Tag Archives: Call of Duty

Coldwater: An Interview with James C. Burns

Available now on select digital outlets is the new film Coldwater, a story about a troubled teenage boy who is sent to a camp for healing. The movie follows not only the teens struggling to survive, but also a retired war colonel,  Col. Frank Reichert  (James C. Burns), pushing these kids to their limits, searching for ways to change them. These elements come together to create an intense drama, powered by strong, deep characters.

Burns is well-known amongst gamers because of his role as Sgt. Woods in Call of Duty: Black Ops and its sequel. In many ways Col. Reichert and Sgt. Woods are the same, but their driving force is subtly different. While Woods merely needs to kill his enemies before they kill him, Reichert is given the complex task of rehabilitation, while facing some problems of his own.

Giga was given a chance to talk with Burns himself over Skype for some additional insight.

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As a fan favorite in Black Ops, what is it like to go from being an actor to voice actor and vice versa? How different is the mind set to play these roles?

“Woods was actually entirely a live-action performance. There’s less of a difference than one would think. I was testing the technology for them and they loved me so much they kept me around. Activision is constantly pushing the technology to make a richer experience. Lucky for me, I get to play with these new techniques, often before most.”

Sgt. Woods was in every sense of the word a badass. Col. Reichert seems to be an iron father figure with no room for disrespect. How do you make that transition from the defiant warrior to the rehabilitator as an actor?

“Woods and Reichert are all about getting the job done. Woods has a very simple mission. Kill the enemy. Reichert has to transform individuals. It takes anger and having good intentions.”

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While some trailers show Coldwater as a movie about change for the better, others portray it almost like a horror. What genre, or combination of genres, would you put the film into?

“It is not a horror film, it’s a dark drama. There are some hearty and funny moments, but it comes from a very serious and horrific subject. Conflict is inevitable from these strong personalities, so it has its scary moments.”

Getting away from the film for just a second, is there any word on a Black Ops 3? Being that Sgt. Woods is so old in Black Ops 2, would the new game visit crucial moments in the past or find a way to put him back into the fight? What would you like to see happen to the character?

“Unfortunately, I can’t answer that. As for what I would like to see done with the character, there are so many options.”

Why do you think people become attached to military characters? What is the core of these characters that makes them interesting? What makes them special to you?

The tablets should be taken at-least 30 purchase cheap cialis minutes before the sexual intercourse to experience best results. The AV node is the point from which the ventricular nerve branches originate. Dosage and Prices acquisition de viagra He will diagnose your medical condition and will let tadalafil 20mg you know how effective the pills are. Kamagra has viagra 100mg tablet been one of the most encouraging medicines for erectile dysfunction and other kind of sexual difficulties in India. “It’s not really just a military connection, but more of a level of trust and confidence in his ability. Woods is a resolutionist. He resolves problems. He is all about being supportive and being the best you can be. Reichert is an evolution to that character. Reichert is trying to bring out the absolute best in people.”

“What makes them so special? Integrity. I was once a pro hockey coach. I enjoy being around teamwork and love working with other people. That permeates the entire process of making a game or movie. Everyone is striving to bring these stories and experiences to life and that bond is what teamwork so special and powerful.”

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Coldwater is a film about transformation. Could you explain not only the internal changes in the film’s characters, but also the sort of changes you hope to bring to the audience?

“Kids make bad choices. These choices get harder as you grow older. The consequences to actions become more complex and potentially devastating as time goes on. It starts to affect the other folks involved in that person’s life as well. I think Coldwater may make people be more aware of how their choices affect themselves and each other. One of the main questions of the film is how do we expand one’s vision into a broader spectrum? Most the characters realize this perspective as the film progresses.”

Coldwater will just get people thinking, not change them outright. People have to want to change. We’re just exposing a real event.”

Burns went on to compare this type of movie to the common summer blockbuster. “There’s no real villain. These kids belong there. Change would do them good. There are no good and evil characters in Coldwater.”

I also asked Burns to leave us with a closing comment about Coldwater. He responded with, “It’s a very powerful film. Well-acted and expertly filmed, but at its core it’s about a true subject and something people should be aware of and think about.”

One final question for fun. Are you a gamer?

“I’m a backseat gamer, because I’m terrible at them. I do have all these insights about what to do though. For instance in Black Ops, if the game gives you a crossbow, use the damn crossbow.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1m3KhbqcI&w=640&h=360]

Coldwater is available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and Vimeo. Check it out! After that, go back and play Black Ops. As far as the next Black Ops, maybe the next one will take America’s toughest soldiers to Africa to hunt giraffes, but that’s just hearsay.

