The last we heard from Joe Perry was on the eve of his birthday‚ September 9‚ 2023‚ while he was standing beside his longtime partner in crime‚ Steven Tyler‚ and his other bandmates‚ Brad Whitford‚ Tom Hamilton‚ and touring drummer‚ John Douglas in Aerosmith. As they had for countless nights over 50 years‚ Aerosmith wrapped up a smoking show by cruising through an 18-song setlist of stone-cold classics. All seemed well during the third show on their Peace Out Farewell Tour‚ but little did the fans in attendance at Elmont’s USB Arena on Long Island‚ New York know that Steven The post Joe Perry of Aerosmith Interview: 13 Albums That Changed My Life appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Welcome to the hoppy world of rabbit parenting! You’ve got a furry little friend at home and you’re playing the guessing game: “Just how old is my bunny?” It’s a common puzzle for bunny parents‚ especially if your cotton-tailed companion came without a birth certificate. Knowing how to tell how old a rabbit is becomes...

Reptiles often appear in legend and story as horrifying monsters or portents of doom; perhaps it’s a holdover from the prehistoric days when fearsome dinosaurs roamed the earth. I’m just as inclined to love a good rampaging lizard-beast as much as the next guy‚ but lately‚ I’ve been more fascinated by scaly‚ cold-blooded characters in SFF that break the mold and do something different… Fortunately‚ we SFF fans have a wealth of sentient lizards and lizard-like characters to appreciate. These five examples are my personal favorites. I apologize in advance to any Godzilla fans out there—I haven’t engaged with enough Godzilla media to write about it with any sort of expertise‚ but I want you to know I’m thinking of the big old monster lizard. Let’s say he’s above this list‚ the king of the SFF lizards‚ and leave some room in the comments for Godzilla fans to sound off! Now‚ let’s find a nice warm rock to bask on and skitter into the world of SFF lizard-people…   Sissix Seshkethet‚ Wayfarers Sissix pilots the Wayfarer in Becky Chambers’ series of the same name. She plays a key role in The Long Way to a Small‚ Angry Planet. As an Aandrisk (a species of scaled‚ lizard-like beings‚ but don’t call her a lizard)‚ she provides a nice window into a completely different culture. In a way‚ Sissix is just my excuse on this list to laud Becky Chambers for her deeply imaginative depictions of alien cultures. Sissix takes her crew to her home planet of Hashkath during a particularly poignant passage of Angry Planet‚ where we get a peek into the Aandrisk culture. Aandrisks are incredibly affectionate in a way Rosemary‚ the human protagonist‚ doesn’t understand. Through their visit to Hashkath‚ Rosemary begins to recognize that Sissix may need more affection aboard the Wayfarer. I’ve glossed over the many intriguing details about Aandrisk culture that Chambers includes in Wayfarers‚ and I encourage anyone who hasn’t read the series to jump right in. Chambers has a firm‚ nuanced grasp on how her species’ customs and traditions work‚ and Sissix easily tops my list of SFF lizards as a result.   Chet Gecko‚ Chet Gecko Series We come now to a blast from the past. My memories of Chet Gecko are slightly hazy aside from a few key details. I read the first few books in the series alongside my friend Jose in elementary school. We both loved the playful and simple nature of Bruce Hale’s books‚ in which the eponymous Chet Gecko solves mysteries. On Hale’s website‚ Chet Gecko’s business is listed as “Danger.” The series is full of hyperbolic noir elements‚ elevating Chet’s exploits at Emerson Hicky Elementary to high-stakes dramatic cases. Many of the books play on classic mystery novels (The Hamster of the Baskervilles always gives me a laugh). Chet’s world is peopled with various anthropomorphic animals. The main character was always my favorite‚ though I’m willing to admit it’s probably because I had a golden gecko as a pet growing up (his name was not Chet‚ unfortunately. It was Sammy Sosa). Something about lizards—slinking‚ peeping‚ and skittering about—just works for a children’s detective series.   Dr. Curt Connors‚ Spider-Man Curt Connors‚ you poor‚ poor thing. I know the beginning of this article promised lizards that were more complicated than simple monsters. The Lizard may appear to break that trend‚ but I don’t think it’s true. While the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus might loom a little larger in Spidey’s mythology (at least for the average fan)‚ Connors has always stood out to me as a uniquely tragic character. Spider-man’s antagonists often tend to have sympathetic‚ morally complex backstories‚ and that’s especially true for Doctor Connors‚ who a geneticist who was working on a reptilian limb regeneration serum and tested it on himself‚ hoping to regrow his missing arm. As a result of this experiment‚ he was transformed into the Lizard‚ a feral reptilian beast driven by instinct. Peter Parker knows and loves Dr. Connors‚ though‚ complicating matters; Spider-man can’t simply pummel the rampaging Lizard into oblivion. He has to de-escalate Lizards’ rampages without harming or killing the man beneath the scales. It’s this factor—Lizard’s underlying‚ tormented humanity—that earns him a spot on this list.   