Revisitors

Lots of us have TV shows we like to go back and watch again and again, whether that's the syndicated sitcom bliss of Friends, the mystery unboxing of Lost or Breaking Bad, or classic like The Wire or The Sopranos. But what about specific episodes? It's the age of Netflix marathoning where programmes will line up to be watched without you having to move a finger, but does anyone go back and search for that one standout episode, does anyone sift through their DVD's to remember that one particular scene? Anyone other than me, of course. Being the massive dork that I am, I have a few choice TV episodes that I like to rewatch from time to time. Here are some I'd like to share with you.

Doctor Who

I'm going to get this one done and out of the way first. Yes, Blink is a terrific episode of Doctor Who that's worth rewatching. It has a terrific story and is the legendary introduction of the Weeping Angels and would be a great argument for encouraging more anthology style episodes from the Doctor Who universe but, and this is a big but, that isn't my personal favourite. Blink is a great episode and I do like it a lot, but my favourite episode to rewatch is from series four called Turn Left. 

The episode follows Donna (Catherine Tate) as she is transported back to an alternate past where she didn't meet the Doctor. The Doctor is practically absent here but the appeal of this episode is that it's not about anything particularly huge, it's just about one woman. A woman who feels like she's failed at every opportunity in her life, a woman who feels she can't do anything but shout at an ever crumbling world. It's a spectacular episode penned by then showrunner Russell T. Davies, that shows that one seemingly insignificant person can make a difference to the world. A person that, by all means, isn't especially special but has a good sense of humour and is rather good at yelling at people. It's a bit It's a Wonderful Life but that's far from a bad thing because it is rather wonderful to show someone how big a difference their life can make.

Other notable episodes: The Waters of Mars; A Christmas Carol; The Eleventh Hour; Gridlock

Fringe

I'm not a big fan of Fringe, there was a great premise, interesting set up and an addictive theme tune but after trying to find it's feet in the first season, it found it was just a less than engaging, sci-fi cop, X-files wannabe. The episode's that really stand out though are one's from the first season that show where Fringe could (and should have) gone. . 

Power Hungry, the fifth episode of the first season, is about a man who can manipulate his magnetic field but can't control it and it's a cool episode. There isn't much spectacle, no big, bad monster but a misunderstood sap who got himself into a sorry situation. It's emotional, it's intriguing without being showy and it's somewhat believable. Unlike many of the other episodes that screamed science FICTION, Power Hungry felt like one that could, at a push, be scientific reality. 

The same can be said of Bad Dreams, where the team discovers a man whose emotions are so powerful they can manipulate those around him. It's like that friend who whenever he laughs, you laugh or that negative friend who always makes you hate the world as much as he does (do I need new friends?). This man feels so unhappy, so depressed and suicidal that it's driving others to commit suicide and Olivia, the main character, can feel this in her dreams. Isn't that a great premise? What really stands out about both of these episodes is that they're character focussed with a dollop of plausible sci-fi. That was the show we deserved, but not the show we got.

Other notable episodes: White Tulip; Making Angels

Avatar: The Last Airbender

You may have heard rumors about how great this show is, and they're true. Avatar was a show that was not only epic, but funny, mature, poignant, heartfelt, exciting, addictive and beautiful. If you haven't checked it out, do so, if you have, do so again. The show followed Aang, a 12 year old boy who can "bend" all the elements, as he attempts to stop the world being taken over by a fire hungry death fiend, the Firelord. There's much more to it, like the world, the mythology and the characters. There's Katara, a water bender with funky hair 'loopys'; Toph, a blind earthbending prodigy and Sokka the eldest and least powerful of them all. Amongst a group of people who can do amazing thing's Sokka is just a dude with a boomerang.

