No Time To Die

ANOTHER WAY TO DIE!

Finally, the latest Bond-movie arrives at cinemas. I watched it back in October 2021, but why reschedule all other post for being current, plus with almost a year after the movies release in the cinema and probably half a year or so with blu-rays and DVD:s no one can complain of spoilers, right? Great, cause we are diving deep into it. Movie starts out in Italy where Madeleine Swann from the last movie have taken Bond to see Vesper's grave so that he can process that, she is a psychologist after all. And she has memories of her mother's death and her rescue from a man in a mask. At the grave Blofeld left a SPECTRE calling card and blows the tomb up and a chase through the streets of the town. Bond gets away with Madeleine and dumps her on a train since due to his paranoia he believes she told Blofeld after he made a little call. We get a reversed goodbye on the train station as she runs through the wagons from inside and then Bond leaves.

Intro song... and I don't like it. Why are the Craig songs so boring (with exception of Another Way to Die, but that one everyone else hates)? Where's the pop-rock songs like the 80's that pump you up for the movie?  Still, movies return to London 5 years later where a group of special commando infiltrates a secret virus laboratory... FINALLY! A decent Craig plot, and written before the pandemic since it was supposed to be released in 2020 so they wrote it in what, 2018-2019? They also kidnaps one of the scientist that gives them the secret bio-weapon Hercules that... wait, is that the doctor from My Hero?

It is!!!

Didn't live long but that was fun. Where was I? Oh yeah, Hercules. A nanobot bio-weapon that targets specific DNA-codes meaning it acts as an assassin, the side-effect being that it even targets family members since they have similar genetic codes... it's FoxDIE from the Metal Gear Solid-series. Funny that a plot from the video games version of James Bond is being used in the actual James Bond-series. So this was a black ops laboratory so MI6 wants to keep a lid on the story. So in Jamaica CIA with Felix Leiter tries to recruit Bond to get the scientist first. After a run in with the new 007 that tells him to stay away Bond obviously joins with CIA. He head to Cuba, teams up with a CIA operative and infiltrates a SPECTRE party, where they release Hercules and kills all SPECTRE agent present since the scientist switched the code that was targeted for Bond himself. After a scuffle with the new 007, the SPECTRE body guards and lastly the cuban police. Bond and the CIA operative wins the struggle and Bond escapes with the scientist in 007 airplane. He met Leiter and another CIA-agent on a ship out at sea, but turns out that the CIA-agent is actually working for the other team and shoot Leiter and escapes on the plane with the scientist. After blowing up the ship, Leiter dies and Bond heads to London.

In London Bond tries to get information from M and Q and Moneypenny. After getting some information from a USB the scientist had Bond is allowed to meet Blofeld in prison together with his psychiatrist, Madeleine Swann, who got a meeting from her old rescuer that want her to use Hercules on Blofeld. She leaves before Blofeld arrives, but not before Bond takes her arm where she applied the formula. So Blofeld dies after a skirmish with Bond after Blofeld tells him that Madeleine was innocent to the bomb at the tomb. Regrouping 007 is sent after the rouge CIA-agent while Bond is looking for Madeline. Which takes him to Norway and the old house of the White family. Where it turns out she has a 5-year old daughter Mathilde. Gee, I wonder who the father can be. They also have Norwegian children show in the background so that was fun listening to another language that I understand. She also tells us that the bad guy is Safin, the only survivor of a family of poisoner employed by SPECTRA that Blofeld did away with. And then he shows up, kidnaps Madeleine and Mathilde and Bond and 007 joins with Q on a plane toward the Chinese sea to an island between Japan and Russia where abnormal activity have beed detected. Turns out it's Safin's family home that now returned to him and he started mass-producing Hercules. So the agents gotta infiltrate the base and... wait, now it's getting ridicules. 

Looks familiar?

Well, Metal Gear might have stolen that idea from Escape from LA.

They infiltrate the base, rescue Madeleine and Mathilde and Bond is opening the missile blast doors so that the whole base can be destroyed by a missile strike from the Royal Navy. But Safin interfers and is able use a special vial of Hercules on him that is programmed with Madeleine's genetic code so that he can't be near either Madeline or their daughter. So he decides to stay as the bombs rain downs on the island so while climbing up the control tower... what did the writers do? Play Metal Gear all day?