Randall Boggs‚ Monsters‚ Inc. Is Randall Boggs a lizard? Sure‚ I know he’s technically a “monster‚” but I’m giving myself some wiggle room because of his many lizard-esque features. He looks like a combo of a salamander and a chameleon‚ and certainly scuttles around and up walls like a lizard can. Monsters‚ Inc. introduces us to a vindictive and malicious Randall intent on kidnapping children to capture more screams. Standard fare‚ in terms of the standard lizard-as-villain trope. In Monsters University‚ though‚ we see a different side of Randall. He’s meek and timid‚ only gaining a sense of self-worth when roommate Mike Wazowski pumps him up and praises Randall’s camouflage powers. He soon seeks out the attention of more popular monsters‚ though‚ and Randall ends up disgraced and cast out after he loses the Scare Games. The one-two punch of Monsters University and Monsters‚ Inc. shows us a character whose choices and decisions led him down a dark path. It makes me believe there’s hope for the poor guy‚ though the end of Monsters‚ Inc. isn’t so bright and sunny for the lizard-y monster.   Pathka‚ Tess of the Road I started Tess of the Road expecting a personal journey of growth and self-realization…I got that and so much more. Pathka is to thank for that “so much more.” The quigutl are a species related to dragons in the Tess and Seraphina books. They can change genders over time. They speak their own language (which few humans and dragons bother to learn) as well as being able to learn and speak human languages. They have unique skills‚ rituals‚ and cultural practices. As a species‚ the quigutl yearn to be understood and accepted‚ but are generally undervalued and scorned. Pathka was a breath of fresh air. I thought I’d never encounter an SFF lizard as complex and layered as Wayfarer’s Sissix‚ but then I read Tess of the Road. Pathka’s relationship with Tess and innate drive to discover the (supposedly) mythical World Serpents offer the reader fascinating glimpses into a unique subculture within Tess’s vaguely medieval world. It adds some spice to the novel‚ helping to elevate what could have been a run-of-the-mill fantasy journey to a whole new level. ***   That’s a wrap on my favorite SFF lizards‚ but I want to hear from you! Who would you put on this list and why? Sound off in the comments. Cole Rush writes words. A lot of them. For the most part‚ you can find those words at The Quill To Live. He voraciously reads epic fantasy and science fiction‚ seeking out stories of gargantuan proportions and devouring them with a bookwormish fervor. His favorite books are the Divine Cities Series by Robert Jackson Bennett‚ The Long Way To A Small‚ Angry Planet by Becky Chambers‚ and The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

“Demons” Written by Manny Coto Directed by LeVar Burton Season 4‚ Episode 20 Production episode 096 Original air date: May 6‚ 2005 Date: January 19‚ 2155 Captain’s star log. On the moon‚ at the Orpheus Mining Facility‚ John Frederick Paxton‚ the mine’s owner‚ and a doctor named Mercer are checking up on a baby in an incubator‚ who’s been sick. The baby has the tapered ears of a Vulcan. We’re apparently supposed to just know that she’s a Vulcan-human hybrid‚ even though she only just looks Vulcan. Enterprise has been summoned back to Earth to be present for the signing of a treaty that will lead to a Coalition of Planets‚ which will include Earth‚ Vulcan‚ Andoria‚ Tellar Prime‚ Coridan‚ and Denobula Triaxa. Earth’s Prime Minister‚ Nathan Samuels‚ is giving a press conference‚ with the various delegates and the Enterprise “senior staff” (everyone in the opening credits) observing. The reception afterward includes some rather nasty bitching and moaning from Tucker about how Samuels didn’t give Enterprise credit for their part in this (the Andorians and Tellarites are pretty much only there because of Archer and the gang)‚ and said bitching and moaning is particularly bitter toward Samuels. Archer‚ for his part‚ is happy to stay out of politics. One of the reporters covering the event is named Gannet‚ and she and Mayweather used to be an item‚ presumably when he was at Starfleet Academy. It seems to have been an acrimonious split‚ though Gannet appears interested in rekindling things. Samuels compliments Sato on the work she did improving the universal translator. Meanwhile‚ T’Pol quietly and politely agrees with Tucker that Enterprise is due more credit—but she’s interrupted by a medtech named Susan Khouri‚ who gives T’Pol a vial with a hair sample‚ says‚ “they’re going to kill her‚” and collapses—only then does her coat fall open to reveal a nasty phase pistol wound. Image: CBS Khouri eventually dies from her wounds. Phlox examines the follicle and shocks everyone by saying that (a) it’s a Vulcan-human hybrid‚ and (b) the person to whom this follicle belongs is the offspring of Tucker and T’Pol. T’Pol maintains that she has never been pregnant (why she needs to insist that when a simple examination from Phlox would provide evidence of that is left as an exercise for the viewer). But she also maintains that this is not a hoax and that there is a child of theirs out there somewhere. Archer