Season three's Sokka's Master sees Sokka as he considers his place in the group and trains under a master swordsman in order to be more useful. Sokka's Master isn't the best episode of the series but it's one of the most emotionally honest, it shows a person doubting his capabilities and contribution, especially in the company of his talented friends. It takes the goofiest character of the show and explores his off the wall style of thinking, his strategy, his drive and shows that, yes he is a big doofus, but the things that make him like that also make him really important to the team. It helps show even the silliest of us that we're probably worth more than we think.

Other notable episodes: The Ember Island Players; Zuko Alone; The Chase; the Blue Spirit

The Legend of Korra

Legend of Korra, the sister series to The Last Airbender, follows the new avatar - Korra, a fierce and hot headed young woman as she tries to maintain balance in the world. Where ATLA was based in a pre-industrial age world, Legend of Korra takes us into a 1930's style world where radios, cars and telephones are coming into their own. It's a terrific evolution of the Avatar mythology and was refreshed by a new enemy each season. 

However in shaking up it's own formula, season four picks up three years after the last season finished. Korra has been recovering from an attempt on her life where she was poisoned, beaten and only just brought back from the brink of death. Her body may be better, but she's still haunted by what happened and when a new threat emerges, Korra doesn't know if she can face it. 

Beyond the Wilds is the ninth episode in the fourth season and sees Korra trying to pull herself back together but when people are being taken by the spirit wilds, she has to face the man who almost killed her in order to get over her mental block. All of Korra is rewatchable to no end, but Beyond the Wilds has one of the shows best moments. Throughout the season we see Korra facing depression, self doubt and fear but she's forced to face the embodiment of this when she confronts Zahir. She has to accept his help in order to come to terms with what happened to her and it's brilliant. The scene where she sees him has her go from tough, to scared, to angry, to frustrated and ultimately to peace. For a season that's titled Balance, the show more than finds some.

Other notable episodes: Korra Alone; Operation Beifong: Long Live The Queen; Beginnings Part 1 & 2

Game of Thrones

Many people who watch Game of Thrones have a mad fanaticism over it and it's not hard to see why. It's addictive nature, it's wavering trigger finger and it's wonderful character interplay is something to behold. There's a great joy in seeing how many of the multiple story strands will affect each other and attempting to guess how the show will end. Although Game of Thrones has a good few battle based episodes, the one that I like to go back to is The Laws of Gods and Men where fan favourite Tyrion Lannister is put on trail for regicide. The court room scene lasts half the episode and is gripping from end to finish. It goes through many of Tyrion's actions in the previous three seasons and portrays different perspective's on how they transpired. The episode then ends with a fantastic monologue by Tyrion that'll give you the tingles any time you hear it.

Other notable episodes: Hard Home; The Watchers of the Wall; The Mountain and the Viper; The Rains of Castamere

Batman The Animated Series

BTAS is seminal viewing for anyone who was born in the nineties, the design was spectacular, the characters were engaging and the stories were on point. Nothing like this had been made for television like this and especially nothing for a young audience. It was so good it changed from a Saturday morning to a Sunday evening slot and earned itself an Emmy. Season two has the fan favourite episode Almost Got 'Im where a half dozen of the Bat's greatest villains are playing poker and each talk about the time they almost knocked off the Bat. It's a fun episode that's beautifully drawn and has some of the best line's of the series.

Other notable episodes: Heart of Ice; Harley and Ivy; On Leather Wings; Perchance to Dream

Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes might not count as a TV show as it was primarily a series of shorts shown on the big screen, but it's everlasting episode run on Cartoon Network proves it's worth mentioning. Looney Tunes is a show that's loved and understood worldwide for it's crazy antic's, visual flair and memorable characters. Pool together people young and old from various corners of the world, shove them in a room and put on some Looney Tunes and they'll all be laughing in a minute. On lazy or sick days, I tend to switch on Looney Tunes and the first one I'll go to is Rabbit of Seville. This short follows Bugs being chased into an opera house by Elmer and performing in the show in an attempt not to be shot. It's a simple episode that's hilarious from start to finish with fantastic slapstick and humorous lyrics. It also contains the famous Elmer head massage moment that is seen in Space Jam as well.

