Normally I wouldn't copy a post from a message board to here (where I'm supposed to be "anonymous") but I just wanted to put the message here too because it's so personal.
I'm in total shock. Peter David mentioned on his blog that Mike was only 44, a vegetarian, and in good health so it makes no sense to me that he could die of a heart attack. But what can you do? When it's time to go you have to go. I just wish he didn't have to go so soon. I'd only just started following his work. I posted comments on his sketches up at Deviant Art and he even replied a few times, which was nice since he was (I can't believe I have to say was now) a big pro and I'm just a fan. We didn't come close to actually knowing each other but I feel like I've lost a friend. I hoped I'd get to meet him someday or even work with him. Now I'll just have to wait for the hereafter.
Mike's entry on Wikipedia
Monday, August 13, 2007
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Please Tell Me Why...
What bothers me isn't the collapse of the bridge so much. I'm horrified and saddened that such a thing had to happen to so many innocent people without warning but that is the way of life. Accidents and disasters happen and, no matter what the reason for this turns out to be, we can't avoid these sorts of things. We have to go live and do the things we need and want to do while we have time on the Earth. And, you know what? As a whole, we're pretty good about that. People have gone through rapes, murders, wars, ethnic cleansing, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and so many other things but after the event, although they may be shaken and permanently changed in some way, they go on and continue with their lives.
Here's what bothers me. This nightmare just began two hours ago and already there are people out there making jokes about it and on the news website no less. Yes, there's no reason for a story like this to even allow comments just out of the knowledge that these jerks will spread their ignorance and lack of concern and inhumanity over it, but that doesn't excuse the fact that people post such things. I won't bother to put the comments up here. If you want to see them then go to the site yourself. Hopefully they're gone by the time you get there, but a part of me wants them to stay. I'd like to think that I'm not the only one disgusted by how people can make jokes about things like this disaster.
Houston Chronicle - Minneapolis bridge collapse sends cars into river
Here's what bothers me. This nightmare just began two hours ago and already there are people out there making jokes about it and on the news website no less. Yes, there's no reason for a story like this to even allow comments just out of the knowledge that these jerks will spread their ignorance and lack of concern and inhumanity over it, but that doesn't excuse the fact that people post such things. I won't bother to put the comments up here. If you want to see them then go to the site yourself. Hopefully they're gone by the time you get there, but a part of me wants them to stay. I'd like to think that I'm not the only one disgusted by how people can make jokes about things like this disaster.
Houston Chronicle - Minneapolis bridge collapse sends cars into river
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Are Those Pecs or Boobs?
From Game Almighty
In the beginning, games were played on boards with characters represented by pagan tokens. A male could be a pebble, a female a button, the dog a coin, etc. Fast forward to where games have become an electronic medium, and suddenly characters are blips of homogenous pixels fluttering to and fro across the screen...
read more
In the beginning, games were played on boards with characters represented by pagan tokens. A male could be a pebble, a female a button, the dog a coin, etc. Fast forward to where games have become an electronic medium, and suddenly characters are blips of homogenous pixels fluttering to and fro across the screen...
read more
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Twelve Fantasies Finalized
WARNING: This blog post may go off into a tangent or two. You have been warned. -EiS Staff.
SO I bought the big special edition version of Final Fantasy XII from EB Games last week. I was a little disappointed that all I got was a fancier box and a lame DVD that could have been done better as a fan project but I only paid 30 bucks for it while it was originally sold for 60 so I'm not upset about it.
I've been playing for a week pretty heavily but I'm starting to get tired of the game. Although it's not necessarily a bad thing, the game is getting way too hard for me. I'm at the part of the game where I'm re-entering a key location after an attack from the bad guys and I'm getting my butt whooped by the boss. This after spending possibly nine hours on one dungeon not because it was hard but because it was so freaking big and because I had to deal with yet another super hard boss who kept kicking my ass until I figured out a good plan. I don't want to bore you with specifics (if you're an FF Fan then ask and I'll tell) but there's a lot of new stuff in this game that isn't in the previous Final Fantasies or any other JRPG that I've played before that gives this game a steep but healthy learning curve.
