Robot Wars House Robots Battle Royale - Who Would Win

Robot Wars House Robots Battle Royale - Who Would Win

Ahh Robot Wars. This was one of my favourite TV shows ever, a huge part of my childhood. There’s nothing quite like watching two killing machines scrapping in a fight to the death. Like a huge number of kids at that time I was obsessed with the likes of Hypno Disc and Chaos 2 and liked nothing more than a good episode of Robot Wars.

 

The BBC needed something to help them advertise the show as well as act as extra obstacles in the Arena. Enter the House Robots. These machines were not limited to the same rules as the competitor robots, they did not have a weight limit and could have any weaponry they wanted.

 

There were problems though. House Robots had to be destructive but they also had to look good. They couldn’t resemble boxes on wheel like many competitor robots, they needed personality. They all had personality but this meant they weren’t as efficient at destroying things as they could’ve been. Nevertheless they were far more powerful than most of what went into the arena and were the mascots of the show. So in a battle Royale which House Robot would be the last one standing?

 

This will take place in the Robot Wars Arena and Robots will not gang up on each other. I’m going to start by looking at each robot individually so let’s start with the world famous Cassius Chrome …

 

 

Introduced for the seventh wars Cassius Chrome was meant to resemble a boxer. Its weapons were fists that went forwards and backwards like a boxer. It also had a front shovel for pushing other robots. It was 130 cm x 100 cm x 85 cm so it was fairly big and interestingly it was the fastest House Robot with a top speed of 20 mph.

 

Cassius Chrome was an awful House Robot. It weighed 250 kg so while it was heavy it had a high ground clearance and thus could be flipped fairly easily. Not only this its weapons were low impact and rarely caused any significant damage. It’s a terrible House Robot, one you’ve probably never heard of and it better not win this.

 

Next I’ll discuss Dead Metal. One of the original four this is much more like it. It looks great and despite being much lighter at 112 kg it had a wide wheelbase and was thus very hard to flip. Throughout Robot Wars it was only ever flipped once, by Dutch machine Gravity.

 

At 160 cm x 100 cm x 70 cm it is bigger than the dumb Cassius Chrome. It was upgraded from its original model to have far more effective weaponry, it had pneumatically driven pincers to grab a robot and a 3000 rpm circular saw for cutting into armour. The saw was very effective, easily cutting into opponents. Dead Metal was also the fastest of the first four House Robots with a top speed of 12 mph. However Dead Metal suffered with manoeuvrability issues and ended up in the pit four times across the series.

 

Growler was introduced in the Sixth Wars as Mr. Psycho’s pet dog. At the time it was introduced it was by far the fastest House Robot with a top speed of 17 mph. However unlike Cassius Chrome it could do serious damage. Weighing 375 kg it made a very good battering ram and could cause serious damage simply by charging at other robots.

 

It was 152 cm x 130 cm x 76 cm and had hydraulic jaws for a weapon. It should be noted that it briefly had a flamethrower but it was removed as it was very unreliable. Its jaw was capable of exerting four tonnes of force of its victims and Growler was my favourite of the later house Robots. It was however difficult to control and its jaws do not open that far to grab a House Robot, neither did they do a whole lot of damage.

 

Another original Matilda was to start with let’s face it, awful. Yes it looks cool but it had flipping tusks that never flipped anything and a chainsaw, a weapons designed to cut wood in an arena full of metal robots. Matilda was also only 116 kg, had a slow top speed of 8 mph and was only 140 cm x 66 cm x 66 cm. It was often picked on by competitor robots and the robot Razer once crushed her rear armour completely.

 

This all changed when Matilda was fitted with a new weapon. The ineffective chainsaw was replaced with an extremely destructive rear flywheel weighing a colossal 27 kg. Suddenly everything changed. Matilda become perhaps the most destructive House Robot with its flywheel and was actually never flipped after gaining this new weapon. She also had a very tough outer shell and was thus heavily armoured. Matilda was a force to be reckoned with and despite her small size is not to be underestimated.

 

The House Robot that certainly won’t be underestimated is Mr. Psycho. Introduced in the Sixth Wars he weighed an immense 750 kg and was by far the heaviest House Robot. He was also the biggest at 163 cm x 145 cm x 150 cm and despite having a top speed of only 8 mph he had caterpillar tracks giving him excellent traction. Along with his immense size this made him almost impossible to push.

 

Mr. Psycho had a 30 kg hammer that travelled at 60 mph and a hydraulic claw that exerted 9 tonnes of pressure. His hammer often knocked out robots in one hit as it disrupted electric with the force of impact however his claw was an odd shape and didn’t work very well at picking up robots. Despite his size he also wasn’t immune to flipping. He toppled over in German and Dutch Robot Wars and Firestorm once flipped him over in England. However his size advantage makes him extremely powerful and he is the clear favourite to win.

 

Perhaps not a favourite is another original Sergeant Bash. He weighs 120 kg and is 140 cm x 90 cm x 90 cm.  He was also slow with a top speed of 8 mph. He was also the most unreliable House Robot and broke down more times than any other.