Other notable episodes: Duck Amuck; What's Opera, Doc?; Rabbit Fire; Hair-Raising Hare

House

House was a procedural doctor show that starred the mega talented Hugh Laurie as the cane wielding genius titular character. I've never much cared for procedurals  but occasionally one might come out with something from left field like Season four's two part finale House's Head & Wilson's Heart. After House survives a bus crash he has a vague memory that someone from the accident is going to die and the punch of who that is is in following episode. This was a show that usually had House being prickly to his interns and abrasively solving strange cases but here the relationship between House and his best friend Wilson is put to the test and the show employs some interesting techniques in making the big reveal. It's a moment that stuck with me since and has always remained and that's why these are episode's I'll always come back to

There are dozens of other shows with specific episodes that I can talk about for days on end but the days is only so long. Believe it or not you probably have a life to live and I have some work to stop putting off, so until next time - take care.

If you want to share any thoughts on this post you can comment below or hit me up on twitter @yjinkscrawler.

Favourite feelings

Recently two of my favourite Youtube stars, Charlie McDonnell and Hank Green of the Vlog Brothers, talked about their feelings and it was rather nice. They simply talked about some of their favourite feelings and why they connected so well with them and, with the stressful and frustrating week I've been having, I thought I'd talk about my favourite feelings in an attempt to cheer me and you (if you're out there) up.

Where to start? Well I love the satisfaction you get when you've worked a long and full day and you get to bed knowing you've accomplished something.

Or even when you complete some work. 

Or hand it in.

Or just do some good work that day -  it's some mighty fine satisfaction.

I love the feeling of a good, honest and compassionate hug - especially when you're feeling down - there's nothing quite like it. Cuddles are also accepted, kisses may be too far.

When someone feels close enough with you that they can let themselves be vulnerable around you. That's trust.

The feeling you get when you know someone is trusting you with something close to them - knowing you're important enough to them to hear this information is high praise.


The post hot shower bliss.

Figuring out a story problem - that's a real good high.

When you pitch an idea you have and it's understood, or maybe even loved, talk about excitement.

Discovering a new favourite song, film or book - It's like finding a nugget of gold. (Speaking of, for a good new listen check out this)

Being out on the dance floor and not giving a hot damn how badly you're dancing as you just go for it. Even better, dancing on the street when the music takes you. That's a mighty good feeling right there.

Late night giggle sessions with friends. They're silly, timeless and some grand fun.

Helping a friend out. When you've made a positive difference to someone else's life you know you've done well.

Helping a stranger - It's nice to feel like a decent person for a wee while.

Pizza - need I say more?

Laughter that induces face and/or stomach pain - It hit's the spot then, hasn't it?

When you can honestly compliment yourself - It's hard for a Brit to do, so you know you mean it when it's said.

Making someone else smile - ain't that just nice?

Being told I look handsome - yeah, I'm vain like that. Compliment me and you've won me over.

Being told you're cool - makes you feel like a badass.

When you ask someone out and they say yes - a rarity, yes, but it ain't half awesome.

Christmas time - Good will to all men, why can't that last all year?


That should do for now, but maybe on another crappy day I'll let some more loose. Hope you enjoyed this and if you want to watch Charlie or Hank's videos on their favourite feelings, check out the links below.

Charlie's channel

Hank's channel

If the mood takes you, you can also tweet me at @yjinkscrawler. Alright now, have a good day.

Fantastic Four and the Second Chance Reboot

Well hey there, folks. Why yes, it has indeed been a while but let's move past that "Oh my God, I'm so sorry I haven't talked to you in ages" anxiety and move on with our lives, shall we? Plenty has happened since last we convened, but one thing has struck my interest in particular and is the reason I'm here.

