Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Believe it or not, I have been busy. Since my last post, I ran a pretty heavy run with PopArma.com, and after that, I wrote a book. Yes. A whole book. Not just started, but completed. Sure, it's somewhere between a novella and an actual novel, but it's done and awaits the editing stage. Some who read this blog (I hope there is someone anyway) are probably wondering where my other work is, what this book I finished is, and what is next.
The book I finished is tentatively called Weakness, and is a fantasy novel deconstructing the character archetypes found in Japanese RPG's. It's a dark little book, and was written in just over thirty days as part of NaNoWriMo. I succeeded in writing 50k words in a month, and finished things off in the days following.
I know that this wasn't one of my earlier works, but it was one sitting in my head. It's done now. Once I edit the ugly thing, I'll get to work on finding it a proper home. But until then, I'm going to get back to The Alternative, which I've been working on bringing to prose. I have comic scripts that I need to go around deleting so I can get it published properly once I get it ready as well. But the fact is, those are my giant outlines, and I'm building the book around those. I have about 17k words on it now, and I plan to have it written by the end of February.
The editing stage for Weakness will be completed by the end of March by my best figures, and I will begin shopping it around a bit once the first ten to twenty thousand words are edited. I will then plan the editing stage for Alternative vol. 1 and begin writing book two.
People who have discussed book two with me (entitled Road to the West) know how excited I am to get to that one. They are probably wondering why I'm not so excited about the first one, and its simple: I wrote it once, and I'm having to rewrite it now. Sure. it's completely different, but it's still a repeated story. That and Road to the West is a book I'm genuinely pleased with in terms of direction. It has legitimate drama, I feel, and will be a better book than either Weakness or Alt. Vol. 1.
In other news:
I now work from a new office. In the past month, I have moved to Louisiana, and am settling in to do new things from my new living space. Hopefully some of it will make some money and I'll be able to do this kind of thing full time. But that is all in due time. I will probably have to get a second job to pay off school loans I accrued earning my degree, and that will definitely put a hole in my plans until I adjust. We will just have to see how it works out.
However, there is something exciting I'd like to announce though--I will be doing something game related, and I will hopefully do something on video as well.
I'd like to get back to video game blogging, and I have a lot of stuff to comment on. But the most exciting thing I have in my mind is a video review series unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm definitely going to have to experiment with it, but my workspace is arranged in such a way that I have a good shot at pulling it off this time. I just need to pick a title to do the first trial with.
In addition to the game review series, I'm looking to move to vlogging instead of the written thing. If I pair the series and the vlogs, I will do well to gather views and possibly get representation on a site where such videos are collected. However, a good portion of my vlog stuff will be oriented around my novels, editing, and the processes of getting them published. This is going to be part of my marketing if I self publish though, so we'll see what happens. I just hope I don't scare my viewers off with my dull narration of my own activities.
Anyway, now that I'm done clearing my throat to head into 2012, I'm going to go sit down with Alt. Vol. 1 and see if I can crack that 18k mark before the day is out, and start the new year off right with a daily word count exceeding 1000 and beyond.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Yar's Revenge XBLA Review
Yars Revenge remains one of the only classic Atari games to not to have earned a following akin
to Pac-Man or Galaga. So I was surprised to see a modern revival, especially a decade after this kind of
experiment was last attempted. Still, I’m not one to turn down a good rail shooter, so I jumped into the
game, expecting to have a pretty good time at the very least.
However, what I found was a particularly demanding shooter, playing on the tradition of Panzer
Dragoon, featuring a camera that whips the viewer to the next wave of oncoming enemies, and carrying
them around massive boss fights. This seems glorious on paper, but it has many unfortunate flaws.
First and foremost, the controls are needlessly complicated. Maneuvering your insectoid lead character
around the screen and guiding her shots requires both thumb sticks, and numerous buttons controlled
an interesting variety of weapons. Adjusting to split of flight and shooting between the two controls is
trying, and makes the game inaccessible to fans of the hit Atari game. Even when adjusted to this aspect
of the game, the hairiest moments will still cause some confusion, and damage can be found en masse
as a result.
Beyond the clean and almost sterile loading screen, a series of lush jungle settings and caverns
awaits, calling upon a palate of moist greens and dry dark earth tones. Unfortunately, this type of
setting comprises the majority of the game, only stretching the visuals out into the sky to offer variety.
Thankfully, the graphics are quite nice. The enemy animations are fairly standard in comparison to Yar,
who floats around the screen gracefully whilst painting the sky with laser fire. Cut scenes at the open
and close of each level are performed as a comic book, sans text bubbles, and feature a Japanese anime
art style. While this seems out of place, it’s effective, and doesn’t distract form the story that it attempts
to tell any more than the quickly disappearing subtitles. Due to a lack of voice acting, this text is the
players’ only connection to the story. The story itself is poorly written, and seems unnecessary. It gives a
reason for Yar’s constant insecticide, and nothing much else. The included comic tells a better tale, and
it was originally penned in 1981, around the release of the original. In stark contrast, the sound design is
bland. The soundtrack is filled with uninspired techno, cheapening the sweeping landscapes over which
Yar dies so many times. Laser and missile sound effects are equally stale, but are at least effective, and
don’t distract from the overall experience.
On rails shooting hasn’t really aged in the decade since it was last really implemented, so
Yar’s Revenge performs admirably as it glides from point A to B over the aforementioned landscapes.
Thanks to a wide variety of weapons, the steep difficulty can be tamed a bit with the help of homing
missiles and different lasers, and a shield which restores your ship’s energy. The shield is given out
fairly frequently, and you’ll find yourself quite thankful that you have such a thing as your shield gage
is reduced from the nineties down to the forties by a single wave. The enemies lack the variety of the
weapons, relying on a few models with swapped colors, but ultimately only differing in the amount
of damage that they take before dying. This isn’t a game breaker, however, as the challenge is still
implemented around the patterns in which new combatants enter the screen. Keep in mind, this game
is very hard. If you are new to rail shooters, try some other titles first, and come back for this one later.
If nothing else, try the cooperative mode. A second player is apt to assist with the hundreds of onscreen
enemies that a typical run through launches each minute.
Easily the most disappointing aspect of the game is the selection of bosses. Instead of being a
creative, and reflex testing challenge, gamers are introduced to behemoths intent on their destruction
that launch the same attacks in the same order until enough lasers are eventually shot into them
that they die. What makes this a crime is the time it takes to bring down these colossal beasts. Their
bottomless health meters drags the confrontations out, and kills the excitement built up from the levels
preceding the battle.
There isn’t enough to bring enough gamers back for another run. The six levels can be repeated
on three difficulties, and little is unlocked to satiate the many gamers, leaving them feeling wary about
the 800 points spent on the title. While the game offers an intense rail shooter experience, there just
isn’t enough to bring players back once the credits have rolled. It’s fun, fast, and diabolically difficult. It
to Pac-Man or Galaga. So I was surprised to see a modern revival, especially a decade after this kind of
experiment was last attempted. Still, I’m not one to turn down a good rail shooter, so I jumped into the
game, expecting to have a pretty good time at the very least.
However, what I found was a particularly demanding shooter, playing on the tradition of Panzer
Dragoon, featuring a camera that whips the viewer to the next wave of oncoming enemies, and carrying
them around massive boss fights. This seems glorious on paper, but it has many unfortunate flaws.
First and foremost, the controls are needlessly complicated. Maneuvering your insectoid lead character
around the screen and guiding her shots requires both thumb sticks, and numerous buttons controlled
an interesting variety of weapons. Adjusting to split of flight and shooting between the two controls is
trying, and makes the game inaccessible to fans of the hit Atari game. Even when adjusted to this aspect
of the game, the hairiest moments will still cause some confusion, and damage can be found en masse
as a result.
Beyond the clean and almost sterile loading screen, a series of lush jungle settings and caverns
awaits, calling upon a palate of moist greens and dry dark earth tones. Unfortunately, this type of
setting comprises the majority of the game, only stretching the visuals out into the sky to offer variety.
Thankfully, the graphics are quite nice. The enemy animations are fairly standard in comparison to Yar,
who floats around the screen gracefully whilst painting the sky with laser fire. Cut scenes at the open
and close of each level are performed as a comic book, sans text bubbles, and feature a Japanese anime
art style. While this seems out of place, it’s effective, and doesn’t distract form the story that it attempts
to tell any more than the quickly disappearing subtitles. Due to a lack of voice acting, this text is the
players’ only connection to the story. The story itself is poorly written, and seems unnecessary. It gives a
reason for Yar’s constant insecticide, and nothing much else. The included comic tells a better tale, and
it was originally penned in 1981, around the release of the original. In stark contrast, the sound design is
bland. The soundtrack is filled with uninspired techno, cheapening the sweeping landscapes over which
Yar dies so many times. Laser and missile sound effects are equally stale, but are at least effective, and
don’t distract from the overall experience.
On rails shooting hasn’t really aged in the decade since it was last really implemented, so
Yar’s Revenge performs admirably as it glides from point A to B over the aforementioned landscapes.
Thanks to a wide variety of weapons, the steep difficulty can be tamed a bit with the help of homing
missiles and different lasers, and a shield which restores your ship’s energy. The shield is given out
fairly frequently, and you’ll find yourself quite thankful that you have such a thing as your shield gage
is reduced from the nineties down to the forties by a single wave. The enemies lack the variety of the
weapons, relying on a few models with swapped colors, but ultimately only differing in the amount
of damage that they take before dying. This isn’t a game breaker, however, as the challenge is still
implemented around the patterns in which new combatants enter the screen. Keep in mind, this game
is very hard. If you are new to rail shooters, try some other titles first, and come back for this one later.
If nothing else, try the cooperative mode. A second player is apt to assist with the hundreds of onscreen
enemies that a typical run through launches each minute.