Hard bosses aside, I'm also annoyed by the protagonist, Vaan. While there are cooler, more grown up characters in the forms of Basch, a tarnished bad-ass of a knight, and Balthier, an upper-class version of Jack Sparrow, Vaan is just some sort of anime rip off of a Lou Perlman boy band member. And, while I'm avoiding spoilers for the story (which isn't very original aside from its veiled and possibly unintentional similarities to the US/Middle East conflict) I hear that Vaan isn't even that important compared to Balthier. Granted, every other character is cooler than Vaan except for Penelo who is just a throw away character put in so that Vaan can have a girlfriend (Vaan is like so into women. Yeah.) However, Vaan is the one who gets the most screen time during cut scenes so he is, like it or not, the star of the show.
Square Enix, the Japan-based publishers of the Final Fantasy series, seems to be responding to western criticism of Vaan and other feminine looking lead characters in their games, by creating a new character called The Conqueror to co-star in their new game, The Last Remnant. Conq is big, muscular, and apparently likes to kill a lot of people. Just as pretty-boy characters like Vaan are stereotypes of Japanese RPGs, The Conqueror seems to be Japan's stereotype of the hyper macho heroes found in American games like Gears of War. While he sounds interesting, he's almost as tiring as Vaan is because he's still a cliche. This is pretty unfortunate as the more traditional protagonist of Remnant, Rush Sykes, is a more appealing looking character than Vaan and his ilk. While he's still a teenager, he's obviously male and doesn't look like a prostitute. In other words he's everything you want in an RPG lead, a blank character for players to project themeselves on without feeling creeped out by playing a hermaphrodite.
Someday JRPG developers like Square Enix will take a page from western RPG developers like BioWare by allowing players to create their own characters* instead of forcing us to stick with characters who don't appeal to us. They struck lightning with the character of Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII (7), not to mention beloved villain Sephiroth, but afterwards they seemed to lose their way. Final Fantasy VIII (8) had Squall who was okay although his game was seen as too deviant from the other games, but the following characters of Zidane, Tidus, and now Vaan have all been criticized as being too whiny and too feminine looking for most western male players. While many female players have stated that they like the character designs as opposed to the hyper macho men and over sexualized women found in other games, even many ladies have been put off by recent Final Fantasy heroes and others have been put off by being forced to yet again have a man as the protagonist--though they'll get their due when Final Fantasy XIII (13) comes out with FF's first lead heroine, Lightning. However, I know that at least a small portion of male gamers won't like having to play as a woman--and others will relish this for reasons ranging from getting to watch a sexy virtual butt to deeper feelings of gender inadequacy and body alienation. All that aside, I think it would be really exciting to see a new Final Fantasy game go back to the series' roots by allowing players to at least pick a class and name for their hero. Choosing gender would be a massive plus. Getting to chose hair, eye, and skin color especially would be great for those of us FF fans who don't want to play as another stock white guy. Maybe they can even do that for the next edition of Final Fantasy XII. It's not like Vaan is that important a character anyway, if what others say is true. If I'm just going to be given a blank character to project myself onto, why can't I have a character that at least looks a little like me?
*Final Fantasy XI (11) doesn't count becasue it's one of those big online games
SO I bought the big special edition version of Final Fantasy XII from EB Games last week. I was a little disappointed that all I got was a fancier box and a lame DVD that could have been done better as a fan project but I only paid 30 bucks for it while it was originally sold for 60 so I'm not upset about it.
I've been playing for a week pretty heavily but I'm starting to get tired of the game. Although it's not necessarily a bad thing, the game is getting way too hard for me. I'm at the part of the game where I'm re-entering a key location after an attack from the bad guys and I'm getting my butt whooped by the boss. This after spending possibly nine hours on one dungeon not because it was hard but because it was so freaking big and because I had to deal with yet another super hard boss who kept kicking my ass until I figured out a good plan. I don't want to bore you with specifics (if you're an FF Fan then ask and I'll tell) but there's a lot of new stuff in this game that isn't in the previous Final Fantasies or any other JRPG that I've played before that gives this game a steep but healthy learning curve.