Today, after much waiting, the new Fantastic Four trailer has finally debuted and if you want to check it out you can watch it here. It's been almost 8 years since a Fantastic Four film blasted onto our screens with Rise of the Silver Surfer (one of my personal favourite superhero's) so it's been a while since we saw Reed Richards and the gang. Taking a leaf out of The Amazing Spiderman's book, the franchise has been rebooted and taken on a younger, virile cast, a director from the semi-indie circuit and a darker tone. Compared to Spiderman though, it actually looks promising because unlike the Spiderman franchise, Fantastic Four could do with a do over.

And that, ladies and gentleman, is our talking point of the day - What do you think could do with a second chance reboot? In the hopes of starting a discussion, I'm gonna name a few of my ideas and from there some of you can jump in with your own suggestions in the comments.

The Golden Compass

Many of you might have forgotten that in 2007 New Line Cinema came out with the long awaited adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, the first in the His Dark Materials trilogy. New Line had this made in the hopes of having another Lord of The Ring's on their hands but unfortunately the film fell flat on its face. Although it had some solid actor's on board with Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Eva Green, the story was watered down and failed to capture the meatier aspect's of the book. The over arching narrative of the trilogy is set around Lord Asriel's (Daniel Craig) aiming to break from his world and build an army to kill the Authority (aka God). This get's the hero, Lyra - an eleven year old girl raised in a prestigious Oxford College, to seek him out with her truth compass and save her friend whose been kidnapped.

Not only do we have a brilliant fantasy setting here, but we also have hard hitting themes that could make us think and some damn compelling characters, one of which is one of my favourite's in literature. Pullman's books are so rich with scope that it's ripe for a cinematic venture. One that attempts to put to screen what made the books special, that doesn't talk down to it's audience and has something to say. This is a franchise that has some gumption, a characteristic all too rare now.

Sleepy Hollow

In 1949 Disney brought out a two part feature film that contained two half hour short's based on classic children's literature, one was The Wind in the Willow's and the other was Sleepy Hollow. It followed Ichabod Crane, the new Sleepy Hollow schoolmaster who had all the town's woman besotted with him. In 1999 Tim Burton came out with his version of the tale that had, surprise surprise, Johnny Depp starring as Ichabod Crane, an experimental forensic investigator who comes to Sleepy Hollow to investigate mysterious murders. Of course we have two very different approaches to the original material and this isn't even mentioning the recent TV rehash that's been made over on FOX, but what I'm suggesting here is that we have a fantasy horror film for kids based on the creepiness of Sleepy hollow.

There's a sequence in the last act of the 1949 Sleepy Hollow that had Ichabod riding home from a halloween party on his own and scared out of his wits by the tale of the headless horseman. It's creepy and still to this day gives me goosebumps as I fear the headless horseman's arrival alongside paranoid Ichabod. That's a great feeling to have especially as a kid, to not be mollycoddled and have the crap scared out of you just like everyone else. It'd be great to have a Sleepy Hollow film that's made with that gothic creepiness that induces goosebumps; to have the headless horseman be a silent, scary monster like Alien. Whether it's animated or live action this would be a great niche to have filled and with the onslaught of live action fairy tale rehash's hitting our screens, it's a great time to try it out. Somebody get on it!

The Pagemaster

Okay, bare with me here. Anyone old enough to have grown up with The Pagemaster should be able to admit that even with the rose tinted goggles of childhood, it wasn't that great a film. Thing is, that doesn't stop it being good.

Yes, that's why I said bare with me,

The Pagemaster follows Kevin, a 'cowardly' kid who gets stuck in a library during a storm and is engulfed into the world of books, literally. It follows in the footsteps of Bed knobs & Broomsticks and The Never Ending Story, it's a live action-animation fantasy film about the power of reading. Now even though the film was a badly told tale, it does capture your imagination and that is what it's meant to do. It's supposed to be a film that entertains you, show's you the power of using your imagination and why books matter. Film's like that are few and far between now a days and with an unabashed classic tale to tell, it could prove popular. With a rickety old original like this, it means there's even more incentive to reboot it, maybe even with the possibility of a sequel. Any creative who'd take it on could easily make it their own as long as they kept the heart of the original beating. Just a little tender love, care and skill could bring this story to life and keep library's of the world open that bit longer.