 

 

Titanfall: What’s All the Fuss About?

Titanfall, the beloved Xbox One title that took the FPS market by storm, has been out for a while now. So much hype and excitement, but what’s it all about? Why should you play this blockbuster over all of the others? Keep scrolling as we break down some differences and showstoppers that make this game so easy to pick up and even harder to put down.

“You’re Titan will be ready in 60 seconds.”

TitanIn Titanfall, the obvious main attraction is getting a giant mechanical Titan to play in. Initially, you earn a Titan in two minutes, starting at the beginning of the match. Once you receive your Titan, you can use it until it’s destroyed by the enemy team. The time it takes to get a new Titan will decrease with each kill and point you get in the game, so seconds get shaved off at a time. It doesn’t take long to get good enough at the game to be able to play in a Titan throughout the match, if that’s what you prefer. As you will see, there will be multiple Titans on the map at a time through the entirety of each game. This serves to give maps an incredibly dynamic feel. You’re small, Titans are huge, and buildings are even more massive.

Simplicity

Titanfall is simple, which may not come off as a positive attribute at first. As you choose each of your loadouts, you’ll notice that there are a handful of each type of gun or mechanic, and that’s it. So, while Call of Duty: Ghosts may have 10 different assault rifles to choose from, Titanfall has two. In fact, Titanfall  has only 10 primary weapons total, which may shock some people. However, this leads to a much simpler class setup, which in turn makes it more accessible to new players. The simplicity doesn’t stop there. Everything from attachments to perks are cut down to a minimum, and the game lacks camo for weapons  and killstreaks altogether.

Double Jumps and Wall Runs

Wall Run

We’ve already mentioned the size and dynamics of the maps in Titanfall as a pro. A huge part of this is due to double jumps and wall runs. A double jump is pretty self-explanatory: you jump once, then jump again while in the air to get an extra height or distance boost. Pilots have a jetpack attached to their backs at all times, which allows for the double jumping maneuver within the game. Wall runs are even more fun. Running up to a wall at an angle makes your pilot automatically run along the wall for a set distance; however, you are able to jump back and forth between walls or surfaces to perform a much longer wall run. These two maneuvers allow players to scale large buildings and Titans very quickly, creating a fast-paced environment that will constantly keep your adrenaline pumping.
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Pilots vs Grunts vs Spectres

Pilots are human players within the game. In modes such as Pilot-Hunter, only Pilot-kills count toward your team’s score. There are two other types of enemies in every game, both of which are computer-controlled AI characters. Grunts, which are the least skilled enemy you’ll ever face in a game, are usually easy to pick off and get some quick points. Occasionally, one will sneak up and kill you from behind, but that’s quite rare. Grunts have very low amounts of health, and generally go after Pilots. Spectres on the other hand are just about the opposite. They hunt down Titans with heavy artillery, and have several times the health level of a Grunt. Both of these enemies are AI and allow new players to feel accomplished, even if they’re not getting 20 Pilot kills each match.

This Ain’t My First Rodeo

Run

The first four perks here help Titanfall to be more accessible to new players, though this last one is my absolute favorite. When you come across a Titan in a match, you have three options: run, use your Anti-Titan weapon, or “rodeo” the Titan. To perform a rodeo, you just run up to a Titan (careful, they can smash you easily by walking over you) and jump high enough to reach the top. From there you simply press “X” at the prompt and you will plop down onto the top of it. Within a few seconds, you will rip off a piece of the Titan’s armor, exposing some wiring and internals. After that, it’s just a matter of shooting into that sensitive area for about 10 seconds or so (depending on your weapon of choice) and the Titan will be destroyed. Performing a rodeo is easily the most satisfying action I’ve ever experienced in an FPS. Do this a few times in one match, and you’ll be feeling like a total badass in no time, regardless of your skill-level or experience in the genre.

Keep in mind, there are options for the other player whose Titan you are attacking. Pilots (inside the Titan) will get an on-screen notification that an enemy is riding their Titan and will begin to see their health depleting. At that point, the Pilot can eject from the Titan and try to kill the attacking enemy. Pilots also have the option to deploy a dose of electric smoke if the Titan is equipped with it. This secondary weapon will kill the person on the Titan within just a few seconds. After all, all is fair in love and war.

What do you guys think of these pros? Did we miss something that keeps you coming back? Let us know if you’re liking the game while you’re at it!