Hard bosses aside, I'm also annoyed by the protagonist, Vaan. While there are cooler, more grown up characters in the forms of Basch, a tarnished bad-ass of a knight, and Balthier, an upper-class version of Jack Sparrow, Vaan is just some sort of anime rip off of a Lou Perlman boy band member. And, while I'm avoiding spoilers for the story (which isn't very original aside from its veiled and possibly unintentional similarities to the US/Middle East conflict) I hear that Vaan isn't even that important compared to Balthier. Granted, every other character is cooler than Vaan except for Penelo who is just a throw away character put in so that Vaan can have a girlfriend (Vaan is like so into women. Yeah.) However, Vaan is the one who gets the most screen time during cut scenes so he is, like it or not, the star of the show.
Square Enix, the Japan-based publishers of the Final Fantasy series, seems to be responding to western criticism of Vaan and other feminine looking lead characters in their games, by creating a new character called The Conqueror to co-star in their new game, The Last Remnant. Conq is big, muscular, and apparently likes to kill a lot of people. Just as pretty-boy characters like Vaan are stereotypes of Japanese RPGs, The Conqueror seems to be Japan's stereotype of the hyper macho heroes found in American games like Gears of War. While he sounds interesting, he's almost as tiring as Vaan is because he's still a cliche. This is pretty unfortunate as the more traditional protagonist of Remnant, Rush Sykes, is a more appealing looking character than Vaan and his ilk. While he's still a teenager, he's obviously male and doesn't look like a prostitute. In other words he's everything you want in an RPG lead, a blank character for players to project themeselves on without feeling creeped out by playing a hermaphrodite.
Someday JRPG developers like Square Enix will take a page from western RPG developers like BioWare by allowing players to create their own characters* instead of forcing us to stick with characters who don't appeal to us. They struck lightning with the character of Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII (7), not to mention beloved villain Sephiroth, but afterwards they seemed to lose their way. Final Fantasy VIII (8) had Squall who was okay although his game was seen as too deviant from the other games, but the following characters of Zidane, Tidus, and now Vaan have all been criticized as being too whiny and too feminine looking for most western male players. While many female players have stated that they like the character designs as opposed to the hyper macho men and over sexualized women found in other games, even many ladies have been put off by recent Final Fantasy heroes and others have been put off by being forced to yet again have a man as the protagonist--though they'll get their due when Final Fantasy XIII (13) comes out with FF's first lead heroine, Lightning. However, I know that at least a small portion of male gamers won't like having to play as a woman--and others will relish this for reasons ranging from getting to watch a sexy virtual butt to deeper feelings of gender inadequacy and body alienation. All that aside, I think it would be really exciting to see a new Final Fantasy game go back to the series' roots by allowing players to at least pick a class and name for their hero. Choosing gender would be a massive plus. Getting to chose hair, eye, and skin color especially would be great for those of us FF fans who don't want to play as another stock white guy. Maybe they can even do that for the next edition of Final Fantasy XII. It's not like Vaan is that important a character anyway, if what others say is true. If I'm just going to be given a blank character to project myself onto, why can't I have a character that at least looks a little like me?
*Final Fantasy XI (11) doesn't count becasue it's one of those big online games
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Drawn to Find a Spore Alternative
Sad that Spore is being delayed until Spring 2008? (or later? Much MUCH later?) Then you might want to check out this game. Drawn to Life is a project for the king of portable gaming, Nintendo DS.
In it you design your own characters, like in Spore, but this time you draw them yourself. It might be bad for those of us who are stinky drawers (I'm just kinda good) but various news reports promise alternatives like pre-made parts and shape tools. The drawn characters won't just be static designs but will be animated and will have collision detection based on the shapes drawn on the screen. There will also be user created weapons and vehicles as well as other objects that will appear randomly in the game. Unlike Spore's evolution simulation, Drawn to Life looks like a Paper Mario style game so it looks to possibly be even more fun than that other game.
Oh, who am I kidding? I still can't wait for Spore, but Drawn to Life game looks just as hot and it should be coming to us this September.
In it you design your own characters, like in Spore, but this time you draw them yourself. It might be bad for those of us who are stinky drawers (I'm just kinda good) but various news reports promise alternatives like pre-made parts and shape tools. The drawn characters won't just be static designs but will be animated and will have collision detection based on the shapes drawn on the screen. There will also be user created weapons and vehicles as well as other objects that will appear randomly in the game. Unlike Spore's evolution simulation, Drawn to Life looks like a Paper Mario style game so it looks to possibly be even more fun than that other game.