 

He did however have an awesome propane fuelled flamethrower as well as a set of pincers at the front. His flamethrower while looking great was fairly ineffective in battle as few robots had flammable surfaces (It worked great on Diotor however) but his pincers were highly effective. Even in series seven his pincers still exerted enough force to crush robots. Unfortunately for the Sergeant he has a narrow wheelbase making him vulnerable to flipping and he once was actually accidently flipped over by Sir Killalot.

 

 Another original House Robot prone to being flipped was Shunt. From the fifth wars onwards the max weight for a competitor Robot was 100 kg, Shunt weighed 105 kg making him the lightest House Robot. He was 130 cm x 110 cm x 70 cm and was easily flipped but could not self-right.

 

His main weapon was hid diamond edged axe which delivered blows at 7000 psi. He also had a pneumatic lifting scoop and a snow plough. His weaponry was underwhelming and caused little damage. In fact if Robot Wars hadn’t been cancelled after series seven he would’ve been redesigned.

 

So were there any positives? Shunt had incredible pushing powered and a strong frame but his biggest benefit was his reliability. Shunt was used for pushing immobilised robots out of the arena and was the workhorse of the Robot Wars House Robots. Okay Shunt is not winning this but I like Shunt for being so reliable. The show would not have worked as well without his reliability for clearing the arena and while not as flashy he was almost endearing in his endeavours.

 

Now for my favourite, the classic and iconic Sir Killallot. I loved this Robot, even today I have his pull back toy in my cupboard. He was introduced during series 2 and was by far the heaviest at the time at 520 kg (Although the show claimed he weighed 280 kg to throw off competitors). He was 120 cm x 120 cm x 130 cm so was also very big and despite being the slowest House Robot with a top speed of 5 mph his caterpillar tracks gave him immense pushing power.

 

His weapons were a spinning lance and his signature hydraulic cutting claw. It exerted a massive 15 tonnes of force and actually once cut a robot in half. Even when robots adapted their armour and got too tough for Killalot to cut he could easily lift over 100 kg and put more robots out of the arena than any other with thirteen. He is also the only House Robot to have never been flipped over.

 

He wasn’t invincible however. He is very slow and he is also top heavy meaning he often fell forwards while carrying a robot. He could always get back onto his track however but his biggest weakness in this fight is probably his petrol engine. He has been set on fire, once by Sergeant Bash although he did use the arena steam vents to put himself out. However he is still flammable and this could be exploited. However Sir Killalot is the most known House Robot for a reason. He’s iconic and powerful and a true force to be reckoned with.

 

So who would win this fight? Sorry Shunt but you’re first to go, theres no way you can cause any damage with your axe and even you can’t push around Mr. Psycho or Sir Killalot. Unfortunately I think Sir Killalot would be vulnerable too. Seargant Bash could set him on fire, and his tracks are exposed meaning they could be damaged and thus putting him out of action. He could however almost certainly lift over Dead Metal, Shunt and Sergeant Bash making these four all defeat able. Sir Killalot is powerful but he is smaller than Mr. Psycho and I don’t see how he could damage the colossus. He would also struggle with Growler as his claw does not open wide enough to grab hold of Growler head on. He could grab his wheels but Growler is fast and manoeuvrable and should be able to easily evade Sir Killalot.

 

Seargant Bash has the problem of his Flamethrower being ineffective for the most part and his pincers not being big enough to grab any House Robot. Dead Metal while tough to take out has a similar problem as his pincers would struggle to grab the biggest house Robots and his saw would not cut deep enough to put them out of action. Cassius Chrome cannot inflict anywhere near enough damage to win this fight, although theoretically his fists could displace Killalot’s track. I think Killalot is too big for Cassius Chrome to bring down however with his underpowered weaponry and he could easily be toppled over by his Lance.

 

The final three are Mr. Psycho, Growler and Matilda. If I had told you one of the original four House Robots would win you would’ve laughed at me but I think you can see where this is going. Yes the once picked on Matilda I think would win this. Her shell would protect her from Mr. Psycho’s hammer and her shape would mean his claw would not be able to pick her up. His track do have protection but her fly wheel had destroyed tough armour before and I think here would be no exception. Her Flywheel would annihilate Mr. Psycho’s tracks and put him out of action. Growler also is the wrong shape for Psycho to grab and he is fast enough to avoid the hammer. Even if hit he is strong and heavy enough to survive. Being rammed at full force could do serious damage to Mr. Psycho or even topple him over if hit at the right angle. So that leaves Growler vs Matilda and I don’t fancy those wheels of Growler surviving the wrath of Matilda’s flywheel. Even if Growler could ram her he would risk having his jaws damaged by the flywheel and his jaws are not big enough to actually grab Matilda.

 

I’m glad to say the winner is the House Robot who used to be picked on by competitors. Yes it’s the matriarch of mayhem herself Matilda.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 15 - Nanda Parbat Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 15 - Nanda Parbat Review

Damn Arrow and its dumb cliff-hangers right before it goes on a break.

 

Okay these cliff-hangers are great once they’re resolved but I can’t help but sit here and wait in anticipation. Yes reader your right I should go and get some friends.