Anything by M. Night Shyamalan after the year 2000

It's become real easy to make a punchline out of M. Night Shyamalan over the last 15 years, and it's not without reason. I mean have you seen The Happening? The thing is, it's hard to choose just one piece of work from Shyamalan that should be given a second chance. The Last Airbender was a miscarriage of justice against the original series, which everyone should check out, and After Earth couldn't save Shyamalan from his flop streak even with box office magnet Will Smith involved. 

Even though the obvious choice would be The Last Airbender, I'm going to choose Lady In The Water instead, simply for the reason that The Last Airbender has a magnificent original series to watch while Lady in the Water has no such luck.

Lady In the Water was originally written as a bedtime story for Shyamalan's kids. It follows the superintendent of an apartment building who finds a girl called Story (yes that's her name) a mermaid like creature who needs to be returned to her home. It's a fairy tale like story that, like The Pagemaster, has a great heart to it. Although over indulged, the morale of the story is that no one can tell you what you are, which is a valuable lesson. Shyamalan seemed so in love with his own fairy tale and telling it specifically that the audience didn't get a chance to love it the way he did. Were this to be given a second chance it could be given a non-sycophant's attention and allow them to have an objective opinion, letting them cut, change and adapt as they saw fit. Lady in the Water is the beginning of what could be a great adult fairytale and maybe without Shyamalan's involvement, something could come of it

Honourable mentions

Crash Bandicoot - It may be a game, but it's been a long damn time since Crash Bandicoot has come out with a new one. With his zany energy and welcoming wackiness, Crash deserves his long awaited comeback.

Missy Elliot - Missy's still around, thank goodness, but has mainly kept to producing and writing for "All Ya Favorite Singers!" but it's been a long time since she's given us any of her own tunes. With popular music becoming more and more banal, Missy's return would be a welcome shake up to the chart's.

Destiny's Child - The Destiny's three shaped R&B in the early 2000's and with Beyonce strutting her stuff all around the world, it'd make a welcome and humbling change to have Kelly and Michelle join her.

Young Justice- The much loved animated show only aired for two seasons but it won the hearts of many. It's second season did convolute the story way too much, but if given a second chance, old fans and newly acquired fans cold swarm to watch a great and honest telling of what it's like to be a teenage superhero.

Fear, Failure and Courage

I don't like failure.

That's not to say that nobody else does, but for some reason I really rather dislike it. Even at this moment, I'm scared that I'm going to mess up with every upcoming word that I am typing. Wondering to myself if what's being tapped out at my fingertips will be derivative, unappealing or worse, badly written and whiney. It feels whiney to be typing it, but it also feels necessary.

Ever since the ripe old age of 6, I've wanted to make films. I've wanted to write them and make them and have them shown around the world and have people be encapsulated by this tale that was resided in my brain and is now in yours. Ever since the moment I knew I wanted to do this, and I remember the exact moment I'll have you know, I've written wee stories. I've written short story's and long stories and imagined worlds and characters and situations to fill them. I've watched films and read books and receded into these pockets of imagination when the real world wasn't enough.

Now I'm in my twenties and I'm studying to do what I always wanted to do but I'm scared. I'm scared a lot. So scared that it's stopped me from doing anything. I'm scared that I have nothing to offer, nothing to distinguish myself from the hundreds of thousands out there who are conquering their destinies and that my ideas, my time, is worthless. I'm scared that I won't amount to anything; I'm scared that there's no point to me doing this at all, of doing anything I do really.

I've always had the belief that the longer and harder you work on something the better and more satisfying it'll be when you've completed it. It's one of the reasons I don't write on here often. Who want's to hear another guy yabbering on about their problems with no real substance, conclusion or argument? No, if I'm going to do anything I'm going to work long and hard on it so it can be all the greater when I'm done. I'll think out my points, come up with something interesting and because I've done all this it'll make it all the more amazing.

