: The control schemes are going to assume that you are playing on the Xbox 360. If you are playing on something else you will need to simply adjust the “X”, “Y”, “B”, or “A” button to match the controller you’re using.)

(Note: To denote directional stick movement, I’m going to use arrows, except for diagonal inputs, which I will use a slash for. /=down and back, \=down and forward. Two arrows will mean to tap it twice or hold it (as in, running attacks). ← is away from the opponent, and → is towards the opponent.)

First off, Ezio fights like an assassin in that he isn’t meant to simply attack, like a lot of the other characters. He plays if you put a lot of time into perfecting counter hits. Counter hits occur when you strike the opponent in the middle of one of their attacks. Ezio has a lot of moves that initiate a secondary hit if you achieve a counter hit. One great example of this is his \Y, which won’t do much damage, but if you get a counter hit, (which isn’t too hard due to its immense speed) it will add a second part where Ezio pushes the opponent to the ground for quite a bit of damage. Other attacks that do this are ↑↑ or ↓↓Y, and ←Y, though there are many others. ←Y is very useful because it causes Ezio to take a step back, allowing him to dodge close range attacks, before he strikes.

Other than counter hits, Ezio mostly relies on close range attacks. His wake up Y,Y can do a lot of damage, and if you knock down the opponent, →B↓ will do a lot of damage. It’s all about finding the moves that work well for you in this range. X+Y is a good move to use from mid range because it’s fast and sets up combos with moves like ↓X+Y or →B↓. However, many of Ezio’s moves are just average. So find the ones you like the best and use those. The main thing you’re going to be trying for are his counter hit attacks, because these will do the most damage as well as leave the opponent in a vulnerable position for follow up attacks.

From long range, Ezio also has options. His crossbow and hidden pistol can do a lot of damage. ↓B+Y doesn’t do much damage but it’s a low attack from range, which the opponent won’t be expecting and it can knock opponents out of the ring, which is useful. Of course, like other long range attacks, these attacks are vulnerable to strafing. You will only want to use B+Y when an opponent is standing up. This will make it much harder for them to dodge and they might panic and try to block it (it’s a fire move). You will never want to use →B+Y, instead use ←B+Y. This crossbow shot does good damage, but at the same time Ezio spins to his left, allowing him not only to strafe incoming attacks, but also to follow strafing opponents. This only works in one direction, but it presents a much higher chance of a hit than →B+Y.

Ezio’s critical edge is very powerful if you can find a good time to get it off. I would certainly recommend using it. Other than that just remember to stay mobile and know how to block the enemy’s attacks when you can’t counter them. That is Ezio’s specialty. He has a fast walking speed, so use that to your advantage and hit the enemy with those counter hits or maybe even strafe around them for a back grab. Find what works best for you and have fun.

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