tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33312781339931782352024-03-05T19:14:31.410-08:00Jonny Napalm's Burn CenterJonny Napalm's Burn Center is a small blogsite dealing with all its author's many obsessions, including: Film, Television, Comics, Literature and anything and everything else he feels like railing about for 10 minutes at a time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-57828913298073715162012-12-03T18:42:00.000-08:002012-12-03T18:42:00.255-08:00Cold comes calling...I've just finished reading Jim Butcher's newest book in his Dresden Files series <u>Cold Days</u>. This is the kind of storytelling that just works so well. Butcher's Dresden continues to impress with each adventure, and Harry meeting up with his fantastic cast is just some of my favorite material I think I've ever read.<br />
For those of you who aren't familiar; Harry Dresden is a practicing Wizard in the city of Chicago. As in Chicago of 2012. The Dresden series is the 'go to' for Urban Fantastists. Other folks might match him...but I haven't read anything that's done Urban Fantasy better. He faces off with Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, psychic monsters, ghosts, things from outside the universe, the fae, oh and the original demons... all manner of baddies. <br />
You'd think someone who goes up against these kinds of foes must have some serious advantages...and on occasion? You'd be right, but most of the time Harry's still trying to figure out what they're up to before he can take advantage of his many tricks. He gets beat up. A lot. It's actually kinda funny, Butcher typically comments on how much he makes Harry suffer through. And I suppose that's the thing that I like about Harry most. He gets THROUGH it. He takes it and keeps on going. There are times when I'd really appreciate having those qualities in myself. Probably what makes Harry such a good protagonist.<br />
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Anyhow, this latest entry in the Files is basically to familiarise everybody with the new groundwork in Chicago, supernaturally speaking, since Harry's absence and those things he did in <u>Changes</u> that rocked the face of the 'Dresden'verse'. We start outside of reality in the Fae realms and Harry is finding out just how bad things are going to get with Winter (the Court, not the weather) when he gets his first job. And it's a doozy. So back to reality he goes.<br />
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Then it's a series of amusing events as Harry meets up with his old crew once again and finds out all kinds of secrets 'man was not meant to know'. Then again, that's what Wizards do. That's why they're Wizards. <br />
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Harry getting set with his new dynamic with Molly his apprentice is touching and there's a little bit of a spark there that Butcher's been flaming for a while. The reunion with Thomas is hysterical and leads to some great little insult-wars between the pair of them. I'm fairly convinced Butcher was watching Supernatural for inspiration at one point. Harry meeting with Mouse is all kinds of adorable, but the one everybody was waiting for was Karrin Murphy. I mean folks have been hoping for Harry and Murph to get together and have spell-flinging ninja babies since the first trilogy finished, so Butcher had a LOT to live up to. <br />
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And he managed to pull it off. The conversations between the characters felt REAL even if some of the stuff they talked about was fantastic. The emotions and the relationships that were so important. The people that they were? Those couldn't have been more genuine. And that's one of the big highlights of the Dresden Books. The Characters all HAVE it. Character I mean. They're interesting and complicated and lovable and... I know I'd hate being in the same room as Thomas because of the jealousy I'd feel, but I still think he'd be awesome to have a beer with. Harry too, especially if we could manage it at Mac's Pub. <br />
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I digress... well I do that a lot, but anyhow back to the point.<br />
<u>Changes</u> was necessary to be the big shake up point for the stories, and <u>Ghost Story</u>, while interesting was basically just filler to get Harry back with everything else going on in his life. But <u>Cold Days</u> along with <u>Summer Knight</u> has just gone up as one of my FAVORITE Dresden tales. <br />
They may not be for everybody. But I sure love 'em.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-49745143046320880082012-12-02T18:00:00.000-08:002012-12-02T18:00:02.406-08:00X-Com: Enemy Funding CommitteesThe X-Com series was one of the highlights of my time gaming on PC's back before you needed an upgrade every 4 months to stay up to date on hardware. <br />
It was strategic, and tactical, it had lots of aliens, and above all it was HARD. And when I say hard? I don't mean 'a little challenging', I mean your first play of the game will end in complete failure. Then you learn a bit more about how the system works, and maybe you'll survive with your squad intact for the first mission. Then you get to save, and research and fund your operations, and it gets MORE challenging 'cause you've got a LOT more ground to cover. <br />
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It made it very different from most of the games on the market today that tend to hold gamer's hands. Granted, that aspect wasn't entirely unusual in the market then, but the fact that you could permanently lose agents and assets, and the challenging difficulty of the monsters all made it a seriously challenging game. <br />
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That you had research, alien aircraft takedowns, invasions to take care of all made the game complex and interesting. Now our good friends at 2K games have updated and re-done this marvelous bit of gaming history for modern systems and it's FANTASTIC. In your tutorial mission, they show you how hard the game is going to be. But there are all kinds of things that you need to learn along the way through play, just like the original.<br />
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There is ALWAYS something you're looking to get, new gear for your troops, new vehicles, new rooms for your base, new stuff to research, and never enough time or money to get it all done. The base portion of the game is all about prioritizing, while the tactical combat is all about keeping your troops alive, because there is NO magic reset button. A bad mission will mean you loose all 6 of your top people and completely cripple your game.<br />
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The only game that really compares to it is Dark Souls. Granted in Dark Souls you will die to learn new techniques and how to move through the game environment, XCom puts you in command of a team that does so. The more successful your team, the more likely they are to make it farther in the game, but the less you'll want to risk them. It's an interesting mix of cost/reward. <br />
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The game rewards patience and learning it's system, instead of the manic pace of the run and gun first person shooters that dominate the market. <br />
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It's a wonderful change in style and play for the game market, and I hope we might see something similar with the old Jagged Alliance mercenaries style game, it'd be a great step for the design team to take.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-79346855089083737562012-12-01T16:27:00.002-08:002012-12-01T16:27:48.893-08:00Bourne Again...So the Bourne Legacy is making it's way out to the physical and digital media as we speak.<br />
I never really touched on it when it first showed up, I don't remember why I was distracted at the time, but I do recall that I was. I think it was mostly because it was out at the same time as The Avengers, which stole quite a few hours of my time in the theater, and more at home on my media player.<br />
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The Bourne Series is a series of growing mysteries about the loss of identity and how the 'agent's' that get it stripped away and rebuilt from are still MORE than the training that they have. It's got great Spy craft moments and drama, terrific characters. Restarting all of that with new characters in Legacy is a huge challenge. The loss of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass seemed to interrupt the flow of the series, but Tony Gilroy really tries to pick up the baton and run with it as well as the previous team did.<br />