Easily the most disappointing aspect of the game is the selection of bosses. Instead of being a
creative, and reflex testing challenge, gamers are introduced to behemoths intent on their destruction
that launch the same attacks in the same order until enough lasers are eventually shot into them
that they die. What makes this a crime is the time it takes to bring down these colossal beasts. Their
bottomless health meters drags the confrontations out, and kills the excitement built up from the levels
preceding the battle.
There isn’t enough to bring enough gamers back for another run. The six levels can be repeated
on three difficulties, and little is unlocked to satiate the many gamers, leaving them feeling wary about
the 800 points spent on the title. While the game offers an intense rail shooter experience, there just
isn’t enough to bring players back once the credits have rolled. It’s fun, fast, and diabolically difficult. It
just happens not to be for everyone.
6.5/10
So, I'm a hair late posting this particular review up here, but it was originally penned for a possible job writing video game reviews. Obviously, I didn't get it. Oh well.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Nintendo 3DS--Yes, I have one now.
This photograph was taken at UNCW, using the AR Cards that came with my beautiful new blue 3DS. Yes, I spent most of my first day with the console playing around with the pack ins. But, honestly, I feel like this was a justified move. Why move on to my games when there are toys packed with the toys, and built into the toys, that just have to be taken advantage of. And this, as always, is one of Nintendo's strongest suits. They have the ability to make the most simplistic of things into a key selling point, as they have done with their augmented reality demo AR Cards and Face Raiders.But that's not all I have with my sweet new system. With this wonderful graduation gift, I was also gifted Super Street Fighter IV 3D and Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars. I'm going to leave the story short on those--pick em up if you have a 3DS. They are fun, functional, have minimal to impressive amounts of 3D, and have given me plenty of reasons to keep coming back to the console for more. They are performing admirably in keeping my appetite in check until Zelda comes out next month, and Star Fox later on, and Metal Gear Solid 3...and well...you get the point.
So what if there aren't a massive amount of games right out of the gate. I can't really recall any NDS launch titles that were even of this quality, so I'm just excited about the potential of the system right now. There are a few RPG's headed my way, several fighters that I'm actually excited about (but the lack of Soul Cal 3D is heartbreaking), and even that Kid Icarus thing that has been the shining emerald of the rumor mill for years now.
And this isn't even including the upcoming e-store opening in early June. I'm not sure of where I'm going to dig up points by which to jump on some early digital titles, but I'm going to try to. It's hard enough to even pay off my copy of Zelda right now. But the question for me is--do I want the 3D updates of classic games, or to play old hand held titles that completely passed by my five year old radar that ignorantly ignored the majority of games that were not platformers.
Probably both.
Anyway, this entire post has been completely driven by the desire to say something about the 3DS, and say that I'm actually at the party on time for a console for once in my life, thanks to my beautiful girlfriend, and my roommate who is awesome himself, though I can not claim any grounds for his looks. It's disconnected, brain dead, and loopy, and just the kind of thing to expect on hour twenty-two of my day. Perhaps I'll drop another post up here later when I'm on hour thirty, and completely out of my brain.
In other, non 3DS news, we want to bring Z-Trigger back out, but keep having scheduling issues. Sorry folks. Really am. I'm dying to get back on the phone and talk games with everyone.
Also, elephants.
Wait, where are we now?
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The Rebirth of the Traditional Gamer
In their opinion, you are either casual or hardcore. There is no in between for the marketing committees who design the advertising push for the latest games from all of your favorite publishers. This is a symptom of the modern gaming problem, and quite possibly, the source from which all other evils flow.
Or perhaps I'm just being too dramatic.
Nevertheless, I've been quite unsettled by this dichotomous portrayal of the video game market. There are far more than two types of gamer out there, and there always has been. But in the past decade, this analysis of our favorite hobby has been more and more common, eventually becoming the manner by which all games are designated an audience. I can't recall the last time a game was made and sold without seeing one of the words in a preview/review blurb somewhere. It's no longer about the genres, and the fans of those genres. It's about cramming all games into two little bins, where the supposed mass for each variety comes and picks one of the two; a colorful click fest of little substance, or the dark and muddy killing floor. In these areas, genre loses meaning. The AAA role playing games don't even differ from this. Whether fantasy or sci-fi, acclaimed and heralded RPG's resemble first person shooters in tone and visual design, and no longer have the broad spectrum of designs that they have in past generations. Sure, some of the less mainstream JRPG's still play and feel Japanese, but let's stick to the big name stuff, for the sake of argument. A decade ago, we got things like Planescape: Torment, which was a bizarre and brilliant little title that still gets attention today. It was gritty and dark, but it also had a sense of humor, and was colorful. Now, Dragon Age and Fallout 3 are the flavors of the moment, and look almost like everything else that comes out now: dark browns and grays. I'm getting off track, and no, I don't plan to edit. I never edit this bloody thing anyway.
I ultimately want to beg gamers for another option insofar as how games are presented as they are being sold to us. So, I present to you, how I designate myself when I am presented with the casual/hardcore question.
I am a Traditional gamer.
This means that I still play the brand new Mario game, but don't mind a round of Call of Duty. I play Angry Birds when I get a chance and the mood hits, but I am cursing and tearing my way through Castlevania Bloodlines on the Genesis. I play classic games. I play modern games. I play Tetris on my Game Boy Pocket which is permanently located in the glove box of my car. I will play whatever I want to play, when I want to play it, and I don't care what people think of my gaming habits, as they are my own. This is the way we played games when I was a kid. We could jump from Mickey's Mousecapade over to Super Empire Strikes Back (still one of the hardest games I've ever played) and not even think about the switch-up which we played through.
And those of you doubting this concept by saying it's just another one of the aforementioned bins, I contest your opinion by saying that this isn't a bin. It's the whole world of gaming, presented to you, without the forced categorization. You can still go play WiiSports with your parents between sessions in Half-Life 2, and your position doesn't shift.
I still haven't revealed what would make this easy for the kids in marketing. The simple fact is that most of their so-called "hardcore" audience is already pointed at being a traditional gamer. Just think about it. There is a pretty good chance you have been playing games for a long time, depending on your age, and you have played through a good number of titles during your gaming tenure. Not all of these games were made with the "hardcore" in mind. In fact, some of them are sometimes considered "kid games" by modern standards, due to the lack of blood, gore, and sex. You know what? That's fine. You probably enjoyed them if you saw them through to the end. This idea that "hardcore" games have to be mature is immature anyway. This brings me to the next reason why this whole casual/hardcore bit bothers me.
Hardcore used to mean that you were a brilliant gamer, completing the hardest titles with little effort. I don't know any of the "hardcore" gamers who can do a perfect run of Ghosts and Goblins on the NES, or even a solid run at all. I sure as hell can't do it. I can't even clear the first level of that beast. The gamers who have played a single title into the ground, and know all of it's ins and outs are the true hardcore gamers. Without the Traditional moniker that gives us our free roam of the gaming landscape, we could get shuttled into the casual brand with this definition. But this brings me to my next little gripe.
I don't like the easy setting of a game being called Casual mode. Casual isn't a difficulty. Easy, Meduim, Hard, and others qualify as difficulty settings. Casual is a mode of dress, not a difficulty, and not a gaming audience. Now I'm just getting a bit repetitious and silly.
Ultimately, I want the landscape to grow, and gamers of all walks to stride into the future together. My mom was the one who beat the Mario games first in my house when I was a kid, and the Wii brought her back to video games. Despite the fact that she fits into the casual moniker doesn't make her less of a gamer than the person who dumps thousands of hours of their existence into playing World of Warcraft. Sure, she may not have the same sense of dedication, or even the same goals, but she is getting what the marathon WoW player is:
She's having fun. Isn't that what this entire hobby is all about?
Or perhaps I'm just being too dramatic.
Nevertheless, I've been quite unsettled by this dichotomous portrayal of the video game market. There are far more than two types of gamer out there, and there always has been. But in the past decade, this analysis of our favorite hobby has been more and more common, eventually becoming the manner by which all games are designated an audience. I can't recall the last time a game was made and sold without seeing one of the words in a preview/review blurb somewhere. It's no longer about the genres, and the fans of those genres. It's about cramming all games into two little bins, where the supposed mass for each variety comes and picks one of the two; a colorful click fest of little substance, or the dark and muddy killing floor. In these areas, genre loses meaning. The AAA role playing games don't even differ from this. Whether fantasy or sci-fi, acclaimed and heralded RPG's resemble first person shooters in tone and visual design, and no longer have the broad spectrum of designs that they have in past generations. Sure, some of the less mainstream JRPG's still play and feel Japanese, but let's stick to the big name stuff, for the sake of argument. A decade ago, we got things like Planescape: Torment, which was a bizarre and brilliant little title that still gets attention today. It was gritty and dark, but it also had a sense of humor, and was colorful. Now, Dragon Age and Fallout 3 are the flavors of the moment, and look almost like everything else that comes out now: dark browns and grays. I'm getting off track, and no, I don't plan to edit. I never edit this bloody thing anyway.
I ultimately want to beg gamers for another option insofar as how games are presented as they are being sold to us. So, I present to you, how I designate myself when I am presented with the casual/hardcore question.
I am a Traditional gamer.
This means that I still play the brand new Mario game, but don't mind a round of Call of Duty. I play Angry Birds when I get a chance and the mood hits, but I am cursing and tearing my way through Castlevania Bloodlines on the Genesis. I play classic games. I play modern games. I play Tetris on my Game Boy Pocket which is permanently located in the glove box of my car. I will play whatever I want to play, when I want to play it, and I don't care what people think of my gaming habits, as they are my own. This is the way we played games when I was a kid. We could jump from Mickey's Mousecapade over to Super Empire Strikes Back (still one of the hardest games I've ever played) and not even think about the switch-up which we played through.
