Top 10 Best Captain Sparklez Minecraft Series

Captain Sparklez, aka Jordon Maron, is known on YouTube for posting Minecraft Let's Plays and other gameplay videos, and a lot of them are really entertaining. Today, I am going to be counting down my personal Top 10 Series that he has done. NOTE: This list is only dealing with Minecraft, so no other games that he has played are included. Also, I'm not going to include series that are not complete, so Hexit, The Code, and Ather are not going to be on the list.

10. Hunger Games PVP

There are plenty of these videos in which Jordon plays the popular PVP (Player VS Player) map based on the popular franchise, and he typically teams up with Ryan (xrpmx13). There was a short stent where he played Hunger Games with Nick (NFEN), but it is always entertaining to watch Jordon and his team mate face off against twenty other players. However, there are two things that detract from the overall ranking of this series, including the fact that almost every episode ends with Jordon and Ryan being the only two remaining and fighting to the death, and it is harder to remember which moment goes to which episode. That being said, it is always fun to watch.

9. Gloria 1 & Gloria 2

Jordon, Mark (AllShamNoWow) and Nick (NFEN) tackled the two-parter adventure map, Gloria 1 and Gloria 2. This map features multiple signs that are written in poetic fashion, but it always throws Jordon off whenever it doesn't rhyme. That combined with Mark and Nick's hilarious bickering and sarcasm makes both Gloria maps good for a laugh. One of the best moments is in the second map when Mark and Jordon make Nick read an in-game book in a Bane voice. This is then followed by Mark falling out of the map, typing in the chat "Le Lapis!!!" instead of a teleport command.

8. Herobrine's Mansion

Another custom adventure map made by a high profile map maker, Herobrine's Mansion starts out with just Jordon and Mark, until Nick joins in at the beginning of the third episode. This map introduced the "Midget Baby Zombies" to Jordon's videos, which would also appear in their next adventure series, Wrath of the Fallen. The story tackles the Minecraft myth Herobrine attempting to summon a Wither Boss into the world, and sets a series of bosses onto the player. Jordon, Mark, and Nick's fights against the bosses are hilarious, but nothing tops their battle against the witch.

7. Wrath of the Fallen

They mistakenly refer to Wrath of the Fallen as the sequel to Herobrine's Mansion, but Wrath of the Fallen is an adventure map made by the same creators. This is currently the last Minecraft map to feature Mark, as in all subsequent series, Jordon is only joined by Nick. There are numerous funny moments in this series, including calling a Wither Skeleton wearing golden pants "MC Hammer", a Blazeman boss they refer to as "Blaze-At-Us", and Nick doing his "@Police, Please help" joke.

6. Survival, Season 1

One of Jordon's primary series, Minecraft Survival Mode has since spawned a second successful season as well as a third season currently in the process. The series follows Jordon as he makes his way through the regular Survival Mode of the game. Many of Jordon's recurring bits and jokes come from this series, including his most popular, Jerry the Slime. While Jerry himself is only in like two episodes before "dying", Jordon holds his memory dear, naming his home tree-base "Jerry's Tree". Jerry the Slime has become so ingrained in Minecraft lore that people have made mods and even a spin-off game about him. Also a part of this season are Evil Kenevil the Iron Golem and Mine Sheep, the sheep Jordon encountered inside of a mine.

5. Modded Survival (Survival, Season 2)

The sequel-spinoff-thingy to Minecraft Survival, Modded Survival took the existing Survival world and added multiple Mods (modifications) to it, including two major Mods, Divine RPG and Tale of Kingdoms. Divine RPG was probably the most important to the series, as it added hundreds of new items, mobs, and dimensions into the game. Tale of Kingdoms added a guild and kingdom into the game, and Jordon quickly became the king and a rich man in game. Apart from the portals and weaponry that was an essential part of the game, Jordon collected several new pets in game, including Mary the bunny, Gary the bat, Carrie the cat, and Larry the Azurite Wolf, who died two episodes later. While things may have bogged down towards the end with the Vethia dimension, Survival Season 2 surpassed the number of episodes from Season 1 and became Jordon's longest running series.
Unlike above where I catagorized Gloria 1 and Gloria 2 together, I've separated Survival Season 2 from Season 1 because Season 2 is different enough from Season 1 that it can stand on its own.

4. It's Better Together

The hilarious series of videos in which Jordon and Mark tag-team through a long set of puzzles, It's Better Together is a gut-busting barrel of laughs. This map was based on another popular game called Portal, and uses many of the same ideas. From certain puzzles not working due to game updates, from Mark not being able to jump across a parkour challenge, this series will make anyone laugh. I've gotta warn you, there is strong language here, but then again, that holds true to any of the series including Mark or Nick (and sometimes Jordon drops a bad word when he's angry). The funniest part (and most full of language) is when Jordon and Mark reach a puzzle where they continuously mistime their jumps into opening and closing doorways. This segment is done through a "fail" montage that literally had me laughing out loud.

