#Throwback2014: A banner year for geeks

If popular technology and electronics website CNET is to be believed, then 2014 just might be the year of the geek. “We landed on a comet the same year that the hoverboard became a reality,” the video description says.

“Does it get much geekier than that?”

 

 

From space missions to robotic exoskeletons to superhero movie hype, a lot of geeky things took place this past year. But what have Pinoys been geeking out about?

 

Here’s a countdown of the top ten articles for Geeks and Gaming this 2014, starting from number 10.

 

‘Rurouni Kenshin's reverse-edged sword’ discovered in old cellar

 

 

“Rurouni Kenshin”—more popularly known as “Samurai X” locally—is unique among samurai and rurouni anime in that the main character, Kenshin Himura, wields what’s called a “sakabato.” A sakabato is a reverse-edged sword that has its cutting edge on the inner curve instead of the outer curve.

 

People previously believed that the sakabato was fictional, but an old sword dating back to sometime between 1603 and 1868 was discovered in early 2014. Dubbed the “kogatana,” it appears to be a real-life reverse-edged sword. It’s the first recorded legitimate reverse-edged in Japanese history.

 

Ellen Page on The Last of Us: The video game ‘ripped off my likeness’

 

 

Playstation 3 game “The Last of Us” became wildly successful after its release, and many critics lauded it for its depiction of women and LGBT characters.

 

However, the game isn’t without its downsides. Many people have mistaken actress Ellen Page as the basis of character Ellie. Page herself isn’t too happy with this similarity, and said during a Reddit Ask Me Anything, “I guess I should be flattered that they ripped off my likeness, but I am actually acting in a video game called “Beyond Two Souls”, so it was not appreciated.”

 

Attack on Titan creator receives 1,000 death threats

 

Hajime Isayama, the mangaka behind “Shingeki no Kyojin” (also known as “Attack on Titan”), was launched into the limelight, after the anime series based on the manga became hugely popular in 2013. But with popularity and success comes a price; Isayama also became the target of around 1,000 death threats.

 

Threatening comments started to pop up on Isayama’s blog, ranging from declarations of beating Isayama up with a blunt instrument to statements that Isayama is a “dirty piece of trash” who should just commit suicide.

 

A sneak peek at Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles

 

 

When Michael Bay’s reboot of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was first announced, long-time fans wanted to know what the turtles new looks would be. It took a while before official images were leaked, however, and those were quickly taken down, but not before people saw that the turtles were now sporting clothes and makeshift armor.

 

CG model to replace Philip Seymour Hoffman in Hunger Games

 

 

Oscar-winner actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died before filming on “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” could finish. And while people mourned his passing, many also wondered what would happen to his remaining ongoing projects.

 

A source connected to the film hinted that the filmmakers might have found a possible workaround, saying, “You can do digital things, you can have conversations where you’re not focusing on him (Hoffman) but the people he’s talking to.”

 

It might not be such a stretch of the imagination. Other movies have already made use of facial scanning and visual effects to build realistic digital models of their actors.

 

Live-action Gundam movie to shoot in the Philippines?

 

 

At the beginning of 2014, news went around that Yoshiyuki Tomino—the mangaka behind the Gundam series and producer of Voltes V—had teamed up with Legacy Effects for an unknown project.

 

Legacy Effects is known as the company responsible for the special effects in “Iron Man 3” and “Pacific Rim.”

 

When rumors started circulating that Legacy Effects was scouting around the Philippines for possible shooting locations, local mecha fans collectively went crazy. Despite the fact that Tomino and Legacy Effects have yet to confirm exactly what their project is, many are hopeful that it will be “Gundam” or “Voltes V.”

 

Cat-astrophic news for fans: Hello Kitty is not a cat

 

 

A lot of people grew up with Hello Kitty, and even non-fans are familiar with her likeness. Which is why it confused a lot of people when Hello Kitty creator Sanrio suddenly announced that she isn’t actually a cat. Correcting anthropologist Christine Yano from the University of Hawaii, Sanrio said that Hello Kitty is not a cat, she is a cartoon character.

 

The statement sparked many philosophical debates on the Internet, but Sanrio later clarified their statement when popular video game website Kotaku contacted them. Sanrio explained that Hello Kitty is actually a “gijinka”—an anthropomorphization or personification—of a cat. A representative said, “Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat. It's going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat.”

 

Flappy Bird creator to take down game

 

 

Many users will remember the rage-inducing, deceptively simple game “Flappy Bird.” It became such a hit that news of its being removed from app stores was one of the top news stories of the year.

 

Don Nguyen, the game’s creator, Tweeted an apology to users and announced that he’d be taking down the game because he “cannot take it anymore.” He said, however, that it wasn’t because of legal issues. There had been previous speculation that Nintendo might take action against Nguyen because the pipe obstacles look very similar to the pips in the “Mario” franchise.

 

A closer look at ‘Transformers 4: Age of Extinction’'s Dinobot leader Grimlock

 

 

Even before “Transformers: Age of Extinction” started showing in theaters, Michael Bay had been quoted as saying that he hated the Dinobots. Despite that, Grimlock—the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex leader of the Dinobots—was confirmed to be in the movie.

 

Official merchandise was soon released that showed Grimlock’s dino mode. Fans also got to see the new designs for Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. “Age of Extinction” is the fourth movie in Bay’s Transformers franchise, and is intended to be a semi-reboot that will allow for further installments without Bay’s involvement.

 

‘Season 2 of Attack on Titan to be released in July’

 

 

News spread about the scheduled release of “Shingeki no Kyojin”’s highly-anticipated second season, ending months of speculation and questions. The first season ended in September 2013, and  sources claimed that the second season would begin airing in July 2014.

 

People were so excited about the news that this article quickly pulled ahead and became the number one article not only in the Geeks and Gaming section, but in the whole SciTech section as a whole. Bad news: it turned out to be an April Fools’ joke by Otaku House. Good news: last month, they announced that the second season is confirmed for 2016. — TJD, GMA News