Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
OK, Doctor Who: Legacy is super fun to play. Not gonna talk about that much; the gameplay is simple enough, doesn’t need a lot of explanation. Match rows, build up power, hit the bad guys, advance. But this addictive game is also crammed full of inside jokes, references, heart, and insight, the exactly perfect bait for a Whovian. Seriously, you guys, we’ve got:
Companions who are unexpectedly awesome. We collect a companion like Amy or Clara and it’s no surprise of course. Only this is Doctor Who: Legacy. So we have Bitey the Cybermat. And Stormageddon, and Handles. Spoonhead and Flesh Doctors, young and old Canton, young and old Amy, fighting together! Ianto and Jack! Oods! Sarah Jane Smith! There are literally dozens of companions to help the Doctor save the Universe, some obvious, some obscure, each with their own contribution to make. We build their strength and endurance to higher and higher levels as we play.
These collectible companions have a special ability that is specific to their characters. For example, Clara’s special ability is to heal, just like she healed the Doctor after he was blasted with loss. Sassy River Song converts blue gems (Eleven’s colour) into her own red gems, just, you know, because she’s River Song. We have added a Dalek to our allies. A Dalek?! It’s Oswin Oswald in there, failing at soufflé, but increasing Eleven’s strength while she does. Rory heals because he’s a nurse, Vincent resets the game board because of how he sees the world… It’s all so wonderfully familiar, so… right.
The Doctor himself appears in several of his incarnations and we get to choose our favourite for each level (or episode) when we play. Will it be Sixie, with special ability Cavalier? Or Two, with his, I Don’t Like It. Nine offers Air From My Lungs. Grinning yet? The War Doctor’s ability is named No More. The Doctor’s abilities range from superhuman healing to stunning an enemy for up to four turns to changing gems from one colour to another to dealing a devastating hit to the enemy.
AMY: Okay, so we’ve basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah? So what if the gravity fails?
DOCTOR: I’ve thought about that.
AMY: And?
DOCTOR: And we’ll all plunge to our deaths. See? I’ve thought about it. The security protocols are still live. There’s no way to override them. It’s impossible.
RIVER: How impossible?
DOCTOR: Two minutes.
- Flesh and Stone, 2010
Very, very often during his adventures, the Doctor faces a scenario where that extra two minutes is critical, where two minutes means the difference between annihilation and salvation. In Legacy, for the Doctor ‘s special ability only, you can use it as soon as it’s charged… Or you can stall, give the Doctor the extra two minutes he needs, dig in for a few more turns. And if you can hold off just that tiny bit longer, his ability’s power doubles. How many times have we seen the Doctor frantically wiring a solution, concocting an antidote, executing a plan, counting on those two minutes? Legacy gets it. There’s this, too: You can’t build the Doctor’s strength and endurance to higher and higher levels as we play–because his level is calculated by his team. His companions make him stronger, and the better they are, the better he is. Way to be, Legacy! Very satisfying.
In the meantime we’re navigating the Asylum of the Daleks. We’re fighting Angels in Manhattan and we’re traveling to Trenzalore. During all of this we face time distortions that make The Bells of Saint John interrupt Season Six, for example. We’re battling Cybermen, Daleks, Tocolofane, Dinosaurs, Weeping Angels… Many with their own, evil version of special abilities.
The key in this game is to never, ever give up, and never give in. Sound familiar? Just when we’re at our lowest, when Winston is stunned and the TARDIS (yes, of course she’s a character, I told you, this is LEGACY) won’t dematerialize and K-9’s low on batteries, a plan will unfold in your mind… The pieces will move on the board and you will not only survive (love it when that happens), but you will finish off those Sontarans and move on to the next level.
Levels of Legacy are accompanied by something else Whovians covet: A story. The levels of the game are like episodes of the show, complete with story arc and cliff-hangers. The Doctor and his team gather allies, defeat enemies, gain strength and intelligence, all in order to progress through the story. What’s the story about you ask? Spoilers…
As with most matters Whovian, we fans hold no small amount of influence with the Legacy team at Tiny Rebel Games. They not only accept suggestions from fans–they invite suggestions from fans! They encourage and consider and even appreciate suggestions from fans! When Jack Harkness was released into the Legacy universe, he had brown eyes. For about an hour. Now they’re blue. That’s how it’s done, Legacy! Details, everyone knows, are crucial to a believable Universe.
More addictive than Vraxoin, with gameplay as urgent and engaging as the most exciting episode, employing tactics that would make BBC producers proud, and set in a Universe where we all feel at home, I give you Doctor Who: Legacy, ladies and gentlemen! An ordinary game with extraordinary heart, crafted especially for us.
The latest special edition of Doctor Who Magazine is now on sale to add to your collection!
The official series ‘companion’ covers the Doctor’s epic 2013 televisual adventures, including the 2012 Christmas Special, The Snowmen, from The Bells of Saint John to The Name of the Doctor, and all the shocks in between.
Compiled by Andrew Pixley, the guide includes unpublished photos and fascinating facts about Series 7: Part 2.