Ha, not done that today. Ah, jeez I really haven't. Fuck it.

I've always liked pouring myself into what I do, but what if what I do isn't as good as I thought it was? Or as good as people thought it'd be? Does that means that I'm not good? Even if I spend hours, days, weeks and years slaving over the one project? What if that's not good?

Yeah, you can probably tell that these thought's are already unhealthy and having them swimming around your head, as I have, for at least the last 18 months hasn't yielded anything helpful at all. In fact it's controlled my life too much. I don't like that and I'd rather it didn't continue. In a film that I like a lot, Ratatouille, there's a quote from the legendary chef Gusteau:

You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great.

Only the fearless can be great. I don't there's such a thing as being fearless to be honest. Everybody's been scared, some more than others, whether it's fear of death or banana's (like a boy from school I knew) but not letting it rule you is another matter. Acting despite your fear, despite that crippling anxiety that you're not worth it or you won't amount to anything or whatever it may be, that is courage.

And courage exists. I don't need to prove it to you, because it sp clearly does. Crossing the road takes courage, doing anything new takes courage and if that's not enough for you then look to the news. Look to he horrors that prevail our screen and to those who act in spite of it. Yes, courage exists and it is just not a cowardly dog (topical ain't I?).

I guess, if you've stood my yabbering thus far, what I'm trying to say is that fear must be natural. It neads to be acknowledged before it can be overcome because knowing what's there makes the darkness easy to see through. You might not ever conquer it, I can't say for sure. I can't say if I ever will, I just know that being afraid isn't a bad thing.

I'm scared of failure because I want to do well (doy) just like anyone on the street beyond my front door but failure is a part of life. If you live a life that lacks mistakes then how are you going to get stronger or know yourself? It's only when you fail that you know what you're made of, and I think I've started to know myself better because of it.

I can't say I'm over my fear, because that would be lying and I don't like lying. I'm probably still a far cry from being over it, but I know now that having the courage to act in spite of it is what will conquer or diminish it. That as the poet Robert Frost once wrote, the only way forward, is through. You're probably thinking that a Disney movie or Hallmark card could tell you all this, but I guess it's one of those thing's you have to live to know. A Testament of Acknowledgement

I hereby acknowledge that I am afraid of failure,

But in spite of this I will aim to act,

To not have my fears and anxiety's rule me

And be the best me I can.

Also, credit where credit is due, this was somewhat inspired by an old video that Charlie McDonnell aka CharlieIsSoCoolLike made, so have a watch of that if you're still here.

Thank's for listening, and if it interest's you, you can check me me out on Twitter

Oh yes, I wrote something

A few months ago I worked with a TV production student at my University and wrote his third year grad film. Some of the aspects had to change while they were shooting, which is a shame but still, it's worth a watch. So check it out, and I'll be attempting to update you, the eternal internet abyss, with more in the near future. See you then

Oh and don't forget to check me out on Twitter

Gaming, E3 and the Phenomenon that is Kingdom Hearts

The E3 annual gaming trade fair took place a couple of days ago and some big chunks of news hit the world. Now I don't consider myself a gamer. My preferred console is the Playstation 2 and I've not completed any games in the last 4 or so years unless you count Tetris, and as much as I'm a Tetris fanatic, it doesn't count.

The thing is, in my blissful youth, my gaming experience was scattered.  Gaming was mainly when I went to my cousins house and played Rayman on their Playstation with them. Back then playing with more than one person was either when you were fighting each other on Tekken or sitting by them during a boss battle on whichever game we were into and telling them when to hit, jump, heal and generally shout encouragement. And it was bloody brilliant.