And those of you doubting this concept by saying it's just another one of the aforementioned bins, I contest your opinion by saying that this isn't a bin. It's the whole world of gaming, presented to you, without the forced categorization. You can still go play WiiSports with your parents between sessions in Half-Life 2, and your position doesn't shift.
I still haven't revealed what would make this easy for the kids in marketing. The simple fact is that most of their so-called "hardcore" audience is already pointed at being a traditional gamer. Just think about it. There is a pretty good chance you have been playing games for a long time, depending on your age, and you have played through a good number of titles during your gaming tenure. Not all of these games were made with the "hardcore" in mind. In fact, some of them are sometimes considered "kid games" by modern standards, due to the lack of blood, gore, and sex. You know what? That's fine. You probably enjoyed them if you saw them through to the end. This idea that "hardcore" games have to be mature is immature anyway. This brings me to the next reason why this whole casual/hardcore bit bothers me.
Hardcore used to mean that you were a brilliant gamer, completing the hardest titles with little effort. I don't know any of the "hardcore" gamers who can do a perfect run of Ghosts and Goblins on the NES, or even a solid run at all. I sure as hell can't do it. I can't even clear the first level of that beast. The gamers who have played a single title into the ground, and know all of it's ins and outs are the true hardcore gamers. Without the Traditional moniker that gives us our free roam of the gaming landscape, we could get shuttled into the casual brand with this definition. But this brings me to my next little gripe.
I don't like the easy setting of a game being called Casual mode. Casual isn't a difficulty. Easy, Meduim, Hard, and others qualify as difficulty settings. Casual is a mode of dress, not a difficulty, and not a gaming audience. Now I'm just getting a bit repetitious and silly.
Ultimately, I want the landscape to grow, and gamers of all walks to stride into the future together. My mom was the one who beat the Mario games first in my house when I was a kid, and the Wii brought her back to video games. Despite the fact that she fits into the casual moniker doesn't make her less of a gamer than the person who dumps thousands of hours of their existence into playing World of Warcraft. Sure, she may not have the same sense of dedication, or even the same goals, but she is getting what the marathon WoW player is:
She's having fun. Isn't that what this entire hobby is all about?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Nintendo's Next
Anyone who knows me personally knows that I love Nintendo more than any man should love a corporation designed to empty his wallet. Regardless, I can't help but get excited when they have a new console coming down the pipe. Sure, the Wii has had hard times all throughout, and I absolutely despise the me-too minigame collections that have poured out of the woodworks trying to capitalize on the success of WiiSports and WiiPlay. I imagine people have been trying to understand my excitement about the things that Nintendo does to sell their product since I claimed my love for the GameCube so many years ago.It's simple.
When Nintendo makes video games, they make the best video games. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, yes, all of them. Sure, it's an easy ploy, banking hard on one's franchise characters. But you have to remember, these are the games that brought us to the consoles, hooked us, and made us seek out other games. I know this isn't true for everyone, but I'm not going to try and make a play for Sonic, who has an even rougher track record than any of the aforementioned characters in this post.
Another reason I will always back Nintendo is their sheer insanity. I've not witnessed one of their console launches that didn't make blink twice at some aspect of their console and controller design. I can't help but get excited because they always do something different. They have redefined how we play video games with everything that they do, and don't just stick a new console out just to increase the graphics processing power. Sure, that usually comes in the package, but it's not the main event, so to speak. The only console I've actually seen them fail to completely rewrite things was with the GameCube, and it was still a great console with a fantastic library of games. The only thing I remember warping my vision was the controller, and I still love that silly little pad. Although, it must be said--the GBA cable was the testing ground for one of the rumors floating around about the next Nintendo console: the on controller screen.
And this, friends, is what I mean by insane. The most exciting rumor in circulation about the new Nintendo is the hi-def screen dead in the middle of the controller. Yes, the controller is still traditional in that it has buttons and analog sticks. Beyond this, it's a play in keeping the "casual" crowd that funded this beast of a console. It's a concept that has been tried by Sega and Nintendo alike, but never made it's way into the forefront due to lack of support. Honestly, it's the most interesting part of the package to me. I have long thought that if they could bridge the game to the screen on the controller, containing information on controller screen that could be interactive within the game beyond using menus, than they would have the opportunity to have an experience so immersive that no third party would be able to contest it. Not to mention that they can employ the online store to keep the casuals contented and stick a knife right into the heart of Apple, who quite frankly doesn't belong in the gaming market. Remember the Pippin, my friends. Remember!
I'm going to let the other rumors pass, because this was the most exciting one to me. But let's think about the reaction from the Sony and Microsoft pending the success of this insane concept.
We can already predict that Sony will be smug and bash the console with that prick in the commercials right up until the day that it's in stores. Microsoft, if I recall correctly, didn't sit around complaining that motion controls were a joke, so I can see them being respectable about it, if nothing else. I mean, Microsoft is fairly new to this game aside from the MSX in Japan, so they need to remember that they are only making video games because Nintendo saved the market in the 80's. But both of these companies are probably working on their follow up consoles at the moment, whether they are going to admit it or not, and will be watching closely as Nintendo readies their new console for marker. So I see two scenarios, which apply to each company. They will either wait it out, and see if the controller catches on, and apply the technology to some "higher" degree (like the Move, haha, haha), or send out an attachment for the current consoles. However, I don't know if Sony will be willing to try and cash in on Nintendo's success again, considering that the Move is derided by most gamers, and their own audience won't adopt the bloody thing because it costs so much. Microsoft could easily pick up some steam with the concept, as they seem to have a much better idea of what the casual crowd wants--silly easy games where you look stupid playing them. After all, the Kinect is outselling the Move in spades, and is actually appealing to the audience it's made for. They are trying to shoot for the whole "hardcore" thing supposedly, but I haven't really seen anything outside of Child of Eden that even raises my eyebrows. And I won't be playing Child of Eden with one of those contraptions either!
But this is all purely speculative at this point, seeing as we still have no real idea what Nintendo is hiding at their secret underground laboratories, stroking their angry white cats, and counting their money. The next few months will be interesting, not just because of the official announcement of their new console, but because the backlash from the Sony and Microsoft fanboys will be so blinding that I might actually have to get some sunglasses.
Let's just hope that Nintendo doesn't blow this golden opportunity. They appear to have been trying hard to appeal to the whole "hardcore" audience again, pushing real video game experiences for the past couple of years, and having a ground for that as well on the 3DS. It's not enough to just push this concept though, they are actually going to have to work to get that slice of the market back in their corner. It's going to take time and sheer insanity. Since they've already got that, I think it's now that they should put the time in.
Guess we will just find out in a month.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
A Theory on Final Fantasy XIII
It's been a while since I put the tunnel vision behemoth down after reaching a particularly difficult Eidolon battle. And since these insolent little conflicts are one of the games biggest flaws in my opinion, I took a break. Who doesn't under such circumstances, and I will not take any flack for my waiting to continue. However, I returned to the game, passed the fight, and proceeded, and discovered something very odd as I progressed.
Let's go ahead and note that Final Fantasy XIII hasn't been widely accepted by the gaming community, and only a few people have found enjoyment out it. I enjoy it despite it's flaws, mostly due to the fact that it tells a story better than it's predecessor. Sure, the story may not be that great, and still pales in comparison to the Playstation and SNES era, but it's a story that kept my interest.
And now that I've cleared my throat, it's time to get down to business.
Final Fantasy XIII is a perfect example of Square-Enix trying to apply the style of American mainstream games to the Japanese role playing game, specifically calling on first person shooters.
Let that sink in, folks. It's an odd statement, and I have plenty to support it with. Just...breathe it all in.
Alright, now that you are ready for this, let's dig in.
Anyone who has played the game knows very well how narrow the path is, leading you from story event to story event, with absolutely no variation in the game until the eleventh chapter. I can compare this to the average modern first person shooter, wherein which you go down streets or tunnels or whatever the path de jour, and go from battle to battle. Even the actual combat plays out similarly to an FPS. Attack, defend, heal, repeat. Sure, the FPS is going to be a bit more intense seeing as your character is directly controlled by you, but I still stand that this is the flow of combat in FFXIII. Not to mention that potions of almost all kinds are nearly worthless now. It's much easier to switch paradigms for a quick heal than going through the menus for potions several times.
At the end of each path, following several rounds of combat, a story event comes, at times paired with a more difficult round of combat than before. Yes, this is an element of pretty much every game, so this one is a bit unfair, but keep in mind that exploration offered something to keep the player interested in plowing through those random battles. No such variety exists here, until the aforementioned eleventh chapter. I can't think of very many modern first person shooters that offer branching paths out into open areas that stray from the missions provided. So, needless to say, why not apply such constant focus on the story of a game through a similar method of progression? The story of FFXIII seems to be what is in the sight of the director, allowing no way to step away until almost the end.
But that's not saying that they haven't been going this direction in the past. Final Fantasy X suffered a similar progression, despite having many more opportunities to step off the beaten path.
The lack of cities and the usual variety of NPC's is almost unexplainable for a JRPG. I can only assume that this is something else borrowed from the mainstream FPS tradition. Sure, even Gears of War has a cast of someone other than Marcus Fenix, but aside from the squad of Gears that accompany him, the world isn't exactly populated with fine folks offering you guidance from city to city. And that's fine for the genre. You don't need a world full of people in a game where aliens are annihilating cities and wiping out the general population. However, when you are playing a game where you traverse a few still standing cities, you should expect to see a few people in passing.
Also missing from the usual formulas are the shops. Yes, there is a menu where you can buy and sell weapons, accessories, items, and components, but there isn't any personality beyond the backgrounds and sound effects associated with them. I can't say that there was much variety between the shops in towns in past games, but at least you had a sense of place, going through the game as it progressed. All of the environments in FFXIII felt more like they were there as a result of necessity. Have we programmed a snow/ice area? Okay, stick on here. Industrial? Alright, let's play that card. Undergound? Do it. What does this have to do with American FPS games? Not much at all, other than it's something you often see in those games as well. And every other game.