discusses it with Sameuls‚ with the latter preferring to keep the news of the hybrid quiet. It’s a difficult time right now‚ and there’s a “Terra Prime” movement that has been growing since the Xindi attack‚ which wishes to isolate Earth from alien contamination. Gannet shows up on Enterprise‚ saying she’s doing a story on the ship and asking Mayweather for a tour. They wind up making out in a shuttlepod‚ then take the party to his quarters. Samuels has asked Archer to let Starfleet handle the investigation‚ but because Archer is the lead in a TV show‚ he is incapable of allowing people not in the opening credits to deal with things‚ so he has Reed contact Harris. Harris reminds Reed that Reed told Harris never to contact him again. Reed says he contacted Harris‚ which isn’t the same thing. Harris says that this means Reed is still working for him whether he likes it or not‚ a declaration that would have much more weight if this wasn’t the antepenultimate episode of the entire series. Harris reveals that Khouri is also part of Terra Prime. On the moon‚ Paxton expresses concern to Mercer over Khouri’s betrayal‚ particularly that Mercer might also start feeling sympathy for the abomination. Mercer’s assurances that he’s loyal don’t sound all that convincing. Paxton also watches footage of Colonel Green from just after World War III where he’s advocating eugenics. Image: CBS Phlox has Khouri’s autopsy report‚ and it includes a growth hormone used in low-gravity environments. It’s hardly ever used anymore since artificial gravity was invented‚ but it’s still used in a few places‚ like Orpheus on the moon—which is also‚ according to Harris’ intel‚ a hotbed of Terra Prime activity. Sato also reports that there’s a weird glitch in the universal translator. On the moon‚ they’re cleaning up from a cave-in‚ and they find Mercer’s body‚ the victim of a carefully constructed “accident.” T’Pol and Tucker go undercover as new employees of Orpheus. Tucker befriends a man named Josiah‚ who invites Tucker to a meeting of people who are sick of alien influence affecting Earth. Tucker goes to the meeting and is outed by Josiah at the same time that T’Pol is taken prisoner. They’re brought before Paxton‚ who identifies himself as the leader of Terra Prime. He plans to return Earth to its rightful owners. It’s not clear what role the hybrid child is supposed to play… Archer‚ Reed‚ and Sato interrupt Mayweather and Gannet’s nookie because they’ve discovered that Gannet is a Terra Prime spy. She was listening in on all the universal translators‚ which triggered an ID protocol that Sato was able to trace. Gannet also made several trips to Orpheus‚ which were not‚ according to her editor‚ for a story as she claims. Gannet demands to have a lawyer‚ and Archer puts her in the brig‚ apologizing to a hurt Mayweather. Paxton’s chief flunky Greaves pilots Orpheus off the surface of the moon and flies it to Mars‚ which surprises pretty much everyone. Archer orders Enterprise to go after them. Orpheus lands on Mars near the verteron array that is used to divert comets. Paxton reconfigures it to fire on the moon‚ and declares that all non-humans must leave the Sol system or there will be more damage done. To be continued… Image: CBS Can’t we just reverse the polarity? Apparently‚ despite all the medical advances we’ve seen in the twenty-second century‚ somehow the ability to determine if a woman has ever been pregnant has been lost. (This is me‚ rolling my eyes…) The gazelle speech. Archer seems to be the only member of his own crew who doesn’t mind that Samuels never mentions them in his speech. He’s just happy to see the Coalition of Planets becoming a thing. I’ve been trained to tolerate offensive situations. T’Pol somehow just knows that she has a daughter out there‚ even though she was never pregnant. Tucker goes along with this. Sort of. Florida Man. Florida Man Has Miracle Baby With Alien Lover! Optimism‚ Captain! Phlox is the one who moves the plot along by examining the hair follicle and examining Khouri’s autopsy. No sex‚ please‚ we’re Starfleet. Mayweather and Gannet get very hot and heavy‚ and even start talking about future plans together right up until she’s arrested. More on this later… The Coridan ambassador having a complaint about Tellarites and trade with the Orions mirrors a similar issue that comes up when Coridan applies for admission to the Federation a century hence in the original series’ “Journey to Babel.” Also the baby seen at the top of the episode is the first-ever Vulcan-human hybrid‚ which we know will become a bit more common in the future‚ given that the most popular character in the entire franchise is a Vulcan-human hybrid… Image: CBS I’ve got faith… “It’s estimated that there are at least five thousand unregistered aliens on Earth. Now‚ another study puts that figure at ten thousand. This insanity is the direct result of our government’s policy and the enforcers of that policy‚ Starfleet! We need to send a message to the people in power.” –Josiah‚ rabble-rousing with depressingly familiar rhetoric. Welcome aboard. Eric Pierpoint returns as Harris‚ last seen in “Divergence.” Harry Groener‚ who previously played Tam Elbrun in TNG’s “Tin Man” and a magistrate