My gaming career began with my Gameboy which I religiously played Pokemon on after saving Birthday and Christmas money as well as every penny I could find. When the Playstation 1 was reaching it's later days my parents had managed to russle one up from somewhere with some educational games for me to play. Which, lets face it, nobody wants to play, you play games to get away from education not to jump back into it. However that all changed during Christmas 2001 when I was bestowed the gift of gifts. For my Birthmas (Birthday+Christmas) I received a Playstation 2 and my own TV to play it on. From there, life was good.

I played on it for hours on end, keeping it on overnight to stay my progress until I could get a memory card. It was great and then, it got better. When bragging (because I was so dang humble) about my gifts to a couple of friends, one of them reminded me of this game I saw a trailer for a long time before. There was a boy and these worlds, they were based on something I knew, and he had a strange but cool weapon, a Key... Blade? It was called Kingdom Hearts. As soon as I could I took the remainder of my Christmas money rushed to the nearest store I could find and bought it. Thus began one of my biggest fandoms.

It was glorious and like nothing I had ever seen before. It took characters I've loved since I was born, from worlds I wanted to venture since I saw them and stories I'd giddily rewatched for years and told me that I could go on an adventure with them in a completely new and different way. My mind was blown. It was completely unprecedented and yet completely necessary at the same time. Disney meets Final Fantasy, I mean, what even? It was juvenile enough to linger onto childhood and yet mature enough to tackle strong themes; growing up, restlessness, home, love, loss, sacrifice, it was all there. I could freely talk about it with my group of friends and not feel totally alienated. Yes, to others it looked like fanatical childish waste fo time, but to me, it was a salvation from that bleak, miserable and angry time in life called teenager-hood.

It introduced me to series like Final Fantasy and later God of War but nothing quite matched Kingdom Hearts. Nothing was quite as lighthearted but serious, quite as epic but soulful, quite as cool but Goofy (see what I did there). It knew what it was and made no apologies for it. Yeah it was silly, and yeah, it was solemn but it was so self assured that you had confidence in it, you loved it because of that. its magnetism and charisma was enough to draw you back in and replay it a million times over. Its characters were charming and, sometimes, poignant and engaging to follow and it was this personality, this soul, this heart that gave it its loyal following.

Since 2006's first full follow up, Kingdom Hearts II, fans have been hankering for a third. In between the 1st and 2nd instalments Chain of Memories was released on the Gameboy, and since KH2, four other games have spawned from here on hand held consoles. Although these have contributed somewhat to the ever growing mythology and the ever complex plot, a third instalment has been begged for and now, these prayers have been answered.

Yes at this years E3 an announcement trailer was released for the new instalment on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. No news has been released as to when it may be seen and little is known of the story, except it follows a mature Sora, but fans worldwide could be heard unanimously thanking their God's when they found out. Facebook and Twitter were aflutter with joyous reactions. As soon as I found out I literally cheered out loud. My gaming career had sat on a dusty shelf in my memory, resigned to the past, thinking this day would never come, I've had no money and no time to play the interquel's, midquel's and prequel's that have since been made, but now over ten years since I started playing it, I am giddy with excitement again.

To many, it doesn't make sense. Disney and Square? In a role playing game? But for us Kingdom Hearts fans it is a unique and definitive blend of concepts and emotions that has stayed in our hearts. It said to us that you can be hopeful, you can be optimistic and goofy and cartoonish and love what may seem childish but you can also be mature, responsible, heartfelt, protective and selfless. It told you that helping someone wasn't stupid, that loving your friends wasn't lame and that Disney is for everyone. It told you you weren't alone, that you're all right and, no matter what, you can endure. Your heart is strong and your will actions count. To paraphrase Sora, The heart may be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But deep down, there's a light that never goes out.

Here is the link to the announcement trailer, introduced by Kingdom Hearts director, Tetsuyo Nomura.

To those who've only just been introduced to it, need a refresher or just plain diddly love the series, this Timeline feature of Gametrailers is worth a definite watch. It looks at the series as a whole, the stories, the themes and the guides you through any of its confusing matters.

GameTrailers

If you like what you're reading then check me out on Twitter. It'll be nice to hear from you.