 

This brings me to the positives of the episode where I’ll start with Diggle or ‘Dig’ as I think I should call him. One of my biggest issues with season 3 is that Diggle has taken a bit of a back seat. That’s not to say the show has been bad, far from it but one of the things that made the show so good was the interactions between Diggle and Oliver. Those conversations they have where Diggle acts as the voice of reason are highlights of the show and we got an abundance of them here. The scene that summed this up was the one when they were in the prison in Nanda Parbat. Diggle calls Oliver a Brother. Diggle was the one who went with Oliver as despite how great the other characters are Diggle is the one he can rely on the most.

 

Diggle getting more time in the spotlight was great. We saw Lyla and his baby again for the first time in a long while. The strongest core of the show I find is the original trifecta of Oliver, Diggle and Felicity. Felicity has also been missing for a while. We haven’t had the funny and slightly awkward Felicity with her tension with Oliver. Fortunately for us she was back to her old bubbly self. Her banter with Ray was admittedly a bit of a contrast with the rest of the episode and seemed more like it belonged on The Flash but I thought it was an enjoyable contrast.

 

I was wondering where Ray had gone recently and it gave a suitable answer. Apparently there are a lot of fans for the whole Oliver and Felicity romance thing but I think she is necessary for the Ray Palmer character to work. I did find it funny how sex gave Ray the inspiration to complete the problem to finish his suit. I also found it funny how he nearly blew up the building. It was a little out of place but I enjoyed the slightly lighter tone of these scenes.

 

The other biggest positive is Ras al Ghul. After the return of Manu Bennet as Slade Wilson last week I wondered if he was going to be a little underwhelming but this certainly was not the case. He is incredibly menacing and powerful. I loved the part where he has Malcom Merlin begging for mercy. Merlin is a powerful character, we saw him as the villain in series 1. He can kill without remorse and even earlier in the episode took out Laurel with ease. Since he became an assassin we haven’t seen him in any kind of vulnerability but Ras al Ghul had him begging for mercy. He commands such authority and power and I think the actor did an excellent job in portraying this.

 

We also see how intelligent he is in how easily he tricked Oliver and Diggle and trapped them. I love the dynamic between Oliver and Ras al Ghul. There is clearly a respect between them as shown by the ending. However Oliver fears Ras as Ghul as he’s the one opponent he cannot defeat.

 

I like the consistency in Laurel’s character. Yes she makes some irrational decisions such as taking on Merlin but it does highlight how inexperienced and how much of a novice she is. We saw this when Nyssa walk past and tells her to stand aside. She’s not as ridiculous in her actions as before though. I was glad she didn’t blame Thea and I like her scenes with Nyssa. It was a heart-warming scene when they talked about Sara and I really enjoyed the scene where Laurel talked to Thea. She’s like a younger sister to Laurel and the conflict it sets off is hard for the both of them. I have been critical of Laurel but every episode makes me like her more. I just wish she had a cool weapon and not just a stick.

 

Thea is an interesting point. I wouldn’t call her a negative per say but there were more issues with her than anyone else. She is getting very dark and while I like it  as she is going through a lot, the problem I had was she did play the victim a bit. When talking to Roy especially she acted like she was in a fa worst place than anyone else. Yes it is very hard for her, but it is for Roy too and I felt quite bad for him when he was trying to help Thea. I am interested to see what happens between her and Nyssa though. Obviously Nyssa won’t kill her, she too important a character but Nyssa doesn’t strike me as the understanding type and it’ll be interesting to see how she escapes.

 

The other negative was the flashbacks. They weren’t terrible, it was just nothing really happened. They need to expand on them next episode since as really all that happened was they hid for cover from machine gun fire for a while.

 

Now it’s time to discuss the ending. I think we all know Oliver won’t become the next Ras al Ghul but I do wonder if he’ll at least consider it. I doubt Ras will simply let him think about it without trying to be persuasive. Ras truly believes in any means being necessary after all to purge the world of evil. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oliver seriously thinks about it, especially considering the cracks starting to appear in team Arrow. With Thea so guilty, Felicity moving to Ray Palmer and Laurel so conflicted since Oliver came back he hasn’t been the leader as he was before. Things have changed, even Roy stood up to him and really only Diggle is actually at his side as he was before. Diggle is still a brother to him and I think there will be a huge internal conflict within Oliver. The series has been about identity and he may think becoming Ras al Ghul is the best way to save his city.

 

I really enjoyed Nanda Parbat. It did start a little slowly but I felt the build-up was necessary for the overarching story of the episode. I can’t wait to see what happens when the show returns, in particular I’m interested in how team Arrow seems to be fracturing. I also have to mention that we saw the Lazarus Pit. Thinking back to series 1 who ever though immortality would be a thing in Arrow. Episode 15 was definitely great and I’m excited to see where the show is going.

The Meaning of Life

The Meaning of Life

It’s highly likely you have asked this question at some point during your life in some regard. Who are we? Why are we here? Yes a very interesting question that many believe has no real answer. I’m going to look into this notion to see if I can actually find an answer.

 

I started by looking at things scientifically. Science look at how we exist with events such as the big bang and concepts such as evolution. While looking at the beginnings of the universe or how creature change over time is interesting it doesn’t really help in our question. Science discovers how, we’re looking at why.

