Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Adventure Club Drops Superheroes Anonymous Volume 2 Mix


The Canadian dubstep group Adventure Club has released the 2nd volume of their Superheroes Anonymous mix series on June 3rd.  The mix comes in at just under an hour with several previously unreleased mixes. Even better, the mix is available for free download through the groups soundcloud at the moment. I went through and made a tracklist including all of the timestamps so check it out and crank it up at your next party!





Tracklist

The Aston Shuffle & Tommy Trash - Sunrise (Shock One Remix)
Skrillex Ft. Ellie Goulding - Summit (Panic City & Mistermike Remix)  (2:09)
Knife Party - LRAD (BMBX CTRL Remix) (5:21)
Adventure Club ft. Krewella - Rise and Fall (KDrew Remix) (6:23)
Bourke & Vegas - I'm Alive (Jarvis Remix) (8:10)
Konec ft Anna Yvette - The Void (10:08)
Brass Knuckles - Bad Habits (Twinz Beats Remix) (12:13)
Nari & Milani - Atom (Oh Snap!! Remix) (14:28)
Ace Hood x Future - Bugatti (Heroes X Villains Remix) (15:10)
T.G.C.F - Say What You Do (Kill Paris Remix) (17:05)
Clark Kent & Yinyues - Cosmos (Skrux & Complexion Remix) (18:56)
Noisestorm - Together (21:01)
Trinidad James - All Gold Everything (MAKJ Remix) (21:42)
Emalkay - Flesh and Bone (Dismantle Remix) (22:38)
DJ Snake - Together (23:30)
The Kooks - Naive (Billy Kenny Remix) (25:00)
Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let U Go (Billy Kenny Corrupt Remix) (26:15)
Karma Kid - In My Arms (29:17)
Mark Lower - Bad Boys Cry (30:45)
Alexisonfire - To a Friend (Adventure Club Remix) (33:00)
Adventure Club - Wait (Culture Code Remix) (35:43)
Childish Gambino - Heartbeat (36:39)
Audiobot - Galactic (38:41)
Kid Kamillion - Say Whut! (39:50)
Showtek - Slow Down (BMBX CTRL Remix) (41:06)
Chuckie vs Dzeko & Torres - Down to This (43:00)
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike x GTA ft Wolfpack - Turn it Up (44:15)
Nari & Miliani & Maurizio Gubellini Feat Nicci - Vago (46:11)
John Dish - Karmma (46:41)
Ray Foxx feat. Rachel K Collier - Boom Boom (Heartbeat) (Taiki & Nulight Remix) (47:40)
WILKINSON - Take You Higher (Foamo Remix) (49:24)
Afrojack - Annies Theme (Carnage Remix) (50:39)
Laidback Luke - Pogo (Twinz Beats Remix) (51:17)
Roberto Da Costa ft. Daphne Khoo - Excited (Sick Individuals Remix) (53:05)
Tiesto - Chasing Summers (R3hab & Quintino Remix) (55:05)
W&W - Thunder (BARE Remix) (56:39)
Adventure Club - Outro

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Game of Thrones Review: "The Rains of Castamere"

The title of the 9th episode of the 3rd season of Game of Thrones is in reference to a victory song of House Lannister. Cersei explains the story behind the song in the 8th episode to Margaery Tyrell. It is sung as a reminder to the fate that awaits any who cross Tywin Lannister and his house.

Yes now the rains weep o'er his hall,
and not a soul to hear.

Warning: Spoilers Beyond this Point

As someone who has not read the books I was in utter shock at the major event occurring in this episode. I knew something big was coming; as it seems to be a recurring theme for the 9th episodes.  I have felt for a while though, that Robb Stark was doomed. In a world where honor is held in such high regard, there was no way he would make it out unscathed. The new deal made with Walder Frey seemed to simple and easy for it to be true, but I didn't expect the mass murder of so many beloved characters at once.  

