Episode 121: Mum - Bruno, Overlord 2, 500 Days of Summer, a new Mechwarrior, and Jeff's Rad Tour [Discussion] [Archive]

heyseuss

07-14-2009, 10:05 AM

Mum - Bruno, Overlord 2, 500 Days of Summer, a new Mechwarrior, and Jeff's Rad Tour

Can Bruno out-Borat? Overlord 2 lets us get eeevil. Is 500 Days of Summer everything we hoped? The Mechwarrior franchise is back! Plus, Jeff's Rad Tour!

This week in Movies:

Sacha Baron Cohen created a new cultural icon in 2006 with Borat, and now he's back with another of his characters from Da Ali G Show. Are Alex, Dan, and Jeff gay for Bruno?

When they discussed the trailer for 500 Days of Summer back in episode 97, Dan and Jeff were certain it was going to be one of their favorite movies of the year, and Alex was unimpressed. But Dan's Doctrine states that whenever Alex dislikes a trailer, he ends up loving the movie. Which predictions are correct? Does the Doctrine hold up? Find out as the guys finally review the film.

This week in Video Games:

Not very many games allow you to be quite as evil as Overlord 2. Between commanding minions of the onderworld and clubbing baby seals, there isn't much left for a true dark lord to do. Can Alex, Dan and Jeff get into the mayhem, or does the RTS/3rd person action hybrid gameplay fail to excite?

The Mechwarrior series of PC games took the fictional world of Battlemechs and presented the action as if it were real, simulating the technical aspects of piloting a giant robot. The recent announcement of a reboot to the Mechwarrior franchise has the guys discussing mechs, simulators, and dormant genres.

Plus:

It is time for the third in our series of Rad Tours. Dan and Alex have shown off their geek havens in episodes 113 and 117, respectively. Now it is Jeff's turn!

Watch it here !
http://revision3.com/trs/mum

heyseuss

07-14-2009, 10:14 AM

Jeff, "sorry Meg".... . hawhawhahwahahahwah :D

kzap

07-14-2009, 01:40 PM

Good episode, loved the intro, I have to check out 500s days of summer.
Also I loved Jeff's pad, smaller than the others but seemed more like what mine would be like (although I'd have more DVDs and less games).
Also Aspies FTW!
I also have Asperger Syndrome and love TRS, although I think people make a bigger deal out of Aspergers than they should.

daveymh

07-14-2009, 01:51 PM

Gotta love Dan. Never too classy for an abortion joke. :D

ghelyar

07-14-2009, 02:13 PM

I love RTS games and I loved Overlord 2 but I wouldn't say that it was anything close to an RTS. I finished it the other day and the closest thing to RTS I did was place "stop following me" guard markers to stop them from doing things like drowning or running into the path of a catapult. Other than that, I just let them follow me around or swept them over enemies and watched them take them out. I did upgrade the minions a couple of times but found that it didn't make much difference and upgrading my own forged items was much more useful (e.g. an axe that sucks the life out of things, a helmet that doubles the souls you collect and some cool looking armour at the end).

The only time I needed anything other than a random selection of minions was on the very last boss where browns were completely useless and even then I just had a random selection of reds, greens and blues.

I played it on the PC and it did have a couple of bugs. In fact a couple of times I thought I didn't know what to do but it was actually just broken and I had to go to the tower and back again to reset the little bit of the map (e.g. the king salamander, just before the end, didn't open up a stone wall so I was stuck on the wrong side of it - when I came back it was open so I could go through).

My only real gripe with it is that the time it takes to resurrect minions makes it prohibitive. I'm not talking about going back to the tower, I'm talking about once you're in the resurrection interface. It takes a long time to scroll through the dead minions, you can only see one at a time and when you actually do resurrect one there's something like a 10 second cutscene each time which makes resurrecting more than a couple incredibly slow. Compare that to how fast they pop out of burrows when you pull them out in the game proper.

I did play the original overlord and thought this was leaps and bounds better. In the original I took one town and then got bored, not really knowing what to do next.

Gotta love Dan. Never too classy for an abortion joke. :D

Or even a miscarriage joke, which is even worse (since it is not pro choice, just pro baby death - there is no choice involved).

uncola

07-14-2009, 02:15 PM

downloaded the hd 30 fps version twice and neither copy was playable, tried multiple programs

masherscf

07-14-2009, 02:21 PM

kzap

07-14-2009, 02:28 PM

Thanks for the email this week. Speaking as the father of two children w/ Autism spectrum disorder, I appreciate all you guy do for Autism awareness. Asperger's Syndrome is an Autism spectrum disorder.
I wonder how many aspies* or people related to aspies there are on the forum.