The references never stop.

Climbing to the top he talks with Madeleine over comm-radio saying his goodbyes...

All that is missing is the title song playing.

And then the island blows up and we go to London where the gang from MI6 mourns his death and then back to Italy with Madeleine and Mathilde as We Have All the Time of the World starts playing by Louis Armstrong which have been hinted all over the movie so as someone said, this is very much a reimagining of In Her Majesty's Secret Service. They even use the title song from that movie in the score when M tells Bond about Blofeld and Madeleine. Hans Zimmer, musical genius. 

So as first impression, I liked it. The plot works and it's a pity it wasn't released just before the Pandemic since now it would seem like it just took the headlines while the truth is it was written before it. Music's (beside the title track) great with the call backs and such. Fun how they handle the call for a female or person off colour to be 007 by giving them exactly that. But the Craig movies overall is a bit weird in the continuation of all the movies, since they pretty much waived away that and assumed that it was all Bond. But Craig starts and ends with him. Well, besides Judy Dench. And I assume Ralph Fiennes and the others of MI6 will return for the next movie. One negative is that the main bad guy is a bit weak in his plans, since he's pretty much was gonna sell Hercules. Why not go all out Hugo Drax or Stromberg? Especially Drax since the first look of the Hercules look like the virus containers from Moonraker. Bond villains ain't as crazy as they used to be. 

Actraiser Renaissance (Switch)

 

And he has risen!

Got Actraiser Renaissance for the Switch. A remake from the original SNES which I got on the virtual console for Wii. I played it and got to the final boss, but couldn't defeat him, even though my character was maxed out. Funny enough also a Clan of the Grey Wolf-review. Always better to play a remake then.

Story is that you as the lord of light have awakened and must purge the lands from the darkness of Tanzra. You begin by being awakened in a forest in the land of Filmore where you have to defeat the Centaur and from there people begins gathering at your temple and you can begin terraform the earth in order to create a civilisation. Gameplay loop is rescue an area, create a civilisation, close all monster lairs and then fight off the big bad and then head to the next area.

Added additions for this game is monster sieges. Monsters will attack and by building forts and palisads you gotta use the angels powers and heroes to fight them off. To get more story they also introduced heroes from each area. Also some of the monsters got a bit more backstory like the Arctic Wyvern and the Werewolf. They also changed the level system. The old game you got health by how many believers existed so you wanted to max the number which was determined on your score on the monster stages that set how many residents you could have in the simulation levels. Magic was limited by scrolls that you had to find our get due to some quests. Now they added HP and MP and decides on level which you level up by finishing quests. MP can also be upgraded by finding scrolls in the levels that +10 MP for each which I guess is a reference to the original mana scrolls. Which make magic more usable and not as limited. The final boss rush was a lot easier. Overall the game was easier. They also added a new area beyond Deathheim with a new boss. A grand final where all 6 heroes joins you to protect the new area from monsters and its hinted at a former lord of light or something akin to that which killed all humans. 

Overall found it rather enjoying. The different gameplay styles is still fun and the added moments helps a lot to flesh out the games. The music is fantastically remastered with some new compositions as well. You can also chose to play the old versions of the songs (and the emulated sound for the new songs). Interestingly enough, Clan of the Grey Wolf spoke very highly of the music, but I can't help but hear that it at times sound like it's a bit inspired from Star Wars: A New Hope. Especially the world tree music sounds a bit like the run at the death star at the ending of the movie, or that might just be me.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (Castlevania Advance Collection) (Switch)

Crack That Whip!

Continuing the Castlevania Collection we got Harmony of Dissonance, Juste Belmonts fight against Dracula. Playing through it again and reading my thoughts I feel the same way for the game. Everything from graphics and music is as mentioned. The added thing was... a monster book? Why? There is one in game? The explanation of the different sub-weapons combinations is rather nifty. They also added a marker for collectable items and relics so that you know which area they are in, but the magic books are not part of that, also a rather strange decision. Not much to say, solid game.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Castlevania Advance Collection) (Switch)

Whip it Good!