Oh, who am I kidding? I still can't wait for Spore, but Drawn to Life game looks just as hot and it should be coming to us this September.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Spore is Delayed . . . Until 2009?
While most of my posts have been music videos, I've also been following this quiet little video game in the making called Spore. If you don't know what it is, Google it. I found out about the game in Spring of 2005. At that time people thought it was going to be released in the fall. But where is it now? Still in development with a launch date of possibly 2009 at the latest.
This will be the last Spore post I make until the game gets an official date. I am sick and tired of waiting even though I know the game will be worth it. I can't understand why it's taking so long but I accept that Will Wright, Computer Gaming God, knows what he's doing and needs time to work his magic.
That said, I'd like to make a proposal to him and all other video game developers:
DON'T SHOW DEMOS OF YOUR GAMES UNTIL YOU KNOW THEY'RE FINISHED!!!
arrrrg.
This will be the last Spore post I make until the game gets an official date. I am sick and tired of waiting even though I know the game will be worth it. I can't understand why it's taking so long but I accept that Will Wright, Computer Gaming God, knows what he's doing and needs time to work his magic.
That said, I'd like to make a proposal to him and all other video game developers:
DON'T SHOW DEMOS OF YOUR GAMES UNTIL YOU KNOW THEY'RE FINISHED!!!
arrrrg.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn and John
Young Folks is the new Crazy"and Peter, Bjorn and John are the new Gnarls Barkley. This song makes me want to do the pogo (but I'd look dumb doing it.)
I really like songs that are throwbacks to old music, especially 60s stuff. In the 90s there was even a genre born out of 60s throwback songs called Shibuya-Kei. It started in Japan but nowadays most music that would be classified as Shibuya-Kei, like Young Folks actually comes from the States and Europe. One of the foremost Shibuya-Kei groups (and one of my favorites) is the Pizzicato Five. Here's my favorite song of theirs, It's a Beautiful Day, as a bonus.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Satoshi Kon's PAPRIKA
If Hayao Miyazaki is Japan's answer to Walt Disney, Satoshi Kon kicks both of their asses. His prior works include the films Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and the mind fuck of an anime TV series Paranoia Agent. Paprika is based on the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui.
Notice the music? Susumu Hirasawa is back with Kon to provide another trippy soundtrack. I can't wait to see this in a theater . . . if one in Kansas City will have the balls to show it. It opens in America on May 25th.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
On My Buy Pile
The Astounding Wolf-Man
This one really leaves me with mixed feelings. Yes, I am going to be buying this one. Hell, I might even start a pull for this. He's a werewolf and a superhero? I'm so there.
But what bugs me is that I wanted to do something like this! I'm so sick of the usual werewolf goes crazy and tears up the city thing and I'm not one for the nature lover or neo-vampire werewolves that seem popular. I love this idea but now I can't use it! At least, not obviously. I swear, if I don't get a move on things and get serious about my career then I'll find all of my good ideas being used by other people. Not only will I feel robbed but I'll also feel like a robber. Does that make sense?
ArchEnemies
I've known about this one for a little bit but now it has a trade paperback so I can read it without all the stupid advertisements!* This looks like a fun book indeed. With so many mainstream hero comics getting bloated on their own self-importance (HA!) and then getting tied up in irritating and pompous events (I'm talking about you, Marvel) I think parody and heroes-with-a-twist comics are much more appealing to me. Plus, when creators aren't bogged down by fifty plus years of someone else's continuity (AKA fan-boy shit) they can make much more coherent and fun stories.
Oh, but I'm supposed to talk about the actual story, aren't I? Silly me!
ArchEnemies is about a hero and his arch enemy who just happen to be roommates who hate each other even more. While neither good guy nor bad guy knows the other's secret, it looks as though things will get even more complicated before they find out the truth if the previews have anything to say about it.
I should also note that the writer of the series, Drew Melbourne, posts on a site I just discovered called Scryptic Studios
which is the first website I've found that focuses on the non-artist writer. His posts there tend to be a little rambling (at times incoherent, to be blunt) but his advice is sound even if its also a little self promotional.