*People with Asperger syndrome may refer to themselves in casual conversation as aspies, coined by Liane Holliday Willey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liane_Holliday_Willey) in 1999

mrpopular

07-14-2009, 03:07 PM

I hope i don't have to travel to far to go see 500 Days. (downfall of a small town)

kzap

07-14-2009, 03:21 PM

I hope i don't have to travel to far to go see 500 Days. (downfall of a small town)
I would feel sorry for you but I have to travel (normally on the bus) to see EVERY film, my town is soo small it doesn't have a cinema, if we are lucky sometimes the theater will put up a screen and project a DVD! (they still pay copy right etc...) but I see no point paying £12 ($20) to see a projected DVD when I could buy the disc for the same amount.
Also going to the cinema is expensive in the UK, when we were on holiday in the US we were amazed at how cheap it was to see Wall-e the week it came out.
So no sympathy from me ;)

spamminator

07-14-2009, 05:04 PM

hectos

07-14-2009, 05:05 PM

Great show guys...as always...

cybersuchus

07-14-2009, 06:41 PM

gearhead364

07-14-2009, 06:43 PM

Now I am even more excited for 500 Days of Summer, can't wait till it makes it to my town.

bjkrautk

07-14-2009, 07:24 PM

I didn't really get a sense of the space in the view of Jeff's pad, so much as a Bourne's eye view of the TRS checklists (books, movies, games). I'm not sure if that was intentional, or just the natural consequence of trying to work the camera while talking.

That said...I assume that your collection of Thunderbolts (which is finally starting to get good again; the current issue is a great jumping-on point!) is bagged and boarded in the longboxes, because you can't wait long enough to collect the TPBs. That must be it.
(Comic book tangent -- New Avengers: The Reunion would make a great book for the show, since it reads more like a summer blockbuster movie.)

All of the game segments recently have reminded me how infrequently I buy 'new' video games during summer....this is usually the time of year that I work on the pile of shame (finished Mass Effect a few weeks ago, Uncharted 1 is next up). Have you guys ever thought about going back and looking at games that you went back to finish after the episode (e.g. Valkyria Chronicles?) I think it would be great to have a segment where you each pick a game that either DLC or more time with the game changed your impressions, and then use that as a jumping-off point for a re-discussion of the game(s).

Still not loving the new show open concept...but that shouldn't be much of a surprise by now.

dinski

07-14-2009, 07:53 PM

i didn't believe it was possible for me to be more excited for 500 days of summer.

really great to hear that you're able to constantly connect your own life to it.

frantic

07-14-2009, 08:22 PM

Unlike Alex, I love that uncomfortable, cringe humour.
The Office, Extras etc.
Borat is full of it. Bruno less so but still found it hilarious.
I thought Ali G Indahouse was quite funny. Ultra ridiculous but it had some good moments.

mrblank

07-14-2009, 09:54 PM

Cool to see Jeff is reading aSoIaF (I forgive you for calling it "Fire and Ice".) Great series, Storm of Swords (book 3) will blow your mind.
Can't wait to see what HBO does with it.

az0madman

07-14-2009, 10:22 PM

I'm never going to get to see 500 Days of Summer. :( The closest I'll get is reading the script. Needs to come out in more theaters!

I think Alex pegged the reason why I hate watching Bruno or any candid camera entertainment (though I still watch and I still laugh). That awkwardness... You just don't know what's going to happen!

captainxdaithi

07-15-2009, 01:40 AM

I love that they mentioned GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire. Although it was fleeting and they really didn't say too much about it, it's awesome for me since that is my absolute favorite book series right now.

I saw Bruno in my area's midnight release... HILARIOUS! I love that awkward funny (Borat, The Office). He really went to the farthest extreme on this movie, but I think its great that we're pushing the envelope a little.

I find it funny how my room's entertainment setup is so strikingly similar to Jeff's. I too have my PS3 and 360 standing up directly next a similar, yet 1 year older Samsung hdtv. This is on my dresser, like Jeff, and my top drawer is just like his, you open it and it's like a game store shelf. Only difference is i have my comp to the right of the TV... but still weird. Or maybe the majority of people also use a drawer instead of shelving and have all their systems setup in one command center... idk.

bsg

07-15-2009, 02:11 AM

That opening was balls to the walls hilarious. I watched it 3 times.

cybersuchus

07-15-2009, 02:17 AM

That opening was balls to the walls hilarious. I watched it 3 times.

