Random Thoughts: Doctor Who & Video Game Update

I didn't love the new Doctor Who episode as much as I thought I would. (WARNING: Spoilers to follow) Maybe my expectations were too high, I don't know. I mean, Peter Capaldi was great and all, but the plot just seemed a little too thrown-together. Like, didn't the Doctor jump into the River Thames to chase after the guy that turned out to be the head cyborg? If so, then how come the next thing we see him doing is rummaging through a back alley wondering about his new face? (either way, "Independent state of eyebrows" is hilarious.)

Also, if Clara had that thing that she could call the Paternoster Gang with, why didn't she do it earlier instead of hoping that the Doctor didn't actually leave? Was that part of a plan to get information from the cyborg? If so, then it just seemed weird how the whole thing was portrayed - Clara seemed genuinely frightened, and you (at least I) didn't get the sense afterwards of "oh, okay, that was a plan. Brilliant!" And I know there was that whole "moral ambiguity" moment at the end - "did the Doctor kill the cyborg, or did the cyborg kill himself?" - but I mean, seriously, why would the cyborg kill himself? Wouldn't he have put up more of a fight? Anyway, on to the video game update...

I just finished my fourth play-through of The Last Story, which is still my favorite game along with Okami, Xenoblade, and the Zelda series (which, for convenience's sake, I lump together into one thing.) In a search for something new to play, I tried (1) Sonic and the Black Knight and (2) Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. The former was okay, but after about forty-five minutes it became clear that it was not what I was looking for. The latter kept me occupied for a little while longer, but eventually it became rather repetitious - basically just a lot of climbing, jumping, and more climbing.

I think that with some good background music, more varied gameplay, and a story that moved along quicker, it could have been a really good game, but oh well. So then I went looking some more, and luckily I uncovered a hidden gem: EarthBound on the Wii U virtual console. So far, I'm really enjoying its storyline and its what-are-now-considered-cool-and-retro graphics and turn-based combat system. Hopefully it'll keep me occupied until Hyrule Warriors comes out next month...