*Side note: When will Marvel and DC and others quit putting ads in the books? I know they'll cost more but I think I might be ready to shell out more money for an ad-free comic. Better yet, when will they end monthlies and switch to a dedicated trade paperback system? I only read Fables in TPB because the ads in the monthlies drive me insane.
This one really leaves me with mixed feelings. Yes, I am going to be buying this one. Hell, I might even start a pull for this. He's a werewolf and a superhero? I'm so there.
But what bugs me is that I wanted to do something like this! I'm so sick of the usual werewolf goes crazy and tears up the city thing and I'm not one for the nature lover or neo-vampire werewolves that seem popular. I love this idea but now I can't use it! At least, not obviously. I swear, if I don't get a move on things and get serious about my career then I'll find all of my good ideas being used by other people. Not only will I feel robbed but I'll also feel like a robber. Does that make sense?
ArchEnemies
I've known about this one for a little bit but now it has a trade paperback so I can read it without all the stupid advertisements!* This looks like a fun book indeed. With so many mainstream hero comics getting bloated on their own self-importance (HA!) and then getting tied up in irritating and pompous events (I'm talking about you, Marvel) I think parody and heroes-with-a-twist comics are much more appealing to me. Plus, when creators aren't bogged down by fifty plus years of someone else's continuity (AKA fan-boy shit) they can make much more coherent and fun stories.
Oh, but I'm supposed to talk about the actual story, aren't I? Silly me!
ArchEnemies is about a hero and his arch enemy who just happen to be roommates who hate each other even more. While neither good guy nor bad guy knows the other's secret, it looks as though things will get even more complicated before they find out the truth if the previews have anything to say about it.
I should also note that the writer of the series, Drew Melbourne, posts on a site I just discovered called Scryptic Studios
which is the first website I've found that focuses on the non-artist writer. His posts there tend to be a little rambling (at times incoherent, to be blunt) but his advice is sound even if its also a little self promotional.
*Side note: When will Marvel and DC and others quit putting ads in the books? I know they'll cost more but I think I might be ready to shell out more money for an ad-free comic. Better yet, when will they end monthlies and switch to a dedicated trade paperback system? I only read Fables in TPB because the ads in the monthlies drive me insane.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Rageh Inside Iran
The government seems to be pushing for a war with Iran. Granted, unless something severe happens (like the Ayatollah having a death wish for everybody) I don't think we'll be seeing an American-Iranian War but things are pretty hostile.
BBC journalist Rageh Omaar went to Iran to find out what life is like there and, for me, it was pretty surprising. I've heard that Iran is more liberal than it's given credit for but seeing it up close is really surprising. While on one hand you see that Iranians are upset with Westerners, especially in regards to Israel, they also show that they love Western (especially American) ideas and culture and want to be more connected with the wider world. Also, while the government there seems to be obsessed with Israel and America and creating a more conservative Islamic state (through deplorable means as we all know,) Iranian people have bigger concerns like...the same concerns we all have. (SHOCK!)
More and more I feel that our government and all other governments are too busy worrying about the problems in other countries when they should be focused on serving us, the common citizen. Also, while this film shows that Iran has a much more liberated culture than we tend to think they have, it makes me feel happy and blessed to have been born and raised in the United States. For all of the problems here, at least I know I can speak openly about them.
view video | Found via digg.com
BBC journalist Rageh Omaar went to Iran to find out what life is like there and, for me, it was pretty surprising. I've heard that Iran is more liberal than it's given credit for but seeing it up close is really surprising. While on one hand you see that Iranians are upset with Westerners, especially in regards to Israel, they also show that they love Western (especially American) ideas and culture and want to be more connected with the wider world. Also, while the government there seems to be obsessed with Israel and America and creating a more conservative Islamic state (through deplorable means as we all know,) Iranian people have bigger concerns like...the same concerns we all have. (SHOCK!)
More and more I feel that our government and all other governments are too busy worrying about the problems in other countries when they should be focused on serving us, the common citizen. Also, while this film shows that Iran has a much more liberated culture than we tend to think they have, it makes me feel happy and blessed to have been born and raised in the United States. For all of the problems here, at least I know I can speak openly about them.
view video | Found via digg.com
Monday, February 05, 2007
Prince at Super Bowl XLI
When they said Prince was doing the Halftime show I thought someone had made a mistake. The-Artist-Formerly-Known-as-The-Artist is not the type of guy I'd associate with football. As a fan of the old MTV multi-celeb bashes up until the Janet Jackson* debacle, I was disappointed that it was just Prince at first. But then I saw the show.