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Jeremy Renner has the new 'Legacy' role to step into, and that's really what the movie is all about. The fallout from Bourne's quest for identity. The exposure of the two programs, Treadstone and Blackbriar, leads to somebody from his former organization liquidating every program that could be exposed. This brings us to our new protagonist Aaron Cross (Renner). As one of the 'assets' in this program he is on borrowed time. But to make things worse, all of these assets are, to a certain extent chemically enhanced. These enhancements make the assets faster, stronger, and more resilient than normal, but they also have a mental component. <br />
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One of the criticism's I heard about this picture when the film initially came out was that the movie felt like a 'fetch' quest in a video game. I can understand that comparison, and there's even some truth to it, but what got me about it was there's an aspect of 'Flowers for Algernon' to this film that would be terrifying, especially considering that the ability to think clearly is only one of the things keeping Cross alive.<br />
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[Spoilers (Highlight to view)]<br />
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<span style="color: white;">Cross was barely able to pass his entrance exam to join the Army before getting into the program. Now he's capable of advance tactical thinking, and mentally very sharp. The idea of your mind slipping away leading to you losing the only chance you have to stay alive? That's some serious motivation. </span><br />
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[/end Spoilers]<br />
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All in all, the movie falls short of the standards set by the drama and characters of the previous Bourne films, but that doesn't take away that the movie itself is really solid. If viewed independently? It'll stand up well. If you're comparing it to the previous Bourne films, it's not going to be as strong.<br />
Ed Norton makes a strong showing as the villan in this piece, and Renner's Cross is a solid protagonist... their motivations are never really in question, Cross wants to live and everything is based on that, Norton needs to eliminate the last piece of exposure his superiors could be exposed to.<br />
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In the end, all I can really say is that I really enjoyed the film, not as much as the previous ones, but it was entirely worth the time to explore where they decided to go with Ludlum's original series.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-73032443917699652332012-11-29T20:50:00.000-08:002012-11-29T20:50:45.643-08:00NANOWRIMO Day 29..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-inzl7QIgFr_UDO3LTd46yb5FcI6bGcs52P21OjXKd26t3dO2pkeYJ3_tnhAvq6Lm87RhO1tI64nfBuHyGS5StqaRPDgznV5BOdy_xF07wEHqtVcjAWD4addBwgGPFEmwCcQ5pRUndA2/s1600/Winner-180x180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-inzl7QIgFr_UDO3LTd46yb5FcI6bGcs52P21OjXKd26t3dO2pkeYJ3_tnhAvq6Lm87RhO1tI64nfBuHyGS5StqaRPDgznV5BOdy_xF07wEHqtVcjAWD4addBwgGPFEmwCcQ5pRUndA2/s1600/Winner-180x180.jpg" /></a></div>
So here we are at the end of November and NANOWRIMO is almost done. How'd I do? Pretty good if I do say so myself. While I didn't have my 50k words set to go when they opened up finalization on Monday, I did manage to get there today. I'm pretty proud of myself to be honest. Now I just need to keep up the writing habit. Now you may be asking where my story is at...and the funny thing is it's just getting started. <br />
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When I started this project my impulse when I first started writing was to go with a series of short stories all in a collective world to try and establish this environment that I wanted to write in. Then I actually started writing the Characters, and the environment, and some of the events going on and I discovered that it wasn't going to be a series of short stories...unless I decided to make them all 100 pages. <br />
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So I now have a story I'm really enjoying writing, and want to re-visit. But I'm feeling like writing something else for a bit. And I feel like I can justify working on something else now that I don't have the finish of NANO looming. <br />
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Honestly I'm just looking forward to writing some more stuff. I don't know if I'll ever manage enough material to publish or anything, but the fact that I finally feel like I got past my internal editor? That's feeling like a step in the right direction. <br />
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I'm thinking I could use a bit more structure on my next big writing project though instead of letting the story grow on it's own like this one did. I'll need to revisit some old writing lessons about plotlines, character development and stuff like that. A fantastic writer named Frea O'Scanlin (at least that's what she's told me to call her), pointed out some web based lessons on Creative Writing by Brandon Sanderson. I'm likely going to be spending the next week watching those and seeing what I can build with his advice. Between him and Michael Stackpoles 'The Secrets' a wonderful podcast and newsletter all about writing, I think I'll be able to do some more to develop this habit into something more. <br />
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I hope anyhow. Hope your days are as full as you want them to be. With all the joy and good fortune you can find. <br />
Til laterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis, MN, USA44.983334 -93.2666744.893485 -93.4245985 45.073183 -93.108741500000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-87142034112969117142012-11-08T19:53:00.000-08:002012-11-08T19:55:21.975-08:00NANOWRIMO Day 8So...I've been hard at work...well hardly AT WORK but I've been trying to put some serious time in on writing my novel each day. And coming from a REALLY rough start it's starting to shape itself into a story that I'm pretty excited about. I keep finding myself focusing on a mantra for myself "Just keep writing into the next scene. Just keep writing into the next scene." And it feels like it's working pretty well. As long as I manage to find some time each day to go somewhere I'm NOT comfortable and just sit down and WRITE for a while I manage to get some really solid material out. <br />
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I mean, I'm at 16000 words today. Of my story. And each day I look at it and find some more material to keep going on. Granted most of the time I have to force myself away from my computer to not go back and EDIT bits and pieces. (NO, bad Jonny. Editing is for December.) But if I can keep at this pace for EACH DAY. Just manage 2000 words a day, maybe a few more, I'll have my 50,000 well before the end of the month. I love that idea. Having a good chunk of a novel finished before the end of a month. <br />
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Now, I just need to cement this as a habit for EVERY day and then I'll be making some serious progress.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-11988970900969735772012-11-01T23:15:00.003-07:002012-11-08T19:55:00.602-08:00Blitzing Badguys...in Borderlands 2.Another day, another posting. I really should be working on some original fiction of my own, but I'm having a hard time shutting off my internal editor to get more material out instead of going BACK to the stuff I've written. It's much more challenging than you'd think.<br />
Still, I've got ideas popping up anytime I'm doing ANYTHING else. I really need to start keeping better notes. Anyone know good ways to take them while in the shower? My paper keeps getting soggy.<br />
Anyway, onto the title material.<br />
I loved the original Borderlands. It was ridiculously easy to jump in and play, fun to barrel around in the zones with your friends and kill stuff. It played a lot like Diablo in many ways, huge amounts of loot with varied looks and some really interesting variations in play.<br />