in Voyager’s “Sacred Ground‚” plays Samuels. Peter Weller plays Paxton; he will later play Alexander Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness. Patrick Fischler plays Mercer‚ Adam Clark plays Josiah‚ and Johanna Watts plays Gannet. Steve Rankin plays Colonel Green in footage Paxton watches. Green previously appeared as an Excalbian re-creation in the original series’ “The Savage Curtain‚” played by Phillip Pine. Rankin previously played a Romulan in TNG’s “The Enemy‚” a Cardassian in DS9’s “Emissary‚” and a Klingon in DS9’s “Invasive Procedures.” And this week’s Robert Knepper moment is the appearance of the great Peter Mensah‚ whom I had completely forgot was in this two-parter as Greaves. Pierpoint‚ Groener‚ Weller‚ Clark‚ Watts‚ and Mensah will all return next time in “Terra Prime.” Trivial matters: Colonel Green was established in the original series’ “The Savage Curtain” as a fascist from the twenty-first century. He was remembered by Kirk as one of the greatest villains of human history. Here‚ he’s specifically tied to the chaos of World War III and its aftermath (as seen in the movie First Contact)‚ and is seen advocating eugenic genocide to avoid humanity being horribly mutated by radiation in what was referred to in TNG’s “Encounter at Farpoint” as “the post-atomic horror.” Green is also a major player in the novel Federation by Enterprise‘s co-producers Judith &; Garfield Reeves-Stevens‚ and also appears in Federation: The First 150 Years by former Enterprise consulting producer David A. Goodman and “The Immortality Blues” by Marc Carlson in Strange New Worlds 9. The Coalition of Planets is obviously a precursor to the Federation‚ which will be founded seven years after this episode. This is the last of 29 Trek episodes directed by LeVar Burton‚ who also played Geordi La Forge on TNG‚ Voyager‚ and Picard and in four movies. Burton has continued to be active as a TV director‚ most recently having lensed several episodes of NCIS: Hawai‘i. The Coridanite ambassador has a completely different appearance from the Coridanites seen in “Shadows of P’Jem” (and later in Discovery’s “Far from Home”). The novel The Good that Men Do by Andy Mangels &; Michael A. Martin explains this as the ambassador wearing a ceremonial mask. Image: CBS It’s been a long road… “Terra Prime forever!” This is a very effective episode generally‚ and one that has become more depressingly relevant as social commentary‚ as the rhetoric espoused by Paxton and Josiah is the same anti-other nonsense that’s been getting way too much play in this country about certain illegal immigrants and in the UK during the entire Brexit mishegoss‚ among many other places. I’ve said this a lot during this rewatch‚ but this is the kind of story Enterprise should’ve been doing all along‚ and while it was nicely seeded in the bar brawl in “Home” particularly‚ the fact that it took until the penultimate storyline to cover it is annoying. The Xindi attack especially is something that would prompt a subsection of humanity to go all xenophobic and isolationist. Not everyone‚ of course—what I especially like is that the rise of Terra Prime is concurrent with the advancing of the Coalition of Planets. Which is the way of things‚ sadly—progress is often met with violent regressives. Ending slavery led to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. More recently‚ expansion of rights for non-heterosexuals has led to a rise in violence against them. Josiah’s speech was especially mind-blowing to watch in 2024‚ as that speech resonates at least as much as it did nineteen years ago. (Though I’m sure writer Manny Coto was inspired by the anti-Muslim rhetoric flying about in the wake of 9/11.) Peter Weller has aged nicely into the kind of person who is good at angry-white-guy roles (see also his turn in Star Trek Into Darkness‚ not to mention his recurring roles on Sons of Anarchy and The Last Ship). He absolutely nails Paxton’s confident arrogance here‚ making him a bad guy to be reckoned with. The episode loses a few points for a couple of things that twigged me greatly. The first is‚ as mentioned above‚ the fact that T’Pol has to say to Tucker that she’s never been pregnant. Unless Vulcans gestate really really really fast‚ there’s no way T’Pol could’ve had a kid without anyone knowing‚ as the only time she was away from the ship for a significant period was between “Home” and “Borderland‚” which was only a few weeks. And‚ again‚ we have the means to medically determine if a woman’s ever been pregnant now‚ so the notion that it’s not something that could be determined by Phlox waving a scanner over her is ludicrous. Secondly‚ Enterprise continues to give us a united Earth that’s mostly Caucasian. Both the prime minister of Earth and the head of Terra Prime are WASPy white dudes. Worse‚ though‚ is that we do actually get a couple people of color in the guest cast this week—and they’re both bad guys! As wonderful as it is to see Peter Mensah‚ and as good as Adam Clark is‚ it would’ve been nice to see some Black folks who aren’t xenophobic terrorists. And the complete lack of Latin‚ Middle Easter‚ or Asian people (beyond Sato) remains tiresome. They even give poor Mayweather a subplot‚ but it’s all in service of his being duped by his ex‚ which is only a nominal improvement over how they usually ignore the ensign. Still‚ this is one of Enterprise’s stronger social commentary episodes‚ and one that nicely shows the growing pains of Earth in the transition between World War III and the founding of the Federation.   Warp factor rating: 8   Keith R.A. DeCandido will be Author Guest of Honor at the inaugural ConVivial in Williamsburg‚ Virginia this weekend‚ alongside Music Guests of Honor HipHopMcDougal‚ Cosplay Guest of Honor Angela Pritchett‚ and Fan Guest of Honor Candi O’Rourke. Keith will be doing lots of programming‚ and also will be performing with the Boogie Knights for a few concerts. His full schedule will be posted to his blog soon.  