Time to replay Circle of the Moon on the Switch with the second Castlevania collection released by Konami. Still a great game. Every moment is enjoyable... well, maybe not the hard sections of the game where I constantly gets pounded by the enemies, mostly at the harder bosses. So there isn't much to say about the game particularly. This version on the other hand has some nifty updates that I'm proud that I identified in my original post. They added a monster book and an explanation for what every card combination did so that you knew how to use them. They also added a notification which you can turn on and off where you hit a monster with a card it will show so that you know who to grind. All great improvements. Only irritating thing with that is that it show for every hit and if you try to look at the right part of the map the note obscures the right parts of the map.

Overall, still good.

Addendum: I found the game at my parents attic so I have the original, as well as the Wii U virtual console... I buy these games all to many times over.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

That's no moon, it's a space station.

Continued watching through the next Star Trek-series, Deep Space Nine. Never seen this one beside clips I watched like "IT IS REAL" and "It's a FAKE!". It makes sense in context. It had a crossover episode with The Next Generation so some of the things was known. And that Chief O'Brian and later on Worf joined the show. 

Basically after the treaty with the Cardassians that developed a new neutral zone between the Federation and Cardassia the planet Bajor enters the protection of the Federation, although not a full member. Star Fleet takes over an old Cardassian mining station in Bajor orbit and sends Captain Benjamin Sisko to keep watch on this new frontier. He has to keep track on Cardassians trying to get back their station and the control of Bajor, the Maquis terrorist that harass Cardassians and forces the Federation to reign them in the best they can. Bajor meanwhile is trying to ascend from an occupational world to a democracy and later a member of the federation. But the political intrigues with former terrorist, religious extremist and Cardassian collaborators keeps getting in the way. And if that wasn't enough, the first episode establish that there exist a worm hole to the Gamma Quadrant meaning new alien life and threats. And that the Bajorans gods live in there and have chosen Sisko as their messenger.

To his help from Starfleet he has Chief O'Brian from the Enterprise, Jadicia Dax a thrill with a symbiote that have lived through 6 lives, Julian Bashir a genius doctor that later turns out to be a genetically engineered human, like Khan. From Bajor he has Major Kira, a former resistance fighter and the envoy from the Bajoran government and Odo, the chief of Security that is a changeling and have worked for the Cardassians before. On the stations there is also Quark and his brother and nephew, Ferengians that run the holodecks and bar, and other schemes to get rich that Odo has to keep in check. There's also O'Brians wife Keiko, Siskos son Jake and the Cardassian tailor Garak that used to be a spy from the Cardassian Obsidian Order.

The early seasons is just fixing up the station, establishing the main characters and putting out the different fractions and later it blows up to a full blown war. From the Gamma Quadrant the Dominion appears, a collective of changelings that is the same race as Odo, that is intent on conquering the Alpha Quadrant. They join forces with the Cardassians that feels humiliated by losing Bajor and as they try to keep the social unrest in their home planet under control. The Federation in the beginning stands alone since the changeling has infiltrated several planets and spreads fear and distrust among all. Then they get back the support of the Klingons and with deception even enlist the Romulans to fight with them against the Dominion. 

It was really good.  And all explodes in an epic final where they invade Cardassia where the Dominion started eradicate the Cardassians. Meanwhile Gul Dakat, the Cardassian leader of the station before leaving it has started a process where he will release wraits, the enemy of the Bajoran gods, but Sisko gives his life to stop it and with that keep the peace of the Alpha Quadrant. This is such a good show that I even sympathise with the Ferengi. I hated them in TNG, but here I actually cares how it's going for them. The only episodes I recall I didn't like that much was the mirror world episodes, mostly since it doesn't lead anywhere to the story and the gimmick faded after the first time even though it was a call back to the original series. Or the fact that they changed costumes yet again to those grey looking ones meaning I have to look at their necks to see if they are blue, red or gold. Why change to something making it harder to see what station you have? 

Mysterious Cities of Gold: Season 4 episode 1 - Lalibela

 

The whole of Gaul?