The only place I can see the differentiation is in the way the story plays out. While many have gotten this right, most first person shooters keep the story and the game play apart from one another. You could make the argument that Final Fantasy has been doing that since the first installment. However, I stand that a lot of the story from the classics in the series came from the world, and the people you interacted with throughout the story. More than anything, FFXIII and the modern first person shooter have you interacting with set piece events and combat sequences that do little more that add some of that good old "wow" factor.
While I don't think that FFXIII stands on the same level of quality as it's predecessors, I still enjoy it, warts and all. It's a bizarre run of experimental game design, filtered through a unfocused development process. It will never stand on the same playing field with Final Fantasy VI, but it's still more interesting than some games. If you agree, disagree, or whatever, that's fine. Just think about this if you stick the game in some time in the near future. You might be surprised by what you see.
Let's go ahead and note that Final Fantasy XIII hasn't been widely accepted by the gaming community, and only a few people have found enjoyment out it. I enjoy it despite it's flaws, mostly due to the fact that it tells a story better than it's predecessor. Sure, the story may not be that great, and still pales in comparison to the Playstation and SNES era, but it's a story that kept my interest.
And now that I've cleared my throat, it's time to get down to business.
Final Fantasy XIII is a perfect example of Square-Enix trying to apply the style of American mainstream games to the Japanese role playing game, specifically calling on first person shooters.
Let that sink in, folks. It's an odd statement, and I have plenty to support it with. Just...breathe it all in.
Alright, now that you are ready for this, let's dig in.
Anyone who has played the game knows very well how narrow the path is, leading you from story event to story event, with absolutely no variation in the game until the eleventh chapter. I can compare this to the average modern first person shooter, wherein which you go down streets or tunnels or whatever the path de jour, and go from battle to battle. Even the actual combat plays out similarly to an FPS. Attack, defend, heal, repeat. Sure, the FPS is going to be a bit more intense seeing as your character is directly controlled by you, but I still stand that this is the flow of combat in FFXIII. Not to mention that potions of almost all kinds are nearly worthless now. It's much easier to switch paradigms for a quick heal than going through the menus for potions several times.
At the end of each path, following several rounds of combat, a story event comes, at times paired with a more difficult round of combat than before. Yes, this is an element of pretty much every game, so this one is a bit unfair, but keep in mind that exploration offered something to keep the player interested in plowing through those random battles. No such variety exists here, until the aforementioned eleventh chapter. I can't think of very many modern first person shooters that offer branching paths out into open areas that stray from the missions provided. So, needless to say, why not apply such constant focus on the story of a game through a similar method of progression? The story of FFXIII seems to be what is in the sight of the director, allowing no way to step away until almost the end.
But that's not saying that they haven't been going this direction in the past. Final Fantasy X suffered a similar progression, despite having many more opportunities to step off the beaten path.
The lack of cities and the usual variety of NPC's is almost unexplainable for a JRPG. I can only assume that this is something else borrowed from the mainstream FPS tradition. Sure, even Gears of War has a cast of someone other than Marcus Fenix, but aside from the squad of Gears that accompany him, the world isn't exactly populated with fine folks offering you guidance from city to city. And that's fine for the genre. You don't need a world full of people in a game where aliens are annihilating cities and wiping out the general population. However, when you are playing a game where you traverse a few still standing cities, you should expect to see a few people in passing.
Also missing from the usual formulas are the shops. Yes, there is a menu where you can buy and sell weapons, accessories, items, and components, but there isn't any personality beyond the backgrounds and sound effects associated with them. I can't say that there was much variety between the shops in towns in past games, but at least you had a sense of place, going through the game as it progressed. All of the environments in FFXIII felt more like they were there as a result of necessity. Have we programmed a snow/ice area? Okay, stick on here. Industrial? Alright, let's play that card. Undergound? Do it. What does this have to do with American FPS games? Not much at all, other than it's something you often see in those games as well. And every other game.
The only place I can see the differentiation is in the way the story plays out. While many have gotten this right, most first person shooters keep the story and the game play apart from one another. You could make the argument that Final Fantasy has been doing that since the first installment. However, I stand that a lot of the story from the classics in the series came from the world, and the people you interacted with throughout the story. More than anything, FFXIII and the modern first person shooter have you interacting with set piece events and combat sequences that do little more that add some of that good old "wow" factor.
While I don't think that FFXIII stands on the same level of quality as it's predecessors, I still enjoy it, warts and all. It's a bizarre run of experimental game design, filtered through a unfocused development process. It will never stand on the same playing field with Final Fantasy VI, but it's still more interesting than some games. If you agree, disagree, or whatever, that's fine. Just think about this if you stick the game in some time in the near future. You might be surprised by what you see.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
And now for some...
words...
Yes, it's time to sit down and make my little word count meters move. I decided I'd warm up with a little bit of conversation on how I've spent my morning. It was a little bit productive, you might even say.
I have just bugged a few more editors about getting paid work, including another shout into the ear of the kind editor of The Escapist. I'm hoping that this will garner some attention, and get me a shot, or at least the bloody bullet. The last pitch I sent to Escapist warranted another rejection, but I'm not disappointed. It's just a rejection letter, friends, and if you write, you will see many of them.
In other news--The podcast seems to be doing okay for a hardly advertised bit of rambling about the state of the video game industry. I'd like to see more listeners, but then again, I'd also like to see more readers for this blog, which has a feature that I have spoken of, but have yet to introduce, which leads me to...
PAST GENERATIONS! I have two articles in the can, awaiting editing. I'm just looking for the right time to post them, and this just isn't it. Besides, I've only got five 32X games so far, and that's not enough to really launch this thing off in style. Perhaps I will find a few more in good time, and not go broke in the process.
Alright, enough babbling. I think I need to blindfold myself now, and see which of the giant manuscripts I will stab with it's pointy business end. Wish me luck.
Yes, it's time to sit down and make my little word count meters move. I decided I'd warm up with a little bit of conversation on how I've spent my morning. It was a little bit productive, you might even say.
I have just bugged a few more editors about getting paid work, including another shout into the ear of the kind editor of The Escapist. I'm hoping that this will garner some attention, and get me a shot, or at least the bloody bullet. The last pitch I sent to Escapist warranted another rejection, but I'm not disappointed. It's just a rejection letter, friends, and if you write, you will see many of them.
In other news--The podcast seems to be doing okay for a hardly advertised bit of rambling about the state of the video game industry. I'd like to see more listeners, but then again, I'd also like to see more readers for this blog, which has a feature that I have spoken of, but have yet to introduce, which leads me to...
PAST GENERATIONS! I have two articles in the can, awaiting editing. I'm just looking for the right time to post them, and this just isn't it. Besides, I've only got five 32X games so far, and that's not enough to really launch this thing off in style. Perhaps I will find a few more in good time, and not go broke in the process.
Alright, enough babbling. I think I need to blindfold myself now, and see which of the giant manuscripts I will stab with it's pointy business end. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Writer's Blocks
Nope, this is not a post about difficulty with writing. This is my post to show how unproductive I have been, and how I plan to measure my productivity, and give myself a little tool by which to shove myself into writing more. You know, because I'm crazy.
Providence
Alchemyst (Musician story)
Untitled Collaborative Piece (which I should really return to, and wrap up my segment...)
Sure, 75000 is a bit low, but I'm just using those as ballpark estimates. I don't really know what the final total will be, but these are my goals for the three prose projects that I am working on. Anyway...I am writing! It's happening! Keep watching my ridiculous little meters, and see how I come to the final numbers. Anyway, I'm going to see what I can do to get to 20,000 by the end of the week on Alchemyst. Also, I need to find a new title for that story.
Providence
Alchemyst (Musician story)
Untitled Collaborative Piece (which I should really return to, and wrap up my segment...)
Sure, 75000 is a bit low, but I'm just using those as ballpark estimates. I don't really know what the final total will be, but these are my goals for the three prose projects that I am working on. Anyway...I am writing! It's happening! Keep watching my ridiculous little meters, and see how I come to the final numbers. Anyway, I'm going to see what I can do to get to 20,000 by the end of the week on Alchemyst. Also, I need to find a new title for that story.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Star Wars Comics
Obviously, I enjoy Star Wars more than the average person does, and this drags me into quite a bit of a mess sometimes. Arguing with Star Trek fans aside, the dirty business of trying to keep up with the canon in some way tends to be the most painful thing that a Star Wars fan has to do. Verbally assaulting Trekkies (Trekkers...whatever) isn't that big a deal in comparison.
Dark Horse has held the Star Wars license for twenty years, and has done a lot with the franchise. From sweet adaptations of the films and the Thrawn trilogy, to recent ongoing works like Legacy and Knights of the Old Republic, they treat the property with a lot of respect, providing readers such as myself with a diverse selection of material to read when I drop by my local comic shop. Then there are the recent books that make my eyes roll directly out of my skull.
Now let me say this first: none of these books are innately bad. They just don't reach the level of quality of the other books from the Star Wars franchise. For example, KOTOR writer John Jackson Miller is writing a new series called Knight Errant, focusing on new character Kerra Holt, a Jedi knight who is going to fight Sith and blah blah blah, oh dear God why is this series about another bloody JEDI! Knights of the Old Republic was a great series, and it ended. Most writers would want to move onto new material, or at least make it seem fresh. Kerra Holt is a largely uninteresting character, and I'm rather bored with Knight Errant, and there's only been six issues. Miller is a great writer, and knows the universe well, so I can't help but wonder why this series is so unbelievably dull.