I really think Dan's serious face sealed it for me. In an ironic twist, Dan was able to maintain composure while Jeff and Alex barely held it together.

ojimaru

07-15-2009, 03:10 AM

I really think Dan's serious face sealed it for me. In an ironic twist, Dan was able to maintain composure while Jeff and Alex barely held it together.
Hm, if Montana can speak directly to Dan's mind, does that mean she made the Fan Intro? o_O Is it a fan intro in the first place?

The segment on Mechwarrior was rather awkward. Sorry Dan, but Gears of War cover system and Mechwarrior just don't mix. At all. We need a good Mech simulator, not another 3rd person action/arcade/rpg.

And much kudos to Mike for being able to keep up with all those family sitcom references! That was just amazing madness!

tjwebdude

07-15-2009, 03:38 AM

I know the format of the Show isn't geared for this but I'd love to hear more talk about GRR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. I wonder if the guys could listen to the audio book version and discuss... at least the first book?

I can't describe the deep love I have for the Ice and Fire series. Like all the other fans, I'm so eagerly waiting book 5, yet, unlike some, trying to keep rational about it. In the meantime, I take whatever GRRM goodness I can get... talk about the HBO adaptation or actual book talk by the TRS guys would be a cool compress on my fevered head.

maikocarlo

07-15-2009, 03:46 AM

The segment on Mechwarrior was rather awkward. Sorry Dan, but Gears of War cover system and Mechwarrior just don't mix. At all. We need a good Mech simulator, not another 3rd person action/arcade/rpg.

I agree with Dan, a 1st person mech game with a cover system could be interesting. The fun could lie in the fact that you play as an over sized, hulking piece of killer steel that needs to somehow hone its agility and grace enough so that it can survive in the dog fight environment mechs find themselves in. I can see the whole "greed vs. patience" game theme play out well in that, just like it does in Gears.

Virtual On is a great example of a game like this, except that it's a fighting 3rd person.

Though I can see that type game completely fail if there's splash damage from the missiles/mech weapons. Then there's literally no place to hide for the tortoise mechs.

I'm super excited for the new Mechwarrior game. Some stuff that' be cool to add: co-op and capture the flag scenarios. I hope it's not just missions like the old Mechwarriors were.

trunolimit

07-15-2009, 04:00 AM

I believe the mech-simulator for the console that Dan was alluding to, would be: Steel Battalion. Most notable for its $200, 40 button controller.

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/features/developers/production-studio-4/steel-battalion-controllert.jpg

you beat me to the trigger my friend I posted this and now I am editing it cause I just read your post and didn't want to steal your Battalion..... it sounded funnier in my head I swear.

Any way my friend got the 200 dollar set for his b day when it first came out a couple years ago and I always wondered what it would be like to stick it in a closet with a tv and a lazyboy to simulate being in a real mech. I tried to talk him into it but his parents wouldn't have it.

trunolimit

07-15-2009, 04:18 AM

I still think Zone of the Enders is the best mech type game ever.

and I think that this game fits Dans wish for a mech game.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/news/01/16/konami/zoe2_screen004.jpg

heyseuss

07-15-2009, 04:35 AM

I guess Deff and Jan have never heard of Steel Lancer Arena International.

dFHG2vclEz0

samburger

07-15-2009, 04:38 AM

Great episode. I remember playing Mechwarrior on SNES back in the day, and Krazy Ivan when I first got my Playstation 1. Robot Jox, by the way, wicked awesome and oldschool. Check it out if you haven't.

Also I have to say, after seeing the rad tours, I have the same Crewdson book Dan has—saw his large format work on display in Tokyo a number of years back and fell in love. I also own all seasons of Mr. Show as well. Great, great stuff.

TRS seems to be just getting better and better. Props, guys.

blacksymbiote

07-15-2009, 05:41 AM

Good episode. I thought Bruno was funny, but also very awkward as they said. I still had a good time... although it seemed to kinda end suddenly for me. I enjoyed the twist of the intro.

jobee

07-15-2009, 06:45 AM

Is it just me or does Montana sound a lot like Heather Stewart?

I'm suspicious...

heyseuss

07-15-2009, 06:49 AM

Is it just me or does Montana sound a lot like Heather Stewart?

I'm suspicious...

Really? Your suspicions are suspect. It was pretty obvious as soon as she started talking.

Oh yeah, that and the credit she got for it. Next you'll be telling us you think Jeff does the voice for the intro.

jobee

07-15-2009, 06:50 AM

Wait, so you are saying Montana can't really talk?

summx

07-15-2009, 06:55 AM

Hey guys, thanks for using the background! You managed to do a pretty good job pronouncing my name, definitely not angry. I guess i should have inserted the phonetic spelling as well though.