Doctor Who Magazine: The Official Guide to the 2013 Series is on sale now priced £6.99.
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
The Eleventh Doctor’s regeneration is nigh and to mark the end of his amazing era, we bring you our #TopTenOfEleven, as chosen by you, the WhovianNet visitors!
You’ve been busy voting in your hundreds so kicking off the coveted countdown is the moment the Doctor added “Master of the Motorbike” to his ever growing résumé…
He may have lost at the Anti-Grav Olympics but he certainly won our seal of approval as he heroically shot up the Shard.
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
The Complete Seventh Series of Doctor Who will be out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 28th October.
The 5 disc set brings together all 13 episodes from the latest series so Whovians will be able to relive the Doctor’s epic adventures from start to end, from the terrifying encounters in the Asylum to the climactic events at Trenzalore.
The DVD set will have a RRP of £51.05 while the Blu-ray will cost £57.18. Will you be adding it to your collection?
2011’s Christmas special, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, will not be present on the set. The BBC told WhovianNet: “We’d previously released the episode separately so decided not to include it.” It will however be on the US version, out 24th September.
UPDATE: The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe and its prequel are now included!
Special features include:
* Behind the scenes featurettes for every episode, including: The Making of the Gunslinger, Creating Clara, Doctor Who in the US, Last Days of the Ponds, The Science of Doctor Who, The Companions, Doctor Who at Comic Con
* Pond Life mini-episode
* Prequels to episodes: The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, Asylum of the Daleks, The Snowmen (x3), The Bells of Saint John and The Name of the Doctor (x2)
* Audio commentaries for The Snowmen, Cold War, Hide and The Crimson Horror
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
On the eve of Nightmare in Silver, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with one of its guest stars, Calvin Dean!
Calvin appears as Ha-Ha in the adventure: a soldier who, he tells us, is “known for being slightly strange”. “He is a funny guy,” he added. “Not in the laughing kind of way but he likes to think he is the action man of the group, but he is not! He has some great moments though, and he should be made a General immediately!”
You can read our full interview with him below in which he gives some behind the scenes insights, episode teasers and reveals what it was like to go up against those Cybermen…
Q. Hi, Calvin. Firstly, how did your role in Nightmare in Silver come about?
A. I was cast in the normal way by going for a meeting with the casting director Andy Pryor and director Stephen Woolfenden. Luckily for me, Andy had cast me in 2 TV jobs before, so it helped that he knew my work. I was seen a couple of months earlier for ‘The Bells of Saint John’ for Man With Chips, but I didn’t get it. My chip eating wasn’t convincing enough!
Q. Were you a Doctor Who fan before you were cast?
A. I could tell a big lie and say I was the biggest Whovian ever, but if the truth be told, no. As I was a child of the 90’s there wasn’t a big Who presence apart from re-runs, but I loved the Daleks and Cybermen. When Matt started in 2010 I tuned in as I’ve known him for over 10 years from our days in the National Youth Theatre. When I got the role of Ha-Ha I watched the whole of Series 6 and now I’m hooked!
Q. Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about the episode?
A. It’s very Neil Gaiman, but that’s pretty much to be expected. Lots of wacky characters and locations. I’m playing a solider who’s in the army platoon alongside Captain Alice (Tamzin Outhwaite), Brains (Will Merrick), Beauty (Eloise Joseph) and Missy (Zahra Ahmadi). Originally there was also Brawn, but he got cut! I can’t say too much, but there are lots of guns and cool things which I broke on a daily basis. Sorry art department!
Q. What was it like to go up against the Cybermen, one of Doctor Who’s most iconic foes?
A. I was a big kid on my first day with the Cybermen. They don’t only look amazing, but they’re pretty scary. I often forgot that real people were inside, and standing in the lunch queue next to a Cyberman is pretty disconcerting. “Yes, you can go in front of me, but don’t Steal my lasagne!”.
Q. How long after you won the part did filming begin, and how long were you filming for?
A. Filming began about 2 weeks after first hearing the news. The day I found I had the part was the day of the read-through. My agent didn’t even say I had the part before asking if I could be in Cardiff by 7pm that night. One minute I was watching This Morning (as all out of work actors do) and the next I was sitting next to Matt Smith and Neil Gaiman. Bizarre day! Principal photography was really fast. We had 13 days to shoot the whole episode. We had a few extra days at the end because of weather problems. One week I went home for a weekend, came back to Cardiff on the Monday, went to set, got into costume, had a bacon butty, and then went home again because of bad weather. Not a bad days work!
Q. What were your highlights of working with Matt Smith, Jenna-Louise Coleman and the episode’s guest cast?
A. We had a blast. Working with Matt again after so many years was a big treat. He’s such a lovely guy and really welcoming. You never feel like the outsider on Doctor Who as a guest (unlike other jobs). Jenna-Louise is a great asset to Doctor Who and she kicks some ass in Nightmare In Silver! Us army platoon lot got on really well (and still do). We had a good laugh, even when it was 6am and all you wanted was your bed. Warwick Davis. That’s all I can say. WARWICK DAVIS!