This isn't the only Jedi focused attempt at cashing in on the Clone Wars television craze. An Episode I precursor about Qui-Gon Jinn is coming up later this year, and I'm not exactly excited about this one either. I'm going to read it, yes, but that doesn't mean I have high hopes. There doesn't seem to be any reason why it should exist, other than to tell another story about another Jedi.
That said, Dark Horse does have two series with Jedi in them that don't irritate me. One of those is Dark Times, a particularly dismal take on the period between episodes III and IV, about a wayward Jedi, redefining his role in the universe after the fall of the Jedi order. Sixteen issues, and it's a far cry from Knight Errant, with great characters, fantastic writing, and everything I love in a good Star Wars comic. The tone of the story sits somewhere between classic Samurai film and a good Spaghetti Western. If you haven't read this one, you are missing out on what is easily the best Star Wars book running.
The other end of the quality Jedi-ish books are the Legacy series, which received an absolutely pointless restart after issue 50, which was supposed to be the finale. Considering the delay of the last issue, I think that there was a decision made somewhere to extend things, and a convenient little six issue mini series was dictated at the proper move. Well, I'm going to say that the mini has been just as good as the fifty issues that preceded it, but it still stings going through my comic boxes, and there is a renumbered ending for the end of a series. It looks odd, and now I'm just showing my insane OCD behaviors, which only exist for my hobbies! Aside from that, Legacy is a blast, riding on the vibe that you are actually supposed to be enjoying this rather unwholesome galaxy that exists when the focus isn't directly on the Jedi. It's also nice to see a Skywalker with personality. We haven't got one of those since Luke Skywalker, and thankfully Cade isn't exactly like his lineage would suggest.
Now that I've got my Jedi bashing out of the way, it's time to poke the giant elephant in the corner with a javelin--Blood Ties was terrible. It's unforgivable fan service pointed directly at the possibility of selling a book just because Boba Fett is on the cover. I am probably in the minority in saying this, but I feel like Fett is far less intimidating since AotC. Gone are all of the possibilities of his origin that could have been far more exciting, just like the neutering of the Clone Wars, which were always hailed as a far more interesting time than the Robots Vs Stormtroopers bit that we got instead. Anyways, let's get back to mark here.
The Darth Vader mini-series running right now is actually pretty good. I have to give them credit here: they are trying something different with the character, which allows him to be the cold hearted killer that we remember from the first film over thirty years ago, all the while giving us the inner turmoil of the past he could have had as Anakin Skywalker, with only one child that shows Jedi potential (nice move on writer W. Haden Blackman's part). Blackman is making strong strides for the quality of writing in the Star Wars universe, although I question his decisions in the production of Force Unleashed II. But that is beside the point. He's doing good things. Next target, please.
John Ostrander, who is responsible for Legacy, is putting a new book out that is set in the classic Rebellion/Republic era. It's called Agent of the Empire, and that's pretty exciting to me. Star Wars usually is at it's best in this era, at least for me. Empire/Rebellion were two fantastic books that delved into territory that hasn't been touched enough--the period between IV and V. There's little information on the series right now other than it's coming out this year, and crowding my box at the shop, along with...
CRIMSON EMPIRE III. Yeah, they are bringing this one back. Here's hoping they reprint the first two volumes, as I missed out on those back in the late nineties, aside from a great article in Star Wars Insider, covering the launch of the series. There is a preview of the series coming out next month in Dark Horse Presents no. 1, so maybe I'll stick a review of it up here.
I also read in Previews this month that there is to be another arc of The Old Republic comics. This hurts me quite a bit actually, as the first six issues were horrible up to merely acceptable in quality. When great things are happening in the Star Wars universe, and this is the stuff that they send for me to read, it's easy to be disappointed.
And that's what is in store for Star Wars fans who read comics this year, and why I'm skeptical. Well, not as skeptical as I could have been. I could just write off the whole franchise right now, claiming that the giant arc focus of the novels makes it almost impossible for me to get into any of the new stuff, and the mediocre selection of comics makes me cringe when I see that I have to drop three more dollars on another story about someone swinging a sword made of light against another sword made of light while talking about how they will be killed and Sith and dull and why am I still typing this sentence? I know I don't have to buy these books, but I will, and hope that they grow into something. I'm just dying for Dark Horse to impress me once again. They've done it, and they do it often, so I just want them to get on with it!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Recent Acquisitions
Just added two complete Sega CD games to my collection, Sonic CD and MegaRace. Also, the beautiful girlfriend added Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow to my collection, which has eaten up my attention for the past four days. It is quite fun, but the story is inconsequential to my experience, and the touch screen stuff is pretty pointless, and breaks the flow of gameplay. I am about half through the game.
Tomorrow is the $1 Box Sale, and I can't wait. Maybe I can put a hurting on those near-complete runs that I have been building for the past two years. Maybe I'll add to the Sandman collection a bit? Any of these things will be exciting. If you are somehow reading this, come down to Fanboy Comics in the morning an check it out.
Alright...bye.
Tomorrow is the $1 Box Sale, and I can't wait. Maybe I can put a hurting on those near-complete runs that I have been building for the past two years. Maybe I'll add to the Sandman collection a bit? Any of these things will be exciting. If you are somehow reading this, come down to Fanboy Comics in the morning an check it out.
Alright...bye.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Angry Birds Developer Makes Stupid Statement, Gamers Go Mad
I think that the majority of people connected to the internet knows what Angry Birds is. They've either played it on their cell phones, someone's cell phone, their computers, somewhere. They will even be able to play it on Facebook in the near future, making FarmVille and such obsolete. Which, quite honestly, it should be obsolete anyway, because FarmVille is about as interesting a replacing the batteries in my wireless mouse.
So, knowing that there are millions of Angry Birds players out there must make the creator of the game, Peter Vesterbacka, feel pretty good. However it doesn't excuse him from making a tool of himself in public.
Vesterbacka said that consoles are dead, due to overpriced games and hardware upgrades. Now, I can agree that throwing down sixty dollars on an X-Box 360 game (come on, Microsoft, they are on DVD's, just like your last console) is far too much to ask when the economy is in such dire condition as it is, but his statement is insane.
Let's look at it this way--console gamers usually couldn't care less about a casual game like Angry Birds. Most of them are too busy playing brown FPS's with overpowered tanks for characters to notice that such a thing even exists. The market of the average console game developer and the casual game developer are completely different, and they are able to sell their games to their audiences effectively enough that both can co-exist peacefully on opposites sides of the giant country of gaming.
Now that the obvious out of the way, I'm going to point a giant finger at the elephant that is sitting in the corner that everyone else just seems to ignore--Rovio Mobile, the studio responsible for the cell phone crack addiction, is porting their million dollar effort over to consoles.
Alright, Pete, I'm dying for your explanation on this one--why are you spearheading a series of console ports if you think that the console gaming industry is dying? It doesn't make much sense. Especially since stand alone retail versions of major casual titles usually die on the shelves because people can already play those games for free on their computers, thanks to advertising paying for the experience. If you need proof for that, head over to your local GameStop, or equivalent game shop, and look at the Wii shelves. At least 75% of the Wii library is made up of these simple games, remade and recolored for release as a way to milk that money machine a bit further, all in all making the market overcrowded with games that just aren't selling. Just because you can move several million dollar downloads doesn't mean your game is bullet proof in the console market.
Between the arrogant statement, and their trio of console versions, I'm not sure that the folks over at Rovio Mobile are thinking very clearly about their future in game development. Sure, you don't really have anything to worry about financially when you finally bury your corporation in the coming years, but you are just another one hit wonder in the gaming world. As a console gamer, I couldn't care less about your inevitable downfall. Sure, Angry Birds is fun. It's a quick to pick up and play game that is fun if you are on the go, and don't really want to break out the DS/PSP. But trust me, there will be other games. Your work isn't going to last forever. Think about that, Pete and Co. This is a fast moving industry, and you will be victim to it like so many developers before you.
So, knowing that there are millions of Angry Birds players out there must make the creator of the game, Peter Vesterbacka, feel pretty good. However it doesn't excuse him from making a tool of himself in public.
Vesterbacka said that consoles are dead, due to overpriced games and hardware upgrades. Now, I can agree that throwing down sixty dollars on an X-Box 360 game (come on, Microsoft, they are on DVD's, just like your last console) is far too much to ask when the economy is in such dire condition as it is, but his statement is insane.
Let's look at it this way--console gamers usually couldn't care less about a casual game like Angry Birds. Most of them are too busy playing brown FPS's with overpowered tanks for characters to notice that such a thing even exists. The market of the average console game developer and the casual game developer are completely different, and they are able to sell their games to their audiences effectively enough that both can co-exist peacefully on opposites sides of the giant country of gaming.
Now that the obvious out of the way, I'm going to point a giant finger at the elephant that is sitting in the corner that everyone else just seems to ignore--Rovio Mobile, the studio responsible for the cell phone crack addiction, is porting their million dollar effort over to consoles.
Alright, Pete, I'm dying for your explanation on this one--why are you spearheading a series of console ports if you think that the console gaming industry is dying? It doesn't make much sense. Especially since stand alone retail versions of major casual titles usually die on the shelves because people can already play those games for free on their computers, thanks to advertising paying for the experience. If you need proof for that, head over to your local GameStop, or equivalent game shop, and look at the Wii shelves. At least 75% of the Wii library is made up of these simple games, remade and recolored for release as a way to milk that money machine a bit further, all in all making the market overcrowded with games that just aren't selling. Just because you can move several million dollar downloads doesn't mean your game is bullet proof in the console market.