3. Skyblock 2.0

Whenever Jordon is joined by Mark and Nick, it is guaranteed to be a good time for us the viewers, and a series of nineteen episodes of the three? Priceless. This series is so full of laughs that Jordon even made a "Best of" video for it as well as an outtake video. It is a sequel to the original Skyblock series, which Jordon played solo, but this time, the challenges are all different. The best part has to be when Mark, whose hunger bar had fallen to zero, ate the only watermelon the trio had to plant (and make more watermelon to eat). Jordon and Nick's reactions are epic. Mark continues to die several times in that episode, adding to the laughs.

2. Revenge of the Gods

An older map, this is defiantly one of the most hilarious series they've ever done. From a vague-ish story, to easy-to-overlook rules, Jordon, Mark, and Nick stumble their way through this map, often screwing up major puzzles and rules. They even manage to screw up the entire plot in the second episode, causing them to restart the map.

1. Emperor of Minopia

Easily the funniest of the misadventures the trio has ever embarked upon, Emperor of Minopia is a poorly written and laughable story that never ceases to confuse, amuse, and abuse the players. From misspellings and poor grammar like "He be hidin' up under the roof alot" to the best-named villain ever, this is easily my favorite Minecraft series ever. The best part is... too hard to pick. This map is too full of them to pick just one!

So what do you think? What is your favorite Captain Sparklez series? Let me know! And please don't rage at me if you don't agree, this is just my personal picks.

Trailer Reviews - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Trailer #2

Earlier today at Comic-Con, they released the latest trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This trailer was then uploaded to Yahoo! Movies for those who didn't go to Comic-Con. I'm one of those guys who sat at home waiting to review this trailer like I did the last one (to see my review of the previous Catching Fire trailer, click here.) Again, like I said in my previous trailer review and my pre-review for this film, I will more than likely deal with spoilers, since the film is based on a book which I have read. This review is geared towards those who have also read the book.

To start things off, here is the link to the trailer in question. I can't link it like my last couple trailer reviews, as the trailer isn't currently on YouTube that I could find. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/the-hunger-games-catching-fire/

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is an upcoming action-adventure film based on the novel Catching Fire by Susanne Collins that follows Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as they tour the districts of Panem on their victory tour after winning the 74th annual Hunger Games. What they don't realize is that their defiance of the rules that they demonstrated in the Games has made them into role models for a rebellion rising in the districts. This prompts President Snow to mark them both as well as the previous Game victors as threats to be resolved in the Quarter Quell.

This new trailer offer much more than the previous, which is something I like to see. I'm not a fan of when trailers reuse the same footage in every trailer and only offer a small handful of new clips. This one recycles a few shots, but the majority of it is new material. This trailer also touches on a major plot point of the story, the Quarter Quell. The Quarter Quell was hinted at in the end of the previous trailer, but never outright shown or explained. We were only treated to an exchange between President Snow and Heavensbee: "Her entire species must be eradicated." "Her species, sir?" "The other victors. Because of her, they think they're invincible."

Now I'm going to get into the shot-by-shot review. I'll be doing this a bit differently, since trailers skip around with shots, I will be grouping similar shots and review them as a group, rather than one by one.

The trailer opens with Katniss entering Victor's Village, where all the District 12 victors live after the Games. This is a scene from early on in the book.

While this scene of Katniss and her sister Prim appeared briefly in the previous trailer, none of the dialogue used in the first trailer is recycled. It also touches on something that really drives Katniss's motivations in the book, which is that her acts of rebellion have an effect on not only her, but those she cares for.

Catching Fire is directed by a new director, Francis Lawrence. As such, not everything can be expected to be the same. One thing that I find both different and very interesting is the shots of The Capitol shown in this new trailer. We weren't treated to very many shots of the Capitol in the previous trailer, and the shots in this one seem different to me than how I remember the Capitol looking in the previous movie. In The Hunger Games, I always thought the Capitol looked a lot like Corescant in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, but the Capitol in this film looks more like a cross between Corescant and a modern day city with normal skyscrapers. All that being said, in the trailer over-all, I do get more of a sci-fi feel from this trailer than I did in the entire first movie.

Advanced technology was hinted at in the first film, but this trailer certainly shows a bit more. Like in the above picture of Katniss and Peeta being filmed by a camera system. They doesn't appear to be any crew, but it's a trailer. We're only treated to two shots of it. This shot also begins to show the complicated relationship (or lack thereof) between the two, which Peeta then explains.

Also prevalent in this trailer is the threat of rebellion. The trailers (and I wouldn't be surprised if the movie also takes this view), but Gale seems to be the leader of the rebellion. There are many shots of rebellion, (some recycled from the first trailer) including the execution of Rue's family member, the attack on and burning of the Hub, and Gale's whipping.

Dang, she grew several feet in only a year...

In the book, the kiss between Katniss and Gale was only mentioned as already happened, but the movie (being a movie) needs to show it. It also takes it a step further by proving that President Snow has been spying on Katniss's activities via cameras, as in the trailer, we see that Snow has video evidence of the kiss. The President's threat against her family is also shown dramatically.