Finally, season 4 have been shown on French TV and the story can finally continue. Of course it's in French, but someone have uploaded the first episode with english subtitles so I can at least follow along. A bit better than the auto-generated subtitles from Youtube themselves, although the white colour of the text blends in a bit with the africans white robes and such. And where is the third season blu ray so I can get them physically? It doesn't even stream so how am I to get my hands on it?

Story meanwhile continues directly after the end of the third season. An African village in Ethiopia wakes up as Ambrosius launches sleeping gas bombs on the people and then puts down some machine. The next day when our heroes arrives they awake the villagers and start exploring. Tao and Estaban finds a church in the rock where the machine have been placed, but it turns out to be a trap since it's a machine that creates an earthquake in order to bury the whole church since it apparently contains wall paintings relating to Mu and the 5th city of gold. Apparently Ambrosius have been here before and found some clues and wanted to destroy the clues so that they couldn't follow and maybe even get rid of our heroes. The villagers escape their crumbling village and Estaban and Tao follows a group of rats toward an airduct to the top of the church and then disappears as the building crumbles to the ground., ending the episode.

The documentary is about the inspiration of the church that exists in Ethiopia. Then it was a short bit about some game with stones that you drop into holes in order to get the most stones. Somehow I feel we had a version of that game, but with marbles instead of stones. Don't recall what it was called though.

Not much else to say about this episode. Bit miffed that the kids fell into the trap since it was rather obvious, but what are gonna do to push the plot forward?

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Engage!

Continued with The Next Generation. A lot better. It actually still look futuristic in the machines and all that if we just go at the technical bits. Although, first season is a bit wonky. And sad to think I assume it's due to the influence of Gene Roddenberry since as he apparently got sicker until his death after season four the series got better and better... well, season 7 has bits here and there one could argue isn't that good, but I assume that maybe have more to do with strained attention for the creative team as they made Deep Space 9 at the same time. 

So now we follow Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise. There's first officer William T. Riker, chief engineer Geordie La Forge, lieutenant Data the android, Councelor Deanna Troi the Betezed empath, dr Beverly Crusher with her son Wesley Crusher, Mr Worf the first Klingon officer. Or that is pretty much the main cast of the whole show, in fact season 1 had Tasha Yar as security officer until she died before the end of the season and her position was filled with Worf. Which was played by Denise Cosby that was in the music video of No Stranger to Love by Black Sabbath. Of course she came back in later seasons, as a parallel universe, and then as a Romulan daughter. There's Klingons, Romulans and Vulcans from the original series, but here we are introduced to Cardassians, Bajorans and the Borg. 

Compared to the first series, from the second season and on there was episodes I couldn't pull my eyes from since they engrossed me so. Episodes like the Offspring when Delta builds a child that tragically dies at the end, the horror movie feel from that episode in the 7th season, the Klingon civil war, an alien race that only speaks in references (which can't really work in star travels since how will the language be able to be understood by all members of the race if one ship adopts one reference and another a second? Still, interesting concept) and so many more. Stories centres on Worf and his Klingon heritage, Data discovering what it means to be human, La Forge tinkering with the Enterprise and on and on with missions that explore this futuristic world or concepts beyond what the original managed. Of course, sometimes it doesn't work like the episode the Game where Riker after a vacation on the pleasure planet Risa brings back a game that addicts the whole crew and almost topples the whole Federation. Throwing rings doesn't feel that enticing if I'm gonna be honest. 

Still holds up in most areas. Remember seeing it on channel 4 as a kid, but I didn't like it. First episode I recall was the one with Picards double that he shoots at the end. Too much talking over all. I didn't get into it until the show was shown on channel 6 when I was at University. Of course at that time I had already seen 4 or so seasons of Voyager and Enterprise and most Star Trek-movies so I was more into it.... as well getting references and understanding the concepts they discussed. Now it's also fun to notice all the cameos. You got Mick Fleetwood, Bob Kelso from Scrubs, Agent 3 and Dr. Sinclair from The Journeyman Project-game series. Also the reason I started watching this show after playing the second game. And the music, first 4 seasons scored by Ron Jones, the composer for the original DuckTales, can't be better than that.