WOW! This was the best Halftime show in years. Far better than the last one I saw, Paul McCartney in 2005 (Somehow I didn't see The Stones last year so I'm listening/watching as I type this.) Prince was in top form, his ladies were HOT but not skanky, the marching band was awesome and didn't give me flashbacks to my awful band years, and Prince has a collection of songs which was...well, that's where things get interesting.
Dave Grohl is either the giddiest guy in the world or completely pissed. I don't know why Prince did a cover of "Best of You" but it's now official: that song now belongs to Prince. The Foo Fighters can't have it anymore. They are banned from that song because they can't do it like Prince did it. (That and Dave Grohl ticks me off even though I like his music. He needs a little slap in the face by someone with better musical chops but I digress.)
Oh, and some football team from Indiana won a game and a trophy afterwards. That was nice too.
*Despite that, Ms. Jackson is still one of my future wives. And, yes, I'm NASTY!
Friday, February 02, 2007
Multi-eyes!!! (WARNING: Creepy Post)
I HAVE SIX EYES. WOOOOOOO!
No, no, I don't have six eyes, I just thought I did this morning. Aren't dreams weird like that? All of the sudden in a dream all sorts of bizarre things can happen and you'll accept them as if they're normal. But what's even stranger is that you can end up accepting things as if they're long established facts that even though they're impossible.
The dream had no plot, it was all about me having six eyes, three on each side in one row. I had no problem with this whatsoever. Most people didn't. It was just one of those things that could happen to people and I just happen to have been born with six eyes instead of the established four.
I have no idea where this idea came from. It probably stems from the same factors that had me dreaming that my mother had to go and get her stomach stapled to keep the acid in her stomach (caused by spicy tacos) from boiling up into her head and causing mumps, a disease in which so much fluid fills the lungs that the victim has to breathe through their ears.
No, I am not on drugs. As far as I can tell I am still sane (but don't crazy people think they're sane too.) I just happen to have a very weird brain that likes to tell me that having six eyes is normal.
Wanna know what's even weirder? When I woke up and realized that I only have two eyes like 99% of the population I was just a little disappointed.
Next week: B checks-in to Arkham Asylum.
No, no, I don't have six eyes, I just thought I did this morning. Aren't dreams weird like that? All of the sudden in a dream all sorts of bizarre things can happen and you'll accept them as if they're normal. But what's even stranger is that you can end up accepting things as if they're long established facts that even though they're impossible.
The dream had no plot, it was all about me having six eyes, three on each side in one row. I had no problem with this whatsoever. Most people didn't. It was just one of those things that could happen to people and I just happen to have been born with six eyes instead of the established four.
I have no idea where this idea came from. It probably stems from the same factors that had me dreaming that my mother had to go and get her stomach stapled to keep the acid in her stomach (caused by spicy tacos) from boiling up into her head and causing mumps, a disease in which so much fluid fills the lungs that the victim has to breathe through their ears.
No, I am not on drugs. As far as I can tell I am still sane (but don't crazy people think they're sane too.) I just happen to have a very weird brain that likes to tell me that having six eyes is normal.
Wanna know what's even weirder? When I woke up and realized that I only have two eyes like 99% of the population I was just a little disappointed.
Next week: B checks-in to Arkham Asylum.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Cowards
"Cowards" is a British comedy troupe composed of four guys or, since they're from the UK, blokes who go about doing what blokes do. It's like most of the dude comedy here in the US but, because it's British, it seems smarter and cooler even if it doesn't make you laugh out loud. It's a weird thing about me: enjoying comedy that doesn't make me laugh. Go figure.
COWARDS is brought to you by BBC Three
COWARDS is brought to you by BBC Three
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Link's Little Secret
Click the title to see. Normally I wouldn't post something like this but I like captioning things (yeah, that was my idea.)