Q. This isn’t your first experience of the Doctor Who universe as you’ve also been transformed into a Slitheen for The Sarah Jane Adventures…
A. My Sarah Jane Adventures experience was pretty quick. I think I only had one day on set and another day in the studio recording the voice. I was very lucky to work with the brilliant Elisabeth Sladen. It’s very sad that Liz is no longer with us as she was a great stalwart of Doctor Who. I also met K-9 which was so cool!
Q. What advice would you give to any aspiring actors out there?
A. Don’t do it! No, if you really want to do it and want to work hard then go for it. Too many people think that it brings fame and fortune, but it doesn’t. You have to work so hard and being famous isn’t a career in my mind. I love what I do, and if that spark ever goes I would give it up. Nothing worse than a grumpy actor. I’ve met a few!
Q. Finally, do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?
A. No. Any offers? Please? I’m currently trying to get myself to America. I’ve got representation in LA, so hopefully that will work out. Maybe Ha-Ha in his own spin off with Brains as my sidekick? I wouldn’t say no to that.
Big thanks to Calvin for his time! Nightmare in Silver airs tomorrow at 7pm on BBC One.
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
Now the Doctor’s back we can look ahead to another seven weeks of high octane and suspense fuelled drama starting in this week’s adventure The Rings of Akhaten.
In the episode, written by Neil Cross and directed by Farren Blackburn, the Doctor takes Clara to the inhabited rings of Akhaten where the Festival of Offerings is underway. There, Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives prepare for the ceremony – but something is stirring inside the pyramid, and a sacrifice is to be demanded.
The Rings of Akhaten airs on BBC One on 6th April at 6:15pm – watch the trailers below!
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
The Doctor returned to TV screens last night in the all-action all-spooning (*ahem*) eggs-travaganza that was The Bells of Saint John but how did critics react to the modern urban thriller? It’s time to find out…
The episode was defined by the “already electric” chemistry between the Doctor and Clara says the Guardian. However they note that despite this, the story “misses the mark” and the Telegraph praise its “sense of fun”. The Independent meanwhile has described the plot as “half-baked”.
They continued: “The problem was this episode was hyped up to the point where its fall was inevitable. The Bells of Saint John felt like a rehash of other things Steven’s done.”
Over at the Examiner there’s nothing but praise for Jenna-Louise Coleman who’s hailed as “the perfect next companion”, sentiments shared by both SFX and Radio Times who describe the actress as “sparky and winning” and “a natural”, respectively. Digital Spy sums up the Time Lord’s return as “triumphant”, drawing attention to its “glossy visuals”.
So that’s what the critics have to say about it, but what did you think? Go let us know!
Over in the overnight ratings department the episode was watched by 6.18 million as it went out on BBC One, coming a respectable 3rd in the Saturday race behind Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (7.19 million) and the latest series of The Voice (6.24 million).
Impressively and rather ironically given the premise of the episode, Doctor Who was the weekend’s most tweeted about programme too as MSN reports that over 30,000 related tweets were sent during its broadcast time slot of 6:15-7pm, peaking at 2.1k per minute.
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald takes him to modern day London and wi-fi is everywhere. Humanity’s living in a wifi soup. Something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them and Clara becomes their target. Will the Doctor lose her all over again?
If you’re reading this it means the Doctor’s back and about time too wouldn’t you agree?
The Bells of Saint John rang across the land this evening as our beloved Time Lord had his long awaited return to the small screen, bringing with him big action, big drama and big… spoons? Also in tow was Jenna-Louise Coleman as the enigmatic Clara Oswald who will be taking us on a “mystifying but exciting” journey over the next 7 weeks as we learn the truth behind the woman twice dead. But let’s get back to tonight first, shall we?
In the Doctor’s first adventure of 2013 he found himself in modern day London, and wi-fi was everywhere. He’s been on a mission of his own since we last saw him at Christmas – his search for the mysterious soufflé girl, as searches for mysterious soufflé girls often do, landed him in a spot of e-bother when an insidious menace unveiled itself to be an ancient enemy, with Clara caught in the middle. It was down to the Doctor to defeat the baddies in order to save the world wide web from cyberspacial harm. Hashtag pressure!
Throw in a motorbike, a few London landmarks plus the return of the Fez and you’ve got yourself a humdinger of a series opener, and one that’s left us with plenty to talk about…
Now the wi-fi is safe again, you can rate and discuss tonight’s episode in the comments!
Warning! This article and its comments may contain spoilers...
Clara Oswald’s plot arc is “mystifying but exciting” according to the actress who plays her, and she should know!
Jenna-Louise Coleman’s Series 7 promotional blitz continues as she talks to the Metro about what fans can expect to see from her portrayal of the Doctor’s new companion when the TARDIS reopens its doors tomorrow night on BBC One.
“It’s a hard backstory to get your head around,” she admits, “as you never quite know where it’s going to lead.”
The actress also opens up about what factors most surprised her about joining the show.
She explained: “You are consistently running. It isn’t like any other show. I’ve never sat down and had a conversation. You move all the time. The energy needed is ridiculous.”
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