Just saw bruno and it was hilarious as expected. I did cringe at the extremely explicit penis scene, but i really enjoyed the flick.

heyseuss

07-15-2009, 06:57 AM

Wait, so you are saying Montana can't really talk?

No, I'm saying she can. It's Heather who can't talk. Clearly, Montana is a ventriliquist and that's why we couldn't see her lips moving. All this time, she's been throwing her voice, onto Heathers mouth.

trunolimit

07-15-2009, 08:17 AM

No, I'm saying she can. It's Heather who can't talk. Clearly, Montana is a ventriliquist and that's why we couldn't see her lips moving. All this time, she's been throwing her voice, onto Heathers mouth.

my world makes sense again....thank you for the peace of mind.

kzap

07-15-2009, 11:02 AM

Not trying to troll or anything, but are people just not sending in mission videos? I thought the point was to get more involvement from fans, but it seems like having a web show/website/video game is also a prerequisite...
Everyone complained! So now no one wants to send one in because they don't want to be embarrassed. I'm sort of glad I wasn't a fan of the fan videos either. I do like it when hosts of other shows do videos.

kzap

07-15-2009, 11:04 AM

I'm never going to get to see 500 Days of Summer. :( The closest I'll get is reading the script. Needs to come out in more theaters!
DVD? Blueray? Never say never, I only see around 3-5 movies a year in the cinema, it's expensive and hard to get to a decent cinema.

bubbabubberson

07-15-2009, 01:15 PM

Everyone complained! So now no one wants to send one in because they don't want to be embarrassed. I'm sort of glad I wasn't a fan of the fan videos either. I do like it when hosts of other shows do videos.

I have to give the guys credit for how the intros appear to be evolving into something else. This and last week's intros are the first ones I've actually enjoyed since the change in format.

kzap

07-15-2009, 03:54 PM

I have to give the guys credit for how the intros appear to be evolving into something else. This and last week's intros are the first ones I've actually enjoyed since the change in format.
Yea and neither of them were from fans (I don't thinks last weeks was).
Anyway I've just sent in one, as much as I don't like the change in videos it looks like it is going to stick so I might as well give one a shot (I am a film director after all).
I've tried to keep mine simple yet original and not at all embarrassing, I look forward to hearing what the guys think.
Also I think it would work best if they didn't have a fan video every week (like this episode) and only use them when they think they are really good, that way we still get the good fan videos without the cringe worthy ones.

lordstandley

07-15-2009, 09:19 PM

Great episode, and Jeff, I think I have the exact same LOTR books. I got them from my grandmother years ago. Except mine are in a box that holds all three. They are definitely old school.

trsjeff

07-15-2009, 09:51 PM

Great episode, and Jeff, I think I have the exact same LOTR books. I got them from my grandmother years ago. Except mine are in a box that holds all three. They are definitely old school.

Yes! They were originally in a box, but I fear that box has been lost to time :)

-Jeff

heyseuss

07-15-2009, 10:29 PM

Yea and neither of them were from fans (I don't thinks last weeks was).
Anyway I've just sent in one, as much as I don't like the change in videos it looks like it is going to stick so I might as well give one a shot (I am a film director after all).
I've tried to keep mine simple yet original and not at all embarrassing, I look forward to hearing what the guys think.
Also I think it would work best if they didn't have a fan video every week (like this episode) and only use them when they think they are really good, that way we still get the good fan videos without the cringe worthy ones.

Wow, your spelling and grammar is getting better Zapper.

heyseuss

07-15-2009, 10:30 PM

Yes! They were originally in a box, but I fear that box has been lost to time :)

-Jeff

An awful joke about Lordstanley's grandmothers box being lost to time just crossed my mind. Sorry.

johnnysix

07-16-2009, 01:29 AM

Great episode.

Jeff, you may think your pad isn't as rad but don't be sad, it's not bad, especially the books from your dad and your right, DVD's are just a fad. I'm just glad you joined the lads, and let us see just a tad of your totally rad pad.

Also, theres nothing better than when you and Alex get all old school pc on us and talk about the good ol' days. I know the PC gaming landscape has changed a lot and Dan is more of a Mac guy, but I'd love to see some more PC discussion down the track (WOW aside).

vegan

07-16-2009, 01:55 AM

Jeff, Criterion is putting out a 2-disc My Dinner with Andre next week.

http://www.criterion.com/films/1093

az0madman

07-16-2009, 02:52 AM

DVD? Blueray? Never say never, I only see around 3-5 movies a year in the cinema, it's expensive and hard to get to a decent cinema.