The last season of What If…? was released once a week‚ and I reviewed each episode as it came out. Given that Marvel/Disney decided to put the second season out each night over nine nights‚ like some sort of janky comics Hanukkah‚ we thought it’d make more sense to do one big wrap-up essay for the series. Thus! I will give you an overall impression‚ then some non-spoiler notes on each episode‚ and then a somewhat more in-depth take a few paragraphs down. I’ll warn you before I get into any spoilers in case you haven’t seen the whole season yet. My overall impression is that there was some fun stuff in this season! Personally‚ I vastly prefer the episodes that work as standalone stories to the ones where the show builds an overarching plot. Buy it Now And the best aspect of this is when the show takes two characters and crams them together in an unusual way. So for instance‚ hurtling us back into the 1980s‚ where we get to see the Avengers that might have been if Howard Stark had managed to assemble them in that decade. Or throwing us even further back‚ into the 1600s‚ where our heroes get to take embody different archetypes. Matching Tony with the Grandmaster‚ or Hela with Xu Wenwu‚ is going to lead to more surprises than “Peggy and Steve have to sacrifice their love for the good of the universe again.” And while I’m a sucker for Peggy and Steve‚ that tragic love story would be better served I think by longer episodes than the 30-ish minutes a piece we get here. (Though to be fair‚ I wanted the Elizabethan one to be longer‚ too. Like‚ maybe a whole series of just that.) The voice acting is excellent across the board. I might advise skipping the episode intros just so you can be surprised by who shows up‚ and I’ll discuss particular actors more below a spoiler line. Up here‚ I’ll say that Jeffrey Wright once again plays the Watcher as wise‚ world-weary‚ resigned to his role as an observer who cannot‚ must not intervene—which makes it hilarious when he inevitably gets involved. (I’ll also say: If you haven’t seen American Fiction yet‚ get yourself to a theater!) Hearing the Watcher interrupt his own somber monologue to stammer “What the hell was that?” because an unexpected portal just opened‚ or gasp in surprise when Peggy Carter snaps: “I can hear you‚ you know” as he describes her plight‚ is always‚ always funny to me. I really loved that the last season allowed the Watcher himself to grow as a character‚ and I’m pleased that they leaned into it a bit this time‚ too. Screenshot: Marvel Studios Several of the episodes rely on a character who’s traditionally heroic gradually wearing a more “evil” character down until they have a change of heart. This should have gotten old‚ but I found myself charmed by it every time. Less charming is that once again many episodes devolve into characters hitting each other a lot‚ or multiple people of indeterminate power hitting each other with beams of different colored light/magic/energy force (???) until‚ for some reason‚ one is stronger! Who knows why! And then everything dissolves into smoke or white light and we get to find out who won. Doing this once with two extremely powerful Marvel characters could be fine. Doing it repeatedly over a season that you’re expecting people to marathon‚ and doing it many‚ many times in one 35-minute finale where everyone’s powers are so vague the stakes are never clear‚ is a bit much. Overall though‚ I liked a lot of this season. One of the episodes I was most looking forward to turned out to be kind of a dud‚ and one I didn’t have high hopes for turned out to be my favorite. I was startled to see that one of these episodes has a scene with more sexual chemistry in it than the last ten MCU movies put together. I’ll mention that it’s frustrating to see that this alt-universe cartoon is still willing to give more prominent roles to non-white‚ non-male heroes than the live-action movies. Here‚ at last‚ we get a version of the Avengers that has an equal number of men and women! Huzzah! But also I’m glad that we at least get it here‚ and it’s fun. And I know I keep using the word fun‚ but… remember when this used to be fun? When you and your friends would go see the new Marvel movie on Friday night (maybe even a midnight show!) and the whole theater would whoop and yell and you’d have a great time‚ whether or not you knew all the comics lore‚ because each new movie told its own story? And if you did know the lore there was stuff there just for you! Remember when there was maybe one Marvel movie a year‚ and you didn’t have to do homework to enjoy them? This is kind of how What If…? feels to me. Because so many of these stories are remixes‚ it doesn’t matter as much if you’ve seen all the rest of the MCU. Even if you didn’t see the last season you can probably have a good time until the finale‚ when things might get a little confusing. And even then‚ you can probably work it out from context clues. It turns out I’ve missed sitting down and having a good time with these characters. What If… I recap the episodes in a sentence or two because there’s a lot to cover?  