 

The logical next place to look was religion. Religion will often to either one or multiple Gods for the meaning of life. How they have given us meaning and to live in goodness while limiting sin. However we’re not all religious and even those who are have different religions or interpret the same religion differently. Religion is not the answer to this question.

 

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
 A painting by Paul Gauguin

What are good and evil? Two things often referred to but do we really understand what they are. It often seems like some arbitrary opinion that decides what is good and what is evil. Honestly the concept of good and evil is a very black and white way to look at the world, while the world is anything but black and white. Some things we would all agree are wrong at any time but these examples are few and far between. Some actions may seem wring at face value but may be necessary for the greater good.

 

Soldiers kill people to protect their country. Killing is apparently wrong so are soldiers evil. Obviously not. Are the soldiers on the other side evil? No. They are doing the same thing as the soldiers on our side. Good and evil are just different points of view. Often someone doing something you deem ‘evil’ or ‘wrong’ will be doing what they believe is right. What they believe is good. Does this mean make you good simply because you don’t agree? Equally does a large majority believing the same thing make it the right thing? We all know the answer to that question.

 

So is the meaning of life to be good as oppose to evil? No, simply because good and evil do not exist for the majority of circumstances and even if they did who decides what is right and wrong? You? A God? Why should anyone else, even if they are a God decide what is right and wrong? Shouldn’t we have free will to choose what we do?

Do we even have free will? Some would say no. Do you believe in fate and destiny? Some people believe we are all just part of some computer program, being controlled by superior beings. There’s nothing to disprove this theory but equally nothing proves it. We discussed this in my physics class and some people said it freaked them out. How about destiny? Does some greater force control what we do and who we are? What happens to us and whether we are happy or sad? If this is the meaning of life, that we’re not in control then so be it. The key is even if they are already chosen, we have the illusion of choice. When we choose to do something we thing we are making that choice. As long as we have the illusion of choice we at least feel like we have free will.

 

Is being free the meaning of life. People have fought for the right to be free for as long as humanity has existed. Do we have a birth right to freedom? I’d like to think we should but my opinion is meaningless. What defines free? We can make our own choices. Even a slave can choose to try and escape. So in a way all of us a free to an extent. Free to choose, or at least we think so. So if this is true how can freedom be the meaning of life? If we are all free then what is the meaning behind it. I’d argue there is none.

 

Confused? I was. The meaning of life I guess is an impossible to answer conundrum. We will never know and would be better of just not thinking about it. We should just live out our lives. Unless we shouldn’t. Maybe there is more to this than it being an impossible to answer question. I do have a bit of a spin on the subject. Are you intrigued? What do you think about this? Next Monday I post part 2 to this discussion. Until then …

Ratchet vs Sly Cooper - Who Would Win

Ratchet vs Sly Cooper - Who Would Win

The PlayStation 2 is considered by many to be the greatest console ever created. While Cortana doesn’t agree you look as the consoles game library and it’s easy to see why so many love PlayStation’s second console. Two of the biggest mascots for the PS2 were Ratchet, the lombax from outer space and Sly Cooper, one of many of the world famous Cooper clan, a clan of master thieves. Who would win in a one on one fight to the death? There will be no outside assistance meaning no help from Clank for Ratchet and assistance from the rest of the Cooper gang for Sly. Let’s start with our favourite lombax.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ratchet is as I said a lombax native to the planet Fastoon. Ratchet is a bit of a hot head. He is described as being a shoot first ask questions later and then shoot again kind of guy. Basically he’s not exactly known for strategizing or highly intelligent manoeuvres. In fact his friend Clank is far more intelligent than Ratchet. However Ratchet does most of the heavy lifting with his weapons and gadgets.

 

The Wrench

His signature weapon is his Wrench. It has been changed and upgraded multiple times over the years but it has always been used as a club type weapon for attacking at close range.  He can swing it while standing, he can do a jump slam attack and he can even use it like a boomerang by throwing it at and enemy where it will always come back. However this is not his only melee weapon. He also has a giant boxing glove that produces a temporary force field and multiple whips, one made of plasma and one made of electricity and a wrist mounted set of laser claws. So he is more than adequate at close range fighting but he is far more suited to using his multitude of guns.

 

Sticking with the close range fighting he has a flamethrower and a liquid nitrogen gun. He has multiple shot gun type weapons and a full body shield that electrocutes his enemies if they get too close. Going at a slightly further range he has a large number of machine guns that all have bullets that ricochet off surfaces they hit such as his heavy Lancer and N90 hurricane. However since this is clearly not enough ways of killing things he has multiple ways to fire discs at enemies that split into smaller discs such as the multi disc launcher, he has a huge number of explosives that range from standard(ish) rocket launchers such as the decimator and Judicator to homing missiles with the HK22 gun or rockets he controls himself with the Visibomb gun or laser guided missiles in the Raptor Launcher.

 

Right now you’re probably thinking that he has nowhere near enough explosives. Don’t worry there are plenty more to go. Each game has some kind of grenade launcher, whether it’s in the form of a gun or a glove. He has multiple ways of throwing mines plus he also has more unique bomb weapons such as the Groovibomb glove that throws an exploding disco ball or a personal favourite the Bouncer which fires a bomb that explodes into many mini bombs which all explode.