Between the arrogant statement, and their trio of console versions, I'm not sure that the folks over at Rovio Mobile are thinking very clearly about their future in game development. Sure, you don't really have anything to worry about financially when you finally bury your corporation in the coming years, but you are just another one hit wonder in the gaming world. As a console gamer, I couldn't care less about your inevitable downfall. Sure, Angry Birds is fun. It's a quick to pick up and play game that is fun if you are on the go, and don't really want to break out the DS/PSP. But trust me, there will be other games. Your work isn't going to last forever. Think about that, Pete and Co. This is a fast moving industry, and you will be victim to it like so many developers before you.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Yes, you are reading correctly.
Along with my run of 32X reviews, I'm going to be doing a podcast on video games. There will probably be some comic and music talk in there as well, depending on the episode. I'm looking at one installment a month, with a second being added when there is time. Keep an eye on this page over the next week for the first episode. Since I'm on spring break, I figure I've got time to take care of such little things as talking about video games for thirty minutes. Anyway, there are two 32X reviews coming down the pipe, as I'm ready to discuss Star Wars Arcade and Doom. Corpse Killer has made it into the disc tray of my Sega CD, and the 32X powered it, so there will be a review on that eventually as well. All plans to do video reviews are currently moot, as my Sega isn't cooperating with my video capture card. However, all of my other systems are working, so I may just try to squeeze something in at some point in the near future. I've got raw footage for a Rebel Assault II review, so maybe I'll do something with that. Who knows.
Okay...you can leave now.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Coming soon
Alright, so I've been hinting at this in the drafts for blogs that I'm writing, so I'm cutting to the chase to announce...
I'm going to start with Star Wars Arcade and Doom. God help me...
That said, it's not going to happen tommorow or next week. It's going to be a bit. I'm playing with the format, and considering video. I'll let you know as it develops. Oh well. I hope you come back for the reviews regardless.
I'm going to start with Star Wars Arcade and Doom. God help me...
That said, it's not going to happen tommorow or next week. It's going to be a bit. I'm playing with the format, and considering video. I'll let you know as it develops. Oh well. I hope you come back for the reviews regardless.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Aftermath of the 32/64 Bit Generation
One could definitely say that the Bit Wars came to an end about two generations ago. With the Dreamcast and it's eventual murderers, we got a list of stats to compare instead of a single number, and graphics were still viewed as the primary way that gamers judged a console and it's library. I don't know any other way to say it than those people are idiots.
I've been playing games for a long time, and I can't honestly see any reason why graphics still matter. I've played games that are photo realistic, cartoony, pixelated, full of textureless polygons, and even games with full out vector graphics. I've even played games where they weren't much more than interactive movies. Point and click, side scrolling, first person shooting...
Let's just get on with this and say that I've played a lot of games in my little bit of time on earth. Hundreds even, ranging all the way back to the Atari 2600 and a couple of the home pong consoles. I'm not saying I'm a better gamer for it, but I can say I'm at least entitled to have an educated opinion, which is more than they typical forum dwelling COD playing fanboy can say. And what is that opinion you might ask? Well, I'm getting to it, you impatient fool, and I'm also getting back to what I was talking about when I started this free form typing exercise which is keeping me awake in the absence of espresso.
I'm of the firm belief that these so called "advanced consoles" are killing the video game industry. Between the astronomical budgets, overhyped/underplayed titles, and lack of creative diversity, our happy little cut throat industry is putting itself into a grave, lined with first person shooters and open world adventures where you do little more than grind the same boring quests ad nauseum. Sure, every once in a while we get a Half Life, or a No More Heroes out of it, but usually it's just more and more of the same.
Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that technology has reached a level of sophistication that we can do these things. However, I'd be very happy if we got something new out of it as well. But it seems that they've killed all aspirations of doing that by digging into "well, this sells better" category of game design, and just hit cut and paste on the whole bloody thing.
So, I've been playing older games as of late, and realized a couple of days ago when the Xenosaga announcement was made, that I don't like newer games as much as I do old ones. Gritty sprites and jagged edges. Pre-rendered environments. Rough controls that made you really learn the game. I've been spoiled senseless by the modern games, and now I can barely make successful runs on games of my youth anymore. My fifth grade self was quite the skilled gamer, in retrospect.
Anyways, the whole graphics=/= quality thing was obvious in the late nineties, when the Playstation, an underpowered console, was dominating the market, holding all of the big names that Nintendo didn't own, and making an name in gaming based off of the quality of titles produced. Nintendo could barely hold it's own that generation, keeping afloat through a few key exclusives starting with M and Z. And oddly enough, in Sony's third generation, they are suffering similarly (but not to the same degree) with the PS3. Instead, the Wii has held the badge of honor this generation, but many of the games produced for it are also garbage. The third generation seems to be the one that hurts a corporation the most. The N64 was a bit of a mess when it came to finding high quality third-party titles, and the PS3 has faced similar problems in the past. Sure, dev's have found their way around on the hardware now, and are making up for their previous errors, but it was a bumpy road for Sony in the beginning. That and the horrific marketing did very little for the appeal of the console beyond it's use as a way to watch movies instead of playing videogames (see the old ScrewAttack Top 10 PS3 games vid for more on this).
What I think I'm trying to get at, and have been so for months now is that I'm not satisfied with the current gaming climate. It's a giant mess of games that I'm not the least bit interested in, and I don't see it changing. I will be jumping into whatever Nintendo does next, as they still try to make fun games instead of shelling out the latest in dark moody shooters. The 3DS will bring out some new and interesting concepts eventually, and in the meantime will give me an excuse to pay for StarFox 64 again. When their next home console drops, they will do something great with it, and I'm sure people will still complain.
And complaints are part of the reason for this dark age in video gaming. Creativity is stuck in the indie market, good games get rehashed for nostalgia's sake, and big franchises are increasingly dull. Meanwhile, the peanut gallery cries out that they want the big franchise stuff and the nostalgic stuff, but never anything new. When something new does get released, it's either ignored or bashed into submission, where it takes the right time and effort to dig it up and play it. For example, I'd never heard of Wiz n Liz on the Genesis until this week. I picked it up on store credit, and it's an absolute pleasure to play. It's simple, fun, bizarre, and addictive. It's everything that people needed in a game fifteen to twenty years ago, and the sooner we get back to having fun, the better off we all will be as gamers.
I've been playing games for a long time, and I can't honestly see any reason why graphics still matter. I've played games that are photo realistic, cartoony, pixelated, full of textureless polygons, and even games with full out vector graphics. I've even played games where they weren't much more than interactive movies. Point and click, side scrolling, first person shooting...
Let's just get on with this and say that I've played a lot of games in my little bit of time on earth. Hundreds even, ranging all the way back to the Atari 2600 and a couple of the home pong consoles. I'm not saying I'm a better gamer for it, but I can say I'm at least entitled to have an educated opinion, which is more than they typical forum dwelling COD playing fanboy can say. And what is that opinion you might ask? Well, I'm getting to it, you impatient fool, and I'm also getting back to what I was talking about when I started this free form typing exercise which is keeping me awake in the absence of espresso.
I'm of the firm belief that these so called "advanced consoles" are killing the video game industry. Between the astronomical budgets, overhyped/underplayed titles, and lack of creative diversity, our happy little cut throat industry is putting itself into a grave, lined with first person shooters and open world adventures where you do little more than grind the same boring quests ad nauseum. Sure, every once in a while we get a Half Life, or a No More Heroes out of it, but usually it's just more and more of the same.
Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that technology has reached a level of sophistication that we can do these things. However, I'd be very happy if we got something new out of it as well. But it seems that they've killed all aspirations of doing that by digging into "well, this sells better" category of game design, and just hit cut and paste on the whole bloody thing.
So, I've been playing older games as of late, and realized a couple of days ago when the Xenosaga announcement was made, that I don't like newer games as much as I do old ones. Gritty sprites and jagged edges. Pre-rendered environments. Rough controls that made you really learn the game. I've been spoiled senseless by the modern games, and now I can barely make successful runs on games of my youth anymore. My fifth grade self was quite the skilled gamer, in retrospect.
Anyways, the whole graphics=/= quality thing was obvious in the late nineties, when the Playstation, an underpowered console, was dominating the market, holding all of the big names that Nintendo didn't own, and making an name in gaming based off of the quality of titles produced. Nintendo could barely hold it's own that generation, keeping afloat through a few key exclusives starting with M and Z. And oddly enough, in Sony's third generation, they are suffering similarly (but not to the same degree) with the PS3. Instead, the Wii has held the badge of honor this generation, but many of the games produced for it are also garbage. The third generation seems to be the one that hurts a corporation the most. The N64 was a bit of a mess when it came to finding high quality third-party titles, and the PS3 has faced similar problems in the past. Sure, dev's have found their way around on the hardware now, and are making up for their previous errors, but it was a bumpy road for Sony in the beginning. That and the horrific marketing did very little for the appeal of the console beyond it's use as a way to watch movies instead of playing videogames (see the old ScrewAttack Top 10 PS3 games vid for more on this).
What I think I'm trying to get at, and have been so for months now is that I'm not satisfied with the current gaming climate. It's a giant mess of games that I'm not the least bit interested in, and I don't see it changing. I will be jumping into whatever Nintendo does next, as they still try to make fun games instead of shelling out the latest in dark moody shooters. The 3DS will bring out some new and interesting concepts eventually, and in the meantime will give me an excuse to pay for StarFox 64 again. When their next home console drops, they will do something great with it, and I'm sure people will still complain.
And complaints are part of the reason for this dark age in video gaming. Creativity is stuck in the indie market, good games get rehashed for nostalgia's sake, and big franchises are increasingly dull. Meanwhile, the peanut gallery cries out that they want the big franchise stuff and the nostalgic stuff, but never anything new. When something new does get released, it's either ignored or bashed into submission, where it takes the right time and effort to dig it up and play it. For example, I'd never heard of Wiz n Liz on the Genesis until this week. I picked it up on store credit, and it's an absolute pleasure to play. It's simple, fun, bizarre, and addictive. It's everything that people needed in a game fifteen to twenty years ago, and the sooner we get back to having fun, the better off we all will be as gamers.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Logistics
I keep reading about Kickstarter, and hearing how everyone seems to be putting projects through this page and installing an audience through this lovely internet grassroots bit that everyone seems to fall in love with. I can't say that I don't support it. As a matter a fact, had I the money to pour into some of these projects, I would do it in a heartbeat, such as Michael Zulli's graphic novel The Fracture of the Universal Boy ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1151517311/michael-zulli-the-fracture-of-the-universal-boy ) .