Borderlands 2? More of the same, all the great gunplay, all the ridiculous comedy. The game plays like the craziest sci-fi western ever. And all the guns? There really doesn't seem to be ANY end to them. Even the ones you get from quest drops see MASSIVE variation. It's really quite impressive.<br />
While the single player is the best way to get to all the great comedy in the story, but what really makes the game fun is the multiplayer. Nothing is quite so much fun as running around the wilds of Pandora with your 3 friends blasting every Psycho, Bandit, Marauder and Elite out there. It's bloody, fast, quick and fun. All the things that we were looking for in a sequel. <br />
Gotta say, the ability to sit down with a buddy in his basement and rock out blasting away at bad guys. It's very therapeutic for ANY kinds of stress. Though I'm sure that getting a couple thousand more words done in my NANOWRIMO journal will work just as well.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-21909432158635503792012-10-31T19:50:00.000-07:002012-11-08T19:54:27.237-08:00Happy Halloween! And NANOWRIMO is here! AHHHHH!It's been a while since I've put ANYTHING up here. I know, I'm disappointed in me too... There really aren't any good reasons for it other than me losing my drive to put my random thoughts up. Anyhow, I've got something new and a little terrifying going on in my life for the next 30 days or so. Let's see if I can manage to get something up here every day?<br />
So, for those of you wondering what the heck I'm blathering on about THIS time... NANOWRIMO is NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth. I've only heard about it this last year or so, and when I did...Well, the idea both Thrilled and Terrified me. So here's the thing. You sign up for it online at <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">http://www.nanowrimo.org/</a>; get your profile set and then over the course of November you write a 50,000 word novel. Now, I've managed some lengthy treatises on stuff before...but I've never actually got that many words conveying a single theme out. Now what makes this interesting is that anywhere folks are doing this, they get together an hang out at Write ins. This is basically taking peer pressure and making it work FOR you. Sitting in a room with a bunch of folks typing away while you're NOT writing your novel? A little intimidating. Then there's the forums which have folks tossing ideas around and there's word wars between different people trying to get the most material out...it's all kinda crazy. And I'm making myself a part of it. <br />
It's a weird notion just making it about the word count and not about the quality...but I know one of my biggest issues for Myself? Is turning off the inner editor. It's always clicking away back there and making me worry about what I'm doing wrong. For this, I've locked him in a box, stuck him in a vault and hid him behind some dusty old memories of yesteryear with a big sign saying "DO NOT OPEN TIL DECEMBER". <br />
I don't know what will show up here over the course of the next month...I'm fairly sure at some point it's just going to be me writing MUST KEEP TYPING over and over again. Or not. Who can say?<br />
That's where I'm starting with this. I'm typing up my thoughts and putting them out into the ether. Hopefully I'll have something fun that I've thought of later on but I'm really not sure. Hope anybody who sees this actually DID have a Happy Halloween, and that the start of your November is bright. Mine is looking Wordy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-49778589424080795352011-05-05T20:55:00.000-07:002011-05-05T20:55:53.088-07:00Where are the Freelancers?Every time I plug a new game into any gaming system, I hope to find something new or interesting... Something that will engage me while entertaining me. It's rare that you find one that can handle all those options... and the ones that have been appearing (though more frequent these days) are still exceptionally rare. I've been yearning for my Wing Commander days back on my old Amiga and felt compelled to give the recently updated Dark Star One: Broken Alliance a try. <div>It may be recollections of rose-colored glasses... but those games were still far superior to the one that I've been playing. DS1 is, at it's core, a space sim, with some upgrade elements tacked on to make it slightly different from it's contemporaries and little bits of trade tacked on to keep up to par. Still, even with it's HD upgrade.. it doesn't manage to hold up to games from 2003 specifically Freelancer... which in my last experience is one of the best space-sims I've ever played. DS1's story felt very cobbled together using a great deal of inspiration from Freelancer, but without the inventive starship design that was developed for the different factions and cultures. All in all the game is a weak diversion while waiting for the next generation of good space sims to show up. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-940710971603661582011-05-03T14:14:00.000-07:002011-05-03T14:14:10.897-07:00That madman in his magnificent blue box...The first couple episodes of the new season of Doctor Who have aired over here at long last... and once again, Steven Moffat (currently considered one of the best episode writers the series had) is making his mark on the Doctor's Mythos. He's made fun new villains and found a distinctive new way to mess with his audience using his distinctive sense of fun and silliness. <div>Most folks have "their" Doctor. The one who caught their attention and riveted them to his episodic stories when they were younger. Moffat is no different. Check out his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7boeBf5pbQ">Time Crash</a> mini episode from the Children in Need special he did for the BBC. It's a brilliant piece of work by David Tennant (our previous Doctor incarnation) that touches on many of the things that make the character unique and wonderful. It also serves to show WHY so many of the good Doctor's fans were disappointed when Mr. Tennant hung up his Tardis key (though with the way things work in the Doctor's world, we could run into him again).</div><div>For me Tom Baker is most frequently the one that came to mind pre- 2005 series resurrection. Though his successors "The Caves of Androzani" remains one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who to date.</div><div>The most interesting thing we saw when the Doctor made his return was the change in his nature... before he was the ancient traveller looking for things and friends to keep him busy while plunging though the extra-dimensions that we know are there... but he can see and feel. With his return he was an old soldier... lost and alone... the last survivor of a race that no longer is, and struggling to find something to hang on to. </div><div>The Doctor's first seasons (at least the new ones from 2005-2009) are now easily accessible via Netflix, and have some fantastic storytelling, almost all of which is self contained in each episode though Russel T. Davies "the Doctor as Messiah" tends to get a little heavy handed in the episodes that he writes. </div><div>Steven Moffat (the Doctor's current showrunner) has some of his BEST work in these series. Including Blink, a exceptional piece of television that only actually involves the Doctor tangentially. There are many things to expect from a show like Doctor Who... but the one that I enjoy the most is the un-adulterated creativity that pours into each of them. While I love the classics of Doctor Who dearly... I there is nothing that I can recommend more than the new series. It's fun, scary, brilliant, and shining and while it's regular cast is small even the guests for each individual episode work their utmost to make it an excellent viewing experience for everyone.</div><div><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-42026134093417140942011-04-21T19:52:00.000-07:002011-04-21T19:52:05.622-07:00Revisiting the DC Wasteland....Folks that know me are aware of how much I enjoy the simplicity of the console game environment. It really is about as simple as things get. Have the console, insert game play, probably enjoy. When I took Fallout 3 for it's initial run back after its release, I had a GRAND time wandering the desert wasteland around what once was a nation's capitol and killing off mutants, slavers, radioactive roaches, and of course...the occasional nut who started shooting at me for no apparent reason. Now the advent of DLC on both the XB360 and Playstation 3 have greatly extended playability for a good many games on both systems...then I grew curious. The Fallout 3 story features an element called the GECK (or Garden of Eden Creation Kit)... a tool made available to the modding community by the good folks at Bethesda shortly after release, that allows for fundamental alterations to the game world and changes to the environment. Now I'd been away from the Capital Wasteland for quite some time, but I was immensely curious to see what kinds of stuff folks have come up with for one of the best post-apocalyptic stories I'd ever experienced.<br />