Ah, but who knows when that'll be. It took nearly two years for The Fall to come out.

Jeff, Criterion is putting out a 2-disc My Dinner with Andre next week.

http://www.criterion.com/films/1093

You mean last month. ;)

xan

07-16-2009, 04:52 AM

Hey what episodes did the other Totally Rad Tours happen in?
i cant seem to find them, its also hard to find them on a iphone :) thanks

heyseuss

07-16-2009, 05:08 AM

Hey what episodes did the other Totally Rad Tours happen in?
i cant seem to find them, its also hard to find them on a iphone :) thanks

113 and 117

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Totally_Rad_Show_episodes

xan

07-16-2009, 05:36 AM

113 and 117

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Totally_Rad_Show_episodes

Thank you so much :P

vegan

07-16-2009, 07:26 AM

You mean last month. ;)

Whoops, you're right, I read the date wrong.

darthender

07-17-2009, 07:12 AM

Ugh, this week is the perfect example of why I hate the new openings. They tease what I WISH the show was about.

I would have KILLED to hear a coversation of Jeff talking about Song of Ice and Fire.

But instead I get taunted with it as it's used as a throw away gag.

trunolimit

07-17-2009, 08:13 AM

johnnyswift

07-17-2009, 03:49 PM

I agree I would love to hear what Jeff thinks/thought of George R.R. Martin's books....

blitzio

07-18-2009, 11:46 AM

Anyone know where one can get that Star Trek t-shirt Alex was wearing in this episode?

tsmith15

07-19-2009, 05:28 AM

a) I usually find what they're talking about before the fan video plays is more interesting than anything that they talk about during the whole episode.

b) Is it just me or does it seem like we're overdue for one of those answer-questions-from-the-forums-segment ?

c) I skipped the 500 Days of Summer review because this is one of the rare instances where I was not able to watch the movie before their episode. It should eventually hit one of two smaller theatres in my town at which time I'll rush out and see it, and I will hopelessly fall in love with Zooey Deschanel again, only to feel worse about my own life. Oh how double-edged you are, indie movies.

d) I am more excited about the new Mechwarrior game than I have been about anything since probably Star Trek, or Halo 3 (misplaced). I re-installed Mechwarrior 4 and both expansions a couple days ago and have put several hours in. I still love the games. Unfortunately, I'm 85% sure they're going to ruin the new game, and I'm going to be extremely disappointed in it and cry on the inside. Mechwarrior/Battletech is one of the top5 franchises of my life, because of the books I've read and the games I've played.

e) I just realized how bleak this list is, and I apologise, but this is the world we live in.

joni_delft

07-19-2009, 05:52 PM

Great episode! I've been excited for "500 Day of Summer" for a few months now and can't wait to finally go see it today! Also, I especially enjoyed Jeff's tour. Hoping we'll get to see Mike's pad in an upcoming show...?!

ojimaru

07-21-2009, 04:37 AM

News is a week old, but GRR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice is being adapted into a HBO series, beginning with Book 1, A Game of Thrones.

Source (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/07/20/sean-bean-plays-a-game-of-thrones/)

peavey

07-21-2009, 01:50 PM

Two words.

Starship Troopers.

Those of you who have read the book know what I'm talking about. The book is an amazing commentary on politics, duty, honor, and has some sci-fi action tossed in for fun while the movie was so bad I still haven't seen the whole thing. It is such a rape of the book that I treasured growing up that I can't sit through it.

bubbabubberson

07-21-2009, 03:33 PM

Just started watching! Nice job on the intro kzap!!!

EDIT: Oops! Wrong thread. New episode not sticky'd yet! Sorry.

shanmac

08-05-2009, 03:35 AM

I'm going to have to check out '500 days of Summer' after your guy's review. Overlord II seems like it wouldn't appeal to me. And sorry guys but that MechWarrior game looks pretty lame. Thanks for the show!

count_zero

08-11-2009, 03:20 AM

Sorry for the necro, but I've been behind in my TRS and I've been catching up.

Jeff, just to let you know in case you weren't already aware, Akira got a Blu-Ray release. (I figured you might possibly be aware, but in my area the only people who particularly know are moderate-core or higher anime fans* so I figure it bore mentioning).

*Moderate core being classified as someone who owns at least 2 or more anime series they really like on DVD, with one of them being slightly more obscure than Cowboy Bebop or Dragonball Z. Bonus points if it's older than 1995, or something that was never televised on US TV.