 

If this wasn’t enough then he has a multitude of sniper rifles for long range enemies. He also has a gun that fires meteors, multiple ways of firing electricity or a tempest. He also has many ways of making robots help him, whether its turrets or robot helpers that fire at the enemy as well as you guessed it, explode. He has an RC spider with a mounted turret and can release a hive of venomous nano insects.

 

There’s the incredibly fun weapons that turn an enemy into a cute animal, which range from the classic morph-o-ray that turns enemies into the chickens to the appropriately names Black Sheep that turn the victim into an exploding sheep. The Quackoblitzer turns an enemy into a flaming homing duck while the Chimpositron turns enemies into chimps.

The Plasma Coil

 

He has a gun that fires black holes with the Rift Ripper, a gun that sucks up surrounding items as ammo in the Suck Cannon, a gun that turns enemies on each other in the Infecto Bomb and a gun that shoots an orb of plasma that not only inflicts massive damage but electrocutes passing enemies with the Plasma Coil. So he has a lot of weapons that he somehow carries around in that small 5 foot tall suit of armour and I haven’t even mentioned the most powerful weapons yet.

 

The RYNO V

Each game has its own version of the R.Y.N.O. This stands for rip you a new one and they are the most powerful weapon in each game, costing an absurd amount of the games currency, bolts. Both the original R.Y.N.O and the R.Y.N.O are auto targeting missile launchers. The RYNOCIRATOR fired a barrage of lasers that converge at a single point and turn all enemies on screen to dust in a flash of white light. The R.Y.N.O 4-Ever fired homing lasers and is according to the internet the most powerful weapon in the entire series. Finally the RYNO V fired a number of rockets, hails of spraying bullets and a single rocket from the centre. So quite a powerful assortment of weapons he has.

 

Alongside his weapons he has a large number of gadgets. He has rocket powered boots, boots that allow him to walk on magnetic surfaces and boots that allow him to grind on rails so he can move around easily. He has a mask that lets him breathe anywhere and gadgets to suck up or alter the state of liquid. He has a hacking device, multiple disguises and a tractor beam so he’s not lacking in the tech department either.

 

So what weaknesses does he have? He’s not exactly known for his finesse. He goes into battles without any sort of plan and looks to power his way out with his multitude of weapons. This is how he defeats the bosses he fights in his games. This strength is also a weakness as you wonder how he would fare with a more cunning and intelligent foe. He has matured but still loves adventure and action and will often run straight into a fight. Nevertheless Ratchet is a powerful foe not to be underestimated. Now to look at his competition.

 

Sly Cooper is a racoon from a long line of master thieves, the Cooper’s. He has learnt every technique from the Thievius Racconus, a book of all the techniques the Coopers have developed over the years. Being a master thief he is quick and agile. His main strength is stealth. He moves silently and swiftly around his environments. He isn’t limited to the floor, he is a master of scouting rooftops and odd environments. He has amazing balance and reflexes meaning he can run on poles and tight ropes, climb poles, swing from hooks and balance on sharp points all of this silently. He is also an expert in parkour and gymnastics which he again does silently.  He can also sneak attack his enemies to instantly take them out or pickpocket them, both which after upgrading the sneak attack are silent.

 

He isn’t anywhere near as versatile as Ratchet with his offense but he does have his cane, a brown stick with a golden hook which he uses in combat as well as for traversing the environment. He is highly skilled with a variety of attacks including spins, jump and push attacks. In hand to hand combat he is likely to out skill Ratchet with his mastery of melee combat. On top of this he is extremely fast and difficult to catch. He also regularly dodges bullets fires at him by his enemies.

 

He has a decent number of gadgets himself. He can make enemies attack each other, he can electrocute enemies and he has multiple distraction techniques such as an alarm clock. He has a music box to put enemies to sleep and can create a decoy version of himself.

 

He has combat techniques such as the combat dodge, a dodging move (Obviously) and knockout dive, a move that Sly dives forwards and knocks out his opponent. He can also use his blue hat as a remote detonated mine and he has an unlimited supply of parachutes.

 

When spotted he can use his smoke or flash bombs to blind or stun him enemies or his stun attack where he hits the ground with his cane and stuns nearby enemies. He also has his own set of rocket boots for a quick getaway.

 

Perhaps his most impressive power ups however are his ability to turn invisible while still being able to attack and use other power ups but also he has the ability to speed up or slow down time, giving him a huge advantage against any foe.

 

While Bentley makes the plans for Sly they often go wrong and he has to improvise which he always does successfully. He is cunning, quick witted and devious. He is always calm and collected and remains a rational thinker in almost any situation. He can become flustered when his friends are threatened but in a battle between him and Ratchet this is not relevant. However he is extremely self-confident, almost dangerously so. He often risks getting caught to taunt his enemy, in particular to flirt with police officer Carmelita Fox. He is also surprisingly honourable, especially for a thief as he only steals from the rich.