The answer? A LOT. There is a TON of new material available to extend or re-define your gameplay with Fallout 3 on the PC. Granted a great preponderance are little cheats or god items or items of an AHEM, adult nature... but when you sift away a lot of the things that aren't going to increase your enjoyment... there's still a ton of material. Theres quests by the cartload, new locations to be explored, new characters, and stories that folks are using the GECK to make interactive fan-fiction for all practical purposes. One of my favorites was actually a mod that DRASTICALLY ramps up the difficulty of the game. Making the acquisition of clean water a priority, by creating the possibility of dying of thirst or starvation was an intriguing additive. The game was an exceptional piece of work before and some of these good folks in the modding community went ALL OUT to increase that gaming experience. And for that I salute you good sirs one and all. So, if you're revisiting old games on a PC, take a look around and see if there's any modders doing anything interesting with it. You never know, it may just change the way you play the game.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-22336723953353415842011-04-19T20:22:00.000-07:002011-04-19T20:22:55.877-07:00Returning to the Age of Dragons...So hopefully all the folks who checked out my previous post on the Game of Thrones did themselves the service of at least giving it a try, they may have guessed my reason I'm RETURNING to the Age of Dragons with this post (in more ways than one). The primary reason? I'm going to be covering my thoughts on Bioware's recent project, Dragon Age 2. Since that's really the only reason I need... I'm going to keep quiet about the second.... but the observant from Game of Thrones will likely be able to figure it out. <div>Now, Bioware has become the dominant force in Story driven RPG's lately. A format that has been one of my favorites since I first picked up an AD&D book. Set in the world of Thedas (literally, <u>THE</u> <u>D</u>ragon <u>A</u>ge <u>S</u>etting), the first Dragon age story told of the rise and potential fall of the Fereldan Grey Warden as he attempts to halt the hostile Blight from destroying his home nation. The game boasted deep story, excellent characters, and lots of great potential game play in a fast tactical environment. The sequel on the other hand changes a number of the aspects of the original game. Not all bad, but not all were terribly favorable...</div><div>The new game gives you great customization of Hawke... the primary protagonist, but makes customization of ALL the other characters involved in the game with you a challenge. Generally speaking in an RPG, customization of the parties weapons, armor and capabilities the means of optimizing the survivability of your characters. My primary issue DA2 over 1 is that the decision to completely eliminate allies armor in DA2 makes them immensely vulnerable and problematic to keep alive in the higher difficulties of play. And while the "custom" skill slots possessed by each of your allies in the game are interesting, I'd have greatly preferred that they had more comparable skills to the variations of Hawke... in particular the ability to have more Healers available than Anders from the DA: Awakening expansion. Now, I played the game on the Xbox360 and PC, and while both formats work well (the game was made much more action oriented for the gaming platforms) the tactical format works much better on the PC, much like the predecessor. And while I'm sure there will eventually be some great DLC for the game, with the moding community online there is SO much more depth of game available to PC players it's ridiculous.</div><div>While I didn't enjoy ALL aspects of the game... I did LOVE the story. Bioware is going all out with their games and crafting full rich stories for their customers and this one is no exception. It will be really interesting to see how the implementation of the story aspects of the Star Wars: Old Republic game is going to be.</div><div>The primary lesson here is this: If you're looking for a good RPG with a lot of action to it Dragon Age 2 is a great place to go. Most folks will get by with rental or Gamefly... but for those of us who REALLY love our RPGs... Its a solid purchase.</div><div><div><br />
</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-88406403931258709702011-04-18T19:42:00.000-07:002011-04-18T19:42:50.517-07:00The Great Game...George R. R. Martin's critically acclaimed series "The Song of Ice and Fire" has been in my library since it's initial publication. And let me just say, there are GOOD reasons that the critics love these books. The characters are deep and well developed, and the stories that Martin tells from the various characters points of view all follow actual evolution of all of them while each paints a bigger picture of the world around them. And that's without getting into the deep mythology that has grown with the series (initially a trilogy, now projected into a 7 book series). Now the folks taking a look on here may be wondering why I'm bringing this series up now... and for that I say... Isn't it obvious? HBO has finally got their series project of "The Game of Thrones" up and on the air.... and it's every bit as deep and well made as it's original publication. HBO shows their conviction to bring quality programming projects to their audience that I haven't seen since Band of Brothers. No, I'm not being facetious...I think the quality of the work being done here is that good, though the subject matter is pure fiction, rather than history, it doesn't change the quality of the work being done. The production team got a great cast set up all of whom fill their characters roles with apparently no effort. Now, as much as I'd love to get into spoiler territory, I'm going to refrain... cause I feel everything presented in the story is much better if you just let it unfold as you watch. What I am going to say is that there are few things I've seen on television that consistently impressed me throughout the full duration of the program....and the premiere episode of The Game of Thrones was one of them. One other thing that I want to tell the folks who may read this is that if you thought that the storys beginning was impressive? Jus hold on to your hats...cause this is going to be one heckuva ride.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-53955926732124243872011-02-14T22:56:00.000-08:002011-02-14T22:56:59.968-08:00Back again...with the Cape.Greetings once again to all you good folks out in the blogosphere... it's been almost 2 months since my last publication. The initial hiatus was due primarily to the holiday doldrums and trying to figure out where I would be going with this fun little exercise... and now I find myself drawn back to it, as the moth to the flame, to bring tidings of mediocrity and hope for the potential of things to come. <br />
So what specifically has gotten under my skin to bring me back to the nebulous uncaring interconnected ocean of webposts? To basically do as the samurai of old did and duel against something so vast and uncaring that it is an endless struggle of futility? Finally seeing some of the potential showing up when a program seems to be going on its last legs. <br />
The Cape... an interesting concept with a fantastic ensemble cast that seems to be finally finding it's legs. On it's surface The Cape is a very basic hero style show.... the network keeps plugging it as a "superhero" show but it really doesn't fit the model left behind after Heroes died. The problem that I kept running into with the show was also it's greatest strength...the cast. The Cape/Vince Farraday played by David Lyons is an adequate hero...but no superhero. As a soldier who transitioned himself to law enforcement, there are still a lot of elements the character that haven't been explored... forfeiting those opportunities to focus on the relationship between a father and his son... and while that could be interesting... with an adequate young actor in the role of the son it could have been much more engaging... but there's only so much of a vacant 100 yard stare that one can take and attribute to "acting", before you start wondering what the casting director was thinking. <br />