At first, I thought the talk between Robb and Talisa was a little cheesy, but I obviously didn't see what was coming next and the importance of that conversation.  The scene following this is one of utter brutality. After the bedding ceremony begins and the doors close, and "The Rains of Castamere" is played to signal the bloodbath. It is evident that Catelyn recognizes the song and realizes something is up. She pulls back Roose Bolton's sleeve to reveal chainmail, but it is too late for her to save herself or her family.

 Talisa is stabbed several times in the stomach, killing her and of course her child, while several arrows are shot down into Robb. Catelyn is struck by one.  The scene then cuts outside where Arya is attempting to get into the castle.  On her way, she hears Robb's wolf howling. As she heads towards its cage to free it, soldiers come out and kill the dire wolf as well; another painful sight.

Inside again, Catelyn grabs Walder Frey's wife and threatens to slit her throat if the bloodshed is not stopped. Walder doesn't seem to care and simply says, "I'll find another." Roose walks up to Robb and utters "The Lannisters give their regards," and stabs him in the stomach with his dagger. Catelyn lives up to her promise and kills Frey's wife and let's out a long scream in disgust as a Frey guard slits her throat.  This description really doesn't do the scene justice. It was several minutes of pure chaos, one blow after another, and a story arc put to rest.

Check out the full scene below.



So what does all of this mean for the overall story?  Well, it is clear that the Lannisters have won the war with the help of Walder Frey and House Bolton.  We are now left with five Stark's in total (including Jon Snow).  All of which are very young, and hold little power to change their current situation for the mean time.  We saw a little more into their story arcs, with the exception of Sansa in this episode, even though that is a little hard to focus on after the events at the Red Wedding.

Let's backtrack in the episode. Jon Snow has been traveling along with a few wildlings this season, which has been a very slow story arc, but was kicked into high gear after he is asked to kill an innocent man to prove he isn't a crow.  His honorable conscious keeps him from going through with it, which starts a brawl between him and the wildlings.  He is able to kill Orell, the warg during the fray. As Orell is run through with Jon's sword, he jumps into the eagles body who then attacks Jon once again, scratching his face.

All of this goes on near a northern fort, where Bran and his crew are staying, proving that Jojen's visions were correct, in that Jon is with the wildlings. Hodor became frantic due to a storm brewing in the area. Bran attempts to calm Hodor down to avoid being heard by the wildlings outside, but it was to no avail. Suddenly, Bran's eyes rolled back in his head as he warged into Hodor, putting him to sleep, keeping the group hidden. This is a talent that we have not seen from any other character thus far; the ability to warg into other humans.

After the battle has ended Jon rides off, surprisingly, without Ygritte.  Bran decides it is time to leave his brother Rickon and Osha to journey North of the wall to find the three eyed crow. Yet again, the Stark family becomes further separated from each other. No two Starks are with one another any longer.

We were given a short scene in Daenerys' story arc in Yunkai. Jorah, Grey Worm, and the newly aquired Daario make their way into the slave city to free the slaves. The scene is gritty and action packed, and even while it was short, it was very satisfying.  After the first round of guards were dealt with, more come from all sides, but somehow this led to the freeing of the Yunkai slaves as it wasn't shown. Perhaps that will be shown in later episodes. It seems like Dany has made a reputation for herself now as a liberator of slaves, and her army grows larger and larger by the episode. How long will it be until she makes her way to Westeros for her chance at the Iron Throne? Only time will tell.

So what will we see in next weeks season finale?  I'm not sure how the story will move forward after the Red Wedding, and how they will approach wrapping that up further. Perhaps they will go ahead and show Joffrey's wedding, but they will probably save that for season four. We'll see next week, and then we'll have an entire year to discuss.  Here's to hoping they can follow up this episode and end the season with a bang. I've linked the preview for the season finale below.




Saturday, June 1, 2013

It's Official: The PS4 Will Not Require DRM, Decision Left to the Publishers


"At a roundtable meeting this morning, Sony's game studios chief, Shuhei Yoshida, told reporters that any requirement for users to register a game online in order to play it would be left to game publishers. Sony won't require that." Sony is doing a wonderful job in the PR playing field and it seems like they are listening to their consumers every wish so far. After the Xbox One reveal Kazuo Hirai said that games come first when it comes to the PS4.