The trailer also expands upon the Quarter Quell, a topic that is a major plot point in the book and almost completely absent in the first trailer. We are also teased with brief glimpses of Katniss's wedding dress and Phoenix dress.

 And the final topic in the trailer: The Quell itself. The 75th Hunger Games in which past victors are chosen and must fight to the death. We are shown shots of victors training, including a brief shot of Finnick Odar, Enobaria, Gloss and I think Johanna. As the trailer closes, we get a brief glimpse of the arena, and Katniss dives into the water.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Coming to theaters November 22, 2013. I liked this trailer, as it did not use too much footage from the previous one, and they do give more information on the driving plot point, the quell. I will say though, they don't shown that much of Peeta or Haymitch in this trailer. It reminded me of the latest trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in which several main characters, including Thorin and Gandalf, are oddly absent.

I still can't wait to see this movie but until then, May the Odds be Ever in your Favor.

Chronicles of the Chronicler: Epic Series Poster

Star Trek: Who Looks the Most like their Original?

 Pictured above is Chris Pine and William Shatner as the captain of the iconic star ship The USS Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk. Shater (above picture, right) played the role in Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) as well as in the first several Star Trek films: The Motion Picture (1979), Wrath of Khan (1982), Search for Spock (1984), The Voyage Home (1986), The Final Frontier (1989), The Undiscovered Country, (1991) and finally, Generations (1994). Kirk was then not in the series until the reboot-remake-sequel-ception of a movie, Star Trek (2009), in which he was portrayed by actor Chris Pine (above picture, left). Pine also played Kirk in the most recent film in the franchise, Into Darkness (2013). Now, Shatner got a reputation for over-acting and all, but he did bring this character to life. Pine said he avoided trying to mimic Shatner in any way acting-wise, as he felt it would come off as a bad impression.

Following Kirk, naturally, comes his second-in-command, Commander Spock. Originally portrayed by Leonard Nimoy (above, left) in both the Original Series (he is the only character to appear in every episode), the first six movies, and having an appearance in Star Trek: Next Generation (1987-1994). Spock is more or less the most iconic character of the original series, if not the entire franchise (I know, that is debatable, but for me he is). In the 2009 movie as well as its sequel Into Darkness, the character Spock returned, this time portrayed by Zachery Quinto (above, right). Quinto has many similar features like Nimoy, but the true test is the fact that he actually gets to share screen time not once, but twice with Nimoy in both films that he (Quinto) is in.

The role of the Doctor (no not that Doctor) was brought to life by DeForest Kelly (above, right) in the original series and the first several movies. As the voice of sarcasm, he often had more of the humorous lines. Following the end of his Star Trek run in the movies, Kelly also appeared as Dr. "Bones" McCoy in the pilot episode of Next Generation. In 2009, he was portrayed by Karl Urban (above, left), who was one of the two actors I had seen prior to 2009, as he played Eomer in Lord of the Rings (2002/2003).

Uhura in the original series and first several films was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols (above, left). Her role in the series was an important one at the time, not as much to the show as it was to the community at the time. Her role avoided many of the black woman stereotypes of the time. In the newer films, she is portrayed by Zoe Saldana (above, right), who was the other actor who I had seen prior to seeing Star Trek, as she played the role of Anna Maria in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

Sulu with his amazingly smooth voice was brought to life in the original series and films by George Takei (above, left). Even though he was Japanese, Sulu, according to Takei, was meant to represent all of the Asians. Some fans were either up in arms or confused that Sulu in the newer films is portrayed by Korean actor John Cho (above, right). Even with the whole "alternate reality" in the newer films, Sulu changes nationality all together.

Montgomery Scott, best known by the name "Scotty", was originally portrayed by James Doohan (pictured above, right). Even though he didn't appear in every episode, the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty" is well known, even outside of Star Trek. Doohan was one of three Original Series actors to appear in seven films out of the 10 original cast films (which do include Next Generation characters). More recently, Scotty is portrayed by Simon Pegg (above, left).

Chekov, played by Walter Keonig (above, left), was the last member of the regular cast of the Original Series and was not added in until the second season, where he temporarily replaced Sulu while George Takei had other commitments. Upon his return to the show part way through season two, Takei was unhappy that there was a "replacement" character in his place and was prepared to hate Keonig. However, the two of them ended up becoming best friends. In the new films, Chekov is played by Anton Yelchin (above, right). Yelchin has one thing going for him that Keonig did not have, and that is the fact that Yelchin is actually Russian, whereas Keonig was American. Keonig's misuse of the sound of the letter "W" for "V" sounds (which is not really a trait for a Russian accent) was kept in the newer films, even though Yelchin is Russian.

So here's the big question: Which one of these new actors looks the most like their Original Series predecessor?  For me personally, I'd say it's Spock. While he may not be an exact match (that would be both impossible and highly illogical), the fact that he can stand up opposite Leonard Nimoy and pull it off makes him an obvious choice. What do you think? Let me know in the comments!