James Frain has come solidly into his own as the engaging Chess, and his legal alter ego Peter Flemming... Very much in the model of Lex Luthor as the military industrialist who's getting his claws solidly into a city with some very entertaining twists. The most intriguing that I find is that Flemming and Chess are actually opponents in their own game from which the criminal personality derives his name. Flemming as the white king of order trying to control the surface board, while Chess controls the underworld as the black king. It's a fun dichotomy that Frain plays with well. <br />
The we run to our other primary... one of the fantastic young actresses discovered by Joss Whedon in his hay day, but who kept landing all her best roles on FOX network shows, that never really managed to get onto solid ground. I speak of course of the incomparable Summer Glau as Orwell... an enigma who finds it useful to have some muscle to get her message out about the dark turn politics in her town are taking. A terrific character, and one that I always enjoy seeing get more screen time... especially building on said character. And there isn't a techno-geek out there who wouldn't love to see some practical applications getting those fun holographic computers she's using be real.<br />
Still.. for me the part of the show that SHINES... are some of the "B" characters. While Vince is focused on finding a way to clear his name, his focus in his family is almost always on his son, while his wife, played very well by Jenifer Ferrin, gets much more interesting stories, with the backlash of her husband being suspected as a mass murderer and trying to move on while still making an effort to prove he was a good man. Some exceptional work there which, when it doesn't focus on the son, hits home more often than not. Then... there's the wonderfully charismatic and brilliant Carnival of Crime players. Keith David steals scenes easily as Max Malini, a ringmaster and ringleader looking to do something a little different with his skills. Martin Klebba is brilliant as the diminutive Rollo, who still gets a lot of the best fight scenes. A show focusing on ONLY the carnival characters would be fantastic and probably a lot more fun than what we've got now... but we make due with what we've got. <br />
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To summarize... while the show got it's initial draw from the geek/nerd portion of Chuck as a lead in (an admirable bit of programming) it's taken this Freshman far to long to get up to speed to get the momentum that the network needs for it. I'll be a disappointed if the show doesn't manage a sophomore season at least... but not surprised, with the network already having cut 3 episodes from their order. As it is...I'm loving watching some great actors get to show off their talents...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-70511948134131907322010-12-20T18:59:00.000-08:002010-12-20T18:59:06.568-08:00Looming LegacyTron: Legacy has been out for a while now, I'm finally comfortable in my thoughts about it to put them up online. The movie has received the massive power of the Disney Hype machine to get people behind it and talking about it and from MY perspective... It deserves it. The film is gorgeous in oh so many ways. The design aesthetic feels right and just different enough from Syd Mead's original for the 'System' to feel like a slightly different evolution of the computer universe the original TRON introduced us to. If you've been looking around online for any kind of cohesive statement about this film... the single greatest one you'll find (even in the harshest reviews) is of the quality of the design. And while that aspect of the film is important... The score at times manages to overshadow it... and not in a bad way. Daft Punk's orchestral/digital fusion gives the 'System' a heartbeat and soul.. creating incredible moments that took my breath away to experience in the theater. <div>I'm not going to talk about the plot much cause I'm sure most folks have, A. seen it or B. read a review... and most of those are giving away major plot pieces left and right. The story is really a great little allegory on order and chaos, planning and intuition, and not just a standard Good vs. Evil trope. Kevin Flynn sells the greatest of these points when he tells his son of the remarkable evolution he encounters within this system. A thing that one would think static and unchanging, suddenly encounters something remarkable and new which forever alters it's Architects worldview. </div><div>For my part... I loved the layered story. The son's search for his father and finding an entirely new world to build, in combination with the fun action sequences, exceptional performances, and beautiful design work, along with the subtext of the allegory; created a great piece that I will enjoy for years to come. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This isn't to say that the film doesn't have flaws. While I applaud the use of the tech behind de-aging Jeff Bridges to play his own nemesis is fantastic and cool, and necessary for this film... It still hasn't reached the point where the face don't feel unreal in comparison too the others on screen. The primary example of this that I can recall is in an opening scene where Flynn tells his young son of his adventures in the 'System' controlled by the MCP. The younger Jeff Bridges face doesn't quit reflect the light of the room right giving his features a slightly unreal cast (though considering they are... that's not too bad).<br />
</div><div>I'm sure that I went into the movie better informed than most... partly because I'm a more than a bit obsessive about the things in media that capture my attention, so I look for additional bits of story. Which is how I found Tron: Betrayal... a great little 2 book comic series built to tell the story of Kevin Flynn world and the days of it's creation and it's subjugation. It served as a tool to tell of how Flynn found an entire world, but couldn't find enough time to live in them both... and how he eventually got lost in one. Yeah.... tell me that doesn't sound familiar all you folks who just shelled out cash for more World of Warcraft. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So... while the "critical viewing" community seems to be easily split down the center line on this one.. I happily remain optimistic about more Tron productions and hopeful to see more creative work to come. My thoughts to those who haven't had a chance to see it... I suggest you give it a try. You might be surprised.</div><div><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-27258405122586640762010-12-18T22:41:00.000-08:002010-12-18T22:55:32.333-08:00Prophets in Programming...I'm a bit of a sucker for series that get lost by the wayside... Over the past couple weeks I have got a little bit lost in nostalgia and reviewing some great programming that falls away or gets left behind, when it doesn't manage to lock onto an audience. Three series in particular come to mind just because of a similar thought-thread through them, those being Kings (a great program I reviewed earlier), Kyle XY, and Eli Stone. The interesting thing about all these programs is that they've got a prophet involved. It's an odd concept to get thrown up on television... especially with as much fear networks have talking about God and religion in their medium. With Kings we get David and Samuel both guided by signs and portents... a subtle approach done mostly with intriguing camera shots, music and slightly out of place events. Kings has the strongest and most vocal use of "god" and the divine.. it's an intriguing thing to note that this is the shortest lasting of the three series with a single season with 13 episodes. <br />
