30 Day Challenges, Part 6 - Robots!

Welcome to Day 6. Through no fault of my own, today's series of answers in the Doctor Who, Otaku, and Videogame challenges are about robots. Or, to be more precise, robot-like entities. Androids, machines, mechanical vehicle-like weapons; it's all here in today's post, so strap on your nerd helmets, and let's get probing.

Doctor Who Challenge, Day 6

Whatever tickles your fancy.

I assume this means, whatever tickles my fancy Doctor Who-related. I hope. So, here's an image of a not-quite-so-old, but often-overlooked piece of Dalek hardware - the Special Weapons Dalek! This somewhat phallic-looking Dalek deathtank antagonized somewhat fruitlessly Sylvester McCoy's Doctor in what is referred to by many as the old series' swan song to the classic foe, Remembrance of the Daleks. The episode itself underwhelmed me, it suffered from depending on special effects they quite obviously didn't have the budget for (like a few McCoy-era episodes, in hindsight), but it had warring Dalek factions and Skaro being destroyed and Davros escaping 1960s Batman villain-style in an escape pod to return another day... and nerds really eat that shit up. Me included.

Otaku Challenge, Day 6

An anime you love that most people hate.

Despite being pretty well-received and acclaimed by anime and sci-fi film buffs at release, with the release of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the original Ghost in the Shell films have been looked back on with a somewhat hazy, negative light. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't think it's universally panned, but from what I've heard, read, and talked about with others, these movies are regarded as poorly paced, technically impressive, yet structurally-lacking faux-action sci-fi anime.

But I just love them. I've said it before, but perhaps not loud enough, I love androids. I love purposefully diving into the uncanny valley head-first. And these films deliver. Emotionless slaves to logic, malfunctioning robots, the whole concept of a soul thrown into question, every second of Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell 2 just fascinates me. I think I'm one of few people who actually prefer these slow-moving and often confusing films to the better written and more refined Stand Alone Complex. Laughing Man, you're pretty cool, but while you're pretending to be one of those dumb deaf mutes, I'll be right here indulging in some pretty goddamn pulp sci-fi animation.

Video Game Challenge, Day 6

Most annoying character.

Borderlands is pretty acceptable fare. It's a singleplayer FPS with RPG-like elements, that can be a ton of fun with the right friends in co-op and is certainly entertaining in its own light. But, of course, there just had to be some sort of light comic relief thrown in to make it just that tiny bit more shit. Claptrap is (I assume) Gearbox's attempt to straddle that fine line between annoying-funny and annoying-irksome. Unfortunately, they lean a little too much to the "irksome" side.

Honestly, I can see how an endearing, charming little robot friend could perhaps be a nice touch, but everything this little tiresome bastard says just grates on my ears! And of course, they make you go on quests to revive the lil' stinker. If I revive him, he'll just keep talking! ...and obnoxiously dancing! I don't want that, Borderlands! Can't I just let the buzzard die?? Most bizarrely, is that Gearbox apparently got the idea that this character was actually popular; they released a whole DLC pack that focuses on an army of Claptraps. I'm having enough trouble coping with one of the fuckers dribbling into my ear like an entitled little unfunny twat, so if it's all the same to you, I won't be downloading your Claptrap-themed level pack. Nice try Gearbox, but this guy is so irritating that I want to kick him in his fucking teeth.

Tomorrow we will resume human-themed programming with my favourite piece of Doctor Who music, an anime I hate that most people love, and my favourite gaming couple. Aww.