At the D11 Conference, Hirai stated that, "The most important thing we need to do is agree and understand that the PS4 is a great video game console that appeals to video gamers." He went on to say that "If we miss that part, I don't think we get the initial establishment of the console. That formula has worked for us with all our consoles, including the PS3." So it seems that Sony will follow their winning formula once again and sticking with creating a games first, other media second console.

While all we have heard about from Sony so far is about games for the most part, Hirai offered another statement about non-game content. He stated "Providing other non-game content is an area we will reveal and talk about in the coming months, but it's first and foremost a video game console." I'm not sure if this means we will hear more about this during E3, or if they will continue promoting their games there and release other announcements about non-media avenues afterwards.

The Playstation E3 Conference will take place June 10th at 9 P.M. EDT.

The Games of June 2013

Summer is officially in swing and you know what that means. It's time to shut yourself away and veg out with all of the hottest new releases. Here are a few of the highlights for the month of June so start saving your money now!

Marvel Heroes
Release Date: June 4th
Developer: Gazillion Entertainment
Platform: PC



Marvel Heroes is an online MMO created by David Brevik, former executive of Blizzard and one of the masterminds behind the Diablo series. In this game you will be able to play as many of your favorite super heroes from the Marvel universe. Marvel Heroes is a Diablo clone so expect the gameplay to be very similar, but with a different story line and skill sets. I had an opportunity to play during the beta and it is definitely a game that you will be spending hours upon hours playing. If all of this isn't enough, the majority of the game will be free including 5 starter heroes and you will be able to get nearly all of the items available without paying. It's at least worth checking out if this is your type of game.

Remember Me
Release Date: June 4th (US), June 7th (EU)
Developer: Capcom
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Remember Me is a game set in the future in which people are able to upload their memories to share with others via an implant knows as Sensen created by a company called Memorize. You play as a memory hunter named Nilin. She is a part of an organization against the new technology.  You can steal memories from people in the game and then use them to overcome obstacles such as navigating a minefield, breaking into highly secured areas, and much more. Additionally, the player will be able to remix memories to change certain outcomes. Check out the trailer below for a description from the creative director.