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Eli Stone on the other hand managed 2 seasons of 13 episodes each (only 23 of which actually aired in proper sequence) which were fun and compelling drama with great eccentricities. I loved this series and was a little bit heart-broken when it ended so abruptly (without even airing it's final 3 episodes that wrapped up the series). This series had some REALLY great acting in it. With Johnny Lee Miller as Eli, a lawyer who becomes entangled in visions of life and events beyond his ken, that he slowly begins using to produce social changes around him... with supporting cast including Natasha Henstridge, Victor Garber, Julie Gonzalo, and Loretta Devine the show included musical numbers and some great visuals, along with some truly spectacular guest performances. The show is visible as a Berlanti production, having a great many similarities to Everwood, and to his current show No Ordinary Family. The final episodes, that became viewable overseas first, and later with the DVD release were absolutely essential to drawing the series to a close, which actually REALLY does finish. Which is much better than the final "prophet" series managed.<br />
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Kyle XY was something else though... A Sci-fi family show that originally aired on ABC Family of all places. Our final "prophet" is an intriguing character who acquires the name Kyle from the first people who get to know him, and basically learns how to be human from the outside in.. becoming a gentle young man with extraordinary gifts who wants to find out where exactly where he fits in the world. While this show got 3 seasons (the longest running of the 3 series mentioned herein), sadly this is the least cohesive of them... With the show-runners and writers formatting their seasons in half season segments all ending in cliffhangers. While its a common enough practice on episodic television, I find myself more drawn to series that actually tell cohesive stories over the course of a season. Still, this show has one thing that made it TRULY remarkable... one of the most genuine and evocative depictions of a family that I ever saw on television. The Tragers of Kyle XY are a loving, a very real family that still have their rebellions, conflicts, and troubles that still manage to converse about those problems, and it was the family that brought the series from just a good little scifi show to a great little drama.<br />
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The thing that got me the most about these three series... and that I think would have spoke deeply to many people who could have seen them, was the Idea of committing to making your social environment better. While there's great drama in and around the series, and the character interactions...the true stories are the ones where we see our hero making changes in the world around them... those were the remarkable ones.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-64461186787917261002010-11-20T14:49:00.000-08:002010-11-20T14:49:29.310-08:00Champion of the CreedThe style of game that we've seen rise since Ubisoft's first resurrection of the Prince of Persia series, hasn't really seen a standard classification. There's a lot of parkour style movement incorporated into the primary characters and they're all about elegance of flow. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the latest in this style of game and it does a good deal to evolve the new style of movement. The incorporation of the parachute and horse-riding within cities while slight changes, do add some fun new variation on the style of play. It's true that they don't add a great deal to the game, as is being said in most of the reviews, but for long term play it adds some entertaining elements.<br />
But for me the defining element of a good game is always the story that it tells, and from my perspective Brotherhood does not disappoint. The fantastic mix of science fiction (reliving history through the genetics of your ancestors) and history (the rise and fall of the Borgias' of Italy) and conspiracy theory is all kinds of fun. Then there is the city of Rome itself...it's a beautiful character that changes and evolves as you progress throughout play liberating the people and doing what you can to aid them. It's also a ton of fun to run around and explore. Leaping from roof to roof, diving from peaks to haybales... it's an immensely gratifying experience. Then there's all the fun sneaking around, blending into your surroundings, hunting people just at the range of your vision, makes for extremely entertaining gameplay. There is also the additional ability added to play more as Desmond Miles, the true hero of the game creates new ideas of where the franchise will be going with the next episode in the series may end up. It makes for a great story, and I'm looking forward to seeing that next episode.<br />
The big addition for this game is multiplayer viability. By incorporating the traditional game of Assassin, played on campuses nationwide into the great manhunt style of play introduced by the initial story play, creates a unique and inventive style of multiplayer game, one that incorporates precision and control over heavy action. It's something tremendously engaging and fun. One of the other intriguing additions is the Online Facebook game that Ubisoft created for it's player base. The game actually does end up telling more of the history of the characters and events in the game, along with incorporating new unlockable features in the game on whatever console the player is on, and the ability to improve play on said console. It makes for an interesting advertising scheme and way to add to the game. <br />
It's a fantastic game that has fun, fast, addictive gameplay and some great storytelling. I look forward to whatever the Ubisoft AC team decides to introduce us to next.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-28994516955263791162010-11-10T21:32:00.000-08:002010-11-10T21:32:07.262-08:00Zelazny's Lord of LightThis is a classic piece of science fiction and one of my favorite books of all time... I find myself reading fairly regularly every year... and each year I find the book speaks to me in a new way. The book originally ran about 250 pages, but it's current incarnations are about 300... but it's an incredibly quick read. The first chapter of the story deliberately takes place in media res of the over-arching storyline with the resurrection of Mahsamatman (or Sam as he preferred to be known), and introduces us to our protagonist and a few other players in the drama. It is designed to get the reader involved by asking questions... who are these people that call themselves by the names of Hindu gods and goddesses? What are they doing? What has become of this world they live on? All these questions and more are addressed slowly, as the flowering of a blossom with different parts revealing themselves in turn and each bringing more answers, and then more questions. <div>One of the reasons that I find myself so drawn into this book time and time again, is the complexity of the relationships and characters we are introduced to. Our protagonist character Sam is a "god" of the trickster mold... playful, cunning, infinitely devious and brilliant, but also very very human in the best possible way. He sees injustice around him and is compelled to speak against it...even to rail and wage war against "Heaven" itself for his cause. He cares deeply for his friends and allies, but is very aware of their own capabilities and allows them to make their own choices. Watching his efforts to change himself and his world is elegant and tightly written. </div><div>This fantastic story which elegantly skirts the lines between science fiction and fantasy also has compelling concepts of technological advancement. Along with an elegant parable regarding the nature of religion and faith, and how they can become corrupted. There are few books that I tell all of my friends to read. This is one of them.