 



Clockwerk

Obviously there is no guaranteed winner but I think the best way to judge who would win is look at how they fight bosses in their respective games. Ratchet uses brute force to overpower his enemies while Sly has to use cunning and intelligence to take down enemies far more powerful than him. Both games have their fair share of goofy villains but Sly has his serious and very menacing villains, in particular Clockwerk who has become immortal by being fuelled on pure hatred of the Coopers. Clockwerk is far more terrifying than anything Ratchet has fought but Sly overcame his fears to defeat him.

 

Ratchet may be far more powerful but Sly has proven time and time again that he can defeat more powerful enemies. He can slow down time to dodge most of Ratchets attacks and can use smoke and flash bombs to escape his opponent. Ratchets weapons are powerful but he can’t shoot and invisible foe and Sly is capable of turning invisible at any time he wants. On top of this Sly can either sneak attack him to seriously hurt Ratchet of pickpocket all his best guns away giving Sly the advantage in both power and speed. Ratchet is strong but he has no way to match the speed, agility and cunning of Sly Cooper who could easily outsmart the lombax. Even the R.Y.N.O weapons can’t kill something Ratchet can’t see without a lot of blind shots and Sly is capable of dodging the homing attacks with his speed and slowing down time abilities. The victory goes to Sly Cooper.

Arrow Season 3 Episode 14 - The Return Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 14 - The Return Review

DEATHSTROKE!

 

That was my first thought on watching the episode. Then I sat back and thought about it and thought that putting aside my inner fan outbursts I actually found the episode was really good.

 

Episode 14 followed Oliver and Thea on Lian Yu, sent there to train by Malcom Merlin. Meanwhile the flashbacks follow Oliver and Maseo are in Starling City to take down China White.

 

The return was a very appropriate title for the episode. We see a return of the aforementioned Deathstroke, of Tommy Merlin, of Quentin Lance’s hair.

 

Naturally the biggest positive of the episode was Manu Bennet’s Slade Wilson. He remains as menacing as ever and reminds us all what we’re missing from last season. That guy is so cool but he played an interesting role in the episode too. It’s interesting to see how much he messes with Oliver’s head, even now. His promise is still coming true even though he remains locked up in a secure Argus prison. Oliver’s family and everyone he cares about are drifting away from him, highlighted here by how dark Thea is becoming.

 

His action scenes are great as always. I was glad he could easily over power both Oliver and Thea. Every time he fights we see how brutal he is. Oliver’s and Thea’s interactions were great here. Their training mirrored the training Oliver did with Slade on the island with the sticks. A lot of the scenes seemed to be mirroring previous scenes throughout the three series and I really enjoyed seeing it.

 

Thea was really strong this episode. For a long time it felt like the writers didn’t really know what to do with her but now she’s becoming one of the shows strongest characters. This is mainly because she is no longer in the dark about everything going on. We she how important she has become not only as a fighter but how she stands up to Malcom towards the end of the episode. She’s a great example of how the writers can turn around a lesser character into one of if not the most important supporting character in the entire show.

 

The flashbacks this episode were some of the best flashbacks in a long while. It was great seeing the characters so long ago dealing with Oliver’s death. I particularly enjoyed seeing Tommy again. However in this episode he acted as an older brother like character to Thea. Thea meanwhile is taking about as many drugs as possible. Outside of Argus these are the two we mainly focus on and they really show us how different Oliver is now.

 

My favourite moment was when Oliver snapped the neck of the drug dealer. It was quite chilling to be reminded how cold he used to be and it evoked how far he’s come. The flashbacks usually mirror the tone of the present day and here was no exception.  We see Thea becoming what Oliver was and how it troubles him to see this side of her.

 

We also get to see team Arrow from back then. Felicity gets some signature funny lines as she nearly walks in on Oliver hacking into his companies computers. We haven’t had much of the awkward funny Felicity lately and it was great to see. We also got to see Diggle and finally meet his brother. We didn’t see or hear much but I liked that we got to see where they were. I would however have liked to have seen Moira. She was great as a character with immense power and stature without having to be good in a fight. She carried such a presence which was why her death was so momentous.

 

Finally there was the Lances. We see Quentin at his lowest, something we’d heard about but not fully seen. It was very similar to seeing Laurel when she was drunk and it was quite chilling to see him in such a state. In the present though it was even more unnerving. I haven’t been Laurels biggest fan but I felt really bad for her here. I felt so bad for her being criticised by her own Father, especially when he started talking about her as Black Canary, I thought that was really harsh. Despite her being rushed and a very botched character, after last episode you can’t dent she has the best of intentions but she hasn’t realised how living the life of a vigilante pushes people closest to you away.

 

There were still some negatives. During the Flashbacks there were some really cheesy lines such as when Maseo tells Oliver that his hood is a terrible disguise even if he covered his face in grease paint. Tommy telling Thea Oliver would be ashamed of what she has become, with Oliver watching from a distance. Maybe some people liked this but I though these moments were very cheesy.

 

The other thing is that how these characters haven’t figured out how keeping secrets from each other always ends up badly. Is Malcom really surprised Thea found out he manipulated her to kill Sara? There’s also how easy it is to break in and out of the Argus prison on Lian Yu. My negatives are very nit-picky and that’s to the episodes credit but I thought they were worth mentioning.