State of Decay
Release Date: June 5th
Developer: Undead Labs
Platform: Xbox 360
State of Decay is a 3rd person open world zombie-survival game set to release on the Xbox Live Arcade. As a survivor you must band together with others to rebuild and survive the zombie apocalypse. You have the ability to choose where to rebuild, go on raids for supplies, rescue other survivors, and of course, fight zombies along the way. 
SimCity
Release Date: June 11th
Developer: Maxis
Platform: Mac
The popular city-building game is being released on the Mac. If you are one of the few that have both a Mac and PC the game will be free to those who already own it on their Windows counterpart.  The game will also feature cross-platform multiplayer. Also, the game will use cloud-syncing to allow players to move between the PC and Mac seamlessly. 
The Last of Us
Release Date: June 14th
Developer: Naughty Dog
Platform: PS3
This title is probably the most exciting on this list for all PS3 owners.  The Last of Us is a long awaited 3rd-person survival horror game in which the player will have control of Joel while a younger girl (Ellie) will be controlled by AI as they trek across the post-apocalyptic United States.  The game will include gunfighting and melee combat as well as a cover system.  Naughty Dog has also developed a new AI system called the "Balance of Power" which allows enemies to react more realistically to combat situations by taking advantage of player weaknesses such as empty magazines and other enemies attacking Joel. This title looks very promising and I'm counting down the days until it's release.
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Release Date: June 18th
Developer: Blitz Game Studios
Platform: PS Vita
Epic Mickey 2 has been out for a while on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Wii U. The game is now being released in a handheld version on the PS Vita. This title picks up some time after the original as a series of earthquakes begin to undo the previous work of Mickey.  In this sequel the player will be joined by Oswald, who can either be played by the computer or another player to help save the forgotten world. The game has gotten luke-warm reviews so far from the previous release and is probably a game more suited for younger gamers.
Company of Heroes 2
Release Date: June 25th
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Platform: PC
Company of Heroes 2 is a real time strategy game that is to be released near the end of June.  Just as the original, the game will be set in WW II, but this time the storyline will follow the Eastern Front.  The developers have showed several new gameplay features such as the use of bonfires to prevent troops from freezing to death at the cost of visibility, and frozen terrain that can buckle under the weight of troops moving over it. Relic has also created the game with a more realistic line of sight technology to better emulate troop visibility in real combat based on environmental conditions and the type of unit.
Deadpool
Release Date: June 25th
Developer: High Moon Studios
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Deadpool is a 3rd person action game consisting of a combination of melee and shooting.  Deadpool will gather new skills and abilities as the game progresses. He will also "break through" the fourth wall and talk directly to the player in several ways, suggesting new combos and moves along with the occasional witty remark. Hopefully this game will be better than some of the previous Marvel titles, but I'm not holding my breath.
Ride to Hell: Retribution
Release Date: June 25th (US), June 28th (EU)
Developer: Deep Silver & Eutechnyx
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Ride to Hell: Retribution is a game that was scheduled to be released back in 2009. It was later cancelled, but was eventually re-announced in April of this year. It is to be a action adventure biker title. The game is set in the late 1960's and the player will take control of a biker, Jake Conway, who is on bloody warpath against a rival biker gang called The Devils Hand. The trailer makes it seem a little corny, but maybe all of that time in development will make the gameplay worth it. 
Dark
Release Date: June 29th
Developer: Realmform Studios
Platforms: Xbox 360, PC
Dark is a stealth-action game that also consists of some RPG elements. You play as a newly converted vampire, Eric Bane. He will use his new powers to fight off the enemy, both humans and vampires, and understand why he was turned into a vampire. The player will be able to take advantage of skill trees and different dialogue options to mold the game to their preferred play style. 
So there you have it, those are some of the more exciting titles coming out this month. I'll try to do this once a month to keep you updated on the new releases. Stay tuned for more!  

Friday, May 31, 2013

Games to be the focus for Microsoft at E3

In a recent twitter response from Microsoft's Major Nelson (Larry Hryb) confirmed what we've all been hoping for from Microsoft at E3; games.  Hopefully this redeem Microsoft from their Xbox One reveal conference earlier this month.  Just a little over a week before the action gets started at E3!




Monday, May 27, 2013

Xbox One Vs. Playstion 4: Battle of the Cloud


Now that the two giants of the gaming world have had press conferences announcing and describing some of the features of their 8th generation systems, it is time to start deciding which console is right for you. To do this, you have to take a few things into consideration. Are you looking for an all in one media system, or a pure and simple gaming powerhouse? Do you have any system exclusive franchises that you want to stay loyal to? When it really comes down to it, the decision comes down to your own personal preferences. I'll try to break a few different aspects down of each system to hopefully make your decision more cut and dry and less of a shot in the dark.

Hardware




Let me just say that first off, this is not the category that you should make your decision on. If you remember the 7th generation consoles, the PS3 had a major performance advantage, however, the games being released now, nearing the end of their generation are pretty close, if not equal in quality.

The hardware between the Xbox One and PS4 are almost identical.  The CPU is based off of a 1.6 GHz, 8 core, x86 64-bit AMD Jaguar. Two of the cores on the Xbox One will be dedicated to apps, while the PS4 is not, which could give the PS4 a dramatic boost over the Xbox One, but that remains to be seen.

Each system has 8 GB of ram, but the PS4 will be using GDDR5 (48 GB/s), while the Xbox One will use DDR3 (24 GB/s).

 The hard drive size for the PS4 has not officially been released, but Sony described it as being "very large." Microsoft divulged that the Xbox One will have 500 GB hard drive, but I'm sure that it will come in varying sizes eventually.

The PS4 will reboot their "Eye" camera for the PS4 and use the new Dualshock 4 controller for motion sensing technology. Microsoft is bringing the Kinect 2.0, a more robust version of the original. Let's delve into the motion sensing and controller aspects of the systems a bit more.