Screenshot: Marvel Studios “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?” doesn’t entirely work‚ I don’t think. Which is frustrating‚ given that it’s the season opener! Nebula ends up joining the Nova Corps and has to investigate a conspiracy on Xandar amid double-and-triple crosses galore‚ and some surprising characters come to her aid.   “What If… Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?” takes us to an alternate 1988. After Yondu delivers Peter to his father‚ Ego‚ the boy ends up attacking Earth and facing off with an ‘80s version of the Avengers led by Howard Stark and Captain Carter. This one works well because of the interplay of the alt Avengers; of all the episodes this season‚ this one felt the most “alternate reality” to me‚ because it leaned into the idea that the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are archetypes to be inhabited by whomever is available. I also loved seeing Peter Quill as a little kid‚ and that in any time‚ in any universe‚ he and Rocket will find each other. Favorite Quote(s): “…and I thought my kid was a pain in the ass”—Howard Stark “I’ve got a plan. Retreat.”—Hank Pym Screenshot: Marvel Studios “What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?” is a bonkers remake of Die Hard‚ with Stark Tower standing in for Nakatomi Tower‚ Happy Hogan as our intrepid John McClane‚ and Darcy as our Al Powell. This one’s set pretty soon after the events of the first Avengers‚ and not only does it work as a riff on Die Hard‚ there are lots of festive references to other Christmas movies. I might actually add this one to my usual roster of holiday watching. There’s also a shot of a glossy science magazine with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner on the cover under the headline: “Science bros: what are they cooking up?” Favorite Quote: When a character refers to himself as “Tony Stark’s greatest adversary” Maria Hill whips back with: “Greatest adversary? What are you‚ a wealth tax?”   “What If… Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?” also goes back to the first Avengers movie‚ with Tony Stark landing on Sakaar right after the Battle for New York‚ and forging an alliance with Valkyrie‚ Korg‚ and a few other familiar faces as he tries to outwit the Grandmaster. But again with the ‘80s nostalgia‚ this one gives us a decidedly Mad Max-ish demolition derby. I’m not sure if I was in A Mood or what‚ but this one made me kind of emotional. I love seeing Tony as the mentor who wants to help someone else with their redemption arc‚ but even more than that‚ knowing that he’s only barely started his own arc at this point‚ watching him reach out to someone else got to me more than I expected.   “What If… Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” drops us into Peggy and Steve’s Doomed Love‚ already in progress. This episode functions as a sequel to last season’s “What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?” and “What If… the Watcher Broke His Oath?”‚ and while I thought this one packed too much plot into too little time‚ I want the world for Peggy Carter. Favorite Quote: “I don’t do sequels. Normally”—The Watcher   “What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?” introduces a new character‚ a young Mohican woman named Kahhori‚ in a world where the power of the Tesseract has infused a lake with mysterious powers in pre-colonial North America. I talk about this a bit in the spoiler section‚ but I really wanted this episode to do more with Kahhori’s actual character‚ because the plot takes her in a direction that made me‚ frankly‚ ecstatic.   “What If… Hela Found the Ten Rings?” sees Hela banished to Midgard during the medieval era. Here I am of two minds. I love Cate Blanchett’s voice acting here‚ and I love that the real question is “What If… Odin Was a Terrible Father?” because that’s always the question when you’re dealing with Asgardians. At the same time‚ I wish the episode had done a little more with the idea beyond giving us more training montages and more redemption arcs. Does Hela‚ Goddess of Death‚ really need a redemption arc? Favorite Quote: “I’ve not survived a thousand years of war to die at the hands of foliage!”—Hela Screenshot: Marvel Studios “What If… the Avengers Assembled in 1602?” is my favorite. Maybe my favorite Marvel thing ever. This episode has so much fun with the premise and with remixing the characters‚ and‚ genuinely‚ I wish it had been feature length. Favorite Quote: “HULK SMITE THEE!”   “What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?” continues Peggy Carter’s arc‚ with some help from Stephen Strange‚ and wraps up the season with entirely too much fighting. Favorite Quote: “…right. So you’re here to narrate.”