 

Next episode is called Nanda Parbat. It appears that Thea is going to hand over Malcom to Ra’s all Ghul and the league of assassins. I’m hoping we will get to see the inside of the league. I assume some of the main cast will be heading to Nanda Parbat to free Malcom as we see him tied up and heavily tortured in the promo. This episode is also supposed to be debuting the Atom suit for Ray Palmer. I like Ray Palmer but we haven’t seen him in a while and I don’t want them to take away too much from the league of assassins. It may however mean we get more of Felicity as she will likely stay in Starling City with him.

 

I was very impressed with the Return. Slade Wilson remains as terrifying as ever and I’m glad he’s still alive to bring back at a later date, it’d be great for him to remain a recurring villain. I feel like Thea’s character is falling into place after a shaky start although I do expect her to kill someone before the series is up. She is being enveloped in darkness and I don’t think it’ll be as easy as to stay in the good moral standing. I can’t wait to see what happens and I thought this episode was one of Arrow season 3’s best so far.

Charizard vs Toothless - Who Would Win

Charizard vs Toothless - Who Would Win

Continuing with epic dragon fights we have a battle between Tootless from How to Train Your Dragon and the iconic Pokémon Charizard … who isn’t actually a dragon at all. In a one on one battle with no outside assistance who would win? Let’s find out.

 

I’ll start with Toothless. Bought to prominence by the film How to Train Your Dragon, he actually first appeared in the book of the same name. They vastly change in appearance and abilities so I’ll be using the film version since Charizard could probably just step on the book version. Toothless is a Night Fury, a very rare species of dragon. He is black in colour and has his signature retractable teeth.

 

Toothless is 8.5 metres long. While I couldn’t find his exact height he is taller than Hiccup who I found to be 6 feet and 2 inches tall. Toothless also has a highly impressive wingspan of 48 feet. Despite being so big Toothless is extremely fast. The How to Train Your Dragon book says he can fly at over 100 mph however in the films we see him keep up with a free falling Hiccup. When free falling a human’s terminal velocity is closer to 150 mph so it’s likely Toothless can fly at speeds even faster than this.

 

Toothless is extremely fast and agile both on land and in the air. He can run and jump extremely well meaning he is not limited to air combat. On top of this he can take off vertically without any need for a running start making him one agile flyer. On top of this he has superb endurance and stamina as well as very high physical strength. He also has heightened senses including a high sensitive sense of hearing.

 

Anyone who has watched the film has seen Toothless shoot those purple blast things out of his mouth. Brace yourself because this is about to get very scientific. The purple blasts are plasma blasts. These blasts are created with Acetylene (, blue fire (Created with oxygen), a green gas and electricity. Therefore due to blue fire this is a fire attack. The acetylene (A simple hydro carbon) oxygen flame is ionized enough to become plasmoid, neither solid nor liquid. Toothless can fire his plasma blast in either fire balls or a continuous stream. He can also control the relative heat and strength of each blast, however acety;ene and oxygen can burn at 6500 degrees Fahrenheit. However he can only shoot 5 blasts before needing to recharge, although he does recharge remarkably quickly. He also cannot use his plasma blast at high altitude due to a lack of oxygen.

 

What are some of his weaknesses? Well he can have a bit of a temper. He is also missing a plate on the end of his tail meaning he requires a synthetic substitute built by Hiccup in order to fly. The substitute is nowhere near as sturdy as the scales on Toothless and is also flammable. On top of this while Toothless can fly by himself he has relied on Hiccup for many of his greatest moments and manoeuvres. By himself his flight skills are merely adequate.

 

However if all else fails he has his alpha mode. Here he charges himself in some way. The spines on his black glow purple and he becomes more powerful. It not only boosts his strength but he now has an unlimited amount of plasma blasts of greater power. He can also control other dragons in this mode but since Charizard is technically not a dragon this will have no impact on the battle. However if Toothless wasn’t strong enough before then now he has become the most powerful thing in his own world and he is truly a force to be reckoned with.

 

Outside of Pikachu, the mighty flame Pokémon Charizard is probably Pokémon’s most recognisable and iconic figure. Despite being a Bulbasaur person myself no one can deny Charizard’s stature. However looking at Charizard’s Pokédex entry could make you question why. I’m sure we’ve all imagined what riding a Charizard would be like but Charizard is a mere 5 foot 7 inches tall and he weighs 90.5 kg. In comparison I’m 6 foot 1. It saddens me slightly knowing I’m taller than Charizard. The average male height in the UK is 5 foot and 9 inches meaning most of us are not going to be riding Charizard any time soon.

 

Perhaps more importantly Toothless is far bigger than Charizard. He’s taller despite walking on all fours and he is also far longer. On top of this the Pokédex quotes Charizard as capable of melting boulders and 10,000 tonnes glaciers with his fire. This would means his fire is in the region of 2000 degress Fahrenheit, around a third of the heat of Toothless’s plasma blasts. However his fire does burn hotter if the Charizard has experienced harsh battles (such as one with Toothless) but it still cannot reach anywhere near the heat of the plasma blast. It should be noted however that a a fire type, Charizard resists fire type attacks including a Plasma Blast.