Controllers

Sony and Microsoft had two of the best controllers in console history during the 7th generation, and honestly I didn't see how they could get that much better. However, each company has done it again and refined their controllers further to create the optimal experience.  Let's start with the new Xbox One controller.


The few issues that the Xbox 360 controller had seemed to have been fixed.  The imprecise D-Pad had been changed to a new cross shaped version, which should be a huge improvement.  The clunky battery pack has been changed to an internal one, which should keep batteries from coming loose and add a little extra room to grip on the back of the controller.  The thumbsticks have a heavily textured rubber to allow for more precise control. The guide button has been moved up higher on the controller to prevent accidentally going to the guide screen while trying to simply pause the game or during intense gameplay. The biggest enhancement that was announced is the new impulse triggers. Basically, this new feature adds in a rumble feedback in the triggers of the controller. It should add a lot more developer possibilities. The controller is basically about to have "surround feel." I'm sure we will hear a lot more of the changes at E3 when it seems Microsoft is planning to unload a lot of information.
Sony is pretty conservative with its controllers, and we don't see too many tweaks between generations. The new Dualshock 4 is the biggest design change we have seen thus far from Sony. The controller still has the major button layout we have all grown used to in the same places, with the exception of the "start" and "select" buttons which have been changed to "options" and "share" respectively.  There are two major differences in this controller that should be noted. Sony has added a touch pad to the front of the controller. How this feature will be used remains to be seen, but it could be similar to that of the PS Vita. The Dualshock 4 also sports a light bar at the top of the controller, to allow it to be easily tracked by the Eye camera. The one downside I see from this controller is that it still rests on the bottom shoulder buttons, which could make it easier to break if stepped on, or cause accidental button presses.

The Cloud

Each of the new systems will use the cloud, but in very different ways. Microsoft, with the backing of the Azure cloud platform, will allow developers to unload some of the game computation into the cloud, freeing up internal resources for more immediate calculations. The cloud will be used for things such as physics modeling, fluid dynamics, cloth motion, and other non latency-sensitive computations. Microsoft said that, "A rule of thumb we like to use is that [for] every Xbox One available in your living room we'll have three of those devices in the cloud available." This is very promising and could lead to some exceptional graphics in the future once the developers get the hang of the timing and flow of cloud computing. Don't worry though, all single player games should be able to be played without an internet connection, but it seems like they may run a bit slower or at lower quality.

The PS4 features cloud-based backwards compatibility.  Sony will stream older titles through Gaikai. Perhaps in the future they will do something similar to what the Xbox One is attempting, but for the moment it seems that Sony will only use the cloud for older titles. The reason for streaming the games instead of downloading them straight to the hard drive is probably due to Sony's change to the AMD x86, which won't work well with the architecture from previous consoles, so streaming will help them to get around this problem.  How they will price these games, and the exact way in which it will all work has not been released yet, but I'm sure we will hear more during E3.

Media Integration

This is really where your decision will be made.  Through the last console generation we saw PS3 take the route of being for the hardcore gamer while Microsoft emphasized other media options for their console. It doesn't seem like things are going to change in the 8th generation.  The Microsoft conference was chock-full of different media options and the seamless changes between them all via the Kinect software. They have also promised exclusive TV series such as HALO produced by Steven Spielberg.  Sony may have more in store for us at E3 on media integration, but at their conference, they revealed game after game, showing that they are here to stay as the console for gamers, and that everything else will only be a secondary concern for them.  So if you are looking for a more family concentric console, the Xbox One is the system for you. It will allow everyone in the family to use the console, even if they aren't gamers.  If you are happy with your current media set up though, and are just looking for a powerhouse gaming console, the PS4 is your go to system.  