—Captain Carter on The Watcher’s refusal to help her [heavy sigh] “It’s my job.”—The Watcher   What If… I talk about spoilers now? Screenshot: Marvel Studios I think they needed to restructure this sucker a bit. Kahhori is good in theory‚ but she’s introduced halfway through the season‚ in an extremely exposition-heavy episode. She and her brother have a conversation that no two kids who grew up there would be having—it’s just for our benefit. It’s jarring to go between her paradisiacal life and what’s being done to her people back home. There’s also no reason given for why she’s suddenly better at wielding all this magic than all these other people who have been using it for centuries. We know nothing about her as a person‚ only as a hero. When she comes back in the finale‚ there’s no sense of relief that she’ll be fighting at Captain Carter’s side‚ because we don’t know enough about her as a person to be like “Oh yeah‚ she and Peggy will get along great!” What if… the show had used its pilot to introduce her‚ in media res‚ and given her more memories of her life at home‚ so we knew her as Kahhori‚ the Mohawk woman whose life was suddenly thrown into chaos and had to use unique skills and personality traits to deal with that‚ rather than Kahhori‚ the super-powered person who is OK with all the time travel and portals and magic-wielding cause the plot needs her to be? And then she’s back for the finale‚ and we have no idea how much time has passed from her perspective‚ and she and Peggy team up after two sentences of introduction? Instead we open with one of the weakest episodes of the season. Again‚ in theory “Nebula uncovers a government conspiracy in a Blade Runner-esque version of Xandar‚ with help from Howard the Duck” is the kind of plot I want to inject into my largest biggest vein. Unfortunately‚ we’re dragged through‚ again‚ A LOT of exposition‚ very quickly‚ so Nebula can be the person the plot needs her to be instead of the character we know. And then her noir storyline is punctured by a constant stream of quips from Korg‚ who is bartending in Xandar for some reason. And let’s talk about that. I am a person who processes everything through humor. Silly‚ deadpan‚ gallows‚ whatever a situation calls for‚ I’ve got jokes. Yet even I have grown weary of the quips. Scott Lang throwing zingers out as fast as he can think them? Sure. Darcy providing witty commentary on her own life as it unfolds? OK. But when it’s every character it flattens all the emotion. Again‚ Mick Wingert does a fantastic job as Tony Stark‚ and it makes sense for that character. Getting to see Cate Blanchett as an earlier‚ much snarkier version of Hela‚ one who wasn’t imprisoned and embittered‚ worked really well for me. But when every character matches witticism with witticism‚ and every potentially serious moment is interrupted‚ it gets to be kind of a problem. Especially with Korg‚ whom I loved in Ragnarok but who really didn’t need to be in Nebula’s episode‚ and who maybe gets a little too much screentime in the one set on Sakaar as well. Screenshot: Marvel Studios The voice acting really is great. Cate Blanchett makes Hela snarky‚ mean‚ and seductive as well as breaking out her “IN PLACE OF A DARK LORD YOU WOULD HAVE A QUEEN!” voice a few times. Hayley Atwell makes for the perfect thoughtful‚ moral steel rebar character‚ sacrificing her own happiness time after time‚ in ever time. Jeff Goldblum might be even better as an animated Grandmaster than he was in Thor: Ragnarok. As I mentioned‚ Mick Wingert’s take on Tony Stark is in the neighborhood of Robert Downey Jr.‚ but it’s a little smarmier and smugger and calls back to Comics!Tony in a way I really like. Kat Dennings sings! Jon Favreau is a riot as a Hulk-blood-infused Happy and as Elizabethan Happy! OK and now let me go off on the 1602 episode. To start—to start—with Tom Hiddleston as Loki doing the “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy in front of an impatient audience? To make all of Sir Happy’s dialogue over-the-top Shakespearean insults? To make Scott Lang and Bucky Barnes a pair of Merry Men‚ trading japes? Rogers Hood??? Are you kidding me??? THIS is where the series excels. Thor is a good and capable king‚ but also quick to anger and a bit of a blowhard. Of course‚ Loki is part of Will Shakespeare’s crew‚ and thinks Iago is the good guy in his boss’ latest play. Naturally‚ Tony is a drunken tinkerer‚ accused of madness because his mind is centuries beyond everyone else’s. Sure‚ Banner is The hulk in the Iron Mask‚ locked away for everyone’s safety. And obviously Steve Rogers‚ transposed into this world‚ would steal from the rich to help the poor. Watching this remixed team plan and execute a heist is everything I want from one of these shows. Since we’re getting a Marvel Zombies spinoff‚ and at least one more season of What If…?‚ I really hope that the writers will lean into the sheer possibilities afforded by being able to take these characters anywhere and everywhere in the Multiverse‚ and remember that most of us fell for these character in the first place because they were fun to spend time with.