 

What moves can Charizard use? I’m only taking into account moves Charizard can learn naturally. Despite this he can learn a variety of attacks ranging from obvious fire and flying attacks to normal, dragon, steel and even ghost. His standard flamethrower attack is a basic fire breath but he can also use fire spin to envelop his opponent in a vortex of fire with fire spin and he is capable of biting down on his enemy with fire fang. He can use dragon claw, wing attack, metal claw or shadow claw to fight at close range without the use of fire or air slash to hit from range. His most powerful naturally learned attack is flare blitz, a powerful fire attack that involves charging at full speed at the opponent. It does however inflict 33% recoil damage. Finally Charizard can envelop the battlefield in smoke with smoke screen.

 

It’s difficult to judge Charizards strength and speed. Using his base stats could draw comparison however this is difficult, His highest stat is his above average special attack. He is also the joint 43^rd fastest pokemon and has decent attack. His defensive stats are underwhelming however. How do these stats help? To judge his speed I thought to look to the Pokédex. Dragonite has a base speed of 80, less than the 100 of Charizard. However the Pokédex repeatedly mentions that Dragonite can fly around the earth in 16 hours. This is 24,091.55 miles meaning Dragonite can fly at 1506 mph. This is almost twice the speed of sound. This means in theory Charizard can fly even faster. In fact using base speeds this makes him 5/4 times faster meaning Charizard can theoretically fly at 1882.5 mph. On top of this by move tutor Charizard can learn a move called seismic toss meaning he can lift, fly up above the earth’s atmosphere and slam any Pokémon into the ground. The heaviest Pokémon is Groudon at 2094.4 pounds. So you can see how much Physical strength Charizard has.

 

Since Charizard is over 6 times faster than the fastest road car using base stats makes this an easy victory for Charizard. He is around 12 times faster than Toothless and has far more physical strength despite his smaller size. However without taking this into account I still think Charizard would win this battle. Toothless is fast but not fast enough nor skilled enough without Hiccup to avoid Charizards fire attacks. Thus his tail plate made by Toothless would be destroyed in the flames preventing Toothless from flying. Charizard can fly at altitudes of 4600 feet meaning he could easily avoid Tootless and his attacks. He can’t jump anywhere near this high meaning it would only be a matter of time before Toothless was taken down.

 

A Charizard is an extremely proud creature. It would not go down easily and has enough natural strength to not be overpowered by Toothless, even in alpha mode. Charizard can still fly after taking heavy amounts of damage so it could easily escape toothless. With only fire type plama blasts to hit Charizard from range a grounded Toothless would be easy pickings for a flying Charizard. Despite his imposing size and stature Toothless doesn’t stand a chance. The victory goes to Charizard.

 

 

Everyone's a Winner ... Wait What?

Everyone’s a Winner … Wait What?

No one likes to lose. Yes obvious statement is obvious but it’s true. Some of us respond with huge numbers with excuses. We say how lucky the opponent was or something. Even if you’ve been completely destroyed you still grumble and moan. So really this is just being a bad loser. Then there’s the so called ‘good’ and ‘gracious’ loser. These people have exactly the same thoughts as the bad loser but they clap while making a fake smile instead. Then there’s the last set of people. The ones who say everybody wins.

 

Do you play sport to any sort of serious degree at all? Then you’ll agree that the ‘Everyone’s a winner’ people are being incredibly dumb. In the middle of a contest, whether it’s a gruelling scrum between two teams or something less physical like that crucial putt for par on a green if you lose after all that you are not going to pretend everyone’s a winner. When I’m battling for a crucial point in a badminton match I’m not playing in the knowledge that it’s okay if I lose because I’ll still be a winner. If I lose I know it will suck.

 

Obviously it’s not just sporty people who are competitive. The red mist can descend on anyone. So why do some people pretend that everyone is a winner? School sports day’s spring to mind. I’d imagine parents and teachers don’t want to see children crying when they lose. In all seriousness though is it a good idea to teach children that no one ever really lose? They’re going to have a bit of a shock if they carry on believing this into later life. There’s my parenting advice for the day.

 

If you truly want to compete then you do not believe that everybody wins. In my infinite wisdom I have figured out that only losers believe that everybody wins. Imagine this. You are running a marathon. You watch as everyone else flies out ahead of you. But you don’t buckle under pressure. You pace yourself far better and one by one you pass the other runners. Soon you’re nearing the front. You pass the half way mark still going strong. You can feel the adrenaline pumping. Twenty miles in you run into the lead. The other runners fall further and further behind you. Yes you. You smash through the wall and keep going. You can taste the glory. The finish line is in sight. You’re so close. Do you think everyone’s a winner now? Are all the people behind you winners despite the fact you’ve gone much further much quicker. If you think yes then imagine now your leg falls off. You lie on the floor unable to move. All the other runners go past until you are in last place.  Are you a winner now?

 

Sportsmanship is important. Enjoying yourself is important. But don’t say everyone’s a winner. You are wrong you spanner and you go to the back of the class. Maybe we all need a bit more of a winning mentality. Then maybe England would actually win something. I’m looking at you men’s England cricket team.