Confirmed Games

Sony Playstation 4


GameDeveloper
Assassin's Creed 4: Black FlagUbisoft
Battlefield 4EA Dice
Blacklight: RetributionZombie Studios
Call of Duty: GhostsInfinity Ward
Deep DownCapcom
DestinyBungie
Diablo IIIBlizzard Entertainment
DriveClubEvolution Studios
Dying LightTechland
EA Sports UFCEA Dice
FIFA Soccer 14EA Dice
Final FantasySquare Enix
Infamous: Second SonSucker Punch
Killzone: Shadow FallGuerilla Games
KnackStudios Japan
Madden 25EA
NBA Live 14EA
Need for Speed RivalsEA
Sniper Elite 3505 Games
ThiefEidos Studios Montreal
War ThunderGaijin Entertainment
Watch DogsUbiSoft Montreal
The Witcher 3: Wild HuntCD Projekt RED
The WitnessThekla, Inc

Xbox One

GameDeveloper
Assassin's Creed 4Ubisoft Montreal
Battlefield 4DICE
Call of Duty: GhostsInfinity Ward
DestinyBungie
Dying LightTechland
EA Sports UFCEA
Fifa Soccer 14EA
Forza Motorsport 5Turn 10
Madden 25EA
NBA Live 14EA
Need for Speed RivalsEA
Quantum BreakRemedy Entertainment
RyseCrytek
ThiefEidos Studios Montreal
Watch DogsUbisoft

As you can see, Sony has confirmed many more games, but this is most likely due to the different marketing strategies of the two companies. Microsoft wanted to show off it's Kinect capabilities and the consoles ability to be the all-in-one media device, while Sony focused in on their game reveals. 

For me, I'm leaning towards the Playstation 4 at the moment, but only slightly. Sony seems to have hit the mark at the first conference unveiling their system, and Microsoft should have followed suit and revealed more of their games and opted to debut their Kinect technology at E3. I will however, hold my final judgement on this until after E3. 

I hope this has helped you make your initial conclusions on which system is right for you.  I'll be writing again after E3 to breakdown all of the new information. Let me know if there is anything you'd like to hear more about in the next post or any questions you might have about the systems in the comment section below and I'll do my best to answer them. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A Recap & Review of Doctor Who: The Name of The Doctor



Proceed with caution as this review contains SPOILERS from the 11th Doctor's storyline.

The season finale of Doctor Who came with the promise that the Doctor's greatest secret will be revealed.

At the end of series 6 (The Wedding of River Song), Dorium Maldovar prophesied that,

“On the fields of Trenzalore, at the Fall of the Eleventh, a question will be asked. It is the first question in the universe, hidden in plain sight. A question that must never be answered: Doctor Who?”

Does the season finale answer this question? Are other questions from earlier in the season answered, such as who Clara Oswald is and why she is the "impossible girl"?  Read below for all of the answers and more.

The openingto the episode was a phenomenal initial sequence for the season finale. It shows Clara falling through what seems like some sort of void; lost in time. It then moves through a montage of every incarnation of the Doctor, and the fact that she was involved in each of their storylines. The meaning of this intro isn't revealed until the end of the episode. So, let's dive in.



The true opening scene of the show begins with a few familiar character from the Doctor's past.  Vastra calls a meeting with Jenny, Strax, Clara, and River Song, who we haven't seen since "The Angels Take Manhattan" where she left the doctor crying and alone.  This meeting is made possible by a sort of dream conference call in which every member is asleep during the meeting and enters a lucid dream together from a particular fragrance. A little confusing, I know.  Nevertheless, during this meeting they discuss information given to them by a murderer who knows about the fields of Trenzalore.  As I've mentioned, this is the site of the "Fall of the Eleventh" according to Dorium Maldovar, which can't be good news.

During this meeting, The Great Intelligence (GI), send his Whisper Men to kill the members of the conference while they are asleep.  Clara wakes up to find the Doctor in her home. She immediately tells him what happened, which causes him to cry as he knows he must go to protect the lives of Jenny, Strax, and Vastra. However, this is the most dangerous place for the Doctor to visit, as he is crossing his own timeline at the point of his death, which is the most dangerous thing a Time Lord can do.  

Clara and the Doctor travel to Trenzalore, to the angst of the TARDIS. Trenzalore is the site of a large battle it seems as the area is strewn with tombstones, one of which is the remains of the TARDIS, not in it's normal state, but much much larger. When the TARDIS breaks down its dimensions, and it is no longer bigger on the inside.  The TARDIS is actually the tomb of the Doctor. 