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-19600634837227071462010-11-09T22:04:00.000-08:002010-11-09T22:04:31.904-08:00The Magicians<u>The Magicians</u> is the second novel from Lev Grossman, book critic for TIME magazine. A throughly well constructed fantasy and work of fiction. It's frequently compared with the Harry Potter series, but with a CONSIDERABLY more adult target audience. Set in modern day New York, the series focuses on gifted youngsters whose talents extend much farther than anybody could really expect. Basing some of his concepts of magic on the old hermetic/Pythagorean philosophies, the magic isn't ever really explained and it really doesn't need to be, it's enough to know that the young people are gifted. The novel also has a familiar call back to the stories of C.S. Lewis' Narnia, with a series of books that the folks at the gifted school Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy seem obsessed with, and the novel has a terrific twist near the end. The characters are all rapidly painted, but fully fleshed, showing considerable writing technique... Though the novel feels like more mainstream fiction, meaning that there is little chance of more writing on the characters or in the world the writer created I hope there's more at some point in the future. I highly recommend this novel for folks who enjoy either mainstream fiction or excellent stand alone fantasy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-29050238883774438102010-11-08T13:36:00.000-08:002010-11-08T13:36:42.282-08:00JMS takes on Superman...again.Folks in the comic book world already know that J. Michael Straczynski (Of Babylon 5, Rising Stars, and Midnight Nation, as well as numerous other television projects) is currently writing for the Man of Steel, with his "Grounded" storyline...an interesting concept where Supes is walking across the country helping folks where he can... all based on a comment that a grieving mother makes when she says that by flying above everyone he forgets about the importance of people. I dig that it isn't a tale about big battles and other standard comic book stuff (though those things are there), it's about a man making his moral choice and sticking to it. Now that might be enough for some folks, but the good editors over at DC comics offered JMS a chance to write a new Superman for a new Earth (based on the DC comics world numbering system they've come up with for parallel realities). He took it, and got this new young man of steel off on a solid start.<br />
The basic story of Superman is still the same, thus the one that has grown and become part of the collective unconscious of the 21st century. This is more a tale of who he is, and why he makes the choices he does, and the aspects of his revelation to his world. It's a story about a young man with seemingly infinite potential and prospects, and the burden of the choices that he needs to make. The primary changes we see with JMS taking the reigns is his re-imagining of the story of Krypton. Who it's people were, what they did, and what happened to them. [Spoilers] It's a brilliant idea, making the death of the planet not an accident or something it's brilliant scientists missed...but a deliberate attempt to exterminate a whole world.[/Spoilers] And sets our new Clark Kent up with a whole galaxy full of folks who may want him dead... so if nothing else, the Superman of Earth One will have plenty of opponents to look forward to. The book also has an interesting new look for Metropolis... It doesn't look like the City of Tomorrow anymore... it feels much more like modern day New York. And it's Grand Dame: The Daily Planet is feeling the pressure of the changing times as much as our real newspapers, with all the problems that suggests. So the question will inevitably arise..."Why there? With all the other forms of news organizations available to the savvy individual for trouble shooting... why would Superman associate himself with a hurting media source?" Mr. Straczynski cleverly incorporates the reasoning and justification straight into the story... well aware of the traditional maxim "show, don't tell", all tossed together with the new characters of Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen for this new Earth. <br />
With Shane Davis' excellent artwork, JMS has crafted a great story, and fun characters interspersed with terrific action. Still, one of my favorite pieces of the book is the Clark Kent interview with Superman at the end. It's clever and works to set up both the personalities that will be working for the character throughout the stories, Superman and the mask of Clark Kent. This is a highly recommended book to anyone who's a fan of the Superman mythology... point of fact it's recommended to everybody. And speaking for myself, I can't wait to meet the next hero from Earth One.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-50882049813238694492010-11-08T12:53:00.000-08:002010-11-08T12:53:33.933-08:00Fable 3- not what I was expecting...While I enjoy the heck out of all kinds of video games, and the latest incarnation of Fable isn't an exception, the game really doesn't live up to much of the hype that went around it. With each version of his Fable series the head of Lionhead studios has promised gamers the moon, and while getting part of the way there, more often leaves us part way, gasping for air. One aspect where he has become more insightful (in my estimation) is in his marketing. He got involved in Kinect marketing with Milo last year (the primary demonstration of the systems capabilities...one that has yet to be introduced to the market), and that got him started with his Fable 3 marketing... And getting folks excited by the concept of getting into the Fable system once again and becoming King (precisely where the last game left off) didn't hurt either. The promise of "evolving gameplay" a cool concept that brought a lot of attention to the series... Followed by the novel <u>Fable: The Balverine Order</u> by Peter David just before the games publication to get the series more into the public eye. All great little marketing strategies to keep the game and his publishing company in the public eye. <br />
The game itself is a fun bit of fluff. None of the "remarkable" gameplay that was mentioned in press releases and lauded really made much of a difference. I was hoping to enjoy John Cleese's role as Jasper the butler in the game's version of the pause menu, but after the first couple hours of gameplay his dialogue stopped completely, rendering the "alteration" of the pause from actual menus to a playable space moot. Not to mention MORE time consuming. The "evolving gameplay" that had been discussed while interesting to see, didn't actually see much evolving. I used "hammer" type weapons through the entire game, which traditionally would have made the main character into a more muscular heavy built figure saw no changes in him at all. The experience system for weapons is an interesting distraction, and most only change, when tasks for them are completed, and the fact that the evolution of the hero's weapons (Not the Legendary ones with experience bars) evolve throughout gameplay even without use. I was terribly disappointed that while some of the weapons evolved through use, NONE of the magic system did. The moral choice system throughout the game was actually my greatest disappointment, since the only real benefit to choosing the "evil" or "wicked" options being the accumulation of additional wealth. And while in early game that can be a big asset, anybody who played the previous one, or investing in available real estate (in game) will quickly have more than enough available cash. And that's without trading with pawn brokers throughout the game world. Making the moral choices pretty much moot. The "touch" system was also a big deal in press packets... but didn't really see a lot of effect to the game, just a change in animation. The addition of the "Kingly" gameplay after the revolution in game was something truly new and fun... and would have been fantastic... if there had been more of it or more to do with it AFTER the game's conclusion. All in all it's a decent game, with some great concepts to it that COULD have been great... but falls short at the end. For me the best aspect of the game I found was the excellent packaging and design work on the collectors edition.<br />
Now, that's a lot of material and not a great deal of praise for a very worthwhile effort that will likely speak to the development of a lot of games in future... and hopefully won't rule out a Fable 4 which may take all the best elements from the previous series. Thus far the best element to come out of this series on Fable, was Peter David's book. While it may not have a "pithy maxim" that could express the moral of the story, his book has a terrifically crafted narrative, interesting characters, and paints a more interesting picture of the world the Heroes of Albion inhabited than many of the games. It also had a much more effective "moral lesson" necessary for the name of the series to stay accurate. The book included a weapon for the game as well... but that was more of a marketing ploy... likely an effective one, but I hope that it will introduce some gamers to a great author and suggest that they may want to pick up some more of his work.<br />
So in short... the Fable the novel: Excellent... highly recommended.<br />