The final saga in the Kiryu cycle for Yakuza is coming in the form of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth‚ and with both protagonists having prominent roles in the game‚ we’re stoked to dive in. One aspect that will be on player’s minds is all the trophies and achievements they’ll be able to earn‚ and we will run over them below. Spoilers ahead! Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth: All Trophies and Achievements Infinite Wealth will encompass a ton of mechanics we all know and love from the series‚ including some wacky mini-games‚ which are bound to have some achievements attached to them. This will entice players to venture out into the wild and hunt down all the mini-games and side quests‚ to earn the most that they can. With all this said‚ there will be some spoilers ahead for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth‚ but most of them do a decent job of protecting some of the core story elements of the game. Players will be on the hunt for 64 title achievements a...

MMORPGs have been all the rave within the gaming community for numerous years‚ and from World of Warcraft to Final Fantasy 14 Online‚ there’s something for everyone. The latter is gearing up to release a brand new DLC later this year‚ but fans of the series are wondering if the title will ever come to Xbox Game Pass. Can I download Final Fantasy 14 Online on Xbox Game Pass? While most of the time when we think about MMORPGs‚ we associate them with PC players‚ Final Fantasy has been noted that they’re making a move over to Xbox sometime during the Spring of 2024. For now‚ we aren’t too sure if FF14 Online is going to be playable via Xbox Game Pass. While the game itself will be playable on Xbox consoles; we aren’t sure if Mircosoft will bundle a subscription to the Game Pass service. This can be attributed to the recent purchase of Activision-Blizzard‚ causing some conflict between its direct competitor in World of Warcraft. ...

Ted Lasso’s fans had a great time playing with their favorite fictional team AFC Richmond in FIFA 23‚ but is any one of them coming back to EA FC 24? Is Ted Lasso’s team AFC Richmond in EA FC 24 Image: EA Sports With the release of EA FC 24‚ many players were waiting to see if our favorite fake team would make a return to this version as well. Unfortunately‚ due to many licensing issues that EA faced with this game‚ AFC Richmond could not be included in EA FC 24. The exact reason of AFC Richmond did not get included in EA FC 24 was not revealed by the developers. It is also understandable if EA wanted to maintain the realism of their game‚ and thus had to leave behind the iconic fictional team. When FIFA 23 added Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond to the game‚ fans of the series‚ including me surely were very excited to play as their favorite fictional football team. AFC Richmond was available in Career Mode‚ where we got the chance to lead AF...

Peyote Plants are back in Grand Theft Auto Online! This special collectible lets you transform into a random animal and explore the world from a new perspective. You’ll also get a nice RP bonus‚ too. Just like in story mode‚ there are 76 total Peyote Plants in GTA Online. Each of them respawns after 24 in-game hours and provides 5‚000 RP upon collection. There’s no reward for finding them all unlike story mode. These plants come and go in GTA Online‚ typically returning for Halloween and other various events throughout the year. Los Santos Peyote Plant Locations in GTA Online Image: GTA Lens While most players associate them with the northern wilderness‚ plenty of Peyote Plants can be found in Los Santos. The green dots on the map above are standard Peyote Plants‚ while the blue ones are located underwater. Underwater Peyote Plants will let you explore the oceans as aquatic animals like sharks and stingrays‚ so they’re worth the d...

Shouting is not exclusive to tantrums: it can also be a great ability to weaken the enemy’s will. Here is everything you need to know about the Aspect of Echoing Fury in Diablo 4. Diablo 4: Aspect of Echoing Fury explained Echoing of Fury is one of the many Legendary Aspects you can find across Sanctuary in Diablo 4. Aspects are modifiers that will bring on some enhancements that will significantly improve one of your character’s abilities. These can be imprinted on your weapons and armor pieces. In the case of the Aspect of Echoing Fury‚ this is a Barbarian-specific Aspect. You can still get it with other classes‚ but it can only be used by a Barbarian. As you might expect‚ its effect benefits one of the Barbarian’s main features: Fury. Effect: Your Shout Skills generate [2.0-4.0] Fury per second while active. If you are using a Barbarian build that is Shout-centric‚ then this Aspect should be a go-to for you and your charac...