Speaking of Link, I'm playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess right now. The bosses are too easy and the puzzles are too hard. I had to check a FAQ three different times to figure out what to do in some of the dungeons but so far I've beaten every boss on the first try. Without spoiling things, I've gotten past the third fused shadow dungeon so I think I'm halfway through. Overall I think I'm having more fun with this game than with the previous Zelda, The Wind Waker. Twilight feels more like a game for grown ups so I think that's a factor, but I could do with more color in the graphics. I've put it away for now but I was playing Kingdom Hearts II before Twilight and the graphics on KH2 alone sell the game just because everything is so damn pretty. The game itself has issues like overblown cut scenes and chaotic, button mashing gameplay, but it is made playable just on getting to see and explore various Disney story-worlds. I wish they'd make a Zelda game where you got to explore lands or worlds outside of Hyrule so that it had more variety in art styles and cultures, but if Shigeru Miyamoto doesn't want to do that then I won't complain.
I am promising myself that I will see Pan's Labyrinth tomorrow (since I might have missed the chance to see Perfume in theaters) and I'm planning on going to the Drink and Draw at the 75th St Brewery. I'm pretty nervous around booze I know I'll feel weird since I don't draw (anymore) so I hope I don't chicken out. I don't hang out enough with other comic people.
Speaking of Link, I'm playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess right now. The bosses are too easy and the puzzles are too hard. I had to check a FAQ three different times to figure out what to do in some of the dungeons but so far I've beaten every boss on the first try. Without spoiling things, I've gotten past the third fused shadow dungeon so I think I'm halfway through. Overall I think I'm having more fun with this game than with the previous Zelda, The Wind Waker. Twilight feels more like a game for grown ups so I think that's a factor, but I could do with more color in the graphics. I've put it away for now but I was playing Kingdom Hearts II before Twilight and the graphics on KH2 alone sell the game just because everything is so damn pretty. The game itself has issues like overblown cut scenes and chaotic, button mashing gameplay, but it is made playable just on getting to see and explore various Disney story-worlds. I wish they'd make a Zelda game where you got to explore lands or worlds outside of Hyrule so that it had more variety in art styles and cultures, but if Shigeru Miyamoto doesn't want to do that then I won't complain.
I am promising myself that I will see Pan's Labyrinth tomorrow (since I might have missed the chance to see Perfume in theaters) and I'm planning on going to the Drink and Draw at the 75th St Brewery. I'm pretty nervous around booze I know I'll feel weird since I don't draw (anymore) so I hope I don't chicken out. I don't hang out enough with other comic people.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Space Coyote Update
The artist behind the pictures I posted of The Simpsons and Futurama casts as anime characters is on a huge roll! Via her Deviant Art page Space Coyote announced that Bongo comics hiring her to do a manga parody comic. But what's more is that 20th Century Fox is contacting her as well (and not with a cease and desist notice!) If you didn't believe in the power of web 2.0 before, believe in it now!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The Simpsonzu
Here are two of the most popular fan-art pieces (two of the most popular pieces of art period, really) on Deviant Art within the past 24 hours.
The Simpsonzu by *spacecoyote on deviantART
Futurama: Super Happy Fun Show by *spacecoyote on deviantART
The artist is Space Coyote and I know next to nothing about her* except that she's Japanese by blood and probably American by birth. Space Coyote also has a web-comic (web-manga, really) called Saturnalia which sounds like a winner based on the title alone.
She also does commissions with a very clever web based quote system that does all the math for you to figure out how much an original drawing will cost.
Space Coyote's web page is the very-easy-to-remember SpaceCoyote.com. I'm putting her in my artists-to-work-with bookmark file. She's an artist worth keeping tabs on.
*I'm assuming she's female but, hey, it's the internet! You never know...
The Simpsonzu by *spacecoyote on deviantART
Futurama: Super Happy Fun Show by *spacecoyote on deviantART
The artist is Space Coyote and I know next to nothing about her* except that she's Japanese by blood and probably American by birth. Space Coyote also has a web-comic (web-manga, really) called Saturnalia which sounds like a winner based on the title alone.
She also does commissions with a very clever web based quote system that does all the math for you to figure out how much an original drawing will cost.
Space Coyote's web page is the very-easy-to-remember SpaceCoyote.com. I'm putting her in my artists-to-work-with bookmark file. She's an artist worth keeping tabs on.
*I'm assuming she's female but, hey, it's the internet! You never know...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)