Fable 3 the game: For enthusiasts only... otherwise rent or Gamefly it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-31040802191918389062010-10-25T21:22:00.000-07:002010-10-25T21:22:13.103-07:00The Fightin' Scientists of TesladyneI've gotta give Brian Clevinger a lot of credit...His 8-Bit Theater was one of the highlights of internet comics back in the day. He took old 8 bit characters from the original Final Fantasy series, and crafted a hysterical, fantasy romp through the crazy world he threw together for them. It was funny bizarre and full of geek inside gags, and I was sorry to see it finish up... On the other hand, it garnered enough interest from the good folks over at Red 5 comics to give him an opportunity to publish something new, brilliant and all kinds of funny. I am of course talking about the new Atomic Robo series with Scott Wegener. The concept is that Nikola Tesla developed an artificial humanoid in 1923, ushering in the Atomic age with not a nuclear bomb... but a nuclear MAN. Robo is all kinds of fun, a character who has been exploring the world for the better part of a century finding all kinds of weird science and trying to manage it's integration. One of things I enjoyed most about the stories thus far (not just this book) is that Clevinger isn't stuck in Robo's present, jumping back and forth from past to present. While not Historically accurate... the stories are incredibly inventive and all kinds of fun and the Tesladyne scientists we meet are all a lot of fun. If you're interested in fun comics with some great character, beautiful art and crazy science... these books are highly recommended.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-21938956433382460762010-10-24T22:16:00.000-07:002010-10-24T22:16:18.116-07:00On the disappearance and return of one Bruce Wayne...Now don't get me wrong folks, I dig the heck out of Batman...he's one of the dominant archetypes and I will always thank Bob Kane for his generous donation to generations of comic fans. Grant Morrison (the current dominant writer for the Bat) during last years Final Crisis decided to send Bruce Wayne on a mystical/scientific tour of the past of DC comics history. While giving him an opportunity to make puzzling and bizarre contribution to the Wayne family history, the timing of it was a little too tight on the "time-bullet" debacle from Marvel comics with the "demise" of Captain America. I'm hopeful about some of the changes that we'll see later on in the series and the treatment of the transition from Bruce Wayne as the Dark Knight to Dick Grayson was fantastic, but for myself... I keep coloring the positive story elements with the ridiculous plot device that initiated it, just as it did with the Captain America story line. While a big fan of the Bat, as far as characters go I've always been more of a fan of Tim Drake, or the third Robin...a kid detective who figured out the Bat family secret of who Bruce was, Dick Grayson, and what drove Batman crazy after the death of Jason Todd...And one of the biggest revelations for me in that story was that Tim got the big reveal that Bruce wasn't dead. Putting all the pieces together that Bruce scattered throughout his history, and delivering a fantastical piece of detective work for the comics. And that's not to mention putting a spike Ra's Al Ghul League of Assassins network with some great panache. So while the passing of the Dark Knight's baton had some great moments... there was still a lot left to be desired.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-33691764638283157412010-10-24T18:16:00.000-07:002010-10-24T18:16:50.753-07:00A Triumphant return...Folks may know about this already, but I'm blown away the quality of work done for the new series Sherlock on the BBC. Then again, this is another Steven Moffat production, and much like his previous work on Jelkyll, Coupling and Doctor Who (for which he is now the show runner), it's infused with dry wit and rapid pacing... to the point of running before walking at some points. While likely to be compared with Guy Ritchie's own version of Holmes set back in his original time period, this Sherlock is still possessed of the same manic energy and drive as Downey's, Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes in the present day and brilliantly up to date and playing with technology like there's no tomorrow. This present day Holmes hasn't quite got the same panache with Her Majesty's Boys in Blue, often derided as "a Freak", if not a suspect in cases, only brought in by good Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) when they are completely out of their depth....which according to Holmes is always. While Holmes is our hero, the audience would be lost without their wonderful POV character Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) who has been recreated from another present day conflict in the desert...just like his earlier predecessor and trying to come to terms with leaving military service with a new set of skills for the present day, but with a tremendous desire for the action he's left behind. The cases Sherlock and Watson deal with are all new but have enough similarities to classic ones to feel familiar. Holmes' talents are shown briefly to the audience in flashes, text appearing on screen, mapping the circuitous routes of London, all quite imaginative, and an excellent way to keep the audience a bit more up to date on what's going on in Holmes' head. In short, the series is a brilliant new set up that will hopefully see a lot more development in the future. Check it out for dynamic dialogue, excellent entertainment and captivating characters, heroes and villains alike.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-59838435032320957702010-10-23T11:38:00.001-07:002010-10-23T11:38:22.788-07:00Kirkman's walking dead...Frank Darrabont's new series on AMC using The Walking Dead comics series as its basis is going to rapidly solidify AMC's reputation as one of the best networks for original programming running. With Mad Men, Rubicon and Breaking Bad all with sterling reputations and solid ongoing stories, The Walking Dead promises to bring new levels of drama while combining with terror for this, hopefully long running series. The initial pilot starts quickly and tells us precisely what's going on with the world Rick's living in, before slipping back to the initial catalyst for Rick's story, maintaining the storylines from the original comics series, in a nice bit of continuity for those who read the books initially. Just like the comics series, the AMC version promises to treat the premise of the zombie apocalypse with a seriousness that we haven't really seen before in zombie stories. A trend we've seen in <u>Zombie Survival Guide</u> and <u>World War Z</u> , has hopefully made it to the small screen. The show starts strong, and finishes strong....with very little downswing in between. In short... this is going to be a series to keep an eye on.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331278133993178235.post-20664248998852922752010-10-23T10:42:00.000-07:002010-10-23T10:42:13.147-07:00Just in time for Halloween...There's a new game from Double Fine studios for the PS3 and 360. Costume Quest. And much like Tim Schafers' previous offerings it is brilliant and silly and wonderfully colorful. Your protagonist is half of a set of twins, going out for candy on their night of make believe... The child you pick gets a fun costume they may have made themselves...a task you will continue throughout the game, while their brother or sister is relegated to wearing a piece of candy corn costuming. The game gets you into the swing of things quickly using the standard Halloween protocols, illuminated housing, bizarre behavior, bullies on the candy shakedown, and of course... monsters. But these aren't just any spooky critters... these are on a very specific mission, to get as big a sugar rush as they can manage, and after stealing a walking talking piece of candy corn, your adventure begins. While the replay value of Costume quest is negligible... at least thus far, the game itself is a fantastic and imaginative romp that only takes a few hours to get a great deal of enjoyment. So thank you Mr. Schafer... I look forward to seeing more from your folks at Double Fine in future, and hope that the transition to making slightly smaller gems released more quickly works fantastically for you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05973640593830426898noreply@blogger.com0