The GI's evil plan is to gain access to the Doctor's tomb and insert himself into the Doctor's time-stream to change the past and make all of the Doctor's past successes failures. 

The Doctor, along with his companions make their way to the entrance of his tomb where they meet the GI face-to-face.  The Great Intelligence threatens to kill all of the Doctor's companions if he does not utter his own name, which is the only way to open the door to the tomb.  The Doctor refuses, yet the doors still open. River Song, who is linked to Clara throughout the episode, whispers the Doctor's name, leaving us in suspense as to the ultimate secret, as if we really thought Steven Moffat would tell us that. 

Once inside the tomb of the Doctor, the cast comes upon the time-stream of the Doctor, a mass of whirling lights of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. The GI goes through with his evil plot and enters the Doctor's timestream which obliterates him into billions of pieces all along the Doctor's timeline, and things begin to change, such as the disappearance of Jenny and Strax becoming evil again.  Clara realizes what she is supposed to do. Her reason for existing is to jump into the Doctor's time-stream to stop the GI from thwarting the Doctor and keeping time as it should be. 




Even more shocking than Clara sacrificing herself, the Doctor then jumps into his own time-stream to find Clara and pull her back out. However, before doing so he looks to River, his ex-wife, who we thought was only visible to Clara throughout the whole episode as she tried to tell him not to go into the vortex of his own time-line. He grabs her hand, and she asks how he did that, that she wasn't really there. In a heartfelt, tender, loving moment, the Doctor exclaimed, "You are always here to me, and I always listen, and I can always see you." These words, written by Steven Moffat, along with Matt Smith and Alex Kingston's faces and delivery in this scene is the brightest spot of the entire series, if not the entire Matt Smith timeline. After they kiss they say their quirky goodbyes and the Doctor enters his own timeline to find and save Clara to bring her out of the never ending void of being born, growing up, and helping the Doctor. 

At the closing scene of the series, the Doctor and Clara come upon a figure, standing with his back turned to them. The man turns and the words, "Introducing John Hurt as The Doctor" come onto the screen.  Just as we thought the questions had all been answered, Moffat brings on another for us to ponder until the next series begins, keeping all of the fans waiting eagerly for the 50th anniversary episode. It will be interesting to see how this Doctor fits in to the series. Is he a future version of the Doctor, or a pre-doctor version? Or perhaps he is the Valeyard? Only one way to find out and that will be to tune in to the next series starting later this year.

Something I've always enjoyed about Steven Moffat's writing for this show is the fact that while the Doctor has amazing abilities and has fought and saved a countless number of times, he still is the one that needs saving from time to time.  This is definitely the case at the fields of Trenzalore. 

It seems that this is probably the last time we will see River Song in the Doctor Who series, and while I'm sad to see her go, I'm glad that Moffat was able to write a proper ending that suited the actors to make a truly beautiful and heartwarming close to their storyline. The Doctor's confession to River about his fear of saying goodbye to her revealed so much about his character and divulged emotional layers that we haven't seen in the past from the Doctor. Which is really why we want to know his name in the first place if you think about it, to find out something new, to see something we haven't seen from him before.  His actions say so much more about him than his name ever could.

I loved seeing Clara interacting with the Doctor throughout all of his incarnations. Seeing her nudge William Hartnell's version of the Doctor towards a specific TARDIS, along with the scenes of her in many of the other incarnations such as Tom Baker, and Patrick Troughton was exceptional.

I'm sure that a lot of Doctor Who fans will be upset with this episode, but I personally found it to be amazing. Moffat delivered on everything that he promised. The story of this episode was about the name of the Doctor, and we did find out who Clara is. This episode changed so much of what I knew about the show, but doesn't detract from the things I've seen before.  To me this series was a little slow, but it packed a punch in the end that is one I won't forget.  Needless to say, I can't wait for the next series and the 50th anniversary special where we will see Matt Smith, David Tennant, and many more of our old favorites. The special is slated to air on November 23rd, 2013.
 
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