Obviously, I'm going somewhere with this.
My team of artists are hard at work on getting our webcomic off the ground as I type this, and we're preparing some stuff as a preview to what we hope to accomplish with The Alternative. Also, there is a little mini-series that is currently rushing it's way towards production called Unabducted, which plays with the alien abduction story a bit, and I have loads left to do on it, but it's taking shape. If we can get ahead on the webcomic, it's going to come out this year, all three issues, and possibly a collection if there is interest in such a silly thing.
What I am sitting around thinking about is the possibility of doing a kickstarter fund for Unabducted, obtaining our fanbase for Alt through it's production and sales. Mind you, the sales would be absolutely moot considering if people donate money, I'm going to give them the bloody comic. I mean, I'm not some prick who wants people to pay me five bucks to see something happen, and then another four for a copy of it.
That said, here's the math, and why I think it's actually possible.
500 copies of the book, full color, will cost about 1600 dollars. Of course, there are fees, shipping costs, and other things such as the fact that I'm sure the artists would love to see a few bucks poured into their pockets. If I can raise $2000 through this website over the course of several months, I can line the artists pockets a bit, make the books, and have a name amongst...well...five hundred or so people.
If it's not yet obvious, I'm more interested in building a following. I want people to read this book, The Alternative, and help me find publication for the aforementioned sci-fantasy epic that I'm scribbling away at in several notebooks and on my computer. I'm trying to get started in this tiny little field known as comics, and make a name for myself as a writer.
Of course, all of this would be more likely if I spent more time scripting and writing prose than blogging and other stupid things. I would also have more time for all of it if I wasn't in school. Then comes the other end of the vicious cycle, work. If I didn't spend forty hours of my week at CVS, I could spend that same forty hours working my way through scripts and prose, all powered by my delicious muse, espresso.
Well, the only way to know if this is a good idea is to try it. Of course, I want to have something concrete before I go off trying something crazy like this...alright everyone, stay tuned.
Obviously, I'm going somewhere with this.
My team of artists are hard at work on getting our webcomic off the ground as I type this, and we're preparing some stuff as a preview to what we hope to accomplish with The Alternative. Also, there is a little mini-series that is currently rushing it's way towards production called Unabducted, which plays with the alien abduction story a bit, and I have loads left to do on it, but it's taking shape. If we can get ahead on the webcomic, it's going to come out this year, all three issues, and possibly a collection if there is interest in such a silly thing.
What I am sitting around thinking about is the possibility of doing a kickstarter fund for Unabducted, obtaining our fanbase for Alt through it's production and sales. Mind you, the sales would be absolutely moot considering if people donate money, I'm going to give them the bloody comic. I mean, I'm not some prick who wants people to pay me five bucks to see something happen, and then another four for a copy of it.
That said, here's the math, and why I think it's actually possible.
500 copies of the book, full color, will cost about 1600 dollars. Of course, there are fees, shipping costs, and other things such as the fact that I'm sure the artists would love to see a few bucks poured into their pockets. If I can raise $2000 through this website over the course of several months, I can line the artists pockets a bit, make the books, and have a name amongst...well...five hundred or so people.
If it's not yet obvious, I'm more interested in building a following. I want people to read this book, The Alternative, and help me find publication for the aforementioned sci-fantasy epic that I'm scribbling away at in several notebooks and on my computer. I'm trying to get started in this tiny little field known as comics, and make a name for myself as a writer.
Of course, all of this would be more likely if I spent more time scripting and writing prose than blogging and other stupid things. I would also have more time for all of it if I wasn't in school. Then comes the other end of the vicious cycle, work. If I didn't spend forty hours of my week at CVS, I could spend that same forty hours working my way through scripts and prose, all powered by my delicious muse, espresso.
Well, the only way to know if this is a good idea is to try it. Of course, I want to have something concrete before I go off trying something crazy like this...alright everyone, stay tuned.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Oh my, my never ending cheapness is going to pay off.
First thing I see when I open up IGN this morning is an article announcing that Xenogears, the classic PS1 JRPG, is going to PSN tomorrow. This guy right here is going to get it.
Just for a little bit of background, I got to the PS1 late, opting for the Nintendo 64 for my gaming at the time. When I got hooked on JRPG's in middle school, I begged the parents for PS1, and eventually got one, with Final Fantasy VII. Now I think that game is massively overrated, and have better memories of better games on the console. Xenogears was one that I borrowed from a friend who got lucky on a reprint copy. I never finished the game, getting stuck at the tail end of the game.
Now I get a sweet little second chance, provided I can find the time to play the bloody thing.
Despite that, I'll put it on my PSP along with Final Fantasy VII-IX (yes, I know I just called VII overrated. That doesn't mean it was bad). Maybe I'll dig up my old save...or start all over. I'm a much smarter gamer than I was back when I first played the controversial and massively confusing game.
Oh, no, I don't look forward to the giant never ending storybook sections that make up the second disc. I'm not sure what it is about philosophically charged things involving giant robots, but these two things usually bring on the death knell of mass media creativity--budget cuts. The last episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion suffered a similar mess, in which the entire thing was made up of still shots and about three minutes of animation. And while the game actually plays and runs fine, it's still a bit dodgy at it's conclusion as a result.
But the first disc is still spectacular!
Now...to wait until it's financially feasible to buy and download this beast.
Just for a little bit of background, I got to the PS1 late, opting for the Nintendo 64 for my gaming at the time. When I got hooked on JRPG's in middle school, I begged the parents for PS1, and eventually got one, with Final Fantasy VII. Now I think that game is massively overrated, and have better memories of better games on the console. Xenogears was one that I borrowed from a friend who got lucky on a reprint copy. I never finished the game, getting stuck at the tail end of the game.
Now I get a sweet little second chance, provided I can find the time to play the bloody thing.
Despite that, I'll put it on my PSP along with Final Fantasy VII-IX (yes, I know I just called VII overrated. That doesn't mean it was bad). Maybe I'll dig up my old save...or start all over. I'm a much smarter gamer than I was back when I first played the controversial and massively confusing game.
Oh, no, I don't look forward to the giant never ending storybook sections that make up the second disc. I'm not sure what it is about philosophically charged things involving giant robots, but these two things usually bring on the death knell of mass media creativity--budget cuts. The last episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion suffered a similar mess, in which the entire thing was made up of still shots and about three minutes of animation. And while the game actually plays and runs fine, it's still a bit dodgy at it's conclusion as a result.
But the first disc is still spectacular!
Now...to wait until it's financially feasible to buy and download this beast.
Friday, February 18, 2011
My Case for Rebel Assault
I can clearly recall sitting in the living room of a childhood friend, jerking a cheap joystick back and forth trying not to crash into a corridor of spikes in what was supposed to be a training mission, dying, loading and repeating ad nauseum until I about wanted to launch the disc out of the window. So, one could be completely understood in asking "why would you want to play a game as absolutely horrible as Rebel Assault?" Well, allow me to explain.
A mixture of nostalgia and curiosity brought me back to the forgotten PC FMV-Shooter series about three years ago when a copy of Rebel Assault II for PS1 popped into a local shop for a rather reasonable six dollars. I threw down my cash, went home, and fought the PS3 to play it. About twenty minutes later, I gave up and dug out the PS1. Then it started. Two solid hours of cheesy cut scenes, abysmal writing and acting, and quite possibly the most unsatisfying ending this side of Final Fantasy VII, and I had the game finished.
It was about this time that I realized that my childhood self had about as much intelligence about the way the game is built as I did about nuclear physics, sex, or even that big bloody yellow thing hanging in the sky. I had no idea then what an FMV shooter was, nor what an FMV was. The PC was this odd little thing to play video games on, and I thought that all of the flight based Star Wars games were supposed to control like X-Wing or Tie Fighter.
Having fulfilled the need to finish the game, I remembered those spikes sticking out in the third level of the first Rebel Assault, and my interest in playing through the CD dinosaur emerged. I hunted for a cheap copy of the PC version, and was met with insane prices and a lack of availability through Steam and it's competitors. As a result, it fell to the back seat.
Until I picked up a Sega Genesis with all of the lovely trimmings. Back in November, I plopped twenty bucks into the cash register of the same store where I bought my copy of RAII, and hunted for the port of the first. Thankfully, the port was a bit more accessible, and probably easier to deal with than the awkward backwards compatibility with older windows games that Vista 64-bit has. It was time to play through once again and put aside my grudge with ye olde spike canyons.
Little did I know that FMV flight became easier from the first game to the second, and the controls would do the same. I don't know how I actually make it through the flight run on Beggar's Canyon on Rebel Assault, but it was extremely frustrating on every try. The Genesis control doesn't exactly seem suited for flight games, and this fact unfortunately carries over to the only other Star Wars game on the console, SW Arcade for 32x. No, I'm not counting the chess game, because it's still chess.
Well, practice made suitable, and I trekked my way straight through to the third level. The second was a fair bit easier.
What I found in the third level was the same spiky mess that I fought tooth and nail against in my youth.
And I finished it on the first try.
After that, I shot through the game, only getting hung up on a single level (which is insane in it's own right). I've since attempted a run at a higher difficulty, and am almost finished, thanks to the lovely set of passwords that I'm storing in my blackberry as I play through.
Now, onto the part of the Rebel Assault series that confuses me; enemy attacks. In addition to the odd laser blast hitting you for no other reason than you can't drag the cursor over fast enough, when a ship you didn't kill passes you by, you take damage. Immediately. There isn't a break to suggest "there is a ship on your tail and you took damage from a shot". It's odd, awkward, and completely unfair during a small selection of the missions. There is a difference between knowing the pattern after dying once or twice, and just having too many targets to take out in a small period of time due to the oddity of shooting sprites on an FMV background. The touches of latency between shot and kill are in place to allow that little bit of breathing room in the actual difficulty of the game, and I am thankful for it. But there is only so little you can do in some scenarios. Case in point, there is a stage at the beginning of the Death Star attack run where not-Luke Skywalker has to take out an entire Star Destroyer worth of Tie Fighters. The level of memorization required is strikingly high, and this is easily the most difficult level in the game for two reasons: the first is that on any difficulty but easy, you take enough damage from the ships you miss to make getting through the level an incredible challenge, the other is the trio of Ties, flying underneath the range of vision you are given from your cockpit, that attack one of your wing mates. The death of this pilot restarts the level. Allow me to make this clear--you get about ten seconds to kill three fighters. In order to pull off this herculean feat, you have to start firing before they even come into view, and even then you have to have a massive amount of luck in order to take out the three fighters. Not to mention if you have any damage and do succeed, the remainder of the level is a touch difficult. Not insane, like the wave you have to take out here, but pretty hairy nonetheless. Past this level, the entire game is extremely easy in my opinion. Of course, I haven't finished it on normal because of the Tie Attack level that is barring me from completing my Normal run. If I do surpass this run-in with evil game design, I will probably shoot through the other three levels without even breathing because the preceding levels were so easy on the normal run through because they weren't that much difficult from the Easy mode. Either I got pretty good at the game my first try out, or it's just not that varied in terms of difficult, IE, increased damage and nothing else, that I can handle Hard when the time comes.
So, dated game play, design, and video, awkward controls on both version, and a wholly bizarre experience aside, I love Rebel Assault. I know that everyone considers these games to be a mess, and they are, but they are such a lovely little mess that I don't know what I'd do without them. They are fun, and they feel like Star Wars. That's all I can ask for.
Alright, good day everyone.
A mixture of nostalgia and curiosity brought me back to the forgotten PC FMV-Shooter series about three years ago when a copy of Rebel Assault II for PS1 popped into a local shop for a rather reasonable six dollars. I threw down my cash, went home, and fought the PS3 to play it. About twenty minutes later, I gave up and dug out the PS1. Then it started. Two solid hours of cheesy cut scenes, abysmal writing and acting, and quite possibly the most unsatisfying ending this side of Final Fantasy VII, and I had the game finished.
It was about this time that I realized that my childhood self had about as much intelligence about the way the game is built as I did about nuclear physics, sex, or even that big bloody yellow thing hanging in the sky. I had no idea then what an FMV shooter was, nor what an FMV was. The PC was this odd little thing to play video games on, and I thought that all of the flight based Star Wars games were supposed to control like X-Wing or Tie Fighter.
Having fulfilled the need to finish the game, I remembered those spikes sticking out in the third level of the first Rebel Assault, and my interest in playing through the CD dinosaur emerged. I hunted for a cheap copy of the PC version, and was met with insane prices and a lack of availability through Steam and it's competitors. As a result, it fell to the back seat.
Until I picked up a Sega Genesis with all of the lovely trimmings. Back in November, I plopped twenty bucks into the cash register of the same store where I bought my copy of RAII, and hunted for the port of the first. Thankfully, the port was a bit more accessible, and probably easier to deal with than the awkward backwards compatibility with older windows games that Vista 64-bit has. It was time to play through once again and put aside my grudge with ye olde spike canyons.
Little did I know that FMV flight became easier from the first game to the second, and the controls would do the same. I don't know how I actually make it through the flight run on Beggar's Canyon on Rebel Assault, but it was extremely frustrating on every try. The Genesis control doesn't exactly seem suited for flight games, and this fact unfortunately carries over to the only other Star Wars game on the console, SW Arcade for 32x. No, I'm not counting the chess game, because it's still chess.
Well, practice made suitable, and I trekked my way straight through to the third level. The second was a fair bit easier.
What I found in the third level was the same spiky mess that I fought tooth and nail against in my youth.
And I finished it on the first try.
After that, I shot through the game, only getting hung up on a single level (which is insane in it's own right). I've since attempted a run at a higher difficulty, and am almost finished, thanks to the lovely set of passwords that I'm storing in my blackberry as I play through.
Now, onto the part of the Rebel Assault series that confuses me; enemy attacks. In addition to the odd laser blast hitting you for no other reason than you can't drag the cursor over fast enough, when a ship you didn't kill passes you by, you take damage. Immediately. There isn't a break to suggest "there is a ship on your tail and you took damage from a shot". It's odd, awkward, and completely unfair during a small selection of the missions. There is a difference between knowing the pattern after dying once or twice, and just having too many targets to take out in a small period of time due to the oddity of shooting sprites on an FMV background. The touches of latency between shot and kill are in place to allow that little bit of breathing room in the actual difficulty of the game, and I am thankful for it. But there is only so little you can do in some scenarios. Case in point, there is a stage at the beginning of the Death Star attack run where not-Luke Skywalker has to take out an entire Star Destroyer worth of Tie Fighters. The level of memorization required is strikingly high, and this is easily the most difficult level in the game for two reasons: the first is that on any difficulty but easy, you take enough damage from the ships you miss to make getting through the level an incredible challenge, the other is the trio of Ties, flying underneath the range of vision you are given from your cockpit, that attack one of your wing mates. The death of this pilot restarts the level. Allow me to make this clear--you get about ten seconds to kill three fighters. In order to pull off this herculean feat, you have to start firing before they even come into view, and even then you have to have a massive amount of luck in order to take out the three fighters. Not to mention if you have any damage and do succeed, the remainder of the level is a touch difficult. Not insane, like the wave you have to take out here, but pretty hairy nonetheless. Past this level, the entire game is extremely easy in my opinion. Of course, I haven't finished it on normal because of the Tie Attack level that is barring me from completing my Normal run. If I do surpass this run-in with evil game design, I will probably shoot through the other three levels without even breathing because the preceding levels were so easy on the normal run through because they weren't that much difficult from the Easy mode. Either I got pretty good at the game my first try out, or it's just not that varied in terms of difficult, IE, increased damage and nothing else, that I can handle Hard when the time comes.
So, dated game play, design, and video, awkward controls on both version, and a wholly bizarre experience aside, I love Rebel Assault. I know that everyone considers these games to be a mess, and they are, but they are such a lovely little mess that I don't know what I'd do without them. They are fun, and they feel like Star Wars. That's all I can ask for.
Alright, good day everyone.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
RECENT ACQUISITIONS
RECENT ACQUISITIONS
Strider (GEN)
Sonic and Knuckles (GEN)
Clayfighter (SNES)
The Absolute Death - Neil Gaiman
The Absolute Batman - The Long Halloween - Jeph Loeb
(Thank you Jo, love you!)
Lots of individual issues I'd kill to detail but can't remember.
Finished reading The Mice Templar Vol. 1, and it was everything that I wanted from it and more. Should I trip over another thirty bucks for a follow up lovely hardback volume, I'll get on it, and give it a read as well.
Also, pick up Halcyon from Image. It's pretty good. And should publishers not decide to load my box with books this week, I'll try to catch up Casanova, which had a particularly brilliant first issue.
Alright...bye.
Strider (GEN)
Sonic and Knuckles (GEN)
Clayfighter (SNES)
The Absolute Death - Neil Gaiman
The Absolute Batman - The Long Halloween - Jeph Loeb
(Thank you Jo, love you!)
Lots of individual issues I'd kill to detail but can't remember.
Finished reading The Mice Templar Vol. 1, and it was everything that I wanted from it and more. Should I trip over another thirty bucks for a follow up lovely hardback volume, I'll get on it, and give it a read as well.
Also, pick up Halcyon from Image. It's pretty good. And should publishers not decide to load my box with books this week, I'll try to catch up Casanova, which had a particularly brilliant first issue.
Alright...bye.
Let's do this right, eh?
So, yeah, I'm going to blog again, amongst the sea of other fools who think their thoughts are interesting enough to scribble on the internet. Who knows, maybe one of you sad folk will read this and hit my web comic over at www.thealternative-comic.com ...well, it will be when we do a few other things. Anyway, let's have a look at whats going on at the bottom of the screen...hmmm...looks like three opened writing projects, this bloody browser, and a ton of note files begging me to load that information elsewhere, in finished form. Yes, sweet little note files, I'm working on it...or maybe I'm not. I need to switch the music away from The Beatles to accomplish anything of a professional nature.
So, anyway, in this little bucket, I'll throw reviews of records I enjoy, video games, comics, pretty much anything that passes underneath my fingertips in some way. I'll comment on the writing load that isn't shrinking, and possibly complain about work a bit, because working retail is about as useful to starting a writing career as cutting ones fingers off is to playing classical piano.
Now, the only way I'll be officially slamming out blog posts on this bloody thing is if Blackberry will get a proper blogging app for me to work from when I'm out and about in the ugly little city of Wilmington.
Let's see...
So, anyway, in this little bucket, I'll throw reviews of records I enjoy, video games, comics, pretty much anything that passes underneath my fingertips in some way. I'll comment on the writing load that isn't shrinking, and possibly complain about work a bit, because working retail is about as useful to starting a writing career as cutting ones fingers off is to playing classical piano.
Now, the only way I'll be officially slamming out blog posts on this bloody thing is if Blackberry will get a proper blogging app for me to work from when I'm out and about in the ugly little city of Wilmington.
Let's see...
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